Michael Bresciani
Don't want to repeat the mistakes of history? - - Check into prophecy
By Michael Bresciani
Perhaps a better title for this article may have been "Things you didn't know about the second coming of Christ, but will soon learn." Unfortunately, many Americans and others around the world are confused by prophecy and think it is an open ended melee of confusing warnings about bad days in the near future.
Far too many have given false dates such as Harold Camping and prophecy buffs by the hundreds have jumped in and decided that prophetic scriptures are open to wild speculation and private interpretations – they are not.
"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." (2 Pet 1: 20)
Behind all this general nonsense come A&E and the History Channel with programs about Nostradamus, Jeanne Dixon, Edgar Cayce and others, placing them in the same category as Biblical prophecies – a serious mistake.
About one quarter of the biblical message is about prophecy, but not one bit of it is on the level of mere prognostication. All bible prophecy is pre-written history. As such, it is perfectly safe to say that almost everyone in this present world is 'prophecy challenged.'
This writer will answer a blog entry when I see prophetic scriptures twisted out of shape and badly interpreted, but the nature of my calling is to proclaim – not to debate. Sometimes the nonsense – simply must be addressed.
On a recent article posted by a major online publisher the idea of Mecca being the city that Revelation refers to as Babylon was put forth. It would seem almost possible if the person making that declaration was not also espousing the notion that the antichrist must be a Muslim.
Since Revelation clearly says that the antichrist's kingdom hates the whore (city of Babylon) and resultantly destroys her, (Rev 17: 6) what we have is a case of a Muslim destroying the most important site to Muslims in the entire world. What is wrong with this story?
Then along comes those who insist that the great Babylon is America. Since Babylo is named as a "city" (Rev 18:10) and it is said that in it was found the blood of saints and martyrs, and finally it is called the City of Seven Mountains (Rev 17: 9) – how can this possibly be the United States of America?
The only city universally recognized in this world as the city of seven mountains is Rome. Even though millions of believers do not recognize the authority of the Pope, the world at large views Rome as the geocentric capital of Christendom.
The real antichrist is a political military genius, empowered by the god of this world (Satan) and is rife with hatred for God and all of Christendom. Isn't he the most likely candidate for destroying the perceived capitol of Christianity?
Oddly, bloggers who are given to specious speculations about revelation always seem to miss the most serious warning in the book of Revelation, in fact, it is the most serious warning in the entire bible pertaining to foolish and extravagant interpretations that require removal or additions to any part of scripture.
"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." (Rev 22: 18, 19)
The prophetically challenged may also be geography challenged, but God, who gave these words to John on the Isle of Patmos, was, and is, still not challenged by anything. We can sleep easy at night knowing that the one who hung the stars in heaven knows the difference between a city and a nation.
The Sky is Falling – Here comes World War Three
Another wistful warble of the twisted tweets surrounding second coming, is the notion that antichrist must lead the world into the much dreaded World War III.
Surprise – there will be no third world war. The final war is not a world war where nations come to battle against each other in one cataclysmic battle to end the world itself.
The next war may be the final war, but it neither ends the world nor is it called WW III; rather it is specifically named the Battle of 'Armageddon.' (Revelation 16:13-16)
Known to only a few is the amazing fact that the armies in the Battle of Armageddon will not lift a finger against each other. They are gathered in the great plains of Esdraelon to battle against the returning King of kings and Lord of lords. They will be miserably defeated. (Rev 19: 19)
For all of this the world still does not end. Instead, it becomes the domain of the one this world and our willfully rebellious nation seem to want silenced, removed and thrown on the ash heap of history.
How silly we must seem to the one who speaking through the prophet David said, "If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof." (Ps 50: 12)
Don't think prophecy people are naïve, we know antichrist will seem successful at all that he does, but it is his very success that precipitates the re-entry of Christ into the world and the troubled history of man. He pushes the envelope to its max and God seals it shut once and for all.
Antichrist Slays his Thousands – God Resurrects his Multiple Millions
According to the prophet Daniel, antichrist will "wear out" the people of God. (Dan 7: 25) Near the very end of his short tenure as the world's last and worst dictator, he will simply murder all those who refuse to be part of his shiny new economic system that he puts forth as the very salvation of the world.
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were BEHEADED for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." (Rev 20: 4)
The very souls' antichrist wastes, return with Christ, alive, and are given the entire earth as their inheritance. They are there in the Battle of Armageddon and will rule with him for 1,000 years until eternity begins in a new heaven and a new earth. (Rev 19: 12-15)
For over twenty centuries men have scoffed at the resurrection of Jesus Christ, little do they realize that it was only the beginning! The last scoffer will be silenced at the second coming of Christ when all those who trusted in God and his Christ will be seen alive and well – in the presence of their King.
