The Political, Theological, and Spiritual Aspects of "Globalism"

     That word globalism ... It is a word bandied about in this political season, and depending on who is using it, it can mean a common-sense word for the necessary global exchanges in an increasingly interconnected world -- like trade, legal immigration, and the cooperation and sharing of ideas across borders.  Think of it as kind of a benign worldwide partnership, if you will, with no borders to hinder relationships.  But, in the hands of malevolent minds, it turns into an ideology and near-religion; focused on a one-world government.
     What concerns me is the effort to equate globalism with Christianity.  Those who promote the secular belief in globalism will tell you that just like the Church, their ideology is global; and just like the Kingdom of God, there are no borders.  But here's the question that they can't -- or won't -- answer:  Exactly how does the Kingdom of God fit into this collective ideology?  Who decides the value systems of that global cooperative?
     Because, as I have discussed before, the Kingdom of God is the government of God; how He rules His people, as King, through His people.  It is the realm in which He rules, and it is His rules that we are governed by.  Are the globalists prepared to accept that condition?  I think not.  And that's because a world in which globalism rules will be a world in which the righteousness, justice, and peace of Jesus has no place.  Globalism spawns a world of evil and injustice; rather than peace, there is conflict; and rather than joy, there will be misery.
   

     There is one thing we better get clear on ... it doesn't matter whether it is a politician, the United Nations, or the Pope touting globalist ideology; it will mean that there will be no truth, or mercy, or knowledge of God in the land.  The social justice message [justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within the world] is one meant to soothe our guilty souls over the injustice perpetrated by godless men.  Globalists will promise it, but they cannot deliver.
     To begin with, the very idea of no borders or boundaries is antithetical to our knowledge about God and His character.  The Bible is full of examples of God setting boundaries, beginning with the boundary He set for Adam and Eve to abstain from eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Later, throughout the Old Testament, God establishes boundaries and borders for the nations, with the Bible stating in Job 12:23, He makes nations great, and destroys them; he extends the boundaries of nations and disperses them.
     And now that very knowledge of how God established the nations is threatened by this humanistic religion focused on globalism.  The Globalists claim that the world can come together in a spirit of human cooperation and understanding; that there is a global "truth" that can bind us together as one.  But true wisdom and understanding always begin with the knowledge of God.  When the people of the world forsake the knowledge of God, soon truth and mercy are both gone. Truth must be rooted in something more than our personal opinion, and mercy means going beyond our own self-interest.
     If the world adopts this globalist attitude and policies, the knowledge of God will be left behind.  And when truth and mercy are lost, there is no longer any restraint against our human nature.  We already see that idea promoted in our advertising campaigns ... No rules, just right; Just do it; Break all the rules; Peel off your inhibitions and find your own road ... The message is the same: You make your own rules. You answer to no one. You are the one that matters. Your universe revolves around you. You should only restrain yourself if you want to.

Tower of Babel:  The world tries its hand
in another failed attempt to control humanity.

     But here is what we need to deeply understand:  When man will not, or cannot restrain himself, bloodshed and destruction follow.  And that is at the heart of the anti-Christ spirit at work in the globalist ideology.  An article by Fay Voshell at The American Thinker website stated it perfectly:  "Like the Christian vision of the universal Kingdom of God, the religion of secular globalism claims universality, but [it] is an earthly minded substitute for the Church universal. The Christian vision sees the Church universal as God's kingdom ruling the earth. The religion of globalism sees an earthly, utopian world order in which all men pay allegiance to elite priests who rule over a World City without national borders."  Isn't that ultimately what Nimrod was trying to accomplish at the Tower of Babel?  
     Ms. Voshell goes on to point out that the idea of "globalism" is really nothing new.  This idea of a "new world vision" is the same one that has given birth to all empires.  "Whether the vision of Hellenization dreamed of by Alexander the Great; whether the vision of eternal Rome ruled by demi-god Caesars; whether the vision of a Thousand Year Reich ruled by a noble race; whether the vision of a global communist international brotherhood in which the common man was to reign -- the actualization of the imperial, earthly vision of man is always the same. Human beings are regarded as units to be ruled by powerful others. Human beings are enslaved."
     It is all the same message, from the same Anti-Christ spirit, meant to strip us of our individual uniqueness; take away our belief in something greater than ourselves; and ultimately replace the Judeo/Christian concept of the human being with a de-gendered, robotic and compliant unit -- a nonperson who is merely a number in the  soulless world collective.
     It really all comes down to this ... the political and social concept of globalism is a useful tool for God's Enemy to introduce an anti-Christ religion that believes in nothing [and everything] -- all at the same time.  But that is no real faith at all.  When we are all reduced to a unit, or some other kind of nonentity, we have nothing to be loyal to, or faithful to.  We do not see the value in a human being, let alone see ourselves as spiritual beings made in the image of our Creator.  And then we have nothing to believe in, and we are easily enslaved to a new world order in which the Enemy determines our value.  It is a world governed without God's moral system and righteousness, without His Truth, without His Justice, and without His Love and Mercy.  The catchwords of universalism, secularism, and globalism are meant to appeal to our human desire for world peace and equality among all men.  But, in reality, they are designed to strip us of our unique individualism and our identity as a distinct and unequaled Child of God.  We don't need a new world order ... we all need to identify as citizens of the Kingdom of God.  And when that day comes, it will be YHWH's system of government and His authority that will rule and reign on this earth!

Daniel 2:44   "And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever..."





   
   

Taking Another Look At "The Veils" Of Our Existence

     Nearly three-and-a-half years ago, I wrote a post titled The Veils Of Our Existence.  It was based on a theory proposed by the late Don Harkin, former Editor of The Idaho Observer.  Mr. Harkin suggested the existence of a world system of Power-Elites that the masses don't comprehend because these Power-Elites have cleverly developed a virtual pasture so green that few people seldom, if ever, bother to look up from where they are grazing to notice that they are being led over the cliff.
     Three-and-a-half years ago, my level of understanding of these "veils" did not include the spiritual battle that was being waged at each stage.  I still think each of these stages exists and is valid, and in order to progress to a higher understanding of just how we are to maneuver through this existence called life, we must be able to pierce each successive veil and move to the next level.  It is part of our human journey on this earth... only now, I see this journey with the added benefit of spiritual eyes. So I would like to revisit this interesting speculation, and add a new spiritual perspective to Mr. Harkins' conjecture.  I'm interested to know how many of you have grown in your understanding, as well.
       The First Veil = Politics. There are over 7 billion+ people on the planet.  Most of them will live and die without seriously thinking about anything other than what it takes to live and breathe for one more day.  That means that 90% of all humanity will live behind this first veil and never pierce it.  That leaves 10% of us who will vote, be active in our societies and have an opinion.  Our opinions are often shaped by government officials, MSM or other "experts" who claim to be voices of authority.  But of those with an opinion, 90% will never really think for themselves and will adopt the opinion of others, while 10% will pierce the second veil and move forward in their thinking.
     My New Perspective:  All this remains true, but now I see that there are spiritual forces behind those involved in the government, Mainstream Media, and "experts", or voices of authority.  Of those of us within the 10% who form their own opinion, how many understand that politics is not the answer -- that our power will not come from our affiliation with whomever wins elections, but from Jesus Christ?  And what small percentage of that 10% realizes that our time on this earth should not be spent supporting man-made power structures, but using our power from Christ to "do the things He has done, only greater"? (John 14:12).
     The Second Veil = History.  There will be 10% of us who will explore the world of history, the relationship between man and government, which will lead to the meaning of self-government through constitutional and common law.  Ninety percent of this group will live and die without going on to pierce the third veil.
     My New Perspective:  The Constitution is no longer my route to real freedom.  Man's laws and self-government will only get me so far.  My true freedom lies in letting Jesus heal my spiritual wounds, and recognizing that I don't have to suffer the "fiery darts" of the Enemy.  The history that consumes me now are the experiences of those -- both from the ancient world, and the modern -- who have learned what it means to transcend the tyranny and oppression from the spiritual realm to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.  That is true freedom.
     The Third Veil = Resources of the World.  Of the group that pierces this veil, 10% of us will come to realize that the masses are controlled by extremely wealthy and powerful families whose old world assets have been manipulated to become the foundation upon which the world's economy is currently indebted.  (Think Rothschilds, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, the Royal Monarchs).  But sadly, 90% of this group will never pierce the fourth veil.
     My New Perspective:  Yes, the masses are controlled by these extremely wealthy and powerful families; and behind them are the spiritual forces of wickedness and evil.  I believe that they have sold their souls for earthly wealth and power that will prove false when the Day of Judgment comes.

