The Battle for Jerusalem

The Dome of the Rock

Why does it seem like the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem are always in the news lately? Israel is a small nation that possesses few natural resources. And Jerusalem is certainly an old city with a lot of history. But there are a lot of old cities throughout the world that possess a significant amount of history.

Why then should Israel matter? Certainly, three major religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) have historical roots in that city. In fact, Judaism claims that Jerusalem belongs to the Jews and no one else while Islam claims that city belongs to the Muslims and to no one else. 

And the Christians? The Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church claim that Jerusalem belongs to them while Protestants and Evangelicals claim that Jerusalem belongs to both Jews and Christians.

Why do the Catholic and Orthodox churches claim that Jerusalem belongs to them and not to the Jews? Because they embrace Replacement Theology that teaches that God rejected the Jews after they corporately rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah 2,000 years ago: Replacement theology (also known as supersessionism) essentially teaches that the church has replaced Israel in God’s plan. Adherents of replacement theology believe the Jews are no longer God’s chosen people, and God does not have specific future plans for the nation of Israel. All the different views of the relationship between the church and Israel can be divided into two camps: either the church is a continuation of Israel (replacement/covenant theology), or the church is completely different and distinct from Israel (dispensationalism/premillennialism).

Thus, Replacement Theology plays a very important role in the future of Jerusalem and the events leading up to the appearance of the Antichrist, Armageddon and the return of Jesus Christ. But how? Because the Catholic and Orthodox churches believe that in order for Christ to return and set up His earthly kingdom, He must have a temple to return to. Therefore, the Catholic Church must control Jerusalem in order for that temple to be built.

Obviously, that can't happen as long as Islam's third holiest site, the Dome of the Rock, occupies the Temple Mount in Jerusalem where the Jewish Temple existed until 70 A.D. when the Romans destroyed that building during their invasion of Jerusalem.

But that still doesn't solve the mystery as to why Jerusalem has become one of the focal points of world affairs in the last days. Why is Jerusalem so important to the world? It's the epicenter between good and evil being fought in the spiritual realm. The apostle Paul explained it best: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12)

The battle for Jerusalem has become the battle being fought between God and Satan for eternity. That city was given by God to the Jews and to no one else. It's known as the city of David where God's presence on earth dwelled in two ancient temples that existed on the Temple Mount. 

And Jerusalem is the city where Jesus Christ will rule the world when He returns. And according to the prophetic events revealed in the Bible concerning the last days, Christ's return is getting near. That's why the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem have become so visible since Israel was reestablished as a world nation once again in 1948 after it had been voided by Roman Emperor Hadrian in 130 A.D.

Satan desperately wants to prevent Jesus Christ's return because that spells his doom. Therefore, he's tried to destroy the Jewish people and the nation of Israel since the ancient times. Having failed to exterminate the Jews through the Holocaust, he's encouraged Israel's hostile Islamic neighbors to annihilate the Jewish nation since 1948.

Today's so-called two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians is his latest attempt to destroy Israel. There can be no two-state solution. As long as Islam exists, the Muslim world will attempt to destroy Israel because the Koran teaches that the Imam Mahdi (Islamic messiah) cannot appear and establish his global caliphate until Israel is gone and all the Jews have been eliminated from the world.

However, Islam will be going away while Israel will continue to exist. How can we be sure of that? Because Israel will be allowed to rebuild her coveted Temple on the Temple Mount. But how is that going to happen? And who will have the authority to make that happen? The Antichrist will be the man who will make that happen after he rids the world of Islam. But how? By force.

Israel will never be able to rebuild her Temple as long as Islam exists. Therefore, Islam has to go away. But how do we know that the Antichrist will authorize the rebuilding of Israel's third temple? The prophet Daniel, who lived about 2,600 years ago, gave us a clue: "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." (Daniel 9:27)

What is this covenant? It will be a treaty that this diabolical world ruler will sign with Israel. The Antichrist will promise to protect the Jewish nation from her enemies and allow her to rebuild her coveted temple in exchange for her sovereignty. What is this 'seven'? That will be the time-period of the treaty. Israel will be offered protection and a new temple if she agrees to give up her sovereignty to this world ruler for seven years.

And what is this "abomination that causes desolation"? When the temple reopens, the daily sacrifices spelled out in the Mosaic Law will be reinstituted. However, in the middle of the seven-year treaty, the Antichrist will cancel the sacrifices and will defile the Temple with his presence. The apostle Paul explained: "He (Antichrist) will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God." (2 Thessalonians 2:4)

The Antichrist will be an elaborate counterfeit of Jesus Christ. And he will come through the Roman Catholic Church via Russia. For that to happen, the Catholic and Orthodox churches must reunite after their 1,000-year separation. Realize that the Orthodox Church came from the Catholic Church. And realize that the Catholic Church believes that Jerusalem belongs to her and not to the Jews. Therefore, it's imperative that the coming world ruler drives Islam out of the world so he can have Israel build him his temple.

Greek-Melchite Archbishop Cyrille Bustros said it best concerning the Orthodox Church's position that the Jews no longer have any right to claim Jerusalem as their capital city: "We Christians cannot speak of the promised land as an exclusive right for a privileged Jewish people. This promise was nullified by Christ." 

The Catholic and Orthodox churches believe that while the old Jerusalem belonged to the Jews, the "new" Jerusalem belongs to them and they must take control of that city in order for "Christ" to return.

Joel Bainerman of RedMoonrising.com writes: The Roman Catholic Church wants Israel to lose sovereign control over the Old City of Jerusalem so that the promises to the literal descendants of Abraham will be applied to the "New Jerusalem." If Israel controls Jerusalem it is evidence that Rome's claims are not legitimate and that the literal interpretation of Scriptures is correct. There is no place for the restoration of the nation of Israel in its theology. How can the Vatican claim to be "the New Jerusalem" and "rightful heir to the Kingdom of God" if the Jews control Jerusalem? How is the Catholic Church going to convince the world that its version of theology is correct?

