Israel, PA agree to strive for accord by end of 2008

[lighthouse]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/928637.html

Israel, PA agree to strive for accord by end of 2008


Bush spoke before representatives of more than 50 nations and organizations that he had invited to Annapolis for a day-long conference aimed at restarting the stalled peace process. Among the participants were the foreign ministers of most Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, as well as the Syrian deputy foreign minister.




Olmert: Reality formed in '67 to change significantly
In his address, Olmert said Israel was offering an outstretched hand for peace, despite all its concerns. "The continued Qassam rocket fire on Israeli communities, especially the town of Sderot, is a warning sign we cannot ignore," he said. "I have come here despite these fears."

"We want peace," he continued. We demand the end of terror, incitement and hatred. We are ready for painful concessions."

"We will address all of the core issues [in peace talks]," he continued. "I have no doubt that the reality that was formed in our region in 1967 will change in a most significant manner. I know this, and we are ready for it."




Abbas: Israel must end occupation of all PA lands, including E. J'lem
In his address, Abbas called for an end to the "occupation of all Palestinian lands since 1967, including East Jerusalem, as well as the Syrian Golan and occupied Lebanese territory," as well as a solution to the Palestinian refugee problem.

"We need East Jerusalem to be our capital, and to establish open relations with West Jerusalem," he continued, urging respect for the holy places of all religions.

[lighthouse]

Daniel 9:27

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:


it does not say he makes

but confirms that covenant

with
many

[lighthouse]

http://www.raptureready.com/soap/ac-1.html

Prophecies Of The Antichrist

By Patrick Heron

PART 1

With the nearness of the advent of the coming Apocalypse, many prophecy scholars and Bible teachers have been keeping an eagle eye out to see if they can spot a likely contender who may just be the dreaded Antichrist.

Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot are names which have been bandied about in recent history as likely fitting his description. Various Caesars and especially Nero seemed to fit the bill in bygone days along with a few of the Popes.

But what of this Antichrist and how can we be sure that we know exactly who he is when he eventually shows up?

I intend to have a stab at identifying this person in a series of short articles over the coming weeks. I will attempt to do this task from our primary source for truth, the Bible. Before I begin to delve into this important topic, I need to set the ground rules.

That is, that I firmly believe that we should allow the Word to speak for itself. I believe that most of the Bible is plain and simple and easy to understand and is to be taken literally for the most part. Even parables have a literal interpretation. And where figures of speech are used, we can identify them and seek their literal meaning.

One does not need to be a learned person to understand the Bible. In fact, Jesus told us to beware of the Doctors of the Law and Scribes and other well educated religious people who always like to point out how many Degrees and Doctorates of Theology they possess.

What was Peter’s occupation? That’s right. A fisherman. And Mark? He took care of sheep. And the rest of the apostles? They were “ignorant and unlearned” according to the chief priests and Theologians of the day. Basically they were a bunch of peasants who had little schooling. But I bet they were smart guys. Peter was a top fisherman and you wouldn’t pull the wool over his eyes. Mark was a great shepherd and probably made a decent living from sheep farming. These guys were no mugs. They were street wise and intelligent.

So if you are a person who has spent years in Theology studies and have the letters after your name to prove it, then you might be at a disadvantage when it comes to ferreting out the truths of the Bible. Better we all become like children and allow that we might learn something afresh from Holy Writ. In fact, if we believe that the Bible is the inerrant truth of God, then none of us should be afraid to change our Theology on a subject if the plain truth is staring us in the face. Even if it means giving up believing in something which we held as truth for donkey’s years.

Listen to what the word says about itself in Hebrews 4:12

“For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

So the Word will interpret itself if we allow it. For no prophecy of the scriptures is of any private interpretation. And boy is it exact. The following is a prime example of just how sharp it is, taken from Luke 4:16-21

“He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read.

And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

And he closed the book, and gave it again to the minister, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your ears.”

Now this is amazing insomuch that he had to open the book, which was a scroll (they didn’t have books like we have today). They also didn’t have chapters, paragraphs or numbered verses. Isaiah was one long continuous document. He unrolled the scroll and found the quote which he was looking for and began reading. But he stopped reading in the middle of the sentence. For if you go to Isaiah 61 verse 2, it says;

“To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, AND THE DAY OF VENGEANCE OF OUR GOD.”

The latter half of that sentence is still future. For the “day of vengeance” is speaking of the day of the Lord which pertains to the coming Apocalypse and prophecies still unfulfilled. If he had read that next phrase, then he would have been wrongly dividing the word of truth and your whole Bible would fall apart. But he didn’t. He stopped half way through. There was only a comma separating the rightly divided truth of the Word, from error.

That’s how sharp the Bible is. It is with this foundation in mind that we approach this study in trying to sketch a description from scripture of the attributes of the coming Antichrist and what his role will be on this earth.

