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The Purpose of Prophecy
What
is the real purpose of prophecy, anyway? Human curiosity about the specifics
of what, when, where and how often tends to obscure the overreaching why--the
truly important lessons God gives his people through prophecy.
First and foremost, Bible prophecy (which makes up at least one third
of the Bible) leads us to God. First, fulfilled prophecy clearly demonstrates
the infallibility and veracity of God's Word as being authored by none
other than God himself. Further, it reminds us God is in control, supervising
and intervening in human affairs whenever he desires. By his power he
will bring about the future he has promised. In the end, good will win
over evil (Daniel 4:17). We can see the sovereignty of God through prophecy.
Bible prophecy reminds us God is Judge, the final arbitrator of all things.
Through prophecy we learn that nobody really gets away with anything.
Oppression of the poor and the weak by the wicked will not last forever.
Every action will be brought into account. Judgment will surely come.
Prophecy also reminds us of God's love and faithfulness. The time will
come when his kingdom will be established over all nations, and all people
will come to know repentance (II Peter 3:9; Zech. 14:9).
Even though there will be wars, small and large, Bible prophecy tells
us the world will not be totally destroyed by nuclear, or any other kind
of human warfare. God himself will, at the close of his purpose for humanity,
burn up the earth and create in its place new heavens and a new earth
in which dwells righteousness (II Peter 3:12-13; Revelation 21:1). Through
Bible prophecy, then, we are comforted and encouraged, assured that the
course of history is being controlled by God, the God of love, peace
and mercy. We are guaranteed that our labor of love in Jesus Christ is
not in vain --and yes, a major part of that labor of love is through
our efforts in evangelism and our efforts within our congregations to
help nurture new-believers into becoming active mature members of the
body of Christ. We are given the confidence all wrong will be righted,
all crooked places will be made straight, and there is life beyond death--happy,
peaceful, fulfilled life forever.
Exactly when God will do that, we are not given. But, through
the revelation he gives us in Bible prophecy, we rejoice in the sure
knowledge he will do it. And we are motivated by the Holy Spirit
to live according to his will for our lives, the job he gave all of us
Christians to do until he comes again in great glory and power. Also,
through prophecy, God reassures us that our faith is not in vain. All
that he has promised will surely happen. We are not told
when--but we are told what to do while we wait: Just before Jesus was
taken up into heaven his disciples asked him when he would re-establish
the kingdom to Israel. His response was, "It is not for you to know the
times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will
receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses
in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." In
Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus gave a similar command, to evangelize, baptize
and disciple. This is called the Great Commission and it is the Christian's
primary job and responsibility given by Jesus to do until he returns.
So our job, what we are told to do while we wait for his return, is to
pursue evangelism--personal, local church, national and international.
And as spelled out in Matthew 28:18-20, it is to baptize and disciple
those who respond to the message. In Ephesians 4 Paul points out that
the church has been raised up to complete the task started by evangelism.
It is the church, with its structure of apostles, evangelists, pastors
and teachers, who are the ones to strengthen and unify the body of Christ,
those who have been baptized. So the unified task or job Christians have
been given by Jesus, encompassed in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20
is to evangelize the world, the whole world, and to baptize those who
respond, and to disciple and nurture those same who respond--in a body
called the church--until they are spiritually mature Christians, no longer
tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, as Paul said in Ephesians
4. This website is full of resources that explain what evangelism is
and how we can go about effectively doing it--on the personal, local
church, national and international level. It is also full of resources
that can be used to spiritually strengthen the body of Christ. Jesus
our High Priest and Commander-in-Chief has given us our marching orders--to
evangelize the world, and build up his body of believers, the church,
with those who respond to our evangelizing efforts--to nurture those
new-believers to spiritual maturity. Those are our marching orders. This
web site is designed specifically to make those marching orders clear
and facilitate their implementation by Christians online. So when you're
finished reading about Jesus Christ's 2nd coming, log onto the section
on evangelism and check out those marching orders. For some, the Lord
may lead you to directly evangelize. Others will be led to use their
talents to strengthen and help mature new-believers and the body of Christ
within the church congregation. And then, we can all support evangelism
on the international level. To see how, log onto http://www.UNITYINCHRIST.COM/gifts5.htm .
