EndTime Issues ...

 
In just the last five years the world has been transformed into a cauldron of uncertainty. Instead of a “global order” crafted and inspired by the idealism of the G20 nations, chaos is everywhere.
 
Expositor White’s sensitivities chronicled this time:
 
“Rulers and statesmen, men who occupy positions of trust and authority, thinking men and women of all classes, have their attention fixed upon the events taking place about us. They are watching the relations that exist among the nations. They observe the intensity that is taking possession of every earthly element, and they recognize that something great and decisive is about to take place,—that the world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis.”[1]
 
“There is a spirit of desperation, of war and bloodshed, and that spirit will increase until the very close of time.”[2]
 
With the ineffective policies of appeasement and the growing indecisiveness of political leaders, the world “is descending into chaos.”[3]
 
Baffling issues that seemingly resist solution include:

• The precipitous rise in barbarism by the Syrian government
• The stunning emergence of ISIL, its military gains, genocide, beheadings, torture and rape
• The “mysterious loss” of Malaysian Airline’s flight 370 on March 8, 2014
• The erosive penetration of Ukraine by Russia
• The directed downing of Malaysian Airline’s flight 17 over Ukraine with the loss of 295 people with little outrage
• The unrestricted flights from the Ebola pandemic countries

The value of life has cheapened. It appears expendable on behalf of selfish ideologies. Interpersonal sensitivity has become calloused. From “death panels” soon to be enacted as part of this country’s “health mandates” to the most savage terrorists, human decency and dignity are becoming elusive.

• “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other” (Matthew 24:10 – NIV). What a contrast to the heavenly counsel: “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3).
• What a contrast to the wonderment of our precious Savior: “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Seeing moral and spiritual worth in us, He died to make eternal life possible!

A Paradigm Shift
 
As the world moves rapidly towards a coalition of ten regions,[4] national laws, constitutions and international agreements are being reinterpreted. A global geopolitical agenda is about to
materialize.

• Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said of a New World Order: “The illegal we do immediately, the unconstitutional takes a little longer.”[5] He predicted that its objectives would be achieved under Obama’s leadership.
• Hillary Clinton recently noted, “I was proud to help the president [Obama] begin reimagining and reinforcing the global order to meet the demands of an increasingly interdependent age.”[6]
• President Obama has repeatedly called for the “new world order,” e.g.:

1. During a 2010 West Point speech he urged the development of a new “international order.”
2. In his 2012 Berlin speech he urged Europeans and Americans to embrace the idea of a “global citizenship.”[7]
3. Vice-president Joe Biden called for a new world order at the Import-Export Bank conferences May 5, 2013.
4. The geopolitical structure for this is fully in place.[8] A cooperative bond of most world leaders is ready to implement globalization.

Of importance to this study is one region that was identified formally in a State Department map in 1942 and refined in 1968 by the Club of Rome. It is a giant crescent across northern Africa, sweeping up to encompass the Middle East. This area is to be made up of mainly Islamic peoples.

• As this region is convulsing to create “unity,” violence against any resistance (even perceived) is executed. Collateral injuries and death are of little concern.
• In Syria over 100,000 innocent people have been killed, including purposeful gassing of citizens. International outrage has not risen much beyond United Nations “resolutions” against President Assad.
• Murdering Christians in Iraq is seen as part of a necessary “gesture” to forward this regional Islamic “agenda.”
• Millions of refugees from those two countries alone who have lost everything – jobs, houses, including family members, barely cling to life.

In an unprecedented joint statement from the Arabian Peninsula with the Islamic Maghreb, AFP News reported on September 16, 2014, that Al Queda urged their “brothers” to unite and stop killing each other.

• There is competition between ISIS’s declaration of an Islamic caliphate in June and the Al Queda network in the region.
• This call for Islamic unity could solidify that “crescent” of countries into one of the last major coalitions for the globalist ten-region agenda.

The Bible, Islam and the Time of the End
 
There is keen debate among scholars and expositors as to whether Islam is in the Bible. Since its numbers equal those of Roman Catholicism and its visibility is a constant destabilizing world news item, one must conclude, “It must be in prophecy!” Here is one of two examples in the book of Daniel:

• “And at the time of the end shall the king of the south [Islam] push at him [antichrist]: and the king of the north [antichrist leader – Daniel 8:23-25, 11:36-39] shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships [military imagery]; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land [Palestine. It doesn’t say harm it – but control and/or protect it], and many countries shall be overthrown” (Daniel 11:40-41).

