"and the headlines just go on and on and on..."Overwhelmed by the Pace
by Nathan Jones
.
Today I feel most overwhelmed.
Every day I sit down and scour world events for signs of the soon return of Jesus Christ. Some days, I have to pick through dozens of articles and stories to find just one happening that has prophetic significance. Whether it be the growing apostasy in the Church, the rise of a one-world government, the solidification of the Ezekiel 38-39 Gog-Magog Muslim alliance, the reviving of the Roman Empire, the rapid decline of American power or the ongoing restoration of the nation of Israel — there is usually some event that like a gold nugget can be panned from the media stream.
But, not today. Today every rock I pick up is a gold nugget. Every story I begin reading screams about the soon return of Jesus Christ. As soon as I'm halfway through one article, another comes into my Inbox or RSS feed to interrupt and shout its report. The combined yelling of all these prophetic stories is a cacophony that has overwhelmed my ability to process all that is going on. I'm forced to cover my ears with my hands and close my eyes tightly shut.
Here are just a few examples of today's headlines:
"For the media, it's un-Holy Week"
(OneNewsNow.com, Colleen Raezler, Wednesday, April 8, 2009)
"Newsweek proclaimed 'The Decline and Fall of Christian America' on its cover. The Washington Post/Newsweek 'On Faith' blog featured a post that belittled the significance of Jesus' death and resurrection. The Discovery Channel aired a documentary that painted Jesus as little more than an opportunistic politician who caught a bad break in a trial... Anti-Christianism is the last acceptable prejudice. The assault on Christian beliefs and morality is ongoing... But because Easter is so central to understanding Jesus and His purpose, and to Christians' own understanding of the world, the secular attack escalates during Holy Week."
"Obama Popularity Soaring Across Middle East"
(Newsmax.com, Wednesday, April 8, 2009)
"The Middle East is finding, to its amazement, that it may actually like America's new leader... They want Washington to press for the creation of a Palestinian state to resolve the Israeli-Arab conflict — something Obama has promised to do... Obama's visit to Turkey this week was full of gestures calculated at showing he is a friend to Muslims... Even an offhand comment that he had to wrap up the town-hall before the afternoon call to Islamic prayers showed an easy familiarity with the rhythms of Muslims' lives... Even hard-liners took notice. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country welcomes talks with the United States if Obama proves 'honest' in extending the U.S. hand to Iran, one of his strongest signals yet of openness to Obama's calls for dialogue."
"100,000 secular Britons seek 'de-baptism'"
(Yahoo! News, Monday, March 30, 2009)
"More than 100,000 Britons have recently downloaded 'certificates of de-baptism' from the Internet to renounce their Christian faith... Michael Evans, 66, branded baptising children as 'a form of child abuse'... 'hostility' is fueling the de-baptism movement."
"Rick Warren disavows support for Prop. 8"
(OneNewsNow.com, Jim Brown, Wednesday, April 8, 2009)
"California mega-church pastor and author of The Purpose Driven Life Rick Warren says he apologized to his homosexual friends for making comments in support of California's Proposition 8, and now claims he 'never once even gave an endorsement' of the marriage amendment... Monday night on CNN's Larry King Live, Pastor Rick Warren apologized for his support of Prop. 8, California's voter-approved marriage protection amendment."
"Obama's G20 plan kisses off Declaration of Independence"
(WorldNetDaily.com, Jerome Corsi, Wednesday, April 8, 2009)
"At the G20 meeting in London... President Obama gave the blessing of the United States to the G20 decision to elevate the Financial Stability Forum into the Financial Stability Board. The United States has only one vote in the newly constituted Financial Stability Board, a group that will be largely controlled by European central bankers... The new global regulator now has the authority to examine all U.S. banks, brokerage firms and corporations... to examine operations and determine risk. The Financial Stability Board then has the international authority to set policies in these corporations... the Obama administration, by agreeing to create the Financial Stability Board, has gone beyond nationalizing U.S. corporations, to 'internationalize' U.S.-based corporations under the control of this new global regulator."
