PATRIOTIC ARMAGEDDON... Can You Hear Me Now?

Each day the present geo-political reality confirms what The Tribulation Network has been saying for the past two years! All this, while the world still debates whether or not we should call the current War on Terrorism/Terror: The West vs. Radical Islam!

Now, the EU and Iran squabble over Iran's real intentions-but the US makes plans for taking out Iran's nuclear threat-this week (August 1-7) is the turning point! Bolton is in place at the UN-Bush is ready to move and faster than you think.

We have termed the spiritual force(s) behind "Radical Islam" the rise of "Gog" that great principality the Bible declares, who under the Prince of Darkness (both now, as found in Ezekiel 38, 39, and Daniel 11:40-45; and at the close the Millennium in Revelation 20:7-10), is summoned to confront Israel at the "End of Days" AND at the conclusion of millenarian bliss.

To announce this, to be utterly cognizant and Biblically affirmed in this scenario, does not mean that we here at The Tribulation Network are hell-bent on an Armageddon strategy and full of gloom and doom. There's hope beyond the criminality and destruction that is going on out there-most of which acclaims "peace and safety" to all who would join in assailing the prospect of Gog and those allied with this principality (Magog).

Kenneth Timmerman's much-acclaimed exposure on Teheran's intentions (The Coming Nuclear Showdown with Iran) has been given overwhelming exposure in the "conservative media" and even some liberals concur with his nuclear suspicions. A quick read of Timmerman's immediate conclusions portend an exceedingly aggressive Iran with 30 deliverable nukes on the ready-we're talking a major crisis here where even the French (can you believe) would side with the US and go after Iran!

TBN/LEFT-BEHIND CHRISTIANITY'S SCENARIO

Likewise, we have repeatedly warned of the folly, false hope-yea, deception, fraught with pride and false patriotism, which cripples the evangelical Church in America from her true testimony to the Cross of Christ!

Their shameful display of such in the War on Terror, in the name of the Son of God-against the "Evil Doers"-is akin to the cutting off of the ear of the servant of the high priest wrought by impetuous Peter that night in the Garden of Gethsemane in order to protect his Master . . . as if the Master needed any sword of man!

Our previous tomes have excoriated our beloved brother, Dave Hunt, for his persistent denial of Gog's specificity-claiming it all blends together into Armageddon. This he deliberately does, I surmise, because of the Premillenarian embarrassment of claiming that Gog-Magog was for decades believed to be Russia and her Arab allies-but that stupidity ended when the Cold War terminated any real Russian threat (Note: If Biblicists would have taken the nations "literally" - as they are wont to do - the current alignment of nations in the Middle East found in Gog-Magog, and recorded in Ezekiel 38-39, is nigh perfect!). Today's Russia is, as Vladimir Putin put it: The greatest geopolitical tragedy of the century-while decrying the onslaughts of the New Roman Empire: The USA.

By blurring the distinctions of Gog-Magog from that of Armageddon would be one thing-but Hunt (as pointed out), not only blurs these distinctions (allegedly to make amends to Premillenarian exegetical excesses) but asserts that we have naught to worry for the Church's Rapture (and that but a scarce 200 million will rapture-I guess akin to the 200 million figure mentioned in Revelation 9:16 of those armies of the Kings of the East who shall assault the Middle East) or His coming for precludes any involvement (or testimony) to any future or revealed Antichrist and the forces of darkness.

In other words, Hunt's eschatology precisely mirrors the Left Behind Series eschatology of Tim LaHaye and Hal Lindsey (America's top book sellers!)-falsely, as far as we are biblically concerned-leaving the entire 70th Week of Daniel to Israel of the flesh to fend off the Prince of Darkness and his minions, while getting pounded for their rejection of Messiah, until He finally shows up.

Somehow, however, as other Pretribulationists/Premillenarians explain (and here's where their theology does great insult to the doctrine of being "in Christ" (i.e., being a part of the Body of Christ))-a vast multitude of "Tribulation Saints" shall arise during this awful time of the revealed Antichrist to contend with his Pax Antichristus; however, their "salvation" is akin to those of the Old Testament (whatever that means or can mean since the cross of Christ persists straight through the 70th Week of Daniel).

Nonsense, these "Tribulation Saints" described in Revelation 4-on, until the coming of our Lord in bodily form, are as much "in Christ" - as much a part of the Church here and present - as we believers in Christ are this very day!

Hence, there is full justification, yea, absolute value in support of all "wars of liberation and democratization" throughout the planet wrought by these United States of America-though they be unilateral, pre-emptive, and self-serving of our national interest-because the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition, the Lawless One "who is after the working of Satan with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish" (II Thess. 2:9-10) has NOT been "revealed in his own time" (II Thess. 2:6) and will not be so revealed (so says Dave Hunt) until "He who now restrains (i.e., the Holy Spirit and, ipso facto, the Church) will do so until He (the Holy Spirit, along with the Church) is taken out of the way (i.e., Hunt/LaHaye/Lindsey's alleged Rapture of the Church).

It is this faulty exegesis and cruel subterfuge which lulls the Body of Christ at the close of this age into a false sense of security and formidable deception AND under this vulnerability, commits her to the War on Terror-compounding the error of Balaam and the gospel of prosperity and wealth within the overall Laodicean expression of the current apostasy wherein the god Mammon is worshiped and adored, as the Green Gospel persists from sea to shining sea!