How do we know that the Catholic Church will play an important role in a world government, the rise of the Antichrist and the prophetic third temple in Jerusalem? From an allegorical vision that the apostle John received from God while in exile from Rome on the desolate island of Patmos in about 90 A.D. John "saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries." (Revelation 17:3-4)

Who is this mysterious woman? She represents the global religion that will be partnered with a global government that was depicted in John's vision as the scarlet beast with seven heads and ten horns. What's the identity of this religion? The woman represents the Roman Catholic Church.

But how can we be sure of that? John revealed the world headquarters of this religion; it's a city that's surrounded by seven hills. (Revelation 17:9) What city is that? There are only two cities in the world that are surrounded by seven hills; Rio de Janeiro that's located in Brazil and Rome that's located in Italy. The Vatican is located in Rome and is the world headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.

Furthermore, John saw this title written on the woman's forehead: Mystery Babylon The Great, The Mother of Prostitutes And of The Abominations of The Earth. (Revelation 17:5) And furthermore, John described the colors of the woman's dress as purple and scarlet. (Revelation 17:4) 

Purple and scarlet are the colors worn by the Roman Catholic priesthood. And Mystery Babylon is an historical moniker that the Catholic Church has used to describe herself. When John recorded the Revelation, the Catholic Church didn't exist and wouldn't come into existence for another 250 years. Was John's vision merely a coincidence? That's extremely unlikely.

And so, Israel isn't going away and the Jewish nation is going to build her Third Temple under the authority of the dreaded Antichrist. But when? When the Antichrist becomes the ruler of a world government.

Vatican II spelled out the Catholic Church's ambition to unite all the world's religions under Rome and to take possession of Jerusalem: In our time, when day by day mankind is being drawn closer together, and the ties between different peoples are becoming stronger, the Church examines more closely her relationship to non-Christian religions. In her task of promoting unity and love among men, indeed among nations, she considers above all in this declaration what men have in common and what draws them to fellowship. One is the community of all peoples, one their origin, for God made the whole human race to live over the face of the earth. One also is their final goal, God. His providence, His manifestations of goodness, His saving design extend to all men, until that time when the elect will be united in the Holy City, the city ablaze with the glory of God, where the nations will walk in His light. (Declaration On The Relation of The Church to Non-Christian Religions, Nostra Aetate, October 28, 1965)

The "Holy City" that Vatican II mentioned is Jerusalem, not Rome. When the world is united as one under a world government, the Antichrist will move his throne to Jerusalem (Daniel 11:45) where he will declare himself God to the world in the new Temple. How close are we to seeing this happen? We are getting very close.

Hallow Evil

Anneliese Michel: A portrait of demon possession

Many folks are convinced that Halloween is just a harmless holiday that's celebrated in the mid-fall when the trees are changing colors and winter is knocking on the door. Halloween's a time of witches and goblins and pumpkins and parties and trick-or-treating and tons of candy.

But Halloween also has deep roots in the demonic that trace back 1200 years to the Celtics in ancient Europe who believed that the so-called veil that separated the living and the dead vanished around October 31, allowing the dead to visit and mingle with the living.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica: In ancient Britain and Ireland, the Celtic Festival of Samhain was observed on October 31, at the end of summer…. The souls of the dead were supposed to revisit their homes on this day and the autumnal festival acquired sinister significance, with ghosts, witches, goblins, black cats, fairies and demons of all kinds said to be roaming about. It was the time to placate the supernatural powers controlling the processes of nature. In addition, Halloween was thought to be the most favorable time for divinations concerning marriage, luck, health, and death. It was the only day on which the help of the devil was invoked for such purposes.

Halloween wouldn't be the popular holiday that it is today without the help of the Roman Catholic Church. During the 9th century, the Catholic Church incorporated that pagan holiday with the celebration of All Saints and All Souls: By the 800s, the influence of the Catholic Church entered into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV had already designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. Later, the Church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. The eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls were celebrated with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. 

What makes Halloween so deadly is its promotion of abominable occult practices such as necromancy, sorcery and witchcraft that bring curses and God's judgment upon those who engage in them. Consider this: "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God." (Deuteronomy 18:10-13)

Though that law was given by God to the ancient Israelites, it's a universal law that applies to everyone. And yet very few people know or understand how dangerous occult practices are. And tragically, many occult practices become quite popular around Halloween.

Such as the Ouija Board that promises to help its practitioners make contact with the spiritual realm. The Ouija Board led to the demon possession of a young man named Roland Doe (a pseudonym) who lived in Mt. Rainier, Washington in the 1940s.

Why did Doe use the Ouija Board? He wanted to contact his deceased grandmother who had initiated him into the occult. Shortly after Doe attempted to make contact with her via the Ouija Board, he began acting peculiarly and speaking in languages he had never learned. Doe's behavior deteriorated until he had to be chained to a bed. Even then, the chains couldn't hold him and eyewitnesses recall seeing obscene words appear on his chest.

If Doe's story sounds familiar, that's because the classic horror film The Exorcist was based upon it. And Doe's story and the film never would've happened had Doe not used the Ouija Board.

Certainly, most people who dabble with the Ouija Board or attend a seance probably won't become demon possessed. However, they will have given Satan and his demons a legal right to come into their lives to influence and oppress them.

And mark my words; anyone who has been involved in any sort of occult practice will eventually experience trouble in their lives. The antidote for that is repentance from such practices and a true confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and a life dedicated to worshiping and serving Him.

And so, does everyone who celebrates Halloween come under a curse? Of course not. But consider Halloween's roots. Why celebrate something that came from the unholy? Rather, why not celebrate something that glorifies God?

Or, as the prophet Isaiah wrote over 2,700 years ago: "When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn." (Isaiah 8:19-20)

Evolution and Tyranny

Three proponents of evolution

Of all the scriptures recorded in the Bible, perhaps the most pertinent one that explains why evil prevails is this one: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." (Proverbs 1:7)

Thus, those who don't fear God are often willfully ignorant of his laws and commandments. As such, they're contemptuous of law and order, decency, and respect for human life. Most folks who fall into that category are atheists who, for whatever reasons, hate God and refuse to acknowledge His existence.

