8 Islamist groups funded to strike U.S. military, economic interests.
April 29, 2006
Tehran has recruited and funded eight Islamic fundamentalist organizations to undertake retaliatory strikes against U.S. and British military and economic interests across the Middle East – and perhaps in the U.S. and Europe – in the event Iran's nuclear facilities are attacked, reports a London Arab daily, Asharq Al-Awsat.
The plan, which has been heavily funded and was created by a number of experts in guerilla warfare and terrorist operations, includes suicide attacks against U.S. and British targets in the region as well as their allies. According to information gleaned from a senior source in the Iranian armed forces' joint chief of staff, logistical support for the groups that would participate in the plan comes from Brigadier General Qassim Suleimani of the of the Revolutionary Guards' al Quds Brigades.
"Most of Iran's visitors in the last four months, including the leaders of revolutionary groups in Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon, as well as the heads of Hezbollah cells in the Persian Gulf and Europe and North America were asked, when they met with the Iranian intelligence minister Gholamhossein Mohseni Ezhei and his aides: 'Are you ready to defend the Islamic revolution and vilayat e faqih (rule of the clergy)?'" the source said. "'If you agree to take part in the great jihad, what would you need to be ready for the great fight?'"
The leader of one of the Iraq groups that is part of the "Judgment Day" plan told the Iranians his men would turn Iraq into hell for Americans in the event of an attack on Iran. The Revolutionary Guards' military training camps have been made available to Moqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army. Al Sadr has received more than $20 million from the Iranians.
Street-fighting training has been given in Isfahan, Iran, to members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, as well as large sums of money and large quantities of arms.
As reported by WorldNetDaily, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has recruited Imad Mugniyah, the Lebanese commander of Hezbollah's overseas operations, to oversee retaliation against Western targets following any U.S. strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Officers sent to southern Lebanon last month are in command of more than 10 thousand rockets aimed at Israel's cities. It is believed they've been given control of Hezbollah's missiles to attack Israel if Iran's nuclear sites are hit. U.S. officials and Israel intelligence sources believe Mugniyah is in charge of these operations.
"When and if the Iranians decide to hit the West in its soft belly, Imad will be the one to act," a Western intelligence source said.
Approximately 80 members of Hezbollah received training last year in ultralight aircraft and undersea operations in order to carry out suicide attacks.
Implementation of the plan is set to begin immediately following a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities and would progress in six stages:
U.S. bases in Iraq and the Persian Gulf region to be struck by Iranian missiles.
Suicide attacks in a number of Muslim countries against U.S. embassies, military bases, economic and oil-related facilities tied to U.S. and British firms, and targets in countries allied with the U.S.
Attacks by Revolutionary Guards and Iraqi insurgents loyal to Iran against U.S. and British forces in Iraq.
Hundreds of rockets launched by Hezbollah against pre-selected targets in Israel.
If U.S. military attacks continue, more than 50 Shehab-3 missiles will be launched against Israel and 50 terrorist cells in the U.S., Canada and Europe will be given approval to launch attacks against civil and industrial targets in those countries.
Maximize civilian casualties with germ agents and "dirty bombs."
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Thursday, April 27, 2006
The Gospel of Judas
The Gospel of Judas: More Heretical Trash From Egypt [Excerpts]
The Gospel of Judas is all over the news. It has been hugely promoted by the National Geographic Society, which funded its reconstruction and translation, and has been trumpeted by practically every major news publication in the world. USA Today's front-page headline is typical: "Long-lost gospel of Judas casts 'traitor' in new light."
Until recently this gnostic gospel was thought to have been lost and was known only through Irenaeus' late second century condemnation thereof in his Refutation of All Heresies, but a copy from the third or fourth century that was found in Egypt a few decades ago was purchased and restored. The translation of the fragmentary writing was published on April 6.
The Gospel of Judas presents Judas in a positive light as the only disciple who truly understood Jesus and who betrayed Him only because he was asked to do so. According to Irenaeus, it was produced by the Egyptian Cainite Gnostics who claimed that Cain, Esau, the Sodomites, Korah, Judas, and other villains of biblical history were actually enlightened heroes who valiantly kept the gnosis or knowledge of the truth alive.
According to this cult, a god named Hystera created the world and another deity called "Sophia" allegedly assisted the aforementioned people (Refutation of All Heresies, book I, chapter 31, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.ix.ii.xxxii.html). The Gnostic Jesus described in the Gospel of Judas is not Almighty
God or the Creator of the world, does not die for man's sin, and does not rise bodily from the dead. It is no gospel at all.
Egypt was a hotbed of heresy and fanaticism in the early centuries after Christ. Many other strange "gospels" originated there, including the Gospel of Thomas that purports to give details of Christ's childhood (such as giving life to a dried fish and causing
the death of one of his playmates).
Egypt also gave us the Sinaiticus and Vaticanus codexes and the handful of similar New Testament manuscripts that contain an Alexandrian type of text preferred by modern textual critics and the translators of the modern Bible versions
Fundamental Baptist Information Service, Port Huron, MI 48061, April 8, 2006, fbns@wayoflife.org).
The Gospel of Judas is all over the news. It has been hugely promoted by the National Geographic Society, which funded its reconstruction and translation, and has been trumpeted by practically every major news publication in the world. USA Today's front-page headline is typical: "Long-lost gospel of Judas casts 'traitor' in new light."
Until recently this gnostic gospel was thought to have been lost and was known only through Irenaeus' late second century condemnation thereof in his Refutation of All Heresies, but a copy from the third or fourth century that was found in Egypt a few decades ago was purchased and restored. The translation of the fragmentary writing was published on April 6.
The Gospel of Judas presents Judas in a positive light as the only disciple who truly understood Jesus and who betrayed Him only because he was asked to do so. According to Irenaeus, it was produced by the Egyptian Cainite Gnostics who claimed that Cain, Esau, the Sodomites, Korah, Judas, and other villains of biblical history were actually enlightened heroes who valiantly kept the gnosis or knowledge of the truth alive.
According to this cult, a god named Hystera created the world and another deity called "Sophia" allegedly assisted the aforementioned people (Refutation of All Heresies, book I, chapter 31, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.ix.ii.xxxii.html). The Gnostic Jesus described in the Gospel of Judas is not Almighty
God or the Creator of the world, does not die for man's sin, and does not rise bodily from the dead. It is no gospel at all.
Egypt was a hotbed of heresy and fanaticism in the early centuries after Christ. Many other strange "gospels" originated there, including the Gospel of Thomas that purports to give details of Christ's childhood (such as giving life to a dried fish and causing
the death of one of his playmates).
Egypt also gave us the Sinaiticus and Vaticanus codexes and the handful of similar New Testament manuscripts that contain an Alexandrian type of text preferred by modern textual critics and the translators of the modern Bible versions
Fundamental Baptist Information Service, Port Huron, MI 48061, April 8, 2006, fbns@wayoflife.org).
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
The Mystery of Sheba and Dedan
Over the years, we have often referred to the signal battle depicted in Ezekiel 38 and 39. In graphic detail, it depicts a latter-day invasion. Led by Gog, it sweeps down toward Israel from the north. It features a vast array of allies, ranging from Persia to Eastern Europe.
The opening phase of the assault apparently meets only a moderate, diplomatic resistance. And here, the story is of great contemporary interest, because of the Middle-Eastern power bloc that raises its voice against Gog’s forces.
We see this coalition of powers in Ezekiel 38:13, where it is shown in the act of questioning the leader of the invasion:
"Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?"
The invader’s forces are aimed at Israel, but involve the entire Middle East. Sheba and Dedan, aligned with a group of "merchants," are seen here questioning the motives of the northern aggressor. Since the powers represented by these names – Sheba and Dedan – seem to figure rather strongly among the latter-day world powers, they may very well have a message for us, today. But the question is, who are they, really?
As we examine their biblical history, we shall see that the Bible has much to say about their geographic locale, as well as their "personality" and "character." They are a tough and wily people, with a culture forged by the millennia of political and economic crosscurrents that have ranged across the ancient lands of the Bible.
The invasion that brings them to biblical prominence is, of course, the renowned battle of Gog, leader of the land of Magog. Sheba and Dedan have a specific reaction to the offensive from the north. We shall analyze it closely, noting that it contains clues to the disposition of world powers. As we do so, we shall see that they remind us of something that we are seeing at the present time.
The Russians Are Coming
It has been said that the only prophecy in the Bible that invokes a modern Gentile power by name is found in Ezekiel 38 and 39. There, we find Russia, called "Rosh" in the Hebrew of the Old Testament.
In the King James translation, its name is somewhat obscured, seen in the word, "chief" in the following passage:
"And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
"Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
"And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal" (Ezk. 38:1-3).
Virtually every other Bible translation follows the Hebrew text of verse two, which actually reads, "… prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal," [kc,u lan atr thab nasieh rosh, meshech v’tubal]. "Rosh" is a place name, rather than a positional title.
Today, any standard Hebrew text (such as a newspaper) refers to Russia by using the proper noun, "Rosh." Many authorities add that Meshech and Tubal are the names of Sycithian tribes, whose names have been standardized as modern place names.
Meshech is Russia’s capital, Moscow. Tubal is Tubalsk, a major Siberian city. Therefore, Magog is Russia. Its prince and leader is Gog. We know that throughout the twentieth century, Russia dabbled with the extension of its power into the Middle East. This prophecy tells us that one day in the future, they will take their desire a step further, in an actual invasion.
This being said, a question immediately comes to mind. Every student of the Bible has asked it more than once. Namely, when does all this occur?
First, Ezekiel writes that it happens in the "latter years," when Israel has "… come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people" (Ezekiel 38:8).
To further augment this idea, Israel is described as a "land of unwalled villages" (Ezekiel 38:11). This is the building style of today, not of the medieval or ancient eras, when even the smallest city was surrounded by a protective wall. The contemporary Israeli method of building does not include surrounding walls.
Finally, the text plainly states the time and the result of the battle:
"And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes" (Ezekiel 38:16).
Taking all this evidence, the clearest picture that emerges is one of Israel, regathered from the torments of its long diaspora. Ezekiel pictures the regathered Jews as dwelling in peace, but with a false sense of security. In short, we are given a picture of today’s Israel, not the Israel of the past.
The fact that they are living in relative peace also counters the possibility that the Russian invasion takes place during the Tribulation. This seven-year period is invariably depicted as a time of instability, characterized by earthquake, famine, disease and war. Thus, the alignment of nations, the geophysical description of Israel, and their sense of relative peace all weigh in favor of a pre-Tribulational event.
But to drive the point home, Ezekiel offers us another prophetic time marker of unusual clarity:
"And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
"For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
"So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground" (Ezekiel 38:18-20).
There is little doubt that these verses describe the initiation of the Tribulation. Take note of the phrase, "… at the same time." It is quite unusual to find any prophetic event so directly linked to a specific physical event. We are clearly told that when the Russians invade the Middle East, then the Tribulation will commence.
Furthermore, this time marker links Gog’s invasion with the unveiling of the Lord’s "fury." Note that the result is geologic upheaval, described elsewhere in Scripture as typical of the "Day of the Lord."
In the New Testament, we read about the same period. But most often another word is used. Instead of "fury," we find "wrath."
"For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Rev. 6:17).
The concluding book of the Bible makes it plain that the Tribulation begins with a war, just as described in Ezekiel. The sixth chapter of Revelation features the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" – they bring war, famine, economic collapse, and a deathly plague. Taken together, they are typical of a world war, in which there is a total breakdown of societal restraint, law, and infrastructure. It also tells us that victims will number in the millions, as in World Wars I & II.
This war, however, will dwarf the conflicts of the twentieth century. And to make matters worse, after the smoke clears, the Antichrist will arise as peacemaker, promising to bring a better world.
Sheba and Dedan at the Beginning
Now, let’s return to the beginning of Ezekiel’s battle. Gog and his allies charge southward toward Israel. As we have already seen, Sheba and Dedan react to the offensive, not with reprisals, but with a question:
"… Art thou come to take a spoil?"
In other words, they question Gog’s motives. Perhaps through diplomatic channels, they inquire as to his real intentions. They wish to know whether or not he desires to rob them of their riches. As we shall see, they are very rich. They are descended from Cush. We first see their names in Genesis, where they are mentioned as the sons of Cush, who was descended from Ham:
"And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan" (Genesis 10:7).
Historical authorities tell us that this genealogy is not complete. It has gaps, but it does serve to link the two tribal heads, Sheba and Dedan, with their earlier progenitors.
They were not always as wealthy as they are today. For centuries, people known as Sheba and Dedan were a wandering people, migrating back and forth through the desert wastes of Arabia. Their origins are ancient. The same two tribal names are directly linked to a much later time as offspring of Abraham, through Keturah:
"Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.
"And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
"And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
"And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
"And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.
"But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country" (Genesis 25:1-6).
This "east country" is Arabia. Technically, it lies east of ancient Ammon (modern Jordan) in the Saudi Arabian Penninsula.
First Chronicles features two genealogies that terminate with Sheba and Dedan. The first is a repeat of Genesis 10:7:
"And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan" (1 Chronicles 1:9).
The second genealogy repeats the Genesis 25 account of Abraham’s offspring through Keturah. Here, she is referred to as a concubine of Abraham:
"Now the sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine: she bare Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan; Sheba, and Dedan.
"And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Henoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these are the sons of Keturah" (1 Chonicles 1:32,33).
Many have called the Chronicles a spiritual biography. They place as much or more emphasis upon holiness, than they do upon mere genealogy. For this reason, Keturah is called Abraham’s concubine, because his real ketubah (marriage contract) applies to Sarah.
Keturah’s sons founded the tribes of Arabia. It was first said by the historian Ptolemy, that Zimran established the region of Zabram, just west of today’s Mecca.
The descendants of Jokshan have been loosely associated with Arabian tribes on the eastern side of the Arabian Penninsula.
Medan and Midian are thought to have been neighbors, on the western side of the peninsula. Medan is the Hebrew word for "strife."
The land of Midian, of course, offered safe haven for Moses, when he fled from the Egyptians. There, he encountered the hospitality of Jethro, and became a shepherd in the vicinity of Mount Horeb, the Mountain of God. Though he found refuge there for forty years, the territory was always hostile to Israel. Of Ishbak and Shuah, little is known. Their territory is thought to have been close to the Midianites.
The Arabian culture began with a long journey eastward. They ranged eastward to the Persian Gulf, northward to ancient Persia and Assyria and southwestward across the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. They became expert at surviving in the desert, as nomadic traders whose lives were built around a few village oases that were sprinkled across trackless wastes.
They lived by the sword, defending their trade routes and caravans from competing tribes. To this day, that is their mentality. They are shrewd traders who twist the truth, when necessary to complete a business deal.
Dedan, the Brother
Brother to Sheba and grandson to Abraham, Dedan is an important patriarch of the Arab tribes. His sons are the Asshurim (unrelated to Asshur, son of Shem), the Letushim and the Leummim. Their territories are unknown, except by indirect reference. This is true of most Arab tribes, since until recent times, they were nomadic, traveling from one trading site to another, lodging in a widespread network of oases. For centuries, territory was less important to them than trade.
In the following scripture, Isaiah depicts Dedan in this very setting:
"The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim.
"The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled.
"For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.
"For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:
"And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the LORD God of Israel hath spoken it" (Isa. 21:13-17).
Like most Arab tribes, Dedan is not known as a power associated with any particular geographic area. But in this quotation from Isaiah, he is associated with Tema. It is probably the modern city of Tayma, located about two hundred miles north of Medina.
Also mentioned in this prophecy against Arabia is the power known as "Kedar." As long ago as the seventh century, B.C., the chronicles of the Assyrian King Ashurbanipal mention a battle against Kedar. This would make central-to-northern Arabia the region most likely to be the homeland of this tribe. Thus, even though Arab literature is not known before the rise of Islam in the seventh century A.D., Kedar is indirectly recognized as a power to be reckoned with a thousand years earlier.
But there is another fact that makes Kedar most interesting. His authority and position are recognized by Islam, itself, whose biographers make careful note of his lineage. Kedar, they say, dates back to Abraham through Ishmael. In this way, they make themselves the inheritors of the Holy Land.
However, in the Scripture below, there is a clear reference to the disposition of Ishmael. It should be recalled that when Hagar and Ishmael fled to the desert after leaving Abraham’s home, they came to the well Lahai-roi. There, the angel of the Lord told them that Ishmael’s descendants would become a multitude.
Later, as illustrated by the following verses, it is Isaac who possesses this oasis, not Ishmael:
"And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahai-roi.
"Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham:
"And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
"And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,
"Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:
"These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.
"And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.
"And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren" (Genesis 25:11-18).
In the genealogy above, Ishmael is the father of Nebajoth and Kedar, said to be the "Nabatoei et Cedrei" mentioned by the Roman historian Pliny. They would correspond to the Nabateans of northern Arabia. Additionally, Dumah, Tema, Naphish and Kedemah have all lent their names to villages throughout Arabia. Their tribal strongholds reach from the Persian Gulf to Egypt ("… from Havilah unto Shur).
But it must be remembered that Kedar is given a special place in the Islamic claim to Abraham’s land grant. Because of this fact, he may be considered a metaphor for Islam, itself. This study will make it clear that this is indeed, the case.
Today, the Islamic movement is growing exponentially. Over a billion and a half strong, it is increasingly wielding its force upon the world’s stage. It would be strange, therefore, if we didn’t find Islam in the biblical prophecies that speak of the latter days.
Merchants of Tarshish
On that note, we return to Ezekiel’s prophecy concerning the reaction of Sheba and Dedan to Gog’s southward advance. As earlier noted, they question his motives, most likely inquiring through diplomatic channels whether or not he is coming to take their riches.
But they do not act alone. They are affiliated with, "… the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof" (Ezk. 38:13).
Concerning this group, there is no mystery at all. Tarshish is the biblical term for the West. Some have positively identified it as the modern city of Tortosa, on the Spanish east coast. Others have placed it as far north as the ancient seaport of Roman Londinium, today’s London, England. However, it describes not a single location, but the world outside ancient Israel.
The merchants of Tarshish began as the ancient Phoenician traders, whose ships circled the Mediterranean and exited it through the Strait of Gibraltar, before sailing northward toward ports in the territory we now call Europe. They also sailed southward around Africa’s west coast, then around its southern cape, before heading toward the ports of call in the east, where the silk and spice trade awaited them.
Some sources say that they sailed as far west as the future territories of North and South America. These merchants were the early global traders. Tarshish is the generic term for their trade in the world at large. Going west meant leaving the Holy Land and the will of God, as when Jonah refused a direct order from the Lord:
"Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
"But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD" (Jonah 1:1-3).
The prophet Jonah was told to go to Nineveh, a trip that would take him by land, via the trade routes that led northeast. But he knew that Nineveh was a cruel and godless place. He would have nothing to do with taking the Lord’s word there.
So he headed to a place where he thought God would never find him. He fled to Tarshish. He probably wanted to live out the rest of his days there, in the blissful tropics of the western Mediterranean. Maybe he wanted to go even farther – to a place where, even if God found him, it would be too far to return.
This is Tarshish, the Old Testament term for the far-flung continents of the Gentiles. The princes of ancient Tyre, whom we now call Phoenicians, established the precedents of international trade. Their methods of banking and credit, of sales and management would grow through the centuries to become today’s international banking complex, with its fleets of ships, planes and real-time global monetary system.
