Friday, November 16, 2007

Prophecies Of The Antichrist


Prophecies Of The Antichrist
By Patrick Heron
PART 1
With the nearness of the advent of the coming Apocalypse, many prophecy scholars and Bible teachers have been keeping an eagle eye out to see if they can spot a likely contender who may just be the dreaded Antichrist.
Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot are names which have been bandied about in recent history as likely fitting his description. Various Caesars and especially Nero seemed to fit the bill in bygone days along with a few of the Popes.
But what of this Antichrist and how can we be sure that we know exactly who he is when he eventually shows up?
I intend to have a stab at identifying this person in a series of short articles over the coming weeks. I will attempt to do this task from our primary source for truth, the Bible. Before I begin to delve into this important topic, I need to set the ground rules.
That is, that I firmly believe that we should allow the Word to speak for itself. I believe that most of the Bible is plain and simple and easy to understand and is to be taken literally for the most part. Even parables have a literal interpretation. And where figures of speech are used, we can identify them and seek their literal meaning.
One does not need to be a learned person to understand the Bible. In fact, Jesus told us to beware of the Doctors of the Law and Scribes and other well educated religious people who always like to point out how many Degrees and Doctorates of Theology they possess.
What was Peter’s occupation? That’s right. A fisherman. And Mark? He took care of sheep. And the rest of the apostles? They were “ignorant and unlearned” according to the chief priests and Theologians of the day. Basically they were a bunch of peasants who had little schooling. But I bet they were smart guys. Peter was a top fisherman and you wouldn’t pull the wool over his eyes. Mark was a great shepherd and probably made a decent living from sheep farming. These guys were no mugs. They were street wise and intelligent.
So if you are a person who has spent years in Theology studies and have the letters after your name to prove it, then you might be at a disadvantage when it comes to ferreting out the truths of the Bible. Better we all become like children and allow that we might learn something afresh from Holy Writ. In fact, if we believe that the Bible is the inerrant truth of God, then none of us should be afraid to change our Theology on a subject if the plain truth is staring us in the face. Even if it means giving up believing in something which we held as truth for donkey’s years.
Listen to what the word says about itself in Hebrews 4:12
“For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
So the Word will interpret itself if we allow it. For no prophecy of the scriptures is of any private interpretation. And boy is it exact. The following is a prime example of just how sharp it is, taken from Luke 4:16-21
“He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read.
And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
And he closed the book, and gave it again to the minister, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your ears.”
Now this is amazing insomuch that he had to open the book, which was a scroll (they didn’t have books like we have today). They also didn’t have chapters, paragraphs or numbered verses. Isaiah was one long continuous document. He unrolled the scroll and found the quote which he was looking for and began reading. But he stopped reading in the middle of the sentence. For if you go to Isaiah 61 verse 2, it says;
“To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, AND THE DAY OF VENGEANCE OF OUR GOD.”
The latter half of that sentence is still future. For the “day of vengeance” is speaking of the day of the Lord which pertains to the coming Apocalypse and prophecies still unfulfilled. If he had read that next phrase, then he would have been wrongly dividing the word of truth and your whole Bible would fall apart. But he didn’t. He stopped half way through. There was only a comma separating the rightly divided truth of the Word, from error.
That’s how sharp the Bible is. It is with this foundation in mind that we approach this study in trying to sketch a description from scripture of the attributes of the coming Antichrist and what his role will be on this earth.
The Epistle of 2 Thessalonians 2 is where I would like to go first for it has some revealing facts to show us concerning what Paul calls the “man of sin.” Speaking of “the day of the Lord,” which is the coming Apocalypse it says;
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that MAN OF SIN be revealed, the son of perdition,
Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
…And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.
Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders.
…And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.”
The man of sin is also called here, the son of perdition and the lawless one. This is speaking of the infamous person well known today as the Antichrist. But “anti” in Greek does not have to mean against. It can also mean “in the stead of.” It will become clear as we advance this study that the correct description pertaining to this being is that when he comes, he will be coming “in the stead of” Christ.
