The Islamic State and Global Unity
By Pastor Hal Mayer
(the above message can be downloaded by clicking the down arrow in the top right corner)
Dear Friends,
Thank you for joining me today, as we analyze yet another major prophetic development that is unfolding around us. We are seeing a progression that may well mature into a global alliance that will fight the growing threat of religious extremists. That alliance will eventually become the tool the enemy uses against God’s true people. I think you’ll find today’s message rather interesting in light of developments in Iraq with what has become known as the Islamic State, a brutal regime that beheads people who don’t agree with their brand of Islamic extremism. What is the effect of this brand of Islamism on the major global powers? Is the new religious caliphate in Syria and Iraq really a nation or kingdom, just because the Islamic State organization says so?
Before we begin, I want to tell you that our new website is up and running, and I think you’ll like it. It is easy to navigate, and has a lot more graphics. We have been working on this site for some time, but now we are shifting traffic to this site. You can find it easily by going to ktfnews.com. That’s ktfnews.com.
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As we begin, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we are privileged to be watching the amazing and rapid development and maturity of end-time issues in our world. We need Your Holy Spirit to give us discernment and understanding. As we study today, open our eyes and ears. Let us hear Your voice speaking directly to us. May we sense the presence of Jesus. And may we begin to practice the pure principles of the gospel in our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Let us begin by reminding ourselves that Revelation 13:8 tells us that the aim of globalization is universal worship. There can never be a universal worship law unless there is a global coalition that works together to control the nations and the people that live in them. This coalition works together to establish global governance, global economy, global education and a global enforcement mechanism, and then global religion.
The aim is to unite religion with the state on a global scale so that the prophecies of the Bible can come to pass. Those who are promoting this don’t understand prophecy, perhaps, but they are nevertheless working toward its fulfillment, even without realizing it; unwittingly. They are working, whether they know it or not, to resurrect papal power, not just in European, but on a global scale.
The Bible teaches us how to think. If you meditate on scripture, and you think about what you read, then that which is hidden on the surface will become clear under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Often the verses of scripture are not all that clear because the Bible often uses figurative language. That’s one of the ways God disguises the truth so that those who do not want to believe will have an excuse on which to hang their jacket. When the curious, or the unspiritual, read the Bible, they cannot understand it because it is only open to those who submit to its principles and ask God to reveal to them what they need to know.
But there are those who want to know what the Bible says and who are willing to diligently study the Bible. They yearn to know God and to understand how God thinks. So they study a little here, and a little there, line upon line, precept upon precept, and God opens to their minds the application of the things they have studied. He ties it all together for them and the Holy Spirit shows them the meaning of what they study and exactly what is to come upon the earth. And when that happens, it inspires the one who studies for light and understanding and he hungers for more, and more. It’s so amazing that the Bible becomes to him like food. He cannot live without it. It slowly works its way into his soul and waters him and refreshes him, and makes him alive.
Oh friends, don’t you want to know the Bible? Most people, who call themselves Christian, don’t understand the Bible. They have a lot of Bible knowledge, but they have not surrendered to its core principles. They want to argue about it. They try to justify their lifestyles by excusing away the plainest instruction. They say that the apostles wrote in the context of their own times, and it doesn’t apply to us today. They reject the testing truths of scripture as if it is not really important.
They try to organize the church after their own image or their own ideas of what is right and wrong. The push for women’s ordination, or the blessing of same-sex marriages, and don’t have a clue about what they are talking about. Oh, they can argue theologically for their objectives, but they don’t understand God, or His will, because they are not willing to come into harmony with the things God has made so very plain. They will likely argue for Sunday observance eventually, using theological ideas just like they have been doing all along.
Let me say it again. The Bible teaches us how to think. If you meditate on scripture, and you think about what you read, then that which is hidden on the surface will become clear under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is like a little window opens up and you get a new view. Then another window opens up and you get another view. Then another and another… But then a really amazing thing happens. After a lot of little windows have been opened, and your mind is exercised on a number of them, all of a sudden, they consolidate and the Holy Spirit brings them all together and you get the big picture. They are no longer little windows, but a whole system of truth, a whole universe of understanding.
That is the way God works, my friends. And if you are not interested in working with God, the Bible will not open up to you. That’s why so many of God’s people in these last days are blind to these things. They aren’t interested. That’s why so many sermons are just milk and no meat, little homilies that express religious platitudes about love, unity and the cross, while neglecting the weightier matters that the people should really hear.
