Aug 18
I am attaching an interesting article about how Germany is trying to take the lead in rescueing the EU and its failing nations. With France under economic pressure now do not be fooled into thinking that it is a joint rescue plan between Germany and France.
Again this situation bears close watch as it appears that even Europe and the EU is fading and something else is emerging with Germany at the head.
Keep looking up!
Permanent link to this article: http://discerningthetimes.me/2011/08/18/fourth-reich-in-germany/
Aug 05
Before Kazykhanov’s first official visit to Turkey as a formal guest of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, the Kazakh foreign minister highlighted the importance of the strategic partnership between countries and mentioned the growing role of Turkey in the chaotic Middle East in an interview with the Cihan news agency on Tuesday.
“Turkey knows the region well. With the sensitivities of a neighbor, it is leading a remedial policy which is much appreciated in the international arena,” said Kazykhanov, as he touched on the subject of developments in Arab nations and expressed a wish for peaceful methods and dialogue to prevail when resolving issues, which the minister found deeply related to social and economic disarray, the weakness of governance and corruption. Kazykhanov called the long-lasting clashes in the region “a human tragedy” and urged for an immediate cease-fire before the situation got any worse.
“Since Kazakhstan was established 20 years ago, Turkey has held a particular importance for us, being the first country to recognize our independence and establish diplomatic ties with us,” Kazykhanov said. He added that Turkish investors make up a big part of the Kazakh economy with more than 3,000 Turkish companies operating in the country, signaling Kazakh support for medium and large-scale Turkish companies to be established in the context of Kazakhstan’s industry and development program for 2020.
In concluding remarks to the Cihan interview, the foreign minister congratulated Turkey for chairing the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) with success for two years and touched on the significance of the mission of the organization. While the minister expressed support for Turkey’s work, he also indicated that CICA activities were going to be a topic of discussion during his talks with Davutoğlu.
The Kazakh minister is to sign two deals with Turkish officials during his visit, the first of which is a mutual cooperation agreement between the foreign ministries for 2012-2013 and the latter a study program for young diplomats to receive training in the two countries’ capitals.
Kazykhanov is scheduled to meet President Abdullah Gül, Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek and Davutoğlu during his three-day stay in Turkey.
Do not forget that the Ottoman Turk Empire had all the “stans” in Central Asia represented and that was less than 100 years ago!
Keep looking up!
Permanent link to this article: http://discerningthetimes.me/2011/08/05/turkeys-expanding-role-in-central-asia/
Jul 19
Erdogan’s recent electoral victory speech puts his true intentions regarding Turkey’s foreign policy goals in perspective. He said that this victory is as important in Ankara as it is in the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sarajevo, under Ottoman times, an important Ottoman city; that his party’s victory was as important in a large Turkish city, Izmir, on the Western Anatolian coast, as it is in Damascus, and as important in Istanbul as it is in Jerusalem.
What does all this mean? At the very least, this victory speech signals a wish for Ottoman cultural colonialism and imperialism. The places Erdogan names were all part of by the Ottoman Empire; the territory of the modern Turkish Republic is what remained after World War I and Turkey’s War of Independence from the occupying Allied forces. Turkey forms only the central part, and relatively small fraction, of what had been the Ottoman Empire, which at its height extended deep into southern Europe, and included most of today’s Arab world and even beyond.
In saying that this victory is as important in all of these former Ottoman cities, Erdogan apparently sees himself as trying to reclaim Turkey’s full Ottoman past. In religious terms, the entire reason for being of the Ottoman Empire was to spread the Sunni form of Islam prevalent there. Sunnis, who make up about 85% of the Muslim world, believe that when Mohammed died, the leadership of Islam was passed down through what amounted to the Meccan artistocracy, and not through Mohammed’s family — which is what the Shi’ites believe. The cities Erdogan mentioned are almost all Sunni, with a few non-Sunni ones thrown in.
The Ottomans had two major rivals: the non-Muslim Europeans to the northwest, and the Shi’ite Persian Empire to the east.
The scars of this early 1500s battle between the Sunni Ottomans and the Persian Shiites has influenced the Turkish Sunni psyche so deeply that today’s Turkish Sunnis — and most importantly among them, Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan — still recite age-old pejorative Turkish proverbs about both the Shiites and the Alevis. These proverbs include references to the Alevis and Shiites as untrustworthy brigands who also engage in indecent acts.