That was a point that King David made about 3,000 years ago when he wrote this: "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good." (Psalm 14:1)

Atheism has been a human malady since the beginning of time despite the proliferation of evidence that proves God's existence. Even during the time of the apostle Paul 2,000 years ago, there was more than enough evidence for God, a point that Paul made: "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." (Romans 1:18-20)

Atheists claim that there's no evidence to prove that God exists. That's nonsense. The genome of all living creatures great and small proves God's existence. Each cell of every creature contains a vast and complex amount of information known as DNA that shows intelligent design and order. To suggest that such information came from an unintelligent chemical process and arranged itself without any design is preposterous. Indeed, only fools believe that.  

And there are a lot of fools who want to believe in evolution. Why? It's not because of a lack of evidence for God. Rather, it's because fools despise authority and moral accountability, and they don't want to live under someone else's rules. That's why Charles Darwin became the messiah of humanists when he published On the Origin of Species in 1859. Darwin's pseudo-scientific manifesto attempted to explain the existence of life in purely naturalistic terms apart from God. 

Though Darwin's work was amateurish and mostly theory, it eventually caught on with people who were looking for a way to assuage their consciences and escape divine accountability for their evil behavior. Evolution has been taught as "settled science" in schools and universities throughout the world for many decades. Even many Christians believe in evolution, not realizing that Darwin's theory completely contradicts the Bible's account of God's creation of the physical universe and life in six literal days.

Though the proponents of Darwin's theory vehemently deny it, evolution provided the intellectual inspiration for three of the 20th century's worst mass murderers. Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin and Mao Zedong were atheists who embraced evolution's theory of Natural Selection. 

Natural Selection teaches that only the fittest survive, and Hitler, Stalin and Zedong believed that they could create a paradise on earth by ridding the world of "undesirables." One of Hitler's greatest influences was Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood who advocated sterilizing and eliminating "mutant strains" of human beings that included blacks and Jews. 

Darwin's terrible theory not only gave rise to mass-murdering totalitarian regimes, it undermined moral and civil authority, and led to the debauched and depraved culture that's plagued western civilization for over 60 years. The collapse of the nuclear family; the breakdown in civility; the rise in crime, violence, drug, gambling and alcohol addictions etc. is directly linked to evolution's destructive influence on society.

How so? Because if God doesn't exist, then His laws and commandments are nothing but human constructs that can be ignored, changed or eliminated altogether. If God doesn't exist, then no one is morally accountable for their actions in this life and no judgment awaits them at death. Thus, mass murderers such as Hitler, Stalin, Zedong etc. fare no worse in death than Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa. 

Commenting on Darwin's theory, eminent scientist and microbiologist Michael Behe said this: The cumulative evidence shows with piercing clarity that life is based on machines--machines made of molecules which are enormously complex. The complexity of life's foundation has paralyzed science's attempt to account for it. Faced with such complexity beneath even simple phenomena, Darwinian theory falls silent. (Michael Behe, Darwin's Black Box, pp. 4-5)

Indeed. Unfortunately, despite the lack of evidence for evolution, many will continue to embrace the delusion that life originated in a primordial mud-pond millions of years ago. They're entitled to believe that if they want to. But they'll eventually find out otherwise. Unfortunately, when they do, it'll be too late for them to escape their eternal fate. 

End Time Myths

Charles Darwin: The man who inspired Adolf Hitler

Concerning false teaching and demonic doctrines that would plague the world in the last days, the apostle Paul wrote this: "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

The apostle Peter echoed Paul's prophecy with this: "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping." (2 Peter 2:1-3)

While false teaching and myths have existed since the beginning of time, the apostles warned that in the last days preceding the return of Jesus Christ, dangerous heresies would plague the Christian church and proliferate throughout the world.

Perhaps the greatest modern example of that is the theory of evolution that was introduced by Charles Darwin in 1859. A failed theologian and an amateur scientist, Darwin sought a purely natural explanation for the existence of life apart from God. 

Some believed that Darwin devised his dubious theory because he was confused by the abundance of species and the diverse characteristics among the species. Others speculated that Darwin became angry at God with the death of his young daughter Annie, and sought his revenge by explaining away God through his theory of evolution.

Whatever the reason for devising his theory, Darwin unleashed a monster on the world that's manifested in the explosion of depravity, violence and moral decadence over the past 60 years. Though he introduced his theory (On the Origin of Species) over 150 years ago, it took nearly a century before that theory began to bear fruit.

And bear fruit it did. Evolution denied the existence of God which rendered His laws and commandments human constructs that could be ignored, changed or eliminated. That gave birth to relativism, multiculturalism and situational ethics. And that gave millions of people the illusion that they were morally accountable to no one but themselves and no judgment awaited them at death.

Beginning in the late 1950s, crime and depravity began to skyrocket. For example, in 1961, New York City recorded about 100 homicides for that calendar year. By 1991, that city recorded about 1,000 murders for that calendar year with virtually the same population it had in 1961. Nearly every city across the United States and in Europe experienced a similar increase in homicides and other major crime during that time period.

What's wrong with evolution? It's a bogus theory that masquerades as factual science. How so? Because it teaches that intelligent life sprang from unintelligent matter. In other words, each cell of every living organism has 46 pairs of chromosomes that collectively contain over 300,000 bits of DNA.

What is DNA? Think of it as digitally-coded information that contains the instructions for a cell's operation. That information is arranged in a specific order that allows the cell to function, convert food into energy and multiply in an orderly fashion. If some of those DNA molecules are removed or rearranged, the cell would die.

Evolutionists want us to believe that such a vast and complex design came about by accident when random chemical forces interacted in a primordial mud pond millions of years ago. The odds of that happening are so astronomical that you would have a better chance of flying to the moon in a Cessna than Darwin's theory being true. And yet, evolution is taught as scientific truth in schools and universities all across the world.