You see, the Bible addresses everything in society, everything! But it isn’t easy to see how unless you are studying it thoroughly. There are things going on that interest all of humanity in every corner of the globe. Yet, most people cannot understand them with the wisdom of God. They don’t think that the Bible addresses these issues. But when you think about how prophecy is going to be fulfilled, and your mind is meditating on this theme throughout the day, eventually, the pieces of the puzzle begin to fit together and light floods into your mind. Suddenly, you can see things that you could not see before.
Here is an example. I have been watching the movements of church and state in the United States since I was a young man in my 20s. But as time went on, I began to take more interest in wider applications of this principle, so I began to track the movement toward unity in church and state in Europe, and then Australia, and then in Latin countries, etc. I saw them as isolated nation states dealing with the issues of church and state within their own territories. I saw Rome influencing this, but I never really thought that much about the global nature of this principle. That went on for a few years, until I began to see that there are even larger issues unfolding.
The aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in New York and Washington made it clear on a global scale how religious liberty would be undermined. Terrorism was the perfect excuse to change western people and get them to think that their constitutional rights were not as important as their security. And I realized with the collaboration between nation states against terrorism, that there would ultimately be a world of nations working together to provide the security that people want.
But it is much deeper than that. Islam is the “thorn in the flesh” of western or developed nations, pressuring them to unite against a common enemy. At first terrorism was aimed at the United States and its allies. However, that too has changed now. It too has matured and is more global in nature. And that is the foundation of my message today. Bible prophecy tells us that there is a global crisis arising that will unite some nations against other nations. And war will be the result. It is a war for supremacy. It is a war for global hegemony. But it is disguised as a war against religious extremists.
Listen to the words of the prophet John as he speaks about the very near future. It is found in Revelation 17. Speaking of global powers, the apostle says in verses 12-13 “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.”
Now let us think about that for a moment. That is talking about an international and global political unity that supports Rome. Isn’t that what happened in the past? There was a coalition of kingdoms that supported Rome for 1260 years. It was known as the dark ages. And they called it the Holy Roman Empire. They were an alliance that was often in conflict with Muslim tribes and warlords. The crusades were a result of this clash of civilizations.
But this Bible prophecy also refers to the end times. Notice Revelation 17. John is taken in vision to see the “great whore” that sitteth upon many waters. And in verse three, we read, “and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.” The woman represents a church, and a beast represents a civil nation. So you have the unity of church and state, with the church controlling the state. That is the effect of the imagery in Revelation 17. But notice in verse two that “the kings of the earth have committed fornication” with her. In other words, they are “in bed” with this whore. And because she gives them what they want, she controls what they do, ultimately.
This final coalition is rising. Just as the beast is rising again in our age, and even resurrecting the Holy Roman Empire again, so shall many of the most powerful nations of the earth begin to cooperate together and give their power and strength to the beast, or Rome. These kings or rulers of the earth, support Rome, both church and state, with their power and strength, as we read in verse thirteen.
Listen to what the apostle says next in verse 14, “These shall make war with the Lamb…” Is that war in the past? No, it is future. Reading on, “and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”
Who is the lamb? The Bible opens a window and reveals what John the Baptist said when Jesus came to him for baptism. He said, “Behold the lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world,” John 1:29. You see, the Lamb is Jesus. The whole sacrificial system of the Old Testament which used a lamb as a sacrifice was a symbol of the sacrifice of Jesus for your sins and mine. He was victorious at the cross. Satan’s destiny and doom is certain. I don’t know about you my friend, but I want to be with the Lamb, don’t you? I want to be wherever the Lamb is; for He is shade and shelter to His people, and will be a burning sword to His enemies.
Reading on, “And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations and tongues.”
So, there’s another little window. The Bible has just defined itself again. Waters, in Bible prophecy, are the nations with multitudes of people. These are not God’s people. These are the wicked. The whore, or the apostate church, controls them. Revelation 17:17 reveals to us that “God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.” You see, my friends, every prophecy of scripture is certain to come to pass. When God tells us what will come in the future, you can rely on it with certainty.
Revelation 17:18 gives us another little window. “And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” Think about it for a moment. The Bible is telling us that kings rule over multitudes of people. And that is true and we can see it clearly. But we are also now led to understand that above the kings of the earth, there are higher powers, religious powers. The nations are under the manipulation and control, ultimately of the Papacy, the spiritual arm of the Roman Catholic Church, and the Holy See, or the civil arm of the Roman Church. These are the woman and the beast of Revelation 17.
To what city-state do presidents, prime ministers, ambassadors and dignitaries of every stripe go to with amazing regularity? To what city-state do the leaders of nations look for moral support and guidance in solving their conflicts? What city-state presents itself as the peacemaker?
