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The Four 4 Horsemen, al Mahdi, and the Magnetic Polar Reversal
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.
By: Jack Kelley
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