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Due to the article's length it is written so that each
category can be read in any order. Just click on the desired
category you wish to read. Part 1 |
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The Position of the Believer |
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Globalization |
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Infiltration of False Teachers |
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Part 2 |
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| Apostasy | Christian Persecution(Under development) |
Rise of Intensity in Natural
Disasters (Under development |
The Occult (Under development) |
Knowledge Explosion (Under development) |
Increase of Anti-Semintism (Under development) |
Increase of Sexual Immorality (Under development) |
Summary | |
Twenty
years ago I use to see the prophetic clock five minutes till midnight, today as I
view world events in light of Biblical prophecy it is abundantly clear
that 
prophetic time has advanced.
In today's world there is a growing interest
in Biblical Prophecy among God's people, especially in light of current
world events with Israel in particular, the rise of the European Union,
Iran, Russia, the rapid move to economic globalization, increase in the
severity of natural and man made disasters, the increase of apostasy within the
professing Christian church, societal violence, etc.
Unfortunately biblical teaching about prophecy is another one of those areas that is typically not taught today in many number of churches.
Some have even discourage the study of Biblical prophecy by saying that Jesus discourage the study of prophecy. Others are saying that prophecy is obscure and no one can be sure as to its fulfillment and that's why we have so many systems of interpretations. While others have relegated prophecy as irrelevant.
Yet scripture is approximately 27%-30% prophecy. According to Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy, the late Professor J. Barton Payne stated that the Bible contains 1,817 prophecies which encompasses 8,352 predictive verses. Now what Bible student would want to ignore that much of the Bible.
The Bible says the following in 2 Tim 3:16-17:
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
I don't believe we
need to try and equate every news headline as the fulfillment of a
particular Biblical verse or start setting dates as to when certain
Biblical events will occur. We may very well experience more volatile
times such as what we are experiencing today, only time will tell.
But like all passed
prophetic events, there were "foreshadowing
events"
that where
directly
tied to the ultimate fulfillment of Biblical prophecies. It is quite
clear from events that are occurring in the world today we are
witnessing many "
foreshadowing events"
that are tied to prophecies that deal with the end times. Some of which
will be discussed in the content of this article.
In the following I will convey a panoramic Biblical prophetic view giving a general picture of where we are on God's prophetic time table in relationship to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is my conviction that and awareness in these areas will enable the believer to be alert and sober as to the time of the return of Christ. ( 1Thess 5:4-6) and encourage the true believer to pursue holiness in preparation of Christ return.
So that no one misunderstands, this is by no means an attempt to set any dates only to show in a general way of where we are on God's prophetic agenda based on his prophetic word.
God has announced his prophetic plans in advance as the following verses indicates, and gives us the surety of its fulfillment through already fulfilled prophecies. By doing so it is clear that he meant for the prophetic scriptures to be understood by his people.
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One Point of note,
regardless of which eschatological view you may hold, world
events are shaping up in a way that point to a literal
fulfillment of the prophetic scriptures
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Fulfilled prophecy provides objective demonstrable historical proof of the
inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of God’s Word.
Fulfilled prophecy authenticates
the Word of God
Prophecy reveals the mind
and plans of God.
Fulfilled
prophecy increases faith and perpetuates hope and consolation for the believer.(1Thess
4:18)
Fulfilled prophecy compels us to look at the affairs of men with a great deal more of God
focused discernment
What should the position of Believers be in light of the End Times
In Matt 24:42-44 The Bible says the following concerning Christ's return for his Church:
42 “Therefore be on the alert , for you do not know which day your Lord is coming .
