When speaking to the disciples about the signs of the end of the age,Jesus said:
''And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.''(Luke 21:28)
In other words,Jesus told his followers to watch for certain signs which would indicate that His return was close.The context of Luke 21 speaks about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jews falling by the edge of the sword and being led away to captivity to all nations.All this was fulfilled a few decades later when the Romans destroyed the city of Jerusalem and scattered the Jews in 70 A.D.In the same passage, Jesus also said:
''and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.''(Luke 21:24)
Jerusalem began to be trodden down of the Gentiles after the Jews were scattered to all nations until the times of the Gentiles was partially fulfilled after the Jews recaptured Jerusalem during the 1967 six-day war.Scriptures tell us that Jerusalem will again fall to Gentile hands for 42 months or the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation period.
In parallel passages like Matthew 24 ,Jesus gives more details about what would occur after 1967.He talks about events that will occur just prior and during the Tribulation period.These events include wars and rumors of wars,earthquakes,famines,pestilences,false Christs and false prophets,world wide persecution of Christians,the Abomination of Desolation which will occur when a newly rebuilt Jewish Temple stands on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem,cosmic upheavals and His return after all these Tribulation events.
In this article we will try to examine the latest world events in light of these signs predicted by Jesus.We will quote a few headlines and see how they relate to the prophetic scenario laid out by Jesus himself.That is why this article is titled ''Bible Prophecy In The News'' which is also the name of our ministry and web site.
Let's begin with false Christs and false prophets.
False Christs and false prophets
''And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many . . .And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.''(Matthew 24:5,11)
Jesus said that many false Christs and false prophets would come to deceive many.
On February 21, 2008,the Washington Post reported:
Who is Jesus? He's three people, says Deepak Chopra
''Who is Jesus? According to spiritual guru Deepak Chopra, there are three interpretations.
In his book "The Third Jesus," published this week, Chopra says there is a "sketchy historical figure," a second "abstract theological creation" and a third Jesus with the highest level of enlightenment -- what Chopra calls God-consciousness.
"I want to offer the possibility that Jesus was truly, as he proclaimed, a savior," Chopra wrote. "Not the savior, not the one and only Son of God. Rather Jesus embodied the highest level of enlightenment.
"He spent his brief adult life describing it, teaching it, and passing it on to future generations," he said. "Jesus intended to save the world by showing others the path to God-consciousness."
This headline shows that a spiritual guru is saying that people can achieve ''God consciousness'' and that Jesus came to teach people the way to achieve highest levels of enlightenment.This spiritual guru is basically saying that people become like Christ.They are in fact false Christs just like Jesus said would come in the end times..
On September 12,2006 CBS 4 reported:
The Man Who Claims To Be Jesus
''His name is Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda; his followers call him everything from apostle to Dad, or simply Jesus Christ Man. De Jesus Miranda himself believes he's the living incarnation of "Jesus Christ Man," "the second coming of Christ."
A follower of his believes "he is God, he is God." She also lavishes him with money and gifts.
"I don't have one Rolex," de Jesus Miranda said, "I have 3 because they want to give it to me. It's like that woman that came to Jesus with the expensive perfume and put it on his feet. He didn't reject it, so when someone gives me a watch or a gift, I receive it. I like them too, they're nice."
Indeed Jose Luiz de Jesus Miranda is a false Christ and a false prophet
Now let's look at wars and rumors of wars.
''And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.''(Matthew 24:6-7)
One thing we must bear in mind is the fact that when Jesus spoke about wars,he was primarily referring to wars in the Middle East.According to Old Testament passages like Psalm 83,Ezekiel 35,38 & 39,Joel 3,and Zechariah 12:1-5 & 14:1-4,all the coming wars would be between Israel and Middle Eastern nations,therefore,Jesus was primarily referring to wars which will include Israel as one of the main players.