 The Fourth Veil = The Illuminati, Freemasonry and other secret societies.  There are 10% of us that recognize these societies use symbols and perform ceremonies that transfer mysterious knowledge that is used to keep us ordinary people in political, economic and spiritual bondage to the oldest bloodlines on earth.  This has been seen frequently at Super Bowl halftime shows (Beyonce flashing "the Rockefeller" sign; Madonna sporting symbols of the occult) and during the Grammy's (Nikki Minaj's ode to "Roman", the demon whom she says possesses her).  Just check out the Youtube videos for each of these demonstrations!  But once again, 90% of those who have reached this level of understanding will never pierce the fifth veil.
     My New Perspective:  Boy, has my understanding of this grown in the last few years!  The Lord has shown me just how much devastation has been sown on families steeped in these secret societies.  The oaths and curses taken during secret ritual ceremonies have resulted in great oppression among many Christians, who don't even know these secret societies have permeated their families or their Churches!  And the evidence that these societies have infiltrated our entertainment industry is overwhelming.  I am literally seeing the signs and symbols everywhere I look throughout our culture.  Sadly, I believe that our country is steeped in the occult mysticism associated with these groups, and they are influencing every area of our lives.
     The Fifth Veil = Technological advances by these Secret Societies. I may lose some of you at this point, but I urge you to do your own research and study the Bible in depth.  There are hints of the knowledge behind this fifth veil, but you have to be willing to connect the dots.  There are 10% who make it this far in their understanding who learn that the secret societies are so far advanced technologically that they are able to do things that were considered science fiction just decades ago.  The inventions of Ray Kurzweil and his prediction of "man's singularity with computers" is an example of such advanced technology.  But what's interesting is that this technology is actually ancient, and compares to what Nimrod was trying to accomplish at the Tower of Babel; namely to become like God.    Are we getting dangerously close to that concept again?  Nearly 90% will never get beyond this understanding to the sixth veil.
     My New Perspective:  To say that technology has surpassed science fiction is putting it mildly.  Human-animal hybrids are being created in Great Britain, and a surgeon plans to reanimate human corpses.  Books are being written that tell us immortality is accessible to everyone, outside of any religious worldview.  Inventors and artists openly admit that they are "channeling" spiritual sources of knowledge.  All this is being downloaded from entities in the spiritual realm to control and deceive the human race.  We better understand who we're dealing with.
       The Sixth Veil = Aliens and Monsters may be real.  It is going to take a huge leap for the 10% who get to this level of understanding.  But if you study your Bible closely, you will see mention of fallen angels mating with earthly women to give birth to Nephalim (Giants) (Genesis 6:4 and 2 Samuel 21:20, for example).  There are many modern-day Biblical scholars who are prepared to say that the minotaurs of old and the UFO and alien sightings of today are evidence of these fallen angels.
     My New Perspective:  My how far we've come in these last three-and-a-half years!  The growth of the remnant of the Church who understands the truth of Genesis 6 has been astounding!  I know that there are "spiritual monsters" and they are called demons.  I have encountered them in deliverance sessions, and seen them stare out of the eyes of people who had no idea they were being oppressed by them.  Savage and brutal and bizarre attacks upon people are increasing and are evidence that the Enemy is bringing the spiritual battle to our physical world.  Although, yes, these demons are real, we should have no fear because He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world.
     If you have made it this far and can conceive of the concepts behind the sixth veil, then perhaps you can see that what waits for us behind The Seventh Veil = Peace of the Lord.  It's hard to imagine, but I can foresee a small group of people whose soul is so evolved that they can exist on this earth, yet be unafraid of the evil that abounds in this realm.  The only way I can describe it is to have such peace from God that you are unafraid of death.
     My New Perspective:  Actually, my perspective has moved in a new direction on this veil.  It's not such a small group that sees the evil ascending on the earth from the second heaven, or spiritual realm.  These last few years has seen an amazing growth in this knowledge within the Body of Christ.  It's as if the Holy Spirit has done a massive data dump upon Christians!  We not only know that and discern this spiritual warfare, but we also have been given the knowledge that we have the Authority of Jesus to fight [in this war] through the Power of the Holy Spirit.  And that's where our Peace comes from... knowing that we can rebuke the devil and he will flee; knowing that the Lord is our banner in this fight and goes before us; and we know that Jesus will not only never leave us nor forsake us, but He who began a good work in us will complete it.  That is called Peace!
     That brings us to Harkins' Eighth veil, which can only be the pure energy, authority and life force that is God.  We can only hope to tap into that Power, and I think the closest we can come to that is to seek a personal, intimate relationship with the One True God, the Ruler of the Universe and abide in Him.
     My New Perspective:  Yes, a personal, intimate relationship is necessary to tap into that Power, but it is incumbent upon each of us to know that it is available to us.  We are not to be mindless robots, sitting idly by waiting for God to win this war all by Himself.  We are created in His image, exhorted to imitate Christ, and called to an inheritance in Christ.  He dwells in us!  That energy, authority and life force are not to be squandered, but used to gain ground in defeating the Enemy in our lives!
     So, as you can see, with each veil of understanding that is pierced, the number of people "who see" gets exponentially smaller.  When I first wrote this blog post over three years ago, I saw mainly through "worldly" eyes.  I was focused on "the low information voter", and the gullible citizens who I saw as useful idiots and tools of the state.  I actually thought my vote really mattered and changing the politics of the nation would solve the world's problems.  I didn't see the spiritual component.
     I can honestly say that I believe I am at that Eighth veil, and I so grateful to my Lord and the Holy Spirit for helping me to see through the murkiness of the veils and how they obscured my vision of God's Truth.  I see that my existence here on earth is more than just this physical realm, and my victory in this life depends on my readiness to work with Jesus and the Holy Spirit to do battle with the spiritual realm.  I now truly know that I do not battle against flesh and blood, but have the Authority and Power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit to free myself of spiritual bondage.
     I will admit that it's a long road to progress through these veils, and if you are just beginning to awaken to their reality, then I hope you can see that living, breathing and thinking are just the beginning to greater understanding.  And there is nothing to fear... we know that victory is ours in the next life.  Until then, it an honor to stand for our Lord and represent Him to all we come in contact with, and to help others to push through the veils.  As we teach them the meaning of each obstruction, and show them how to move to the next stage, it will be one less obstacle between them and God.  That is a goal worthy of effort by every Christian.

2 Corinthians 3:16-17      "Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.  Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."

