Before continuing, I think it is important to mention here that, contrary to some of the false accusations which have been levelled against me by staunch Roman Catholics, I do not have a personal vendetta, or 'an axe to grind' against Catholic people as a whole. In fact, in my lifetime, I have met many sweet, humble people who are Roman Catholics; and that includes my now-deceased grandmother. These people do believe in God, and acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Thus, my basic attitude towards Roman Catholics, is the same as it towards any other church or organization which claims to be a part of modern Christianity. I have no doubt that there are many sincere, God-fearing, Christ-believing people scattered throughout the various branches of our faith; however, it is when we begin to examine more deeply some of the doctrines which are held by some of these branches, that we encounter problems and strong deception.

As I point out in the aforementioned article, as well as in other articles, such as 'To Pray Or Not To Pray?', and 'Have You Read The New Scriptures Yet?', my primary objection with Roman Catholicism, is with the various false doctrines and traditions which are being taught and practiced by the Roman Catholic spiritual hierarchy; whether they be Sunday school teachers, priests, bishops, archbishops, cardinals, or the Pope himself. Lest you erroneously think that I have singled out the Roman Catholics, may I suggest that you also read my two-part article entitled 'Modern False Prophets And Worldly Ecumenism'. As will become clear to you, I am diametrically opposed to the modern false spirit of ecumenism, which seeks to unite Roman Catholics, Angelicans, Baptists, Protestants, Eastern Orthodox Christians, and even Buddhists, into some kind of a One World Religion, through compromising our Christian heritage, as it was passed down to us by Christ and His followers. So again, it is the false doctrines and practices, which are rampant amongst some of these faiths, which is of utmost concern to me; as it should be to all Christians everywhere. In short, worldwide spiritual unity is being sought for at the price of sacrificing doctrinal purity; and thus, the Church has compromised herself.

Returning to the 'visionaries' of Medjugorje, I do not doubt the sincerity of those children who have in the past, or who now, as adults, are still receiving 'visions' and messages, any more than I can doubt the sincerity of the children of Fatima, Portugal, who are said to have also received similar messages decades ago. If we consider how long these events have been occurring, it becomes apparent that these people have experienced something which others have not; either that, or they are being manipulated by someone or something beyond their comprehension; or else they are under some very strong delusion due to some personal sin in their lives.

Considering that all of these 'visionaries' had their first experiences as young children, makes it even more difficult for some people to accept this negative scenario; but we should not dismiss this possibility altogether. As mature Christians, we must be concerned with, and question, the true source, and content, of these messages and 'visions'. Furthermore, we must realize that sincerity simply is not a very valid, or even a very safe, criterion for determining the true nature of such occurrences. As will become clear by the time you have finished reading this series, there are many people in the world today who are very sincere about their beliefs, but they are also sincerely deceived.

Having said the above, anyone who just blindly accepts these things as coming from the Hand of God, without question, is doing so in direct contradiction to the Scriptures; and may even be setting themselves up for similar delusion in their own lives. In his Epistles, the Apostle John warns us to 'try', or to test, the spirits, to see whether or not they are truly of God. He also warns us to not have anything to do with those people who are yielded to a spirit which teaches something other than the sound Gospel of Jesus Christ:

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1)

"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds."
(2 John 1:9-11)

It is very important to realize why John admonishes us to test the spirits; and that is because even during the First Century, there were already many Jewish false prophets and false brethren who had silently crept into the Early Church fellowships. This becomes quite apparent if one studies the life and writings of the Apostle Paul. Consider the following verses:

"For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock." Acts 20:29, KJV

"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them." (Romans 16:17)

"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him...For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works." (2 Corinthians 11:3-4, 13-15)

"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:6-9, KJV

"And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:" (Galatians 2:4)

"If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness, from such withdraw thyself." (1 Timothy 6:3-5)

"But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself." (Titus 3:9-11)

In light of the dangerous situation with false brethren which existed in the Early Church almost two thousand years ago, it shouldn't be difficult to imagine how much worse the problem must be in our present era. Satan has certainly had sufficient time to do his dirty work! So the question then for us is: How can we recognize these false messengers? What rod of measurement are we to use? In trying to differentiate
between who is a true Prophet of God, and who is a false one sent by Satan, one of the Lord's original Prophets, Moses, provided us with some easy guidelines to follow:

"And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him." (Deuteronomy 18:21-22)

That is simple enough to understand. If a modern-day prophet prophesies something, and it doesn't happen exactly as he says, or when he says it will hqppen, you better watch out! God doesn't make mistakes. He knows what He is doing; and He knows how to communicate quite well with His true Prophets. If the so-called 'prophet' starts to deny what he has said, or if says that he has simply been misunderstood, or if offers some other poor excuse, then a great deal of caution is advised. If he continuously makes predictions which fail to materialize, then he should definitely be viewed as a false prophet, and shunned. On the other hand, the Prophet Ezekiel tells us exactly how we can recognize a true Prophet of the Lord:

"And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them." (Ezekiel 33:33)

He couldn't have been any more straight forward than that. If what the Prophet predicts happens exactly as he has said it would happen, and exactly when he said it would happen, then you can be relatively certain that he is a true Prophet of God; however, I still advise you to seriously consider his overall degree of accuracy. If he is only right in one out of every twenty of his predictions, this is not a true prophet of God. A true Prophet of God will be right on the mark every time. To express this thought in a somewhat humorous way, I don't believe that there is any static on God's 'hotline'.