Try giving $5.00 or $10.00 a week to one of the major international evangelism
missions, like the JESUS Film Project, or Samaritan's Purse, or Gospel
for Asia (which supports native evangelists in countries where North
American and European evangelists are no longer allowed). Pick one of
those three and faithfully give that amount week in, week out, and see
the Work of the Lord go worldwide in great power. Many hands make light
work, and Jesus has given you and I the privilege of being able to participate
in his great work of saving the world and building his kingdom on earth--which
will become a holy nation, raised up in one day, at his return (I Corinthians
15:49-54; Revelation 11:15-19;Daniel 12:1-3).
So when you are finished digging into this interesting study on these
prophecies of Jesus 2nd coming--which present day current events have
helped generate a tremendous curiosity for--dig into the section which
explains the job Jesus gave us to perform until he arrives again in great
glory. Those are our marching orders, explained, made clear and broken
down into fine detail. We are soldiers of Jesus Christ. A good soldier
would not think of going into the battle without reading the specific
marching orders and intelligence reports pertaining to the battle he's
about to go into, and we need to apply the same diligence toward our
marching orders--to evangelize the whole world, and to baptize
and disciple those who respond favorably. Prophecy is interesting,
but are these events being held up while Jesus waits for us to finish
the job he gave us to accomplish? If you ask me, we have a job to do,
and it isn't accomplished yet. Enjoy this study, and then let's get busy.
If you are not quite sure of your relationship with Jesus, or what it
means to believe in Jesus, or if recent events (September 11th) have
you wondering how you might develop a relationship with Jesus, CLICK
HERE.
IS THE BIBLE GOD'S INFALLABLE WORD?
HOW CAN YOU BE SURE?
IS THERE PROOF?
The proof that the Bible is God's inspired Word can be
seen through fulfilled prophecy. What important set of prophecies can
we look at which will both prove God's Word as infallible, and answer
a vital question mankind has had for millennia of time? Let's take a
close look at the prophecies that show the predicted rise and fall of
empires, right up to the return of Jesus Christ. History has successfully
verified over nine tenths of these two prophecies found in Daniel 2 & 7
as 100 percent accurate. Less than ten percent are left to fulfill. These
empires were scary dictatorships for the most part, so this is not only
a valid proof of God's Word but also serves as a warning of what's coming
on mankind--and the hope of a better world after Jesus returns.
This study will show that one of the ten prophecied revivals
of the fourth major Gentile world empire, predicted by God through Daniel,
was the Hitler-Mussolini juggernaut that swept across Europe. How real
are these prophecies that prove God's Word beyond a doubt? How real was
this ninth revival of the fourth Gentile empire predicted by Daniel?
Let William L. Shirer answer that one. "The man who founded the Third
Reich, who ruled it ruthlessly and often with uncommon shrewdness, who
led it to such dizzy heights and to such a sorry end, was a person of
undoubted, if evil, genius...But without Hitler, who was possessed of
a demonic personality, a granite will, of uncanny instincts, a cold ruthlessness,
a remarkable intellect, a soaring imagination and--until toward the end,
when drunk with power and success, he overreached himself--an amazing
capacity to size up people and situations, there most certainly would
never have been a Third Reich" (Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, pp.20-21).
"In keeping with the emphasis placed on speed and mobility, the German
Armed Forces in World War II were supplied with a dazzling array of fighting
vehicles capable of performing almost every battlefield function. Taking
pride of place among German divisions were such excellent tanks as the
Panzer III, Panzer IV, Panther, and Tiger, ably supported by a range
of self-propelled anti-tank guns, infantry-support guns and heavy artillery.
For the infantry there were armoured cars and half-tracks, allowing them
to keep up with the tanks in true Bliztkrieg style (German Tanks & Fighting
Vehicles of World War II). That's a a "tip of the iceberg" look into
the second to last prophecied resurrection of the Roman empire--with
one yet to follow. Want to understand what the next one will be like,
but worse? Look into history. Read Shirer's "Rise and Fall of the Third
Reich."
How do I know there will be a next one, and that God's Word is true and
predicts so. Read on.
