Russia has a Cameo Appearance in Bible prophecy 

Part XXII
Rise or Fall of American Empire? 

By Doug Krieger 

While Barack Obama was vacationing in Hawaii, John McCain talked with the Columbia Law School educated president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, and declared: 

“Today we are all Georgians.” 

McCain’s style was markedly different from the “moral neutrality” Obama expressed about the Caucasus crisis, prior to his inauguration at the Democratic Convention in Denver, Colorado. Then came the bravado from the Russians, and the put down from the Americans: 

“Forget about Georgian sovereignty” – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. 

“Meaningless ‘bluster’” – US Presidential spokeswoman Dana Perino.  (Bush Won’t Compromise on Georgian Sovereignty, BreitBart.com, August 14, 2008) 

And, from the former satellites of the Soviet Union, now members of NATO: 

“We, the leaders of the former captive nations from Eastern Europe and current members of the European Union and NATO– Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland – are extremely concerned about the actions of the Russian Federation against Georgia.  We strongly condemn the actions by the Russian military forces against the sovereign and independent country of Georgia.” (Joint statement on Georgia-Russia War by Presidents of Poland, Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania, georgiandaily.com, August 9, 2008) 

And in Prague, remembrance of the Soviet invasion during the Prague Spring of August 1968 brought this response from the Czech Republic’s Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg:  “It is a sad coincidence.” 

But it was Ukraine’s Orange Revolutionary President, Viktor Yushchenko, who put the Russian Fleet ported in the Crimea on notice that they would not be allowed to use Ukrainian territory for their fleet if vessels were used to destroy Georgian independence – “If they put under question democracy and independence in Georgia, then they can undermine democracy and independence in other states,” he said.  His vehemence was all the more foreboding given the charge by Russia that Ukraine is supplying arms to the Georgians against the Russians. 

At the same rally in Tbilisi, the Capital of Georgia, Premier Ivars Godmanis of Latvia said:  

“Always be united, and we - Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Poles, and Ukrainians - will always be with you.”

 Latvia has joined the United States in warning that relations with Russia are bound to suffer following the conflict. 

IMPLICATIONS OF RUSSIA’S ACTION AND AMERICA’S STANCE 

Before we delve into the morass of Gog and Magog (because of its alleged eschatological ties to the Caucasus and Russia), let us throw our geopolitical hat in the ring with the rest of the political pundits as to the implications of Russia’s agitation toward the West, the “New West” and the leadership of the West, the United States of America. 

First of all, there appears to be no clear winners here: Russia, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Georgia, Ukraine, NATO and especially Poland who was told by Russia’s deputy Chief of General Staff that by signing their nuclear defense system pact with America, they now, as of August 15, 2008, are exposing themselves to nuclear attack by Russia!  

LET US DELVE INTO THE ESCHATOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE CURRENT CRISIS… 

It is this alienation from the West, as now orchestrated by the USA (and don’t be so foolish to think otherwise), that leads to “news (rumors) from the . . . north will trouble him; therefore he (i.e., Antichrist) shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many” (Daniel 11:44).  To suggest that Gog-Magog (from the “far north” – Ezekiel 39:2), which has been utterly annihilated (Ezekiel 39:2 – Heb. “shaw-shaw” or “to annihilate” Strong’s 8338 – not “shashah” or “sixth-part” Strong’s 8341) can now mount a counter offensive that will “trouble” Antichrist, who will go forth in that direction to annihilate many (Dan. 11:44), is to suggest that Gog’s initial annihilation was perfunctory, incomplete and distorts the true meaning of the text as found in Ezekiel 39:2a and confirmed by Antichrist’s further annihilation beyond Israel’s immediate “far north.”  Naturally, and obviously, the biblical expositor must connect the eschatological dots between Ezekiel 38-39 and Daniel 11:40-44 as two different aspects of the same Gog-Magog War; otherwise, confusion will reign between these latter day texts—which is precisely what John Walvoord has done and which we have in the past addressed at length.  (Please see our E-book entitled:  Antichrist and the Gog-Magog War)

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Babylon on the Cheap
Part XXI of "Rise or Fall of American Empire?"

by Doug Krieger 

“The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore…the merchants of these things, who became rich by her…will stand at a distance…weeping and wailing…for in one hour such great riches came to nothing…and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning…WHAT IS LIKE THIS GREAT CITY?…all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth!...for in one hour she is made desolate.”

(Revelation 18:11, 15, 17-19)  

What do the USS George H. W. Bush and the Emma Maersk have in common?  WEALTH & POWER – to be exact (although the cost of the USS George H. W. Bush was $4.5 Billion and the Emma Maersk a paltry $145 Million). And, if you can’t SEE this, then you’re probably suffering from a rare disorder known as “narcissistic Americana myopia” (NAM) – an awful contagion contracted primarily in America (aka “americanus denial hyperactivity-disorder” or ADHD) but spread throughout the planet by the same hyper-active militarists and opulent merchandisers to the unsuspecting, mimickers, pleasure-seekers and, in sum, all who especially benefit from trading with “that Great City” so clearly identified in Revelation 18. 

