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August 2021 – The Great Deception at the End of the Age

PTNews

P r o p h e c y T o d a y N e w s

August 2021

Published monthly

All Bible references are from the KJV

(Examining Current Events in the Light of Bible Prophecy)

P.O. Box 13006, Roanoke, VA 24030-3006

The Great Deception at the End of the Age

“God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe [the] lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth.” 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12

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By Mike Wingfield

Have you ever noticed how eerily dark it gets immediately before a big storm comes? Spiritually speaking, our world is getting very dark, and the great storm of a tumultuous period known as the Tribulation is rapidly approaching. According to the Bible, this will be a very violent storm of God’s wrath that will devastate the world and all that is in it. When this storm is over, the overwhelming majority of the global population will be dead. This great and un-paralleled devastation due to the plagues of God’s wrath will dramatically change the planet. Man’s lifestyle will be critically altered.

I admit that these statements are shocking comments that we would rather not deal with. It is disturbing to our human spirit and it threatens us to our very core. However, God’s Word repeatedly warns us that this is the future of our world. Furthermore, history is repeating itself. God has already judged the world as described above. God’s fury against man’s rebellion became so great that during the days of Noah, He sent a global flood that killed all but eight people who were safely aboard the ark. When it was all done, the world was strewn with debris and devastation.

Jesus said, “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37). The nature of the culture in Noah’s time has been perfectly duplicated once again. In Noah’s day, the world was locked into a cycle of deadly violence. Two times in Genesis 6, the Bible declares, “the earth was filled with violence” (Genesis 6:11, 13). The same text states three times that the entire world was morally “corrupt” (Genesis 6:11-12). Genesis 6:5 seems to be a commentary that summarizes the spiritual climate of the world, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” The rebellion of man had saturated the entire earth. It included all the people [except the eight righteous on the ark], over all the earth, and it was taking place all of the time.

How did the world arrive at such a horrific spiritual condition? This is a very important question. The biblical answer to this question will help us to put into perspective what is happening today.

The Bible declares that Noah represented the 10th generation after creation. Genesis 5 gives the genealogy of man from Adam to Noah. The New Testament confirms this genealogy. Jude 14 says that Enoch, Noah’s great-grandfather, was of the seventh generation. Adam was still alive during the lifetime of Enoch. According to the chronology in Genesis 5, Enoch was 308 when Adam died at the age of 930.

The Bible tells us that when Enoch was 65 years old, he and his wife had a son, whom they named Methuselah. Something very unique must have happened to Enoch when his son was born. The Bible says that “Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years” (Genesis 5:22). Something occurred at this time that had a spiritual impact upon Enoch, causing him to begin to walk with God. What was it? The Bible gives us a strong hint. The Hebrew name “Methuselah” means “when he dies, it shall be sent.” We cannot pretend to know all of the details, but it is apparent that God must have supernaturally communicated with Enoch that due to man’s wickedness, He was going to bring a massive judgment upon all of the earth. This revelation had an incredible impact on the life of Enoch. Wickedness was rampant upon the earth during his time. Jude 14-15 indicates that Enoch began preaching a message of repentance to his generation 969 years before the flood. Jude tells us that the central theme of his message was that the Lord was about to “execute judgment upon all” (Jude 15). Enoch’s message of warning was a message of mercy from God. God was using him to mercifully call people to repentance to escape the impending judgment that was coming upon the earth.

We know that Methuselah was 969 years old when he died. We also know from the information given to us in Genesis 5-7 that Methuselah died the year that the flood came, just as God had told Enoch. However, we need to remember that Enoch did not know when his son would die. All he knew was that when his son would die, God would execute judgment upon all of mankind. Therefore, as a man who walked with God, he must have wondered every day, “could this be the day?” God rewarded this man’s faithfulness. Enoch must have preached and warned his generation for 300 years. Then, the Bible says, one day “he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:24). What does this mean? Hebrews 11:5 tells us, “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God.” The word “translated” simply means he was transported from one place to another. He was taken from this earth and supernaturally transported to heaven into the presence of the One he had walked with on earth for 300 years. You could say that Enoch was raptured. He was snatched out of this world by the One who loved him. What a testimony and what a reward!

Enoch’s message of warning was a message of mercy from God. God was using him to mercifully call people to repentance to escape the impending judgment that was coming upon the earth.

According to the information given to us in Genesis 5, Noah was born 69 years after his great-grandfather, Enoch, was taken to heaven. Certainly, some family members and friends would have informed Noah about the great legacy of Enoch. No doubt, they all had heard him preach and remembered how he had warned them to repent. His memory and sudden supernatural disappearance were probably a lingering topic of conversation. We cannot really know this for sure. But what we do know is that “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8). The message of the righteousness and the mercy of God had somehow found its way to be sown in the heart of Enoch’s great-grandson. That seed took root and grew.

The Bible tells us that in some ways, Noah was a carbon copy of his great-grandfather. The Scriptures testify that Noah was a righteous man of great faith (Hebrews 11:7). Genesis 6:9 says that he “was a just man and perfect in his generations.” Like his great-grandfather, he also “walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). Following in the shoes of Enoch, Noah too was “a preacher of righteousness” and was warning his generation of the impending judgment of God (2 Peter 2:5). Like Enoch, Noah also received a revelation from God about an approaching divine global judgment. This time God told Noah exactly what he was going to do. God spoke directly to him and said, “And behold I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven: and everything that is in the earth shall die” (Genesis 6:17). In the same spirit of Enoch, Noah was moved by this revelation. Hebrews 11:7 says, “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house.”

The reason that God was patient in Noah’s day and today is be-cause in His mercy His messengers are still warning of the coming judgment, and still calling people to repentance to be saved.

Noah was 480 years old when God gave him the revelation about the flood and told him to build the ark. Noah, along with his three sons a few years later, labored for 120 years to build the ark. I am sure that Noah must have kept preaching and warning people. That is what righteous preachers do. He must have kept looking at his grandfather, Methuselah, and kept wondering how much longer he would live. He knew, just as his great-grandfather had preached, when Methuselah would die, then, the flood would come. Noah’s father, Lamech, died when he was 777 years old (Genesis 5:31), only 80 years before the flood. So, as Noah looked at the growing moral corruption and dangerous violence all around him, and his aging grandfather, he must have been greatly pressed to complete the ark. The Bible says, “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he” (Genesis 6:22).

