This Present Darkness

My motivation for writing this came from a fellow-blogger. Here are a few excerpts from a recent article of his...

Let's see: four students in a Californication high school got suspended on 5 May because they wore American-flag-logo tee-shirts to class...

A 6th-grader in Texas was sentenced to a week of detention because she was in possession of a single Gummy Bear, in violation of the state school's "zero-tolerance" policy.

A War memorial, in the configuration of a cross, was finally freed from its plywood cover after the Supreme Court ruled it is legal to display on public property. A few days later, it was stolen.

In spite of only running about ten pages - depending on what font you use to print it out - the Arizona law has not been read by [President Obama], the attorney general, or Minister of Homeland Security Napolitano, among others. Nevertheless, they keep up the "Nazi!" police-state rhetoric...

So, we slam Jan Brewer and Arizona domestically, then apologize to the Chinese, of all people, and allow Mexican president Calderon to stand before a joint session of Congress and bad-mouth us for "racial profiling"...

Meanwhile, I think the Gulf of Mexico has stopped burning, but the level of toxic "oil dispersants" is rising by the hour...

Nothing - not the most optimistic visions of George Lucas, or the grimmest prognostications of Phillip K. Dick - could have prepared me for what we're living through today. Food police, thought police, subservience by the greatest power on earth, religious persecution and 16th century holy war, leaders obsessed with becoming reality-show celebrities, dynastic totalitarian nuclear threats, and planetary upheavals like volcanoes and oil leaks. Incompetence is a virtue, faith is a vice, reality is a politically malleable entity, and common sense is a myth.

I've never seen anything like it in my damn life.

--Possumtrot, Spring Fever and Small Outrages, 25 May 2010

It's enough to make you ask: "What the hell is going on?" I hear that question a lot these days - on the blogs, on TV, from my friends and neighbors, and even from complete strangers. So what the hell IS going on?

Some people write it off to incompetent politicians. Others to the failure of Liberal programs and policies. Some blame it on "Chicago politics". Some see more sinister plots and conspiracies by international Socialists and Marxists.

Frankly, I'm inclined toward the latter - conspiracy theories, that is. But not so much a conspiracy of international Socialists or Marxists, as much as a conspiracy of more epic proportions. The "conspiracy" to which I refer, is the one outlined in the Bible. It concerns the devil, and goes back to dawn of creation...

In the Bible, we see that before God created mankind or even the earth itself, He had already created angels...

[God asks Job]: "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? ...when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" --Job 38:4,7

And we are elsewhere told that the greatest of these "morning stars" or "sons of God" was known as "Lucifer", which means: "Day Star, Son of Dawn" (Isaiah 14:12). Lucifer we learn, was a beautiful creature who eventually succumbed to the sin of pride...

Thus says the Lord GOD: "You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, carnelian, topaz, and jasper, chrysolite, beryl, and onyx, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald; and wrought in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. With an anointed guardian cherub I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and the guardian cherub drove you out from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. --Ezekiel 28:12b-17a

So then, what was the "iniquity" that was found in Lucifer? What was the act he performed that incurred God's wrath? It was no less than an attempt to make himself equal to God. Lucifer sought to be worshiped by the other angels. He wanted to place a throne for himself in heaven next to God's.

How you are fallen from heaven, O [Lucifer] Day Star, Son of Dawn! How you are cut down... You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High.' --Isaiah 14:12a, 13-14

But Lucifer failed in his attempt. God cast out Lucifer "as a profane thing". In anger, Lucifer turned a third of the angels against God. When God created mankind, Lucifer turned them against God. He tempted Adam and Eve to sin, saying "when you eat of it [the fruit] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God". And so mankind succumbed to the same sin as Lucifer himself - the sin of pride. They ate the fruit because they wanted to "be like God".

Since then, Lucifer has been known as "Satan", which means "Adversary" or "Enemy". Satan is God's enemy and has been since the dawn of creation. Satan has continually sought to: corrupt God's creation; turn man against God; kill and maim; wreak havoc and destruction; spread evil, lies and disease; tempt, manipulate and enslave humans.

