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| The Four 4 Horsemen, al Mahdi, and the Magnetic Polar Reversal | |
| | Submitted By:wholebeans | | Click for Source Article | | Now
I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one
of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, "Come!" and
I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a
crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.
(Rev 6:1-2)
The first of the seven seals is broken early
in the 70th week of Daniel, just after the church has disappeared.
Liberal scholars often identify the rider of the white horse as the
Lord Jesus, pointing to his crown and the fact that he's a conqueror. I
think some part of their conclusion comes from watching all those TV
westerns as kids, where the good guys always rode white horses. I say
that because this rider is most definitely not Jesus. He's the
anti-Christ.
What Makes You Think So?
In the first place he
carries a bow. The Lord's weapon of choice is a sword. The reason he
has no arrows is that he won't use force to make his initial impact on
Earth. He comes as a peacemaker (Daniel 8:25). Since the Book of
Revelation is filled with symbolism explained elsewhere in the Bible, I
looked for the first mention of a man with a bow, hoping to get an
additional clue to this rider's identity. I found it in Genesis 21:20,
referring to Ishmael.
As details of Islamic eschatology become
more widely known, prophecy students are discovering a striking
similarity between descriptions of al Mahdi, the Moslem Messiah, and a
figure Christians call the anti-Christ. I've made mention of these in
previous articles, how both come on the scene during a time of great
turmoil on Earth, both come claiming a desire to restore peace, both
have a seven year reign, both head a one world religion and one world
government, both claim supernatural origins, and both reigns end in a
battle between good and evil that brings Earth's final judgment.
The
number of similarities between the two defies coincidence and continues
to grow as knowledge of al Mahdi increases. Now with the connection
between the Bible's first archer and the man with a bow in Rev. 6,
another piece of the puzzle may have fallen into place. Mohammed was
descended from Kedar, second son of Ishmael, and Al Mahdi is the 12th
Iman descended from Mohammed. Jack Kinsella, in his commentary
entitled, "The Third Pillar of anti-Christ" makes an excellent case for
Islam being the religion of anti-Christ.
When you read it,
you'll understand that after the Church is gone, those who also call
themselves the church, but have been left behind, won't have much
trouble at all accepting Islam. And like Paul said, the addition of a
few "miracles" into the mix will be all it takes to deceive the whole
world (2 Thes.2:9).
Got Anything Else?
In the second place
this guy's wearing the wrong kind of crown. The Greek word for a King's
crown is diadem. But this one wears a stephanos, or victor's crown. It
was the award given to winners in the ancient Olympics and other public
games. It was typically an ivy wreath, and in fact the word stephanos
comes from a root meaning wreath. It identifies the wearer as a
conqueror, but not as royalty. And in Revelation 13 where the Great
Tribulation begins, we're told that He was given power to make war
against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over
every tribe, people, language and nation. (Rev. 13:7) Why would Jesus
make war with the tribulation saints to conquer them? Like I said,
while he fools people into thinking he's the Christ, he's really the
anti-Christ.
When he opened the second seal, I heard the
second living creature say, "Come!" And out came another horse, bright
red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that men
should slay one another, and he was given a great sword. (Rev. 6:3-4)
This
is the point at which the anti-Christ turns to war to establish his
authority over human governments and turn the world toward his
religion. The Moslem prophecies say this will be Islam, of course, and
the Koran teaches conversion or death as the only alternatives
available to non-believers. Current studies speculate that Europe, far
into its post Christian era, may already be on the verge of yielding to
the growing Moslem influence, but other parts of the world will resist,
causing much bloodshed.
If You Think This Is Bad …
Historically,
the great sword was a long two-handed weapon wielded by mighty warriors
who received double the average soldier's wage. With overwhelming
strength they hacked their way through enemy lines, leaving a gaping
hole for the regular troops who followed. In just this way the
anti-Christ will use supernatural power to tighten his grip on the
world, enforcing his will upon the people of Earth. And remember, the
Seal judgments are just the beginning of Daniel's 70th week. The last
half, called the Great Tribulation, is still to come and is
significantly more deadly.
When he opened the third seal, I
heard the third living creature say, "Come!" And I looked, and behold,
a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I
heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living
creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts
of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!" (Rev
6:5-6)
Two things result when the world is plunged into
uncertainty and wars erupt. First comes inflation, causing the prices
of everything to skyrocket. When John wrote this, a denarius was the
average pay for a day's work, and that's what it will cost to buy a
quart of wheat, about enough food for one day. Think of it. For many, a
whole days wages will barely buy enough food for that day. The next day
it starts all over again. No money left for anything else.
Of
course, the wealthy always benefit from inflation. When they see it
coming, they're able to convert their wealth into things that are
either inflation proof, or actually increase in value during periods of
inflation. The earliest example of this is comes from the Book of
Genesis, when Joseph, who gained control of the world's wheat supply on
Pharaoh's behalf, eventually acquired the entire wealth of Egypt in
exchange for it. That's what John meant by not harming the oil and
wine, commodities that in his day were symbols of wealth. The vision he
saw was famine amidst plenty. Both the Book of Daniel and the Moslem
prophecies speak of the anti-Christ/al Mahdi showering lavish gifts on
his followers while forcing his enemies into submission. (Daniel 11:39)
When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth
living creature say, "Come!" And I looked, and behold, a pale horse!
And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were
given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with
famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth. (Rev.
6:7-8)
The second result of war is famine and pestilence.
Crops and food processing facilities are destroyed. Transportation
networks are disrupted. Dead bodies are left where they fall and public
health systems break down. Mass starvation and rampant disease often
claim more victims than the battles that caused them. Animals become
desperate for food and attack humans. Some think the phrase "a fourth
of the Earth" relates to geography and some think it describes the
number of people involved. Either way, many will suffer and die during
this time, while those not in the direct path of war will enjoy a false
sense of peace and prosperity.
