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| Things that make you go "hmmmmmmm"; Will Obama Presidency Lead To Antichrist | |
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| Topic Started: Jul 25 2008, 12:42 PM (290 Views) | |
| w8n4him | Jul 25 2008, 12:42 PM Post #1 |
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Will Obama Presidency Lead To Antichrist? Added: Jul 24th, 2008 7:35 AM Why Does God Allow False Prophets? By Jeffrey K. Radt July, 2008 RaidersNewsNetwork.com Can God use false prophets to get our attention and speak to us? If many of those who are unsaved at the moment are more interested in what a false prophet has to say instead of what the prophets and Jesus said in the Holy Bible then would the Lord use those false prophets to some small extent to get the attention of the unsaved and convince them that perhaps something even bigger is going on in the world? If the answer is ‘yes’ I believe we may have discovered a new approach to reading and interpreting non-canonical prophecies like those we have been given from Nostradamus. With that in mind, a recent discovery a new friend and Brother in Christ just brought to my attention could have some serious prophetic implications for us. JUST ANOTHER FALSE PROPHET? Many of us are familiar with the name Nostradamus especially during these perilous times in which we live. He was a reputed seer from the 16th century who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous world-wide. He is best known for his book Les Propheties, the first edition of which appeared in 1555. Since the publication of this book, which has rarely been out of print since his death, Nostradamus has attracted an enthusiastic following who, along with the popular press, credit him with predicting many major world events. In contrast, most academic sources maintain that the associations made between world events and Nostradamus' quatrains (the enigmatic verses that his prophecies were written in) are largely the result of misinterpretations or mistranslations (sometimes deliberate) or else are so tenuous as to render them useless as evidence of any genuine predictive power. Moreover, there is no evidence that anyone has ever interpreted any of Nostradamus' quatrains specifically enough to allow a clear identification of any event in advance. This is the critical difference between Nostradamus’ prophecies and the prophecies contained in the Holy Bible. Written hundreds (and in some cases thousands!) of years ago, the prophecies contained in Scripture are very detailed and yet very specific so that there can be only one interpretation shared by all who read them. They are not left to personal interpretation as are the prophecies of Nostradamus. In addition, the Bible clearly says that a prophet must be 100% correct 100% of the time. How do we test a so-called prophet? Deuteronomy 13 warns that a prophet must teach correctly about God. Chapter 18 tells us the prophet's prophecies must come to pass. Paul tells us in Galatians 1:8-9 that even angels can appear with a wrong message. We are to compare the message with the teachings of the apostles. In Acts 17:10-12, when Paul went to Berea to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah to the Jews, we read "these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed..." Note, Paul did not tell them to go home and pray about it. They were praised for searching the scriptures, in other words, testing the message to see if it agreed with the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets and the Messiah. That being said, while Nostradamus enthusiasts have credited him with predicting numerous events in world history, from the Great Fire of London, by way of the rise of Napoleon I of France and Adolf Hitler, to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, we cannot call him a true prophet because it is only ever in hindsight. It is not only skeptics who suggest that his reputation as a prophet is largely manufactured by modern-day supporters who fit his words to events that have either already occurred or are so imminent as to be inevitable, a process sometimes known as "retroactive clairvoyance." There is no evidence in the academic literature to suggest that any Nostradamus quatrain has ever been interpreted as predicting a specific event before it occurred, other than in vague, general terms that could equally apply to any number of other events. Again, this is the critical difference between Nostradamus’ prophecies and the prophecies contained in the Holy Bible. He simply cannot be a genuine prophet according to what we know of them and their prophecies from what the Bible has to say on the subject. Nevertheless, interest in the work of this prominent figure of the French Renaissance is still considerable, especially in the media and in popular culture, and the prophecies have in some cases been assimilated to the results of applying the alleged Bible Code, as well as to other purported prophetic works. It is in that spirit that I would like us to consider a new approach to Nostradamus, his prophecies as contained within his quatrains, and their possible connection to God’s plan for humanity and for what is yet to come. We know from Daniel 2:21 that, “And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.” Thus, God is in absolute and complete control – of everything! Surely, there is an element of free will and a natural system and order to things at work in this world, but when it comes to the significant events of human history (i.e. those events that are prophesied to occur in the end times) it is quite easy to assume that those are the things that He would maintain His firm grip upon. He loves us dearly and we are confident of this from John 3:16 that says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Not wanting to see anyone perish and miss out on the glorious opportunity and free gift of salvation and eternal life available to them, I have often wondered about all the seemingly insignificant things that God might use in this world to get our attention and speak to us in this pursuit. The question I have been