Looking at this biblical background of the catastrophic judgment of God, we have to ask another very important question. Why did God wait so long to bring the flood upon the earth in response to man’s wickedness and rebellion against Him? From the time that God spoke to Enoch at the birth of Methuselah, God waited 969 years before His judgment fell upon the earth. The Apostle Peter, being filled with the Holy Spirit, gives us the answer. Peter wrote that “the longsuffering [patience] of God, waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing” (1 Peter 3:20). What motivated God to be so patient? While answering the objections of the scoffers concerning the apparent delay in the Second Coming of Christ, Peter responded that the Lord is patient toward us, “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). The reason that God was patient in Noah’s day and today is because in His mercy, His messengers are still warning of the coming judgment and still calling people to repentance to be saved. Jesus came to this earth with the ultimate mission of His loving Father, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

There is another significant question we need to ask. What brought about the sudden end to God’s patience in the days of Noah? Looking at Peter’s revelation, the answer to this question also gives the answer to when God’s patience will run out in the last days and the global judgment of God will come upon the world, called the Tribulation. Genesis 6:3 gives us the answer to this very critical question, “And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man.” The Hebrew word for “strive” means, “to judge, contend, or plead.” It speaks of God’s work through the conscience of man to restrain him from sin and evil. The conscience is a part of man’s inner spirit that indicates he has been created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). The conscience acts as a spiritual judge living within the soul of man that guides him through the maze of evil in the world and points him toward a holy God. The aim of the conscience is to use God’s revelation as the reference point of good and evil (Romans 2:14-15). It is the moral compass of the soul. The work of the Spirit is to accuse man of his sin and to restrain him from sin and its deadly consequences. [For an expanded teaching on this subject, please read my book, Living in a World with No Conscience.]

On the basis of the Scriptures, we can conclude that God continually restrains evil in a culture. When the majority of the population resist God’s restraining efforts, at some point the collective conscience of that culture ceases to function and man’s wickedness and violence explode out of control. When this happens, it demands that our holy God respond with divine judgment. God’s patience runs out and His holy fury unleashes catastrophic results for those in the path of His judgment.

The conscience acts as a spiritual judge living within the soul of man that guides him through the maze of evil in the world and points him toward a holy God. The aim of the conscience is to use God’s revelation as the refer-ence point of good and evil. It is the moral compass of the soul.

After the flood, God in His mercy added several layers of restraint in His attempt to warn people of the consequences of sin. According to Genesis 9, He created human government as an external restraining influence (Genesis 9:5-6). The ultimate restraining influence God invested in human government is capital punishment (Genesis 9:5-6). God’s objective is for human government to use His laws of morality and justice to restrain their culture from evil (Romans 13:1-7). God calls human government his servants. Human government, God’s external restraining influence, and the conscience of man, God’s inner restraining influence, are to act in concert together (Romans 13:5).

According to the chronology of the Bible, 352 years after the flood and the creation of human government, God called another righteous man to Himself. That man was Abraham (Genesis 12:1-2). Abraham was the 20th generation from the time of creation. God told him that He would make his descendants into a nation. In Genesis 15:12- 21, God told Abraham that four generations after him, his descendants would go down to Egypt and live there. They would remain in Egypt until the sins of the occupants of the Promised Land had become so offensive that He would use the nation of Israel to drive them out. Finally, in 1445 B.C., the Exodus took place, just as God has promised Abraham. During their 40 years of wilderness wanderings, at Mount Horeb, God gave Israel the law, His perfect code for moral righteousness, and governmental justice. In essence, this law became the foundation for God’s external restraining influence for the duration of man’s time on earth.

Finally, God sent His holy Son, Jesus. He guided the people through His teaching to show them how the conscience and the written law of God were to function together. This is summarized in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Jesus taught that He did not come to cancel the law, but to complement the law with His teaching to show how it connects with man’s conscience (Matthew 5:17). He clearly stated that God’s law is eternal. God’s moral compass does not change because it is built upon His unchanging and eternal holy character. Jesus’ ministry was met with resistance because the religious people were convicted of their sins (John 15:18-27).

Adding a final layer of restraint to His efforts to save man, God called and instituted the church. In Acts 2, the church was born. As a few decades passed, it became clear to Jesus’ appointed apostles that the church is a spiritual body of born-again Jews and Gentiles. Unlike believers in the Old Testament, now the Holy Spirit would live in the body of believers. These believers would become the new temple of God. With the completed written Word of God, the New Testament, the church would become God’s ambassadors and the ultimate restraining influence on earth. They would become the salt and light that Jesus referred to in Matthew 5:13-16.

In review, God has three layers of restraining influence in the world to help man resist evil and come to salvation in Him. Layer one is the internal restraining influence in each individual – the conscience. Layer two is the external restraining influence in the world – human government. Layer three is the God-appointed witnesses, filled with His Spirit – the church.

With this biblical understanding, we can now turn our attention to the final question to be addressed in this article. What will happen to trigger God’s patience to cease in the last days and bring His wrath against the global inhabitants as He did in the days of Noah? The answer to this question is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12.

According to 2 Thessalonians 2, mankind will resist all of God’s restraining influence as it did in the days of Noah. When this happens, there will be an immediate explosion of wickedness, evil, immorality, and violence that will produce a condition of “gross [spiritual] darkness [that] shall cover the earth” (Isaiah 60:2). According to this text, the Antichrist, Satan’s global ruler, cannot be revealed until God’s ultimate restraining influence, the Holy Spirit in the church “be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked [one] be revealed” (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8). God will not permit the Antichrist to come until the time is ripe and men resist God’s restraining influence, which is the path that can bring them to repentance and salvation.

When this time comes, God in His holy wrath, will allow man’s spiritual darkness to lead him into a time of His divine wrath on earth [the Tribulation], and ultimately their eternal damnation (2 Thessalonians 2:12). In His holy fury, “God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe [the] lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:11).

This text is clear that the Holy Spirit’s unique ministry through His indwelling in the body of Christ as a restraining influence will be taken out through the Rapture, and then the Antichrist will come. So, how close are we to this event?

God will not permit the Antichrist to come until the time is ripe and men resist God’s restraining influence, the path that can bring them to repentance and salvation.

At this hour, how successful are God’s three levels of restraining influence working to hold back the eruption of a tide of immoral filth and violent blood-shed around the world? International news indicates we are witnessing a dramatic collapse of the spiritual light around the world. The darkness of evil is rapidly descending upon the planet. Due to the proliferation of moral corruption and the thirst to be entertained by violence, the collective conscience of America and the world is seared as if with “a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:2). The majority of the global population has no moral compass. The few that do have a conscience are being overwhelmed, threatened, or silenced by the wicked culture.