Allow me to also add that if a considerable amount of time passes between when the prophecy is first given, and its actual fulfillment, this may add even more credibility to the words of the Prophet, as it will show that he wasn't privy to some foreknowledge or secret information which simply wasn't known to the general public at the time of his prediction. In speaking of prophecies, it is important that you understand that I am not referring to such things as financial predictions, scientific predictions, horoscope readings, palm readings and other forms of modern guesswork, which tend to rely upon a lot of logic, comparative studies, computer analysis, etc., in order to create a very general prediction which can be easily applied to many different situations, or interpretted in a number of different ways, so that the 'prophet', palmreader or psychic always appears to be correct in their predictions. This amounts to subtle trickery, and self-delusion on the part of the victim, and nothing else. They actually deceive themselves into seeing in the seer's words, what they want to believe.

In speaking of real prophecies, I am referring to events which could not possibly have been known or discovered any other way than by a Direct Revelation from God. A very good example of this can be found in Daniel chapter two, where Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar has a prophetic night vision, or dream. For a close examination of how Daniel dealt with this unique situation, and how he used it to glorify God, may I encourage you to read the article 'Revealer Of Secrets And Sergei Stepashin'. While Daniel and his friends were well-received in the courts of the Babylonian king, after almost facing death at the hands of the same, it should be noted that they were actually the exception to the rule regarding the Lord's Prophets. Under normal circumstances, His Prophets do not enjoy such a high degree of popularity. In fact, in the New Testament, Jesus signified one mark of a true Prophet of God with the following statement:

"Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets." (Luke 6:26)

In the above verse, the Lord is making clear that a true Prophet of God is rarely, if ever, well-received by those people to whom he is sent to preach. This is because his words are usually messages of warning and portents of coming doom and destruction unless immediate repentance is made. In fact, in speaking of His own ministry in Nazareth, Jesus said:

"...A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house." (Mark 6:4b)
As I explain in the article 'Revelation's Babylon The Great Whore', we have but to look at the fate of the Old Testament Prophets, Jesus' own murder and Crucifixion, and the forced martyrdom of many of the New Testament Disciples, such as Stephen, James, Paul and Peter, in order to see how true this really is. Being a true Prophet or messenger of God is not a popular job. If a person finds himself becoming overly popular, then he should question whether or not he might be doing something wrong. In contrast to the real Prophets of old, who were often persecuted and killed because of their unpopular messages, today we have many people who claim to be messengers and representatives of the Lord, who are quite popular, and who are looked upon with great admiration and respect. Just like the Scribes and Pharisees of old, they clothe themselves in long white or black garments, or business suits, and become lifted up in their pride and in their vanity, due to the praises of men which are lavished upon them. Consider these verses:

"Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation." (Luke 20:46-47)

"Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." (John 12:42-43)

So to reiterate this point, like the example of Jesus Christ Himself, the true Prophet of God, who bears a true message from the Lord, will be despised and rejected by this sinful last generation due to the unpopular nature of his prophetic pronouncements from the Lord. As further Scriptural proof that this principle still applies to our modern day, please consider the ultimate fate of the Two Sackcloth Witnesses of the Endtime, found in the Book of Revelation:

"And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them." Revelation 11:7-12, KJV

For more information regarding the Endtime ministry of the Two Sackcloth Witnesses, please refer to my series 'The Two Sackcloth Witnesses Of Revelation 11'. Please keep in mind that it is not only the Lord's Prophets who will be despised by the sinful world of the Endtime. We are taught in the Word that God's true children will all be despised, hated, betrayed and killed by this last generation of evildoers, due to their Christian stand of faith; and this wave of discrimination and persecution has already begun; even in the so-called 'Christian' United States of America, where true Christians are slowly being ostracized from the rest of American society, due to their stand again such things as< abortion, gay and lesbian relationships, EVILution, etc. Please consider the following verses:

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:3, KJV

"And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved." Matthew 10:22, KJV

"I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?...Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law." Luke 12:49, 51-53, KJV

"He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." Matthew 12:30, KJV

"If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also." John 15:19,20, KJV

"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." 2 Timothy 3:12, KJV

So, as I clearly point out in the series 'In Defense Of The KJV', as well as in other articles, the truth of God's Word divides people. Sooner or later, it will cause every single individual to take a stand, either for or against Jesus Christ, and the precepts found in the Word of God. For a more in-depth look at the topic of Christian persecution in the Last Days, may I suggest that you read my article 'Civil Disobedience And Christian Persecution'.

