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WHY WE BELIEVE ANTICHRIST COMES FROM SYRIA

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MapMiddle East_0By Ken Blue

In the book of Daniel we have several accounts of coming world history in relation to Israel. The account in Daniel is from his time to the end of the age. Daniel is shown an image that represented Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and the revised Roman Empire consisting of ten kings. (Dan. 2:37-43).

These same kingdoms are shown again, except they are represented as animals. (8:5-9). The third kingdom in Daniel 2, the breast and arms of silver, is the he goat in Daniel 8. One should note that the he goat, Alexander the Great, conquers the Medes and Persians, and from the head of the he goat comes four horns. These four horns represent the four kingdoms formed in his empire by his four Generals. These four, we know today are Greece, Turkey, Syria, and Egypt. In verse 9, a “little horn” comes out of one of the four horns. The task is to find out from which of the four the “little horn” comes.

In Daniel 11:40, we read, “at the time of the end (the end of this age) shall the king of the south (Egypt) push at him: and the king of the north (Syria) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships.” See (Dan. 11:40; 8:19; 9:27; 11:35,45; 12:1,7-13).

  •  Dake’s Reference Bible: The vision concerns the very end of the Gentile world powers symbolized by the image of Dan. 2 and the beasts of Dan. 7 and Dan. 8; Rev. 13; 17:8-17. At the time of the end of this age in which we live, “shall the king of the south (Egypt) push at him (that is, the king of the north); and the king of the north (Syria) shall come against him (that is, the king of the south) like a whirlwind” with his armies and navies and conquer many countries (Dan. 11:40).
  •  Dake: the little horn or Antichrist comes from Syria, one of the 4 divisions of the Grecian empire… He thus revives the old Grecian empire, which is symbolized by a leopard (Dan. 7:6; rev. 13:1-2). The other 6 kingdoms of the old Roman Empire submit to him, making him their leader in a war with the north and east (dan. 11:44; rev. 17:12-17). If the wars of dan. 11:5-34 are only between Syria and Egypt, and if the last-day war of dan. 11:40-43 is between Syria and Egypt, ending with the overthrow of Egypt (the king of the south) by Syria (the king of the north), then it settles the question as to where antichrist comes from. He arises from Syria and will fulfill dan. 7:8,19-27; 8:9-14,22-25; 9:27; 11:40-45; 12:1-7; rev. 6:1-8; 13:1-18; 16:13-16; 17:8-17; 19:19-21.

We have quoted extensively from Dake, since we believe he has the best argument for Antichrist coming from Syria. Also, most commentators agree that this is the area he will come from. We are living in exciting days. Christians should be able to see the “unthawing” of the old Roman Empire, and the stage that is being set for new leaders, and a military genius who will be able, with the help of Satan, to conquer and lead his armies against the surrounding nations.

Israel will not only be in the path of the Antichrist and his armies, they will be under his heel. Some believe Israel will make a covenant with the Antichrist. However, he will decide to conquer all the Jews, and establish his headquarters in Jerusalem. “And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” Daniel 11:45. “The Antichrist, or king of the north (Syria), will make his capital the Jewish temple in Jerusalem between the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea in the glorious holy mountain, Mount Moriah; yet he shall come to an end at Armageddon (Dan. 7:11,26-27; 8:25; 9:27; 2Th. 2:8; Rev. 19:19-21).” Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible. This is where he meets his “waterloo.” Christ will come with His armies, and Antichrist and all his followers will be destroyed. Many nations will acknowledge Jesus Christ as KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

I believe Christians should be expecting the rapture at any time, and also watching world events as they concern Israel. My hope is that the United States will remain a dependable friend to Israel. “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3.

Christians must understand that most of the Bible is not about the Church. Most of the Bible is about God’s Kingdom that was forfeited by Adam, and has been ruled by Satan ever since. God created the nation of Israel to be the one through which Jesus would come as King to reclaim the lost kingdom. This explains why Israel has been Satan’s number one nation to destroy down through the centuries, and that is his number one goal today. But, as we have shown from above, he will not succeed. He and all his followers, led by the king of Syria, will be destroyed at the coming of the KING OF KINGS! The Bible is about that King and His Kingdom. The only doctrinal portion to the church is Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon.

THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH

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THREE RAPTURE POSITIONS

the raptureBy Ken Blue   (Be sure and listen to the great gospel songs)

In a recent article we discussed the matter of whether or not the Bible teaches the event called the rapture. The two main passages on the rapture are found in I Thess. 4:13-18 and I Cor. 15:51-58. As stated, my goal is not to get you to believe in the rapture, but to admit that it is a doctrine taught in the Bible.

There are three main views about the time for the rapture. These are the Pre-Tribulation, the Mid-Tribulation, and the Post-Tribulation views. Of course these call for a period taught in the Bible as the Tribulation. The Bible has hundreds of references to that period and event. Jesus speaks of it in no uncertain terms. “15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matthew 24:15-31.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]…a time is coming upon the earth called The Tribulation.[/pullquote]

These Scriptures, and many like them, confirm that a time is coming upon the earth called The Tribulation. The Tribulation also has a specified number of years. We will deal with that in another article. Let me clarify, I am not implying that the above text concerns the rapture of the Church. The purpose is to call your attention to a time period of The Tribulation. My view is that the rapture of the Church takes place prior to those events.

The question is, if this view is correct, how soon after the rapture will the Tribulation take place? Also, what events will transpire at the moment of the rapture? First, there is nothing in Scripture stating what the time period between the rapture and the Tribulation will be. Many commentators assume it to be forty years. They give their reasons, which we cannot go into now. However, this would give the Jews ample time to build their new temple. The other question is, what events will take place at the rapture? Again, there is no answer to that question. Speculation is that great destruction will take place. The logic is that pilots, engineers, drivers, and millions of others will disappear, thus creating havoc throughout the world. This seems to be a rational conclusion.

If the rapture takes place prior to the Tribulation, and there is an unspecified period of time between the two.  What are the events leading up to the Tribulation? Lord willing, we will cover that question in our next article on this subject.

IS A THOUSAND YEARS ONE DAY?

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WHAT IS A THOUSAND YEARS?

Ken Blue

Someone has correctly said, “The hours crawl by as the years fly.” All of us have noticed this feeling of inconsistently in relation to time. It is easy to get discouraged when it appears that what we are waiting for is never going to come. An incurable disease or situations that seem to never change can cause one to give up in despair.

Peter is writing for those who will be in the Tribulation after the church is raptured. The one thing these believers will need more than anything else is patience and encouragement. In fact, the key word to those churches is the word “overcome.”

Peter’s statement that “one day is as a thousand years…” is not to be interpreted that God means one day is a thousand years, (That would mean that the seven days of creation took seven thousand years.) or that we should conclude God meant a day, when He says a thousand years. The only point in the text is that God is faithful and time is irrelevant concerning His promises.
God will postpone the Tribulation judgment as long as He can. The reason is stated in the text; He is not willing that any should perish. However, the earth will be destroyed because there is no other option. Those in the Tribulation are told to be faithful unto death.

The Lord has His own time schedule and Christians should not concern themselves with it. He is faithful. He fulfilled His Word in the past, will He do in the future, in His time.

A day is not a thousand years, nor is a thousand years a day. You can trust God. Time is not a factor. Patients and faithfulness is the message.

IS HAROLD CAMPING, A FALSE PROPHET?

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WHO IS THIS HAROLD CAMPING?

CampingBy Ken Blue

When one is familiar with the literal and dispensational teaching of the Bible; listening to Harold Camping sounds like a combination of Charlie Sheen and Jared L. Loughner. I have never read any person who is as confused and deceptive when it comes to handling the Word of God.

In my book, Standards and The Standard, I devoted several pages exposing the false teaching of Camping. He proclaimed that the Lord would return in 1994. Since he missed it, that makes him a false prophet, and God has something to say about that: “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” Deuteronomy 18:22.

Camping now teaches that the rapture will happen May 21, 2011. According to Camping’s prediction, the Rapture will happen exactly 7,000 years from the date that God first warned people about the flood. He said the flood happened in 4990 B.C., on what would have been May 21 in the modern calendar.