The governments of the world are united against God as prophesied in Psalm 2. The United Nations is controlled by those who are atheists, or worship some other idol or god. They have lost any ability to restrain evil and instead have become evil and are the enemies of God and His people. They are prepared to follow the Antichrist. The rule of the Antichrist will be Satan’s ultimate tool to deceive the world and resist God’s restraint of evil.

Finally, as prophesied, in the last days the professing churches will turn away from God’s truth and become like the culture, having a form of godliness (2 Timothy 3:1-9; 4:1-4). Far too many churches in America are spiritually dead. They have become nothing more than social clubs that are self-serving. They are not changing the culture, the culture is changing them! They are not striving to be holy and like God. They are longing to be popular and be like a thriving business – church has become big business in America. They are more concerned with pleasing man, rather than God.

As these three levels of God’s restraining influence continue to deteriorate, at some point God’s patience will end and His judgment will begin. He will call the faithful remnant of believers home, just as He did Enoch. When that happens, the world will almost instantly reach the levels of corruption and violence as in the days of Noah.

All of this will be accompanied by the great deception of Satan at the end of this age. They will turn away from the truth and believe Satan’s lies.

As I thought about this the other day, it dawned on me that we have arrived at such a point of great deception. In our culture, people now claim they do not know what gender they are. They are totally confused and completely deceived. If a person has arrived at this point of deception and confusion, they are ready for the next step – to accept Satan’s messiah, the Antichrist, and be damned forever!

Please be “redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16).

Be ready for the shout that will take us out!

Arabs Send Stern Message of  Warning to Biden and America

World Israel News reports that many Arabs are sending a message of warning to U.S. President Joe Biden. According to Khaled Abu Toameh, and award-winning Arab journalist based in Jerusalem, “U.S. policies and actions are undermining your credibility among your allies and paving the way for the return of Islamic terrorist groups” (World Israel News, July 20, 2021).

President Biden has announced that the war on terror is over and that U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan beginning at the end of this month. Toameh says that the Arabs in the region are “warning the U.S. that it will pay a heavy price for allowing Afghanistan to fall into the hands of terrorist groups. … The American withdrawal from the region will mark a victory of a political Islamic organization, and the victor always attracts attention and becomes the focus of public attention” (World Israel News, July 20, 2021).

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May 2021 – God’s Judgment of America

PTNews

May 2021

Published monthly

All Bible references are from the KJV

(Examining Current Events in the Light of Bible Prophecy)

P.O. Box 13006, Roanoke, VA 24030-3006

God’s Judgment of America

“Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD:

and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? Jeremiah 5:9

By Mike Wingfield

I am convinced that the days before the crushing judgment of God falls upon America are numbered. Each day when I awaken, I wonder if the Lord will come that day for His church in the Rapture, or if it will be the day He humbles America in devastating judgment. Either way, the Judge is standing “before the door” (James 5:9). The Bible teaches that our holy God has a toleration point. I believe deeply in my soul, America has reached that point! Soon, the heavy judgment of God will fall upon this nation that was once so greatly blessed by Him.

The Spirit of God is conveying this conviction of America’s judgment upon the minds of many conservative, God-fearing men. Just the other day I received an e-mail in which Billy Graham’s son, Franklin Graham, said, “God’s judgment is coming to America.”

Godly men who study the Bible know the character of our Lord and the history of His wrathful judgments against wicked cities and nations in the past. They know God is merciful, gracious, and patient. But eventually, the time of divine judgment arrives when a culture becomes immersed in wickedness. Such a culture is enslaved in a lifestyle that brings death and chaos to those who have been created in the image of God. Because God cares about people, He refuses to allow that wicked culture to continue to perpetuate itself. He has no choice but to bring about a radical, severe judgment that will remove the wicked from that culture. It happened in the immoral and violent days of Noah. It took place in the homosexually-obsessed culture of Sodom and Gomorrah. And, after great patience, the Lord brought divine judgment upon the 10 Jewish tribes called Israel, and ultimately upon Judah.

Because of their spiritual blindness, the wicked seem to be oblivious to their offense against a holy God and their subsequent impending doom. Psalm 10:4, 6 says, “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. … He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.” Only a few decades before God judged Israel by the hands of the pagan Assyrians, they had no idea that divine judgment was imminent. God said about them, “All of the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor [calamity come before] us” (Amos 9:10).

Most people in America have no clue what is about to take place. They are out of touch with God, and thus out of touch with reality! If some of them were to read this newsletter, they would dismiss this warning as the writing of a religious fanatic who is simply trying to scare people.

Even within the church, there seems to be a sense of religious pride that views the America as God’s prize possession. A great number of professing Christians believe America is a godly nation and is exempt from the wrath of God. Thus, they are woefully unaware of the imminent judgment of God. They are void of a basic understanding of the holy character of God and they do not realize how offensive the American culture is to Him. Sadly, far too many churches have adopted the values and methods of the world as a way to do business in the local church. Just like the world, they are out of touch with God, and thus out of touch with reality.

As believers in Jesus, we need to love sinners, but at the same time we need to hate the world system. The world system is not of God. It is the representation of the god of this age – Satan.

We must realize that when we stand with God, it will bring fierce opposition. Standing with God and His truth will always bring conflict. Just like with Elijah, the world will say people who stand with God are the trouble makers (1 Kings 18:17). Jesus has warned us that the world loves it own kind, but rejects His people. He said to His disciples, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world [hates] you” (John 15:19).

Just like the prophets of God, we must be the proverbial watchman on the walls of America. Read Ezekiel 2 and 3. We must warn those around us that we are locked in a deadly spiritual conflict and we are about to be judged by a holy God. God told Ezekiel it was his solemn duty to warn his rebellious nation, even if they did not want to hear it!

As we consider God’s approaching judgment upon America there are three practical questions we must consider. (1) How will God judge America? (2) When will God judge America? (3) Why will God judge America? No one can know the precise answer to these questions. However, the Scriptures give us some valuable insights into what God has done in the past when He judges nations. God has not changed. His values and standards have not changed. Therefore, we can glean great insight into the future possibilities that await America in God’s coming judgment.