That is, when he shows up, he is going to convince a perplexed world that he is the true Messiah. More on this later. But for now, what can we learn from the passage in Thessalonians? Well the first think we must glean and get clear is that we are told that this person is a man. But he is a man that possesses great powers. For it says in verse 9, (and this is the New International Version I am quoting here);
“The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders.”
In the Book of Acts we are told that “signs, miracles and wonders” followed those who believed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So what will distinguish this man when he comes will be that he can perform signs, miracles and wonders, albeit they will be counterfeit.
So we can now eliminate Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Nero and any upcoming Arab Prince in the Near East, as none of these produced any signs, miracles and wonders.
That’s it for now. Watch out for Part 2 coming up shortly.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

America in Bible Prophecy

By Terry James
One thing that comes to mind in these contemporary times regarding the United States is its magnetic attraction to peoples around the world. This nation might be likened to the Planet Jupiter. It is huge in most of the ways human beings see as alluring, giving it the greatest gravity–materially speaking—of any nation state to grace earth’s surface. God has indeed blessed America "from sea to shining sea."
While all other nations orbit this one, realization about the liberty that is synonymous with the U.S. to worship, move about, work, play, or even just be slovenly doesn’t escape even those kept from knowing much about things going on around the rest of the planet. Indeed, America’s gravity dynamically draws all peoples toward its irresistible opulence. With the exception of a very few people, no one makes noises about leaving this nation to live elsewhere. Billions look in America’s direction as the shining light on the hill, as President Ronald Reagan once called it.
Even the defectors who sought to dodge the draft during the Vietnam era have since done all they could to come back to the nation they deserted. The Hollywood types–like Barbra Streisand, for example—who periodically threaten to leave America because they don’t get their way, politically, decide to stay when it comes down to the moment of leaving or staying. In southern parlance, they know on which side their bread is buttered.
Perhaps to get right to the heart of what has made America the center of the universe of nations, and to try to determine its status so far as involvement in Bible prophecy might be concerned, I would like to consider a well known historical observation by a man outside this country--a Frenchman, no less!
French social philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville, while touring the United States in the 1800s said about America: “America is great because America is good. If she ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.” De Tocqueville no doubt was speaking of how he viewed cultural and societal good. But, upon observing the nation’s Christian church foundation he encountered, he must have based his conclusion on the fact that America’s goodness in the societal sense was a result of Christianity running throughout the country’s cultural fiber. What he likely didn’t understand was what that “goodness” really means in God’s economy.
God’s Word speaks of this “good”: “And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? [there is] none good but one, [that is], God” (Mar. 10:18).
Jesus was not saying to the man who fell on his knees before the Lord that He, Jesus, was not “good,” but the Lord was acclaiming that God, alone, is the only good. Jesus was–and is--the only “good” flesh-and-blood person to ever walk the earth’s surface following the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. That is because Jesus IS God.
Christianity is the God-sent only belief system through which any people–individually or collectively--can ever be considered “good” in God’s holy, omniscient eyes. Belief in Jesus Christ for salvation is the ONLY way to reconciliation with God, which redeems lost man from sin. Christianity is the belief that says Jesus, alone, was the lamb that takes away the sins of the world. All other belief systems we call religions constitute the broad way to eternal destruction apart from God and heaven.
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matt. 7:13-14).
Jesus said this: “…I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the father, but by me” (John 14:6).
A Prophetic Nation
So, it is through His Son, Jesus Christ, the second member of the triune godhead, that God the Father recognizes “good.” The Christian roots of this nation called America gives this country claim to the only “good” that is found therein. America has been blessed only because of its “goodness.” Let’s have a look at this seemingly elitest declaration.
President George Washington said in his farewell address, "Reason and experience both forbid us that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." John Adams, America's second president, said, "The United States Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other."
We have only to look at what is inscribed upon the edifice that houses the U.S. Supreme Court, and what is etched in the surfaces of walls that frame other government buildings, to understand what is the “religion” to which Washington and Adams referred as being the basis for America’s “morality”. The Ten Commandments that flow from the mind of God so influenced the founding fathers of America that they saw His directions for godly living as inseparable from their own governance.
Here is what Jesus, the Son of God, said: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill” (Matt. 5:17).