The Geography and History
 
There is much that can be said regarding the concept of the north and the south within the Biblical narratives.[9] The focus here is between Christianity and Islam. Here is why:
 
Ancient Historical Predictions:

• The rebellion of Ishmael, and later Islam, was anticipated. Even though Scripture says: “God was with the lad" (Genesis 21:20), his behavior was to be Satan-like (Genesis 16:12).
• The rebellion of Isaac’s descendants was anticipated. Out of that lineage the ‘ruler of Israel’ was to come (Micah 5:2). Yet, when He came, the world ‘knew him not’ (John 1:10). From the Messiah came the Christian era and then its apostate people.

“Historical “North” and “South” Metaphors – from kingdom powers that claim “God” as their leader: “Between 1095 and 1291 A.D. a major catastrophic time occurred between these powers. The Muslim world ‘pushed’ against the northern ‘Catholic Christian’ world, leading to the bloody Crusades.
 
“The death toll from these wars was estimated to be 1.5–2 million people.”[10]
 
The geographical powers were divided, as noted in the next two maps, between a literal “north” and “south.”
 [see pdf]
 
Another illustration of this model came with the Ottoman Empire – and later Turkey. Osman I (1259 – 1326) was a Muslim Turkish warrior prince. He began to conquer neighboring regions, bringing the Ottoman Empire into existence by 1300 A.D. Later, its troops swept briefly into Europe, controlling much of it by the 16^th century.”
 
 [see pdf]
 

• Again, prophecy morphs these historical events into giant “metaphors” of conflict involving the “south” against the “north.” Notice that Daniel identifies chapter 11, verse 40 on as the “time of the end.” Thus – both “north” and “south” are portrayed in conflict once again.[11] This is current history evolving.

Intriguingly, many of those historical observations were predicted in prophecy (discussed in Daniel 8–12).[12]

• “And he [Roman Catholic north] shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south [Islamic World] with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him” (Daniel 11:25).
• It was a conflict between the “vile person” (11:21) (later called the “king of the north”) and the king of the south – predicting the Crusades.

In all these conflicts, carnage, violence and genocide occurred. We are now confronted by replication of that past.

• As oil prices surged between 1997 and 2007 money poured into the Islamic world. Over $90 billion was invested into the spread of Islam, building mosques and pressing for Sharia law in many regions.
• At about the same time – the two largest geopolitical “religious” powers came into prominence. Over the decade of the 1990’s, the Islamic ‘south’ moved into a competitive stance to gain control of the world. Its modus operandi? Talk as if the Quran and Islam promote peace – when in reality they support violence to gain its world dominance goal. That is called Al-taqiyya – that is, lying is not a sin if the expansion of Islam can occur through deceptive claims. Intriguingly, the Catholic Church has such “operational policies,” justified as “equivocation” or “mental reservation.” Popes from John Paul II through Benedict XVI, and now Pope Francis, published detailed encyclicals that call for a world “social order” led by a “moral” leader. Thus, two “religious competitors” for world domination are now on the world scene.

Global Reactions to Muslims
 
“Serious concern regarding the intentions of Muslims began to rise due to the murderous hatred against Salman Rushdie, British–Indian novelist, when in 1988 he wrote The Satanic Verses. By 1989 death threats began, including … from Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran. A sense of apprehension spread throughout the world. For many years Rushdie was in hiding.
 
“In 2005 the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Poster, published a series of cartoons that questioned Mohammad’s integrity. Violence erupted in many Muslim countries with a large number of deaths. Jihad was called against the newspaper and an international incident came when eleven Muslim countries asked for a formal apology from the newspaper. It finally came in January 2006, after fierce resistance. Then death threats were made against the artist, Kurt Westergaard. He had to go into protective hiding (an axe-wielding Muslim from Sudan unsuccessfully tried to kill him January 2007). Again, international disgust against Islam fomented and an ill-defined apprehension against Islam intensified.
 