Yes, of course, that is Rome or the Vatican. The Bible leaves us in no doubt as to who is the whore. And why does the Bible speak this way? It is because the Bible teaches the truth. And if you want to see it and understand the wisdom of God, you will, if you comply with the conditions. What are those conditions? Come to scripture to learn, not to cavil and argue or justify yourself. Look for what God says will happen. Humble yourself before God and He will open the windows for you. You will not be left in darkness. He will give you His wisdom.
Now let us remember that famous prophecy of Jesus in Matthew 24. Verse 7 tells us “nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.” Is that happening today? Of course it is. Revelation 11:18 tells us that the nations in the last days are going to be angry just as Jesus said they will be.
But look at Revelation 11:19. Just as the nations are heating up for one final conflict, one final world war, something very interesting happens. Here it is, “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightenings and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.”
In other words, just as the end-time issues reach a crescendo, a very powerful message goes out from heaven that dramatically and clearly reveals the hidden truth. Inside that ark of the testament in the temple in heaven is the place where the universal Ten Commandments are kept. That’s God’s law. That revelation of God’s law happens when God’s people give that message. That comes at the time of the end. The Law is proclaimed more fully and the Sabbath of God becomes the focal point. This is the time when the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all flesh, as Joel 2:28 says.
The law of God stands in stark contrast to the way the kings of the earth are working and the way the beast and the woman are working to undermine it. And they don’t like being told that they are in opposition to God. They have been trying to disguise that for centuries. But now it is all exposed. The masses of the population are convicted and they begin to question the direction of their leaders. But the nations keep right on going, perhaps more openly as they build a coalition to fight against God’s people whom they will identify as religious extremists. Yes, that’s right. The beast, the whore and the kings of the earth describe those who uphold God’s law as religious extremists that will need to be punished because they don’t go along with the Sunday laws that will have come in like a flood. They will persecute them. That’s why the Bible says that the beast and the woman are trying to war against the Lamb, which means that they are warring against the law of God. After all, the law is the transcript of Christ’s character. But they can do nothing to Christ. They can only attack His people. And this they do with great energy.
The messengers that give the message of the eternal validity of the Law of God will reveal that these kings of the earth are turning their backs on God. God’s messengers, with their faces lighted up go out and proclaim the Sabbath more fully. They expose the false teachings of the Babylonian system of worship. They unveil the conspiracy that is keeping people enthralled with Rome. The blinders come off of their eyes and they see that the law of God is still the standard of righteousness. They see that the law of God is the principle on which God’s people must live in the here and now, not to earn salvation, but to unite with heaven. But most importantly, they see that war and bloodshed is a direct result of the disregard of the law of God. Notice where they see this law, it is in the temple in heaven, a place that most religious leaders have despised and claimed doesn’t exist. Yet, there are people that proclaim the principles of the heavenly sanctuary and the law like never before. They have great power because they are under the control of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain. These religious leaders don’t like their sins exposed either. So, they urge stronger measures to silence the voice of reproof for their sins.
But this is getting ahead of ourselves in a way. It’s the big picture. We need to grasp the situation as it is now in relation to the Bible. Listen to Luke 21:25, 26 “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.”
So, what causes great fear? It is the distress of nations, the perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring. What is the sea in prophecy? That’s multitudes of people, nations, tongues, tribes, remember? If they are tossed and turned like waves roaring, what then is this referring to? This is referring to war and bloodshed and international turmoil and crisis, and a time of trouble such as never was. Men’s hearts will fail them for fear because of the conflicts and pestilences, and other disasters. They will seek for answers and God’s people will show them from scripture the very answers they need. But you will never be able to do that unless you know the Bible, my friends.
Now let us think for a minute about what is making the nations angry today. One of them is Islam, particularly radical Islam or Muslim extremists. And the nations are angry because of the newest rendition of it known as the Islamic State or the IS, as self-declared unrecognized Islamist extremists that have joined together to overthrow and control large portions of Iraq and Syria and beyond. On June 29, 2014, they even declared their own state, known as a caliphate, though it is not recognized by other nations. They are well organized and well trained, particularly in urban warfare. They have a highly effective command structure that has given them significant advantage over the Iraqi military and over whatever opposition they might have in Syria.
But what makes the nations angry is their brutal behavior, which has earned them the title of terrorist group among many nations. It seems that they kill anyone who doesn’t agree with them or who opposes them. They especially make use of the method of beheading their victim and have made this very public on social media and the major news sources. They kill men, women and children and cause destruction of the social order wherever they can and then replace it with their own. The IS beheaded two American journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff on video and then posted them on the Internet. They cut off the head of a British aid worker and have threatened to kill others in the same manner. An affiliate group in Algeria beheaded a French hiker. The United States tried to rescue James Foley and others held captive by the Islamic state, but failed.