43 “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.44 “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
| Christ instructs us to be on the alert, to be vigilant, just as one would in watching over his house, due to the imminent threat of burglary. Its out of this alertness the head of the house would not be caught unawares when the burglar may strike. So it is with Christ's coming, we are to be alert and always prepared for that moment |
In
1Thess 5:4-6
the apostle Paul mentions
the following:
4: But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;
5: for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;
6: so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.
| In
verse 4
Paul's readers are said to have an awareness and a
understanding of the times concerning the "The Day of The
Lord". As a result this day will not overtake Christians who
are versed in the scriptures and whose
understanding of the times are guided by
the scriptures. This is in stark contrast to the ungodly, notice what Christ said about those who had no understanding or perception of the times in Matt 24:38-39. They were busy going about the normal pursuits of life, without awareness or regard to the imminent judgment that was near to overtaking them. Matt 24:38-39 In verse 5 this awareness is govern by who we are in Christ (you are all sons of light and sons of day...) in contrast to those who are in darkness In verse 6 we are told not to sleep (katheudo /kath·yoo·do) that is a spiritual indifference or insensitivity but instead we should be:
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1. On their guard:
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17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness |
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2. Be under sound Godly teaching:
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Eph 4:11-13
11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
Purpose
12 for
the equipping of the saints for the work of
service, to the building up of the body of
Christ;
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
The result
14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; |
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1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. |
What is your Attitude Concerning the Day of The Lord, are you alert; are you sober; are you discerning are you watching?
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King Nebuchadnezzar Dream
¨ 31 “You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome.
¨
32 “The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its
breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of
bronze,
¨
33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of
clay.
¨
34 “You continued looking until a stone was cut out
without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and
clay and crushed them.
¨ 35 “Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. |
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Symbol |
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Nation Represented |
Time of Existence as a World Power |
Commentary |
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36 “This
was the dream; now we will tell its interpretation
before the king.
37 “You,
O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has
given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory;
38 and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the
beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given
them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them
all. You are the head of gold. |
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626-539 BC |
There is no doubt as to who the head of gold is, for Daniel
tells the then Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar "...You are
the head of gold. ". |
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39
“After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to
you, ...
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Medo - Persa
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539
- 330 B.C.
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The Medo-Persians conquered the Babylonians in 539
b.c. The arms of
silver evidently represent the two nations of Media and |
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39
...then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule
over all the earth. |
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330 63 B.C.
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Alexander the Great conquered the Medo-Persians between 334 and
330 b.c. and
assumed authority over its peoples and territory. By Alexander’s
conquests he extended the Greek Empire as far east as the
northwestern portion of |
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40 “Then
there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; in as
much as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that
breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces.
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2 Legs
Leg
1-
146 B.C. To A.D. 476
Leg 2
- 1461 A.D. Eastern Kingdom
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This fourth kingdom conquered the Greek Empire in 63
b.c. Though the
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Four of the 5 Kingdoms mentioned by Daniel
have come and gone from the world stage, in the exact order
that's mentioned in Daniel. Secular world history bears this
same fact out. The next and last government of man is the 10
Nation confederacy which will come about during the Great
Tribulation. |
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41 “In
that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and
partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have
in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed
with common clay.
42 “As
the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly
of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and
part of it will be brittle.
43 “And
in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will
combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not
adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with
pottery. |
Ultimately a 10 Nation Confederacy that will voluntarily give
their allegiance to the
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?
- ?
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44 “In
the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a
kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom
will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an
end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.
45 “In
as much as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain
without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the
clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to
the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is
true and its interpretation is trustworthy.” |
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?- Millennium
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Jerusalem — The Burdensome Stone
According to Zechariah 12:2-3 and Zechariah 14:2 there will be a conflict over Jerusalem which will involve all nations of the world. It is clear from what is occurring today that Jerusalem is becoming that heavy stone as Zechariah predicted. The foundation is now being laid for the ultimate fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy.
It is said to occur in a time frame called "that day" Zech 12:3.
Zech 12:2-3
That Day is a reference to the time period known as the "Day of the Lord" or the seven year tribulation time frame.