The entire chapter of Ezekiel 27 is devoted to a lament over the fall of this great system. Indeed, this is one of the Bible’s dominant themes. In the third verse, the tone is set:
"And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty" (Ezekiel 27:3).
Ezekiel’s view of Tyre’s trade routes expands to take in virtually the entirety of the ancient civilized world:
"Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs.
"Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market.
"They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules.
"The men of Dedan were thy merchants; many isles were the merchandise of thine hand: they brought thee for a present horns of ivory and ebony.
"Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making: they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate.
"Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants: they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm.
"Damascus was thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making, for the multitude of all riches; in the wine of Helbon, and white wool.
"Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market.
"Dedan was thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots.
"Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats: in these were they thy merchants.
"The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy merchants: they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold.
"Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Assur, and Chilmad, were thy merchants" (Ezekiel 27:12-23).
The traders listed above ranged from the Ionians to the Scythians. (And remember, Meshech is in today’s western Russia.) Togarmah – today’s Armenia and Turkey – met with the ancient tribe of Dedan. Even then, they headed up large traveling caravans of goods, borne to the ancient seaports where trade could be established. Above, we discover Dedan specialized in the riding clothes of charioteers.
Syria, Judah and Israel are prominently mentioned. It should also be recalled that Hiram, king of Tyre provided the bulk of the materials for the construction of Solomon’s Temple.
The princes of Kedar represented Arabia. Raamah, a son of Cush, was father to Sheba and Dedan. Ptolemaic history places Raamah on the Persian Gulf in eastern Arabia. But again, it should be kept in mind that Arabic tribes, given to constant travel, are difficult to link to any particular geographic location.
Finally, Ezekiel mentions the merchants of Mesopotamia, Assyria and Nineveh.
The system of Tarshish brought them all together. Down through the years, the old and established trade routes expanded and strengthened. Many times, they changed hands, but have remained the same, right down to the present era.
The wooden ships of the Dutch East India company followed the very sea lanes habituated by the Phoenicians. In the era of the worldwide British Empire, their ships reigned supreme along the same, identical routes.
As sailing skills improved, traders and men of war took to the high seas. Wooden ships were replaced by iron steamers. Today, millions of shipping containers are taken from truck beds and placed aboard trains and diesel cargo vessels, where they cross the sea, to disembark onto identical truck beds in other countries.
Big Oil
But there was one commodity that the ancient traders never thought of shipping: energy. Today, tankers take millions of barrels of oil and tons of liquefied natural gas to every port in the world. It’s no mystery to anyone that the production and distribution of oil are the number one political concern in the world today.
The twentieth century witnessed the world’s first oil boom. It began in America’s eastern states. But it literally exploded in the central part of the country, in the state of Oklahoma, where a shallow supply of sweet crude blasted the world into an oil race that continues to this day. It has been rightly said that more gold came out of Oklahoma’s Glen Pool than from all the gold mines in California.
But this was only the preparation phase of the oil rush that took place in the Middle East. Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1918, Britain and France cut up the Middle East like a pie. In 1922, Ibn Saud created the empire of Saudi Arabia. He was a British ally, who valued his new connection with the European powers. The Bedouin had become a king.
At that point, oil was not a factor in global politics, even though it had been discovered in Persia in 1903.
But thirty years later – in 1938 – oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia. The British were already in place to take advantage of the situation. British Petroleum became heir to an enormous supply of wealth. In rapid succession, oil was discovered in other states around the Persian Gulf. One after another, they sprang to wealth.
Petroleum wealth gave the sheikhs and emirs untold riches. As good as this seemed to them, they soon discovered that their riches locked them into a marriage of convenience with the West. In order to retain their hold on a growing fortune, they were forced to preserve their ties with the West’s production technology and distribution systems. Thus, they had to walk a tightrope between their Islamic past and their increasingly technological present.
For their part, the British and later, the Americans, discovered that they were locked into a conflict between Arab nationalism and the march of Zionism. Following the Balfour Declaration and World Wars I & II, Israel became a nation. France departed the region after the Second World War, leaving British and American oil interests with a problem that they could not resolve. Nor could they free themselves from its clutches.
In the 1950s, the powers of Europe released direct control of the region. As the oil industry increased in global importance, the United States became the dominant energy entrepreneur. American oil developers brought immeasurable wealth to Islam. Growing religious zealotry was fueled by seemingly unlimited oil. Soon, the region was rocked by revolutions in Egypt, Syria, Libya and Iraq.
Today, the U.S. and its allies of the West are defenders of both the wealthy monarchies of the Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emerites, and the State of Israel. This is indeed, a conundrum for all concerned. In a delicate balance of world oil pricing, Islamic zealotry and conflicting nationalism, the U.S. is centrally poised in perhaps the most critical balancing act in history.
The Mystery Solved
Thus, the merchants of Tarshish, the Bible’s symbol for the latter-day complex of trading nations, are inextricably linked with the emirs of Arabia. It is from this conflicted situation that Sheba and Dedan (in league with the global merchants) ask, "Are you, O Gog, coming to take our wealth?" Also present are the "young lions." These would be the latter-day partners in global trade, whose riches have catapulted them to world power.
Earlier, we mentioned that one of the ancient Arab tribes – Kedar – was very likely a metaphor for Islam, itself. Kedar has become known for its amazingly successful strategy of playing both ends against the middle. Shrewd Arab traders who, in the last few centuries have become unified around Islam, have long valued the principle of "divide and conquer."
They quietly inject themselves into a society. Then, when their numbers become sufficient, agitate for equality, and finally, supremacy. Their credo holds that if you are not with us, you’re against us.
Now, they have learned to incorporate energy wealth and Western technology into their struggle for dominance. This has come to include what are called WMDs – weapons of mass destruction.
Chemical gasses, biological terror and nuclear power are all at their fingertips. And since the 1950s, the Russians have sent their "advisors" to assist in the process of bringing Islamic tribal nomads into the nuclear age. This goes on even to the present moment. In a very real sense, the Arabs have learned to play the antagonists of the old Cold War – Russia and the U.S. – against each other.
A remarkable Psalm brings this fact into focus … from the Israeli point of view:
"A Song of degrees.
"In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.
"Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.
"What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue?
"Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.
"Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!
"My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace.
"I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war" (Psalm 120:1-7).
The seven verses of this Psalm are a succinct and heart-rending expression of the awful truth. The word "Mesech" has precisely the same Hebrew spelling as "Meshech" in Ezekiel 38. In other words, it is the spectre of Russia that is invoked here.
This Psalm is Israel’s lament that Russia and Islam are wholly given over to war. They lie with impunity and bare their weapons for the purpose of forcing foreign policy. But in the end, Islam will turn against itself, as the Russian alliance charges south.
And so, the mystery is solved. Sheba and Dedan seem best described by the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and a few other Arabian partners. Because of their commitments to the U.S. over the last seventy years, they will continue to side with the West … the merchants of Tarshish, including the U.S.
Right up until the time of the great invasion from the north, Arab determination to produce and sell oil will win out over their desire to be good Islamists. The present Saudi monarch, Abdullah Al-Saud holds exactly this position.
To the contrary, other Islamic factions have already aligned themselves with Russia, making Islam a house divided. When Russia is finally dragged into the Middle East on a full-scale basis, the illusion of Islam as a united force will be shattered. Israel will emerge as the victor.
Concerning Gog’s fate, Ezekiel writes:
"And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
"Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
"Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
"And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD" (Ezekiel 39:3-6).
A war is coming. Call it World War III. It will begin in the Middle East, but will extend to "the isles." This is the biblical way of expressing the idea of other continents. One of them may well be North America. Currently, we are the head of the nations, situated in the Western Hemisphere, far from the center of the action. But our alliance with Sheba and Dedan makes us as much a target as if we were located in the Middle East. by Gary Stearman
The opening phase of the assault apparently meets only a moderate, diplomatic resistance. And here, the story is of great contemporary interest, because of the Middle-Eastern power bloc that raises its voice against Gog’s forces.
We see this coalition of powers in Ezekiel 38:13, where it is shown in the act of questioning the leader of the invasion:
"Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?"
The invader’s forces are aimed at Israel, but involve the entire Middle East. Sheba and Dedan, aligned with a group of "merchants," are seen here questioning the motives of the northern aggressor. Since the powers represented by these names – Sheba and Dedan – seem to figure rather strongly among the latter-day world powers, they may very well have a message for us, today. But the question is, who are they, really?
As we examine their biblical history, we shall see that the Bible has much to say about their geographic locale, as well as their "personality" and "character." They are a tough and wily people, with a culture forged by the millennia of political and economic crosscurrents that have ranged across the ancient lands of the Bible.
The invasion that brings them to biblical prominence is, of course, the renowned battle of Gog, leader of the land of Magog. Sheba and Dedan have a specific reaction to the offensive from the north. We shall analyze it closely, noting that it contains clues to the disposition of world powers. As we do so, we shall see that they remind us of something that we are seeing at the present time.
The Russians Are Coming
It has been said that the only prophecy in the Bible that invokes a modern Gentile power by name is found in Ezekiel 38 and 39. There, we find Russia, called "Rosh" in the Hebrew of the Old Testament.
In the King James translation, its name is somewhat obscured, seen in the word, "chief" in the following passage:
"And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
"Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
"And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal" (Ezk. 38:1-3).
Virtually every other Bible translation follows the Hebrew text of verse two, which actually reads, "… prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal," [kc,u lan atr thab nasieh rosh, meshech v’tubal]. "Rosh" is a place name, rather than a positional title.
Today, any standard Hebrew text (such as a newspaper) refers to Russia by using the proper noun, "Rosh." Many authorities add that Meshech and Tubal are the names of Sycithian tribes, whose names have been standardized as modern place names.
Meshech is Russia’s capital, Moscow. Tubal is Tubalsk, a major Siberian city. Therefore, Magog is Russia. Its prince and leader is Gog. We know that throughout the twentieth century, Russia dabbled with the extension of its power into the Middle East. This prophecy tells us that one day in the future, they will take their desire a step further, in an actual invasion.
This being said, a question immediately comes to mind. Every student of the Bible has asked it more than once. Namely, when does all this occur?
First, Ezekiel writes that it happens in the "latter years," when Israel has "… come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people" (Ezekiel 38:8).
To further augment this idea, Israel is described as a "land of unwalled villages" (Ezekiel 38:11). This is the building style of today, not of the medieval or ancient eras, when even the smallest city was surrounded by a protective wall. The contemporary Israeli method of building does not include surrounding walls.
Finally, the text plainly states the time and the result of the battle:
"And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes" (Ezekiel 38:16).
Taking all this evidence, the clearest picture that emerges is one of Israel, regathered from the torments of its long diaspora. Ezekiel pictures the regathered Jews as dwelling in peace, but with a false sense of security. In short, we are given a picture of today’s Israel, not the Israel of the past.
The fact that they are living in relative peace also counters the possibility that the Russian invasion takes place during the Tribulation. This seven-year period is invariably depicted as a time of instability, characterized by earthquake, famine, disease and war. Thus, the alignment of nations, the geophysical description of Israel, and their sense of relative peace all weigh in favor of a pre-Tribulational event.
But to drive the point home, Ezekiel offers us another prophetic time marker of unusual clarity:
"And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
"For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
"So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground" (Ezekiel 38:18-20).
There is little doubt that these verses describe the initiation of the Tribulation. Take note of the phrase, "… at the same time." It is quite unusual to find any prophetic event so directly linked to a specific physical event. We are clearly told that when the Russians invade the Middle East, then the Tribulation will commence.
Furthermore, this time marker links Gog’s invasion with the unveiling of the Lord’s "fury." Note that the result is geologic upheaval, described elsewhere in Scripture as typical of the "Day of the Lord."
In the New Testament, we read about the same period. But most often another word is used. Instead of "fury," we find "wrath."
"For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Rev. 6:17).
The concluding book of the Bible makes it plain that the Tribulation begins with a war, just as described in Ezekiel. The sixth chapter of Revelation features the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" – they bring war, famine, economic collapse, and a deathly plague. Taken together, they are typical of a world war, in which there is a total breakdown of societal restraint, law, and infrastructure. It also tells us that victims will number in the millions, as in World Wars I & II.
This war, however, will dwarf the conflicts of the twentieth century. And to make matters worse, after the smoke clears, the Antichrist will arise as peacemaker, promising to bring a better world.
Sheba and Dedan at the Beginning
Now, let’s return to the beginning of Ezekiel’s battle. Gog and his allies charge southward toward Israel. As we have already seen, Sheba and Dedan react to the offensive, not with reprisals, but with a question:
"… Art thou come to take a spoil?"
In other words, they question Gog’s motives. Perhaps through diplomatic channels, they inquire as to his real intentions. They wish to know whether or not he desires to rob them of their riches. As we shall see, they are very rich. They are descended from Cush. We first see their names in Genesis, where they are mentioned as the sons of Cush, who was descended from Ham:
"And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan" (Genesis 10:7).
Historical authorities tell us that this genealogy is not complete. It has gaps, but it does serve to link the two tribal heads, Sheba and Dedan, with their earlier progenitors.
They were not always as wealthy as they are today. For centuries, people known as Sheba and Dedan were a wandering people, migrating back and forth through the desert wastes of Arabia. Their origins are ancient. The same two tribal names are directly linked to a much later time as offspring of Abraham, through Keturah:
"Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.
"And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
"And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
"And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
"And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.
"But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country" (Genesis 25:1-6).
This "east country" is Arabia. Technically, it lies east of ancient Ammon (modern Jordan) in the Saudi Arabian Penninsula.
First Chronicles features two genealogies that terminate with Sheba and Dedan. The first is a repeat of Genesis 10:7:
"And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan" (1 Chronicles 1:9).
The second genealogy repeats the Genesis 25 account of Abraham’s offspring through Keturah. Here, she is referred to as a concubine of Abraham:
"Now the sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine: she bare Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan; Sheba, and Dedan.
"And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Henoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these are the sons of Keturah" (1 Chonicles 1:32,33).
Many have called the Chronicles a spiritual biography. They place as much or more emphasis upon holiness, than they do upon mere genealogy. For this reason, Keturah is called Abraham’s concubine, because his real ketubah (marriage contract) applies to Sarah.
Keturah’s sons founded the tribes of Arabia. It was first said by the historian Ptolemy, that Zimran established the region of Zabram, just west of today’s Mecca.
The descendants of Jokshan have been loosely associated with Arabian tribes on the eastern side of the Arabian Penninsula.
Medan and Midian are thought to have been neighbors, on the western side of the peninsula. Medan is the Hebrew word for "strife."
The land of Midian, of course, offered safe haven for Moses, when he fled from the Egyptians. There, he encountered the hospitality of Jethro, and became a shepherd in the vicinity of Mount Horeb, the Mountain of God. Though he found refuge there for forty years, the territory was always hostile to Israel. Of Ishbak and Shuah, little is known. Their territory is thought to have been close to the Midianites.
The Arabian culture began with a long journey eastward. They ranged eastward to the Persian Gulf, northward to ancient Persia and Assyria and southwestward across the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. They became expert at surviving in the desert, as nomadic traders whose lives were built around a few village oases that were sprinkled across trackless wastes.
They lived by the sword, defending their trade routes and caravans from competing tribes. To this day, that is their mentality. They are shrewd traders who twist the truth, when necessary to complete a business deal.
Dedan, the Brother
Brother to Sheba and grandson to Abraham, Dedan is an important patriarch of the Arab tribes. His sons are the Asshurim (unrelated to Asshur, son of Shem), the Letushim and the Leummim. Their territories are unknown, except by indirect reference. This is true of most Arab tribes, since until recent times, they were nomadic, traveling from one trading site to another, lodging in a widespread network of oases. For centuries, territory was less important to them than trade.
In the following scripture, Isaiah depicts Dedan in this very setting:
"The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim.
"The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled.
"For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.
"For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:
"And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the LORD God of Israel hath spoken it" (Isa. 21:13-17).
Like most Arab tribes, Dedan is not known as a power associated with any particular geographic area. But in this quotation from Isaiah, he is associated with Tema. It is probably the modern city of Tayma, located about two hundred miles north of Medina.
Also mentioned in this prophecy against Arabia is the power known as "Kedar." As long ago as the seventh century, B.C., the chronicles of the Assyrian King Ashurbanipal mention a battle against Kedar. This would make central-to-northern Arabia the region most likely to be the homeland of this tribe. Thus, even though Arab literature is not known before the rise of Islam in the seventh century A.D., Kedar is indirectly recognized as a power to be reckoned with a thousand years earlier.
But there is another fact that makes Kedar most interesting. His authority and position are recognized by Islam, itself, whose biographers make careful note of his lineage. Kedar, they say, dates back to Abraham through Ishmael. In this way, they make themselves the inheritors of the Holy Land.
However, in the Scripture below, there is a clear reference to the disposition of Ishmael. It should be recalled that when Hagar and Ishmael fled to the desert after leaving Abraham’s home, they came to the well Lahai-roi. There, the angel of the Lord told them that Ishmael’s descendants would become a multitude.
Later, as illustrated by the following verses, it is Isaac who possesses this oasis, not Ishmael:
"And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahai-roi.
"Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham:
"And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
"And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,
"Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:
"These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.
"And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.
"And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren" (Genesis 25:11-18).
In the genealogy above, Ishmael is the father of Nebajoth and Kedar, said to be the "Nabatoei et Cedrei" mentioned by the Roman historian Pliny. They would correspond to the Nabateans of northern Arabia. Additionally, Dumah, Tema, Naphish and Kedemah have all lent their names to villages throughout Arabia. Their tribal strongholds reach from the Persian Gulf to Egypt ("… from Havilah unto Shur).
But it must be remembered that Kedar is given a special place in the Islamic claim to Abraham’s land grant. Because of this fact, he may be considered a metaphor for Islam, itself. This study will make it clear that this is indeed, the case.
Today, the Islamic movement is growing exponentially. Over a billion and a half strong, it is increasingly wielding its force upon the world’s stage. It would be strange, therefore, if we didn’t find Islam in the biblical prophecies that speak of the latter days.
Merchants of Tarshish
On that note, we return to Ezekiel’s prophecy concerning the reaction of Sheba and Dedan to Gog’s southward advance. As earlier noted, they question his motives, most likely inquiring through diplomatic channels whether or not he is coming to take their riches.
But they do not act alone. They are affiliated with, "… the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof" (Ezk. 38:13).
Concerning this group, there is no mystery at all. Tarshish is the biblical term for the West. Some have positively identified it as the modern city of Tortosa, on the Spanish east coast. Others have placed it as far north as the ancient seaport of Roman Londinium, today’s London, England. However, it describes not a single location, but the world outside ancient Israel.
The merchants of Tarshish began as the ancient Phoenician traders, whose ships circled the Mediterranean and exited it through the Strait of Gibraltar, before sailing northward toward ports in the territory we now call Europe. They also sailed southward around Africa’s west coast, then around its southern cape, before heading toward the ports of call in the east, where the silk and spice trade awaited them.
Some sources say that they sailed as far west as the future territories of North and South America. These merchants were the early global traders. Tarshish is the generic term for their trade in the world at large. Going west meant leaving the Holy Land and the will of God, as when Jonah refused a direct order from the Lord:
"Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
"But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD" (Jonah 1:1-3).
The prophet Jonah was told to go to Nineveh, a trip that would take him by land, via the trade routes that led northeast. But he knew that Nineveh was a cruel and godless place. He would have nothing to do with taking the Lord’s word there.