The Arab-Israeli war
On February 18,2008 the Jerusalem Post reported:
Iran: 'Cancerous' Israel to soon disappear
''The cancerous growth Israel will soon disappear," Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Muhammad Ali Jafari wrote to Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the FARS news agency reported Monday. In a letter of condolence following last week's assassination of Hizbullah terror chief Imad Mughniyeh, Jafari said: "I am convinced that with every passing day Hizbullah's might is increasing and in the near future, we will witness the disappearance of this cancerous growth Israel by means of the Hizbullah fighters' radiation [therapy]."
On January 23,2008 MEMRI reported:
Iranian Website: In Response to an Israeli Attack, Iran Can, With Syria's Help, Wipe Out Half of Israel
''Following reports on Israel's January 17, 2008 test of the Jericho III missile, which has a range of 4,500 km, the Iranian website Tabnak, which is affiliated with Iranian Expediency Council secretary and former Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commander Mohsen Rezai, wrote that the missile's addition to Israel's arsenal does not change the balance of power between Israel and Iran.
The website stated that in the event of a conflict with Israel, Iran would use its strategic alliance with Syria to fire missiles at Israel from Syrian territory. It also hinted that, in addition to assistance from Syria, any attack by Israel would also bring retaliation by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hizbullah.''
The Gog and Magog war.
In Ezekiel 38 & 39 we read about a Russian-Islamic alliance against Israel in the end times.
On October 10,2007 Israel National News reported:
Israel Warns World War III May be Biblical War of Gog and Magog
''(IsraelNN.com) US President George W. Bush said a nuclear Iran would mean World War III. Israeli newscasts featured Gog & Magog maps of the likely alignment of nations in that potential conflict.
Channel 2 and Channel 10 TV showed the world map, sketching the basic alignment of the two opposing axes in a coming world war, in a manner evoking associations of the Gog and Magog prophecy for many viewers. The prophecy of Gog and Magog refers to a great world war centered on the Holy Land and Jerusalem and first appears in the book of Yechezkel (Ezekiel).
On one side were Israel, the United States, Britain, France and Germany. On the other were Iran, Russia, China, Syria and North Korea.''
Now let's look at the possibility of a rebuilt Jewish temple in Jerusalem
''When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)'' (Matthew 24:15)
The Abomination of Desolation is a future event which will occur when a Jewish Temple stands in Jerusalem.It will occur when the Antichrist enters the Jewish Temple and declares that he is god.
Preparations for the rebuilding of the Temple
On December 2,2007 Israel National News reported:
Temple Institute Announces: High Priest's Crown is Ready!
''The Temple Institute in Jerusalem announces the completion of the Tzitz, the High Priest's headplate - now ready for use in the Holy Temple.The tzitz is made of pure gold, was fashioned over the course of a more than a year by the craftsmen of the Temple Institute, and is ready to be worn by the High Priest in the rebuilt Holy Temple in Jerusalem.''
On December 24, 2007 the Universal Torah Network reported:
The Golden Menorah: Moving Closer to its Destination
''The Temple Institute is dedicated to bringing about spiritual revolution and preparing for the building of the Holy Temple of Jerusalem, in our time.On the second night of Chanuka, 5768 (December 6, 2007), the golden menora prepared by the Temple Institute and fit for use in the Holy Temple, was moved from the archaeological site of the Roman Cardo in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, to its new location, alongside the Yehudah Halevi staircase leading from the Jewish Quarter to the Western Wall Plaza. There it overlooks the Temple Mount, site of the future Holy Temple. A small move, perhaps, for the golden menora, but a giant leap forward for mankind, as the rebuilding of the House of G-d becomes one step closer.''
Now let' look at the persecution of Christians:
Persecution of Christians
''Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.'' (Matthew 24:9)
On January 18,2008 the Bulletin reported:
More On The Strange Case Of The Worldwide Persecution Of Christians
''Why was their more public attention and media coverage of the alleged abuse of Ellen DeGeneres' doggie placement than there was on the 45 million Christians killed for their faith across the 20th century and still being killed and persecuted at an increasing rate?Why was their more attention on Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and his dog fighting ring than on the 600 million Christians now suffering persecution (bodily harm or the threat thereof) and various forms of harassment because of their religion?''