When will the Kingdom of God be physically
established on earth? Does the Bible give us any indication
at all—any outline of events that lead up to this
tremendous event?
The first question we need to ask ourselves then is:
So when is the literal governmental Kingdom of God going
to be physically established on earth by Jesus? As
many Bible prophecies show, the Kingdom of God will be
physically established on earth at the 2nd coming of
Jesus Christ. (And I'm taking the premise that Jesus'
coming will be literal and these prophecies are literal
because nine tenths of them have been fulfilled literally
in history. It goes against sound logic to spiritualize
away the last one tenth of a prophecy's fulfillment when
the previous nine tenths has been literally fulfilled
and is in our history books.) Does the Bible tell us
anything about the timing of this great event, when it
is to occur in the future? Indeed it does! Only God can
know for sure when the events will actually start to
occur that will trigger these end-time prophecies, i.e.
World War III, and then Jesus Christ's very necessary
intervention in man's self-genocidal insanity. This much
is certain however, history is cyclical, and these
events will eventually come to pass--for
this event is part of a 20th century cycle of World Wars.
Part of the answer to our question of timing (although we are in no way
attempting to set specific dates to the Messiah's coming) can be found
in the second chapter of Daniel. The book of Daniel is historically datable
to the time of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire. (And what follows
is one GIANT proof of God and of the infallibility
of his Word the Bible, for what mere mortal, even a righteous prophet,
could, on his very own, predict all of these events, and then bring them
to pass as they have been fulfilled down through millenniums of time?)
History accurately records that Nebuchadnezzar first came to power in
625 B.C. The first captivity of the Jewish nation when Daniel was captured
took place around 605 B.C. So again, if you are looking for an infallible
proof of the Bible as God's Word, realize that no mere human, not even
Daniel, could have accurately foretold the future the way the book of
Daniel does. In Daniel chapter 2 king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is shown
as having a weird dream about a giant image whose head was of fine gold,
with shoulders and arms of silver, thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and
feet of iron mixed with clay. The king was badly disturbed by this dream
and called all his astrologers and magicians together and demanded to
know the meaning of the dream. He told them that he had even forgotten
the dream and wanted them to recall it for him. If they didn't he'd kill
all the wise men in Babylon, including Daniel and his three friends.
Obviously, this task was humanly impossible for them to do. This event
put Daniel's life on the line even though he had nothing to do with these
astrologers because he was considered a wise man (Daniel 2:3-7). The
astrologers couldn't interpret or recall the dream so the king ordered
the death of all the wise men in Babylon (verses 8-13). Daniel then sought
God for the meaning of the dream so he and his friends wouldn't be slain
with the astrologers (verses 16-18). God mercifully revealed the meaning
of the dream to Daniel in a vision at night (verses 19-23). Daniel then
revealed the dream and its' meaning to the king. Let's pick up the story
in verses 31-44. "You, O king were watching; and behold, a great image!
This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and
its form was awesome. This image's head was of fine gold, its chest and
arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its
feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was
cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and
clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze,
the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff
from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that
no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became
a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the
king. You, O king are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given
you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; and wherever the children
of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven,
he has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them--you
are this head of gold. But after you shall arise another kingdom
inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall
rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as
iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters all things; and
like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all
the others." Historically Babylon came first, then came the Persian empire
which conquered Babylon. Then came Alexander the Great's empire, which
conquered that whole section of the eastern Mediterranean all the way
to India. Then came the Roman Empire, which later on was divided into
two sections. The eastern half ruled from Constantinople, the western
half ruled from Rome, and held in it's power most of Europe, north Africa,
and even the territory of the British Isles. Daniel lived into the very
beginning of the time of the Persians, but he couldn't have predicted
so accurately the rise and fall of the two other empires to follow the
Persians. Let's read on. "Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of
potter's clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the
strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with
ceramic clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly
of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As
you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed
of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not
mix with clay. [vs. 44] And in the days of these kings the God of heaven
will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom
shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume
all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever."