Berating those evangelical prattlers who deny America’s end-time role as Babylon the Great – the ultimate expression of Gentile World Power and the extremity of the King of Tyre’s acquisitions and fortune – has reached a refined and superlative expression on this web site.  It is at the crux of the “Rise or Fall of American Empire?” in that it is the thesis of this author and a growing number of believers, as well as geopolitical, economic and social scientists, that never has there been such an amalgamation of riches gathered nor heaped up on behalf of fellow plutocrats by one such nation upon this globe as these United States of America! 

Here the world buys and sells – here the WHOLE EARTH (at least its merchandisers) can be made rich through trading with her!  Listen, as much as we’d like to sound the proverbial alarms that Babylon’s going through so-called “economic hard times” – it’s barely a burp, a slight disturbance in the force, a glitch in the indomitable apparatus of consumption – in brief:  We’ll pass the gas of our present eating binge and regroup for the next food fest! 

Before we examine through casual observation the complexity of America’s sell off and consequent extensions of globalization and general wealth integration throughout the world – remember these prophetic bursts from the prophet Ezekiel’s pen: 

“There is no secret that can be hidden from you!  With your wisdom and your understanding you have gained riches for yourself, and gathered gold and silver into your treasuries; by your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches, and your heart is lifted up because of your riches” (Ezekiel 28:3-5).

America’s EMPIRE OF DEBT is naught but a furtive allusion wherein she is able to sustain herself and her friends, the merchants of the earth, through thick and thin.  These same merchants, who traffic in the bodies and souls of men and who have been made rich through trading with her, have no qualms of perpetual indulgence before her altars of commercial expectation and expediency.  The Bible’s portrait of this great end times’ commercial empire will one day be “remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath” (Revelation 16:19).  Because, you see, it is through “the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within; and you sinned” (Ezekiel 28:16).  In order to garner, as well as to protect, her abundance, she has had to resort to violence—war after war after war to extend her commercial umbrella.  But prior to her sudden dissimulation, she shall be the delight of the world’s traders and of their kings, the “great men of the earth.” 

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Some symbolism that the United States may fit into? 

Part XX

Rise or Fall of American Empire

By Doug Krieger 

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place.  And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John” (Revelation 1:1) 

The title of this, once again, provocative piece of apocalyptic preciosity is designed to expand the eschatological fervor of God’s people to immediate Biblical relevance, while challenging the geographic restriction of evangelical Premillenarian confinement to all things Euro-centric (e.g., revival of the Holy Roman Empire) . . . for the Image seen in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream began to walk the face of the whole earth colonizing the earthlings and now sits like a Queen overlooking her imperial horizons from sea to shining sea.  Simultaneously, the “earthlings” who deign to observe our food fight might just be enthralled to know of our interior constipations or why they are convinced in their disenchantments when considering our apocalyptic wars; hopefully, however, the Holy Spirit just may ignite an illuminating fire within someone’s soul  - for “the truth is out there!”    

Notwithstanding, content taken from the Apocalypse – the “unveiling of Jesus Christ” – was and is transmitted to us through a most unusual, yet time-proven means . . . allow us to share the late Ray Stedman’s explanation from his commentary on the Revelation – God’s Final Word: 

“The book is called the ‘revelation of Jesus Christ,’ and John says that Jesus Himself ‘made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.’  The English phrase ‘made it known’ actually has a deeper meaning in the original Greek, where instead of three words there (i.e. ‘made it known’) is just one Greek word, semaino.  The word should be translated ‘signified’—or, if you want to really get the true sense of this word, pronounce it aloud:  ‘SIGN-I-FIED.’  In other words, Jesus made His revelation known to John by signs or symbols.  Once you grasp the symbolic ‘sign-ificance’ of this book, you can begin to understand and apply the book of Revelation.  Revelation is a book of symbols, and these symbols are important.  Symbols help to simplify difficult concepts and to clarify things which are baffling or murky . . . The book of Revelation, however, uses symbols with great precision and clarity . . . The key to understanding the symbols of Revelation is recognizing that almost all of these symbols have been given to us elsewhere in the Bible.  If you try to read Revelation without any understanding of the rest of the Bible, you are doomed to confusion.  But if you use the rest of the Bible as a guide and interpreter of the symbols of Revelation, most of these symbols immediately become understandable.” (God’s Final Word, Ray C. Stedman, Discovery House Publishers, Grand Rapids, MI, 1991, pp. 3-4) 