Jesus, the founder of God’s only outreach to mankind with the offer of redemption through Christ’s shed blood on the cross at Calvary, fulfilled the Ten Commandments, that Mosaic Law that is everywhere one looks in Washington, D.C., and in capitals around America. This, despite incessant attempts by those who would destroy all vestiges of our Christian heritage.
The question we who teach, preach, and write about Bible prophecy get practically every time there is a forum for Q & A, is something like: “What about America –is it in Bible prophecy?”
The answer that must be given, if we are to be absolutely faithful to truth found in God’s Word is: No, America isn’t mentioned by name in Bible prophecy. But, it is always appropriate to follow up with: However, America is certainly in prophecy in the sense of being among the nations foretold to influence the course of human history while the end of the age approaches and the tribulation looms on the prophetic horizon. We can say that, because here we are, right in the mix of things moving the world toward the climax of human history.
America, A Golden Cup
Again, is the name “America” given anywhere in Scripture? Of course not. But, the influence this nation has exerted since coming to its full bloom as earth’s greatest superpower in history makes it a prophetic nation. The Creator of all things continues to use America in His mighty hand to accomplish two very distinctive, supernatural purposes. As a matter of fact, the United States, in my view, has an overwhelming presence in Bible prophecy. Its place is at the very heart of the end times things that we observe developing –matters we see unfolding in daily, even hourly, news reports. In this sense, I am of the conviction that God is speaking of America –in type, if not by name, when His Word tells us the following:
“Babylon [hath been] a golden cup in the LORD'S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad” (Jer. 51:7).
Certainly, the United States of America has been a “golden cup” in the Lord’s hand. No other nation of modern vintage can come close to claiming that achievement. Some nations of Europe were formative in bringing forth Christianity into the world, thus shedding a degree of Gospel light into a world of sin-darkness. But, it is America that, despite its great shortcomings, and more recent degeneration, that has been a shining beacon, reflecting from that golden cup in God’s hand.
Being the first nation in spreading to the whole world the Gospel message –that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross makes possible the only way to redemption for lost mankind—is a feat no other country can claim. This, ultimately, has been done not by the offices, or under the auspices of American ingenuity, but by the omniscience and the omnipotence of the One holding the “golden cup.” It is God’s grace and mercy that has put America as a beacon of God’s light upon that mountain of Gospel dissemination. God’s providence gave this nation the industrial and technological genius –a fact that is denied, or that is so taken for granted today.
America and Babylon
Tragically, the United States, like every other nation of this generation, is the hybrid offspring of the Babylonian system, which God’s prophetic Word has traced from the times of Nimrod on the Plains of Shinar and the Tower of Babel (read Genesis 11). America, which has spread the Gospel message to the entire world, will, sadly, be in one form or another part of the agglomerate beast system mentioned in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel Chapter 2 –the 10 toes on the feet of the multi-metallic man-image. This nation will, in a grotesquely metamorphosed form, become a constituent part of the nondescript beast of Daniel 2, which is prophesied to appear during the tribulation era–as presented in Revelation Chapter 13, as it raises from the sea.
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy” (Rev. 13:1).
This world Babylonian hybrid that represents –in the final analysis—total, luciferian rebellion to Jesus Christ, who fulfilled God’s prescription for living righteously, will do all within its Satan-derived power, to destroy all that God holds dear to His heart.
Israel, America’s Saving Grace
This brings us to America’s second reason for existence --toward the purpose of accomplishing God’s great prophetic plan. In my view, this use of the phenomenally powerful American nation is among the most profound indicators we can find that America, indeed, is in prophecy. And, I believe that America’s being in prophecy includes God’s using it to be mid-wife in Israel’s modern birth into the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob those thousands of years ago.
It was President Harry S. Truman–who said he had read the Bible through a number of times—who insisted, despite many voices of opposition, that the embryo country still in the womb of the Holy Land, Israel, come to birth on May 14, 1948. America stood by Israel’s struggle to get to its feet, and through the battles it fought against its attacking, hate-filled enemy neighbors.
God’s hand was at work in unseen ways, it becomes obvious to a careful look at unfolding times leading up to Truman’s assuming the presidency following Franklin D. Roosevelt’s death in 1945.
