In keeping with the topic of the thread Jack, I wonder how the coming global crisis is going to play out. The way I see it is somewhat close to the following I believe.
Remember 9/11? For a month or two after that everyone and their cocker spaniel went to church and confessed faith in 'God'. And, to my personal horror, your president decides to get up into the pulpit and proclaim from there, as if he was preaching a 'godly Christian evangelical gospel message'..."he who is not with us is against us". I got real angry at that. But on another level was not surprised. In the coming crisis we will witness the same again. Churches will be packed. The churches will unite together, and even with the government, in standing against a common threat.
The problem is that they will all be united, not on the basis of Biblical or doctrinal truth...not on the basis of a desire to share the gospel with the world...not on the basis of sharing the love of Jesus with their neighbours...but purely and simply out of self preservation. Jesus said that the rulers will have no solutions, and everyone will be panicking. So they turn to religion. Not the religion taught in thew Bible, but the religion taught on TV and espoused by the popular press and media. It will be a mixture of New age...apostate Protestantism...and Roman Catholicism. The confusion of Babylon the Great. They will offer up prayers and make all manner of well meaning and pious pronouncements and a pretense of repentance while the crisis deepens, and when no answers come, will look around for some-one to blame who hasn't joined them in their sincere but hopeless charade. That some-one who they will target will be those who refuse to worship their global church/state union and image of the medieval papal beast, and who refuse to accept the 'mark' of the beast's authority. And my friend, this mark has nothing to do with fiscal convenience. It has everything to do with worship and loyalty to the true Creator God. The fiscal aspect...that is the buying and selling aspect...is merely an inducement to accept the mark. An inducement to worship according to the dictates of man. Other inducement will be fines, then jail, and finally the death sentence.
The coming crisis will reveal the true character of both the righteous and the wicked. It will not form character, but expose it. Thus will the true fruits be revealed of who belongs to Jesus , and who doesn't. The harvest will then be seen to be ripe, both wheat and tares are ripe for harvest, the angels will first come and bundle the tares to be burned,then the wheat to be gathered into God's barn. (See Rev.14)
Armageddon is the war that precedes this. A war that ensues between the false 'Christian' world, and the true. Remember, the entire world is caught up in this crisis. The entire world joins with the beast and the false prophet to worship the false counterfeit system....the nations of the world unite against God's people, spiritual Israel. Remember also what Jesus said about us at this time? We will be called to testify before Kings and before the rulers of this world. We will be called to account for our 'heresy' before the courts. It will be a repeat of the dark ages, only on a global scale.
Do any of you dear readers now begin to understand how a focus on the Middle East and upon literal Israel is just a red herring of the enemy of our souls and part of his deceptions? There is far more import to your being prepared for the coming crisis than simply observing the politics of the Middle east. You need to be personally prepared. You need to know what you believe, and why. Because my friends, you will be called to defend your beliefs before a world that will hate everything you claim to stands for. All the while they claiming to stand for the truth, and you being inspired of Satan.
"If they call the Master of the house Beelzebub, what will they do to His servants".
