William Terry James

The New World Order in Prophecy
By Robert Lindsted

President Bush made his first speech concerning the Gulf War at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Washington, DC. To an audience of about three or four thousand, the president presented his stand on the war, and then went on to say, "You know what is going to solve all of our problems? There is something new called the New World order."
He went on to say, "When this comes in, it's going to bring peace like we have never seen. We are going to be able to lay down all of our weapons. The New World order is the solution to all of our problems."
Most of the several thousand religious broadcasters stood and applauded the president. Only a dozen or so people remained seated. Stunned, they wondered, as I did, "Can this really be happening?"
Many who heard that speech did not realize the significance of the president's words. But those of us who have studied biblical prophecy knew George Bush was articulating, for the first time in a public forum, what we knew would come to pass-some day.
The New World order will indeed bring the world together under one government, but it will create more problems than it will solve. In fact, in the end this New World order will neatly give its power to the Antichrist exactly as the Bible predicted hundreds of years ago.
What is an antichrist? It is one who will pretend to be everything for which Christ stands, but he will be the exact opposite. So, he is antichrist because he is really opposed to Christ. He will pretend he is the Christ, hoping to win the affection of people.
The Bible says there will come a time when there will be one world government with one economic system under the control of one man. Scripture says there win be a revived Roman Empire that will rule for a short time. Then, people will give their allegiance to this Antichrist for the rest of time.
These predictions were given to the prophet Daniel some twenty-four or twenty-five hundred years ago; and to the apostle John some nineteen hundred years ago. Bible prophecy is different from the predictions found at the grocery tabloid counter - whose predictions were made last week with most of them never coming true. The Bible's predictions were made hundreds of years ago, and every one of them is coming true; not some, but all of them!
The Royal Nightmare
One night, about twenty-five hundred years ago, King Nebuchadnezzar had a nightmare. After tossing and turning, he sat up in bed and said, "I have just had this royal dream, and I know it is important because if I dreamed it, it has to be important. Nothing but important things go through my mind."
He called for all the royal wise men and demanded they tell him the royal interpretation of his royal dream. "If you will tell us the royal. dream, Your Highness, we will make up the royal lie; we mean the royal interpretation," they replied.
The king interrupted them. "As a matter of fact, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. I tell you my dreams, and you guys make up these interpretations that never come true. If you are so smart, you figure out what I dreamed and then the meaning of it, too!"
"Oh, no!" they quickly reminded him. "That's not in our royal contract." The king responded, "I tell you what. If you can't figure out the dream and give me its interpretation, I am going to cut off your heads." (This threat was extended to the prophet Daniel, too.)
Now, Daniel was a Hebrew, who, as a teenager had been taken from his home in Jerusalem and transported some eight or nine hundred miles away by the conquering Babylonians. When he was brought to this foreign kingdom, they tried to change his name, his language, and his diet.
He said, "Wait a minute! You will have to excuse me, but you see, I'm a Jewish boy. There are certain things a Jewish boy doesn't eat and drink. If you don't mind, I'll have my own food, and I will eat that instead."
"Oh, Daniel," the king urged, "when in Babylon, do as the Babylonians do." But Daniel refused that generous invitation.
Since Daniel was not afraid to take a stand, God blessed him. God is still looking for young people who win take a stand. If they do, He will bless them. God delights in blessing people.
When Daniel heard about the execution notice, he went to King Nebuchadnezzar and said, "Would it be okay, before you chop our heads off, if I pray to my God?" The king answered, "Sure, you can pray."
Daniel had more freedom to pray in a foreign kingdom than we do in our public schools today! Isn't that pathetic? But, it is true. I don't know if you believe in prayer or not, but I believe my God hears and answers prayer.
I remember a story about a young man who was going to study medicine. He went to a university where there was a noted chemistry teacher who hated Christians. Every year, the professor would ask if there were any Christians in the class. If someone was brave enough to admit to being a Christian, he would have them stand up. "You pray to your God that as I drop this beaker, it will not break when it hits the floor," he would say. Of course, everyone would laugh, and no one would stand up and pray.
One semester, a young Christian man who was studying to be a doctor found himself in the atheist's chemistry class. A few days into the semester, the professor came in and asked, "Is there anyone here who is a Christian?" The young man raised his hand, and the professor told him to stand up.
When asked if he believed in prayer, the student responded, "Yes, Sir." The professor said, "Well then, I want you to pray to your God that when I drop this beaker, it won't break."