“From the Ottoman Empire (Turkey), where one and a half million people were murdered in a genocide campaign (1915–1923) to contemporary Sudan, where it is estimated that two million Christians have perished in the last twenty years, Islam has since been a violent crescendoing force.”[13] The imagery of war and homicide is everywhere – but is still downplayed in media reporting!
 
Similar statistics from Nigeria have been tallied by Amnesty International. They estimated also that 2,000,000 people have been murdered (mostly Christians) in the last two decades – mainly in the thirteen states that operate under Sharia law – within that country.
 
Yet again – a pro-Islamic sentiment of “peace” pervades the liberal media of the free world.
 
In September 2006 Pope Benedict XVI quoted a historical statement regarding the Islamic violence. It sparked outrage and predictable violence by Muslims. Of profound interest, Benedict called the 28 Muslim ambassadors assigned to the Vatican and ordered the outrage to cease. In 48 hours there was calm. The reactivity of the Islamic world and that papal power is provocative and something to watch.
 
After 9/11 and confirmation of Islamic ties to those horrific terrorist attacks on America, an anti-Muslim spirit threaded its way through the United States. But the “peace-loving” stance of “most Muslims,” promoted by the Bush administration, mellowed much of that fear. On September 16, 2010, children of Boston’s Wellesley Middle School were even taken on a field trip to the Islamic Society of Boston’s Cultural Center and required to pray to Allah. A fascinating spirit of accommodation came into many minds – even to the point where, later, California schools required children to dress as Muslims and learn about their religion on a specified day.[14]
 
Parental suits were rejected by the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals on the basis that the classes were only “cultural education.” A spirit of subliminal fear has emerged within sectors of American society. Yet the political need to appease is pervasive at the expense of truth, reality and defending freedom. It is neither reasonable nor accommodating towards our nation’s security!
 
There has been a growing trend that blindly assumes that being nice and complementary will end violence and hostility. But we are seeing a reactive hatred against Jews and Christians mount. Such peaceful gestures towards the radical Islamic peoples inappropriately accelerate and embolden their aggressiveness. Even within the evangelical world many have seen it a Christ-like duty to claim that Allah and the Christian God are the same. This has been most inappropriate.
 
The “peaceful nature” of Islam was eulogized in 2008 when 138 prominent Islamic leaders wrote a letter called “A Common Word between U.S. and You” to the American Catholic and Christian community. A reply was drafted by scholars of Yale Divinity School’s Center for Faith and Culture, called “A Loving God and Neighbors Together.” Three hundred prominent Christian leaders signed it. In that document, they again equated Allah with the Christian God. The Christian belief of a Triune God was rejected, and no one addressed the Quran’s belief in monotheism (Sura 3:64). Beyond this, solutions to stop the violence within the Islamic World simply don’t exist.
 
“Protestant leaders who signed the reply, asking for forgiveness of the All-Merciful One (an Islamic expression for Allah), included Rick Warren, Bill Hybels and Brian McLaren. They also conceded that Muhammad was a prophet.”[15]
 
In November 2009, Pat Roberson, on his show “The 700 Club,” proved to be an exception:
 
“If we don’t stop covering up what Islam is ... Islam is a violent – I was going to say religion – but it’s not a religion, it’s a political system, it’s a violent political system bent on the overthrow of the governments of the world and world domination,’ Robertson said. ‘You're dealing with not a religion, you’re dealing with a political system, and I think we should treat it as such, and treat its adherents as such as we would members of the communist party, members of some fascist group.”[16]
 
As contemporary history is replicating the past, the intensity is growing between the geographic regions called “Christian” and the geographical region assigned to the Islamic World.
 
On July 7, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI published Caritas in Veritate, an encyclical which is the highest form of papal writing. He called for “the urgent need of a true world political authority.” … “Furthermore, such an authority would need to be universally-recognized and be vested with the effective power to ensure security for all, regard for justice, and respect for rights.” Someone who would “seek to establish the common good.” Who do you think he was referring to?
 
Will there be a geopolitical head to govern the world? Revelation 13 and 17 clearly show that there will be. Who it will be – and where will it be centerd?
 
