Revival or Apostasy?

End-Time Revival Or End Time Apostasy?

Link: about.me/gideonsword
Author: Carol Brooks
Edited By: Vicki Narlee
Source: InPlainSite.org
Also See: Understanding Prophecy and Typology

"So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth." (Hosea 6:3 NASB)


Defining "Revival"
In this age of great apostasy the one thing the church needs above all else is revival. Unfortunately, although anointing has the dubious honour of being the most overused, misunderstood, and misinterpreted word used in the Christian world, "revival" seems to run a close second.

The word "revive" means to bring back to life or consciousness; resuscitate. To give new health, strength, or spirit to. In other words something has to be restored from an inactive, dormant, or unused state.


What Revival is NOT

1. Evangelistic Meetings
Unfortunately, all too many churches apply the term "revival" to a special evangelistic meeting, or a series of such meetings... the ultimate aim of which is to convey the Gospel message to non-believers. These are usually held in a church building, rented hall, or an open air venue, and can involve guest speakers, a concert or play, and even possibly a meal or light refreshments. The culmination of these meetings is usually the "altar call" which invites the non-believer to 'make a decision for Christ', or uses the non-Biblical term "ask Jesus into their hearts". Obviously, the number of people who do so is the litmus test of the success of the event.

Please note: The modern "altar call" is a concept unknown to the New Testament, which teaches that new believers make a declaration of faith by being believing, repenting, and being baptized (which identifies them with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection), not traipsing down the aisle to the altar.

While, I am sure that some people can be genuinely saved through these programs, they are not authentic Biblical revivals, simply because only a person who already has, or once had, spiritual life can be 'revived'. Noting that the Hebrew word shûb means to "turn back", Psalm 80 says:

"O Lord God of hosts, restore (Heb shûb) us; Cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved." (Psalms 80:19 NASB)

2. Spiritual Entertainment/Experiences
Nor is revival getting your whoop-de-doos down at the altar, as I have heard it amusingly, but accurately, phrased.

Much of what passes for revival in the modern church is designed to get people to feel good about themselves, or have some kind of mystical (often terribly weird) experience. In all cases, it is me-centered. Some Pentecostal and charismatic churches think of revival in terms of how many people display bizarre physical behavior. The allure of receiving some form of 'deeper' spiritual experience has deceived countless millions into accepting various counterfeits. Certainly, revival is not what has been happening at Toronto, Brownsville, or Lakeland. As perfectly expressed by Congregation Shema Yisrael:

"The whole gamut of today's so-called revival scene, from Toronto to Pensacola, must be seriously faced! Videos of the services show people crawling on the floor, howling like wolves, barking like dogs, roaring like lions, going through bodily contortions impossible without the aid of some spiritual power, unable to speak or even remember their names when they try to give a testimony, and worse. Many of those being baptized at Pensacola seem to lose consciousness or shake so violently that they must be carried out of the baptismal tank lest they drown. Others flail about so wildly as to require several men to handle them. Such manifestations were also found in past "revivals" among the Shakers, the Mormons and many other cults. That such things could now be widely accepted as evidence of the Holy Spirit only testifies to the extent of the delusion that is already permeating the Messianic Community!" [1]

Tragically, the church that should have been a bulwark against evil has, with apostate leaders and a Biblically illiterate population, latched on to the coat tails of the world and adopted practices that are DIRECTLY derived from the Occult. [See The Modern Church's Literal Doctrines and Practices of Demons]


What Revival IS
As said earlier, the word "revive" means to bring back to life... to give new health, strength, or spirit to. In the Christian context, the word, therefore, has to mean a spiritual reawakening. As Spurgeon once put it: "to rekindle into a flame the vital spark which was nearly extinguished." [2]

In other words, a Christian revival is a increased or renewed spiritual interest in God and His word. While an individual can certainly be spiritually renewed, the word revival more commonly refers to a group of people who have been turned from the things of this world, to the things of the Lord. It usually involves a conscious and continual awareness of the presence of a holy, just, and almighty God. Suddenly, one is aware of just how "big" He is, and just how "small" we are, which brings an overwhelming realization of just how sinful we are. This obviously leads to repentance and holiness. [See What is Holiness?]

When the prophet Isaiah was granted a vision of the majesty and holiness of God, at whose voice the foundations of the temple trembled, his initial reaction was to give Him glory -- "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory" (Isaiah 6:3) -- immediately followed by an overwhelming sense of unworthiness:

"Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." (Isaiah 6:5 NASB)

However, while the Bible has much to say about end-time apostasy (eg. "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth" Luke 18:8), what, if anything, does it say about end-time revival?


Revival In The End Times?
Opinion seems to be pretty sharply divided on the question of an end time revival, with the vast majority of conservative evangelical Christians falling into the 'no revival' camp. However, it is not just the spiritually weird faction of the church that believes there will be a great move of the Spirit in the last days.

On the face of it, those who believe there will be nothing but apostasy in the final days leading up to the end of the age have some pretty solid Scriptural evidence to back them up. For example, speaking out against the false doctrine called "Dominion Theology" or "Kingdom Now", Apologetics Index says:

"The Bible does not predict a great end time 'revival' or a spiritual super-race defeating death and ushering in the kingdom of God, but rather the very opposite: increasing evil, times of peril, a huge apostasy of those who profess to be Christians, false teachings, false prophets, deceptive signs and wonders, and a delusion that will even deceive God's own people if or when possible."


In support of this position they quote (among others) the following Biblical verses:

"Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold." (Matthew 24:12 NASB)

"But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these." (2 Timothy 3:1-5 NASB)

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4 NASB)

"Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts," (2 Peter 3:3 NASB) [3]

The website of Congregation Shema Yisrael says this...

"Rabbi Paul assures us that the Last Days will be characterized by apostasy, not revival. We are not to be deceived into thinking that the apostasy won't come; it must come first, or Messiah simply will not return! Therefore the teaching that there will be a world wide revival in the Last Days, however well intentioned, is Biblically untenable. Paul's prediction can only mean that in the Last Days many professing believers will reject the biblical teaching that apostasy is inevitable." [4]

The Warnings About End Tine Deception
And they are certainly right. Dominion, or Kingdom, theology, is a false and highly dangerous belief system, based upon a post-millennial view which is that Christ will return to earth after the thousand year reign of God's kingdom. The church progressively brings righteousness and peace to the world which will eventually be Christianized. Following a brief time of tribulation, Christ will return to earth and establish a new heaven and a new earth for eternity.

Jesus Himself warned several times about end time deception saying, for example:

"...See to it that no one misleads you. "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many...Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many...For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect." (Matthew 24:4-5, 11, 24)

Paul stressed this as well:

"...that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?" (2 Thessalonians 2:2-5 NASB--emphasis added)

Besides which, Jesus Himself told us that in the days immediately preceding His return, we shall see strikingly similar conditions to those that existed just prior to the Great Flood (the days of Noah), one of which was that men became exceedingly wicked:

"Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.... Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth." (Genesis 6:5, 11-12 NASB)

Note: Genesis also tells us how "the sons of God" took wives for themselves from among the daughters of men, and had children by them, and that the Nephilim, the mighty men of old, walked the earth at that time. While it is patently obvious that mankind is getting worse and worse, if we wish to know what else we are to expect before the wrath of God rains down, then it is essential we know who these sons of God and Nephilim were. [See The Days of Noah]

So the position that there will be no end time revival seems to have strong Biblical support, which begs the question of whether there is any more to it than a superficial reading of the text tells us. Doesn't the Bible tell us that another harvest is yet to come?


