Peace and Safety
by Michael G.
Mickey
In Bible prophecy, particularly Daniel
9:26-27, we're told that a prince (or leader) of Roman descent is going to
confirm (or make strong) a seven-year covenant of peace in the Middle East
between Israel and her enemies. The leader who will confirm this peace, when it
ultimately occurs, will be the prophesied Antichrist - a man who will
ultimately, if not already, wield tremendous power over the revived Roman
empire of Bible prophecy which I believe is the ever-rising European Union.
In a recent Ynetnews.com article, Jordan's King Abdullah said Israel "must
choose between the mentality of "Israel the fortress" or "living
in peace and security with its neighbors.""
Peace and security, as I've shown many times in past commentaries, is
synonymous with the phrase "peace and safety" as seen in 1st
Thessalonians 5:3, which states (emphasis added mine): For when they shall say,
Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them,
as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
Revisiting what I've said in the past, one definition of safety (asphaleia
{as-fal'-i-ah} in the original Greek), as used in 1st Thessalonians 5:3 is: security
from enemies and dangers. As such, we can state with certainty that
the phrase "peace and safety" is synonymous with the phrase
"peace and security."
So how does "peace and security"/"peace and safety" lead to
sudden destruction? We see the prophesied Antichrist ride onto the world stage
in Revelation 6:2:
And I saw, and behold a white horse:
and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went
forth conquering, and to conquer.
Immediately
following the rider of the white horse beginning his conquest of the world, we
see peace will be taken from the earth when the rider of the red horse of war begins
his ride across the earth. This is detailed in Revelation 6:3-4:
And when he had opened the second seal,
I heard the second beast say, come and see. And there went out another horse
[that was] red: and [power] was given to him that sat thereon to take peace
from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto
him a great sword.
So, as we
look at what prophecy predicts is going to occur, potentially in the
not-too-distant future, the world is someday going to rejoice that peace has
finally come to the Middle East. What will follow that, however, will be
anything but peace as the world is suddenly going to explode into warfare.
Those who are here to see it will be as those who lived in the days of Noah.
All will be well and life will be moving forward as normal when, suddenly, a
flood of God's judgment will begin to fall on mankind which will last for seven
years, the culmination of which will be the visible, physical, bodily return of
Jesus Christ to the earth at Armageddon.
Why do I say that those
who are here
to see the Antichrist ride onto the world's stage as a heroic peacemaker will
be as those who lived in Noah's day? Because some of us, namely all those who
believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, will not be here to see the
terrible time to come wherein God's judgment will fall upon a world that has
forgotten Him. Where will we be? In the presence of Jesus Christ our Lord as a
result of the Rapture of the Church. If Christ comes for His Church - and there
will be no announcement as to when that will take place whatsoever prior to it
occurring - and you find yourself here after it occurs, your future is going to
be horrific.
I know what many of
you will think upon reading this, particularly nonbelievers. You will ask
yourself, "Seriously though, could this really happen as prophesied? Could
it happen anytime soon?" My answer to both these questions in reply would
be, "Yes!" Let me further explain.
Not only is
Jordan's King Abdullah using the precise language we see used in
1st Thessalonians 5:3, which should perk the ears of every Christian up at the
very least, a close confidante of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert recently
stated, as seen in an Israel National News article, that "Judea and
Samaria should be temporarily transferred to the
Europeans and
that most of the territory's Jewish communities should be evacuated."
Further, the close
confidante of Olmert, Knesset Member Shlomo Breznitz, is quoted in the article
as saying (emphasis added mine):
"The only way to get out of the
impasse is to transfer the territories, for a limited time, to an
international mandate, that will run them until the establishment of a
Palestinian state."
A mandate, for the record, is an authoritative command or instruction.
Readers, let me
make this perfectly clear to you, as I don't want anyone to miss what I'm
getting at in the least. The stage is being set, as clear as crystal, for
Daniel's prophecy concerning the advent of the Antichrist to occur, which will
be preceded by the Rapture of the Church.
In Daniel 9:27,
we're told that the Antichrist is going to confirm a covenant "with
many"
for one week, which is, in biblical terms, seven years. In the Israel National
News article, we're told that one of Israeli PM Ehud olmert's closest allies is
indicating the West Bank should be transferred to the revived Roman empire of
Bible prophecy under international mandate UNTIL a Palestinian state is
established.
Back in 1993,
although I'm not certain the fact was known at that immediate time, the Oslo
Accords foresaw that it would take seven years for a Palestinian state
to be formed. The birth of 'Palestine' was to occur in the year 2000. That
didn't occur, of course, but why? I would argue it was because there was no one
involved as a third party to ensure Israel and the Palestinians, the bitter
enemies that they are, wouldn't inevitably go back to fighting! In other words,
no one confirmed (or made strong) the peace covenant between
them! This time, however, things may be different - to the extent that the
return of Jesus Christ may be at the very door!
In the Israel
National News article, an aide to EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana is
quoted as saying there will be a "historic political evolution and
movement in negotiations in the next few weeks and few months, unseen since the
Camp David peace talks in 2000."
The only conclusion
I can draw from all this, barring a dramatic change coming to pass that will
greatly slow the progression of prophecy-related issues I'm documenting are
routinely visible in the news of our world today, is this:
Jesus Christ is
coming SOON!
If you've never
heard it said that the events described in this commentary might be imminent,
consider yourself alerted if you're a Christian and forewarned if you're a
nonbeliever!
If you're reading
this and you don't know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, it's time to get
to know Him –
and
the sooner, the better!
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