Christian
Media
Communiqué
DOUBLE DOUBLE
Déjà
vu In Bible Prophecy
Part
XL
In our last installment of the Double Double:
Déjà vu In Bible Prophecy series, we reiterated the three sets of
timelines, which have culminated in the present era of Antichrist. Although
most believers are aware there is something dreadfully wrong with the current
crisis conditions in which believers find themselves, by continuing to revert
to the faulty grid of prophetic expectation that has captured the hearts and
minds of the believers, the Christians are being whiplashed by the
unanticipated circumstances of our times.
Even without the Strong Delusion of the Rapture
Cult thinking that has grossly distorted our Spiritual perceptions,
residual aspects of centuries of of erroneous doctrine continues to pollute our
prophetic perspective. As a case in point, to this day, there are many
Christians who will tell you with a great certainty that the Pope will somehow
play a role in the long awaited office of “the” Antichrist.
Such were wrong hundreds of years ago when it was proposed during the
Protestant Reformation, and they’re wrong now.
“Is there any thing whereof it may be
said, See, this is new? It hath been already of old time, which was before
us” (Ecclesiastes 1:10).
Others have embraced a similar mistake, equally
ancient, that has an Islamic figure in the infamous role. In yet another variation,
early Christian beliefs had Islam in the position of the False Prophet.
Indeed, just about all doctrinal error is very old, but reconfigured into novel
combinations in which the key components have been re-shuffled in order to suit
the times in which we live.
As evidence of the central thesis of Double
Double, in which certain cycles repeat themselves in a supernatural
fashion, in many cases the preceding perspective was but a transitional belief,
which anticipated the next departure from the understanding which can only be
granted by the LORD of glory.
For instance, many scholars have shown the Historicist
perspective (commonly found in Protestant denominational structures to this
very day), which distills the formula of a year for a day into past tense
prophecy. After centuries of massive efforts to tie historical episodes to
Scripture had become so unviable after repeated predictions of the Pope as
Antichrist theory for 1, 260 years, the Christian record shows that theologians
were greatly relieved to hear of the new Rapture concept when it
was first introduced.
This was because by the 19th century the church was
assailed through modernism, the “new” theory of evolution, and the
theologian’s rather unconvincing explanations as to why Christ had not
returned.
In this regard, those versed in church history are
frequently in a position to eliminate some sequential themes when they
inevitably come around again, repackaged as the latest revelation.
Indeed, in the historicist saturated 19th century,
Christian scholars had begun to theorize that Christ had not returned because
of the way the “Church” treated the Jews. In 19th century England,
few Christians had ever even met a Jewish person, but the idea that God was not
yet finished with the Jews opened the door for the Semitic Supremacism inherent
in the Rapture Cult to creep in.
Interestingly enough, in old Judaea, a similar doubling
occurred. When the Jewish council known as the Sanhedrin had arrested Peter and
John (because of the uproar that ensued when they healed a lame man in the
temple), a Pharisee named Gamaliel stood up and addressed the
council.
“Then stood there up one in the
council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor or the law, had in reputation among
all the people…and said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to
yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men…For before these
days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men,
about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain….After this rose up
Judas of Galilee…and drew away much people after him; he also
perished” (Acts 5:34-37).
Even though the Jewish council had seen religious
movements before, Gamaliel was wise enough to caution his zealous friends from
harming Peter and John, and he did not preclude the possibility the Gospel was
indeed a work from God.
“And now I say unto you, Refrain from
these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it
will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply
ye be found even to fight against God” (Acts 5:38,39).
In short, Gamaliel was cautious as he knew the people
could get their facts wrong, and he cited as much when he spoke about the wrong
turn the people took when they followed Theudas and Judas
of Galilee.
Before moving on, we might note the two previous
examples he cited, stand in stark contrast to the third part of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which was being preached in their midst.
In the Double Double series, we’ve
sought to show how various cycles of prophecy – which are supernaturally
repeated in differing timelines – can deceive even the most studious of
believers.
As of this writing, there are literally millions of
believers who scoff at the content we’ve presented in the last forty
installments of Double Double: Déjà vu In Bible Prophecy.
Such are absolutely certain the Scriptures which speak of a return of
Israel to their ancient homeland describes the momentous events of our time.
However, in Double Double we’ve
shown Scriptural examples indicating the modern return of the Jewish nation is
an inverted doubling of the sequence of events which culminated
in the regathering of the Jews in the days preceding the arrival of Jesus
Christ.
Once again, the first timeline of Old Testament era
kingdoms culminated in the Roman Empire, and the prophesied arrival of the
Saviour.
“And in the days of these kings [Babylon,
Persia, Greece, and Rome] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which
shall never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:44).
Thus, the prophecies of a Jewish return to the land,
found throughout the Old Testament (the first timeline), were fulfilled before
Christ’s arrival, and the eloquent prophecies of the LORD blessing Israel
directly apply to the salvation of Israel which occurred at the cross.
