Revelation 13:2b – 4 – “And the dragon gave the beast his own power and throne and great authority. I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast. They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. “Who is as great as the beast?” they exclaimed. “Who is able to fight against him?”  NLT

1^st John 2:18 states that in the last days the “antichrist” will come.  Many theologians believe the beast, in the above verse, is the antichrist who is the false messiah.  The dragon is believed to be Satan.  People will accept the antichrist because of his many miracles and his unlimited power.  He will fake a false resurrection having been pronounced dead (fatal wound) and then comes back to life.  The world will be united under his rule.  He will control the world’s economy.  God will allow the antichrist to have authority over the world for only a brief period.  Everyone will be required to worship him.

Revelation 13:7 & 8 – “And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation.  And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life before the world was made—the Book that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered.”  NLT

If you believe Scripture, the above verses tell us there will be a one-world government.  It could not be any clearer.  He will dominate over the world and there will be a one-world religion because all of the non-Christian people* will worship him.  Presently there are four main religions: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Which do you think the one-world religion might be?  Who is teaching world domination besides the Radical Muslim Brotherhood?  Besides verse 7 tells us the antichrist will wage war against God’s holy people and conquer them.  From which religion are Radicals promoting the killing of Christians?  Christ tells us we will know when we are in the end times.  We will be able to see the signs.  There will still be Christians on earth because they will be conquered.  It is still possible to believe in the “rapture” taking place prior to pre-tribulation. (*There will be 144,000 Jews preaching that Christ is the Messiah.)

Revelation 13:11 – 17 – “Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon.  He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and its people to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.  He did astounding miracles, even making fire flash down to earth from the sky while everyone was watching.  And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life.  He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.   He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead.  And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name.”   NLT

II Thessalonians 2:4 – 5 – Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.”  NLT

Scripture tells us we will have the antichrist and we have the false prophet.  The false prophet is the organizer and the religion is centered on the antichrist.  The antichrist gives him total authority.  The real purpose is to worship Satan through the antichrist.  The religion will be acceptable to everyone whose name is not in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  Lucifer was thrown out of heaven with 1/3 of the angels because they wanted to be gods.  He will think he has succeeded when he sits in the Temple claiming to be god.

Let’s assume that some of this happens prior to Christians being caught up in the air to be with Christ and we are those Christians who are on the earth as the above Scripture describes.  We who will not worship the beast or take the mark are told we will die.

The antichrist will be extremely charismatic.  His miracles will be so astonishing that he will make fire come down from heaven just as Elijah did in I Kings 18.  The false prophets with his miraculous powers will be able to deceive people and shape world opinion into accepting the antichrist and himself.  How many Christians will be deceived and worship the beast instead of accepting death?

Romans 8:35 – “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?”

I believe any Christian totally committed to Christ and has the power of the Holy Spirit within themselves will receive a courage they have never witnessed before.  Our love for God and Christ will remove all fear.  No matter how bad the circumstance might be, we will have the same confidence and courage that the apostle Peter and the other apostles had after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. God promises that no one can ever separate us from Him.  I accept and believe that promise and we will face whatever happens, totally dependent upon God and accept any challenge the antichrist or his demons can throw at us.    The signs of a one-world government and religion are coming.  We must be prepared!  Many of us are old enough that we will be long gone prior to this prophecy being fulfilled. This blog is for younger people who need to be aware of what’s coming.

John 14:2 – 7 – “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really know me, you will know[a] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Jesus had told His disciples many times where He was going but they did not understand.  A number of times He said He was returning to His Father who had sent Him.  Most of us think in earthly terms but Jesus talked in spiritual terms.  Jesus said to the disciples: “You know where I am going.”  Thomas replied: “No I don’t, give us the directions.”  The answer seems simple enough.  If we want to live in eternity with Christ we must accept that He was the Son of God and that He is the “only” way.  Jesus tells us He was going to Heaven, from where He came, to prepare a place for each of His followers.  He taught us how to become a follower. He instructed us how we were to live and how others should be treated.

He finishes the Scripture by saying that if you want to meet the Father He can show you the way, because no one else can get you there.  There is a lot we do not know about eternity.  One thing we are told is that we need not feel unworthy or fear as Jesus is preparing the way for us.  Scripture also says that if we reject Christ we cannot enter God’s presence.  That means if you want God to answer your prayers, you must become a member of His family.

