PARALLEL WORLDS
The Parallel between the "Merchants of
Tarshish" and the American Business Elites
Come on now! - is it that hard to see the parallel between Tyre and
the "Merchants of Tarshish" (on the one hand) and America and her
business elites (on the other hand)? The fact is, in today's world,
the American business elites stand in exactly the same place to America
as the "Merchants of Tarshish" stood in relation to the kingdom
of Tyre - AND IT IS, THEREFORE, NOT WITHOUT PURPOSE THAT THE BIBLE
DRAWS THIS PARALLEL FORWARD TO TODAY'S WORLD IN EZEKIEL CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:
Those who have "eyes to see" and "ears to hear"
(Mark 8:18) will easily make the connection.
And make no mistake about the centrality of the American business elites
to the way America (and, ipso facto, the world) is run today.
The late Professor C. Wright Mills of Columbia University has written:
"... in this particular epoch a conjunction of historical circumstances
has led to the rise of an elite of power ... the men of the circles
composing this elite, severally and collectively, now make such key
decisions as are made; and that, given the enlargement and the centralization
of the means of power now available, the decisions that they make
and fail to make carry more consequences for more people than has
ever been the case in the world history of mankind." [Please
see our article, "Greed, Avarice
and the Coming Dictatorship."]
Mills Continues:
"The pursuit of the moneyed-life is ... (the elite's) commanding
value, in relation to which the influence of other values has declined,
so ... (THAT THEY HAVE) EASILY BECOME MORALLY RUTHLESS IN ITS PURSUIT..."
"(They have) narrowed the meaning of 'success' to big money
and in these terms condemn (financial) failure as the chief vice,
raising money to the plane of absolute value."
"Whenever the standards of the moneyed-life prevail, the man
with money, NO MATTER HOW HE GOT IT, will eventually be respected.
(In America), it is not only that men want money; it is that their
very standards are pecuniary. In a society (i.e., the American society)
in which the money-maker has ... no serious rival for repute and honor,
the word 'practical' comes to mean 'useful for private gain' and 'common
sense', 'the sense to get ahead financially'."
Criminals in Armani Suits
Just as the moneyed elites of Tyre filled Tyre and Tyre's tribute states
with bloodshed and violence, so also America's moneyed elites have filled
America and her "client-states" with violence and bloodshed,
except it's not called that when America's business elites "traffic"
in it. When they rob the poor, dispossess them of their land and houses,
pollute the environment, ship their jobs overseas to "slave-labor
factories," instead of calling it what it is - i.e., "criminality"
- they call what they are doing "sound business practices."
[Please see our article, "The
American Empire and the New Global Elite;" please also see
"The American Empire and the
U.S. System of Client-States."]
And its just not that they openly practice such things; they then buy
up legislators, take control of the judiciary, co-opt the administrative
organs of the government, and buy up the electoral process in order
to insure that they are immune from the consequences of their felonious
acts. Commenting on the kind of "democracy" they have created
for themselves in America, Michael Parenti writes that as things stand
now, the American people -
"... might better think of [their system of government] ...
as a dual political system. First, there is the symbolic political
system centered around electoral and representative activities including
party conflicts, voter turnout, political personalities, public pronouncements,
official role-playing and certain ambiguous presentations of some
of the public issues which bestir presidents, governors, mayors and
their respective legislatures. Then there is the substantive political
system, involving multi-billion dollar contracts, tax write-offs,
protections, rebates, grants, loss compensations, subsidies, leases,
giveaways and the whole vast process of budgeting, legislating, advising,
regulating, protecting and servicing major producer interests - now
bending or ignoring the law on behalf of the powerful, now applying
it with full punitive vigor against heretics and 'troublemakers'.
The symbolic system is highly visible, taught in schools, discussed
by academicians, gossiped about by newsmen. The substantive system
is seldom heard of or accounted for."
The fact is, THE RICH IN AMERICA ARE NOTHING MORE THAN CRIMINALS
IN ARMANI SUITS, But unlike the Mafioso (who have, in relative terms,
only a few "hit men" at their disposal to enforce their will),
the CEOs of General Electric, Ford Motor Company, Haliburton, Exxon-Mobil,
etc. have the entire U.S. military at their disposal to enforce their
will. AND SO WE NOW UNDERSTAND THE CRYPTIC REFERENCE TO "SHEBA,
DEDAN AND THE MERCHANTS OF TARSHISH" IN EZEK. 38:13:
"Sheba and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the
young lions thereof, shall say unto thee (i.e., Gog),
ART THOU COME TO TAKE A SPOIL? hast thou gathered thy company
to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle
and goods, to take a great spoil?" (Ezek. 38:13)
It is a protest that will act as a catalyst to America's presence
in the Middle East and - again - it reveals whose ox is really being
goaded by the forces of Islamic Radicalism (i.e., the CEOs of America's
multinational oil companies), and who really is behind what's going
on in the Middle East (i.e., these very same rapacious oil companies
who - again - are more than willing to sacrifice America's sons and
daughters for the sake of their "bottom lines").
