Category: Current Events

Will contain information related to the date of publishing, not necessarily the date the viewer reads it.

2015 September The Fervent Expectation of Messiah

The Fervent Expectation of Messiah

“For many shall come in my name, saying, I am [Messiah]; and shall deceive many.” – Matthew 24:5

By Mike Wingfield

It is not an accident that the expectation of the coming of the Messiah of each of the world’s three monotheistic religions is at an all-time high. I believe that the anticipation of the coming of Messiah among Jews, Muslims, and Christians has never been as great in my lifetime as it is at this very moment. Jews are looking at the events in the Middle East, and especially the predicted invasion by Russia and Iran mentioned in Ezekiel 38-39, as a sign that the Messiah is about to come. Muslims are expecting their long-awaited Mahdi [messiah] due to the specific events that are unfolding in Syria and Iraq. There is a lot of chatter in Christian circles about the potential for the return of Jesus Christ for His church in the next few weeks. What are we to think about all of this? Let us examine the evidence in the light of God’s Word.

First, we must understand that the Bible has the final answer, and really the only answer, concerning this subject! It doesn’t matter what the Jewish rabbis, Islamic imams, or Christian theologians, preachers, or authors say. The Lord has total authority and control over all things, visible and invisible. The Bible emphatically declares and illustrates repeatedly that the Lord “works all things after the counsel of his own will.” (Ephesians 1:11) He is the one and only true God. There are no other gods. He has declared: “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me.” (Isaiah 45:5) He is the only true and holy God who is eternal, has all power, all knowledge, and is present throughout all of His creation. He is self-sufficient and does not need anyone or anything to exist or rule over all that He has created. While speaking about Jesus, the Bible declares: “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist [have their being].” (Colossians 1:16-17)

All statements made by ancient or current leaders of all religions must be analyzed on the basis of the unchanging Word of God. Jesus said: “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fufilled.” (Matthew 5:18) While speaking about His return, He said: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) The creation is in a process of degeneration, but God and His Word are unchanging and eternal. (Psalm 102:25-27; 119:89-91, 160) God’s purposes are eternal. (Ephesians 3:11) He has said, “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that has gone out of my lips.” (Psalm 89:34)

Not only is the Bible unchanging and eternal, it is also complete and final. The Bible is the complete and final divine revelation given to man. The final verses in the Bible warn everyone to not add to or take away “from the things which are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18-19) The 66 books of the Bible are all we need to be completely and adequately equipped to know what to believe, and to serve God. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Jesus told His apostles that the Holy Spirit would guide them “into all truth.” (John 16:13) The Apostle Paul later declared that the Holy Spirit had revealed God’s truth to the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 3:5), who were the unique and only “foundation” of the church, Jesus Christ “being the chief cornerstone.” (Ephesians 2:20) When the apostles passed from the scene in the first century, God ceased to give man any further revelation. There are no apostles and prophets in the church today! God is not giving mankind new revelation. Those who claim to be receiving new revelation from God are out of bounds with the declared statements of Scripture and are walking on dangerous ground.

Anyone who has ever studied the Bible as it relates to the Second Coming of Christ knows that there is a great difference of opinion among Christians with regard to the timing of His return. I believe, in light of the detailed chronology of the book of Revelation, that the ultimate and final visible return of the Messiah, called “the Revelation,” will not take place until the end of the Tribulation Period. (Revelation 19:11-21) This will be after the Gog and Magog invasion and the destruction of Russia, Iran, Turkey, and their Islamic allies. It will be after seven long years of deadly judgments as an expression of the wrath of God upon a godless and wicked generation, culminating with Armageddon. This final and visible glorious return of the Messiah to earth will be recognizable to all living inhabitants of earth. (Revelation 1:7) However, this event cannot be the same event that will include the sudden snatching away of the Bride of Christ “in the twinkling of an eye.” (1 Corinthians 15:52) In the Rapture, Jesus will come down to the clouds to snatch away the church to heaven to be with Him for seven years. (John 14:2-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) In the Revelation, following the marriage feast of the Lamb in heaven (Revelation 19:4-9), the church will descend from heaven with Jesus to earth, where He will establish His kingdom upon the earth for 1,000 years. (Revelation 19:11-20:6) It is important to have this Biblical overview of the coming of the Messiah as we look at the following expectations of the coming of Messiah that are permeating the global culture at this time.

The Current Jewish Expectation of their Messiah

As Jewish people witness the ongoing in-gathering of Jewish exiles from the nations of the world, the mounting global assault on their occupation of the Holy Land and Jerusalem, and the nuclear threat of Iran with the aid of Russia (viewed as a foreshadow of the Gog and Magog war in Ezekiel 38-39), they believe the coming of Messiah is imminent.

According to a report from Breaking News Israel, here is one example of the Jewish expectation of the imminent coming of their long-awaited messiah. “Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, a leading authority in mainstream Ultra-Orthodox Judaism, has been giving clear and unequivocal messages recently that the coming of the Messiah is imminent. He is urging Jews to make aliyah as soon as possible. Aliyah, the Hebrew verb for ‘going up’, refers to immigrating to Israel, which is seen as higher spiritual action that can help herald the coming of the Messiah.

“It was reported that the Rabbi Kanievsky was presented with a pamphlet, written by Rabbi Yitzchak Ben Tzvi from the city of Bnei Brak, dealing with the End of Days and many other related prophecies. Rabbi Kanievsky, who is a pillar of the Jewish community and known for his authoritative books on Torah law, read the pamphlet carefully. After a short consideration, he told those around him that the pamphlet needed to be distributed and that Jews living outside Israel should return to their ancestral land.

“In yet another instance of Rabbi Kanievsky’s call for aliyah, author Rabbi Yekutiel Fisch revealed advice that was given to his cousin, a teacher at a prominent Lakewood Yeshiva who visited Israel recently and went to Rabbi Kanievsky to receive a blessing at the end of his visit.

“The Rabbi told him that he should not leave Israel because the Messiah would be arriving very soon. The teacher responded that he had 700 students waiting for him in Lakewood. Rabbi Kanievsky told him that he must bring all of the students to Israel. Upon his arrival in Lakewood, the story spread quickly, creating quite an impression on the students who all revere Rabbi Kanievsky.

“After a lifetime of immersing himself in classical Jewish texts, Rabbi Kanievsky’s study partner informed various media sites that the Rabbi is talking about the messiah ‘all the time.’ Since last summer’s war in Gaza, the Rabbi has been spreading this message of imminent return. In one instance, Rabbi Kanievsky instructed a Jew from Argentina who asked for a blessing that he should ‘gather your family and come to Israel. Otherwise, there won’t be enough room for you on the airplanes.’

“When asked about the timing of the Messiah’s arrival, Rabbi Kanievsky answered, ‘At the end of the Sabbatical year.’ Several people have asked the rabbi to verify this and he has given the same answer each time. This year is the Sabbatical year and it will be ending on the 29th day of Elul, which, by the Gregorian calendar falls on Saturday, September 12, 2015.” (http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/44534/leading-israeli-rabbi-messiah-imminent-jewish-world/#BHrh3ihKB5vGPfKW.99)

Many Jews in Israel and in the nations are taking these words very seriously, and making spiritual preparations for the coming of messiah. I must caution you to understand that most Jewish people have a completely different view of who their messiah will be, and what he will do when he arrives on earth. Many believe that he will be just an ordinary godly man that will lead Israel to military victory over the nations that are currently threatening to destroy the Jewish nation. They believe he will usher in an era of peace and prosperity that will be centered in Israel. He will rule the world from Jerusalem. Justice will permeate the world as the knowledge of God will be made known in all nations.