So he headed to a place where he thought God would never find him. He fled to Tarshish. He probably wanted to live out the rest of his days there, in the blissful tropics of the western Mediterranean. Maybe he wanted to go even farther – to a place where, even if God found him, it would be too far to return.
This is Tarshish, the Old Testament term for the far-flung continents of the Gentiles. The princes of ancient Tyre, whom we now call Phoenicians, established the precedents of international trade. Their methods of banking and credit, of sales and management would grow through the centuries to become today’s international banking complex, with its fleets of ships, planes and real-time global monetary system.
The entire chapter of Ezekiel 27 is devoted to a lament over the fall of this great system. Indeed, this is one of the Bible’s dominant themes. In the third verse, the tone is set:
"And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty" (Ezekiel 27:3).
Ezekiel’s view of Tyre’s trade routes expands to take in virtually the entirety of the ancient civilized world:
"Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs.
"Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market.
"They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules.
"The men of Dedan were thy merchants; many isles were the merchandise of thine hand: they brought thee for a present horns of ivory and ebony.
"Syria was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making: they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate.
"Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants: they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm.
"Damascus was thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making, for the multitude of all riches; in the wine of Helbon, and white wool.
"Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market.
"Dedan was thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots.
"Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats: in these were they thy merchants.
"The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy merchants: they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold.
"Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Assur, and Chilmad, were thy merchants" (Ezekiel 27:12-23).
The traders listed above ranged from the Ionians to the Scythians. (And remember, Meshech is in today’s western Russia.) Togarmah – today’s Armenia and Turkey – met with the ancient tribe of Dedan. Even then, they headed up large traveling caravans of goods, borne to the ancient seaports where trade could be established. Above, we discover Dedan specialized in the riding clothes of charioteers.
Syria, Judah and Israel are prominently mentioned. It should also be recalled that Hiram, king of Tyre provided the bulk of the materials for the construction of Solomon’s Temple.
The princes of Kedar represented Arabia. Raamah, a son of Cush, was father to Sheba and Dedan. Ptolemaic history places Raamah on the Persian Gulf in eastern Arabia. But again, it should be kept in mind that Arabic tribes, given to constant travel, are difficult to link to any particular geographic location.
Finally, Ezekiel mentions the merchants of Mesopotamia, Assyria and Nineveh.
The system of Tarshish brought them all together. Down through the years, the old and established trade routes expanded and strengthened. Many times, they changed hands, but have remained the same, right down to the present era.
The wooden ships of the Dutch East India company followed the very sea lanes habituated by the Phoenicians. In the era of the worldwide British Empire, their ships reigned supreme along the same, identical routes.
As sailing skills improved, traders and men of war took to the high seas. Wooden ships were replaced by iron steamers. Today, millions of shipping containers are taken from truck beds and placed aboard trains and diesel cargo vessels, where they cross the sea, to disembark onto identical truck beds in other countries.
Big Oil
But there was one commodity that the ancient traders never thought of shipping: energy. Today, tankers take millions of barrels of oil and tons of liquefied natural gas to every port in the world. It’s no mystery to anyone that the production and distribution of oil are the number one political concern in the world today.
The twentieth century witnessed the world’s first oil boom. It began in America’s eastern states. But it literally exploded in the central part of the country, in the state of Oklahoma, where a shallow supply of sweet crude blasted the world into an oil race that continues to this day. It has been rightly said that more gold came out of Oklahoma’s Glen Pool than from all the gold mines in California.
But this was only the preparation phase of the oil rush that took place in the Middle East. Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1918, Britain and France cut up the Middle East like a pie. In 1922, Ibn Saud created the empire of Saudi Arabia. He was a British ally, who valued his new connection with the European powers. The Bedouin had become a king.
At that point, oil was not a factor in global politics, even though it had been discovered in Persia in 1903.
But thirty years later – in 1938 – oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia. The British were already in place to take advantage of the situation. British Petroleum became heir to an enormous supply of wealth. In rapid succession, oil was discovered in other states around the Persian Gulf. One after another, they sprang to wealth.
Petroleum wealth gave the sheikhs and emirs untold riches. As good as this seemed to them, they soon discovered that their riches locked them into a marriage of convenience with the West. In order to retain their hold on a growing fortune, they were forced to preserve their ties with the West’s production technology and distribution systems. Thus, they had to walk a tightrope between their Islamic past and their increasingly technological present.
For their part, the British and later, the Americans, discovered that they were locked into a conflict between Arab nationalism and the march of Zionism. Following the Balfour Declaration and World Wars I & II, Israel became a nation. France departed the region after the Second World War, leaving British and American oil interests with a problem that they could not resolve. Nor could they free themselves from its clutches.
In the 1950s, the powers of Europe released direct control of the region. As the oil industry increased in global importance, the United States became the dominant energy entrepreneur. American oil developers brought immeasurable wealth to Islam. Growing religious zealotry was fueled by seemingly unlimited oil. Soon, the region was rocked by revolutions in Egypt, Syria, Libya and Iraq.
Today, the U.S. and its allies of the West are defenders of both the wealthy monarchies of the Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emerites, and the State of Israel. This is indeed, a conundrum for all concerned. In a delicate balance of world oil pricing, Islamic zealotry and conflicting nationalism, the U.S. is centrally poised in perhaps the most critical balancing act in history.
The Mystery Solved
Thus, the merchants of Tarshish, the Bible’s symbol for the latter-day complex of trading nations, are inextricably linked with the emirs of Arabia. It is from this conflicted situation that Sheba and Dedan (in league with the global merchants) ask, "Are you, O Gog, coming to take our wealth?" Also present are the "young lions." These would be the latter-day partners in global trade, whose riches have catapulted them to world power.
Earlier, we mentioned that one of the ancient Arab tribes – Kedar – was very likely a metaphor for Islam, itself. Kedar has become known for its amazingly successful strategy of playing both ends against the middle. Shrewd Arab traders who, in the last few centuries have become unified around Islam, have long valued the principle of "divide and conquer."
They quietly inject themselves into a society. Then, when their numbers become sufficient, agitate for equality, and finally, supremacy. Their credo holds that if you are not with us, you’re against us.
Now, they have learned to incorporate energy wealth and Western technology into their struggle for dominance. This has come to include what are called WMDs – weapons of mass destruction.
Chemical gasses, biological terror and nuclear power are all at their fingertips. And since the 1950s, the Russians have sent their "advisors" to assist in the process of bringing Islamic tribal nomads into the nuclear age. This goes on even to the present moment. In a very real sense, the Arabs have learned to play the antagonists of the old Cold War – Russia and the U.S. – against each other.
A remarkable Psalm brings this fact into focus … from the Israeli point of view:
"A Song of degrees.
"In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.
"Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.
"What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue?
"Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.
"Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!
"My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace.
"I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war" (Psalm 120:1-7).
The seven verses of this Psalm are a succinct and heart-rending expression of the awful truth. The word "Mesech" has precisely the same Hebrew spelling as "Meshech" in Ezekiel 38. In other words, it is the spectre of Russia that is invoked here.
This Psalm is Israel’s lament that Russia and Islam are wholly given over to war. They lie with impunity and bare their weapons for the purpose of forcing foreign policy. But in the end, Islam will turn against itself, as the Russian alliance charges south.
And so, the mystery is solved. Sheba and Dedan seem best described by the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and a few other Arabian partners. Because of their commitments to the U.S. over the last seventy years, they will continue to side with the West … the merchants of Tarshish, including the U.S.
Right up until the time of the great invasion from the north, Arab determination to produce and sell oil will win out over their desire to be good Islamists. The present Saudi monarch, Abdullah Al-Saud holds exactly this position.
To the contrary, other Islamic factions have already aligned themselves with Russia, making Islam a house divided. When Russia is finally dragged into the Middle East on a full-scale basis, the illusion of Islam as a united force will be shattered. Israel will emerge as the victor.
Concerning Gog’s fate, Ezekiel writes:
"And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
"Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
"Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
"And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD" (Ezekiel 39:3-6).
A war is coming. Call it World War III. It will begin in the Middle East, but will extend to "the isles." This is the biblical way of expressing the idea of other continents. One of them may well be North America. Currently, we are the head of the nations, situated in the Western Hemisphere, far from the center of the action. But our alliance with Sheba and Dedan makes us as much a target as if we were located in the Middle East. by Gary Stearman
The Fateful Hour Has Arrived!
This past week, April 21, 2006, Iran presented the US with the ultimate challenge and Washington must now make a decision. Is it fighting to win?
Since the September 11 jihadist attacks on the US mainland, President George W. Bush has stated repeatedly that the greatest threat to global security is the specter of rogue regimes and terror groups acquiring weapons of mass destruction. At his January 2002 State of the Union address, the president declared that the regimes of Iran, North Korea and Iraq comprised an axis of evil and a central goal - indeed the most crucial goal - of the US-led war was to prevent them from acquiring or maintaining arsenals of weapons of mass destruction.
If we accept Bush's definition of the aims of the war, then five years on, the inescapable conclusion is that the US and its allies, such as they are, are losing this war and losing it badly. Iraq's arsenal of weapons of mass destruction was not captured by US forces who heroically brought down Saddam Hussein's regime three years ago this week. It vanished before they arrived.
Israeli intelligence reported before the US-led invasion that starting in late summer 2002 Saddam's WMD arsenal was shipped by truck convoy to Syria. Recently, documents seized from Iraq after the fall of the regime were released to the public. Those documents revealed that under the direct command of former Russian prime minister and KGB boss Yevgeny Primakov, Russian Spetnaz forces oversaw the transfer of Iraq's WMD to Syria ahead of the US-led invasion. These reports have been corroborated by Saddam's Air Vice Marshall General Georges Sada.
So rather than being destroyed or secured, Saddam's WMD arsenal was simply moved from one rogue regime with intimate ties to terror organizations to another rogue regime with intimate ties to terror organizations.
As for North Korea, 10 months after Bush labeled the Stalinist regime in Pyongyang a member of the axis of evil, North Korea announced that it had systematically breached its 1994 agreement with the US not to develop a nuclear arsenal and had harvested plutonium from some 8,000 spent fuel rods at its Russian-built Yangbon reactor. Immediately after the North Koreans admitted their duplicity, the US acknowledged that China, Russia and Pakistan had all actively assisted North Korea in developing its nuclear weapons program behind America's back.
So Bush was being played for a fool. A year after the September 11 attacks, America learned that neither its enemies nor its purported allies took Washington's war goals seriously. North Korea thumbed its nose at Bush, and Pakistan, China and Russia willfully betrayed him.
The Bush administration reacted to the ruin of its Asian strategy by pretending that it hadn't failed. Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and other top administration officials lauded Pakistan for its commitment to preventing North Korea from acquiring nuclear capabilities even as it became public knowledge that Islamabad had transferred centrifuges for uranium enrichment to the North Koreans. They said that China and Russia both knew that a nuclear-armed North Korea was inimical to their national interests and to global security even as neither Beijing nor Moscow expressed the slightest regret for their assistance to North Korea's nuclear program and gave no pledge to cease that assistance.
The Bush administration continued to negotiate with the North Koreans through the six-party framework with South Korea, Japan, China and Russia with the aim of convincing North Korea to stop developing nuclear weapons. Last February, this continued attempt to maintain a failed policy was exposed in all its preposterousness when North Korea announced that it had nuclear weapons. Again the US refused to acknowledge that its policy was a failure.
Last September, the US agreed to a South Korean proposal to offer North Korea aid and security guarantees in exchange for a commitment by Pyongyang to turn back the clock on its nuclear program. Pyongyang responded in November by cutting off all talks in the six-party forum.
This week, the US tried again to engage North Korea at a symposium in Tokyo. Pyongyang reacted by threatening America with destruction. North Korea's Defense Minister Kim Il Chol said last Saturday that in the event of a US strike on the country, North Korea, "will mobilize its political-ideological might and military potentials built up generation after generation and mercilessly wipe out the enemies and thus viciously conclude the stand-off with the US."
The US chief negotiator, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, responded to Pyongyang's call to obliterate America by saying, "We've got the right format, the right deal on the table - the September deal - so we have to be a little patient and realize that this is the right approach."
But the right approach to what? It may be the right approach for allowing North Korea to humiliate the US while expanding its nuclear arsenal and selling missile technology to Iran, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Saudi Arabia and anyone else who wants it. It is the right approach for placing Washington at the mercy of Beijing, which Washington believes is the only country capable of forcing North Korea to improve its behavior. It is also the right approach for ensuring that Russia, China and Pakistan believe that they can betray the trust of the US whenever it suits their purposes. It is the right approach to take, that is, if the US wishes to fail in its mission of preventing rogue regimes from acquiring and maintaining weapons of mass destruction.
It is not, however the right approach for ending North Korea's nuclear adventure. It is not the right approach for forcing North Korea to stop selling ballistic missiles to anyone who wants them. And it is not the right approach for destroying Pyongyang's ability to threaten the US and its allies with nuclear attack.
North Korea is a frightful place. It is led by a fanatical regime that carries out a systematic, monstrous genocide of its own people. It is fully capable of acting with deliberate malice and devastating depravity on an international level.
But it is alone. It has no vital natural resources that make it an attractive trading partner to states throughout the world. It does not lead, nor does it purport to lead a global movement of Stalinist millenarianism.
It is not like Iran.
IRAN ANNOUNCED this week that it is a member of the nuclear club. Over the past five years this new member of the nuclear club has become the undisputed leader of the global jihad. It controls Hizbullah and Islamic Jihad. It has open and warm ties with al-Qaida. It has transformed Hamas and Fatah into its clients. Syria has become its vassal. It controls the majority of Iraq's Shi'ite politicians and militias. It is feared by Saudi Arabia and Egypt. It is respected and revered by European Muslims.
With the largest proven reserves of natural gas in the world and huge deposits of crude oil, Teheran is flushed with oil and gas profits and has recently signed multi-billion dollar oil and gas deals with China. It has close business relations with Europe and Russia. It is a member of OPEC. And it is led by men who believe that they are living in a messianic age which demands millenarian behavior on the road to divine victory on earth.
Iran, the single greatest enemy of the US and everything it stands for, which has repeatedly stated its goal of destroying America and erasing Israel from the map of the world, is now on the verge of acquiring a nuclear arsenal. It already has delivery systems capable of launching nuclear strikes against Israel and most of Western Europe. Through its own Revolutionary Guards units, Hizbullah and its other terror clients, it has been actively warring against the US for 27 years.
Iran made its fastest leaps towards nuclear capabilities since the September 11 attacks. When in late 2002 Iran's secret nuclear facilities in Natanz, Arak and Isfahan were revealed to the world, the US reacted not by moving to destroy this emerging threat which it acknowledged to be the greatest threat to its own national security and to the security of the world. It reacted by backing Britain, Germany and France's attempts to appease the mullahs into giving up their nuclear weapons program.
The Europeans' diplomacy never had any chance of ending the Iranian program. Iran did not embark on it nuclear weapons program in order to be bought off but in order to have a nuclear arsenal. Yet Washington complimented the Europeans' worthless summitry by clearly signaling that Iran had no reason to worry about US military intervention. This it did by studiously ignoring the fact that Iran was actively warring against US forces in Iraq and flooding Iraq with its agents, spies and weapons.
To date, the US's official policy for contending with Iran is to seek redress in the UN Security Council. That is, the US has placed the responsibility for meeting what it has itself admitted is the greatest threat to global security in the hands of nations that do not share its assessment of Iran. By seeking Security Council action on Iran, the US has delegated the power for contending with the Iranian nuclear threat to China and Russia which have both assisted Iran in developing its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Like its policy towards North Korea, the US's policy towards Iran serves not to thwart Teheran's nuclear aspirations but to facilitate them. It serves not to expand America's options for contending with this grave and gathering threat to its national security and global interests, but to limit them.
After the September 11 attacks, George W. Bush was revered by Americans and lovers of liberty around the world. His soaring rhetoric and stated determination to fight for all that is good and sacred in this world won the hearts of millions and instilled in them the hope that the great battle for civilization had been joined by a force capable of defending it.
America is the greatest nation on Earth and it does have the ability to defend the world against regimes like Iran and its allies. It can prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. It can take those weapons out of North Korea's hands. It can bring Damascus to its knees and force it to cough up Iraq's arsenal of pathogens. And no, military might is not the only way for it to accomplish these tasks.
But America cannot, and it will not accomplish any of these goals if it continues to abide by strategies and frameworks that serve only to strengthen its enemies and permit its "allies" to behave perfidiously. It cannot and will not defend the world from evil, demonic regimes like Iran's if it continues to allow the likes of the EU, Russia, Egypt and China to undercut its will at every turn.
This week Teheran threw down the gauntlet. The greatest battle of this war - the battle to prevent the world's most dangerous regime from attaining the most dangerous weapons known to man - has begun. The moment has arrived for President George W. Bush to make clear if he is, in the final analysis, the leader of the free world or its undertaker.
Jerusalem Post
Since the September 11 jihadist attacks on the US mainland, President George W. Bush has stated repeatedly that the greatest threat to global security is the specter of rogue regimes and terror groups acquiring weapons of mass destruction. At his January 2002 State of the Union address, the president declared that the regimes of Iran, North Korea and Iraq comprised an axis of evil and a central goal - indeed the most crucial goal - of the US-led war was to prevent them from acquiring or maintaining arsenals of weapons of mass destruction.
If we accept Bush's definition of the aims of the war, then five years on, the inescapable conclusion is that the US and its allies, such as they are, are losing this war and losing it badly. Iraq's arsenal of weapons of mass destruction was not captured by US forces who heroically brought down Saddam Hussein's regime three years ago this week. It vanished before they arrived.
Israeli intelligence reported before the US-led invasion that starting in late summer 2002 Saddam's WMD arsenal was shipped by truck convoy to Syria. Recently, documents seized from Iraq after the fall of the regime were released to the public. Those documents revealed that under the direct command of former Russian prime minister and KGB boss Yevgeny Primakov, Russian Spetnaz forces oversaw the transfer of Iraq's WMD to Syria ahead of the US-led invasion. These reports have been corroborated by Saddam's Air Vice Marshall General Georges Sada.
So rather than being destroyed or secured, Saddam's WMD arsenal was simply moved from one rogue regime with intimate ties to terror organizations to another rogue regime with intimate ties to terror organizations.
As for North Korea, 10 months after Bush labeled the Stalinist regime in Pyongyang a member of the axis of evil, North Korea announced that it had systematically breached its 1994 agreement with the US not to develop a nuclear arsenal and had harvested plutonium from some 8,000 spent fuel rods at its Russian-built Yangbon reactor. Immediately after the North Koreans admitted their duplicity, the US acknowledged that China, Russia and Pakistan had all actively assisted North Korea in developing its nuclear weapons program behind America's back.
So Bush was being played for a fool. A year after the September 11 attacks, America learned that neither its enemies nor its purported allies took Washington's war goals seriously. North Korea thumbed its nose at Bush, and Pakistan, China and Russia willfully betrayed him.
The Bush administration reacted to the ruin of its Asian strategy by pretending that it hadn't failed. Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and other top administration officials lauded Pakistan for its commitment to preventing North Korea from acquiring nuclear capabilities even as it became public knowledge that Islamabad had transferred centrifuges for uranium enrichment to the North Koreans. They said that China and Russia both knew that a nuclear-armed North Korea was inimical to their national interests and to global security even as neither Beijing nor Moscow expressed the slightest regret for their assistance to North Korea's nuclear program and gave no pledge to cease that assistance.
