The future of marriage of worship and love of money

Our bible's inspired warnings about how we handle money are there for a reason. The Old Testament is rife with warnings, examples of misuse of money, and having wrong attitudes about it. Mixing money and worship never works if you bring the wrong attitude along. Jesus told several parables about money and the Holy Spirit inspired several of the Apostles to issue warnings about it.

I'd like to take a look at the tie between money and worship.

The Tribulation will be a time when the fullness of sin will be allowed to prosper. It means that the world will be saturated with sin to an extent not seen since the Days of Noah. (Matt. 24:37-38). "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.” (Gen. 6:11-12).

With the Holy Spirit restrainer out of the way (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7) sin will come to the full. One of those sins has always been the corrupting influence of money in the church. It was a problem even in James's day. (James 2:1-7). In James it speaks about not favoring the ones who come to church dressed well and obviously wealthy over the ones who arrive looking bedraggled and poor. It says to make no distinction between the rich and the poor. The warning exists because it is fallen man's natural tendency to try and curry favor with the ones who have money, influence, or power. But when money is used as an influence-maker, and being born again do not mix.

The influence of money skews worship. Look how adulterated things had become in Ephesus. When Paul proclaimed Jesus, and said that their god whom they worshiped (Diana) was a work made of man's hands and thoughts, there was a riot.

"For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, "Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship." (Acts 19:24-27).

Most telling: 'men, you know from this business we have our wealth.' What business? The trinkets for worship business. I am not making this up, but I knew a man who used to take many business trips to Italy to look for items that would end up churches or funeral homes, mostly Roman Catholic churches. Crucifixes, Jesus-art, silver and gold accouterments to the ordinances, etc. He used to describe his import-export business as "Junk for Jesus." I think Demetrius could describe his living as 'Debris for Diana.'

Pagan idolatry corrupts. When the true church is corrupted, money is almost always at the root of it. Wrong attitudes about money are a hindrance to true worship. Demetrius was upset. Note that his opposition to Paul was first that his silver business would decline. Diana was second.

Peter reminded the pastors to enter into their calling not for 'filthy lucre' but out of eagerness to serve God. (1 Peter 5:2). Deacons are not supposed to be lovers of money. (1 Tim 3:3).

A false prophet's motivation will be money. In the case of when lucre becomes filthy it is when people USE God to make money. They turn Christianity into a trade, and industry upon which they make money.

We are not talking about hating money in and of itself. We need money for the practicalities of pastor salaries, church operating expenses, missions support, and charity. Money serves those biblical purposes. But the fleshly drive to acquire a huge personal wealth from your service to God cannot be justified.

TD Jakes was in the news this week. There was a huge gala held at the AT&T Performing Arts Center/Winspear Opera House in Dallas TX. It was called "A Triumphant Journey" and since Mr Jakes says he is a man of God you would think that the title referred to Jesus's triumphant journey from glory to earth and back to heaven again, triumphing at the cross for all time. You would be wrong. The second half of the gala title "TD Jakes 35th Anniversary". It was a gala held to acclaim Jakes's 35 years in the ministry. A gala for Jakes, about Jakes, uplifting Jakes. Ticket sales started at $150. The blurb states:

"an extraordinary 35th year celebration and Black Tie gala featuring distinguished celebrity guests, community leaders and special entertainment in celebration and honor of Bishop T.D. Jakes."

The Opera House was full, as celebrities sang Jakes's praises
under banners proclaiming TD's name.

The news review stated it was an... "epic-length event celebrated the Dallas-based spiritual leader, TV star and entertainment mogul for his 35 years of ministry. From the red carpet to the army of cameramen filming it for future broadcast to the $150-and-up ticket prices, it was a major soiree befitting The Potter’s House senior pastor..."

"And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." (Luke 9:58)

Source, HT Do Not Be Surprised

There was not only the gala, but the after-gala soiree. source

Jesus said, "I tell you, they already have their reward." (Matthew 6:1-6). Gill's Notes succinctly says, "verily I say unto you, they have their reward; and a poor one it is, the applause of men: however, it is what they seek after, and is all their empty performances deserve, and all they will have."

