PTNews
October/November 2016
Published 10 times annually
All Bible references are from the KJV
(Examining Current Events in the Light of Bible Prophecy)
P.O. Box 13006, Roanoke, VA 24030-3006
From Anarchy to the Antichrist
“But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass, but the end is not by and by .”– Luke 21:9
By Mike Wingfield
News reports from around the world quickly illustrate that we are witnessing an increasing restless spirit of lawlessness. Before we examine the evidence of this escalating lawlessness in our world, it is imperative that we understand what lawlessness is, and grasp how destructive it is. Lawlessness is the ultimate and complete rejection of God, His authority, and His revealed law. It abandons all Biblical reasoning and truth. In the Bible, it is equivalent to wickedness. It has no respect for God or man. It rejects the rights and properties of others. It is filled with arrogance, stubbornness, violence, destruction, hatred, immorality, envy, and it is unmerciful. (See Romans 1:28-31.) Lawlessness has no shame or guilt. It is passionate about gratifying self. It has no other authority than self. Therefore, it is reckless, destructive, and deadly. It places self and all others in grave danger. In essence, it ultimately embraces the kingdom of darkness in rebellion against God. download the .pdf file 
We are living in a world that is becoming more unruly. Almost every day we hear of riots, lootings, murders, rapes, assaults, revolutions, civil wars, and attempted coups in some parts of our world. A spirit of rebellion and defiance against all authority seems to be manifesting itself against the laws of all organized societies. The masses are focused upon overthrowing the systems of law and order that are anchored in the historical sovereignty of the state within the arrangement of self-governing nations within the global community.
In light of other significant prophetic developments, according to the Bible, this recent surge of global lawlessness is a clear expression of the kind of world that will permeate the globe at the end of this age. While describing the characteristics of the end of this age to His disciples, Jesus commented: “But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.” (Luke 21:9) The word “commotions” speaks of a total breakdown of law and order. So, Jesus indicated that a spirit of anarchy would be a fundamental part of final developments at the end of this age. As we shall see, this lawlessness will create the ideal political atmosphere for the lawless one (2 Thessalonians 2:5), the Antichrist, to step onto the stage of human history and force his evil religious dictatorship upon every citizen on earth. (Revelation 13:5-18)
In this article, I will examine what the prophetic Scriptures have to say about the role that anarchy will play in the final stages of the end times. I will examine our world in the light of the prophetic Word of God, and answer two questions: (1) Why is lawlessness escalating in our world? (2) What will be the ultimate outcome of this surge of anarchy?
It is very apparent, for those who are in touch with global developments, that our world has entered into a very turbulent era of chaos and change. The orderly arrangement of independent sovereign nations and regions, like the European Union, are beginning to unravel. Former allies are now enemies, and former enemies are now allies. Former alliances, like the North American Treaty Organization, are weakening and showing signs of breaking up.
At the center of this chaotic whirlwind of revolution is the Middle East. The historically arranged boarders and creation of Middle Eastern countries established by Great Britain and France after World War I are now unraveling. This arrangement that has lasted for almost 95 years is being challenged by radical elements of various Islamic persuasions.
The outbursts of the Islamic masses since 2010, called the “Arab Spring,” have moved across northern Africa and the Middle East bringing ongoing changes to the region. The result has been that four states (Libya, Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria) have become failed states, without an effective centralized government, exhibited by the ongoing absence of law and order. Internal chaos continues as radical Islamic elements are at war to claim control of these nations. These Arab Sunni Islamic states are only a part of the turmoil that exists throughout the Sunni Arab nations that make up about 85 percent of the Islamic Middle East. Egypt and the Persian Gulf Sunni nations, especially Saudi Arabia, are very concerned about another threatening development. As the Arab Spring revolution continues to destabilize the Sunni Arab nations, two non-Arab states, Iran and Turkey, are showing signs of aggression, with the aim of taking control of the region.
Both Turkey and Iran are forming an alliance with Russia to flex their political muscles in the Middle East. Iran, which is Persian and speaks Farsi, is the flag-ship Shia Islamic nation, which represents about 15 percent of the Muslims in the region. The radical Islamic leadership in Iran has delusions of grandeur, positioning themselves to take control of the Middle East. Their ultimate goal is to establish an Islamic global empire. Historically, Persia (now Iran) was the superpower of the Middle East and ancient world from 539 B.C. to 332 B.C. Presently, they have taken control of Iraq, whose population is 72 percent Shia, and also control, through their proxy Hezbollah terrorist army, Syria and Lebanon. In recent years, Iran has attempted to take control of Yemen (south of Saudi Arabia), where population is 44 percent Shia. All of these developments demonstrate, along with the constant rhetoric of the dominant Iranian Shia clerics, that Iran is serious about dominating the Middle East. This is viewed by the Sunni Arabs, especially Saudi Arabia and Egypt, as being very threatening. This current sharp tension between the Sunni and Shia Muslims is an extension of the hatred that has existed between them for centuries.
