December 2019
Published monthly
All Bible references are from the KJV
(Examining the News in Light of Biblical Truth)
P.O. Box 13006, Roanoke, VA 24030-3006
I am convinced that our world is entering a very dangerous and evil period of time. What is transpiring at this hour among the nations of the world is paving the way for the Antichrist to burst onto the scene.
The world is in a state of sheer political chaos. The masses of the world are revolting against their governments – demanding their own selfish and godless agendas. Protests in the last few months have circled the globe, including Chile, Columbia, Venezuela, Bolivia, India, China, Ecuador, Mexico, United Kingdom, Cameroon, Nicaragua, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Jordan, Thailand, Russia, Zimbabwe, Israel, and the U.S. Evil tyrants and dictators in North Korea, Turkey, Russia, and Iran, continue to advance their wicked agendas to take over the world.
In the United States and Israel, the political liberal left is circulating lies and spreading deception to destroy the administrations of their respective leaders – President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is my conviction that the leadership of these two men has been holding back the floodgates of evil in our world. Both of these men have spoken with moral clarity about the evil agenda of Iran. The United States and Israel have historically stood at the front lines of the war against communism/socialism, and the terrorist agenda of
radical Islam. Should these two countries fall into the hands of the liberal left, it will, humanly speaking, leave our world defenseless against the tide of evil and violence that is marching around the globe.
All of this is the perfect fulfillment of Psalm 2:1-3, “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.” The masses of the nations are in a state of rage, and the kings of the earth are in rebellion against the Lord, His commandments, and His agenda. When Jesus spoke of the end of this age, He said, “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 translated as “commotions” speaks of the breakdown of organized government. It is the expression of an open rebellion against all recognized authority.
When the Apostle John spoke of the Antichrist’s entrance onto the global political stage in Revelation 13:1, he symbolically depicted him as a violent beast, rising up out of a raging sea. The foaming sea is a depiction of the wicked masses of humanity. Isaiah 57:20-21 states, “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.” Thus, the Bible predicts that the Antichrist will rise up out of the wicked global population at a time of political anarchy.
Satan is preparing a man who will lead the wicked masses against God’s Anointed – Jesus Christ. Satan’s man will lead them to oppose God’s people – Israel and the Jewish people. He will hate the truth – the Bible. He will promote evil and make war against everything that is good.
Jesus referred to Satan as “the prince of this world” (John 12:31). The devil is the current ruler of this wicked world system that is in rebellion against God. When the devil tested Jesus at the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, he offered Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world” if He would worship him (Matthew 4:8). Jesus never corrected the devil, because He knew that the godless kingdoms of this world were Satan’s to offer. Satan has made it his business to control the governments of this world to accomplish his diabolical agenda of rebellion against the Lord.
In reality, government is God’s business. All authority comes from God and there is no legitimate authority outside the will and work of God. Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). Romans 13:1 declares, “For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” This means that no man has any authority that is not given to him by God, and for God’s glory. The leaders of the nations, churches, and homes must honor the word and will of the One who gave them their authority to rule over those whom He has created for His purposes.
We can take great comfort that our Lord is in control of all things. All of the when, what, how, and why are in the hands of God. The Bible teaches that our God works “all things after the counsel of his own will” (Ephesians 1:11). The little word “all” means everything.
The kings of men may think they are in charge. But that is not true. They can only operate within the sphere of the planned will of God. In spite of their agendas, they will play their part in bringing about God’s eternal plans.
God places the kings of men upon their thrones. He gives them their position of authority, even if they are wicked and do not know God. The great prophet, Daniel, while speaking to and about the pagan Gentile king, Nebuchadnezzar, declared, “And he [God] changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings” (Daniel 2:21). Later, Daniel declared, “The most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men” (Daniel 4:17). These kings do not know it, but they are puppets in the hand of God. Proverbs 21:1 states, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.” This means God controls the minds, lives, and circumstances of good and evil kings to complete His divine purposes. Furthermore, God brings the kings of men to their ultimate demise, all in His good time (Isaiah 40:23-24).
The once powerful king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, learned this lesson the hard way. After he had suffered a horrible mental disease inflicted upon him by God (see Daniel 4:1-34), he came to his senses and humbly proclaimed, “And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” (Daniel 4:35)
The sovereign hand of God over the kings of men is illustrated in Biblical history. First, notice God’s control over the powerful Pharaoh of Egypt in Moses’ day. Notice that at first, Pharaoh hardened his heart against the message from the Lord to let His people leave Egypt (Exodus 7:22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7). Then, in divine judgment, “the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh”
(Exodus 9:12, see also 10:20, 27; 11:10). Moses revealed God’s purposes behind hardening the heart of Pharaoh. “And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might [show] these my signs before him” (Exodus 10:1). Finally, Pharaoh’s hardened heart led him to pursue the Israelites after they had departed Egypt. God supernaturally orchestrated the defeat and death of Pharaoh and his entire army in the waters of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-28).