At the moment Erdogan is threatened by other problems that Iran is bringing to his doorstep. These include Iran’s attempt to make itself the major energy transport country in the area, bypassing Turkey. Turkey’s major geographic significance now is that it is a transporter of energy, bringing gas and oil from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and oil from northern Iraq to the world market. If Iran takes Turkey’s place in the energy market, especially in transporting energy to India, China, and the region, Turkey will suffer an immense economic and strategic loss.
Further, Erdogan must be terrified of what he sees happening in Syria. Assad and his ruling clique are not Sunnis. They are Alawis — not exactly the same as Turkey’s Alevis, but similar in that they also revere Ali. But unlike the Shiites, the Alawis view Ali as a deity, much as the Christians revere Jesus. As a result of the continuing upheaval in Syria, the ruling party of Turkey might see itself as surrounded by various active religious threats from the east and from Syria, along Turkey’s southern border.
Erdogan’s and Assad’s families even vacationed together, and Erdogan publicly called Assad his close friend — an alliance all the more curious as the Syrian Sunnis view the Alawis with utter disdain, stemming from the Alawi worship of Ali as a deity, rather than as just the Twelfth Imam.
When the Syrian Sunnis started abandoning their ruler, Bashar Assad a few weeks ago, Erdogan took his cue from them and allowed Syrian Sunnis to host several Syrian opposition conferences in Turkey — including one conference paid for by a wealthy Syrian Sunni businessman who until recently had been a supporter of Assad; and another conference, in Istanbul, of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood. Although both conferences had slightly different approaches to solving Syria’s political problems, what united them was that at both, Syria’s Sunnis — Erdogan’s natural allies — were the dominant actors.
Erdogan may well now feel himself under threat from both Syria and Iran, until recently two of his allies. The policy of of “Zero problems with all neighbors” of Erdogan’s Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, has proven to be an abject failure.
Erdogan undoubtedly sees that he now has an opportunity to advance his Ottoman-centric Sunni policy in Syria and beyond. If Assad’s Alawi regime falls, and is replaced by a Sunni-dominated one, Syria — approximately 70% Sunni — would be a natural ally for Turkey. Syria’s Sunni business- and upper classes have had centuries-old connections with their counterparts in Istanbul and elsewhere in Turkey.
In all, Erdogan’s bottom line appears to be advancing a reconstitution of the Ottoman Empire, which he and his fellow Turkish Sunni fundamentalists now call ” The Ottoman Region.” In the long run, all non-Sunnis — such as Iran, Israel, Syria (if it remains under Alawi rule after things eventually quiet down in Syria), and a Shiite-ruled Iraq — remain outsiders. Erdogan might make temporary alliances with any of them, but, psychologically, that will be all he is prepared to do.
As for Erdogan and Davutoglu, in the depths of their souls, they are fundamentalist Sunni Muslims and see themselves as such. The Turkish-Iranian-Iraqi-Syrian alliance, which Erdogan worked so hard to build, has failed. Erdogan’s and Davutoglu’s long-term, Sunni goals, and those of the non-Sunnis in the area, have been, and will always be, vastly different. Turkey might conclude temporary alliances with non-Sunnis as needed, to address immediate concerns, but we cannot expect much more than this. Given Iran’s regional bid to replace Turkey as “energy-central,” and the apparent attempt of the Shi’ite Iranian-Syrian-Alawi alliance to try to put down the Sunni-dominated Syrian insurrection, Turkey needs to make sure it does not have additional problems.
It is in this context that we should understand Turkey’s renewed interest in the U.S. and Israel. As such, both the U.S. and Israel should be extremely wary of Erdogan and his associates. Erdogan’s Turkey does not see long-term interests with either. Given economic developments in Iran, Alawite oppression in Syria, and Shiite-dominance in Iraq, Erdogan understands that he must take a temporary hiatus from his goal of reasserting what appears to be his real goal — the Turkish Sunni domination of the entire Middle East.
Permanent link to this article: http://discerningthetimes.me/2011/07/19/ottoman-revivial/
Jun 11
Emina Ulker Tarhan is deeply concerned about Turkey’s future. A Supreme Court judge until recently, Tarhan decided to quit her prestigious job in order to enter politics and fight the current Turkish government. The 48-year-old woman joined Turkey’s main opposition party and is running for a parliament seat in the Ankara region.
