COMOSPROPHECIES

Prophetic implications behind the flames

For night after night, France endured riots that spread to 300 French cities. The trouble began on October 27, 2005, when three Muslim youths were chased by French police. The three attempted to elude police by seeking sanctuary in a power substation, and two of the young men were subsequently electrocuted. The other man was injured but survived. Muslims blame the police for their deaths, claiming that they purposely cornered the men in the substation. This event immediately sparked riots in the low income Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois. The rioters are primarily youths born of Arab and African immigrants in poor suburbs. These areas that are on the margins of society are fertile soil for Muslim extremists.

The main target in the rioting has been vehicles. Thus far, 4,700 cars have been torched. About 1,400 vehicles were torched on Sunday night (11/6/05) alone. However, arsonists have also burned two schools. Approximately 1,200 suspects have been detained. The problem at this point is that the destruction shows no signs of abating. It has already spilled over into Belgium and Germany. And there are fears that it may continue to spread.

France is home to five million Muslims — the largest population of Muslims in western Europe. And while jihad may not be the inspiration for the rioters, it is undeniably an inseparable component, creating solidarity among the rioters. It appears that a full-fledge intifada (“uprising”) is unfolding on Paris’ doorstep. In this entire episode there is a prevalent “us” versus “them” mentality on the part of the Muslim rioters. During the uprising one reporter stated that thousand of Muslims were shouting “Allahu Akbar” from windows of high-rise apartment buildings. This has exacerbated fears among some French citizens of an all-out Muslim revolution.

The flames of France have served to further unveil the religio-cultural divide between east and west, and the lengths that Muslims will go to force the west to bow to their demands. French President Jacques Chirac has already passively admitted that the French are at fault for failing to fully integrate these immigrants into the larger society. Passive concessions are fine for now, but eventually a strong hand will be needed.

As jihad continues to come to Europe’s doorstep, Europeans will eventually tire of Muslim terror and the ever-present threat of oil blackmail. What will be the solution? Centralized power in the hands of an oligarchy and eventually one man who will enforce peace and keep the Middle Eastern oil flowing. Dictatorship and iron-fisted power is the only form of government that can effectively crush terror. The current governments of Europe are ill-equipped to crush terror and maintain peace. People in Europe will gladly give authority to a ten-king (leader) ruling body, as Daniel 2 and 7 predict, if they can insure continued peace and prosperity.

What we see in Europe right now shows that the main power blocs of the end times are already taking shape. Russia and the Arab/Islamic nations are coming together against Europe and the West. Current events in France are a faint foreshadow of what will continue as the cleavage between east and west continues to grow. The ten-king government of Europe and eventually the rule of Antichrist may not be far behind.

Mark Hitchcock is contributing editor of the Left Behind Prophecy Club newsletter. He is pastor of Faith Bible Church in Edmonds, Oklahoma and a nationally recognized prophecy author and speaker. Mark is the author of several books, including “Is America In Bible Prophecy?”

Not long ago, after several story lines in my novels seemed to come true — including the notion of radical Islamic kamikazes attacking an American city, a war with Iraq over weapons of mass destruction, the death of Yasser Arafat and an American President pushing for democracy in the Middle East — an article in U.S. News & World Report described me as a “modern Nostradamus.” The New York Daily News described my political thrillers as “eerily prophetic,” while other commentators have called my plots “ripped from tomorrow’s headlines.”

The truth is I am not a psychic, or a prophet, and I don’t call 900-numbers in the middle of the night to get story ideas. But I do believe that a careful study of the Scriptures as well as of political and economic trend lines can give us a very real sense of what the future will hold.

The following are four headlines I believe we will read in the not-too-distant future.

Future Headline #1:U.N. DEMANDS THAT ISRAEL GIVE UP HER NUCLEAR ARSENAL
The U.S. and Europe are currently pressuring Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions, and pressuring Russia to stop selling Iran nuclear technology and fuel. It is the right thing to do, as nuclear armed radical Islamic mullahs would pose an existential threat to the U.S. and the rest of the free world. But watch for Iran to mount an aggressive counter-punch soon. In a bid to turn the attention away from their own dangerous behavior, expect Tehran to urge the U.N. to pressure Israel to give up the two hundred or so nuclear warheads the Jewish State is believed to possess.