THE PROPHECIES OF EZEKIEL AND
DANIEL CONCERNING THE GOG/MAGOG WAR
The Prophet Ezekiel
We have now gleaned about as much as we can concerning the Gog/Magog
War from the prophet Ezekiel. This much has been made clear:
-
A group of Radical Islamic nations shall descend on Israel in the
"latter days" to destroy Israel and "take a spoil."
-
As foretold in Ezekiel 38:4, it will be a massive invasion. Persia
[the land that is today occupied by modern Iran] and TURKEY
will join in the attack. Ethiopia and Libya (ancient lands which
today bear these same names] and others will evidently coordinate
with the northern confederation in an attack from the south.
-
There will be a protest from Sheba and Dedan and the "Merchants
of Tarshish" - i.e., America's business elites - that will
spur the United States into action against Gog.
But, having said this, little else can be gleaned from Ezekiel concerning
the Gog/Magog War except that Gog will be almost totally
annihilated. But how will the war unfold? Are there other "players?"
How exactly does the AntiChrist become involved? These and other
questions are left unanswered by Ezekiel. Instead, Ezekiel passes over
these questions, bypassing the rest of the Tribulation Period, and moves
directly into a picture of a restored Israel during the Millennium.
The Prophet Daniel
We must take up the rest of the Gog/Magog story (where Ezekiel left
off) in Daniel chapter eleven. [Please see Daniel and the Latter
Days (Moody Press) by Robert Duncan Culver for an excellent treatment
of these and other passages.]
Daniel 11:36-39 begins the prophecy with a description of the Antichrist
and compares him with Antiochus Epiphanes [the Greek (by ethnicity)
not Syrian ruler of the ancient Selussian Empire] who desecrated the
Temple in Jerusalem in the Second Century B.C. (Daniel 11:21-35). Among
other things, he (Antichrist) is described as a man who shall corrupt
with flatteries (Daniel 11:32), and a man infatuated with military power
and glory. Daniel goes on to say:
"And at the end time [same as "in the latter years"
- cf. Daniel 11:40 and Ezekiel 38:8] the king of the South
[the leader of the southern confederation, i.e., EGYPT, Libya,
etc.] will collide with him [i.e., the Antichrist - please see Daniel
and the Latter Days by Robert Culver], and the king of the North
[Gog] will storm against him [again, the Antichrist]
with chariots, with horsemen, and with many ships; and he [Antichrist]
will enter countries, overflow them, and pass through.
"He [i.e., the Antichrist] will also enter the Beautiful Land
[i.e., Israel], and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued
out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon
[i.e., that portion of land east of the river Jordan which sweeps
in a large arc (with the Dead Sea as the fulcrum) from about 30 miles
northeast of the Dead Sea southward to about 50 miles due south, southeast
of the same sea - a barren and desolate wilderness devoid of any significant
vegetation. Mt. Nebo is located in this area where it is reputed that
Jeremiah hid the "Arc of the Covenant" in order to prevent
its capture by the Babylonians - and there are some scholars today
(mainly Orthodox Jews) who believe that it is still there (Numbers
35)].
"Then he [i.e., Antichrist] will stretch out his hand against
other countries, and the land of EGYPT will not escape.
"HE [i.e., Antichrist] WILL GAIN CONTROL OVER THE
HIDDEN TREASURES [ i.e., THE OIL OF THE MDDLE EAST] AND OVER ALL THE
PRECIOUS THINGS ...
"But rumors from the East and from the North will disturb him
[i.e., Antichrist], and he [Antichrist] will go forth with great wrath
to destroy and annihilate many.
"And he [Antichrist] will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion
between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain ..." (Daniel
11:40-45a)
As described here, the Gog/Magog War will be initiated by a "push"
from the king of the south (i.e., the leader of the southern confederation,
probably the leader of EGYPT) against the Antichrist, whose forces
are at least partially located in the "glorious land" [Israel]
- probably as a result of a defense pact between Israel and Babylon,
the nation which he leads. Shortly thereafter, the king of the north
[Gog] - leading the combined forces of TURKEY,
Iran, etc - will launch his attack, and between them, the king of the
north and the king of the south will attempt to trap the combined forces
of Israel and Babylon in a giant pincer movement. The attack of the
king of the north [Gog] has been referred to in Ezekiel
38 and 39. Now new detail is given. Ezekiel 38 and 39 had mentioned
the fact that Ethiopia and Libya would join Gog in this
attack; now a third nation is added - EGYPT (Daniel 11:42).