Contrary to this clear Biblical message of unpopularity and persecution, within the Roman Catholic faith, the so-called representative of God, the 'vicar of Christ', that is, the Pope, sits upon his own throne in Vatican City, where he is treated like a god! Referred to as 'holy father', this man is carried all around the world, so that millions of Roman Catholic devotees can flock to see him, to kiss his hand, or to receive his blessing! Not even Jesus Christ or his First Disciples were well-received by the rulers of their day, or treated with such high dignity; so why have things changed so drastically today? Has the truth of God changed? Has the message of the Gospel changed? Has the call to repentance changed? Or could it be that what is today being promoted as 'the one true faith' according to Roman Catholic adherents, is nothing more than an evil perversion of the truth, a counterfeit religion, and a corrupted belief system based upon worldly compromise?

Because of the Pope's high status within the ecclesiastical world, many non-Catholic Christians, depending upon their particular school of thought and doctrinal upbringing, have become convinced that a soon-coming Pope will either be the Biblical Beast, or possibly the False Prophet, or else the Anti-Christ. Personally, I do not currently concur with this teaching; however, the New Testament does have quite a few things to say regarding false prophets and lying spirits. Here are some of them for your consideration:

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." (Matthew 7:15)

"And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many...For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." (Matthew 24:11, 24)

"For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect." (Mark 13:22)

"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction." (2 Peter 2:1)

All of the above verses speak of the mass deception which will characterize these Last Days; brought on by these false prophets, tricky teachers, pseudo-psychics, faith healers, New Age gurus, Eastern spiritual masters, channelers, etc. We are warned to expect to see and to hear of all kinds of lying wonders; and haven't we already begun to see such things in the form of unexplainable aerial phenomenon, such as flying saucers, or UFO's, and all of the things which have become associated with them, such as messages of the coming 'ascension' from the 'Space Brothers', and purported 'alien' abductions? Haven't we also heard or read of many 'miraculous' healings, seemingly 'celestial' visitations and images of Christ or Mary appearing in different parts of the world, crying or bleeding statues, stigmatics, people being 'slain in the spirit' or supposedly having their teeth filled with gold by the Lord, and 'visionaries' which bare secrets initially only meant for a few? How much of this is truly of God, and how much of it comes from Satan the subtle deceiver, who appears to the Biblically ignorant as a false angel of light?

The spirit of anti-christ and false prophecy is indeed in the world, and has been for a very long time; as becomes evident both in the Old Testament, as well as in the Lord's own warnings, and in the Epistles of John, Paul and others. While thanks to many books, videos, movies, articles, etc., many people have become familiar with the coming tyrant who is referred to in the Bible as the Beast and also mistakenly as the Anti-Christ, some people are not aware of the fact that the spirit of false prophecy and delusion will likewise have its ultimate fulfillment in a religious leader whom the Bible refers to as the False Prophet. I personally equate this False Prophet with the second beast with two horns like a lamb which arises out of the Earth, as it is mentioned in the thirteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation:

"And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 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." (Revelation 13:11-18)

The above Scriptures clearly describe the ministry of this False Prophet, who will proclaim the messianic role of the dreadful Beast. In other words, we might say that the False Prophet will act as the public relations man for the Beast. In a negative sense, this will be a direct parallel to the ministry of John the Baptist, who likewise prepared the way of our Lord. We must remember that there is nothing original about Satan. He is a usurper. All he can do is copy what God does, and twist it and pervert it, in order to accomplish his own evil purposes. It is because of this subtle tactic, that some Christians refer to the Devil as the Author of Confusion; because he takes the truth of God's Word, and corrupts it, in order to fit his own wicked agenda; thus confusing his victims regarding Scriptural Truth; just as he did with Adam and Eve so long ago.

What is important to note here is that outwardly, this False Prophet will appear as a lamb, just as Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God throughout the Scriptures. I discuss this point in more detail in such articles as the revelatory 'The Lamb Of God Was A Goat!'. One well-known example can be found in the Gospel of John, where we read the following:

"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world...And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!" John 1:29, 36, KJV

Thus, just as Jesus is the true Lamb of God, the False Prophet will actually be a goat, an anti-christ reprobate, who feigns to be a lamb, and a messenger of God. Notice however, that we are also told that the False Prophet will speak as a dragon. Why is this? I believe that it is because he will be speaking with the very voice of, and by the very authority of, Satan himself. He will also be doing many apparently 'miraculous' works by the power of the same. The machinations of this evil demon are more fully exposed in such articles as 'Satan: Origin, Purpose And Future', 'Leviathan: The Ancient Dragon', and 'Satan: King of Tyrus, King of Empires'.