The world will tell us the way to Heaven is just too narrow.  However, it is wide enough to allow the whole world to follow if they would only accept Christ.  Instead the world tells us there are many ways to Heaven.  The great deceiver, Satan, will convince the world that he knows all of the ways to get there and if they will listen and follow him he will lead them.  He will convince people that a loving and forgiving God will make many ways available and we can make a choice as to how we want to get there.  Could he be trusted when he told Eve to eat the apple or when he told Sarah to let Hagar have Abraham’s son?  Look what those consequences brought.  In my lifetime I have never seen as much evil as we can witness in today’s world.

Lucifer convinced 1/3 of the angels to rebel against God.  He has convinced billions on this earth to reject God and His Son.  He is a charmer and a deceiver.  Don’t believe his lies as so many have.  His goal is to have a one-world government and a one-world religion so that He can rule the world as god and be worshipped.  The Bible says his desires will be fulfilled, temporarily.  Don’t fall into his trap!

This is a follow up to my blog “Why the Descendants of Abraham fight over Jerusalem”.  I explained that God allowed Abraham and Sarai to have a son by Sarai’s maidservant, Hagar.  As a result Ishmael was Abraham’s first born son which gave him the “birthright”.  A “birthright” carries a strong element.  The first-born son receives fully double the portion of inheritance than his younger brothers receive.  The first born male child is designated the spiritual leader and has special responsibilities and privileges as part of his birthright (this does not apply if the first born child is a female). Judaism tradition requires younger siblings to show a measure of respect for older siblings. The “birthright” made that son special financially and spiritually.

Isaac was Abraham and Sarai’s second son and he was given the “birthright” according to the Judeo-Christian Bible.  Isaac had two sons Esau and Jacob.  Esau sold his “birthright” to Jacob according to Scripture.  If the heirs of Abraham’s first son and Isaac’s first son do not believe in the Judeo-Christian Bible they could believe that their heritage gives them the “birthright” to the city of Jerusalem and the land of Canaan.

Some believe that the Temple Mount is the most dangerous square mile in the world.  It is tightly guarded and secured to prevent extremists from blowing up the Muslim’s Dome of the Rock.  If this were to happen you would have a billion Muslims invading Israel.  Revelation says that before the end-times the Israelites will rebuild their temple on the original spot.  If Scripture says it will happen, it will. We just don’t know how or when that will come about.

We have a God who knows everything that will ever happen.  Why did He wait for so long before Sarai became pregnant?  He knew if Abraham and Sarai waited and she did not get pregnant they would take matters into their own hand as they did.  God knew that Esau would be born first.  He could have made Jacob the oldest.  He also knew that when Israel became a nation again in 1948 that they would be continually harassed by the heirs of Ishmael and Esau.  God knew that Muhammad would write the Qur’an and Ishmael and Esau’s heirs would become Muslims completely opposed to Isaac and Jacob’s heir’s beliefs.  God told Abraham he would be the father of many nations.  Many Muslim nations are descendants of Abraham as a result of Ishmael and Esau.

Here is what many Palestinian leaders believe: The Jews never had a temple in Jerusalem, it was in Nablus.  The Jews never lived in ancient Israel.  “Jewish leaders” believe from Scripture that the land of Israel was given to them by God and no one can take it from them.  The Bible promises the Jewish people that they will have a third Temple.  The Jews do not believe the Messiah will return until the Temple is built.  The Muslims do not believe the 12^th Imam, their messiah the Mahdi, will not return until the Jews are destroyed.  Both sides believe that we are now in the last days.  As a result the Mahdi has appointed an Iranian to form an army to defeat Islam’s enemies.  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s president believes he is the chosen one to carry out that order and amass an army for jihad.

If God would have made Ishmael and Esau second sons it is possible that the political troubles of today could have been avoided.  Why did God allow Jerusalem to become so controversial? In Scripture He tells us that there will be a one world-government and a one-world religion, why?  Why did God allow Abraham’s heirs to continually fight each other when He could have stopped it?  To answer that question requires a lot of assumptions.

I believe that it has something to do with Lucifer and the defection of 1/3 of the angels.  He was one of the most important angels in heaven.  He had all of the luxuries of life.  He could have had anything he wanted from a loving God.  Why did he rebel and the others rebel? Could it be that he wanted to be God?  Scripture tells us that he wants to take over the rebuilt Jewish Temple and rule as God.