Without going into detail on their convoluted history, and its several iterations, suffice it to say that the Islamic State claims religious control over Muslims world-wide. They aim to establish Sharia law in all territories they control, and would like to establish a global caliphate beginning with the region of the Levant, or the Eastern Mediterranean, which approximately includes Syria, Jordan, Israel Palestine, Lebanon, Cyprus and parts of Turkey. They also include Iraq in their territorial plans.
Wikipedia Article on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Obama: Failed rescue mission in Syria preceded reporter’s murder
Wikipedia Article on the Levant
The IS used these captives to demonstrate their brutality and their shallow regard for life. But the beheadings were also used to anger the American people and engage America in yet another war, dragging it back into Iraq. For now it is a war of air power and the only “boots on the ground” are advisors to the Iraqi military. But the Islamic State continues to wreak havoc. They have killed thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of innocent people throughout northern Iraq and Syria, especially ethnic minorities, most of whom are Christians. There seems to be no stopping them outside of intervention. President Obama declared that the United States would escalate their involvement to degrade and eventually destroy the IS through air power. But that hasn’t had the expected impact on their overall advance.
President Obama: “We Will Degrade and Ultimately Destroy ISIL”
A 5000 year-old prophecy makes it clear why Islam, particularly its radical elements, is making the nations angry. Genesis 16:11-12. “And the angel of the Lord said unto her [Hagar], Behold, thou art with child, and thou shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”
Notice what this verse says; “he shall be a wild man.” This is referring no doubt, to the extremism of Islam. It is indeed wild and excessive. And there is continual pressure in Islamic nations to be strongly influenced if not outright controlled by extremists. Just look at the so-called “Arab Spring” which swept across North Africa. As the dictators were toppled across the region, bad men as they may have been, extremist elements made of other bad men have replaced them, and war and bloodshed continue. Look at Libya, Egypt, Syria, Gaza, etc. Everywhere you turn, it seems there is violence by Islamic extremists. It is wild indeed.
Notice also that the verse said, “he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” In other words, Islamic extremists will drive their agendas and derive their support from within Muslim territories first and then expand out into other places like Africa, Europe, America, Australia, New Zealand, etc.
Already there is talk of extremists returning from the Middle East to cause chaos and terror in their home countries. Many of these left America, Britain, and Australia, and joined forces with the Islamic State, who are returning to wreak havoc on those nations. But this verse is referring to a generalized support among Muslims and even Muslim nations for these wild actions. This weakens Muslim government’s, and though they officially oppose the extremists, yet the extremists operate with a lot of freedom within these nations. They even get financial and logistical support from some of the governments. Turkey, for instance, has openly provided logistical support, intelligence and satellite imagery to Islamic State fighters, in addition to providing training. That’s how they get away with it for so long. They dwell among their brethren. They get support from Muslims and Muslim nations.
U.S. faces uncertain task in building coalition against Islamic State
Islamic State fighter: ‘Turkey paved the way for us’
Turkey Trained ISIS Militants, Provided Satellite Data on Kobane’s Kurdish Fighters – Report
ISIS Fighter Claims Turkey Funds the Jihadist Group
The Islamic state also recruits fighters from western countries. They have a sophisticated way of playing on the grievances and lack of identity in young people. They cultivate their hunger for strong male leadership, which many of them have never had, and invite them to join in the global jihad to “restore justice.” Not only have they been recruiting young men, but also they have been recruiting young girls to become the wives of the fighters and bear them children so that they can establish a multi-generational and sustainable fight. They are not stupid and they are not primitive. They are well trained, well equipped and well funded. But they are wicked.
And lastly, notice that verse 12 says, “his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him.” Not even Muslims trust each other. But notice the unity against the sons of Ishmael. If every man’s hand is against these extremists, that explains to us that there is a foundation for global unity against radical Islam. Western nations and even Islamic nations unite together to fight Islamic extremism. In other words, the angel of the Lord prophesied, that in the last days, there would be a coalition of nations that unite together to fight Ishmael’s wild and extreme behavior.
The nations are angry. The Islamic State is apparently planning to even the score over the medieval crusades, which were conducted upon the urging of popes and prelates. The crusades were wars between the Ottomans (or Muslims) and so-called Christians.
But now I want you to think about the reaction of western nations to the rise of an Islamic power that appears as though it has gained a lot of traction. The United States and other nations of the world are going after whatever nations are willing to unite together to fight the Islamic State. And the news media is giving the IS a lot of airtime which makes them almost seem larger than life and gives them notoriety.