Even worse, evolution has no answer for what life is. For example, your television, smart phone and computer can't run without energy. Though all the internal components necessary for those devices to operate are present, they're useless without energy. And it's the same with living organisms, from simple amoebas to complex human beings. They can't live without energy. What's the source of that energy? Where does it come from? What activates it? Science has no answer for those questions. And it never will.

The energy source that transforms organic matter into life is something that human beings will never discover, despite their best attempts to do so. And phony theories that masquerade as factual science can't and will never explain the existence of life and where it came from. Instead, those phony theories destroy life by rendering it cheap and meaningless.

Thus, Darwin's terrible theory spawned some of the worst totalitarian regimes of the 20th century from Lenin's Bolshevik Revolution that led to the Soviet Union to Hitler's National (Nazi) Socialist Party to Mao Zedong's murderous People's Republic of China. All these movements and their wicked leaders embraced Darwin and his theory of evolution.

As the old saying goes: All it takes is a match to start a massive forest fire. And all it takes is one terrible theory to foment evil and destruction across the world. And Charles Darwin did just that.

Divine Revelation or Demonic Hoax?

For centuries, many people have believed that Islam's holy book the Quran, was revealed by God from heaven. In fact, Muslims believe that no one has the right to even question the Quran, and anyone who does is worthy of contempt and even death.

Thankfully, we still have the freedom in the west to critique the Quran because that freedom doesn't exist in many other parts of the world. While many Muslims openly claim they believe that the Quran is divine and unquestionable, many others have their doubts about that book's authenticity.

And for good reason. How so? For starters, the Quran presents two conflicting accounts of God's creation of the physical universe. One account claims that God created the universe in eight literal days, (Sura 41:9-12) while the other account claims that God created the universe in only six literal days. (Sura 7:51)

Then there's the Quran's revelation concerning Muhammad's reception of that book. Suras 53:2-18 and 81:19-24 state that God appeared directly to Muhammad and dictated the Quran to him while Suras 16:102 and 26:192-194 claim that "the Holy Spirit" appeared to Muhammad and revealed the Quran. And Sura 15:8 states that a group of angels appeared to Muhammad and revealed the Quran to him while Sura 2:97 claims that the archangel Gabriel personally appeared to Muhammad and dictated that book to him.

If that's not enough, the Quran contains some serious historical inaccuracies. For example, the Islamic holy book claims that Jesus Christ's physical mother Mary was also the sister of the Hebrew patriarchs Moses and Aaron. (Sura 19:28) That's impossible because Moses and Aaron lived over 1,000 years before Mary gave birth to Christ.

There are other examples. The Quran states that crucifixion was a method of capital punishment utilized by the ancient Egyptians during the time of the Pharoahs. (Sura 7:124) That's erroneous because crucifixion was unknown until it was introduced by the Romans in the 1st century B.C.

The Quran also states that the Jews built the infamous golden calf idol at the suggestion of a Samaritan. (Sura 20:87-95) The Samaritans didn't even exist during the time of the Jews' 40-year journey from Egypt to Canaan which later became Israel.

The Quran also claims that Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.), the king of ancient Macedonia was a Muslim who worshiped Allah and lived to a ripe old age. (Sura 18:89-98) That's false because Alexander died at age 33, and Islam didn't even exist at that time and wouldn't come into existence until the 7th century A.D.

Islam teaches that God revealed the Quran in Arabic. And yet, according to Arthur Jeffrey who wrote the highly informative The Foreign Vocabulary of the Quran, the Islamic holy book contains words from several different languages including Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek, Syriac, Akkadian, Ethiopian and Persian. In fact, Jeffrey counted words from over 100 different languages in the Quran, debunking the claim that it was revealed entirely in Arabic.

With this volume of evidence, how can anyone with a rational and objective mind believe that the Quran is anything but a hoax, and a cruel one at that? Sadly, millions of people are either too afraid or too immersed in Islamic culture to admit that. Surely, in many parts of the world, to question the Quran is to invite persecution and death. Tragically, fear is the motivating factor that keeps these people silent.

What's even worse is the myth that Islam is a multicultural religion unlike Christianity that's considered "the white man's religion." According to the Quran, only whites will be saved on Judgment Day while all blacks will be condemned to hell. (Sura 3:106-107) 

And according to Victor and Deborah Khalil: American blacks have been wooed by Islam, but through misinformation. They are told that Muhammad and Allah are black. In reality, Muslims in the Middle East still regard blacks as slaves. It would be worse than blasphemy for them to believe that either Allah or Muhammad were black. (When Christians Meet Muslims, Christian Herald, July/August 1988, p. 44)

Jesus Christ said this in regards to false teachers who come to murder the souls of innocent people: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)

Islam is the thief that steals and kills and destroys. But Christ is the One who has brought us eternal life through His death on Calvary's cross for all sin and His resurrection from the dead. As Christ said: "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32) Indeed.

Why Nations Die

Mythical hope and naked reality

If nations are only as strong as their leaders, then it's easy to understand why so many western nations are in rapid decline. Thus, political leaders are a mirror reflection of the people who elect them.

Unlike much of the eastern world, Africa and the Middle East where political strongmen and dictators seize power and use their militaries to hold on to it, western leaders are chosen by their people. If the people are morally strong, they will choose morally strong leaders. But if the people are corrupt and morally depraved, they will choose wicked leaders after their own hearts.

However, that's not an indictment of bad leaders. Rather, that's an indictment of the people who choose them. When Bill Clinton was America's president during the 1990s, he was plagued by endless scandals involving philandering and rape. Someone remarked at the time that what Bill Clinton did in his private life was irrelevant to what he did as America's CEO.

But that's dead wrong and it underscores the world's moral myopia concerning sin. Political leaders are responsible for setting a strong moral example for their people. Thus, a political leader who is openly debauched and promiscuous will give young people the impression that it's cool to fornicate, use drugs, get drunk and commit adultery. 