Let us clearly understand what we are about to examine. As in the past God in His mercy, sends many warnings and judgments of divine discipline upon a culture to warn it of its sinful ways. These acts of discipline are a warning to people. God wants them to know that a sudden and radical divinely-orchestrated calamity awaits them if they do not repent and turn from their wicked ways. During my lifetime, God has mercifully been judging America. However, a most severe judgment is about to take place that will shake the entire world to its core!

How will God judge America?

Before God judged the wicked 10 tribes of Israel in 722 B.C., He sent several prophets to warn them of His coming judgment. One of these prophets was a farmer, named Amos. The theme of the book of Amos is “National Accountability for National Sins.” At least 100 years prior to Amos’ prophecy, God began to judge wicked Israel. The parallels between the Israel of Amos’ time and the America of today are amazing. Amos was preaching to a nation that was prosperous and safe. The late Dr. John Phillips, a former professor at Moody Bible Institute, conference speaker, and prolific author of biblical commentaries, summarizes the nature of Israel during the days of the prophet Amos. “Formerly the Hebrews had been fighting farmers, but they had experienced a cultural revolution: now they were citified, sophisticated, worldly wise, cultured, proud, and – they imagined – safe. They had taken a giant step from an agricultural economy to an urban form of life” (John Phillips, Exploring the Minor Prophets, An Expository Commentary, p. 87). It is amazing to read the five disciplinary judgments of God that lead up to His final massive judgment. Israel was slaughtered by the cruel Assyrian army, and surviving Jews were scattered to the nations of the world. In Amos 4:6-13, this godly farmer listed the disciplinary judgments as famine, drought, agricultural disasters, diseases and wars, and finally, overwhelming natural disasters. At the end of each of these disciplinary acts of judgments, God said to Israel, “Yet, have ye not returned unto me” (Amos 4:6, 8, 9, 10, 11). Finally, God said to this rebellious nation, “Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel” (Amos 4:12).

Reading this list of judgments is almost an exact reproduction of the history of the U.S. However, we cannot pretend to know the form of the final devastating judgment of God against our nation. Will it be a massive natural disaster, like the eruption of the volcano at Yellowstone national park? Will God allow the U.S. to be destroyed by a nuclear bomb from Russia or China? Could we be devastated by an Electro Magnetic Pulse bomb by a rogue nation such as North Korea or Iran? Will we be gradually humbled by a financial implosion, or meet our demise as the consequences of our liberal leaders who want to force us into socialism? Only God knows. God has many tools of judgment – including human instruments and the forces of His creation at His disposal.

I am absolutely convinced that the judgment of God will be a massive, life-changing event that will garner the attention of the world. In the Bible, the severity of God’s judgment is not always due to a level of wickedness or rebellion against God. God’s most severe judgment is for cultures that have had the greatest opportunity to hear and know the truth of His Word, and yet refuse it. In Matthew 11:20-24, Jesus rebuked three cities of His time – Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. These people had heard His message and experienced more miracles than any other people in all of Israel. In His scathing remarks to the people in those cities, Jesus said they would receive more condemnation and stricter judgment that other pagan Gentile cities that never had heard His messages nor seen one of His miracles. Here is the spiritual application – those who are given the greatest spiritual opportunities deserve a more strict judgment.

When a person examines the last 100 years of the history of the nations, there is one nation that has been spiritually blessed more than any other – America. We have more churches and have had a greater opportunity to hear the Word than any other nation! However, look where we are as a rebellious nation at this hour! As a result, our judgment will be more severe than the evil nations of China or Russia. This is a very sobering thought!

When will God judge America?

The Bible teaches that when a culture collectively sears its conscience, and it is deaf to the warnings of God, judgment will come. God loves sinners. It is His desire to reconcile them to Himself. For this to happen, the Spirit of God must be able to strive in the consciences of people to convict them of their sin and bring them to a point of repentance and ultimately to salvation. The condition of the person’s conscience is vitally important. It is important that we strive to have “a good conscience” (1 Timothy 1:5). When our conscience is sensitive to sin, the Holy Spirit can strive in us to bring us to repentance by confessing our sins to maintain fellowship with our holy God (1 John 1:5-10).

The Bible teaches that when man refuses to listen to his conscience, it is gradually silenced by his disobedience. If this situation persists, that person can arrive at a point when the conscience is silenced, as if it were “seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:2). When this happens, that person suppresses the work of the Holy Spirit to the point that God gives them up to follow the ways of their depraved heart (Romans 1:18-32). In the days of Noah, the global culture had reached such a point. God said, “My spirit shall not always strive with man” (Genesis 6:3).

When a culture has silenced its collective conscience it has no spiritual restrain and people live like brute beasts. They become immoral and violent. At this point, they become unredeemable. Therefore, God must remove that culture by divine judgment and begin with another godly remnant of people. This process has been repeated many times in the Bible. [For more details, read my book, Living in a World with No Conscience.]

The nature of the people in a culture that have collectively destroyed their consciences is clearly marked by the character descriptions given in Romans 1:24-32. Reading this list perfectly describes the current American culture. We are ripe for the final judgment of God as a nation! It is only a matter of time.

Why will God judge America?

The battle within the American culture, and the entire global society, is a war between God and the devil. It is a battle between the forces of good and evil.

Many days it looks as if Satan and his forces of evil are winning the war against God. However, that is an illusion. The Bible emphatically declares that when the end comes, sin and Satan will be defeated forever. In the meantime, God is redeeming and reconciling a people unto Himself. When the war of evil is raging and it looks like all is lost, God steps in and judges the culture that is promoting the way of death. He must do this so that He can continue to rescue the survivors from the slavery of sin and death. He is doing it today, and He will do it again in the future.

In this war against evil, God is very patient. However, He does have a toleration point of no return. The Bible tells us there are things that try the patience of God to a point where there is no way to escape his judgment. The prophets of Israel speak about how God will put up with a variety of sins, like unbelief and disobedience. However, the one thing that the prophets are consistent about is that the shedding of innocent blood is, for God, the last straw.

When a culture reaches a point when innocent people are murdered with no consequences, that culture is ripe for the wrath of God. For God, this comes down to one basic truth. All human beings have been created in the image of God. The Bible states, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27). God has made it clear that He hates “hands that shed innocent blood” (Proverbs 6:17).

God holds people who murder innocent people responsible for their sin. Man alone has been created in the image of God. The lack of respect for human life strikes the heart of God. Such acts are a rejection of the Creator and His creation. When people murder a person, they are not acting like God. They are acting like the evil one – Satan. Jesus said that the devil “was a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44). The Bible declares, “For this is the message that ye have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. … We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that [loves] not his brother [abides] in death. Whosoever [hates] his brother is a murderer: and we know that no murderer [has] eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:11-12, 14-15).