Joel's Prophecies
Many of those who do believe that there will be a move of God in the last days refer to the words of the prophet Joel:

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh." (Joel 2:28-31)

Note: The Lord often made Himself known to prophets in visions, and spoke to them in dreams ("...If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream." Numbers 12:6 NASB), which is probably what Joel's prophecy was referring to.


Were Joel's Prophecies Fulfilled On Pentecost?
On the day of Pentecost, Peter, referring to the disciples speaking in the various languages (or dialects) of the people gathered in Jerusalem that day, told the crowd that the men were not drunk as they supposed, "but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel." (Acts 2:15-16)

Which brings up a rather large problem...in fact, several large problems.

Only One Point In Joel's Prophecy Was Fulfilled
Peter's words have led many to erroneously assume that Joel's entire prophecy was fulfilled that day. While what occurred on the day of Pentecost was awesome in itself, a simple reading of the prophecy makes it quite clear that almost none of Joel's words came to pass that day. No prophecies were made, no one dreamed dreams or saw visions. There was no blood, fire, or pillars of smoke. The promised terrifying displays of celestial phenomena were conspicuous by their absence....the sun did not turn to darkness, nor the moon to blood. In fact, even the most cursory comparison of the events of Acts 2 with the prophecy of Joel 2 clearly shows that they had only one thing in common...the Lord poured His Spirit out on people.

Additionally, it is significant that Peter did not say 'as it was written', nor that Joel's words were 'fulfilled' (in which case he would have used the Greek word pleroo which occurs some 90 times in the New Testament). For example:

"And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And He was numbered with transgressors." (Mark 15:28 NASB)

"Now He said to them, 'These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.'" (Luke 24:44 NASB)

The Prophecy Was Not Aimed Exclusively At Men
And there is one other factor. The people that were gathered in Jerusalem that day were there for the Feast of Shavuot, or the Festival of Weeks, which came fifty days after the First-fruits. Shavuot was one of three major feast that required all able-bodied Jewish men to travel to Jerusalem (the other two being Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles, or "booths" as it is sometimes called). [See The Seven Feasts of Israel]

"Three times in a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed." (Deuteronomy 16:16 NASB)

Acts 2:5 confirms that it was devout men who had gathered in Jerusalem that day: " Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven". However, Joel's prophecy makes it very clear that not only would the Lord pour out His Spirit on all mankind, but it specifically mentions that, as a result of this outpouring, His daughters would prophesy. Verse 29 also states the Lord's Spirit would be poured out on both male and female servants (Joel 2:28-29.)

The Prophecy Occurred After The Day of The Lord
Joel's prophecy began with the words, "It will come about after this..." (2:28)

To figure out 'after what', we have to go back to verse 11, which says speaks of 'the day of the Lord', which is followed by the call to repentance and the restoration of all good things (2:12-27).

Therefore, the prophecy applies to the time after the day of the Lord, which is another reason it could not have been fulfilled on Pentecost.

So What Could Peter Possibly Have Meant?
Bearing in mind that Joel's prophecy and the events of Acts 2 only had the pouring out of the Lord's Spirit in common, the only logical conclusion is that Peter was informing the crowd that the men were not drunk, but what was taking place was the same kind of thing that Joel spoke about. In other words, the same Holy Spirit that would, in the future, cause the people of God to dream dreams and see visions etc. was also responsible for the events on the day of Pentecost.

This can be easily established by not only digging a little deeper into the conditions that immediately preceded Joel's words, but paying close attention to what those events foretold.


The Plague of Locusts Foreshadowed What Is Yet To Come
Joel chapter 1 and 2 (you should read them in their entirety) first speak of a terrible and unprecedented plague of "locusts" which stripping the land of everything green, caused great suffering in the land of Judah. Chapter one, verse six, which speaks of a "nation" (probably the Assyrians) invading the land, gives us some basis for believing that the locusts are to be interpreted symbolically. This is reinforced by terminology that describes the invading army in terms that are military in nature. For example:

"They run like mighty men, They climb the wall like soldiers; And they each march in line, Nor do they deviate from their paths. They do not crowd each other, They march everyone in his path; When they burst through the defenses, They do not break ranks." (Joel 2:7-8 NASB)

However, it does not matter whether Joel was speaking of actual insects, or a foreign invasion, it was disaster so overwhelming that no escape was possible because it was brought about by the Lord Himself. Which means only the Lord could stop the invading army, which He did after the people repented.

Repentance
(11) The Lord utters His voice before His army; Surely His camp is very great, For strong is he who carries out His word. The day of the Lord is indeed great and very awesome, And who can endure it? (12) "Yet even now," declares the Lord, "Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; (13) And rend your heart and not your garments." Now return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in loving kindness And relenting of evil. (14) Who knows whether He will not turn and relent And leave a blessing behind Him, Even a grain offering and a drink offering For the Lord your God? (15) Blow a trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, (16) Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and the nursing infants. Let the bridegroom come out of his room And the bride out of her bridal chamber. (17) Let the priests, the Lord's ministers, Weep between the porch and the altar, And let them say, "Spare Your people, O Lord, And do not make Your inheritance a reproach, A byword among the nations. Why should they among the peoples say, 'Where is their God?'"

Restoration
(18) Then the Lord will be zealous for His land And will have pity on His people. (19) The Lord will answer and say to His people, "Behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied in full with them; And I will never again make you a reproach among the nations. (20) "But I will remove the northern army far from you, And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, And its vanguard into the eastern sea, And its rear guard into the western sea. And its stench will arise and its foul smell will come up, For it has done great things." (21) Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad, For the Lord has done great things. (22) Do not fear, beasts of the field, For the pastures of the wilderness have turned green, For the tree has borne its fruit, The fig tree and the vine have yielded in full. (23) So rejoice, O sons of Zion, And be glad in the Lord your God; For He has given you the early rain for your vindication. And He has poured down for you the rain, The early and latter rain as before. (24) The threshing floors will be full of grain, And the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil. (25) "Then I will make up to you for the years That the swarming locust has eaten, The creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust, My great army which I sent among you. (26) "You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied And praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; Then My people will never be put to shame. (27) "Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, And that I am the Lord your God, And there is no other; And My people will never be put to shame. (Joel 2:18-27 NASB)

That Joel was speaking about the last days and the millennium is evident from verse 11, which speaks of "the day of the Lord", and the twice used phrase "My people will never be put to shame" in verses 26 and 27.

In Christian theology, typology is a representation of one thing by another. In other words, a 'type', which always looks to the future, is an actual historical event (or person) which, at the time it occurred, was a rough draft, or glimpse, of one or more actual events yet to come, although the significance may not have been apparent at the original occurrence. The subsequent happenings are called the 'antitype', which usually are more intense and/or more important than the original type. [See Understanding Prophecy and Typology]

The plague of locusts - a terrible scourge that left the land decimated, was but a harbinger of "the day of the Lord" (a phrase frequently used by many of the prophets). It was both a forerunner of, and foreshadowed what is yet to come.