"IDF planning largest-ever drill to prepare Israel for war"
(Haartz.com, Anshel Pfeffer, Tuesday, April 7, 2009)
"The Home Front Command is preparing to hold the largest exercise ever in Israeli history, scheduled to take place in about two months, in hopes of priming the populace and raising awareness of the possibility of war breaking out... The exercise is scheduled to last an entire week and test a series of scenarios that include missile strikes with conventional and non-conventional warheads, fired by Hezbollah, Syria or Hamas."
"Italy earthquake death toll rises to 283"
(Yahoo! News, Monday, March 30, 2009)
"L'AQUILA, Italy... The death toll from Italy's worst quake in three decades reached 283, including 20 children and teens... Strong aftershocks overnight rattled residents — nearly 18,000 of whom are living in tent camps around the stricken region."
"The G20 moves the world a step closer to a global currency"
(Telegraph.co.uk, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Tuesday, April 7, 2009)
"A single clause in Point 19 of the communiquè issued by the G20 leaders amounts to revolution in the global financial order... In effect, the G20 leaders have activated the IMF's power to create money and begin global 'quantitative easing'. In doing so, they are putting a de facto world currency into play. It is outside the control of any sovereign body."
And the headlines go on, and on, and on, and...
From a great falling away from the faith (2 Tim. 4:3), to the siding of the United States with Islam against Israel and God (Rev. 19:19), to a consuming apostasy in the Church (Rev. 3:14-22), to Israel's fight for its very survival (Ps. 83; Ezek. 38-39), to prolific natural disasters (Matt. 24:6), to the ongoing formation of a one-world government whose leader someday will be called "The Antichrist" (Rev. 13:7) — Bible prophecy is being fulfilled at a fast and furious pace. It is all simply overwhelming.
And yet, the ever-increasing pace of end-time events is itself a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. During one of Jesus' most detailed descriptions of what the world would experience before His imminent return, Jesus stated in Matthew 24:8 that "All these are the beginning of birth pains." Birth pains increase in frequency and intensity the closer to the actual birth. So, too, with Jesus' Second Coming, as the end-time events increase in frequency and intensity until He returns.
At the overwhelming pace of end-time events these days, the "birth" is about to occur.
Today I feel most overwhelmed.
Every day I sit down and scour world events for signs of the soon return of Jesus Christ. Some days, I have to pick through dozens of articles and stories to find just one happening that has prophetic significance. Whether it be the growing apostasy in the Church, the rise of a one-world government, the solidification of the Ezekiel 38-39 Gog-Magog Muslim alliance, the reviving of the Roman Empire, the rapid decline of American power or the ongoing restoration of the nation of Israel — there is usually some event that like a gold nugget can be panned from the media stream.
But, not today. Today every rock I pick up is a gold nugget. Every story I begin reading screams about the soon return of Jesus Christ. As soon as I'm halfway through one article, another comes into my Inbox or RSS feed to interrupt and shout its report. The combined yelling of all these prophetic stories is a cacophony that has overwhelmed my ability to process all that is going on. I'm forced to cover my ears with my hands and close my eyes tightly shut.
Here are just a few examples of today's headlines:
"For the media, it's un-Holy Week"
(OneNewsNow.com, Colleen Raezler, Wednesday, April 8, 2009)
"Newsweek proclaimed 'The Decline and Fall of Christian America' on its cover. The Washington Post/Newsweek 'On Faith' blog featured a post that belittled the significance of Jesus' death and resurrection. The Discovery Channel aired a documentary that painted Jesus as little more than an opportunistic politician who caught a bad break in a trial... Anti-Christianism is the last acceptable prejudice. The assault on Christian beliefs and morality is ongoing... But because Easter is so central to understanding Jesus and His purpose, and to Christians' own understanding of the world, the secular attack escalates during Holy Week."
"Obama Popularity Soaring Across Middle East"
(Newsmax.com, Wednesday, April 8, 2009)
"The Middle East is finding, to its amazement, that it may actually like America's new leader... They want Washington to press for the creation of a Palestinian state to resolve the Israeli-Arab conflict — something Obama has promised to do... Obama's visit to Turkey this week was full of gestures calculated at showing he is a friend to Muslims... Even an offhand comment that he had to wrap up the town-hall before the afternoon call to Islamic prayers showed an easy familiarity with the rhythms of Muslims' lives... Even hard-liners took notice. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country welcomes talks with the United States if Obama proves 'honest' in extending the U.S. hand to Iran, one of his strongest signals yet of openness to Obama's calls for dialogue."