Creflo Dollar was in the news this week. He allegedly hit and choked his teenage daughter in an allegation of domestic abuse. With is arrest comes scrutiny of his past. Remember that money was at the root of previous allegations. The Athens Banner Herald article strolled down memory lane, its report noting--

"Along with Bishop Eddie Long, Mr Dollar is one of the most prominent African-American preachers based around Atlanta who have built successful ministries on the prosperity gospel, which teaches that God wants to bless the faithful with earthly riches. Ministers in this tradition often hold up their own wealth as evidence that the teaching works."

The article quoted Mr Dollar as saying--

"I stopped taking a salary," he said. "But no one ask the question, 'Where are you getting your money from?' Well, I have boxes of invitations to speak. At first, I was glad to preach for anyone. What I didn't know was I received a love offering for preaching. Back then, it was for $25 bucks. But over the years, people began to appreciate what I was bringing to them."

To Mr. Dollar, money is the evidence that his work  is appreciated? "I tell you, they already have their reward." He was glad to preach to anyone "at first" but now, at the last, it takes money to get him to preach? That is certainly the implication I take away from the quote.

I started this essay with the reminder that during the Tribulation, sin will have its full, unrestrained expression. We will see the final unholy mix of money and worship when the Antichrist demands worship. He demands it. And in order to display that submission to his demand, you must wear a mark on your hand or forehead. The mark of the beast is a mark of worship. Primarily is it a visible demonstration that you claim antichrist as messiah. Note, though, how the antichrist ties in money with that worship. Economic Babylon and Idolatrous Babylon finally have their consummation: without that mark of worship, you cannot buy or sell.

Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and  money." (Mt 6:24)

In the Tribulation, the people who love money will have no problem trading their very souls for it, (Rev 14:9-11) as they choose to worship the Antichrist, in that pinnacle of man's craven attempts to meld both worship and the love of money- and they will lose it all, forever.

Tribulation overview

The verse below is meant to be (mostly) fulfilled in the Tribulation. The Tribulation is prophesied to be a period where many things will happen. One of them is that the earth and heavens themselves will be wildly disrupted and disfigured. Landforms disappear. Weather patterns evaporate. Celestial orbits cease. Plagues kill. And more.

The outline of what Jesus will be doing at that time is presented to us in Daniel 9:24. The Lord will do 6 things:

"Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city,

1. To finish the transgression,
2. To make an end of sins,
3. To make reconciliation for iniquity,
4. To bring in everlasting righteousness,
5. To seal up vision and prophecy,
6. And to anoint the Most Holy."

Notice several things. First, it is a period where though the times seem chaotic, it is actually orderly. It is all in control of God. The three series of 7-judgments apiece (Seals, Trumpets, Bowls; perhaps four sets if you consider the Seven Thunders of Rev. 10:3-4) will be delivered in orderly fashion. The judgments unleash chaos, but their deliverance is orderly and controlled.

Another orderly aspect of the entire age, not just the Tribulation, is that He said it will take 70 weeks (70 bundles of 7 years, called shavua in Hebrew). This adds up to 490 years total for Him to perform the 6 things. The Tribulation is the time for it all to come crashing to a conclusion and so it is a time of demonstrable wrath and the culmination of the 6 things. In further orderliness, He stopped the clock at 483 years. Nowhere was it promised to be 490 consecutive years! But they should have known that, because the interruption was stated. In Daniel 9:25-26, a mere verse later, the angel told Daniel that after seven sevens and 62 sevens, "Messiah will be cut off (vernacular for died) and the people of the prince who is to come (antichrist) shall destroy the city."

Jesus's entry into Jerusalem was 483 years to the day and then the clock stopped. Then Jesus took 2000 years to build His church, and when it reaches His quota, (Romans 11:25) He will snatch us away from this earth, and He will finish that last 7 years of the prophesied 70 weeks and accomplish the promised 6 things. (More here)

The angel also explained to Daniel that it is a time when God directs His attention to "your people" and "your holy city (Jerusalem). That does not mean He isn't paying attention to non-believers or non-Jews during the Tribulation, or that nothing will happen to them during the Tribulation. Not at all. Jeremiah 30:7 calls it the Time of Jacob's Trouble, though, and its point is for the LORD to finish His promises to His people. #1 is to finish the transgression which is to allow sin its full course unhindered (unresisted) by the Spirit- because they have rejected the Spirit. In other words, they will get what they asked for.

#2 says He will make an end to sins. This making an end to sins is an event that will affect everyone on the planet. God always sees the world through the lens of His people the Jews and through the central location of the Holy City. But all the world will be affected.