Now, we could further disparage our concerns and imbibe in Paul’s “little folly” to have you all “bear with me” – for this ministry—the Tribulation Network—is “not inferior to the most eminent apostles”…though we may be considered by some to be “untrained in speech” (II Corinthians 11:1, 5-6).  That said, it is with some consternation that the dissemination of a great deal of what passes as pertinent prophetic platitude designed to prepare the people of God in America, North America and throughout the planet for the coming of the Lord, is fraught with what the prophet Micah called a severe case of “PRATTLE” – to wit: 

“‘Do not prattle,’ you say to those who prophesy (lit. ‘drip words’)” (Micah 2:6) 

And, just who might these “prophetic prattlers” be?  Alas!  For they come bearing gifts and announce all is well, fat and sassy amongst the people of the Lord: 

“If someone showed up with a good smile and glib tongue
   and told lies from morning to night—
‘I'll preach sermons that will tell you
   how you can get anything you want from God:
More money, the best wines...you name it’—
   you’d hire him on the spot as your preacher!”
(Micah 2:11 – From “The Message”) 

Therefore, having announced these peculiar caveats (pick and choose what’s appropriate to sundry sites), allow us to delve into the more popular disseminators of the prophetic – knowing this – most are beloved in Christ; however, most are awash in a protective Laodicean-mindset wherein the “Gospel of Wealth and Prosperity” has skewed the prophet’s vision.  Compounding the myopic gaze of these visionaries are what is seen as benign attempts at “financial responsibility” (before the Lord, no doubt) – coupled with a preoccupation to obfuscate the United States of America as having little, perhaps-yet-undiscovered or nothing to do with Biblical prophecy, no matter how these aforementioned “symbols” signify to the contrary; i.e., America insinuates herself as the epitome of Revelation’s most ghastly symbolism:  The SUPREME CULPRIT - BABYLON THE GREAT – of the latter days!

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The Old Wineskin – Pagan Christianity 

By Dene McGriff

The Church today is broken and can’t be fixed.  It is weighted down by meaningless forms, practices, traditions and programs, by a clergy that tries hard to serve the laity but fails miserably.  But it is lifeless and irrelevant.  It is an old wineskin that must be discarded if Christians are to discover a living relationship with Christ and one another.  Not only are the roots pagan but most of the practices we accept today bear no resemblance to the living early church. 

A central theme of “The Tribulation Network” is that in the last days, most of the church will fall away but a remnant will become a triumphant testimony to the world around.  The church will go through the tribulation period and Christians will be delivered up by other “Christians” thinking they are doing God a favor.  (e.g. Matthew 10:18-20)  What will separate one group from the other?  Why will brother turn on brother and son against father?  Why will Christians be so deceived (e.g. Matthew 24:4, 5, 11, 24)?  Why will some overcome and avoid the deception and others become a willing part of it?

What I am about to share with you is revolutionary but I will begin with a disclaimer.  I am not condemning or judging anyone.  We are all told to overcome.  As Christians, we all answer to our Maker on Judgment Day.  To a certain extent, we walk in the light we have.  But we may unwittingly be deceived because we accept things as they are and do not question the church, doctrines and practices we have been brought up with.  As we see in the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3, there are “overcomers” in each church – no matter what their condition.  Today, many see the excesses of the church: the prosperity gospel, the Toronto, Pensacola and Lakeland “revivals”, contemplative prayer (a form of Eastern meditation becoming mainstreamed in the church), the mega and purpose driven churches with their “seeker friendly” approach, etc.  But it is practically impossible for the well meaning Christian to see anything wrong with “their” church, with the way things are done.

Even though I have known for many years there were pagan influences in the early church, I have never seen it so well documented and expressed as in this book.  Evangelicals take for granted the fact the Roman Catholic Church has a lot of unbiblical practices, but they can not possibly imagine that they have carried over many of the same practices!  Pagan Christianity not only leaves no doubt but it completely exposes the historical roots of our own accepted “Christian” practices.  How far did the reformation go?  What is the effect of the clergy/laity system, and all the sermonizing?  It will surprise you greatly that many of our practices go back to Imperial Rome, Plato and Aristotle rather than to Judaism.  But please, don’t take my word for it.  Order the book and see for yourself.

Just as Israel became entangled in the tribes and nations around them, the Church has become entangled in the world, the traditions of men, Greek philosophy, Roman organization, worldly hierarchy, purpose driven modern management, entertainment and marketing, New Age spirituality and the “good life” – material wealth beyond the imagination of 99.99 percent of all of the people who have ever lived.  As Barna’s research points out, the church is so compromised as to be indistinguishable from the society around it.  The dynamic, spontaneous, living expression of the church has been stifled by the dead forms, programs, traditions and teachings of the moribund institution we call the Church.  With that, I challenge you one last time to get and read Pagan Christianity and you will flee and never defend that old wineskin again. 

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