Sorry – There will be No Nukes for Jerusalem and Israel will Prevail
The fear that Iran or some other rogue Muslim nation is soon to develop a nuclear weapon and use it on Israel is a subject of worldwide controversy. Again, if you are among the prophetically challenged you are probably eaten up, at least in part, by this trepidation, fueled daily, by upheavals and threats coming from Israel's many enemies.
Prophecy sees Israel as undergoing many troubles, some very severe, but in the end Jesus Christ fulfills his promise to come not only as he went – but he arrives in the very same place from which he departed, the Mount of Olives just 2.2 miles outside the Old City of Jerusalem.
Nothing nuclear has wiped this spot where Jesus often prayed off the map and Christ himself descends to it in all the fullness of the glory of God. He splits the mountain at his return but does no damage to the city.
"And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south." (Zec 14: 4)
In this day when we are tossing around terms like 'Muslim threats' and 'superpowers' to describe the raging conflicts of nations it is easy to see why God is not worried and why his word tells us not to worry – over 88 times.
"Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance" (Isa 40: 15a)
Homosexuality and all Last Day's Perversions are not Cultural they are Prophetic
Whether you think the "we are born this way' argument is worth a plug or whether you just don't think the rise in sexual immorality is any big deal doesn't matter much at all to the prophetically literate.
According to scripture (Ro 1: 1f and 2 Tim 3: 1-5) the rise in licentious pursuits is established in the scriptures as a major sign of the approach of antichrist and the last days.
Men have had twenty centuries to perfect the art of self-justification first mentioned by the great King Solomon who said "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts." (Pr 21: 2)
Now, we can add the idea of it all being the fault of some gene, the environment, poverty, our parents or some nasty little run in with another that has left us scarred for life and unable to live normally. Excuses by any other name are still self-justification and will have little bearing on the outcome of a life when the judgment falls.
The notion that cultural change trumps the laws and commands of a Holy God is the flimsiest excuse in all history and it is also a key component to the prophecies of the last days.
While it is said that when religion clashes with culture it always loses ground, what is also true, is that when culture meets with prophecy – it is brought down to dust.
In the most severe rebuke against homosexuality in the entire bible the Apostle Paul ends his denunciation of the homo-lifestyle by saying – we will have no excuse!
"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." (Ro 1: 20)
This will of course include President Obama who did not notice Rev 22: 18, 19, when he summarily dismissed the entirety of Romans chapter one as an obscure passage not to be taken too seriously.
© Michael Bresciani
June 7, 2014
Perhaps a better title for this article may have been "Things you didn't know about the second coming of Christ, but will soon learn." Unfortunately, many Americans and others around the world are confused by prophecy and think it is an open ended melee of confusing warnings about bad days in the near future.
Far too many have given false dates such as Harold Camping and prophecy buffs by the hundreds have jumped in and decided that prophetic scriptures are open to wild speculation and private interpretations – they are not.
"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." (2 Pet 1: 20)
Behind all this general nonsense come A&E and the History Channel with programs about Nostradamus, Jeanne Dixon, Edgar Cayce and others, placing them in the same category as Biblical prophecies – a serious mistake.
About one quarter of the biblical message is about prophecy, but not one bit of it is on the level of mere prognostication. All bible prophecy is pre-written history. As such, it is perfectly safe to say that almost everyone in this present world is 'prophecy challenged.'
This writer will answer a blog entry when I see prophetic scriptures twisted out of shape and badly interpreted, but the nature of my calling is to proclaim – not to debate. Sometimes the nonsense – simply must be addressed.
On a recent article posted by a major online publisher the idea of Mecca being the city that Revelation refers to as Babylon was put forth. It would seem almost possible if the person making that declaration was not also espousing the notion that the antichrist must be a Muslim.
Since Revelation clearly says that the antichrist's kingdom hates the whore (city of Babylon) and resultantly destroys her, (Rev 17: 6) what we have is a case of a Muslim destroying the most important site to Muslims in the entire world. What is wrong with this story?
Then along comes those who insist that the great Babylon is America. Since Babylo is named as a "city" (Rev 18:10) and it is said that in it was found the blood of saints and martyrs, and finally it is called the City of Seven Mountains (Rev 17: 9) – how can this possibly be the United States of America?
The only city universally recognized in this world as the city of seven mountains is Rome. Even though millions of believers do not recognize the authority of the Pope, the world at large views Rome as the geocentric capital of Christendom.
The real antichrist is a political military genius, empowered by the god of this world (Satan) and is rife with hatred for God and all of Christendom. Isn't he the most likely candidate for destroying the perceived capitol of Christianity?
Oddly, bloggers who are given to specious speculations about revelation always seem to miss the most serious warning in the book of Revelation, in fact, it is the most serious warning in the entire bible pertaining to foolish and extravagant interpretations that require removal or additions to any part of scripture.