The last verse, 44, is a brief description of the Kingdom of God conquering
the last resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire, represented by
the feet and ten toes of the image. Daniel chapter seven makes this clearer,
showing that the ten toes really do represent the final resurrection
of the Holy Roman Empire. In this vision revealed by God to Daniel in
the seventh chapter of Daniel, God shows us that the two legs not only
represent the Roman Empire but its' successive resurrections down through
European history. When Daniel chapter seven is added to Daniel chapter
two the complete meaning of the image is revealed.
Daniel chapter seven, just as in Daniel two, describes in prophetic vision
by use of symbols, four main world-ruling empires. Letting the Bible
interpret itself, these are the same four empires described in Daniel
two but by different symbols. So the first is Babylon, the second Persia,
the third Alexander and the fourth Rome. This prophecy gets into a more
thorough description of the fourth empire, Rome, and its' successive
resurrections down through history. Daniel 7:1-8, 11-28. "In the first
year of Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his
head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main
facts. Daniel spoke, saying, `I saw in my vision by night, and behold,
the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. And four great
beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. The first
was like a lion, and had eagle's wings [the winged lion was the royal
symbol of the Babylonian Empire]. I watched till its wings were plucked
off; and it was made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man's heart
was given to it. And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It
was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its
teeth. And they said thus to it: `Arise, devour much flesh!' After this
I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back
four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was
given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth
beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth;
it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with
its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and
it had ten horns. I was considering the horns, and there was another
horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the
first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in the horn,
were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words...I
watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn
was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain and its body destroyed
and given to the burning flame. As for the rest of the beasts, they had
their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season
and a time...(verses 11-28) I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within
my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near to one of
those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me
and made known to me the interpretation of these things: `Those great
beasts, which are four, are four kings (footnote: Representing their
kingdoms (compare to verse 23)) which arise out of the earth. But the
saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom
forever, even forever and ever.' Then I wished to know the truth about
the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly
dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured,
broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; and about the
ten horns that were on its head, and about the other horn which came
up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth
which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.
I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints,
and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment
was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for
the saints to possess the kingdom. Thus he said: `The fourth beast shall
be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other
kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in
pieces. The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom.
And another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the first
ones, and shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against
the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall
intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his
hand for a time and times and half a time [three and a half years]. But
the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to
consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion, and the
greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the
people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.' This is the end of the account.
As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance
changed; but I kept the matter in my heart.'"
To recap, Daniel 7 describes in prophetic vision, by the use of symbols,
four main world-ruling empires, starting with the Babylonian empire and
then prophesying that three more world empires would follow one after
the other. These four main world-ruling empires are represented as four
separate animals or beasts: a lion, a bear, a leopard with four heads
and four wings, and a "terrible iron beast."
This last "beast" (the fourth empire) was predicted to have ten horns
representing ten kings. Three of these kings were to be "plucked up" by
a separate "little horn." Now let us look at what history tells us:
1) Including and starting with Babylon, these four empires were the Babylonian
empire, the Medo-Persian empire, the Greco-Macedonian empire under Alexander
the Great (and later his four generals, represented by the four heads
of the leopard), and the Roman Empire. They spanned over 1,000 years
of history from 600 B.C. to 476 A.D.
2) Ten kings in the Roman Empire or Holy Roman Empire NEVER ruled
side by side. History also tells us that three kings (kingdoms) were "subdued" by
Justinian the first real Emperor since the fall of Rome, thus the ten
horns of Daniel 7:7,23-24, represented ten "restorations" of the
Roman Empire, the fourth beast, "made of iron...dreadful and terrible." This
point is really important, because many Christians don't understand about
the succession of Holy Roman Empires that this prophecy in Daniel predicted.
We have to look to history to see that ten kings never ruled side by
side with three being plucked up. But history does show us three kingdoms
were indeed plucked up at the behest of the pope, ordering the king of
the fourth resurrection of the Roman Empire, the first Holy Roman Emperor,
to destroy the first three empires that were ruling in Rome after it's
fall.