Recapitulating and Combining the
Prophecies of Ezekiel and Daniel
As a result of the information contained in the above verses and those
in Ezekiel, we have now -
-
An outline of how the war will unfold.
-
An idea of where U.S. forces will be situated just prior to the
beginning of the war, specifically in the environs of ancient Babylon
and close to Israel.
-
A final list of the MAIN "players" in the
war: Israel, the United States, Turkey, Iran, and Egypt.
-
The consequences of the war: The occupation of the land of Israel
by American forces, and the annihilation of most of the people of
the Middle East.
Matters Pertaining to Turkey and Egypt
This, at last, brings us to the matter of Turkey and Egypt; specifically
their decline into the fires of Islamic Radicalism. The submergence
of both countries in these fires will take place in an atmosphere of
increasing turmoil and confusion in the Middle East as the forces of
Islamic Radicalism (on the one hand) and America and her client-state,
Israel (on the other hand) maneuver for advantage in the upcoming struggle
for control of the vast oil riches of the area. In this struggle, both
sides will be radicalized because - in the end - only the radicalized
elements of each camp are prepared to endure the horrors of the clash
that lie ahead; only they possess the esprit de corps (as it
were) and the kind of intellectual (really, religious) rigor necessary
for such a contest.
Egypt
As the struggle continues, both sides will be progressively driven
back to the ancient springs from which their cultures first drew breath;
in the case of America, Christianity; and in the case of the Muslim
people of the Middle East, Islam. There is no room on this battlefield
for the "faint of heart," which in this case means the religious
"moderates" on both sides. All this bodes ill for the "secular"
governments of Turkey and Egypt. Indeed, what's happening in both countries
is that their "moderate" underpinnings are rotting away under
the impress of Islamic Radicalism. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood
- a radical Islamic group that has been banned for years - is making
an astounding comeback, capturing over 37 percent of the Egyptian vote
in recent elections, which by all accounts were rigged in favor of the
current government.
The fact is, it's not too much to say that without the police-state
apparatus of the Egyptian state, the present secular government of Hosni
Mubarik would have fallen a long time ago to the forces of Islamic Fundamentalism.
Indeed, the pathology of rot that has taken hold on the Mubarik government
resembles nothing so much as the rot that took hold on the Shah's government
in Iran shortly before its fall in 1978.
Turkey
In Turkey, the same rot is extant as in Egypt. All that's needed to
push the "moderates" out in Turkey is the rejection of their
bid for E.U. membership - a bid that looks increasingly shaky. For example,
Valery Giscard d'Estaing of France recently asserted in an interview
with Le Monde that Turkey has no business in the E.U. It's not
a "Western" country at all. He continued:
"Turkey's capital is not in Europe, and 95 percent of its population
is outside Europe. It has a different culture, a different approach,
and a different way of life ... E.U. membership for Turkey would mean
the end of Europe."
And Giscard d'Estaing is not alone in his sentiments. His comments
have been echoed by West Germany's former chancellor, Helmut Schmidt,
who publicly voiced fears that the admission of Turkey -
"... would open the door for similarly plausible full membership
of other MUSLIM nations in Africa and the Middle East. That
could result in the political union degenerating into nothing more
than a free trade community [without a common culture]."
While the secular elites in Europe continue to press for Turkey's membership
in the E.U., most of the differing populations of the E.U. member states
are opposed to Turkey's membership for cultural and, yes, even religious
reasons. The current population of Turkey is about 70 million; by contrast,
Germany is the largest E.U. state with about 83 million residents, but
it is shrinking by about 82,000 a year while Turkey's population is
exploding. That means that in a few years, Turkey would be the largest
state - both in terms of geography and sheer numbers - in the E.U. What
that could mean is that Europe could be flooded with Muslim immigrants
who would be accorded unrestricted immigration rights under the E.U.
Charter. That's something that sends shivers down the spines of most
Europeans.
Should Turkey's bid for membership in the E.U. continue to stall, however,
Turkey could irrevocably turn away from "moderation" and embrace
Islamic Radicalism. Indeed, the current government of Turkey is made
up in part from previously banned Islamic parties. The leader of this
coalition, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has warned that if things continue
as they are, the Turks will look at the E.U. as "nothing more than
a Christian Club" which is closed to Islamic participation. AND
THE FACT IS, THERE IS ALREADY A GROWING SENTIMENT IN TURKEY AGAINST
BECOMING A "PARIAH" MEMBER OF THE E.U. WHEN IT COULD INSTEAD
BECOME THE LEADING MEMBER IN A COALITION OF ISLAMIC STATES THAT WOULD
STRETCH FROM MOROCCO TO THE PHILIPPINES.