Chuck Hagel, the Pentagon chief, said “the Islamic State is beyond anything that we’ve seen” and poses a greater terrorism threat than Al Qaeda. “ISIL is as sophisticated and well-funded as any group that we have seen,” Hagel said in a news conference. “They’re beyond just a terrorist group… They marry ideology, sophistication of strategic and tactical military prowess, they are tremendously well-funded. This is beyond anything that we’ve seen. So we must prepare for everything. And the only way you do that is take a cold, steely, hard look at it and get ready.”
And Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said “This is an organization that has an apocalyptic, end-of-days strategic vision, and which will eventually have to be defeated.”
Notice that Dempsey said that the Islamic State has an “end-of-days strategic vision.” That end-time focus is important to note. People are being cultivated to suspicion anyone with an “end-time” emphasis and label them extremists, which will help them misunderstand and misrepresent even the true presentation of end-time prophecies.
The Islamic State’s vision is erroneous, though it does fulfill Bible prophecy in key ways as we will see. But what I’m saying is that people are being cultivated and trained to fear anyone or anything that addresses end-time or apocalyptic scenarios.
Hagel and Dempsey said the “U.S. military can be only one element of the solution and called for military and diplomatic help from other countries.” In other words, the Pentagon is calling for a coalition in the region and beyond to stop the wild man of the East. They are calling for a unity of nations to fight. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that “ISIL and the wickedness it represents must be destroyed.” Hagel is even pressing Turkey to join a regional coalition to fight these Muslims and yet Turkey has been supporting the Islamic State.
Saying that the Islamic State is a “manifestation of evil,” and “a vicious terrorist organization,” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has been shuttling between various Arab nations in an attempt to get them to join the united coalition against these religious extremists. He is not just trying to unite the Arab nations against the IS, but the United States has been coordinating with more than 45 nations in its efforts against the Islamic State, and they are aiming to involve 100 nations in various ways if they can. It will be a “coalition of the willing” since there is no hope for the United Nations Security Council to authorize action. The fact is the political situation in the Middle East is very complicated.
Chuck Hagel: ISIL ‘beyond anything that we’ve seen’
Hagel to press Turkey to join fight against Islamic State
‘Broad coalition’ of nations will help fight ISIS, John Kerry says in Iraq
U.S. faces uncertain task in building coalition against Islamic State
Even the pope is getting into the act of uniting the nations. Pope Francis said recently, referring to the Islamic State, that “the unjust aggressor must be stopped”? Though he tried to moderate his words, it is clear that the Vatican’s 15-century-old teaching on “just war” theory is still in play. After all, the only way to STOP an entity that has surface to air missiles, machine guns, loads of ammunition, and an unreasonable spirit, is to stop them with military action or war.
Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations in Geneva, went on record as saying “Maybe military action is necessary at this moment.” James Bretzke, a priest and theologian at the Jesuit Boston College said, “This is the most pronounced endorsement of the use of force of any pope… in the last 100 years.”
After the papal comments, the Islamic State threatened the pope, and Italy and the Vatican ramped up security and issued a security alert. “The alert warns that the Islamic State is looking to attack ‘sensitive targets’ both in and out of Rome, including embassies, Catholic churches, bus and train stations, airports and the like.
An Islamic State propaganda booklet called Dabiq, describes the desire of the Islamic State to overthrow Christianity and “break the cross.” The cover of the book shows a picture of the Vatican with an Islamic State flag draped over it. And Christians are one of the main targets of IS brutality. Persecution of Christians in the territories conquered by the Islamic State is no secret. Thousands have been killed. Thousands have fled their homes and their ancient lands and have holed up in refugee camps. No wonder Pope Francis said that the “unjust aggressor must be stopped.” It is an appeal to Christians and so-called Christian nations to go to war against the Islamic State. Perhaps it could end up as a modern crusade.
Francis’ mixed message on war with the Islamic State
ISIS ‘Declares War on Christians’
So, Chuck Hagel (at the Pentagon), John Kerry (the U.S. Secretary of State), and Pope Francis… are all calling for nations to unite and fight against extremists. This “coalition of the willing” is laying the foundation for a greater unity on a more global scale. Eventually the Bible tells us, the nations of the earth will be united and allied against God’s people. But in order to make preparations for global religious unity, they must practice on some other target. That other target is radical Islam.
If Western nations would ever repudiate their constitutions, and restore papal principles, which these constitutions prevented, they have to have a reason or an excuse to do it. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 gave them that opportunity and the war against terror was on. But that struggle was focused on the United States mainly. The U.S. cobbled together a group of allied nations to provide at least token support, a “coalition of the willing,” as it was called, to fight terrorism. But the main emphasis in the fight against terrorism was rather focused on protecting America and America’s interests. Don’t get me wrong, other nations, like in Europe, or Britain, had plenty to worry about themselves, but the Americans carried out the main fight in Iraq and Afghanistan with a little help from their friends.