As everyone else in class began to laugh and snicker, the young man bowed his head and prayed out loud. When he was through, the professor dropped the beaker. Because this atheist was so nervous about having had someone pray in his class, when he dropped the beaker, it fell, hit his toe, and then rolled onto the floor without breaking. The professor was laughed right out of his classroom.
You see, I believe in a God to whom you can pray, and so did this young man.
The Head of Gold
Daniel prayed, and God told him the king's dream and its interpretation! The next day, Daniel went back into the king's presence and said, "Listen, King. I think I know what you saw in your vision. You saw a huge image with its top made of gold."
Amazed, the king admitted that was his dream. "How did you know?" he asked. Daniel replied that his God had revealed the dream to him and went on to ten the king the rest of the dream.
"After the head of gold, there was a chest and arms of silver. The belly and thighs were made of bronze with legs of iron. Finally, there were feet, but they were part iron and part clay. They were extensions of the iron legs, but clay had been mingled in with the iron. The king said in astonishment, "That is exactly what I saw!"
Daniel continued with the dream. "You then saw a stone that looked as if it came out of the mountain, but it was not cut with hands. As it came, it rolled toward the image and crushed it. in fact, it ground the image into powder. The stone then began to grow until it filled the entire earth."
The bewildered king then said, "'That's exactly what I saw! But, what does it mean?" Daniel said, "All right, here is the interpretation, and it is a sure one. if my God could show me the dream, then His interpretation of it is sure."
He then said, "Thou, 0 King, art the head of gold." Nebuchadnezzar liked this interpretation. Frankly, I don't think he heard another word Daniel said. I believe he thought, wow! I am the head of gold... that's me. That's me, all right, way up there on the top!
What did he do? He built a golden image to himself arid placed it in the plain of Shinar. As everyone came from all over the world, they would bow down to the golden image of him. Yes, he liked that interpretation.
Daniel, however, told him, "God said you are not going to be the king forever. You are going to be replaced by another country that is inferior to you. It will be the silver. After it will come another, even more inferior nation, and it will take over the world. It will be the bronze. Then, there will be another part with two legs of iron that will be yet another kingdom. Finally, at the end of time, there will be ten toes. They are part iron and part clay; and they are going to be an extension of those iron legs, even though they will be another kingdom. However, this kingdom will only rule a little while. A stone will come and crush all of it. This stone will begin a kingdom of which there will be no end."
This stone is none other than the kingdom of God. Remember, when Christ begins to rule and reign, He will rule forever.
The Ram and the Goat
Lees look at Daniel's prophesies concerning the two world empires that were to follow King Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian Empire:
And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth (Daniel 2:39).
These kingdoms have come into reality, exactly as the Bible said. In the Book of Daniel, not one time, but four times, God described every world power, in order, and called them by name.
In order to understand their significance, look at what Daniel 8:3-8 says:
Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great. And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.
After the head of gold, which was Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon, the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians became the next world power. The two arms represent the two parts of their kingdom. In verse 20 Daniel writes, "The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia." Like a lopsided ram with one horn bigger than the other, the Persian Empire would come up last and be the dominant power. Just as Daniel predicted that is exactly what happened. The third kingdom, represented in this vision as the mean he-goat with one horn, beat up the ram with two horns, and the he- goat began to rule the world. This is the Grecian Empire seen as the belly and thighs of bronze in the king's dream. Then, when the he-goat was in his prime - in his great fury - the big horn broke, and four horns popped out of his head. The kingdom represented by the he-goat was that of Alexander the Great, the dominant king of Greece who died in his prime. His four generals took power after him.
Look at verse 21: "And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king." Isn't that pretty simple? That is Alexander the Great.
Alexander the Great conquered the world when he was barely thirty years old and then became frustrated because there was nothing else to conquer. Instead, he went around the world putting on marching exhibitions. He caught a marsh fever and died a fool's death while putting on a parade. His generals came home to his infant son to say, "Your daddy's dead, now you rule the world."
The son asked, "'What do I do with the world?" It is recorded that the four generals of Alexander the Great killed his son and divided the kingdom among themselves.
Consider what the Bible said 175 years before Alexander the Great was ever born! Verses 21 and 22 state: ... and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.
These verses refer to Alexander the Great, and the last verse tells us that his son would not rule after him. Isn't the Bible clear? The head of gold is Babylon; the arms and chest of silver are the Medes and the Persians; and the belly and thighs of bronze are none other than Alexander the Great.
