Tag Archives: prophecy

Fighting the lie: what Evangelicals don’t believe about the Second Coming

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I was disturbed to read an interview recently conducted by pundit Michael Medved.  His interviewee? Jimmy Carter.  Mr. Medved’s concern was the former President’s naïveté concerning Hamas and that group’s less than charitable intentions vis-à-vis Israel.

But that wasn’t what caught my eye.  Buried in the conversation was the revelation that Mr. Carter has fallen for the canard that Evangelicals are awaiting (perhaps with some relish) the wholesale slaughter of the Jews in connection with the prophesied Second Coming of Christ.  Notice this exchange, in which MM stands for Michael Medved:

Carter: —I’m not going to try to defend the Hamas Charter any more than I would try to defend the PLO charter, because it calls for the destruction of Israel—

MM: —It calls for the murder of individual Jews. It calls for the murder of all Jews so that judgment day can come. It says, “The Islamic Resistance Movement aspires to the realization of Allah’s promise, no matter how long that should take. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him salvation, has said, “The day of judgment will not come about until Muslims kill the Jews (and the passage adds: “When the Jews will hide behind stones and trees, the sones and trees will say, O Muslim, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.”)

Carter:–If you want to talk about ancient history, Christians believe that in the second coming, Christ can’t come back to the Holy Land until all Jews are either dead or become Christian.

There’s plenty here which is interesting, but Carter’s take on what Christians believe is simply untrue.  Far be it from me to argue with a Sunday School teacher, but as someone who’s taught a bit of Sunday School himself, I feel compelled to point out a few things.

First, in the interest of fairness, it should be said that many Christians’ presentation of prophesied “end times” events is, well, graceless.  Perhaps we can be excused for not always knowing how to talk about the end of the world – a serious topic, to be sure – but a little tact is in order.  Christians who read their Bible literally believe that Jesus Christ will physically return to the earth after a period of terrible wars and cataclysms.  Believers argue about a lot of the details, and how it all fits together exactly, but one point of agreement is that it will be horrific.

So, in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 24, Jesus says, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved…” So Christ is speaking of a time so terrible that, unless God intervened personally, no one would survive it.  It will be that bad.

Second, Christians point to prophecies in the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) indicating that a great many Jews will be killed through anti-Semitic persecution during this time.  Most notable here would probably be Zechariah 13:8, which says, “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.” However, while many Christians believe this will literally happen, they are not in any sense “rooting” for it to happen, nor should it ever be compared to the Islamic belief that Jews must be killed by Muslims in order for their own apocalypse to come to pass. In the Christian end times scenario, the Jews are indeed victims of war and victims of persecution at the hands of the figure known as the Antichrist.  Mr. Carter should know better than to insinuate an equivalence between the two.

Finally, Christian teaching is clear that Christians then living will also suffer persecution from the Antichrist.  Indeed, abundant Christian martyrdom is an expected part of the last days scenario.  Jews and Christians are thus suffering together from the Antichrist’s pogrom or Holocaust.

Christians should not be faulted for believing that Christ will come again and that, when he does, Jews will take him as their Messiah.  They are entitled to believe that, just as Jews believe the Christians are wrong about that.  But Christians should not be smeared as though they believed something other than what they do believe.  Such irresponsible distortions have the effect of dissolving the unity that can exist between Christians of goodwill and Jews of goodwill as they work together against their common enemies, of which there are many.

John Paul Jackson’s “Perfect Storm” prophecy

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John Paul Jackson released a word recently about a “perfect storm” of crises coming against our nation. Although not all our readers believe in the present-day ministry of prophecy, I have always had respect for Jackson’s ministry and wanted to pass along this new video in which explains what he believes God has shown him is about to happen. Even those who are committed cessationists sometimes acknowledge that there is a prophesied time of Holy Spirit activity at the end of the age. Fans of Paul Washer’s preaching ministry may recognize the same tone of urgency. There are interesting discussions on natural disasters, the economy, abortion, Islam, etc. So I ask you to view this with prayerful consideration.

A written synopsis of the teaching can be found here.

Is Verichip making the Mark of the Beast?

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Verichip Implantable RFID Chip

Verichip Implantable RFID Chip

The Verichip Corporation has created a stir of late through its marketing of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips which can be implanted into animal tissue, even human beings.  On its website, the company markets these wireless services as helpful with “patient identification, infant protection, wander prevention, and asset tracking.” Its VeriMed system is a poster child for the benefits of RFID implantation:

Unlike traditional forms of identification, the VeriChip can’t be lost, stolen, misplaced, or counterfeited. Because it’s inserted under the skin, it’s always there when you need it regardless of where other kinds of identification might be.

Using a handheld reader, healthcare professionals are able to securely access a patient’s unique VeriChip ID number which can be looked up in a designated secure healthcare information database, allowing them to immediately take the safest course of action.

Indeed, the potential of RFID technologies in business and many other fields is enormous – and so is the controversy.  The idea of being implanted with computer technology is a step too far for many.  Many  privacy advocates and Christian prophecy students alike see the RFID chip as, well, creepy and sinister.  There’s no shortage of theories linking the chip to world dictatorship and even the Mark of the Beast. Take a peek:

But is this the real “Mark of the Beast” prophesied in Revelation 13? For those who may be unfamiliar with the language or even the and topics the Bible predicts a mark associated with a “beast,” language which is commonly thought to be symbolic of a world dictator called the Antichrist, a title meaning one who stands in opposition to Christ.

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six (666). (Revelation 13:16-18, KJV)

There are several things here which should prevent undue panic among Christians that RFID is the Mark of the Beast, at least in its current form.  First, the Mark of the Beast is something that the Antichrist causes people to receive or at least offers to them.  It is therefore connected to a particular person, the Antichrist.  Thus: no Antichrist, no mark.

Second, no one is allowed to buy or sell without having the Mark.  Thus, this mark will supersede existing currencies.

Third, the Mark is also connected and is perhaps an additional option along with the name of the Antichrist or the number 666.

Finally, the word “mark” comes from the Greek charagma, a word which has to do with etching or carving.  Some Bible scholars therefore would deny that something implanted under the skin meets the qualifications.  It could be something more like a tattoo, perhaps with magnetically readable ink, if you will.

In any event, if there’s no beast on the scene, you can’t have a mark of the beast.  So until there is a real, live Antichrist it’s probably premature to say that RFID is the mark, or anything like it.

I would also add that in my opinion the Mark will be very overt and visible, as people will be all too happy to flaunt their devotion to the Antichrist and his reign.  Scriptural passages such as Psalm 2, Rev. 6:15-17, and others demonstrate that at the end of days there is a very conscious and very willful rejection of the God of the Bible.

Of course, that’s just my opinion. What do you think?