God has used the nation of Israel to point out the carnal nature of man.  He has shown us some of the decisions self-centered men will make when given free moral agency.  When the Jews would completely obey the laws of God He would bless them with abundant prosperity. They would take advantage of it and He would withdraw and they would be enslaved and savagely treated.  They would repent and He would again bless them.  This cycle continually occurred.  He is planning to give us a Heaven on earth.  This time He wants people to know what a world can be like when they ignore the laws God has provided. I have always believed this is God’s laboratory and He allows us to witness the difference between good and evil, light and darkness and then choose which we prefer.   The life we live is a continual test to see what we will choose: the ways of the world (Satan’s ways), or live in obedience to the ways of Christ. God wants those who live with Him through eternity to be able to live like Christ in the world that we live in today.  In eternity the opportunities will be so great and the surroundings so terrific we will not want to rebel as Lucifer and the angels did, knowing what could again happen.  As the angels in Heaven followed Lucifer and rebelled against God, the same things were happening but this time it is humans on hearth.  And probably for the same reasons that the angels fell, to follow the great deceiver.  They believed they did not need God and they wanted to become their own god.

Genesis 15:4 & 5 – “Then the word of the LORD came to him: ‘This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.’  He took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’”

Genesis 16:1 & 2 –  “Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, ‘The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.’  Abram agreed to what Sarai said.”

Eve convinced Adam to eat the fruit from the forbidden tree.  Sarai convinced Abraham to have a child with Hagar.  In each case, we believe Satan convinced the two women not to trust God.  Look at the consequences of lacking trust and making the incorrect decision.  Was God showing to man what may happen when we don’t trust Him?  What is the difference between the angels that followed Satan and those on earth today that are deceived by him?  Adam and Eve’s rebellion resulted in God destroying unbelievers by water.  Abraham and Sarai’s untrusting decision will probably cause the earth to be destroyed by fire the second time.  Who do you trust?  Wake up America before it’s too late!  We had better start making decisions per Scripture and stop being deceived by Satan.  But do we learn from history?  Probably not!

It all started with God calling Abraham to leave his home and start a family.  God promised him that he would have many descendants, many nations would descend from him, God’s covenants to Abraham would apply to his descendants and He would give the land of Canaan to him and his future generations.

Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, had two sons who were Isaac and Ishmael.  Genesis 16:11 & 12 – “The angel of the LORD also said to her: ‘You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”  Later Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarai.  Abraham and Sarai made a serious mistake by allowing Sarai’s maidservant, Hagar, to become the mother of Abraham’s first child.  A serious problem developed between Sarai and Hagar.  Ishmael, at age 13, and his mother ran from the problem.  As the Bible predicted, the descendants of Ishmael have been bitter enemies of Abraham, Isaac’s and Jacob’s families ever since

In my recent blog “The decision you make today can negatively affect your future”, I wrote about Esau and Jacob using the Scripture Genesis 23:30 – 40 – “He (Esau) said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)  Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”  “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”  But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.  Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.  So Esau despised his birthright.”

Ishmael was Abraham’s first born and Esau was Isaac’s first born son.  Jewish tradition gave to both sons birthrights.  That meant they received twice the material inheritance of their siblings.  They received head of the family rights on the father’s death.  They had the right to settle all family disputes.

God promised to Abraham that his descendants would have a covenant promise to the land that Israel now occupies.  Many of Esau and Ishmael descendants now make up many Arab nations and are believers in Islam.  Many of the heirs of Abraham and Sarai believe that the land of Canaan belongs to them.  Esau, who gave up his birthright and Ishmael, the first born son’s descendants feel they have as much right to the land as Isaac and Jacob.  The only problem, if you follow Scripture, is God chose Isaac and Jacob over Esau and Ishmael according to the Judeo-Christian Bible.  However, the Qur’an, the Muslim Bible, sees it differently. Thus, the great conflict that has gone on for generations.

Another problem exists; the nation of Israel worships the Judeo-Christian God and the Muslims worship Allah.  Judeo-Christians believe there are two different Gods.  The Radical Muslim Brotherhood believes that their Allah, who allowed them to rule the world once, wants them to rule the world again.  This includes America.  The Radical Muslim Brotherhood’s publication features: “Our mission: world domination.”  And “Islam is the answer and jihad is the way”.  They believe it is an obligation of every Muslim to wage Islamic jihad onto every non-Muslim.

Let me repeat what I have previously written.  Most Muslims are not Radicals.  They are not interested in waging war against Israel and America.  They do not promote their sons and daughters being suicide bombers to kill Christians and Jews. They live peaceful, respectable and productive lives.