Turkey, a dominate Sunni player in the Middle East that has recently allied with Russia, at times shows signs of cooperation with Iran. All of this comes at a time when Turkey is also undergoing radical change. Turkey was at the center of the Ottoman Turkish Empire that dominated the Middle East and ancient world from 1517 to 1917. After World War I, Turkey was forced to undergo an attempt to become a secular state, identifying with the West. Since that time, Turkey, a current member of NATO, has been a friend of the West. In previous years Turkey has attempted to make application to join the European Union. Even though it is predominately a Muslim country, it has been considered a secular democratic state.
However, the appearance of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the political scene in Turkey is beginning to change all of this. Since 1994, he has been a political leader in Turkey, serving as the mayor of Istanbul, and prime minister. He is currently the president of Turkey. In the last decade he has successfully transformed the Turkish society from its former secularist orientation, to openly embrace the more radical teachings of Islam. His passionate and charismatic dictatorial style of Islamic leadership is radicalizing the Turks. His overall support from the younger Turks during the recent-attempted coup demonstrates the strong following he enjoys. In recent years he has had major conflicts with all of the Sunni nations of the Middle East, along with Russia, and Israel. All of this has raised great concern throughout the Middle East. It is very apparent that President Erdoğan has his sights set on Turkey regaining its former glory as the leader of the Islamic world, and becoming a major world player.
To complicate things more, the current U.S. administration in Washington has reversed the Mid-Eastern policies of all former U.S. administrations. Prior to eight years ago, the United States favored a relationship with the Sunni Arabs in the Middle East, especially those who possess large quantities of oil in the Persian Gulf. During these years, the United States guaranteed the security of these Sunni Persian Gulf states, as displayed in the U.S. invasion of Iraq after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. We gave them military support, while they promoted the U.S. dollar as a global reserve currency for the global purchase of all commodities, especially the oil that would flow out of the Persian Gulf.
But, for reasons still not fully known, President Barak Obama reversed these policies. He began to support the Muslim Brotherhood’s takeover of Egypt in 2012, and in recent years, the president began to favor Iran as the new leader of the Middle East. This has not been well received by the Sunni Arabs (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and other Persian Gulf states). Consequently, the U. S. is no longer viewed as an ally by these Sunni Arab states. New alliances are forming to thwart the dominance of Iran and Turkey. Some Sunni nations are even considering developing a level of cooperation with Israel. These Arab nations are beginning to realize that Iran, not Israel, poses the greatest threat to stability in the Middle East. On a more dangerous note, due to the recent nuclear deal established in the Summer of 2015 with Iran by the United States, Russia, China, and other European nations, a nuclear arms race is underway in the Middle East.
These threats have been accompanied by the appearance of the Islamic State (ISIS), which is Sunni, and it lawless savagery across Iraq and Syria. The result has been the total upheaval of societies in Iraq and Syria that were already struggling for survival. Presently, the Islamic State is spreading its violent atrocities across northern Africa and is beginning its attack in Europe, with the fear that the United States is next on its agenda. The goal of the Islamic State is to wreak havoc and destruction across the face of the globe in order to create a global crisis of lawlessness that will ultimately yield a global Islamic Empire, with its headquarters in the Middle East.
Another development that has complicated the normal order of developments in the Middle East is the re-emergence of Russia as a major player that is allying with the more aggressive Islamic states of Iran and Turkey. It is believed that Russia is developing these relationships to entrench itself as the new ruling player in the region. All of this has come into play because of the departure of U.S. influence in the Middle East. Russia wants to control Iran and Turkey and the entire Middle East for its own political and economic gain. All of this is very significant in light of the Biblical revelation concerning the future Gog and Magog invasion of Israel. (Ezekiel 38-39) From a spiritual view point, it must be concluded that the political alliance of radical Islamic states with atheistic Russia spells great trouble for Israel and the rest of the world.
The violence, war, and chaos in the failed states of the Middle East have created a refugee crisis of unprecedented proportions. Millions of displaced Muslims, Christians, and other ethnic groups, have been forced to flee for their lives. Consequently, Jordan and Lebanon have been flooded with many of these refugees. A few million of these refugees are making their way into Europe. This flood of predominately Muslim refugees is literally changing the face of Europe, threatening the very survival of European countries. Acts of terrorism, especially aimed at European Jews, are creating a security nightmare across Europe. This has precipitated a great division within the European Union [EU] nations as they debate the security and economic ramifications of this sudden influx of refugees. In recent months, Great Britain has announced that they are removing themselves from the EU. Other nations are contemplating following suit. Consequently, the decades of work to create the EU may be crumbling in just a few months.