These empires are recorded in yet another manner. Daniel described them as three animals: the first one like a lion with eagle's wings (Babylon); next, a bear with three ribs in his mouth (the Medeo- Persians - this is a matter of recorded history); and third, a leopard with four wings that depict the swiftness of Alexander the Great's world conquest.
The Fourth Kingdom
What about the fourth kingdom? In the interpretation of the king's dream, Daniel wrote:
And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure (Dan. 2:40- 45).
What kingdom do the legs of iron represent? The Roman Empire with its two capitals: Rome and Constantinople. How do we know? Revelation 17:10 tells us that seven kings will rule the world. The first two were Assyria. and Egypt. Then Daniel comes in chronologically with Babylon as number three. The fourth and fifth kingdoms were the Medes and the Persians followed by Alexander the Great.
In verses 10-13 we find: And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns, which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
The Bible says, ". . . five are fallen, one is Who would be in power when Revelation was written at about A.D. 95 or A.D.96? - Rome. This passage states there are seven kings; five are fallen, one is right now, and the other will come later. The last kingdom will be an extension of the iron legs that Daniel wrote about. It will be a revived Roman Empire. It will be part iron and part clay, a mixture of religion and politics. In Daniel 7:7-8, we read:
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from an the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
In verse 7, Daniel said he saw a beast so terrible, it was like nothing he had ever seen before. This dreadful, ugly beast was so strong that it had great iron teeth (like the iron legs). It broke all the other kingdoms. Ten horns then came up representing the ten kings - in other words, an extension of those legs would be the feet, part of iron and part of day.
The Revived Roman Empire
The Bible states what has and is going to happen. There will be Babylon; the Medes and the Persians; Greece and Alexander the Great; the Roman Empire; and then an extension of one - a revived Roman Empire with ten horns, or ten kings. Once this last kingdom comes to power, it win rule for one hour, and then will give its power to the beast. He will rule and make war against the Lamb.
An article in the Wichita Eagle stated, Since the fall of the Roman Empire, there has been the dream of a unified Europe. We are ... seeing a brand new Roman Empire reconstructed." Even news reporters call the unified Europe the new Roman empire.
On December 31,1992 the European Economic Community took power, and on January 1, 1993, its policies went into effect. Until recently, the European community was considered to be only a political coalition. Now, it has gone from an economic dream to a political reality.
The Kansas City Star recently ran an article, "Is Euro-man Kinda' Like Superman?" It goes on to state that most of western Europe will be combined into one, big, powerful, economic unit that will be the envy of the world.
Will it work, will it dominate America? Will America be second class? The answer is yes. The European community is on the verge of becoming the dominant power of the world. It is a revived Roman Empire.
Northwest Magazine, sponsored by an airline, carried an article declaring that America will take a second seat to the revived Roman Empire.
After the Persian Gulf crisis, I flew back from Israel and landed in Greece. I was handed a card stating that any person who is a citizen of any one of the twelve Common Market nations does not have to fill out any legal papers when going from one country to another in Europe. However, any person who is not from one of the Common Market nations would have to fill out all of the papers.
Forbes Magazine wrote: "There will only be one Europe. It will be a super power." Will there be one currency or many? This magazine answers: "Ultimately, the move to a single currency is about symbolism and power. There will be only one economy, and it will not only be a united Europe, but it will probably be a united world."
In the business section of the previously quoted European newspaper, there is a very interesting second section depicting what Europeans describe as a historical moment - "Making History, A Unique Moment As World Leaders Gather in London." Why? To launch the first test for the Euro-bank and the new Euro-dollar. It's already here; it's already been issued; and now, it's on its way.
The New World Order
How close are we to the New World order? An article in the Atlantic Journal begins by announcing a New World order - a world quite different from the one we have known - with a United Nations that performs as envisioned by its founders. It goes on to say that following the Persian Gulf crisis, the New World order is emerging as our only hope for peace around the world.
This is it. Utopia. It is finally here, bringing the nations of the world under one government. If we have one government, we will have no wars, they say. This deceptive promise of heaven on earth is winning great popularity.
Howard Wilkins, an ambassador to one of the Common Market nations said, "We will not recognize the world because of the change militarily and politically in Europe. Once it is united, it will be as big or bigger than the United States in terms of its marketing power."
