Church of God News

Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Iran

COGwriter

The following report came and went:

London braces for Israeli strike on Iran during 2012 Games

http://www.timesofisrael.com/london-prepares-for-israeli-strike-on-iran-during-2012-games/

The above link was not valid the last two times I checked it and so I wonder if this got pulled.  But whether or not Israel may hit Iran during the Summer 2012 Olympics, this is something that those that handle security for the Olympic in the UK do need to consider.

Additionally, from now until at least the Fall of 2012, the USA seems to wish to project a major show of military and political strength against Iran:

X marks the spot: Spy ring and warships encircle Iran

17 July 2012

The Pentagon is quickly tightening its ring of forces around Iran. As a recent report reveals a radar belt around the Persian country is almost complete, the biggest ever naval drills, involving up to 20 nations, are to take place in the Gulf waters…

Not satisfied with a ring of radar bases almost entirely encircling Iran, the US appears to be seeking to shatter the country’s morale as well. On Tuesday the US military is expected to announce the biggest-ever naval drills to be held in the Persian Gulf.

Twenty nations are to take part in the exercises scheduled for September 16-27, US media reports say.  http://www.rt.com/news/iran-us-radar-drills-386/

Iran is not the biblical King of the South (Daniel 11:40) and apparently needs to be somewhat neutralized if I am understanding certain aspects of end time prophecy correctly.  This “neutralization” could involve a war with Israel and/or the USA, and/or internal rebellion.

And while the USA (and Israel) have publicly declared a lot of confidence that they can handle attacks involving Iran, it would seem to be a mistake to think that the USA and Israel would not suffer more than their military planners seem to publicize.  Iran, and/or its ally Syria, has conventional, biological, chemical, EMP, and other types of weapons–all of which could impose a heavy cost if war occurs.  Additionally, various forms of “terrorism” could be used that could cause problems for the USA and/or Israel.

Wars do not always go as military and political leaders hope.

As Jesus said:

37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch! (Mark 13:37)

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The Arab 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 does Islam teach about the Imam Mahdi?
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? Is he the Imam Mahdi? What does the Bible say?
End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? Are there Mayan calendar predictions for change in 2012? Changes were centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans. Do Mayan/Hindu/Hopi/Buddhist/New Age/Nostradamus prophecies have any value here? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Does the Dresden codex show destruction of the earth by flood? Can the great tribulation start in 2012? How might Barack Obama be involved in 2012?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2012, 2013, or 2014? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”?  Is there a needed peace deal first in the Middle East?  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?

“I will break the pride of your power” (Leviticus 26:19)

COGwriter

Much is going on in economic news.  Let’s first start with a brief report from India:

MARKET EYE-India bond yields off lows on high food inflation

‎18 July 2012… India’s annual consumer price inflation slowed slightly in June to 10.02 percent, government data showed on Wednesday, but food prices accelerated, exacerbating concerns about below-average monsoon rains.

Weather problems are contributing to food inflation in India (and elsewhere).   A year ago, I warned that we were likely to start seeing noticeable food inflation this year.

I received several economic news items from a reader last night that make sense to share here.  Notice one of them:

Roubini sticks to 2013 ‘perfect storm’ prediction

Reuters – July 17, 2012

Economist Nouriel Roubini is standing by his prediction for a global “perfect storm” next year as economies the world over slow down or shudder to a complete halt, geopolitical risk grows and the euro zone’s debt crisis accelerates…Those factors are a worsening of the debt crisis in Europe; tax increases and spending cuts in United Sates that may push the world’s biggest economy into recession;…and a military confrontation with Iran…”There might be a weak rally because people are being cheered by more quantitative easing by (Chairman Ben) Bernanke and the Fed, but if the economy is weakening, that is going to put downward pressure on earnings growth,” said Roubini.

Roubini said the Federal Reserve may be pushed toward unconventional policy options as the stimulative effect of successive waves of quantitative easing – effectively printing money to buy government bonds – diminishes over time.  http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/07/17/roubini-outlook-idINL2E8IHES120120717

As a follow-up to something I posted yesterday, notice the following that I also received late last night:

Fed, Congress fiddle as US economy stumbles

MSNBC – July 17, 2012 excerpt…

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke told a Senate panel Tuesday there’s little he can do to offset the likely economic damage if Congress steers the U.S. economy over a fiscal cliff. Nor, he told lawmakers, is that his job.

“I don’t think that’s my responsibility,” he told the Senate Banking Committee. “I’ve been assigned to focus on maximum employment and price stability, not to hold threats over Congress’ head. Congress is in charge here, not the Federal Reserve.”

But with Congress deadlocked in an election year and unable or unwilling to head off a package of massive tax increases and spending cuts that threaten to snuff out the faltering U.S. recovery, it’s not clear who’s in charge.

http://economywatch.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/17/12792188-fed-congress-fiddle-as-us-economy-stumbles?lite

Political gridlock in the USA is one of many factors that may create a so-called “perfect storm” of disaster for the USA.  And while problems will happen in 2013, the worst “perfect storm,” the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21) is coming later.

Here is another news item, this one from Moorad Choudhry , the treasurer of the corporate division of the Royal Bank of Scotland:

Will All the Money Printing Lead to Hyperinflation?

17 July 2012…

Right now we have the ECB lending money to banks, who in turn lend (some of) it to governments. A very handy circle of money that provides (unarguably much needed) term liquidity to banks but also enables them to have funding power to purchase sovereign debt, which the banks use as collateral for their borrowing at the ECB…

The circle is more obvious with the explicit quantitative easing program in the U.S. and UK. The Bank of England holds over 30 percent of the UK government bond market as part of its quantitative easing (QE) operations and there is talk of increasing this number.At what point should we start to worry that that number is too high, that we have a branch of government lending to the government? 40 percent? 50 percent? 100 percent? The longer QE goes on and the more people keep talking about increasing it, the more one might start to worry about diminishing value of money and demanding more of it for the same work rate.

Because it has no more intrinsic value than Monopoly money, fiat money retains its value only because of confidence. As central banks print more and more money, all else being equal, its real value must decline. http://www.cnbc.com/id/47960752

Americans should notice that Moorad Choudhry is referring to the US dollar as “Monopoly money.”  The US dollar, like nearly all paper currencies, is not backed by anything accept confidence (although in the case of the USA, it has a substantial military, which gives it another type of confidence as well).

Yet, the Bible warns that the pride of power will be broken (Leviticus 26:19), and for the USA this apparently is not only referring to its military might, but its economic pride. According to Bible prophecy, the end of the Anglo-dominance of the world is coming (the Anglo-nations were initially founded mainly by the descendants of Jacob and were given his name in Genesis 48:16-20), and the final age of the Gentiles will be here in a relatively few years. The debt and other financial issues in the USA are indicators that not too many more years are left before the start of the Great Tribulation, the time of Jacob’s trouble.

