HI Mr. Mojo Risin
I believe that you are not about to change your thoughts about God.
However you did present question and your statement.
Between 25 and 30 percent of the Bible is prophecy. If there is a God that predicted these many, many things would happen. They will or they will not.
Simple enough. The being that claims that he is God has said that soon, very soon, half of the City Jerusalem will go into captivity. There are many more prophecy's from that same book which has come to past and manyu more which will. The proof is in the pudding.
The Middle East in Prophecy
By Richard F. Ames
Jerusalem is the most important city in the world. Scripture shows that the region surrounding it—the Middle East—will eventually explode into world war. Do you know what the Bible teaches about the end-time climax of world events in that region? You may be surprised!
The Middle East has been in constant turmoil for decades. Many who are following world news wonder what will happen next, and what the final outcome will be. Yet very few realize that Bible prophecy explains in advance the earthshaking events that will lead to greater disasters in the region—and ultimately to World War III!
The Bible outlines end-time events leading up to Jesus Christ’s return. What happens in the Middle East, as His return draws near, will affect your life and the lives of everyone on earth. Understanding those events will help you to take action for your family’s welfare. You can escape the prophesied disasters and judgments (Luke 21:36) upon a warring and God-defying world.
The Middle East seems to bring the world a constant stream of bad news. Bible prophecy shows that this bad news will continue until Jesus Christ’s return. But once the world survives "Armageddon" in the Middle East, a time of good news will follow. Jerusalem will then live up to its name: "City of Peace." A Millennium of peace and prosperity is coming, under the rulership of the Messiah. As King of kings, Jesus Christ will rule the earth from Jerusalem with justice and righteousness, and all nations on earth will learn a new way of life—the way to peace.
But first, the Middle East must pass through the difficult times ahead.
Throughout history, human nature has looked to war as the final arbiter of disputes. The Apostle Paul made a profound statement: "The way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes" (Romans 3:17–18). More than one million were killed in the Iran-Iraq War from 1980 to 1988. Thousands upon thousands more died in the Persian Gulf War and Operation Desert Storm in 1990–91. In that conflict, Iraqi troops set fire to more than 600 oil wells in Kuwait. The black smoke evoked images of Armageddon. This widespread pollution was called at the time the "world’s worst man-made environmental disaster" (Time Almanac 2000, p. 605). A decade later, Iran and Iraq remain focal points for religious, political and military unrest, polarizing world opinion and shaping geopolitical alliances.
Will there be more wars in the Middle East? Regrettably, the answer is "yes." Your Bible reveals that there will be even more regional wars there, leading to what is commonly called "Armageddon." Jerusalem will be a focal point of conflict.
Arabs and Israelis have been at war since the modern state of Israel was established. Peace has often been proclaimed in the region, but has never been realized. More than 25 years after Egyptian President Anwar Sadat gave hope to the world, flying to Israel to offer a dramatic overture of peace, the process he hoped to encourage has stalled, if not stopped. At present, there is little human prospect for lasting peace among Middle East nations.
The Bible reveals that this millennia-old conflict will come to a peaceful resolution in the not-too-distant future. But before this resolution is reached, much blood will be shed, and mankind will go through a time of war and suffering on a scale previously unknown in human history.
Understanding Bible prophecy about the Middle East can bring us hope and comfort even as the current crisis escalates. The Bible is full of information that can help us see the current Middle East conflict in the light of God’s plan for end-time world events. It explains many details unknown to the world’s politicians and policymakers. As we will see, it reveals what the ancient rivalry between Abraham’s grandsons Jacob and Esau means for the Middle East conflict today. Scripture also debunks many popular but false teachings regarding Russia’s role in end-time prophecy. It gives an overview of the "key players" in end-time prophecy—including the "beast," the false prophet and the King of the North—and the final phase of World War III, which we will read about later in this booklet.
Bible prophecy has revealed in advance many key facts and details that can help us prepare for the dangerous and challenging times ahead, as we strive to obey Jesus Christ’s command that we "watch and pray" as end-time events grow closer (Mark 13:33). And it reveals the vital role of Jerusalem—a city with a remarkable past and an even more remarkable future—at the center of many end-time events and prophecies.
Jerusalem—Holy City for Three Religions
Jerusalem (called al-Quds in Arabic) is sacred to the three major monotheistic religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. As a result, it has been a focus of conflict for centuries.
Conquered by the Romans before Christ’s birth, it was in the hands of Byzantine rulers when it fell to a Muslim army led by Caliph Umar in 638. In 1071, the Seljuk Turks took control of Jerusalem, and by cutting pilgrim routes from the West gave impetus to the First Crusade. This crusade brought Jerusalem under Western control in the "Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem," which held the city from 1099 to 1187, when Saladin reconquered Jerusalem for Islam. Later crusades brought Jerusalem briefly under Western control from 1229 to 1239, and from 1243 to 1244, when it was sacked by the Tatars. In 1247, the city fell to the Egyptian Mamluks, under whose control it remained until 1517, when Ottoman sultan Selim I conquered the city.
Jerusalem remained under Ottoman control for almost exactly four centuries. In 1917, during World War I, General Allenby and the British army defeated the Ottoman Turks and entered the city. In November of that year, the British government issued the Balfour Declaration, which declared Britain’s intent to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine, with the understanding that "nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine."
In 1947, the United Nations partitioned Jerusalem and the city was divided between Arab and Jewish control. In May 1948, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion declared Israel an independent state. Israel successfully defended itself against the attack of the Arab League. During the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel captured all of Jerusalem, putting it fully under Jewish rule for the first time since the Roman destruction in 70ad.
The future of the world greatly depends on the future of this city. To Jews, Jerusalem was the city of the great prophets and the capital of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah under King David and his son King Solomon. The first and second temples were the center of worship until the destruction of the city by the Romans in 70ad. Jerusalem is also the third most holy city of Islam, after the cities of Mecca and Medina. Completed in 691ad, the Mosque of Omar—also called the "Dome of the Rock"—today dominates the Temple Mount. The Arabic term for the holy place is "al-Haram as-Sharif" which means "The Noble Sanctuary." Muslims believe that Muhammad ascended to Heaven from that site. Christians revere the city as the place where their Savior taught in the temple—and was later crucified. Christians believe that Jesus will return to establish His Kingdom with Jerusalem as world capital.
The Temple Mount is a focus for Muslims and Jews, who have been at odds in the Middle East for more than 1,300 years, ever since an Arabian trader named Muhammad, 800 miles southeast of Jerusalem, established the religion of Islam. Islam’s Dome of the Rock now stands where Solomon’s temple once stood. Jews are not allowed to pray on the Mount itself, so they come to the Western Wall—or "Wailing Wall"—at the base of the Mount to pray. Jews yearn to have a religious presence on the Temple Mount itself.
Hopes for peace were high on September 13, 1993, when Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization signed a "Declaration of Principles" in Washington, D.C. Observers were so encouraged by this development that the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Israeli Foreign Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
In May 1994, Israel and the Palestinians signed an interim agreement leading to increased Palestinian self-government in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The peace process was shattered, though, in November 1995, when an Israeli extremist assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Just a week before his death, Rabin had told journalists that he intended to go forward with negotiations with Syria.
Rabin’s death cast a pall over the peace process. Still, Israelis and Palestinians sought to negotiate peace. Signed in October 1998, the Wye River Memorandum provided steps to implement the 1995 interim agreement, looking to a May 1999 target date for a final resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But no resolution could be found. The July 2000 Camp David summit, called by United States President Bill Clinton, failed to formulate a final peace agreement—underscoring the bitter truth that both Israel and the Palestinians consider Jerusalem their exclusive capital, and do not want the other to have unfettered control of this historic city.
In September 2000, when he was still opposition leader, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited the Temple Mount, inciting Palestinian protesters. In the weeks that followed, violence escalated—hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis were killed or wounded. It was the worst violence the region had seen in four years. U.S. efforts to reconcile Israel and the Palestinians proved unsuccessful. When Sharon, a key figure in many of Israel’s military operations over the years, became Prime Minister, many Arabs vowed to intensify their opposition to the state of Israel. The religious conflict that was sparked in Jerusalem reignited the intifada (Arabic for "uprising"), broadening the violence throughout the region.
More than 200,000 Israelis live in about 150 settlements throughout the West Bank and Gaza. Also scattered throughout the region are Palestinian communities in Hebron, Jericho, Nablus and Bethlehem. Conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians are escalating; Agence–France Press reported in August 2003 that the intifada had claimed the lives of 2,549 Palestinians and 772 Israelis since September 2000. Since 2001, suicide bombers have regularly attacked Israelis, who have responded in turn with military force in the West Bank.
The West’s perception of Middle East violence, and its relationship to world terrorism, was changed forever on September 11, 2001, when terrorists destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, and damaged the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Business Week magazine called the attack an "act of war" (Sept. 24, 2001). The Economist magazine titled its cover after the attacks: "The Day the World Changed" (Sept. 15–21, 2001). Then on September 20, 2001, President George W. Bush, before a joint session of Congress, declared war on international terrorism. A U.S.-led coalition joined with Afghanistan militia in destroying and expelling al-Qaeda forces. But throughout 2002, terrorists continued their international attacks in various countries, including an attack on Bali, Indonesia in October 2002, which killed many Australians as well as Indonesians. The Economist magazine responded by declaring on its cover that we are now in "A World of Terror."
Most Muslims do not consider themselves terrorists, nor do they support the terror carried out by al-Qaeda. There are approximately 1.2 billion Muslims around the world, between one-quarter and one-third of whom live in the Middle East. Yet while the vast majority of Muslims consider themselves peace-loving people, their religion has been used as a rallying point by a small number of extremists who wish to destabilize nations in order to achieve their goals.
Instability appears to be a fact of life in the 21st century. The U.S. now seeks to lead an alliance to counter potential terror threats sponsored by what President George W. Bush has called an "axis of evil" that includes two Middle East nations—Iran and Iraq. Pakistan and India, like Israel, are known to have nuclear weapons. Other countries, such as North Korea, are widely suspected of nuclear capability. In today’s unstable environment, many of the world’s experts consider nuclear war a distinct possibility—even a probability. If total war breaks out in the Middle East, might future missiles deliver nuclear, biological and chemical destruction to Israel and surrounding nations? Will the Holy Land become the focal point for another World War?
What Lies Ahead?
Many observers think that it is foolish, or even impossible, to predict the future. God, however, has in the Bible given us prophecies that can help us understand what will happen in and around Jerusalem in the end-times. What does the Bible say will eventually happen? "Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city" (Zechariah 14:1–2).
"All the nations" will fight in this conflict, during that period of time known as the Day of the Lord—the year just before Jesus Christ’s prophesied return. But what major prophetic events will lead up to this battle in Jerusalem? "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened" (Matthew 24:21–22).
The book of Revelation, or the Apocalypse, reveals the dramatic end-time events leading up to the glorious return of Jesus Christ. Revelation 6 describes the events leading up to the Day of the Lord. All of humanity will see dramatic and frightening activity in the heavens. Revelation 6:12–14 describes these "heavenly signs" as the "sixth seal." Jesus said: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Matthew 24:29). These heavenly signs precede the Day of the Lord (Joel 2:30–31), the year of God’s judgment on the nations. Then, after these events, the Messiah—Jesus Christ—will rule all nations on earth (Revelation 11:15).
What role will Jerusalem play in that coming kingdom? Will it be the future capital of the world? Perhaps in your lifetime? Scripture gives us a wonderful and encouraging forecast: "The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it" (Isaiah 2:1–2).
Mountains are a biblical symbol for a kingdom or government. Isaiah stated plainly that the Lord’s Kingdom would be established in Jerusalem and that "all nations shall flow to it." This will not be government in the hands of selfish human beings. Humanity does not know the way to lasting peace, because it has rejected the rulership and the sovereignty of God over the affairs of man.
God’s government on earth will be administered from Jerusalem, the future capital of the world, as Zechariah confirms with a beautiful description of life there in the future. Notice in the book of Zechariah. "Thus says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion, and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, the Mountain of the Lord of hosts, the Holy Mountain.’ Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each one with his staff in his hand because of great age. The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets’" (Zechariah 8:3–5).
Today, however, the streets of Jerusalem are filled with bitter enemies, who share a rich heritage and history—but also share a history of conflict.
Bitter Family Rivalry
To understand the present Middle East conflict, we need to understand the history of those in conflict—the Jews and the Arabs. Historians often note the "family" relationship between these two peoples; some call them "cousins" because both trace their roots to the great patriarch Abraham.
Judaism, Christianity and Islam all honor Abraham as one of their patriarchs. Calling him "Religion’s Superstar," a Time magazine feature article asked: "Abraham changed history by espousing just one God, and is sacred to Muslims, Jews and Christians. Can this crossover biblical hero help heal the world?" (Sept. 30, 2002, p. 5).
The answer is: not in this age! But in tomorrow’s world, Abraham as "heir of the world" (Romans 4:13) under Jesus Christ, and as one of the saints in God’s kingdom, will help teach the way to peace when all nations will come to Jerusalem (see Isaiah 2:2–4).
In the 19th century bc, the Creator God began to work with Abraham (then called "Abram"). God tested his faith many times, even promising him a son in his old age—a promise that seemed to be delayed. Abram’s wife Sarai, unable to bear children, encouraged Abram to have a child through her Egyptian handmaid, Hagar. Eighty-six years old when the child was born, Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son whom Hagar bore (Genesis 16:15–16). The majority of Arabs today trace their ancestry back to Ishmael and Abraham.
When Abram was 99 years old, God made a covenant with Abram that he would be "a father of many nations." God then changed Abram’s name to Abraham, meaning "father of a multitude." God promised that Abraham and Sarai, whose name was changed to Sarah, would have a son named Isaac. God said to Abraham: "I will establish my covenant with him [Isaac] for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him" (Genesis 17:19). One of Isaac’s grandsons, Judah, would be the progenitor of the Jews, who now occupy the modern land called Israel.
After Isaac was born, Sarah insisted that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away. Sarah said to Abraham: "Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac" (Genesis 21:10). Abraham was very upset at this request, but God told Abraham: "Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed" (Genesis 21:12–13).
The envy and rivalry between these two peoples continues to this day. Another dimension that helps explain today’s ongoing conflict is the rivalry between Jacob and Esau, the twin sons of Isaac. Esau was the firstborn, and the heir of the family birthright. But in time of hunger, Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup. Later, Jacob disguised himself as Esau and deceived his aging father Isaac into giving him the birthright blessing (see Genesis 25; 27). What was Esau’s reaction? "So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, ‘The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob’" (Genesis 27:41).
This bitter rivalry would continue throughout history. Esau is also called Edom (see Genesis 36). The Edomites intermarried with the Ishmaelites, beginning with Esau himself (see Genesis 28:9). The descendents of these peoples continued to be in conflict with Israel. The leading tribe of Edom, the Amalekites, continually harassed Israel (see Exodus 17). God said that He would have "war with Amalek from generation to generation" (Exodus 17:16).