The CRUCIAL Timing of The Fulfillment Joel's Prophecy
Since both Revelation 6:12 and Matthew 24:29 speak about the sun being darkened and the moon turning to blood, we can safely conclude that they spoke of the same event as Joel did. Compare the three relevant passages. [All Emphasis Added]

Joel: "It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. "Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. "I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. "The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes." (Joel 2:28-31 NASB)

Matthew: "But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:29-30 NASB)

Revelation: "And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also. I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'" (Revelation 6:11-17 NASB)

So when does this take place? Revelation 6:12 says when Christ "broke the Sixth Seal", while Matthew says "immediately after the tribulation of those days" which, obviously, have to be exactly the same point in time.

Matthew 24 (the Olivet Discourse), which has always been a notoriously difficult chapter to understand, becomes much clearer if the reader bears in mind that Jesus differentiates between the "Tribulation" He speaks of in verse 9, and the "Great Tribulation" of verse 21. Although He uses the same Greek word in both verses, He qualifies the second usage by the word "great" (verse 21), translated from the Greek megas, which is where we get the English word 'mega'.

"Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved." (Matthew 24:9-13 NASB)

"For then there will be a great (Gk. megas) tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short." (Matthew 24:21-22 NASB)

If one bears in mind that Jesus is talking about two separate and distinct tribulations, the chapter falls into perfect chronological order...the 'Seals' or the persecution of the church (see following note), are followed by the 'Trumpets' and 'Bowls', which are God's judgment on humanity. It is entirely possible that the spilling of the blood of believers is, in a manner of speaking, the spark which sets off the fire of God's wrath. Certainly, the opening of the Sixth Seal signifies the beginning of the Great Tribulation, symbolized by the Seven Trumpets.

Note: What is also not often realized is that the Seven Seals (Revelation 6-7) exactly parallel the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24). In other words, both sections of Scripture include, in the same sequence, both the events leading up to, and the actual tribulation or persecution of the church (in which Christians will be hated, betrayed and killed). Both then talk about the 'Great Tribulation' of God's wrath, a period of time such as the world has never seen). However, the subject is too long to go into here. [For details see The Seven Seals and Matthew 24 in which Matthew 24 has been analyzed one verse at a time]

In other words, the last days outpouring of God's Spirit in Joel 2 will take place after the persecution of the church and somewhere around the start of the Great Tribulation.

And the purpose of this outpouring?


The Early and Latter Rains
The Bible makes several references to the 'early' and 'late' rains. for example:

"...that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early and late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil." (Deuteronomy 11:14 NASB)

"They do not say in their heart, 'Let us now fear the Lord our God, Who gives rain in its season, Both the autumn rain and the spring rain, Who keeps for us The appointed weeks of the harvest.'" (Jeremiah 5:24 NASB)

"So rejoice, O sons of Zion, And be glad in the Lord your God; For He has given you the early rain for your vindication. And He has poured down for you the rain, The early and latter rain as before." (Joel 2:23 NASB)

"Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains." (James 5:7 NASB)

Both these seasons of rain had a very specific contribution to make towards a successful harvest. The early rain fell late in the year, beginning somewhere around mid or late October, after the seed was sown. These rains, which continued on through the winter, the showers gradually getting further and further apart, enabled the grains (probably wheat and barley) to germinate. Fine weather usually ensued early in the year.

The, much lighter, late rains fell in March and April, when the ears were filling. These rains matured and ripened the grain for harvest.

The Early And Latter Rain were a "Type"
The Early Rain
In this case, the ultimate fulfillment of the early rain was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Although the Holy Spirit was alive, well, and very active in the lives of some of the Old Testament stalwarts, this first 'rain' brought into being a new period when all believers can be transformed by the indwelling Holy Spirit. This by remarkably transforming the disciples who went from a dispirited and rudderless band of men who had just lost their leader, to dynamic preachers and leaders of the Church. Not even the resurrection of Christ had this kind of effect on them. The early rain watered and germinated the seeds that had been sown by Christ's preaching of the Gospel.

The Latter Rain
The latter rain will be a spiritual outpouring of God's Spirit that will serve to bring the 'crop' to maturity and ready for the harvest. This rain will once again usher in a new period...The Millennium.

What Harvest?
The parable of the sower in Matthew 13, tells us that "He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom". This harvesting in of the "sons of the kingdom" is "the Rapture", when the believers are physically moved away from the earth so that the Bowls can be poured out on the earth.

Until this point the faithful were protected from God's wrath by the mark on their foreheads, when it is time for God to make a final end of the kingdoms of this world, the 'harvest' will be safely standing on the far shore of the Red Sea when the waters come crashing in over the heads of the Egyptian army.

Revelation 14:14-20 makes it clear that this take place at the Seventh Trumpet.

Note that Jesus' words "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into My barn." (Matthew 13:30) indicates the tares are separated and symbolically 'bound' in some way, before the believers are gathered into His barn.
[For Details See That Earth Shaking Seventh Trumpet And The Rapture]


Conclusion
In summary, Hebrew prophecy does tell us that there will be a 'revival', but it will only come after the tribulation and will be a move of God...NOT the church. It will come in the form of one more outpouring of His Spirit, for those that turn to Him during some very dark days.

Joel recorded the Lord telling His people to return to Him with all their hearts... with fasting, weeping and mourning and He would have pity on them. He would remove the northern army, heal the land and restore the years the locusts devoured (Joel 2:12-27). After which He would pour out His Spirit:

"It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As the Lord has said, Even among the survivors whom the Lord calls." (Joel 2:28-32 NASB)

That Joel was speaking about the last days and the millennium is evident from the twice used phrase "My people will never be put to shame":

"You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied And praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; Then My people will never be put to shame. Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, And that I am the Lord your God, And there is no other; And My people will never be put to shame." (Joel 2:26-27 NASB)

The remnant of God's people who go through the tribulation and, as Jesus said, "endure to the end" (Matthew 24:13), will cry to the Lord for intervention and for deliverance, and the Lord will answer their cry and save them. As the prophet Hosea said:

"He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, that we may live before Him. So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth." (Hosea 6:2-3 NASB)

There is, unfortunately, one additional point to be made...


The End Time "Falling Away"

2 Thessalonians 2:3 says:

"Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction." (NASB)

Note that the King James version renders the word apostasy as "falling away", which, very obviously, is one of the most telling signs of the beginning of the end of days. [See What Signs Herald The End Of The Age]. However, about this end time apostasy, Apologetics Index says [Emphasis Added] (Note that I am simply using their words as an example of what much of the Christian world thinks):

"We are warned that the deception that is to come will be so difficult to discern, even those who genuinely love the Lord might be deceived... a ''great falling away of those who have professed to be Christians'' has been predicted and will certainly happen." [5]

They, quite correctly, state that, just as predicted, apostasy will most certainly overtake much of the church. However, their words make it sound like the apostasy is yet to happen in the future, if not the distant future.

The Great Apostasy Is Already Here, And Very Well Disguised
Time to wake up?

This falling away isn't coming at some vague point in time in the hereafter. It's already here.

While I suppose that it possible that the apostasy can get worse, universal deception is already pretty firmly entrenched. Not only is most of the world, already prostate before one or another antichrist [See Antichrists and The Antichrist], but Christianity is already at an all time low, scraping the bottom of the barrel as it were. Today's fad driven church has turned aside so far from what the Scriptures say, to be unworthy to bear the name Christian. In vast numbers, Christians are, according to their own lusts, heaping up for themselves teachers who tickle their ears (2 Timothy 4:3).