No mere human, even a righteous one like Daniel,
could have predicted all this and made it come to pass
right down through the centuries. These events spanned
over 2,600 years! This is an infallible proof of God’s
Word and of God himself, for Daniel couldn’t have
dreamed all this up and then made it come to pass. He died
in the 500’s B.C.! And the way the Jews maintain Holy
Scripture, Daniel’s writings are verifiable right
to the time when he lived. (An interesting
story gleaned from history--Alexander, on his conquering
march through the Middle East toward India was met by the
Jewish High Priest outside of Jerusalem. His was shown
the scroll of Daniel and it was pointed out to him that
his empire indeed was the third empire predicted by God
to Daniel, to bear rule over the entire known world. Alexander
was so impressed that he spared the city and moved on.
That is just one example of the literalness of these prophecies.
Prophecy is history in advance, not intended to be spiritualized
away, as some theologians attempt to do, distorting God's
Word.)
So here are the four main world-ruling empires, and the restorations
of the last empire listed as they occurred historically:
The Chaldean Empire (Babylonian) 625-539 B.C.
The Persian Empire. 539-330 B.C.
Alexander the Great's Greek Empire. 330 B.C. to 31 B.C.
The Roman Empire. 31 B.C. to 476 A.D. (in two divisions, east and west).
Restorations of the Roman Empire:
1-3: The Vandals, A.D. 429-533. The Heruli, A.D. 476-493.
The Ostrogoths, A.D. 493-554. (These three governments were removed by
Justinian in 554 A.D. at the behest of the pope.)
4: The "Imperial Restoration" of the Empire by Justinian, 554 A.D.
5. The Frankish kingdom of Charlemagne. Charlemagne crowned in 800 A.D.
His rule began in 774 A.D. (The Franks were a Germanic tribe living in
the area of eastern France and western Germany.)
6. Holy Roman Empire of Otto the Great. Otto the Great was crowned in
962 A.D. (German Restoration.)
7. Habsburg dynasty. Charles the Great crowned in 1520 A.D. (Austrian
Restoration.)
8. Napoleon's Kingdom. Napoleon crowned in 1805 A.D.
(Napoleon was of German lineage, ruling over France.)
9. Bonito Mussolini declared Holy Roman Emperor A.D. 1935 (Italian-German
Restoration.)
10. Revived Roman Empire by 10 rulers or kings under one leader prophesied
to come as the last restoration of the "iron beast" in Daniel 7. cf.
Revelation 13 & 17.)
Now you can plainly see how 9/10ths of this major prophecy
of God through his servant Daniel has been fulfilled literally. Napoleon
and Adolf Hitler and Bonito Mussilini were real, just as Charlemagne
and Justinian were. Thus the predicted 2nd coming of Jesus
Christ and all the Millennial prophecies about a restored literal kingdom
of God bearing rule over the entire earth--the wild preditors dwelling
with tame animals and children playing with them, deserts transformed
into luscious farmland--all this must be interpreted literally also.
You can't switch in midstream on how you interpret. And history shows
us how we are supposed to interpret by showing us what has been fulfilled
and how.
When Jesus Christ comes back in all his glorious power with the army
of God, he will subdue this final resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire,
and usher in the Utopian World Tomorrow, ruled by the Kingdom of God.
When you see this final resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire forming
in Europe, whenever that may happen, then you'll know that time is growing
short.
Now we can see that over nine tenths of Daniel's prophecies, prophecies
of God given to Daniel to write down in the Bible, are fulfilled and
part of history. What is scary, especially for non-Christians and yes
even nominal Christians, is that we can get a glimpse of what a recent
Holy Roman Empire was like by looking at the World War II history of
Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. It was a cruel and brutal empire in which
Adolph Hitler tried his best to model much of the pariphinalia of the
ancient Roman Empire. Bonito Mussolini was crowned Holy Roman Emperor
in a secret Vatican Concordat in 1935. It was short lived, but it was
a real revival of the ancient Holy Roman Empires that preceded it. For
our British brothers of the 1800's, Napoleon was their encounter with
a Holy Roman Empire. The British of that day viewed Napoleon as much
a threat as Churchill did Hitler.
Now let's get a peek into what's coming around
the corner, prophetically speaking. The following is quoted
from Chuck Missler's
"Personal UPDATE."
"...An
Emergent Empire?