The former judge slammed Prime Minister Erdogan’s ruling party, charging that it conducts itself undemocratically and aspires to acquire absolute power via oppressive tactics.
“In order to create the regime they are interested in, they are trying to take over the court system,” she said.
According to Tarhan, basic human rights are constantly undermined under Erdogan’s rule.
“Every day we move further away from democratic thought and from the spirit of the law,” Tarhan said. “The government behaves like an organized gang.”
Turning her attention to Turkey’s prime minister, who positioned himself as a harsh critic of Israel, the opposition member had particularly harsh words.
“Erdogan is not the prime minister of a democratic state. He wants to be the sultan of the Middle East,” she said. “A general who did not stand up to honor him at a certain event was thrown to jail. This is the behavior of tyrants. All tyrants are similar to each other, and all of them end up facing a similar fate.”
Erdogan is also in the news condemning the violence in Syria as barbaric. He is speaking harshly towards the Syrian government and coming off as a man of peace all the while solidifying power at home. Watch Turkey and keep looking up!
Permanent link to this article: http://discerningthetimes.me/2011/06/11/turkish-pm-erdogan-wants-to-be-the-new-sultan/
Jun 06
Here is a great article by Joel Richardson centered on the coming Islamic Caliphate and that it will be led by Turkey. It is also interesting to note that just last week that Washington is offering Ankara or Turkey to host the upcoming peace discussions between Israel and the Palestinians in exchange for stopping the flotilla at the end of this month. Again like I always say Watch Turkey!
The coming Turkish-led caliphate
Posted: June 03, 2011
1:00 am Eastern
By Joel Richardson
© 2011
Several years ago, I began publicly stating that the world will witness the rise of a Neo-Ottoman Caliphate. With the Islamist party in Turkey poised to win yet another sweeping election victory next week, now is another appropriate moment to revisit the subject.
The first thing that the West must understand concerning the concept of the caliphate is that it is somewhat of a blank canvas for Muslims. To the Muslim socialist, it is through the concept of the caliphate that a socialist utopia will become a reality. For the moderate Muslim, it is in the idea of the caliphate that a tolerant Muslim empire will arise. For the radical Muslim, the caliphate is the means by which Islam will arise to supremacy in the earth. The point is that the dream of reviving a caliphate is a wide-ranging vision and is certainly not restricted to the radicals.
Second, the West must come to terms with the tectonic shift that has only recently taken place in the Middle East, beginning in 2003 in Turkey.
But first, let’s define the old order of the region. This old order saw the Middle East divided up primarily between the Arab block and the Iranian block.
Imagine a random Arab Sunni Muslim (Sunnis comprise 85-90 percent of Muslims) who has long desired to see the unification of the Islamic world under a caliphate. In yearning for someone to rise up and lead the Islamic world, this Sunni Muslim first turns his eyes toward the leaders of the Arab block (Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt). On one hand, he identifies with the fact that they are both Sunni and Arab. But they are also either corrupt monarchies or dictatorial autocrats and hopelessly compromised through their relationship with Israel and/or the United States. To the average Muslim, these nations are led by MINOs (Muslims in name only). Frustrated, this Muslim shifts his attention to Iran. On one hand, the Iranians are seen as courageous, bold and assertive. They thumb their noses at Israel, the United States and any who would defy them. This is admired, but there is still the gaping sectarian divide. In other words, being Shia, they are essentially heretical. Without hope, this Sunni Muslim lets out a long sigh and prays that Allah will soon raise up a genuine Muslim leader capable of reviving Islam’s former glory.
This was the old order of the Middle East for the past 30 years.
But suddenly, this has all begun to change. Through the rise of the Turkish AK party over the past several years, the Middle East has experienced a political shift of tectonic proportions.
Let’s briefly summarize what Prime Minister Erdogan’s Islamist party has achieved in just the past few years. First, they were able to gain control of both the presidency and the seat of prime minister. They also gained a large majority in the parliament. After they win the elections on June 12, they are set to pass a bill authorizing them to literally rewrite the Turkish Constitution. This will give them far greater control over both the judiciary and the military, the two entities that have historically served as the greatest check against an Islamist takeover of government. Not surprisingly then, through two manufactured conspiracies, the ruling AK party has effectively decapitated the secularist leadership of the Turkish military, arresting nearly 200 top military officials. Instead of a military coup to remove the Islamist party, the Islamist AK party has successfully taken over the military. And they were masterfully successful.