"Stranger Things": Seeing This Secular Production Through Spiritual Eyes

     With a nod to nerds and the popularity of science fiction, the Netflix series Stranger Things has taken the entertainment industry by storm.  It has been interesting to hear the disparate reactions of those whose spirits discern a dark, spiritual undertone, and those who just see the slick and scary surface image that Hollywood is so good at projecting.
     I wanted to write this particular post because I want Christians to start seeing the world through spiritual eyes.  I want them to begin discerning the spiritual warnings that are hidden in plain sight, so they can be prepared; with their spiritual armor on and the Sword of the Spirit at the ready!
     Why do I think it is important enough to talk about this specific mini-series?  Because this is one more instance of the New World Order [as an agent of satan] revealing their agenda and de-sensitizing us to what they have planned.  I find it very interesting that the series was originally titled Montauk, which references The Montauk Project, an alleged series of secret United States government projects conducted at Camp Hero (or Montauk Air Force Station) on Montauk, Long Island for the purpose of developing psychological warfare techniques and exotic research including time travel.  Other alleged experiments by our government and military included teleportation, mind control, contact with alien life and staging faked Apollo Moon landings.  If nothing else, the allegations about The Montauk Project certainly served as the inspiration for the popular mini-series.
     While there are those who might consider all this just a bunch of conspiracy theories, I cannot discount them as such.  There is simply far too much research and interviews with people who claim they were involved with the project.  And it certainly explains some of the strange occurrences and violence we are seeing in the world today.  Add to this the speculation that The Montauk Project was an extension of the Philadelphia Project, an effort to study the possibility of rendering things and people invisible.

     Here's a little of that history:  In 1933, Nikola Tesla, famed inventor, physicist, electrical engineer, and futurist worked with a coalition of scientists at the California Institute of Technology which included Albert Einstein, Dr. John Erich Von Neumann, and later a team of scientists that were coming to the U.S. from Germany until WW II started in 1939.  All this led to the Philadelphia Project, which was an alleged military experiment that is said to have been carried out by the U.S. Navy at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania some time around October 28, 1943. The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Eldridge (DE-173) was claimed to have been rendered invisible (or "cloaked") to enemy devices. 
     The fact that Tesla was involved in both the Philadelphia Project and the Montauk Project -- he was Chief Director of Operations --  makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck.  If you recall an earlier blog post I wrote, in which I connected the dots between Tesla and Fallen Angel Technology, you will understand why.  (I wrote that post nearly two years ago, and to this day, I get comments that decry my suggestion that Tesla's experiments with energy and light involved information he received from demonic entities).
     But the truth is that Tesla and others were hired by the government to work with energy reactors and light streams to rip a hole in the atmosphere (otherwise known as portals) -- all under the guise of experimenting with electricity, but with a clandestine plan to look into other realms.  Think about it, the best scientific minds in mathematics and physics all come together to work at the same facility, and you can honestly say they would be incapable of developing space-time quantum physics?  Yet, that's just what they did; bending physics in the atmosphere and opening up holes into other dimensional realms.  The results were other-worldly, to say the least, and you can read more in-depth details here.
      Naysayers will label these claims as hoaxes and say none of the allegations about the experiments have ever been proven.  Yet, here are few of the assertions about the experiments that took place, and they sound eerily familiar and would explain some of the bizarre events we are witnessing today:
•  Homeless people and orphans were abducted and subjected to huge amounts of electromagnetic radiation to test mind control technology and remote brain programming. Few survived.  Doesn't that make you wonder about this statistic from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: roughly 800,000 children are reported missing each year in the United States -- that's roughly 2,000 per day. Of those, there are 115 child "stranger abduction" cases each year, which means the child was taken by an unknown person.
•  Mind control experiments were conducted and runaway and kidnapped boys were abducted and brought out to the base where they underwent excruciating periods of both physical and mental torture in order to break their minds; then their minds were re-programmed. Many were supposedly killed during the process and buried on the site. Others were released with programming as mind-slaves with alternate personalities to be sleeper cells who could be activated to perform missions.  Doesn't that make you wonder about the unexplained incidents whereby normal people suddenly "snap" and commit horrendous crimes?  Wouldn't this be a valuable weapon in the hands of evil people who wanted to do great harm to this country?
•  Contact was made with alien extraterrestrials through the Time Tunnel and technology was exchanged with them which enhanced the project. This allowed broader access to "hyperspace".  This makes me think of the Tower of Babel and if it isn't possible that Nimrod, who "began to become a mighty one" received advanced technological information in order to know how to construct a tower that would reach to heaven.  And wouldn't that mean a hole in the atmosphere would have to be made?  Was that the first portal? And were Tesla and his cohorts just continuing that exchange of advanced ideas?

•  Mass psychological experiments, such as the use of enormous subliminal messages projects and the creation of a "Men in Black" corps to confuse and frighten the public, were invented there.  We see all of this in the spectacular mini-series Stranger Things.  The series points to mind control, subliminal messages, DNA experimentations to create hybrids, and time travel, which all speak of spiritual warfare to me.
     I know there will be many who ask why I am even bothering with this topic, or who fail to see the connection to parallel universes, overlapping dimensions, and real evil.  What does it have to  do with Scripture or what God wants us to know?  Well, have you considered that in Isaiah, Chapter 38, God adds 15 years to Hezekiah's life, and turns the sun backwards 10 degrees?  Both of these events would seem to indicate distortion of time.  And what about Jesus's warning of "As it was in the days of Noah"?  I certainly see the indication of demon spirits or evil angelic beings trying to pollute and corrupt the human race through forced DNA experimentation.
     And it does not escape my notice that all this, plus the theme of Stranger Things, furthers the theory of "ancient aliens" being promoted by the History Channel; a theory that in ancient history, extraterrestrials landed on Earth, where they were hailed as gods and helped shape human knowledge by giving primitive man the knowledge of the solar system, concepts of engineering and mathematics, and knowledge that became the basis for humanity's religions and cultures.
    Then take it one step further, and consider what the miniseries suggests; that mankind, in their attempt to gain more power by harnessing the knowledge of otherworldly entities have crossed the line, opening portals that have allowed these evil entities to enter our dimension.  That is essentially the fear that surrounds projects like the Large Hadron Collider at Cern.
     I know this all sounds completely crazy, but can you see it yet?  Technology has always been a tool that the Enemy has used to entice man to help the false god set up his kingdom on earth.  And one branch of that technology has created the entertainment industry, which not only shows us what the Adversary's mission and plan is for mankind on earth, but lulls us into an acceptance of it by subliminal messages and repetitive conditioning.  Stranger Things may look like just another harmless science fiction show with scary monsters, but I contend that it is mirroring the planned spiritual attacks that will be launched by another round of fallen angels that will visit the earth ... just like in the "days of Noah".
     So it is okay to enjoy this fantastically entertaining mini-series, and to look forward to a much-anticipated Season Two.  Just know what you're really being shown; look at it beyond the surface level and discern the message with spiritual eyes.  Yes, it's a message of a corrupt and nefarious government, but it's also a picture of a very real and physical spiritual war that is prophesied in the Bible.  There's a reason those of us with spiritual discernment are seeing beyond the obvious...

Revelation 12:9   "And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him."

   
   

Another Move In The Cosmic Chess Match!

     If you are like most Americans, you may be a little confused by all the media coverage of "Brexit", and what, if anything, it has to do with us.  In case, you're not quite sure what that is, let me put it in simple terms... Brexit stands for the British exit from the European Union, and this move comes with lots of implications, both from a current worldview and from a Biblical perspective.  Follow my train of thought ...
     You may remember that, in the past, I have referred to a cosmic chess match between God and satan.  If you can, I want you to picture it like this:  On one side is the Most High God and His army of angels, led by the archangel Michael, "the great Prince".  On the other side is Lucifer, or the devil, and his army of rulers, powers, and spiritual forces of wickedness.  And they battle in the spiritual realm, resulting in consequences in this earthly realm.