It is not the rest of the world will not have their own issues, it just is that since they generally have not quite followed the USA, UK, and others into the debt creation machine to the same degree, they completely will fall apart later than the USA and UK does.

While India and the Gentile-dominated nations will also have issues, the Bible shows that the times of the Gentiles will be here soon (Ezekiel 30:1-3; Jeremiah 10:25; Luke 21:23-24; Revelation 11:2).  And all should realize that food inflation, food shortages, and even starvation will be coming to the Anglo-descended nations like the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.  A so-called “perfect storm” is coming–and it will be much worse that the 2013 prediction from economist Nouriel Roubini.  We are getting close to the end of the 6,000 years since Adam rejected God and the start of the Great Tribulation.

The “storm” that will be coming will be apparently the result of a combination of weather problems, pestilences, crop failures (probably at least partially related to the high dependance that most of the Anglo-nations have on genetically-modified “foods”), debt, military weakness, deception, etc. that is being brought on by the sins of the Anglo-peoples and the lack of national repentance.   And it is coming.

To learn more, please check out the following articles:

When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2012, 2013, or 2014? 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?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2019 or 202x?
What Do You Mean — Repentance? Do you know what repentance is? Have you truly repented? Repented of what? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
India, Its Biblical Past and Future: Any Witness? The Bible discusses the origins of those of Indian heritage and discusses some of the witness to them (including those in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka).
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British-English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people?

 
Ben Bernanke

COGwriter

The U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman apparently has no great solutions to the economy of that country:

17 July 2012

Bernanke Offers Bleak View but No Clues on Action

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke delivered a bleak new assessment of the U.S. economy to lawmakers on Tuesday but remained guarded about what, if anything, the Fed would do about it.

The above is no surprise as this pretty much how he handled this matter publicly last month (see Bernanke Clueless on Economy, Bible is Not), but he did make a somewhat useful  comment as ABC reported:

17 July 2012

Bernanke: Recession Likely If Congress Doesn’t Act

(ABCNEWS.com) Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke sketched a bleak picture of the US economy Tuesday – and warned it will darken further if Congress doesn’t reach agreement soon to avert a budget crisis.

It is true that the USA federal government needs to actually solve the budget crisis.  And while that would help, it simply will not help enough.

Historically, Ben Bernanke has inflated the money supply through currency debasing (QE1 and QE2) and debt (“stimulus” programs of various types).  He must know that this cannot always be the answer, which is part of why he is not offering much in the way of public solutions.

Notice that inflating currency is not commended in the Bible:

4 Take away the dross from silver (Proverbs 25:4a).

25 I will turn My hand against you,
And thoroughly purge away your dross,
And take away all your alloy. (Isaiah 1:25)

22 Your silver has become dross, Your wine mixed with water. (Isaiah 1:22)

Dross is a cheaper metal that is normally placed inside a covering of a precious metal like silver. Governments began to do this thousands of years ago when they had financial problems. Putting dross into silver cheapens currency, just like putting water into wine dilutes the wine’s value. In modern times, government spending in excess of revenues and quantitative easing programs (QE1 and QE2, from the Fed Chairman) are a way to dilute the value of currencies. This is not the biblical solution to US economic problems.

Now, the real cause of why all of this is happening is sin. Because of it’s increasing secularism, greed, and tolerance for sexual, abortive, and other sins, the USA is getting closer to reaping more what it has sown:

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. (Galatians 6:7-8)

One of the many cursings that were prophesied in the Bible to be reaped for disobedience was that of accumulation of debt:

43 The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. 44 He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail. 45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you (Deuteronomy 28:42-45).

At some point in time, the USA will likely start to experience massive inflation (which is something that the Fed Chairman should realize). And afterwards, its creditors will rise up.

The world is changing and the USA and its Anglo-descended allies are losing their financial dominance in the world. And while there will be some temporary rises in the value of the US dollar for a while (and likely when there is more civil unrest in Europe), the trend for the US dollar and economy is clearly down.

Notice that God mentions that that destruction will happen to those that increased their debt at the end time:

3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry…5 Indeed, because he transgresses by wine, He is a proud man… 6 “Will not all these take up a proverb against him, And a taunting riddle against him, and say, ‘Woe to him who increases What is not his–how long? And to him who loads himself with many pledges’? 7 Will not your creditors rise up suddenly? Will they not awaken who oppress you? And you will become their booty. 8 Because you have plundered many nations, All the remnant of the people shall plunder you (Habakkuk 2:3,5,6-8).

The above prophecy will be fulfilled at the time of the end and seems to be directed to one or more nations like the USA. It makes little sense that it would be directed towards the modern nation of Israel as it does not have enemy creditors. It must be a nation or group of nations with some prominence.

Since the USA has the most debt of any nation of all time, it seems to be a leading (though not necessarily only) candidate to be included in it. Increasing deficits puts the USA in a dangerous position that Bible prophecy indicates that it will not be able to recover from.

Let’s briefly look at another warning in Isaiah 30:12-13:

12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel:

“Because you despise this word, And trust in oppression and perversity, And rely on them, 13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you Like a breach ready to fall, A bulge in a high wall, Whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant.

Of course, more and more, the Anglo-American nations are trusting in policies that encourage perversity. While there is oppression in these nations (especially racial), the Hebrew word for it can also be translated “unjust gain.”  This can include not just the historical exploitation of of various peoples, but can probably also include the fact that the economies of the Anglo-American nations for the past few decades has been benefiting from the gains of foreigners loaning money to at least two of them.

Since the Roe vs. Wade pro-abortion decision, the USA has became the greatest debtor nation in the history of humankind. Since the USA owes alien nations trillions of dollars, it appears that the curse in Deuteronomy 28:44 of having to borrow from aliens is happening to it now.

US President Barack Obama has repeatedly put forth economic policies that have and will increase that debt–even more than former President Bush. Additionally, one of the first actual changes that Barack Obama implemented was reversing one or more executive orders that will likely lead to more abortions (see Obama’s Abortion Changes). Yet, abortion is wrong (see Abortion, the Bible, and a Woman’s Right to Choose) and a terrible national sin. And on March 9, 2009 President Obama lifted a ban on embryonic stem cell research (see LCG on Stem Cells) another morally wrong sin.  He also declared last year that he would not defend the Defense of Marriage Act, but wanted to repeal it (see Obama Announces He Wants to Repeal Defense of Marriage Act and Increase Debt), and hence has supported the homosexual agenda.