As I noted above, to those people who follow after him and accept his lies, this demon-inspired False Prophet will seem to be a good person; a devout, religious person who speaks with the authority of God Himself. If time is as short as some of us believe, it is quite possible that he is even now a prominent figure within a certain world religion. Earlier, I mentioned that I do not currently hold to the belief that the Roman Catholic Pope is this False Prophet. Based upon my personal understanding of the Endtime prophecies, he does not seem to properly fit into the picture of Endtime events; which in my view, center around the state of Israel, and her Muslim enemies who seek her total destruction. As I state in the series 'The Seven Heads', at this current time, there is only one man within the Islamic world, who seems to meet the requirements of the False Prophet; and that is the ruthless, and very anti-American, very anti-Israel, Iranian spiritual leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

As I explain in the aforementioned series, as well as in other articles, this clerical figure is the true leader of Iran, and wields much more power over the masses, in both a spiritual and a political sense, than the current, moderate puppet leader, President Mohammad Khatami. In fact, he may soon be ousted from office by the powerful Ayatollah, the other Iranian clerics, and the military forces who are quick to do their bidding. Realistically-speaking, most Iranians are Muslims first, and politicians and military men second. If Khatami is ousted from power, this might open the way for a new president who is much more anti-West, anti-Israel, and who is more willing to take his orders from the Ayatollah. In other words, a leader may arise in Iran who might in fact meet the requirements for being the prophetic Beast. If this is the case, and I am not yet certain that it is, together, this President/Ayatollah team would perfectly meet the basic requirements of the Beast/False Prophet team of the Endtime, as is described in the Book of Revelation. Let us all watch how events continue to develop in that country. For now though, allow me to share with you a few additional verses which describe the final fate of this Satan-inspired pair:

"And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet." (Revelation 16:13)
"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone." (Revelation 19:20)

"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Revelation 20:10)

It is interesting to note how the word 'wonders' is used
throughout the Bible. During the course of performing some
Biblical research on this word, I discovered that in the Old
Testament, where it is found quite frequently, this word
'wonders' is used almost entirely to describe the mighty
works of the Lord. While it is likewise used in the New
Testament in this same manner, it also becomes apparent that
there are quite a few verses, such as those mentioned in
part one, which speak of great signs and wonders which will
be performed by the forces opposing God; their whole purpose
of which will be to deceive and confuse God's chosen people;
His Elect. As you will recall, Jesus and Paul said:

"For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and
shall deceive many...For there shall arise false Christs,
and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders;
insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the
very elect." Matthew 24:5, 24, KJV

"Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with
all power and signs and lying wonders,"
2 Thessalonians 2:9, KJV

It is clear to many Christians that we are now living in the
times prophesied by Jesus, Paul, and many of the other Holy
Men of the Bible. At this current time, it is still rather
difficult to pinpoint exactly how far we have penetrated
into the Last Days. My guess would be that we are currently
still in the time period which Jesus referred to as 'the
beginning of sorrows' in His sermon in Matthew twenty-four:

"And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye
be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but
the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and
pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these
are the beginning of sorrows." Matthew 24:6-8, KJV

In other words, the darkest days for the world, and for we
Christians, still lie ahead. For more information on this
topic of the Beginning of Sorrows, allow me to refer you to
my revelatory article 'Fulfilled Prophecy: The Beginning Of
Sorrows'. At any rate, just as the spirit of false prophecy
will have its ultimate fulfillment in the spiritual leader
known as the False Prophet, who will help bring the Biblical
Beast to power, the Spirit of Christ will likewise have its
antithesis in a spiritual leader known to Christians as the
Anti-Christ. As I point out in part two of the article 'The
Kings Of The North And The South', it is my current belief
that the Anti-Christ may be the false Jewish messiah, known
as Moshiach ben David, who will sit in the soon-to-be-built
Temple in East Jerusalem, both claiming and convincing many
people, particularly the unbelieving Jews, and perhaps even
some deceived Christians, that he is in fact 'God'. Consider
these additional verses from Paul's second Epistle to the
Thessalonians which clearly describe this man of sin:

"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 opposeth and
exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is
worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God,
shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when
I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know
what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For
the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now
letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 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:" 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8, KJV

At this point, allow me to make a clarification, just in
case you are confused by some of my earlier comments. While
the vast majority of Christians seem to equate the Beast and
the Anti-Christ as being one and the same person, I am not
currently convinced that this is so; although I was of this
same persuasion in times past due to faulty doctrine which I
had been taught by others. As I explain in such articles as
'The Kings Of The North And The South', 'Who Is Hindering
The Anti-Christ?', 'The Seven Heads', and 'Who Is Who?
Defining Important Endtime Terms', in my view, a serious,
collective study of the Book of Revelation, and the writings
of the Prophet Daniel, seem to reveal that the first Beast
of Revelation chapter thirteen, and the King of the North
mentioned by the Prophet Daniel, may in fact be one and the
same person. Both prophecies clearly describe the Beast as
being a subtle, smooth-talking, blasphemous politician and
military leader, who will invade Israel; and Daniel makes it
clear that this invasion will originate from somewhere to
the north of Israel.