     Focusing in on this cosmic chess match a little closer, and we see two armies, if you will; one led by Michael, identified as an angel (messenger), and whose name means "who is like God".  I contend that there is a good argument that the title "Michael the archangel" can be translated as "The greatest messenger who is God", or Jesus.  The other army is led by an angel once known as Lucifer, the anointed cherub who was the guardian of God's throne.  But pride, which caused him to seek to overthrow God, resulted in him being cast away from God and out of Heaven, where he is still seeking to dethrone God by working from the spiritual realm through men on earth.
     So what does this have to do with Brexit, and why should we, as Christians, find any meaning in it?  The most recognizable Scripture that embodies the premise of this cosmic chess match is found in Genesis 11, and the story of the Tower of Babel.  You will remember that at the beginning of this story, the Bible tells us that "the whole earth spoke one language and used the same words".  According to the story, a united humanity of all the generations following the Great Flood, speaking a single language and migrating from the east, came to the land of Shinar.  There, in their arrogance and self-glorification, they agreed to build a city and a tower "tall enough to reach heaven"; seeing this, God confounded their speech so that they could no longer understand each other and scattered them around the world.
      In Hebrew and Christian tradition, Nimrod is considered the leader of those who built the Tower of Babel in the land of Shinar, though the Bible never actually states this.  But Nimrod's kingdom included the city of Babel in Shinar, and it was likely under his direction that the building of Babel and its tower began.  But remember the part of Scripture that relates that Nimrod "began to be mighty in the earth"?  It is my belief that after God cleansed the earth with the Flood (a bold move on the cosmic chess board), satan began to plot his strategy.  The name Nimrod, in Hebrew, means "rebel", and I think satan revived his own spirit of rebellion in Nimrod, and used him to build a tower from which satanically influenced men could assault heaven itself.  God's next move was to scatter the people into separate nations, speaking different languages, so they could not form a unified coalition again.
     Throughout history, satan has attempted to infiltrate this earthly realm and influence, or revive, his rebellious spirit in men who would further his cause to defy God.  Every time satan used an Antiochus Epiphanes or a Hitler to spread his evil on the earth and separate men from God's will to reconcile with them, God would counter his move and put an end to the wickedness.
     And now, through the spiritual eyes of men much smarter than me, I am beginning to see another set of moves on the cosmic chess board.  On his website, shoebat.com, Walid Shoebat contends that the European Union was a move by satan to, once again, build a coalition to establish his earthly authority, from which he could institute a global (or one-world) government to control the earth and destroy God's people.  If he can't have Heaven, then he'll take the earth for his throne.
      By moving towards a common currency and governing body for all of Europe, satan saw his chance to thwart God's long-ago move to scatter the people at the Tower of Babel and create independent nations.  With an encroaching one-world government and global currency system, it would set up satan's future plan that no one can buy or sell without complying with his currency system, the mark of the beast.  And his move was a good one!  The nations of Europe were subject to the governing rules of the EU, and were losing their autonomy and ability to self-rule.  And perhaps satan's greatest evil intentions came through the forced acceptance of Muslim refugees among the EU countries, and the influx of jihadist ideology.

     But does the exit of Britain signal God's next chess move?  Could He be setting the stage for a break-up of the European Union, and the re-establishment of His independent and sovereign nations that He began at the Tower of Babel?  Certainly, Britain's exit has stirred similar thoughts among the governments of Scotland, France, and Spain.
     Walid Shoebat, in his article, takes it a step further, stating:  We are beginning to see the signs of a future split in Europe, even states within states, separating between sheep and goat nations where France, parts of Italy, Spain and Portugal will be destined as sheep nations, while Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and the Baltic states or major parts of these will remain liberal and anti-God; to be destined as goat nations. Austria could go sheep or goat, we do not know.  
     Interesting concept, isn't it?  Please take the time to read his entire article, it is fascinating and not without Scriptural support.  Is it accurate?  Only God knows.  But I am certain that Brexit is an indication of a major shift in the cosmic war in the spiritual realm.  In the coming days, you will hear the media discuss the worldly implications -- effects on the world economy, global trade, immigration, etc. -- but I am more interested in the spiritual ramifications.  How will it affect the spiritual foundations of the nations, and on whose side will they align themselves?  Will there be a renewed interest in seeking God, or will secularism and jihadism continue their march across the globe?  
     A case can be made for Shoebat's assertion that Brexit is the beginning of a move by God.  Consider his statement: "If a one world government is to take place or a European Union is to control the entire continent, how then will God “divide the nations”? How then will “nation war against nation, kingdom against kingdom” and how will God “divide the nations” “sheep from goats”?  Whether this is just an isolated set of circumstances, or we see the entire dismantlement of the EU, and nations sliding toward the end-times prophecies remains to be seen.  But of this, I am certain:  the cosmic chess match will continue; with God countering every move that satan makes until His complete plan for His reconciliation with man is accomplished.  Then it will be checkmate with the return of Jesus!  For now, all I need to know is that there is a battle plan in the spiritual realm to rule the earth, and I know which side I'm on.

1 John 3:8        "He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning.  For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil."
   

The Truth Behind Those May Day Clashes

   

     This last weekend, we witnessed the annual public homage to anarchy as expressed in May Day riots and protests.  Flares, bricks and Molotov cocktails were thrown at police in Seattle in an effort to communicate hatred for anti-capitalism, and passion for workers and immigrants.  Demonstrations were held across the country, from Los Angeles and San Francisco to New York, and towns and college campuses in between.
     But did you know that May Day protests and rallies were held world-wide?  France, Turkey, Russia, Great Britain, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Brazil all saw groups gather to protest everything from low wages, to the lack of jobs, to immigration problems, to failing government policies.  But the over-riding sentiment was a call for disorder due to the nonrecognition of authority.  I think one of the underlying themes of these current May Day demonstrations could best be summed up by a sign carried by one of the protestors:  "We Are Ungovernable."
     Before I tell you what I think is at the root of that belief, I'd like to share some of the interesting history behind the modern May Day observances.  There are some websites, like Jacobin, (whose theme is "Reason in Revolt") who pay tribute to their namesake.  The Jacobins were the most radical and ruthless of the political groups formed in the wake of the French Revolution.  Although they called themselves "Friends of Freedom and Equality", they colluded with the French politician, Robespierre, in what became known as the Reign of Terror in 1793-94.
     An article in Jacobin will tell you that "the first May Day was celebrated in 1886, with a general strike of 300,000 workers at 13,000 businesses across the United States. It was a tremendous show of force for the American labor movement, which was among the most militant in the world."  Here, we see the foundation of the various protests and clashes with police this past weekend.  But let me continue with some of their other views of May Day.  They urge modern protestors to rally "under the banners of anarchist and socialist organizations" ... and they believe that "when workers act together, they exercise tremendous power over their employers and over society as a whole. Working-class radicals [understand] the unique power of collective action, fighting to ensure that the aggression of employers is often met by a groundswell of workers’ resistance."
     Today, they advocate for May Day to be recognized as a day of solidarity with undocumented immigrants — a fitting reminder of May Day’s origins in the late 19th Century when successive waves of immigration brought millions of immigrants to the United States, and high unemployment and dehumanizing working conditions spawned a movement that saw native-born and immigrant workers standing together to defend their common interests.
     All that is the history behind what we saw this past Sunday.  But did you know that the significance of May 1st is much broader than what it means to the work force?  And that it is much older?  The website InfoPlease tells us that it's a celebration of Spring. It's a day of political protests. It's a neopagan festival, a saint's feast day, and a day for organized labor. In many countries, it is a national holiday.
     They go on to give us a white-washed version of some of these celebrations, such as May 1st as Beltane, a pagan Celtic feast full of rituals.  One of these traditions centered around Beltane cakes, which would be broken into several pieces, one of which was blackened. They would be drawn by celebrants at random; the person getting the unlucky blackened piece would face a mock execution.