One of the Psalms also confirms both historically and prophetically that Edom, Ishmael and Amalek are joined in a confederacy against Israel. "They have said, ‘Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.’ For they have consulted together with one consent; they form a confederacy against You: the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites; Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined with them; they have helped the children of Lot. Selah" (Psalm 83:4–8).
What nations have continuously committed themselves to destroy the name of Israel?
In July of 1968, Palestinian leaders signed the "Palestinian National Charter," which called for the destruction of the State of Israel. In 1993, shortly before signing the "Declaration of Principles" with Israel, PLO chairman Yasser Arafat signed an agreement renouncing this demand and agreeing to change the charter, but it remains an item of hot dispute to this day. As Psalm 83 indicates, Assyria (identified as modern-day Germany) will be joined by an end-time "confederacy" of Arab nations. Look on your Bible map for the ancient location of Moab, Ammon and Edom, mentioned in Psalm 83—nations that are also prominently mentioned in Daniel’s end-time prophecy. These are the Muslim peoples of the Middle East!
Understanding this bitter family rivalry, beginning with Jacob and Esau, gives us a better understanding of their descendants’ present-day wars and conflicts, particularly in the Middle East.
Daniel’s Famous Prophecy
Scripture strongly indicates that a great historic power will intervene in the Middle East. Historically, the Roman Empire in Jesus’ day enforced a Pax Romana—"Roman Peace"—in the Holy Land.
The prophet Daniel reveals that there will also be an end-time Roman Empire, which will play a crucial role in end-time conflicts in the Middle East. Daniel 2 records that King Nebuchadnezzar was going to execute all the wise men of Babylon if they did not tell him his dream, as well as its interpretation. The Creator God used the prophet Daniel to reveal the rise and fall of great empires, even down to our modern times. Here is what Daniel told the king: "But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days" (Daniel 2:28). Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that God had made him a king of kings, and described the image envisioned by the king. A great statue had a head of gold. Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar: "You are this head of gold" (v. 38). The remaining elements of the great image symbolized the great empires to follow after the Babylonian empire.
Who were these empires? All reputable Bible scholars agree on their identity and their prophetic fulfillment. Daniel continued to describe what would eventually happen to this great image. The head of gold represented the Babylonian Empire from 625 to 539bc. Next came the Medo-Persian Empire, from 558 to 330bc, represented by the chest and arms of silver. The belly and thighs of bronze represented the Greco-Macedonian Empire of Alexander the Great from 333 to 31bc. The two legs of iron represent the Roman Empire from 31bc to 476ad. Finally, the ten toes on two feet of iron mixed with ceramic clay represent a future revival of the Roman Empire.
How do we know that the feet of the image will continue into our modern times? Daniel describes a great stone that smashes the image on its feet. He also describes the stone’s meaning: "And in the days of these kings [symbolized by the ten toes] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever" (Daniel 2:44). The Kingdom of God that will "consume all these kingdoms" is yet future!
The end-time power that will eventually dominate the Middle East, will be a revived Roman Empire, also symbolized in the prophecies of Revelation and Daniel as a beast. This great power will be political, military, and economic. The current European Union is headed toward completing all three dimensions of that power. It could have the potential of being a force for good. But history teaches us that great empires and political alliances can also revert to dictatorial power for the purpose of global expansion and domination without regard for the welfare of conquered nation-states. The Creator God will use such an empire in the future, just as He has in the past. God used Assyria to punish the rebellious kingdom of Israel. In the opening verses of Isaiah 10, God indicts Israel for all her sins, then states: "Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger and the staff in whose hand is My indignation. I will send him against an ungodly nation, and against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, to seize the spoil, to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Yet he does not mean so, nor does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and cut off not a few nations" (Isaiah 10:5–7).
God will use the end-time descendants of Assyria—the nation of Germany—once again in punishing the modern descendents of the ancient House of Israel, the American and British-descended peoples. Germany right now, is the leading nation of the European Union. Be sure to watch developments in Europe. To learn more about Germany’s role in end-time prophecy, please write for our free reprint article, A Fourth Reich?.
In Daniel 11, we find two antagonists: the king of the North and the king of the South. In ancient times, Syria was considered to be the king of the North. But the Roman Empire conquered Syria, which became a province of Rome in 64bc. Bible prophecy shows that by the time of the end, the king of the North will be identified with the revived Roman Empire. Then: "At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. He shall also enter the Glorious Land, [or the Holy Land] and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape" (Daniel 11:40–42).
Notice that the king of the North enters into the "Glorious Land"—the location of the modern state of Israel. The fact that Ammon (which Bible scholars identify as modern-day Jordan) escapes out of his hand, along with Edom and Moab, leads many to believe that Jordan will be allied with the European power. Psalm 83 identifies those peoples who will be confederate with Assyria against Israel. That alliance includes Moab, Ammon and Edom.
Daniel 11:43 gives us an indication of those nations allied with the king of the South. These are the peoples of north Africa. Verse 40 states that the king of the South attacks the king of the North. What will provoke this attack? Will it be the passion of Islamic fundamentalists? Will it be a sudden interruption of oil flow to Europe? You need to watch world events in Europe and the Middle East.
Who will invade the Middle East? Look for a revived Roman Empire—a political entity now in its formative stages with the European Union as its nucleus. There will be a forced peace upon modern Israel in the Middle East. But, as we will see later, the "Beast power" that occupies the Middle East will be overthrown by the returning Commander of Heaven’s armies, Jesus Christ. The King of kings and Lord of lords, revealed in Revelation 19, will see that the beast and the false prophet are cast into a lake of fire. Jerusalem will be occupied by Earth’s new King, Jesus Christ. The name of the city will even be called "The Lord is There" (Ezekiel 48:35). Peace will finally come to the Middle East and to the City of Peace, Jerusalem.
Will Russia Control the Middle East?
Some teachers of biblical prophecy wrongly believe that Russia will take over the Middle East before Christ’s second coming. Where does that mistaken idea come from? It comes mainly from a misunderstanding of Ezekiel 38, which begins: "Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him" (vv. 1–2). Most biblical scholars identify these peoples as those from northern Russia. Wilhelm Gesenius, a 19th century Hebrew scholar and others note that the city of Moscow is derived from the Hebrew name Meshech. Ezekiel continues: "Thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops; many people are with you’" (vv. 3–6).
Notice that the house of Togarmah is from the far north, that is, north of the Holy Land. When you look at a map, Russia is in the far north. Who will join Russia? Persia is mentioned. Most scholars agree that Persia is modern-day Iran. The Hebrew word for Ethiopia is Cush, the eastern branch of which is identified with India. The Hebrew word for Libya is Put (Put was the third son of Ham, according to Genesis 10:6), whose eastern branch, like Cush, is also identified with India. Magog is identified with the Mongols and Gomer with Indochina. Togarmah is most likely identified with Siberia.
We can generally agree on the identity of these peoples mentioned in Ezekiel 38. And Bible prophecy shows that these armies certainly will eventually enter the Middle East. But the question is: When? After Jesus’ second coming, He will work to bring world peace and reeducate the nations (cf. Isaiah 2; Micah 4). But that will take time. All nations will not automatically accept the rule of Jesus Christ when He returns. Even Egypt will apparently refuse the Lord’s command to keep the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem (cf. Zechariah 14:18–19). The Russo-Chinese alliance, mentioned in Ezekiel 38, will attack after the Millennium begins—after the second coming of Christ, and after peace is established in the Holy Land. Notice what God says of the invading armies: "You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’; to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land" (Ezekiel 38:11–12).
Does Israel today "dwell safely" in unwalled villages, that is, without military protection? Of course not! Ezekiel is speaking of a time yet future, when Christ establishes peace in the Holy Land. Notice: "Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God: "On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it?"’" (v. 14).
God will destroy this eastern alliance and its armies when they attack restored Israel (cf. Ezekiel 39). There will be so many dead bodies that it will take months to bury them. "For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land" (Ezekiel 39:12). Almighty God has all the power in the universe to fulfill His will. It is folly for nations to fight against Him and His purpose. But the nations will learn who is in charge. As God states: "Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord" (Ezekiel 38:23).
Who Will Control Jerusalem?
Since 1967, Israel has fought wars and negotiated peace treaties with several Arab states. But Israel has never been able to negotiate a permanent peace agreement with the Palestinians. In July 2000, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak did what no Israeli negotiator had done before—he proposed that Israel would grant administrative self-governance to Palestinians in East Jerusalem. But Barak wanted Israel to retain security control over East Jerusalem, and the Palestinians rejected his proposal. Negotiations broke down, leading to the current conflict. What caused the impasse in negotiations? The one issue that appears unsolvable: "Who will control Jerusalem?"
In 1980, Israel declared Jerusalem as its "united and eternal capital." The Palestinians also desire Jerusalem as their capital. Before his death in 2002, Faisal Husseini, a representative of the Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem, stated the Palestinian position that Israel "must withdraw from all of east Jerusalem to the pre-’67 borders… all settlements and Israeli neighborhoods in east Jerusalem must be dismantled… Israel must compensate the Palestinians for the damages it has inflicted including the changes in the character of the city and the lives of its citizens" (The Jerusalem Post, Nov. 19, 1999).
Israel has held to its position that Jerusalem must remain the undivided capital of Israel. As Israeli spokesman Gadi Baltiansky stated in 1999: "There will be no negotiations over Jerusalem, and if the Palestinians think otherwise—too bad. This is a red line that Prime Minister Barak will never cross" (ibid.). Even Barak’s proposal for "sharing sovereignty" did not include any concession that Jerusalem was not a united city under the control of Israeli security. In the years since, facing the intifada, Barak’s successors have expressed no eagerness to revisit his proposal, which Israelis considered generous but which Palestinians considered unacceptable.
The U.S. has come down on the side of Israel in this dispute, and has found itself the target of international anger as a result. On September 30, 2002, President Bush signed congressional legislation that required his administration to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. What was the reaction? Cairo’s leading newspaper reported: "The new US legislation requiring all official American documents to identify the occupied city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has triggered angry reactions throughout the Islamic world. Thousands of demonstrators marched through Gaza, threatening to intensify suicide bombings inside Israel, while popular and religious leaders called on Arab and Islamic parliaments to adopt a strong stance against this latest outrage, calling, among other things, for a boycott of American goods" (Al-Ahram, Oct. 16, 2002).
The gap between views over the sovereignty of Jerusalem is wide and deep! What does the international community think about this conflict? What is the solution? In 1980, when Israel declared Jerusalem to be Israel’s "united and eternal capital," the Vatican strongly objected to that declaration. Pope John Paul II wrote in 1984, in his apostolic letter Redemptoris Anno, that he sought for Jerusalem to have a "special internationally guaranteed status." Even as early as 1975, United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had made a similar proposal, that Jerusalem become an international city with the control of holy places and the religious administration being given to the pope.
Pope John Paul II spoke to the new Jordanian ambassador to the Vatican on May 28, 1998. Reuters reported his comments: "The long history of the city of Jerusalem, filled with tribulations, will reach a new threshold in the year 2000, with the dawn of the third millennium of Christianity.… It is my fervent hope that this may lead to a formal recognition, with international guarantees, of the unique and sacred identity of the Holy City."
Will non-Israelis control Jerusalem? The Apostle John said that they will! "Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months’" (Revelation 11:1–2).
Gentiles will control the "holy city"—Jerusalem—for 42 months. The book of Revelation describes a period of three and one-half years leading up to the return of Christ. Two prophets of God will witness with great power during that same period of three and one-half years, or 1,260 days (Revelation 11:3–15). These two witnesses will contend with the forces of a revived Roman Empire, which will dominate the Middle East at that time.
Temple Sacrifices Restored?
Many religious teachers understand part of Bible prophecy. They expect that the Jewish orthodox authority in Israel will once again establish temple sacrifices. Groups such as the Third Temple Institute in Jerusalem are making preparations today to train priests and assemble the items required for the reestablishment of sacrifices. Will the Jewish priesthood once again offer animal sacrifices? Some Jewish groups are going to great lengths trying to make this happen.
A few religious groups and individuals have gone overboard in their desire to see prophecy fulfilled. The Israeli authorities placed their security on special alert during the months of December 1999 and January 2000 because several religious groups, referred to as "apocalyptic," allegedly plotted to "help prophecy along" by their own efforts, and threatened to blow up the Dome of the Rock in order to make possible the construction of a third temple.
But true Christians recognize that God is in charge. He does not need our help to bring these prophecies to pass! Besides, true Christians do not go around causing violence and blowing up buildings. Even some Jewish extremists have threatened violence around the Temple Mount to get their way. Any such violence on the Temple Mount could cause an Arab uprising, or even a jihad (holy war) that would have international repercussions.
The Dome of the Rock, a mosque holy to Muslims, stands on the Temple Mount, where there is no Jewish temple. Yet many Jews, and some Christians, are expecting some kind of divine intervention that would make possible the building of a third temple on the Temple Mount.
What will happen? Prophecy indicates that the sacrifices will be reinstituted. The Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem and the second temple in 70ad. The Jews have not offered temple sacrifices since that time. Now, one of the more important questions needs to be asked: Is a temple necessary for the revival of sacrifices?
The Babylonian Empire of the sixth century bc conquered the kingdom of Judah. The Babylonians transported thousands of captive Jews to Babylon. The armies of King Nebuchadnezzar also destroyed the first temple at Jerusalem in 586bc. Eventually, under the Persian Empire, King Cyrus sponsored a group of exiles to return to Jerusalem. When the returning Jews eventually laid the foundation of the second temple, there was both rejoicing and sadness. Joy because they now had a center of worship, and sadness because this second temple was very simple by comparison to the former glorious temple built by King Solomon. But notice the attitude of the Jews. They actually began sacrificing before the foundation of the temple was laid. "From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, although the foundation of the temple of the Lord had not been laid" (Ezra 3:6). The Jews had observed the Feast of Tabernacles in their unfinished temple, with daily sacrifices.
Notice another important point. Where do the exiles return? Ezra refers to the location of the holy place as the house of God, when the temple had not yet been built: "Now in the second month of the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem" (v. 8). This took place around 536bc. But there was no building as yet. The third chapter of Ezra goes on to describe the laying of the foundation of the temple. Sacrifices must be presented in a holy place. But in this case, the sacrifices were made daily without a physical building called a temple.
The holiest place under the control of the Jewish religious authorities today, is the Western Wall, or the Wailing Wall. It is the western retaining wall of the Temple Mount. Jews are not allowed to publicly worship on the Temple Mount; only Muslims have that privilege at the moment. So, it remains to be seen where the Jews will begin sacrificing. It will probably take a national crisis to precipitate that event.