Now let's look at famines,pestilences and earthquakes
Famines,pestilences,and earthquakes
''and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.''(Matthew 24:7)
On December 17,2007 the Harald Tribune reported:
World food stocks dwindling rapidly, UN warns
'' In an "unforeseen and unprecedented" shift, the world food supply is dwindling rapidly and food prices are soaring to historic levels, the top food and agriculture official of the United Nations warned Monday.he changes created "a very serious risk that fewer people will be able to get food," particularly in the developing world, said Jacques Diouf, head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.The agency's food price index rose by more than 40 percent this year, compared with 9 percent the year before - a rate that was already unacceptable, he said. New figures show that the total cost of foodstuffs imported by the neediest countries rose 25 percent, to $107 million, in the last year.''
On January 3,2008 Y Net News reported:
Deadly strain of bird flu found in Binyamina
''The Haifa District Physician, Prof. Shmuel Rishpon, confirmed Thursday that a deadly strain of the bird flu virus has infected chickens at a petting zoo in a Binyamina kindergarten. Earlier Thursday morning 18 of the 25 chickens in the kindergarten's petting zoo, were found dead."The virus was identified as H5N1 bird flue," said Rishpon, adding that humans that contract this strain have only a 50% survival rate.''
On February 15,2008 the Herald Tribune reported:
Earthquake strikes Lebanon, shakes Mideast
''BEIRUT, Lebanon: An earthquake shook parts of Lebanon and neighboring countries on Friday, causing minor damage and panic among residents. Five people were lightly injured in southern Lebanon, according to police.
The Magnitude 5 earthquake was centered near the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre, according to Alexandre Sursock, head of the Lebanese Bhannes Center for Seismic and Scientific Research, and the U.S. Geological survey.
Residents of Syria, Jordan, the West Bank and Israel also reported feeling the quake.''
Now let's look at some other signs not mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 24
One World Religion
The Bible says in Revelation 17 that during the Great Tribulation there will be a global religious system which will promote the Antichrist.This global ecumenical religious system will seek unity among all of the world's religions and appears to be located in Rome under the leadership of Roman Catholicism according to Revelation 17:9.
On February 14,2008 AGI News On reported:
VELTRONI: WITH UN AND POPE FOR 'UNITED RELIGION'
(AGI) - Rome, Feb. 14 - A place where religions can meet and talk. The idea is of Walter Veltroni and the place of course Rome. Veltroni talked about this idea in the Palladium Theatre in his goodbye to the press. "I have discussed the idea to make Rome a place where a building could be constructed that would be called 'United Religion' with the secretary-general of the UN and the Pope; it would be a place for all religions in the world. I would like to see this idea carried out and to see this place of exchange between several religions".
On October 21,2007 the Turkish Press reported:
Pope urges 'reconciliation' for world religion meeting
Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday urged "reconciliation among peoples" ahead of a religious summit in Naples.
"With respect for the differences between the various religions, we are all called to work for peace and ... reconciliation among peoples," Benedict said in the meeting with leading Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Anglican, Orthodox and other Christian figures.
On January 1,2008 Media for Freedom reported:
''Christian-Muslim-Hindu-Jewish leaders indulge in serious dialogue''
''A distinguished panel of Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Jewish religious leaders had a serious dialogue on "how to connect" at the Catholic Diocesan Conference in Sparks today.
Moderated by Father Charles T. Durante, Pastor of Saint Teresa of Avila Catholic Community of Carson City, clergy who participated in the dialogue included Imam Abdul Rahim Barghouthi of Northern Nevada Muslim Community, prominent Hindu chaplain and Indo-American leader Rajan Zed, Rabbi Myra Soifer of Temple Sinai-Reform, Reverend V. James Jeffrey, Rector Emeritus of Trinity Episcopal Church of Reno.