And, lawlessness in America is increasing before our very eyes. Murder, rape, aggravated assault, and robbery are on the rise in most major metropolitan areas. In recent years, we have seen a dramatic increase in riots and looting due to social unrest and racial tensions. Senseless attacks upon innocent police officers due to the rise in racial strife demonstrate the lack of respect for law and order in the U.S. Many of the “Black Lives Matters” demonstrations illustrate the dangerous trend of Americans taking the law into their own hands. These demonstrations are filled with hate, violence, destruction of property, and aggravated assault. This organized revolution is anchored in vengeance and shows no mercy to those who they accuse of committing wrongs against them.
America has been experiencing cycles of lawlessness since the 1960s. However, in recent years there has been a more aggressive open and defiant rejection of the Biblical moral guidelines that have been the foundation of America’s law and order from its inception. All of this signals that America is like a social volcano that is about to experience a major eruption.
In general, the global spirit of lawlessness that is driving this process of anarchy is a result of three factors. First, there is a growing personal sinful focus on the hedonistic desires to be independent and free to pursue personal power and pleasure. The Lord has warned us that the generation of the last days would exclusively love themselves. Furthermore, we have been forewarned that this prideful selfish focus on self would produce dangerous times. (2 Timothy 3:1-5) This warning has now come to fruition.
Second, the faithful Muslim masses view that Islam is the only answer to the ills of our society. They believe that Islam is destined to dominate the nations of the world. Greater numbers of Muslims are promoting their ambitions by what they call the “war of the womb.” This simply means that it is their desire to have more children than the infidels. Therefore, through attrition, Islam will eventually take over the world. On the other hand, a minority of Muslims (about 200 million) support the efforts of jihad — attacking non-Muslims who refuse to submit to Islam. Islamic terrorism is accomplishing its agenda. Their brutal, inhumane, and immoral accomplishments have created a paralyzing fear across the global landscape.
Western leaders are afraid to attach the label of Islam to the terrorism that is wrecking havoc around the world. It is true that most Muslims are not jihadists, but most jihadists are Muslims. The laws of hate speech against Islam are growing because those who make these laws think that appeasing Islam will guarantee that they will not be a future target of radical Islam. Not only are they wrong, but they do not realize that this is goal of Islamic terrorism. The West’s appeasement of Islamic terrorism is fueling it. This incites the leaders of Islamic terrorism to recruit more jihadist warriors and to expand their efforts.
The third factor that is driving global lawless is the growing number of deceptive and manipulative leaders who want to control the masses to eventually force them into a socialist order where people become mindless robots of the state. These leaders are promoting lawlessness and immorality in order to divide their people. They realize that if they can divide the people along the lines of morality, race, age, gender, and religion, they will destroy the foundation of that culture. When this sharp division creates a lawless rebellion, these evil leaders know they will be able to step in and force the masses into a socialist state where a few powerful men will control all of the affairs of the people. Jesus warned His disciples concerning these kinds of power-hungry men whose strategy is to divide and conquer. (Matthew 12:25; 20:25-28)
In light of our Biblical context, all of this social chaos and carnage is moving our world toward the greatest social upheaval in all of world history — the Tribulation Period! History demonstrates that, humanly speaking, the only ones who can manage wicked people are tyrants that rule over them with an iron fist. So, this present move toward global revolution is moving us toward the kingdom of the Antichrist.
This is why America must pass off the scene as the world’s last free superpower before the Tribulation Period begins. Our present constitution has not been crafted for the present godless American population. John Adams, who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights and our second President, in a speech to the military in 1798 warned his fellow countrymen stating, “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . . Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Sadly, America is rapidly moving toward the day when it will shred the U.S. constitution and join the godless socialist societies that will join hands with the Antichrist during the Tribulation Period.
After this brief examination of global lawlessness, I would like to direct our attention toward four Biblical facts about anarchy and the Antichrist.
Fact #1- The Antichrist’s rise out of chaos
The present trends of lawlessness will continue to escalate out of control until they reach a point that threatens the survival of humanity. Then, the Rapture will take place and the world will immediately have no restraining influence against wickedness. (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7) Any semblance of organized society will come crashing down. The entire world will erupt into a dangerous cycle of murder, violence, crime, looting, home invasions, coups, revolutions, rape, and lewd acts of public sexual aggression. They will have reached a spiritual point of no return. Consequently, there will be no more shame or guilt among the majority of earth dwellers. Human life will be cheap. There will be little or no submission to any authority in the home, work place, shopping venues, on the streets, or highways. Hatred for police and those in authority will mushroom out of control. Jails and courtrooms will be so overwhelmed that the general public will realize there are no human restraints, so depravity will be unleashed with unbridled pleasure and force.