"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." (Rev 22: 18, 19)
The prophetically challenged may also be geography challenged, but God, who gave these words to John on the Isle of Patmos, was, and is, still not challenged by anything. We can sleep easy at night knowing that the one who hung the stars in heaven knows the difference between a city and a nation.
The Sky is Falling – Here comes World War Three
Another wistful warble of the twisted tweets surrounding second coming, is the notion that antichrist must lead the world into the much dreaded World War III.
Surprise – there will be no third world war. The final war is not a world war where nations come to battle against each other in one cataclysmic battle to end the world itself.
The next war may be the final war, but it neither ends the world nor is it called WW III; rather it is specifically named the Battle of 'Armageddon.' (Revelation 16:13-16)
Known to only a few is the amazing fact that the armies in the Battle of Armageddon will not lift a finger against each other. They are gathered in the great plains of Esdraelon to battle against the returning King of kings and Lord of lords. They will be miserably defeated. (Rev 19: 19)
For all of this the world still does not end. Instead, it becomes the domain of the one this world and our willfully rebellious nation seem to want silenced, removed and thrown on the ash heap of history.
How silly we must seem to the one who speaking through the prophet David said, "If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof." (Ps 50: 12)
Don't think prophecy people are naïve, we know antichrist will seem successful at all that he does, but it is his very success that precipitates the re-entry of Christ into the world and the troubled history of man. He pushes the envelope to its max and God seals it shut once and for all.
Antichrist Slays his Thousands – God Resurrects his Multiple Millions
According to the prophet Daniel, antichrist will "wear out" the people of God. (Dan 7: 25) Near the very end of his short tenure as the world's last and worst dictator, he will simply murder all those who refuse to be part of his shiny new economic system that he puts forth as the very salvation of the world.
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were BEHEADED for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." (Rev 20: 4)
The very souls' antichrist wastes, return with Christ, alive, and are given the entire earth as their inheritance. They are there in the Battle of Armageddon and will rule with him for 1,000 years until eternity begins in a new heaven and a new earth. (Rev 19: 12-15)
For over twenty centuries men have scoffed at the resurrection of Jesus Christ, little do they realize that it was only the beginning! The last scoffer will be silenced at the second coming of Christ when all those who trusted in God and his Christ will be seen alive and well – in the presence of their King.
Sorry – There will be No Nukes for Jerusalem and Israel will Prevail
The fear that Iran or some other rogue Muslim nation is soon to develop a nuclear weapon and use it on Israel is a subject of worldwide controversy. Again, if you are among the prophetically challenged you are probably eaten up, at least in part, by this trepidation, fueled daily, by upheavals and threats coming from Israel's many enemies.
Prophecy sees Israel as undergoing many troubles, some very severe, but in the end Jesus Christ fulfills his promise to come not only as he went – but he arrives in the very same place from which he departed, the Mount of Olives just 2.2 miles outside the Old City of Jerusalem.
Nothing nuclear has wiped this spot where Jesus often prayed off the map and Christ himself descends to it in all the fullness of the glory of God. He splits the mountain at his return but does no damage to the city.
"And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south." (Zec 14: 4)
In this day when we are tossing around terms like 'Muslim threats' and 'superpowers' to describe the raging conflicts of nations it is easy to see why God is not worried and why his word tells us not to worry – over 88 times.
"Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance" (Isa 40: 15a)
Homosexuality and all Last Day's Perversions are not Cultural they are Prophetic
Whether you think the "we are born this way' argument is worth a plug or whether you just don't think the rise in sexual immorality is any big deal doesn't matter much at all to the prophetically literate.
According to scripture (Ro 1: 1f and 2 Tim 3: 1-5) the rise in licentious pursuits is established in the scriptures as a major sign of the approach of antichrist and the last days.
Men have had twenty centuries to perfect the art of self-justification first mentioned by the great King Solomon who said "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts." (Pr 21: 2)
Now, we can add the idea of it all being the fault of some gene, the environment, poverty, our parents or some nasty little run in with another that has left us scarred for life and unable to live normally. Excuses by any other name are still self-justification and will have little bearing on the outcome of a life when the judgment falls.
The notion that cultural change trumps the laws and commands of a Holy God is the flimsiest excuse in all history and it is also a key component to the prophecies of the last days.
While it is said that when religion clashes with culture it always loses ground, what is also true, is that when culture meets with prophecy – it is brought down to dust.
In the most severe rebuke against homosexuality in the entire bible the Apostle Paul ends his denunciation of the homo-lifestyle by saying – we will have no excuse!
"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." (Ro 1: 20)
This will of course include President Obama who did not notice Rev 22: 18, 19, when he summarily dismissed the entirety of Romans chapter one as an obscure passage not to be taken too seriously.
© Michael Bresciani
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