We are sitting on the front line watching prophecy unfolding.  Only a fool would believe there is no God.  How could so many different men write hundreds of years ago about events that are happening almost every day?  Revelation tells us in the end-times there will be plagues, earthquakes and starvation.  There will be one man who will rule the world and there will be one religion headed by the false prophet. All of this is happening to prove that we have a God and He predicted all of this centuries ago.  He is giving everyone a last chance to seek salvation and He is preparing the world for the return of Christ.  We believe every person will be given a chance to be saved. No one will have an excuse to not accept Christ as they see prophecy occurring as it is in Northern Africa, gigantic earthquakes, the possibility of a food shortage and volcanoes erupting. We are witnessing those inside America wanting to destroy our nation and become part of a one-world government.  Yet, as in the time of Moses, many will accept Satan and the antichrist as their saviors and reject God and deny Christ as His Son.

Scripture tells us that once a person denies Christ they will be destroyed just as the Egyptian Army was when they chased the Jews out of Egypt.  He will destroy them just as He destroyed the people during Noah’s time.

As Christians should we be fearful?  We should be just the opposite.  The decision we made to accept Christ as our Savior is now being proved, without a doubt, that we made the right choice.  We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit and I believe God will eradicate any fear for those who really trust and obey Him. We are safely seated in the grandstand watching the battle take place before our very eyes.  We don’t have to worry because we know what team wins.  When the battle is over we can all run down and celebrate with Christ and His angels.  Isn’t it exhilarating and exciting to be on the winning team?  Guess what?  The trophy is that we are all given a crown and we get to live with the winning team forever and ever!  World—bring it on, Christ has made us ready!  Amen

The correct question may be is America on God’s side?  Many of our leaders over the years have told us that our major concern was that America would never be destroyed from the outside.  If America is destroyed it will come from within.  If you have studied history one example came from Abraham Lincoln when he spoke on January 27, 1938 in Springfield, Illinois.  He said: “At what point shall we expect the approach of danger?  By what means shall we fortify against it?  Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant to step the ocean and crush us at a blow?  Never!  All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth in their military chest, with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge in a trial of a thousand years.  At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected?  I answer, if it ever reaches us it must spring up amongst us; it cannot come from abroad.  If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher.  As a nation of freemen we must live through all time, or die by suicide.”

As we developed modern weapons it seemed that we were more defenseless against the outside than the inside.  But as I read newspapers and listen to TV news I can see how much easier it would be to destroy America from within.  I don’t know if the statistics are correct but we are told that over 20% of our population hates our form of government and wants a form of communism, totalitarianism or socialism.  They are willing to destroy our country in order to change our present system.

Why would Iran need nuclear armament when they have Radical Muslims inside the U.S.?  Many Muslims are peaceful people who want the same things for their families that most of us want.  As President Bush said, it was the Radical Muslims who were hijacking Islam and creating the terrorists.

Islam is a religion of works.  They are taught that you cannot go to Heaven unless your good deeds outweigh your sins.  The Qur’an also states that a Muslim must go to war against their sinful nature for the good of one’s soul.  Allah blesses those who strive to do good works and not the sinner.

Radical Muslims teach if your bad deeds outweigh your good ones you will be placed into hell and tortured for eternity.  To end up in Paradise your good deeds must exceed your sins.  Radical Muslims are taught that being a martyr is a guarantee of salvation.  Dieing a martyr’s death there is no pain; it erases all past sins and can save the souls of 70 family members.  They then will live in Paradise through eternity and be wedded to 72 beautiful virgin maidens.  It should be pointed out that the 72 virgins promised is not found in the Qur’an but comes from ancient Islamic scholars who quoted it from Muhammad.  The Radicals believe that Allah will not be pleased until the Muslim people establish a global Islamic government under Sharia law.  Are they not teaching Radical Muslims living within the U.S. the importance of knowing for sure you will be saved if you just die a martyr’s death by suicide bombing?  Dirty bombs, bacteria, toxic chemicals are all possible.  I read about it almost every week.

We have a number of judges who are supporting the Radicals and are down playing our constitution in favor of Muslim’s religious demands.  Islam seems to enjoy a privilege among religions in America.  It appears that approximately four million Muslim’s rights are being considered over the rights of non-Muslims.  As I have previously written, Americans are not aware of the number of Radical conferences that are taking place regularly in America.  They are part of this 20% of Americans who want to see the economic capitalistic system destroyed.  It appears they will not be pleased until they see a dictator come to power and change America as we now know it.  If it takes a collapse in our financial structure so be it.  What will it take to make this happen?  Their motto is: “Islam is the answer and jihad is the way”. The problem is Radicals really hate us and are willing to sacrifice their lives to destroy us.