The Current Islamic Expectation of their Messiah

Much to our shame, there is probably a greater expectation among Muslims for the coming of their messiah than among Jews and Christians for their respective messiahs. Since the revival of Islam that began with the creation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, there has been a growing expectancy of the sudden appearing of the Islamic messiah, the one they call the Mahdi.

According to Joel Richardson, a Biblical scholar of the end-times, 672 million of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims believe that the coming of the Mahdi is imminent. (www.joelstrumpet.com/?p=3842) World Net Daily reports: “In the latest evidence of this messianic fervor, a mainstream Sunni Muslim website has decreed that the Islamic messiah, called the Mahdi, will appear this year or in 2016 and that the Muslim Jesus will return in 2022 to conquer the world for Islam.

“DiscoveringIslam.org and the End Times Research Center have calculated that the ‘first phase’ of the end of time will begin soon and lead to the ‘Day of Judgment’ in seven years.

“The estimates were derived from ‘the latest research’ into numerical analysis of the Quran, Hadith, Arabic words and historical events,” according to DiscoveringIslam. org.” (www.wnd.com/2015/03/mahdi-to-return-by-2016-followed-by-jesus/#QAm4Fy08VD7m7Tfk.99)

In additional to all of this, the recent capture of Dabiq in Syria by ISIS has heightened the messianic fervor within the Islamic world. Many believe this explains why so many Muslims from around the world are joining ISIS in their war efforts. According to Islamic tradition, Dabiq is the equivalent to the Biblical Armageddon that will usher in the Islamic messianic era. Muslims believe their Islamic forces will engage a massive military force at Dabiq in the final days of judgment. It will be a blood bath for both sides, with Islam defeating the West and ushering in the Islamic global kingdom ruled by the Mahdi. They are hoping the U.S. will send troops into Syria to fulfill this Islamic expectation.

All of the radical Islamic terrorist groups (like ISIS, Hamas, Lebanon, Islamic Jihad, Al Qaida, and Hezbollah) and radical Islamic regimes, such as Iran and elements in Turkey and Sudan, are being driven by their expectation of the imminent coming of the Mahdi. They believe that according to their holy writings a global destruction must take place and their Mahdi will then appear to bring global justice and peace, establishing a global Islamic government. The Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Islamic State that is expanding across the Middle East, are currently leading this effort.

This is what makes the nuclear deal with Iran so dangerous. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has continuously warned the West of the apocalyptic dreams of Iran to bring in the golden era of the reign of their Mahdi. On March 3, 2015, while speaking to the U.S. Congress, Netanyahu said: “Iran and ISIS are competing for the crown of militant Islam. One calls itself the Islamic Republic. The other calls itself the Islamic State. Both want to impose a militant Islamic empire first on the region and then on the entire world. They just disagree among themselves who will be the ruler of that empire.

“In this deadly game of thrones, there’s no place for America or for Israel, no peace for Christians, Jews or Muslims who don’t share the Islamist medieval creed, no rights for women, no freedom for anyone. …

“The difference is that ISIS is armed with butcher knives, captured weapons and YouTube, whereas Iran could soon be armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear bombs. We must always remember — I’ll say it one more time — the greatest danger facing our world is the marriage of militant Islam with nuclear weapons. To defeat ISIS and let Iran get nuclear weapons would be to win the battle, but lose the war. We can’t let that happen.” (http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/03/03/full-text-netanyahus-address-to-congress/)

I personally have been shocked to hear the response of the liberal U.S. political leadership and pundits to Netanyahu’s warning. While ignoring the facts, they call Netanyahu a warmonger and cozy up to the radical leadership in Iran. The intellectual foolishness and political blindness of the West at this hour is absolutely astounding! Many political analysts are comparing these developments to an eerie repeat of the ridiculous appeasement efforts by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain after his conference with Adolf Hitler before World War II erupted. The conflict with Hitler and his Axis powers lasted about seven years and killed more than 73 million people. During the war years, the Nazis systematically murdered one-half of the world’s Jewish population in their concentration camps.

It is not a coincidence that according to the prophetic Scriptures, the world is facing another global war that will last seven years. During these war years, the Antichrist, who will probably be the Islamic Mahdi, will kill two-thirds of the world’s Jewish population. (Zechariah 13:8-9)

The Current Christian Expectation of their Messiah

There is a remnant of true believers in this world that are longing and looking for the coming of the Lord. Many of them may not agree on the time of the Rapture, but they recognize that we are moving through the final phases of the last days.

We must recognize there are no signs for the Rapture of the church. It is imminent. It can happen at any moment. However, all of the signs of the end-times should be viewed as preparations for the time of judgment that is coming upon all the inhabitants of earth, called the Tribulation Period. Some of us are Biblically focused upon these signs as commanded by our Lord. He said: “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Luke 21:28) When the Tribulation unfolds, the following conditions (only to name a few) will be in place: A time of great spiritual deception and darkness will cover the earth. (Isaiah 60:2; Matthew 24:5) A time of economic and political upheaval will lead to a one-world government that will eventually be controlled by the Antichrist. (Daniel 7:7-8, 23-25; Revelation 13:7) The Jewish people will return to their land, leading to wars and rumors of wars over their possession of the Holy Land and especially Jerusalem. (Ezekiel 36:1-7, 24; Zechariah 12:1-9; 14:1-3; Matthew 24:6) A peace process over the struggle for the possession of the land of Israel will finally lead to a covenant that will be forced upon Israel by the Antichrist, leading to the beginning of the Tribulation Period. (Daniel 9:27) Geological upheaval will increase in frequency and magnitude. (Isaiah 2:10-22; 24:1-23; Ezekiel 38:19-22; Matthew 24:7; Revelation 6:12-17; 8:7-9; 16:17-21) Celestial and atmospheric disturbances that will threaten life on earth will escalate. (Luke 21:25-26; Revelation 8:10-13; 16:8-11, 21) The global professing church will experience a time of apostasy and apathy. (Luke 18:8; 1 Timothy 4:1-2, 2 Timothy 4:1-4) The Gog and Magog coalition will begin to take shape. (Ezekiel 38:1-9) And, immorality, violence, and wickedness, all accompanied by demonic influences and possession, will permeate the nations as it did in the days of Noah. (Matthew 24:11; Romans 1:18-32; 2 Timothy 3:1-7; Revelation 9:20-21)

As fall approaches, with the Jewish feast days in September, there are many of us who are experiencing a heightened expectation that something is about to happen. We cannot be dogmatic about this, but an examination of God’s program illustrates that many times significant events on God’s calendar of prophetic events have unfolded on the Jewish feast days. Consider this. Jesus died at Passover. He resurrected at the time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The church began on the feast of Pentecost. So, one does wonder, is it possible that some big event or events will unfold on the Jewish New Year, and during the Feast of Tabernacles or Yom Kippur? There has been a lot of chatter in Christian circles about all of this in recent years and months. We must be very careful in these considerations. We must respect the sovereignty of our God and His plan. He has chosen to not reveal the exact dates connected to the end-time events. (Matthew 24:36) Our sovereign God has not told us everything, but only what we need to know. “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed [divine written revelation] belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (Deuteronomy 29:29)