The Bush administration continued to negotiate with the North Koreans through the six-party framework with South Korea, Japan, China and Russia with the aim of convincing North Korea to stop developing nuclear weapons. Last February, this continued attempt to maintain a failed policy was exposed in all its preposterousness when North Korea announced that it had nuclear weapons. Again the US refused to acknowledge that its policy was a failure.
Last September, the US agreed to a South Korean proposal to offer North Korea aid and security guarantees in exchange for a commitment by Pyongyang to turn back the clock on its nuclear program. Pyongyang responded in November by cutting off all talks in the six-party forum.
This week, the US tried again to engage North Korea at a symposium in Tokyo. Pyongyang reacted by threatening America with destruction. North Korea's Defense Minister Kim Il Chol said last Saturday that in the event of a US strike on the country, North Korea, "will mobilize its political-ideological might and military potentials built up generation after generation and mercilessly wipe out the enemies and thus viciously conclude the stand-off with the US."
The US chief negotiator, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, responded to Pyongyang's call to obliterate America by saying, "We've got the right format, the right deal on the table - the September deal - so we have to be a little patient and realize that this is the right approach."
But the right approach to what? It may be the right approach for allowing North Korea to humiliate the US while expanding its nuclear arsenal and selling missile technology to Iran, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Saudi Arabia and anyone else who wants it. It is the right approach for placing Washington at the mercy of Beijing, which Washington believes is the only country capable of forcing North Korea to improve its behavior. It is also the right approach for ensuring that Russia, China and Pakistan believe that they can betray the trust of the US whenever it suits their purposes. It is the right approach to take, that is, if the US wishes to fail in its mission of preventing rogue regimes from acquiring and maintaining weapons of mass destruction.
It is not, however the right approach for ending North Korea's nuclear adventure. It is not the right approach for forcing North Korea to stop selling ballistic missiles to anyone who wants them. And it is not the right approach for destroying Pyongyang's ability to threaten the US and its allies with nuclear attack.
North Korea is a frightful place. It is led by a fanatical regime that carries out a systematic, monstrous genocide of its own people. It is fully capable of acting with deliberate malice and devastating depravity on an international level.
But it is alone. It has no vital natural resources that make it an attractive trading partner to states throughout the world. It does not lead, nor does it purport to lead a global movement of Stalinist millenarianism.
It is not like Iran.
IRAN ANNOUNCED this week that it is a member of the nuclear club. Over the past five years this new member of the nuclear club has become the undisputed leader of the global jihad. It controls Hizbullah and Islamic Jihad. It has open and warm ties with al-Qaida. It has transformed Hamas and Fatah into its clients. Syria has become its vassal. It controls the majority of Iraq's Shi'ite politicians and militias. It is feared by Saudi Arabia and Egypt. It is respected and revered by European Muslims.
With the largest proven reserves of natural gas in the world and huge deposits of crude oil, Teheran is flushed with oil and gas profits and has recently signed multi-billion dollar oil and gas deals with China. It has close business relations with Europe and Russia. It is a member of OPEC. And it is led by men who believe that they are living in a messianic age which demands millenarian behavior on the road to divine victory on earth.
Iran, the single greatest enemy of the US and everything it stands for, which has repeatedly stated its goal of destroying America and erasing Israel from the map of the world, is now on the verge of acquiring a nuclear arsenal. It already has delivery systems capable of launching nuclear strikes against Israel and most of Western Europe. Through its own Revolutionary Guards units, Hizbullah and its other terror clients, it has been actively warring against the US for 27 years.
Iran made its fastest leaps towards nuclear capabilities since the September 11 attacks. When in late 2002 Iran's secret nuclear facilities in Natanz, Arak and Isfahan were revealed to the world, the US reacted not by moving to destroy this emerging threat which it acknowledged to be the greatest threat to its own national security and to the security of the world. It reacted by backing Britain, Germany and France's attempts to appease the mullahs into giving up their nuclear weapons program.
The Europeans' diplomacy never had any chance of ending the Iranian program. Iran did not embark on it nuclear weapons program in order to be bought off but in order to have a nuclear arsenal. Yet Washington complimented the Europeans' worthless summitry by clearly signaling that Iran had no reason to worry about US military intervention. This it did by studiously ignoring the fact that Iran was actively warring against US forces in Iraq and flooding Iraq with its agents, spies and weapons.
To date, the US's official policy for contending with Iran is to seek redress in the UN Security Council. That is, the US has placed the responsibility for meeting what it has itself admitted is the greatest threat to global security in the hands of nations that do not share its assessment of Iran. By seeking Security Council action on Iran, the US has delegated the power for contending with the Iranian nuclear threat to China and Russia which have both assisted Iran in developing its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Like its policy towards North Korea, the US's policy towards Iran serves not to thwart Teheran's nuclear aspirations but to facilitate them. It serves not to expand America's options for contending with this grave and gathering threat to its national security and global interests, but to limit them.
After the September 11 attacks, George W. Bush was revered by Americans and lovers of liberty around the world. His soaring rhetoric and stated determination to fight for all that is good and sacred in this world won the hearts of millions and instilled in them the hope that the great battle for civilization had been joined by a force capable of defending it.
America is the greatest nation on Earth and it does have the ability to defend the world against regimes like Iran and its allies. It can prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. It can take those weapons out of North Korea's hands. It can bring Damascus to its knees and force it to cough up Iraq's arsenal of pathogens. And no, military might is not the only way for it to accomplish these tasks.
But America cannot, and it will not accomplish any of these goals if it continues to abide by strategies and frameworks that serve only to strengthen its enemies and permit its "allies" to behave perfidiously. It cannot and will not defend the world from evil, demonic regimes like Iran's if it continues to allow the likes of the EU, Russia, Egypt and China to undercut its will at every turn.
This week Teheran threw down the gauntlet. The greatest battle of this war - the battle to prevent the world's most dangerous regime from attaining the most dangerous weapons known to man - has begun. The moment has arrived for President George W. Bush to make clear if he is, in the final analysis, the leader of the free world or its undertaker.
Jerusalem Post
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Who or What Is the "Restrainer" In 2 Thessalonians 2?
The beginning of 2 Thessalonians 2 makes it clear that at least two events will precede the advent of the "Day of the Lord": the arrival of the great apostasy and the unveiling of the "man of sin" (v. 3). Paul reminded the Thessalonians that he had taught them these truths when he had ministered among them previously.
In verses 6-12 the apostle went on to remind them of something else that they already knew, which is actually a third event that must precede the Day of the Lord. As he had written in verse 3, the revelation of the man of sin must take place first, but, in the meantime, there is something holding back the tide of lawlessness that will erupt when he is revealed. That restrainer must be removed before the man of sin appears in his diabolical role as arch-deceiver. What (or who) is this restrainer, and what will happen when it (or he) is removed?
" And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way." (vv. 6,7). Clarifying the identity of this "restrainer" is vital to a correct understanding of this passage and crucial for our understanding of end-time events. Before we attempt to identify what is keeping the man of sin from being revealed, we must note some important facts about these verses.
First, the present tense of verse 6 (i.e., "now you know what is restraining") shows that the arresting force or person was already in operation in Paul’s day. From this passage it is also clear that the restrainer will operate until the Antichrist appears on the scene.
Second, the restrainer is described with a neuter expression in verse 6 but with a masculine form in verse 7. This change indicates that the restrainer can be spoken of both as a thing and as a person.
Third, the restraining influence will be removed at the appropriate time. "His time" in verse 6 may be either God’s time or the Antichrist’s time. The emphasis, however, is that at an appointed time in the prophetic program, the restrainer will be removed, allowing the rebel to launch his rebellion publicly on the earth.
Thus far we have seen that there are actually three events that must precede the Day of the Lord. They are, in order, the apostasy, the removal of the restrainer, and the unveiling of the man of sin. Let us now attempt to more specifically identify what or who the restrainer is.
A number of proposals have been set forth as to the identity of the restrainer. Around 200 A.D., Tertullian suggested that it was the Roman Empire, particularly in its role of maintaining law and order. While Paul did affirm such a role for the higher powers mentioned in Romans 13:1-7 and Titus 3:1, it is doubtful that this is the correct interpretation because the Roman government faded 1,500 years ago, and the man of sin did not appear before then and still has not appeared. The predicted events simply did not occur.
Another similar interpretation is that the restrainer is the principle of human government in general, exercising its restraint on aberrant human behavior. This view is also doubtful because human government has often failed in restraining evil acts and at times has even encouraged them by its lack of moral restraints. Furthermore, the prophetic scriptures are clear that human governments will still be present after the advent of the man of sin. Consider, for example, the statements in Matthew 25:31 and following and Revelation 16:12-16. Governments will be in existence during the Day of the Lord.
Another novel idea that has emerged in recent years is that the restrainer is the Archangel Michael, who supposedly will "stand aside" and allow Israel to be persecuted during the "time of Jacob’s trouble" (Jer. 30:7). This view, however, first appeared in quasi-Christian magical papyri of the third century A.D. and has never been espoused by any reputable theologian. It is based on a total misunderstanding and erroneous translation of Daniel 12:1, which actually states just the opposite view—that Michael will "stand up" for Israel at that time, not abandon them.
If the restrainer can be described both in neuter and masculine ways and must have sufficient supernatural power to restrain the Satanic mystery of lawlessness, the Holy Spirit is the only person who fits all of these characteristics and is the best possible identity of the restrainer. The word "spirit" is neuter in its grammatical form ("pneuma") but describes one who is actually a person ("he" in vv. 6-7). But how does the Holy Spirit presently restrain the mystery of lawlessness? Through Christians, the body of Christ, whom He indwells and through whom He works in society to hold back the swelling tide of lawless living.
But how, then, will he "be taken out of the way" (v. 7) when the church leaves the earth in the Rapture? He will not be removed in a complete sense but in His unique ministry of restraining lawlessness through God’s people (see a parallel in Gen. 6:3). He will leave in the distinctive sense in which He came at Pentecost. Just as He was active in saving people before Acts 2, so He will be active during the Day of the Lord (see, for example, Rev. 7). But He will cease His restraining ministry through the church, since it will no longer exist on earth due to its having been raptured earlier.
The removal of the restrainer at the Rapture of the church must therefore precede the Day of the Lord—a truth confirmed by many other passages in the New Testament (e.g., John 14:1-3; 1 Thes. 5:9; Rev. 3:10). In the context of 2 Thessalonians 2, the readers should have known that they were not in the Tribulation period because the Rapture had not yet occurred. By William Varner
In verses 6-12 the apostle went on to remind them of something else that they already knew, which is actually a third event that must precede the Day of the Lord. As he had written in verse 3, the revelation of the man of sin must take place first, but, in the meantime, there is something holding back the tide of lawlessness that will erupt when he is revealed. That restrainer must be removed before the man of sin appears in his diabolical role as arch-deceiver. What (or who) is this restrainer, and what will happen when it (or he) is removed?
" And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way." (vv. 6,7). Clarifying the identity of this "restrainer" is vital to a correct understanding of this passage and crucial for our understanding of end-time events. Before we attempt to identify what is keeping the man of sin from being revealed, we must note some important facts about these verses.
First, the present tense of verse 6 (i.e., "now you know what is restraining") shows that the arresting force or person was already in operation in Paul’s day. From this passage it is also clear that the restrainer will operate until the Antichrist appears on the scene.
Second, the restrainer is described with a neuter expression in verse 6 but with a masculine form in verse 7. This change indicates that the restrainer can be spoken of both as a thing and as a person.
Third, the restraining influence will be removed at the appropriate time. "His time" in verse 6 may be either God’s time or the Antichrist’s time. The emphasis, however, is that at an appointed time in the prophetic program, the restrainer will be removed, allowing the rebel to launch his rebellion publicly on the earth.
Thus far we have seen that there are actually three events that must precede the Day of the Lord. They are, in order, the apostasy, the removal of the restrainer, and the unveiling of the man of sin. Let us now attempt to more specifically identify what or who the restrainer is.
A number of proposals have been set forth as to the identity of the restrainer. Around 200 A.D., Tertullian suggested that it was the Roman Empire, particularly in its role of maintaining law and order. While Paul did affirm such a role for the higher powers mentioned in Romans 13:1-7 and Titus 3:1, it is doubtful that this is the correct interpretation because the Roman government faded 1,500 years ago, and the man of sin did not appear before then and still has not appeared. The predicted events simply did not occur.
Another similar interpretation is that the restrainer is the principle of human government in general, exercising its restraint on aberrant human behavior. This view is also doubtful because human government has often failed in restraining evil acts and at times has even encouraged them by its lack of moral restraints. Furthermore, the prophetic scriptures are clear that human governments will still be present after the advent of the man of sin. Consider, for example, the statements in Matthew 25:31 and following and Revelation 16:12-16. Governments will be in existence during the Day of the Lord.
Another novel idea that has emerged in recent years is that the restrainer is the Archangel Michael, who supposedly will "stand aside" and allow Israel to be persecuted during the "time of Jacob’s trouble" (Jer. 30:7). This view, however, first appeared in quasi-Christian magical papyri of the third century A.D. and has never been espoused by any reputable theologian. It is based on a total misunderstanding and erroneous translation of Daniel 12:1, which actually states just the opposite view—that Michael will "stand up" for Israel at that time, not abandon them.
If the restrainer can be described both in neuter and masculine ways and must have sufficient supernatural power to restrain the Satanic mystery of lawlessness, the Holy Spirit is the only person who fits all of these characteristics and is the best possible identity of the restrainer. The word "spirit" is neuter in its grammatical form ("pneuma") but describes one who is actually a person ("he" in vv. 6-7). But how does the Holy Spirit presently restrain the mystery of lawlessness? Through Christians, the body of Christ, whom He indwells and through whom He works in society to hold back the swelling tide of lawless living.
But how, then, will he "be taken out of the way" (v. 7) when the church leaves the earth in the Rapture? He will not be removed in a complete sense but in His unique ministry of restraining lawlessness through God’s people (see a parallel in Gen. 6:3). He will leave in the distinctive sense in which He came at Pentecost. Just as He was active in saving people before Acts 2, so He will be active during the Day of the Lord (see, for example, Rev. 7). But He will cease His restraining ministry through the church, since it will no longer exist on earth due to its having been raptured earlier.
The removal of the restrainer at the Rapture of the church must therefore precede the Day of the Lord—a truth confirmed by many other passages in the New Testament (e.g., John 14:1-3; 1 Thes. 5:9; Rev. 3:10). In the context of 2 Thessalonians 2, the readers should have known that they were not in the Tribulation period because the Rapture had not yet occurred. By William Varner
I WILL PLANT THEM UPON THEIR LAND
Amos 9:1-15
THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF ESCAPING THE JUDGMENT OF THE LORD – 9:1-4
1. The POSITION of the Lord – 1a
“I saw the Lord standing upon the altar”
cf. Genesis 32:30; Isaiah 6:1ff
NOTE: Interestingly, it was Jeroboam I who led the ten northern tribes into idolatry with the golden calves at Dan and Bethel who (unlike other kings) performed the services at the altar and “stood by the altar to burn incense” – I Kings 12:32-33; 13:1.
The counterfeit is replaced by the real!
2. The PICTURE of the coming judgment - 1b
“Smite the lintel of the door that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them”
cf. Isaiah 6:4 – “and the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried”
3. The PURSUIT of the Lord in bringing His judgment upon them – 1c
“and I will slay the last of them with the sword; he hath fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.”
4. The PROBLEM of trying to hide from the coming judgment of the Lord – 2-4
(five illustrations – indicated by the word “though”)
a. There is no place where you can hide
(hell, heaven, Carmel, bottom of sea, or in captivity)
b. There is no possibility of escaping the hand or power of the Lord – 2
“Mine hand” “I will bring them down” v. 3 – “I will search and take them out “I command the serpent” v. 4 - “I command the sword” cf. Psalm 139:7-12
5. The PURPOSE of the Lord will not be thwarted or stopped – 4b
“and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good”
THE INABILITY OF ANYONE FACING THE POWER OF THE LORD – 9:5-6
1. His true IDENTITY should make that obvious - 6
“the Lord GOD of hosts”
“The LORD is His name” Hebrew: adonai yahveh sabioth
NOTE: Nine times Amos calls God “the LORD of hosts” – A. W. Tozer said:
“The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him.”
2. His continual INVOLVEMENT in His creation and His control should tell us of His enormous power!
“he that toucheth…buildeth… founded…calleth…poureth”
THE ILLUSTRATION OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE LORD – 9:7
“Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt?”
But, he must now regard them as the nations around them.
NOTE: An historical act (exodus from Egypt) of God can become a means of blessing but does not ever of itself convey the blessing.
THE INTENT OF THE LORD TOWARD HIS PEOPLE – 9:8-10
1. He will PUNISH the sinful kingdom
“the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom”
Heb. 4:13
2. He will PRESERVE the remnant of His people
“I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob”
3. He will PURIFY
“I will sift the house of Israel among the nations”
4. He will PROTECT the godly remnant
“yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth”
5. He will PROVE that He is a God of judgment and righteousness - 10
“All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword”
THE INTENT OF GOD FOR ISRAEL - AMOS 9:11-15
“in that day”
1. The PLACE of worship will be rebuilt - Amos 9:11
2. God’s PROMISE to David will be fulfilled!
NOTE: On the basis of this verse the Rabbis of the Talmud called the Messiah “Bar Naphli” (the son of the fallen). Read Acts 15:13-18.
3. God’s POWER will accomplish it!
“will I raise up…and close up” “I will build it as in the days of old”
4. The POSSESSION of the nations will be fulfilled! Amos 9:12
“which are called by My name” “the remnant of Edom”
Jordan will be back in the hands of Israel – Jacob and Esau will be re-united!
5. Agricultural PRODUCTIVITY will be amazing - Amos 9:13
“Behold, the days come”
6. The Jewish PEOPLE will return from captivity - Amos 9:14
“I will bring again the captivity of My people”
7. The PROMISE of God will never allow them to be uprooted from their land Amos 9:15
“I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.”
In spite of their sin and unbelief, God will be faithful to his promises!
Copyright © 2005 Dr. David Hocking - Hope For Today Ministries
THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF ESCAPING THE JUDGMENT OF THE LORD – 9:1-4
1. The POSITION of the Lord – 1a
“I saw the Lord standing upon the altar”
cf. Genesis 32:30; Isaiah 6:1ff
NOTE: Interestingly, it was Jeroboam I who led the ten northern tribes into idolatry with the golden calves at Dan and Bethel who (unlike other kings) performed the services at the altar and “stood by the altar to burn incense” – I Kings 12:32-33; 13:1.
The counterfeit is replaced by the real!
2. The PICTURE of the coming judgment - 1b
“Smite the lintel of the door that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them”
cf. Isaiah 6:4 – “and the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried”
3. The PURSUIT of the Lord in bringing His judgment upon them – 1c
“and I will slay the last of them with the sword; he hath fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.”
4. The PROBLEM of trying to hide from the coming judgment of the Lord – 2-4
(five illustrations – indicated by the word “though”)
a. There is no place where you can hide
(hell, heaven, Carmel, bottom of sea, or in captivity)
b. There is no possibility of escaping the hand or power of the Lord – 2
“Mine hand” “I will bring them down” v. 3 – “I will search and take them out “I command the serpent” v. 4 - “I command the sword” cf. Psalm 139:7-12
5. The PURPOSE of the Lord will not be thwarted or stopped – 4b
“and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good”
THE INABILITY OF ANYONE FACING THE POWER OF THE LORD – 9:5-6
1. His true IDENTITY should make that obvious - 6
“the Lord GOD of hosts”
“The LORD is His name” Hebrew: adonai yahveh sabioth
NOTE: Nine times Amos calls God “the LORD of hosts” – A. W. Tozer said:
“The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him.”