Erdogan has also filled the courts with his own judges. Over 70 percent of the police are also Islamists. And finally, the Islamists have gone after the media. Erdogan’s son now runs one outlet, while a second company was hit with a $2.3 billion fine. There are more Turkish journalists in prison than any other nation in the world.
We are now nearing the conclusion of a perfectly executed plan to purge Turkey of its secular Kemalist system and ensconce the Islamists in power indefinitely. In the name of democracy, the Islamists have toppled what was once a shining beacon of hope for the Middle East. And behind it all is the architect, Prime Minister Erdogan, who once projected, “Democracy is like a streetcar. You use it to get you where you wish to go, and then you get off.”
Today, Turkey has a thriving economy as well as the largest army in the region. And of course, only Turkey has a proven track record of ruling the Middle East. Now place yourself back in the shoes of the Sunni Muslim. None of these facts are missed by those who have been looking for a viable Islamist strong horse to get behind. And it is precisely for this reason that Erdogan is now the single most popular leader in the region. The starry-eyed Islamists of the Muslim world have solidly fixed their hopes on Turkey.
Finally, it is absolutely essential to understand Turkish Islamist methodology. Since 9/11, Ankara has been all too willing to portray themselves as the most natural counterbalance and answer to al-Qaida and radical Islamism globally. For the past decade, the Turks have pursued the methodology of the world’s most powerful Islamist group, the Fethullah Gulen Movement, of which Prime Minister Erdogan and President Gul are both students. The goal of the Gulen movement is quite simple really. They want to be endorsed. Through the use of outreach, they have successfully branded themselves as paragons of religious tolerance. While radical groups such as al-Qaida have utilized terror to achieve their goal of a caliphate, Turkish Islam has championed the approach of presenting itself in a form specifically custom-tailored to win the hearty approval of the West. But their ultimate goal is the same: the unification of the Islamic world, the revival of the caliphate. And to date, we have fully fallen for their ploy.
The Turkish goal of regional influence has progressed steadily and deliberately. Seven years ago, only myself and a few others were warning of these realities. And when we suggested such, we were mocked. Seven years from now, we’ll all be looking back, asking ourselves how we could have been so blind not to have seen it sooner.
Permanent link to this article: http://discerningthetimes.me/2011/06/06/the-coming-islamic-caliphate/
Apr 22
Please read the attached study for more info around a Muslim Antichrist! Remember what your Lord did for you on this day!
Permanent link to this article: http://discerningthetimes.me/2011/04/22/muslim-antichrist-read-this/
Feb 24
Here is a great article/commentary from Mike Taylor I found that you can use along with my previous post on the Islamic Antichrist. Take the time to study this out and you will ask yourself how did we all miss it!
Islamic Anti-Christ?
By Mike Taylor
________________________________________
We turn on our radios and TV’s everyday, and if you’re like me, you wonder what has happened since I last listened? What has caught the attention of the people of this world and points to a world that is imploding upon itself? It’s all around us. The news of the unrest in the Middle East. The spreading anarchy and rebellion in the hearts of the Arab nations yearning for what they believe in. They wish for the destruction of the western way of life, the return of their 12th Imam, known as the Mahdi and the enslavement of all infidels to the sword of their god, called Allah. It’s part of their belief system. Don’t believe it, then read on.
So what is their belief when it comes to this Mahdi, or the return of the 12th Imam? People are very uninformed if they do not understand what is behind all the chaos involved in the cradle of civilization known as the Middle East surrounding God’s Holy Land, known today as Israel. So who is this missing 12th Imam they speak of?
Most accounts of the story say that al Mahdi went into hiding as a child around the age of 5 years (about 13th Century). It said he has been ‘in hiding’ in caves ever since but will supernaturally return just before the Day of Judgment. According to the Hadith the criteria for the Hidden Imam are:
• He will be a descendant of Muhammad and the son of Fatima
• Will have a broad forehead and pointed nose
• Will return just before the end of the world
• His appearance will be preceded by a number of prophetic events during 3 years of horrendous world chaos, tyranny and oppression
• Will escape from Madina to Mekkah, (Mecca) thousands will pledge allegiance to him
• Will rule over the Arabs and the world for 7 years
• Will eradicate all tyranny and oppression bringing harmony and total peace
• Will lead a prayer in Mecca which Jesus will be at his side and follow in.