Note the progression of the 6 things. At the beginning, He allows the transgression to have its full expression. By the end, the Most Holy is anointed. The Most Holy is Jesus. Ahhh, what a day that will be! The Tribulation is the cap-stone to the final age of man where He allows the total outcome of rejection of the Holy Spirit to have its course. His Spirit does not strive with man forever, you know. (Gen 6:3a; 2Thessalonians 2:6-7). Like in Noah's day, where all of man's thoughts were only evil continually, (Gen 6:5) so it shall be again at the end of days (Matthew 24:37).

The Daniel 9:26 verse also promises that the end will come like a flood. This does not mean that there will be a flood of actual waters as in the first global judgment. As part of the cataclysmic geo-physical upheavals during the Tribulation there will be floods and tides and hurricanes and tsunamis, but He promised Noah that he would never drown the world again as a judgment. (Gen 9:13). Rather, the verse uses figurative language. The Hebrew word in Dan 9:26 is "sheteph; from shataph; a deluge (literally or figuratively) -- flood, outrageous, overflowing." He means that SIN will have its outrageous overflowing. Remember, the antichrist who overpowers the world is called The Man of Sin. (Rev 13:7; 2 Thess 2:3).

This flood language mirrors the language in Revelation 12:15. Midway through the Tribulation, the antichrist tears up the peace treaty he had confirmed with the Jews at the beginning of the Tribulation. He then persecutes them with all unholiness and evil. He goes after the Jews with an evil vengeance that makes the WWII Holocaust look like a picnic. "And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood." Satan pours out his evil and sin flows over the world like a flood.

Floods have waters that rise, and rise and rise, eventually washing away all that is in its path. Even tsunamis which travel at jet speeds have waters that flow and rise accordingly. The end began when Jesus ascended, but it has been 2000 years and we can see that the flood waters of sin are not lapping at our toes...are not sweeping against our waists...but the flood waters of sin seem like they are actually crashing over our heads by this point in time. It seems the flood of sin in the world since the beginning is rising and rising, and now even crashing over our heads. It is like the famous photo of the lighthouse and its keeper:

But we are not destined for wrath! (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Though sin tries to engulf us, it will not prevail against His church! (Matthew 16:18). That is one reason we will not be here during the Tribulation, Jesus said that the gates of hell will never prevail against His church. (Mt 16:18). Notice where the keeper is: INSIDE the Lighthouse. Would you want to be anywhere else when the wages of sin try to engulf you? No. You would not survive that wave. You would not survive the hidden reefs under the wave. (Jude 1:12). Being in the Lighthouse is the only safe place to be, in ages past and in this present age.

Jude says, the apostates are "Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever." (Jude 1:12).

Peter says, "These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them." (2 Peter 2:17).

Isaiah says, "But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud." (Isaiah 57:20).

What of us, individually? His word says that Hades will not prevail against His church, but what of each of us in the daily struggle against sin? Some days it truly feels like it will engulf me. Here is the remedy: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1).

We are Light keepers, and our job is never more important than during the storm! We are in Christ as THE Light, but we keep His word hidden in our hearts. We are ambassadors of His glory and His truths. We keep His commands. We keep His flame alive on earth by staying in Him and close to Him. It is important to be brighter during the storm and so let us be bright, by being full of peace and joy in these stormy times. Let the waves crash! We have the eternal Strength of the Light. Let others see, and come to Him.

Iran's Khamenei hints that the Presidency may be dismantled

The News first then the prophetic implication.

In April of 2011 I had posted several articles noting the growing and obvious rift between the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, and his handpicked and supposedly elected President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. There was a spate of articles and a heightened speculation, then...nothing. War tensions took over and news chat of Ahmadinejad's position took back burner. Now this incredible news today. First, look at the three peices of news from last April/May-

Apr 28, 2011: There's a rift between Iran's President Ahmadinejad ...
"A rift is emerging between Iran's president and its supreme leader, prompting several members of the parliament to call for the impeachment of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has not been seen in public for days."

Apr 29, 2011: Ahmadinejad may resign
"In an interesting story yesterday, it seems that Iran's President Ahmadinejad has displeased the clerics (who really rule the nation) and especially has displeased Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei..."