Again when looking at the ever building controversy swirling around Jerusalem it is clear these events are related to the ultimate fulfillment of Zechariah below are current ones concerning Jerusalem. It must also be keep in mind that the Arab and Muslim world don't consider Jerusalem as being the capital of Israel but should belong to the Arabs.
| Jerusalem mayor shunned by top US officials The US Administration rejected Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat's request to meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Special Mideast Envoy George Mitchell. | ||
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World concensus
turning against
US angered by Interior Minister Eli Yishai's decision to approve construction of 1,600 housing units in Ramat Shlomo. Vice President Biden: Move undermines trust |
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Sarkozy 'condemns Israeli
construction in
See article "Jerusalem — "The Burdensome Stone written by Thomas S. McCall, Th.D." for a fuller treatment of this subject |
Gog and Magog
Another Geo Political feature of the prophetic road map deals
with an alignment of nations that will invade
Because of the end result of the
Magog invasion, as found in (Ezk
39:7) which is states, “My holy name I will make known in the midst of My people Israel;
and I will not let My holy name be profaned anymore. And the
nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel can only
find its fulfillment in the seven year tribulation period.
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Gog is described as being “of the land Magog” and as the “prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal.”
Most Bible scholars believe Gog is not a name but a title, like
Pharaoh or Czar. He is a dictator who will hatch an “evil plan”(Ezek 38:10).
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Magog
= Leading Bible scholars say this is Russia and republics of
the former Soviet Union. The first century Roman historian
Josephus
said the “Magogites” were the peoples whom the Greeks called
“Scythians.”
Scythians
were a fierce, blood-thirsty civilization that settled north of
the Baltic Sea in
what is now Russia and the European
republics of the former USSR.
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Rosh = Russia*
Meshech
= Some Bible scholars say this is Moscow, others believe it refers to Turkey
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Tubal
= Some Bible scholars say this refers to the city/region of
Tobolsk in Russia along the Tobol others say it refers to a section of modern-day Turkey.
(Interestingly, in 1964, massive reserves of oil and gas were
discovered in the Tobolsk region of Siberia and people now refer
to the region as the
“energy center
of Russia.”)*
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Put = Libya,and possibly Algeria and Tunisia |
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Gomer
= Turkey but also possibly Germany and Austria
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Beth-togarmah = Armenia and the Turkic-speaking peoples of Central Asia |
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“Many peoples with you”
who will attack along “the mountains of Israel” =
Other countries will be involved in the coalition as well,
notably countries that border the mountains of Israel. This may
includes Lebanon Syria and possibly Jordan.
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Iranian fighter turned |
The World Moving to Globalization
With resounding determination the world
institutions are calling for globalization in the areas of politics,
economics and religion that will enable it to become a global community.
The following lays out what comments and actions are being done to bring
this about, in light of Biblical prophecy.
Globalization of World's Financial Systems
The world's goal is to consolidate it's financial systems by doing so it will lay the foundation for what John wrote about in Revelation where he stated:
16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men
and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on
their forehead,
17 and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
In the article
"A
New World Order Solution to the Economic Collapse?" written by By Kevin
D. Denee dated March 8, 2009, stated the
following:
"As the world teeters on the brink of
financial disaster, leaders are calling for a new world order.
Why?
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As part of the new 'Financial New World Order' the industrialize nations are having serious dialogue around a common world currency. According to a Washington Times article title Burning one world currency Wednesday, April 8, 2009 the following was stated:
| "The Group of 20 gave a nod to the idea of a single world currency last week, and other countries such as China are pushing it because they no longer trust the United States to restrain itself from printing too much cash and debasing the dollar." |
The current economic crisis in the US housing and banking industries which have had global repercussions is the straw that broke the camels back in a success of world events that is driving the world to the fulfillment of God's prophetic plan.
No one knows how long we have before the start of the Tribulation period. One thing is for sure we are definitely marching toward this climactic era, with gusto !