When Cain murdered his brother, God said to him, “The voice of thy brother’s blood [cries] unto me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10). After the time of the great global flood, God established human government. His plan was for mankind to have a God-ordained authority over society that would rule over man with the application of the law of God (Romans 13:1-7). The basic cornerstone of human government was to provide security for mankind. That was stated in Genesis 9:6, “Whoso [sheds] man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” Today, this is called capital punishment.

God made it very clear to His people that the murder of innocent people must not be taken lightly. In Numbers 35:30-31, 33, the Lord said, “Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses, but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die. Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death. … So you shall not pollute the land wherein you are: for blood it [defiles] the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.” God makes it clear that only capital punishment will remove the guilt from a culture. When people in a society refuse to obey God, they are living with the blood of the innocent victims of murder on their hands.

The death penalty existed as a law in the U.S. since colonial times until about 50 years ago. Since that time, our nation has become more and more lenient in punishing murderers as demanded by God. The death penalty laws were based upon the law of the Bible. Therefore, the disappearance of the death penalty in the justice system of America is a testimony to our rejection of the Creator and His law. During this period of time, the disrespect for human life has continued to deteriorate. And it will grow worse.

According to the Bible, there is no more sacred and holy matter than the subject of abortion. According to the Scriptures, abortion is the greatest offense against God, and it demands His most severe judgment. There is no greater bond of love and commitment than the one that exists between parents and their children. When this has failed it is the greatest evidence of that culture’s rebellion against God! The Bible teaches that this sin destroys that culture and invites the judgment of God!

The history of the Jewish people in the Old Testament shows they failed God in this tragic sin. God had warned them against following the practices of the Canaanites that were in the land prior to them. This godless culture was thrust out by God because of their immorality, worship of demons, and the sacrificing of their children to demons. Read Deuteronomy 18:9-14. Eventually, Israel followed in their footsteps and copied their deadly and offensive sins before God. The Jewish people were so far away from God that they offered their children up as a burnt offering to the idols and gods [demons] of the land. God called these practices an abomination. These wicked practices were eventually promoted by the wicked kings of Israel and Judah (2 Chronicles 28:3; 33:6). God made it clear that this was the final sin that brought about His divine judgment upon the Jewish people (2 Chronicles 33:1-11; Ezekiel 16:21). This is clearly spelled out in Psalm 106:35-42.

America is following in the same immoral and wicked patterns of the nations that preceded it. Since the early 1960s, the U.S. has increasingly become a very spiritually dark nation. The militant minority that clings to abortion and every form of wickedness and immorality is forcing its agenda upon America. It has the support of the federal government, and many state and local governments. It is promoted by the media, the entertainment industry, and the education systems across the land.

In the last 48 years, America has witnessed the painful and tragic deaths of more than 62 million babies. This battle is still raging. Only a small remnant of godly people is willing to take a stand against the murder of innocent babies. At this point we have the most radical and leftist presidential administration at the head of the federal government in the history of America. They are threatening to expand abortion and punish those who are pro-life. They are promoting a bill that will make the abortion bill available by a mail request. This will open the doors to millions more babies being killed in the early stages of their development in their mother’s womb.

An average of 1.5 million babies is being killed every year in America. That is three every minute! There are currently several basic types of abortions being performed in America today. There is the suction type of abortion. This is where the unborn child is literally vacuumed from the mother’s womb during the early stages of pregnancy. Another abortion method is performed with a spoon-like object, where the child is cut from the mother’s womb. Some abortions are similar to a Caesarean operation. The baby is surgically removed from the mother and allowed to suffocate, because the child’s lungs have not completely developed. Another horrific method is the Salt Brine technique. With this method, the unborn child is literally chemically killed by the injection of a strong salt solution. After a few days, the remains of the child are removed. Perhaps the cruelest method is a partial-birth abortion. This is where a child is partially delivered, then stabbed in the back of the neck to suck out its brains. Then the body is disposed of. Is it any wonder that this is enraging a holy God! We should all be filled with anger over these murderous practices on a helpless baby.

Why are these abortions taking place? Overall, it is seen as a sinful matter of convenience for the mother. The woman says it is her body and she can do as she pleases. The Bible and medical science prove this is a lie. The body inside of her does not belong to her. It is the creation of God. She is the child bearer. From the moment of conception of the life in her womb, it is only dependent upon her for oxygen and blood supply. The conception and development are orchestrated by God.

Abortion is also a sinful lack of “natural affection” due to a sinful exclusive love of self (2 Timothy 3:1-3). God has given a woman a natural affection or love to care for her children, even to the point of sacrificing herself for them. This is normal. So, when a mother reaches a point where she no longer has this basic natural affection, it demonstrates that she has destroyed her conscience and has been abandoned by God (Romans 1:28). The only thing that matters to her is her rights.

In America, abortions are performed 93 percent of the time due to the wishes of the mother. Only 3 percent of the time is abortion performed due to concerns of the health or life of the mother. About 3 percent of the time babies are aborted due to health concerns of the baby. Finally, only 1 percent of abortions occur due to rape or incest.

There is now overwhelming medical evidence that human life begins at conception. “Just 18 days after conception, the baby’s heart begins to beat. At six weeks, brain waves can be measured. At eight weeks, the vital organs are functioning and fingerprints have formed. At nine weeks, the unborn is able to feel pain” (www.bibleresources.org/abortion).

The Bible speaks of an unborn baby as a human being. God said to the prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before [you came] out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). An angel told the father of John the Baptist that “he shall be filled with the Holy [Spirit], even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15). When the baby was six-months-old in the womb, he leaped when Mary the mother of Jesus came to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1:41).

The Bible gives great testimony to the divine development of a baby in the womb. In Psalm 119:73, the psalmist said to God, “Thy hands have made me and fashioned me.” The writer of this Scripture is stating that God has developed him. In Psalm 139:13, the writer said to God, “thou [has] covered me in my mother’s womb.” The Hebrew word, “covered,” indicates God has weaved his body parts together. The word means to “cause a biological body to form and grow, with a focus on the structure of the body” (Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains).

Psalm 139:14 declares that we have been “fearfully and wonderfully made.” These two words are very important. The word “fearfully” means we have been respectfully made by God. We have been created to show a high status and honor. The word “wonderfully” indicates human beings are to be treated with distinction. We are different than animals. We were created in the image of God.