May 6, 2011: "Are Ahmadinejad's days numbered?"
"An Examiner article states that Arab TV has reported that the Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei has asked President hmadinejad of Iran to step down. If true, it indicates a tightening of the strife that has burst onto the surface."

Iran's Parliamentary elections are coming up. This parliamentary election will be held in Iran on 2 March 2012 to elect new members of Islamic Consultative Assembly, Majlis. The Presidential election is not until next year. "The [parliamentary] election is expected to be a contest between "supporters and opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad within the conservative camp," says the AP. So there was already a rift, but the election is the mechanism that will expose it to the light. And any tensions that have been successfully hidden from the world since last April, will be all the harder to suppress as the elections near.

Then this today.

"Supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei has hinted the office of the presidency may be dismantled".

In this Al Jazeera opinion piece analyzing the current internal factionism in advance of the elections, it is stated,

"Soon after the presidential election of June 2009 - when Khamenei had to side with Ahmadinejad - the widely contested president was under the illusion that he enjoyed grassroots support. As a result of that deadly miscalculation, he and his faction now face two problems: not having his allies qualified for the next parliamentary election, and being impeached by the newly formed parliament for a barrage of corruption charges against him, his aides, and his cabinet. Ahmadinejad was always dispensable for Khamenei - but he seems to have had misread the Supreme Leader's intentions, who has even recently suggested that the office of presidency might very well be altogether dismantled to guarantee his absolutist Sultanism without even a hint of democratic menace."

Sultanism is "another name for Despotism, is a form of authoritarian government characterized by the extreme personal presence of the ruler in all elements of governance. ... The term Sultanism is derived from the word Sultan, which is a title used in Muslim societies for a sovereign or absolute monarch." (source)

This isn't the first time the Ayatollah has said that he may get rid of the office of President. He said it 4 months ago in this article in the Washington Post- "An unusual proposal by Iran’s supreme leader to eliminate the position of president has highlighted an increasingly bitter struggle within the country’s political elite, as the leader and his allies continue to try to undercut the powers of Iran’s ambitious president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said “changing Iran into a parliamentary system” in which voters no longer elected a president would not be a problem." Read more here.

Now the prophetic implication. The Tribulation is a time for Kings. It is all about kings. There will not be freedom, there will not be liberty, there will not be democracy. Geo-political changes occur so rapidly that individual national sovereignty is quickly done away with. the world forms into ten kingships. Daniel 7:24- "The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings."

Revelation 17:12 - "Revelation 17:12 "The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast."

Daniel 11:40 "At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood."

Revelation 16:12, "The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East."

The final days of the Church Age will see, and we are seeing now, a shifting of power. Not just in one president here or there but grand, sweeping changes, and changes not just of who governs, but how they govern, too. And not for the better. Changes where kings and presidents and ayatollahs and prime ministers and dictators are swept from power at a heartbeat. How many top leaders have been killed or have resigned int he last year? Power coalesces, and even nominal democracy is done away with. Think of all the dictators and leaders swept away in the Arab Spring, to be replaced with an Army or a Muslim Brotherhood, or a Terrorist faction. None of the new leaders have been better than the last, that is for sure.

It has to be so, because by Revelation 13 the Antichrist has gained enough power to force all people, great and small, to receive a mark on their hand or their forehead in order to worship the beast, or they may not buy nor sell. That is the word in Revelation 13:16- "forced" "everyone." Only dictators can do that. As we near the Tribulation the world gets ready to form into ten kingships, then seven, then one.

That's why it is prophetically significant that the Ayatollah has hinted he may get rid of the office of the President. By the time of the end, there will only be dictators. aAd then the final dictator, antichrist. It is all narrowing down.
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How what is happening in the European Union has prophetic implications in the near term

The prophecies are not just about pointing to literal events prophesied to happen, such as the destruction of Damascus or the attack by Iran and Russia on Israel. The prophesies also describe the states of mind and emotional turmoil that will accompany the conditions that God is setting up for His final pieces to be fulfilled. This essay is about the emotional and mental conditions that are prophesied and are already here. First, this excerpt from the Sydney Morning Herald--

EU leaders roll the dice as eurogeddon looms

'Eurogeddon'? Interesting way to put it.