There actually are carnal economic solutions that the USA could implement.  The USA could get to the point that it does not need to import almost any energy through shale, natural gas, offshore and other oil developments, nuclear power, etc.  The allowance of this by the USA government would also trigger a construction boom and create a lot of jobs.  There are also steps that could be carnally taken with how it handles unemployment, welfare, business regulations, taxes, etc., but these will not likely be changed to the degree that the USA needs (it will actually, at this stage, take the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the King of God).  But most its leaders will not see even the carnal economic solutions clear enough.

Why?

Because most do not really wish to retain God in their knowledge, so they are not able to see those things that are truly necessary–they work on the futile.  Notice that this was prophesied for those who would tend to support (though not necessarily participate in), such sins as homosexuality:

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.   (Romans 1:18-32)

Without massive national repentance, the Bible is clear that complete destruction of the economy, and even government, of the USA is certain. This is something that leaders, such as the Fed Chairman, need to know.

While the USA needs national repentance, and this is not likely to happen, you personally can repent and be saved.  Both spiritually and carnally.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include the following:

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church Did you know that? Do you even know what the gospel of the kingdom is all about?
What is the Gospel? True religion should be based upon the true gospel. What are some of the different gospels and where did they come from? Do you believe the true or a false gospel?
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on this subject–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory.
Are You Saved? Do You Love Jesus? What is a True Christian? What is the Gospel? Evangelist Richard Ames answers those important questions.
True vs. False Conversion Are you really converted or willing to be? What is true conversion? What is false conversion? What are the dangers of false conversion? Evangelist Roderick Meredith provides information on those important questions.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people?
Prophecies of Barack Obama? Eight reasons why Barack Obama is apocalyptic and eight reasons why Barack Obama is not the Antichrist. This article includes many biblical and non-biblical prophecies, from around the world, that seem to discuss Barack Obama. Did Nostradamus predict Barack Obama dealing with the Antichrist? Might Barack Obama set the stage for the kings of the North and South as at least one Shiite prophecy suggests? This is the longest and most complete article on this page on Barack Obama prophecies. Read it and decide for yourself if President Obama seems to be fulfilling various prophecies.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States Some claim that Barack Obama is the prophesied “son of Kenya”, based up an early 20th century writing.
Abortion, the Bible, and a Woman’s Right to Choose Is abortion sin? What exactly are a woman’s reproductive rights? Do you know what the Bible teaches on this?
LCG: Homosexuals Gaining Ground “Same-sex marriage” for “gays” and lesbians is becoming more acceptable to many. What does the Bible teach about homosexuality?  Can homosexuals change?

1936 Dust Bowl, South Dakota

COGwriter

CBS News reported the following:

17 July 2012

How close are we to a new Great Depression?

The risk of a new depression — a sustained, severe recession — has struck fear into the heart of markets and driven monetary policy in developed economies since the current financial crisis began.

“We’re in a very unfortunate position to be here,” Richard Duncan, author of The New Depression, warned on CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” Monday.

“When we broke the link between money and gold, this removed all constraints on credit creation. This explosion of credit created the world we live in, but it now seems that credit cannot expand any further because the private sector is incapable of repaying the debt it has already, and if credit begins to contract, there’s a very real danger that we will collapse into a new Great Depression,” he argued.

“If this credit bubble pops, the depression could be so severe that I don’t think our civilization could survive it.”  http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story/How-close-are-we-to-a-new-Great-Depression/oCOe7I7I_0OfqQh5pLlY1Q.cspx

The Great Depression started with a stock market crash in 1929 and then had complicating factors like the dust bowl problems that went from at least Oklahoma to the Dakotas.

The current recession essentially seemed to be triggered by a financial crisis in September 2008.  And now there are massive droughts in the USA and other parts of the world (actually, Southern Iraqis are blaming the USA and the West for the drought that they are having per http://ca.news.yahoo.com/iran-drought-part-soft-war-west-vp-191444201.html).

On the financial side, notice also the following:

IMF forecast: cloudy, risk of lightning

The world’s becoming a more dangerous place, including for emerging markets. That’s the view of the International Monetary Fund in its latest quarterly reports on the global economy and financial stability.Economic growth prospects have slowed while “risks to financial stability have increased” since the Fund’s last pronouncements…But after many years of rapid credit growth, watch out for bubbles and bad debt, says the IMF, although it uses somewhat more diplomatic language…Plenty of gloom and doom, then, in both reports.

http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2012/07/16/imf-forecast-cloudy-risk-of-lightning/

Now while the above article used “weather-related” terms, it never mentioned the weather, mainly just debt.

The debt situations in Europe, the USA, and UK are serious. They are starting to result in changes in those societies, and many of those changes will ultimately not be good. Americans do not realize that for the last four decades that they have been spending their assets and getting into debt to finance their lifestyles–and that nation has even if not all individuals have. But as that nation continues to print currency, eventually all who continue to depend on the USA dollar will suffer when it becomes worthless; and the same can be said of the British pound. And the value of the euro is likely to continue to fluctuate as debt, austerity, and more civil unrest are likely to shake investors confidence in that partially fragile union (cf. Daniel 2:41-43).

Now, I would again like to mention weather.  Although the economic crisis of 2008 was not triggered by weather, weather problems have the potential to cause poverty, food shortages, and more serious problems than the financial issues that have been presented the past few years.  Weather problems, combined with soaring debt, have the potential to severely hurt the USA.  And as far as the weather goes, notice two headlines from the past few days: 2012 Drought Declared USA’s Largest Ever Natural Disaster and  Worst-in-generation drought dims U.S. farm economy hopes.

Weather problems, as well as economic ones, seem to be part of the “troubles” that Jesus predicted would be part of the beginning of sorrows (Mark 13:8)–a time that we now seem to be in (this is a time that precedes the Great Tribulation).

We in the genuine Philadelphia remnant of the Church of God believe that we must strive to fulfill Jesus’ statements He made about gospel proclamation in scriptural passages such as Matthew 24:14; 28:19-20. And now is the time for people to take spiritual and physical action as time is getting shorter.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

What is the Gospel? True religion should be based upon the true gospel. What are some of the different gospels and where did they come from? Do you believe the true or a false gospel?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church Did you know that? Do you even know what the gospel of the kingdom is all about?
Are You Saved? Do You Love Jesus? What is a True Christian? What is the Gospel? Evangelist Richard Ames answers those important questions.
True vs. False Conversion Are you really converted or willing to be? What is true conversion? What is false conversion? What are the dangers of false conversion? Evangelist Roderick Meredith provides information on those important questions.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people?
Canada in Prophecy: What Does Bible Prophecy, Catholic Prophecy, and other Predictions Suggest About the Future of Canada? There are prophecies that suggest involvement with Canada. And many are not positive about its future.
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West?
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe?
Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism? Was the millennium (sometimes called chiliasm) taught by early Christians? Who condemned it. Will Jesus literally reign for 1000 years on the earth? Is this time near?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2018 or 2019?
Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something?
The Plain Truth About Gold in Prophecy. How Should a Christian View Gold? What do economists and the Bible teach about gold? Gold and silver may drop in value. Inflation/deflation? What do Christians need to know about gold?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2012, 2013, or 2014? 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?