Such a case will be echoed by non-nuclear Arab states with reasonably good ties to the West, such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and I believe they will quickly find strong support among major European powers. France, Germany and Russia would likely be among those who join an international effort to pressure Israel to disarm, and Great Britain might join in as well.

What would the U.S. do? Would the White House stand behind Israel’s right to self defense, or agree that Israel should sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) along with among every other country on the face of the planet? It depends on the President and the mood of the country. Such a scenario is a key component of my next novel, The Ezekiel Option, launching at the end of June. But it is not fiction. I believe it is a headline that will written all too soon.

Future Headline #2: WEALTH POURS INTO IRAQ AS OIL INDUSTRY BOOMS
Today’s headlines out of Iraq are filled with car bombs and suicide bombers and snipers and violence of all kinds. But it will not always be so. The country we know today as Iraq was long known in the Bible as the country of Babylon or Babylonia. The Hebrew Prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah as well as the Apostle John who wrote the Book of Revelation make it clear that in the last days before the return of Jesus Christ, Babylon will be the most powerful country in the world and the home base of the Anti-Christ. Rather than be consumed by violence, Iraq will be an exporter of violence.

That being the case, we can expect the current strife to come to an end before long so that a “new Babylon” can emerge. As Iraq is increasingly pacified, its oil industry will be able to bloom. Millions of barrels of Iraqi oil will begin to flood the markets each day. That will drive global oil and gas prices down, and cause hundreds of billions of dollars in new petrodollars to flood into Iraqi coffers, making Iraq one of the wealthiest countries on the face of the earth.

I wrote about such a scenario in novel, The Last Days. I develop it even further in The Ezekiel Option. But again, it is not fiction. In April I was speaking at a conference of CEOs and business leaders and met the V.P. of a major oil company who told me this is exactly the scenario his company believes will play itself out: pacification followed by the explosive growth of the Iraqi oil industry, aided and capitalized by Western oil companies. Already, his company (among many others) is positioning itself for the new era of Iraqi oil just over the horizon.

Future Headline #3: IRAQIS TO REBUILD ANCIENT BABYLON AS COMMERCIAL EPICENTER
Earlier this spring, Tim LaHaye, Jerry Jenkins and I looked into the possibility of going to the ancient city of Babylon, some fifty miles south of Baghdad. We would love to see what Saddam did to begin the process of rebuilding that once and future global capital, and perhaps create a DVD tour of the city, before the Anti-Christ makes it impossible for Christians to visit there. Unfortunately, for now, it is just too dangerous to go to Babylon. But I believe the doors will open soon.

As oil wealth pours into a newly peaceful Iraq, watch for the newly democratic government in Baghdad to become ambitious. With the blessings of the U.S. and the U.N. — grateful that Iraq is increasingly able to stand on its own feet and no longer needing huge numbers of U.S. troops and billions of dollars in global humanitarian and reconstruction aid — watch for Iraq to position itself as the region’s commercial epicenter. Government and business leaders will be eager to invest in new building projects to draw capital, companies and tourists to this historic cradle of civilization.

To that end, watch particularly for the Iraqi government to invest billions into rebuilding the ancient city of Babylon into the wealthiest and most powerful and influential city in the Middle East, and eventually in the world. Revelation 18 describe the end times Babylon as a “great city” by whom many will become “rich by her wealth.” She will be an international exporter of “gold and silver and precious stones” as well as “bronze and iron and marble…incense and perfume” and even “slaves and human lives.” Much of the growth of Babylon will occur after the Rapture and during the Tribulation, at the direction of the Anti-Christ. But it is not unreasonable to think that Babylon could emerge as a major commercial center sooner, depending on how soon the Rapture happens.

Future Headline #4: JEWS TURNING TO JESUS AS MESSIAH IN RECORD NUMBERS
As an evangelical Christian from an Orthodox Jewish background, this is one of the headlines to which I am most looking forward. Indeed, it is a story God is already writing, though the mainstream media has not caught on to it yet.

When I was born in April of 1967, there were only about two hundred known Jewish believers in Messiah Jesus worldwide. After the Six Day War in June of 1967, the numbers began to accelerate dramatically. Today, there are almost two hundred Jewish believers in Jesus just in the congregation my wife attend, McLean Bible Church outside of Washington, D.C. Our pastor, Lon Solomon, is Jewish on the board of Jews for Jesus. Conservative estimates put the current number of Jewish believers worldwide at about 60,000. Other estimates say the real number is north of 100,000. A Jerusalem Post headline last month noted that there are now more than 10,000 Jewish believers just in Israel alone, double the number used by evangelical Jewish leaders just a few years ago.