2. His continual INVOLVEMENT in His creation and His control should tell us of His enormous power!
“he that toucheth…buildeth… founded…calleth…poureth”
THE ILLUSTRATION OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE LORD – 9:7
“Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt?”
But, he must now regard them as the nations around them.
NOTE: An historical act (exodus from Egypt) of God can become a means of blessing but does not ever of itself convey the blessing.
THE INTENT OF THE LORD TOWARD HIS PEOPLE – 9:8-10
1. He will PUNISH the sinful kingdom
“the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom”
Heb. 4:13
2. He will PRESERVE the remnant of His people
“I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob”
3. He will PURIFY
“I will sift the house of Israel among the nations”
4. He will PROTECT the godly remnant
“yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth”
5. He will PROVE that He is a God of judgment and righteousness - 10
“All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword”
THE INTENT OF GOD FOR ISRAEL - AMOS 9:11-15
“in that day”
1. The PLACE of worship will be rebuilt - Amos 9:11
2. God’s PROMISE to David will be fulfilled!
NOTE: On the basis of this verse the Rabbis of the Talmud called the Messiah “Bar Naphli” (the son of the fallen). Read Acts 15:13-18.
3. God’s POWER will accomplish it!
“will I raise up…and close up” “I will build it as in the days of old”
4. The POSSESSION of the nations will be fulfilled! Amos 9:12
“which are called by My name” “the remnant of Edom”
Jordan will be back in the hands of Israel – Jacob and Esau will be re-united!
5. Agricultural PRODUCTIVITY will be amazing - Amos 9:13
“Behold, the days come”
6. The Jewish PEOPLE will return from captivity - Amos 9:14
“I will bring again the captivity of My people”
7. The PROMISE of God will never allow them to be uprooted from their land Amos 9:15
“I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.”
In spite of their sin and unbelief, God will be faithful to his promises!
Copyright © 2005 Dr. David Hocking - Hope For Today Ministries
Babylon
For some reason, Babylon has become of great interest to both religious and secular journalists the past few weeks. The American military has destroyed some of its buildings and monuments and offered an apology to the Iraqi government this week. For Bible students, the subject of Babylon remains of great interest due to its prevalence in Biblical history and prophecy. Here is an outline for you to ponder.
Subject: “THE HISTORY OF BABYLON”
Scripture: Genesis 10:8-10; 11:1-9
Babylon is mentioned 286 times in the Bible of which 12 usages are found in the NT, six of those in the book of Revelation. The word “Babel” is used twice – Genesis 10:10 and 11:9. Most of these references are referring to the massive and beautiful city of the Neo-Babylonian period (625-539 BC). With its “Hanging Gardens” and massive walls it has been regarded as one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.” The Greek historian Herodotus (484-425 BC) reported upon visiting the site that its splendor surpassed any city of the known world.
It was also the capital of the 18th century BC King Hammurabi, and was known throughout history as a great center of culture and religion. It was Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BC) who brought Babylon to its glory as it was called “The Palace of Heaven and Earth, the Seat of Kingship.” In Daniel 4:30 Nebuchadnezzar boasted “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?”
Ancient Babylon covered an area of 1000 acres making it the largest city of the ancient world, some 15% larger than Ninevah. It had 1179 temples and a population of over 100,000 but could easily have handled over 250,000 people. The famous “Ishtar Gate” was 70 feet high and its arched opening 15 feet wide. Babylon’s most significant temple was Esagila (“the temple that raises its head”) and was supposedly the home of the god Marduk. According to cuneiform documents the temple was surrounded by an enclosure of about 1410 feet by 720 feet and housed over 50 other temples and shrines. Interesting comment by Jeremiah (50:38): “it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.” Over 6000 figures (idols) were uncovered in the excavations of ancient Babylon and over 10 major altars. There were 180 open-air shrines for Ishtar and 200 identifiable places for other deities.
Adjacent to the temple of Esagila was the tower or ziggurat named Etemenanki called “the foundation house of heaven and earth.” It measured about 300 feet square at the base and rose in seven stages to a height of 300 feet. It could very well have been reconstructed and restored from the original “Tower of Babel” mentioned in Genesis 11. The Babylonians believed it was built by the gods.
NOTICE SEVEN THINGS ABOUT THE BIBLICAL ORIGIN OF THIS CITY:
1A. IT WAS A RESULT OF AN ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH A KINGDOM THAT WOULD REBEL AGAINST GOD’S AUTHORITY – Genesis 10:8-10
1B. The PERSON behind this effort – “Nimrod”
His name means “to revolt” or “to rebel”
His wife:”Semiramis” – the first high priestess
of the Babylonian mystery religion.
2B. The POWER which he exercised – “mighty
one in the earth” and “a mighty hunter before
(or against) the LORD.”
3B. The PROJECT he undertook – “and the
beginning of his kingdom was Babel”
2A. IT WAS A REBELLION AGAINST THE COMMAND OF THE LORD – Genesis 9:1; 11:4 cf. Deut. 1:26 – “but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God”
3A. IT WAS A REVOLT AGAINST THE WORSHIP OF THE LORD – Genesis 11:4 –
“let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven” – cf. Genesis 4:3-5; 8:20-21
The Lord wants altars of sacrifice, not towers of
human achievement! (Note: 24 ziggurats have
remains still standing in the Mesopotamian
valley.
4A. IT WAS A RESPONSE ROOTED IN PRIDE AND THE GLORIFICATION OF MAN – v. 4 – “let us make us a name”
5A. IT WAS A REMINDER OF GOD’S CONTROL AND SOVEREIGNTY OVER ALL THE EVENTS OF HUMAN HISTORY – Genesis 11:5-8 cf. Psalm 103:19; 135:6; Daniel 2:21
1B. It reminds us of God’s knowledge of all that
humanity does – v. 5 – “the LORD came down
to see the city and the tower, which the children
of men builded.”
2B. It reminds us of God’s majesty – “let US go
down” – the tri-unity of God!
3B. It reminds us of God’s power – v. 7 –
“confound their language that they may not
understand one another’s speech”
NOTE: In mythology (Sumerian 3rd dynasty of UR) – it says that people once spoke one language until ENKI, the Sumerian god of wisdom, confounded their speech!
4B. It reminds us of God’s purposes – vv. 8-9
“so the LORD scattered them abroad from
thence upon the face of all the earth”
6A. IT WAS A REASON FOR BELIEVERS TO RESIST ALL ATTEMPTS TO ESTABLISH A WORLD GOVERNMENT AND RELIGION WITHOUT THE MESSIAH – cf. Isaiah 13:1, 6-13, 19
7A. IT IS A REALIZATION THAT SALVATION IS BASED ON FAITH IN THE MESSIAH, NOT UPON MAN-MADE RELIGION AND HUMAN WORKS – Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5
Copyright © 2005 Dr. David Hocking - Hope For Today Ministries
Subject: “THE HISTORY OF BABYLON”
Scripture: Genesis 10:8-10; 11:1-9
Babylon is mentioned 286 times in the Bible of which 12 usages are found in the NT, six of those in the book of Revelation. The word “Babel” is used twice – Genesis 10:10 and 11:9. Most of these references are referring to the massive and beautiful city of the Neo-Babylonian period (625-539 BC). With its “Hanging Gardens” and massive walls it has been regarded as one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.” The Greek historian Herodotus (484-425 BC) reported upon visiting the site that its splendor surpassed any city of the known world.
It was also the capital of the 18th century BC King Hammurabi, and was known throughout history as a great center of culture and religion. It was Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BC) who brought Babylon to its glory as it was called “The Palace of Heaven and Earth, the Seat of Kingship.” In Daniel 4:30 Nebuchadnezzar boasted “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?”
Ancient Babylon covered an area of 1000 acres making it the largest city of the ancient world, some 15% larger than Ninevah. It had 1179 temples and a population of over 100,000 but could easily have handled over 250,000 people. The famous “Ishtar Gate” was 70 feet high and its arched opening 15 feet wide. Babylon’s most significant temple was Esagila (“the temple that raises its head”) and was supposedly the home of the god Marduk. According to cuneiform documents the temple was surrounded by an enclosure of about 1410 feet by 720 feet and housed over 50 other temples and shrines. Interesting comment by Jeremiah (50:38): “it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.” Over 6000 figures (idols) were uncovered in the excavations of ancient Babylon and over 10 major altars. There were 180 open-air shrines for Ishtar and 200 identifiable places for other deities.
Adjacent to the temple of Esagila was the tower or ziggurat named Etemenanki called “the foundation house of heaven and earth.” It measured about 300 feet square at the base and rose in seven stages to a height of 300 feet. It could very well have been reconstructed and restored from the original “Tower of Babel” mentioned in Genesis 11. The Babylonians believed it was built by the gods.
NOTICE SEVEN THINGS ABOUT THE BIBLICAL ORIGIN OF THIS CITY:
1A. IT WAS A RESULT OF AN ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH A KINGDOM THAT WOULD REBEL AGAINST GOD’S AUTHORITY – Genesis 10:8-10
1B. The PERSON behind this effort – “Nimrod”
His name means “to revolt” or “to rebel”
His wife:”Semiramis” – the first high priestess
of the Babylonian mystery religion.
2B. The POWER which he exercised – “mighty
one in the earth” and “a mighty hunter before
(or against) the LORD.”
3B. The PROJECT he undertook – “and the
beginning of his kingdom was Babel”
2A. IT WAS A REBELLION AGAINST THE COMMAND OF THE LORD – Genesis 9:1; 11:4 cf. Deut. 1:26 – “but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God”
3A. IT WAS A REVOLT AGAINST THE WORSHIP OF THE LORD – Genesis 11:4 –
“let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven” – cf. Genesis 4:3-5; 8:20-21
The Lord wants altars of sacrifice, not towers of
human achievement! (Note: 24 ziggurats have
remains still standing in the Mesopotamian
valley.
4A. IT WAS A RESPONSE ROOTED IN PRIDE AND THE GLORIFICATION OF MAN – v. 4 – “let us make us a name”
5A. IT WAS A REMINDER OF GOD’S CONTROL AND SOVEREIGNTY OVER ALL THE EVENTS OF HUMAN HISTORY – Genesis 11:5-8 cf. Psalm 103:19; 135:6; Daniel 2:21
1B. It reminds us of God’s knowledge of all that
humanity does – v. 5 – “the LORD came down
to see the city and the tower, which the children
of men builded.”
2B. It reminds us of God’s majesty – “let US go
down” – the tri-unity of God!
3B. It reminds us of God’s power – v. 7 –
“confound their language that they may not
understand one another’s speech”
NOTE: In mythology (Sumerian 3rd dynasty of UR) – it says that people once spoke one language until ENKI, the Sumerian god of wisdom, confounded their speech!
4B. It reminds us of God’s purposes – vv. 8-9
“so the LORD scattered them abroad from
thence upon the face of all the earth”
6A. IT WAS A REASON FOR BELIEVERS TO RESIST ALL ATTEMPTS TO ESTABLISH A WORLD GOVERNMENT AND RELIGION WITHOUT THE MESSIAH – cf. Isaiah 13:1, 6-13, 19
7A. IT IS A REALIZATION THAT SALVATION IS BASED ON FAITH IN THE MESSIAH, NOT UPON MAN-MADE RELIGION AND HUMAN WORKS – Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5
Copyright © 2005 Dr. David Hocking - Hope For Today Ministries
Iran 'worst threat to Jews since Hitler'
April 24, 2006
Iran's nuclear programme is the most serious threat faced by Jews since the Nazi holocaust, Israel's defence minister has said.
Mofaz: 'Pressure must be applied on the Iranians' Shaul Mofaz said: "Of all the threats we face, Iran is the biggest. The world must not wait. It must do everything necessary on a diplomatic level in order to stop its nuclear activity."
He added: "Since Hitler we have not faced such a threat."
Iran insists that its nuclear programme is aimed solely at producing energy, and that it has no ambitions to acquire an atomic arsenal.
But calls by Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, for Israel to be "wiped from the map" have increased tensions between the two countries.
Israel has so far endorsed American efforts to curb Iran's nuclear programme through possible sanctions.
But earlier today Mr Ahmadinejad said he did not think the US would go through with its threats.
"I think it is very unlikely for them to be so stupid to do that," he said. "I think even the two or three countries who oppose us are wise enough not to resort to such a big mistake."
Mr Mofaz said: "Pressure must be applied on the Iranians to ensure that they realise there is no returning from the path they are taking."
Shaul Mofaz is likely to surrender the Defence Ministry to the more moderate Labour Party chief Amir Peretz in the next Israeli coalition government.
© Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2006
Iran's nuclear programme is the most serious threat faced by Jews since the Nazi holocaust, Israel's defence minister has said.
Mofaz: 'Pressure must be applied on the Iranians' Shaul Mofaz said: "Of all the threats we face, Iran is the biggest. The world must not wait. It must do everything necessary on a diplomatic level in order to stop its nuclear activity."
He added: "Since Hitler we have not faced such a threat."
Iran insists that its nuclear programme is aimed solely at producing energy, and that it has no ambitions to acquire an atomic arsenal.
But calls by Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, for Israel to be "wiped from the map" have increased tensions between the two countries.
Israel has so far endorsed American efforts to curb Iran's nuclear programme through possible sanctions.
But earlier today Mr Ahmadinejad said he did not think the US would go through with its threats.
"I think it is very unlikely for them to be so stupid to do that," he said. "I think even the two or three countries who oppose us are wise enough not to resort to such a big mistake."
Mr Mofaz said: "Pressure must be applied on the Iranians to ensure that they realise there is no returning from the path they are taking."
Shaul Mofaz is likely to surrender the Defence Ministry to the more moderate Labour Party chief Amir Peretz in the next Israeli coalition government.
© Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2006
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Apostasy In The Church - By Dr. David R. Reagan
The Bible clearly prophesies that the Church of the end times will be characterized by apostasy. Paul said that the Antichrist will not be revealed until "the apostasy comes first" (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Jesus prophesied that "many will fall away" and "most people’s love will grow cold" (Matthew 24:10, 12).
In the book of Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, the Apostle John records seven letters of Jesus to seven churches in the area of modern day Turkey. Among other things, these letters present a panoramic prophetic survey of the Church in history. The last of the churches mentioned, the one that represents the Church of the end times, is the church at Laodicea. It is pictured as a church that is neither hot (healing) nor cold (refreshing), but rather is lukewarm or tepid (Revelation 3:15-16). In short, it is a church that is apathetic. Jesus also pictures it as a worldly church enamored with its wealth (Revelation 3:17). The Lord is so dissatisfied with this church that He declares, "Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:16).
Clues from the Apostle Paul
Paul supplies us with some strong clues as to why the end times Church will be weak, vacillating, and full of apostasy. One of those clues can be found in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 which says that "the time will come when they [Christians] 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."
Another clue is located in Paul’s famous prophecy about end time society, the one in 2 Timothy 3. After describing in graphic detail how society will fall apart in the end times, Paul adds that the basic reason will be due to people "holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power" (2 Timothy 3:5). There will be no lack of religion, says Paul, but people will deny the true power that is able to transform society for the good, producing peace, righteousness and justice.
What is that power? First and foremost it is the power of the blood of Jesus. It is also the power that comes from accepting the Bible as the infallible Word of God. It is the power of believing in a Creator God with whom all things are possible. And certainly it includes a belief in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Today, these essential beliefs, which constitute the power of Christianity, are being subjected to an unparalleled assault from within the Church itself. The Bible says that in the end times people will mock the promise of the Lord’s return (2 Peter 3:3-4). What is so shocking is that most of the mockery is coming from within the Church!
The Root of Apostasy
How have we reached this crisis point in the Church? It is rooted in the German School of Higher Criticism which invaded this country big-time in the 1920's. According to the "scientific approach" of this school of skeptics, the Bible is not the revealed Word of God. Rather, it is Man’s search for God, and therefore it is filled with myth, legend and superstition.
Today this viewpoint dominates the seminaries of America. The Bible is studied not to be believed and obeyed but to be analyzed, dissected, and criticized. The result is that the Scriptures have lost their authority.
Apostate Leaders
John Spong, Episcopal Bishop of New Jersey, has written books in which he denies the virgin birth, denies the miracles of Jesus, denies the resurrection, denies the Second Coming, and argues that Paul and Timothy were homosexual lovers. Bishop Spong has become so enamored with other religions that he has announced he will no longer witness to those caught up in the spiritual darkness of pagan faiths!1
Similar apostate thoughts were mouthed by Norman Vincent Peale in 1984 on the Phil Donahue program. Peale announced, "It’s not necessary to be born-again. You have your way to God; I have mine. I found eternal peace in a Shinto shrine . . . I’ve been to Shinto shrines, and God is everywhere."
Phil Donahue was so shocked that he actually came to the defense of Christianity. "But you’re a Christian minister," he retorted, "and you’re suppose to tell me that Christ is the way and the truth and the life, aren’t you?"
Peale replied, "Christ is one of the ways. God is everywhere."2
Look again at Peale’s incredible statement: "It’s not necessary to be born-again." What did Jesus say? "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born-again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Who are we to believe?
Schuller’s Apostate Gospel
Peale’s leading disciple, Robert Schuller, has outdone his teacher with the development of his "gospel of possibility thinking." In his book, Self Esteem: The New Reformation, Schuller states that the leaders of the Reformation Movement made a mistake in centering their theology around God instead of Man!3
Schuller teaches that the essence of Man’s problem is low self-esteem.4 The Bible teaches it is pride. Schuller says that when Jesus referred in John 7:38 to "rivers of living water" flowing out of believers, He was speaking of self-esteem.5 The very next verse says He was speaking of the Holy Spirit. Schuller argues that sin is anything that robs us of our "divine dignity" (our "divine dignity"?).6 The Bible says sin is rebellion against God.
The Response of Christendom
Schuller’s book calling for a "new reformation" caused a firestorm of controversy. The Evangelical magazine, Christianity Today, invited readers to give their opinions of the book, and many people wrote in to denounce it. One writer referred to Schuller as "a modern-day apostle of humanism."7
The letters continued to pour in for weeks, and they were so critical that Dr. Schuller decided to respond to them. In a long letter published in the October 5, 1984 issue of Christianity Today, he made an incredible comment that has haunted him to this day:8
I don’t think anything has been done in the name of Christ and under the banner of Christianity that has proven more destructive to human personality and, hence, counterproductive to the evangelism enterprise than the often crude, uncouth, and unchristian strategy of attempting to make people aware of their lost and sinful condition.
As a writer for Time put it in an article in 1985, "For Schuller, an acknowledgment of self-worth, more than a confession of sinfulness, is the path to God."9
Further Evidence of Schuller’s Apostasy
In an appearance on the Phil Donahue show in 1980, Schuller tried, incredibly, to portray Jesus as an egotist! Here’s what he said:10
The Cross sanctifies the ego trip. That’s very significant. In other words, Jesus had an ego. He said, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men to me." Wow! What an ego trip He was on!
What blatant blasphemy — to accuse the One who was the very essence of humility of being an egotist!
