The Way Ahead (Part 4)

The Way Ahead (Part 4)
By Tommy Franks

Today, let us take another look at the Bible. The end of the age is not some obscure topic. Our correct understanding of this topic may affect our role in which God has planned for us in His Kingdom!

Horrifying and catastrophic events are now happening across America and the world. We need to understand what is going on. The destruction of the Twin Towers in New York City and the devastation at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, have focused the minds of millions of people on Bible prophecy again. Many now wonder, "What is God up to in all of this?"
Indeed, prophesied events are truly speeding up. As Jesus instructed, we need to "watch and pray." I believe that the spirit of Antichrist is magnifying itself on a global basis…and is behind many of the current terrorists’ events.
This is what I do know: Osama bin Laden is not the end-time "Antichrist". Neither is Saddam Hussein or Vladimir Putin. I do not believe that anyone knows who the Antichrist is yet. I know that people have all kinds of theories about this subject. Some believe that the Antichrist will be Jewish…others believe that he will be from somewhere in the Middle East or Western Europe. Some even believe that he will be the pope of Rome. Martin Luther declared on August 18, 1520, "We here are of the conviction that the papacy is the seat of the true and real Antichrist.” I do not believe this at all.

John Calvin, the founder the Presbyterian church, declared, "Some persons think us too severe and censorious when we call the Roman pontiff Antichrist. But those who are of this opinion do not consider that they bring the same charge of presumption against Paul himself, after whom we speak and whose language we adopt.…I shall briefly show that (Paul’s words in 2 Thessalonians 2) are not capable of any other interpretation than that which applies them to the Papacy.”

This we do know: Soon, a powerful religious leader will appear on the scene who will perform awesome signs and wonders. He will be the final personification of what the Bible describes as the "Antichrist." As I said before, the spirit of Antichrist is everywhere! Most Bible scholars believe that the word Antichrist simply means “a spirit or person in opposition to Christ”.

Some Christians do not believe that there is a real devil (Satan). Jesus Christ did.
Paul did. Stephen did. Peter did. John did. I do. Jesus referred to him as, the "ruler of this world" (John 12:31; 14:30). Satan is the great deceiver. The Apostle John made it very clear that Satan deceives the vast majority of mankind…"So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:9).
Jesus Himself warned us: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My Name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many" (Matthew 24:4–5). Many will be deceived because of false teachers that will come "in Jesus’ Name”.
Because "Christian" is stamped on the outside of the package, most people unthinkingly assume that Christ must approve of the inside of the package! But these deceived people fail to really study their Bibles. They fail to "prove all things" as God commands us to do.
"Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour" (1 Jn.2:18).

In the near future, we will see an increasing pressure brought about by many world leaders to include religious leaders…to make Jerusalem an "international city"…perhaps under the control of the United Nations or the Vatican or some other international agency. The persistent pressure of the ecumenical movement will intensify.
Revelation 13 says that a beast will appear on the scene. “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, who’s 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."
This coming powerful religious leader will look like a "lamb." In Revelation 14, Christ is described as the "Lamb." So this coming religious leader will appear to be like Christ! However, John writes, “he spoke like a dragon."
Satan the Devil is clearly identified as the "dragon" in the book of Revelation. This coming false prophet, therefore, will appear to millions of human beings to be a Christ-like figure. But his message will be that of Satan. Yet this charismatic leader will perform "great signs" and even make fire come down from heaven! He is also described in 2 Thessalonians 2 as the "man of sin" 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". This coming religious leader will be worshiped by his followers!
We are in a spiritual war! The forces of Satan are moving swiftly to accomplish their goals. Within the next several years, the devil’s forces will wield unprecedented power through a religious/political system under their control. Now get this. They will do this in the name of "Christianity." Many Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, and other religious leaders will not have the faith and courage to stand up against this onslaught. This system will bring about a horrifying persecution of true Christians everywhere.

Know this: “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 Jn. 4:1-4).
A vital key to understanding the teaching of the Antichrist is to recognize that this false doctrine does not admit the full humanity of Jesus Christ. It does not admit that Christ truly "came in the flesh." Today, millions of people are confused about religion. Some have become just plain bored by mainstream religiosity. Others have become disillusioned by structured religion. Yet still others have simply tuned out. Some have "invented" their own religion!