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg

COGwriter

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was mentioned in the German press today. The following article is basically machine-translated from German into English (and is somewhat hard to read in English):

16 July 2012

Comeback strategy for Guttenberg: Transparent writing

16th FROM July 2012 Talk of the town

More transparency – this now seems indeed to be the solution to all problems. This is true not only for pirates, but also for Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, the transparency has become well known, brought the copying when writing his doctoral thesis in the bailout…

That means, at least according to Kassaei Amir, chief of the international advertising agency creative DDB,…that for the former defense minister, (who lives) in Greenwich Connecticut, Amir is the advertising professional developing a strategy for a KT (Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg) comeback after his own failed first attempt, (that the answer to the Guttenberg comeback question) is yes (he intends to make a comeback).

Kassaei advises him for two years to be at Harvard to include in the library and post via webcam in the eyes of the world a new promotion. The Guttenberg limelight gene would be contrary to being safe (earlier).

And when he returned, the CSU {a German political party} will then still have not, he might hire a top candidate for the Pirates.  http://www.cicero.de/blog/stadtgespraech/2012-07-13/comeback-strategie-fuer-zu-guttenberg-transparent-schreiben

So, now Baron Guttenberg has an advertising agency working on his comeback.  The German press is not pleased and seems to be calling Karl Guttenberg a pirate.  Karl Guttenberg resigned after being caught in a plagiarism scandal in early 2011 for basically copying (pirating) parts of his doctoral dissertation.  BTW, there is an actual Pirate Party in Germany, but the article seems to be using satire here.

Karl Guttenberg remains, however, somewhat politically popular and I believe that he will make a comeback.  And I have written about this in the past.  Bible prophecy warns about a leader who was rejected who will rise up and lead Europe per Daniel 11:21-44.

Consistent with non-biblical and perhaps biblical prophecy, Karl Guttenberg exiled himself to Connecticut, in the USA, last Summer (see Baron Guttenberg’s House May Fulfill a Prophecy (and is in a Celebrity Neighborhood)). And while some in German politics wanted him to run for elective office in Germany in 2013, he decided against it–though without closing the door for some type of comeback later (see Karl Guttenberg Says No to 2013).  Because of the time since his scandal and since the television program apparently making fun of him is to come out in 2013, perhaps a later date may be politically more expedient.  And this is what his current advertising consultant seems to be advising him.

As regular readers know, since late 2009 I have wondered if former German Defense Minister Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was a candidate to possibly be the final King of the North of Daniel 11 and Beast of Revelation. The fact that he has had problems, but still is trying to rise up, is consistent with biblical and other predictions.

So, he remains one to watch.

Of course, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg could simply be a somewhat politician with many ups and downs. And all his intentions could be fine. We will see.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? What MUST happen BEFORE the Great Tribulation?
Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North? Is the German Defense Minister one to watch? What do Catholic, Byzantine, and biblical prophecies suggest?

COGwriter

Japan has had record rains which led to significant flooding and some deaths:

Japan Begins Cleanup After Record Rains, Flooding

Monday, July 16th, 2012

And of course, in 2012, weather problems, including drought and heat have affected other areas as well (see, for example, 2012 Drought Declared USA’s Largest Ever Natural Disaster, Drought Reducing Wheat Yields in US, Australia, Russia, and Ukraine and Weather Extremes in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK).

Flood, droughts, and weather problems contribute to food shortages, higher food prices, and sometimes famines. Food inflation seems to be occurring (see Corn Prices Rise 33%, More Food Problems Ahead).

Back in 2009, my book, 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect mentioned the following was about to happen:

Odd weather patterns result in food shortages and natural disasters.

Matthew 24:7

The world is actually in a berserk transition, as the real age of peace is not yet here. It may be a period of chaos. It is the beginning of sorrows

Matthew 24:8

Droughts and odd weather problems should serve as a wake-up call. Weather-related troubles with their related food issues, of course, have been biblically expected:

7…And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:7-8).

8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. (Mark 13:8)

The rains and flooding in Japan, while not the Great Tribulation, certainly can be considered “troubles.”

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2012, 2013, or 2014? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?
Japan, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Any Witness? Where did the Japanese people come from? Have they had any witness?
Japan, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 2: Prophecy Japan in prophecy. What is prophesied for Japan? Will God save the Japanese?
End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? Are there Mayan calendar predictions for change in 2012? Changes were centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans. Do Mayan/Hindu/Hopi/Buddhist/New Age/Nostradamus prophecies have any value here? 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? How might Barack Obama and Julia Gillard be involved in 2012? Have predictions written by Bob Thiel related to Barack Obama and Julia Gillard began to come to pass?
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 23 predictions in the book and many more will to come to pass. Those who purchase the book at the www.thesecretsect.com website receive a lengthy bonus report documenting world events that aligned with the book.
2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect (English Kindle edition). This is the 2nd edition of the book, released in January 2012, and includes a summary of many of the predictions that world events have aligned with since the book originally came out in September 2009.
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 und das Auftreten der geheimen Sekte (German Kindle Edition)
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 23 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 23 já começaram a acontecer.

Greek 2 Euro Coin Shows Europa Riding the Beast

COGwriter

The latest TW News & Prophecy from the Living Church of God has the following:

Europe encouraged to rediscover “Christian” values.

On June 11, 2012, Catholic Archbishop Dominique Mamberti addressed European ambassadors at a meeting ending Denmark’s six-month rotation in the EU presidency (L’Osservatore Romano, June 12, 2012). In his speech, the Archbishop made it clear that Europe needed to rediscover itself, in order to have a successful future.

He discussed the loss of cultural and social identity among Europeans as a people. In his address, he stated, “I am confident that even in the current difficulties our continent will be able to rediscover itself. The success of this undertaking will depend on the extent to which Europe can look with gratitude and recognition at its origins and, above all, at the ability to present anew constructively and creatively those Christian and human values such as the dignity of the human person, the profound sentiment of justice and freedom, hard work, the spirit of initiative, love for the family, respect for life and the desire for cooperation and peace, which are its characteristic features” (ibid.).

This “return to your Christian roots” message is one often repeated by Roman Catholic clerics in recent years.

Emperor Justinian I (527-565) also used religious values when he successfully united the Eastern and Western empires during his rule. “In the Byzantine Empire, church and state were indissolubly linked as essential aspects of a single Christian empire that was thought of as the terrestrial counterpart of the heavenly polity. It was therefore the duty of Justinian, as it was for later Byzantine emperors, to promote the good government of the church and to uphold orthodox teaching” (Encyclopedia Britannica, “Justinian I”).