He is believed to be coming back to set up an Islamic Caliphate and rule in the end of time and bring Islamic Sharia law to the world and make Islam supreme in all the land and this Mahdi is considered to be “divine”.
How do they interpret when this holy man will appear? If you listen to the leader of Iran, Mahmoud “I’M A TOTAL NUT JOB” speak of the return of this false messiah, known as the Mahdi, he never misses a chance to ask the Mahdi to return to set up his kingdom here on earth, as noted in speeches he gave at the U.N. and in speeches in Iran. What is it he believes, or should I say, Islam believes will cause the return of the Mahdi, or this 12th Imam? Ahmadinejad believes that he is a prophet and his mission is to bring on the return of the 12th Imam to earth, by only ONE way. He believes that Iran, as a nation must create as much chaos, extract as much blood and suffering, and cause maximum destruction of their sworn enemy, the nation of Israel and the western world, including the United States of America. That is his stated goal and his believed purpose. You can do a search on any Google site and check out the facts of his beliefs. Only then will this supposed Mahdi return to earth to set up his rulership and bring “peace” (sic) and Islam to the world.
Islam and Ahmadinejad believe that this hidden Mahdi will arrive on a white horse with a sword in his hand to set up a Caliphate as to rule in the nation of Islam and all will submit to his will and authority either by confessed allegiance or by the sword. Amazingly, the description of the return of this Mahdi has an eerie connection with the same description given the rise of the Anti-Christ. Let’s try and examine the similar traits of this 12th Imam and this coming ruler, known as the Anti-Christ.
What is said of the Anti-Christ? First he will rule for 7 years. He will come during a time of great war and much blood shed in the Middle East and possibly, the world. He will come as a peacemaker. He will make a treaty for those 7 years with Israel to allow them to rebuild their Temple to God. But then will cause sacrifice to cease in the middle of those seven years. He will proclaim himself as a god sitting in the Holy of Holies of the Temple in Jerusalem. He will demand a mark of allegiance, known as the mark of the beast. He will attempt to destroy the Jewish race, known as Israel. In the end, He will be destroyed by the Prince of Peace, who will return to put down rebellion.
Now compare this with Islamic beliefs about the Mahdi shown above and here. He will come when blood, chaos and war causes him to return to set up his kingdom. He will attempt to destroy Israel and the Jewish race. He will demand allegiance to Islamic rule and Shariah Law. He will rule by the sword and all who do not embrace Islam will be slain. He will rule for 7 years, after which Jesus will return and with the Mahdi, set injustice right and proclaim Islam. Notice the similiarities?
Is the Anti-Christ Islamic? Is the supposed coming of the 12th Imam, the Anti-Christ.? Understand that Satan is a powerful deceiver. He relishes deceiving mankind with a parallel false religion that mirrors God’s way and His salvation message. Could Islam be that false message, with its false god and its false messiah? Some believe that Islam will be defeated in the battle of Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38& 39, but it would do well as a watchful Christian to keep an eye on Islam prior to these battles, as Islam is the antithesis of all that is Holy and ordained by our Almighty God, Jehovah or Yahweh…the great I AM, THAT I AM. Paul spoke of this man called the Anti-Christ and his false religion:
The coming of the lawless one (the Anti-Christ) is according to the working of Satan with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. II Thessalonians 2:9-12.
Could this lie be the lie of Islam? All who study this god, Allah, know that he was a member of a polytheist society before Muhammad made this god, the supreme god and he or she was a moon god, until Muhammad made Allah, known at the time as “al-ilāh” or “the god” the only god of a polytheist religion derived from pagan worship. By doing an online search and looking for the archeological evidence concerning the worship of this god, Allah, we find:
“The pagan Arabs worshipped the Moon-god Allah by praying toward Mecca several times a day; making a pilgrimage to Mecca; running around the temple of the Moon-god called the Kabah; kissing the black stone; killing an animal in sacrifice to the Moon-god; throwing stones at the devil; fasting for the month which begins and ends with the crescent moon; giving alms to the poor, etc.