struggling with lately is that even though a man like Nostradamus was a false prophet perhaps there is a small element of truth to each of his predictions. Could God use a false prophet to get our attention and send us a message? We might answer that question with a series of other questions, whose answers are all the same: Why does God allow false teachers and teachings? Why are there heresies and cults? Why are there charlatans and frauds in the Church? The biblical reply to those questions is that God allows false ministry for several reasons. First, He allows it to test the hearts of His people as we have already established in Deuteronomy 13. Such divine tests demonstrate whether God's people will follow Him or chase after some miracle worker who draws them away from His commandments and will. Second, God allows the false to appear because the contrast between the true and the false provides an opportunity to discern the differences clearly, and to highlight what is true: "There must needs be heresies among you, that those which are approved might be made manifest" (1 Corinthians 11:19). Third, God allows the false to arise as a source of delusion and deception for those who are dishonest: "Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done" (Romans1:28). Fourth, God uses the false to bring judgment on the disobedient. Jeremiah tells us that in his day false prophets had multiplied among God's people, causing them to err and leading them into immorality. However, they became a tool in God's hand for judging the wickedness of His people, because they falsely predicted peace when in fact God was planning to overthrow the nation (Jeremiah 23:9-40). Finally, God allows the false to appear among His people so that He can separate those who are committed to His purposes from those who are merely curious about what is taking place. You can be sure that when the religious leaders of Jesus' day rose against Him, speaking falsely and causing controversy, many who had followed Him up to that point simply to see the miracles consequently fell away instead of pressing in to know for certain what was true. In a similar way, I believe that the controversy now swirling around prophetic ministry will sharply increase in the days to come, because God never makes it easy to come into present truth. As with Gideon's army, the group of 22,000 who are faint-hearted and easily discouraged over imbalance, extremes and error will have ample opportunity to "go home" and give up on the whole movement because of the problems of a few. All are excellent points to consider. Plus, my own personal experience with this very subject tells me all I need to know. After 9/11, one of Nostradamus’ quatrains began making the rounds as we all searched for answers and meaning to such a catastrophic event. I was unsaved at the time and found small comfort thinking that perhaps “this was supposed to happen because Nostradamus predicted it!” Yet, a strange and marvellous thing sprung forth from that thought! God used this event and Nostradamus together to get my attention, to get me asking more questions about the frailty of life, to get me looking for safety and a way out, and to get me seeking the truth about life in this world. Soon after, I found myself absorbing anything and everything I could find about biblical prophecy since I quickly realized it was more accurate, more decipherable, and more amazing than anything I had ever read from Nostradamus! I was saved and born again a short time later! Obviously, God used this particular false prophet to save my soul. ON THIN ICE? I want to be clear that there is a part of me that hesitates to publish let alone write this piece. I admit that I am nothing more than a spiritual baby when it comes to my relationship with Jesus Christ and I am afraid that writing about something like this, which is pure speculation anyway, could hurt my witness and do much more harm than good. Besides, everything we could ever want and need to know about God’s plan for humanity as it pertains to the last days is contained in His love letter to humanity – His Holy Bible. Plus, the last thing I want to do is pique someone’s interest just enough that they begin to spend more time searching Nostradamus’ quatrains as opposed to burying their nose in the Book of Revelation. Even so, a new friend and Brother in Christ recently brought to my attention something that immediately caught my eye simply because – if true – it might mean that we are that much closer to being caught up in a twinkling of an eye! It could very well be another sign of the times. In the early 1990's, after the first Gulf War ended, Nostradamus followers wildly speculated that Saddam Hussein was the third Antichrist. The common consensus is that the first Antichrist, named “Napaulon Roy” was Napoleon, the second named “Hister” was Adolf Hitler, and the third was named “Mabus.” We have yet to figure out who this last Antichrist will be. Mabus then will soon die, there will come Of people and beasts a horrible rout: Then suddenly one will see vengeance, Hundred, hand, thirst, hunger when the comet will run. Century II, Quatrain 62 After the first war, Saddam was left standing in Baghdad and people lost interest. The prophecy was not fulfilled because Mabus was still alive. When war loomed over the Middle East a few years back, Saddam became this country’s number one target and people began to revisit this prophecy and they believed that he had the chance to fulfill it. As we know, Saddam’s fate was sealed and this quatrain faded into obscurity yet again. Nostradamus’ third Antichrist has yet to be positively identified. In contrast with his certainty about Napoleon and Hitler, Nostradamus is less clear about who this third tyrant is. Perhaps this is an example of his prophetic myopia that enabled him to be clearest about events of local or European history. When contemplating future events in more distant lands, the so-called prophet’s vision tends to be cloudier. What does come through clearly is the fact that this third and final Antichrist is not a prominent European leader as we commonly believe