The Epistle of 2 Thessalonians 2 is where I would like to go first for it has some revealing facts to show us concerning what Paul calls the “man of sin.” Speaking of “the day of the Lord,” which is the coming Apocalypse it says;

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that MAN OF SIN be revealed, the son of perdition,

Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

…And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.

Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders.

…And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.”

The man of sin is also called here, the son of perdition and the lawless one. This is speaking of the infamous person well known today as the Antichrist. But “anti” in Greek does not have to mean against. It can also mean “in the stead of.” It will become clear as we advance this study that the correct description pertaining to this being is that when he comes, he will be coming “in the stead of” Christ.

That is, when he shows up, he is going to convince a perplexed world that he is the true Messiah. More on this later. But for now, what can we learn from the passage in Thessalonians? Well the first think we must glean and get clear is that we are told that this person is a man. But he is a man that possesses great powers. For it says in verse 9, (and this is the New International Version I am quoting here);

“The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders.”

In the Book of Acts we are told that “signs, miracles and wonders” followed those who believed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So what will distinguish this man when he comes will be that he can perform signs, miracles and wonders, albeit they will be counterfeit.

So we can now eliminate Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Nero and any upcoming Arab Prince in the Near East, as none of these produced any signs, miracles and wonders.

That’s it for now. Watch out for Part 2 coming up shortly.

[lighthouse]

Prophecies Of The Antichrist

By Patrick Heron



PART 2

We learned in the first article that what would distinguish this Antichrist who is to come is that he is so powerful he can perform signs, miracles and wonders. But these will be counterfeit signs, miracles and wonders. For another main distinguishing feature of the man is that he is a deceiver.

Matthew 24 is the seminal chapter in the Bible when speaking of the signs of the coming Apocalypse which it terms the Great Tribulation. And in verse 5, when asked what these signs would be, the Messiah put this at the top of his list:

“ Take heed that no man deceive you.

For many shall come in my name saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

23 Then if any man say unto you, Lo here is Christ, or there, believe it not.

24 For there shall arise false Christ’s, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

One of the main signs of the birth pangs of the End Times is the rise of false prophets and false messiahs. You can see this all around us today with the emergence of various latter day religious sects ranging from New Age paganism to Wicca and from Jim Jones and David Koresh to suicide cults. The mainstream religious churches and their leaders can fall into this group also as well as many other off beat cult leaders with bizarre doctrines. Not to mention politicians who are pictured coming out of church with their Bibles tucked under their arm in order to garner the evangelical vote. By their fruits ye shall know them.

But even though the spectre of the coming Apocalypse will be marked by the rise of many self professed false Christ’s and false messiahs, the one that will rise above the rest by his supernatural signs, miracles and wonders is he who will state;

“I am Christ:” and shall deceive many ( Matt 24:5).

So this man who is to come will literally be in the stead of Christ. He is going to deceive almost the whole world into believing that he is the true Messiah. And he will do this by performing counterfeit signs, miracles and wonders. So amazing are the feats of this man that;

“…The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come.” Rev 17:8

Those of you who are well read in spiritual matters know that the Devil always counterfeits what the true God does. Thus the serpent that beguiled Eve appeared as an angel of light. And his ministers appear as ministers of the truth. We are informed in Revelation that this man who will be king, receives a deadly head wound and is killed. But by the power of the Dragon (Satan), he is raised from the dead. This is a counterfeit resurrection and will cause all those whose names are not written in the Book of Life, to worship him.

One can presume also that he will perform healings and provide food for the hungry. Perhaps he will also change water into wine so that everybody can party and have a good time. For we are foretold also in Matthew 24 that in those days they will be eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, just as they did in the days of Noah. So I reckon it’s going to be sex, drugs and rock and roll. All provided for by this benevolent saviour and philanthropist, the true Christ.

If you want to make counterfeit $20 bills, the closer you can get the dud note to resemble the real thing, the easier it is going to be to fool people. One would need to be a banker or an expert in the field to spot the differ between the genuine and the counterfeit. And so shall it be in this future time. The vast majority of the inhabitants of the earth will have no knowledge of the Bible or of matters spiritual. They are merely what Paul called natural man. Man of body and soul but no spirit. Therefore not being experts in the field, they are deceived into believing that this man who performs these signs and wonders, is the real deal. The true Messiah.

“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie.” 2 Thessalonians 2:11

In the NIV it says, “…so that they will believe THE lie.”

Many commentators give a range of opinions as to what this lie is that causes such a delusion. I have even heard sincere Christians say that those believers who think the Church of the Body is to be taken out of this world in a rapture before the Tribulation have swallowed this lie and are deluded.