Those who choose that sort of lifestyle will put themselves on a path to spiritual ruin, poverty, self destruction and ultimately eternal destruction. Sadly, many young people go to college today not to pursue a higher education, but rather to party and use drugs and have sex. 

It's no wonder why the western world has fallen behind Asia in academic achievement, technology and productivity. While westerners are partying their way to hell, the eastern world--and particularly Asia--is rapidly rising as an industrial, economic and technological powerhouse. Why? Because the eastern world and Asia have embraced the morals that the west has discarded.

Some folks are beginning to take notice. Sam Gerrans, an author, translator and activist who resides in the United Kingdom has certainly taken notice of America's rapid descent into the moral abyss. For example, he noted that a record number of Americans now depend on psychotropics to cope with life's daily pressures: According to the Scientific American, use of antidepressants among the US population was up 400 percent in the late 2000s over the 1990s. Many of these drugs are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. These are the type of FDA-approved narcotics lone gunmen are frequently associated with, and their psychoses often attributed to a forced or sudden withdrawal from such drugs.

Gerrans has also noticed that America is becoming a violent, depraved nation: During the objective hardship of the 1930s, there was surprisingly little crime. People were brought up with a conception of morals and right and wrong. Frugality and prudence were prized virtues. Communities were generally fairly cohesive. Relative to then, society today is undisciplined, unrealistic and selfish. 

Certainly, there's a cause and effect for this. We already know what the effect is. But what's caused this? It's been caused by the Christian church's abrogation of the faith for universalism and temporal riches. Beginning in the mid to late 19th century, the Christian church fell into laziness and apathy and stopped contending for the faith. Though it didn't happen right away, the church lost the culture to secular humanists who imposed their godless worldview through politics, the education, entertainment and media industries. As they say, the devil never takes a day off.

The fall of the west and America is also prophetic. In his epistle to the early Roman church, the apostle Paul revealed what happens to people who reject God and His transcendent moral laws: "Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." (Romans 1:28-32)

That's an ugly reality. Can that be reversed? It can but that seems unlikely, considering that biblical prophecy reveals that the epicenter of world power will reside in the eastern world (Daniel 11, Ezekiel 38-39) rather than in the west preceding the return of Jesus Christ.

Thus, the west's glory days appear to be over. And when the western world finally collapses under the weight of its own sin, many will look to the east and see what they once had. But by then, it'll be too late.

Evil in the Church

Methodist and Episcopalian ministers lend their support for abortion

During an encounter He had one day with a group of Pharisees that had challenged his authority, Jesus Christ said this: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)

Christ made that statement in the context of His mission on earth; that He had come to bring eternal life to those who put their faith and trust in Him. But He also taught a universal and unchanging truth: That the One and only true God is all about saving and protecting life. Remember that Allah commands Muslims to persecute and kill those who reject Islam. So it's important to understand who God really is and what His word commands us concerning life.

For nearly 2,000 years, the Christian Church upheld God's word concerning the sanctity of life and the preservation of those who were either defenseless, weak or too infirm to protect themselves against oppressors. However, in recent years, that's changed as a growing number of churches have astonishingly jumped on the "Pro-Choice" bandwagon.

Pro-Choice is a synonym for abortion, and it's also a misnomer. You're either pro-life or you're pro-death. There is no middle ground. Pro-Choice is nothing but a sophistic term that's used to sanitize evil. Thus, any church or para-church organization that claims to promote the Bible as the absolute word of God and yet supports abortion isn't Christian at all, no matter what it says. 

Jesus Christ is all about life. Abortion is all about death and destruction rather than about family planning. Those who encourage and support abortion are just as guilty of murder as those who perform that ghastly procedure. 

However, Laura Young, a pastor with the United Methodist Church doesn't agree. She not only supports abortion, but she also condemns Christians who want to do away with that barbaric practice. Young skewers the biblical definition of love by claiming that it's hateful to protest at abortion clinics: Christianity, like most faiths, is founded on love. Watching protesters shouting judgment and hate based on what they call religion is horrible. Is that loving God? Is that loving your neighbor as yourself? 

What kind of love encourages the murder of those who can't defend themselves? Where does the Bible advocate the slaughter of unborn babies in the name of love? Young condemns Christians who try to dissuade women from getting abortions. When an abortion occurs, both the pregnant woman and the doctor who performs the procedure are guilty of murder. And yet Young labels Christians as haters who try to prevent that from happening. How sad and tragic.

Jeffrey Walton, a spokesman for an organization called the Institute on Religion and Democracy believes that all people of faith should support abortion, and those who don't and protest at abortion clinics are really in the minority.

Here's what he said: As faith leaders committed to justice, honesty, and liberty, we are troubled by the decades-long campaign of harassment against Planned Parenthood and those they serve. Our faiths demand care for those marginalized by poverty and other oppressions (Sic). Faith leaders have supported Planned Parenthood for nearly 100 years because of our shared goals: every person — regardless of income, race, or religion — deserves access to safe, affordable, high-quality health care. 

That's high quality bull. Abortion isn't health care--it's murder. And Young, Walton, et al. who promote abortion under the guise of high quality health care and Christian love should be ashamed of themselves. There's simply no place in the church for such an abomination.

The very fact that such evil is tolerated and promoted in the modern church is a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Nearly 2,000 years ago, the apostle Paul warned that "in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." (1 Timothy 4:1) Only a demonic spirit in the service of Satan would teach that God approves of abortion.

And Paul followed that up with this: "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Finally, Christ warned that in the last days, "many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people." (Matthew 24:10-11) 

You aren't a Christian if you support abortion. And those who call themselves Christians who support that procedure have fallen away from Christ and have betrayed the unborn who they're commanded by God to protect. Shame on them.

Armageddon: The Final Battle

The map of the last great battle on earth

Russia, the Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, Israel, Islam, the Antichrist, the Third Jewish Temple and Armageddon. Those are the elements that will play a role in the final battle on earth between good and evil. And that battle will be Armageddon.