Camping pulls the date of the flood out of his make-believe hat. Bullinger has the date of the creation B.C. 4004. Ruckman’s Bible says the creation was B.C. 4004. The Chronological Bible has a date of B. C. 3976. The New Analytical Bible B. C. 4004. Scofield has the date of B. C. 4004. Camping said the flood happened in 4990 B.C. that would be almost 1000 years before the creation if other scholars are correct. The simple truth is, Camping doesn’t know what he is talking about.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Camping pulls the date of the flood out of his make-believe hat.[/perfectpullquote]

Camping makes the following statement which shows what he does not believe: “They (religious leaders) may be told that the end will not come until Antichrist rises as a political leader who will make them take the mark of the beast.” Many are told that God will rapture His people before a 7 year Great Tribulation after which Christ will set up a 1000 year reign from an earthly throne in Jerusalem. Others are told that Christ will come to rapture believers the same day he destroys the world. While just about every church has a different idea as to what the Bible teaches concerning the end, they all seem to agree on one thing; no man can know the day or the hour of Christ’s return because the scriptures say that He is coming as a thief in the night. But are they correct? Can We Know?” Camping goes on to say, “God will destroy this world on October 21, 2011… His Word showing us that these dates are 100% accurate and beyond dispute.” The Bible does not give these details, most Bible believers would dispute them.

Harold Camping teaches that EVERY church in the world is an apostate! He teaches that the church age ended in 1994 and that the Holy Spirit is NO LONGER working in the church!

Camping has taken the teaching of a Baptist preacher by the name of William Miller who thought he had the time of Christ’s return as 1843. His followers sold their homes and businesses and went about the country preaching the imminent return of Christ.  They were the followers of William Miller, a farmer and self-taught bible scholar from New York. Miller believed the cleansing of the temple in Daniel 8 was not of a real temple but rather referred to the purification of the earth by fire at the Second Coming of Christ. Miller’s date was between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844.  He began to teach this throughout the Northeast and gained a wide following.  Despite the great excitement, March 21, 1844, came and went without the return of Christ.  Miller was devastated, and a new date was set for October 22, 1844. These teachings fathered both, the teachings of Camping, the Seventh Day Adventist and the Jehovah’s Witnesses religions.

Here is the sum and purpose of Camping’s teaching: He wants Christians to believe that God is through with local churches and that all of them are apostate. Secondly, he wants you to follow him only, listen to his radio program, and purchase his literature. Oh, by the way, you could start sending your offerings to his ministry. I know this has not crossed the mind of the false prophet, but if you did it, I am sure he would appreciate it.

Now, I hope the rapture happens before March 21, and it may. But I would be willing to bet anyone a $1,000.00 Camping is wrong! You see, I can’t lose. If it doesn’t happen, I win. If it happens, I won’t be here to pay up. If you are unsaved, you lose.

THE ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE OF RECEIVING THE MARK OF THE BEAST

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THINGS TO PONDER ABOUT THE MARK OF THE BEAST

By Ken Blue

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:16-17.

The world of technology has arrived at a place, that not even the unbeliever would doubt the possibility of an implanted chip capable of containing everything about you from your DNA to your shopping habits. I believe that day is upon us, and it will be an easy sell to those who receive it. In fact, some form of universal identification will seem to be the most sensible thing to do, considering the state of the world.

Here are some advantages of receiving the mark:

  1. You will be able to buy food if it is available.
  2. You won’t get lost. The chip will have a built-in tracking system.
  3. You never have to worry about someone stealing your identity.
  4. Society will be cashless; you won’t have to worry about someone robbing you.
  5. All medical records will be on the chip. This will make universal health care more accessible to you.
  6. You won’t have to worry about bank records. Your allotment will be automatically credited to your chip number.
  7. You won’t need credit cards or cash, scanners will automatically subtract from your account.
  8. There will be no need for greed since this new system will “give to everyone according to their needs, and demand from everyone according to their ability.”

The disadvantage of receiving the mark:

  1. You go to hell!
  2. See number one!

“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” Revelation 14:9-11.