Jesus spoke of a time when enemy armies would invade the Holy Land and surround the city of Jerusalem. "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near" (Luke 21:20). Remember this is in the context of Jesus’ Olivet Prophecy, also described in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. A powerful alliance of nations will invade the Middle East and dominate the region, as foretold by the prophet Daniel (cf. Daniel 11:41).
There will be international guarantees, protecting Jerusalem, enforced by a superpower. But these guarantees will also enforce the pseudo-Christianity of a revived Roman Empire. There will be a revived Pax Romana ("Roman Peace"), imposed by what the Bible calls the end-time "beast" (see Revelation 13).
The capture of Jerusalem by the "beast" superpower signals the time of the great "tribulation" and "the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled" (Luke 21:22).
Although the word "Jerusalem" means "city of peace," Jerusalem has experienced bloody fighting and wars over the millennia. But soon, this great city will truly be the city of peace for all peoples. That is good news you can look forward to!
We need to be aware of these major events foretold in Scripture. The prophesied "great tribulation" is primarily the time of trouble for the U.S. and the British-descended peoples, who are descended from the ancient patriarch Joseph. When he was near death, Jacob blessed two of his grandsons—Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh—and said: "The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; let my name [Jacob, i.e. Israel] be named upon them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth" (Genesis 48:16).
The end-time prophecies relating to Jacob, or Israel, generally refer to the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh who were given Jacob’s name. Scripture gives an end-time warning about a great "tribulation." Upon whom does this tribulation fall? "Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it" (Jeremiah 30:7). To learn more about the "time of Jacob’s trouble" and what it means for the American and other British-descended nations, please write for your free copy of our booklet The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.
Watch for the Abomination of Desolation
The prophesied "great tribulation" will be a time unique in all of human history—a time such "that none is like it." What does the Bible tell us to do? Jesus tells us: "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36).
What should you watch for in the Middle East? When Jesus was on the Mount of Olives, He gave an outline of end-time prophecy, with parallel accounts recorded in Matthew 24, Luke 21 and Mark 13. Jesus’ disciples had asked him about the sign of His coming and the end of the world, or the end of the age. He spoke about religious deception, wars, famines, pestilences and earthquakes. These trends reveal, in sequence, the meaning of the four horsemen of Revelation 6, who, toward the end of this age, intensify their dangerous ride. Jesus declares: "All these are the beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:8).
Religious persecution and martyrdom will follow. "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many" (Matthew 24:9–11).
But the Truth will still be preached! "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). As Jesus Christ opens doors for the gospel to expand in coverage and power, you will know that the end is drawing near. Do not be asleep to world conditions and the prophetic trends intensifying before your very eyes!
Jesus gave us a key sign to watch for, which will signify the beginning of the great tribulation and trouble in the Holy Land. He warned: "‘Therefore when you see the "abomination of desolation," spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place’ (whoever reads, let him understand) ‘then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains’" (Matthew 24:15–16).
What is this abomination of desolation?
Centuries before Christ, an angel gave the prophet Daniel a vision concerning end-time events. When Daniel asked the meaning of the message, the angel told him: "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end" (Daniel 12:9). More than 2,500 years later, we can now understand these prophecies. Notice another important detail. "And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days" (Daniel 12:11). At the time of the end, shortly before the return of Christ, God reveals that the daily sacrifice will be stopped or "taken away." This obviously implies that the sacrifices must be started, before they can be stopped! But what exactly is this "abomination of desolation"?
Historically, the Greek ruler Antiochus Epiphanes issued a decree in 167bc that prohibited further Jewish sacrifices in the temple at Jerusalem. "And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation" (Daniel 11:31).
In addition to stopping the daily sacrifices in the temple, Antiochus erected a statue of Jupiter Olympus in the Holy of Holies, and sacrificed a pig upon the altar, desecrating it with the pig’s blood. This abomination, also described in Daniel 8, was also the prophetic forerunner (or "ante-type") of an end-time event—the end-time sacrifices being cut off 1,290 days before Christ’s return. Jesus warns us to be alert to an end-time abomination of desolation. Just as Antiochus Epiphanes profaned the temple in 167bc and prohibited the sacrifices, so in the future another profane authority will prohibit sacrifices. In fact, the Apostle Paul warns of a great false prophet that will stand in the holy place: "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (2 Thessalonians 2:3–4).
A great false prophet will work amazing miracles and deceive millions of people. He will cultivate worship toward himself, and claim that he is divine. Scripture describes a symbolic creature that appears like a lamb (the symbol for Christ) but speaks as a dragon (the symbol of Satan the Devil). This is the great religious power that will guide an end-time revival of the Roman Empire. "Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived" (Revelation 13:11–14).
This Antichrist will even call down fire from heaven! These deceiving miracles will excite millions—but will also lead many away from the true Jesus Christ of the Bible. You must not let yourself become deceived. The prophet Isaiah explained a test by which we can recognize God’s true servants: "To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20). True servants of Christ will speak according to the Word of God, the Bible! You need to know your Bible, and study your Bible. Prove and test all things, as it tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:21!
The end-time religio-political power dominating Jerusalem will cause the sacrifices to cease. Remember that the Jews have not offered animal sacrifices since 70ad, when the Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. In order for the end-time sacrifices to be stopped eventually, they need to begin! When animal sacrifices begin once again in Jerusalem, you will know that the prophecies Jesus spoke about are heading for a climax!
Three Prophetic Milestones
When the abomination of desolation prophesied by Jesus is set up, three prophetic milestones will follow over a period of three and one-half years: the Great Tribulation, the Heavenly Signs and the Day of the Lord. This prophetic framework helps us understand end-time developments in the Middle East, and how they affect the world.
Notice that Jesus Himself gives the sequence of events. He warns us about the abomination of desolation in Matthew 24:15, then explains the first prophetic milestone in verses 21 and 22: "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened." This is a time unique in all history. It is the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), the time of God’s punishment on the Western nations—including the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. (For more information about this informative topic, please write for our free booklet The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy. The Great Tribulation is the time Daniel announces: "And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time" (Daniel 12:1).
This is a time of war, persecution, and martyrdom. It is the time when the four horsemen of Revelation 6 intensify their ride. They are given power over "a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth" (Revelation 6:8). The fifth seal of Revelation describes the martyrdom of Christians (Revelation 6:9–11).
We then see a second prophetic milestone. The sixth seal reveals frightening, dramatic activity in the sky, or what Scripture calls "the heavenly signs." The Apostle John wrote: "I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place" (Revelation 6:12–14).
Jesus also confirms this sequence of tribulation followed by great signs in the heavens: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Matthew 24:29).
How will human beings react to these heavenly signs? "And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’" (Revelation 6:15–17).
The heavenly signs announce the time of God’s judgment on the nations, "the great day of His wrath." This is the seventh seal, the period of time also called the Day of the Lord—a third prophetic milestone. In vision, the Apostle John refers to it in Revelation 1:10 as "the Lord’s Day." John is referring not to a day of the week, but to the time period leading up to the return of Christ as mentioned in more than 30 prophecies! The prophet Isaiah describes it this way, "For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance, the year of recompense for the cause of Zion" (Isaiah 34:8).
The prophet Joel also confirms that the heavenly signs precede the Day of the Lord. "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord" (Joel 2:30–31).
The seventh seal, or the Day of the Lord, consists of seven trumpet plagues: "When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets" (Revelation 8:1–2). The first six trumpets sound during the year preceding Christ’s second coming. The seventh trumpet announces the good news of Christ’s return to rule all nations on planet earth: "Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’" (Revelation 11:15). While this is good news to genuine Christians, the nations will be angry (verse 18) and will actually gather their military force to fight against the returning King (Revelation 19:19). As we will see, that final battle will be fought in the Middle East, near Jerusalem.
The good news is that the returning Jesus Christ will conquer all the rebellious armies and nations of planet Earth. The returning King of kings will set up His Kingdom in Jerusalem and enforce lasting world peace (cf. Zechariah 14:1–3). Jesus Christ will come back to Jerusalem. He will rule over all the kingdoms, nations, and governments of this earth. "And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be; ‘The Lord is one,’ and His name one" (v. 9). The Messiah will be King over all the earth, and will govern from Jerusalem. He will establish true religion over all the earth, replacing the false religion that dominated the revived Roman Empire.
Who Rides the Beast?
We have seen that the Middle East will be the location of a modern-day fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy concerning the "abomination of desolation." When that end-time abomination comes, what religious system will dominate it? The book of Revelation refers to the great false end-time religion as Mystery Babylon. In Revelation 17, the Apostle John sees in vision the judgment of a great harlot, which symbolizes a great false church or religious system. "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication" (Revelation 17:1–2). This woman rides a "beast" that has seven heads and ten horns (v. 3). That "beast," as we have seen earlier, is the political and military power that will invade the Middle East.
John continues, describing this great harlot: "And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (Revelation 17:5). It will be that system dominating the great tribulation period. The leader of that system, the false prophet, will even call down fire from heaven as we read in Revelation 13:13. Do not let yourself be deceived by such "miraculous" displays. Revelation 13:11 tells us that this religious figure symbolically looks like a lamb (the symbol of Christ) but speaks as a dragon! He will stand in Jerusalem’s holy place and even claim that he is God!
In Revelation 17, we saw that the harlot rides the "beast." But who is this "beast"? The answer will tell us who will invade the Middle East. "The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition. The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful" (Revelation 17:11–14).
The Church of God has for years pointed out that the end-time "Beast power" of Revelation, will be a final revival of the ancient Roman Empire. That empire continued from about 31bc to 476ad. There were six revivals, including the Imperial Restoration under Justinian in 544ad and another revival led by Charlemagne in 800ad. (For more information about this prophesied "Beast power," please write for our free booklet The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor or Soon-Coming Reality?)
Other commentators have also identified the beast of Revelation as the Roman Empire. We just read in Revelation 17:11 of the final end-time revival of "the beast that was, and is not"—the final beast that goes into "perdition" or destruction. The New Catholic Edition of the Holy Bible makes this comment concerning the beast of verse 11: "The beast spoken of here seems to be the Roman Empire, as in chapter 13."
The book of Revelation, Jesus’ Olivet prophecy and the book of Daniel, together reveal a coming revival of the Roman Empire influenced and ridden by a woman. The woman is symbolic of a church. The "beast power" eventually turns on the woman: "And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth" (Revelation 17:16–18). Again, the Douay-Rheims translation comments on the ultimate destruction of the woman by the beast: "ten other kingdoms are allies of the beast and battle against the Church. But their dominion is short, typified as an hour." While the Douay-Rheims identifies the beast with the Roman Empire and the woman with the Church, it does not admit that the great city mentioned in verse 18 is Rome itself. However, many Bible commentaries plainly agree that the great city of Revelation 17:18 is, in fact, Rome!
The King of the North Invades the Middle East
The armies of Benito Mussolini—a 20th century "king of the North"—invaded North Africa during World War II. In contrast, the end-time king of the North will be provoked by the king of the South. We have already seen war in the Middle East over the issue of oil. Will there be another Arab oil embargo like that of 1974?
When fuel costs began to rise in the summer and fall of 2000, European protests of skyrocketing petroleum prices and shortages were even more vigorous than in the U.S. In 2000, imports accounted for 53 percent of U.S. oil consumed. Roughly 24 percent—almost half of all oil imported—came from the Middle East. Europe is even more dependent on Middle East oil, importing approximately 90 percent of its oil—well over half from the Middle East (Newsweek, Nov. 11, 2002, p. 30).
Whatever the provocation, the king of the North will invade the Middle East.
Luke’s account of the Olivet prophecy follows the same general sequence as the account in Matthew that we reviewed earlier. But he adds one important detail, Jesus’ warning sign concerning the end-time fate of Jerusalem: "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near" (Luke 21:20). Whose armies are these? Who will eventually invade the Middle East and control Jerusalem—its most significant city?
As we saw earlier, the king of the North—the "beast power" or revived end-time Roman Empire—will enter the Glorious Land (Daniel 11:41). Jesus said that when you see armies encompassing or surrounding Jerusalem, you will know that the city is about to be captured. In 70ad, Titus and the Roman armies destroyed the city and the temple. The Roman siege of the city caused famine and disease within it. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote that "no fewer than six hundred thousand were thrown out at the gates, though still the number of the rest could not be discovered" (Wars of the Jews, Bk. 5, chap. 13, sec. 7). Which army brought disaster upon Jerusalem? The army of Rome did. Will another Roman army repeat history in the 21st century? Bible prophecy says "yes"!
The fact that Jerusalem will be controlled by another superpower is also emphasized in Luke 21. Notice Jesus’ powerful statement: "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled" (Luke 21:21–22).
This clearly is the end-time fulfillment of this prophecy. It continues: "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (vv. 23–24). Revelation 11 shows that Christ will intervene 42 months after Jerusalem is captured.
Some Bible commentators mistakenly believe that Luke’s prophecy applies only to the first century ad, when the Roman commander Titus besieged Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. Jesus’ warning in Luke 21 certainly did apply to this first century desolation. But as Bible students recognize, prophecy is often dual. There is type and ante-type. There is a former fulfillment and a later fulfillment of the prophecy. Jesus told His disciples that, following the desolation of Jerusalem, many would see His return to earth. "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" (Luke 21:25–27).
This prophecy was not fulfilled in 70ad by Titus’ destruction of the temple. Jesus was clearly outlining the events preceding His second coming. The context of Jerusalem’s final desolation, as presented here, is the end-time.
The Final Phases of World War III
The king of the North’s armies will occupy northern Africa and the holy land. But developments in the northeast so disturb this king that he takes military action. Daniel 11:44, "But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him."
This action appears to be described in Revelation 9 as the first woe or the fifth trumpet plague (cf. Revelation 8:13; 9:1). The Apostle John describes 21st century warfare in first century imagery: "The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon" (Revelation 9:7–11).
Notice that this action takes up five months during the year-long Day of the Lord. What follows next? A massive 200 million-man army from the east crosses the Euphrates River. The Euphrates River runs from Turkey through Syria and Iraq to the Persian Gulf. Whether or not Iraq even continues to exist as a nation in its present form, the geographical area of Iraq will play a major geographical role in the final war to come: World War III! The second woe, or the sixth trumpet now sounds. "One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things. Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’ So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm" (Revelation 9:12–19).
This phase of World War III will kill one-third of all humanity, over two billion human beings! The "fire, smoke, and brimstone" evokes images of nuclear devastation. Unless Jesus Christ intervenes, "no flesh would be saved," as He said in Matthew 24:22!
The final and seventh trumpet announces the return of Jesus Christ to rule the earth (Revelation 11:15). The nations are angry, as we saw earlier (Revelation 11:18), and will combine their armies to fight a common foe, the Commander of Heaven’s armies (see Revelation 19:19)! The seventh trumpet or the third woe consists of "the seven last plagues" that complete "the wrath of God" on rebellious nations (see Revelation 15:1, 8; 16:1).