Schuller gave a speech at the headquarters of the Unity Church in Lees Summit, Missouri and shared with their pastors his church growth principles. This is a cult that denies the deity of Jesus and which teaches reincarnation! He also dedicated a new Unity Temple in Warren, Michigan, in spite of warnings from a local Baptist pastor not to do so because of the errors of this cult.11
In a recent speech honoring an Islamic spiritual leader named Alfred Mohammed, Schuller said that if he were to come back in 100 years and find his descendants to be Muslims, it wouldn’t bother him!12
An Apostate Seminar
Another modern day apostate is Robert Funk, a New Testament scholar at the University of Montana. He is the founder of the notorious Jesus Seminar which began operating in 1985. The avowed purpose of the Seminar was "to renew the quest for the historical Jesus."13 The Seminar conducted this quest in a very unusual way. Meeting twice a year for six years, the group voted on each of the sayings of Jesus recorded in the Gospels. They voted by dropping colored beads in a box. A black bead meant Jesus definitely did not make the statement in question. A gray bead meant He did not say it, but it might have represented His thinking. A pink bead meant He probably said something like this, but not in the words recorded. A red bead meant He definitely made the statement.14
As you can see, the very approach expressed contempt for the veracity of the Gospel accounts. What a spectacle this must have been to the Lord as He watched these so-called scholars vote on passages from His Word. "Professing to be wise, they became fools" (Romans 1:22).
The final product of the Seminar, published in 1993, was a blasphemy of God’s Word. It was titled, The Five Gospels.15 The title comes from the fact that the Seminar decided to grant the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas equal standing with the four traditional Gospels.
Only fifteen sayings of Jesus made it into The Five Gospels in red! In Matthew’s account of the Lord’s Prayer, the only words that made it in red were, "Our Father." Only one saying in the entire book of Mark was colored red. It is the statement of Jesus in Mark 12:17 where He told His disciples to "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s." Likewise, only one statement from the Gospel of John qualified for the red coloring: "A prophet has no honor in his own country" (John 4:44).
The chilling thing to keep in mind is that the men who produced this spiritual pornography are professors at seminaries across America. They are the ones who are training the current generation of pastors and teachers.
Apostasy in the Denominations
The apostasy is not confined to the seminaries. It is pervasive. It can be found in all denominations. Consider the following examples.
In 1997, on the eve of Lent, the Right Reverend Alan Smithson, the Bishop of Jarrow (Anglican Church in England), held a press conference in London. He announced that it was traditional for Christians to give up something during the forty days of Lent. He then dramatically announced that he had decided to give up Bible reading! He went on to explain that he was going to devote his time during Lent to reading the Koran, because he felt like the Muslim scriptures would make him "more understanding, more compassionate, and more fully human."16
R. Kirby Godsey, president of Mercer University, a school heavily supported by the Georgia Baptist Convention, "denies the infallibility of the Bible, the unique power and authority of God, the validity of the Gospel’s account of the life and teachings of Jesus, the efficacy of Christ’s atonement, and the uniqueness of Christ as the only Savior."17
In 1997 the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church sponsored a meeting in Kansas City that attracted 4,000 participants from all over the world. Called, "Global Gathering III," the conference featured a parade of speakers who attacked the fundamentals of the Christian faith. One speaker declared that the crucifixion of Jesus reveals an "abusive Heavenly Father who is not fit for Christian worship." The speaker urged instead that the Church revere all the world’s children as little messiahs equal to Jesus.18
Apostasy in Local Churches
The spreading cancer of apostasy in the Church is not confined to theologians and church conferences. It can be found at the grass roots level, in local churches.
Consider, for example, The Episcopal New Church Center in Walkersville, Maryland. This church hired a public relations firm to develop a print and television advertising campaign. One of the first ads in this campaign carried a banner headline that read, "To Hell With Church!" It showed a man thinking, "If I want to feel guilty, I’ll eat some cheese fries." Another ad in the series showed a painting of Christ nailed on the Cross. Scrawled over the painting were the words, "Of course people with pierced body parts are welcome in our church."19
The Maryland church really went wacky when it moved to producing TV ads. They hired a fellow known for the kinky cartoons he produces for Saturday Night Live. His first ad for the church opened with a father and son tossing a baseball to each other in the front yard.
"Guess what, Timmy?" the father asks. "Tomorrow your mother and I are going to take you to church." The father continues, "Not only will you be able to learn about the wages of sin and eternal damnation, but you can play fun games like ‘Bible Sword Drill’ and sing inspirational songs like ‘Kumbaya’ and ‘I’ve Got Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart.’"
Dejected by this prospect, little Timmy walks into the middle of the road and holds up his hands in surrender as a semi-truck blows its horn and bears down on him.20
Not only apostate, but sick.
Inter-Faith Apostasy
The big move at the grass roots level these days is interfaith worship services. I’m not talking about inter-denominational — rather, the emphasis is on inter-faith. Christians are inviting Muslims, Jews, Hindus, American Indian practitioners of "native religion," and others to join in worshiping "the one true god, regardless of the name you may give to him or her."
Pope John Paul II got caught up in this inter-faith fad in 1986 when he invited the leaders of the world’s religions to come to Assisi, Italy to join him in praying for world peace.21 One hundred sixty representatives came, including the Dali Lama (who considers himself to be a god). Each representative prayed to his own god at the Pope’s request! Did the Pope believe their gods were real? Or did he believe that they were all praying to the same god, but under different names?
The Challenge
Englishman William Booth (1829 - 1912), who founded the Salvation Army, was a man with a great zeal for the Lord and a passion for lost souls. He was also a man of vision. On the eve of the 20th Century when Christendom was caught up in euphoria about how the Church would soon take the world for Christ, Booth predicted that the Gospel would not fare well in the new century. Specifically, he prophesied that by the end of the 20th Century, much of the Church would be preaching:22
Christianity without Christ
Forgiveness without repentance
Salvation without regeneration
Heaven without Hell
That’s exactly where we are today. Because of it, as we begin the 21st Century, Christians are faced with unparalleled challenges from the decay of society and the apostatizing of the Church. Increasingly, many are going to give up hope. Some will express this hopelessness by withdrawing from society and assuming a siege mentality. Others will throw in the towel and adopt the attitude, "If you can’t lick them, join them."
Considering the magnitude of the challenge, is there any hope for triumphant Christian living? And if so, how then shall we live? By Dr. David R. Reagan
(Note: Dr. Reagan proceeds to respond to these questions in his new book by presenting ten chapters of down-to-earth guidelines for living as a victorious overcomer in these end times.)
End Notes:
1. John Shelby Spong, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism: A Bishop Rethinks the Meaning of Scripture (San Francisco, California: Harper, 1992). Another revealing book by Bishop Spong is Why Christianity Must Change or Die: A Bishop Speaks to Believers in Exile (San Francisco, California: Harper, 1999). A good summary of Bishop Spong’s views can be found on the Internet in his "Call for a New Reformation,"
http://www.dioceseofnewark.org/jsspong/reform.htm.
2. Dave Hunt, "Revival or Apostasy," The Berean Call, October 1997, p. 2.
3. Robert Schuller, Self Esteem: The New Reformation, (Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1982), p. 39. An insightful review of Schuller’s writings can be found in an article by Joseph P. Gudel entitled "A New Reformation?" It was published in Passport Magazine, January-February 1988. It is available on the Internet at
http://www. issuesetc.org/resource/archives/guide12.htm. There are other excellent summaries of Schuller’s thought that can be found on the Internet. One is an article by David W. Cloud entitled "Evangelicals and Modernist Robert Schuller"
(http://cnview.com/on_ line_resources/evangelicals_and_modernist_robert_schuller.htm).
Another good analysis is entitled, "The God of the Bible Versus the God of Multi-level Marketing: Positive Thinking," (http://www.users.fast.net/~gospeltruth/positive.htm).
4. Ibid., p.19.
5. Ibid. p. 80.
6. Ibid. p. 14.
7. Hugh Cantelon, "More on Schuller," (letter to the editor), Christianity Today, October 19, 1984, p. 11.
8. Robert Schuller, "Dr. Schuller Comments," (letter to the editor), Christianity Today, October 5, 1984, pp. 12-13.
9. Richard Stengel, "Apostle of Sunny Thoughts," Time, March 18, 1985, p. 70.
10. The Phil Donahue Show, transcript 08120, August 12, 1980, p. 10.
11. Rick Miesel, p. 5. Schuller’s support of the Unity Church is also documented in an article by Dave Hunt published in the CIB Bulletin, January 1988. In a letter to the author, dated January 24, 2000, Dave Hunt states that he has a tape recording of the speech that Schuller delivered to the Unity pastors about church growth principles.
12. Dave Hunt, "What’s Happening to the Faith?" The Berean Call, May 1998, p. 1.
13. "The Jesus Seminar: The Search for Authenticity,"
http://home.fireplug.net/~rshand/reflections/messiah/seminar.htm.
14. In April 1996, Time featured the Jesus Seminar on its cover under the title "The Search for Jesus." The cover article presented a comprehensive survey of the seminar’s organization, methodology, and conclusions. See David Van Biema, "The Gospel Truth? — The iconoclastic and provocative Jesus Seminar argues that not much of the New Testament can be trusted. If so, what are Christians to believe?" Time, April 8, 1996.
15. Robert W. Funk and Roy W. Hoover, The Five Gospels (San Francisco, California: Harper, reprint edition, 1997). A good review of this book can be found in an article by D. A. Carson entitled "Five Gospels, No Christ." The article appeared in Christianity Today, April 25, 1994, pp. 30-33.
16. "Bishop gives up Bible for Lent" unsigned article, Daily Mail, London, England, February 14, 1997, p. 31.
17. Dave Hunt, "What’s Happening to the Faith?" The Berean Call, May 1998, p. 1. Dr. Godsey’s views can be found in the book, When We Talk About God, Let’s Be Honest, (Macon, Georgia: Smyth & Helwys Publishing Co., 1996). The Georgia Baptist Convention adopted a resolution of censure in November 1996 in which it asked the trustees of Mercer University to consider whether Dr. Godsey should be continued as president of the institution. The trustees voted to affirm his presidency.
18. Mark Tooley, "Church Gathering Features Radical Speakers," AFA Journal, June 1997, p.19.
19. John Kirkpatrick, "Ads fish for churchgoers with irreverent approach," Dallas Morning News, April 18, 1998, p. 1F.
20. Ibid., p. 11F.
21. Richard N. Ostling, "A Summit for Peace in Assisi," Time, November 10, 1986, pp. 78-79.
22. Joseph Revell, "The Salvation Army Revisited," Report from the Wall, (an Internet daily devotional message sent from yosef@gulf.net), December 18, 1998, p. 2.
In the book of Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, the Apostle John records seven letters of Jesus to seven churches in the area of modern day Turkey. Among other things, these letters present a panoramic prophetic survey of the Church in history. The last of the churches mentioned, the one that represents the Church of the end times, is the church at Laodicea. It is pictured as a church that is neither hot (healing) nor cold (refreshing), but rather is lukewarm or tepid (Revelation 3:15-16). In short, it is a church that is apathetic. Jesus also pictures it as a worldly church enamored with its wealth (Revelation 3:17). The Lord is so dissatisfied with this church that He declares, "Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:16).
Clues from the Apostle Paul
Paul supplies us with some strong clues as to why the end times Church will be weak, vacillating, and full of apostasy. One of those clues can be found in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 which says that "the time will come when they [Christians] 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."
Another clue is located in Paul’s famous prophecy about end time society, the one in 2 Timothy 3. After describing in graphic detail how society will fall apart in the end times, Paul adds that the basic reason will be due to people "holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power" (2 Timothy 3:5). There will be no lack of religion, says Paul, but people will deny the true power that is able to transform society for the good, producing peace, righteousness and justice.
What is that power? First and foremost it is the power of the blood of Jesus. It is also the power that comes from accepting the Bible as the infallible Word of God. It is the power of believing in a Creator God with whom all things are possible. And certainly it includes a belief in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Today, these essential beliefs, which constitute the power of Christianity, are being subjected to an unparalleled assault from within the Church itself. The Bible says that in the end times people will mock the promise of the Lord’s return (2 Peter 3:3-4). What is so shocking is that most of the mockery is coming from within the Church!
The Root of Apostasy
How have we reached this crisis point in the Church? It is rooted in the German School of Higher Criticism which invaded this country big-time in the 1920's. According to the "scientific approach" of this school of skeptics, the Bible is not the revealed Word of God. Rather, it is Man’s search for God, and therefore it is filled with myth, legend and superstition.
Today this viewpoint dominates the seminaries of America. The Bible is studied not to be believed and obeyed but to be analyzed, dissected, and criticized. The result is that the Scriptures have lost their authority.
Apostate Leaders
John Spong, Episcopal Bishop of New Jersey, has written books in which he denies the virgin birth, denies the miracles of Jesus, denies the resurrection, denies the Second Coming, and argues that Paul and Timothy were homosexual lovers. Bishop Spong has become so enamored with other religions that he has announced he will no longer witness to those caught up in the spiritual darkness of pagan faiths!1
Similar apostate thoughts were mouthed by Norman Vincent Peale in 1984 on the Phil Donahue program. Peale announced, "It’s not necessary to be born-again. You have your way to God; I have mine. I found eternal peace in a Shinto shrine . . . I’ve been to Shinto shrines, and God is everywhere."
Phil Donahue was so shocked that he actually came to the defense of Christianity. "But you’re a Christian minister," he retorted, "and you’re suppose to tell me that Christ is the way and the truth and the life, aren’t you?"
Peale replied, "Christ is one of the ways. God is everywhere."2
Look again at Peale’s incredible statement: "It’s not necessary to be born-again." What did Jesus say? "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born-again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Who are we to believe?
Schuller’s Apostate Gospel
Peale’s leading disciple, Robert Schuller, has outdone his teacher with the development of his "gospel of possibility thinking." In his book, Self Esteem: The New Reformation, Schuller states that the leaders of the Reformation Movement made a mistake in centering their theology around God instead of Man!3
Schuller teaches that the essence of Man’s problem is low self-esteem.4 The Bible teaches it is pride. Schuller says that when Jesus referred in John 7:38 to "rivers of living water" flowing out of believers, He was speaking of self-esteem.5 The very next verse says He was speaking of the Holy Spirit. Schuller argues that sin is anything that robs us of our "divine dignity" (our "divine dignity"?).6 The Bible says sin is rebellion against God.
The Response of Christendom
Schuller’s book calling for a "new reformation" caused a firestorm of controversy. The Evangelical magazine, Christianity Today, invited readers to give their opinions of the book, and many people wrote in to denounce it. One writer referred to Schuller as "a modern-day apostle of humanism."7
The letters continued to pour in for weeks, and they were so critical that Dr. Schuller decided to respond to them. In a long letter published in the October 5, 1984 issue of Christianity Today, he made an incredible comment that has haunted him to this day:8
I don’t think anything has been done in the name of Christ and under the banner of Christianity that has proven more destructive to human personality and, hence, counterproductive to the evangelism enterprise than the often crude, uncouth, and unchristian strategy of attempting to make people aware of their lost and sinful condition.
As a writer for Time put it in an article in 1985, "For Schuller, an acknowledgment of self-worth, more than a confession of sinfulness, is the path to God."9
Further Evidence of Schuller’s Apostasy
In an appearance on the Phil Donahue show in 1980, Schuller tried, incredibly, to portray Jesus as an egotist! Here’s what he said:10
The Cross sanctifies the ego trip. That’s very significant. In other words, Jesus had an ego. He said, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men to me." Wow! What an ego trip He was on!
What blatant blasphemy — to accuse the One who was the very essence of humility of being an egotist!
Schuller gave a speech at the headquarters of the Unity Church in Lees Summit, Missouri and shared with their pastors his church growth principles. This is a cult that denies the deity of Jesus and which teaches reincarnation! He also dedicated a new Unity Temple in Warren, Michigan, in spite of warnings from a local Baptist pastor not to do so because of the errors of this cult.11
In a recent speech honoring an Islamic spiritual leader named Alfred Mohammed, Schuller said that if he were to come back in 100 years and find his descendants to be Muslims, it wouldn’t bother him!12
An Apostate Seminar
Another modern day apostate is Robert Funk, a New Testament scholar at the University of Montana. He is the founder of the notorious Jesus Seminar which began operating in 1985. The avowed purpose of the Seminar was "to renew the quest for the historical Jesus."13 The Seminar conducted this quest in a very unusual way. Meeting twice a year for six years, the group voted on each of the sayings of Jesus recorded in the Gospels. They voted by dropping colored beads in a box. A black bead meant Jesus definitely did not make the statement in question. A gray bead meant He did not say it, but it might have represented His thinking. A pink bead meant He probably said something like this, but not in the words recorded. A red bead meant He definitely made the statement.14
As you can see, the very approach expressed contempt for the veracity of the Gospel accounts. What a spectacle this must have been to the Lord as He watched these so-called scholars vote on passages from His Word. "Professing to be wise, they became fools" (Romans 1:22).
The final product of the Seminar, published in 1993, was a blasphemy of God’s Word. It was titled, The Five Gospels.15 The title comes from the fact that the Seminar decided to grant the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas equal standing with the four traditional Gospels.
Only fifteen sayings of Jesus made it into The Five Gospels in red! In Matthew’s account of the Lord’s Prayer, the only words that made it in red were, "Our Father." Only one saying in the entire book of Mark was colored red. It is the statement of Jesus in Mark 12:17 where He told His disciples to "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s." Likewise, only one statement from the Gospel of John qualified for the red coloring: "A prophet has no honor in his own country" (John 4:44).
The chilling thing to keep in mind is that the men who produced this spiritual pornography are professors at seminaries across America. They are the ones who are training the current generation of pastors and teachers.
Apostasy in the Denominations
The apostasy is not confined to the seminaries. It is pervasive. It can be found in all denominations. Consider the following examples.
In 1997, on the eve of Lent, the Right Reverend Alan Smithson, the Bishop of Jarrow (Anglican Church in England), held a press conference in London. He announced that it was traditional for Christians to give up something during the forty days of Lent. He then dramatically announced that he had decided to give up Bible reading! He went on to explain that he was going to devote his time during Lent to reading the Koran, because he felt like the Muslim scriptures would make him "more understanding, more compassionate, and more fully human."16
R. Kirby Godsey, president of Mercer University, a school heavily supported by the Georgia Baptist Convention, "denies the infallibility of the Bible, the unique power and authority of God, the validity of the Gospel’s account of the life and teachings of Jesus, the efficacy of Christ’s atonement, and the uniqueness of Christ as the only Savior."17
In 1997 the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church sponsored a meeting in Kansas City that attracted 4,000 participants from all over the world. Called, "Global Gathering III," the conference featured a parade of speakers who attacked the fundamentals of the Christian faith. One speaker declared that the crucifixion of Jesus reveals an "abusive Heavenly Father who is not fit for Christian worship." The speaker urged instead that the Church revere all the world’s children as little messiahs equal to Jesus.18
Apostasy in Local Churches
The spreading cancer of apostasy in the Church is not confined to theologians and church conferences. It can be found at the grass roots level, in local churches.
Consider, for example, The Episcopal New Church Center in Walkersville, Maryland. This church hired a public relations firm to develop a print and television advertising campaign. One of the first ads in this campaign carried a banner headline that read, "To Hell With Church!" It showed a man thinking, "If I want to feel guilty, I’ll eat some cheese fries." Another ad in the series showed a painting of Christ nailed on the Cross. Scrawled over the painting were the words, "Of course people with pierced body parts are welcome in our church."19
The Maryland church really went wacky when it moved to producing TV ads. They hired a fellow known for the kinky cartoons he produces for Saturday Night Live. His first ad for the church opened with a father and son tossing a baseball to each other in the front yard.