So I ask the question: “Whose side do you suppose God is on?  Do you believe He would support a one-world government with a one-world religion?”  It is time to wake up and accept what we have been told for years.  America’s destruction may be greater from within than from without.  Do you need further reasons why we must pray for America?

Andy Stanley gave a sermon that every Christian should hear.  It would make an impact on most believers that are trying to live a holy life.  Many of us know the story of Esau and Jacob.  Esau was the oldest son and in Jewish culture that made the eldest receive the “birthright”.  The birthright was a special honor given to the first born son.  It gave him twice as much as any other sibling’s inheritance.  Upon death of the father, it also made him the family leader and the judge of any disputes in the family.  It gave them a different relationship to God than the others.  The oldest son, if he chose to do so, could sell or give it away.  If he did, he would lose the material benefit and give up his leadership position.  Esau by giving up his birthright gave up the spiritual blessing that came with it.  He traded it for an immediate pleasure without considering the long-range consequence of what it would do.

Genesis 23:30 – 40 – “He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)  Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”  “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”  But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.  Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.  So Esau despised his birthright.”

Here is the consequence: The Bible probably would have read—Abraham, Isaac and Esau the father of twelve sons.  Esau possibly gave up every benefit that Jacob received from God.  We can fall into the same trap.  When we see something that we really want, what are we willing to do to get it?  Our first impulse may be to do whatever it takes. That could mean using the credit card, having an illicit affair, being dishonest to gain materially.  What is it that tempts us?  What is our bowl of stew?  What are we willing to give up in the future, to satisfy an immediate craving or lust that we have at the moment?

Esau exaggerated his hunger.  I doubt that he would die if he didn’t get the stew.  Yet, don’t we think similar thoughts?  No one will know.  It won’t hurt anyone.  The pressure of the moment gives us a different perspective making the decision seem urgent.  Isn’t it possible for us to justify almost any decision we make?

Consider how Esau’s decision changed his future, his family’s future and the world’s future.  If you have read the Bible almost everything from that time on, in the Bible, is about Jacob and his heirs.  Follow Esau’s history and there is very little good that came out of it.  From Esau came many of those who have accepted Islam and are Muslins.  Esau and his descendants are bitter enemies with Jacob’s heritage.  They have been enemies for centuries.

Decisions we make today not only affect us but influence the lives of our family.  We are seeing it today.  Many unwed teenagers having children with little chance of them growing up with a spiritual upbringing.  Unwise choices destroy families.  We know of politicians who have destroyed career opportunities for a bowl of soup.

We have all had the pressure that comes from temptations.  The devil knows what our bowl of soup is.  This is why it is so important to reach spiritual maturity and live a life trying in every way to please God.  We must never do things knowing that God will be displeased.  That is sin!  Stop and think—consider the consequence!  Will the decision I make today, displease God and change the lives of my children, grandchildren and on?  Don’t make the mistake Esau did and have the affect he had on so many.

It seems we can hear what is going on in the world, turn to the Bible and see the future results unfolding before us.  Or can we? Let me give you some Scripture and you decide for yourself.

Isaiah 19:1 – 4 – “A prophecy against Egypt: See, the LORD rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him, and the hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear.  ‘I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists. I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them,” declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.’”

Ezekiel 29:10 – 12 – “therefore I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt a ruin and a desolate waste from Migdol to Aswan, as far as the border of Cush. The foot of neither man nor beast will pass through it; no one will live there for forty years.  I will make the land of Egypt desolate among devastated lands, and her cities will lie desolate forty years among ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries.”  (There is no evidence, that I have been able to find, that this has happened previously anytime in history.)

I am no theologian and have never had a unique spiritual vision.  I have studied the Bible for over fifty years and have taught prophecy for a number of years. I am just the average Christian who listens to the news and read my Bible.  I read the above Scriptures and draw some conclusions.  I then think what if?  Let’s assume, in time, the Muslim Brotherhood take over Egypt.  They are part of a number of Muslim nations that have tried to destroy Israel four times.  They were completely humiliated by a tiny nation defeating the entire Arab armies.  Each Muslim nation and their form of government have been complete failures when it comes to democracy.  Their people have no hope for freedom or prosperity.  In fact, unemployment among young people is unusually high. The only way they can respond to their nation’s population’s disappointments is to generate anger against an enemy.  They have picked Israel, the United States and non-Muslims to hate.  The U.S. is one of the few nations that has helped and aided Israel in their defense.  Musharraf, the president of Pakistani said: “Today we are the poorest, the most illiterate, the most backward, the most unhealthy, the most unenlightened, the most deprived and the weakest of all the human race.”