What’s more, Revelation 14 tells us that in the last days there will be 144,000 Jewish “witnesses” or super-evangelists on the order of Billy Graham and Luis Palau spreading out all over the globe to win Jews and Gentiles to Christ. Jesus Himself told the Jewish people in Matthew 23:39, “For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’” In other words, as the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ approach, we can expect huge numbers of Jews to turn to Jesus and to be excited about His coming. It has already begun to happen, and this exciting trend will only accelerate.

Joel C. Rosenberg is the New York Times best-selling author of The Last Jihad (about the demise of Saddam Hussein) and The Last Days (about the demise of Yasser Arafat). His next novel, The Ezekiel Option, comes out June 27 from Tyndale. An evangelical Christian from an Orthodox Jewish background, his grandparents escaped from Russia. Joel has served as a senior advisor to Steve Forbes, Rush Limbaugh, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Deputy Prime Minister Natan Sharansky.

Could the Antichrist come from the Middle East?

The prophetic link to the method used to execute hostages taken by Islamic terrorists.

More than one Left Behind reader has noted how the use of the guillotine in the series seemed out of place in a futuristic setting filled with all kinds of advanced technology—until the recent use of beheading by Islamic terrorists. Contributing editor Mark Hitchcock comments on this use of an ancient method of execution in modern times.

Unfortunately, an old method of execution has made a sobering comeback. Beheading. This grisly, gory, terrifying practice is being talked about and sometimes even shown all over the newspapers and television news channels.

Islamic terrorists are doing what they do best – terrifying people with the threat of death by a barbaric means. Over and over again we see the images of masked terrorists with swords standing over a defenseless, blindfolded victim threatening beheading if there irrational demands are not met in a certain time.

While most of the world marks this off as just the action of a few lunatic fringe Islamists, could this fearsome practice be setting the stage for the coming of the ultimate terrorist, the Antichrist?

Revelation 20:4 refers to believers who are killed during the tribulation for failing to bow to the beast and take his identifying mark on the right hand or forehead. The verse says, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the Word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”

The verb “beheaded” is pelikizo in the original Greek and it means “I behead.” It comes from pelekys which means “axe.” This was the traditional weapon for execution in the Roman empire. So the word really means “I cut off with an axe.” However, the sword later replaced the axe as the chief instrument of execution in the Roman Empire. [Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8—22 (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), 415)].

It’s possible that the mention of “beheading” by the Antichrist may just mean “put to death” or “executed” since this was the ancient method of capital punishment in the Roman Empire at the time John wrote. However, it seems more likely to me that this is the means of execution the Antichrist will implement for all who refuse to worship him as god.

It’s quick, simple, and easy to adapt to mass executions. Also, what better way to terrify people into submission?

Does this mean as some have suggested recently that the Antichrist may come from the Middle East and/or an Islamic background? While this is possible since much of the modern Middle East was once part of the ancient Roman Empire from which Antichrist will rise, I believe the Antichrist will rise from the heart of the reunited Roman Empire, probably Italy. He is identified as a descendant of the people who destroyed the city of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 – the Romans (Daniel 9:26).

While it would be unwise to maintain that a few beheadings by Islamic thugs is a major sign of Antichrist’s coming and the end times, I do find it interesting that the whole idea of beheading is featured so prominently in the news today. If the Antichrist is alive, we can be sure that he is watching what’s happening in the world today and taking note of the fear that the threat of beheading strikes in people’s hearts. He could use this as a tool to rid the world of all who challenge his authority by accepting Christ. Beheading would be a vivid expression of his total disdain and hatred for those who follow the Lord Jesus.

This could be another small piece of the puzzle fitting into place to pave the way for Antichrist’s 3 ½ years worldwide reign of terror that Jesus called the “great tribulation.”

1) Arafat’s death causes upheaval in Middle East peace process.

A fully restored Israel with the return of the Jewish people is the “super-sign” of prophecy. The Bible predicts over and over again that Israel must be restored to its biblical borders and the Jews must be back in their homeland – for the events of the end times to unfold… (Jeremiah 30:1-3; Ezekiel 34:11-24; Zechariah 10:6-10).