Those are a lot of elements. Though they don't all seem to be related, they are. For example, the Roman Catholic Church will rise to prominence once again in Russia when the Catholic and the Orthodox churches reunite after 1,000 years of separation.

That will open the prophetic door for the dreaded Antichrist to come from Russia. Though his throne will initially be in Rome, he will move to Jerusalem where he will rule the world. And he will authorize the rebuilding of the third Jewish Temple in Jerusalem where he will declare himself God to the world.

In order for that to happen, he will have to tear down the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque that have been located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem since the 8th century A.D. And in order for that to happen, he will have to drive Islam out of the Middle East and out of the world completely. No third Jewish Temple can or will be built until Islam is permanently gone from the world.

Islam won't go easily. It's a violent religion whose adherents believe that the world must be converted by the sword if necessary and all those who resist must be murdered before Judgment Day can come. Thus, no ordinary political leader will be able to achieve what the Antichrist will accomplish. When he rids the world of Islam, he will be considered a hero. 

However, his power will come from a dark spiritual source. The apostle John, who recorded the Revelation in about 90 A.D. while in exile from Rome, wrote this: "The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority." (Revelation 13:2) Who is this dragon? He is Satan. And the beast is the Antichrist.

Therefore it will be Satan himself who will enable this man to have Israel's third Temple constructed on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. But why would Satan allow Israel to exist and permit the Jewish nation to rebuild its coveted temple if he hates the Jews and seeks Israel's destruction? 

Because he wants the world to worship him as God and his man the Antichrist as his messiah. But the Jews don't accept Christ, and they would certainly never allow the Antichrist to enter their temple and declare himself to be God or Jesus Christ. Not willingly. However, at some point after the Temple is up and running, "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." (Daniel 9:27)

How do Russia and the Catholic Church factor into this? The Antichrist will come from Russia (Daniel 11, Ezekiel 38-39) and he will be a miracle-worker. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10) He will be both a political and religious figure who will assume absolute control over a world government. (Daniel 8, Revelation 13) And he will be a Roman Catholic. (Revelation 17)

Like the Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church believes that Jerusalem belongs to her alone and not to the Jews or the Muslims. And the Catholic Church believes that she has been ordained by God to bring the entire world into the Roman church and construct a new temple for Christ in Jerusalem in preparation for his return. Though the Catholic Church claims to be Christ's one and only true church on earth, she isn't and never was. She's a counterfeit that's persecuted multitudes during her history and has sent multitudes to hell with her false gospel.

Is that a bit harsh? It isn't. Not coincidentally, there's Satan worship going on in the Vatican. And that comes from reliable sources such as Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo and the late Catholic scholar and historian Malachi Martin. 

Also, I learned from a personal source whose late brother--a Jesuit priest who taught at Georgetown University for many years--confirmed that Satan worship indeed occurs inside the Vatican. Who worships the devil inside the Vatican? We don't know. However, it's incredulous that Pope Francis and his predecessors wouldn't know about this. Perhaps they're involved in it.

But what about Armageddon? How will that happen? When the Antichrist enters the Temple in Jerusalem, he will declare himself God to the world and he'll demand the Jews worship him. When they refuse, he'll order Israel's destruction by calling for the armies of the world to gather in the plain of Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley to annihilate the Jewish nation. (Zechariah 14, Ezekiel 38-39) At that point, Christ will return and rescue Israel by destroying those armies.

Concerning that battle, Christ said this: "So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again." (Matthew 24:15-21)

Certainly, Armageddon is still a long way off. But it's coming. And it could come quickly. That depends on when Russia builds her dreaded military coalition and when the Catholic and Orthodox churches reunite. And of course, when the Antichrist appears and begins dazzling the world with his supernatural tricks.

The Devil's Temple

Biblical prophecy reveals that a third Jewish Temple is going to be built in Jerusalem. That seems impossible when you consider that the whole world literally has turned against Israel these days.

Israel's days seem numbered and many people who despise the Jewish nation hope those days are few. But Israel's not going anywhere. The Jewish nation is going to survive and rebuild her coveted Temple that vanished nearly 2,000 years ago.

But how's that going to happen? Currently, Islam's Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque occupy the Temple Mount that the Jewish Temple once occupied until it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. The Al Aqsa Mosque is Islam's third holiest site, and if Israel tried to remove that structure, a violent war would break out in Jerusalem that would likely involve many nations.

And so, Islam's Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque will be removed by none other than the Antichrist when he assumes control of a world government. Before he authorizes the new Temple, he will have cleared Islam out of the Middle East and beyond.

How? By force. He will outlaw Islam and all other religions, and he will require everyone to swear allegiance to him and his government. The apostle John wrote: "He also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name." (Revelation 13:16-17)

Those who refuse to worship the Antichrist will be killed if they're caught. Those who are fortunate to elude capture will have to survive on their own instincts because they won't have the Antichrist's dreaded mark. But Islam will certainly no longer exist.

Why will the Antichrist want to protect Israel and allow that nation to rebuild her temple? Because at some point, he will enter that building with a specific purpose. The apostle Paul wrote: "He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God." (2 Thessalonians 2:4)

This man's purpose for the Temple is to establish a place where the world will be required to worship him. But Israel would never cede her sovereignty to him under such circumstances.

Therefore, in exchange for Israel's sovereignty, he will offer to protect the Jewish nation from her enemies (Daniel 9:27) and allow Israel to rebuild her Temple and resume its daily sacrifices as specified by the Mosaic Law. But he will later cancel those sacrifices and set himself up as God in the new Temple.

That seems almost too incredible to be believable. And those who are ignorant of the spiritual war that's been going on between God and Satan since the beginning of time certainly don't understand what this is all about. Satan wants to be God. He wants to be worshiped as God, a fact that the prophet Isaiah revealed nearly 2,800 years ago. (Isaiah 14:9-20)

Satan doesn't want to be worshiped as Allah, Krishna, Baal or Molech. He wants to be worshiped as Jesus Christ. And he wants to fool human beings into believing that his man the Antichrist is the genuine Christ when he appears. And tragically, millions of biblically illiterate people will fall for this counterfeit when he arrives.