I have read where the radical Muslim Brotherhood  played a part inspiring Hitler to murder over six million Jews in the German Holocaust.  They now deny that the Holocaust ever occurred, so how could they have been an instigator?  They are part of the group that sends Muslims into the world to suicide bomb and murder innocent people in a number of nations.  They are part of the association working to promote a one-world government with Sharia Law and the Islamic flag flying over the capital building in Washington D. C.  They also want a one-world religion that Revelation describes.  Anyone who does not convert to Islam wouldl be beheaded.

Let’s again assume that the wrong group controls Egypt and they are anti-Israel.  That could mean at first chance they would attack Israel.  If Israel were to counter-attack and use nuclear weapons it could make Egypt a desolate waste as described in the above Scripture.  It would then disperse the Egyptians and scatter them throughout the world.  Where do you think most of them would end up?

Our White House is somewhat supportive of the Muslim Brotherhood and President Obama has appointed Rashad Hussain as a special Envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference.  Hussain has a history of participating with the Muslim Brotherhood and has supported many of their beliefs and causes.  Most Americans are not aware of just how many radical Islamic organizations and groups there are in America.  They are meeting almost continuously and holding conferences promoting their one-world government.  This is another reason I believe we shall receive maybe millions of Islamic immigrants if this prophecy is fulfilled and Egypt becomes desolate.  Then what happens next?  Do we believe that the Bible is foretelling actual events?  Do we believe God will devastate Egypt and scatter its population to other countries?  Exciting times—right?  I may have missed interpreting the entire Scripture.  Check it out for yourself.

I came across a speech that President Bush gave on September 17, 2001.  He stated: “America counts millions of Muslims amongst our citizens and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country.  Muslims are doctors, lawyers, law professors, members of the military, entrepreneurs, shop keepers, moms and dads.  And they need to be treated with respect.  In our anger and emotion, our fellow Americans must treat each other with respect.”  (And what would Christ say?)

Whoever you are or what you believe, let’s pray for our leaders, our nation and that God will allow peace to come into our world and the hearts of every American citizen.

This is the 200th blog posted since 2009.  The number one read blog was “God must protect Israel”.  As of March 3, 2011, 551 have hit that post.  Most have come from Google.  We are going through some scary times with what is happening in North Africa and the Middle East.  We are having a potential food shortage and concerns for oil and the price of each of these commodities.

I am starting to hear the same voices that were telling us that we had better store up food and water as I did prior to 2000.  Writing blogs I have found more will read negative blogs than positive ones.  Therefore, if I want to get readers attention I need to pick out a title that tells you the world is close to ending.  Which I don’t believe is happening, even though it looks like we are getting closer to a one-world-government.

The Old Testament and the New Testament were written to people at that particular time.  However, we must realize they continue to apply to each of us today.  The character and the Spirit of God has not changed.  If you read through the Bible each year you will read things that tells us a lot about God.  In the Book of Deuteronomy He tells the Israelites what they must do in Deuteronomy 27:15 – 26. Deuteronomy 28:1 – 6 – “If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.  The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out”  Shouldn’t we be praying for our nation?

If they keep His commandments they will be blessed and prosperous.  If they disobey Him they will be cursed.  Deuteronomy 28:15 – 19 – “However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you: You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed. The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.”  It goes on to give further blessings.

God does not list the things we are not to do as threats.  However, He is telling us as warnings that if we do them we will not receive His blessings.  The Israelites disobeyed God repeatedly and He withdrew His blessings which had brought them success and prosperity.  God allowing bad things to happen were the curses.

He tells Joshua in 1:6 – 8 – “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.   “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Joshua was probably heading through some very fearful wars ahead.  In Verses 1:8 & 9, God tells him He will be with him and God would never leave him nor forsake him—abandon or fail to help him.  Joshua was leading two million people into a strange land.  Have you ever had a situation that seemed like you were in a storm and it seemed almost hopeless?  Jesus a number of times promised to us the same assurances as God had given to Joshua.  God told Joshua three times to be strong and courageous.  We too are to be strong and courageous and fear not.  He also told Him he would be with Him and never leave him.  That is our promise as believers also that the Holy Spirit with be with us 24/7.