At this point, eastern armies will move westward over the Euphrates River on their way to Megiddo—Armageddon. "Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared" (Revelation 16:12). Satan and his demons influence warring nations to gather their forces against the invader from outer space, the King of kings, Jesus Christ. The Apostle John writes: "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Revelation 16:13–14).
As the final phase of World War III begins, Satan will have influenced the kings and armies "of the whole world" to prepare for the great battle against Christ. Warring, rebellious nations will fight against the Savior of the world! Where will they gather? "And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon" (Revelation 16:16). The name Armageddon comes from the Hebrew har Magedon, which means "the hill of Megiddo." Megiddo is located in modern Israel about 55 miles north of Jerusalem. The hill or mount of Megiddo overlooks the largest valley in Israel, the Plain of Esdraelon, or the Valley of Jezreel.
The developing European religio-political power will eventually exert controlling influence over the Holy Land. As we have seen, the leader of that union, the "king of the North," will ultimately dominate Jerusalem and the Middle East. The book of Revelation also predicts a conflict between Asian forces and the European "Beast power," the king of the North (cf. Daniel 11:44; Revelation 9:13–19). Shockingly, after Christ’s return, these armies will combine as they are "gathered together to make war against Him" (Revelation 19:19). God Almighty says: "For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem" (Zechariah 14:2). Then "the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east" (Zechariah 14:3–4). Jesus Christ will intervene! He will stop World War III and bring lasting peace to the world!
Notice that the climactic end-time battle that is popularly referred to as Armageddon is actually called "the battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Revelation 16:14). But where will that battle be fought? The prophet Joel tells us that this climactic battle will take place near Jerusalem: "For behold, in those days and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there" (Joel 3:1–2).
The Valley of Jehoshaphat is also called the Kidron Valley (between the Mount of Olives and the Temple Mount). Here, God will judge the nations. The valley widens to the south, and through it the world’s armies will move southward from Megiddo to fight Jesus Christ at Jerusalem. At this great climactic battle of all ages, the Creator God will prevail, defeating puny humans in their attempt to conquer God.
Foolish military leaders will quickly learn how powerless they are against the omnipotent, divine power of God! Notice the horrible punishment wrought on those rebellious, evil armies: "And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths" (v. 12).
Jesus will totally conquer the greatest military combine ever assembled. He will return as King of kings and Lord of lords to bring this war-torn planet a thousand years of peace. "And the Lord shall be King over all the earth" (v. 9).
Christ will conquer all the armies opposing Him! He will usher in the Millennium of peace on earth, and teach all nations the way to peace. Then the Arabs and Israelis will be reconciled. "In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians. In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria; a blessing in the midst of the land, whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, ‘Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance’" (Isaiah 19:23–25).
After the world’s armies have been defeated, the Creator God will establish Jerusalem as the capital of the world. All nations will submit to the Kingdom of God on earth and finally learn the way to peace. "Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it. Many nations shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Micah 4:1–2).
The King of kings and the saints will reeducate the nations to the way of love, peace, and prosperity (see Daniel 7:18, 27). Under the rulership of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the way of sin, suffering, and war will pass away. "He shall judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore" (Micah 4:3).
Watch the Middle East
Jesus Christ warns us to be spiritually alert and watchful (Luke 21:36). But for what should we be watching in the turmoil and conflict of the Middle East?
Watch for continuing conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land. Palestinians remain strongly supportive of the intifada; a September 2002 poll by the Jerusalem Media and Communication Centre revealed that 81 percent want the intifada to continue until Israel gives in to Palestinian demands.
Watch for increasing demand for international intervention and control, not only in Gaza and the West Bank, but in Jerusalem itself. The Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, has himself lobbied for a United Nations peacekeeping force in Gaza and the West Bank. As the intifada continues, watch for more world leaders to join in demanding international control of Jerusalem.
Watch for increasing unity among Arab nations in their stand against Israel. Psalm 83, which we read earlier, lists those peoples who comprise Arabic and Muslim nations in the Middle East. They are supported by European groups in their strong opposition to Israel. "They have said, ‘Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.’ For they have consulted together with one consent; they form a confederacy against You" (Psalm 83:4–5). Watch for an end-time Arab/Muslim union or confederacy forming against Israel.
Watch for the European Union’s growing economic, political and military unification. As we saw in Daniel’s prophecy, the king of the North will eventually occupy the Holy Land. In November 2000, the European Union chose a German general to head its Rapid Reaction Force, envisioned to project European power to crisis zones over a 2,500-mile area by 2003. "Why should we have to go through NATO?" asked General Jean-Pierre Kelche, France’s Chief of Defense Staff, saying that the force would be operational even without NATO’s agreement. and that "the balance of power needed to be changed" ("EU Force Will Not Need NATO," London Daily Telegraph, March 28, 2001). Will these forces eventually play a significant part in the Middle East conflict? Watch the development of Europe’s own military forces.
Watch for the preparation and eventual implementation of animal sacrifices by the Jews in Jerusalem. Many believe a physical temple will also be built, but history and the book of Ezra confirm that sacrifices can be conducted with just an altar at the holy place.
Watch for the increasing consolidation of religious power in Europe. Visiting Austria in 1983, Pope John Paul II appealed for European unity, stating: "Europeans should overcome the menacing international confrontations of states and alliances, and create a new united Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals" (The Principality and Power of Europe, Adrian Hilton, p. 36).
Ultimate Peace
Jerusalem has a glorious prophesied future ahead. It will be the capital of planet earth under the rulership of the Prince of Peace and King of kings, Jesus Christ. That is good news for all the nations—for you, your children and your grandchildren. But we need to remember that peace can only come about in the lives of human beings when their human nature is changed. God will grant the vast majority of all peoples the gift of His Spirit. Then they shall learn how to find the way to peace.
The whole world will learn God’s ways. "Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore" (Isaiah 2:3–4).
Jerusalem will not only be the governmental capital of the world; it will also be the educational capital of the world. The great Educator and Teacher, the Lord Jesus Christ, will teach true knowledge based on the Word of God. All nations will learn the eternal principles, laws and values that guarantee peace and prosperity to all.
This is the good news of your future, and the future of the world. At the heart of the Middle East—and of the entire world—Jerusalem will be the center of world government, education, and religion. The Creator God will guarantee future world peace (Micah 4:1–3), "for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken" (v. 4). We all look forward to the peace and reconciliation that only the Messiah, Jesus Christ, can bring to the Middle East—and to the whole world. In the meantime, Jesus tells us to watch and pray (Mark 13:33). He exhorts us in verse 37: "And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"
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Islam in History and Prophecy
By William Bowmer
Islam is the faith of more than a billion people; it is a driving force behind Middle East conflict and a mystery to many. How did it first develop, and how will it affect end-time prophetic events? The Bible provides some startling answers!
Islam, the faith of more than a billion people and a driving force behind Middle East conflict, is a mystery to many. How did this growing religion first develop, and how will it affect end-time prophetic events? What will be the fate of its adherents? With prophecy speeding up as we approach the end of the age, we need to understand the truth about Islam!
Muslim protesters gather on Israel's West Bank chanting Allahu akbar (Arabic for "God is great") as they call for the destruction of the Jewish nation. On the Temple Mount in Jerusalem-revered by both Muslims and Jews-worshipers are killed in Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. In the name of Islam, Muslim militants such as Osama bin-Laden mastermind terrorist attacks against non-Muslims.
Salaam is the Arabic word for "peace." From salaam is derived Islam-the name of a religion which claims descent from Abraham and has more than a billion adherents around the globe. Yet amid growing Middle East tensions, news reports increasingly associate Islam with violence, rather than peace.
Even so, Islam is gaining popularity in the United States and other British-descended nations. More than 1.5 million Muslims live in Great Britain. The U.S. is home to more Muslims than Methodists, according to the United States Information Agency, which reports that by the year 2010 there will be more Muslims than Jews in the U.S., making Islam the nation's second-largest faith. Islam's growth in the U.S. has been recent; an April 2001 study coordinated by Hartford Seminary revealed that 87 percent of the country's 1,209 mosques (houses of worship) were founded since 1970, and 20 percent in just the last five years. Of the 7 million American Muslims, only one-eighth are of Arab ancestry; 29 percent are new converts, most of whom come from the African-American community.
Islam is a worldwide phenomenon claiming more than a billion of the earth's six billion human beings as adherents. What will be their destiny? Will pious Muslims go to a heavenly paradise after death, as their religion teaches? Will they burn forever in a fiery Hell, as many non-Muslims believe? Or does God have something else planned for them? How will this religion, which has grown from the deserts of Arabia to the heartland of America, affect prophesied end-time events?
Arabian Roots
Muhammad was born in 570ad in the Arabian city of Mecca. His mother died when he was six years old; he was reared by his uncle, a successful trader with whom, at age 12, he first traveled to Syria. Before Muhammad had reached age 20, he had visited Damascus, Jerusalem, Aleppo and other cities throughout the region; by age 25 he had married Khadija, a wealthy widow 15 years his senior.
Although Jewish traders dominated Mecca's commerce, its religious landscape was dominated by a polytheist temple-the Kaaba-containing a black stone that, according to local traditions, Abraham had received from the angel Gabriel. Some members of Muhammad's Quraishi tribe believed that Adam and Eve had built the Kaaba; others credited it to Abraham and Ishmael. From his contacts with Jewish traders, Muhammad could understand that the polytheistic worship in the Kaaba would have been unacceptable to Adam and Eve, or to Abraham and Ishmael.
In 610ad, after six months spent meditating in a cave at Mount Hira, Muhammad announced that he had received, through the angel Gabriel, a revelation from God. Soon he was proclaiming a new religion called Islam (Arabic for "submission"). Facing opposition, Muhammad fled with his followers to Yathrib (later renamed Medina) in 622ad, where he took control of the city and prepared for his conquest of Mecca in 630ad. Throughout this time, Muhammad claimed an ongoing series of special revelations via the angel Gabriel; after his death in 632ad, these revelations were compiled into the book now called the Quran. Muslims consider this book the inerrant word of God.
Islam is divided into several branches; the two most prominent are the Sunni and Shia, which diverged in a leadership dispute soon after Muhammad's death, but are united in upholding the "Five Pillars" of Islam-prayer, almsgiving, fasting, pilgrimage to Mecca and the basic statement of Muslim faith, that "there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet."
Muslims abstain from alcohol. They have their own laws of clean and unclean meats, and refuse to eat pork, carnivorous animals or flesh sacrificed to idols (though various biblically prohibited foods, such as camel, are considered "clean" in Islamic law). Muslims keep what they consider a "sabbath" day, though theirs is Friday rather than the biblical seventh-day Sabbath.
Most Muslims belong to the Sunni branch, which takes the Quran, supplemented by the Hadiths (sayings of Muhammad) and Shariah (Islamic law), as the guiding force behind Islam. The Shia branch, however, looks also to the office of Imam as spiritual head of the faith. Over the years, the Sunni and Shia have developed slightly different standards of Islamic practice and jurisprudence. Their differences, however, are smaller than those between Roman Catholics and Protestants, and these two Muslim divisions do not consider themselves separate sects.
Nevertheless, Muslim intrareligious quarrels can be fierce. Middle East expert Daniel Pipes offered this analysis: "Islamic schisms start as political quarrels and only later acquire theological overtones. In particular, the greatest divide between Muslims, that separating Sunnis and Shi'is, has powerful political implications.… more than one-half of Iraq's population adheres to the same Twelver Shi'i version of Islam that prevails in Iran. This engenders deep fears of a Shi'i rebellion in Iraq" ("A Border Adrift," Pipes, The Iran-Iraq War, 1983). Muslims in Iran and Iraq fought one another from September 1980 to August 1988 in a war which resulted in nearly a million deaths, more than a million wounded and multiple millions made refugees.
Despite such intrareligious conflict, Scripture tells of a coming Arab-Muslim confederacy. In Psalm 83, King David of ancient Israel reveals that Israel's adversaries will achieve at least a degree of unity in the not-too-distant future. In verses 6-7, David lists by their ancient names the peoples who will join together in an anti-Israel confederacy-Arab and Muslim nations of the Middle East, supported by sympathetic elements in Europe-seeking to wipe Israel from the face of the earth!
Already, some in the Middle East are calling for a "united front" against Israel. Last April, representatives from more than 30 Muslim nations backed a Palestinian call for a continued uprising against not only Israel, but also against Egypt and Jordan, which have peace treaties with Israel. "Muslims are getting united against Israel," Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior official of the radical Muslim group Hamas, told the Associated Press on April 25. "Our people will not give up the Israeli aggression," Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin confirmed in a May 11 Reuters interview.
This prophesied future development, though, is far removed from the daily lives of most Muslims today, especially those in Western countries. The few Muslims who have engaged in terrorist acts in the U.S., such as the attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, are a distinct minority; many more American Muslims display the American flag proudly on Independence Day, and join in the civic life of a democratic nation.
Influence of Jews and Christians
Mecca and Medina, in Muhammad's day, were cosmopolitan Arabian cities visited by traders from many lands. Traveling with his family of successful traders, Muhammad interacted with Jews and professing Christians-a fact significant for Islam's development.
Muhammad taught that Islam was the religion of Abraham, and that the Jews practiced a corrupted form of the true religion. Originally, Muhammad taught Muslims to pray facing Jerusalem; only after the Jews rejected Muhammad's message did he change the direction of worship to Mecca.
Many stories in the Quran are similar to those in the Bible, but differ in important details. Most Jews and Christians recall that God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac (cf. Genesis 22), but stopped him at the last minute after Abraham had demonstrated his obedience. A version of this story also occurs in the Quran (Sura 37:90-122), but Muslims believe that Ishmael, not Isaac, was offered for sacrifice.
To understand this variation and others like it, we must remember that the Arabs of Muhammad's day understood that they and the Jews were fellow Semitic peoples, descended from Abraham. The Jews came through Sarah's son Isaac, the Arabs through Hagar's son Ishmael. Scripture explains the relationship between these two brothers: "And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year" (Genesis 17:20-21). God made His covenant through Isaac's descendants, though Ishmael too was blessed. The Bible tells us of Ishmael's nature and his role in a continuing conflict: "He shall be a wild man; his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren" (Genesis 16:12). The descendants of Isaac and Ishmael are brothers, but these peoples have been party to a bitter rivalry from the first.
"People of The Book"
The Quran calls Jews and Christians "People of the Book"-people to whom God gave Scripture. With this designation comes a measure of respect; Muslims are told (Sura 29:46) to "be courteous when you argue with the People of the Book." Yet the Quran asserts (Sura 5:13) that the Jews tampered with the Book that God gave them-the Old Testament.
By contrast, the Apostle Paul wrote: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). When Paul wrote those words, "Scripture" meant the Old Testament-the books from which Jesus Christ taught. We know that Scripture cannot be broken (cf. John 10:35), so to reject the Old Testament, as Muslims do, is also to reject Jesus Christ.