Psalm 139:15-16 speaks clearly of the divine work of God in the human womb. The writer of Scriptures testifies to the fact that God was not oblivious to what was happening in the womb of a mother. Rather, He was intricately involved when it was only a “substance.” This word speaks of the beginning of life – the unformed body in the womb of the mother. This speaks of life in the womb of the mother before it takes on the physical characteristics of human form. Verse 16 testifies that when God formed or fashioned the baby in the womb, He was carrying out His divine will which He has decreed for that child. The words “when as yet there was none of them,” literally means that God began this process at the moment of conception when the person was only a single cell in their mother’s womb.

The wickedness of a culture that demands the judgment of God can always be seen in their attitudes and actions toward the gifts of God – human life in general, and children in particular. The practice of abortion and its support by our government is an invitation to God to judge this nation. When it comes, it will be massive and severe. I love America. But I must confess that we deserve the judgment of God.

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April 2021 – The Satanic Rebellion and the End of Days

PTNews

P r o p h e c y T o d a y N e w s

April 2021

Published monthly

(Examining Current Events in the Light of Bible Prophecy)

P.O. Box 13006, Roanoke, VA 24030-3006

The Satanic Rebellion and the End of Days

“When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increases:

but the righteous shall see their fall.” Proverbs 29:16

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By Mike Wingfield

War is raging around us. There has been an ongoing, continuous war in the spiritual realm since the rebellion of Satan in heaven near the beginning of time. We are talking about a real war between evil angels, called demons, and good angels that serve the Lord. The central passage in the final book of the Bible reads, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon [Satan]; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not: neither was their place found any more in heaven” (Revelation 12:7, 8). In light of this, we should view the final seven years of this age, the Tribulation Period, as the final phase of a war that has existed for almost the entire history of creation.

Obviously, Satan knows just how crucial this war is. He knows that God has declared him the loser of this conflict. When the final battle, Armageddon, is fought, Jesus will be the victor. He will speak the word, and the armies of the Antichrist gathered in Israel and surrounding Jerusalem, will all suddenly be consumed (Zechariah 14:12). The Antichrist and his false prophet will be “cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:20). Then, Satan will be bound and cast into a bottomless pit for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:2, 3).

Since the time of his creation as a good angel – Lucifer – the Devil has never been bound. He has been free to fight against God in heaven and on earth (Job 1:6, 7). Therefore, in his wrathful desperation, he will do anything to keep himself from that dreadful moment when he will be confined to the bottomless pit. Thus, it makes perfect sense to realize that if the Devil believes the Tribulation Period is about to begin, he will use everything at his disposal to carry out his final rebellion against God. Satan’s war chest includes demons, people, and the nations of the world. While we know Satan cannot win, he is still on prowl like a dangerous wild animal. And he will become increasingly cunning and desperate as he carries out his final rebellion against God.

It is apparent that we are watching a full-blown explosion of evil around the world. Lawlessness, wickedness and immorality are escalating each day. This proves that Satan and his demons are busy at work, orchestrating their preparations for the horrific time to come, called, “the Tribulation.”

Before the election of Donald Trump as the president of the United States in 2016, it appeared that our world was sliding toward circumstances that would establish an evil New World Order. Then, to the chagrin of those who crave a New World Order, Donald Trump’s election became a shocking reality. It became apparent that President Trump’s world view was more biblical than that of most of his predecessors in the last several decades. He stood on the moral high ground with the laws of God’s Word. He attempted to defend the U.S. Constitution, which was framed by men who had great respect for the Word of God. President Trump spoke out against abortion. He took a stand against the moral filth that had been wrapping its wicked tentacles around the American culture for many decades. He supported the biblical view of marriage between a man and a woman. He firmly stood by Israel, defending its occupation and control of Jerusalem and the Promised Land.

President Trump was a great defender of our nation. He desired to protect our borders from those who wanted to illegally enter. He strengthened our military to stand up against evil nations, like China, Iran, and Russia. These nations are our avowed enemies and they are plotting our destruction. He exposed the unfair trade tariffs and policies with China. He was a great supporter of promoting and defending law and order, which is at the heart of what government has been divinely ordered to do (Romans 13:3-4).

As a good leader, he made decisions based upon what was good for his country. He took a stand against socialism and the New World Order. He did not always agree with the actions and decisions of the United Nations. Under his leadership, the United States officially withdrew from some of the more corrupt organizations within the U.N.

President Trump took a hard stand against global terrorism. He opposed the deadly nuclear deal with Iran, which had been crafted by President Obama and the liberal nations of Europe. These evil world leaders did this, knowing that Iran was the greatest terrorist-sponsoring state in the Middle East. Moreover, they knew that this deal would pose a lethal threat to our friends and allies in this volatile region – especially Israel.

President Trump also understood the motives behind the Palestinian opposition of Israel. His administration withdrew the United State’s support of the Palestinians because he knew our tax dollars were being used for evil purposes against the Israelis. The Palestinian leadership was using these funds to make themselves rich, and to pay the families of terrorists who had killed Israelis. Under the leadership of President Trump, ISIS, a wicked and vile terrorist organization, was also defeated.

In essence, President Trump stood up in the face of evil around the world and said, “No more!” As a result, the evil leaders around the world and in the U.S. rallied against him. Their hatred for him was very open. If the truth were known, we would see how the evil leaders of the world joined the liberal establishment in Washington D.C. to be sure that Donald Trump would not serve a second term. The liberal media was blatantly complicit with their political agenda. Behind the scenes, this plot was bankrolled by evil men like George Soros. They considered Donald Trump a threat to their evil agenda. They want to force this agenda upon America and all nations.

Since the election of Joe Biden, we have witnessed an attempt to erase all of the policies and accomplishments of our former president. America is right back where it was four years ago. It is apparent that the liberal, socialist, left in America is once again joining hands with our enemies to destroy our great nation. Their ultimate aim is to usher in an evil New World Order.

The Biden administration is embracing evil leaders and wicked policies at a maddening pace. They fear their window of opportunity to advance their globalist agenda is very narrow. So, they must act fast.