End-time prophecies reveal that a powerful church will support a revived European Beast power and will influence its policies (Revelation 17:1-5). For centuries the Roman Catholic Church has been a strong influence in Europe, and it will again play an instrumental role in uniting ten nations or leaders in the final revival of a European power with clear historical links to ancient Rome.

For more information on the Beast and its influence, read our eye-opening booklet, The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor, or Soon-Coming Reality?

As far as Europe’s religious roots, they precede Christianity.  Actually, the continent Europe derives its name from the goddess Europa.  Here is a version of the story of Europa from the San Diego State University website,

Zeus Lovers…One night Europa had a dream. In this dream two continents, which were in the forms of women were arguing over Europa. Asia maintained that since Europa had been born in Asia she belonged to it. The other continent, which was nameless, said that her birth was not important, that Zeus would give her to it. It was early morning, disturbed by the dream Europa did not go back to sleep. She summoned her companions, who were all daughters of nobility and of her age. It was a beautiful day and they went off gathering flowers by the sea. Zeus noticed this charming group, particularly Europa, who was the prettest [sic] of the maidens…Zeus appeared to the group as a white bull. A white bull more beautiful then any other…The bull laid down in front of Europa. She slid on to its back. Instantly, the bull charged off, plunging into the sea, and began to swim rapidly from the shore. Europa saw that a procession had joined them, Nereids riding dolphins, Triton blowing his horn, even Poseidon. From this she realized that the bull must be a god. She pleaded with him to pity her. Zeus spoke to her and explained his love. He took her to Create, where he had been raised. He promised that she would bear him many famous sons (Hunt J.M. Zeus Lovers. http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/bdodge/scaffold/GG/zeusLover.html, 4/9/04).

Notice that the story claims that Europa was actually born in Asia (some accounts say Europa was raped, others suggest she was seduced, by Zeus).

Astarte, often called the ‘queen of heaven’, is widely believed to be of Asian origin. Ishtar/Astarte (from where the name Easter is derived) was a Babylonia goddess. This woman was probably originally Semiramis (the mother of Nimrod), who was considered the first queen of Babylon. Semiramis had herself deified as the mother of the god Damu and installed as the “queen of heaven” pictured in the constellation Cassiopeia. She is sometimes shown as a virgin with child, while she was widely believed to originally have been a harlot.

A connection between Astarte (the ‘queen of heaven’) and Europa was noticed long ago. The following account was written by one called Lucian in the second century,

In Phoenicia is another great temple which the people of Sidon keep. They say it belongs to Astarte, and Astarte…is Selene the Moon. The Emperor Elagabalus, being the Sun, brought Astarte the Moon from Phoenicia and wedded her. But she was not originally or at any time primarily the moon; and in Babylonia, as Ishtar, she had for Her emblem a star, the planet Venus. But one of the priests told me it belongs to Europa, sister of Cadmus. She was daughter of King Agenor; and after she vanished, Phoenicians honored her with that temple, and told a holy tale about her that says she was beautiful; Zeus desired her and transformed himself into the likeness of a bull, and then snatched her away and bore her on his back to Crete. That same story I heard from other Phoenicians as well; and the coinage which the Sidonians use depicts Europa sitting on the bull that is Zeus. Nonetheless, they do not agree that the temple is that of Europa. The temple itself contained, in later days at least, a painting of the Europa episode. The story was also localized at Tyre, where the house of Agenor and the bower of Europa were shown and where in the eighth century the people still mourned the abduction in a feast called the kake’opsin’. The name Europa is considered Greek; whether this particular myth is Cretan or Phoenician in origin the evidence does not seem sufficient to determine (Peri Tes Syries Theoy De Dea Syria Concerning the Syrian Goddess by Lucian of Samosata 2nd Century C.E., http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/2938/deasyria1.html 4/08/04).

Here is another view of the story,

According to Greek mythology the chief Greek god Zeus fell in love with the human daughter of the Phoenician king, named Europa; in the shape of a white bull he abducted her, and had three sons through her. In order to ‘make up’ for his behavior, she was honored by naming a continent after her: Europa. This ‘love’ affair, though illegal, is ‘covenantal behavior.’ And giving names to territories is also ‘covenantal behavior’. Zeus can be identified as Satan (Rev. 2:13). Has he tried, by establishing a false covenantal relationship with this continent, to have a ‘legal’ claim on this continent?…As mentioned, Europa was a Phoenician princess. In Syria she was equated with Astarte, an adaptation of the demonic principality named in the bible as the queen of heaven. She is also known as Ishtar. One of Ishtar’s sacred symbols was the bull. At Knossos the queen-priestess represented the ‘mother goddess,’ the queen of heaven. Bulls were sacred; bull-games had a very important…Europe bore him three sons, one of whom was Minos. Then Europe married Asterios, the king of Crete (Bos, Helene. EUROPE, WHAT’S IN THE NAME? February 2004. http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:ercf9u3roXgJ:www.joelnews.nl/NameofEurope.doc+europa+consolation+continent+named&hl=en&i.e.=UTF-8 4/8/04).

Finally, here is another version of the story of Europa from the Greek government,

The final destination was Crete and in particular Gortyna where Zeus was joined in a “sacred marriage” with Europa, beneath a plane tree which has never lost its leaves ever since. It is interesting that the coins of Gortyna found had maintained the memory of this scene. One can see Europa seated on the trunk of the sacred tree, while on the other side of the coin the bull looks at her for one last time…She was worshipped with the name of Hellotis and at the celebrations, the Hellotia a celebration of joy for the blossoming of nature, people used to weave wreaths around her thighs as an indication of fertility. It was believed that Europa was initially a nymph, daughter of Oceanus. This version coincides with the myth of cosmogony in that the lands arose from the ocean. According to another similar version, Europa seems to be the personification of a brilliant meteor or a bright star. Europa, the daughter of Telephassa, “the one who shines from afar”, might have been a figure for the moon, each morning eloping with the solar bull and each night appearing brilliant on the dark sky (Hellenic Republic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs http://www.mfa.gr/english/greece/through_time/mythology/europa.html 4/10/04).

Apparently then, Europa was a nymph. It should perhaps also be noted that nymphs were unmarried semi-goddesses that frequently were involved in fornication in mythology. Many accounts of Europa also mention that she had a least two kingly husbands. And she seems to be tied in to “the queen of heaven.”  And the Bible itself warns about worship of practices associated with the ‘queen of heaven’ in Jeremiah 7:18-20 and 44:17-19–versions of which the Church of Rome now promotes (and it also now often promotes a non-biblical version of Mary as the Queen of Heaven (see Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions).