Issues discussed included religious pluralism, looking beyond your tradition, inclusive understanding of religion, is religion a problem, power of religion, seeking unity that celebrates diversity, learning to live together, shared quest for truth, mutual enrichment through dialog, learning from each other, similarities and differences, growing together, etc.''
Now let's look at economic Babylon in Iraq
The Rise of Babylon
In read in Revelation 18 that Babylon will become the economic capital of the world.Babylon was never destroyed as some claim.The future destruction of Babylon according to Isaiah 13 & 14,Jeremiah 50 & 51 and Revelation 18 is a future event,however,for Babylon to be destroyed it first must be rebuilt.
On April 21,2006 the Herald Tribune reported:
Unesco intends to put the magic back in Babylon
''BABYLON, Iraq: In this ancient city, it is hard to tell what are ruins and what is just ruined.
Crumbling mud-brick buildings, some 2,500 years old, look like smashed sandcastles at the beach. Signs of military occupation are everywhere: trenches, bullet casings, shiny coils of razor wire and blast walls stamped "This side Scud protection."
Babylon, the city with the million- dollar name, has paid the price of war. It has been ransacked, looted, torn up, paved over, neglected and roughly occupied. Archaeologists said American soldiers had even used soil thick with priceless artifacts to stuff sandbags.
But Iraqi leaders and UN officials are not giving up on it. They are working assiduously to restore Babylon, home to the Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. They want to turn it into a cultural center and possibly even an Iraqi theme park.
No one is saying it is going to happen any time soon, but what makes the Pollyannaish project even conceivable is that the area around Babylon is amongthe safest in Iraq, a beacon of civilization once again in a land of much chaos.
Ancient Babylon, celebrated as a fount of law, writing and urban living, sits just outside the modern city of Hilla, about 100 kilometers, or 60 miles, south of Baghdad. Hilla is neither haunted by Sunni insurgents nor overwhelmed by Shiite militia and, while it is home to both Shiites and Sunnis, it has not been afflicted by the sectarianviolence that has paralyzed so many other parts of Iraq.
Emad Lafta al-Bayati, Hilla's mayor, has big plans for Babylon. "I want restaurants, gift shops, long parking lots," he said. God willing, he added, maybe even a Holiday Inn.
The UN Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization is pumping millions of dollars into Babylon and a handful of other sites. It has even printed a snazzy brochure to give to wealthy donors. "Cultural tourism could become Iraq's second biggest industry, after oil," explained Philippe Delanghe, a United Nations official helping with the project.
Now let's look at the mark and image of the beast
''And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.'' (Revelation 13:15:17)
The Image of the Beast
The false prophet will force the entire world to make an image to the beast and to worship it.It is obvious that the beast will not be omnipresent.The beast (Antichrist) will be a man possessed by Satan,but he will not be able to be everywhere at the same time.The false prophet will have access to some kind of technology to present the image of the Antichrist.This image will have life and will be able to speak wherever it is in the world.Some believe this will be accomplished by demonic manifestation.It is possible that people all over the world will have in front of them an image screen with the image of the beast talking to them as if it were alive.
On January 21,2008 Breitbart news reported:
Prince Charles Speaks In Abu Dhabi Via Hologram
Prince Charles gave a speech at the World Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi even though he wasn't there. Instead, a 3-D hologhraphic projection of the Prince, recorded in the United Kingdom last year.
The Mark of the Beast
It is possible that the mark of the beast will be a microchip.Only through a microchip technology will the Antichrist be able to control all commercial transactions.People will only be able to buy or sell if they have this microchip on their hands of foreheads.
On February 12,2008 Business week reported:
Human ID Chips Get Under My Skin
''While it's easy to reject the notion of placing little ID chips inside humans as an ominous Orwellian invasion of individual rights, I suspect it's inevitable that in my lifetime we will all have some kind of computerized implants. My problem is not with the technology, known as chipping, or with the companies that sell it. My concern stems from my lack of trust in institutions and lack of belief that the technology will be forever restricted to beneficial, socially acceptable uses.
