2 Thessalonians 2:5-8, Part 2

[Hidden In Him]

What Remains For The Antichrist To Be Revealed, Part 2

      What signs should we be watching for that will precede the return of the Lord Jesus Christ from Heaven? What signs are you watching for personally? The apostle Paul spent significant time instructing the Thessalonians on what needed to take place before He could return. Most of all they needed to be watching for the arrival of the Antichrist. His coming was prophesied by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and because tensions between Rome and Judea had continued to escalate, all that needed to happen now was for an emperor to assume power in Rome who would move on the city of Jerusalem, outlaw the observance of the Jewish religion on threat of death, and fulfill the Biblical prophecies concerning the Antichrist. As Paul told them, all that remained now was for this "lawless one" to be revealed in his own time:     

      Do you not remember that when I was with you I was telling you these things? And you know it yet remains for him to be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already on its way to realization, only he is holding back at present until he manifests out of the midst, and then shall that lawless one be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus Christ will annul with the breath of His mouth and depose with the brightness of His coming. (2 Thessalonians 2:5-8)

     As also covered, the command was not to be caught sleeping spiritually, but to be watching for when these things would take place. They would signal that the return of the Lord Jesus Christ was near.
     But while the fulfillment of these things did not occur during New Testament times, it appears they are taking shape to be fulfilled in ours. Bit if so, what signs should we be watching for? Many point to obvious things, such as the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. But as I stated in Part 1, this might not occur until after the tribulation period has already started. To be alert to what will be happening well in advance of these times, what I have been stressing that we watchful for the following:

1. The strengthening of Islam by means of immigration, population growth, increasing political influence and military conquest. 
2. The intensification of radical Islam as set forth by Muhammad, who frequently gave approval that infidels ought to be killed through the practice of beheading.
3. Rising tensions between Islam and the church. This tension is prophesied in scripture, as will be explained.
4. Attacks by a unified, denominational church, centered in Rome, against true believers in Jesus Christ.
5. Ultimately, the destruction of countless Christian churches throughout the world.

     Eventually, the whole church throughout the world is going to suffer great destruction at the hands of Islamic terrorism, even in the West. Already attacks against Christian churches are taking place in foreign countries, so we should not be surprised when these trends continue to spread westward. The rising tension we see developing between Islam and the church is actually prophesied in scripture.
     As the Book of Revelation states:

     And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whore and shall burn her with fire... she shall be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord who judges her. And the kings of the earth who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, standing afar off for fear of her torment say, "Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city, for in one hour is your judgment come." (Revelation 17:16, 18:8b-10)

     The head of this Christian reunification movement will of necessity be the Catholic Church centered in Rome, the largest Christian denomination. Unfortunately, Rome will eventually become extremely corrupt, and ultimately be destroyed by the ten kings who rule over "the Beast." And notice that these ten kings will rise to power before the little horn arises (Daniel 7:8 ). In other words, the leaders of the coming Islamic Caliphate will determine together that the city of Rome is to be utterly destroyed through the use of nuclear weapons. She is described in Revelation as "sitting upon the Beast" (Revelation 17:3), and Islam is already slowly overtaking Europe, a fact which leaders in European nations are fully aware of. Given current trends, the Vatican will eventually find herself surrounded on all sides by a militant Islam bent on her destruction, caught in a geographical dilemma of "riding" atop an increasingly Muslim-dominated Europe growing ever stronger beneath her.
     Are these the signs you are watching for, well aware of what scripture says needs to take place before the Antichrist can finally be revealed?


The Mother Of The Harlots, And Abominations Of The Earth

     One of the key passages in Revelation that describes the Whore who sits upon the Beast is found in Chapter 17, starting with verse 4, which reads:

     And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color ... having a golden cup in her hand filled with the abominations and unclean things of her fornication. And upon her forehead was a name written: Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of the Harlots and the Abominations of the Earth. (Revelations 17:4-5)
 
     Why would Rome be called "the Mother of the harlots," i.e. Mother of the spiritual prostitutes? For starters, this analogy goes back to the days when the God of Israel chastised the Israelites for giving themselves over to idol worship:

     Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and every family in the house of Israel... you have gone a-whoring ... Lift up your eyes, and find where you have not been utterly defiled ... you wore the face of a whore, and you became shameless towards everyone .... [you] have gone to every high mountain and under every shady tree, and have committed fornication there. (Jeremiah 2:4, 3:1-3, 6)

     Rome, however, will go one step farther than this. As already stated, this reunification of false Christianity will be epitomized by one city in particular (see Revelations 18:15-20 below), and if the various mainline denominations of Christianity do indeed come together under one leadership, Rome will most certainly be their leader. Thus, in a sense, she will become "the Mother of the harlots, and the abominations of the earth" for all the other, i.e. lesser, Christian denominations who join her is this spiritual adultery will likewise be viewed as harlots in the eyes of God.