He is right. Soon we may not recognize the world. The truthful observer must agree that America is in decay. A new superstar on the scene - a united Europe - a revived Roman Empire exactly as the Bible said.
The Common Market says to the industrialized nations, "'Hey, the United States is in decline. If you want to look at the future, you'd better align with the Common Market - the seat of world power."
Presently, there are twelve countries in the Common Market with several others who want in. Do you know what is so interesting about that? The Bible states that when the Antichrist comes to power, he will pull three nations out. Then he will put himself in power, allowing only ten nations to remain. Now, if he is going to pull out three and leave ten, that means he will have begun with thirteen.
In a special edition of the Jerusalem Post, which featured the twelve stars of the Common Market nations, guess which nation the Post was recommending for number thirteen? The Israeli Star of David! Entering Europe's charmed circle seems to be Israel's goal.
The cover of the book, Europe Is Rising, pictures the tower of Babel, a symbol commonly used by the Common Market, and includes these words: "Europe, many tongues, one voice. In the background, a modem crane leans against the ancient tower. In addition, the twelve stars of the Common Market are inverted, converting them into the sign of Satan. just coincidence?
Canadian television aired a two-hour special called "Europe Unbounded" in which a United Europe was predicted to rule the world while the United States and Canada would be left powerless. During the program some of the symbols of the United Europe were shown, including the tower of Babel and the image of a woman.
Why are these two symbols important? According to the Bible, the last world political system will be composed part of iron and part of clay. What do these two parts represent?
Revelation 17 says that in the last days there will be a prostitute, a harlot, and she will commit fornication. She (religion) will sell herself to the kings of the world. In other words, religion and politics will join together. Why? To bring all men under one single government and one single religion.
What will be the foundation of this world religion? The New Age movement - the fastest growing religion in America today. In fact, it has already infiltrated churches, businesses, the media, sports, and even our schools. Children can learn how to visualize and have out-of-the body experiences; they can be hypnotized, but they cannot pray to the God of all creation.
The present unity movement, under the guise of the New Age movement, is none other than the plan of the Antichrist and Satan. To understand how the world could be fooled into believing the lies of this Satanic religion, we need to go back to the tower of Babel, where the New Age had its beginning.
In Genesis, Chapter 11, we read of an unnamed people building a great city on the plain of Shinar. To the narrator of this parable, peering across time and desert from his Nomadic traditions, these folks were awesomely clever. Since they all spoke one common language, nothing was impossible for them.
The plan of these ingenious people was to erect a huge tower whose top would reach to heaven. It would be an altar to their own intellect called Babel, or Gate of God. Their idea was to build a tower to God, to reach up and touch Him, so they, too, would become gods. The religion of Nimrod and Babel taught that we are all gods.
An advertisement that appeared in the Wall Street Journal concerned the ancient Tower of Babel and was presented as a parable.
The ad states: Babel or Gate to God, the God himself came down. Walked the streets of their cities, saw their project under construction. The arrogant race angered him. He passed his hand over the city, cursed it, now where there had been one language, suddenly there were hundreds. Confusion reigned. Nothing was possible.
The ad said the lesson taught by this ancient parable is uncannily applicable for us in the twentieth century. They are saying, "Listen, people, we have got to get together."
Get it? If we can come together - if we can all have one common language, one common government, one common religion - nothing will be impossible for us.
Revelation 17 said in the last days there will be a harlot, a prostitute, who will sit on a beast; and she will ride across all the world. She will represent a religion that will bring everyone together. The harlot (the end-time religious system) will sit on the beast (the Antichrist and his end-time dictatorship), and she will ride around the world collecting all peoples into one.
The Bible says that the harlot, the woman, will ride a beast. I used to think this parading harlot was just an accident until I ran across the front cover of the June, 1975, edition of European Official Magazine. Even then, it showed a Roman goddess riding on a beast as one of the official symbols of the Common Market. Accident? Not at all.
One of the first stamps put out by the Common Market a collective stamp used for the entire Common Market showed the god of Europe riding on the back of a bull (god), begging to be worshipped. This is an exact picture of Revelation 17. The Bible says that when Europe finally gets to the position where it has all the power - economically, politically, and religiously - it will have but a short time to live. The New World order will rule only one hour and will give its power, strength, and might to the beast.
The Antichrist
Telemarketing Magazine ran an article addressing the future of Europe. Is Europe actually going to unite and work together in a unified form? The article states, "I think it remains to be seen, but if it is going to work, a united Europe will need a leader. Yes, only one overall leader to function effectively. If they are going to work, they will have to have one man who win head up the entire thing."