It is very sad to realize that the overwhelming number of professing Christians in the United States are not interested in looking for the imminent return of the Lord Jesus. They have, at best, fallen asleep. (Romans 13:11-14) Their leadership has told them that studying Bible prophecy is a waste of time. Rick Warren recently stated in one of his blogs that studying Bible prophecy is futile. He stated that we only need to focus on evangelism, not Biblical prophecy. (www.cbn.com/spirituallife/churchand ministry/warren_evangelism0206.aspx) – link no longer working

The dangers and pitfalls that lead to apostasy grow out of our modern day many-centered version of Christianity. The central focus of the Bible is not redemption, but the Redeemer! We are not to focus only on the creation, but on the Creator! The central purpose of the Bible is not the salvation of man, but the Savior of mankind! I am not saying that the salvation of man, the evangelism of the lost, and the defense of the truth that God created everything out of nothing are not important. This is all significant, but it is not the major theme of the Bible. The Bible is all about the glory, worship, and praise that belong to our triune God. All of God’s work is focused upon His Son, Jesus Christ, having the “preeminence.” (Colossians 1:18) When we finally get to heaven we will cry out in worship: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.“ (Revelation 4:11)

I do not personally understand how any student of the Bible can reach the conclusion that the consideration of the Second Coming of Christ is irrelevant or insignificant. What do we do with all of the commands by Jesus and His apostles to be ready for His coming? How can we explain that the Holy Spirit has given us a revelation that is saturated with the expectation of the coming of the Messiah? Are we to ignore the examples of the prophets of the Old Testament, the apostles of the New Testament, and Jesus, who constantly spoke of the coming of the Messiah and the events that would accompany His coming? Are we to disregard the final book of the progressive revelation of God that ends with the revelation of Jesus Christ? Should we avoid a doctrine that declares “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy”? (Revelation 19:10) Are we to discount the fact that the Holy Spirit directed the Apostle John to end the divine revelation with the prayerful invitation: “Even, so, come, Lord Jesus”? Revelation 22:20)

The entire Bible is built around the coming of the Messiah. It is the central message of the Bible. He is foreshadowed in the appearances of the angel of Jehovah, and in the divinely mandated worship in the Tabernacle and Temple in the Old Testament. The prophets gave us the amazing predictions of His first coming, and the apostles wrote of the fulfillment of these prophecies in the New Testament. Both Old and New Testaments are filled with hundreds of detailed prophecies concerning His Second Coming and the events that surround that event. Finally, the Holy Spirit directs all of humanity to the crowning event in all of God’s eternal plan, the supernatural, yet physical, unveiling of His Son to the entire world at the end of this age. That is why the final book of the Bible is named “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Revelation 1:1)

Isn’t it alarming to realize that most of the world is looking for the Antichrist, rather than Jesus Christ? In essence, they are helping to bring about the appearance of the Antichrist and his jihad march around the world. The U.S. and the West are currently standing on the wrong side of evil! They are rejecting the moral, historical, and sane warning of the leadership of Israel about Iran’s developing nuclear program. They have chosen to forget about the current terrorist activities sponsored by the cultic and apocalyptic Iranian regime throughout the Middle East. They have elected to turn a deaf ear to all of the chants of “Death to the U.S. and Israel” in Iran. Instead, they are trusting the word of a nation that promotes deception in the name of their god. They refuse to hear the cries of the Jewish people who have returned to their homeland in fulfillment to the call of the God of Jacob as promised in the Bible.

It is very apparent that if this deal is allowed to stand, there is a very serious day of reckoning coming for the nations. While it is too early to tell, it does appear that in some way this deal has set in motion the events that will precipitate the Gog and Magog war mentioned in Ezekiel 38-39. It is only a matter of time!

It is not just a coincidence that Jews, Muslims, and Christians are all looking for a different messiah to appear at any moment. Remember that Jesus taught that one of the signs of the end of this age would be the appearance of many messiahs. He said: “For many shall come in my name, saying I am Christ [same word as Messiah]; and shall deceive many. …. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:5, 24)

I personally believe that on the basis of these verses and many others, the great deceiver, Satan, is setting up everything for the great deception at the end of this age. There is only one true Messiah, and we know who He is — Jesus Christ. Near the end of the first century, the aged Apostle John wrote: “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.” (1 John 2:18) While there have been false Christs during the last two millennia, I believe that the deception at the end of this age will produce two major false messiahs. Notice that the book of Revelation focuses upon only two men of deception — the Antichrist and the False Prophet. (Revelation 13) Both of these men will be antichrist figures during the Tribulation Period.

Revelation 13 is filled with symbolism. All symbolism in the Bible must be interpreted in light of the Biblical context. Notice that the Antichrist and the False Prophet are symbolically referred to as “beasts.” throughout Revelation 13. It is significant to note that the first beast, the Antichrist, symbolically rises up out of the sea. However, in sharp contrast, the second beast figuratively rises up “out of the earth [land].” In the Bible, the sea symbolically represents the wicked Gentile nations. (Isaiah 17:12-13; 57:20; Revelation 17:15) The land represent the land of Israel. Ray C. Stedman, a well-know pastor and Christian author of several books, adds the following explanation: “The land or the earth, is used frequently as a symbol for Israel throughout the Old Testament. Israel is viewed as a nation with stability because it had God as its head. It had structure, order, and foundation, and so it was depicted as ‘land.’ But the sea is used many places in Scripture to describe the Gentile nations (pagan nations, by and large), which had no inner stability because there was no recognition of the authority of God. They worshiped idols and held to pagan concepts which rendered them unstable and uncertain in their conduct of human affairs.” (http://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/revelation/to-jew-and-gentile)

In light of all of this, it is amazing to note that Muslims are not only looking for their Mahdi to come, but they also believe that he will be accompanied by Isa, their name for Jesus. I believe the Antichrist will be a Muslim (Daniel 11:36-45), and will probably be the Islamic Mahdi. Therefore, the False Prophet will be a false Jewish messiah from Israel. Jesus said to his fellow Jews: “if another come in his own name, him ye will receive.” (John 5:43) As both Jews and Muslims look for their respective messiahs, the stage is set for the great deception. Be ready for the shout that will take us out!

Download in .pdf format

2015 – August – The Moral Demise of America

The Moral Demise of America

“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” – Psalm 11:3

By Mike Wingfield

America’s future is like a run-away train careening down a steep mountain track without any means to stop or slow down its momentum. The ultimate crash is inevitable. The train will be destroyed, and all passengers will suffer death or severe injury. It is only a matter of time!

On June 26, just a few days before Americans celebrated their declaration of independence, the U.S. Supreme Court voted to make it a law that all same-sex marriages would be recognized as legally acceptable in all 50 states. As disciples of Jesus Christ who firmly believe the Bible is our final authority in all matters pertaining to life, we are deeply saddened by the Supreme Court’s deadly and foolish decision.

Most Americans, including Christians, do not understand the gravity of this recent decision by the Supreme Court. It is true that our nation has been sliding down the slippery slope of gross immorality for many decades. However, this recent decision by the highest court in the land has come after weeks of deliberate debate and thoughtful consideration. This nation has legally and willfully committed itself to stand in opposition to the eternal commandments of the Holy God of the Bible.