The second timeline, which prophetically parallels the
first, features Christian era kingdoms, in which the lion kingdom of England
parallels Babylon, the bear kingdom of the Soviet Union parallels the Persian Union,
the Leopard kingdom that was the Third Reich of Germany parallels the Grecian
Empire of Alexander, and the Diverse Fourth Beast of the American world order
is succeeded by the Little Horn state of Israel.
Therefore, the “healing” of the Deadly Wound
that struck the ancient state of Israel two millennia ago was fulfilled when
the Antichrist state was resurrected in 1948 at the end of the Christian era
– the second timeline.
Thus, as the prophesied events unfold, our “evil
and adulterous generation” (Matthew 12:30) of believers are
routinely surprised as they cannot discern the sheer depth of the prophecies.
An excellent example of this is the underlying premise which militates the end
times will be characterized by a “snare” that is so convincing, and
so deceptive in its very nature that it catches the entire world unaware.
“For as a snare shall
it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth” (Luke
21:35).
The Rapture Cult has explained that this
verse is similar to Revelation’s warning that tells us that all who
dwell on the face of the entire earth will worship Antichrist.
“And all that dwell upon the earth
shall worship him [the Spirit of Antichrist] whose names are not written
in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation
13:8).
Are we to believe that this applies to those who have
never even heard of the Rapture concept, and how certain believers will
supposedly be Left Behind because they weren’t “ready”
for the supposed “Rapture?”
Because this doctrine has been with us our entire
lives, very few Christians even begin to question the idea that those who miss
the Rapture are the ones relegated to worshiping the supposed
“Antichrist.”
The Rapturists love to emphasize the very real fact
that “God has not appointed us to wrath” (I Thessalonians 5:9),
so they tell us this proves the Cult doctrine, as the LORD must
“Rapture” the believers out of the world before the vials of wrath
– spoken of in Revelation – are poured out.
Yet the Word of God tells us the wrath of God has been
here all along.
“For the wrath of God is
revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of
men” (Romans 1:18).
This means that when the Scripture says that God has delivered
the believer from the wrath to come, He is speaking of the judgment of God,
which will fall on every person who has lived throughout history, that refused
to wholeheartedly embrace the awesome gift of salvation in Jesus Christ.
“But when [John the Baptist]
saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them,
O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to
come?” (Matthew 3:7).
When Saul of Tarsus (who was to be
renamed the Apostle Paul after Jesus appeared to him on the road
to Damascus), was so incensed at the Christians for preaching the Messiah had
already come and gone, he ignored the advice of his own mentor, the previously
mentioned Jewish sage Gamaliel.
Instead, Saul went to the chief priest of the
Sadducees, because he knew that his own sect of the Pharisees, where Gamaliel
was prominent, would not give him the authority to kill his hated Christian
opponents.
“And Saul, yet breathing out
threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the LORD, went unto the high
priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he
found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them
bound unto Jerusalem” (Acts 9:1, 2).
Although Saul had previously killed for what he thought
was the righteous will of God, the LORD’s grace intervened on that
Damascus road to turn his life around.
“Every tree that bringeth not forth
good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye
shall know them” (Matthew 7:19, 20).
This trial by fire was alluded to by John the Baptist,
who spoke of the Saviour moving within us, to the cleansing of our souls.
“He shall baptize you with the Holy
Ghost, and with fire. Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge
his floor, and gather the wheat into his [barn]; but he will burn up the
chaff [the waste] with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:11, 12).
This was a fulfillment of a prophecy of Malachi,
who said the redeemer would purify His people.
“And he shall sit as a refiner and
purifier of silver: and he shall purify [His priests], and purge them as
gold and silver” (Malachi 3:3).
Obviously, the LORD’s priests were of the house
of Israel, but the point is, there is no indication that Christ ever baptized
any of His followers with a literal fire.
The prophet Zechariah said the same thing as Malachi,
for the LORD said that out of the triune man who was made after the image of
God, “two parts” (the flesh and blood) was to be finite and have an
end, but the “third part” (the Spirit) would be purified and
redeemed.
“And it shall come to pass, that in
all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but
the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the
fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is
tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my
people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God” (Zechariah 13:8, 9).
The “two parts” that is flesh and blood Israel,
along with all the Gentiles as well, is to be “cut off and die,”
but only those chosen by God will see the “third part” preserved.
The same prophet even tells us just how the LORD will accomplish this
magnificent feat in the Spiritual realm.
“In that day there shall be a
fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for
sin and for uncleanness” (Zechariah 13:1).
The “fountain” that is opened flows with Living
Water, and it is only available to the inhabitants of New Jerusalem,
who have been washed in the blood of the Son of David.
“Jesus stood and cried, saying, If
any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, out
of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37, 38).
The Life of Christ has been flowing into this world for
the last two thousand years – the second timeline – but now the era
of Antichrist, in which the Leaven of the Lukewarm is overflowing, is upon us.
“Shall not the land tremble for this,
and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? And it shall rise up wholly as a
flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt” (Amos
8:8).
But the particulars of that tragic time will have to
wait for the next installment of Double Double: Déjà vu In Bible
Prophecy.
--- James Lloyd