How Close Is the Collapse of the
Egyptian and Turkish Governments?
The question , now, that fairly begs to be asked is, How close are
we to the collapse of the present secular governments of Turkey and
Egypt? The short answer is, very close! Indeed, as we just indicated,
both Turkey and Egypt stand in just about the same situation as the
government of Iran did just prior to the fall of the Shah.
When the collapse of the Shah finally came in 1978 - which led to the
Middle East's first Islamic government - it looked at the time to have
come out of nowhere. But the social rot that led to the collapse of
the Shah's government had been eating away at Iran's foundations for
years. While the façade remained, the substance was gone; as
a result, when the collapse came, it came suddenly. THIS IS PRECISELY
WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN VERY SOON NOW IN BOTH EGYPT AND TURKEY - AND
NOTHING WILL BE ABLE TO STAVE OFF THIS COLLAPSE.
Moreover, this kind of rot is extant in almost all the secular governments
of the Middle East and North Africa - from Morocco and Algeria in the
west, through Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Yemen, Lebanon,
and Syria in the center - and even eastward through Pakistan, the states
of Central Asia, and on into Malaysia. The fact is, all of these secular
governments are rotten to their very foundations, AND THIS ROT HAS
A LOT TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT THEY ARE ALL AMERICAN CLIENT-STATES with
very little popular support at the grass-roots level.
Ultimately, the secular governments of each of these states owe their
existence to the support of the U.S. military; and all of them are in
league with the Americans in the rape of their respective countries
by America's huge "multi-national" corporations - corporations
such as Exxon-Mobil, Haliburton, Shell (which, despite its British and
Dutch façade, is really an American-owned corporation), Conoco-Phillips,
Dow, Union Carbide, etc.
But Egypt and Turkey are crucial in the fact that they - together with
Iran - possess among themselves more than 80 percent of the population
of the Middle East. That makes what happens to them crucial to what
happens to the Middle East as a whole.
RESTATING THE FACTS ON THE GROUND
When Egypt and Turkey go, all of the Middle East will go with them!
- AND, AGAIN, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME NOW. When that finally
happens, ALL THE "PLAYERS" THAT ARE DIRECTLY MENTIONED
IN THE PROPHETIC SCRIPTURES WILL HAVE GATHERED THEMSELVES TO WAR:
-
TURKEY: Turkey is still a U.S. client-state, but is very
close to collapsing into the frenzy of Islamic Radicalism. It should
be noted here that when we speak of Turkey in the ancient scripts,
we are speaking of Magog, Mescheck, Tubal, and Gomer. It should
also be noted in this connection that none of these ancient lands
extended northward into what is known today as Russia. RUSSIA
IS NOT REFERENCED BY EITHER THE PROPHET EZEKIEL OF DANIEL; the
names "Mescheck" and "Tubal" are NOT
references to "Moscow" and "Tobolsk" as some
have naively suggested. That's conjecture; the facts are these:
Mescheck and Tubal are mentioned in ancient Assyrian inscriptions
as being located in what is now known as the Transcaucasian Region
- the extreme northern horizon of the Hebrews (Ezek. xxxviii. 15;
xxxix. 2). This area encompasses what is now known as Azerbaijan,
Dagestan, and Turkey. In addition, "ROSH" IS NOT A
PSEUDONYM FOR "RUSSIA" as some have alleged; that,
again, is conjecture; the facts are these: Rosh is an ancient designation
for the tribes north of the Taurus mountains (i.e., in the Caucuses
area) ..." [Please see the Biblical and Theological Dictionary
and the New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge.]
-
IRAN: Already a designated Islamic Republic; in the process
of building a nuclear bomb.
-
ETHIOPIA (including the Sudan): Already designated Islamic
Republics.
-
LIBYA: An enemy of the United States; though not yet a declared
Islamic Republic, it is already a de facto one.
-
EGYPT: Still a U.S. client-state, but - like Turkey - very
close to collapsing into the frenzy of Islamic Radicalism.
-
ISRAEL: A U.S. client state and America's CAT'S PAW
in the Middle East.
-
THE UNITED STATES: Already ensconced in the land of ancient
Babylon (i.e., Iraq), and is in the process of building fourteen
SUPER-BASES out in the Iraqi desert away from Iraq's population
centers and the prying eyes of the world press. In addition - and
more ominously for Israel - the U.S. is also building a SUPER-BASE
in Israel itself that is so huge that it is reputed to be half the
size of the city of Tel Aviv.