But from the context of what we have been debating here it would seem to me that the lie that will be perpetrated and believed by the whole world, is that this man that will arise in the future will be the true Messiah, Christ the saviour. The world will be deluded into believing this lie by way of the many signs and wonders he will perform and by his resurrection from the dead, which will be witnessed all over the globe on TV. I am not certain that this is the lie but it is my guess for now.

You have all heard of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Many’s the rock album cover displayed these dread beings back in the good old ‘60’s.

“And I saw and lo, a white horse, and he that was sitting upon it, having a bow, and there was given unto him a crown and he went forth conquering and in order that he might conquer.” Rev 6:2

The first sign given by the Messiah in Matt 24 was to watch out for the rise of the one proclaiming to be Christ. Therefore this rider on the white horse has to be the main man, the False Christ. As stated already, the counterfeit always apes or copies what the true God does. So in this rider on the white horse we have an imitation of the true Messiah who is to return in glory as King of Kings and Lord of Lords at the end of the Apocalypse when he shall appear on a white horse to put an end to this whole terrible episode.

“ And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.” Rev 19:11

So the Antichrist when he goes out on a white horse has a bow but no arrow. Having no arrow conveys that he is a bringer of peace on the earth. But as the world shall learn, he shall talk of peace but wage war.

As global peacemaker this man will do something that has eluded Presidents and politicians for years. He will resolve the situation in the Middle East and establish a peace deal between the Jews and their Arab neighbours. Prophecy experts derive this fact from Daniel 9:27 which says;

“He will confirm a covenant with many for one week” (one seven year period).

Somehow this man will be acceptable to both the Jewish people and the Muslim community and perform this political feat that seems impossible to us today. How does he achieve this? Perhaps with a little help from another man who will become prominent around the same time. This man is called the False Prophet and is also referred to as a beast who rises up from the earth;

“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.” Rev 13:11

Being called a false prophet gives us the clue that this man operates in the field of the religious. And because of the global machinations of the Antichrist, we know that he operates within the political as well as the religious realm. So how come these two are acceptable to both the Jews and Arabs and are able to broker a peace deal between them?

Well we know that the Muslims are awaiting the advent of their own Messiah, called the Imam or Mahdi. And the Jewish faith are still watching for the coming of their saviour, the Messiah, for they believe Jesus was an impostor. Perhaps it is these two who hold the key to understanding the role of the Antichrist and the False Prophet who are to come.

We’ll pick this up in the next section.

[lighthouse]

Prophecies Of The Antichrist

By Patrick Heron

PART 3

Thus far we have established that a powerful man will appear on the world political stage and cause almost the entire world to follow him. He will do this by means of his supernatural powers which he will utilize to deceive the nations. He will have another man join him as a powerful religious ally. This man is called the False Prophet. Together they will broker a peace deal between the Jews and the Arab nations that surround them.

At present, the Muslim people are awaiting the emergence of their own prophet who is called the 12th Imam or Mahdi. Several hundred years ago the Mahdi, as a boy of about 12, went into hiding and disappeared into a deep well. But soon, they believe, he will emerge from this well to lead Islam in a series of military victories over of her enemies.

The Jews also are awaiting the coming of their true Messiah. For they do not believe Jesus was the promised Messiah. So we have two powerful communities both waiting for a charismatic leader to arise and lead them to both victory and peace.

And in the Book of Revelation it is prophesied that two powerful men will indeed arise in the future. The Antichrist and the False Prophet. They will go forth as peace makers and will broker a deal between the Jews and the Arabs. This is the key to world peace. For, without peace in the Middle East, there can be no world peace.

Could it be that this man, who is coming in the stead of Christ, and who will declare “I am Christ,” will be acceptable to the Jews as the real Messiah? And by the same token, the False Prophet, who is to rise from the earth, could it be that he will promote himself as the long awaited Mahdi, and will deceive the Muslim faithful into believing that it is he?

The parallels are intriguing. All the more so when you realize that the President of Iran, for instance, regularly speaks of the coming nearness of the Mahdi and even predicted that he might emerge last March! And the situation between Israel and surrounding Arab nations is looking more perilous with each passing day.

You might wonder how it is that the writings of Islam, such as the Koran, have prophetic writings at all as we Christians in the West do not believe that they are inspired by the one true God. Indeed you might further contemplate how it is that these prophecies of Islam are so near to the prophecies contained in the Book of Revelation in regard to the coming of these two future powerful leaders. But when you research how it was that Mohammad received his revelations it becomes clear who it was that provided the dictation for the Koran etc.

For we are told that there appeared to Mohammad a bright angel dressed in white and declared to him that he was to be a prophet to the Arab people and that he was to faithfully record all the words of this messenger from God. When we hear this immediately light bulbs go on in our heads and we remember that it was the serpent that beguiled Eve through his subtlety , and no marvel,

“…for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” 2 Cor 11:3,14

Now, the devil knows the scriptures better than you and I. Remember he was able to quote verbatim from the Psalms when he was endeavoring to get Jesus to throw himself off the pinnacle of the Temple in Jerusalem. He plucked out a verse and quoted “It is written.” Of course he was quoting out of context but that is another day’s work.