The reason the apostasy has been so ill recognized is simply because it has not adhered to most people’s perception of what a "falling away" should look like. Most people probably expected humanity to become less religious and more materialistic - less spiritual and more worldly. While it is true that a large percentage of humanity has indeed become more carnal, a staggering number of people have actually become more spiritual, seeking out 'the divine' in every possible nook and cranny, including within themselves. [See Religious Pluralism]

Jacob Prasch says it well:

"There is no easy way to stop the decline of Christianity in the Western world. It has gone too far for too long. We have been sold down the river by our leaders. All the programs and hype and gimmicks in the world will not bring a harvest of souls. That takes rain. But the rain has stopped." [6]

And the tragedy of the matter is that almost all who the claim of Christ have no idea how dumb, dead, and damned they are. They trip off merrily to their churches, buy books that are supposed to teach them to be all they can be, or become a leader (just how many leaders do we need?), listen to one of many hot shot preachers whose theology is as far removed from the Bible as heaven is from earth, attend yet another in a long line of 'conferences', and retire to their inner sanctums to either roll out their Yoga mats, and/or 'get in touch with themselves'. Embracing and borrowing from other religions, cults and the occult we have truly become the Devil's playground.
[See Good For Nothing Christianity, Grab a Hose and Which Jesus]

Nor, I suspect, do many Christians realize just how close the man of sin is.

The Antichrist is Around The Corner
According to 2 Thessalonians 2:3, the falling away is followed by the unveiling of the man of sin. [See The Antichrist]

The Antichrist is commonly held to be a great and powerful world leader who will, with the willing participation of most of the world, usher in a time of unprecedented worldwide deception. In fact, the Bible indicates that he and his cohorts are going to make every effort to control every facet of our world, even at the cost of the lives of all that oppose him.

Although they are wrong about the details, the New Agers seem to know that he is well on his way and literally breathing down our necks.

The Lucis Trust (formerly Lucifer Publishing Co.), not only enjoys "Consultative Status" with the United Nations, but has spawned many other organizations such as: the Arcane School, Triangles, World Goodwill, Lucis Publishing, Lucis Productions, Lucis Trust Libraries, the New Group of World Servers etc. Last, but far from least, they maintain the UN meditation room.

And the purpose of these groups? At their core ALL of them exist for one purpose: in their words "the helping of the Great Ones and the rendering to them of that intelligent assistance which will make their plans for humanity materialize." This explosion of individuals and organizations (both large and small) are, by means of occult mediation, the Great Invocation etc, actively working towards creating the conditions necessary for the Reappearance of "the Christ". Except that this "Christ" has nothing to do with Jesus Christ of the Bible.
[See Alice Bailey and The Lucis Trust, The Global Alliance, The United Nations]

(If there is any consolation in this very dark time, it is that God has reserved a remnant which has not bowed the knee to Baal)


End Notes

[1] Congregation Shema Yisrael. Last Days Revival or End Time Apostasy?


[2] What Is a Revival? by C. H. Spurgeon. From the December 1866 Sword and Trowel.


[3] Apologetics Index. The Way of Cain - Page 37. New teachings in the Christian Church- Where are They Leading Us?

[4][/B] Congregation Shema Yisrael. Last Days Revival or End Time Apostasy?

[5] Apologetics Index. The Way of Cain - Page 37.

[6] Jacob Prasch. Elijah- A man who could make it rain.

The Illuminati, the New World Order, and Biblical Prophecy

Secret Societies and Biblical Prophecy

Video Source: Youtube/NeverSurrender
Radio Transcript Source: The Cutting Edge
Link: About.me



The following is an excellent production from a Canadian filmmaker. In this presentation Leonard Ulrich lays out the formation and structure of the major secret societies and how they have been and are in the process of establishing the framework for a New World Order, a 'Golden Age'. Their Alchemical/Hermetical Process (of engineering, programming, conforming, and conditioning humanity) is almost complete as evidenced by their continual Revelation of the Method.
Please read the radio transcript from Cutting Edge (below the video.)

NWO PLANS FULFILL BIBLICAL PROPHECY

(Radio Show Transcript Follows)

Source: the Cutting Edge radio program


"This is David Bay, Director of Old Paths Ministries."

"And this is the Cutting Edge, a radio program dedicated to warning and informing God's people. We are committed to the study and exposition of the inerrant, inspired and authoritative Word of God. The views expressed belong to us, and are not necessarily shared by this station.

Our society is deteriorating, and Bible-believing Christians are ill-prepared to face that deterioration. This radio program is dedicated to preparing God's people to meet the challenges of the Day, and to encourage obedience to the Word of God in being separated from worldliness and false doctrine.

The moral bankruptcy of our society is well-documented.

Few people understand why we have become morally bankrupt. However, when we look at society through the eyes of God, through the Bible, we can easily see why we are facing the unprecedented troubles today. This study of America through the eyes of God is what we will always do try to here; stay with us for some eye-opening truths.

In several of our previous programs, we have mentioned that many of the Plans of the New World Order, if they are realized, would fulfill Biblical Prophecy to an astonishing degree. In addition, doctrines of the New World Order, as stated, do fulfill those Biblical Prophecies which apply to the beliefs of the kingdom of Anti-Christ.

Today, we will examine some of these instances, and in so doing, will enable your faith in God's Omnipotent power and Foreknowledge to grow dramatically.

We will proceed by explaining the specific plank of the New World Order Plan and then the specific Biblical prophecy which foretold it."


1. NWO: The world will be united under One-world Government, led by the Maitreya the Christ.

BP: Revelation 13:15-17 clearly shows that the Beast will rule the world with absolute authority. Only a One-World Government would have the ability to force all the peoples of the world to worship him and to take his mark, without which no one could buy or sell.

2. NWO: The world's religions will be united into one Religion.

BP: Revelation 13:11-15 shows that the False Prophet will assist the world in worship. He will force all men of the world to worship the image of the beast, under the pain of death. This is a One-World Religion.

3. NWO: The world's Economy will be united into one global system.

BP: Revelation 13:16-17, foretells that the Beast, aided by the False Prophet, will force everyone on earth to take a mark, without which they cannot buy or sell. Only a Global System, backed by political and spiritual authority, could accomplish such a feat.

4. NWO: When Maitreya the Christ arises, he will claim to be the Christ. By using these 2 words, The Christ, Maitreya will be laying claim to the office of Messiah while separating it from the person, Jesus.

BP: "Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of anti-Christ..." (1 John 4:3). Literally, this passage means that anyone who would seek to separate Jesus the Man/God from the office of Messiah is of the spirit of Anti-Christ. This is precisely what Maitreya will be doing.

5. NWO: The One-World Economy will control the world's food supply, and will force all nations to share equally.

BP: Clearly, if the Global Government as foretold in Revelation 13:16-17, could force everyone to take a mark which would be utilized economically, they could also control the world's food supply.

6. NWO: Soon after Maitreya the Christ arises, the peoples of the world will be forced to undergo a massive, "World-Wide Luciferian Initiation". Anyone who refuses to cooperate will be killed. Christians and orthodox Jews are specifically targeted.