Remember that this counterfeit won't be your run-of-the-mill false messiah. He'll be backed by satanic power. Paul wrote: "The coming of the lawless one (Antichrist) will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing." (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10)

This counterfeit will come from the Roman Catholic Church. (Revelation 17) The Catholic Church believes that Jerusalem belongs to her alone and to no one else. She also believes that she must build Christ a new temple so he can return and establish his earthly kingdom. Therefore, it's imperative to Rome that she acquire Jerusalem and build Christ's temple in preparation for his return.

In the final part, who Rome's "Christ" really is and what's going to happen when he defiles Israel's new temple.

The Dreaded Reunion

Pope Francis with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople

How could a reunion of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox churches possibly be relevant to end-time prophecy, Israel and the coming third Temple?

How? This is how: If the dreaded Antichrist is going to be both a religious and political figure who will come from Russia, then he will have to be a Roman Catholic. 

That seems impossible considering that Russia's official church is the Orthodox Church. The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church have been separated since 1054 A.D. Why did they separate? Because the eastern church wanted to be under the authority of the Bishop of Constantinople rather than the Pope. And so, they separated. Since then, the Catholic Church has been virtually invisible in Russia.

But what does that have to do with Israel and the prophetic third Temple that must be built before the return of Jesus Christ? It has to do with this: The Roman Catholic Church considers herself to be God's chosen people, having replaced the Jewish people 2,000 years ago when the Jews corporately rejected Christ as their Messiah and had Him crucified. Since the Eastern Orthodox Church came from the Catholic Church, it has many things in common with Rome, including the belief that God replaced Israel with the church when the Jews rejected Christ.

Therefore, both the Catholic and Orthodox churches believe that Jerusalem belongs to them rather than to the Jews or Muslims. And both churches believe that Jesus Christ cannot return and establish His kingdom on earth until the "church" claims Jerusalem for itself and builds a new temple for Christ to dwell in.

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin is an Orthodox Christian, he understands just how important Jerusalem is to his church. Therefore, he will not allow Israel to be destroyed and Jerusalem to be taken over by the Muslims.

That's one of the reasons why he wants to rebuild the Russian Empire into a global empire. He wants to drive Islam out of the eastern world and eventually out of the world completely. And he wants Russia to be the head of a new global Christian empire, not unlike the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages. Will this happen? Yes, it will. But it could take many years.

In the mean time, the Catholic and Orthodox churches must reunite. Is that going to happen? Yes, and both churches have been working on that reunification for several years.

Last year, Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew met in Istanbul to discuss the reunification. Here's what Francis said: I want to assure each one of you here that, to reach the desired goal of full unity, the Catholic church does not intend to impose any conditions except that of the shared profession of faith. The one thing that the Catholic church desires, and that I seek as Bishop of Rome, 'the church which presides in charity,' is communion with the Orthodox churches.

Bartholomew called the process "irreversible." Here's what he said: We no longer have the luxury of isolated action. The modern persecutors of Christians do not ask which church their victims belong to. The unity that concerns us is regrettably already occurring in certain regions of the world through the blood of martyrdom.

When this reunion takes place, the Catholic Church will regain her standing in Russia. The Antichrist will be a Roman Catholic who'll attract the world's attention when he begins performing incredible miracles in Russia. He will be looked upon as a savior who will rescue the planet from the forces of darkness and evil.

The apostle Paul explained: "The coming of the lawless one (Antichrist) will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing." (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10)

For centuries, many biblical scholars were convinced that the dreaded Antichrist will come from the Catholic Church. Martin Luther, a former Catholic Monk who became the father of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, knew just how vile and corrupt his former church was. Concerning the papacy, he said this: We here are of the conviction that the papacy is the seat of the true and real Antichrist. Personally I declare that I owe the Pope no other obedience than that to Antichrist.

And Cotton Mather (1663-1728), a Puritan minister and Congregational Theologian said this: The oracles of God foretold the rising of an Antichrist in the Christian Church: and in the Pope of Rome, all the characteristics of that Antichrist are so marvelously answered that if any who read the Scriptures do not see it, there is a marvelous blindness upon them. 

But how will this man convince Israel to cede her sovereignty to him? And how will he manage to remove the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem so the new Jewish Temple can be built? In Part IV, the new temple and Armageddon.

Israel, Russia and Armageddon Pt. II

The proposed Third Temple

With anti-Semitism spreading across the world once again, it seems as though Israel's days are numbered. Not only do Israel's hostile Islamic neighbors call for the destruction of the Jewish nation, but a growing number of nations beyond the Middle East would like to see Israel gone as well.

Why? Because these nations believe that if Israel goes away, then terrorism will cease and everyone will live happily ever-after. That's an erroneous belief because as along as Islam exists, there will always be terrorism. Many Muslims can't even coexist peacefully with each other as evidenced by the centuries-old hostilities between Sunnis and Shiites.

In fact, part of the current conflict going on in Syria involves Sunnis against Shiites. ISIS, the terror organization that Barack Obama disdainfully dismissed as a "Jayvee" squad, consists of Sunnis while the Iranians, who are fighting ISIS in Syria, are Shiites. 

Since Sunni Muslims far outnumber Shiites, the Iranians don't want Syria to fall to ISIS which would give the terror group control of that nation and Iraq, and put them on Iran's doorstep. Thus, the Iranians are fighting ISIS in Syria so that don't have to fight them in Iran. And certainly, if ISIS triumphs in Syria, then Israel will be in grave danger because Syria sits directly north of the Jewish nation.

While both ISIS and Iran want Israel erased from the Middle East, Iran will likely triumph in this battle because they've been joined by the Russians who are battling ISIS in Syria to keep the terror group out of Russia. If Syria's government falls to ISIS, the terror group will likely march northward towards Russia. That's why Russian President Vladimir Putin desperately wants to keep Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in power.