Christ tells us to have faith and not to fear or to worry.  As believers in the Bible we too are told to mediate on Scripture day and night and live as instructed.  Know what God blesses and what He curses.    Then live accordingly and you will have nothing to fear and can expect blessings.    God tells us He with be with us through any situation to make us successful and prosperous.  If we trust in God’s promises we should be able to keep calm and meet all stormy situations without apprehension and expect the blessings that God promises.

Keep in mind always Roman 8:15 – “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.”

Revelation 6:6 – “And I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, “A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day’s pay. And don’t waste the olive oil and wine.” (NLT)

The media hasn’t really told us why some of these countries have been over-turned in North Africa.  The riots in Egypt, Jordan, Yemen and Algeria have in a large part been over the price of food.   Part of it was caused by the drought in Russia and later Argentina.  Torrential rains in Australia and Canada have not allowed farmers to plant millions of acres of wheat.  Using corn for ethanol may help solve the oil demand but not the food draught.  According to the Chicago Board of Trade wheat is up 74% since last year and corn rose by 87% during the same time.  Italy’s Food Organization says food prices in January hit record levels.  When prices rise like they have it generally promotes hoarding wide-spread.  People start buying so they won’t have to pay higher prices later on.  If China has food problems this year we could have a world-wide food shortage.  Food Products in St. Louis says there is not one crop that doesn’t have supply problems. It almost sounds like the end times when a loaf of bread will cost a day’s wages.   Could a loaf of bread ever reach $125?   Is the world’s population at the point we may have a problem feeding ourselves?

There is a winner in all of this and it’s the American farmer.  Farm land in the Mid-West has sent prices rising and boosting profits to regional banks and equipment manufactures.  We are exporting more food products than ever before according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.  It is allowing farmers to get out of debt.  Foreign investors have been investing heavily into U.S. commodities.  How much of the higher prices are being caused by speculators?  Want to know why there are no food riots in America?  A record 43.6 million people receive food stamps according to the USDA.  No other country has this kind of a safety net.

The 6^th chapter of Revelation predicts there will come a time when the world will be faced with starvation, famine, sickness and economic disaster.  There will be sickness that antibiotics and drugs will not prevent.  Bacteria can infect people with hundreds of diseases and there are chemical agents that could destroy the entire population. There was a time in history that typhus killed over 200 million people over a period of time.

It is anticipated that there will be evil rulers with no conscience, who use their power to destroy those considered their enemies.  I believe God is allowing an example in Libya’s leader Muammar Al-Gaddafi who could do anything one could imagine to stay in power.  If you want to see what an evil leader can do watch today’s TV news.

There will come a time when we will witness global disasters.  Volcanoes will erupt and the earth will shake.  Isaiah wrote in 24:19 – “The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is violently shaken.” (NIT) On December 28, 2004 the U. S. geological Survey reported that the island of Sumatra shifted to the southwest 120 feet as a result of a 9.0 earthquake.  Yahoo news reported the December 28 earthquake made the earth wobble on its axis and permanently altered the regional map.   That earthquake was equal to 23,000 atomic bombs the size dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.   December 16, 1811 islands in the Mississippi actually sank.  Theologians predict that the earthquake Revelation describes is far greater than the 9.0.  Some wonder if these gigantic earthquakes predicted could shake the earth back on its axis to where it was before the flood when people lived almost 1000 years.

Then comes panic!  People lose all hope and can find no place to hide.  Lawlessness is evident in every country on earth.  Those who thought they were safe could find no place to hide.  It will be amazing that after all of these events there will be a number of people who still will not fear God.  Like the Egyptians in Moses times they will have hearts as hard as shoe leather and not penetrable by the Holy Spirit.

It is believed when the church is raptured, a radical ideology or theology will change the world when all restraints are removed and fanatical teachers spread their beliefs.  A worldwide anti-God movement will exist.  This will include the teachings of evolution, situation ethics (no absolute rules), moral freedom and self-sufficiency (man is not accountable to anyone), sexual permissiveness (everything is acceptable), and death education (there is no life after death).   This is what’s prophesized will happen during the one-world government and the one-world religion.  Hasn’t it already started?

Would you want to go through this kind of turmoil without having the Holy Spirit?  It is relatively easy to give one’s heart to Christ now, later it may cause one’s death.   Talk to Jews who were under the Nazi German Army or those from Cambodia just a few years ago.  Ask them what’s it like living under an army with no morals?