Notice some passages from The Catholic Encyclopedia:

Whether Paganism made straight a path for Christianity may be considered from two points of view. Speaking from the standpoint of pure history, no one will deny that much in the antecedent or environing aspirations and ideals formed a præparatio evangelica of high value. “Christo jam tum venienti”, sang Prudentius, “crede, parata via est”. The pagan world “saw the road”, Augustine could say, from its hilltop. “Et ipse Pileatus Christianus est” said the priest of Attis; while, of Heraclitus and the old philosophers, Justin avers that they were Christians before Christ. Indeed, in their panegyric of the Platonic philosophy, the earlier Apologists go far beyond anything we should wish to say, and indeed made difficulties for their successors. Attention is nowadays directed, not only to the ideas of the Divine nature, the logos-philosophies, popular at the Christian era, but especially to those oriental cults, which, flooding down upon the shrivelled, officialized, and dying worship of the Roman or Hellenic-Roman world, fertilized within it whatever potentialities it yet contained of purity, prayer, emotional religion, other-worldliness generally. A whole new religious language was evolved, betokening a new tendency, ideal, and attitude; here too Christianity did not disdain to use, to transcend, and to transform. (Martindale, Cyril Charles. “Paganism.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. Nihil Obstat. February 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York. Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 14 Jul. 2012 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11388a.htm>)

Cardinal Baronius is fully prepared to grant, a certain amount of direct borrowing of pagan usages, this is no subject of reproach to the Catholic Church. “What”, he says, “is to prevent profane things, when sanctified by the word of God, being transferred to sacred purposes? Of such pagan rites laudably adopted for the service of the Christian religion we have many examples. And with regard more especially to lamps and candles, of which we are now speaking, who can reasonably find fault if those same things which were once offered to idols are now consecrated to the honour of the martyrs? If those lamps which were kindled in the temples on Saturdays — not as though the gods needed light, as even Seneca points out (Ep. xv, 66), but as a mark of veneration — are now lighted in the honour of the Mother of God? If the candles which were formerly distributed at the Saturnalia are now identified with the feast of the Purification of our Lady? What, I ask, is there so surprising if holy bishops have allowed certain customs firmly rooted among pagan peoples, and so tenaciously adhered to by them that even after their conversion to Christianity they could not be induced to surrender them, to be transferred to the worship of the true God?” (Baronius, “Annales”, ad ann. 58, n. 77).  (Thurston, Herbert. “Lights.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 14 Jul. 2012 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09244b.htm>.)

The basic position of the Church of Rome seems to be that the Greco-Roman gods and goddesses and the related religious practices were used to prepare Europe for Catholicism.  The Catholic Encyclopedia article titled Easter, for another example specifies many practices that those in the Church of Rome now endorse that specifically came from paganism.

Notice something from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

843 The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as “a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life.”(Catechism of the Catholic Church. Imprimatur Potest +Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Doubleday, NY 1995, p. 243)

Essentially, the Church of Rome seems to teach that other religions have somehow been developed by God to lead people into Catholicism.  The Bible, however, teaches that Satan is the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4, KJV/DRB) and that he deceives the world (Revelation 12:9).

In his booklet titled Satan’s Counterfeit Christianity, LCG’s R.C. Meredith included the following:

As noted historian Will Durant wrote:

“Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it. The Greek mind, dying, came to a transmigrated life in the theology and liturgy of the Church; the Greek language, having reigned for centuries over philosophy, became the vehicle of Christian literature and ritual; the Greek mysteries passed down into the impressive mystery of the Mass. Other pagan cultures contributed to the syncretist result. From Egypt came the ideas of a divine trinity… and a personal immortality of reward and punishment; from Egypt the adoration of the Mother and Child, and the mystic theosophy that made Neoplatonism and Gnosticism, and obscured the Christian creed; there, too, Christian monasticism would find its exemplars and its source. From Phrygia came the worship of the Great Mother; from Syria the resurrection drama of Adonis; from Thrace, perhaps, the cult of Dionysus, the dying and saving god.… The Mithraic ritual so closely resembled the eucharistic sacrifice of the Mass that Christian fathers charged the Devil with inventing these similarities to mislead frail minds. Christianity was the last great creation of the ancient pagan world.… [The Eucharist] was a conception long sanctified by time; the pagan mind needed no schooling to receive it; by embodying the ‘mystery of the Mass,’ Christianity became the last and greatest of the mystery religions” (The Story of Civilization, Vol. 5, Durant, pp. 595, 599)…

What happened after Constantine? The widely read mainstream religious author Jesse Lyman Hurlbut explains:

“The forms and ceremonies of paganism gradually crept into the worship. Some of the old heathen feasts became church festivals with change of name and of worship. About 405ad images of saints and martyrs began to appear in the churches, at first as memorials, then in succession revered, adored, and worshiped. The adoration of the Virgin Mary was substituted for the worship of Venus and Diana; the Lord’s Supper became a sacrifice in place of a memorial; and the elder evolved from a preacher into a priest.… The church and the state became one when Christianity was adopted as the religion of the empire, and out of the unnatural union arose two evils, one in the eastern, the other in the western provinces. In the east the state dominated the church until it lost all energy and uplifting life. In the west [“Rome,” Ed.] as we shall see, the church gradually usurped power over the state, and the result was not Christianity but a more or less corrupt hierarchy controlling the nations of Europe, making the church mainly a political machine” (The Story of the Christian Church, pp. 79–80).

But this syncretic approach does not square with the Bible.  Not only does the Bible warn against the adoption of pagan practices (cf. Jeremiah 10), it also warns about a coming ecumenical religion (Revelation 13:4,8) that will be based out of Rome (Revelation 17) that God does not want His people to follow (Revelation 18:4).

All, Europeans and non-Europeans, need to realize what the real religious roots of Europe really are.  And why what is now being publicly proposed is not the religion of the God of the Bible.

European Babylonian Unity Poster

COGwriter

More evangelicals are starting to believe in an Islamic Antichrist as opposed to a European one.  Here is information from a news article about that:

Is the Antichrist building his nation even now?

WND – July 7, 2012

Christian prophecy teachers are reexamining previous dogma regarding the empire of the Antichrist. Until recently North American prophecy teachers almost exclusively held to the European Antichrist theory in part because they believed that the Antichrist would succeed the Roman Empire, which some said never really fell. Modern scholars of biblical prophecy suggest the prior theories were historically inaccurate and contend that the Roman Empire was in fact conquered and succeeded.