BP: "And he shall speak great words against the Most and shall wear out the saints of God...and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time (3 1/2 years)". (Daniel 7:25). Revelation also speaks of God allowing Anti-Christ to kill many saints of God, in 6:9-11;7:14-17; 12:11; 13:5-7; 14:12-13; and 20:4.

Benjamin Creme has repeatedly threatened the sword of cleavage against all who refuse to cooperate with Maitreya. This brings to mind the Biblical prophecy in Revelation 20:4 that "I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God..."

7. NWO: "Guiding Spirits" of the New World Order leaders have begun to tell them to be prepared for a simultaneous, world-wide disappearance of millions of people. These spirits ascribe this phenomenon to the fact that these people will never be able to accept Maitreya the Christ. Their continued existence on this plane will inhibit the full implementation of the New World Order; therefore, the Masters of the Illuminati have made the decision to transport them into another dimension, where their spirits will be retrained to accept the New World Order.

BP: "The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch-angel, and with the trump of God...Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together...in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air..." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-7).

8. NWO: The New Age teaches that each human has a potential godhead dwelling within them. All that is necessary for anyone to fulfill this potential is to "expand their consciousness" level properly. But, the bottom line message is: "You Are All Gods". (Alice Bailey, Externalisation Of The Hierarchy, p. 663). This teaching seems very alluring to someone who is not saved, for they are being promised godhood.

BP -- "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils..." (1 Timothy 4:1-2).

9. NWO: Peter LeMesurier, in his book, The Armageddon Script, states that tremendous miracles will surround the appearance of Maitreya. These miracles will be part technology, part deliberate staging, and part media hype by the world's mass media. Cumbey, in her book, Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, quotes writings which reveal plans to utilize 3-dimensional laser beams from satellites to create the image of Maitreya to speak to all the world simultaneously, speaking to each area in their particular language. [Research the Blue Beam Project] Finally, in a seminar which I attended in Boston, August, 1991, given by the New England Director of the Theosophical Society, it was revealed that Maitreya will be able to appear as different beings to different people. He will appear as a woman to a woman, as a man to a man; he will appear as a Caucasian to a Caucasian, as Black to a Black, etc.

Further, New World Order planners intend to beam down streams of fire from the heavens, using Supernatural Psychic power, to impress people as to the divine nature of Maitreya.

BP: Revelation 13:13-14, "And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceivth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles..."

10. NWO: New Age Leaders, including the Illuminati, worship the Lord of this World, whose name is Sanat Kumara (Alice Bailey, Externalisation of the Hierarchy, p.676, 709, 725; and Elizabeth Van Buren, The Secret of the Illuminati, p. 1). Bailey goes on to explain that Sanat Kumara is the "life and the forming intelligence", presiding over the Council of Shamballa [the Heaven according to New Age doctrine]. (The New Age Dictionary, p. 172) Further, Sanat Kumara is "the eternal youth from the Plant Venus. Lucifer is known in occultic lore as Venus. Therefore, Sanat Kumara is merely another name for Satan or Lucifer. (Cumbey, Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow.)

BP: It is impossible to overlook the fact that Sanat is just a translocation of the spelling, Satan. And the Bible calls Satan the "God Of This World". (2 Cor 4:4). Remember, the context is worship of Sanat Kumara (Satan). Revelation 13:15, "And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast...and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed." Thus, in accordance with Biblical prophecy, the Plan envisions worship of Sanat Kumara.

11. NWO: When a person can come into full accord with the attribute of the Love of the Great One, they may "enter fully into the Spirit of God of Force." (Marilyn Ferguson, The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ, p.16). It is very obvious that New Agers literally worship Lucifer, the god of Forces. This worship is littered all throughout their writings.

BP: Daniel 11:38 -- "But in his estate shall he honour the god of forces..." New Age leaders and followers literally worship Lucifer, the god of forces.

12. NWO: Jesus was not THE ONE AND ONLY Divine Son of God; rather, he was an Avatar, a world teacher who periodically has come to earth during a particular time in world history to lead mankind to a new level of consciousness. Human Jesus experienced the infilling of the Divine Christ Consciousness at the time of His baptism by John The Baptist. This Christ Consciousness then left Him at the Cross. This Divine Consciousness has never left the earth, but is just waiting for the right moment to reappear in the human body of Maitreya the Christ. (Alice Bailey, The Reappearance of The Christ, p. 36-60, and Marilyn Ferguson, The Aquarian Gospel, p. 14).

BP: "In the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils." (1 Timothy 4:1). This New Age denial of one of THE key doctrines of Christianity, taught by Jesus personally, is a doctrine of devils. Jesus refuted this lie most succinctly when He said, "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man cometh unto the Father except through Me." (John 14:6).

13. NWO: New Age leaders have consistently taught that the earth is seriously overpopulated. Friends of the Earth has most succinctly stated this position, stating, "an earth population of 6 billion, already overburdened by 4 billion." (Cumbey, A Planned Deception: The Staging of A New Age Messiah, p. 164-5). Further, they have set a time limit on this overpopulation -- 2,000 AD. New Age leaders seem to be fixated on the number two-thirds regarding population reduction. Why two-thirds? Scripture holds the understanding. I believe that, since these leaders are Satanists, we have to examine possible reasons that Satan may hate two-thirds of mankind.

BP: Revelation 12:4, "And his (Satan's) tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them down to the earth..." This Scripture reveals that, when Satan fell because of his rebellion against God, one-third of the angels of Heaven decided to become a part of his rebellion. This statistic means that two-thirds of God's angels remained faithful to God. Satan must hate these angels, but he cannot overcome God's power so that he could punish these angels. I believe it possible that Satan then turned his anger toward the being which was made in God's image (man), and against God's chosen race (the Jews).

Zechariah 13:8 (the time frame is End Times Prophecy), "And it shall come to pass, that in all the land (Israel), saith the Lord, two parts (two-thirds) therein shall be cut off and die, but the third part shall be left..." God is going to allow Satan to kill two-thirds of the Jewish population at the time of the end, during the Great Tribulation but will preserve the remnant of one-third. The parallel is found in Revelation 12, where God protects Israel in the wilderness for 42 months.

In this regard, we cannot ignore an interesting fact of recent history. Adolf Hitler believed that he was the Anti-Christ; as such, his unfathomable hatred of the Jews reflected the burning hatred of Satan. We see, throughout the Scriptures, that Satan hates the Jews and is constantly attempting to destroy them. Hitler's goal was to totally eliminate the Jewish population. New Age author Nigel Pennick, states in his book, Hitler's Secret Sciences, in Chapter 14, entitled Genocide -- An Act Of Black Magic, that Hitler intended, prior to WWII, that the Genocide program against the Jews would require physically conquering countries in Europe from Britain to Russia. Thus, Hitler's war effort was determined by his desire to conquer countries with Jewish populations so he could complete his world-wide program of genocide. This startling concept certainly explains why precious resources continued to flow to the death camps, even during the last stages of the war, when men, material, and transportation facilities were desperately needed by the military. Pennick concludes, "Genocide was the magical act whereby the history of the world would forever be transformed..the elimination of the Jews...would leave a vacuum for the ascendance of the demonic powers ...controlling the Third Reich." (p. 137)

God allowed Hitler to kill two-thirds of the world's population of Jews, preserving the one-third remnant to establish the nation of Israel in 1948. In precisely the same manner, God will allow Anti-Christ to kill two-thirds of the Jews during the last half of the Great Tribulation, preserving the one-third remnant to establish the Israel for the return of Jesus Christ.