The Muslim’s claim that Allah is the God of the Bible and that Islam arose from the religion of the prophets and apostles is refuted by solid, overwhelming archeological evidence. Islam is nothing more than a revival of the ancient Moon-god cult. It has taken the symbols, the rites, the ceremonies, and even the name of its god from the ancient pagan religion of the Moon-god. As such, it is sheer idolatry and must be rejected by all those who follow the Torah and the Gospel.” Its symbol was a crescent moon with the stars as it’s daughters within the crescent moon.
And what of the true God of the Bible?
Isaiah 46:9,
“Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.”
John 1:1, “1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made..
The evidence is startling when you compare the God of the bible, and the false god of Islamic Koran. The Bible has “No archeological discovery that has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Scores of archeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical descriptions has often led to amazing discoveries. (Christians answers, How do we know the Bible is true?)”
The remarkable structure of the Bible should also be stressed. Although it is a collection of 66 books written by 40 or more different men over a period of 2,000 years, it is clearly one Book, with perfect unity and consistency throughout with one focus and message, the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ who fulfilled over 300 distinct prophecies by His life, death and resurrection. The same cannot be said for the moon god Allah, even archeology refutes it as being made of humans and pagan in origin. And what of the Islamic book the Koran? From an online definition of the book:
“The Quran or Koran, depending on your translation of the word, contains at least 109 verses that call Muslims to war with nonbelievers. Some are quite graphic, with commands to chop off heads and fingers and kill infidels wherever they may be hiding. Muslims who do not join the fight are called ‘hypocrites’ and warned that Allah will send them to Hell if they do not join the slaughter.
Unlike nearly all of the Old Testament verses of violence, most of the verses of violence in the Quran are open-ended, meaning that the historical context is not embedded within the surrounding text. They are part of the eternal, unchanging word of Allah, and just as relevant or subjective as anything else in the Quran.
Unfortunately, there are very few verses of tolerance and peace to abrogate or even balance out the many that call for nonbelievers to be fought and subdued until they either accept humiliation, convert to Islam, or are killed. This proclivity toward violence – and Muhammad’s own martial legacy – has left a trail of blood and tears across world history.” The God of the Bible is a God of Love and redemption, but the false god of the Koran is a god of war, blood shed, and suffering…quite a contrast.
Given not only the archeological proof of the truth of the God of the bible vs. the false god called Allah to point to just one of many, will unrepentant man be ripe for a religion that slyly professes a false peace, and demands a mark of loyalty, loyalty to Islam? When God’s church suddenly vanishes, shall a soothing voice with a promise of a “greener earth”, a better way, and propose a belief in a false god, called Allah and to follow this false messiah, the Mahdi, shall unrighteous men be ripe for believing this lie? I believe they will.
The Anti-Christ is coming and may already be on the scene, but has not revealed himself, as of yet. We, who proclaim a belief and worship the only true God of the Universe and the Son He has sent, need not be afraid, even though we are entering a time of great uncertainty and unrest in the world at large. We have promises from Almighty God that He will be our strong foundation of the faith and our coming Hope. God has said that He will be our refuge in times of trouble, and nothing has more of a calming effect and increases our faith to read in your bible what God has promised when evil is all around us.
Permanent link to this article: http://discerningthetimes.me/2011/02/24/islamic-antichrist/
Feb 18
Yesterday even Glenn Beck from Fox news did an outstanding job of talking about where what we are seeing in the Middle East today is quickly taking us. We are witnessing the early formation of the Beast Kingdom from Revelation 13. It is sad that a TV personality is making the connections to what is happening around us but most of the Christian church is oblivious to it! And does not even know where in the Bible to find these things about the Second Coming of Christ.
Jesus warned us this would happen. He likened it to what happened at His first coming. The men who should have known better than anyone, the Pharisees, did not see His coming that was foretold in Daniel. Well this is happening again in His church as the majority of Christian pasotrs and leaders are not seeing the Second Coming very clearly.
Jesus warns us in 1 Thess. 5:1-10 that since we are children of God and Light we should not need to be taught these things. We should be alert and looking. here is what this passage says:
Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
Also in Mark 13:33-37 to Watch! It is a command. The verses say:
Be on guard! Be alert[e]! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
So we need to understand events as they unfold in front of us. I am attaching a great resource for you to try to follow the events around the Caliphate and the Islamic Antichrist for you to study and gain wisdom!