Another great illustration of God’s work in the life of a pagan Gentile leader can be seen in the life of the Persian king, Cyrus the great. In the book of Isaiah, this king is named 150 years before he is born. In Isaiah 45:1, God calls this ruthless, evil king, his “anointed.” This simply means that God called Cyrus and gave him his kingdom. Later, Cyrus would liberate the Jewish people from their Babylonian captivity and even finance their return to Israel, including the construction of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. The prophet Ezra wrote, “Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah” (Ezra 1:2).
Seven-hundred years before Jesus the Messiah would be born, the prophet Micah predicted that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem of Ephratah (Micah 5:2). When the perfect time according to God’s divine plan arrived, He chose a young Jewish girl by the name of Mary who was engaged to Joseph. They both were living in northern Galilee in a small village called Nazareth. Under normal circumstances, Joseph and Mary would have been married and had their children in their hometown of Nazareth. However, God intervened several years before the selected date of the Messiah’s birth.
According to historical records, the Romans conducted a census every 14 years for the purpose of taxing the people in their vast empire. Luke’s gospel mentions, “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all of the world should be taxed” (Luke 2:1). Extra-biblical sources indicate that this decree was made in 8 B.C. It is believed that Jesus was born in 4 B.C. [This is confusing, but ancient calendars have been altered several times.] It is believed that Herod the Great, knowing the minds of his Jewish subjects, would revolt against paying this tax to Rome. Herod probably delayed the order from Rome as long as possible.
In the course of the registration for this Roman taxation, each person was to go to their ancestral home. This was the edict of Roman law, and also reflected the Jewish law (Leviticus 25:10). Joseph [the legal father of Jesus] and Mary [the physical virgin mother of Jesus] were both from the family of David and thus had to register in Bethlehem [the hometown of King David]. Therefore, God worked in the hearts and minds of two wicked pagan kings, Caesar Augustus and Herod the Great to orchestrate the fulfillment of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. 
Neither of them knew they were pawns in God’s hands. It was because of the actions of these two evil kings that God led Joseph and Mary to make the hard journey of 3-4 days by foot from Nazareth to Bethlehem (shown by the red line on the map). [On each tour to Israel, as my tour bus makes the trip from the Jordan River Valley and ascends into the mountains of Judea, an elevation change from 1,300 feet below sea level to 2,400 feet above sea level, for a distance of 20 miles, I think about this difficult journey for Mary, who was ready to deliver her baby. It is no wonder that she gave birth perhaps only hours after their arrival at Bethlehem.]
Isn’t it amazing that we serve a God such as this? His divine and mysterious work in the hearts of the pagan kings of men gives us great comfort. We know that our God can and will perform all of His promises given to us. Not all of the demons in hell or the ruthless dictators on earth can alter one small part of His divine will. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33) What a mighty God we serve!
Jesus, who is the Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 1:8), is also the Almighty One who will move in the hearts of the kings of men to fulfill His perfect prophetic plan. Think about it! The people of earth and their kings are currently planning a rebellion against the Lord of heaven. How stupid and foolish! What is God’s response? “He that sitteth [rules] in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision [a mocking laugh]. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex [terrify] them in his [burning anger]. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion” (Psalm 2:4-6).
Let us look at some examples of how the Lord will control the future kings of the earth to fulfill His plans. First, notice the king of Gog and Magog, called “Gog” in Ezekiel 38. The text says that God is against this king. God says, “I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth” (Ezekiel 38:4). Later, Ezekiel wrote, “And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes” (Ezekiel 38:16). The wicked leaders of Russia, Iran, Turkey, with their radical Islamic allies will be defeated by God. We live at an amazing time when these nations are fortifying their military positions in Syria, along Israel’s northern border. When the time comes, God will lead them to their sudden and supernatural defeat upon the mountains of Israel (Ezekiel 38:18-23). 
When the Antichrist rides his white horse onto the stage of the world to take control by military conquest, an angel of heaven will command him to “come” (Revelation 6:1). Notice that in each case of the four horses in Revelation 6:1-8, connected with the wars of the Antichrist, that heaven commands the rider to “come” (Revelation 6:1, 3, 5, 7).
Friends, we need to be reminded that the political leaders of the world are not in control. As we watch the political turmoil in Washington, and Jerusalem, and around the world, we should take heart. God is on His throne in heaven. God is not afraid of them. God is laughing at these evil people who are planning on taking control of their people to manipulate them for their evil purposes.
