Archive for December, 2011

Once Outlawed Muslim Brotherhood Getting Significant Votes

Thursday, December 1st, 2011


Muslim Brotherhood
الإخوان المسلمون
Al-Ikhwān Al-Muslimūn

COGwriter

The Muslim Brotherhood continues to do well in Egypt’s elections:

Muslim Brotherhood Takes Elections by Storm

Islamist parties are expected to control Cairo’s parliament by the spring with the Muslim Brotherhood projected to be in the driver’s seat…Judges overseeing the vote count in Egypt’s parliamentary elections say Islamist parties have won a majority of the contested seats in the first round. The judges spoke on condition of anonymity because official results are expected to be released later Thursday.

They say the Muslim Brotherhood could take 45 percent of the seats up for grabs.  http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/150311#.TtfbHoR0r8B

Notice that:

…the [Muslim Brotherhood] Society was established for, that is, establishing the State of Islam, headed by the Islamic Caliphate, in order to establish Allah religion on Allah’s land…(Source: The Muslim Brotherhood – in its own words Translation of “Jihad is the way” by Mustafa Mashhur Leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, 1996-2002 by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik. http://www.palwatch.org/STORAGE/special%20reports/Jihad_is_the_way_by_Mustafa_Mashhur.pdf viewed 04/30/11)

“Allah’s lands” are those that are or ever were once predominantly Islamic.

One of the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood may well become the King of the South that the Bible foretells (Daniel 11:40).

Watch (Mark 13:37).

Some articles of related interest may include:

Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi? What does the Bible say?
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims?
Is There an Islamic Antichrist? Is Joel Richardson correct that the final Antichrist will be Islamic and not European? Find out.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2011, 2012, or 2013? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000?

German Mayan Researcher 2012 Conclusions are Incomplete

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

Last Page of Mayan Dresden Codex
Dresden Codex Picturing a Flood

COGwriter

A German researcher’s conclusions about the Mayan 2012 date are in the news today:

Sven Gronemeyer, a researcher of Mayan culture from North Rhine-Westphalia said that his decoding of an old stone tablet referencing 2012 has shown that the Native American civilization merely expected the return of one of their gods next December. It doesn’t predict the world’s destruction, the Spanish newspaper ABC reported on Wednesday….http://www.thelocal.de/society/20111201-39233.html

…a German expert who says his decoding of a Mayan tablet with a reference to a 2012 date denotes a transition to a new era and not a possible end of the world as others have read it…The interpretation of the hieroglyphs by Sven Gronemeyer of La Trobe University in Australia was presented for the first time Wednesday at the archaeological site of Palenque in southern Mexico…He said the inscription describes the return of mysterious Mayan god Bolon Yokte at the end of a 13th period of 400 years, known as Baktuns, on the equivalent of Dec. 21, 2012. Mayans considered 13 a sacred number. There’s nothing apocalyptic in the date, he said.   http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/americas/new-decoding-of-mexico-glyphs-rules-out-2012-apocalypse-says-it-is-new-era-in-mayan-calendar/2011/11/30/gIQAqU8gEO_story.html

While the German researcher has concluded that the Mayans believed that one of their gods would return on December 21, 2012, he overlooked how some Mayans interpreted this in the 16th century.  And those Mayan understandings are very different than the understanding that the German researcher is trying to get accepted.

Here is some of what my book 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect wrote about what the Mayans believed in the 16th century:

There are also nine writings called Chilam Balam (meaning “oracular priest” “jaguar”) that seem to combine Mayan and Spanish beliefs that were written in the early 16th  century after some Mayans learned a character writing system from the Spaniards.  Notice what it says about a flood coming at the end of Mayan time (“when the law of the katun has run its course”):

But when the law of the katun has run its course, the God will bring about a great deluge again which will be the end of the world. When this is over, then our Lord Jesus Christ will descend over the valley of Jehoshaphat besides the town of Jerusalem where he redeemed us with his holy blood. (José Hoíl J, Roys R. The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel. Roys Publisher, 1933. Reprint Forgotten Books, 1967, p. 62)

However, since the Chilam Balam shows Spanish and biblical influence, many prefer to focus on the Mayan documents that pre-date the Spaniards (like the Dresden Codex).

The last page of the Dresden Codex depicts large quantities of water coming out of the mouth of some type of possibly demonic serpent entity (snakes have been considered a symbol of the devil since Genesis 3:1).

Because it is the final page, many feel that the picture is trying to tell us that at the end of the Mayan calendar the world comes to an end, as it will be destroyed by a massive flood.

It seems that some of the 16th century Mayans may have changed the name of the returning god from Bolon Yokte to the new one, Jesus, that the Spanish had mentioned.  German researcher Sven Gronemeyer and those who have reported his conclusions may wish to consider that.

The reality is that it is now becoming more and more “politically-correct” to indicate that the Mayans predicted a new era coming as opposed to the end of the world.