Following in the mold of his party’s predecessor, President Barak Obama, President Biden has made known his desire to re-establish the nuclear deal with Iran. Many of the Sunni Arab Gulf State leaders, like Saudi Arabia, have told President Biden that this would be dangerous for the Middle East and the rest of the world. Israel has also voiced its grave concerns about the U.S. recommitting itself to the disastrous policy of empowering the evil Iranian leadership. These religious leaders in Iran are driven by their apocalyptic desires to control the Middle East and the entire world. Other world players that have close economic ties with the Iranians include Russia, China, and India. The blind leadership of these countries is not aware that they are creating a monster that wants to destroy them also.

In another unwise move, the Biden administration is going soft on militant Islamic terrorist groups in the Middle East. Biden has removed the Houthi Rebels, a militant Islamic terrorist organization, funded and trained by Iran, from the official terrorist list in the U.S. The Houthi Rebels, stationed in Yemen, have joined other terrorist groups in their ongoing attack against Saudi Arabia. Iran’s ultimate goal in the Middle East is to destroy Israel and to take over oil rich Saudi Arabia, the center of the Islamic world.

And in yet another reversal of a Trump policy, the current administration has reinstated Palestinian offices in Washington. Plus, it is once again sending funds to support the Palestinian cause. President Biden has made it known that he wants to return to an old way of thinking that would establish a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. This will force Israel to surrender some of the Promised Land to the Palestinians. Furthermore, Biden seems to be ignoring all of the progress that had been made in the Abraham Accords, which are a joint statement between Israel and other Arab Persian Gulf states and the United States, reached in 2020. It seems to be of little value to him that a new hope for peace was beginning to materialize, with Islamic states signing agreements to normalize relationships with Israel. It seems that the new leadership in Washington is being driven by a boiling hatred that is aimed at destroying all of the good accomplishments of the Trump administration.

President Trump fought a fierce battle with the entrenched liberal political machinery for four years over border control. The president strongly desired to build a strong defense system along our border with Mexico. Once again, by executive order, President Biden has reversed all of President Trump’s policies with regard to controlling the number of immigrants allowed into the country. Reports indicate that some days more than 3,000 illegal immigrants are crossing the border into our country.

Not only is Biden not concerned about the safety of our nation, he has ordered hotels along the border be made available to these illegal immigrants. It seems that the Biden policies are aimed at encouraging these immigrants to storm our border and enter our country. Local law enforcement and political establishment are warning that what is happening presents a grave danger to the future of the United States. U.S. citizens along the border feel threatened. COVID-19 is spreading. Cars and property are being stolen. Women are being raped. Even some of the Democrats are attempting to change the president’s mind concerning his liberal border policies.

Perhaps one of the most threatening policies of the current administration is their friendship and cooperation with China. Anyone with eyes open to read a little, knows that China wants to rule the world. Hence, the communist leadership in China wants to bring about the demise of the United States of America. They want to destroy us politically, militarily, morally, socially, spiritually, and economically.

Picture of U.S. and Mexico border with defense walls.

Last November, President Trump came to the realization that public and private Chinese companies were available on Wall Street for American investors. This would merely help make China stronger. Many of these companies of the People’s Republic of China are military companies that support the technology and growth of a military that is sworn to the destruction of the United Sates. Therefore, on November 12, 2020, President Trump signed Executive Order 13959 to make it illegal for Wall Street to allow these Chinese companies to receive investment funds from Americans.

In essence, President Biden, shortly after he became president, caved in to China’s complaints about President Trump’s executive order. Consequently, millions of Americans are again investing in the destruction of their own country. Sadly, they do not realize what they are doing. This is an outrage and disgrace to the American people!

In an electrifying and frightening article from Gatestone Institute on February 10, 2021, Gordon Chang, who is a Gatestone Distinguished Senior Fellow and member of its Advisory Board) presented an article, “China is Creating a New Master Race.” Here are some excerpts from this article, “U.S. intelligence shows that China has conducted human testing on members of the People’s Liberation Army in hope of developing soldiers with biologically enhanced capabilities. … The People’s Liberation Army has gone all-in on editing of humans. There are no ethical boundaries to Beijing’s pursuit of power.

“Chinese scientists already are on the road of ‘gene-doping’ to make future generations smarter and more innovative than those in countries refusing to embrace these controversial methods. What you are witnessing in China is the convergence of advanced technology with cutting-edge bio-sciences, capable of fundamentally altering all life on this planet according to the capricious whims of a nominally Communist regime.

“What is most disturbing about these endeavors is that China has gleaned access to CRISPR and advanced genetic and biotech research, thanks to their relationship with the United States and other advanced Western nations. American research labs, biotech investors, and scientists have all striven to do research and business in China’s budding biotech arena … because the ethical standards for research … are so low. … China’s regime does not have ethics or decency, is not bound by law, and does not have a sense of restraint. It does, however, have a technology to start a whole new species of genetically enhanced, goose-stepping humans” (Gordan G. Chang, Gatestone Institute, “China Is Creating a New Master Race,” February 10, 2021).

When I read this report, it made me think of what was happening in the days of Noah. In some way, a new generation of wicked people was being created by the union of “the sons of God” and the “daughters of men” (Genesis 6:2). While we cannot be sure about this, it seems that this was a new generation of demonically-controlled human beings who were bold in their wickedness and violence. God would not tolerate this, so He judged the entire generation with the global flood. I do not believe that God will allow this evil regime in China to alter the biological makeup of the human race. China’s day of divine judgment is coming!

In another article by Gordon Chang, in Newsweek, he reveals that China is engaged in horrific genocide against some of its own minorities. He writes, “China is committing the world’s most abhorrent crimes. An unspeakable evil is taking place. … Uyghur [a Muslim minority] women are routinely tortured and raped by government officials, clearly with the approval of the state. Girls from minority groups have been sexually violated.

“More than a million – and perhaps over three million – Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other ethnic minorities are being held in concentration camp-like facilities termed ‘vocational education and training center.’ Their goal is to destroy everyone. … There are persistent and credible reports of organ harvesting. Call this murder – and murder, that is, on a mass scale.

“Children are often separated from their parents and housed in prison-like ‘orphanages.’” (www.newsweek .com, February 16, 2021).

China, like all evil regimes and cultic groups, realizes to be successful in controlling a culture and society; they must capture the minds of the children. For decades, China reiterated that it was an atheist society. Now, they have changed their strategy. With millions of Christians illegally operating in their country, the Chinese government is now using state-run schools to teach kids to hate God. They tell the children that Christianity is an evil cult. Crosses are being removed throughout China.

U.S. government officials and Wall Street investors are holding hands with the devil. The policies and practices of doing business with China are helping to promote an evil regime that is plotting to place everyone on earth under its control.