Many Christians do not think that there are absolute truths in doctrine. Some describe themselves as spiritual rather than religious. Some will even say, “There is a higher power at work in my life, but I do not have a name for it nor do I know what it is.”

Hollywood believes that all religious faiths teach equally valid truths. They say that Zen, Buddhism, Catholicism, Islam, Protestantism, and Shintoism are all the same. They say, “All religions will get you to the same place.” Therefore, thousands of people believe that all religion is equal. This is appalling! This type of confusion normally leads to religious anarchy. And speaking of religious anarchy…

Last month…Aiman Al Zawaherri (Al Quaeda’s #2 leader) announced that Americans must choose: “Convert to Islam or get war”. This is old news. He was simply re-stating their fundamental concept. The Islamic teaching states that they “have been ordered by Allah to fight and kill all mankind until the people say, ‘No God except Allah and Mohamed is the prophet of Allah’.” Islamist terrorism is going to stop only if and when Americans convert to Islam. Other rationales used to explain terrorism are simply incorrect.

Al-Qaeda leaders have clearly said that they attacked the USA on Sep 11th because Americans have not yet converted to Islam…not because of the Arab/Israeli conflict…not because of America’s involvement in Iraq…and not because of any other factor. Our free world risks dangerous consequences if it ignores the role of Islamic teaching in creating the pro-violent Muslim mindset that supports violent acts of terrorism all over the world. In addition to declaring Jihadi wars on non-Muslims, especially on Christians…to subjugate them to Islam, additional violent Salafi Islamic teachings allow killing apostates (anyone who is not a Muslim), beating women, enslaving and raping female war prisoners, and repeatedly referring to Jews as “pigs and monkeys.” Allowing such diabolical teachings will only end in a catastrophe for our civilization as we know it today!

Allowing such teaching to continue is like allowing cancer cells to survive in our human body. Violent Islam is a cancer that has already metastasized, a cancer that has spread already from the Middle East to Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, and even through North and South America.

Our immune system proves clearly that nurturing normal cells and respecting their variance is vital for sustaining our existence; however, if an immune system shows any form of tolerance whatsoever to cancer cells, the latter will just terminate that body’s life. Respect for different beliefs is healthy so long as those beliefs do not incite physical harm to others.
Islamic teaching encourages physical harm to others…terror attacks against “infidels”… Christians, Jews, and non-Muslims. They believe in stoning women to death, killing homosexuals, allowing slavery, raping slave girls, and beating children who do not pray five times a day. They physically abuse women because Islam allows it and even encourages it in the name of Islam.

How long do we wait? Will we allow this type of appalling behaviour in our society? Do we wait until the Muslims gain the power to intimidate our government? Will we act to stop this cancer that is being pervasively and potently fuelled by the Arab oil money? Will we allow it to continue to spread across America? I think NOT!

Just as cancer cells cause harm to nearby innocent cells, eventually dominating and destroying an individual’s body, these teachings incite believers to do physical harm to others. If left unchecked, it will destroy a society.

Cancer can be overcome if an individual has a strong immune system that triumphs over the killer cells. Similarly, the cancerous teachings of Salafi Islam problem could become insignificant if the majority of Muslims were to vocally show resistance to this form of teaching. But unfortunately, the vast majority of Muslims, Islamic organizations, and Islamic scholars are not taking a stand against this the violent Salafi mindset. The lack of powerful Muslim demonstrations to denounce Bin Laden and Islamic terrorism clearly shows that a significant portion of Muslims, if not the majority, passively sympathize with terrorist ideology.

According to Islam, non-Muslims do have one of three options: 1) Convert to Islam or
2) pay Jizia (a humiliating tax taken by Muslims from non-Muslims) or 3) be killed. Otherwise, we need to show our resolve by standing up…speaking up…acting up by denouncing these cancerous teachings!

This we do know: When Muslims clearly and publicly denounce the violent teachings of some of their brethren…then, and only then, should they be considered “moderates” or should Islam be considered a peaceful faith. Tolerating dangerous Salafi Muslim ideology contradicts Western values of human rights and freedoms. This is like tolerating devastating cancer in our human body. Like a cancer, this ideology must be attacked from within by other Muslims and also attacked from without by Western media, intellectuals, and politicians. Military power can reduce the large tumours; however, alone it cannot conquer the metastasized teachings and preaching of extreme Islam.

Outspoken words and mutual actions by Muslims and realistic understanding from non-Muslims could ultimately make the difference!