Chipping involves implanting a transponder chip below the skin for identification purposes. VeriChip (CHIP), the one company that has gained FDA clearance to perform this procedure, has emerged as the process's leading advocate. The implant procedure itself is simple and mostly painless, accomplished in a doctor's office in a matter of seconds.''
On January 14,2008 VNUNET.com reported:
UK considers RFID tags for prisoners
''The UK government is considering implanting prisoners with RFID tags containing data on identity, address and criminal record.The RFID tags, about the size of two grains of rice, would be injected under the skin and could be scanned by a reader.There are also proposals to link the RFID tags to a larger GPS device to monitor the location of high risk prisoners.
Read also:
Microchips Everywhere: a Future Vision
The kingdom of the Antichrist
We read in Daniel 7:23-25,Revelation 13:1-2 and 17:11-13 that an alliance of the kings or nations will be the platform upon which the Antichrist will build his global government.This 10 nation alliance will involve the European Union,North Africa,the Middle East, and all the Islamic-Arab world.Prophecy scholars refer to this 10 nation alliance as ''the Revived Roman Empire''.I personally prefer to call it ''the Revival of all seven empires of history'',namely,Egyptian,Assyrian,Babylonian,Medo-Persian,Grecian,Roman,and Ottoman Empires.
The reason why I believe this is because in my opinion,the kingdom of the Antichrist will not only be a revived form of the Roman Empire which is easily seen with the formation of the European Union,but ten-fold division of all of history's empires into one political entity in the end times as the kingdom of the Antichrist which will include all of the Islamic-Arab world with Israel in the midst of this beastly kingdom.
The recent proposal by French President Nicholas Sarkozy to form a Mediterranean Union which will include Europe,North Africa and the Middle East could be setting the stage for that to happen.
On February 12,2008 The Times of Malta reported:
EU and the Arab League to seek closer cooperation
''The EU High Representative for the Common Foreign And Security Policy, Javier Solana yesterday expressed his conviction that the Maltese initiative to hold the first ever European Union-Arab League conference will be kept up.
Speaking to The Times on his arrival at the conference venue at the Westin Dragonara in St Julians, Mr Solana said he was pleased to be here for this important meeting.
"After having met with the Arab League on many occasions in different formats, now is the first time we meet at a specific meeting between the Arab League and the 27 EU member states.
"We like the idea very much and now we have to see how we can cooperate in this format."
Asked what he expected to come out of the meeting, Mr Solana said there were no specific issues that had to be dealt with. What was more important was to strengthen cooperation between the EU and the Arab League.
He said he was glad the idea to hold this meeting had come from the smallest EU member state, which had quite a history of relationships in the Mediterranean.
Representatives of 27 EU member states and those of the 22 states which form part of the Arab League will discuss common issues tomorrow as the foreign ministers' meeting gets formally under way.
On March 14,2008 the Jerusalem Post reported:
'EU leaders back closer ties with Mediterranean rim'
''French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Friday he won "unanimous" backing for his plan to forge closer political ties with Europe's North African and Mideast neighbors on the Mediterranean Sea.
Sarkozy addresses the media at the end of the first day of a two-day EU summit at the EU Council headquarters in Brussels.
The agreement came at the end of the first day of a two-day EU summit, but the specific details of the plan will still have to be worked out by June, other leaders said.
The project would involve 39 partners - the 27-nation EU plus a dozen on the Mediterranean's southern shores, from Mauritania to Algeria, Egypt, Israel, the Palestinian Authority to Syria and Turkey.
On March 15,2008 the European Jewish Press reported:
EU leaders give green light to new ‘Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean’
''European Union EU leaders gave Friday the green light to a watered down plan to create a "Union for the Mediterranean," a project initiated by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and aimed at upgrading the EU's relations with its neighbours from North Africa and the Middle East.