For the past year I have asked that Christians pray for our government leaders. (Psalm 50:15 – “Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you.”)  NLT – I do not believe it is too late for a spiritual revival to take place in America.  I believe God spoke to me through an article in a Christian newsletter in 1981 that before the end of time there would be a great revival.  At that time I belonged to a church that was averaging an attendance of 450 on the weekend.  Our church grew and today we have had over 30,000 on some special weekends.  This past year our church has seen 7,242 sign that they had accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior in 2010.  My hope is sky-high that God is going to give us one last chance.  But we all need to seriously pray for a revival in the hearts of those who have not accepted Christ.  Each one of us had better be prepared.  For no one knows when the “End Times” will occur.  The world is telling us it could be sooner than we might expect.

What precautions can we take?  What if the worse were to happen?  How much food and water do you have on hand?  What if you went to the store and they were out of everything you need?  How long could you exist?  Is it time yet to start planning for what could eventually happen according to Scripture?  As a child I remember my mother canning every summer enough canned goods to last us for at least a year.  We had all kinds of fruits and vegetables stored in the pantry.  We even had bathroom tissue that would last for months in case we ran out of the Montgomery Ward catalog in the outhouse.   What would happen if the most prosperous nation that every existed went into bankruptcy and money became worthless?  Or, we had a world-wide food shortage.  Have we planned adequately?  “A word to the wise should be sufficient!”

One of the men in our group asked: “Why did God allow slavery to exist for so long?”  I suppose the answer would be that he has given to each human free moral will to make their choices.  Add to that the following Scripture: Revelation 12:9 – “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”  And Revelation 20:3 – “He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.”

Would we not ask the same question: “Why does God allow Satan to deceive the world?”  I do not know of any Christian who hasn’t had some troubles in their life.  How we deal with problems during those times depends on a number of factors.  We first must realize no matter how much success we may have received there will always be times of suffering.  Some may be by being deceived through Satan’s temptations, some are caused by our mistakes and others are problems caused by others. Sometimes God allows all these things to happen to prepare us for greater responsibilities.  Since bad things do not always occur because we were deceived by the devil or the devil made me do it; we permit our carnal nature and distractions from the world to bring on negative consequences.  Then there may be times when God wants to change our purpose, direction, improve our faith or build trust in Him.  It reminds me of all of the problems God allowed the apostle Paul to endure.    Paul treated each situation as a challenge and so must we.  It is no time for a pity party.

God does not allow bad things to happen, under grace, to punish us.  He will do it for our own good.  First, He gave us the Holy Spirit to help deal with all suffering.  How we deal with these difficult times depends to an extent on our knowledge and knowing what God promises.  The more we understand the Bible, God and the Holy Spirit the better prepared we will be to handle any negative circumstance.

When we find ourselves in a serious situation we must understand how God operates.  Do we know what God promises during these times?  He says the Holy Spirit will take away fear.  Do we realize that God has a purpose for everything that happens?  Why is He dealing with us?  Could it be our pride, showing us what is important in life or is God just trying to get our attention?  In sports we always seemed to learn more when we lost than when we were successful and would win.  What is God teaching us and what are we to learn?

As I have written previously, when I had a massive heart attack, bypass surgery and not expected to live there was no fear.  I learned that God was in complete control and He knew what was best for my life.  I learned a lot about God.  I knew that He wanted me to completely surrender my life to Him.  I believed that God would do what was best for me and my family.  I was taught that I had no other choice but to turn that circumstance completely over to Him. (For a believer, death is the doorway to Heaven.)   Since 2005 I have repeatedly thanked God for the lessons learned, the assurance that His Spirit was with me and the blessings I have received since.

So how does this all apply to handling life’s pit-falls?  If problems or negative conditions present themselves how we handle them may depend on our trust in God’s Word.  If the Word is planted with a carnal heart, it could cause us to allow deceitfulness and worry to stress us out.  This is when the devil can really work on a person.  However, if we have allowed God’s Word to come into a heart purified through righteousness we will be able to accept the promises that God will meet our need and everything will work for our best.   With the right heart we may expect when it is all over we will be a better more enlightened person.  How do we make the heart right and accept the authority of the Bible?  We must have the self-control to become submissive to God, Christ and the Holy Spirit. Read, study and understand the Word!  Otherwise, the devil will challenge our hearts and our decisions. Many are not above temptation unless their self-control comes from a Bible based commitment to please God.

John 16:33 – “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”