If Russia and Iran win this battle--and they will--then what happens next? Russia will assume control of the Middle East and install political leaders that will do Moscow's bidding. They will be responsible for controlling religious fundamentalism and cracking down hard on terror groups that possess an apocalyptical vision for a global caliphate.

How will Russia control Iran? They won't. Rather, the Russians will allow the United States to take out Iran's thuggish theocratic regime and destroy the Persian state's nuclear facilities before Moscow installs a puppet regime that will be controlled by the Kremlin. 

Russia won't allow anyone to attack Israel because the Jewish nation contains a large population of Russian Jews, and Russia has growing economic interests in Israel. Plus, Israel possesses the best intelligence of any nation in the world. The Russians need Israel's intelligence so they can prevent trouble in that region before it begins. 

But Russia's Orthodox Church, that once upon a time belonged to the Roman Catholic Church until they separated about 1,000 years ago, wants Russia to control Israel because the church believes that Jerusalem belongs to it and not to the Jews or to Islam. Like the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church believes that it replaced the Jews as God's chosen people when the Jews corporately rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah 2,000 years ago and had Him crucified.

And like the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church believes that it must assume control of Jerusalem in order for Christ to return and set up his earthly kingdom. Thus, Israel must come under the control of Russia. And, as prophecy reveals, the Third Jewish Temple must be constructed on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in preparation for Christ's return.

But how will that happen? Islam's Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque currently occupy the Temple Mount where Herod's Temple once existed. If Israel tried to remove those buildings, a bloody and violent war would break out in Jerusalem and that conflagration would likely lead to the destruction of the Jewish nation.

And yet, biblical prophecy reveals that the Third Temple will be built on the Temple Mount. (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:4) Who will have the authority to make that happen? The Antichrist who will offer Israel the ultimate deal; Israel's sovereignty in exchange for the coveted Temple. No other man could possibly achieve this. But remember that this man will be empowered by Satan himself. (Revelation 13:2)

And the Antichrist will have an ulterior motive for the construction of the new temple. The apostle Paul wrote this: "He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God." (2 Thessalonians 2:4)

But when will this happen? And where will this man come from? And what will happen when this man defiles the new temple? In part III; the dreaded reunion.

Israel, Russia and Armageddon Pt. I

Return of the dreaded Russian Bear

Iran's Supreme Religious Leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei predicts that Israel will no longer exist in 25 years. Though Iran's religious ruler believes that Allah has decreed Israel's destruction, Israel isn't going anywhere, either in 25 years or sooner.

However, Khamenei and his fellow mullahs are going away, and that could be very soon. Well, who says? Biblical prophecy says, and Iran's doom could be coming sooner rather than later. Nearly 2,600 years ago, the ancient prophet Daniel received a vision from God concerning the destruction of the Persian nation. 

The nation that will bring about Iran's downfall will be the United States before America falls from her standing as the world's leading superpower. Who will replace America? Daniel revealed that four nations (Daniel 8:22) will succeed the United States as the new global powers.

Two of those nations are China and Russia that are emerging as America's successors; China as an economic, industrial and technological giant, and Russia as a political and military giant. The other two nations could be India and Germany. But China and Russia are the nations to watch because their rise to world dominance is not only spectacular, but prophetic as well. (Daniel 11)

Will Iran be completely destroyed? No, but Iran's nuclear facilities will be destroyed and its thuggish, theocratic Shiite regime will be replaced by a more benevolent government that will eventually be under Russia's authority.

When will this take place? It could take place during America's next presidential administration, following the catastrophic nuclear deal orchestrated by the Obama administration that enabled Iran to become a nuclear power. Whenever it happens, it's going to happen because it was decreed by God long ago. And then Russia will pick up the pieces and take control of Iran.

And so, Israel isn't going anywhere. Thus, those who insist that the coming dreaded Antichrist is going to be Islamic are ignorant of biblical prophecy. No Islamic Antichrist would ever allow Israel to exist and permit the Jewish nation to rebuild her coveted Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem where Islam's Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque currently exist.

Those buildings will have to be torn down in order for the Jewish Temple to be constructed. How will that happen? The Antichrist will likely make that happen. No other man could possibly have the authority to accomplish that. If Israel attempted to rebuild her Temple, that would ignite a violent bloody war in Jerusalem that would likely involve more than just Israel's hostile neighbors. The entire world would likely join in the fight to destroy Israel, and Armageddon would happen sooner rather than later.

The Antichrist will allow the Temple to be constructed because he will be backed by satanic power. (Daniel 8:24, Revelation 13:2) But why on earth would he allow Israel to rebuild her Temple when the Jewish nation is so reviled across the world? Because he'll have an ulterior motive. The apostle Paul explained: "He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God." (2 Thessalonians 2:4)

Where will the Antichrist come from? He'll come from Russia. But how can we possibly know that? Because Daniel revealed that the nation he comes from will be a powerful northern kingdom. (Daniel 11) How can we determine that's Russia? Because the Bible always places Israel at the center of its geographical map. And Russia is located directly to the north of Israel.

Furthermore, the prophet Ezekiel, who also lived about 2,600 years ago, revealed that a powerful nation he identified as Gog will invade a small country in the last days along with a vast military coalition, preceding the return of Jesus Christ. (Ezekiel 38-39) Who is Gog? Gog was an ancient name for the Caucasian tribe of Rosh that many modern Russians are descended from.

Here are the words that Ezekiel recorded from the Lord: The word of the Lord came to me. "Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal; prophesy against him and say: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you."  (Ezekiel 38:1-6)

Who is this nation that Russia will invade along with her military coalition? Ezekiel continued: "Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety.You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land." (Ezekiel 38:7-9)

Russia's invasion of Israel will be known as Armageddon. But why would the Antichrist decide to destroy Israel after he allowed the Jewish nation to rebuild her Temple? Stay tuned.