Revisiting The Big Picture
Jack Kinsella - Omega Letter Editor
Now that the dust has begun to settle --
slightly -- from Election 2004, one can catch a glimpse through the haze at a
world in transition. A world that appears to be aligning itself to Bible
prophecy for the last days as if deliberately following a script.
I
spend almost all my waking hours studying global trends as they pertain to the
Bible's description of the last days. An unhappy consequence of this is what
could be termed the 'yawn factor' -- something along the lines of the old
saying, 'familiarity breeds contempt'.
'Contempt' is not the right word, which is why I named it the 'yawn factor'.
Some of you will be able to relate, I think.
For example, I recall how incredibly excited I
was by a December issue of TIME Magazine in 1992 devoted to coverage of the
emerging European Union.
The
magazine was filled with unintended apocalyptic imagery, such as the use of the
symbol of Europa astride Minos (a woman astride a beast). In the magazine, Minos
(the beast) was even colored scarlet by the artist!
("So he carried me away in the spirit into
the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of
names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. -- Revelation 17:3)
The new EU consisted of ten full member states
and there was much speculation about how that would influence the Group of Seven
leading industrialized nations, since four of its members were European, giving
the new European Union an automatic majority.
Even more stunning was TIME's publication of the
EU's commemorative stamp, depicting Europa riding the beast over a stream in
which there were porpoises jumping, symbolizing the EU's vastly expanded control
of the world's waterways.
("Come
hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon
many waters:" -- Revelation 17:1)
Boy, did that get my blood to pumping! But that
was a dozen years ago, and it opened the floodgates for so many other
fulfillments of prophecy for the last days that, after awhile, the 'gee whiz'
factor began to fade and the 'yawn factor' took over.
Now and then, it helps to step back and look at
the Big Picture to rekindle that excitement. Particularly following some
world-changing event such as Election 2004.
For the last dozen years, the world has been
lurching toward a single, seminal event in human history -- a global effort to
remove the last physical reminder of God [Israel] from the face of the earth.
During the Tribulation Period, the Church is
absent, removed by the Rapture. The Tribulation saints are those Jews and
Gentiles who get saved during the final seven years of human government.
Earlier this week, I received an email from a
disgruntled Canadian liberal I know that included his own version of the US
electoral map.
My
friend clearly intended the parody map as an insult to the collective
intelligence of the American voter, but it could not have come as a higher
compliment. Indeed, it got my blood flowing in much the same way as that
twelve-year old TIME Magazine article did.
When one considers the Rapture as the possible
answer to the question, "Where is America in Bible Prophecy?" -- the
concept of America as 'JesusLand' is quite encouraging.
The emergence of 'JesusLand' dovetails with the
ever-expanding role of the European Union in the global political scene,
particularly in the Middle East.
The EU continues to seek ways to insinuate
itself into the Arab/Israeli peace process, convinced that Washington is too
pro-Israel to be an honest broker.
The war on terror comes at exactly the right
moment in history for the EU's argument to have credibility, particularly since
a Bush presidency politically unencumbered, by virtue of its recent mandate,
will be much more likely to expand the battlefield to include Syria and Iran.
While Israel is extremely wary of Europe's
rampant anti-Semitism, if the EU offers a credible hope for peace, the Israelis
have already proved they will bargain with anyone. (After all, they bargained
with Yasser Arafat.)
Now, with Yasser Arafat dead (although being
kept warm by life support -- think 'Weekend at Bernie's 2") the various
Palestinian factions (all 14 of them) are re-evaluating their failed war with
Israel.
It isn't too optimistic to suggest they may
actually reverse course as a last resort and resume efforts towards a negotiated
settlement with Israel.
Such a settlement would obviously include taking
down Israel's hated security fence, creating the modern 'land of unwalled
villages' described by Ezekiel for the last days.
It would undoubtedly include some kind of
settlement regarding Jerusalem and the Temple Mount -- it is not impossible to
envision the two sides sharing the complex -- there is enough room -- provided
the EU were able to offer some credible security guarantees.
Despite its protests of friendship with the
West, Russia continues to pursue it's policy of forging alliances with Middle
East dictatorships. Despite the war on terror, Moscow continues to facilitate
terror groups like Hezbollah through its relationship with Iran (Persia).
The EU, despite consisting nominally of 28
states, is divided into different tiers of membership, with the original ten
members remaining the only 'full' members of the EU.
The original ten ("Old Europe") is
where we find the most virulent anti-American bloc of European states. The newer
members, mostly from Eastern Europe, having been freed from Soviet domination by
the US, are much more pro-America.
Daniel's image of Revived Rome's ten toes,
partly strong and partly weak, like 'iron mixed with miry clay' (Daniel 2:41)
could not be more perfectly descriptive.
So, stepping back to look at the Big Picture, as
we approach the close of the 4th year of the 21st century, it looks something
like this:
JesusLand is going forth to do battle with the
forces of Islam, which has dedicated itself to the destruction of both Israel
and JesusLand. At the same time, revived Rome is seeking some kind of
accommodation with Islamic terror, while simultaneously jockeying for a role in
the post-Yasser Arafat peace process.
Russia continues to develop its Islamic
alliances in the Middle East, playing both sides against the middle in the war
on terror, a practice that can only lead to an eventual confrontation with
Israel. With JesusLand removed from the picture, Israel would be the only
physical reminder on earth that Islam's Allah is an imposter god.
The U.N.'s Millennium Peace Summit of Religious
and Spiritual Leaders, heavily backed by the EU, is advancing the concept first
enunciated by Episcopal Bishop William Swing for a United Religions Zone.
They've been working on the details since the Millennium Peace Summit held in
New York in August, 2000.
Only one thing holds back the forces of Islam,
keeps the EU in its place, ensures Israel's continued survival, restrains the
Gog-Magog alliance, prevents the antichrist from seizing global power and dooms
the UN's Millennium Peace Summit's United Religion Zone's plan to mediocrity.
JesusLand.
It's time to get excited! It is time to get off
the couch and shout from the housetops that Jesus is coming soon for His Church.
For the last dozen years, we've witnessed the final preparations for the coming
Tribulation come together at breakneck speed.
The world is primed and ready for that
charismatic leader to arise from the revived Roman Empire and announce a
solution to the Arab/Israeli conflict that has raged, virtually unabated, for
the last four thousand years.
It is ready for a kinder, gentler, more
inclusive religious system that eschews fundamentalism and embraces diversity, a
global religious system that includes everybody except Jesus.
It is tired of Israel, sick to death of hearing
about the Holocaust, unimpressed by Israel's Biblical deed to the Holy Land, and
prepared to impose a solution on the Jews, whether they like it or not.
But JesusLand is in the way. For now.
"And when these things BEGIN TO COME TO PASS, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." (Luke 21:28)
SOURCE: Omegaletter