Truman had, as mentioned above, read God’s Word through a number of times. He told those around him that the Jews had promises from God to the land. He apparently believed that America must bless Israel, not curse that people. Historians would say that coincidentally, perhaps even ironically (but I am convinced that the word should be "providentially"), Truman had a Jewish friend–Edward Jacobson--with whom he had co-owned a haberdashery. His partner convinced Truman early on of that nation’s prophetic destiny.
Although Israel now has its own nuclear arsenal, it is America–in human terms—that has provided the most strength, militarily, which discourages overwhelming assaults against the Jewish state. But, looking beyond the physical earthly protection for Israel, it is the Lord of heaven that provides the ultimate hedge of protection.
God has proved in war after war throughout Israel’s earlier and latter incarnations that He keeps His promises to protect them from absolute destruction, despite their many Diasporas and their tribulations as captive and/or outcast people. He uses human military to accomplish this promise that the Jew will always be His chosen people. But, many strange reports have come out of some of those battles, proclaiming supernatural activity having turned the tide. Reports of battles during Israel’s rebirth as a nation in 1948, as an established nation in 1956, 1967, and 1973, brought such reports. And, at a spiritual warfare level in the sense of Ephesians 6: 12, there continue to be conflicts unseen by human eyes.
Christian Soldiers
Israel’s nuclear capability and America’s stupendous military and technological might are strong defensive ingredients for modern Israel’s protection. But, while surrounded by forces of overwhelming numbers whose satanic rage cannot be stemmed, it is a most unconventional army that is Israel’s greatest ally. It is this ally contingent that holds the joint Israeli-American defensive coalition in place, in my view –and, I believe—in God’s prophetic plan. It is a spiritual force that is Israel’s closest friend. Christians, particularly those in America, make up the spiritual army that supports Israel’s right to exist as does no other group on earth.
I must qualify that statement, because today there are so many divergent claims to the name of Christ –differing views about what it means to be “a Christian.” The definition I use here is one who has been “born again” (John 3: 3). This means that a person has been born into the family of God, for all eternity. The only way for this to happen is for an individual to accept Christ’s sacrifice on the cross at Calvary–His shed blood—to pay for the individual’s sin, which separates the individual from God. Those who are “born again” make up this army of defenders of Israel’s right to exist in its ancient homeland. This army doesn’t bear physical arms, or fight, literally on the bloody fields of battles surrounding Israel. This army fights with prayer for the peace of Jerusalem, and does spiritual battle for Israel, God’s chosen people, while that Jewish state moves in blind unrepentance, toward its ultimate great destiny–to be the head of all nations during the Millennium, Christ’s 1000-year reign on Planet Earth.
America Plunges While the Church Arises
America, the golden cup in the Lord’s hand for more than two centuries –having disseminated the Gospel to the world, and having been the mid-wife of Israel’s birth into modern times, then its protector—is not mentioned in Bible prophecy, by name. Supposedly lesser nations of history are mentioned. For example, Persia (present-day Iran), Syria, and others, upon delving into etymological studies of ancient days juxtaposed against the geographical locations of current national entities. Russia, for example, fits into the region known in ancient times as the region called “Rosh.” But this once shining city on the hill called America is nowhere to be found as the very end of days unfold.
So, what happens to the United States of America?
We have looked at my view–which I believe is the biblical view—that God’s people, the Christians of these end times, are Israel’s most fervent friends. But, again I must write a word of qualification. Not all of the born again hold to the position that Israel is God’s chosen nation as given in the Old Testament. Most Christians today (again talking about born-again members of God’s family) don’t even think in terms of Israel and its prophetic destiny one way or the other. This is because these Christians aren’t taught about the truth of these matters by their pastors and teachers. Also, they don’t do enough study on their own to open their spiritual minds on these things, so God the Holy Spirit can instruct them regarding Israel and prophecy yet future. They are ignorant of these things. Many are willfully ignorant.