The new version of the plan, adopted at a regular EU spring summit meeting in Brussels, will include the 27 EU member states and some 12 Mediterranean nations, including Israel.''
On March 12,2008,the European Jewish Press also reported:
Peres supports ‘100 percent’ Sarkozy’s plan for Mediterranean Union
''I support 100 percent the plan," Peres, who is on a five-day state visit to France, said in an interview with French radio Europe 1.
"The entire (Israeli) government is in favour of Sarkozy’s initiative of course," he added.
"North Europe countries, the Maghreb countries in the south and the Arab countries in the middle, why not cooperate on what is possiblre?," he asked, recalling that Europe started with a union on coal and steel.
A summit meeting between the EU countries and Mediterranean countries, including Israel, is scheduled to take place on 13 July in Paris when France takes over the six-month EU presidency.''
On February 12,2008 Iran Focus reported:
Iran suggests formation of new Middle Eastern Parliament
''Iran suggested on Tuesday that a new Parliament be formed to group much of the Middle East and Southern Asia, operating much like the 27-nation European Parliament does today.
The announcement, the first of its kind by a senior Iranian official, was made by the country’s Prosecutor-General Qorban-Ali Dorri Najafabadi. His remarks were carried by the official news agency IRNA and other state media.
Speaking at a conference dubbed 'Building a Confident Future for Southwest Asia', Dorri Najafabadi also urged states situated next to the Persian Gulf to draw up a joint defence plan.
"If a powerful bloc was formed in the region, the foreigners would never dare to interfere in the region’s affairs, and we would not witness problems such as those currently existing in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine”, he said.
The Antichrist's nationality
Be fore we start to report news related to the nationality of the Antichrist,let me first point out that many good prophecy teachers do not agree with what I am about to write.
I personally believe that the Bible tells us what nation the Antichrist will come from and that nation is Assyria.Most prophecy teachers believe that the Antichrist will be of Roman origin,that is,from Western Europe based on Daniel 9:26 where we read that the Antichrist will be of the people that destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple in 70 A.D. Those people were the Romans.What most people fail to is the fact that the boundaries of the Roman empire reached all the way to the region of modern Syria and northern Iraq where ancient Assyria was located.It is very possible that the Roman legions that destroyed the city and the Temple in 70 A.D.had Assyrians soldiers as members their army as they were closer to Jerusalem than European Roman soldiers.The Assyrian people never ceased to exist and most of them live in Northern Iraq today.In fact, they have been facing heavy persecution from Islamic extremists.
If the Antichrist is to be an Assyrian,and I believe he is,Assyria must become an independent state in the not too distant future.The Bible says that Assyria will become an independent state in the end times.God said through the prophet Isaiah:
'' In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians.
In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the land, whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.” (Isaiah 19:23-25)
God says in this passage that Assyria will enter the Millennial kingdom as the ''work of His hands''.One of the reasons why God will allow Assyria to become an independent state is to bring the Antichrist to power in the Middle East.God said through the prophet:
''The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, [so] shall it stand:That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.''(Isaiah 14:24-25).
The13th and 14th chapters of Isaiah are about the future destruction of Babylon.In 14:4 the Antichrist is called the king of Babylon who will be empowered by Lucifer in verses 12 through 15.In verse 25 he is called the Assyrian.This suggests that the Antichrist besides being the king of Babylon which will be his economic capital is modern day Iraq,he will be of Assyrian nationality.