     Then there is Walpurgisnacht, creatively portrayed in the Walt Disney movie Fantasia, during the "Night on Bald Mountain" segment, and to which I have devoted a post.  InfoPlease wants you to believe that this holiday is just a legend; one in which witches were said to meet with the Devil on the eve of May 1, on the Brocken peak. The night of April 30th became known as "Walpurgisnacht," and the annual meeting was dramatized by Goethe in Faust.  It's just a legend, they say; like a fairy tale .... albeit a terrifying one!
     And how can we forget that idyllic symbol of May Day, the Maypole?  The pretext of modern celebrations of May Day is that it honors ancient festivals of Spring and Fertility, in which a pole would be hung with greenery and ribbons, brightly painted, and decorated.  Dancers would then begin to braid the ribbons by weaving in and out among each other.  All in all, it is presented as an innocent celebration of Spring.
     I don't mean to burst your bubble, but from the picture of pagan festivals, and celebrations of Spring, down to workforce protests, there is a far more sinister element to this first day of May.  To begin with, that innocent vision of the Maypole?  It is actually an ancient symbol of fertility and also the Egyptian God and King Osiris' phallus.  (And don't forget that Osiris is simply another name for the spirit of Nimrod, who was the original man who resisted God's authority and led a rebellion at the Tower of Babel).

     The Maypole is a modern-day portable ancient phallic symbol that is meant to represent the male generative powers in the phallus, which is really just an idol or image of an erect penis. They have been worshiped for thousands of years as a reminder of the sacred act of sex and also represent the phallus of the kings who rule the world.  If you really want to take this piece of information to its full conclusion, then click here.
     What I really want you to see is the spiritual forces that are behind these festivals and movements.  And the modern slogan of "We Are Ungovernable" should tell you exactly who is at the head of these forces, and how he has managed to maintain that spirit of rebellion and anarchy throughout the centuries.  It is my strong belief that "legends" don't persist if there is not some truth to them,  or some force behind them, perpetuating and encouraging an underlying power to continue indefinitely.
     I find it rather interesting that this one day at the beginning of May has become synonymous down through the ages with mock sacrifice; with homage to the power of men; and with resistance and opposition to Authority.  Who does that remind you of?  The spirit of Nimrod might be at work to compel mankind to overthrow any governance over his life, but we must not lose sight of the fact that  Lucifer was the power behind Nimrod -- Lucifer, whom God called "the anointed Cherub"; the one whose position was to guard the very throne of God. His position was that of protecting the holiness of God. Satan had the highest of all positions, a position which he despised and lost.
     So it has been his mission ever since to convince men that we, too, should rebel against God.   He whispered in Nimrod's ear his own vow: "I will take over heaven, I will be God." That is Lucifer/Satan's sin and that was Nimrod's sin in erecting the Tower of Babel.  And now that spirit of rebellion is present in everyone who listens to that lie -- and there is even a day Satan has made one of his holy days --- May 1st. He does not want to be God's servant. He does not want to do what he was created to do. He wants to be served and there are millions who have chosen to do just that; serve him and worship him through the various festivals and protests. They have listened to his lies and chosen to follow him.  They may think they are "ungovernable", but one day soon, the One who will come to rule and reign will show them just how deceptive that lie is.

1 John 3:8    "The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil."

"The All Seeing Eye": Searching For The Light & Immortality -- Part II

   
      On Wednesday, I wrote about the history and symbolism of the Pineal Gland.  In researching this topic, I was amazed at the range of articles on this endocrine gland -- everything from occultic to scientific to the bizarrely spiritual. While I do not endorse all the references I have used, they have provided enough common ground that I think they warrant attention.  Today, I want to show you some rather unsettling theories that surround this mysterious gland, also referred to as the Third Eye, or the All-Seeing Eye, and why both ancient and modern cultures are so fascinated with it.

Eye of Horus (left) looks similar to pineal gland
(which looks similar to a womb)

     In fact, you might have heard "the All-Seeing Eye" also referred to as "the Eye of Horus".  Horus was one of the most significant deities in ancient Egyptian religion, who was worshipped from at least the late Pre-dynastic period through to Greco-Roman times.  He is most commonly understood as the son of the gods Isis and Osiris, and he plays a key role in the Osiris myth as Osiris's heir and the rival to Set, the murderer of Osiris.  But the one thing you need to understand is that he is just one more personification of the spirit of Nimrod, the original man of rebellion against God.  (Read my post on false gods and Nimrod to get the Biblical perspective).
     Then there was the Greek god, Hermes; the son of Zeus, who was considered a god of transitions and boundaries.  Mythology tells us Hermes wandered in a rocky, desolate place to meditate and pray. Following secret instructions of the Temple, he freed his higher consciousness from bondage to his physical senses. Thus released, his divine nature revealed to him The Mysteries. He beheld a terrible, awe-inspiring figure: the Great Dragon, with wings stretching across the sky and light streaming in all directions from its body.  The Great Dragon called Hermes by name, and asked why he meditated on the World Mystery. Terrified, Hermes prostrated himself before the Dragon, beseeching it to reveal its identity. The great creature replied it was Poimandres, the Mind of the Universe, Creative Intelligence, and Absolute Emperor of all.  Hermes besought Poimandres to disclose the nature of the universe and the constitution of the gods. The Dragon acquiesced, bidding Hermes hold its image in his mind. Immediately Poimandres' form changed. Where it had stood was a glorious, pulsating Radiant Light, the spiritual nature of the Great Dragon itself. Hermes was "raised" into the midst of this Divine Radiance and the material universe faded from his consciousness.
     Can you see how this search to discover a "higher consciousness" pervades all cultures, and has been sought after throughout history?  Can you see that man, in his desire to acquire this "All-Seeing Eye" is, in effect, trying to discover the mystery of God?  To become like God?  One only need to look at men like Nikola Tesla to see the beckoning call towards "higher consciousness".  In a post I wrote on Tesla, I discovered that he was aware, as a child, that there was an Energy in the Universe, and of trying to awake that energy, and figure out how it could influence people.  He told his interviewer,  "My eyesight and hearing are perfect and, I dare to say, stronger than other people. I hear the thunder from a hundred fifty miles away, and I see colors in the sky that others cannot see. This enlargement of vision and hearing, I had as a child. Later I consciously developed [it]."  I believe he was seeking this "enlargement" through the Pineal Gland.
      In an article by Naomi Astral, she writes that "the symbol of the All-Seeing Eye, has always been part of Earth's creation mythologies and mysteries. In Ancient Egypt, it was symbolised by the Eye of Horus, and conveyed protection, royal power, and good health. The symbol was passed down, through the ancient mystery teachings and can be found on the American dollar bill."
    She goes on to report that "the eye is the observer of reality - or the illusion of reality. This gland is activated by Light (her choice to capitalize the word), and it controls the various biorhythms of the body. It works in harmony with the hypothalamus gland, which directs the body's thirst, hunger, sexual desire and the biological clock, that determines our aging process."  You might be interested to know that this gland is larger in children, and as we age, it begins to calcify and harden.  This fact will become more important as I proceed in this article.
     But what I'm about to reveal to you was not only shocking, but frightening because of its implications.  The beneficial effects of the hormone melatonin (secreted by the pineal gland) have been part of the health supplement scene for some time.  In fact, high melatonin production is known to be synonymous with a high immune system, a low cancer risk, long life, energy, stamina, and according to many, enhanced spiritual awareness.  By now, you should be getting the picture ... many see the Pineal Gland as the doorway to longevity (if not immortality) and enhanced spiritual knowledge.  And this is where it gets a little creepy.
     According to the article I read, there is a tradition dating back to at least 1000 A.D. in which Arabs, and later Europeans, engaged in the practice of 'eating mummy'.  Ancient mummies were ground up and eaten for medicinal and occult practices.  The article maintains that certain secret societies still participate in the eating of "live pineal glands" from sacrifices, as part of their rites and ceremonies.  There was a time I would have dismissed such stories as beyond the realm of reality, but our Enemy has become ever bolder in showing us how he operates, so I am not quite ready to disregard these accusations.
     Apparently, this practice was widespread in Egypt and Western Europe and it consisted of countless ancient African mummies being burned, ground up and made into a kind of powder in order to be eaten. This incredible act of cannibalism was considered an effective medical practice and folk remedy. The belief became widely prevalent that cures could be obtained by eating ground-up preserved bodies. 'Eating mummy' was considered effective in treating contusions, coughs, epilepsy, migraines, ulcers, cases of poison and as a general panacea.
     I will admit that some of the information gleaned from these articles was beyond my ability to comprehend or embrace.  Occult and scientific writings are cited that seem so fantastical -- ancient races of people with three eyes; shamans that can see with their minds, rather than their eyes; cave-dwellers in Tibet who meditated while on mushrooms and knew of a galaxy years before scientists discovered it.... all associated in one way or another with the pineal gland.
     But I was truly astonished to run across old newspaper articles that referenced the eating of pineal glands.  One such article in 1914, ran in the Times Dispatch of Richmond, VA, and the headline read as follows:  "A Food That Does Away With Youth:  Remarkable Discoveries About a Gland in the Brain That May Enable Science Rapidly To Change Children Into Men, Chicks into Chickens, Calves into Cows, to Sate War's Appetite for Meat and Men." Another article ran in The Washington Times in 1915, and its headline read, "Backward Children Are Helped By Medicinal Use of Pineal Gland Extract."  It's not hard to see that there has long been an interest in consuming the pineal gland to enhance our health.  These scientists, doctors, and researchers would have made Ray Kurzweil proud!
     But perhaps the primary focus of the 20th and 21st Centuries has been in the area of aging and the quest for immortality.  We even have a medical field devoted to it ... gerontology.  In the study of aging -- or gerontology -- there are two main groups of thought. One group believes that aging is a natural process programmed in the body. Meanwhile, the other group believes aging is unnatural and it’s the result of cellular damage accumulated over time.
     Remember that in Part I of this article, I mentioned that some medical experts tell us that our pineal gland begins to calcify with age.  Actually, the human pineal gland grows in size until about 1–2 years of age, and scientists have actually shown that calcification begins at the age of 2.  But here is a truly amazing fact:  the pineal gland is activated in a fetus at 49 days!  This most powerful gland that controls our hormones and sexuality is active and functional at 49 days after conception! Many scientists have expressed that it is at its most potent state in utero.  And that leads me down a path I did not want to go -- Planned Parenthood.
     Remember the recent undercover Planned Parenthood video scandal?  The Center for Medical Progress began releasing a series of videos about the Planned Parenthood abortion clinics, which featured executives and staffers at Planned Parenthood and affiliated businesses discussing and demonstrating human organ harvesting and the fetal body part trade.  Thanks to a website, called The Federalist, I was able to go to one source to find a summary of all those videos and get a pretty good picture of what the harvesting was all about.
     Time after time, in the videos, PP representatives make mention of their desire to deliver the head of a fetus without crushing it; to procure "tissues like brain, livers, thymus, pancreas, heart, lungs ... and sell the parts to researchers."  In video #7 (which the media claims doesn't exist), Holly McDonnell, an ex-procurement technician, talks about harvesting a late-term abortion:  "… its nose was very pronounced, it had eyelids, and its mouth was pronounced. And then since the fetus was still intact, she said, ‘okay, well, this is a really good fetus, and it looks like we can procure a lot from it. We’re going to procure brains.’ ”  Is this a secret reason that some legislators are seeking to allow late-term abortions?