he will be. He may even be a minor player in a future conflict. That seems to fit with the biblically prophetic description that he will indeed rise to power from virtual obscurity. The man we know as Mabus may be some obscure individual who, if he is not identified and restrained in time, will trigger World War III and the extinction of civilization as we have known it as he ushers in Armageddon. What if this prediction was not referring to Saddam at all? What if the small element of truth that God will allow to be used for His purposes from this false prophet is the name “Mabus” and that this name is not related not to a well-known leader from the Middle East or Europe, but an obscure politician from the United States? It sounds absurd, I know! Would it sound any less absurd if I told you that this individual we have identified shares the EXACT same name as the one given by Nostradamus and that he is a key advisor to none other than presidential candidate Barack Obama – referred to by many (as regular RNN readers know quite well) as our country’s savior and the messiah? Ray Mabus is an American business and political leader. Based in Mississippi, he works on international business matters, is involved in political campaigns, and serves on various corporate and charitable boards. Previously, he served as Governor of the U.S. state of Mississippi from as a Democrat and as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Mabus was appointed by President Bill Clinton to be the United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and served from 1994 to 1996. During his tenure, a 1994 border crisis involving Yemen was diffused, a 1994 crisis with Iraq was deterred, a 1995 terrorist attack was weathered, child custody disputes were addressed, and contracts worth more than $16 billion were signed between Saudi Arabian and American companies such as Boeing, AT&T and others. Also, Saudi Arabia officially abandoned the boycott of United States businesses that trade with Israel, and more than $8 million of proposed expenditures for the American mission were cut. He is quite the peacemaker. Mabus serves on various corporate and charitable boards, and is involved in international business. In addition, he frequently assists political campaigns, in Mississippi and nationally. In May 2007, he endorsed U.S. Senator Barack Obama for president, and is serving as a senior adviser to the campaign (Obama’s right-hand man especially when it comes to foreign affairs in the Middle East). He has been awarded the U.S. Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Award, the U.S. Army’s Distinguished Civilian Service Award, the Martin Luther King Social Responsibility Award from the King Center in Atlanta, the National Wildlife Federation Conservation Achievement Award, the King Abdul Aziz Award from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Mississippi Association of Educators’ Friend of Education Award. He is active in many community activities, primarily focusing on education. Following Hurricane Katrina, he founded the Help and Hope Foundation, which works to meet the needs of children affected by the storm. He is a member of the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy and the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), and is the Distinguished Lecturer on the Middle East at the University of Mississippi. As a photographer, his photographs have raised tens of thousands of dollars for various Mississippi charities. He has also appeared on many television programs as an expert on the Middle East, including “60 Minutes” and “Nightline.” That is quite an impressive resume for an obscure politician from Mississippi! Now the eerie stuff. He was born in 1948. That is the same year that the state of Israel was born. We all know that to determine where we are on the prophetic timeline we need to simply look to see what is going on with that small nation in the Middle East because Israel is God’s timepiece. If Ray Mabus is the Antichrist this would be phenomenal, but not entirely surprising connection. If Ray Mabus is the Antichrist then where is the 666? Here is what I found. He is the 60th Governor of Mississippi, he will be 60 years of age this October (surprise?), but where is the other 6? That remains to be seen. Again, I do not pretend to have any answers and am simply presenting what I see as some potentially important information and readily admit that this could be nothing but pure nonsense. However, it is certainly plausible that if Obama wins the presidency, Mabus could become the Secretary of State or even the Vice President and we all know the prophetic implications of that reality in the frame of this context and given his professional background and accomplishments. Once again, this is certainly all pure speculation as I have stated before and despite the intriguing facts that make you raise your eyebrows this could be nothing more than a red herring or rabbit trail to distract us from the real task at hand. While we are supposed to be watching and preparing for Jesus’ return there is no question that these questions still remain important for helping others to realize that we are fast approaching the time of the end as circumstances are being orchestrated behind the scenes by our Good Shepherd to fulfill His story. