Michael Bresciani
What happens when a superpower - - meets a supersign?
By Michael Bresciani
It is understood that prophecy preachers, students and buffs, are not always prophets. This is never clearer as when it is seen that many prophecy ministries become purveyors of the subject rather than proclaimers of the essential message. Conjecture and speculation may at times enter certain parts of prophecy, but it is a not all there is.
In fact real prophecy is derived from a combination of older fulfilled prophecies, and an admixture of future events, historical and societal changes and a fair understanding of geopolitical events that move across the ever morphing sphere the Bible calls, the "kingdom of men." (Da 4: 17)
Telling forth the will and counsel of God, past, present and future is what real prophecy is all about and its single purpose is to prepare. The world loves change and as the rapid changes of modernity sweep our imaginations away to the place where we are actually lulled by the false assumption that all the change is evidence that we are on the right track. We actually become less cognizant of where it is all heading. We may have just a little less discernment than a tenderfoot boy scout who heard the scout's motto 'be prepared,' but has no clue about just how to get ready.
Everyone insists on an accurate timeline or chronology. They are willing to pass by the incredible accuracy of past Messianic prophecies, (First coming of Christ) but dismiss the timetables of his second coming until they are perfectly satisfied that someone has finally got every detail worked out to the minute.
Christ clearly warned that no one would know the day or the hour, (Mt 25: 13,) but they fail to notice that he did give us a time slot that is easily recognizable. That sign is the nation of Israel, the chronology or length of the sign is one single generation long. So where are we today?
Israel has always been the fig tree and only today has she begun to bring forth her leaves and fruit thus fulfilling the clearest warning of Christ's Olivet Discourse. "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." (Mt 24: 32–34)
In fact Israel and her place in the world is the 'sign of signs.' Essentially Israel's recent history can be referred to as the 'supersign.' Because almost all the ancient prophets predicted that when Israel became a nation again and is in possession of the city of Jerusalem that one generation would be all that is left to our history as we know it. The beginning of that generation is already on the map and indeed we are well on our way toward the end of it.
Those who disregard the supersign are not likely to pay much attention the subsequent events prophesied by other ancient prophets. Ezekiel indicates that a nation north of Israel (Russia) will give encouragement and aid to a pact of Arab nations that will invade Israel, but that they will all fail together because God intervenes. Whether he uses Israel's allies or does it quite on his own is speculative, but the invasion is a complete failure and Israel's enemies are completely destroyed and become unable to wage war against her.
The average secularist neither believes the details of Christ's second coming and what follows it, but they are satisfied to hear just about any authoritative voice on the matter. But authoritative voices are few and far between. Not many academics will tackle the subject, but Hollywood and media have a huge smattering of 'what if' type documentaries and special productions, all which tend to raise dozens of questions without answering any.
There are programs and special productions from the science channel, the history channel and the goofy channels. Asteroids, germ warfare, pandemics and even alien invasion are some of the doomsday offerings of the learned speculators. A little Edgar Cayce, Nostradamus and Mayan calendar hype is also available for those who like to put fear, and mystery, into the mix. Putting our weight on any of these titillations is about the equivalent of trusting our future to the advice found in Chinese fortune cookies. Trusting any of these speculations is exactly what Christ had in mind when he said "And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." (Mt 7: 26-27)
Biblical prophecy stands by itself, it does not answer to man's diddling and speculation and it stays on its own timetable regardless of geopolitical changes, war or social upheaval. It is pre-written history and can't be changed by faith or the lack of it. It doesn't care what our scientists say and it accepts no embellishments from the learned or the unlearned. It is the enigma of the unstoppable and the immovable all rolled into one.
Some prophecy students labor over the building of the Jewish temple which must fit into the last days events. At the same time they agree that Antichrist will make a temporary pact of protection with Israel only to break it and engage in the final insult Christ called "the abomination of desolation" (Mt 24: 15) It often does not occur to them that the building of the temple may have to wait until that time when they feel safe under the pact. Modern construction and engineering techniques and the reports of stockpiled materials will shrink the time necessary to erect a temple to a fraction of the time it took to build the original temple in days of old. Unfortunately, when it is finished, it will be desecrated by the very person under whose auspices it became possible.
The fall of the Spanish, Irish and Greek economies and the recent announcement by President Obama about his newly evolved position on gay marriage are all details that fit into a larger picture. That picture is painted by the words of writ. It sees mankind sliding down the slippery slope of international acceptance of everything perverted and prurient at the same time they smash accountability by placing Biblical Christianity in the same lump with all other religions and reducing it to the same pointless claptrap that has beleaguered mankind's penchant for idolatry since time immemorial.
Out of it all will emerge the short lived last days attempt by man to unify the world under one leader. It comes at a very high price. It starts with hope and a good outlook, but ends in disaster and the fall of nations.
Hundreds of writers, prophets, statesmen and everyday people have repeated the warnings about how we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past if we have learned nothing from them. America seems to be the young brash tough boy on the block who doesn't care to hear that worn out rhetoric. After all, we haven't had a chance to make our own big mistakes yet. We are entitled to our own chance to fail and learn our own big lesson of history. Don't look now, but we are foolishly, well underway down that dark and dangerous road.