The death of Yasser Arafat has important bearing on the peace process in the Middle East and the restoration of Israel. Some believe that his removal from the process will make peace more achievable and potentially allow the prophecy of Israel to be fulfilled. Others fear that his demise will throw the region into chaos if a struggle for Palestinian power ensues. Palestinian infighting could deadlock progress of the Middle East peace talks. Regardless of the impact, his death has refocused the world’s attention on Israel and peace in the Middle East. And as the Bible predicts that Israel will be the battleground for all great end-time conflicts and wars – this is exactly what we should expect if the end is drawing near.

2) Islamic rebellion terrorizes “Ancient Babylon.”

The city of Babylon, located on the Euphrates River in modern Iraq, is mentioned almost 300 times in the Bible. It is consistently portrayed as a place of rebellion and pride. Scripture informs us that in the end times, Babylon will be rebuilt into a great city that will serve as a commercial and religious capital for the Antichrist.

In November U.S. troops pounded Fallujah. The intent for this assault on the Sunni terrorist hotbed was clear. Bring peace to Iraq so the elections can proceed in January. The U.S. and its coalition are trying to bring peace and stability to Iraq. This seems to be setting the stage for the rebuilding of Babylon – another sign that the coming of Christ may be very soon.

3) Europe unites as a powerful empire.

The prophet Daniel predicted a reunited Roman Empire in the End Times. According to the Bible, at the middle of the seven-year tribulation, the Antichrist will take over and rule the world for the final three and a half years of this age. To do this, he will need an army and advanced weaponry.

What we have seen developing in Europe the last 45 years – and particularly in the last year – looks strikingly similar to what the Bible predicts for the End Times. In May, the European Union added 10 more nations to its empire – bringing the total to 25. In October the EU’s constitution was signed on Capitoline Hill in Rome – the ancient center of religious life in the Roman Empire. And in November, Great Britain announced that it had committed 2,000 troops to a new 18,000 strong EU army. The Roman Empire is reuniting right before eyes just as the prophet Daniel predicted over 2,500 years ago.

The basic governmental and economic components are in place for one man to come on the scene in the EU and ascend to tremendous power. That man will be the Antichrist – he will rule over the final form of the Roman Empire and ultimately the whole world.

4) Strong Islamic presence emerges from Russia.

The prophet Ezekiel predicted that the Great Russian Bear will rise in the last days to mount a furious invasion of Israel (37-38). Ezekiel also predicted that in the latter times, Israel would be invaded by a people “from remote parts of the north” (38:6, 15). The nation that is most distantly north from Israel is Russia.

In August and September, Islamic Chechen rebels were behind three catastrophic terrorist attacks: two Russian plane crashes, an attack against a Moscow metro station, and a siege over a school in Beslan, Russia. The terror, catastrophic events, and frightening Islamic presence now in Russia foreshadows a future time of trouble that is coming on the whole world. The fulfillment of God’s prophecies seems closer than ever before.

5) Indonesian earthquake foreshadows the devastation of the End Times.

Two days before He died on the cross, Jesus said that one of the signs of His Second Coming to earth would be “great earthquakes,” (Luke 21:11). The prophet Ezekiel also predicted a great earthquake in the end times ( Ezekiel 38:19-20). And the apostle John was transported in a kind of spiritual time machine to the end times where he witnessed great disasters by deadly earthquakes.

What we have just witnessed in Asia is frightening. The Indonesian earthquake was the most powerful recorded in 40 years. And the deadly tsunamis it produced have taken over 100,000 lives. The tsunamis traveled at speeds up to 500 miles per hour and towered to heights of 30 feet. This catastrophic natural disaster could foreshadow the devastation that will wrack the earth when it begins to shake during the tribulation.

Could the fearsome practice of beheading be setting the stage for the coming of the ultimate terrorist – the Antichrist? Beheading is mentioned in the End Times – and the whole idea of it is being featured so prominently in the news today.

This could be another small piece of the puzzle, fitting into place to pave the way for Antichrist’s 3 ½-year worldwide reign of terror that Jesus called the “great tribulation.”