The Bible generally presents history--both historic and
prophetic--through the "lens" of Israel. Notable exceptions occur in
Daniel Chapters 2 and 7, which summarize the Gentile empires that
are to transpire between the Babylonian empire of that time until the
final empire [Holy Roman Empire] that will be interrupted by the Second
Coming of Jesus Christ. There are to be four: the Babylonian, the Persian,
the Greek, and the Roman...
For centuries, Biblical scholars have been anticipating the re-emergence
of this 4th empire in its final form.
New
EU President
The
entire European Union's 20-member commission resigned in March [1999]
due to extensive corruption scandals. The Council of Ministers unanimously
voted to appoint the former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi as the
new president of the commission.
Romano Prodi is known in his own country for bringing down inflation
and unemployment rates. He has also enthusiastically endorsed the rooting
out of corruption within the ranks of the 17,000 employees of the European
bureaucracy, and has garnered praise from the members of the European
Parliament for his strong statements regarding reform.
However, according to conservative members of the British Parliament,
Prodi's appointment may be more of a nightmare than a dream. [The British,
understandably, are always looking over the European horizon for signs
of future fanatical dictatorships.] It appears Prodi is an ardent federalist,
who is ready, willing and able to expedite the formation of the EU superstate.
Prodi has stated in no uncertain terms that he is in favor of giving
the EU more power and curtailing the rights of the member nations' veto
power. He has also advocated the creation of an European defense force,
calling for a new treaty to make this possible. He has said in speeches
that he sees no other way for Europe to effectively handle foreign affairs
without a military option. In addition, Prodi has called for the union
to commit itself to further expansion into central and eastern Europe
and to expedite the process by setting dates for the admission of new
members, a move that is resisted by the heads of the EU government.
Prodi has applauded the progress made by the European Monetary Union
in introducing the new super-national currency, the Euro. He said in
an interview with the Financial Times that the Euro currency was "not
just a bankers' decision or a technical decision. It was a decision that
completely changed the nature of the member states."
NATO
Redefined
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed in 1949
as a defensive alliance in which each member was pledged to come to the
aid of any of its members which were attacked militarily. However, at
the 50th Anniversary Summit in Washington on April 23-24,
1999, NATO redefined itself in terms which appear to be a startling impetus
toward the creation of a major new trans-global alliance...NATO
is now an ideological construct which is now prepared to use force to
impose its concept of world order on its neighbors and beyond.*
The new definition states:
The security of the Alliance remains subject to a wide variety of
military and non-military risks...These risks include uncertainty and
instability in and around the Euro-Atlantic area and the possibility
of regional crises at the periphery of the Alliance which could evolve
rapidly. Some countries in and around the Euro-Atlantic area face serious
economic, social and political difficulties. Ethnic and religious rivalries,
territorial disputes, inadequate or failed efforts at reform, the abuse
of human rights, and the dissolution of states can lead to crises affecting
Euro-Atlantic stability, to human suffering, and to armed conflicts.
Such conflicts could affect the security of the Alliance by spilling
over into neighboring countries, including NATO countries, or in other
ways, and could also affect the security of other states.
And, if that does not give NATO a wide enough scope for military intervention
in the affairs of its neighbors, the new strategic definition adds:
Alliance security interests can be affected by other
risks of a wider nature, including acts of terrorism, sabotage
and organized crime, and by disruption of the flow of vital
resources. The uncontrolled movement of large numbers of
people, particularly as a consequence of armed conflicts,
can also pose problems for security and stability affecting
the Alliance.
National
Sovereignty Obsolete
The New strategic concept virtually declares national sovereignty
obsolete. It is not just the sovereignty of the neighboring states that
is threatened, but the individual members as well. The intention is to
reduce the number of decision-making voices within NATO from 19 (and
growing) to 3 or 4.
To prevent the re-nationalization of defense policies, military structures
are to be integrated for:
...collective force planning; common funding; common
operational planning; multinational formations, headquarters
and command arrangements; an integrated air defense system;
a balance of roles and responsibilities among the Allies; the
stationing and deployment of forces outside home territory
when required; arrangements, including planning, for
crisis management and reinforcement; common standards and
procedures for equipment, training and logistics; joint
and combined doctrines and exercises when appropriate;
and infrastructure, armaments and logistics cooperation.