Yet, both of these views seem to be erroneous conclusions.

According to the Bible, the world cannot possibly end in a flood:

 8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 9 “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. 11 Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” (Genesis 9:8-11, NKJV)

The Bible is important to understand here as it is mainly from the Bible that we learn about Jesus–hence when the Mayans intermixed their earlier beliefs, they apparently overlooked Genesis 9.

According to the Bible, we seem to be on the cusp of people proclaiming a new era of peace which is false:

10 “Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace…(Ezekiel 13:10)

The reality is that the Mayans have predicted a worldwide flood and the end of the world. And while the world will not end in 2012, we seem to be in the time that Jesus referred to as “the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8), which precedes the end.

Yet, I have known for years that those in the New Age Movement intend to use a lack of a worldwide destructive flood on December 21, 2012 as proof that the world was about to enter into an age of peace that many of them consider to be the Age of Aquarius. But that will be a false proclamation of peace–it is too soon (cf. Revelation 19 and 20).

As December 21, 2012 gets closer, certain end time prophecies will get more attention. Many will be confused.

But you do not have to be.

For those interested in learning more of the truth on these matters, please see the following articles:

End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? There is a Mayan calendar prediction for change in 2012. 2012 changes were also centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans (the Hindus may have some predictions for the next decade as well). Do these Mayan/Hindu/Hopi prophecies have any value? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Does the Dresden codex show destruction of the earth by flood? Can the great tribulation start before 2012?
2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect This is a link related to a book by Bob Thiel (COGwriter). This link also has YouTube videos. This book documents and explains hundreds of prophecies. And since it was published, world events have aligned with at least 17 predictions in the book and many more will to come to pass.
2012 y el surgimiento de la secta secreta 2012 libro del Dr. Thiel en Español.
2012 und das Auftreten der geheimen Sekte (German Edition)  2012 Buch von Dr. Thiel in deutscher Sprache.
2012 e o Surgimento da Seita Secreta (Portuguese Edition) 2012 livro do Dr. Thiel em português. Este livro documenta e explica centenas de profecias. E desde que foi publicado pela primeira vez, pelo menos 17 já começaram a acontecer.
2012 e o Surgimento da Seita Secreta (Brazilian Portuguese Edition) 2012 livro do Dr. Thiel.  Edição em português do Brasil. Este livro documenta e explica centenas de profecias. E desde que foi publicado pela primeira vez, pelo menos 17 já começaram a acontecer.

Secular Concerns About Christmas

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

COGwriter

Various sources outside the COG have recently raised some concerns about Christmas that those who profess Christ should consider:

…what little connection exists between the birth of Christ and this consumerist thing we call “Christmas” continues to erode.

Perhaps that’s a good thing. Maybe we should all just ’fess up and admit that there’s no real relationship anymore between the two, and let it go…The semi-pagan origins of the mid-winter celebration that evolved into Christmas are well-documented. By letting the pagans have it back, Christians could rededicate themselves, at some other time of the year, to considering what Advent is all about…http://chronicle.augusta.com/life/your-faith/2011-11-25/reason-advent-lost-rush-stores

Christmas was actually grafted on to pre-existing pagan winter festivals. http://entertainment.time.com/2011/11/24/turkey-day-tv-ice-age-a-mammoth-christmas/

The Day of Christ’s Birth? Really?

I don’t mean to burst anyone’s bubble, but there is no scriptural or historical basis for December 25th actually being the day that Jesus was born. The earliest recorded celebrations of a nativity come from Christians in Egypt who celebrated around the 20th of May….http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charity-sunshine-tillemann-dick/war-on-christmas_b_1100413.html

Q: Is it true that the Pilgrims didn’t celebrate Christmas?

A: Many of the Pilgrims who began colonies in New England held to the Puritan custom of shunning pagan customs as well as some Church of England celebrations, including Christmas.  http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2011/nov/24/wsmain02-ask-sam-straight-answers-for-nov-24-ar-1642395/

Christmas is not a biblical holiday, but a compromise with pagan festive and religious practices.  It was not observed by early Christians, and even the Church of Rome did not observe it on December 25th until some time in the fourth century.

This is something that those who claim that Christmas really honors Christ may wish to think about.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

What Does the Catholic Church Teach About Christmas and the Holy Days? Do you know what the Catholic Church says were the original Christian holy days? Was Christmas among them?

Is January 1st a Date for Christians Celebrate? Historical and biblical answers to this question about the world’s New Year’s day.

Did Early Christians Celebrate Birthdays? Did biblical era Jews celebrate birthdays? Who originally celebrated birthdays? When did many that profess Christ begin birthday celebrations?

Is There “An Annual Worship Calendar” In the Bible? This paper provides a biblical and historical critique of several articles, including one by WCG which states that this should be a local decision. What do the Holy Days mean? Also you can click here for the calendar of Holy Days.