One widely-held belief amongst Christians, is that the Beast
may originate from Russia. This doctrine is based primarily
upon the premise that the words Gog, Magog, Meschech and
Tubal, which are mentioned by the Prophet Ezekiel in the
thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth chapters of his book, are the
ancient names for the ruler of Russia, and two cities within
that land; Meschech being Moscow, and Tubal being Tubolsk.
However, in all of my Biblical studies, I have never found
any concrete Scriptural evidence which proves that this is
so; thus, while I do not totally reject this possibility, I
do leave such ideas in the realm of speculation. While some
Christians are convinced that the Beast will arise from the
Russia Federation, others suggest that the European Union
will produce this Endtime dictator; who will then lead ten
European nations in his war against Babylon the Great Whore.
Such a scenario is often compared to a resurrection of the
ancient Roman Empire. If this weren't confusing enough, yet
another school of thought suggests that Russia will lead
ten European nations against Babylon the Great Whore.

As I briefly explained in part one, my personal studies have
led me to believe that the Endtime Beast may originate from
the nation of Iran; and if not from Iran, then possibly from
Iraq, Turkey, or Syria. One of the reasons for which I am of
this opinion, is that according to the sources I have read,
the land of Magog may not have been situated as far north as
some people believe; but instead, may correspond to what is
now a part of eastern Turkey or Armenia. Perhaps it may have
even extended down into parts of Syria, although I cannot
prove this with any certainty. In ancient times, this land
area fell under the domination of five empires; Assyria;
Babylonia; Medo-Persia; Greece; and Rome; all of which play
important roles in the prophecies of Daniel, and point us to
the place of origin of the King of the North, or the Beast
of Revelation. In more recent times, I believe this area
fell under the domination of the Ottoman Turk Empire as
well.

It is important to note here that in speaking of these
various empires, and their invasions and domination of the
land of Israel, one thing they have in common, is that
whether they were the Medes and Persians, which correspond
to the modern-day Iranians, and possibly even to the Kurds,
or the Assyrians and the Babylonians, which correspond to
the Iraqis, and even to the Syrians, their common route and
point of invasion into Israel, was from the north; coming
down through what is now called Syria; and quite possibly
through the Golan Heights; whch is the strategic plateau
which is this very moment a strong point of contention
between Israel and Syria. A clear example of this is King
Nebuchadnezzar's final invasion of Jersualem. As I point out
in some of the aforementioned articles, not only was King
Nebuchadnezzar referred to as a great power coming down from
the north, even though Babylon was technically situated east
of Israel, but we are told that this king set up his war
headquarters in Riblah, Syria, then known as the land of
Hamath, where he passed judgment on King Zedekiah's sons,
had them slain, and then had the king's eyes plucked out
before carrying him off to Babylon in chains:

"And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah
saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went
forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's
garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out
the way of the plain. But the Chaldeans' army pursued after
them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and
when they had taken him, they brought him up to
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of
Hamath, where he gave judgment upon him. Then the king of
Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes:
also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah.
Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him with
chains, to carry him to Babylon." Jeremiah 39:4-7, KJV

So it is quite obvious in my mind, that the land area which
stretches from Syria to Turkey to Iraq to Iran appears to be
the focal point of the Endtime prophecies, when discussing
the Beast and the invasion from the north. Not only that,
but one point which they all have in common, is that unlike
Russia, all of these countries are Islamic strongholds;
which would make it even easier for a charismatic Islamic
Beast to unite them in his war against Israel. In fact, even
as I write this, the Russian government has been having some
serious problems with Islamic rebels in the republics of
Chechnya and Dagestan. What is rather ironic regarding this
current conflict with these rebels, is that, as I mention in
some of the aforementioned articles, while I am not of the
opinion that the Beast will arise out of Russia, I do
believe that there is a very high possibility that Russia
will indeed assist the real Beast, and the Ten Horns, or ten
Islamic nations, which follow him, in the invasion and final
destruction of Israel. This same principle applies to China
as well; because both Russia and China have very strategic
interests in the Middle East; and lately, due to NATO's
expansion into former East Bloc countries, and the U.S.-led
bombing of Yugoslavia, Russia and China have been warming up
to each other in a diplomatic sense.

As it is noted in Daniel's writings, this satanic Beast will
establish himself as supreme ruler through his successful
military campaigns and deceitful political negotiations. He
will eventually set up his powerbase in Israel; possibly
right in Jerusalem; all with the assistance of the equally
charismatic False Prophet:

"And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between
the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to
his end, and none shall help him." (Daniel 11:45)

It should be obvious to you then, that the Beast is a cruel
foreign invader to Israel. He cannot be a Jew, because he is
a hater of the Jews and of Israel. His agenda is to invade
Israel, and to destroy the Jewish people, so that the land
can be returned to the Palestinians; and thus finally bring
peace to the Middle East through domination by the Arabs;
which is precisely the objective of the more radical Muslim
nations, primary of which are Iran, Iraq and Syria; and
perhaps Lebanon should be included here as well. While I
have already explained these things in the aforementioned
articles, allow me to once again draw your attention to a
verse which clearly reveals one of the tactics of the Beast
from the north:

"Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange
god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and
he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the
land for gain." Daniel 11:39, KJV

Notice that the Beast will 'divide the land for gain'. Isn't
this precisely the issue which will soon lead to fullscale
war in the Middle East; that is, who will control Gaza, the
West Bank and East Jerusalem? When the Beast invades and
conquers Israel, it seems that we may be being told by the
Prophet Daniel, that he will return the land taken in 1948
and since then, to the Palestinians. Based upon the original
Hebrew words used here, it appears that the Beast may parcel
out the land and sell it to the highest bidders.