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? Was Nostradamus on to something? Is God using this false prophet to some extent to get the attention of those who are unsaved? I believe that the answer is ‘yes’ and that these whispers from the past can reveal a small part about the path to our future destiny. Given the vital importance of the decision we need to make and cannot put off until tomorrow due to the eternal significance, I think it only makes sense that the Lord would do whatever it takes and that He would use any tools at His disposal in this fallen and sinful world to get our attention and scare some sense into us because He loves us that much! Want proof? Romans 5:8 says, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." In this verse and in John 3:16, we find no conditions placed on God's love for us. God doesn't say, "as soon as you clean up your act, I'll love you" nor does He say, "I'll sacrifice my Son if you promise to love Me." In fact, in Romans 5:8, we find just the opposite. God wants us to know that His love is unconditional, so He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us while we were still unlovable sinners. We did not have to get clean, and we did not have to make any promises to God before we could experience His love. His love for us has always existed, and because of that, He did all the giving and sacrificing long before we were even aware that we needed His love. God is Love, and His love is very different from human love. God's love is unconditional, and it is not based on feelings or emotions. He does not love us because we are lovable or because we make Him feel good. He loves us because He is love. He created us to have a loving relationship with Him, and He sacrificed His own Son (who also willingly died for us) to restore that relationship. We have all sinned and deserve God's judgment according to His universal laws. God, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment (to serve as a substitute for us and our sins because this universal law demanded some kind of a sacrifice as penalty and payment for violating and breaking them) for those who believe in Him. Jesus, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He died for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve, was buried, and rose from the dead according to the Bible. If you truly believe and trust this in your heart, receiving Jesus alone as your Savior, declaring, "Jesus is Lord," recognize your need for a Savior due to your sins (whatever they may be) and repent of them now and ask Him to forgive you and to come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior. You will be saved from judgment and will now spend eternity with God in heaven as well as your fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ! The Nostradamus connection to biblical prophecy may be real or it may be imagined. From my own personal experience related to this subject that ultimately led me to my salvation in Jesus Christ I believe it is the former. With that in mind, Luke 21:28 tells us plainly, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” http://www.raidersnewsnetwork.com/full.php?news=17887 |
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| Shershalom | Jul 25 2008, 01:20 PM Post #2 |
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Vewwwwwwyyyyyyy interwesting, w8n! Me thinks the plot is thickening! |
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SherShalom "Blessed is HE that comes in the NAME of the LORD." MATTHEW 23:39 | |
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| 7SevenThunders7 | Aug 8 2008, 03:17 PM Post #3 |
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Ok folks, Nostradamus used a method of divination known as scrying. Which is not to say that he did not actually see some very real future events. But the Bible clearly warns against these forms of divination. Which is why, back when he was doing these things, he had to be very careful to hide his methods as the "Suffer not a witch to live" rule was still very much in affect. His method is very clearly described for us in one of his quatrains: Sitting alone at night in secret study; it is placed on the brass tripod. A slight flame comes out of the emptiness and makes successful that which should not be believed in vain Scrying, which is commonly practiced by witches, was his method of predicting: The term scrying, deriving from the English descry--"to make out dimly" or "to reveal"--denotes an ancient art of clairvoyance: concentrating on an object until visions appear. Scrying has been practiced by magicians and Witches through the ages. Among the purposes of scrying are predictions of the future, answers to questions, solutions to problems, help in finding lost objects, and help in tracking down criminals.The object on which to concentrate is usually a shiny, smooth surface that makes a good speculum, such as the crystal ball used by Gypsy fortune-tellers or the still water of a lake or pond into which many early scryers gazed. Some of the most frequently used objects are mirrors, polished stones or metals, and bowls of liquid. Ink, blood, and other dark liquids were used by the Egyptians for centuries. Bowls of water were used by Nostradamus "The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so. The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him." ~Deuteronomy 18:14-15 " 'Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it. " 'Do not practice divination or sorcery." ~Leviticus 19:26 "When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead." ~Deuteronomy 18:9-11 "Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. They say, "The LORD declares," when the LORD has not sent them; yet they expect their words to be fulfilled." ~Ezekiel 13:6 There are many more warnings from the Lord. Just because these methods often will show the diviner the future, it does not mean we are to engage in this activity as Christians, or support, or look to those who do. Unless you want The Lord God to consider you among them when he returns. "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." ~Galatians 5:19-21 In Deuteronomy, divination is paired with sorcery and witchcraft. Not good. So now you know the source of the Nostradamus visions, consider whether you wish to entertain them, possible invite realted spirits who know you are willing to accept their message. Scared yet? Asl for the Lord to cleanse you of all unrighteousness just in case there are any lingering spirits wishing to show you things from the future. I will to sense I came here and read one of his prophecies and actually thought it was interesting. But interesting or not, this is the wrong spirit and not for us to touch, mess with, consider, ponder or otherwise listen to. There is more on this topic available for us to read: http://www.evangelicaloutreach.org/nostradamus.htm ~7Seven |
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7:16 PM Jan 8