These will tie each member state to the corporate whole and, ultimately,
a single European voice on defense matters. "All European Allies
should be involved in...the progressive framing of a common defense policy...as
called for in the Amsterdam Treaty." (The Amsterdam Treaty, signed in
June 1997, was a revision of the European Union's Maastricht Treaty,
and one of the most controversial elements concerned the strengthening
of the European Union's role in defense matters.)...
Having totally bypassed the U.N., NATO has now become
the self-appointed policeman of the world. Stand back and
watch the global events move us inexorably toward the grand
climax which the Bible has laid out in such detail. It
is, indeed, time to do our homework.
Behold ye among the nations, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for
I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it
be told you. Habakkuk 1:5
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Much of this has
been excerpted from publications of Intelligence International
Ltd., The Stoneyhill Centre, Brimpsfield, Gloucester, GL4 8LF,
UK
For an expanded description of this subject which will
affect everyone on this planet, you can order Chuck Missler's briefing
package (on cassette tapes), titled: An Empire Reborn? Order
online at: http://www.khouse.org ,
or call 1-800-KHOUSE-1 or write: Koinonia House, P.O. Box D, Coeur
d' Alene, ID 83816-0347. (advertised at $14.95.) It answers such questions
touched on above, such as, "What is really happening in Europe? Is
the re-emergence of Europe Biblically relevant and leading to the "Revived
Empire" Bible scholars have been predicting for centuries? What impact
does the re-definition of NATO have on the future of the United Nations
and the world? Such questions and more are answered in "An Empire Reborn?"
The following is excerpted from Dr. Mark Eastman's "Creation by Design" and
answers a vital question many non-believers have once they have seen
God's existence in Scripture and seen his Word in Scripture proven beyond
a doubt. Many may wonder, what next? What should I do with this vital
information?
"How
to Become a Christian
First of all you must recognize that you are a sinner.
Realize that you have missed the mark. This is true of each of us. We
have deliberately crossed the line not once, but many times. The Bible
says, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans
3:23). This is a hard admission for many to make, but if we are not willing
to hear the bad news, we cannot appreciate and respond to the good
news.
Second, we must realize that Jesus Christ died on the cross for us. Because
of sin, God had to take drastic measures to reach us. So He came to this
earth and walked here as a man. But Jesus was more than just a good man.
He was the God-man--God incarnate--and that is why His death on the cross
is so significant.
At the cross, God Himself--in the person of Jesus Christ--took our place
and bore our sins. He paid for them and purchased our redemption.
Third, we must repent of our sin. God has commanded men everywhere to
repent. Acts 3:19 states, "Repent therefore and be converted, that
your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from
the presence of the Lord." What does this word repent mean?
It means to change direction--to hang a U-turn on the road of life. It
means to stop living the kind of life we led previously and start living
the kind of life outlined in the pages of the Bible. Now we must change
and be willing to make a break with the past.
Fourth, we must receive Jesus Christ into our hearts and lives.
Being a Christian is having God Himself take residence in our lives.
John 1:12 tells us, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave
the right to become the children of God." [Read also John 14. Jesus
and the Father dwell in us by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.] Jesus
said, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice
and opens the door, I will come in..." (Revelation 3:20). Each one
of us must individually decide to open the door. How do we open it? Through
prayer.
If you have never asked Jesus Christ to come into your life, you can
do it right now. Here is a suggested prayer you might even pray.
Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I am sorry for
my sin. I turn and repent of my sins right now. Thank You for dying
on the cross for me and paying the price for my sin. Please come
into my heart and life right now. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit
and help me to be Your disciple. Thank You for forgiving me and
coming into my life. Thank You that I am now a child of Yours and
that I will receive Eternal life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
When you pray that prayer God will respond. You have made
the right decision--the decision that will impact how you spend eternity.
In the meantime, find peace and the answers to your spiritual questions.
If you become a Christian, it is recommended that you find a Christian
church to fellowship in and grow spiritually in. You are now part of
the body of Christ. You are a young Christian needing spiritual
food to grow on. Fellowshipping with other Christian brothers and sisters
is also an essential part of Christian growth and life. It is therefore
recommended that you find some evangelical Christian church that you
feel comfortable attending.
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