As we are now witnessing, Islamic Jihad will play a major role in the explosion of violence throughout the nations. It is my conviction that the prophetic Scriptures indicate the Antichrist will be a Muslim who will probably be the Islamic messiah. (Isaiah 14:4; Daniel 11:36-39) The more radical elements of Islam are committed to global Islamic jihad, and believe they must bring death and destruction around the world in order to prepare the way for the coming of their messiah. This is the vision and practice of the Islamic State at this present time. This understanding agrees with Bible, which indicates that the Antichrist will rise to prominence on the global scene at a time of global chaos and uncertainty. He will walk onto the political global stage during a time when the inhabitants of earth are desperately crying for “peace and safety.” (1 Thessalonians 5:3) It will be a time of famine, wars and rumors of wars, disease, devastating natural disasters, and social unrest. (Matthew 24:6-12)
All of this is depicted by the Apostle John’s vision of the rise of the Antichrist out of the chaotic Gentile world. Using Biblical symbols, John wrote: “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast [the Antichrist and his kingdom] rise up out of the sea, …” (Revelation 13:1) In the Bible, the sea is a picture of the wicked Gentile nations. Isaiah wrote: “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest; whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.” (Isaiah 57:20-21) In the New Testament, the wicked are described as those who are like “raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame…” (Jude 13) In Psalm 68:22, God declares that He will bring His people back to their ancient homeland “from the depths of the sea.” These references clearly point to the lawless Gentile nations. Furthermore, in Daniel 7:2-3, the beasts that symbolically represent Gentile kingdoms of history and the future, come up “from the sea.” So, the Scriptures indicate that at the time of the end, the Antichrist will come out of the wicked Gentile nations, and will be introduced to the nations while they are experiencing devastating turmoil.
Fact #2- The Antichrist and his lawless character
The world has had many evil and vicious tyrants. As one looks across the global spectrum today, there are many evil leaders who could possibly morph into becoming Satan’s messiah, the Antichrist. I am convinced that the demons of darkness are preparing a man who will excel in lawlessness more than all who have preceded him. He will truly be a monster from hell! Several Scriptures testify that the Antichrist will be “wicked,” which means he will be the personification of lawlessness. (2 Thessalonians 2:8) He will be an arrogant hater of God and God’s laws. (Psalm 2:2-3) He will blaspheme God and “exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god.” (Daniel 11:36; see also 2 Thessalonians 2:4; and Revelation 13:5-6)
The ancient Jewish prophet, Daniel, depicted the Antichrist and his kingdom as wild vicious beasts that are “dreadful and terrible.” (Daniel 7:7) He is described as an animal that attacks, devours, and tramples upon its victims. The Apostle Paul called him “the man of sin,” and “the son of perdition [destruction].” (2 Thessalonians 2:3) He and his warriors will brutally attack believers in Jesus Christ and murder them by decapitation. (Revelation 20:4)
Fact #3- The Antichrist and his global carnage
The Islamic Antichrist and his army of terror will declare war on the entire world. His sword [the symbol of Islam] will be bathed with the blood of one-fourth of the world’s population near the beginning of the Tribulation Period, bringing death, disease, destruction, and famine to all the earth. (Revelation 6:4, 8) There will be no peace on the earth, only a state of global war. (Revelation 6:2-4)
No one will be able to successfully stop his march of death and destruction. (Revelation 13:4, 7) He will make “the world as a wilderness, and [destroy] the cities thereof…” (Isaiah 14:17) The global carnage will surpass anything that has preceded it. (Matthew 24:21-22)
This evil tyrant will not act alone in his lawless kingdom. He will be supernaturally empowered and indwelt by Satan during the last half of the Tribulation Period. (2 Thessalonians 2:9; Revelation 13:1-7) True to Satan’s lawless character, the Antichrist will be a murderer and destroyer. (John 8:44; Revelation 9:11)
Fact #4- The Antichrist’s sudden conclusion
While speaking of the times of the Antichrist’s rule in the last half of the Tribulation Period, Jesus declared: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:21-22) Just as the blood-thirsty forces of the Antichrist begin their attack upon Jerusalem during the final days of the Armageddon campaign, Jesus will descend from heaven to destroy them, and the Antichrist himself. (Zechariah 13:1-3)
Without human intervention or aid, Jesus will personally defeat the Antichrist and end his savage reign on earth. (Isaiah 63:1-6) The Lord hates the ways of the wicked. Psalm 11:5 proclaims: “… the wicked and him that loveth violence [God’s] soul hateth.”