                         

     Even now there is evidence of her spiritual prostitution before the eyes of God, evidence which stares us in the face every day. Anyone familiar with occult symbolism knows that the obelisk standing in the middle of Vatican Square is a phallic symbol. This obelisk was transported to Rome from Egypt back in the 1600s, and from its inception was intended to serve, not as some representation of the God of Israel, but of the sexual virility of the Egyptian god Osiris, the very same god who has inspired the religion of modern Luciferianism. Thus, this obelisk standing in the center of Vatican Square is in fact a visual testimony to the fact that the Vatican is not the bride of Christ she claims to be, but is in fact a spiritual whore to the god of this world, and has been for centuries.   
     Revelations also states that eventually the institutional church led by Rome will drop to such levels of spiritual corruption that she will become a home, not for the Holy Spirit, but for every demonic and unclean spirit, until God finally has no choice but to command all who belong to Him to come out of her:

     And he cried mightily with a strong voice saying, "Babylon the Great is fallen, and has become the habitation of demons, and a prison for every unclean spirit ... Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins..." (Revelation 18:2a, 4a)

     Yet the worst will be still to come.


Becoming Drunk With The Blood Of The Saints

     In an attempt to compete with the zeal and fervor of militant Islam as it sweeps across Europe, Rome as head of this unified denominational movement is prophesied to return to persecuting Christians who refuse to submit to her authority:

     There will be many relatively small false unity movements resulting in discord, but there will be one great and significant movement which will ultimately become the greatest persecutor of the advancing church. This movement will be a marriage of Catholics, Protestants, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Charismatics and Third Wave Christians. This movement will gain momentum after a period of great humiliation for the church. It will have all the appearance of being God's vehicle for reestablishing the respectability and credibility of the church when in  fact it will be the primary vehicle for anti-Christ forces trying to thwart the harvest… [It] will have allegiance and authority over most of the populations of what is left of the "free world," [and] this church will incite governments and populations against all Christians who do not submit to its authority.
     Many denominations and religious institutions have been greatly used by the Lord, and will continue to be until near the end. Then the false church and large religious institutions will become the greatest opposers of true believers exceeding even the most anti-Christian governments, cults and religions. Every Christian that is in an institutional church at that time will eventually have to choose between their denomination and the Lord. (Joyner, The Harvest, P.62, 154, 167)

     Rome's persecution of the faithful will not be something new in history. The Catholic Church has had a history of persecuting the faithful. They did so during the middle-ages, as well as after the protestant reformation began to take hold. And the Book of Revelations states that she will return to doing so in the end-times: 

     And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus... And I heard another voice from heaven, saying... Reward her even as she rewarded you... in the cup which she has filled, fill to her double. (Revelation 17:6a and 18:4-6)

     And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. (Revelation 18:24)

                                           

     But God has decreed that judgment is coming upon her, and when it does come, it will be a cause for great rejoicing for the saints of God, for they will finally be avenged against those who subjected them to such suffering and death:

     Rejoice over her... you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you upon her. (Revelation 18:20)

      True and righteous are His judgments, for He has judged the great whore ... and has avenged the blood of His servants at her hand. (Revelation 19:2)

                                               

     These passages explain why her judgement will come at the hands of Islam: Just as God used pagan nations to judge Israel when she rebelled against Him, so too will He again use the pagan nations to bring judgment against the false church.


The Destruction Of Rome By Nuclear Weapons

     Revelations states that the tensions between Rome and Islam will continue to escalate until the leaders of the Muslim world eventually destroy Rome by nuclear weapons during the time of God's wrath. The ten kings will "hate the whore," and "burn her with fire." What kind of fire? A close look at the passages involved reveals that the whore's prophesied destruction bares numerous characteristics consistent with nuclear devastation. For starters, it is repeated numerous times that her utter destruction will come in just one hour, roughly enough time for a nuclear missile to travel the distance from any one of a number of countries in the Middle East to Rome. 

     And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whore and shall burn her with fire... she shall be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord who judges her. And the kings of the earth who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, standing afar off for fear of her torment say, "Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city, for in one hour is your judgment come." (Revelation 17:16, 18:8b-10).