"Could the Euro be saved? After an all-night session of crisis talks Brussels, European leaders came up with a plan to tackle the growing debt crisis, but it split the European Union. According to the President, 26 were open to a new treaty with strict budget oversight, but Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain won't be joining. ... The treaty changes Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, proposed in Paris this week would have been inconceivable at the beginning of the crisis, since it requires states to cede a significant degree of economic sovereignty. It is a process that many observers, in particular the populist British media, say is well under way. German dominance of the euro zone, they say, with Dr Merkel as the unofficial but unchallenged leader of Europe, has already arrived."

Ceding sovereign authority is a Tribulation condition, as the world is re-drawn into ten kingdoms with one currency. (Revelation 17:12, Revelation 13:16-17)

The article continues in easy-to-read fashion, focusing on Dr. Merkel as a person and a leader, and illustrating the rise of Germany (which is never good for Europe). She is known as The Iron Chancellor, and is seen potentially as the "savior of Europe". No she is not the antichrist, that is going to be a man. (Daniel 7:24-25). But the profile of Germany's prominence as a nation and its current leader at this juncture as the European Union teeters, is an interesting read, especially keeping in mind the role that Europe plays in prophecy as the revived Roman Empire.

The treaty they mention as the basis for their talks is the Treaty of Lisbon (Lisbon Treaty). "The Lisbon Treaty is the latest of the Treaties which, to date, have amended previous Treaties on the basis of which the Communities and the European Union were founded, such as the Single European Act (1986), the Treaty on European Union (Maastricht Treaty) (1992), the Amsterdam Treaty (1997) and the Treaty of Nice (2001)." (source)

Because European leaders are mentioning a treaty at this time, we wonder if the Lisbon Treaty is THE treaty, or THE covenant that Daniel mentioned the antichrist will make strong. I do not think that it is the same one.

Daniel 9:27 says: "He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."

In the Hebrew lexicon, "covenant" is just what it says, a covenant or a league or a treaty. To make strong; is an interesting word translation: in the Hebrew it means "prevailed" and also "conduct himself arrogantly" and/or "to strengthen." Given the Antichrist's other qualities that also include flattery and arrogance (Dan 7:8, 7:20), we can see a picture emerge of this prophesied treaty in which this evil man boastfully pressures the other leaders into accepting a treaty in which his version prevails. The antichrist is one among many of the league who sets the treaty in place but he himself will not be made known until halfway through the 7 years of the prophesied length of the treaty, when he puts a stop to the sacrifices in the temple. But he will have been one of the group that strengthens the covenant three and a half years earlier, which dwindles the potential candidates from anyone in the world, to one who is involved with a covenant that is made strong by a small group of leaders. The Church may or may not be here to see the treaty being signed but we will definitely not be here to see the antichrist revealed. Personally, I'm looking for Jesus the Sinless One, not the Man of Sin.

In looking at the lexicon, (source), Daniel 9:27 is presented as a list in each phrase with definitions. Removing the definitions, the verse reads like this: "And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations desolate, even until a complete destruction one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate."

To me, because the verse speaks of a covenant, a length of time, and in the same sentence the breaking of the covenant by breaking the sacrificial activities, the verse seems to indicate one is tied to the other. That the treaty will have in place a method for allowing sacrifices inherent as one of the clauses. If this is so, then the Lisbon Treaty is NOT the treaty the antichrist makes strong.

So what does all this Euro/EU brouhaha have to do with prophetic times? First of all, it is setting conditions that will allow the antichrist to come to power and be accepted by the world. If Angela Merkel does not 'save the European Union' it will be all the more a devastating collapse. Secondly, it has to do with this, a condition that is prophesied:

This: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;" (Luke 21:25)

I've mentioned before that the 'sea and the waves roaring' in my opinion has to do with the populations in unrest. A figurative tsunami of anger and outcry, if you will. I believe this because in Isaiah 17:12 mentions the definition of sea when it is used figuratively, "Oh, the raging of many nations--they rage like the raging sea! Oh, the uproar of the peoples--they roar like the roaring of great waters!" Interestingly it is from the chapter of Prophecy of the destruction of Damascus, an event that is also predicted to happen in future times, which is almost presently upon us.

The word perplexity literally translates as "I am in difficulties, am at my wits end." The Greek word aporeo is from a compound word, "to have no way out, i.e. Be at a loss (mentally) -- (stand in) doubt, be perplexed." In the Luke verse, the Greek word for roaring is literally, "rumor or report".