On the basis of Scriptures considered earlier in this article, we must believe that God has chosen U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Both of these men have character flaws. Neither of them are godly men. A careful examination of all of the accusations against these two men proves that none of their offences are of a criminal nature that warrants the political witch hunt and media coverage being directed against them. In light of the political corruption that exists in Washington D.C. and Jerusalem, those who are trying to destroy these two men are guilty of “[straining] at a gnat, and [swallowing] a camel” (Matthew 23:24). It is my conviction that history will prove that those who are pointing their fingers at these two men are evil and have an evil agenda. Their ultimate agenda will lead their respective countries into a New World Order that is in league with the devil and his Antichrist.
President Trump has recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s eternal capital. He has decreed that the U.S. will recognize the Golan Heights as a part of the sovereign nation of Israel. And, in recent weeks his administration has taken issue with past U.S. presidents and their administrations and has declared that the Jewish communities located in the West Bank [ancient Biblical Judea and Samaria] are not in violation of international law. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has applauded these declarations. Both of these men are standing with God on all of these issues. Their decisions are in agreement with the eternal Word of God. However, their political opponents and the kings of the world vehemently disagree with these them.
The fact that both of these men are fighting for their political futures is a testimony that the kings of men are about to fulfill Psalm 2 and “take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed” [the word anointed means ‘Messiah’ or ‘king’) (Psalm 2:2).
Let us not be discouraged. This evil must come to pass before the righteous King can come and destroy man’s evil kingdom at Armageddon. God has given us the privilege to watch all of this unfold before our very eyes.
Psalm 2 declares that a time will come when the king of heaven, Jesus, will break His opponents “with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Psalm 2:9). This symbol of complete destruction is speaking of the horrific 7-year tribulation. The kings of the earth and all the inhabitants of earth shall face the wrathful judgment of the King of heaven. When the end comes, they will assemble in Israel for the battle of Armageddon. The Bible says about that day, “And I saw the beast [Antichrist], and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him [Jesus] that sat on the horse, and against his army” (Revelation 19:19). Think about it! The leadership of the world will foolishly gather in Israel to ultimately do battle with the King of heaven when He returns to earth. With one word out of His mouth, they will all drop dead! Revelation 19:15 says, “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations.” Of this moment in time, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah and said, “I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment” (Isaiah 63:3).
Take heart my friends. God’s judgment upon the wickedness and foolishness of our time is coming. God says to all of the Republicans, Democrats, Socialists, Communists, and those longing for a global Islamic republic, “Be wise now therefore, O ye kings; be instructed ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little” (Psalm 2:10-12). To all of us, the Spirit says, “Blessed are all they that put their trust in him” (Psalm 2:12)
Our world, as never before, is ready for the shout that will take us out! Be ready! The King is coming!
China Facing Bankruptcy
Sources indicate that China, one of the major players in our world economy, is facing many of the same financial woes as the United States. Their banks have too much bad debt and many are facing financial bankruptcy. 
China’s slowing economy “has left creditors angry, debtors fighting to save their businesses and judges on a mission to promote the benefits of bankruptcy.
“After years of pumping out financial support to keep the economy humming and workers happy, China has embarked on a debt reckoning. Beijing is building a bankruptcy system to take on a significant pickup in corporate defaults.
“The country now has more than 90 U.S.-style specialized bankruptcy courts to help sort through a morass of corporate debt that, until recently, would have been swallowed by state banks and other creditors.
“It is a sign that Beijing is worried about the number of failing companies and trying to find a fix. The system is helping, many lawyers, foreign investors, and lenders say, as it takes some pressure off local governments that lack the resources for so many bailouts” (https://www. msn.com, November 7, 2019).
This illustrates the global financial picture that will open the Tribulation Period when it will take one day’s wage to buy a quart of wheat (Revelation 6:6). This is another indicator that we are living in the last of the last days.
Iran Nearer to Nuclear Bomb
The clock is rapidly ticking away for the world to deal with the possibility that in just a few months, Iran may possess a nuclear bomb. Sources now indicate that Iran is using a kind of prototype centrifuge that enriches uranium almost 50 times faster than their previous capabilities.
A recent article by the Gatestone Institute on November 26, 2019 stated, “Although Iran is a party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it refuses to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect its sites. The IAEA is also not allowed to inspect or monitor Iran’s military sites where nuclear activities are most likely being carried out.
“That is why, before it is too late, which it is fast becoming, it is incumbent on the U.S. and the international community to take seriously Iran’s nuclear advances and urgently address its rush to obtain nuclear weapons (https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15214/iran-nuclear-bomb-months)
A nuclear bomb in the hands of a radical Islamic regime that is currently financing global terrorism, threatening to destroy Israel, and speaks of a global Islamic empire with Iran in control, is a recipe for disaster.
The events that are driving our world and the Middle East toward the Gog and Magog confrontation are getting nearer. This is another major sign of the last days.