     This is why the Lord compares the Whore to the ancient city of Babylon. Like Babylon the Great, which was filled with riches, the whore's destruction is prophesied to come with complete and sudden finality, just as ancient Babylon's destruction came in one night. (Daniel 5:17, 25-31)
     It is also prophesied in Revelations that the merchants of the sea will stand afar off "because of fear of her torment." People close to a city that had just been hit by a nuclear bomb would most certainly fear to be anywhere near it. The radiation would make it unsafe to be anywhere close.
     It is also interesting to note that the Port of Rome (Civitavecchia) is one of the busiest ports in Europe, servicing not only cargo and cruise ships but more ferry shipping than any other city in the world. And specific mention is made that "every shipmaster, and all the company on ships, and the sailors, and as many as traded by sea" would stand afar off, beholding her destruction:

     [Those] who were made wealthy by her shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, "Alas, alas, that great city ... for in one hour such great wealth was made desolate. And every shipmaster, and all the company on ships, and the sailors, and as many as trade by sea stood afar off and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, "What city is like this city! ... wherein everyone who had ships in the sea were made wealthy by reason of her acclaim, for in one hour is she made desolate." (Revelations 18:15b-20)

                               

     Obviously, cruise and cargo ships destined for the city of Rome would suddenly have no port of destination left to go to, and have to sit out in the Mediterranean, maintaining a safe distance until they could receive new destination orders. "All the company on ships," would thus include the multiple thousands on cruise liners and ferries, all of whom would share in the horror of witnessing the mushroom cloud of Rome's destruction rising up into the atmosphere from miles offshore.

                                                               

     The prophesies of Isaiah describe spiritual Babylon in terms consistent with nuclear devastation and radioactive fallout as well. He prophesied that the city would be destroyed similar to Sodom and Gomorrah (i.e. by fire from above), and that it will thereafter never be inhabited again, but become the habitation of wild animals:

     Behold, the day of the Lord is coming - a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger - ...The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light... I will make men scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir… And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them. It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there. But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches will dwell, and there wild goats will dance. Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged. (isaiah 13:9-22)

     The following video documents why both Israel and the West are now growing exceedingly concerned about the possible development of a nuclear weapons program by Iran (See 4:04 through 8:22). Despite diplomatic reassurances that the West has absolutely nothing to worry about (13:35 through 15:19), the military precautions being taken suggest very few feel reassured about anything (see 15:19 through 20:14). Moreover, in light of the economic implications involved and the interdependence of global markets (see 20:14 to the end), there may in fact be no real way, military or otherwise, of keeping radical Islam from some day developing nuclear capabilities:

Mosaic Special: Iran and the Nuclear Threat

     In fact, tensions are already rising between Islam and Rome, and these will only escalate further every time Rome dares to speak out against the spread of Islam. Such occurred back in 2007, when the Pope quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor as saying, “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find only things evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.” The response from Muslims was to threaten the Pope’s life, burn churches and murder Christians. The church can expect nothing less than that similar repercussions will happen every time they so much as dare to speak out against Islam.

                                                           


The Prophesied Destruction Of Churches In The West

     But it will not just be Rome who suffers the wrath of Islam. This hatred of Christianity will also be reflected in how Muslims increasingly begin attacking all christian churches throughout the world, including here in the West.
     The following prophetic dream was given decades ago, before the whole Megachurch movement was in full swing. However, there are aspects to this dream that suggest the ultimate fulfillment of it is still in the future, given that in this dream the building of massive churches will ultimately be followed to their destruction at the hands of forces coming "from the east," a reference to invasion by Muslim terrorist groups, who will likewise destroy churches in the West just as they have been doing in countries like Sudan, Nigeria, Egypt, Iraq and elsewhere for decades now.
     Please note that in this dream, the term "Christian City" is used as a euphemism for an extremely commercial, materialistic church that will arise in the end-times, particularly in the West given the wealth and opulence that is described. Note also that the destruction of these magnificent churches will come as a result of "defining explosions." Keep in mind also that this dream was published at a time when the terrorist bombing of churches in the US would have been considered utterly unthinkable.