NOTE
While nothing is DIRECTLY said about such countries
as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Morocco,
Algeria, Tunisia, the nations of Central Asia, etc., great peril
nonetheless attaches itself to the populations of these nations.
And why is that? - because (1) their proximity to the "killing
fields" of the Gog/Magog War places them in great jeopardy,
and (2) each of them also possesses populations that are dangerously
near to delivering themselves over to the power of Islamic Radicalism.
That would then make them DIRECT targets of Babylon's
(i.e., America's) fury as well. Pakistan stands in particular
peril because it possesses nuclear weapons which would make
it a special target should it succumb to Islamic Radicalism. |
PART 6: ISRAEL'S AGREEMENT WITH HELL
DWIGHT PENTECOST ON
THE COMING DEFENSE PACT
There is only one other event before us that we have yet to examine
in connection with the Gog/Magog War and the beginning of the Tribulation:
The signing of a FORMAL defense pact between the United
States and Israel. The Scripture calls this agreement between Israel
and Prophetic Babylon as "YOUR [i.e., ISRAEL'S] COVENANT WITH
DEATH" and "YOUR AGREEMENT WITH HELL:"
"Wherefore, hear the word of the Lord, ye ... men that rule
this people which is in Jerusalem.
"Because ye have said, We have made a COVENANT WITH DEATH,
AND WITH HELL (Prophetic Babylon) are we at agreement; when the
overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us
...
"(But) ... your COVENANT WITH DEATH shall be disannulled,
and your AGREEMENT WITH HELL shall not stand; when the overflowing
scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it."
(Isaiah 28:14-15, 18)
Why does the Bible use such strong language with regard to this covenant?
- because it is an abomination to God for His people to trust in anything
but the hand of God! It is a fearful thing for the people of God [be
that people Israel or the church] to trust in gentile world power. God
calls it "harlotry!" Concerning this pact, J. Dwight Pentecost
writes:
"According to Daniel 9:26-27 ... [Babylon (i.e., the United
States)] will make a covenant with Israel for a seven year period.
This covenant evidently ... guarantees Israel's integrity [i.e., is
a defense pact] ... [and] also is a Satanic imitation of the fulfillment
of the Abrahamic covenant which ... [guaranteed] Israel title deed
to the land. This action is pictured by John [in the Apocalypse] (Rev.
16:2) as a rider going forth to conquer [as the first horseman in
the Apocalypse] ... This condition exists for three and one-half years,
after which the covenant is broken by the ... [Antichrist]."
SIR ROBERT ANDERSON ON
THE COMING DEFENSE PACT
Sir Robert Anderson elaborates on the prophetic circumstances surrounding
this treaty and its connection to the Tribulation Period:
"... the Seventieth Week [i.e., the seven year period of the
Tribulation Period] will be a definite period of time, of which the
beginning, the middle, and the end are definitely marked [by certain
well defined events]. [Just as the beginning of the first sixty-nine
weeks were signified] ... not by the return of the Jews from Babylon,
nor yet by the rebuilding of their Temple, but by the SIGNING OF
THE PERSIAN DECREE [TREATY] which restored ... [them], so also
the beginning of the Seventieth Week will date not from their restoration
to Judea [May 14, 1948], nor yet from the future rebuilding of their
shrine, but from the SIGNING OF THE [DEFENSE] TREATY BY THE COMING
PRINCE [ANTICHRIST]."
NOTE
It is important to note here that Anderson pins the actual
commencement of the Tribulation Period to the signing of this
defense pact. IT SHOULD BE FURTHER NOTED THAT HE WHO SIGNS
THIS TREATY ON BEHALF OF BABYLON (i.e., THE UNITED STATES) IS
THE ANTICHRIST. THAT WILL BE FIRST "SURE SIGN" AS
TO HIS IDENTITY. |
THE POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT SURROUNDING
THE CREATION OF THE DEFENSE PACT
According to the Bible, the circumstances surrounding the signing of
the coming U.S./Israeli defense pact are not exactly what one might
at first suppose - especially in light of the extensive turmoil that
is extant now in the Middle East. The picture of Israel given in the
Scripture is NOT a picture that one would expect in the days
and months leading up to the greatest war in history. Specifically,
the Bible says:
"And thou [i.e., Gog) shalt say, I will go up
to the land of UNWALLED VILLAGES [i.e., Israel]; I will go
to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling
without walls, and having neither bars nor gates ..." (Ezekiel
38:11)
This is a picture that reveals the Israeli people "... at rest
... dwelling safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having
neither bars nor gates ..." (Ezekiel 38:11)
But wouldn't this contradict the realities that now exist on the ground
in the Middle East? No! - not at all if one once grasps the fact that
U.S. foreign policy is still operating in a paradigm that is a decade
and a half behind the facts on the ground. The truth is, the U.S. foreign
policy establishment (as opposed to the radical neo-cons that surround
George Bush and his Christian Right allies who are desperately seeking
a "final conflict" with Islam), still believes it's possible
to operate in the Middle East behind the "moderate," secular
facades of their client-states in the region: Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait,
Bahrain, Yemen, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey - even countries
farther afield such as Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Pakistan, etc. They
UTTERLY fail to grasp just how far radical fundamentalism has
taken hold among the populations of the Middle East - AND THAT HAS
BEEN MADE ABUNDANTLY CLEAR IN THE DEBACLE IN IRAQ and the emergence
of "suicide bombers" in the name of "Allah."