Now, let us look at the Anti-Christ for a moment. The set of
verses I shared with you earlier from Paul's second Epistle
to the Church at Thessalonica, clearly describe a powerfully
deceptive religious leader, who will be permitted to sit in
the rebuilt Temple in East Jerusalem, and proclaim himself
'God'. So powerful will be his lying wonders, that we are
told by the Apostle Paul, that the Jews will fall under his
strong delusion, because they have rejected the love of the
truth; that is, they have rejected the truth found in their
very own Scriptures, which clearly states that Jesus Christ
is the one true Messiah:

"And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that
perish; because they received not the love of the truth,
that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send
them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:"
2 Thessalonians 2:10,11, KJV

Clearly then, the lie which the Jews will believe, is that
the Anti-Christ is in fact the true messiah, when he most
certainly is not. Now, allow me to ask you; while a Russian
Beast, or an Islamic Beast could certainly be described as
being anti-christ in nature, being as the Communists deny
God's existence, and the Muslims totally deny that God has a
Son, what could possibly be more anti-christ in nature, or
better said, who could possibly better fit the role of the
Anti-Christ, than one who claims to be the messiah himself;
that is, the false Jewish messiah, Moshiach ben David? Such
a person would epitomize the word 'anti-christ' in its
purest form, would he not? After all, to proclaim oneself as
the 'christ', or 'the anointed one', he must first deny the
true Christ.

While it can be argued that the Beast will invade Jerusalem,
take over the Temple, and then possibly even sit in it and
declare himself 'God', in my mind, this does not seem very
likely. Remember; the Beast is a politician and a military
man, and not a spiritual leader. That is why he needs the
False Prophet; in order to use the Islamic religion as a
tool to get the masses to support him, and to enrage them
against Israel; exactly as the Ayatollah Khamenei is doing
with young Muslim radicals right now. Furthermore, do you
honestly believe that even if the Beast were to take over
the Temple, sit in it, and declare himself 'God', that the
Jews would accept him? Do you honestly believe that they
would accept their most hated enemy and conqueror as their
messiah? As deceived as they may be now concerning the true
Messiahship of Jesus Christ, I simply cannot see them
accepting a Muslim Arab conqueror as their messiah. In my
view, this is a very unlikely scenario, and it doesn't seem
to fit the prophetic picture.

For all of the reasons I have now explained to you, in my
mind it is clear that the foreign invader known as the Beast
is one person, while the person who will sit in the rebuilt
Jewish Temple and declare himself 'God', is another. He is
the 'son of perdition', the son of Satan, the son of the
destroyer, the Anti-Christ, who will convince the rebellious
Jews that he is the real 'christ'; 'the anointed one'; the
messiah; when he is in fact, Satan in the flesh. So while
many Christian teachers and laymen often refer to the Beast
and the Anti-Christ as being one and the same person, I for
one, simply cannot agree with this conclusion. Either these
people believe this due to theological tradition, or because
they have been erroneously taught this by others, or because
they have not personally taken the time to seriously study
the Scriptures on their own, to see exactly what they have
to say regarding this issue.

The main point I wish to stress at this time, is that from
all of the verses we have looked at thus far, we can plainly
see that all of the prophetic writers of the Bible agree
upon one key point; and that is that the Time of the End
will be clearly marked by lies, spiritual deception, strong
delusion, and political intrigue. Allow me to once again
bring to your attention the prophetic words of the Apostle
Paul:

"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,
deceiving, and being deceived." 2 Timothy 3:13, KJV

Even the political Beast is described in this manner, as we
see by the following verses from the Book of Daniel, which
clearly expose his true attitude towards the coming Holy
Covenant, which will bring a temporary plastic peace to the
land of Israel:

"And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and
they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not
prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and
his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall
do exploits, and return to his own land. At the time
appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it
shall not be as the former, or as the latter. For the ships
of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be
grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy
covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have
intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. And
arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the
sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily
sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh
desolate. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall
he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their
God shall be strong, and do exploits."
Daniel 11:27-32, KJV