I believe that the reason the New World Order seems so intent on killing two-thirds of mankind is that two-thirds of God's angels remained true to Him when Satan rebelled.

14. NWO: This New World Religion will be a re-establishment of the ancient Mysteries of Initiation. (Alice Bailey, The Reappearance of the Christ, p. 71; Bailey, The Externalisation Of The Hierarchy, p. 511-515). Literally, this statement means that the Ancient Satanic Mysteries of Babylon and Egypt will be re-established as the religion of the world. In other words, public Satanism will be established, and will be practiced as openly as Christianity is today!

BP: "And at the latter end of the kingdom...a king of fierce countenance and understanding dark trickery and craftiness shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power..." (Daniel 8:23-24) The words "understanding dark trickery and craftiness" refers to the knowledge of the occultic arts. This has been the goal of members of secret societies for over 3,000 years. The Ancient Satanic Mysteries of Babylon will be re-established.

15. NWO: The Christian Trinity is inferior to the Solar Logos Trinity. This false Trinity is not a personal godhead but a godhead of Forces. The Bailey writings list a hierarchy of superior offices, and at the bottom, many masters. Guess who is at the bottom of the masters? Jesus. (Cumbey, Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, p. 65-67).

BP: Daniel 11:36 (The context in this passage is the Anti-Christ), "And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous (literally, astonishing) things against the God of gods..."

This Scripture literally means that Anti-Christ shall utter the most blasphemous words possible against God. No one can say anything more blasphemous than to say that Jesus is not God, but just a lowly master, far more lowly than Sanat Kumara (Satan).

16. NWO: Threatens violence and extermination of anyone who will not cooperate with Maitreya. Special hatred is vented toward fundamental Christians and Jews. David Spangler, in his book, Revelation: The Birth Of A New Age, states that those who will not cooperate will be sent to "another level of Earth's own consciousness where they can be contained and ministered to until such time as they can be released safely into physical embodiment again". (p. 163-4)

Obviously, to be released back into physical embodiment again means that these people must be first separated from their present physical embodiment. The only way to accomplish this separation is to physically kill those who cannot accept Maitreya.

BP: "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God..." Revelation 6:9.

"As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them." (Daniel 7:21)

"And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them..." (Revelation 13:7)

17. NWO: "Since most people will not exercise [economic] restraint [from over-consumption, we must] take control of the world...to reduce the economic inductance of the world to a safe level by a process of benevolent slavery and genocide." (William Cooper, Behold A Pale Horse, p. 49). This statement is incredibly arrogant. The last time that a New Age Disciple threatened benevolent genocide was during the 1930's when Hitler was threatening to exterminate the Jews; Hitler viewed his planned extermination as benevolent for Germany, the world, and even the Jews. This statement is clearly a call for war against all people who are deemed unworthy for the New World Order.

BP: "And there went out another horse that was red; and power was given unto him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another; and there was given unto him a great sword." (Revelation 6:4).

Notice that the sword given to this rider of the Red Horse of War was a great sword. How great? We get an excellent idea from Alice Bailey's, The Externalisation Of The Hierarchy, p. 548, "As a means in the hands of the United Nations...the atomic bomb does not belong to the... nations who...own the secrets at present...It belongs to the United Nations for use...or threatened use..." Certainly, the atomic bomb would qualify as a great sword.

18. NWO: The New World Order will be a combined system of Progressive Socialism and Fascism, in which the means of production and distribution will be tightly controlled and in which national currencies will have been replaced by a universal monetary exchange. (Bailey, The Externalisation Of The Hierarchy, p. 580-1). Bailey further deals specifically with the change-over in economic thinking and systems on page 666, with the revelation that this change-over will be regulated by a specific Master Ashram (demonic angel). It is no accident that economic change is specifically covered on page 666.

BP: The Bible states that the identifying number of the economic system of Anti-Christ shall be the number 666 (Revelation 13:18).

19. NWO: "Eventually, every individual element of the [economic] structure come under computer control...with identified consumers identified via association with the use of a credit card and later a permanent tattooed body number invisible under normal ambient illumination." (Cooper, Behold A Pale Horse, p. 44). ]

BP: "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 13:16-17)

20. NWO: As the world proceeds to full implementation of the New World Order, the present line-up of 170 sovereign nations must give way to a regionalization. Specifically, the world should be reorganized into 10 Super Nations:

1. North America
2. Western Europe
3. Japan
4. Australia, South Africa, and the rest of the market economy of the developed world.
5. Eastern Europe, including Russia
6. Latin America
7. North Africa and the Middle East
8. Tropical Africa
9. South and Southeast Asia
10. China (Eduard Pestel, Mankind At The Turning Point, Reader's Digest Press, 1974).

Why did the leaders of the New World Order conceive of 10 nations, instead of some other number? The answer, from man's point of view, lies in a knowledge of occultism. Occultists consider the Number 10 a magical symbol, consisting of an upright man (as represented by the vertical 1) standing before the circle (as represented by the zero). In magical terms, the most important part of this symbol, 10, is the space between the 1 and the 0. This space represents an upright man contemplating the universe in freedom. (Frederick Goodman, Magic Symbols, p. 46-7).

Freedom from what? Freedom from religion, as represented by the 0. Thus, man is arrogantly pictured as standing apart from organized religion. The number 10 is the ultimate expression of the prideful way in which the New World Order leaders conceive of themselves in relation to the world and to religion.

BP: Daniel 7:7, "And this I saw in the night visions, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly...and it had ten horns..." Biblical prophecy clearly states that the kingdom of Anti-Christ will be global and will consist of 10 horns (nations). We see this picture again in Revelation 17:16-17.

No other single Scripture of prophecy convinces more of God's Sovereignty than Revelation 17:17. "For God hath put it into their hearts to fulfill His will...until the words of God shall be fulfilled." If Satan were more powerful than God, he would choose any number other than ten for the number of his final national reorganization; the very fact that New World Order leaders chose the number 10 for the global reorganization prior to the appearance of Anti-Christ shows God's absolute sovereignty.

21. NWO: Writing in August, 1939, Alice Bailey stated, "In the preparatory period for the New World Order there will be a steady and regulated disarmament. It will not be optional. No nation will be permitted to produce and organize any equipment for destructive purposes or to infringe the security of any other nation." (The Externalisation Of The Hierarchy, p. 191).

Certainly, no one could ever argue with this premise; if this plan were ever really carried out, we would have peace and safety. Indeed, peace and safety of all nations is precisely the goal of the New World Order.

BP: Biblical prophecy is also quite clear that this is the way in which the Anti-Christ will obtain his kingdom. Daniel 11:21b states, "he shall come in peaceably and obtain the kingdom with flatteries". Paul also states that the peoples of the world at the time of the end will believe that they have achieved peace and safety. (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

However, Paul warns that this belief will prove to be false, because, just when they are saying this to one another, sudden and complete judgment falls upon them. This judgment falls so quickly and completely that no one escapes it awful destruction. What weapon in the history of warfare will destroy this completely and suddenly? Clearly, only nuclear warfare.