Pope calls for a "global authority" on economy
In the article "Pope
calls for a "global authority", written
by RACHEL DONADIO and LAURIE GOODSTEIN
| Pope Benedict XVI Urges Forming New
World Economic Order to Work for the "Common Good"
VATICAN CITY —
Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday called for a radical rethinking
of the global economy, criticizing a growing divide between rich
and poor and urging the establishment of a “true world political authority” to oversee the economy and work for the “common good.” |
Establishing our place in Prophetic History from a Religious Interfaith Global Ecumenism
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In April April 15th - 20th
Faith and values organizations form coalition to advance United Nations Decade for Inter-religious Cooperation for Peace
Some forty-five religious, interfaith, and value-based organizations from five continents agreed to form a coalition to advance a "United Nations Decade for Inter-religious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding, and Cooperation for Peace." Coalition members expressed the hope that the UN Sixty-Fourth General Assembly, which will begin its deliberations in September 2009, will approve a resolution establishing such a decade from 2011-2020.
The meeting took place at Maryknoll, New York, on 2-4 March. Participants included Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Shinto, Sikh, Zoroastrian as well as indigenous traditions.
The Prophetic Connections of the Ecumenical Movement
Any student of scripture will immediately recognize the prophetic significance of the "pursuit of peace" on a global scale as it relates to the "Day of the Lord". Notice what the apostle Paul says in the following:
1 Thessalonians 5:2-3
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The "day of the Lord" will come upon the unsuspecting
world without warning and suddenly. It will also come at a
time when world conditions
appear as
peaceful.
It is no doubt that prior to this time many will be working
toward this end.
Judging from the scriptures, this false peace will have 2 primary influences: Religious
- Apostate Christendom (2
Thess 2:3-4) will usher in the world leader who
will gain control over a 10 nation confederacy.
Political - A world
political leader (The Anti Christ) coming out of
the newly rebuilt Roman empire will sign and
enforced a seven year middle east peace covenant
with Israel and others. The religious and political institutions along with its leaders will be declaring "peace and safety". The peace will be temporary and an instrument of deception (Dan 9:27 cf. Rev 6:1-2) by the world ruler (Anti Christ) at that time and will ultimately lead to destruction (, i.e. ruin as opposed to annihilation) as brought on by God's wrath and Satan's anger during the Great Tribulation. In summation it will be a false peace, because it will be based upon man rather than upon the person of Jesus Christ. |
Global Ecumenism, the
One World Church and its relationship to the world Governments
It
is clear from the activities of the world religions, that their
goal is to unite as one under the headship of the
great harlot who sits on many
waters as found in Rev 17. This false religious institution will
be integrated into the political where there will be
participatory activities between the religious and political
institutions. (Rev 12:2)
Rev 17:1-2
1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,
2 with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.”
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17:1-2. One of the seven angels who had one of the seven bowls invited John to witness the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. This evil woman symbolizes the religious system of Babylon, and the waters symbolize “peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages”. This religious system spans ethnicity, multitudes, nations, languages and other religious systems, including apostate Christianity. The angel informed John that the kings of the earth had committed adultery with the woman; in other words, the political system and its rulers will become a part of the religious system which she symbolized. Religion and government have now merge into a Satanic/ demonic duo. This is now what we are seeing materialize right before our eyes. When one looks at those who are in preparation of a one world religion, it consists of the cooperation of both government and religion. |
Rev 17:3-4
And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.3
4 The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality,
5 and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
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The woman was sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names. The beast had 7 heads and 10 horns. The beast is an obvious reference to the world government (Rev 13:1). The 10 horns are later defined (Rev 17:12) as 10 kings who had “not yet received a kingdom.” The 7 heads seem to refer to prominent rulers of the yet-future Roman Empire. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones, and pearls. Strangely her adornment is similar to that of the Roman Catholic church today. While purple, scarlet, gold, precious stones, and pearls can all represent beauty and glory in relation to the true faith, here they reveal a false religion that prostitutes the truth. In her hand the woman held a golden cup filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries the. This confirms previous indications that her character and life are symbolic of false religion, confirmed by the words written on her forehead: mystery babylon the great the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. [11] |
Establishing our place in Prophetic History from a Cultural / Societal View
A preoccupation with the things of this life:
In keeping with the context of Christ's comparison of the days preceding his second coming to those of Noah and Lot.: Notice the following
37 “For the coming of the Son of
Man will be just like the days of
Noah.