By the 7th century, many professing Christians had drifted far away from the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Apostles. Muhammad encountered many who professed belief in a "Trinity," and many who venerated Jesus' mother Mary as the "mother of God." The Quran attacks these beliefs in a peculiar way, proclaiming a strict monotheism by denouncing the idea that Mary is a member of the Trinity (Sura 5:114-116). Yet not even the Christian denominations that venerate Mary as the "mother of God" have called her a part of the Trinity!
If the Quran were a divinely inspired book, would it attack a belief that did not exist? One might instead suspect that these verses reflect Muhammad's human revulsion at the excessive Marian devotions that had infiltrated Christianity, which he would have seen when meeting traders passing through the very cosmopolitan city of his upbringing.
Muslims revere Jesus as a great prophet, but do not consider Him God. Muhammad taught that Jesus was not crucified, but was taken to heaven-and a substitute appeared to die in His place (Sura 4:157). This is strikingly similar to some Gnostic teachings Muhammad would have encountered in his travels.
The Quran affirms Christ's virgin birth, but in doing so appears to confuse the identities of Miriam, the sister of Moses, and Mary the mother of Jesus. In Sura 19:28, Christ's mother is called the "sister of Aaron"-a phrase which everywhere else in the Quran refers to Miriam. In response, Muslims suggest that "sister of Aaron" is a generic term meaning "virtuous woman" even though such a usage occurs nowhere else in the Quran.
To reconcile the many inconsistencies, Muslims teach that a Gospel account called the Injil once existed, corroborating Muslim accounts of Jesus' life, but that this Injil has been lost or suppressed. Biblical archaeology, however, makes this claim hard to defend. Manuscripts of the earliest Gospels-containing material that contradicts Muslim teachings-have been found, dated to within decades of Christ's life, but no similar findings of this hypothetical Injil have been documented.
Afterlife and Jihad
In Christ's day, Jews held varying expectations of the afterlife. Some, like the Sadducees, understood that we simply cease to exist at death. However, even in Christ's day, many Jews had become influenced by Hellenistic and Eastern concepts of the immortal soul, and believed that all souls continue in an incorporeal form after death, whether in a pleasant Heaven, a shadowy Sheol or a fiery Hell.
By the 7th century, nearly everyone around Muhammad taught some form of the doctrine of the immortal soul. It was this doctrine, rather than the accurate Biblical teaching, that found its way into Islam. According to the Quran, the souls of the righteous will, after death, "delight for ever in what their souls desire" (Sura 21:99). Each will be in "a blissful state in a lofty garden, with clusters of fruit within his reach" (Sura 69:20). The souls of the wicked, however, will be cast into a fiery eternal Hell in which their torments will never end: "The evil doers shall endure for ever the torment of Hell, which will not be assuaged for them; they shall be speechless with despair" (Sura 43:73). Another account: "Those that deny Our revelations We will burn in fire. No sooner will their skins be consumed than We shall give them other skins, so that they may truly taste the scourge" (Sura 4:56).
Muslim theology includes the concept of jihad, or struggle, and teaches that those who succeed in jihad, and give their lives to it, will be promoted to the highest rewards offered in Heaven. In most circumstances, jihad is understood as the struggle to live a righteous life-"overcoming" would be a close synonym. But in the context of war, jihad takes on a more foreboding implication. Muslims have come to believe that if they die on the battlefield while spreading Islam, they will assure themselves of a glorious salvation. Many Muslims denounce this militaristic understanding of jihad, but it remains a powerful force in the Muslim world, a tool often used by rulers to incite nationalistic passions in their peoples.
Muslims acknowledge that they will not bring about a righteous world by themselves. Particularly in the Shia branch of Islam, a "righteous one" or Mahdi is expected at the end of the age. Some expect Jesus to be that Mahdi; most expect Jesus to return from heaven after the Mahdi, to judge the nations and destroy false religious teachings.
Yes, Muslims are awaiting Jesus' return! But the Jesus for whom they wait is not the true Jesus Christ of the Bible. A false Christ coming shortly before the return of the real Jesus Christ could use Muslim prophecies to sway hundreds of millions of Muslims into following him (cf. Matthew 24:4-5).
What Is Ahead for Muslims?
In an age when many professing Christians have abandoned the values and practices taught by Christ, devout Muslims may seem in many respects more godly in their conduct than many of today's so-called Christians. Prayer and fasting and almsgiving are integral parts of Muslims' lives. Devout Muslims seek fervently to overcome their sinful natures.
But no matter what their "good works," Muslims face a dilemma. True Christians, accepting Jesus Christ's sacrifice and letting Him live His life in them (Galatians 2:20), can produce good works by yielding to their living Savior. Without Christ, Muslims contend in vain against the flesh. But after Christ returns, today's Muslims will have their true chance to accept the living Jesus Christ as Savior.
Jesus Christ will indeed return-not as Muslims expect, but as the "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16). After He returns, former Muslims will see that the ideals and values they sought to uphold are fulfilled perfectly not by the man-made laws of Islam, but by the God-given law administered by Jesus Christ, when all human beings learn true submission to God's perfect love in that thousand-year period of peace and justice-the "Millennium"-that we call Tomorrow's World.
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Islam in History and Prophecy
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Only a Fool Says,
"There is No God!"
(HOW FERDIE, THE PHANTOM FUNGUS, FOILS EVOLUTION!)
Evolutionists hate questions such as "Which came first, the chicken, or the egg?" Symbiosis is another subject they hate. For, if all life gradually evolved from simple to complex, how can they explain TWO life forms, living together, in a "symbiotic relationship"; each one unable to survive without the other? Here is a humorous look at how Ferdie the phantom fungus fouls up evolutionists!
by Garner Ted Armstrong
What if you had a painting over your fireplace, or on the wall in your living room, picturing a shapeless blob—an amoeba? If you were an evolutionist, when visitors asked about the blob, you could say, proudly, "Oh, that's a distant ancestor of mine!"
Did you and I come from lovesick amoeba? Did your intelligent mind gradually evolve from single-celled animals into sponges and sea anemones? Did your more recent ancestors shed their fins and gills, climb ashore, and begin dragging their knuckles along the ground as they searched for food?
For if evolution is to be believed, just such a scenario took place! "In the beginning," say evolutionists, "was the hydrogen atom." So gargantuan was this one atom that it represented all the matter in the universe! Then, one day, it EXPLODED! Hurtling out in all directions away from this "big bang" were countless billions upon billions of portions of that one gigantic atom. These jagged, shapeless pieces of the atom gradually assumed round shapes. Some became huge stars. Others became planets.
Astonishing? Yes. And as untrue as any of Grimms Fairy Tales.
But, believe it or not, the "big bang" theory is the most commonly accepted explanation for the origin of the universe, the solar system, and our earth with all life upon it. By no means will God-defying evolutionists accept the language of Genesis, "In the beginning, God created..."
But the existence of God can be proved, while evolution remains only an empty theory. David said "Only the fool hath said in his heart, There is no God!" This world is filled with educated fools.
One would think those who are most qualified to know about God are those who make a career out of science; the physical sciences especially, such as biology, mineralogy, geology, paleontology and the like. Speaking of the educated fools of his day; the pagan Greek and Roman philosophers, Paul wrote, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold [Greek: kataballo, meaning, hold back: "suppress"] the truth in unrighteousness;
"Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them.
"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen [by observing the physical properties of matter; by looking at all life forms on earth], being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
"And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.
"Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves [many were homosexuals]:
"Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen" (Romans 1:18-25).
Pagan philosophers fancied themselves extremely intelligent, erudite. In the vanity of their darkened minds, they preened themselves about their "knowledge." Yet, they rejected revealed knowledge, as well as simple logic, and, building elaborate hypotheses about the origin of things and the nature of man, wandered far afield from what their own eyes should have told them. That is this: Law requires a Lawgiver. Life requires a Life Source; a Lifegiver. Design and symmetry require a Designer. The operation of all laws require a Sustainer. They should have known that life is sustained by life, and that life comes only from preexisting life of the same kind!
Of course, fulfilled prophecy and answered prayer are positive proofs of God, but no agnostic or evolutionist would ever admit the truth about these two major subjects.
Symbiosis — Two Life Forms Living Together
You and I could not live without the flowering plants. Which came first, animals or plants? Animals breathe oxygen produced by plants and diatoms in the sea. Plants absorb carbon dioxide given off by man and animals as they extract oxygen from the air, and breathe out carbon dioxide.
You and I could not live without the helpful bacteria in our bodies. Which came first, the bacteria, which cannot live apart from our bodies, or our human bodies?
Flowering fruit and nut trees cannot live without bees and insects to pollinate them. Which came first, the plants, or the bees?
Throughout all nature, there are countless examples of symbiosis—two completely different life forms, each one contributing to the survival of the other. Obviously, they HAD to come into existence at the same time! Yet, this is utterly devastating to the theory of evolution! Now, let's investigate an outstanding example of symbiosis, which PROVES the existence of a divine, all-powerful Creator God!
The Humble Lichen — Is It Really Simple?
A few years ago, I had climbed to above timber line in Colorado's Sangre de Cristo range above the San Luis Valley. Here, at above 12,500 feet, the air was too thin for trees to survive. Yet, in a kaleidoscope of fabulous color; rusts, reds, ochers, umbers, greens, whites, blacks, were many varieties of lichens, clinging to virtually every rock in sight.
Such elevations are extremely inhospitable to man. In only a few cases, such as the fabled Incas of the Andes and the Nepalese in the Himalayas are humans and animals found at such elevations. Yet, everywhere I looked vivid, colorful life abounded—lichens.
Lichens are probably the hardiest plants in the world. They thrive in the highest elevations, and in the coldest climes. They can exist where no other kind of life can exist; even three hundred feet under the surface of the ocean. What kind of nutrition can be found on a rock? Do they "eat" the rock? They are seen clinging to tree bark, decaying wood, rocks; on the soil, or even growing on each other.
Evolutionists seem to think lichens are "simple." Therefore, they have dubbed these plants as the "lowliest" of all the plants. One late scientist even called them "poor trash of the plant kingdom." A lichely story! But the gentleman who disdained lichens has long since returned to the soil from which he came, to eventually be resurrected into the great judgement of God, when he will learn with astonishment that his rejection of God was utterly foolish. As a ploy of evolution, many of the most puzzling and complex forms of life are called "simple," and therefore dismissed, as unworthy of the layman's notice; unworthy of serious consideration.
The reason evolutionists attempt to dismiss the lichen with such harsh words is because lichens present an insurmountable problem for evolution. They are an outstanding example of symbiosis; of two different kinds of plants living together; neither capable of surviving without the other.
Lichens — Incredibly Complex!
Look up lichens in your encyclopedia. Here is what it will tell you: "LICHEN, a plant developed [sic] through the effect on each other of two entirely different kinds of plant that grow together to make a single organism. Each participant belongs to a different order of the plant kingdom. One is a fungus, a type of mushroom or mold; the other is an alga, in this case a microscopic single green cell..." The name of the alga most commonly found in lichens is Protococcus from Greek protos, meaning "first," and kokkos, meaning "seed."
Later, the encyclopedia admits, "The unique place of lichen in the plant kingdom relies, not upon the interdependence of two kinds of plant—which is common, for example in parasites—but upon the way in which the two plants stimulate each other so that together they form a third type of plant unlike either of the two originators. The lichen has its own peculiar structure, its own life and ways of growing and reproducing. Such a merging of two kinds of plant to conjure up a third kind that will reproduce true to kind is a biological anomaly" (Encyclopedia Americana, Vol. 17, p. 360, emphasis mine).
An "anomaly" is something which is "out of place." Something which doesn't belong! The dictionary says: "ANOMALY: departure from the rule; irregularity." Evolutionists continually come across these "anomalies"; things in nature which are supposedly not normal. Actually, evolutionists might as well say ALL NATURE IS AN ANOMALY, since nature is FILLED with countless thousands of contradictions to their empty theory that life came from the not living!
Their so-called geologic succession of strata represents billions upon billions of tons of anomalies, since their entire catalogue of a so-called orderly succession of strata is shot through with errors (If you have not yet read my brochure entitled "The BIG LIE of Evolutionists and Agnostics," which investigates the so-called "Geologic Succession of Strata," please call or write for your free copy).
Is a lichen really something apart from the normal? Not at all—except when it defies the theory of evolution.
Lichens, and hundreds upon hundreds of life forms, including humans, animals, fish, insects, and plants are living together in symbiosis. Therefore, symbiosis is found normally throughout the creation. However, when the befuddled minds of stubborn evolutionists encounter the impossible task of explaining how these symbiotic relationships could have evolved they speak of them as "trash" and claim they are an "anomaly." What arrogance! What educated stupidity! In a debate, it is obvious when one begins to personally attack his opponent that he has lost the argument. One would think an evolutionist would be embarrassed to put his name to such ridiculous statements as calling one of God's intricate creations "poor trash," but they do so in order to dispose of an otherwise nettlesome problem for their empty theory!
Now, think! How could these two completely different kinds of living things have linked up? How could one have survived without the other? How could one have come into being without the other? How could they then begin to reproduce a completely different, third kind of plant which breeds true to kind?
Because they have no real answers for such questions, evolutionists call lichens "radical!" Listen:
"Their radical evolutionary innovation—the employment of living algae to furnish them with the primary products of photosynthesis—has nonetheless enabled them to infiltrate ecological niches on earth where nothing else can survive" (Makenzie Lamb, writing for Scientific American. Emphasis mine).
Fantastic. So these so-called "poor trash" plants are capable of radical innovation. Not only that, but they were able to somehow reason, plan, and bring into being a process to furnish themselves with the necessary means of survival! Then, deviously, they were able, like so many little fifth column agents, to "infiltrate ecological niches...where nothing else can survive."
Which are they, "poor trash," or "planning, thinking, scheming, radical innovators"? Of course, to get rid of the problem, evolutionists simply call them "anomalies," and move on to the next subject like politicians and preachers are prone to do when questioned closely about the doctrines and political issues. When you can't explain something, either ignore it, ridicule it, or simply change the subject. If you are dishonest, that is.
One of the primary forces supposedly guiding evolution is the required adaptability of thousands upon thousands of species of plant and animal life so as to survive. The "survival of the fittest" is what it is all about.
Notice carefully what this evolutionist author said. The lichens were able to innovate. That means to do something new, and unusual; a departure from the norm. They have been able to employ living algae to furnish themselves with the primary products of photosynthesis.
That means they were able to "utilize, manipulate, hire, use, gain by, exploit," living algae. Wow! Sounds more like a clever lawyer plunging into the stock market, or cranking up a company! But a dumb, simple, piece of trash did all this? Just HOW did lichens do all this?