The 'he' in the above verses is referring to the Beast whom
we discussed earlier. As I explain in other articles, the
covenant mentioned here is believed by myself, and by many
other eschatologists, to be a peace treaty or accord which
will primarily involve the Jews and the Arabs. Other less
direct participants may possibly include the United States
of America, Russia, and according to some sources, perhaps
even the Vatican; which has not hid its desire to declare
Jerusalem an international city, as was first suggested in
1947 according to U.N. Resolution 181. At this current time,
it is widely speculated that the difficult land-for-peace
negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians, may
be the prophesied covenant. In earlier verses, we saw that
this treaty is referred to as a 'holy covenant'; which is a
strong indication that it will be in some way related to the
reconstruction of Solomon's Temple on the Temple Mount, or
Mount Moriah, in East Jerusalem where the al-Aqsa Mosque and
the Dome of the Rock now stand. As you may already know, the
last Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Roman General
Titus; exactly as had been prophesied by Jesus in Matthew
chapter twenty-four:

"And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his
disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the
temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these
things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here
one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down."
(Matthew 24:1-2)

The Jewish Temple has not been rebuilt since then, and this
holy site has been a major point of contention between the
Palestinians and the Israelis who both claim it as a central
part of their religious worship. This tension revolving
around the Temple Mount was heightened following the 1967
'Six-Day War', when Moshe Dyan gave the Muslims jurisdiction
over the site. Since that time, organizations such as the
Temple Mount Faithful have made attempts to begin rebuilding
the Temple, only to be met by resistance from both their own
government, as well as from the Palestinians. At times, this
has resulted in bloody confrontations. As of the time of
this writing, the Israelis and the Palestinians are testing
each other's patience, as Palestinian President, Yasser
Arafat, and Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, work towards
the full implementation of the Wye River Memorandum, as had
been agreed upon by Barak's hawkish predecessor, Benjamin
Netanyahu.

Even if Arafat does manage to gain control of another 13.5
per cent of the West Bank through the full implementation of
the Wye Accord, this is still only one small victory for the
Palestinians, as the main hurdle still lies ahead; and that
is the final status talks which will decide the fate of East
Jerusalem. The Palestinians have made clear that they want
it for the capital of their Palestinian State, while the
Jews have made equally clear that they consider all of the
holy city as their eternal capital, and will never surrender
any of it to them. It is this most difficult point, which
may ultimately lead to the wars of the Beast, as we saw
earlier.

While many Christians are rather certain that the current
peace negotiations will ultimately lead to the prophesied
seven-year Holy Covenant, and some erroneously believe that
it has already been signed, personally, I am not yet fully
convinced that all of the right parties are involved at this
time. As we saw earlier, the Holy Covenant must involve the
King of the North, also known as the Beast, who will then
work deceitfully from behind the scenes, in order to defeat
the accord. Remember; as is quite common in modern politics,
the Kings of the North and the South are going to sit at one
table, signing peace documents, smiling at each other and
shaking hands, while all the while, there is treachery and
mischief in both of their hearts. Here again is the verse I
shared earlier:

"And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and
they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not
prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed."
Daniel 11:27, KJV

Unless we accept Yasser Arafat as being the King of North,
and the Israeli Prime Minister as the King of the South,
which I don't, then it makes it a bit difficult to accept
that the current peace talks are the actual seven-year Holy
Covenant. It is for this reason that I still suspect that
Syrian president Hafez al-Assad, or possibly his son, may be
the real King of the North. While Egypt and Jordan have made
peace with Israel, Syria has not; although with the recent
election of Ehud Barak as the new Israeli Prime Minister,
President al-Assad has dropped hints that perhaps he is
finally willing to enter serious peace talks with the Jews.
Of course, one of the key issues will be the return of the
Golan Heights to Syria. As I have told my regular readers,
with the devasting earthquake which shook Turkey on August
17, 1999, which destroyed thousands of buildings, killed
thousands of people, left thousands more homeless, and which
also resulted in the death of many of Turkey's top naval
officers, it will be interesting to see if Syria will take
advantage of the chaos, turmoil and civil unrest in Turkey,
which happens to be Assad's rival, and Israel's military
ally, in order to make a grab for the Golan Heights.

As a final point, it is believed by some people that Yasser
Arafat and the radical Palestinians take their orders from
al-Assad. If the Syrian president doesn't want peace, then
there will be no peace. On the other hand, if the current
talks were to evolve to where they involved both al-Assad,
the Golan Heights, the Palestinians, and the fate of East
Jerusalem, then I would be more inclined to believe that
these are the negotiations which will lead to the seven-year
Holy Covenant; but even then, there is still the need for
the King of the South to become involved as well; and from
my studies, I have concluded that he pertains to Egypt. One
thing is for certain; when an accord is signed which makes
possible the reconstruction of the Jewish Temple, and the
commencement of the Jewish daily sacrifices, and if the
clauses in some way include a seven-year period, then we can
be relatively certain that we are looking at the right Holy
Covenant. Until that time, let's all be patient, and not be
too quick to jump to erroneous conclusions, as is the manner
of some to do.