"Guess what, Timmy?" the father asks. "Tomorrow your mother and I are going to take you to church." The father continues, "Not only will you be able to learn about the wages of sin and eternal damnation, but you can play fun games like ‘Bible Sword Drill’ and sing inspirational songs like ‘Kumbaya’ and ‘I’ve Got Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart.’"
Dejected by this prospect, little Timmy walks into the middle of the road and holds up his hands in surrender as a semi-truck blows its horn and bears down on him.20
Not only apostate, but sick.
Inter-Faith Apostasy
The big move at the grass roots level these days is interfaith worship services. I’m not talking about inter-denominational — rather, the emphasis is on inter-faith. Christians are inviting Muslims, Jews, Hindus, American Indian practitioners of "native religion," and others to join in worshiping "the one true god, regardless of the name you may give to him or her."
Pope John Paul II got caught up in this inter-faith fad in 1986 when he invited the leaders of the world’s religions to come to Assisi, Italy to join him in praying for world peace.21 One hundred sixty representatives came, including the Dali Lama (who considers himself to be a god). Each representative prayed to his own god at the Pope’s request! Did the Pope believe their gods were real? Or did he believe that they were all praying to the same god, but under different names?
The Challenge
Englishman William Booth (1829 - 1912), who founded the Salvation Army, was a man with a great zeal for the Lord and a passion for lost souls. He was also a man of vision. On the eve of the 20th Century when Christendom was caught up in euphoria about how the Church would soon take the world for Christ, Booth predicted that the Gospel would not fare well in the new century. Specifically, he prophesied that by the end of the 20th Century, much of the Church would be preaching:22
Christianity without Christ
Forgiveness without repentance
Salvation without regeneration
Heaven without Hell
That’s exactly where we are today. Because of it, as we begin the 21st Century, Christians are faced with unparalleled challenges from the decay of society and the apostatizing of the Church. Increasingly, many are going to give up hope. Some will express this hopelessness by withdrawing from society and assuming a siege mentality. Others will throw in the towel and adopt the attitude, "If you can’t lick them, join them."
Considering the magnitude of the challenge, is there any hope for triumphant Christian living? And if so, how then shall we live? By Dr. David R. Reagan
(Note: Dr. Reagan proceeds to respond to these questions in his new book by presenting ten chapters of down-to-earth guidelines for living as a victorious overcomer in these end times.)
End Notes:
1. John Shelby Spong, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism: A Bishop Rethinks the Meaning of Scripture (San Francisco, California: Harper, 1992). Another revealing book by Bishop Spong is Why Christianity Must Change or Die: A Bishop Speaks to Believers in Exile (San Francisco, California: Harper, 1999). A good summary of Bishop Spong’s views can be found on the Internet in his "Call for a New Reformation,"
http://www.dioceseofnewark.org/jsspong/reform.htm.
2. Dave Hunt, "Revival or Apostasy," The Berean Call, October 1997, p. 2.
3. Robert Schuller, Self Esteem: The New Reformation, (Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1982), p. 39. An insightful review of Schuller’s writings can be found in an article by Joseph P. Gudel entitled "A New Reformation?" It was published in Passport Magazine, January-February 1988. It is available on the Internet at
http://www. issuesetc.org/resource/archives/guide12.htm. There are other excellent summaries of Schuller’s thought that can be found on the Internet. One is an article by David W. Cloud entitled "Evangelicals and Modernist Robert Schuller"
(http://cnview.com/on_ line_resources/evangelicals_and_modernist_robert_schuller.htm).
Another good analysis is entitled, "The God of the Bible Versus the God of Multi-level Marketing: Positive Thinking," (http://www.users.fast.net/~gospeltruth/positive.htm).
4. Ibid., p.19.
5. Ibid. p. 80.
6. Ibid. p. 14.
7. Hugh Cantelon, "More on Schuller," (letter to the editor), Christianity Today, October 19, 1984, p. 11.
8. Robert Schuller, "Dr. Schuller Comments," (letter to the editor), Christianity Today, October 5, 1984, pp. 12-13.
9. Richard Stengel, "Apostle of Sunny Thoughts," Time, March 18, 1985, p. 70.
10. The Phil Donahue Show, transcript 08120, August 12, 1980, p. 10.
11. Rick Miesel, p. 5. Schuller’s support of the Unity Church is also documented in an article by Dave Hunt published in the CIB Bulletin, January 1988. In a letter to the author, dated January 24, 2000, Dave Hunt states that he has a tape recording of the speech that Schuller delivered to the Unity pastors about church growth principles.
12. Dave Hunt, "What’s Happening to the Faith?" The Berean Call, May 1998, p. 1.
13. "The Jesus Seminar: The Search for Authenticity,"
http://home.fireplug.net/~rshand/reflections/messiah/seminar.htm.
14. In April 1996, Time featured the Jesus Seminar on its cover under the title "The Search for Jesus." The cover article presented a comprehensive survey of the seminar’s organization, methodology, and conclusions. See David Van Biema, "The Gospel Truth? — The iconoclastic and provocative Jesus Seminar argues that not much of the New Testament can be trusted. If so, what are Christians to believe?" Time, April 8, 1996.
15. Robert W. Funk and Roy W. Hoover, The Five Gospels (San Francisco, California: Harper, reprint edition, 1997). A good review of this book can be found in an article by D. A. Carson entitled "Five Gospels, No Christ." The article appeared in Christianity Today, April 25, 1994, pp. 30-33.
16. "Bishop gives up Bible for Lent" unsigned article, Daily Mail, London, England, February 14, 1997, p. 31.
17. Dave Hunt, "What’s Happening to the Faith?" The Berean Call, May 1998, p. 1. Dr. Godsey’s views can be found in the book, When We Talk About God, Let’s Be Honest, (Macon, Georgia: Smyth & Helwys Publishing Co., 1996). The Georgia Baptist Convention adopted a resolution of censure in November 1996 in which it asked the trustees of Mercer University to consider whether Dr. Godsey should be continued as president of the institution. The trustees voted to affirm his presidency.
18. Mark Tooley, "Church Gathering Features Radical Speakers," AFA Journal, June 1997, p.19.
19. John Kirkpatrick, "Ads fish for churchgoers with irreverent approach," Dallas Morning News, April 18, 1998, p. 1F.
20. Ibid., p. 11F.
21. Richard N. Ostling, "A Summit for Peace in Assisi," Time, November 10, 1986, pp. 78-79.
22. Joseph Revell, "The Salvation Army Revisited," Report from the Wall, (an Internet daily devotional message sent from yosef@gulf.net), December 18, 1998, p. 2.
Jerusalem — The Burdensome Stone
Jerusalem, the Holy City, the City of the Great King, God's Holy Hill of Zion, the Center of the Earth, the Cup of Trembling, the Burdensome Stone, Sodom and Gomorrah, and Egypt. Jerusalem is called by these and many other names in the Bible. As Israel and the P.L.O., under international pressure, enter into the most critical aspect of the current "peace process," which is the effort to make a permanent settlement concerning Jerusalem, many claims and issues must be dealt with.
To Whom Does Jerusalem Belong?
The Jews say it belongs to Israel. It was the political capital and Temple worship center of the ancient Commonwealth for over 1,000 years, has been the spiritual home of the Jewish people ever since, and is understood to be the future capital of the Messiah.
The Arabs say it belongs to Islam. It is the third most sacred place to Moslem believers, next to Mecca and Medina. The city was under Moslem control from the seventh century until World War I, with the one-century exception during the Crusades.
The Papacy says it belongs to Christendom. Jerusalem is sacred to Christians because of both Old and New Testament associations, and is the site of the death and resurrection of Christ. The holy sites are of great concern, of which the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is supreme.
The United Nations says it belongs to the world. Jerusalem is revered by the world's three great monotheistic religions, and is critical as a hot spot that could well endanger world peace. Therefore, the U.N. wants to "internationalize" the city, so that no one ethnic or religious group would have control.
Jerusalem Under Israel and Jordan
What should the attitude be among those of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and are evangelicals? Our conviction is that all of the Land of Israel, including Jerusalem, belongs to the Jewish people by divine decree, and we should recognize their rights of ownership. During the last three decades, in which most of the Land has been under Israeli control, evangelical Christians have had full and free access to just about all of the country. Christian tourists have been welcome, and there has been no problem seeing all of the marvelous biblical sites. The holy places of all religions are kept sacrosanct, and Jews, Moslems and Christians may visit these places and rest assured that no important site will be desecrated.
Such could not be said when the country in general, and Jerusalem in particular, was under Moslem control. My wife and I were in Jerusalem in 1965, on a tour with Dr. Charles Feinberg. This, of course, was before the Six-Day War in 1967, and Jerusalem was part of the Kingdom of Jordan, and ruled by King Hussein. East and West Jerusalem were separated by a jagged zone called "no man's land." The Mandelbaum Gate was the only way anyone could get from one side to the other. It was like Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin. As a practical matter, no civilians could pass from Israel into Jordan, and about the only civilians who could pass from Jordan to Israel were foreign tourists. Once Christians got into Jordan, they could visit most of the New Testament holy places, but getting to Jordan was a serious problem, and the problem was created by the unwillingness of Jordan to cooperate with Israel.
As the Jordanians would not allow tourists to go from Israel into Jordan, we had to go to Jordan first, via Egypt, and then go into Israel through the Mandelbaum Gate. When Jerusalem was divided, it was difficult for pilgrims to visit the many important biblical sites.
The Western Wall Under Moslem Control
The entire Old City in 1965 was in Jordan, along with most of the biblical sites. This included the Dome of the Rock, the Temple Mount and the Western Wall. One of the places we wanted to visit was the Western Wall, sometimes called the Wailing Wall. Those who are familiar with the Wall as it is today, with its spacious plaza and daily crowds of people who come to worship and pray, can scarcely imagine what it was like in 1965. In actuality, it was a slum. The Arab houses were built up to within about ten feet of the Wall, and the space between was like an alley. Really, it was worse than that, because all around were the odors of a latrine. The Western Wall, closed in as a dank alleyway, was deserted then. No Jews were praying at this most sacred of sites to Judaism. No young boys were performing their Bar Mitzvah rites of reading the Torah, with all their admiring family rejoicing at the Wall. It was deserted when Jordan had control of the Old City. No Jews were allowed at the Western Wall for about 20 years.
Transformation of Jerusalem Under Jewish Control
What a difference when Israel recaptured the Old City in 1967. Within months, the old slum was cleared away from the Wall, a grand plaza was established, and hundreds to thousands of people began gathering there daily to pray and worship the God of Abraham and Moses.
Once Jerusalem was reunited under Jewish control, the Moslems had free and total access to the Dome of the Rock, the Al Aksa Mosque, and all their holy places throughout the Land. Christians also, including evangelicals, have had complete and unfettered access to all the important places in Israel, including the Temple Mount, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Garden Tomb, the Mount of Olives, and all the Sea of Galilee.
One shudders to think of what might happen if Jerusalem were again to be taken out of the hands of the Jewish people, even if it were placed under the U.N. or the Papacy, much less the P.L.O. Both evangelical Christians and Jews could well find themselves having much-reduced access to the scriptural sites. Furthermore, God never gave legal title of Jerusalem to Moslems or Christians or the United Nations. He gave the legal right to Jerusalem to Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and Jacob. What right do we have to try to nullify this grant to Israel from the Lord?
The Push to Remove Jerusalem from Israeli Control
Our conviction, therefore, is that both the scriptural mandates and the interests of Jews and evangelical Christians (and peace-loving Arabs, for that matter) are best served by Jerusalem remaining in the hands of Israel until the Lord returns. Already, for years, our U.S. government under two administrations and the U.N. have applied pressure on Israel to surrender strategic territory to Moslem interests. In spite of the strong reservations of many Jews and evangelical Christians, it appears that our various governments may well try to remove Jerusalem from Israeli control. This is very regrettable, and we should resist such efforts wherever possible. Nevertheless, as the Bible teaches that Jerusalem will be a cup of trembling and a burdensome stone for all the nations in the End Times (Zech. 12:2-3), we should not be surprised. By Thomas S. McCall, Th.D.
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem"
— Psalm 122:6a
To Whom Does Jerusalem Belong?
The Jews say it belongs to Israel. It was the political capital and Temple worship center of the ancient Commonwealth for over 1,000 years, has been the spiritual home of the Jewish people ever since, and is understood to be the future capital of the Messiah.
The Arabs say it belongs to Islam. It is the third most sacred place to Moslem believers, next to Mecca and Medina. The city was under Moslem control from the seventh century until World War I, with the one-century exception during the Crusades.
The Papacy says it belongs to Christendom. Jerusalem is sacred to Christians because of both Old and New Testament associations, and is the site of the death and resurrection of Christ. The holy sites are of great concern, of which the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is supreme.
The United Nations says it belongs to the world. Jerusalem is revered by the world's three great monotheistic religions, and is critical as a hot spot that could well endanger world peace. Therefore, the U.N. wants to "internationalize" the city, so that no one ethnic or religious group would have control.
Jerusalem Under Israel and Jordan
What should the attitude be among those of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and are evangelicals? Our conviction is that all of the Land of Israel, including Jerusalem, belongs to the Jewish people by divine decree, and we should recognize their rights of ownership. During the last three decades, in which most of the Land has been under Israeli control, evangelical Christians have had full and free access to just about all of the country. Christian tourists have been welcome, and there has been no problem seeing all of the marvelous biblical sites. The holy places of all religions are kept sacrosanct, and Jews, Moslems and Christians may visit these places and rest assured that no important site will be desecrated.
Such could not be said when the country in general, and Jerusalem in particular, was under Moslem control. My wife and I were in Jerusalem in 1965, on a tour with Dr. Charles Feinberg. This, of course, was before the Six-Day War in 1967, and Jerusalem was part of the Kingdom of Jordan, and ruled by King Hussein. East and West Jerusalem were separated by a jagged zone called "no man's land." The Mandelbaum Gate was the only way anyone could get from one side to the other. It was like Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin. As a practical matter, no civilians could pass from Israel into Jordan, and about the only civilians who could pass from Jordan to Israel were foreign tourists. Once Christians got into Jordan, they could visit most of the New Testament holy places, but getting to Jordan was a serious problem, and the problem was created by the unwillingness of Jordan to cooperate with Israel.
As the Jordanians would not allow tourists to go from Israel into Jordan, we had to go to Jordan first, via Egypt, and then go into Israel through the Mandelbaum Gate. When Jerusalem was divided, it was difficult for pilgrims to visit the many important biblical sites.
The Western Wall Under Moslem Control
The entire Old City in 1965 was in Jordan, along with most of the biblical sites. This included the Dome of the Rock, the Temple Mount and the Western Wall. One of the places we wanted to visit was the Western Wall, sometimes called the Wailing Wall. Those who are familiar with the Wall as it is today, with its spacious plaza and daily crowds of people who come to worship and pray, can scarcely imagine what it was like in 1965. In actuality, it was a slum. The Arab houses were built up to within about ten feet of the Wall, and the space between was like an alley. Really, it was worse than that, because all around were the odors of a latrine. The Western Wall, closed in as a dank alleyway, was deserted then. No Jews were praying at this most sacred of sites to Judaism. No young boys were performing their Bar Mitzvah rites of reading the Torah, with all their admiring family rejoicing at the Wall. It was deserted when Jordan had control of the Old City. No Jews were allowed at the Western Wall for about 20 years.
Transformation of Jerusalem Under Jewish Control
What a difference when Israel recaptured the Old City in 1967. Within months, the old slum was cleared away from the Wall, a grand plaza was established, and hundreds to thousands of people began gathering there daily to pray and worship the God of Abraham and Moses.
Once Jerusalem was reunited under Jewish control, the Moslems had free and total access to the Dome of the Rock, the Al Aksa Mosque, and all their holy places throughout the Land. Christians also, including evangelicals, have had complete and unfettered access to all the important places in Israel, including the Temple Mount, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Garden Tomb, the Mount of Olives, and all the Sea of Galilee.
One shudders to think of what might happen if Jerusalem were again to be taken out of the hands of the Jewish people, even if it were placed under the U.N. or the Papacy, much less the P.L.O. Both evangelical Christians and Jews could well find themselves having much-reduced access to the scriptural sites. Furthermore, God never gave legal title of Jerusalem to Moslems or Christians or the United Nations. He gave the legal right to Jerusalem to Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and Jacob. What right do we have to try to nullify this grant to Israel from the Lord?
The Push to Remove Jerusalem from Israeli Control
Our conviction, therefore, is that both the scriptural mandates and the interests of Jews and evangelical Christians (and peace-loving Arabs, for that matter) are best served by Jerusalem remaining in the hands of Israel until the Lord returns. Already, for years, our U.S. government under two administrations and the U.N. have applied pressure on Israel to surrender strategic territory to Moslem interests. In spite of the strong reservations of many Jews and evangelical Christians, it appears that our various governments may well try to remove Jerusalem from Israeli control. This is very regrettable, and we should resist such efforts wherever possible. Nevertheless, as the Bible teaches that Jerusalem will be a cup of trembling and a burdensome stone for all the nations in the End Times (Zech. 12:2-3), we should not be surprised. By Thomas S. McCall, Th.D.
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem"
— Psalm 122:6a
ISRAEL: God's Time Clock
Israel is the major topic of the Bible. The word "Israel" occurs 2,565 times in 2,293 verses. More than enough prophecies have already been fulfilled in Israel's unique history to prove that "the God of Israel" (203 times) is the true God.
In Zechariah 12:2-3, He declares: Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
This is an amazing prophecy not only that Jerusalem, which was then in ruins, would become a burden to the whole world, but that all of Israel's neighbors would be united against her. They have fought one another in the past. Yet today, for the first time in history, "all the people round about" are united by Islam to destroy Israel.
For more than 50 years, Israel's neighbors have launched surprise attacks against her and she has proved too strong militarily, even though they outnumber her forty to one. God said, "I [will] make...Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood. . .and they shall devour all the people round about" (Zech 12:6). Soundly defeated every time, her Muslim neighbors feign a desire for peace, hoping to deceive and ultimately destroy her-a strategy established by Muhammad.
The real battle is not between Arabs and Jews, but between Allah and Yahweh. There is no question of the outcome, but it will be costly for both sides: Israel will be severely punished for rebellion, and her enemies will be destroyed.
Exactly as foretold, Jerusalem is a burden to all people of the world. More than 60,000 individual votes have been cast in the UN against Israel. This tiny nation with one 1,000th of the world's population has occupied one-third of the United Nations' time -- a burden indeed!
Skeptics accuse Christians of trying to fit current events to the Bible, claiming that no one recognized such prophecies until Israel was formed in 1948. On the contrary, for centuries most evangelical Christians have preached from the Bible the return of the Jews to their own land. Even John Owen, a leading Calvinist, wrote in the 17th century: "The Jews shall be gathered...into their homeland."
1 This was also the opinion of the poet John Milton, of John Bunyan, Roger Williams, Oliver Cromwell, and many others. Martin Luther wrote: "If the Jews are Abraham's descendants. . .[they should be] back in their own land [with] a state of their own. But . . .[they are] scattered and despised."
2 He therefore wrote off the Jews as God's chosen people and persecuted them. But today the Jews are back in their own land after 2,500 years of being scattered worldwide, speaking Hebrew just as King David did 3,000 years ago. No other people have returned to reestablish their own nation and language after being cast out of their land for such a period of time.