When he opened the fifth seal,
I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the
word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a
loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will
judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" Then they
were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until
the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be
complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. (Rev.
6:9-11)
Just as the church has a fixed number to achieve
before its time on Earth is fulfilled (Romans 11:25) so it is for
believers who're martyred for their faith following the Church's
disappearance.
An Eye For An Eye
In Hebrew the word
translated "kinsman redeemer" also means "avenger of blood." The same
next of kin who was responsible for buying a relative out of debt
related servitude or redeeming his lost property, was also responsible
for avenging physical attacks against a relative that resulted in
death. The tribulation martyrs are calling for enforcement of this law.
Our Lord Jesus is our Kinsman Redeemer, come to pay our debts
and buy back that which our father Adam lost. But He's also our Avenger
of Blood, responsible for bringing to justice the one who maliciously
murdered our first parents and therefore us. Everyone who sides with
Satan, called those who dwell on the Earth in Revelation, will share
his punishment, just as we who side with the Lord, called those who
dwell in heaven, will share His inheritance.
When he opened the
sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the
sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the
stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter
fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is
being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its
place. (Rev. 6:12-14)
As you would expect, since the Tsunami
of 2004 scientists have been watching the recent spate of earthquakes
and volcanic eruptions in the Far East very closely. They've found that
during the three year period ending in 2005 when the study was
conducted, the incidence of underwater quakes and volcanic eruptions
had increased by 88% over the norm while continental earthquakes had
gone up by 62%. In a single four month period the earth experienced the
largest three earthquakes in the last two hundred years. Most of this
increased activity came in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a chain
of 160 active volcanoes stretching from the East Asia rim to the West
Coast of the Americas.
During the same time the magnetic North
pole has begun drifting across Canada and is headed for Siberia. Also,
the strength of the Earth's magnetic field has weakened noticeably,
being about 10% weaker now than when scientists began measuring it in
1845. Based on these findings, some scientists are now convinced that a
reversal of the Earth's magnetic poles is underway. They're predicting
that in 2012 this reversal will be suddenly and dramatically completed
with the North pole having the polarity of the South pole and vice
versa.
In 2012 the Sun will also experience a polar reversal.
Although the Sun's magnetic poles reverse every eleven years, the Earth
has never experienced one in the memory of man. This double shift could
produce even greater occurrences of massive quakes and volcanic
eruptions of a magnitude that could actually cause a significant
continental shift.
The Earth's magnetic field helps protect us
against harmful rays from the sun, and a polar reversal could cause
this field to collapse just like the water vapor canopy around the
earth collapsed at the time of the Great Flood. That event brought
violent weather and drastically shortened life spans.
The
effects of a magnetic field collapse would be even more severe.
According to some projections, the electromagnetic energy released from
the sun during a polar reversal could cause Earth's upper atmosphere to
"erupt in flames" if our magnetic field isn't there to deflect it. Was
John referring to this in saying the sky vanished like a scroll being
rolled up? No one knows. We can only imagine what a sudden reversal of
magnetic poles would do to life on Earth. Predictions range all the way
from a temporary increase in the frequency and severity of volcanic
eruptions and earthquakes to a worldwide disaster of "Biblical
proportions." The convergence of other prophetic timelines leads me to
believe that the 6th Seal Judgment might very well be John's
description of this coming dual Magnetic Polar Reversal. (See "The
Convergence Of Prophecy And Current Events" referenced below.) If so
we're really getting close to the Rapture.
Who Invited Them?
What's
more, in 2005 a branch of Orthodox Judaism announced that their messiah
figure (not Jesus) would arrive in 7 years. That's 2012. And 2012 is
one of those "hot button" dates in occult and new age prophecies. The
ancient Mayan calendar ends in December of 2012, and pagans view this
as a sign that this age is coming to an end, and our utopian future is
just over the horizon. The internet is bulging with websites on the
subject, so be careful as you research this critical date. And above
all, remember that the Rapture of the Church comes in Revelation 4.
Revelation 6 happens after we're gone.
Then the kings of the
earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the
powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and
among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks,
"Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the
throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their
wrath has come, and who can stand?" (Rev. 6:15-17)
It's no
surprise that verse 15 is reminiscent of Joshua 10:16. Of the 404
verses in Revelation, 280 are taken from the Old Testament. As they
hide, the kings of the Earth unknowingly utter a prophecy we should all
read carefully. "The great day of their wrath has come, and who can
stand?" This passage has always been associated with the beginning of
God's wrath. The view that His wrath begins with the bowl judgments of
Revelation 16 is a newcomer to studies of prophecy, and is incorrect.
The Wrath of God begins in chapter 6, placing the Pre-Wrath Rapture of
the Church in Chapter 4, right where pre-Trib Rapture believers have
seen it all along.
Now What Do We Do?
The number and pace
of life affecting events on Earth is unprecedented. It's becoming more
and more difficult to keep track of them all. A Jewish Messiah, a
Moslem Messiah, and the anti-Christ are waiting in the wings, ready for
the cue to take center stage. The New Age Utopia is eagerly
anticipated. There are wars and rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes
and pestilence. Our Lord likened these to birth pangs, signs that begin
as mild, widely spaced, surges. As the time for the birth draws nearer,
they increase in both frequency and intensity, until it's hard to tell
when one stops and the next one begins. And so it is now. But then He
said, " So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that
the kingdom of God is near." (Luke 21:31) This is the time for us to be
standing tall and looking up.
If you listen carefully, you can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah.
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