The Lord has ordained that civil government promote His moral laws, in effect, punishing those who practice evil. (Romans 13:1-7) In essence, human government is to operate as the “minister of God” to restrain evil within a society. (See 1 Timothy 2:2) Therefore, with this decision to legally recognize same-sex marriage in America, our nation is removing all moral restraints to a sinful lifestyle that God calls an abomination. The consequences will be deadly and destructive to this nation!

In order to understand the truth that supports these statements, let us look at five Biblical considerations:

The Divine Decree of Good and Evil

Anyone who has read the Bible knows that it is filled with many divine moral commandments. All Biblical moral statements flow out of the character and nature of our holy God. When something is pleasing to God, He declares it to be good. When something is offensive to Him, He declares it to be evil.

The very eternal and infinite essence of the nature of God is summed up in the word “holy.” He declares that His name is holy. (Psalm 111:9) To say He is holy is to proclaim that He is morally perfect and pure. His holiness also declares that He is infinitely set apart from all of His creation. He is set apart in time, space, and matter. (Isaiah 57:15) Only God is perfectly and eternally holy. And, He cannot change! He has declared: “For I am the LORD, I change not.” (Malachi 3:6)

God is holy, or good. Everything He has done is good. At the end of each creative day in the beginning, He said what He had done was “good.” (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31) 1 John 1:5 declares: “God is light [holy or good], and in him is no darkness [sin or evil] at all.” James 1:13 says that “God cannot be tempted with evil.” God cannot sin. “…far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.” (Job 34:10)

All of God’s Word, the written revelation we call the Bible, is eternally true, perfect, and pure. (Psalm 19:7-9; Matthew 5:18) God’s Word cannot be changed, or altered by anyone. (Proverbs 30:5-6; John 10:35) Those who tamper with changing or altering God’s Word will face divine judgment. (Revelation 22:18-19) The Bible has complete and final authority in all matters. (Psalm 119:89; Isaiah 55:11; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Therefore, it is defiant, open rebellion to suppress, change, or discredit the Word of God. Read Psalm 2:1-3. This is exactly what is happening in America at this very hour. The highest court in our land has just declared acceptable what God says is an abomination and wicked! Now, read Psalm 2:4-12 to see what God says He will do when nations rebel against Him and reject His commandments.

The Need for Restraint from Evil

All sin and wickedness are deadly. (Romans 6:23) All sin seems normal and natural to the wicked human heart. (Proverbs 14:12) Evil resides in the inner man of every person from the days of their childhood. In Genesis 8:21, God affirmed: “for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.”

Human beings are not spiritually good. They are evil. In Romans 3, the Holy Spirit takes all of humanity into the courtroom of God and proclaims that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) While examining the evidence that leads to this verdict, the Scriptures expose the evil human heart with these words: “There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:10-18) Jeremiah 17:9 declares, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

Contrary to modern thinking, we are not the product of our environment. According to the Bible, we were all conceived and born with a deadly sin nature that is bent toward rebellion against God and all of His moral standards. (Psalm 51:5; 58:3) Jesus, who knows everything about us, revealed our evil nature when He said: “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man.” (Matthew 15:19-20) Sin is always lurking within the soul of man. Without a divine moral restraint, our daily lifestyle would be filled with evil thoughts, actions, and words.

We must realize that the greatest danger to mankind is man himself. The first death was the result of Cain murdering his brother. (Genesis 4:8) The pages of history are filled with bloody conflicts that range from the personal to the global. On any given day, we all face the possibility of being killed by another person. In 14 centuries, Islamic jihadists have murdered 270 million innocent people. (www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3010498/posts) It is estimated that 100 million people were killed by Communists in the 20th century. The death toll during World War I was 17 million. In World War II, 60 million were killed. Needless to say, these statistics do not give us a complete picture of all of the brutality, violence, destruction, and misery produced by war and terrorism.

In America, there seems to be no safe haven from violence. People are being killed in their mother’s womb, in their home, at school, on the road, at work, or at a shopping mall. In the latest issue of the American Hunter, Wayne La Pierre, the Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association, comments: “Violence in the nation’s inner cities is spiraling out of control, smothering the lives of innocent citizens, who live in constant fear of the thugs who rule their street and neighborhoods.” (Wayne La Pierre, American Hunter, August 2015, p. 12)

We know that the Lord is looking down from His heaven and He sees all of the good and evil every day. (Proverbs 15:3) I am sure that His heart is grieved as He sees the hatred, violence, rape, terrorism, and bullying that is pervading every facet of our culture in most of the nations, and especially here in America. If we stop to think about all of this, we can conclude that man’s most threating enemy is not natural disasters or diseases; it is man himself.

The Divine Means of Restraint

The Lord hates violence, murder, and war. The second most important commandment in the Bible is: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matthew 22:39) The Lord has instructed us: “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” (Romans 12:18)

Consequently, the Bible teaches that the Lord has established several means of restraint to keep evil at a minimum in a society. On a personal level, the Lord has given every person a conscience to instruct and warn them concerning the consequences of evil choices. (Romans 2:14-15) We are instructed to feed our conscience the Word of God so that it will instruct us to fear God and to hate evil. (Psalm 119:11, 30, 38, 105, 133) At the same time we are commanded to guard our conscience from evil influences. (Proverbs 4:23-27) The Bible teaches that this is vital to our protection from evil, and to the promotion of a godly walk with God. (Proverbs 4:23; 1 Timothy 1:5) According to the Bible, when a person does not heed their conscience, it will defile, weaken, and silence his inner spiritual warning system. After constantly suppressing the Word of God and the persistent warning of his conscience, a person reaches a point where his conscience stops functioning. (Romans 1:18-28; 2 Timothy 4:3) It is at this point that the Spirit of God stops striving with him (Genesis 6:3), and God gives him over to his own sinful desires. In essence, this person is open to demonic possession (1 Timothy 4:1-3) and inverts reality, calling evil good, and good evil. Love is replaced with hate. Gentleness is superseded by brutality. Obedience is traded for lawlessness. Moral purity is substituted with sexual immorality. The love for life is supplanted with a bizarre and unnatural attraction of death. At the final end of this road of death, God becomes Satan and Satan becomes a god.

To help promote a godly conscience, God has chosen to place humans, unlike animals, under the guardian protection of their parents for many years. The role of the parent is to prepare their children to live independently of them. Parents must prepare their children for adulthood to function in the world in which they live. At the heart of all of this God has ordained that parents are to shape the conscience of their children. (Proverbs 4-6) This is vital to the child’s future, both now and in eternity. According to God’s divine plan, parents are to promote a godly conscience by modeling and teaching their child the Word of God on a daily basis. (Deuteronomy 6:1-9) They are to protect their child from evil influences that defile their child’s conscience. Godly parents will always protect their children by overseeing their education, choice of friends, books they read, programs they watch, music they hear, games they play, and the church they attend.

The Lord has also chosen the church to be a very vital restraining influence in a society. Godly believers, living out the holy Word of God, act as salt and light in their world of darkness and decadence. (Matthew 5:13-16) As light, we impact the consciences of those around us, reminding them of the holiness of God. As salt, we act as a restraining influence as we promote and model God’s moral standards. Consequently, the church is to be set apart from the world in its message and in the lifestyles of its members, reflecting the holy standards of God. When the church begins to follow or copy the world’s godless lifestyle, it ceases to restrain that society from evil.