When Jesus appears at the end of the Tribulation Period on His white horse and descends from heaven with the armies of heaven, the Antichrist will foolishly direct his armies gathered in Israel to turn and do battle with Jesus and His heavenly army. (Revelation 19:19) Concerning the Antichrist’s end, Daniel wrote: “… he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.” (Daniel 8:25)The Apostle Paul declared that the Lord “shall consume [the Antichrist] with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.” (2 Thessalonians 2:8) The Lord will cast the Antichrist and False Prophet “alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” (Revelation 19:20)
The Lord’s slaughter of the Antichrist and his armies will be complete and awesome. For the details of Christ’s defeat of this evil lawless one, read Isaiah 34:1-10; 63:1-9; Revelation 19:17-21.
The anarchy of our world is preparing the entrance of the lawless one — the Antichrist. According to the Bible, when the end comes, there will be two groups that will join together to rule the world. First, there will be the “little horn” of Daniel 7, the Antichrist. This will be the Islamic Antichrist and his Islamic coalition of nations. The second group will be the ten horns of the final kingdom of the Antichrist. This will be the world’s remaining non-Muslim nations that will be forced to join the Antichrist’s global kingdom. (Revelation 13:11-18; 17:12-14) It is amazing to me, that both groups are currently promoting lawlessness to gain control of the world for their own evil agenda. Evil men who are plotting a New World Order want anarchy so they can declare martial law and seize the opportunity to set in place an oppressive socialist form of government to rule over the citizens of the world. And, at this same time, radical Islamic forces are creating death and mayhem in the name of Allah to prepare the way for the coming of their Islamic messiah. Both of these groups will commit to a political marriage of convenience to establish control over the earth during the last half of the Tribulation Period. (Revelation 17:11-14) Both of these political competitors, socialism/communism and Islam, hate each other. However, like King Herod and Pilate who were enemies but became friends at the Roman trial of Jesus, they will unite against Christ and His people. (Luke 23:11-12)
Friends, the escalation of the spirit of lawlessness demonstrates that we are living at the last hour. “The judge [is standing] before the door.” (James 5:9) Are you ready? The ark in Noah’s day had only one door. The only way for Noah’s generation to escape the deadly judgment of God was to enter into the one door of the ark. Likewise, Christ is the only door of escape from the approaching judgment that is coming upon this earth. Jesus said, “I am the door.” (John 10:9) He also declared: “I am the way.” (John14:6) If you want to be saved from eternal damnation, you must come through God’s one and only appointed door — Jesus Christ. Read Romans 10:9-13, and commit your life to the Lord Jesus and be saved.
If you are already saved, keep your eyes fixed on Him. We have some very difficult days ahead of us until He comes. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3)
Israel Growing as New Year Begins
Using the Biblical Jewish calendar, Israelis celebrated the Jewish New Year on October 3. Immediately before this time, the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics released the following report. Israel’s population now stands at 8.585 million. Jewish people make up 74.8 percent (6.419 million) of the population, while the Arabs number 1.786 million (20.8 percent). “Israel is among the most crowded countries in the Western World.” It has one of the highest fertility and marriage rates in the Western World, which is very important in light of the fertility rates of Israel’s Islamic enemies. In the last year, 27, 908 Jews immigrated to Israel, most of them coming from Ukraine, Russia, France, and the United States. About 75 percent of Israel’s population was born in Israel. (The International Jerusalem Post, September 30-October 6, 2016, pp. 1-2) Israel’s present Jewish population has immigrated from 127 countries. Long ago, God promised the Jewish people: “For I will take you from among the heathen [Gentile nations], and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.” (Ezekiel 36:24) This prophecy is being fulfilled today!
Scheduling Mike to Speak at Your Church in 2017
Mike is currently completing his speaking itinerary for next year. If your church would like to schedule him, please call 1-540-798-5110, or e-mail him at Mike@ptnews.org. He comes on a travel expenses, plus free-will offering basis. He is especially interested in speaking in churches in the mid-west.
Join Mike’s tour to Israel and Petra in 2017
Mike will be hosting another 9-day tour to Israel and Petra next year. Departure will be on Monday, October 30th, with return on Tuesday, November 7th. The price for this tour will be announced in about one month. If you are interested in obtaining a brochure and registration form, please contact our office and we will be glad to mail you a brochure when they become available. Plan to register early. A lot of interest has been shown for this tour.