The Eve of Destruction

Traditionally, the eve of a holiday or any day for that matter occurs the day before. But this does not
apply to the events occurring in our world.

Suicide bombers, al-Qaeda, West Nile virus, 9/11, escalating divorce rates among Christians, sexually-transmitted diseases, the war in Afghanistan, human cloning, partial-birth abortion, Saddam Hussein, the Enron scandal, global warming, the turbulent waters of air travel, anthrax on the Princeton campus, the kidnappings and murders of the young, and the crash of the stock market all point to a world on the eve of destruction.

According to Matthew’s gospel, "As Jesus sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these must come to pass, but the
end is not yet."

Consider the following world events: "Police in the German city of Hamburg said they arrested two men in connection with the occupation of the Iraqi Embassy in Berlin. Indian officials say they suspected Islamic militants have killed 12 civilians in Kashmir. The latest violence coincided with a visit by a senior U.S. diplomat to India and Palestine at easing tensions between the two rival countries. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict, according to one official, has resulted in a rise in poverty, infant mortality, and malnutrition. And the situation is getting worse."

It is a fact that the majority, if not all of the nineteen hijackers had ties to Saudi Arabia; a land with its vast oil fields, and who has had closer ties with the U.S. than has any Arabic nation in the world. Dateline also states that there was some form of silent arrangement between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia ending on a bright sunny morning Sept. 9, 2001. In 1996, there was an opportunity to get rid of Osaka Bin Laden, but the Turkish
government opted not to do so.

Nearly a year after the crisis in New York, the Taliban has been destroyed, Afghanistan is in shambles, and Osama Bin Laden is no where to be found. The list goes on and on.

Continuing his prophetic sayings, Jesus assured his disciples that all the things he spoke of were merely " the beginnings of sorrows." He also instructed them to "see that ye be not troubled." People, in the wake of the events on 9/11, America is troubled. And so are her allies. This nation has been weakened and her foundations are no longer secure.

According to one of this nation’s greatest actors, Sean Connery, on the devastation caused by flooding: "I don’t know if the world realizes the depth of the disaster." Brent Scowcroft cautions on going to war with Iraq, "An attack on Iraq would seriously jeopardize, if not destroy, the global counterterrorist campaign we have undertaken." Condoleezza Rice, National Security Adviser, arguing the case for such a war; "History is littered with cases of inaction that led to very grave consequences for the world." Louis Farrakhan, at a speech before the Islamic assemblies stated that "Saddam Hussein is no more terrible than President Bush, the elder Bush, or President Clinton." He also states that "there should be a Nuremberg trial for American presidents."

If Saddam and Bin Laden share anything in common, it is their hatred of Israel, hostility toward the rulers of Saudi Arabia, and enmity toward their common nemesis, the United States. Clearly, our nation is at war; and its leaders are divided on many fronts. How can we hope to recover? Where will the chaos end? Will world peace ever prevail?

Adding to the devastation facing our world, another form of capital punishment is making the headlines. Actually, it is one of the oldest forms of death; "Stoning." At present, a Nigerian woman is being tried before a jury for the crime of adultery. The penalty the prosecution seeks is death by stoning.

Imagine someone having rocks thrown at him or her until they are dead. I can’t think of a more horrible death. Besides being humiliating, it is also dehumanizing. I wonder what the Creator thinks of one product of his creation destroying another. Is killing someone who has killed another truly justifiable?

As I am writing this article, I am thinking about the victims of September 11, as America recently celebrated the anniversary of that dreadful day. The Antichrist, described in the Bible as the "son of perdition" and the "beast", will rise to power on a wave of world euphoria. He will temporarily save the world from its desperate economic, military, and political problems with a brilliant 7-year plan for world peace, economic stability and religious
freedom.

This 7-year peace-pact (or covenant) that is engineered by the Antichrist is spoken of a number of times in the Bible, and may even have been signed in secret. The historic peace agreement signed between Israel and the PLO at the White House on September 13, 1993, vividly illustrates how dramatically events in the Middle East are presently moving in this direction.

For a while, most of the world will praise the works of the Antichrist as he will seem to have solved so many of the world’s problems. But, three-and-a-half years into his seven year reign, he will break the covenant and invade Israel from the North. Many biblical scholars believe that it is at this time the Antichrist will impose his infamous "666" one-world credit system.

Today we are the first generation with the technology available to fulfill such a prophecy of a "cashless" society. At present, there are a number of ways we are able to pay for our shopping. We can use cash, check, the debit card. This card is run through a scanner electronically linked to your bank, taken out of your bank account and placed in the store’s account. All this takes place in a split second. Then there’s the "IC Card, Smart Card, and fingerprint reader.

The latest technology, a skin implant, is being tested in pilot programs all over the world. So as we see, the technology and acceptance of the Mark of the Beast is rapidly falling into place. Already we are constantly hearing about the "New World Order," or global community, as the world slowly moves toward a cashless society controlled by a computer database that covers the entire globe.

It will be capable of keeping track of every man, woman, and child, where they cross borders, when they buy and sell; exactly like the one predicted in Revelations 13, nearly 2000 years ago. "If a man worships the beast and his
image, and receives his mark in his forehead, or in his hand"Rev. 14:9,10. Accepting the Mark is not only an economic decision, but also implies acceptance and worship of the Satan-possessed Anti-Christ, and a pledge of allegiance to his anti-God global regime.

The return of the Jews to Israel is the key to Bible prophecy. Moses predicted that the Jews would be scattered throughout the world and persecuted. Also, as prophesied in Luke’s gospel, the Gentiles have received the Gospel dating back to the ministry of Paul. (See Deuteronomy 4:27-31; Luke 21:24.) Many scholars argue as to when the END will actually occur. According to Matthew’s gospel, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. Matthew 24:36-37.

Remember, no one except our Father knows the exact day of his return. However, he allows us to witness the "Eve" of that day, and shows us the signs and wonders of his return. We must Watch and Pray for "He cometh in an hour we think not."