So, it is a relatively small group who observe prophetic matters as outlined in God’s Word. Nonetheless, all Christians –every single individual who is a member of God’s eternal family—will go to be with Jesus Christ when He shouts: “Come up here” (Rev. 4:1). All of Israel’s most fervent supporters –that Jewish nation’s staunchest allies—will instantly be gone from the planet. I believe it is at this moment on God’s prophetic time line that America’s time as a viable nation will begin a precipitous plunge. It will recede into the depths of history past, so far as its grandiosity is concerned.
Much of the stable, tax-paying base will be removed in that stupefying moment. Its worker-base will be so severely disrupted that it won’t come close to resembling the economic powerhouse it was the moment before the rapture. This, because America has, it is quite safe to presume—the highest percentage of Christians of any nation of significant population.
The politicians and powers that be within governmental and business bureaucracies will flail wildly, trying to bring their turfdoms back into some semblance of order. It will be a task that will be impossible without the most extreme, draconian measures. Ultimately, I’m convinced, these political and governmental powers will readily agree to come under the auspices of the much more stable European Union. The EU–the member nations of which have long-since doused the Gospel light, thus its populations not as severely affected as that of the U.S.-- will grow to immense size and power within perhaps only a few days.
Israel Following Rapture
Israel will suddenly find itself without its staunchest lobby-base with the American government. The U.S. leadership will, itself, find itself so tied up in the staggering problems of trying to regain economic and societal equilibrium that urgent pleas from Israeli leaders will likely go unheeded.
The Islamic world will have lost in the rapture its small children and babies in the wombs of mothers within the Middle Eastern world. But Islamic armies of young, fanatic militants will be untouched by the catastrophe that has caused the disappearance of many millions of people. These, under their enraged leadership, will almost certainly fervently look at Israel to vent their frustrations. Likely the true Islamic fundamentalist fanatics will see what has happened as Allah’s preparing to bring on the end of the world.
Perhaps this is the “hook” in the “jaws,” which Ezekiel the prophet foretold God promises to implement at this time. There will be no one –including America—to offer to defend Israel. It is at this time that the great, supernaturally persuasive world leader who will one day in the future be known as “the beast” –Antichrist—will come forward from the swiftly reforming western alliance. He will propose to all of the antagonists of the forces poised for war a peace covenant they won’t be able to refuse.
Without genuine repentance of her people, America’s time as the apex nation of history will end. She will lose her golden glow. Her former glory will turn black with soot from the fire of judgment and wrath that will be the fate of all who come against Jesus Christ –the God of all creation.
America’s place in prophecy, without repentance before God, is seen in the Babylonian system of rebellion, as represented by the description of the destruction of its chief city.
“Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her” (Rev. 18:8).

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

The End of the World?

The End of the World?
by Britt Gillette
Since the beginning of human history, speculation about the end of the world has fascinated mankind. Myths and stories about the end of the earth exist in almost every religion and culture ever known. And yet, somehow, men seem unsatisfied with the answers they receive. They turn to Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, or ancient Hindu writings hoping to uncover some modicum of truth that will satisfy their innate desire to know something about the future and the ultimate fate of the world.
Never has mankind’s fascination with the end been more prevalent than it is today. Fears of global warming saturate the news media. Worry over a nuclear holocaust persists into its sixth decade. And storylines of asteroids, comets, aliens, or bio-engineered super-diseases wiping out all planetary life continue to dominate the themes of many Hollywood blockbusters. Throughout the world, people are plagued with the same recurring questions. Will the human race become extinct? Will nuclear war or global warming destroy the biosphere? Will the world as we know it continue to exist?
The answer to these questions and many others concerning the end of the world are not found in the writings of Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, or any other self-professed psychic. They can’t be found in Islamic, Hindu, or Buddhist writings. However, they can be found in the Bible. The bible, which has a track record of 100% accuracy when it comes to future events, has much to say about the ultimate fate of the earth, the people who live here, and creation itself. For those who wish to know the answers to these age old questions, the bible is your definitive source.
What the Bible Says
According to the bible, the earth is eternal. So despite what some people say, we shouldn’t worry about the earth itself being destroyed. However, throughout the ages, the nature of the earth has changed, and it will change again in the near future.