38 “For as in those days before the
flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, until the day that
Noah entered the ark,
39 and they did not understand until the
flood came and took them all away;
so will the coming of the Son of
Man be.
28 “It was the
same as happened in the days of
29 but on the day that
Lot went out from
30 “It
will be just the same on the day that
the Son of Man is revealed.
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Their preoccupation indicated a self
centered sinful Godless life rather than a God centered life
that sought God's Kingdom and righteousness( cf. They failed to see that life was about
more than the here and now and physical needs and wants ( Their exclusive pursuit for the things
in this life reflected their attitude towards spiritual
things. They viewed the spiritual things of God as
foolishness(1Cor. 2:14). They had no time or desire for God. As a result of their spiritual darkness
they had no perception of the impending judgment that was
poised to sweep them away, therefore they where caught
unaware when the judgment overtook them. The same will be true preceding the
days of the Great Tribulation period. People pursuits,
passions and cravings will be in the context of the world's,
system; the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes
and the boastful pride of life ( With their spiritual perception
darkened due to their sinful nature they will not understand
or perceive the judgment of God on the horizon until it
strikes. (cf. |
Paul's description of the disintegration of society:
1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will
come.
2 For men will be lovers of self,
lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers,
disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God,
4 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control
brutal, haters of good,
5 holding to a
form of godliness, although they have denied its
power; Avoid such men as these.
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V1 Paul
warned Timothy about the societal collapse predicted for
the last days, a term which includes the entire period
between the first century and Christ’s return. v2- 4 Paul describes a vivid
picture of the degenerate condition of the human
nature which will continue to degenerate into greater depths
of depravity until Christ comes back : lovers of self - (GK- philautos ) selfish love,
pertaining to the excessive love of oneself, self-centered
[3]
which is contrary to the greatest which is to love God above
all else and second thy neighbor as thy self ( lovers of money - (GK- philarguros ) pertaining to
being fond of or loving money, i.e., greedy;
covetous.[22]
This is especially true in the Word Faith movement, were
to be poor is a sin. boastful - (GK- alazones). empty pretender.[4]
Boasting of things they do not have. arrogant -(GK-huperephanos) translates as “proud”
five times. 1 showing one’s self above others,
overtopping, conspicuous above others, pre-eminent. 2
with an overweening estimate of one’s means or merits,
despising others or even treating them with contempt,
haughty.
[5]
disobedient to parents -(GK. apeithes )
impersudasible, not compliant, disobedient, flagrantly
insubordinate or rebellious
[8].
“Disobedient to parents” suggests that
this apostasy reaches into the family. ungrateful- (GK - acharistos )
Children are “unthankful” and do not appreciate what their
parents have done for them. They are “unholy” in their
attitude toward their parents. “Honor thy father and thy
mother” is not widely taught or respected.[21] unholy - (GK - anosios )
pertaining to what is not consecrated or devoted to God
[9]
No acknowledgement of God and his divine law, showing
a disregard for the things of God. unloving - (GK- astorgos) pertaining to a lack of
love or affection for close associates or family—‘without
normal human affection, without love for others[10].
irreconcilable - (GK -
aspondos ) pertaining to being unwilling to be
reconciled to others—‘irreconcilable, unwilling to be at
peace with others
[11] without self-control -(Gk- [akrates
) - lacking self-control, implying then an indulgent life
[13] brutal - (Gk anēmeroi ) - pertaining to fierceness,
in the sense of being wild and untamed—‘fierce, vicious,
untamed.
[14] haters of good - (GK - aphilagathos )
pertaining to not loving what is good—‘not loving what is
good, being an enemy to what is good, being against what is
good.
[15]
Not loving what is good according to
God's standards as found in his word therefore resulting in
hating God. treacherous - (GK, prodotēs
)one who delivers without justification a person into the
control of someone else—‘betrayer, one who betrays.