Now however, the scene has changed. The rise of the Islamic State is much broader and involves fighters from many western nations and includes threats against many nations. The Islamic State has also called on jihadists from within Europe, Australia, Canada and other nations that are part of the coalition to fight the IS, to conduct jihad in their own nations and kill those who are not Muslim.
Muhammad al-Adnani, the spokesman for the IS said, “If you can kill a disbelieving American or European – especially the spiteful and filthy French – or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner or way however it may be.”
Recently, Australia conducted raids in two of its major cities and arrested a number of people for a plot to randomly behead people in the streets of Sydney on camera with the Islamic State flag draped over their heads.
Anti-terror operation in Sydney and Brisbane ‘thwarted’ beheading plot
The broader more global threats by the Islamic State are also creating the need for a much broader coalition of nations to unite. Radical Islam is the excuse that is needed to unite the nations together in preparation for the final war against Christ and against his people. But they must get practice first. They must refine their logistics, skill and intellectual capabilities to carry out such a war. So they get to do this against religious extremists that are really bad and really dangerous. Once the issues are mature, they can then use their tactics against a new target, those never intended as targets in the first place. But once the tactical skills are in place they would be able to go after any diverse and complex target.
Do you remember what Daniel 8:24 says? Speaking of Rome the prophet said, “he shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.” That’s talking about God’s remnant people. They will be mighty because they will have the Holy Spirit poured out on them in the latter rain.
Verse 25 says, “And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many…”
In other words, what is going on with the nations of this world in their outward, visible preparations for war is also being supported behind the scenes by the papal power, while on the surface the Vatican most often talks about peace. In other words, the Bible is saying that the Vatican actually promotes war, so that she can emerge as the man of peace. “By peace he shall destroy many,” Daniel 8:24.
The people of this earth will be so tired of war, violence and bloodshed, that they will gladly receive the pope because he comes in the name of peace. As we noted earlier, Revelation 17:13 and 17 tell us that the kings of the earth give their power to the beast to rule over the nations and they give their strength to the beast to support her role in controlling the world.
So, the Bible tells us that the Papacy will unite the nations of the world against God’s people who represent the Prince of Princes in their characters, and they bear His message, His last final warning to the world to disconnect from Babylon and join God’s true people.
Second Thessalonians 2:4 says that the man of sin will exalt himself “above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”
This is talking about worship, my friends. This is the worship of the beast. He sets himself up against God. That means he sets himself up against God’s people. He persecutes them if they will not worship him. This is the aim and final outcome of the conflicts we see in the world today. The Bible tells us that they will ultimately lead to restoration of papal power and persecution. All the bloodshed leads to support for Rome’s role as peacemaker.
The unity of political nations is not all there is to this. There is another, second level of unity that is developing around the “wild man of the East.” It is a religious unity.
In September, former Israeli president Shimon Peres paid a personal visit to the pope and made a rather unique suggestion. Peres proposed that the pope head up a new organization of “United Religions,” a kind of United Nations of Religions. He also said that the pope was the only person respected enough to bring an end to the wars that are raging in the Middle East. “In the past, most of the wars in the world were motivated by the idea of nationhood,” Peres said. “But today, wars are incited using religion as an excuse.” The summit was the third high-profile meeting between the two men in less than five months.
“What we need is an organization of United Religions… as the best way to combat terrorists who kill in the name of faith,” Peres said in a press interview. “What we need is an unquestionable moral authority who says out loud, ‘No, God does not want this and does not allow it.’”
Peres proposes ‘UN for religions’ to pope at Vatican
So, the former Israeli leader is advocating that the Vatican organize a United Religions in order to combat religious wars and violence. He praised the pope as a man of peace and suggested that he is the only one who can pull it together.
This gives new meaning to the passage in Revelation 17:13 which says that the kings of the earth “give their power and strength to the beast.” It will be in the name of religious peace that the nations will rally around the pope, and in a show of unity will support Rome with their temporal power and strength in the hopes that it will bring the much-needed peace to a world of religious war.
In recent times, the charismatic Pope Francis, a shrewd Jesuit, has been working together with the evangelicals to finally bring them toward Rome. He is calling on them to come into full sacramental unity with Rome. Tony Palmer, a charismatic leader, worked very hard on this up to his death in a motorcycle accident, especially with Kenneth Copeland, to take large steps toward Rome. He even organized a lengthy meeting between a group of key influential evangelical leaders and the pope in which they pledged their support for religious unity.
Other churches have been working for a long time on the matter of unity with Rome. Most of the Reformation churches, including the Lutheran, Anglican and Presbyterian churches are quite advanced in their dialogue with Rome. And the pope continues to push for unity.