The Book of Genesis teaches that God created the earth and everything in it to be perfect. However, the nature of the earth changed when Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. This act prompted God to place a curse on the earth, and it radically transformed the nature of the earth itself. Several centuries later, the human race had become so corrupt that God decided to destroy it with a flood. However, God spared Noah and his family, allowing them to repopulate the earth of the present day.
Throughout these changes, the earth as a creation has remained intact. But its nature has been radically altered twice. The bible teaches that it will soon be altered third time, and this time, the result will be far different from the previous ages.
The New World
Verses throughout the bible point to the creation of a new earth. This shouldn’t be viewed as an entirely new physical creation by God. Rather it should be viewed as a highly transformative process whereby the current earth is reshaped by the hand of God to create a different world. The prophet Isaiah described this process over two thousand years ago:
“Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth – so wonderful that no one will even think about the old ones anymore. Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation! And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness. Her people will be a source of joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in my people. And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard no more.” Isaiah 65:17-19 (NLT)
The nature of the present earth will change dramatically. It will be transformed from a place of sadness and weeping to a place of intense happiness, where “the sound of weeping and crying will be heard no more.” The creation of this new earth is also mentioned by Peter who encourages us to live our lives in accordance with God’s will. He encourages us to do so, because he knows this present age will soon pass:
“And God has also commanded that the heavens and the earth will be consumed by fire on the day of judgment, when ungodly people will perish.” 2 Peter 3:7 (NLT)
“But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment.” 2 Peter 3:10 (NLT)
“Since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives you should be living! You should look forward to that day and hurry it along – the day when God will set the heavens on fire and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and the new earth he has promised, a world where everyone is right with God.” 2 Peter 3:11-13 (NLT)
From these passages, it is clear that God will one day use fire to create a new earth from the present world. It will be dramatically different from the one in which we live. But how different? What will the new earth look like? The bible provides us with a vivid illustration.
What Will the Future Earth Look Like?
The Book of Isaiah contains a wealth of information on the nature, quality, and characteristics of the new earth. One of the first references is found in Chapter 11:
“In that day, the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard and the goat will be at peace. Calves and yearlings will be safe among lions, and a little child will lead them all. The cattle will graze among bears. Cubs and calves will lie down together. And lions will eat grass as the livestock do. Babies will crawl safely among poisonous snakes. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes and pull it out unharmed. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain. And as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.” Isaiah 11:6-9 (NLT)
God will finally lift the curse He placed on the earth following the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. This curse created a conflict between the animal kingdom and mankind with many humans killing animals and many animals killing humans. But on the new earth, “nothing will hurt or destroy.” And the number of people who know the Lord will be as endless as the waters in the sea.
Isaiah continues his description in Chapter 65:
“No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at one hundred! Only sinners will die that young! In those days, people will live in the houses they build and eat the fruit of their own vineyards. It will not be like the past, when invaders took the houses and confiscated the vineyards. For my people will live as long as trees and will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains. They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the Lord, and their children, too, will be blessed. I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! The wolf and lamb will feed together. The lion will eat straw like the ox. Poisonous snakes will strike no more. In those days, no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I, the Lord, have spoken!” Isaiah 65:20-25 (NLT)
Babies will not die, and the lifespan of the human race will be extended well beyond current expectations. Life expectancy will be so great that the death of a one hundred year old person will be a notable tragedy. People will enjoy the fruits of their labor without fear that someone will come and steal what they have. The people of the new earth will be so close to God that He will answer their prayers before they have even prayed them! Animals who are natural enemies in our age will become friends on the new earth, and all the animals of the earth will be herbivores.
In addition, waters will burst forth and give life to that which was previously uninhabitable:
“And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will shout and sing! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the desert. The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived.” Isaiah 35:5-7 (NLT)
The first part of this passage was partially fulfilled in the miracles of Jesus Christ. Through the life of Christ, the human race received a glimpse of the new earth that is to come. It will be a place where the miracles performed by Christ two thousand years ago will be in perpetual abundance. The blind will see. The deaf will hear. The lame will leap like deer, and the mute will shout and sing.