In Isaiah 30 we read something very interesting:
''And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of [his] anger, and [with] the flame of a devouring fire, [with] scattering, and tempes, and hailstones.For through the voice of the LORD shall the Assyrian be beaten down, [which] smote with a rod.''(Isaiah 30:30-31)
This verse says that the Assyrian will be destroyed by the voice of the Lord.Could it be that this is what Paul had in mind when he wrote?:
''Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God . . .And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:''(2 Thessalonians 2:3-4,8)
Here Paul says that the Antichrist will be destroyed by the spirit of the mouth of the Lord just as Isaiah wrote that by the voice of the Lord will the Assyrian be destroyed.Although Paul and Isaiah use different terms,the idea is the same.Some might say that Isaiah 30:30-31 refers to the destruction of the Assyrians by the Babylonians,but some verses of Isaiah 30 have eschatological implications,not just historical.See Isaiah 30:18-33.
These verses show that the Antichrist will be of Assyrian nationality,therefore,Assyrian must become an independent state in order to bring forth the Antichrist according to Bible prophecy.
Read related article at:
On March 13,2008 the Assyrian International News agency reported:
European Union Foresees Bigger Future Role in Iraq
''Brussels 3-13-2008 -- The European Parliament celebrated its 50th anniversary in its latest plenary session in Strasbourg which took place between the 10th and 13th of March 2008. One of the items on its agenda was a resolution on the European Union's (EU) role in Iraq after a report prepared by the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The resolution was adopted by the Parliament by a resounding 506 votes for and 25 against, statistics which themselves affirm the importance of this resolution.
The resolution is an important initiative taken by the Parliament and is of specific concern to minorities in Iraq, including the Assyrians. The resolution makes it clear at paragraph J that 'the EU needs to be more strategic in supporting Iraq in its progress towards becoming a democratic federal state', a sentence which is important in that it reflects the EU's acceptance of Iraq choosing to become a federal state.
Of specific importance however are the Parliament's recommendations to the Council of the European Union. The Parliament urges the Council to adopt with the Commission a new strategy that will help the UN in building a safe, stable and united Iraq which, amongst other things, 'protects its minorities and promotes inter-ethnic tolerance'. Furthermore, the Parliament urges the Council to ensure that electoral procedures at the local level are strengthened, a factor especially important this year with Iraqi elections coming up. It is hoped that this emphasis on strengthening electoral procedures prevents the voting irregularities which took place in 2005 from recurring so as to ensure fair and free elections for all Iraqis.
Some points of the resolution are of specific concern to the Assyrian minority in Iraq. For example, paragraph 1.g) urges the EU, under its new strategy, to:
"support the reconciliation process, namely on Kirkuk and other internally disputed territories, including the Assyrian areas known as the Nineveh Plains with their Christian minorities; […] encourage European NGOs to engage with their Iraqi counterparts -- which are already particularly active in the Kurdish region -- and make extensive use of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) in providing technical and financial assistance to civil society organizations, in order to address the following issues: […] the rights of indigenous peoples and of persons belonging to minorities and ethnic groups, including the Assyrians (Chaldeans, Syriacs and other Christian communities), the Yazidi and the Turkmen;
The Assyria Council of Europe (ACE) has been instrumental in urging the European Parliament to take a deeper interest in Iraq's minorities such as the Assyrians, and the points in the resolution mentioned above are a product of such efforts.
On April 22,2008 the Assyrian International News Agency also reported:
Assyrians Need Own Area in Iraq, Swedish Mayor Tells US Congress
It's mission accomplished for Anders Lago, the mayor of the Swedish town of Södertälje. He has gone from an unknown mayor of a Stockholm suburb to a world voice on Iraqi refugees after his recent and well covered visit to the U.S, which was prompted by the flood of Assyrian refugees from Iraq who have besieged his town.Kurt Volker, the newly appointed U.S ambassador to NATO, and Senator Edward M. Kennedy were among the influential people who told Lago they realize the need to help the Assyrians by establishing an Assyrian administered area with its own police force in the Nineveh Plains, situated in the north of Iraq.
As we can see,all of the biblical predictions are coming to pass as we examine the news in light of Bible prophecy.This shows that the Bible is true and the inspired word of the God the Creator.To read more Bible Prophecy In The News,visit our news archive at:
God bless you!
Rodrigo Silva
3/03/08-updated 4/26/2008