[16] reckless -(GK, propetes ) pertaining to impetuous
and reckless behavior. To act ‘without thinking’ or ‘without
counting the cost.[17] conceited - (Gk- tuphoo ) to make proud, puff up
with pride, render insolent, to be puffed up with
haughtiness or pride. to blind with pride or conceit, to
render foolish or stupid.[18]
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The Below chart shows the numerous false teachings that have infiltrated the church. Some of it coming from within the ranks of the church itself, which is what the Apostle Paul has warned the church about: By the way this is not an exhaustive list.
| Acts 20:29-31 29
“I know that after my departure savage wolves
will come in among you, not sparing the
flock; 30 and from among your
own selves men will arise, speaking perverse
things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. |
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|
1 But
false prophets also arose among the
people, just as there will also be
false teachers among you, who will
secretly introduce destructive
heresies, even denying the Master who
bought them, bringing swift
destruction upon themselves. |
The Lord Jesus also gave a warning concerning those who would mislead :
|
22 -
for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and
will show signs and wonders, in order to lead
astray, if
possible, the elect. 23 - “But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance. |
It is vividly clear from the above scriptures that the infiltration of false teachers and their teachings will be the hallmark of the professing church at the end of the church age. Therefore biblical discernment should be a priority of the professing believer during this time. Sadly to say it's only a relative handful that practice any kind of discernment what so ever this includes leadership and laity.
Infiltration of false Believers in the Church
One must keep in mind that the Growth of the church until the time of harvest will be a mixture of both "Wheat and Tares."
When looking at
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Good
seed is sown by Christ Matt 13:37. This seed represents
those who belong to Christ through the new birth of the
Holy Spirit. |
Tares among Wheat 24
Jesus presented another parable to them, saying,
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who
sowed good seed in his field. 25 “But while
his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares
among the wheat, and went away. 26 “But when the
wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became
evident also. 27 “The slaves
of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not
sow good seed in your field? How then does it have
tares’ 29 “But he
*said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the
tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 ‘Allow both
to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of
the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up
the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but
gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ” 36
Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And
His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the
parable of the tares of the field.” 37 And He said,
“The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 and the field
is the world; and as for the good seed, these are
the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of
the evil one;
39 and the enemy
who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end
of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40 “So just as
the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall
it be at the end of the age. 41 “The Son of
Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out
of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who
commit lawlessness, 42 and will
throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there
will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 “Then the
righteous will shine 3 “Those who have insight will
shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of
heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness,
like the stars forever and ever. ...and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy." |
The Fruit of Wheat
those that belong to Christ Compared
to Tares who belong to Satan
(not meant
to be an
exhaustive list only meant to reflect the basic differences
between the two groups)
| Characteristics of True Believers | Characteristics of Tares | ||
|
True believers Hear the voice of Jesus -
They know, pay attention, believe and respond to
it on the basis of having heard
The hearing of those belonging to Christ represents correspondence to the revelation of the Word of God,
|
John 8:47a 47 "He who is of God hears the words of God;... John 10:4-5 4 "When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
5 "A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers." John 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; |
Do not hear the voice of God |
John 8:47 47 "He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God." |
| Practice Biblical righteousness and have a love for other believers |
1 John 3:10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. |
Will not
endure sound doctrine and
will reject revealed Biblical truth Have a lovef or unbiblical falsehood |
2 Timothy
4:3-4 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
Jer 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it? |
| Will follow demonic led false teachers. Reflecting a lack of discernment |
But false prophets also arose among
the people, just as there will also be false teachers
among you, who will secretly introduce destructive
heresies, even denying the Master who bought them,
bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their
sensuality,... 1Tim 4:1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, |
||
False Believers will always follow False teachers and their teaching, Those who are in the church and who have no relationship with Christ will not have an ear for Biblical truth. They will have a love for the falsehood of false teachers (Jer 5:31, 2 Timothy 4:3-4) who will either rise from the outside (Act 20:29) and the others from their own midst (Act 20:30, 2 Pet 2:1-2), rather than the truth which only those born of God can hear (John 8:47a). Those who belong to Christ hears and knows his voice and they will not follow a false teacher (John 10:4-5).