It is Satan and his wicked angels who cause death. [Yes, God "permits" it, but Satan "performs" it.] Jesus called Satan "a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44).

It is Satan who causes violence. In the passage we read a moment ago, we saw that "violence" is a part of Satan's "trade" (Ezekiel 24:16).

It is Satan who causes crime. We see this in the Book of Job. In one case, Satan incites the Sabeans to steal Job's oxen and asses and then to slay his servants "with the edge of the sword" (Job 1:15). In another case, Satan incites the Chaldeans to steal Job's camels and then to slay the servants who were tending them (Job 1:17).

It is Satan who causes disease. In Job 2:7 we read: "So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD, and afflicted Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head."

It is even Satan who causes "natural" disasters. In Job 1:18, Satan creates a great windstorm to destroy the home of Job's eldest son, where it just so happens that all of Job's sons and daughters are gathered - and perish. In Job 1:16, Satan uses fire to destroy Job's sheep and shepards.

[Editor's Note: All of Job's "friends" and even one of his servants wanted to blame everything on God. A servant describes the fire that killed the sheep as "fire of God [that] fell from heaven". Job's "friends" try to convince him that he must have sinned and that God is punishing him (even though God describes Job as "blameless and upright"). Even Job's wife tells him to "Curse God, and die." Isn't that what people still do today... try to blame everything on God? They refer to natural disasters as "an act of God". They "curse God" for everything bad that happens.]

It was Satan who raised up evil empires like those of the Romans and the Persians (and more recent ones like those of Hitler and Stalin). He tempts humans "to set their throne" above other men, to "be like God". He uses their armies to kill and slaughter millions of people. He uses their political power to enslave people.

It is Satan who spreads lies. Jesus said: "the devil... has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44).

And it is Satan who hates America. America is the last great bastion of Judeo-Christian values in the world, and it drives the devil nuts. Satan seeks to subvert America, its heritage, its wealth and therefore, its generosity. He makes use of the "godless" among us to pervert that which is good, clean and honorable. He incites people and organizations to crush our freedoms, restrict our worship, belittle our patriotism, and silence our voices.

To summarize then, THAT is what "the hell" is going on. Our civilization is daily being accosted by Satan and his wicked spiritual host. We are struggling against the devil and the evil he spews out upon us...

For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. --Ephesians 6:12

We are commanded by Jesus to keep fighting the good fight. We are commanded to remain "the salt of the earth". In the days of Jesus, salt was used as a preservative to prevent meat from going rancid. We Christians are the "salt" that prevents "the earth" from going rancid. We are commanded to be the "light of the world", to bring "enlightenment" to a world in darkness...

You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. --Matthew 5:13-16

If you think things are bad now, just wait... they will get worse. How do we know that? Because of the epic "conspiracy theory" that has been outlined for us in the Bible. The Bible tells us that as we get closer to the end of this age - the Age of Human Government - things will go from bad to worse. Wickedness will multiply. Men's love for one another will grow cold. Christians will be hated by all nations. And then, after the worst is over, when it appears that evil has triumphed over good, Christ Himself will intervene and set up a new government on earth. It will be no human government, but the Kingdom of God. It will be a kingdom of peace and justice and righteousness...

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because wickedness is multiplied, most men's love will grow cold. But he who endures to the end will be saved... Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory --Matthew 24:9-13, 29-30

And the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. --Isaiah 9:6b-7

Thus, the great "conspiracy theory" has been laid out from beginning to end. The world is dying because of the repeated failures of human government. We are watching it die before our very eyes. We must stand tall and do what we can to try and slow the process, but He who is infinite and eternal has seen the end already. He has not only "seen the movie and read the book"... He WROTE "the Book". He has already lived through the events and watched them transpire.

More importantly, He has chosen to warn us about them. He has chosen to warn us that Christians and Jews will be persecuted in the last days by another religion. A religion that only bears the appearance of religion. A religion that espouses violence and murders its opponents. A religion that believes in a false god... a god who is none other than the devil himself.