So now let's put the Luke verse together. You can picture the people roaring as currency crashes, or hyperinflation arrives, or anger as their leaders are in perplexity as to how to solve these unsolvable issues. Don't forget that there will also be a lengthy period of wars and rumors of wars. You know how wearing rumors are. If a rumor ever swept your workplace that layoffs are coming, you know the emotional exhaustion that accompanies rumors and reports. The longer it goes on the more angry and upset you get. You know how relieved you feel when you get actual information and actual solutions. Even if you are one who got laid off you almost feel relieved because now at least you can make plans and go forward. Now magnify that feeling by all the world's population and the global distress and perplexity over years of time, and you have a picture of the state of mind of the people of the world that accepts the antichrist.

The verses from Isaiah, Luke, and Daniel illustrate both literal events and states of mind that lead to the treaty's signing, and the attendant relief that accompanies this seeming resolution. Now this last quote from investor Jim Sinclair, interviewed this week on the events in the European Union about the currency and financial issues in an article titled Why the financial system is imploding:

“There is no one out there who has a plan that has a practical application which can change what is now. There is no practical solution being offered. There is no politician who has the courage to do the necessary and if the necessary was done, the system is so fragile that it would totally implode."

No one has an answer! Perplexity... Rumors... Reports... Anger... Fear... An entire continent is consumed with feeling these things, and it does not bode well for the immediate future.

Or, as the Sydney Morning Herald titled it in the article I opened with: EU leaders roll the dice as eurogeddon looms.

"Implode", "Eurogeddon" ... and when they 'roll the dice', we already know from the bible that what comes up is snake eyes.
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Is the euro doomed? Barroso thinks so

Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 speaks of the 4 world empires that will dominate the globe in Daniel's time and forward to the end. In Daniel 2 it's the statue of Nebuchadnezzar and in Daniel 7 it is a picture of a beast. The four empires are Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman. The Roman empire came and went already but the empire was actually not conquered nor did it really fall hard. It simply petered out, sputtering to a near-halt and was simply merged in with the other tribes that were around in those days, particularly the Visigoths. Because the empire never was conquered its integrity as a culture still exists. It only needs reviving. And be revived it will, and when it does, the antichrist will emerge from it.

"Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings." Daniel 7:23-24.  The fourth beast is the Roman Empire, as it is the ten toes of the Nebuchadnezzar statue, toes that are iron and clay, mixed, holding together for a little time but then falling apart.

It's been interesting since 1993 to watch the European Union come together. The European Union was formally established when the Maastricht Treaty came into force on 1 November 1993 and grew from three to 12 to 17 and now to 27 member nations. There are not 10 nations as prophesied but the union is morphing into new geo-political organizations at all times so we know the end will be just as the prophecy says. How that occurs is the exciting thing, as we watch the Lord our God bring these pieces together to make come to pass what He has said.

I had written two days ago in that economic piece, "We do not know what the exact catalyst will be for the last Empire to emerge, nor are we told exactly when, but we do know that it will happen. Will Europe collapse all the way, only for the antichrist to arise from the chaotic smoke of the falling empire? Will Europe hang on and the antichrist appear at the right moment to offer a solution so that it will not fall? Either way, the pieces are in the air and it is both exciting and unnerving to watch them play out their final arc in the face of bible truth." And with the imminent European economic collapse, there are calls for a new super-state.

‘SAVE THE DOOMED EURO BY SETTING UP A NEW SUPER-STATE
"THE EU’s top bureaucrat yesterday claimed that only a fully-fledged super-state can save the euro. Jose Manuel Barroso, the Commission’s President, said the deepening economic crisis in Europe was a “fight for integration”. His outburst was seen by opponents of the march towards a federal Europe as exposing the ultimate ambitions of the Brussels bureaucracy." The EU top bureaucrat went on to say, "What we need now is a new, unifying impulse, a new federalist moment – let’s not be afraid to use the word,” Mr Barroso told the European Parliament in Strasbourg."

Make no mistake, a 'new federalist movement' is a movement that aims for a global federal system of strengthened and democratized global institutions. A more centralized government that is stronger, and if there is a more centralized government, it means a stronger leader occupying the role of power.