…the Antichrist, his empire, and his religion will come from the Middle East and not Europe, as has been widely taught by many prophecy teachers.

http://www.wnd.com/2012/07/is-the-antichrist-building-his-nation-even-now/

There are many problems with the above. But one of the biggest is that many misunderstand that there will both a King of the North (the Beast power supported by the final Antichrist) and a King of the South:

40 “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through.  (Daniel 11:40)

With the “Arab Spring” and Islamic calls for a Caliphate (Islamic confederation) from groups like the rising Muslim Brotherhood and Iran, many have misunderstood that a confederation containing Islamic lands is supposed to form.  Notice the following scriptures:

40 At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. (Daniel 11:40-42).

43 He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Nubians in submission. (Daniel 11:43, NIV)

4 They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.” 5 For they have consulted together with one consent; They form a confederacy against You: 6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites; 7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; (Psalm 83:4-7)

1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:

“‘Wail and say, “Alas for that day!” 3 For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near- a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations. 4 A sword will come against Egypt, and anguish will come upon Cush. When the slain fall in Egypt, her wealth will be carried away and her foundations torn down.

5 Cush and Put, Lydia and all Arabia, Libya and the people of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with Egypt.

6 “‘This is what the LORD says:

“‘The allies of Egypt will fall and her proud strength will fail. From Migdol to Aswan they will fall by the sword within her, declares the Sovereign LORD. 7 “‘They will be desolate among desolate lands, and their cities will lie among ruined cities. 8 Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I set fire to Egypt and all her helpers are crushed.

9 “‘On that day messengers will go out from me in ships to frighten Cush out of her complacency. Anguish will take hold of them on the day of Egypt’s doom, for it is sure to come (Ezekiel 30:1-9, NIV).

Since most of these nations are south of Jerusalem, these verses are basically a reference for the southern confederation known as the King of the South.  There are not seven hills related to this particular confederation like there is with the one that will involve the final antichrist per Revelation 17.

It is Europe that has the historical ties to end time Babylon.  It is Europe that has fulfilled the role of several of the empires in the book of Daniel.  And while some in the old empire were Arab or Turkish, the final power is primarily to be European (though it will cooperate with the King of the South for a while per Daniel 11:27 and Psalm 83:4-8).

WND has promoted this incorrect concept of the final Antichrist being Islamic before (see ).  But its promotion does not change the realities from the Bible.

Notice, for additional proof, some of the scriptures about the seven mountains:

1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”

3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written:

MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

7 But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. (Revelation 17:1-9)

The harlot woman would seem to have to be the same woman for all the empires since the time of Christ.  People who teach an Islamic final Antichrist, like Joel Richardson, tend to teach that essentially each of the empires had a different religion. This is really not consistent with what the Book of Revelation teaches.

It is the same woman “drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.”  There were no martyrs specifically of Jesus until after He came.

Furthermore, notice some of what the book 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect teaches:

…a female can symbolize a false church according to Revelation 17:1-6…Since the Babylon in the Book of Revelation is a city on seven hills (Revelation 17:5-9), this is referring to a city such as Rome according to Catholic scholars as ancient Babylon was on a flat plain.

The above is important for at least two reasons.

The first is that the Bible clearly shows that the “woman” is based in a city:

18 And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth. (Revelation 17:18)

The second it that there is one city that is located on seven hills/mountains. It is known as “the city of seven hills.”  It is universally recognized that Rome is the city of seven mountains. This fact is also noted by various Protestant and even Catholic theologians. One such Catholic writer would be Yves Dupont who wrote in his book Catholic Prophecies,

The seven headed city is probably Rome (septicolis— seven hills) (Dupont Yves. Catholic Prophecy. TAN Books, 1973, p.24).

Other than Ammon Jordan, Rome is apparently one of few great cities in the world to have precisely seven hills/mountains (though there may be some less important cities with seven mountains, and there may be seven near Constantinople/Istanbul). While Rome itself was the ruling city of the Western world for several centuries, the Roman Catholic Church, whose headquarters is completely within the boundaries of Rome, has maintained tremendous influence over kings and governments of the earth for even more centuries (and in the end, an Antipope is expected to rise up according to various prophecies).

It should be noted that the Bible is clear that it is a different Babylon in Revelation than in the Old Testament times.  It uses such expressions for the end time Babylon such as “daughter of Babylon” (Jeremiah 50:42) and “Mystery Babylon” (Revelation 17:5), and shows it sits on seven mountains/hills (Revelation 17:5-9). This clearly is a difference from the Babylon on a flat plain.

Now, the King of the South, who is expected to be an Islamic leader, does not survive in the end (Daniel 11:40-43). The King of the South does not meet the criteria for the Beast power in the Book of Revelation. The countries of the Middle East are overwhelmed by the King of the North (Daniel 11:41-43).

It is not that in no sense would a false religious leader, like the Islamic Mahdi Imam be an Antichrist, but the King of the South is not the final Antichrist. The one commonly known as the final Antichrist will be supporting a European Beast power, that will destroy America (Daniel 11:39) and ultimately control much or all of the Middle East (Daniel 11:40-43). The final Antichrist will not be an Islamic Antichrist.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Some Doctrines of Antichrist Are there any doctrines taught outside the Churches of God which can be considered as doctrines of antichrist? This article suggests at least three. It also provides information on 666 and the identity of “the false prophet”. Plus it shows that several Catholic writers seem to warn about an ecumenical antipope that will support heresy.
Is There an Islamic Antichrist? Is Joel Richardson correct that the final Antichrist will be Islamic and not European? Find out.
Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666 Who is 666? This article explains how the LCG views this, and compares this to Ellen White.
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States?
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?

Soviet Chemical Weapons Canisters

COGwriter

Syria and its chemical weapons are in the news:

15 July 2102

How concerned should the world be about President Bashar al Assad’s possession of chemical and biological weapons?…

Syria is not a signatory to the international Chemical Weapons Convention and has never declared what its stocks might be. Nine years after the 2003 Iraq war – in which the US and Britain wrongly claimed that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction – many will want to scrutinise any claim made by western intelligence agencies about WMD stocks in Arab states.Still, independent experts say there is no doubt that, in the 1980s, the Soviet Union helped Syria develop a chemical weapons arsenal as a strategic counter weight against Israel. Russia has never denied its role in this. Intelligence agencies now believe President Assad possesses one of the largest chemical weapons stockpiles in the world, including blistering agents such as mustard gas as well as VX and sarin nerve agents.

Last Friday, worries about the fate of the arsenal intensified, with the US stating that the regime has started moving its chemical weapons stocks.  http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/02f97808-ce63-11e1-bc0c-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz20hIgDHy0

Israel is quite concerned about this.  Enough so, that it again is considering a preemptive strike against Syria:

Yatom: Israel could go to war over Syria’s chemical weapons

July 12, 2012

Syria’s chemical weapons could end up in the hands of terrorist groups if President Bashar al-Assad’s regime falls, and concerns are increasing that Israel may go to war against Syria to prevent this “doomsday threat,” Sky News reported on Thursday, quoting Middle Eastern and other intelligence sources.