I can step outside my home here in East Texas, and observe several kinds of grey, rust, reddish and yellow lichens clinging to the bark of many kinds of hardwoods; hackberry, hickory, oak and elm trees. Here, the elevation is a mere 460 feet above sea level.
So why did lichens need to sneakily creep into "ecological niches" where nothing else can survive? The answer is, they didn't. They were created at creation, and appeared on trees and rocks just before Adam and Eve walked the earth. But returning to our flight of fancy with evolutionary thought, since there are billions of lichens all over the forests at very low elevations, why did they need to develop such a complex system of life so as to creep into a harsh, barren, bitterly cold, wind-swept, lifeless environment like the Brooks Range in Alaska, or well above timberline in Colorado, or the Hindu Kush, or the Pamir Knot?
Why migrate to the sea, and gradually creep ever deeper, until they are found deeper down than any other kind of plant life? What power, or force, or stimulus, caused all this? Obviously, they didn't need to sneakily "infiltrate" these ecological niches at all, for they are surviving quite well at 460 feet!
But remember! Evolution is based upon the "survival of the fittest!" The only driving force which could have caused lichens to show up in such amazingly different habitats, according to evolution, is that they could not have survived unless they did!
But wait! Since they are found from the very highest mountains to the depths of the sea, it becomes obvious this whole premise; the "infiltration of ecological niches" as the evolutionist put it, is PROOF THE THEORY IS RIDICULOUS!
But notwithstanding plain logic, let's try to use our imaginations. After all, that is what evolutionists do all the time!
Let your mind wander back—back—far, far back—no, much further back! Back into the dimmest reaches of time when there were no lichens as yet. Let us now focus our attention on an ancient forest floor (forgetting, for the moment, how the trees, shrubs, grasses and flowers got there, or where the sun and moon came from, or what causes gravity, or where water came from, or photosynthesis, or the animals walking about under the trees, or, or, or...).
Suddenly, under our powerful, imaginary microscope, we see Ferdie the fungus, furtively floating like a phantom! He is a tiny free-floating fungus spore. He is hanging suspended in the air. We don't know where he came from, for there are no other fungi in the whole world as yet [remember! He had to come from SOMEWHERE, for there had to be a very FIRST fungus!], but there he is. What is he, we wonder? Looking closely, we think he may resemble the spores (which do not yet exist) from a mushroom. But there are no mushrooms, yet. Fungi is the Latin word for "mushroom." Next time you go to an Italian restaurant, you might notice some of Ferdie's offspring offered with your food. You see, it makes scientists sound much more intelligent to use Latin, and Greek, than English. Besides, "mushroom" is a bit confusing. What does it mean? A room filled with mush? Or a room where one eats corn meal mush? So they use Latin, or Greek.
We find that there are many, many kinds of fungi, which are slime-like, algae-like, watery, like mildew, blue and green molds, powdery mildews, spherical fungi, cup and club fungi, and many others.
Little did phantom Ferdie the free-floating fungus know that he would "evolve" from an original free-floating fungus into a whole new world of incredible organisms that help break down and decay dead organic matter (and therefore could not have survived unless there was dead organic matter about before they "evolved"). Little did Ferdie realize that some of his less desirable offspring would become parasitic fungi, which can blight crops and trees, and become a disastrous disease, costing countless dollars to agriculture! Had he known this, he might well have drifted in the air until, running out of whatever it was he was feeding upon, he starved to death, or, failing to find a comfortable mate (we're coming to this) simply fell on a hard piece of granite and died.
But forgetting for the moment all his future difficulties, let's get back to Ferdie, our furtive, free-loading, free-floating, phantom fungus of the forest. (Can't you just hear the little animals saying, "Oh no! There is a fungus among us"?).
Somehow, though he has no brain, Ferdie knows he must find an alga and link up with it (or her, perhaps?), or he cannot survive. A chance puff of wind carries his microscopic little body directly into the clutches of the only alga to ever have evolved, which just "happens" to be in the immediate vicinity. Think of it! A tiny, microscopic alga—the ONLY ONE IN THE UNIVERSE—had to "evolve" SEPARATELY, in order to link up with Ferdie!
But the alga could not have survived separately! Notwithstanding this impossible difficulty; notwithstanding the possibility that the little alga COULD have popped into existence 8 or 9,000 miles away, perhaps in the Atlas Mountains in Africa, THERE SHE WAS!
Thankfully, they both evolved together, suddenly, and within a few feet or yards of each other! Wow! Isn't evolution wonderful? The incredible planning of evolution; the design of evolution; the carefully thought-out, intricately developed creative ability of "evolution" is mind-boggling, indeed, isn't it? Of course, when one worships "nature," always called "mother" instead of "father," and endows blind chance with all this power and design, one does not need to worry about any God or His laws which regulate all life—much less worry about the punishments for sin.
But back to our fanciful story--er--our scientific investigation of Ferdie's fanciful flight to find his future friend and fellow-survivor, Alice, the alga!
Immediately, the little alga we shall call "Alice," clutches the phantom fungus Ferdie to her green, ugly body, and the two begin (blush!) happily surviving together.
What luck! think of the billions of years it must have taken for Ferdie to evolve in the first place—to become the very first fungus spore! Then think of the difficulty for Alice the alga to have evolved separately, and to have done so not just within a few million years, or even ten years, but on the same afternoon the thermals in the forest bore little Ferdie to her bosom! Instantly, the two became twitterpated.
One would think the opposite. One would assume Alice would say, "Ugh! An ugly spore, and he's looking at me!" Then, she would attempt to slowly creep away. One would think Ferdie would say, "Ugh! An ugly piece of green, slimy, something or other. No way she's getting her clutches on me!" and stay airborne for another few hours, looking for some other alga to help him survive. But there weren't any other algae about! They hadn't evolved yet.
But no, evolution requires that it was love at first sight—er, clutch.
Soon, tiny, coral-like growths called "isidia" begin growing around the rim of the "fruiting body" which is what Phantom Ferdie the fungus and Alice the alga have formed. Each little bud which breaks off is a complete lichen, composed of both fungus and alga, and capable of reproduction after their own kind. Wow! What a major miracle Ferdie and Alice have wrought. Neither could have come into existence without the other. But, suddenly, there they were! And their very first attempt was successful! They produced little Alfred, and little Ferdie, Junior. Except they had to name them Alfreda and Alferda, because each were created possessing both sexes! What a problem for evolution! No wonder they would like students who read their text books to dismiss lichens as "poor trash" and "anomalies," and go on to something more interesting, like how dolphins and whales used to be four-footed quadrupeds who could climb trees. (Really! — this is what evolutionists say!).
You see, a lichen is composed of a fungus and an alga. Each of these microscopic, living organisms live in close association with each other. The special kind of lichen fungi never live alone, like other fungi do. They can only live in close association with lichens. The alga and the fungus contribute to the welfare of each other by storing water, sending "roots" down into the porous holes in rocks, or into tree bark, producing food through photosynthesis, and by "feeding" upon the decaying organic material.
Oops! Another terrible problem for evolutionists! Lichen fungi, like Ferdie, have no means of photosynthesis and would quickly die unless they were linked with an alga. Good old Ferdie. He found Alice just in time, or there would not be a single lichen about!
Talk about "Alice in wonderland!" Alice the alga—the very first, one of her kind, never before, suddenly "evolved" (suddenly? This is anathema to evolution!), in just the right place, at just the right time, to find, not her prince charming, such as another alga, but this time an ugly, misshapen, "spore" floating around in the breeze! But notwithstanding these insurmountable difficulties, IT HAPPENED! (Well, not really, but for evolution to be true, something like this HAD to happen!).
Alice does all the work. The cells in her body manufactures food for both of them, since Ferdie is incapable of it. But Ferdie does his part too, for he provides the incredibly complex structure which binds both of them together, and serves as a storage tank for water and fat, so that Ferdie and Alice can survive together during the dry season.
Of course, the very first time Ferdie found Alice (neither of whom could have previously existed—so they didn't exist—so there wasn't any possibility of lichens "evolving," so lichens don't exist, today. But they do, so...), neither of them knew anything about any approaching "dry season." Furthermore, they had never had time to reason out and plan for the sneaky maneuver to "infiltrate" the frozen tundra to the North. After all, just how many trillions of generations of lichens did there have to be to drop little "buds" and "fruiting bodies" beside themselves, or to be carried by a chance gust of wind from a temperate zone forest to the Brooks Range or across the Atlantic, down the length of the Mediterranean, across the Mideast, and into Nepal and the Himalayas?
So, when the very first dry season came along, foolish phantom, formerly-free-floating Ferdie, now "married" to ugly Alice, not knowing he should have stored all that water and fat, was happily munching on the food Alice gave him. Along came the dry, hot summer, and they dried up and died. So there are no lichens around today. But there are. Therefore, the very first time either came into existence, they had to somehow "know" (without having any brains) how to store up against the dry season together.
Look closely at Ferdie and Alice, as they exist, we assume happily, together. There is an "apothecium," or "fruiting body" on the surface of the lichen. Without invading their privacy, or delving too deeply into just HOW this is done, suffice it to say Ferdie and Alice are producing tiny, microscopic spores as a result of their chance encounter. They are so light in weight that they hang suspended above the fruiting body in the air; borne aloft by the tiniest changes in temperature, which causes hot air to rise from the forest floor.
How did they get into the air? Well, somehow, Ferdie and Alice "evolved" this cup-shaped "fruiting body," which forcibly ejects the spores into the air. What luck! What good fortune! All about them are deer and elk, forcibly ejecting various substances onto the ground. Why didn't Ferdie and Alice simply drop their spores beneath them? Perchance they did, for the first few millions or billions of years. But as they did, the spores, incapable of putting down roots, simply died. But there couldn't have been any spores, because Ferdie and Alice had already died, millions of years earlier! But, somehow, the very first time a fungus and an alga came together in marital bliss, they joyfully ejected their little spores into the air.
Chance gusts of wind carry them about. Some are carried here and there on the fur of animals (where did they come from?) or birds' feet (same question).
The trouble is, we encounter a myriad different types, sizes, shapes and colors of lichens as we look at the forest floor. Some of them have rows and rows of fruiting bodies. Others have large, saucer-shaped fruiting bodies which ooze slime, instead of eject spores (Alice the alga should counsider herself fortunate—what if she had evolved into a piece of slime, and met "Slippery Simon, the sticky, slick, slithering slime"?). They are black, grey, brown, rust, yellow, orange, ochre, green, bluish, red, and white, and every shade in between.
Then, as the spores are carried about, or as they drop off, or ooze out, they must encounter some algae cells of precisely the correct kind, or they cannot reproduce.
Therefore, evolutionists would tell us, they must have "evolved" at the same time—together. But evolution requires billions and billions of years. Ejecting spores into the air takes place in only a few seconds! Oozing slime is to no avail, unless the slime, with its spores, comes into contact with the exact kind of algae needed to reproduce. Since the algae of this kind cannot reproduce without the slime from the correct kind of lichen, and the lichen slime cannot reproduce without encountering the correct kind of algae, which came first, Slippery Simon the slime, or Ferdie the Phantom Fungus and Alice the Alga?
What if the algae "evolved" in Siberia, but the lichen which oozes slime "evolved" in Montana? Problem! Neither could have survived. So they don't exist today. But they do. Therefore, they had to come into existence, in myriad numbers, all over the world at the same precise moment in time!
Lichenologists are not sure how some of them reproduce at all. Some reproduce tiny pieces of lichen, while others produce spores which must unite with algae. Says one authority, "The role that spores play in the propagation of lichens is completely unknown, for no one has ever followed the development of a lichen thallus from a germinated fungal spore...We must admit that the most significant aspect of lichens, their reproduction, is still a mystery" (LICHEN HANDBOOK, A Guide To The Lichens Of Eastern North America, by Mason Hale).
It is at least as much a mystery how anyone who studies lichens can avoid throwing up his hands in despair and admitting, "You know, I think there might be a Creator God who did all this, after all!"
Ferdie and Alice were not only sneakily capable of "infiltrating" the frozen North, but were capable of reproducing, not only after their own kind, but dozens of incredibly complex, intricate lichens and fungi—multiple trillions and quintillions of offspring, and not a clue as to how they could have evolved, when neither could have survived without the other!
Furthermore, they are found from thousands of feet above sea level to three hundred feet beneath the surface of the ocean; the deepest kind of plant life known to exist! How? Why do this? Was it necessary to survive? Did they "migrate" to the depths of the oceans, and to the heights of the Rocky Mountains?
Even a slug can travel faster than a lichen, clinging to a rock. Isn't it all incredible? Evolutionists are like wide-eyed children, sitting in front of a Disney cartoon, assuming all they see is true; that deer talk, and ducks wear only a jacket, but no trousers! They are like fascinated day-dreamers, conjuring up the weirdest fiction, and attempting to pass it on as fact.
Truly, only the fool hath said in his heart, "There is no God!"
Symbiosis is proof of a law in motion; an immutable, immovable absolute which governs many creatures in our environment, including man. Life is only possible because other life forms exist. You and I could not live without eating living plants and various kinds of fish and animal flesh. We could not digest our food, and it could not be carried into our bloodstream to feed our heart, liver, lungs and brain, without our miraculous bloodstream, with its dizzying array of blood cells and chemical compounds which make life possible.
Symbiosis is a PROOF OF GOD! It is absolute proof that life was CREATED AT ONCE; that it had an instantaneous BEGINNING! Whether clown fish and deadly sea anemones which live in symbiotic harmony, or Ferdie and Alice, happily producing spores, all symbiotic life forms prove the existence of an all-wise, all-powerful Creator God!
All about you is LIFE. Microscopic life, and living things which support life! You and I could not live without foods which come from the ground. Those foods could not grow without the bacteria which cause decay, producing rich soil. All life forms complement each other. Nothing lives or dies to itself. A tree falls in the forest, to decompose, and produce fertile soil for its offspring nearby. Your own body is host to many, many forms of life, including little yeast spores, which float about in the air.
If you could, at this moment, take a tiny piece of clean, clear glass, and touch it to your nose, then place it under a powerful microscope, you could identify these little yeast spores, clinging to the oils on your skin. And, who knows? Maybe one of Ferdie and Alice's little offspring would be smiling up at you, hoping you would drop them off on the nearest decaying log!
-End-
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The Real God: Proofs and Promises
By Douglas S. Winnail
Proof 1 —
Creation Demands a Creator
The theory of evolution postulates that the earth and the universe came into existence slowly over eons of time, or that the universe has always existed. The atheist astronomer Carl Sagan once stated that, "the Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be." However that simply is not true! Studies in cosmology have demonstrated in recent years that there was a time when the cosmos did not exist—that it had a beginning at a specific point in time. This is exactly what the Bible states. In Genesis 1:1 we read: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Both the Bible and the discoveries of science clearly indicate that the earth and the universe have not always existed.