This group of false believers will be part of the many that Christ referred to in Matt 7:22 who are on the broad way. They have chosen the board way of religion rather than a with Christ. They have chosen to follow the sensuousness of false teachers, they have preferred to pay attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. They will have no endurance for sound teaching but will accumulate teachers according to their own desires. They will be those folk who the Lord will say Sadly to say this describes a great many of folk in the church today.
See the following related Articles:
| "Scripture taken from the NEW
AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright ©
1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The
Lockman Foundation. Used by permission."
[2]Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:756 [3]Swanson, James: Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Greek (New Testament). electronic ed. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. GGK5796 [4]Robertson, A.T.: Word Pictures in the New Testament. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, 1997, S. 2 Ti 3:2 [5]Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : Showing Every Word of the Test of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurence of Each Word in Regular Order. electronic ed. Ontario : Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996, S. G5244 [6]Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : Showing Every Word of the Test of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurence of Each Word in Regular Order. electronic ed. Ontario : Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996, S. G989 [7]Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : Showing Every Word of the Test of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurence of Each Word in Regular Order. electronic ed. Ontario : Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996, S. G545 [8]Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : Showing Every Word of the Test of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurence of Each Word in Regular Order. electronic ed. Ontario : Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996, S. G989 [9]Louw, Johannes P. ; Nida, Eugene Albert: Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament : Based on Semantic Domains. electronic ed. of the 2nd edition. New York : United Bible societies, 1996, c1989, S. 1:538 [10]Louw, Johannes P. ; Nida, Eugene Albert: Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament : Based on Semantic Domains. electronic ed. of the 2nd edition. New York : United Bible societies, 1996, c1989, S. 1:292 [11]Louw, Johannes P. ; Nida, Eugene Albert: Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament : Based on Semantic Domains. electronic ed. of the 2nd edition. New York : United Bible societies, 1996, c1989, S. 1:502 [12]Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : Showing Every Word of the Test of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurence of Each Word in Regular Order. electronic ed. Ontario : Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996, S. G1228 [13]Swanson, James: Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Greek (New Testament). electronic ed. Oak Harbor : Logos Research [14]Systems, Inc., 1997, S. GGK203 Louw, Johannes P. ; Nida, Eugene Albert: Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament : Based on Semantic Domains. electronic ed. of the 2nd edition. New York : United Bible societies, 1996, c1989, S. 1:228 [15]Louw, Johannes P. ; Nida, Eugene Albert: Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament : Based on Semantic Domains. electronic ed. of the 2nd edition. New York : United Bible societies, 1996, c1989, S. 1:300 [16]Louw, Johannes P. ; Nida, Eugene Albert: Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament : Based on Semantic Domains. electronic ed. of the 2nd edition. New York : United Bible societies, 1996, c1989, S. 1:485 [17]Louw, Johannes P. ; Nida, Eugene Albert: Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament : Based on Semantic Domains. electronic ed. of the 2nd edition. New York : United Bible societies, 1996, c19 [18]Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : Showing Every Word of the Test of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurence of Each Word in Regular Order. electronic ed. Ontario : Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996, S. G5187 [19]Louw, Johannes P. ; Nida, Eugene Albert:Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament : Based on Semantic Domains. electronic ed. of the 2nd edition. New York : United Bible societies, 1996, c1989, S. 1:300 [21]Wiersbe, Warren W.: The Bible Exposition Commentary. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1989, S. 2 Ti 3 [22]Swanson, James: Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Greek (New Testament). electronic ed. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. GGK5795 [23]Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:756 [24] Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 1:1335 [25] Strongs Concordance (G2215) [26] http://www.worthynews.com/top/ynetnews-com-Ext-Comp-ArticleLayout-CdaArticlePrintPreview-1,2506,L-3917748,00-html/ |
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