© Michael Bresciani
May 25, 2012
It is understood that prophecy preachers, students and buffs, are not always prophets. This is never clearer as when it is seen that many prophecy ministries become purveyors of the subject rather than proclaimers of the essential message. Conjecture and speculation may at times enter certain parts of prophecy, but it is a not all there is.
In fact real prophecy is derived from a combination of older fulfilled prophecies, and an admixture of future events, historical and societal changes and a fair understanding of geopolitical events that move across the ever morphing sphere the Bible calls, the "kingdom of men." (Da 4: 17)
Telling forth the will and counsel of God, past, present and future is what real prophecy is all about and its single purpose is to prepare. The world loves change and as the rapid changes of modernity sweep our imaginations away to the place where we are actually lulled by the false assumption that all the change is evidence that we are on the right track. We actually become less cognizant of where it is all heading. We may have just a little less discernment than a tenderfoot boy scout who heard the scout's motto 'be prepared,' but has no clue about just how to get ready.
Everyone insists on an accurate timeline or chronology. They are willing to pass by the incredible accuracy of past Messianic prophecies, (First coming of Christ) but dismiss the timetables of his second coming until they are perfectly satisfied that someone has finally got every detail worked out to the minute.
Christ clearly warned that no one would know the day or the hour, (Mt 25: 13,) but they fail to notice that he did give us a time slot that is easily recognizable. That sign is the nation of Israel, the chronology or length of the sign is one single generation long. So where are we today?
Israel has always been the fig tree and only today has she begun to bring forth her leaves and fruit thus fulfilling the clearest warning of Christ's Olivet Discourse. "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." (Mt 24: 32–34)
In fact Israel and her place in the world is the 'sign of signs.' Essentially Israel's recent history can be referred to as the 'supersign.' Because almost all the ancient prophets predicted that when Israel became a nation again and is in possession of the city of Jerusalem that one generation would be all that is left to our history as we know it. The beginning of that generation is already on the map and indeed we are well on our way toward the end of it.
Those who disregard the supersign are not likely to pay much attention the subsequent events prophesied by other ancient prophets. Ezekiel indicates that a nation north of Israel (Russia) will give encouragement and aid to a pact of Arab nations that will invade Israel, but that they will all fail together because God intervenes. Whether he uses Israel's allies or does it quite on his own is speculative, but the invasion is a complete failure and Israel's enemies are completely destroyed and become unable to wage war against her.
The average secularist neither believes the details of Christ's second coming and what follows it, but they are satisfied to hear just about any authoritative voice on the matter. But authoritative voices are few and far between. Not many academics will tackle the subject, but Hollywood and media have a huge smattering of 'what if' type documentaries and special productions, all which tend to raise dozens of questions without answering any.
There are programs and special productions from the science channel, the history channel and the goofy channels. Asteroids, germ warfare, pandemics and even alien invasion are some of the doomsday offerings of the learned speculators. A little Edgar Cayce, Nostradamus and Mayan calendar hype is also available for those who like to put fear, and mystery, into the mix. Putting our weight on any of these titillations is about the equivalent of trusting our future to the advice found in Chinese fortune cookies. Trusting any of these speculations is exactly what Christ had in mind when he said "And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." (Mt 7: 26-27)
Biblical prophecy stands by itself, it does not answer to man's diddling and speculation and it stays on its own timetable regardless of geopolitical changes, war or social upheaval. It is pre-written history and can't be changed by faith or the lack of it. It doesn't care what our scientists say and it accepts no embellishments from the learned or the unlearned. It is the enigma of the unstoppable and the immovable all rolled into one.
Some prophecy students labor over the building of the Jewish temple which must fit into the last days events. At the same time they agree that Antichrist will make a temporary pact of protection with Israel only to break it and engage in the final insult Christ called "the abomination of desolation" (Mt 24: 15) It often does not occur to them that the building of the temple may have to wait until that time when they feel safe under the pact. Modern construction and engineering techniques and the reports of stockpiled materials will shrink the time necessary to erect a temple to a fraction of the time it took to build the original temple in days of old. Unfortunately, when it is finished, it will be desecrated by the very person under whose auspices it became possible.
The fall of the Spanish, Irish and Greek economies and the recent announcement by President Obama about his newly evolved position on gay marriage are all details that fit into a larger picture. That picture is painted by the words of writ. It sees mankind sliding down the slippery slope of international acceptance of everything perverted and prurient at the same time they smash accountability by placing Biblical Christianity in the same lump with all other religions and reducing it to the same pointless claptrap that has beleaguered mankind's penchant for idolatry since time immemorial.
Out of it all will emerge the short lived last days attempt by man to unify the world under one leader. It comes at a very high price. It starts with hope and a good outlook, but ends in disaster and the fall of nations.
Hundreds of writers, prophets, statesmen and everyday people have repeated the warnings about how we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past if we have learned nothing from them. America seems to be the young brash tough boy on the block who doesn't care to hear that worn out rhetoric. After all, we haven't had a chance to make our own big mistakes yet. We are entitled to our own chance to fail and learn our own big lesson of history. Don't look now, but we are foolishly, well underway down that dark and dangerous road.
© Michael Bresciani
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