Some prophecies applicable only to our day are frightening, foretelling God's judgment. The language is often graphic: If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies...my sword shall devour flesh. . . (Dt. 32:41,42).
For, behold, the Lord will come. . .to render his anger with fury...by his sword (Is 66:15,16). And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other. . .they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried.... (Jer 25:33).
The question is often asked as to whether the United States (or Canada, Australia, et al.) is in Bible prophecy. Of course! Scripture declares that every nation in the world will join together to invade Israel in the last days and be destroyed in the battle of Armageddon: "I will gather all nations [surely all includes America] against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken. . ..Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations. . ." (Zech 12:9; 14:2-4).
But wouldn't the United States be spared for being Israel's friend? In fact, the U.S. State Department has often been against Israel. This was true in the Yom Kippur War. In a sneak attack (October 1973), 80,000 Egyptians overwhelmed 500 Israeli defenders along the Suez and 1,400 Syrian tanks swept down the Golan with only one Israeli tank in service to oppose them. Israel was taken by surprise. Most of her armed forces were on holiday. The initial success of the attackers so electrified the Arab world that nine other Arab states rushed to get in on the slaughter.
Historian David A. Rausch writes: "Jordan's King Hussein sent two of his best armored brigades to Syria. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait financially underwrote the huge cost while sending thousands of troops to fight the Israelis. Kuwait lent her British-made Lightning jets to Egypt.
Libya's Muammar Qaddafi turned over forty French-made Mirage III fighters and 100 tanks. Iraqi MiG fighter jets as well as tank and infantry divisions fought on the Golan Heights, while a squadron of Iraqi Hunter jets were utilized by Egypt. Arabs predicted the extermination of the Jewish state and
the 'liberation' of Palestine. . . ."
3. The Soviet Union blocked any UN attempt at a cease-fire and refortified the Arab forces with armaments and supplies by sea and air. It was the closest Israel ever came to being defeated. But when the war ended, the Israeli tank columns were on the outskirts of Damascus and Cairo and could have taken those cities had they not turned back. Tragically, Israel suffered about 3,000 dead-which would be comparable to the U.S. losing 150,000. Except for a series of miracles from God, Israel would not have survived.
Where was her friend, the United States? Dozens of notices were sent to the Nixon White House by America's National Security Administration (NSA) that an Arab Pearl Harbor was about to be launched against Israel.
Nixon sat on them. Kissinger hid at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York the day of the attack and waited another three days before convening the UN Security Council. Declining to rush desperately needed military supplies to Israel, the White House said it had to be careful not to upset the Arabs and cause an oil crisis.
Six years earlier, on June 8, 1967, the fourth morning of the "Six-day War," the USS Liberty, an electronics eavesdropping vessel, arrived off the Sinai coast and began to suck in every Israeli military communication, relaying it all to the British Secret Service's giant computer installation on Cyprus. From there, complete maps of every Israeli military move were transmitted in advance to the Arab armed forces.
With that help, the Arabs might have been able to use their overwhelming numerical superiority to turn the tide of the war. Israel had no choice except to sink the Liberty. Of course the media screamed about this "cold-blooded attack." No one believed Israel's public excuse that the Liberty had been mistaken for a hostile Egyptian ship-and neither the U.S. nor Israel has publicly told the truth.
Yes, the United States, too, will attack Israel and will be punished at Armageddon. God declares plainly that He will bring all nations against Israel to destroy them: In the latter days...I will bring thee against my land. . .my fury shall come up in my face. . .there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel. . .the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things [on] the earth, and all the men [on] the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence. . .[all nations] shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezk 38:16-23).
This is terrifying language! What causes this "great shaking" of the entire planet and every living creature upon it? God is personally coming to earth as He did at Mount Sinai when He gave the Law-and He is going to take vengeance upon the enemies of Israel!
There are two specific reasons for God's judgment: "I will also gather all nations ...into the Valley of Jehoshaphat [between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, where God miraculously destroyed invading nations without Israel lifting a finger (2 Chr 21:10-25)], and will plead with [punish] them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have [1] scattered among the nations, and [2] parted my land" (Joel 3:2).
Of course, all nations have participated in persecuting and scattering the Jews from country to country for 2,500 years. The second reason for God's judgment falling on all nations, however, is something that has only occurred within our generation: "they have . . . parted [divided] my land."
Israel has been overrun by invaders many times -- but never did any conqueror divide the land. The victor does not share its spoils with others. Since World War I, however, all nations have joined to divide the land of Israel.
The 1917 Balfour Declaration, the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, and the 1922 Declaration of Principles by the League of Nations all recognized that the land that had become known as "Palestine" (since the Romans renamed Israel in A.D. 135) belonged to the Jews.
It was set aside to become the national homeland of the Jewish people "internationally guaranteed, and formally recognized to rest upon ancient historic connection." Of course, history ties Israel to all of "Palestine."
Britain was given the mandate to see that the Jews were safely settled there. The discovery of huge reservoirs of oil under Arab lands caused Britain to keep Jewish immigrants out and let in tens of thousands of Arabs.
Just when millions of Jews desperately needed a haven to which they could flee from Nazi Germany, Britain's 1939 White Paper limited Jewish immigrants to 10,000 per year for a maximum of five years, plus an additional 25,000 "refugees" during that period-then the door to Palestine would be shut entirely to the Jews. Since the Nazis had marked for extinction 11 million Jews in Europe, the quota of 25,000 defied God and conscience.
A year earlier, President Roosevelt had gathered delegates from 32 countries in Evian, France, to discuss the worsening plight of the Jews. Roosevelt made it clear that the United States would do nothing. Britain said there was no room in Palestine and it was not to be discussed. Professing their
great sympathy for Europe's Jews that everyone knew were to be exterminated, the nations offered various excuses why they could do nothing to intervene.
Hitler shrewdly declared, "We...are ready to put all these criminals at the disposal of these countries...even on luxury ships." When the conference ended with the Jews completely abandoned, Hitler mocked the participants: "It was recently regarded as wholly incomprehensible why Germany did not wish to preserve in its population...the Jews. . .[yet these] countries seem in no way anxious to [receive them] now that the opportunity offers." The entire world was Hitler's partner in destroying the Jews!
In 1944, Hitler offered to sell to the allies 500,000 Hungarian Jews for $2 each -and no one would take them! England said there was "no room" in Palestine for them! In 1943, Britain and America had agreed to say and do nothing about the Holocaust, fearful that if pressed, Hitler would dump the
Jews on his critics. The Allies steadfastly refused the repeated urgent appeals from Jewish organizations to bomb the rail lines going in and out of the extermination camps. God will judge all nations!
After the war, a trickle of emaciated survivors of Hitler's death machines sought to reach "Palestine" in half-sinking ships. Some who got within sight of the land God had given to them as an everlasting inheritance (1 Chr. 16:15-18) were driven back by the British navy and put into internment camps on Cyprus.
Many who did manage to find shelter within what would become the new Jewish State of Israel were rounded up by the British and removed to those camps. Britain created Jordan out of most of the Promised Land. The demise of the British Empire, upon which "the sun never sank," can be counted from the time Britain betrayed the Jews-one more fulfillment of the prophecy, "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee. . ." (Gn 12:3).
When the UN finally voted to partition Palestine on November 29, 1947 (UN Res. 181), God's "chosen people" received about 13 percent of the land that had once belonged to them! Thus Joel's prophecy was fulfilled that all nations would join to divide Israel. The only part of that prophecy remaining to be fulfilled is the judgment on the nations for having "parted" God's land: "The land shall not be sold [partitioned] for ever; for the land is mine" (Lev 25:23).
God's anger is growing hotter against the nations of this world for robbing Israel of what He gave to her. Yet in continued defiance of God, every peace proposal that the West has imposed upon Israel has involved further dividing of God's land.
President Bush, a professing Christian, originated the so-called "road map to peace," which calls for a further dividing of the land of Israel. He ought to tremble and repent, as should President Putin, the EU, and the UN, who have joined Bush to make up the "quartet" sponsoring this plan.
On her part, Israel has been willing to give away more and more land in exchange for promises of "peace" from the PLO in spite of the fact that its charter calls for the destruction of Israel and that its maps and those of the entire Arab world do not even acknowledge Israel's existence. The fact that Israel has been forced to do so by the West is no excuse.
For this she will be punished severely in what is called "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jer 30:7). Yes, God will deliver her, but only after two-thirds of all Jews on earth have been killed (Zec 13:8,9).
There is no more appropriate place and way to destroy the nations that have abused Israel than when they, in the spirit of Satan, come to effect once and for all what Hitler called the "final solution to the Jewish problem."
Believers are to meet together to encourage and exhort one another from Scripture, "so much the more, as ye see the day [of judgment] approaching" (Heb 10:25). Fulfilled prophecies are heralding that day as never before.
Dave Hunt TBC
www.thebereancall.org
In Zechariah 12:2-3, He declares: Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
This is an amazing prophecy not only that Jerusalem, which was then in ruins, would become a burden to the whole world, but that all of Israel's neighbors would be united against her. They have fought one another in the past. Yet today, for the first time in history, "all the people round about" are united by Islam to destroy Israel.
For more than 50 years, Israel's neighbors have launched surprise attacks against her and she has proved too strong militarily, even though they outnumber her forty to one. God said, "I [will] make...Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood. . .and they shall devour all the people round about" (Zech 12:6). Soundly defeated every time, her Muslim neighbors feign a desire for peace, hoping to deceive and ultimately destroy her-a strategy established by Muhammad.
The real battle is not between Arabs and Jews, but between Allah and Yahweh. There is no question of the outcome, but it will be costly for both sides: Israel will be severely punished for rebellion, and her enemies will be destroyed.
Exactly as foretold, Jerusalem is a burden to all people of the world. More than 60,000 individual votes have been cast in the UN against Israel. This tiny nation with one 1,000th of the world's population has occupied one-third of the United Nations' time -- a burden indeed!
Skeptics accuse Christians of trying to fit current events to the Bible, claiming that no one recognized such prophecies until Israel was formed in 1948. On the contrary, for centuries most evangelical Christians have preached from the Bible the return of the Jews to their own land. Even John Owen, a leading Calvinist, wrote in the 17th century: "The Jews shall be gathered...into their homeland."
1 This was also the opinion of the poet John Milton, of John Bunyan, Roger Williams, Oliver Cromwell, and many others. Martin Luther wrote: "If the Jews are Abraham's descendants. . .[they should be] back in their own land [with] a state of their own. But . . .[they are] scattered and despised."
2 He therefore wrote off the Jews as God's chosen people and persecuted them. But today the Jews are back in their own land after 2,500 years of being scattered worldwide, speaking Hebrew just as King David did 3,000 years ago. No other people have returned to reestablish their own nation and language after being cast out of their land for such a period of time.
Some prophecies applicable only to our day are frightening, foretelling God's judgment. The language is often graphic: If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies...my sword shall devour flesh. . . (Dt. 32:41,42).
For, behold, the Lord will come. . .to render his anger with fury...by his sword (Is 66:15,16). And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other. . .they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried.... (Jer 25:33).
The question is often asked as to whether the United States (or Canada, Australia, et al.) is in Bible prophecy. Of course! Scripture declares that every nation in the world will join together to invade Israel in the last days and be destroyed in the battle of Armageddon: "I will gather all nations [surely all includes America] against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken. . ..Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations. . ." (Zech 12:9; 14:2-4).
But wouldn't the United States be spared for being Israel's friend? In fact, the U.S. State Department has often been against Israel. This was true in the Yom Kippur War. In a sneak attack (October 1973), 80,000 Egyptians overwhelmed 500 Israeli defenders along the Suez and 1,400 Syrian tanks swept down the Golan with only one Israeli tank in service to oppose them. Israel was taken by surprise. Most of her armed forces were on holiday. The initial success of the attackers so electrified the Arab world that nine other Arab states rushed to get in on the slaughter.
Historian David A. Rausch writes: "Jordan's King Hussein sent two of his best armored brigades to Syria. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait financially underwrote the huge cost while sending thousands of troops to fight the Israelis. Kuwait lent her British-made Lightning jets to Egypt.
Libya's Muammar Qaddafi turned over forty French-made Mirage III fighters and 100 tanks. Iraqi MiG fighter jets as well as tank and infantry divisions fought on the Golan Heights, while a squadron of Iraqi Hunter jets were utilized by Egypt. Arabs predicted the extermination of the Jewish state and
the 'liberation' of Palestine. . . ."
3. The Soviet Union blocked any UN attempt at a cease-fire and refortified the Arab forces with armaments and supplies by sea and air. It was the closest Israel ever came to being defeated. But when the war ended, the Israeli tank columns were on the outskirts of Damascus and Cairo and could have taken those cities had they not turned back. Tragically, Israel suffered about 3,000 dead-which would be comparable to the U.S. losing 150,000. Except for a series of miracles from God, Israel would not have survived.
Where was her friend, the United States? Dozens of notices were sent to the Nixon White House by America's National Security Administration (NSA) that an Arab Pearl Harbor was about to be launched against Israel.
Nixon sat on them. Kissinger hid at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York the day of the attack and waited another three days before convening the UN Security Council. Declining to rush desperately needed military supplies to Israel, the White House said it had to be careful not to upset the Arabs and cause an oil crisis.
Six years earlier, on June 8, 1967, the fourth morning of the "Six-day War," the USS Liberty, an electronics eavesdropping vessel, arrived off the Sinai coast and began to suck in every Israeli military communication, relaying it all to the British Secret Service's giant computer installation on Cyprus. From there, complete maps of every Israeli military move were transmitted in advance to the Arab armed forces.
With that help, the Arabs might have been able to use their overwhelming numerical superiority to turn the tide of the war. Israel had no choice except to sink the Liberty. Of course the media screamed about this "cold-blooded attack." No one believed Israel's public excuse that the Liberty had been mistaken for a hostile Egyptian ship-and neither the U.S. nor Israel has publicly told the truth.
Yes, the United States, too, will attack Israel and will be punished at Armageddon. God declares plainly that He will bring all nations against Israel to destroy them: In the latter days...I will bring thee against my land. . .my fury shall come up in my face. . .there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel. . .the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things [on] the earth, and all the men [on] the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence. . .[all nations] shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezk 38:16-23).
This is terrifying language! What causes this "great shaking" of the entire planet and every living creature upon it? God is personally coming to earth as He did at Mount Sinai when He gave the Law-and He is going to take vengeance upon the enemies of Israel!
There are two specific reasons for God's judgment: "I will also gather all nations ...into the Valley of Jehoshaphat [between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, where God miraculously destroyed invading nations without Israel lifting a finger (2 Chr 21:10-25)], and will plead with [punish] them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have [1] scattered among the nations, and [2] parted my land" (Joel 3:2).
Of course, all nations have participated in persecuting and scattering the Jews from country to country for 2,500 years. The second reason for God's judgment falling on all nations, however, is something that has only occurred within our generation: "they have . . . parted [divided] my land."
Israel has been overrun by invaders many times -- but never did any conqueror divide the land. The victor does not share its spoils with others. Since World War I, however, all nations have joined to divide the land of Israel.
The 1917 Balfour Declaration, the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, and the 1922 Declaration of Principles by the League of Nations all recognized that the land that had become known as "Palestine" (since the Romans renamed Israel in A.D. 135) belonged to the Jews.
It was set aside to become the national homeland of the Jewish people "internationally guaranteed, and formally recognized to rest upon ancient historic connection." Of course, history ties Israel to all of "Palestine."
Britain was given the mandate to see that the Jews were safely settled there. The discovery of huge reservoirs of oil under Arab lands caused Britain to keep Jewish immigrants out and let in tens of thousands of Arabs.
Just when millions of Jews desperately needed a haven to which they could flee from Nazi Germany, Britain's 1939 White Paper limited Jewish immigrants to 10,000 per year for a maximum of five years, plus an additional 25,000 "refugees" during that period-then the door to Palestine would be shut entirely to the Jews. Since the Nazis had marked for extinction 11 million Jews in Europe, the quota of 25,000 defied God and conscience.
A year earlier, President Roosevelt had gathered delegates from 32 countries in Evian, France, to discuss the worsening plight of the Jews. Roosevelt made it clear that the United States would do nothing. Britain said there was no room in Palestine and it was not to be discussed. Professing their
great sympathy for Europe's Jews that everyone knew were to be exterminated, the nations offered various excuses why they could do nothing to intervene.
Hitler shrewdly declared, "We...are ready to put all these criminals at the disposal of these countries...even on luxury ships." When the conference ended with the Jews completely abandoned, Hitler mocked the participants: "It was recently regarded as wholly incomprehensible why Germany did not wish to preserve in its population...the Jews. . .[yet these] countries seem in no way anxious to [receive them] now that the opportunity offers." The entire world was Hitler's partner in destroying the Jews!
In 1944, Hitler offered to sell to the allies 500,000 Hungarian Jews for $2 each -and no one would take them! England said there was "no room" in Palestine for them! In 1943, Britain and America had agreed to say and do nothing about the Holocaust, fearful that if pressed, Hitler would dump the
Jews on his critics. The Allies steadfastly refused the repeated urgent appeals from Jewish organizations to bomb the rail lines going in and out of the extermination camps. God will judge all nations!
After the war, a trickle of emaciated survivors of Hitler's death machines sought to reach "Palestine" in half-sinking ships. Some who got within sight of the land God had given to them as an everlasting inheritance (1 Chr. 16:15-18) were driven back by the British navy and put into internment camps on Cyprus.
Many who did manage to find shelter within what would become the new Jewish State of Israel were rounded up by the British and removed to those camps. Britain created Jordan out of most of the Promised Land. The demise of the British Empire, upon which "the sun never sank," can be counted from the time Britain betrayed the Jews-one more fulfillment of the prophecy, "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee. . ." (Gn 12:3).
When the UN finally voted to partition Palestine on November 29, 1947 (UN Res. 181), God's "chosen people" received about 13 percent of the land that had once belonged to them! Thus Joel's prophecy was fulfilled that all nations would join to divide Israel. The only part of that prophecy remaining to be fulfilled is the judgment on the nations for having "parted" God's land: "The land shall not be sold [partitioned] for ever; for the land is mine" (Lev 25:23).
God's anger is growing hotter against the nations of this world for robbing Israel of what He gave to her. Yet in continued defiance of God, every peace proposal that the West has imposed upon Israel has involved further dividing of God's land.
President Bush, a professing Christian, originated the so-called "road map to peace," which calls for a further dividing of the land of Israel. He ought to tremble and repent, as should President Putin, the EU, and the UN, who have joined Bush to make up the "quartet" sponsoring this plan.
On her part, Israel has been willing to give away more and more land in exchange for promises of "peace" from the PLO in spite of the fact that its charter calls for the destruction of Israel and that its maps and those of the entire Arab world do not even acknowledge Israel's existence. The fact that Israel has been forced to do so by the West is no excuse.
For this she will be punished severely in what is called "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jer 30:7). Yes, God will deliver her, but only after two-thirds of all Jews on earth have been killed (Zec 13:8,9).
There is no more appropriate place and way to destroy the nations that have abused Israel than when they, in the spirit of Satan, come to effect once and for all what Hitler called the "final solution to the Jewish problem."
Believers are to meet together to encourage and exhort one another from Scripture, "so much the more, as ye see the day [of judgment] approaching" (Heb 10:25). Fulfilled prophecies are heralding that day as never before.
Dave Hunt TBC
www.thebereancall.org
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