     I could go on and on, but I'm sure you get the picture.  So, is it too far-fetched to think that this harvesting of fetal brains could be tied to the procurement of pineal glands as some kind of magical cure for aging?  I mean, history shows it has been a practice for 1,000 years!  And with all the interest by transhumanists and the scientific community to achieve immortality, could this be an underlying benefit for the abortion industry?  I hate to admit it, but I believe the evil that is in the world will stop at nothing to offend God and His creation.  Just Google "eating pineal gland to prolong life" and see all the results that pop up!
     And, as if mutilating fetuses doesn't disgust God enough, there is always the search for an alternative spiritual experience; one in which man seeks to establish his own connection to the heavenly realms through his own power.  In essence, we are still in rebellion to God, and trying to become our own gods.
     As I have stated numerous times, nothing has changed since the Garden of Eden.  We are still rebelling, and trying to become equals with our Creator.  We are trying to set our own boundaries and lifespan, and seeking a more superior spiritual awakening.  But like Lucifer and Nimrod, and all who have come in a similar spirit, we will find that there is one set of Laws that govern the universe and all the heavenly realms.  In the end, it is His rules by which we must play.  For all the knowledge, and increased health, and "higher consciousness" that we gain, it will never be enough to usurp His Sovereignty.  And woe to those who try.

1 Timothy 6:16   "Who alone has immortality, Who dwells in unapproachable Light, Whom no one has ever seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen."




   
   
   
   

Could ISIS Be Anointed By God?

     Now, before you think I've gone completely off my rocker, give me a chance to explain my train of thought.  I've recently written about the Temple of Baal (or Bel) that will soon be replicated in Times Square, the heart of New York City, and in London.  I spared no words in recounting its significance in regards to idol worship in the ancient world.  I also related that this ancient temple was destroyed by ISIS last summer.  The most recent news in the last few days is that Syrian forces have liberated the ancient city of Palmyra and recaptured it, with plans to rebuild much of the ancient artifacts and archeological sites.

Palmyra prior to ISIS

     I suspect much of the world will hail this as a victory and in the best interests of man's archeological heritage.  But is it?  I want to expand on some thoughts that have occurred to me since July of last year, and just keep pricking my spirit.  I can't help but look at this situation through the lens of my Biblical worldview.  And to do that, I need to take some time to share a specific perspective with you; it's a fascinating story from the Old Testament, and one that I think casts valuable insight on God's purpose in all things.
     Remember the story of Cyrus, King of Persia, who conquered Babylon and allowed the Jews to return from captivity to their homeland and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem?  Well, as fantastic as this sounds, apparently it was not out of the ordinary for Cyrus.  An excellent post on Cyrus, found at a website called ChurchOfTheGreatGod.org, reports that King Cyrus, as was his policy, allowed his vassal states to retain their cultural and religious identities. He advanced funds for the repair or restoration of public buildings, particularly temples and shrines, and he reversed the Babylonian policy of forced relocation of conquered peoples, allowing their descendants to return to their ancestral homelands.
     What you might find utterly amazing is that God used King Cyrus, to move forward his plan in history.  In fact, God calls Cyrus, His "anointed".  Yes, you read that correctly!  He explicitly says in Isaiah 45:1-3:  "Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held—to subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut: ‘I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places. . . . I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways; He shall build My city and let My exiles go free, not for price nor reward,' says the LORD of hosts."
     I can hear shocked Christians right now, exclaiming, "But how can a King of Persia, whose country would become a stronghold for Muslims in future centuries, be God's anointed?  First of all, we need to broaden our understanding of what the word anointed means.  The Hebrew word is mashiah, which has come down to us as "messiah" and translated as christos in Greek. Because we now use this term exclusively for Jesus Christ, the Messiah, many of us Christians fail to see its broader application.  Mashiah simply means "anointed" or "anointed one."  At its most basic, mashiah indicates a person God authorizes and sets apart for His service.... regardless of their faith, ethnicity, or background. And the type of service an anointed one might render can vary. Besides being in the service of God, he might fulfill more than one role in his service; but his primary function is to cause deliverance.  You can see how Jesus fulfilled all three of those facets of an anointed one.
     So the question becomes "Why did God raise up a Messiah, or Anointed One, like Cyrus?  The answer is found in the continuing verses of Isaiah, Chapter 45:  "[God will work through you, Cyrus,] that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob My servant's sake, and Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things" (verses 3-7).  Very simply, God raised Cyrus up to do His bidding to prove to him and all the world who is the true God! God went before Cyrus, paving the way for his victories and policies so that His will and His plan would move forward.