"100,000 secular Britons seek 'de-baptism'"
(Yahoo! News, Monday, March 30, 2009)
"More than 100,000 Britons have recently downloaded 'certificates of de-baptism' from the Internet to renounce their Christian faith... Michael Evans, 66, branded baptising children as 'a form of child abuse'... 'hostility' is fueling the de-baptism movement."
"Rick Warren disavows support for Prop. 8"
(OneNewsNow.com, Jim Brown, Wednesday, April 8, 2009)
"California mega-church pastor and author of The Purpose Driven Life Rick Warren says he apologized to his homosexual friends for making comments in support of California's Proposition 8, and now claims he 'never once even gave an endorsement' of the marriage amendment... Monday night on CNN's Larry King Live, Pastor Rick Warren apologized for his support of Prop. 8, California's voter-approved marriage protection amendment."
"Obama's G20 plan kisses off Declaration of Independence"
(WorldNetDaily.com, Jerome Corsi, Wednesday, April 8, 2009)
"At the G20 meeting in London... President Obama gave the blessing of the United States to the G20 decision to elevate the Financial Stability Forum into the Financial Stability Board. The United States has only one vote in the newly constituted Financial Stability Board, a group that will be largely controlled by European central bankers... The new global regulator now has the authority to examine all U.S. banks, brokerage firms and corporations... to examine operations and determine risk. The Financial Stability Board then has the international authority to set policies in these corporations... the Obama administration, by agreeing to create the Financial Stability Board, has gone beyond nationalizing U.S. corporations, to 'internationalize' U.S.-based corporations under the control of this new global regulator."
"IDF planning largest-ever drill to prepare Israel for war"
(Haartz.com, Anshel Pfeffer, Tuesday, April 7, 2009)
"The Home Front Command is preparing to hold the largest exercise ever in Israeli history, scheduled to take place in about two months, in hopes of priming the populace and raising awareness of the possibility of war breaking out... The exercise is scheduled to last an entire week and test a series of scenarios that include missile strikes with conventional and non-conventional warheads, fired by Hezbollah, Syria or Hamas."
"Italy earthquake death toll rises to 283"
(Yahoo! News, Monday, March 30, 2009)
"L'AQUILA, Italy... The death toll from Italy's worst quake in three decades reached 283, including 20 children and teens... Strong aftershocks overnight rattled residents — nearly 18,000 of whom are living in tent camps around the stricken region."
"The G20 moves the world a step closer to a global currency"
(Telegraph.co.uk, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Tuesday, April 7, 2009)
"A single clause in Point 19 of the communiquè issued by the G20 leaders amounts to revolution in the global financial order... In effect, the G20 leaders have activated the IMF's power to create money and begin global 'quantitative easing'. In doing so, they are putting a de facto world currency into play. It is outside the control of any sovereign body."
And the headlines go on, and on, and on, and...
From a great falling away from the faith (2 Tim. 4:3), to the siding of the United States with Islam against Israel and God (Rev. 19:19), to a consuming apostasy in the Church (Rev. 3:14-22), to Israel's fight for its very survival (Ps. 83; Ezek. 38-39), to prolific natural disasters (Matt. 24:6), to the ongoing formation of a one-world government whose leader someday will be called "The Antichrist" (Rev. 13:7) — Bible prophecy is being fulfilled at a fast and furious pace. It is all simply overwhelming.
And yet, the ever-increasing pace of end-time events is itself a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. During one of Jesus' most detailed descriptions of what the world would experience before His imminent return, Jesus stated in Matthew 24:8 that "All these are the beginning of birth pains." Birth pains increase in frequency and intensity the closer to the actual birth. So, too, with Jesus' Second Coming, as the end-time events increase in frequency and intensity until He returns.
At the overwhelming pace of end-time events these days, the "birth" is about to occur.
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