Nonetheless, the U.S. pursues this "failed policy" relentlessly,
and this is precisely what it is doing when it inserts itself in the
turmoil between Israel (on the one hand) and the Palestinians (on the
other hand) - thinking that if it can broker peace between Israel and
the Palestinians it can quench the flames of Islamic Radicalism. But
the fires of Islamic Radicalism long ago burned through that fuel. Nothing
can stop it now! - it will burn until it consumes itself finally in
its own Gotterdamerung: the GOG/MAGOG WAR.
Still, the U.S. plods on - hoping to save its Middle Eastern client-states
by concluding a peace agreement between the Palestinians and the state
of Israel. To that end, the U.S. is planning to lean very, very HEAVILY
on its "Toad," Israel: it will demand that Israel tear down
its SECURITY WALL, and retreat back to the "green-line"
(its 1967 borders); in return, the U.S. will guarantee Israel's security
in a defense pact. All of this lends INCREDIBLE meaning
to the words of Gog in Ezekiel 38:11:
"I will go up to the land of UNWALLED VILLAGES [i.e.,
Israel]; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all
of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates
..." (Ezekiel 38:11) [Please see our article, "The
Wall: The Israeli/Palestinian Accords and Israel's Agreement with
Death and Hell."]
PART 7: THE CHRISTIAN RADICALIZATION
OF THE UNITED STATES
A RACE BACK TO THE DARK AGES
We have spoken of the radicalization of the Islamic nations of the
Middle East and Central Asia, but the United States is also going through
a similar process of radicalization: A CHRISTIAN radicalization.
Those who get caught up in it will inevitably find themselves allied
with the Antichrist and the power of hell!
That radicalization process is already far advanced and is apparent
to anyone who has "eyes to see" and "ears to hear"
(Mark 8:18). The fact is, CHRISTIANITY IN THE UNITED STATES IS IN
A RACE BACK TO THE DARK AGES, THE DAYS OF POPE GREGORY VII AND THE CRUSADES,
and this is made apparent not in the secret memoranda of the leaders
of today's American Church, but in their public pronouncements. Again,
we turn to the words of C. Peter Wagner, a professor at Fuller Theological
Seminary and the father of the "Church Growth Movement" which
has taken hold everywhere in American Christendom today; Wagner, who
considers President George Bush "GOD'S MAN ON EARTH,"
says:
"In God's providence, things have now changed in Washington.
The election of 2000 (which brought George Bush to power) was a vital
spiritual victory for our nation ... Today we have leaders who desire
a DIVINE CONNECTION BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH."
Wagner elaborates on what he calls this "divine connection
between heaven and earth:"
"We must keep in mind that there are two important and interconnecting
worlds, the visible world of the natural world and the invisible world
of the spiritual world. God has established governments to set policies
and execute strategies in the visible world. He has established the
church to do likewise in the invisible world."
BLOOD, GORE AND MANGLED BODIES
The thoughts expressed here by Wagner are truly amazing - and are portentous
of fearful things to come: of blood and gore and mangled bodies; of
ruin and heartache; of orphans and widows; of tears and great sadness!
Wagner is pulling the West back to the Dark Ages and the Medieval Church
- a world filled with witches and demons and "things that go bump
in the night;" a world where the church and the state - i.e., those
twin powers of Regnum and Sacerdotium that governed the
lives of Medieval Man - were co-equals in the affairs of mankind. This
doctrine was known to the Medieval Church as the "Doctrine of the
Two Swords" (i.e., the "temporal sword" and the "spiritual
sword"): To the Caesars of the state must be given some things,
to the church of God must be given others. Si Roma locuta sit, cause
finita sit. [Please see our articles, "Apostasy:
Christianity in the Service of a Religio-Political-Corporate Terrorist
State" and "Political
Christianity."]