Does Bailey shed any further light on this matter? Yes, writing in April, 1946, in The Externalisation Of The Hierarchy, she states, "The atomic bomb does not belong to the...nations who...own the secrets at present...It belongs to the United Nations for use (or...for threatened use when aggressive action on the part of any nation rears its ugly head." (p. 548) Wow! The Planners of the New World Order have plans to wage nuclear war against any nation or group of people who threaten the rule of Maitreya the Christ. Now we can understand how the next horse out of heaven after the white horse of Anti-Christ is the horse of war, carrying a great sword.

22. NWO: Part of the New World Order Plan is to abolish traditional religious holidays, substituting pagan festivals such as good Friday and Christmas. (Cumbey, Hidden Dangers Of The Rainbow, p. 83).

BP: "And he shall...think to change times and laws". (Daniel 7:25)
[See also: Time, CERN, and the Bible]

23. NWO: Bailey states repeatedly in The Externalisation Of The Hierarchy that traditional Protestant religions must change their doctrines prior to the establishment of the New World Order. They must abandon their insistence on rigid doctrinal positions. Mankind has a great "need for spiritual unity and to throw overboard all separative theological attitudes and dogmas in every field of thought." (p. 378). These old dogmatic doctrines must give way to the ancient Satanic Mysteries, as we have already quoted.

BP: "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." (1 Timothy 4:1).

24. NWO: Teaches the doctrine that Maitreya will be greater than Jesus Christ. "While Jesus had had a resurrected body after the crucifixion, he had to forfeit that body because he had not earned the right to keep it [because] Jesus was only a fourth level initiate, whereas Gautama Buddha was a sixth level initiate. However, Lord Maitreya himself was a seventh level initiate and the only one eligible for such a high level of initiation." (Cumbey, Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, p. 96-7).

BP: "And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished.." (Daniel 11:36). ALSO:

"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." (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

Clearly, the arrogant attitude on the part of Maitreya which will cause him to claim to be God is present in these incredible blasphemies against the person of Jesus Christ. Remember, also, that these planned heresies were written by people who claim that their writings have been inspired by their 'guiding spirits'.

We have examined over 20 instances where New World Order doctrines and plans precisely mirror Biblical prophecy. According to the Laws of Probability, the odds against only 20 prophecies coming to pass accidentally are 1,048,000 to 1. To arrive at this figure, we did not figure into the equation any time frame or sequence of fulfillment, which would make the numbers higher. All we calculated is the chance that such a prophecy could be accidentally fulfilled.

Clearly, this exercise builds one's confidence that we are living in the very end of the age. When you have this amount of potential Biblical prophecy fulfillment, simultaneously occurring at the same time as many other Biblical prophecies, such as the restoration of Israel, you must seriously conclude that Jesus Christ is most probably at the door.


You have been listening to the Cutting Edge, a radio program of Old Paths Ministries.

Hyperinflation

Link: about.me/gideonsword

HYPERINFLATION?

Author: Britt Gilette
Source: End Times Bible Prophecy - 11.13.2008

Lately, I've run across a number of articles warning people to prepare themselves for hyperinflation in the United States. Inevitably, these warnings are accompanied by comparisons to Germany's Weimar Republic and its infamous bout with hyperinflation in the aftermath of World War I.

But is this really something to be worried about?

To answer that question, we must first understand what hyperinflation is. In simple terms, hyperinflation is a rapid increase in the general price of goods and services, brought about as a result of a rapidly expanding money supply.

Given the current worldwide credit crunch and subsequent actions by the Federal Reserve, a number of people are predicting a period of hyperinflation for the United States.

These commentators point to the U.S. Treasury, the Federal Reserve, and the massive amounts of "liquidity" each institution is injecting into the marketplace. Their theory rests on the assumption that in its drive to end the current credit crisis, the federal government is essentially printing money in order to stimulate economic activity.

Since the U.S. dollar is a fiat currency, meaning its sole value is derived from a holder's faith in the promise of the U.S. government to back it up, no limits exist on how much currency the government can print.

The theory goes that as the U.S. government prints more and more dollars and extends more and more credit, the value of its fiat currency is eroded and the world is flooded with an excess supply of U.S. dollars.

As a direct result, it takes more and more U.S. dollars to purchase goods and services.

Based on these assumptions, quite a few websites are advising readers to be on the look out for hyperinflation and to prepare themselves and their families accordingly. As such, people are being encouraged to buy gold, silver, and other precious metals as a hedge against hyperinflation.

This is sound advice if the diagnosis of hyperinflation is correct. But unfortunately, it's not.


The Real Threat

I know I'll receive a barrage of emails from well-intentioned people who are convinced our current economic environment is setting people up for a nasty bout of hyperinflation. But it's just not true, and in good conscience, I can't let these claims go unanswered. United States citizens, and most people throughout the world, should not be preparing for the mythical threat of hyperinflation.

In fact, they should be preparing for the exact opposite.

The real threat of the current financial crisis is deflation - a general decrease in the price of all goods and services as a result of a contraction of the global money supply. In short, deflation is a net contraction of base money and credit while inflation and hyperinflation are the opposite.

What's Really Happening...

The hyperinflation argument is built on the faulty premise that the money supply will dramatically increase in the near future, while demand remains steady, thus increasing the general price of all goods and services.

However, if we observe the world around us, we see the exact opposite forces in effect.

This is because the money supply is a total of all currency, coin, and credit in the marketplace. Take note that physical U.S. dollars a person can actually hold in his hand account for only a small fraction of the money supply. The remainder of the money supply essentially consists of credit or IOUs held in the form of various financial instruments.

In our fractional reserve banking system, the money supply expands in tandem with the expansion of credit. Yet, right now, all the indicators are signaling that the days of easy credit are over. The extension and acceptance of credit is contracting.

Simply put, fewer institutions are willing to lend money, and fewer institutions and individuals are willing (or able) to borrow.

As individuals and institutions default on their debts, the debt instruments (money) decline in value, effectively decreasing the money supply.

While I've put this in very simplistic terms, the fact of the matter is that we're in the midst of a massive global credit crunch, the effective result of which is a worldwide contraction of the money supply.

Furthermore, we're witnessing a tectonic shift in consumer spending attitudes as people turn away from the recent past behavior of borrow and spend to a more realistic view of work and save.

This means total demand for consumer products throughout the economy is in general decline.

While it's true that the United States is issuing new currency and coins at an unprecedented rate, this increase in the base money supply (physical currency) is increasing at nowhere near the pace at which credit and consumer demand are being destroyed. The net effect is deflation.

In an earlier article, I wrote about the declining value of the U.S. dollar:

"Anyone in touch with the world today knows that the dollar is losing value on an almost daily basis. The dollar has fallen relative to oil, gold, silver, and every other commodity on the planet. Although this fall won't last forever, it's a clear symptom of an ominous future for the dollar's underlying value."

When the above statement was made, the world was near the pinnacle of the largest credit bubble in world history. The easy extension of credit over the course of several consecutive years dramatically increased the money supply. Since demand for the dollar remained relatively stable over that same time period, an increase in supply resulted in a lower price for dollars. In other words, the dollar lost value. As credit expanded (increasing the money supply along with it), it took more and more dollars to purchase gold, oil, silver, food, gasoline, houses, and just about everything. Essentially, the world experienced rampant inflation for the greater part of this decade.