As professing churches in America ordain homosexuals for leadership in the church, they are defying God’s moral laws and in effect defiling the conscience of America concerning sexual immorality. The Bible teaches that those who lead the church are to watch over the souls of those in their flock, because they will give an account to the Lord on the judgment day. (Hebrews 13:17) Leaders in the church are to meet strict godly requirements because as shepherds they lead their flock by their personal example. (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-6) It is my personal opinion that this lies at the core of America’s departure from the Lord.

God has also called human government to be a tool for helping to shape a godly moral conscience in a culture. (Romans 13:1-5; 1 Timothy 2:1-2; 1 Peter 2:13-14) All human governments have been ordained by God to promote God’s moral laws as a “minister of God to [their society] for good.” (Romans 13:4) Governments are to protect their citizens from evil by executing “wrath upon him that doeth evil.” (Romans 13:4) When governments reverse good and evil and punish the righteous and reward the wicked, they cease to be a restraining influence on evil and begin to promote a lifestyle that destroys the collective conscience of their citizens. When this happens, that society will become lawless, violent, brutal, sensual, wicked, deceitful, arrogant, and filled with hate. (Romans 1:29-31)

The Wickedness of Sexual Immorality

The Lord has created us as sexual creatures. He looks with approval upon sex within the marriage covenant of a man and woman. (Hebrews 13:4) He performed the first marriage between Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 1:27-28; 2:21-23) God instituted the divine pattern of marriage with the words: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) During His earthly ministry, Jesus taught about marriage by quoting from the first two chapters in Genesis. (Matthew 19:4-6) God’s design and purposes for marriage have not changed since the beginning of time. And, they never will!

The Lord has given us our sexuality within marriage for procreation (Genesis 1:28) and pleasure. (Proverbs 5:15-19) His revelation consistently condemns all sexual activity outside the covenant of a marriage of a man and woman. The seventh commandment declares, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14) The moral law that God gave to Israel clearly forbade all sexual activity outside of marriage, and declared it to be wicked, and an offense to God. (Leviticus 20:10-21)

The Lord explicitly declared that same-sex activity was an abomination in His eyes. (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13) The Hebrew words translated “abomination” communicate that the activity mentioned is a stench in the nostrils of God. It is something He passionately detests. The Bible also states that homosexuality is “wicked.” (Genesis 13:13; 18:23, 25; 19:7; 2 Peter 2:7) The Hebrew word translated wicked speaks of moral confusion that “confounds all right and wrong, just and unjust, truth and falsehood, good and evil; or to think and act as if there were no difference of persons, things, or actions.” (William Wilson, Old Testament Word Studies, p. 481) According to the Bible, those who commit acts of wickedness are always in opposition to God and are headed for divine judgment. (Psalm 10:4, 6, 11; Psalm 11:5-6) Please notice that when God indicted the generation of Noah’s day that would be destroyed in the global flood, He said: “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.” (Genesis 6:5)

Homosexuality is the ultimate expression of self-love. Its aim is sexual self-gratification. Self-love is one of the defining sins of the last days. Its promotion will set in motion a perilous time of lawlessness when people will reject the authority of God. (2 Timothy 3:1-9)

In Romans 1, homosexuality (see verses 26-27) is viewed as the final mark of a culture that is suppressing the word of God (verse 18), and has reached a point where their collective conscience “was darkened.” (verse 21) In divine judgment, the Lord repeatedly declares that He has given this culture over to their depraved way of thinking to destroy themselves as they enjoy their destructive sins. (verses 24-32) In essence, this culture is void of a godly conscience and is in a mode of self-destruction.

When a culture has reached this spiritual point of no return, it makes the ministry of the church very difficult. Without a conscience, the Spirit of God cannot strive with man (Genesis 6:3) to bring him to repentance. True godly salvation always begins with guilt and shame over one’s sin against the very God that loves him and died for him. This is the initial work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the sinner. Jesus reminded His disciples that when the Holy Spirit would come, He would, “reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” (John 16:8) So, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3) The true church must depend upon the work of the Holy Spirit in the conscience of man, to prepare the heart of man to receive the Word of God. (Matthew 13:1-23) The aim of this effectual Word of God is a change in the heart of man, transforming him into the image of Christ. (James 1:21-25)

This is the Prelude to Persecution

When a culture reaches the point when its collective conscience is seared, it will promote evil, and reject that which is righteous or good. As previously mentioned, this makes the ministry of the church very difficult. Psalm 11:3 says, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Notice that in the context of Psalm 11, when a society reaches the point of no return, the wicked will attack the righteous. “For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may [in the darkness of their heart] shoot at the upright in heart.” (Psalm 11:2)

When the consciences of men have been darkened, they hate the light that exposes their sin. Jesus said: “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” (John 3:19-20) Notice that Jesus said that those who are living in darkness will reject and hate the light. Several years later, as Jesus was about to die and leave His disciples, He warned them of the world’s violent rejection that would be aimed at them. (John 15:18-16:4) In this text, Jesus warned His disciples that the world would hate them and eventually kill them because, as light, they would expose the sins of men.

The Bible teaches that hatred in the heart of a man will usually lead to murder. (1 John 3:15) This especially happens in a culture that has reached the spiritual point of no return, when reality has been inverted, and good becomes evil and evil becomes good.

Friends, some very dark days lie ahead for America and the true church in America. Every restraining influence the Lord has created is being weakened and destroyed. Our marriages and homes are collapsing. Our churches are adopting the wicked American culture as their standard. Our government has now willfully determined to promote wickedness in America. We can expect more lawlessness, perversion of God’s laws, hatred and violence, and the promotion of all forms of sexual sins.

According to the prophetic Word of God, these days are setting the stage for the most horrific time ever on planet earth. (Matthew 24:6-22) As people who thirst after righteousness, peace, and moral purity we don’t have much hope for this present generation or our world in general. As the perilous times close in on us, we can take refuge in the promises of God. He has promised to those who keep His Word: “I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Revelation 3:10) Jesus is coming at any hour to take us out of this godless world and into His glorious presence. When He takes the true light and salt out of this world, there will be no restraining influence left to obstruct evil. (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7) “And then shall that Wicked [lawless one- the Antichrist] be revealed.” (2 Thessalonians 2:8) The Antichrist will promote lawlessness. He will promote hate, violence, murder, deception, and the worship of Satan. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10)

After seven long years of lawlessness, wickedness, and violence, the Lord will return to establish His kingdom upon this earth. There has never been a purer and more powerful restraining influence in this world than the Messiah, who will reign over the nations of the world from His throne in Jerusalem. His law will go forth from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3) There will be no more violence or war. (Isaiah 2:4; 60:18) “The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9) Jesus will not tolerate any lawlessness because He will rule the world with the sharp sword of His Word, and “a rod of iron.” (Revelation 19:15) Finally, the light and glory of the Lord will shine forth over all the earth. (Isaiah 60:1)

As we long for our king, let us cry out: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20) “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) Until then, remember: “Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.” (Psalm 33:18) May our Lord give us great wisdom as we wait with great hope for His return! Be ready for the shout that will take us out!

If you are not saved, now is the time to call out in repentance and ask the Lord to save you, before it is too late!