God has chosen to warn us that there will be false christs and false prophets misleading the world with "deceptive signs and wonders". He has chosen to warn us that things will get desperate; so desperate that it will seem as if Jesus will never return; so desperate that Christians will fall away from the faith in great numbers; so desperate that anyone without the "Mark of the Beast" will not be able to "buy or sell" in those days; so desperate that Christians will go to their death for not pledging allegiance to the Antichrist.

But don't get too worried yet. I personally do not believe that these things will happen too soon. The Bible teaches us that no one knows "the day and hour" of Christ's return. Yet, though we may not know the exact "day and hour", I think we can get a good idea of the general timeframe.

Sir Isaac Newton believed that Christ's Second Coming would not take place before the year 2060. That date is only 50 years away, and so far it appears as if he may be correct. It is not well known that Newton's first passion was the Bible, and that science was a somewhat distant second. Newton considered himself to be one of a select group of individuals who were specially chosen by God for the task of understanding Biblical scripture, and he was a strong believer in prophetic interpretation of the Bible.

Newton's claim that the Second Coming would not take place before the year 2060 was based on a number of calculations he made regarding the interpretation of various passages that refer to "days", where the "days" (according to Newton and others) are meant to be interpreted as "years". According to his calculations, Newton felt that the very soonest Christ could return was 2060 AD (or A.C. as Newton referred to it).

[This age] may end later, but I see no reason for its ending sooner. This I mention not to assert when the time of the end shall be, but to put a stop to the rash conjectures of fancifull men who are frequently predicting the time of the end, & by doing so bring the sacred prophesies into discredit as often as their predictions fail. --Sir Isaac Newton, Yahuda MS 7.3g, f. 13v

I bring up Newton's claim because: 1) I have only recently learned of it, and 2) I agree with at least one of Newton's calculations. Among his calculations, Newton specifically refers to the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14. The prophecy in question speaks of 2300 days ("evenings and mornings") during which the Temple in Jerusalem will have been defiled...

Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to the one that spoke, "For how long is the vision concerning the continual burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled under foot?" And he said to him, "For two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state." --Daniel 8:13-14

There are only two dates that could be considered for the "giving over of the sanctuary... to be trampled under foot." The most obvious would be 70 AD when the Temple was destroyed by the Romans. An earlier date might be 167 BC when Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Temple. So then, 2300 years from 70 AD would yield a date of 2370 AD. Conversely, 2300 years from 167 BC would yield a date of 2132 AD...

Therefore the 2300 years do not end before [the] year 2132 nor after 2370. --Sir Isaac Newton, Yahuda MS 7.3o, f. 8r

This happens to be what I believe, that is, that Christ's Second Coming cannot come before 2132 AD at the earliest, and possibly not until 2370 AD. And although that might seem distant, 2132 is really just around the corner. You and I may not be there to see it, but in the grand scheme of things, it is not a distant date.

Consider what must happen before Christ's Second Coming from a Biblical perspective. Among other things, Christians and Jews must become despised the world over. Though the Jews may seem to be well on their way towards reaching that goal, they still have a friend in America (if not in this administration).

Since the time of Jesus, Christianity has mostly been in the ascendancy. As recently as 1789 years after the birth of Jesus, an entire nation - the U.S. - was founded upon the principles and values of Christianity. It wasn't until the late 1800s that anti-Christian movements like those of the liberal theologians, Karl Marx and Charles Darwin took root. It wasn't until the 1920s that the anti-Christian "Progressive" movement became active.

Thus, the devil knows his time may be short. He may have as little as 120 years to: 1) destroy America, 2) turn the entire world against Christianity, 3) grow and popularize a false religion that persecutes Jews and Christians, and 4) create the framework for a one-world government that will allow the Antichrist (possessed by Satan himself) to step into the role of world leader.

That's a big agenda, even with 120 years to accomplish it. That's only 2 or 3 generations from now (depending on how you calculate it). And that's why I think that Satan is ratcheting-up his actions. He's on a tight schedule towards world domination, and the only thing stopping him is us.