Communists and Muslims are plotting to take over the world. Only the resistance of the U.S. has stood in their way. It is apparent that the policies of the Biden administration are helping to advance the cause and dreams of the evil leaders in China, Russia, and Iran. It is clear that these countries want to destroy Christianity and the United States so they can rule the world.

As this transpires, the war within the spirit world is ramping up. Evil is running rampant all over the world. As believers in Jesus Christ we must realize that all of this indicates that the coming of our Lord for His church is growing near.

We must stand with God as the spiritual darkness escalates all around us. God is very much aware of what is happening, and He cares. “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). God hates evil. “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil way” (Proverbs 8:13).

What should we do as believers? We need to confront evil by sharing the gospel. A light shines the greatest in the darkest of night. We also need to brace and prepare ourselves for the evil days that are ahead. Proverbs 22:3 says, “A prudent man foresees the evil, and hides himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.” We must also fight against evil by putting on the armor of God – truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God (Ephesians 6:10-17). We are commanded to “overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).

We must be very careful that we too are not participants in the evil of our day. Listen to what God said to the wicked citizens of Israel in the days of the great prophet Jeremiah. “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13). The root of their evil was to replace God by being independent of Him. Instead of trusting God by drinking from the fresh water He provided, they made cisterns [underground cavities to collect rain water]. They were trusting themselves, rather than God. Our culture, with all of its man-made conveniences, promotes independence from God. It is all too easy for us to forget that everything we have is a gift from God – not the man-made system we have today. This too is evil!

(Pictured above) The three leaders of the nations that most threaten the world today: Iran, China and Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Hassan Rouhan.

(Pictured above) The three leaders of the nations that most threaten the world today: Iran, China and Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Hassan Rouhan.

The Bible has promised us that these days would come. “But evil men and seducers shall grow worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13). The Bible has also warned us what these evil days would produce. “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work” (James 3:16).

This must be a time for praying and mourning for America. Proverbs 29:2 says, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked [reign], the people mourn.”

As believers in Jesus Christ, we can take heart that our God is on the throne. In the end, evil will lose the battle in heaven and on earth. During the Tribulation, God will pour out His wrath upon the wicked. God says, “And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity, and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible” (Isaiah 13:11).

Ultimately, the final punishment of the wicked is eternal damnation in hell. “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17).

Shoes Dedicated to Satan

As our world grows darker by the minute, we must realize that the ultimate expression of evil is the worship of Satan. During the Tribulation, this will become an expanding reality (Revelation 9:20). This is already a growing phenomenon in America and the world. For example, a new athletic shoe has just been released, which is dedicated to Satan. Each pare comes complete with a pentagram and a drop of human blood in each shoe. Each shoe also contains the number 666 and comes in a limited edition of 666 pairs.

For more information, check out, www.the gatewaypundit.com .

Signs of the Approaching Tribulation

There are a number of developments that signal that the Tribulation Period is approaching.

Geological Activity– As we have reported numerous times, the increase of earthquakes and volcanoes will be the trademark of the wrath of God during the final seven years of this age (Luke 21:11). Israel365news reports that during the first 65 days of 2021, there were 42 major earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or greater that shook the planet. In 2017 there were only 15 during this same period of time, compared with 24 in 2018, 20 in 2019, and 24 last year. This definitely shows that seismic activity is increasing.

Of particular interest are developments in Iceland. During the first week of March, “Iceland was hit by more than 18,000 earthquakes … including a magnitude 7.3, a magnitude 7.4, and a magnitude 8.1 earthquake” (www. israel365news.com, March 7, 2021). Following this report there have been several volcanic eruptions in Iceland. Currently, there are 43 volcanoes erupting around the world.

Magnetic Pole Shifting– It is alarming and revealing to read the scientific reports about the changes in the magnetic field inside of earth. Most people think of the North Pole as being the center of earth’s magnetic field. That is what a compass would indicate. However, in recent decades, that is staring to change. “The magnetic pole is mostly the result of ferrous fluids moving around in the earth’s core. The magnetic pole naturally moves and has even been known to shift hemispheres, turning the magnetic north pole into the magnetic south pole. As the poles shift, the magnetic field weakens. In the last 30 years, the rate of distance that the magnetic north pole moves per year sped up from about 9.3 to around 34 miles per year, moving out of northern Canada, across the Arctic Ocean, and toward Siberia” (www.israel365 news.com, March 7, 2021). Scientists claim there is evidence that this major pole shift occurred thousands of years ago and it will take place again. Another indicator is that the earth has lost about 30 percent of its magnetic intensity since scientists began measure it decades ago.

In light of this, it is most interesting to see that during the Tribulation, the Bible speaks of God turning the earth “upside down” (Isaiah 24:1). While this is happening, the earth will also go through a dangerous time of intense heat from the sun (Malachi 4:1; Revelation 16:8-9). Scientists claim that the earth is currently being protected from the most dangerous rays of the sun’s radiation by the magnetic shield around it at the poles. As the magnetic intensity of the earth deteriorates, it makes earth more vulnerable to the dangerous radiation of the sun, and solar flares. Scientists claim that this could act like a magnetic pulse that would naturally wipe out earth’s electrical grid systems in a matter of seconds. This would leave the inhabitants of earth without electricity for years. I personally believe that this will take place either before the rapture or shortly thereafter. It will perfectly set the stage for the horrific events that will unfold during the Tribulation.

Saudi’s Recognize Temple Mount is Jewish– When the end of this age comes, something will materialize in the Arab-Islamic world that will cause it to give permission to Israel to build its temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem (Revelation 11:1-2). This temple will play a major role in events at the end of the Tribulation (Daniel 9:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:4).

The last temple to stand on this location was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. In the last 1,300 years, this has been considered by Muslims to be a significant location to their religion. In the last few centuries, Muslims claimed that their founding prophet, Muhammad, ascended to heaven from this location, making it important to them.

However, in recent years, it has become known that the Islamic mosques on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem did not exist at the time of Muhammad. Now, reports coming out of Saudi Arabia, are saying that Jerusalem is the “eternal capital of the Jewish people” (Israel Today, March 8, 2021). The Saudis are reminding Muslims that the true holy sites of their religion are Mecca and Medina, which are in Saudi Arabia.

Is this setting the stage for Israel to claim total sovereignty over the Temple Mount and to rebuild their temple? If so, we are getting very close to exciting events that will set the stage for the Tribulation.