The sources say Syria possesses the biggest stockpile of nerve gases VX and Sarin, as well as mustard gas, in the Middle East…

this could lead to a regional war, former Mossad head Danny Yatom warned in an interview with Sky News.

“The conventional wisdom should be that we cannot exclude a non-conventional attack on Israel. We would have to pre-empt in order to prevent it. We need to be prepared to launch even military attacks… and military attacks mean maybe a deterioration to war,” Yatom told Sky News.

http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=5035

Israel, in the past, has also indicated that it could make a preemptive attack against Syria.  Yet, doing so, would probably get Iran involved.  So, Israel is likely considering attacking both at the same time (Israeli officials have already made statements suggesting that it may launch preemptive attacks against both of them individually).

And speaking of Iran and Syria, notice the following:

Salehi: Iran ready to host Syria crisis talks

Jerusalem Post-15 July 2012

Iranian foreign minister statement appears to indicate a shift in the Iranian leadership’s approach to Assad; Putin to meet Annan in Moscow on peace plan.

So Iran is ready to  host talks on a peace plan to resolve the situation in Syria?  Iran is Syria’s closest ally.  Iran has provided advice and physical items that have helped keep the Assad regime in power.   World diplomacy is often odd and this is another example of that.

Syria and Iran, at this time, are locked together.  If they remain so, both will not fare well for very long.

The Bible shows that Syria’s capital city Damascus (Isaiah 7:8) will be destroyed (Isaiah 17:1). Whether this will happen because of internal civil war or an attack involving Israel remains to be seen.   Syria’s Assad remains a close ally to Iran and Iran keeps taking steps that may provoke a regional (with Israel) or larger war (the USA itself could sustain damage). But whether it is involved in a war involving Israel or not, eventually, Damascus has to be destroyed, and probably relatively soon.

What may happen is a regional or even the current civil war in Syria, that somewhat gets out of control and may involve others (including many based in Lebanon) beyond Iran and Israel, may happen and could be a factor that ultimately leads to the fulfillment of Daniel 9:27 (which seems to be a peace deal, see When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2012, 2013, or 2014?).  Syria’s chemical weapons, directly or indirectly may harm Israel and even the USA.  Iran’s emp capacity may directly or indirectly harm Israel and even the USA.  The situation in the Middle East is dangerous and the danger level seems to be rising.

“And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” (Mark 13:37).

Some articles of possibly 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?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2012, 2013, or 2014? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”?  Is there a needed peace deal first in the Middle East?  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?
Russia: Its Origins and Prophesied Future Russia in prophecy. Where do the Russians come from? What about those in the Ukraine? What is prophesied for Russia and its allies? What will they do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end?
Is Russia the King of the North? Some claim it is. But what does the Bible teach?

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

COGwriter

The latest TW News & Prophecy from the Living Church of God has the following:

Children of same-sex couples are worse off.

“Challenging more than a decade of scholarship, a study out of the University of Texas has found that adults raised by same-sex parents reported significant differences in the quality of their lives compared with children of married, heterosexual biological parents” (Statesman, June 11, 2012). This study is “the largest nationally representative study” of its kind, carried out by highly trained faculty from a prestigious research institution.Results reveal that: “69 percent of adults with lesbian mothers and 57 percent with gay fathers reported receiving welfare while growing up” yet only “Seventeen percent of those raised by their biological parents who were married” were on welfare. The study also reported that, “38 percent of adults with lesbian mothers and 23 percent with gay fathers reported they are on welfare” while only “Ten percent of those raised by their biological parents are.” Another finding was that, “19 percent with gay or lesbian parents reported having recent psychological therapy” yet only “Eight percent of those raised by married biological parents” reported any recent psychotherapy.

Researchers say that “We don’t have good theoretical reasons as to why these differences might be” (ibid.). However, the Bible, written thousands of years ago, sheds light on the theoretical underpinnings of these study findings. God commanded that marriage was to be between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24), and that any union outside this sacred relationship was considered sin/adultery (Exodus 20:14; 1 Corinthians 6:18; Hebrews 13:4).

The Bible is full of examples of blessings for obedience to the living laws of God, including “You shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you…” (Deuteronomy 5:33). The God of the Bible desires that human beings live happy and abundant lives (John 10:10). But there is just one path that leads to life–the other paths lead to sadness, despair, and ultimately death (Matthew 7:13-14).

For more information on blessings that come with obedience to God’s laws, see our informative booklet, The Ten Commandments.

It is sad that children are put into same-sex households.

There were other societies that have had their own issues of openly advocating sin relationships that their residents seemed to view as acceptable. Notice what happened in a couple of such towns between three thousand and four thousand years ago:

24 Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. (Genesis 19:24-25)

And why did it happen?

7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. (Jude 7)

Why mention this in the 21st century? Because God turned:

6…the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly (2 Peter 2:6,
NKJV)

National repentance is the only real long-term hope for the USA (and it seems to be too late for that).

Keeping the Ten Commandments reflects love. Breaking them and/or condoning those that do is evil. This should be clear to those who believe the God of the Bible.  Children should be raised by God-fearing heterosexual couples–for God wants godly offspring:

4…Because the Lord has been witness Between you and the wife of your youth…Yet she is your companion
And your wife by covenant. 15 But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one?
He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. (Malachi 2:14-15)

Same-sex unions are not endorsed in the Bible and were not what God intended humans to be in to raise children.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

LCG: Homosexuals Gaining Ground “Same-sex marriage” for “gays” and lesbians is becoming more acceptable to many. What does the Bible teach about homosexuality? Can homosexuals change?
Deification: Did the Early Church Teach That Christians Would Become God? What does the Bible teach? Is deification only a weird or cultic idea?
The Cherished Christian Woman: Duty and destiny This is an article by LCG’s Wyatt Ciesielka on women and their potential.
Successful Parenting: God’s Way This is an LCG booklet by Dr. J. Fall on parenting the right type of family.
LCG: Fathers Raising Sons An LCG commentary with Malachi 4:4-6 added.
God’s Plan for Happy Marriage This is an LCG booklet by Dr. R. Meredith.
God Created Marriage Some falsely claim that God did not create marriage and that fornication is fine. What does the Bible really teach?
What is the Meaning of Life? Who does God say is happy? What is your ultimate destiny? Do you really know? Does God actually have a plan for YOU personally?
What Did Jesus Teach About the Ten Commandments? This article quotes what Jesus actually said about them (His words are in red).
The Ten Commandments Reflect Love, Breaking them is Evil Some feel that the ten commandments are a burden. Is that what Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, and John taught?
Was the Commandment to Love the Only Command? Some have stated that John’s writings teach this, but is that what the Bible really says?
The Ten Commandments and the Early Church Did Jesus and the Early Church keep the ten commandments? What order were they in? Here are quotes from the Bible and early writings.