The Deadly Iranian Deal

The Western powers, led by the U.S. administration, have concluded their negotiations with Iran concerning its nuclear program. Anyone who understands the publically stated goals of the apocalyptic radical Iranian Shiite leadership knows that this final agreement is a grave mistake. This plan demonstrates that the Obama administration has accepted Iran as the new regional leader in the Middle East. An article by Efraim Inbar, a professor of political studies at Bar-Ilan University, and the director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, and a fellow at the Middle East Forum, states: “The American decision to accept Iran as a nuclear-threshold state, and Obama’s statements in favor of a ‘responsible Iranian role’ in the region, accompanied by an inflated American threat perception of ISIS – signal a most significant change in American Middle East foreign policy. This accord marks an end to Iran’s regional isolation. Instead, America seems to be siding with the Shiites against Sunnis. This move changes dramatically the regional balance of power, instilling even greater uncertainty in regional politics.” (www.meforum.org/5381/israel-iran-war, July 15, 2015)

This agreement ignores the Iranian role in terrorist activities against Israel and the Sunni Muslims in the region. It makes no demands for Iran to change its course as a terrorist state and treats it as a normal state in the most dangerous region in the world.

In essence, Iran is allowed to continue with its nuclear program without any significant restrictions. “US Secretary of State John Kerry has in fact admitted that Iran might be just three months away from a nuclear bomb within the framework of the nuclear agreement. In doing so, the US has totally ignored UN Security Council Resolution 1696 of July 2006, which demanded that Iran suspend enrichment activities, as well as American demands for the dismantlement of the nuclear facilities.” (www.besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/six-strikes-against-the-nuclear-deal-with-iran/, July 15, 2015)

Within a few days after this agreement, large crowds gathered in Tehran chanting “Death to America,” and “Death to Israel.” In spite of this stated aggression, on Monday, July 21, the UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution to accept the Iranian accord.

“Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, highlighted [the] UN decision as ‘a very sad day’ because the international community ‘awarded a great prize to the most dangerous country in the world. … In future years, the consequences of this mistake will become clear to all. But for Israel, tomorrow is already too late.” (www.breakingisraelnews.com/45621/irans-deputy-fm-p51-knew-keep-arming-allies-middle-east/#cubyIOejPBtWg7Qv.99)

This deal has demonstrated the political weakness and spiritual foolishness of the United States to the entire world. It has set in motion a dangerous proliferation of nuclear weapons in the most dangerous region in the world. The only hope for the region and the world against this deadly decision is an Israeli intervention to temporarily halt Iran’s march toward acquiring a nuclear weapon. Israel cannot afford to wait much longer because they know they are Iran’s primary target. Pray for the Lord to give great wisdom to the Israeli leadership, which seems to be united in their assessment of this Iranian threat.

This agreement with Iran by the United States and other Western powers has radically altered the future of our world. As many of you know, I have been writing about these developments for a number of years. I personally believe that this situation has the potential to drastically change the course of events in the Middle East and the entire world. It could likely set in motion a series of events that could suddenly and uniquely set the stage for the end-time events, and especially the Gog and Magog invasion of Israel mentioned in Ezekiel 38-39

Download in .pdf format

June/July 2015 – ISIS- Is this the Prelude to the End?

ISIS- Is this the Prelude to the End?

“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea…” Revelation 13:1

By Mike Wingfield

When the governments of this world use the authority of God, and combine it with the power of Satan, the result is always deadly. No one has any right to rule over man outside the authority of God. (Romans 13:1) God alone has authority over His creation. From the beginning of time until the time of the flood, God gave man authority over all of His creation, with the exception of mankind. (Genesis 1:26-28) However, due to a time of deadly violence that erupted in the generations before the flood (Genesis 6:11-13), God instituted human government immediately after the flood. (Genesis 9:5-6) God has ordained that governmental leadership act on His behalf to protect and defend human life, and to promote peace. (Romans 13:3-4; 1 Timothy 2:2) God has ordained that those who operate under the authority of human government promote what He calls “good,” and “execute wrath” upon those who practice what He calls “evil.” (Romans 13:4)

However, when those who are acting on behalf of an organized human government promote violence and murder of innocent human beings, they are acting like their spiritual father, Satan, whom Jesus said was “a murderer from the beginning.” (John 8:44) When these governments espouse a culture of random violence and destruction of all those who oppose their wicked and godless ways, they are acting like beasts that have no conscience.

Long ago, the Holy Spirit directed Daniel to write about the evil kingdoms of this world and depicted them as beasts that devour mankind for their own political ambitions. (Daniel 7:1-26) Because of the revelation of these beastly governments, Daniel was disturbed. (Daniel 7:15, 28)

About 700 years later, the Lord revealed to the Apostle John that the final kingdom of this world, the kingdom of the Antichrist, will appear on the scene as a beast that “shall ascend out of the bottomless pit.” (Revelation 17:8) The beastly government of the Antichrist will receive its power and authority directly from Satan. (Revelation 13:1-2) Instead of the people fearing this beastly government, John wrote that “all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon [Satan] which gave power unto the beast.” (Revelation 13:3-4)

In light of all of this, it has been most alarming for me to observe the sudden appearance of the radical Islamic State, also called ISIS (“The Islamic State of Iraq and al-sham”) or ISIL (“the Islamic State of the Levant”). ISIS is more than a terrorist entity. ISIS is a highly organized government that controls large swaths of land in Syria and Iraq, with Raqqa, Syria as its capital. Their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has declared himself to be the caliph (Islamic dictator), establishing a caliphate (a system of Islamic government based upon the Koran) over all the global Sunni Muslims, which accounts for about 80 percent of all Muslims. ISIS is the richest terrorist group in the world, with a reported income of more than $1 million per day. Their jihadi militia has stunned the entire world with its brutal blitzkrieg and savagery across the Middle East. They have shown no mercy to anyone who has opposed their apocalyptic view of Islam, which is a blueprint copy of the religion founded by Mohammed.

ISIS has captured the attention of the entire world. It is using the global media to spread images of its brutality and savagery. Hangings, shootings, decapitations, crucifixions, burnings, and other bizarre forms of torture and death are their trademark.

After many years of focusing on the prophetic Word of God, one of the things I have attempted to do is get a Biblical grasp of the nature of the kingdom of the Antichrist. With this in mind, it has occurred to me that when we observe the nature, activities and methods of ISIS, they appear to be a small-scale duplication of the atrocities that will be carried out by the Antichrist during the 7-year Tribulation Period. Without repeating the Biblical evidence, I remind you that in previous newsletters I have repeatedly written about my conviction that the Antichrist will be a Muslim. In all probability, he will be the same as the long-awaited Mahdi that the Muslim world expects to appear at any moment. Muslims also believe that their messiah will be accompanied by Isa (Jesus), or al- Masih (the messiah). They teach that Isa will help their messiah promote Islam, break crosses, and kill Jews and Christians. It is obvious that their Isa will be the false prophet mentioned in Revelation 13:11-15. With all of this in mind, let me share with you 14 amazing parallels between ISIS and the coming kingdom of the Antichrist.