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Support for that military action now comes from an unexpected corner. As the ecumenical movement, which calls for peace between religions matures; the churches and Christian people, led by the Catholic Church are more readily drawn into ever-larger problems on a more global scale than ever.
Listen to this. “Pope Francis has joined with Christians facing genocide in Iraq and Syria, calling upon the world to join him in ‘Prayer and Action’ to bring peace to the troubled region. Calling for international action, he has asked the world to “stop these crimes.”
The Vatican’s representative in Iraq echoed the unprecedented papal remarks. “Archbishop Giorgio Lingua, called military action against the brutal terrorists, ‘something that had to be done’ if the Islamic State was to be stopped. Chaldean Patriarch Louis Sako of Baghdad went even further: ‘There is a need of international support and a professional, well-equipped army,’ he said.”
In support of the papal appeal, Catholic Online added, “The atrocities are real. The genocide is real… The Islamic State has recruited fighters from most of the world’s nations and more arrive every day. They are motivated by an aggressive, rabid interpretation of Islamic scriptures. Most notably, they are consumed with bloodlust and willing to commit and publicize every atrocity. This attracts sadistic men from across the Islamic world to their cause who commit even more atrocities.
“This is the purest form of evil the planet has seen in generations. They cannot be reasoned with. As all Christians do have a recognized right to self-defense in the face of an existential threat, the time has come for all Catholics to join with Pope Francis and the Christians of Iraq and Syria in ‘Prayer and Action’ with the intent of ridding the world of the evil of the Islamic State.”
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As the Islamic State persecutes Christian minorities especially, it ignites indignation among religious people, which builds support and unity among Christians in support of a war against the IS with “boots on the ground” and everything. In this ecumenical age, Christians of every denomination will feel obligated to unite with other Christians to put the IS in its place.
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Oh, friends, don’t you see what is happening today? The Islamic State is so ugly and brutal that the nations are rallying to deal with them and the churches are uniting to support the military coalition to crush them.
Are you prepared for the coming crisis? Not only are the nations of the world unifying to defeat religious extremists, but they are also aiming to work together with Rome with the support of the churches. Once this matures, it will lead straight into the persecution of God’s people.
Listen to what Jesus Himself said in Matthew 24:9, the last part. “And ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” That is talking about an international or global unity of the nations and religions who will turn their strategic planning, their intelligence organizations, and their tactical weapons on a new target. Some sort of crisis will arise that will give them reason to accuse God’s true people of being troublers of the nations. They will persecute those who proclaim the perpetual continuity of God’s law and keep His holy Sabbath.
They will have nowhere to hide. Julian Assange, who exposed some of the evil deeds of the United States and other nations, and who is now under threat of prosecution, has been able to “hide” in asylum in the embassy of Ecuador in London for a long time. Edward Snowden, who exposed the sins and evil deeds of the NSA, is now hiding in Russia who gave him asylum there. Why are Julian Assange and Edward Snowden hiding? It is because the nations are angry at them. They are in asylum because there are whole groups of nations that would love to arrest them and prosecute them because they blew the whistle on their secret things.
God’s people will actually have to do a much greater thing that Julian Assange and Edward Snowden have done. They have to expose the sins of Babylon, all the immoral filth that is going on between them and the nations of the earth. This will make the pope very angry at them and it will be easy for Him to accuse them. All the nations in league with Rome will be angry at them too. That’s why Jesus said “ye shall be hated of all nations.” For God’s people there will be nowhere to hide, because no one nation will be their friend and offer them asylum.
There is only one place they can hide and that is under the shadow of the almighty, Psalm 91:1. They must come into the secret place of the Most High, if they want His protection. I’m so glad I do not have to rely on the protection of human governments or organizations. I’m so glad that I am under the protection of the Most High. This is the greatest treasure. If your life is in harmony with Christ, you will be under His control, under his special protection.
Listen to this statement from The Great Controversy, page 589. “Satan has control of all whom God does not especially guard.”
Do you want to avoid being under the control of Satan? Of course you do. But then you must get under the special guardianship of the Almighty.
Maybe this is an unusual way to think about it, but there is developing another level of the unity between church and state. It is not just the kings of the earth, the national and international leaders that are uniting; it is not merely the churches that are uniting together. But under the Papacy, both aspects of this global unity of nations and of churches are coming together now in a global coalition of church and state. We can see where it is headed. And it is not immature. It is gaining so much traction that key leaders of the world can say that the pope is the only one who has the moral stature among the nations of the world to bring about peace. And in order to keep this peace, these very nations, all of them in fact, will hate the very people whom God has blessed.