George Will, of the Shreveport Journal writes, "Europe Moving Toward A Bureaucratic State." You know what? He is right. When I was in Washington, DC in early 1991, 1 saw a long line of limousines snaking down the street in front of one of the city's plush hotels. I asked a chauffeur who the dignitary was. "Ah", he said, "it is the president of Europe."
The president of Europe? I didn't know they had one. I discovered that he is not really as much of a potentate as his title implies or as he plans to be. But there is a president of Europe who is appointed, not elected, to bring about a political unity in Europe and around the world. He has fifteen thousand employees to help him.
As I passed through Europe last year, I picked up a copy of a European newspaper. The front page read, "The New Mr. Europe." It stated that he will take over the presidency in January, 1993, at what (in theory) will be the dawn of a new Europe. It will be a time when Europe will dominate and control the world.
Before all these events fully takes place, the trumpet is going to sound, and all true believers are going to be taken out of this world. How do I know? Because the Bible says that is exactly what is going to happen.
I really believe we are living near the end of time. If we are the people who are going to see the last political system, then the system cannot take over and rule until the Church is gone. We may see this last empire beginning to form, but it will not fully be in place until after the rapture of the Church.
That's why we as Christians must be different from any other people who have ever lived before. Jesus could come today to take every born-again person home to heaven.
When the Antichrist makes his appearance, he will speak great, swelling words of promise. I believe there will be people, maybe even someone reading this book who will attend that first unholy Sunday.
You and others may say after that great disappearing of the true Church, "'Something is going on, and I have to find out what it is." The great orator, the Antichrist, will have magnificent, thrilling explanations for the disappearance of the millions of true Christians.
This tremendous, worldwide religious movement will bring all people into a single religion, and some into one government with one economy exactly as prophesied in God's Word.
The apostle John saw two beasts. The first beast came out of the sea, that is, out of the Gentile world powers. "I ... saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy" (Rev. 13:1).
The one who appears is the Antichrist. He will come up out of the kingdoms of the Gentiles.
The False Prophet
just as there is a true Trinity; there is a false trinity. There is God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy Spirit. Satan's trinity puts him in the place of God; the Antichrist in the place of Jesus Christ; and an anti-prophet (or anti-spirit) in the place of the Holy Spirit.
In Revelation 13, we are introduced to this false prophet. It appears to me that he comes up out of the land of Israel because in verse 11 we find: "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon." Revelation says the land, or the earth, represents the land of Palestine.
What will be the purpose of the false prophet? Verse 12 explains, "And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed."
The first beast mocks death and resurrection. Notice, I said "mocks" because Satan does not have the power of resurrection. He is going to fake death and fake resurrection because he realizes that in order to be the Messiah, he must have a death with a resurrection. Therefore, he must fake it. The false prophet will give testimony to him saying, "Hey, look! He has died, and now he is resurrected!"
Verse 14 states: "And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live."
Men will be deceived by miracles. The false prophet will be a great orator. He will do miracles. He will speak great, lying wonders. He will fake death and resurrection. "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" (vs. 15).
Revelation 17:1 says: And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither, I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters. You may ask, "What are those waters?" Let us now consider Revelation 17:15: "And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.' In other words, it is a worldwide, false religious system "With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication" (vs. 2).
Verse 3 states: "So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns." Notice the similarity between the seven heads and ten horns - the symbols of religion and government.
The Mark
At that point and time, according to Daniel 7, the Antichrist will speak great and powerful things. He will do miracles. People will begin to say, "Well, I guess this has got to be the Messiah." He will change the laws. He will change the times and the seasons. Everything will be different.
In Daniel we read how life will be under the Antichrist: And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end (Dan. 7:24-26).
Revelation 13:16-18 also explains: And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive the 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. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six [or 666].
He will say, "Listen, if you are going to go to school, if you are going to buy food, if you are going to have a job, then you have to accept my mark."
I read an article written by a man who owns a company that designs small, electronic devices - miniscule silicone chips. When a dog or cat is taken to the veterinarian for a vaccination, a chip is placed in the animal's back with a wand; thus allowing authorities to be able to prove exactly who the pet's owner is. This is done to cattle in Canada, also.