Palmyra, after ISIS

       So, now I return to my original question, posed in the title of this blog post ... Could ISIS be anointed by God? If we use the criteria that the Bible lays forth regarding the prerequisites for an anointed one, I would say, in one sense, YES!
     (OBVIOUS CAVEAT:  The atrocities and barbaric acts of murder against Christians and non-Muslims is obviously not an act of service to God.  But remember, God is Sovereign, and He is capable of using even evil people to carry out one or more of His purposes.  In this instance, I am only looking at ISIS's acts of destroying ancient temples to idols.)
     And here's how I got there .... As I have pointed out in past blog posts, Palmyra was the site of some of the world’s most valuable Roman-style ruins, including 2,000-year-old towers and temples; among them the Temple of Baal (or Bel), which was the name of the supreme god worshiped in ancient Canaan and Phoenicia, and the Temple of Baalshamin, dedicated to the Canaanite sky deity Baalshamin.
     But last year, in its takeover of the city, ISIS blew up both structures, along with the famed Arch of Triumph, which was constructed under Roman rule during the late second century, calling them monuments to idolatry --- which they were!  In case you need convincing, here is some interesting information about the Temple of Baal:  It was known as the temple to the Sun God.  And if you are a student of Biblical and ancient history, then you know that there were many names for the Sun God throughout the pagan cultures.  Some of them are Ra, the sun god of the ancient Egyptians; Apollo, the sun god of the ancient Romans; Helios, the sun god of the Greeks; Mithras, the Iranian and Persian sun god ... and I contend that they are all names for the same spirit of rebellion that existed in the man Nimrod.
     The great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod is the prototype of a rebellious people, his name being interpreted in Hebrew as "he who made all the people rebellious against God".  As you can see by the various cultures and ethnic groups who worshiped the Sun God in his name, he led many peoples into rebellion against the One True God and into idol worship.
     Now, the modern world is lamenting the destruction of the ancient Temple of Baal, the temple of Sun God worship, in Palmyra, Syria.  And I'd like you to get a picture of what worshipping there must have been like to the pagans, as described by Amr Al Azm, a professor at Shawnee State University who served as the director of the Center of Archeological Research at the University of Damascus from 2003 to 2006:  "You would attempt to go and visit the temple at dawn [before it was damaged]. And on the east face, as the sun rises, it would eventually reach that point where, even though it was dark around you — you were surrounded by stone walls — the sun would touch a particular point on the window, and it was like someone switched on a thousand lights. The whole building would light up instantaneously."  He goes on to say, "Unfortunately, we will never be able to experience that again. That’s how significant the loss is, as far as I’m concerned."
     But might I suggest that ISIS got it right?  That it is actually a "monument to idolatry".  And might I further propose that by destroying it, the Muslim jihadis were actually in service to YHWH, liberating that area of the ancient Middle East from a centuries-long fascination and reverence to a false god?  Remember, as in the case of Cyrus, (whom God makes it very clear, did not know Him), God can use whomever He desires to move along his plan in history.  Perhaps God is tired of our interest and preoccupation in preserving these ancient temples of idolatry, and so He put ISIS, who certainly does not know Him, into service to destroy their very foundations.
     And what does the world plan to do?  To rebuild them, of course!  Or, at least in the instance of the Temple Baal, erect duplicates of them in New York City, London, and another 1,000 cities around the world --- all in the name of defiance to ISIS.  But, can you clearly see that, in reality, it is in defiance to YHWH?

The destruction of pagan statues

     And there is another aspect that I want to briefly touch upon before I end my hypothesis.  I will admit that the connecting dots are still a little fuzzy in my spirit, but I can't help but feel there is something here that we need to pay attention to.  The "recapture" of the ancient city of Palmyra from ISIS was conducted by Syrian forces, assisted by Russian troops and airstrikes.  And now the world is incensed by the destruction of the temples and the looting of the artifacts, and archeologists from around the world are rushing to the site to help reconstruct the ancient city.  Is this part of the multiple roles that ISIS could be playing in their service as God's anointed?  Could they be drawing the nations of the world to this area to preserve the treasures of idolatrous worship?
     The world's elite mourned when ISIS ransacked and burned the Mosul Public Library, destroying more than 8,000 ancient and rare books and manuscripts, calling it "cultural genocide"; an attempt to destroy an ethnic or religious group's customs, including its languages, traditional practices and ways, religious institutions and objects, and clergy members, academics, and intellectuals.  I admit that it is difficult to see God wanting the history of whole peoples wiped out.  But what if those histories, and art, and traditions, and religious practices honor gods and ways that are not of Him?  Could we then see the possibility that God could authorize ISIS to serve Him by destroying what He considers idolatry?  Even if they declare a hatred for Him and those who follow Him?
     I know!  It is hard to wrap your head around it, but throughout the Bible God used unbelievers to execute His plan for the world.  All we have to do is look at how He used Pharaoh to liberate His people from their bondage in Egypt; how He used Nebuchadnezzar to take the Jews into captivity in Babylon because of their continued disobedience, yet placed Daniel in their midst to prophecy of the return of His remnant; and how He used the Persian King Artaxerxes to allow Nehemiah to reintroduce His law to the Jews returning to Jerusalem.  And in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul often worked through unbelievers to carry out God's will and purpose.
     We must remember that He is Sovereign and Immutable ... He never changes and it is often His way to use unbelievers to execute His will.  It is not up to us to question or reason why.  I am not here to suggest that I know God's mind or that my hypothesis is even plausible.  All I'm saying is that I see idolatrous temples being destroyed and the world's desire to rebuild them.  Can we truly say it is all out of a sense of preserving cultural history?  Or is there something more diabolical happening underneath it all?  Keep your spiritual radar turned on and up!

 Isaiah 45:9-10    “Woe to the one who argues with his Maker—
one clay pot among many.  Does clay say to the one forming it, ‘What are you making?’ Or does your work say, ‘He has no hands’? How absurd is the one who says to his father, ‘What are you fathering?’ or to his mother, ‘What are you giving birth to?’ ”

Nothing Ever Really Changes

     As if we need more evidence that man's love of idolatry and false gods has always been present, news comes that a group of of European architects has proposed to build a 21st-century version of the Colossus of Rhodes, the ancient Greek statue erected on the island of Rhodes in the 3rd century B.C. The original ancient statue was of the Greek titan-god of the sun Helios, erected in the city of Rhodes, on the Greek island of the same name.
     One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, it was constructed to celebrate Rhodes' victory over the ruler of Cyprus, Antigonus I Monophthalmus, whose son unsuccessfully besieged Rhodes in 305 BC. Before its destruction in the earthquake of 226 BC, the Colossus of Rhodes stood over 30 metres (98 feet) high, making it one of the tallest statues of the ancient world.