Here is just one example of one preparation that is being made to prevent God’s truth from being preached in the last days. It is a very interesting development. In an effort to strengthen the fight against terrorism, David Cameron, Prime Minister of Great Britain began to advocate controls on speech last December. Keep in mind he was advocating this to prevent terror, not against God’s true people. But will the tools used to fight terror ever be used against another target?
Listen to the London Daily Mail. “Preachers of hate are to be ‘silenced’ with new anti-terror orders based on a dramatically tightened definition of extremism and attempts to block their bile on the Internet. The Government is to introduce new civil powers, similar to those used against anti-social behaviour, to target extremists who radicalise others. They are expected to be used to bar people from preaching messages of terror and hate, associating with named individuals thought vulnerable to radicalisation, and from entering specific venues, such as mosques or community halls.”
Can you imagine how easily those laws or executive orders could be used against those preaching Bible truth about the beast?
David Cameron set up a special anti-extremism task force after the violent death of Lee Rigby at the hands of Islamic extremists. The task force proposes new Internet filters to block extremist websites and extended powers for watchdogs to shut down charities suspected of being fronts for extremist groups.
Do you think that one day your religion will be considered to be extreme? Will your websites that expose the beast and declare the sins of Babylon be blocked? Will your legal non-profit organizations and charities be shut down because you don’t support the new world order religion that Peres recommended to Pope Francis?
“I want to see an end to hate preaching in Britain,” said Cameron. Do you think that it is possible that those who teach the Bible’s clear denunciations of Babylon will be considered hate speech when it is applied to Rome? Will you be accused of preaching hate when you explain the sins of Babylon in detail as the Bible requires you to do? You see my friends, all of these developments today, are staging and preparing for an assault on Christ in the person of His own people.
The London Daily Mail said the new type of order is “to be based on a new definition of extremism which specifically includes a ‘distorted interpretation of Islam.’ It identifies Islamist extremism as a distinct ideology, which should not be confused with traditional religious practice.” Friends, will your interpretation of the Bible be represented as a distorted view of scripture? Rome would love to be able to say that about God’s people in the last days, wouldn’t she?
Hate preachers to be ‘silenced’ by new anti-terror Asbos to block their bile on the internet
Now listen to John 16:1-3. “These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.”
It is because they do not know God, that you will be persecuted. Anyone who persecutes another gives evidence that he does not know God. You need to understand that offences will come. They are designed to reveal the true you. They are designed to reveal to all those who are watching that you are a child of God and that you are not under the control of Satan.
Are you ready, my friends? Are you taking the prophecies to heart, and preparing your soul for the final conflict?
Listen to this very interesting statement from The Great Controversy, page 594.
“Before His crucifixion the Saviour explained to His disciples that He was to be put to death and to rise again from the tomb, and angels were present to impress His words on minds and hearts. But the disciples were looking for temporal deliverance from the Roman yoke, and they could not tolerate the thought that He in whom all their hopes centered should suffer an ignominious death. The words which they needed to remember were banished from their minds; and when the time of trial came, it found them unprepared. The death of Jesus as fully destroyed their hopes as if He had not forewarned them. So in the prophecies the future is opened before us as plainly as it was opened to the disciples by the words of Christ. The events connected with the close of probation and the work of preparation for the time of trouble, are clearly presented. But multitudes have no more understanding of these important truths than if they had never been revealed. Satan watches to catch away every impression that would make them wise unto salvation, and the time of trouble will find them unready.”
And now let me read further. “When God sends to men warnings so important that they are represented as proclaimed by holy angels flying in the midst of heaven, He requires every person endowed with reasoning powers to heed the message. The fearful judgments denounced against the worship of the beast and his image (Revelation 14:9-11), should lead all to a diligent study of the prophecies to learn what the mark of the beast is, and how they are to avoid receiving it. But the masses of the people turn away their ears from hearing the truth and are turned unto fables. The apostle Paul declared, looking down to the last days: ‘The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.’ 2 Timothy 4:3. That time has fully come. The multitudes do not want Bible truth, because it interferes with the desires of the sinful, world-loving heart; and Satan supplies the deceptions which they love.”
Friends, I hope you are in Christ. It is your most important task to get under the shadow of the almighty. We are living in a time of great intensity, and we must be prepared to give the final message.
God bless you. Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, Holy and righteous is Your name. We need You, Oh Holy Father to teach us Your wisdom that we may understand the scriptures better. We are living in the last days and it is vital that we understand our times and how to open the Bible to others that are confused by the signs of the times. Teach us how to live. Teach us how to talk to people. Teach us how to point souls to Christ, the only one that can protect them from the troublous times ahead. Strengthen us we pray. Send us Your Holy Spirit to guide our minds in the study of your word. In Jesus’ name, amen.