Keep looking up!
Permanent link to this article: http://discerningthetimes.me/2011/02/18/caliphate-and-islamic-antichrist-coming-together/
Nov 02
Bible prophecy foretells this most charismatic personality of human history basking in the end-times spotlight:
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)
This supremely arrogant “Beast,” as he is called by God’s Word in Revelation 13, will serve as his own sort of warm-up act immediately following the Rapture of the church. The “prince that shall come,” as Daniel terms him, steps onto the stage of geopolitical diplomacy as a purveyor of peace.
“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” (Daniel 9:27) The Antichrist, empowered by Satan, will pave his own road for reaching his destiny as the object of forced worship by earth’s inhabitants. This warm-up act–a roadmap for peace, of sort–that he will perform himself, with the assistance of another “beast” (the false prophet)—will consist of impressive, if nefarious, accomplishments.
“And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many.” (Daniel 8:24-25a)
Actually, the Man of Sin, as Antichrist is also called, has already had a number of warm-up acts. These have been put upon the world humanistic stage by Lucifer, the master orchestrator of evil. Theologians and even philosophers and soothsayers through the ages have thought some of these warm-up acts to be Antichrist fulfilling his prophesied role.
Perhaps even Satan himself has believed some of these evil characters that seemed like the predicted first Beast of Revelation to be the foretold man whose number equals 666. Such lesser beasts as Nero, Hitler, Stalin, and others come to mind. Even U.S. presidents like Kennedy, Reagan, and Franklin D. Roosevelt before them have been thought as possible candidates for earth’s final and most terrible tyrant.
Concerning Antichrist’s eventual emergence, most all of today’s end-times stage props form the setting for the final act of human history: The Gog-Magog forces are coming together in determined to move against Israel when the time is right. The kings of the East, which will trouble the Beast as they will be a threat to his plans from the North and East, already can produce a two-hundred-million-troop military force.
Antichrist’s geopolitical “warm-up act” has been preparing the way for his prime-time prophetic performance for decades. The past several years have brought dynamic rearrangements in preparation for his appearance. One thing within the eschatological mix is often overlooked when thinking about how near Antichrist’s appearance might be. Again, this ingredient is found in the apostle Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians. The ingredient itself is difficult to identify because it involves deception from the father of all lies, which Satan will perpetrate upon those who reject God’s righteousness.
“And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12)
Satan’s present-day warm-up act, designed to mesmerize people of planet earth, has at its heart great deception that will delude most who are left behind following the Rapture. The Holy Spirit resident within the church (each Church-Age saint) will remove from acting on the consciences of mankind as He has been doing during this present Age of Grace.
Some prophecy watchers observe Satan’s preparations for bringing to the world’s attention the man who will be his most infamous protégé. These–and I include myself–consider decades of fascination with extraterrestrial sightings to possibly be key to the old serpent’s concocting the “lie” of 2 Thessalonians 2:11.
Documentaries continue to fill cable TV networks, raising questions about whether we are alone in the cosmos. Reports of UFO sightings titillate the imaginations of brains already prepped by fictional accounts of invaders from far-flung places in space, such as in the current TV show titled V.
The latest such silver-screen fiction about intruders from space is the film Skyline.
God’s Word is nonfiction–absolute truth. Such a scenario is prophetically scheduled to actually happen. Revelation 12 foretells that Satan and his fallen angelic horde will be cast to earth for the final time. John was told to write “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth” when that happens.
The second Beast–the False Prophet—will call fire down from heaven (Revelation 13:13) in the sight of men. Many students of Bible prophecy who observe these strange times in which we live think these things will likely be part of the lie of 2 Thessalonians 2:11, which earth dwellers will believe–i.e., the major part of the lie will be that those who have disappeared from earth have been taken for reasons held by the “extraterrestrial” entities.
Today, we are being “entertained” by Antichrist’s warm-up act. But, it will be the Lord of Heaven –Jesus Christ—who will bring down the final curtain on Satan’s great imposter.
And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. (2 Thessalonians 2:8).
We need to be aware of what is going on around us. Keep praying for discernment from the Spirit during these times. Jesus commands us to be alert and aware of the times and seasons.
Keep looking up!
Permanent link to this article: http://discerningthetimes.me/2010/11/02/antichrist-prep/
Recent Comments