Incredibly, leading companies are now considering how soon these same chips can be implanted into people who perform various job functions. Cosmetically, the chip is concealed beneath the skin and is not noticeable. However, it does not escape the scanners that register all movement of those who go in and out of those areas being monitored. What a great way to "'brand" people.
You know what? If you don't take the mark of the Antichrist, (whether it is a chip or not, I don't know), you will not be able to buy or sell. You will not be able to hold a job or buy food at the grocery store. The Antichrist will require that everyone commit to him. I believe there is a coming mark but only after the rapture of the Church.
Right on Schedule
When Christ returns, He will defeat the Antichrist and his cohorts.
Revelation 17:14 makes that clear: These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Is the lamb a pretty good fighter? Not usually. This Lamb, however, is going to fight the beast, and the Lamb is going to win. I believe the lamb is none other than the Lamb of God, the person of Calvary, Jesus Christ. You see, history has recorded it. Reading on in Daniel 7:13-14, we find these words:
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
Yes, friend, everything is right on schedule. Didn't the Bible say that Israel would be back in the land? Iraq would be destroyed once, twice, then devastated the last time? Is Germany united? Is Israel not reborn? Is Europe reconfiguring into a New Order, the Roman Empire reviving?
My dear friend, I believe we are living in the last days. No other generation who ever lived on planet earth has seen as much as you and I have seen. Subsequently, no other people who have ever lived are as accountable as we are.
You and I are responsible for deciding whether we will spend eternity in heaven with Jesus Christ who died and rose again to save us, or whether we will spend all eternity in hell with Satan and his demonic fallen angels, for whom hen was created in order that sin can ultimately be purged and God's creation reconciled to himself.
Jesus is the Prince of Life. Satan is the cannibal of death. You decide. Jesus is the truth and the life. Satan is the father of lies and the master of death. You decide.
Where Will You Spend Eternity?
The story is told of a man who once had a stray dog show up on his porch. For a day or two, he tolerated the dog, then he decided he had to get rid of the critter. But, the dog was faithful, and it followed him everywhere, no matter where he went what he did. Frustrated by this faithful, old dog, the man said, "I have got to get rid of this dog."
He didn't have the heart to shoot the dog, so he loaded him into a simple row boat along with a big brick and rope. When he reached the middle of the lake, he called the faithful dog over to him, tied the rope around its neck, and the other end around the brick. Then he threw dog, brick, and rope into the lake. But the brick was not heavy enough to pull the dog all the way under!
Still being faithful, the old dog swam around and around and around the boat trying to get back to his master, all the while hauling the brick around with him. Now frustrated, the man felt he had to drown the dog somehow. He took an oar and began to hit this dog on the head, trying to poke it under the water. In the course of doing this, the man fell overboard into the lake, and he could not swim.
Seeing the man thrashing in the water himself, the dog came over, grabbed him by the collar, and began to swim toward the shore towing the brick, rope, and the man. Finally, when the dog could swim no longer, the man put his feet down, only to find that he could now walk up on the bank. He looked back to find the brick had finally taken its ton on the dog - he had drowned.
When I heard this story, it made me think about a tale even more pathetic. I think an old man who would drown a dog is pretty cruel man. But, I will tell you what is more cruel - for person not to receive Christ! Jesus came to earth and did nothing but good. But some people don't want Him; they do everything they can to get rid of Him and keep Him out of their lives. They don't realize that the gospel is a story of love and faithfulness: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16). He sent His Son to die for you.
I don't know your heart's condition, but I do know that Jesus paid an incredible price to save you. He gave His life, and He did it willingly. If you have never received Christ as your personal Saviour, then you need to make that decision today.
Jesus allows you the option to say, "No, I don't want to be saved." He died for you; He arose again. The gospel is available, but He lets you say no - the choice is yours.
Do you know what keeps a person from coming to Christ once they know they need Him? It is something called pride. Jesus himself said, "No man comes to the Father [God] but by me." To be saved, simply admit to God that you are a sinner.
Dear friend, Christ came to this wretched, strife-torn, sinful world to save sinners. To qualify for the gospel of Jesus Christ, you have to be a sinner. And, you are a sinner whether you admit it or not. But, if you'll admit it, if you come to Christ who loves you so much He died for you, He will save you in an instant.
Instead of going through eternity in hell, where you and I deserve to go, you will live eternally in heaven, where God has a place reserved for you. Because of the sacrifice the Lord Jesus Christ made for you and me on that cruel Roman cross nearly two thousand years ago, you can live forever. Accept Him today. He is the only way.