  • Their Sudden Appearance

According to the Bible, Satan’s antichrist will suddenly appear on the scene after the church has been raptured to heaven. As the Apostle Paul responded to the church of the Thessalonians in the first century, he had to deal with a false rumor “that the day of Christ is at hand.” (2 Thessalonians 2:2) These believers were disturbed because they thought they were in the Tribulation Period. Paul’s answer to them in the following verses offers Biblical evidence that this was impossible. “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [the beginning of the Tribulation Period] shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3) Paul was simply telling the church that the Tribulation Period cannot begin until the Antichrist is revealed. As a matter of fact, it will be the action of the Antichrist with his confirmation of a peace treaty with Israel that will begin the Tribulation Period. (Daniel 9:27) Apparently, for all believers who are focused upon the Word of God, it will be this action that will reveal to them that he is the Antichrist. Before this time, no one will be able to identify the Antichrist. In other words, the Antichrist will suddenly arrive on the stage of human history, riding on a white horse. (Revelation 6:2)

Many years ago, it occurred to me that this is an exact counterfeit duplication of the beginning of our Lord’s earthly ministry as recorded in the gospels. Jesus was born and raised in obscurity. He performed no miracles and did not preach until after He suddenly appeared at the age of 30 to be baptized by John the Baptist. When John saw Jesus coming, he announced to the crowds that had come to hear him preach: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus, “descending from heaven like a dove.” (John 1:32) John reported that the Holy Spirit used the appearance of the dove to give him evidence that Jesus was the Son of God. (John 1:33-34)

The sudden appearance of ISIS on the stage of human history is remarkably similar. Late last summer, ABC news reported: “Born from an especially brutal al Qaeda faction, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has grown from relative obscurity in recent years to overshadow its extremist patrons. It now terrorizes large swaths of Syria and Iraq, and has become the target of the largest U.S. military operation in Iraq in years …” (ABC News, August 21, 2014)

  • Their Home Base in Iraq

See a Map

The prophetic Scriptures indicate the Islamic kingdom of the Antichrist will be centered in Iraq. The modern nation of Iraq was known in the Bible as “Babylon.” With this in mind, notice Isaiah 14. In this text, the Antichrist, with all of his violence and destruction, (verses 15-20) is shown as being in league with Lucifer. (verses 12-14) We learn from the book of Revelation that at the mid-point of the Tribulation Period, the Antichrist will be killed and descend into hell. (Revelation 13:3, 12, 14; 17:8) It seems to me, that Isaiah 14 gives us amazing insight into the reception of the Antichrist when he joins many in hell that he had murdered during the first half of the Tribulation Period. After his brief time in hell, the Antichrist will be resurrected back to life and be indwelt by Satan, after he is finally banished from heaven. (Revelation12:9-12) Notice that in this text, the Antichrist is called “the king of Babylon,” (verse 4) and “the Assyrian” [northern Iraq]. (see verse 25) Both of these titles reflect that the Antichrist will rule the world from Iraq.

In addition to Isaiah 14, Revelation 17-18 attaches the Antichrist and his kingdom, depicted as the beast with seven heads and 10 horns, with the religious harlot known as “Mystery Babylon the Great.” (Revelation 17:5) The great city mentioned in this text is identified as “that great city Babylon” (18:10, 21) It is shocking to realize that Islam teaches that their Mahdi will rule the world from Babylon, Iraq for 7 years.

In light of all of this, it is amazing to note that ISIS, based upon their Islamic teaching, has purposefully declared that Iraq is their home base for their jihad warfare against the world. At this time, they control most of the northwestern area of Iraq, which is the area dominated by the Sunni Muslims.

  • Their Territorial and Global Goals

When the Antichrist arrives on the scene at the beginning of the Tribulation Period, he will have a crown [political authority] given unto him, and he will go forth “conquering, and to conquer.” (Revelation 6:2) We have to examine Daniel 7 to understand what this means. In Daniel 7, the prophet reveals his divine dream of the final kingdom of the world that will precede the Kingdom of God. This final kingdom is described symbolically as a beast with ten horns. (see verse 8) In verse 23, the Spirit of God gives us the interpretation of this symbolism. The 10 horns represent 10 kings (or political power structures) that will be in control of “the whole earth.” (verse 23) This is confirmed by John’s revelation in Revelation 17:12-13. After these 10 horns appear, they are followed by a “little horn,” which is the Antichrist. (Daniel 7:8, 24) Then, the little horn will take control of three of these 10 horns by force. (Daniel 7:8, 24) It is apparent that the Antichrist wages war against the remaining 7 horns until he subdues them by the mid-point of the Tribulation Period. It will be at this point in time that power will be given him “over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” (Revelation 13:7)

Thus, the Scriptures indicate that the Antichrist will ride onto the stage of human history and begin to make war with a one-world government joined together in 10 political divisions. At the beginning, he will take control of three of these divisions. Using this as a regional political power base, he will make war with the rest of the world until he has conquered all nations.

As you examine the revealed strategies of ISIS, this is exactly what they have determined to accomplish. They have published their map showing their regional goal as including all of the “Levant.” This area covers western Asia, the Middle Eastern area unto the Mediterranean Sea, and northern Africa. In other words, this area covers the present Muslim nations in the region, plus Israel. The ultimate prizes in their regional ambitions are Israel and Saudi Arabia. From this power base, ISIS hopes to conqueror the entire world and establish a global Caliphate (a global Islamic Empire). This is an exact duplicate of the strategies of the Antichrist as mentioned above.

  • Their Method of Destruction

The wars of the Antichrist will bring great global destruction. The forces of the Antichrist will “devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.” (Daniel 7:23) The Bible describes what the Antichrist will do to the cities of the nations while he is carrying out jihad to take control of the nations. He “made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof.” (Isaiah 14:17) His might will appear to be supernatural, making destruction his trademark. (Daniel 8:24)

Once again, this is exactly what ISIS is presently doing throughout the Middle East. ISIS uses savage force and brutality to conquer territories. ISIS has shocked the entire Islamic world by declaring “that they will destroy the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, which is Islam’s most holy site.” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com) The ultimate goal of ISIS is to destroy western civilization as we know it. They want to literally take us back to a primitive way of life that existed in the 7th century when Islam was born.

  • Their Leaders Declare a Global Dictatorship

As mentioned above, the ultimate goal of the Antichrist is to take control of the nations for Allah, declaring a global Caliphate. The goal of Islam is to develop a massive army and declare jihad on all infidels (non-Muslims). The goal is to expand the rule of Islam until it covers the entire earth. Then, their Caliph (dictator who will rule by Shariah law) will be the ruler of the world.

When the Antichrist and the False Prophet have finally gained complete control of all nations, they will rule over the world for 42 months (the last half of the Tribulation Period). (Revelation 13:15) At that point in time, the Antichrist will break his covenant with Israel. (Daniel 9:27). He will demand that all of the world worship him, and set up a program whereby he can control the economic affairs of every person on earth. (Revelation13:12-18) Those who refuse to submit to him will be killed. (Revelation 13:5)

In a similar fashion, the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared himself the Caliph of the Islamic world on June 24, 2014. All those who live in the areas controlled by ISIS that do not submit, are brutally murdered. ISIS is taking control of the economic systems of Iraq and Syria. They are seizing banks, oil fields, and airports. Baghdadi has made it clear that their ambitions include all nations.

  • Their Dedication to a God of War

More than 2,500 years ago, the ancient prophet of Daniel wrote that the Antichrist “in his estate shall … honor the God of forces …. Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many …” (Daniel 11:38-39) The military successes of the Antichrist will be so powerful, that the world will be asking, “Who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:4) Like his god, he will be a murderer (John 8:44) and destroyer. (Revelation 9:11)

The Islamic State, ISIS, has become the most brutal military force in modern history, in some ways surpassing the savagery of the Nazis. The army of ISIS is not invincible, but it always seems to survive to fight another day. ISIS is increasing its ranks with more radical jihadists from other terrorist groups, plus fresh recruits from around the world, including the United States.