“The Protestant churches are in great darkness, or they would discern the signs of the times. The Roman Church is far-reaching in her plans and modes of operation. She is employing every device to extend her influence and increase her power in preparation for a fierce and determined conflict to regain control of the world, to re-establish persecution, and to undo all that Protestantism has done. Catholicism is gaining ground in our country upon every side.”[17]
 
“We are once again seeing the demographics of a ‘north’ and a ‘south’ emerge.”[18]
 
  [see pdf]
 
“Prophecy foretells a restoration of the papacy’s power.”[19]
 
Thus – two geo-religious powers are in competition to head a world government – one through “peace,” as Daniel said would occur with the antichrist (8:25); the other through violence, as he also prophesied (11:40-41).
 
The historical “model” for competition between the “north” and the “south” was with the Crusades. It’s contemporary rise is now a sign that the end is in sight.
 
Daniel had said: “at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him” (Daniel 11:40)
 
Ever since Vatican II moved to “placate” the Islamic world (the “south”), a false coalition has moved forward between Rome and Islam. They reported in 1965:
 
”The Church has also a high regard for the Muslims. They worship God, who is one, living and subsistent, merciful and almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to men. They strive to submit themselves without reserve to the hidden decrees of God, just as Abraham submitted himself to God’s plan, to whose faith Muslims eagerly link their own.
Although not acknowledging him as God, they venerate Jesus as a prophet.”[20]

• Twenty-eight Muslim countries have formal diplomatic ties with the Holy See (the Roman Catholic Church combined with the Vatican City State).
• These geopolitical ties are to experience intense uncertainty, which begins to unfold there in verse 40.

The “king of the north” of Daniel 11:40-45 represents the papal head of “Christianity” when he becomes the lead geopolitical power.[21] It’s early fulfillment is described in Revelation 17:12-13!

• “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.”
• As prophecy attests, a surrogate military force from the Christian world provides its judicial force.

Then: “the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind,” (vs 40)

• The Papal World, with its might from the Christian world, fights back at the “king of the south.” Interesting, isn’t it?! (Revelation 13 then comes into view.)
• The “north” responds vigorously, like a storm that sweeps something away – like a “whirlwind.” Because the terms “north” and “south” are used, the picture is one of rival powers of equal magnitude[22] (otherwise the “king of the south” would not have embarked on such a daring venture). We are beginning to see these things unfold now!

What power hates Christianity enough to fight and even annihilate it? There is only one force that could mount such resistance. Intriguingly, only the Islamic World (the global competitor of Christianity) can meet this description. This conflict is another “sign” that we are approaching the end!
 
From the Qur’an – 5:51: “O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and Christians for friends. They are friends one to another. He among you who taketh them for friends is [one] of them. Lo! Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk.”
 
“Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and ye love a thing which is bad for you. But God knoweth, and ye know not.” 2:21b.
 
The imagery in the Quran is similar to what is implied in Daniel 11:40. It is a world power that hates Christianity. It is big enough to take on the Christian world. Two of earth’s greatest religions by number (1.2 billion each) are depicted in conflict! They also share equal interest in control, violence, moral failure and deception. The papacy, with its broad international support, will win.
 
In the past, atheism, Marxism, communism and fascism were great threats to Christianity. They have often been identified as the “king of the south” by Bible students. But in this end-time setting, nothing is emerging with greater antagonistic power than Islam – the Religion of the Sword.

• Millions have died in the last three decades – mainly Christians – from this power.
• It is “pushing” against Christianity.
• This prophetic narrative suggests that there will be an intense standoff between Christianity and Islam shortly.
• Nothing else matches the context, which intimates two competing religious powers – the symbolic descendants of Isaac and those of Ishmael.

A period of violence and war is beginning. As “containment” occurs (the Bible says so), the prophetic imagery of Revelation 13 will quickly follow.

• That will be when the idealism of the New World Order is achieved – for a brief time.
• But then, hatred and violence against God’s people will accelerate.

Not until three and a half years later (Daniel 12:7, Revelation 13:5) will all the world begin to experience the wrath of God (Revelation 15:7). Only a short time thereafter and Jesus will approach in all His glory this scarred world.
 
Something interesting is predicted and to be anticipated. At the end, the ten geopolitical horns give their power to the beast (Revelation 17:12-13). They then have crowns (Revelation 13:1). One of those crowns is that Islamic crescent. It is subdued and becomes part of this geo-political coalition!