Astronomers studying galactic motion have observed that the universe is expanding outward from a given point, but at a decreasing rate of speed. The universe appears to have begun with a large explosion. This is referred to as the "big bang." Scientists have been able to detect echoes of this explosion that still reverberate through the universe—called the "radiation echo" or "background noise." Stephen Hawking, a theoretical physicist at Cambridge University, has written that the big bang cosmology may reveal "the mind of God," and American astrophysicist George Smoot has suggested that background radiation represents "the handwriting of God" (Science, August 15, 1997, p. 890). Such evidence is forcing scientists to reevaluate long-cherished naturalistic theories.
Physicists have also formulated laws concerning thermodynamics. The First Law of Thermodynamics states that the amount of energy in the universe remains constant. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that the amount of usable energy in a closed system (the universe) is decreasing. This means the universe is running down—thus, "it could not have existed forever in the past and will not exist forever into the future" (When Skeptics Ask, Geisler and Brooks, 1996, p. 220). It had a beginning. The existence of radioactive elements (such as carbon-14) which decay at a measurable rate (called a half-life) also points to a time when those elements were made radioactive. Again this points to a beginning. This, too, is contrary to what evolutionists have theorized, but is consistent with Scripture.
But what causative agent brought the universe into being? Science operates on the principle that for every effect there is a cause. But what caused the "big bang?" Was it merely blind, natural forces, or was it an intelligent being, a Creator God who carefully planned it beforehand? Since this was a one-time event that was not observed or repeatable, the scientific method is of little value in rendering a decision on this matter. The subject of origins lies beyond the realm of scientific investigation. However, the Bible describes the origin of the universe and the earth in terms that are compatible with facts ascertained by scientists. The discovery that the universe had a definite beginning agrees with clear statements in the Bible.
Scripture repeatedly refers to God as the Creator of the physical earth and universe (Genesis 1; Isaiah 40:28; Mark 13:19; Revelation 4:11). However, the real God is concerned with far more than just the physical creation. The Bible also reveals there is also an ongoing spiritual dimension to God's creation.
The Apostle Paul writes that when a person chooses to turn from a self-centered way of life, and chooses to begin living by the teachings of Jesus Christ, that person becomes a "new creation" or a "new creature" (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15). As we will see, God has an incredible purpose for human beings who are willing to embark on this challenging spiritual journey. The Bible indicates very clearly there are more aspects to life than naturalistic science can discover. These aspects are revealed by the Creator—the real God of the universe—and are not discoverable in a laboratory by the scientific method! Creation, in all of its aspects, requires a creator.
Proof 2 —
Life Demands a Life-Giver
The origin of life presents another challenge to those who want to reject the idea of a supernatural God. Evolutionists have suggested that life formed spontaneously in a pool of chemicals as the earth cooled billions of years ago. We are told that carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and ammonia combined randomly, with the aid of solar energy and cosmic rays, to form amino acids and DNA molecules. Over eons of time, cells supposedly developed from these accidental combinations. While this may sound plausible, biochemists know better. Scientists who have tried to produce life by these methods have learned that it is much more difficult than their theories would suggest. A DNA molecule contains as much information as a volume of an encyclopedia. Proposing this evolutionary theory of life's origins is analogous to suggesting that an explosion in a junk yard could produce a fully assembled automobile—and that this automobile could then begin reproducing itself!
In the 1950s, Stanley Miller performed a simple experiment to see if these theories would actually work. He succeeded in producing some simple amino acids, and his experiment was hailed as proving that life could be generated spontaneously from non-living matter. However, the proclamations were premature. No one has yet produced life from a pool of chemicals (pre-biotic soups)—in spite of a lot of tinkering. Astrophysicist Hugh Ross comments: "Even under highly favorable conditions of a laboratory, these soups have failed to produce anything remotely resembling life. One problem is that they produce only a random distribution of left- and right-handed pre-biotic molecules… Life chemistry demands that all the molecules be either right- or left-handed. With all our learning and technology we cannot even come close to bringing life together in the lab" (The Creator and the Cosmos, Ross, 1993, p. 148).
Forty years after his initial experiment, Miller stated: "The problem of the origin of life has turned out to be much more difficult than I, and most other people, envisioned" (Scientific American, February 1991, p. 117). German biochemist Klaus Dose has observed that all the experimental efforts have "led to a better perception of the problem of the origin of life on earth rather than to its solution. At present all discussions on principal theories and experiments in the field either end in stalemate or in a confession of ignorance" (The Creation Hypothesis, Moreland, 1994, p. 176).
This is not surprising. Anaxamander of Miletus, the ancient Greek philosopher, also speculated that life could develop spontaneously from non-living matter. This superstitious idea prevailed until the 1800s when experiments done by Redi and Pasteur proved otherwise. These now-classic experiments revealed that maggots appearing in spoiled meat came not from the meat but from the eggs of flies that came in contact with the meat. Life came from life—not from non-life. Until recent decades, this was referred to as the law of biogenesis. Only in the last several decades—when scientists have attempted to generate life spontaneously to verify evolutionary theories—has this once-accepted law been ignored. Still, there is no evidence that exceptions to this law exist.
Human beings can speculate that life could be generated spontaneously from non-living matter, but the facts do not agree with these speculations. Man has not been able to produce life—in spite of considerable effort on the part of highly intelligent individuals. Scripture portrays God as creating life. In Genesis 2:7 we read: "The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being"—something all the sophisticated laboratories in the world have been unable to begin to duplicate. Life demands a life-giver. There appears to be no other way.
Proof 3 —
Laws Demand a Law-Giver
Science exists because scientists understand that the universe operates in an orderly manner according to laws—the laws of physics (of gravity and of motion), the laws of chemistry and laws of biology. As one writer comments: "Ever since Isaac Newton, science has blared a clear message; the world follows rules, rules that are fundamentally mathematical, rules that humans can figure out" (Newsweek, July 20, 1998, p. 49). Even evolutionists begin their speculations assuming that the rules, or natural laws, worked the same in the beginning as they do today. If the universe did not operate on these rules, or laws, it would cease to function and would come apart in chaos. Notice several examples of how these laws work.
Gravity holds the planets in their orbits. Without gravitational forces there would be no solar systems. Stars and planets would be hurtling through space in a helter-skelter manner. Gravitational forces hold the earth at a distance from the sun that makes it possible for life to exist on this planet. If gravitational forces were either stronger or weaker than they are, stars (such as our sun) would not burn hot enough, or would burn out too rapidly and certain chemical elements essential for life would simply not be produced. Our bodies exist because chemicals combine in only certain ways. If chemical reactions did not occur the same way every time (according to laws), we would cease to exist as living, breathing human beings. Life would cease to exist.
For years, biology textbooks have referred to another law known as fixity of the species—that there seems to be a genetic limit to the amount of variation that can occur within a species. Plant and animal breeders are aware of these limits. Charles Darwin was aware of the variety that could be produced by breeding domestic animals (such as dogs, pigeons, cows and horses). During his cruise on the Beagle, he also observed striking variations among finches and turtles on islands in the Pacific Ocean. In formulating his theory of evolution, he speculated that, given enough time, these small variations could eventually produce totally new species—that natural forces alone could produce new life forms without the need for a creator. These ideas had a profound effect on the Western world—especially on its religion—and seriously undermined belief in God.
However, time has exposed serious problems with Darwin's ideas. No one has ever observed a new species coming into existence in nature in this way. In spite of many attempts, neither has anyone been able to produce new species by selective breeding. Dogs may vary in size, color and many other characteristics, but they are still dogs. Horses are still horses. Fruit flies are still fruit flies. The Bible clearly states many times that God created each type of plant and animal "according to its kind" (Genesis 1:11-12, 21-25). There is no evidence from the biological world that one species can turn into another. The Bible also indicates that God created human beings after the "God kind"—which, as we will see, has profound implications for the purpose of human life.
Even the fossil record supports this fundamental biblical principle. Darwin speculated that intermediate forms of life must have existed as species evolved, yet he knew this was not the actual case. He wrote in The Origin of Species: "Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain, and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and gravest objection that can be urged against my theory" (see Geisler and Brooks, p. 228). Darwin assumed these intermediate links would be found, but a hundred years after his book was published they are still missing! This absence of transitional forms has been called "the trade secret" of paleontology. When species appear in the geologic record they appear fully formed. This makes sense if they were created. The evidence of the fossil record lends further support to the biblical concept of the fixity of species and a real God that operates according to laws and rules.
The fundamental question is: how did these laws originate? Where did they come from? Who set them in motion? How are they sustained? Evolutionists do not know. Natural scientists do not have a clue. Physicist Stephen Hawking, a scientist attempting to answer questions about the universe without the aid of Scripture, has acknowledged "the laws [of physics] may have originally been decreed by God" (Ross, p. 91). This is interesting because the Bible refers to the real God repeatedly as the "Lawgiver" (Isaiah 33:22; James 4:12). As the Creator, God designed and set in motion the laws and forces that hold the universe together (Job 28:24-27). We are also told in Scripture that God is "upholding all things [the universe] by the word of His power" (Hebrews 1:3)—that He sustains the laws that He originated and set in motion.
On the subject of law, the Bible reveals a dimension beyond the physical. While God is described as a law-giver in the physical sense, Scripture contains spiritual laws that God designed to govern human conduct. The Ten Commandments form the basis of the spiritual law of God. We are told plainly that if we obey those laws we will be blessed and if we disobey those laws we will reap negative consequences (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). Solomon wrote in Proverbs that life will be difficult for a person who transgresses the laws of God (Proverbs 13:15, KJV). Why would this be so, unless there is a real God who designed and sustains those laws? Evolutionary theory has no answer for this. One of the reasons people want to do away with the concept of God is that without God there are no laws of conduct and any type of behavior becomes permissible. We are living with the consequences of that philosophy today—and it is destroying our society! The existence of laws requires a law-giver. For those laws to continue to operate, a sustainer is necessary. This is how the real God operates.
Proof 4 —
Design Demands a Designer
SOne of the most powerful proofs of God's existence, and one of the most revealing aspects of the true God, is the wondrous evidence of design found throughout the universe—from the smallest atom to the cosmos. It is on the issue of design that naturalistic evolutionary theories have run aground. It is in the area of design that surprising discoveries have been made in recent years that are compelling even skeptical scientists to consider the reality of God.
Solomon wrote: "The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens" (Proverbs 3:19). David, referring to the human body stated: "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works" (Psalm 139:14). Abraham Lincoln once observed: "I can see how a man can look upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he can look up into the heavens and say there is no God." Even Albert Einstein realized "God is not playing dice with the universe."
The profound truth in these statements has begun to register in the scientific community, as a result of surprising recent discoveries in fields as diverse as molecular biology and cosmology. Darwin acknowledged that "complex organs such as the eye would be difficult to explain in terms of the gradual stepwise process outlined by his theory," but he did not realize how complicated the molecular biology of vision would turn out to be (Christian Century, July 15-22, 1998, pp. 679-680). Biochemist Michael Behe writes in Darwin's Black Box that evolutionists' inability to explain the development of such complicated structures and processes is "a very strong indication that Darwinism is an inadequate framework for understanding the origin of complex biochemical systems" (ibid.).
Discoveries about the universe have been just as profound. As man's knowledge has grown, so has the evidence that the universe could not have come about by chance. One writer observes: "The very science that 'killed' God is, in the eyes of believers, restoring faith. Physicists have found signs that the cosmos is custom made for life and consciousness. It turns out that if the constants of nature—unchanging numbers like the strength of gravity, the charge of the electron and the mass of a proton—were the tiniest bit different, then atoms would not hold together, stars would not burn and life would never have made an appearance" (Newsweek, July 20, 1998, p. 48). Physicist John Polkinghorne, who became an Anglican priest, wrote: "When you realize that the laws of nature must be incredibly finely tuned to produce the universe we see, that conspires to plant the idea that the universe did not just happen, but that there must be a purpose behind it" (ibid.). Astrophysicist Hugh Ross discusses 33 of these finely tuned conditions that make life possible on this earth (see The Creator and the Cosmos, Ross, 1993, pp. 131-145).
A growing number of scientists in the fields of physics, astronomy and cosmology are acknowledging what is called the "anthropic principle" (Greek anthropos=man). This principle, suggested in the 1970s by physicist Brandon Carter, states that for life to exist on earth, all the conditions had to be "pre-planned" from the very beginning of the cosmos. As Harvard Ph.D. Patrick Glynn notes: "The most basic explanation for the universe is that it seems to be a process orchestrated to achieve the end or goal of creating human beings" (God: The Evidence, Glynn, 1997, pp. 7, 32). Glynn states further: "From the scientist's viewpoint, the fact that the universe looks as though it had a definite beginning might be upsetting enough. But what appears to drive cosmologists nearly to distraction is the anthropic principle"—that the earth and the universe was created for mankind (ibid., p. 42). That is an astounding observation for a scholar to make today!
While a universe pre-planned for mankind may be shocking for atheists and evolutionists to consider, this is exactly what the Bible clearly states. Scripture reveals that God created human beings for a purpose. In Genesis 1:26-28 we read that God created human beings in His own image (not in the image of apes) and gave human beings dominion over the earth—to rule it or manage it. The Apostle Paul told the Romans that we can become "children of God" and "heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ" (Romans 8:14-17). This means we will share, by inheritance, what Jesus Christ has—that is, eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:50-53) and rulership on this earth in the coming kingdom of God (Revelation 5:10). The Bible reveals that human beings were created for the ultimate purpose of becoming part of the family of God (1 John 3:1-4; Hebrews 2:1-11) eventually to rule this earth with Jesus Christ (Revelation 5:10; Daniel 7:27). This is the purpose of human life, yet this exciting information has been perverted and suppressed over the centuries! This is not even understood today by most theologians.
Compare this astounding future, as outlined in the Bible, with the common idea that either we go to heaven and sit on clouds and play harps, or else we burn forever in hell fire. Compare the future revealed by the true God, to zoologist Richard Dawkins' ideas that, "the universe we observe has… no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but pointless indifference… we are machines for propagating DNA… It is every living object's sole reason for living" (Science, August 15, 1997, p. 892). Is it any wonder that people today see no real purpose in life, or have no hope or excitement about the future? Science, philosophy and theology have failed to grasp the real meaning of life!
The Bible clearly states that mankind has been deceived by a very clever deceiver (Revelation 12:9). Evolutionary theories that undermine faith in a real God, and the misguided reasoning of theologians, have also played their part in this deception. So have human beings, who simply do not want to consider that God exists, because of the restraints on behavior this would entail. However, the real God who designed this universe also has a design and a purpose for mankind. Scientists are discovering astounding evidence of intelligent design in the cosmos. Scripture reveals God's amazing, ultimate purpose for mankind. Intelligent and purposeful design—both physical and spiritual—requires a supernatural Designer—a real God!