The idea that "peak oil" or increased demand or anything other than speculation and a general decline in the value of fiat currency was responsible for $147 a barrel oil is simply dead wrong. An ounce of gold will purchase approximately the same number of barrels of oil today as it would have purchased ten years ago. Inflation, caused by the rapid expansion of credit, was the driving force in the rising price of oil - as well as the rising price of just about everything else.

What's Going On Now...

When the massive credit bubble burst, it led to an immediate contraction of the global money supply - a contraction that is still in the process of unraveling. This isn't entirely the result of massive debt defaults, but also the product of a global race to hoard cash in order to service debt and make adequate provision for the future. Financial institutions are hoarding cash in order to guard against future losses and meet government reserve requirements. Corporations are hoarding cash as they watch past lines of credit disappear. And individuals are hoarding cash as they face the prospect of job layoffs as well as mounting debt obligations. So, not only is the money supply contracting, but demand for cash has increased.

This demand for cash has had, and will continue to have, worldwide implications. In an effort to increase their cash holdings, corporations, hedge funds, and individuals have been selling assets.

As a result, we've witnessed a general price decrease in just about every asset class. The price of gold is down. The price of oil and gasoline is down. The housing market is down, and the stock market is down.

In such a world, the idea of hyperinflation is almost laughable. This isn't an environment that breeds hyperinflation.

It's an environment of widespread deflation.


The Deflationary Spiral

Unfortunately, a deflationary environment is one of the worst economic situations possible. Consumers, faced with unemployment, or the very real prospect of unemployment, curtail discretionary spending, and the collective result of their efforts is lower profits for many businesses.

Faced with decreased demand and poor cash flows, businesses throughout the economy respond by trimming their workforce. This, in turn, further derails consumer spending since the jobless are not a reliable source of customers for most businesses.

In addition, the gainfully employed cut back on spending and hoard cash in preparation for the next round of layoffs. And on and on... The vicious cycle just feeds itself.

This is the same situation which plunged the world into the Great Depression.

So where does it all end? Unfortunately, government efforts to "fix" a crisis government created in the first place will inevitably fail. The Federal Reserve Board can cut the discount rate and the fed funds rate. Other central banks throughout the world can follow suit, and they have. Governments can guarantee bank deposits, buy up debt obligations, nationalize banks, and run the printing presses night and day. But in the end, all of these efforts will be futile in attempting to spur economic activity.

Why?

Because, in the end, governments can't make lenders lend and borrowers borrow.

And until lenders are willing to lend, and borrowers are willing (and able) to borrow, the credit side of the money supply equation will continue to contract, and the economic landscape will continue to deteriorate.

Collapsing debt obligations, rising foreclosures, rising credit card defaults, and rising unemployment are deflationary forces. And these events are not exclusive to the United States. The credit crisis is worldwide. Only after the debt bubble fully deflates (i.e. the foreclosures and bankruptcies end), then - and only then - will credit and economic activity expand.

Once that happens, inflation will become a threat once again. But for the moment, inflation and hyperinflation are no where on the horizon.

That said, we remain in a severe global economic downturn. So what does all this have to do with bible prophecy?


Economic Crises Give Rise to Despots

If history provides any indication, times of economic crisis are especially susceptible to the rise of demagogues and despots.

Historically, political leaders take advantage of both perceived and real crises in order to increase the power and scope of government. The current credit crisis is no different.

Already governments throughout the world have taken advantage of public fear and hysteria, drafting massive bailout packages to select corporations and industries, temporarily suspending the rules and regulations of financial markets, and forcing the nationalization of banks and other private industries.

Recently, several prominent world leaders issued a clarion call to "rewrite the rules of international finance." In the meantime, each of these government power grabs occurs against the backdrop of a citizenry which is ever increasingly looking toward government as its Savior.

In an environment such as this one, ambitious individuals have been know to push through bold and radical agendas with relatively little opposition from the public. A hungry and unemployed public places far more emphasis on jobs and security rather than freedom and liberty.

Our last deflationary spiral, The Great Depression, is instructive in this regard. The economic deflation of the 1930?s gave rise to Adolf Hitler in Europe and Huey Long in the United States. Few people realize that Huey Long had successfully transformed Louisiana into his own personal police state. Had he not been assassinated in 1935, Huey Long might well have become President of the United States, effectively giving America its own dictator.

History is clear, an economic crisis is fertile ground for a demagogue.


The Antichrist

As world leaders such as UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown issue calls for building a "global society," the stage is being set for the most infamous dictator in human history to seize power. Known as the Antichrist, the bible states that, in the last days, this man will come to control all of the world's economic activity:

"He required everyone - great and small, rich and poor, slave and free - to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name." - Revelation 13:16-17 (NLT)

In fact, he will exercise complete power over every person on earth:

"And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation." - Revelation 13:7 (NLT)

This is why the current economic crisis is of dire consequence to the people of the world. While we can't know for sure whether this particular crisis will give rise to the Antichrist, we can be certain that the calls for increased global cooperation, global government, and governmental power over the free markets are setting the stage for a single man to seize control of the entire earth.


How the World Can Recover

While most of the world anxiously looks toward government for answers to the current economic turmoil, Christians can move forward with bold confidence. Why? Because the Bible provides us with the guiding principles for curing this economic ailment. If the rest of the world had followed, or would dare to follow, biblical principles in its financial dealings, then the current economic crisis would be a non event.

While most of the world grew drunk on the excesses of debt, the bible issued dire warnings of its pitfalls:

"Don't agree to guarantee another person's debt or put up security for someone else. If you can't pay it, even your bed will be snatched from under you." - Proverbs 22:26-27 (NLT)

"Owe nothing to anyone - except for your obligation to love one another." - Romans 13:8 (NLT)

"Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender." - Proverbs 22:7 (NLT)

It's not too late for the world to start following the biblical principles of finance, but unfortunately, the world will follow its own path.


Conclusion

Hyperinflation is not a concern right now. The world is in the midst of a deflationary spiral similar to that which caused the Great Depression, and this period will probably last several months or years. Nevertheless, Christians shouldn't be overly concerned with our preparations for dealing with the ills of this world. While we should make wise provision for the future, if we first pursue the Kingdom of Heaven above all else, then we will be capable of easily enduring any number of economic conditions, from deflation to inflation and hyperinflation.

A life which glorifies Jesus Christ should not be overly concerned with the fleeting value of earthly wealth. For it can thrive in any condition:

"Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." - Philippians 4:11-13 (NLT)

Regardless of the material condition in which we find ourselves, we should live our lives in the service of Christ.

Our faith should not be in stock markets, pensions, or job security. Our faith shouldn't be in the provisions we've made or the gold and silver we've hoarded in anticipation of an economic collapse.

Our faith should be in Christ alone.

For this faith is the foundation of all the wealth we will ever have:

"The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense; they imagine it to be a high wall of safety." - Proverbs 18:11 (NLT)

"Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment." - 1 Timothy 6:17 (NLT)

Christians have far more than the riches of this world; we have the riches of Christ.

"And anyone who believes in Him will never be disappointed." - 1 Peter 2:6 (NLT)

"Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." - Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT)



Britt Gillette is the founder of End Times Bible Prophecy and the author of Signs Of The Second Coming: 11 Reasons Jesus Will Return in Our Lifetime.