     The most dramatic aspect of this growth in Christian City was the appearance of magnificent new church structures, towering over the countryside. One cathedral was being completed which had a spire seventy stories high, housing the world's most powerful transmitter. Another church was taking shape in the form of a giant glass dome with a revolving stage, and wrap around sound system. The most unusual one looked like an upright cross, with fifteen elevators taking people up to the sanctuary housed in the southern arm, and a Christian restaurant housed in the right arm. There were Christian education facilities for every age group, from pre-kindergarten to graduate school. This group sponsored scenic retreat centers in the style of Swiss chalets, and vast seminary halls... 
     Reporters came from all over the world to do articles on the booming conditions there. The inhabitants of Christian City were claiming that when the end came, they would be caught away to the City of God before chaos erupted...
     Suddenly, an earthquake shook the ground beneath my feet. The sky darkened, and a sound of war rolled in from the east. Then I saw Christian City being invaded and destroyed. The magnificent cathedrals, the world's largest cross, retreat centers and seminar halls were splintered apart and flattened by deafening explosions. Dead bodies of the inhabitants who had thought they would escape this holocaust filled the streets. (Escape From Christendom, Robert E Burnell)


The Destruction Of Christian Churches: Already On The Rise

     Certainly the destruction of Christian churches overseas is increasing, and this is a trend we need to be watching carefully. It is only a matter of time before these things male there way increasingly westward.
     From a relatively recent article by author, researcher and columnist Raymond Ibrahim:

      Boko Haram, the Nigerian Islamic extremist group, has killed more people in the name of jihad than the Islamic State (ISIS), according to the findings of a new report. Since 2000, when twelve Northern Nigerian states began implementing or more fully enforcing Islamic law, or Sharia, “between 9,000 to 11,500 Christians” have been killed. This is “a conservative estimate.”
     St. Rita Church was bombed on Easter, 2012. Many Christian worshippers were killed or injured. In response, the Obama administration insisted that “religion is not driving extremist violence.” In addition, “1.3 million Christians have become internally displaced or forced to relocate elsewhere,” and “13,000 churches have been closed or destroyed altogether.” Countless “thousands of Christian businesses, houses and other property have been destroyed.”
     The report alludes to a number of other factors that connect the growth of the Nigerian jihad to the growth of the global jihad. The rise of anti-Christian, Islamic supremacism “did not emerge in Northern Nigeria until the 1980s, when Nigerian scholars and students returned from Arabic countries influenced by Wahhabi and Salafist teaching. Each year, thousands of West African Muslims get free scholarships to pursue their studies in the Sunni Arab countries; this has had a major impact on Nigerian culture.” (U.S. at Easter: Ignore the Muslim Slaughter of Over 10,000 Christians and Destruction of 13,000 Churches in Nigeria, by Raymond Ibrahim)

     Trends have been largely the same elsewhere. Churches in Iraq for example:

     There used to be 300 churches in Iraq, and now they are only 52, which means the Muslims have destroyed 248 churches in the country of Iraq, alone.
     While the modern minded people (who think they are intelligent), give seemingly pious objections against Russia’s anti-sodomite laws, they do not lift a finger against the real and blood oppression that are occurring every day in nations like Iraq and Syria.
     As one commentator has said: The U.S. and U.K., which oversaw the transition of Iraq from a dictatorship to a democracy, did nothing to ensure the protection of Christian minorities there. Now, Christians face persecution and death, and most have fled ancient communities. (Muslims Destroy 248 Christian Churches, by Theodore Shoebat)

     In relation to how these trends will eventually be coming to the U.S.:
 
     This “major impact” is not limited to Nigeria. Saudi Arabia annually spends over $100 billion disseminating “Wahhabi and Salafist teaching” - or what growing numbers of Muslims refer to as “true Islam” - including through European and American mosques. Behind the radicalization of ISIS, Boko Haram, and Lone Wolf jihadis stand America’s best Muslim friends and allies.
     The report finally finds that much of the anti-Christian violence derives from the historical “migration of Muslims into non-Muslim territories..." In other words, what Christians in Nigeria are experiencing is a live snapshot of what millions of Christians and other non-Muslims have experienced since the seventh century, when Islam “migrated” to their borders: violence, persecution, enslavement, and the destruction of churches. (U.S. at Easter: Ignore the Muslim Slaughter of Over 10,000 Christians and Destruction of 13,000 Churches in Nigeria, by Raymond Ibrahim)




Links:
http://raymondibrahim.com/2016/03/27/u-s-at-easter-ignore-the-muslim-slaughter-of-over-10000-christians-and-destruction-of-13000-churches-in-nigeria/
http://shoebat.com/2014/01/24/muslims-destroy-248-christian-churches/