When I was a young man I experienced some forms of clairvoyant experience, if that’s what you want to call it. The first of which was while I was living at my cousins home in Monkton, VT and I was working at a place called Simmons Precision in Vergennes. Before that time I had lived at home with my parents along with a newly acquired pet cat. The cat was young and playful and my parents enjoy the company of it especially after I had moved out. My parents were sleeping on the foldaway living room couch, I can’t remember why, but they would pull it out every night and close it up in the morning.

My cousin’s house was a big white two story house that looked like most New England farm houses. It was a nice place, but cold in the winter. I had a double bed in my room, bureau, a little portable TV and that was about it. If it was a particular cold evening, I wouldn’t stay up too late out in the living room, rather I would go to my room, hop into bed and cover up with a big old quilt. I watched TV for a while and then doze off. When I woke up, usually about 5 AM, I would make a mad dash to the bathroom and get the hot water running before becoming too cold. Up north in the winter it is dark most of the time, especially early in the morning and there wasn’t that much light in my room, even with my light on.

On this one morning when I went rushing to the bathroom to get ready for work, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a cat run behind the bathroom door, I looked, but of course there was no cat because my cousin didn’t have a cat. So I thought I was seeing things and finished cleaning up and went off to work. Later that day, I’d called my folks to find out how they were doing and my father told me how upset they were. When they had gotten out of bed (the folding couch) that morning they had closed up the couch like they usually do. After about an hour they began to look for their cat and couldn’t find it. They were heartbroken to discover that the kitten had been in the couch when it was folded up and had not survived! So how was it that I had seen a cat run behind the bathroom door when I had gotten ready for work that day and there was no cat in that house?

The renowned prophet Nostradamus (Michel de Nostradame) was born on December 14, 1503 in St. Remy, Provence, France. Nostradamus came from a long line of Jewish doctors and scholars. His family had converted from Judaism to Christianity in 1502, as a result of persecution on the ascension of Louis the XII. After a classical education he studied medicine, herbalism and astrology.
During Nostradamus’ lifetime the Black Death (today known as the bubonic plague) wiped out over a quarter of Europe. It is no wonder that a sense of apocalyptic terror fills Nostradamus’ quatrains.

Nostradamus can indisputably be said to have been ahead of his time, at least in terms of medical practice. His treatment of the Black Death involved removal of the infected corpses, fresh air and unpolluted water for the healthy, a herbal preparation rich in Vitamin C, and (in contravention of contemporary medical practise) not bleeding his patients.

Nostradamus was successful in lessening the impact of the Black Death in the capital of Provence, Aix. The grateful citizens gave him a stipend for life.

Nostradamus began to write his prophetic verses in the city of Salon, in 1554. They are divided into ten sections called Centuries (which refers to the number of verses in each section, not to a unit of 100 years). The Centuries were published in 1555 and 1558, and have been in print continuously ever since.

Nostradamus had the visions which he later recorded in verse while staring into water or flame late at night, sometimes aided by herbal stimulants, while sitting on a brass tripod. The resulting quatrains (four line verses) are oblique and elliptical, and use puns, anagrams and allegorical imagery. Most of the quatrains are open to multiple interpretations, and some make no sense whatsoever. Some of them are chilling, literal descriptions of events, giving specific or near-specific names, geographic locations, astrological configurations, and sometimes actual dates. It is this quality of both vagueness and specificity which allows each new generation to reinterpret Nostradamus.

Nostradamus is said to have predicted his own death. When his assistant wished him goodnight on July 1, 1566, Nostradamus reputedly pronounced, “You will not find me alive at sunrise.” He was found dead on July 2, 1566.

Nostradamus was interred standing upright in the Church of the Cordeliers of Salon. However, his story does not end there; he was disinterred twice, once on purpose and once maliciously.

In 1700, his body was moved by the city to a more prominent crypt. When a necklace was found on his skeleton bearing the date ‘1700′, his body was hurriedly reinterred.

During the French Revolution, in 1791, some drunken soldiers broke into his tomb. The mayor quickly placated the mob by describing how Nostradamus had predicted the revolution, and they replaced the bones in the crypt.

However, Nostradamus had the last laugh. In Century 9, Quatrain 7, he had written:

The man who opens the tomb when it is found
And who does not close it immediately,
Evil will come to him
That no one will be able to prove.

Reputedly, the soldiers who desecrated his tomb for the final time were ambushed on their way back to base and killed to the last man.