Proof 5 —
Fulfilled Prophetic Promises
Some of the most compelling evidence for an all-powerful, supernatural God comes from the disciplines of history and prophecy. The astounding accuracy of Bible prophecy is a constant challenge to skeptics. Yet it is amazing to realize how many people, including secular scholars, are simply unaware of how Bible prophecy is so remarkably confirmed by known history. Even more amazing is that prophecy is seldom mentioned today by the clergy—yet fulfilled prophecy absolutely proves that there is a real, all-powerful God. Isaac Newton, one of the most brilliant minds in Western civilization, was fascinated by Bible prophecy (Science, August 15, 1997, p. 892).
The real God of Scripture literally defies others to predict the future accurately and bring it to pass. The prophet Isaiah quotes God as saying: "Present your case… Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods… indeed you are nothing; he who chooses you is an abomination" (Isaiah 41:21-23). Those who study forecasting understand the folly of trying to predict future events in detail—especially in the volatile fields of political science and sociology—yet Scripture does this repeatedly with striking accuracy! Nearly 30 percent of the Bible is devoted to prophecy, yet this subject is rarely the topic of Sunday morning sermons in most churches. It is no wonder the powerful God of the Bible does not seem real today.
A striking example of fulfilled prophecy is found in the book of Ezekiel, which dates from about 600bc. Ezekiel records very different futures for two major Phoenician cities, Tyre and Sidon. This would be like predicting what will happen to San Francisco and Los Angeles, Toronto and Ottawa or London and Paris over the next 2,500 years! Sidon is promised to have a bloody history but to continue to exist (Ezekiel 28:22-23). By contrast, Ezekiel very specifically prophesied that many nations would come against Tyre like waves of the sea (26:3). Tyre would be scraped bare like the top of a rock (v. 4), the debris thrown into the sea (v. 12), never to be rebuilt (v. 14). This mighty city, the center of a great trading empire, would become an insignificant place where fishermen would spread their nets (v. 5). All this has happened—to the letter (see Evidence That Demands a Verdict, McDowell, 1979, vol. 1, pp. 274-281). A real God predicted the future in detail, and brought it to pass (see Isaiah 46:9-10).
Another series of remarkable prophecies concerns specific promises about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These prophecies were recorded many centuries before Christ was born. The first two chapters of Matthew quote prophecies that Jesus was to be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). He would have to flee to Egypt (Hosea 11:1). Before His death, he would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). In death, His hands and feet would be pierced (Psalm 22:16), and lots would be cast for His garments (Psalm 22:18). David prophesied that Christ would be resurrected (see Psalm 16:10). Here again, the real God of the Bible predicted specific future events and brought them to pass—to the letter!
Fulfilled prophecies, however, are not just limited to ancient history and long-vanished empires. Additional prophecies are being fulfilled today, as you read this booklet! The key to understanding prophecies that apply to our time is the identity of the modern Israelite nations. The God of the Bible promised Abraham that his descendants would become great and be a blessing to the peoples of the earth (Genesis 12:1-3). God foretold that they would eventually come to possess the gates of their enemies (Genesis 22:17; 24:60).
The modern Israelite nations are descendants of Jacob, Abraham's grandson, whose name was changed by God to Israel (Genesis 32:28). Jacob had 12 sons including Judah—the father of the Jews. However, two of Jacob's grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh, were prophesied to become the primary inheritors of the birthright promises originally made to Abraham. Manasseh was to become a great nation, but Ephraim was to become a great company of nations (Genesis 48:14-20). The blessings promised to Manasseh and Ephraim have been inherited by the United States and the nations that made up the British Commonwealth. This amazing story and the sobering future that is prophesied for these birthright nations is described in our booklet that is free upon request, What's Ahead for America and Britain?
The record of history, as well as of world events today, confirms the incredibly accurate prophecies recorded in the Word of God. The Bible is inspired by an all-powerful, supernatural God. Its prophecies are not merely the product of mortal men trying to formulate a philosophy or religion. Scripture's fulfilled prophetic promises demand an explanation—they cannot simply be ignored or explained away! The God who inspired those prophecies and brought them to pass has to be real!
Proof 6 —
Answered Prayer
Another dramatic proof of God is that He fulfills His promises of answered prayer. For those who do not believe in God and have never prayed, this is merely a matter of doubt and skepticism. However, for individuals who believe in God and who do pray—which includes up to 90 percent of Americans—answered prayer is one of the most powerful personal proofs that God exists. To those who know their prayers have been answered, the doubts of skeptics are of little significance.
It is from the Bible, not naturalistic science, that we learn about prayer. Scripture abounds with examples of answered prayers. Solomon's request for wisdom was granted with even additional blessings (1 Kings 3:5-13). We are told that "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain" (James 5:17-18).
The New Testament records many examples of dramatic answers to prayers. Jesus prayed all night, asking God for guidance, before choosing the 12 Apostles He would use to build His Church (Luke 6:12-13). Jesus had been praying during the hours before He came—walking on the water—to the disciples (Matthew 14:23-25). Lazarus was resurrected from the dead as the result of Jesus' prayer to God (John 11:41-44). When the members of the fledgling New Testament Church prayed for boldness to preach the gospel, God acknowledged their request by shaking the building in which they were meeting (Acts 4:23-31).
The Bible also teaches us how to pray. Just as a child must learn how to talk, we must learn how to pray. Jesus was asked by His disciples, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). Jesus gave us a model to follow (Matthew 6:5-15). We can see from this example that prayer is an earnest conversation with God about our needs and concerns—not just repeating some words and phrases over and over (v. 7). We are told that God hears the prayers of the righteous—individuals attempting to obey Him (1 Peter 3:12; 1 John 3:22). The Bible reveals that the prayers of the saints are pleasing to God—like sweet-smelling incense (Revelation 5:8).
Jesus encouraged His followers to "ask, and it will be given unto you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7-12). One challenge in learning to pray is learning to ask in accord with God's will (1 John 5:14). To understand God's will, we must study Scripture—God's instruction manual. Through prayer, we can talk to God about all our concerns.
If you have sensed a void in your life, if you feel cut off and alone, why not talk to God about it in prayer? If you can see the lack of meaning and purpose in our secular, materialistic world, why not get down on your knees in a private place and talk with your Father? If you have sensed the emptiness and irrelevance of organized religion, just share your feelings with your Creator, the real God of the universe! Ask Him to help you come to understand the Bible and the true meaning of life. Ask Him to guide you to where He is working through His Church. Ask Him to help you learn how to live life according to His instructions, so you can receive the rewards that are His to give. Follow the instructions of Jesus Christ that you read in Matthew 6:5-15 and Luke 11:1-4. Begin to pray!
You can experience the proof of answered prayer for yourself when you begin to ask according to God's instructions. God does not change (Malachi 3:6). He has answered prayers in the past. He answers prayer today. He will answer prayers in the future. The Bible clearly states, "the eyes of God run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him" (2 Chronicles 16:9). Answered prayer is a powerful and personal proof that God is real!
Proof 7 —
A Way of Life that Works
The final proof that a real God exists and His Word is true is a sobering one. This proof may be more meaningful to individuals who have lived life and made a few mistakes. However, this can also be an important proof to anyone, young or old, who has "eyes to see and ears to hear"—who can learn by seeing what happens to others. This proof involves comparing the results of two contrasting ways of life.
The message that permeates our modern society is that whatever works is right for you—that there is no such thing as absolute right and wrong. The message God has recorded in the Bible is very different. Scripture shows that there is God's way of life, and there is the world's way, where we just do our own thing. And as the old saying goes, "the proof is in the pudding."
Scripture clearly outlines these two contrasting approaches to life. Moses explained God's instructions to the ancient Israelites: "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live" (Deuteronomy 30:15-20). Today, this is still one of the major challenges of life.
As human beings with free moral agency, we have the freedom to choose to obey God and experience His blessings, or to ignore and live contrary to His instructions (by following our own reasoning) and reap the consequences (Deuteronomy 28; Leviticus 26). Solomon recorded similar advice: "The way of the transgressor is hard," yet "when a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Proverbs 13:15; 16:7). Jesus described these same choices—a narrow, challenging way that leads to life, and a wide easy way that most people choose that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).
The sad story of human history is that most people "go with the flow"—we do what seems right in our own minds. Instead of seeking to learn from our Creator how to live life according to His instructions, we seem to prefer doing things our own way. The result of this approach to life is sometimes called the "school of hard knocks." If your life has been a series of difficulties, disappointments and blind alleys, why not try another approach? Look into the Word of your Creator, and begin to do things His way for a change. Let the "proof be in the pudding."
Let us look briefly at the way of life that God recommends in Scripture, so that you can put His way to the test. Anciently at Mt. Sinai, God gave the Israelites His law (Exodus 20) which they agreed to follow (Exodus 19:5-8). God intended the Israelites to be an example to the whole world as they learned to live according to His divine instructions (Deuteronomy 4:1-10). However, they failed to live up to this agreement and went into captivity as a result of turning their backs on God's instructions (see Ezekiel 20).
In the New Testament we are told that Jesus came to explain the law more fully for Christians (Matthew 5:17). He explained how to live by the spirit of the law, not just the letter (Matthew 5:21-28). Here again, it was God's intent that those who choose to follow His instructions would become lights [examples] to the world, that God's way works.
Jesus clearly stated that "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). He was definitely advocating a better way to live. The contrast between Jesus' teaching and the ways of this world was likened to the difference between night and day (John 3:16-21). When His disciples began urging people to come out of this world and live according to the real teachings of Jesus (2 Corinthians 6:11-18) they were pelted with accusations that, "those who have turned the world upside down have come here, too" (Acts 17:5-6).
God's way of life as outlined in the Bible is not some vague, nebulous, watered-down approach that people can take or leave and modify to suit themselves. God's way is based upon His laws. It involves specific attitudes, behaviors and practices that not everyone is willing to follow and adhere to. We are told the truth of God will actually separate friends and families (Matthew 10:34-36), but it works and following it will bring certain rewards (Revelation 3:10-11).
One of the major reasons that mainstream Christianity is floundering today in western countries is that theologians have watered down the teachings of the Bible so much that religious beliefs have literally no impact on how people live their lives. One mainline denomination has been described as "an institution in free fall… with nothing to hold on to… no shared belief, no common assumptions, no agreed bottom line, no accepted definition" of what it means to belong to that church (The Empty Church, Reeves, 1996, p. 10). A chaplain in this denomination has declared that he "is not in the business of dispensing dogmatic answers about anything" (ibid., p. 24). This is simply not the same church, founded by Jesus Christ, that you read about in the pages of the New Testament! Compromising and watering down Scripture does not work. Churches die, spiritually, when they try to do that. This, too, is living proof that God's way works—the way that seems right to the human mind does not (Proverbs 14:12). This is what the real God clearly states in His word.
Conclusion: —
A Coming Judgement
Modern professing Christianity offers to the world a benign God who is nice, loving, forgiving and endlessly patient. He just lets people do pretty much what they want, and is happy if they pray once in a while and attend church a couple of times a year. However, this false idea of God—which is the product of the human imagination—is not relevant to the lives of most people today, as we have seen in this booklet.
The real God of the Bible, however, stands in striking contrast to mankind's imaginings! The God that emerges from Scripture is a powerful creator, an intelligent designer, a life-giver and law-giver who intervenes in the course of history yet still answers the prayers of individuals. He has clearly outlined in His word two contrasting ways of life. Although loving and merciful, He is a God of justice and judgement who rewards us according to our works. He gives us the opportunity to make choices, and He lets us reap what we sow. This is why the God of the Bible commands His true servants to "cry aloud and show My people their sins" (Isaiah 58:1) and not just preach "smooth things" that deceive people (Isaiah 30:9-10). God wants human beings to understand what life is all about, so they will learn to make the right choices that bring the lasting rewards they desire—and that are His alone to give. The real God also forgives us when we repent—when we come to understand our mistakes (when we break His laws and sin—see 1 John 3:4). God is pleased when we begin to change our lives, and live as He has instructed.
The Bible reveals that God is working out a plan and purpose on this earth. The real God is going to send Jesus Christ back to this earth to establish the soon coming Kingdom of God. This is literally the heart and core of the true gospel message. This is what Jesus taught and His disciples proclaimed (Mark 1:14-15; Luke 9:1-2; Acts 8:12; 28:23, 31). This same message will also be proclaimed to the world by God's true Church just before the end of this age (Matthew 24:14).
At His return, Jesus Christ will literally change the course of human history in a very dramatic fashion. He will judge this earth in righteousness—according to His divine law (Psalm 96:13; Revelation 19:11). He is going to put an end to human suffering and human misrule. The Apostle John writes of this time when God takes His great power and reigns—rewarding His servants and destroying those who destroy [pollute and corrupt] the earth (Revelation 11:15-19). God will make a distinction between those who choose to do things His way and those intent on doing their own thing (Matthew 25:31-46), between those who know what the Bible plainly teaches and those who have been deceived by the false ideas of misguided teachers. That time of judgement appears to be just ahead of us.
Jesus Christ is going to reorient human societies toward real peace, justice and truth (Isaiah 9:6-7; Revelation 11:15-18) with the aid of His saints (Daniel 7:27). The prophet Micah relates: "He shall judge between many nations afar off; and rebuke strong nations; nations shall not lift up swords against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Micah 4:3). This all-powerful God reveals through the prophet Ezekiel: "I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. Surely it is coming, and it shall be done, says the Lord" (Ezekiel 39:7-8). The deception, doubt and skepticism about God that so permeate our society will be removed forever.
The real God of the Bible commanded His chosen people not to worship any other god or gods (Exodus 20:1-7). He warned His chosen people about the consequences of following other gods (Deuteronomy 8:11-20). The Apostle Paul told the church at Rome they would incite the wrath of God if they began creating ideas of God according to their own imagination (Romans 1:18-23). He warned the church in Corinth of the same thing (2 Corinthians 11:1-4). Yet all this has happened in our time today. Misguided theologians have chosen "to abandon so-called natural proofs for the existence of the Creator and emphasized personal faith and the presence of God in the human conscience" (Reeves, pp. 95-96). The unfortunate result of this modern, liberal approach is that many have been deceived about the real God.
As the end of this age approaches, do not let yourself be deceived. Jesus clearly warned about this possibility on several occasions (Matthew 7:15-20; 24:4-5, 11, 24). The Apostle Paul urged members of the early New Testament church to "prove all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). You can prove that God exists; you do not need to just blindly "take it on faith." You can have a real faith, based on real evidence, and a real relationship with your Creator! The God of the universe—the God who inspired the Bible—is real. The Creator, Designer and Sustainer of the cosmos is alive. He is going to bring to pass what He has prophesied in His word. Jesus Christ is going to return to this earth to establish the kingdom of God that will rule over all nations. This is what the gospel of the true God is all about. You can be part of this exciting future if you get to know the REAL GOD.
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