Not everyone was enamored with Barroso's idea of a stronger and more centralized European government. UK Minister of Parliament Tory MP Douglas Carswell, said: “This is a fight for Europe’s fat cats to cling on to their privileged positions and their taxpayer-funded fiefdom. “It is not in the interests of the ­millions of people around Europe who have been oppressed by Barroso and his ilk’s currency scam. “The sooner the euro breaks up, the better. People need a currency that works for them. “And who voted for Barroso to lord it over us, anyway? He is an unelected bureaucrat who is overseeing a system that is falling apart.”

I don't know if the European Union will fall apart completely or if it will turn inward and get stronger. But what is most interesting to me is neither of those things. What is intriguing is that the President of the European Commission Manuel Barroso and the UK Parliament Minister Douglas both said that the EU is falling apart. As always, stay tuned. What will emerge from the ashes will, I am convinced, be the final iteration from which the final empire of the antichrist's evil hammer will oppress the Tribulation survivors.
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Atheists are gonna get religion

They're going to get religion, and in a big way, too. Soon and very soon, after the rapture, the Antichrist is going to come forward, and the whole world will follow him. (Rev 13:3).

The. Whole. World. Christians won't be fooled, of course, the ones left behind and converted to the Truth post-rapture. The Light will have opened their minds and they will have full faith in Jesus.

But the rest of the world whose minds are now and will still be blinded by satan (2 Cor 4:4), whose minds are closed, and who have the spirit of antichrist in them (1 John 4:3), they will follow the Beast. They will worship. They will be agog, mouths open, astonished at his seeming power, and they will cave. Atheists too, cave right in like big poofy marshmallows. All the supercilious, condescending reasoning they put forth as their foundation for refusing to believe they ever do anything wrong, that is, sin, will fall away at the first false miracle the Beast fools them with.

There is a reason they will follow the Beast. Because Jesus convicts us of our sins, people who are not saved writhe against this conviction. Here is what the bible says about it:

"And this is the condemnation: Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed." (John 3:19-20).

The world, including atheists, will follow the beast because their minds are already blinded and in witnessing a few false miracles (2 Thess 2:9) they will have their "proof." They will have their "evidence." And best of all, this (false) messiah will not convict anyone of their sins. He will not even mention sins! It will be a sin-free, do as you please, go for it kind of religion. The Beast will even blaspheme God (Rev 13:5) and that will tickle the people even more. 'Now here's a god we can get behind!' they will say.

So who is this Beast that they will follow?

He is known as the Antichrist, but he has many more names than that. As I mentioned, Beast is one (Rev 11:7), and it is one that is used more frequently in the bible than any other. About thirty times in Revelation the antichrist is called the Beast. It is nomenclature that is in Revelation for a reason. It is evocative of the thorough nature of the man. The synonyms for beast which is defined as crude, savage person, is "animal, beast, cannibal, creature, critter, degenerate, devil, fiend, lout, monster, ogre, ruffian, sadist, savage, swine, wild animal." Pretty well sums up the guy.

And make no mistake, the antichrist is a man. One person. Other names he is called, from the Old Testament are Man of Perdition, The Lawless One, The Assyrian, and many other names. (2 Thess 2:8, Isaiah 10:5; 12 etc).

The attributes of the antichrist are of interest as much as his many names. Foremost, the coming antichrist will be proud. The world hates the meek, the humble, and they will exalt the antichrist for his proud words. The antichrist will exalt himself even more. (Dan 11:36; 2 Thess 2:3-4). He will speak great things and swelling flatteries. The people will buy it. Rev. 13:5,6; Dan. 7:8,25). So he will be proud and a blasphemer, his name suggests he will be vicious and brutal. He will also be skilled in flattery, ambiguous speech, and in intrigue (Dan 8:23).

All this is coming. Of the people who fall for his lies, they will be thrown in the lake of fire in the end, where the worm does not die and they will be looked upon with contempt by one and all. (Dan 12:2; Rev 14:11).

But you can have hope! You can always have hope in the glorious light. God's good guidance is Light itself. "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalms 27:1). In Him there is no darkness at all! (1 John 1:5). Do you wonder why you're never satisfied, despite having a good job, a good hobby, good children, good everything? You wonder why you still feel empty? That emptiness is where Jesus wants to fill you with His Light, waiting to pierce the blind darkness of your mind and blast away the heavy crust of sin that imprisons you. Admit you are a sinner and ask Him to forgive them. Make Him your LORD. He is the Dove, not the Beast. His yoke is gentle. (Mt 11:30). "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 1:29)
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