Hildebrand (i.e., Gregory VII, pope from 1073 - 1085) wrote:
"... the spiritual (i.e., churchly) and temporal (i.e., civil)
powers are entrusted to two different orders, each drawing its authority
from God, each supreme in its own sphere, and independent, within
its own sphere, of the other ... the king is subject to the bishop
in spiritual matters, the bishop is to the king in temporal matters."
[Please see our article, "Regnum and Sacerdotium."]
This is precisely what Wagner and others of his ilk believe.
Wagner believes that for there to be victory in the "visible world"
(i.e., victory for the "American New World Order System" which
he fervently believes is God's "Redeemer Nation" ordained
by Him to conquer the world for "Christ and the church - please
see our article, "Inside the American New World Order System")
there must be victory in the "invisible world" (i.e., the
church). That both spheres (worlds) must coordinate their respective
efforts in order to bring God's Kingdom to earth. Wagner writes,
"It is our responsibility, as church leaders, to use the authority
that God has delegated to us and to conquer the invisible forces of
darkness ... THIS IS WHAT OPENS THE WAY FOR OUR GOVERNMENT LEADERS
(i.e., Bush et. al.) TO MAKE GODLY DECISIONS IN THE
NATURAL REALM."
Wagner continues:
"We have enemies in both the visible world and the invisible
world, and, ultimately, our enemies in the invisible world, under
Satan as their Commander-in-Chief, influence our natural enemies such
as the hijackers who commandeered the commercial jets which inflicted
unthinkable destruction on our nation."
A HOLY WAR (CRUSADE) AGAINST ISLAM
And make no mistake about it, Wagner is plainly making a connection
between Islam and the events of 9-11. Wagner is plainly setting up an
equation here, as it were: Islam = Satan; and Christianity = God.
Wagner goes on:
"... If our government leaders ... are to implement God's purpose
here on earth, the church must be equally ready to move into a wartime
stance and go on the offensive ... It is time to go to battle in the
invisible world ..."
Wagner says that it is the duty of church leaders everywhere to prepare
Christians for battle in the "invisible realm" in support
of what Bush is trying to accomplish in the "visible realm;"
to that end, church leaders must thwart and defeat any "CLINTONESQUE
(Wagner's word), PACIFISTIC, ANTI-WAR mood"
from taking hold of the church; the unity of the church is paramount
if pacifism is to be defeated, and anti-war sentiment successfully driven
from the church. Accordingly, the saints must be brought UNDER THE
DISCIPLINE OF THEIR PASTORS and elders, who in turn must SUBMIT
themselves to the RULE (i.e., the government) of the "Apostles
and Prophets." Wagner says,
"God has prepared us for this moment: Intercessors began to
be recognized in the 1970s, prophets in the 1980s, and apostles in
the 1990s. THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CHURCH IS IN PLACE and we
must be obedient ... (The apostles are now prepared to rule over the
saints and prepare them for war) ... the church leaders most
responsible for MOVING BELIEVERS INTO WAR ARE THE APOSTLES
..."
Wagner sees all this - i.e., the "recovery" of the ministry
of "intercessors," "prophets," and "apostles"
- as "divine preparation" for the coming war - a war that
Barbara Wentroble prophesied about, saying -
"... Eat and drink and gain new strength. Rise up and GET
READY FOR WAR."
Wagner says that "pacifism" in the church opens the door
to "a spirit of fear." The "government of the church"
must drive out that spirit by imposing OBEDIENCE on the
saints - again, the kind of obedience that will culminate in church
UNITY. This will then enable the church to take its place
with Bush (and America) in what he calls "this great prophetic
moment." [Please see our article, "Today's
Church: Making Zombies out of Christians: The Prophets and Apostles
Movement."]
Wagner goes on to say,
"I believe that we are on the threshold of entering into a
season in which the power of God in prophecy, healing, miracles, strategic-level
spiritual warfare ... will be widely manifested."
Pope Gregory VII couldn't have said it better.
CAN ANYONE REASONABLY DOUBT?
Can anyone who is reasonably conversant with the Prophetic Scriptures
doubt that this kind of thinking is the fulfillment of Revelation 17?
- a picture of things in the "end of days" that portrays a
religious system - a "Woman" - sitting on a "Beast"
full of names of blasphemy (cursings, profanities, impieties and irreverence)
towards God? And can anyone really doubt the twin entities that the
Scripture has in view here? - the United States and the American Church?