Meanwhile, the land will be blessed with life-giving water:
“On that day life-giving waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half toward the Dead Sea and half toward the Mediterranean, flowing continuously both in summer and winter. And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord – his name alone will be worshiped.” Zechariah 14:8-9 (NLT)
The Dead Sea will spring to life, and the name of the Lord alone will be worshiped throughout the world. All idols, false religions, and false prophets will disappear. The new earth will be filled with people who know the Lord and are devoted to Him only.
More importantly, the Lord Himself will be king over all of the earth. He will dwell among His people, providing them with everything they need:
“In the last days, the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem will become the most important place on earth. People from all over the world will go there to worship. Many nations will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Israel. There he will teach us his ways, so that we may obey him.’ For in those days the Lord’s teaching and his word will go out from Jerusalem. The Lord will settle international disputes. All the nations will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. All wars will stop, and military training will come to an end. Everyone will live quietly in their own homes in peace and prosperity, for there will be nothing to fear. The Lord Almighty has promised this!” Micah 4:1-4 (NLT)
On the new earth, Jerusalem will be the center of the world. It will be the dwelling place of the Lord, and people from every nation will travel to Jerusalem to worship and to have their disputes settled. War will no longer exist. Because of this, armies and weapons will no longer exist. The Lord will settle all disputes, and the people will devote the energy they previously expended on war to prosperous living and worship of the Lord. Peace and prosperity will be abundant, and there will be nothing to fear.
Knowing what we now know about the new earth, who would not want to live there? Unfortunately, the bible also tells us that many will turn down their invitation to this blessed new world. The only way to get there will be to place one’s trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, who will be the undisputed ruler of the new earth.
When Will This Future World Arrive?
Because the new earth is the creation of Jesus Christ, it will not arrive until after His Glorious Appearing. In the interim, many politicians, idealists, and others will conjure their own ideas of how to create such a world. But placing faith in any of these people or their schemes will only lead to disappointment.
For the bible is clear that the new earth will only arrive when God comes to physically dwell among His people:
“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever.’” Revelation 21:3-4 (NLT)
When God dwells among men, the earth will no longer harbor death or sorrow or crying or pain. It will be a new world. The old world will have come to an end - its evils gone forever.
The End of the World is Not to be Feared
Knowing the promises of the Lord, none of us should live in fear of the end of the world. The present fears of this world are fleeting in nature, and the Lord is in perfect control. He has made clear the end from the beginning, and it is clear that the final end of this world is not a time to mourn, but rather a time to celebrate. Jesus Himself reiterated this concept:
“The courage of many people will falter because of the fearful fate they see coming upon the earth, because the stability of the very heavens will be broken up. Then everyone will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds with power and great glory. So when all these things begin to happen, stand straight and look up, for your salvation is near!” Luke 21:26-28 (NLT)
The arrival of Jesus Christ at the Glorious Appearing should not be a time of anguish, but a time to rejoice. Although we are familiar with the things of this world, we can not fathom the glory of that which God has in store for us. It will far surpass the things of this world, so we should patiently and eagerly await the Lord’s return. For Christ’s return will bring with it our salvation and the blessings of the new earth.
Conclusion
Those who worry about the end of the world or live in fear of a great worldwide catastrophe are not living their lives in accordance with God. For God tells us to live boldly and without fear of the things of this world:
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)
Don’t worry about global warming or a nuclear holocaust. Don’t live in fear of a worldwide pandemic or asteroids or comets or aliens or massive volcanoes. The Lord is in control of everything, and He has already revealed what will happen to this present age. He will usher in the end of the world and transform the earth into his own dwelling place. Therefore, if we are to have fear of anything, it should be the Lord Himself. The prophet Isaiah agrees:
“Do not fear anything except the Lord Almighty. He alone is the Holy One. If you fear him, you need fear nothing else.” Isaiah 8:13 (NLT)
Jesus reminds His disciples of this command while teaching them not to fear persecution:
“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28 (NLT)
In short, don’t fear the end of this world. Celebrate it. Christ is coming. And when He arrives, He will eliminate all the evils of this world, including our fear and worry.
Britt Gillette is founder of BrittGillette.Com, a website examining the relationship between bible prophecy and emerging trends in technology. For more information or to sign up for his email alerts, please visit http://www.brittgillette.com

Monday, November 5, 2007