The new proposed statue of Helios, sun god

     But the new version would stand 500-feet tall (five times larger than the original) and serve as a cultural center, as a library, an exhibition hall and a lighthouse on Rhodes, the largest of Greece’s Dodecanese islands.  This island is known for its beach resorts, ancient ruins and structural remnants of its crusades-era occupation.  I find the estimated cost of the statue ($283 million) to not only be offensive in light of the decimated Greek economy, but just another monument to man's obsession with pagan gods and his rebellion against the One True God.
     The fact that the statue honors the god Helios is just a perpetuation of sun god worship that has existed since the beginning of civilizations.   The imagery of the sun as the ruler of both the upper and the lower worlds that he majestically visited on his daily round is prominent among all the ancient cultures.  Even The Encyclopedia Britannica gives credence to sun worship:  "The sun is the bestower of light and life to the totality of the cosmos; with his unblinking, all-seeing eye, he is the stern guarantor of justice; with the almost universal connection of light with enlightenment or illumination, the sun is the source of wisdom."  I found it extremely sad and disturbing to read this once venerated source of knowledge equating and venerating all the ancient religions as equal to Christianity.  Here are some of the points they made about sun worship:
•  These qualities—sovereignty, power of beneficence, justice, and wisdom—are central to any elite religious group, and it is within these contexts that a highly developed solar ideology is found. Kings ruled by the power of the sun and claimed descent from the sun. Solar deities, gods personifying the sun, are sovereign and all-seeing. The sun is often a prime attribute of or is identified with the Supreme Deity.
•  In ancient Egypt the sun god Re was the dominant figure among the high gods and retained this position from early in that civilization’s history ...  Surya is glorified in the Vedas of ancient India as an all-seeing god who observes both good and evil actions ... In medieval Iran, sun festivals were celebrated as a heritage from pre-Islamic times ...
•  During the later periods of Roman history, sun worship gained in importance and ultimately led to what has been called a “solar monotheism.” Nearly all the gods of the period were possessed of solar qualities, and both Christ and Mithra acquired the traits of solar deities. The feast of Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun) on December 25 was celebrated with great joy, and eventually this date was taken over by the Christians as Christmas, the birthday of Christ.  (The obvious attempt to equalize our Savior with other gods, and with sun worship is unmistakable).

Ancient Colossus of Rhodes

     I will grant you that the Greek Mythology gives us a fascinating picture into man's attempts to create his own gods.  The island of Rhodes derives its name from the nymph Rhodos, who bore seven sons to the sun god Helios, the patron of the island. Three grandsons of these offspring were the heroes of the three principal cities on the island: Camirus, Ialysus, and Lindus, which were named after them. In honour of Helios, Panhellenic games, the Halieia, were held on the island every five years, and each year a chariot and four horses (quadriga) were thrown into the sea as an offering to the god (who was believed to ride such a chariot across the sky each day).  It is almost funny to discern that this was all the result of man's attempt to explain God's creation of the sun -- except that we know it is the result of the Enemy's lies; his never-ending attempt to blind us to the true knowledge of our Creator.
     Other mythological associations with the islands include the belief that the Telchines had a workshop on the island. They were believed to be an ancient semi-divine race that invented, and were particularly skilled at, metalwork. Hercules was also worshipped on the island as the founder of the first settlement. Other important cults were dedicated to Apollo, Zeus, Athena, and Dionysos, and during the Hellenistic period the island adopted several Egyptian cults such as those of Sarapis and Isis ... and it all leads back to Nimrod and rebellion towards God.
     But knowing that Helios was not only the Titan god (translate as part god (fallen angel)/part human) of the sun, but he was also the guardian of oaths and the god of gift of sight.  His description shows just how far the devil was trying to go to equate him with Jesus, the Son of God:  "[Helios the Sun] rides his chariot, he shines upon men and deathless gods, and piercingly he gazes with his eyes from his golden helmet. Bright rays beam dazzlingly from him, and his bright locks streaming from the temples of his head gracefully enclose his far-seen face: a rich, fine-spun garment glows upon his body and flutters in the wind, and stallions carry him. Then, when he has stayed his golden-yoked chariot and horses, he rests there upon the highest point of heaven, until he marvellously drives them down again through heaven...".
     So, nothing has really changed.  Man is still trying to bow down to an image of a god he has created.  The new statue of Helios will be bigger and grander and more shiny than the original; just a bigger false idol than the first, and a sign of how obsessed we are to worship anyone or anything other than the True Light of the World.  The Colossus of Rhodes was destroyed by an earthquake in 226 BC.  I shudder to think of the destruction that is coming upon the newest version of this pagan god.  Will we never learn?

Deuteronomy 12:30    "Be watchful that you are not ensnared into following them after they have been destroyed before you and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? We will do likewise."

1 Corinthians 10:8: Cheaters Beware!

We must not gratify evil desire and indulge in immorality 

as some of them did—

and twenty-three thousand [suddenly] fell dead in a single day!

     Paul is addressing the Church in the important city of Corinth.  This ancient city was known for its commercial success.  For centuries it had dominated the east-west trade route with its flow of merchandise, and it celebrated its ethnic diversity as travelers from the known world inevitably found their way to the thriving metropolis.

     The New King James version of the Bible says that "Corinth's commercial success was rivaled only by its decadence.  The immorality of Corinth was so well known that Aristophanes, a comic playwright of ancient Athens, coined a Greek verb, meaning to act like a Corinthian as a synonym for sexual immorality."  In addition, the Corinthians were famous for calling attention to their lewdness through their worship of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty.  (She is also known by the Roman name Venus, and is ultimately the same spirit as Semiramis, the wife of Nimrod, who was known as the "Queen of Heaven".  She is a major deity used by Satan throughout the ages to tempt mankind away from God).

     Although the city of Corinth was famous for its idolatry and sexual immorality, it was also an important and strategic location for dispersing the Word and the transforming power of Jesus Christ.  Paul spent 18 months in Corinth establishing and grounding the Church.  The Jews in the synagogue rejected his message, so he took it to the Gentiles, with some measure of success.  But the Church in Corinth was seriously troubled.  Besides reflecting the multiple nationalities of the city, the Corinthian Church also demonstrated some of Corinth's immorality.  And our Scripture today voices Paul's concern about a repetition of God's judgment against such immoral behavior in the past.  

     This verse, 1 Corinthians 10:8, actually refers to a passage in Numbers 25:1-9.  It recounts that while God is giving the law to Moses, the people are down the hill worshipping a golden calf through idolatry and sexual immorality.  It tells the tale of the people of Israel "playing the harlot" with the women of Moab; and how easily they "ate and bowed down to Moab's gods".  It is the age-old story of being tempted into idol worship of the things of the world, and Satan's seduction through lust.

     I can't help but look upon this Biblical scene and think of the recent revelations concerning Ashley Madison, the website whose slogan is "Life is short.  Have an affair".  The site entices people to cheat on their spouses; to openly commit adultery under the guise that their identities will remain private... sshhh, no one will ever know.  Yet, this week the site was hacked by someone, or group of someones, who threaten to reveal the identities of 33 million subscribers in 46 countries.  If this happens, it may well have the same effects that God's judgment had on the Israelites after their idolatry and immorality was exposed.

     In the Bible, "the Lord said to Moses, Take all the leaders or chiefs of the people, and hang them before the Lord in the sun [after killing them], that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel."  The Israelite judges are then commanded to "slay the men who joined themselves to Baal Peor".  They did so, and 23,000 died that day!

     Now, we need to understand that, yes, Baal Peor was a false god and worship of it was idolatry in God's eyes.  But it is so much more!  The Moabite god, Baal Peor, was depicted either as a beautiful naked woman or a bearded demon with open mouth, horns, and sharply pointed nails (the open mouth being an indicator of the sexual rites used to worship him). St. Jerome reported that statues of Baal-Peor he encountered in Syria depicted the god with a phallus in his mouth.  Furthermore, the name of this false Moabite god means "gaping, wide, and consuming".  I'm sure you can see the implications for sexual immorality with both men and women in this description.

     This is the warning Paul is giving the Church members in Corinth.  He is saying, "Don't be tempted to make the same mistake as the ancient Israelites and succumb to the lustful appetite that comes from worshipping this false goddess in the current Corinthian culture... [the Israelites'] destruction was swift and complete in a plague of death, and so will yours be." 

     I would daresay that the same advice holds true for today's immoral worshippers of the idolatrous company Ashley Madison.  If the hackers follow through on their promise, and millions of credit card transactions, names, and addresses are released, the destruction of marriages, careers and reputations will be swift and complete.  Life as they know it in this world will be destroyed.  But as Paul warns, it is God's ultimate judgment in the next life that they should fear.