  • Their Global Jihadi Army

Ultimately, those who support the Antichrist and his Islamic kingdom will come from all the nations of the world. When the final battle comes against Israel at Armageddon, “all nations” will join his military effort. (Joel 3:2, Zechariah 14:2)

Some sources indicate that the ISIS army now numbers over 30,000, coming from about 90 different countries. What makes this force so powerful is their willingness to die for their cause. While these numbers are relatively small, it is worth noting that it is a global army that is growing larger each day with recruits from around the world.

  • Their Killing of all Non-Muslims

According to Revelation 6:1-8, the Islamic jihad forces of the Antichrist will be responsible for the death of one-fourth of the world’s population during the opening months of the Tribulation Period. As a result of their jihadist efforts, they will “take peace from the earth,” (Revelation 6:4), and bring about a global economic collapse (Revelation 6:5-6). They will kill by decapitation with the sword. (Revelation 6:8; 20:4) Their global jihad campaign will bring famine and diseases that will kill millions. (Revelation 6:8)

In just a short period of time, ISIS has slaughtered about 20,000 people. Their gruesome slaughter of men, women, and children seems to bring them some level of pleasure. It is reported that some recruits are joining ISIS because they want to experience beheading someone. Both the armies of the Antichrist and ISIS bear the marks of demonically controlled men, who act like beasts who kill for pleasure without any guilt or remorse.

  • They have no Respect for Women

The Antichrist will not have any respect for, nor show any honor to women. (Daniel 11:37) This is another one of the facts that leads us to believe that the Antichrist will be a Muslim. A study of the teachings of Mohammed demonstrates that women were considered of less importance than men. Women are considered inferior to men, and have fewer rights. A Muslim can have many wives, and if one of his wives disappoints him, he can beat her.

When the forces of the Antichrist attack Jerusalem in the final hours of the Armageddon campaign, “the women [will be] ravished.” (Zechariah 14:2)

According to many sources, ISIS fighters treat the women they capture with no respect. They gang rape, torture, abuse, enslave, kill, and in some cases, bury women alive. Young girls are married to abusive ISIS warriors who sexually abuse them and pass them on to others for further abuse until they die. Many smaller children are sold as sex slaves. Reading some of these accounts would enrage anyone who has a conscience.

  • The Use of the Media to Spread Terror

When the forces of the Antichrist have finally overcome God’s two witnesses in Revelation 11, they will use the media to show the world the dead bodies of these two men lying in the streets of Jerusalem for three and one-half days. (Revelation 11:7-9) Taking advantage of the moment, the Antichrist will display the bodies of these two who opposed him. He will demonstrate to the world what happens to those who reject his declared divinity and authority. Therefore, he uses the media to showcase to the world his power over the two men who defied anyone from harming them for 1,260 days. (Revelation 11:5)

ISIS is the first modern-day Islamic terrorist group to extensively display their horrific atrocities to the world via the global media. Those who have followed these developments have reported that ISIS’ use of the media is very professional. ISIS considers the media to be a very important means of spreading their terror around the world. It seems to be working. Iraqi armed forces that greatly outnumber ISIS forces and have greater firepower, are filled with terror when ISIS warriors are only a few miles from them. The Iraqis take off their uniforms, lay down their weapons, leave their tanks and other armored vehicles, and run away.

  • They Rejoice over the Violent Death of Opponents

When the world of the Antichrist sees the rotting corpses of the two witnessing in the streets of Jerusalem during the Tribulation Period, they will rejoice. “And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another.” (Revelation11:10) When the word reaches the Islamic world about the deaths of those who have been killed by Islamic terrorists, the Islamic world rejoices. In many cases, they dance in the streets while some shower the crowds with candy. Here is one report given after two Muslims carried out the Boston Marathon bombing of 2013. “The dust hadn’t even settled on the ground at the site of the devastating explosions at the Boston Marathon finish line before Islamists started celebrating that so many people in America had been killed and injured. There were reports from Gaza that people explicitly allied with Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad joined with ordinary citizens to dance in the streets, cheer, and pass out candy.” (www.mrconservative.com/2013/04/12) {story moved taking you to home page}

Many photos that show the grim murdering of Iraqis by ISIS, display the sheer joy these beastly warriors express upon the bloody death of their victims. It is very clear that these warriors have a seared conscience and feel no remorse. (1 Timothy 4:2) It is their desire to fill the earth with their violence – just as it was in the days of Noah. (Genesis 6:11-13)

  • They Kill in the Name of their God

According to Revelation 13:12-18, the followers of the Antichrist will worship their god and his earthly messiah, the Antichrist. This worship will include an image and the number of the name of the Antichrist and his god. This number, which represents his name, is worn by all of the followers of this religion. It is worn on the forehead or on the hand. Walid Shoebat, a born-again believer who was a former Muslim terrorist, states: “It is the pride of Muslims to mark their right arms and foreheads with the mark of Islam.” ISIS warriors, like all Muslims who wage jihad in the name of Allah, wear a headband and or armband.

PICTURE Photo copied with permission from www.israeltoday.co.il

The Antichrist and ISIS kill in the name of their god. Jesus gave the following warning to His disciples: “the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.” (John 16:2)

  • They Execute Opponents by Decapitation

The trademark means of execution by the Antichrist during the Tribulation Period will be beheadings. (Revelation 20:4) Without question, this is a means of execution that has been used by Islamic jihadists since the days of Mohammed. In an article by Jihad Watch, a jihadi cleric Hussein bin Mahmoud, a prominent writer on jihadi forums, is repeatedly quoted concerning the connection between beheading and Islam. Mahmoud quotes Qur’an 47:4, which states: “When you meet the unbelievers, strike the necks…” He comments: Chopping off the heads of infidels is an act whose permissibility the [Muslim] ummah agrees on. Beheading a harbi infidel is a blessed act for which a Muslim is rewarded. … Islam is a religion of power, fighting, jihad, beheading and bloodshed, not a religion of turning the left cheek to whoever slapped you on the right cheek. On the contrary, it is a religion of breaking the hand that is stretched out to humiliate the Muslim. [Any Muslim] who fights for his property, blood or honor is a martyr.” (www.jihadwatch.org/2014/08/muslim-cleric-justifies-islamic-state-beheadings-islam-is-a-religion-of-beheading)

ISIS is currently mimicking the methods of execution, including beheading, that were practiced by Mohammed and all of those who immediately followed him.

  • They force their Religion upon all Mankind

According to Revelation 13:12-18, the Antichrist will force all the inhabitants of earth to worship him and his god of war. Those who do not submit will be killed.

Many stories have surfaced in the last few years about ISIS commanding their captives to convert or be killed. Because of this fear, it is reported that more than 2 million Iraqis have fled their homes and are refugees in northern Iraq and Jordan.

Please understand that I am not saying that ISIS is the beginning of the kingdom of the Antichrist. However, the appearance of such a government that is so much like the government of the Antichrist, certainly illustrates that we are living in the final days of the Church Age. Keep listening for the shout that will take us out!

Download in .pdf format