The point is, the devil knows the Book of Revelation back ways and upside down. And why wouldn’t he? After all, it deals with his demise and eternal damnation. So he would need to know it thoroughly in order to try to subvert it in any way he could so as to avert his final outcome. So as master counterfeiter and as an angel of light, his prophecies will closely mirror the truth of the scriptures and at the same time fit his own plans to deceive the world and cause the complete destruction of man.

Incidentally, the Antichrist is often called the man of perdition which means destruction. The names given to him in Revelation 9 are Abaddon and Apollyon and we are told these mean “destruction” or “the destroyer.” And later we are told that “he goes to his destruction.” This sounds like he himself is going to be destroyed. But it means that he goes out to destroy the world. And he almost succeeds for by the end of the Apocalypse circa two-thirds of the population of the world are dead.

So two men will arise on the world’s political stage and will be acceptable to both the Muslim and Jewish peoples. But what of the rest of earth’s populace? Well if this coming Messiah will be welcomed by God’s chosen people, the Jews, it is not a large step to see that he will also be adored by the rest of “Christendom.” Who am I referring to? Well take me as being reared a Catholic in Ireland. We are considered a Christian country. But it is nominal Christianity. For Catholics in this country know very little of Christ or of his teachings.

Neither do Irish people know of his saving grace, the second coming or who he really is. Proclaiming Catholics in this country as being true Christians is like me saying I am a motor mechanic, but I don’t know how to change the oil in your car! In short, I knew little of Jesus or the Word or the truths of scripture until I had an epiphany as a 24 year old. The same is true, by and large, of all the one billion or so Catholics all over the world. We know a lot about the traditions of the Church and the various rites and rituals that it teaches, but know nothing of the real message of the Lord. It was ever thus. The blind leading the blind.

The same goes for the rest of the so-called Christian churches, both Protestant and otherwise. They teach the traditions of men and ignore the precepts of God. They are Christian in mere name but not in word or practice. So when the imitation Messiah arrives claiming to be Christ, and exhibiting signs, miracles and wonders, here is another billion or more which will swallow his deception hook, line and sinker.

The coming Antichrist will be a great orator. Listen to what Daniel 7:8 says of him, referred to here as “a little horn.”

“While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it.

This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth that spoke boastfully.” (NIV)

The KJV says; “…and a mouth speaking great things.”

He will be the most powerful and charismatic political leader ever to take office. Clarence Larkin in his book, Dispensational Truths says of this man;

“He will be a composite man. One who embraces in his character the abilities of Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great and Caesar Augustus. He will have the marvelous gift of attracting unregenerate men. And the irresistible fascination of his personality, his versatile attainments, superhuman wisdom, great administrative and executive ability, along with his powers as a consummate flatterer, a brilliant diplomatist, a superb strategist, will make him the most conspicuous and prominent of men. All these gifts will be conferred on him by Satan, whose tool he will be.”

I bet he will be better looking than Sean Connery, Elvis and George Clooney put together and the women will love him. He will be able to charm the birds off a tree.

But who is this man and from whence does he come? Is he a human who is now being groomed by Satan to step into the limelight in a short time when his moment arrives? Have we seen him on TV and is he known to us? A well known politician from the EU or a rising star in US politics perhaps? Or an Arab prince who is Oxford educated and speaks 9 languages fluently and has oil wealth beyond out wildest dreams?

No. He is none of these. For who he is and where he abides is clearly given in plain speech in scripture. And he will not be seen by any human eye until after the “falling away.” Then and only then will the man of sin be revealed.

[InTheWind]

Rapture should be any day now. :nod:

[a.baker]

I agree ITW! And lighthouse thank you so much for your time. I think you put it together very well. And yes that is why it is so important for everyone to read the bible for themselves and to have a close relationship with Jesus. It is there for us all to understand, simple, basic, and literal. And how wonderful it is that way. That is also why we must repent so we may know Him better and why we must practice in our daily lives His word and what He has set in front of us. When others speak of them knowing God better than me (teachers who have much schooling or likewise ) I tend to listen to see what they have to say but I disregard it because no one knows my relationship with Him better than I and Him. It was refreshing what you wrote especially in the beginning! I am looking forward to reading more of what you have to say on this topic. :nod: :hug:

[InTheWind]

Abbas: Israel must end occupation of all PA lands, including E. J'lem

And there lies the problem, all the way too Armageddon.

[a.baker]

Hmm I am seeing a lot of this lately too...

Jude 1:16 These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

Hmmm totally America today you think?