Pentecost's description of these twin entities should erase any doubt
on this matter. Pentecost writes:
"Turning then to the seventeenth chapter of the Book of Revelation,
we see the whole stage filled with two personalities only: a "Beast"
and a "Woman" ... these two ... picture ... the future prophetic
earth ... there can be no argument or discussion as to this speaking
of both the CIVIL [political, economic, and military] and ECCLESIASTICAL
[religious] conditions that will rule and characterize that part of
the earth that is within the limits or boundaries of Prophecy. The
whole of it will be filled with what shall answer to this 'Beast'
and this 'Woman'. The two [the 'Beast' (which answers to the Civil
Power) and the 'Woman' (which answers to the Religious Power) are
thus indissolubly co-related, and tell us to what end all [this is]
trending; and that is that there will eventually be a one World-Empire
and a one World-Church, and these will cover the whole of what is
now called CHRISTENDOM; the one Empire supporting the one Church,
[as] the 'Beast' in the picture supports the 'Woman', and the 'Woman'
is supported by the 'Beast' ... "
Come on now! - isn't that a precise picture of what's going on in the
United States? Of course it is! Isn't this exactly the kind of America
that Wagner and his ilk are pressing towards? Of course it is? And isn't
this the kind of union between church and state that President Bush
and Karl Rove are encouraging as a result of their pandering to the
Religious Right? Of course it is! Finally, isn't this dual system of
church and state the exact kind of system that plunged the world into
the holy wars that pitted Islam against the Christianity 1,000 years
ago? Of course it is!
When we speak, therefore, of a race back to the Dark Ages we're not
just blowing smoke! AND THIS NEW SYSTEM OF THINGS IS EMANATING STRAIGHT
OUT OF AMERICA, and is spreading out and filling the world.
PART 8: A FINAL RECAPITULATION
"Not everyone who says unto me Lord, Lord shall enter
the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matt. 7:21) |
THE TIME OF JUDGMENT HAS ARRIVED
We have said that the Tribulation is a "time of testing"
(Rev. 3:10) - a "trial" (so to speak) that will SEPARATE
those who claim to be Christians and are not (the goats) from those
who really are (the sheep). To a very large extent, this SEPARATION
process will be based on how one relates to the American New World Order
System and - ipso facto - his treatment of the poor and dispossessed
of the world. (Matt. 25:44-46). The course of the Tribulation will be
follows:
-
The Tribulation Period will begin in war and will end in war; specifically
-
-
The Gog/Magog War will begin the Tribulation Period.
-
Armageddon will end the Tribulation Period.
-
The Trial (or "Process") will last for seven years and
will be divided into two parts:
-
The "Beginning of Sorrows" (the first three and a half
years).
-
The "Great Tribulation" (the second three and a half
years).
-
The dividing point for these two eras will be an event known as
the "Abomination of Desolation" which will, in effect,
rip the mask of Christianity off the face of the American New World
Order System,
THE GOG/MAGOG WAR (THE BEGINNING
OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD)
As described by the Prophetic Scriptures, the Gog/Magog War
will begin shortly after the consummation of a defense pact between
Israel and the United States guaranteeing Israel's security in connection
with an Israeli/Palestinian Peace Accord predicated on an Israeli withdrawal
back to the so-called "Green Line" (Israel's 1967 Border)
and the reduction of Israel's security wall. The hope here is that such
an agreement will diffuse the frenzy of Islamic Radicalism in the Near
East. The accord will fail; but the defense pact will remain intact.
Hostilities will commence as a result of a "push" from Radical
Islamic forces to the south of Israel: Three Islamic nations are specifically
mentioned as participants:
Soon after the "push" from the south, Radical Islamic forces
from the north will join the forces coming up from the south. Two Islamic
nations are specifically mentioned as participants:
These attacks will aim at:
-
The destruction of Israel.
-
The expulsion from the Middle East of the United States whose forces
are located in the environs of ancient Babylon (i.e., Iraq).
-
The forces of Radical Islam will be destroyed, and five-sixths
of the population of the Middle East will be annihilated.
THE AFTERMATH OF THE GOG/MAGOG WAR
The U.S. will seize the oil fields [i.e., the "hidden treasures"
(Dan. 11:43)] of the Middle East and take steps to place Israel under
what will amount to be a permanent occupation, fulfilling the words
of Scripture to Israel:
"The overflowing scourge (the military forces of the United
States) shall pass through, then ye (Israel) shall be trodden down
by it." (Isaiah 28:18)
Using its victory in the Gog/Magog War, the U.S. will then launch a
ruthless and bloody struggle to erase all the opponents of the American
New World Order System worldwide.
This bloody campaign will continue all through the first half of the
Tribulation Period (i.e., The "Beginning of Sorrows") during
which time the convoluted relationship between Israel and the church
(on the one side) and the United States (on the other hand) will be
unraveled - ending in the Abomination of Desolation at which time the
AntiChrist will reveal himself as the enemy of both.
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