Wars,
Rumors of Wars, and the Truth
by
Pastor Paul J Bern
One
of the things I did on my own behalf five years ago as I was looking
for ways to cut my expenses was canceling my cable TV subscription.
My reasons were partly economic, partly practical, and partly because
of my Christian faith. I also had practical reasons. I was just
getting started with my writing and blogging, so I no longer had time
to watch TV. To me at least, there's really nothing much on there
worth watching, so why bother? Plus, the news and information
channels such as Fox, CNN, the Discovery Channel, the History Channel
and so many others are filled with misinformation at best, and
propaganda at worst. So, I started streaming videos off the Web,
mainly from You Tube, Mypeace.tv and a few others. I have
intentionally cut myself off from much of the world, just as it is
written: “Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world....”
[John chapter 18, verse 36]. It is also a fact mainly known to Jesus
followers that real Christians define intelligence differently than
anyone else, as it is written: “Do not deceive
yourselves. If any of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this
age, he should become a “fool” so he may become wise. For the
wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight.....”
[1st
Corinthians chapter 3, verses 18-19]. The apostle John, the
half-brother of Jesus Christ, also had a comment or two in this
regard when he wrote, “Do not love the world or anything
in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is
not in him. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful
man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does –
comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its
desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives
forever.” [1st
John chapter 2, verses 15-17, NIV]
These
are the underlying reasons, my dear readers, why I have disconnected
from the world (I no longer own a radio for the same reasons). There
is one very noticeable difference between cable and network
television and what's being shown on the internet, besides the fact
that much of it is free. I can sum it up in one word – truth!!
The contrast between the news, information and even the entertainment
on the Web compared to commercial TV and the movies is pretty stark.
One of the most worrisome trends I'm seeing on the internet, however,
is those who go overboard in search of the truth to such an extent
that they damage their own credibility due to excess speculation
about humankind's future. The wild speculation about the timing of
World War Three and with regard to End Times Prophecy are the two
examples of what I mean by “worrisome trends”. Never mind all the
misinformation. Let me set a few things straight.
First,
and much to the discredit of organized religion, or “Christianity,
Inc”, I often wonder why some of the answers to these questions are
not being discussed in churches. All I hear in the majority of them
are false doctrines such as the “pre-tribulation
rapture” and the bizarre idea that Jesus wants us all to be
rich. I can hardly find a church these days that teaches the truth of
all these things except on the internet. The ugly truth is far worse
than what is currently being 'taught'. No wonder the church is not
mentioned in Revelation directly, just the tribulation saints (see
Rev. chapter 7, verses 9-14). The rest are being consumed in the
great apostasy that will hit a peak once the Antichrist governmental
system gets into full swing, and that will be happening in the near
future. Have any of you other Christians brought up these subjects in
church? I have and it does not go over well, but that doesn't matter
to me. Now is the time to speak out and expose false teaching on
these subjects. One prime example of what I mean can be found in
scripture in Revelation chapter 13, verses 1-5: “And I saw a
beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with
ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The
beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear
and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power
and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast
seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been
healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. Men
worshiped the dragon because he gave great authority to the beast,
and they also worshiped the beast and asked, 'Who is like the beast?
Who can make war against him?' The beast was given a mouth to utter
proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for
forty-two months.”
Don't
worry, I'm not going to confuse or confound anyone with any long,
drawn out explanations because none is necessary. “The Beast”
symbolizes an extremely powerful nation. “The Sea” is a biblical
metaphor for the sea of humanity. The “10 horns, 7 heads and 10
crowns” refers to a large international organization, most likely
the countries that are the primary or founding members of the United
Nations. “The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like
those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion.”
What modern countries use those animals as their national symbols?
Germany, Russia and Great Britain, in that order. The “fatal wound
that had been healed” is presumably Germany, who lost WW2 but has
since been rebuilt and revitalized. “The Dragon” is a synonym for
the devil, or Satan. And who is “The Beast”? What does it say?
“'Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?”
This is a clear reference to the largest and by far most powerful
military force the world has ever known – the United States!
What
else could this be? “The beast” in the Book of Revelation is none
other than the United States military, the American Empire, the US
military-industrial-incarceration complex, or all of the above! I
mean, it does not take a seminary or a university graduate to figure
this stuff out!!
There
is much talk today about war being imminent. Granted, when it comes
to the Middle East, war could break out at any time, nobody knows for
sure. So you can forget about those who say they know the date of
Jesus' return, or that WW3 or a colossal economic crash is going to
occur on a certain day. They either don't know what they're talking
about, or they have ulterior motives for saying such things (like
selling books, for example). Let's not forget what Jesus taught: "No
one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels of heaven, or
the Son, but only the Father". (Matt. 24:36) But there are
several other quotes directly from our Savior that may offer a clue
about a certain time frame regarding Christ's return. Jesus also
said, "The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the
night", and, “The Son of Man will come at an hour when
you do not expect Him". Moreover, when Jesus taught the
parable of the wedding feast (see Matthew 22, verses 1 to 14), the
groom arrived at midnight, and everyone had fallen asleep. When I
combine the above quotes, the message is clear. He will arrive in the
middle of the night to take his Bride home, and the world will have
fallen asleep because it's taking 2,000 years for this scenario to
play itself out so that all prophecy can be fulfilled. Problem is –
and this is where it gets interesting – if Christ comes in the
middle of the night in Jerusalem, when I add up the time zone changes
from Israel to the US, He would arrive here during afternoon rush
hour. Wouldn't that be something!
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