In contrast to the dark scenario described in the previous
paragraphs, we must ask ourselves: If the Beast, the False
Prophet, the Anti-Christ, and the Devil's crowd in general
will be performing all of these things, what exactly will
the people of God be doing; that is, those who are aware of
and familiar with these ancient prophecies? Based upon the
following Scriptures found in the Book of the Prophet Joel,
a number of Christians, such as those who participate in the
so-called 'five-fold ministries' in the United States of
America, believe that we too will be performing miracles and
mighty wonders in order to counter Satan's strong delusion:

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out
my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young
men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon
the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I
will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood,
and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into
darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the
terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass,
that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be
delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be
deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom
the LORD shall call." (Joel 2:28-32)

As I point out in the series 'Have You Been Slain In The
Spirit?' and related articles, I have a real problem with
how these revivalist Christians have interpretted these
verses. While they are convinced that Joel's words are a
promise of a second Day of Pentecost in the Latter Days,
during which time God's Holy Spirit will once again be
poured out, thus resulting in many great signs and wonders
being performed by the Lord's children, everything I have
read and studied in His Word, seems to indicate the exact
opposite.

Even now, within the United States of America, there is
widespread talk within the 'five-fold ministries' of how God
is currently raising up His apostles and prophets, who have
already begun to perform these supposed mighty works of the
Lord. The spirit of false prophecy is particularly running
rampant from what I have observed. Some of the testimonies I
have read definitely seem to indicate that some of these men
are becoming little lords and dictators over their flocks
through the display of these false signs. Rather than go
into great detail here, since it is already amply explained
in the aforementioned series, let me simply state that my
understanding is that the Time of the End will be the time
of the Children of Darkness, and a time of delusion, and not
the time of the Children of Light. Our time is almost over.

If you take the time to read 'Have You Been Slain In The
Spirit?', you will plainly see that God's Spirit is being
withdrawn; the Light is being withdrawn; as the world turns
more against the Lord and His children with each passing
year. Everything we have seen thus far in this current
series as well, points to this time of darkness, and strong
delusion and deception; which will also be marked by stiff
persecution against the Lord's children. It is indeed tragic
that this demon-inspired deception has infiltrated the Body
of Christ; and is currently being manifested through so many
false doctrines and false signs, which are eagerly being
accepted by those who know not the Scriptures. While I am
not personally convinced that God's Endtime children will be
doing great signs and wonders as is currently believed by
the 'five-fold ministry' crowd, let us not forget that, as I
mentioned in part one, the exception to the rule will be the
Two Sackcloth Witnesses, who will bear testimony against the
unbelievers in the streets of Jerusalem during the three and
a half years of the Great Tribulation.

In addition to this fact, I also believe that we will, and
already are, doing mighty works in a different way. The
Prophet Daniel offered some insight into the activities of
God's children during the Latter Days when he wrote the
following verses which I shared a moment ago:

"And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he
corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God
shall be strong, and do exploits. And they that understand
among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by
the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many
days." Daniel 11:32,33, KJV

In the previous verses, Daniel informs us that 'the people
that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. And
they that understand among the people shall instruct many'.
The questions which arise from these verses are: Who are the
people to whom the Prophet is referring, and exactly what
are these exploits which he mentions? These verses are open
to a number of different interpretations. While those who
embrace the American revival idea might be quick to point
out that these verses can only be referring to Christians of
the Endtime who will be performing many signs and wonders, I
must truly question whether or not this is what is meant by
the Prophet.

One point which I frequently emphasize, is that we all need
to remember that many of the prophecies of the Endtime are
Israel-specific. That being the case, one school of thought
suggests that Daniel's words might be referring to the IDF,
or Israeli Defense Force, which will be valiantly fighting
against the invading Muslim hordes of the Islamic Beast. The
problem which I have with this interpretation, is that those
people who adhere to this interpretation, also believe that
God is then going to miraculously defend the Jews, and give
them great victory over the overwhelming Arab forces. This
victory may possibly be inspired, and led by, their false
messiah, Moshiach ben David, whom I have speculated to be
the Anti-Christ. To support this view, they point to the
prophecies of Gog and Magog in the Book of Ezekiel, in which
the forces from the north are destroyed by God.

While I do concur that the Lord will eventually intervene in
the affairs of men in the Middle East war, I do not believe
that it will happen until the final Battle of Armageddon,
after the Jews have been soundly humbled and defeated, and
the city of Jerusalem quite possibly destroyed by nuclear
fire, as a token of God's loving, but severe, chastisement
against the majority of the unbelieving Jews. This thought
is amply explained in the article 'Revelation's Babylon The
Great Whore'. Please notice that in the previous verses,
Daniel also says 'yet they shall fall by the sword, and by
flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days'. These events
concerning the invasion of Jerusalem are also thoroughly
discussed in such series as 'The Great Tribulation And The
Rapture'. The point is, because they are trusting in their
own military might, instead of in the Lord, God is going to
allow the Jews to be smitten by their enemies. Consider the
following verses:

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will
remember the name of the LORD our God." Psalms 20:7, KJV

"Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the
word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor
by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts."
Zechariah 4:6, KJV

"For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle;
and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the
women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into
captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut
off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight
against those nations, as when he fought in the day of
battle." Zechariah 14:2,3, KJV

Go To Part Two...