TBN's MEGIDDO-SEQUEL TO "THE OMEGA CODE"

Lewis McNeely, Senior Pastor of Warehouse Ministries (who is also an avowed Calvary Chapel Pretribber), Sacramento, California, gave the Megiddo film a four-star rating and claimed:

"Biblically, the film appears sound, allowing enough speculation to not offend anyone's end-times interpretations . . . Overall a great film with an even better conclusion. Go see this and pay full price!"( http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2001/megiddo.html )

Of course Pastor McNeely would encourage its viewing-it utterly supports his patriotic views and end-times scenario. Alas! The you-can-have-your-cake-and-it-it-too proponents of "bless-me-Christianity" are more than thrilled to pay full price to see such a resounding confirmation of their eschatology!

Thus it was on the evening of July 23 that I actually viewed the film myself-all the while musing over McNeely's remarks that it was well-worth the original price to be paid right after 9/11's attack; and, since I abide within the confines of Laodicean Christendom, why not? In point of fact Michael York, interviewed after the performance (and, by the way, he's an excellent actor/performer-no problem there as Antichrist) amplified the significance of the film's release shortly after 9/11 as a "rare exception" to all other violent films being placed on hold: Except Megiddo's carnage.

And, why was this? Because of its solid USA-patriotic agenda.

Michael Biehn (Terminator, The Abyss, The Seventh Sign) plays David Alexander, the brother of antichrist York (Stone Alexander). The $20-million film released by the Crouches (Matthew and Paul of TBN) depicts a turn-of-the-century premillenarianism/pre-tribulationalism (in the main) view of eschatology-with a super-duper patriotic twist that utterly exonerates the USA, aside from a demonic-style Secretary of State who attempts to dethrone Biehn (who as Vice-President inherits the Presidency of the USA when Stone Alexander greets the USA President near Rome in an attempt to persuade him to join the New World Order under the yet-revealed Antichrist). The USA President is implanted, upon a handshake with Antichrist, with a biologically-transmitted disease which kills the USA President.

But . . . lo and behold, USA President Biehn/Alexander holds out against his antichrist brother, Stone Alexander, in a clash of American patriotism (good) vs. awful Antichrist Globalism (evil)-escaping the coup of the demon-possessed Secretary of State (played by a white male-just thought I'd mentioned it) . . . now, Biehn helicopters over to the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea and launches an all-out assault against antichrist York at his palace near Rome (and, of course, a sinister False Prophet, wrapped in clerical garb with incessant whisperings between the AC/False Prophet takes place throughout the film). The AC escapes to the Middle East and amasses allies from no less than 10 (ten, as in ten toes) from around the globe-most of the world's "ten quadrants" siding with him (except, for some inexplicable reason, Mexico/Latin America, and, of course, China).

America flags are blazoned on all kinds of tanks as the armies of the world gather on the plains of Megiddo (which, actually was a set just outside of Los Angeles-couldn't film on the actual Jezreel Plain of Megiddo because of the Intafada). No bother though, Biehn decides he'll personally assassinate his brother, AC-York, notwithstanding a Latin-type compatriot who attempts to dissuade him otherwise (man, the Mexican Army had the Mexican flag on their tanks-undoubtedly, leading the Latin American forces allied with the USA against the AC). Alas, Biehn is caught and subjected to total humiliation and nigh killed by AC-York himself!

Then . . . while all "hell is breaking loose" between the forces of AC-York and the 200 million-man army of the Chinese (a.k.a., Kings of the East, led by none other than the Premiere of China himself) with the USA somehow allied against AC-York's forces (Interesting, isn't it?); and when AC-York morphs into the beast-like creature of the classical Hollywood Satan (horns, tail, etc.) . . . and when the whole earth is about to be murdered by the "Murderer from the beginning" - Christ arrives and the Devil is cast into the bottomless pit and seen with chains wallowing around in the fiery seas of the Abyss: GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Now, while all this was going down-and I'm really "into this flick" by now-there's this absurd ticker-tape caption scrolling along the bottom of the TV set saying something like: To all the men and women of the United States Armed Forces fighting for peace in Iraq, your cause is just, we are with you, and our prayers are with you, return home soon!

Man, the incongruity and surrealism of it all-I was going out of what was left of my mind! This audacious identification of the Church of Jesus Christ with America's alleged cause in the Final Conflict was mind boggling-absolutely, mind-numbing in its distorted, corrupted, and absurd message. This was all the more evident as witnessed by this ridiculous subscript skirting beneath the pictured distortions and scenario. Aside from the good acting-the whole thing was a complete fraud!

NO, I DO NOT APOLOGIZE FOR DEFAMING THIS SHAMLESS EFFORT OF THE PATRIOTIC CHURCH!

Friends, and those of you "secularists" watching this on-going "food fight" amongst us absolutists-pay attention-you better believe that these nuances are so glaring, overt, and downright dangerous in their extrapolations and Weltanschauung (world view), that you out there who are trying to pay the bills, better listen up . . . there's literally tens of millions of American Christians caught up in this deception: IT IS RIFE. It is the very insidious stupidity of this film, akin to America's multi-million dollar best seller-series, Left-Behind; and the doctrinal credence given to this scenario by such credible figures as Dave Hunt, that not only has ill-prepared the Church for her greatest hour-but has made that very Church part and parcel of America's War on Terror!! Lord spare us from a pseudo-patriotism that takes the USA straight through Armageddon smelling like a rose, instead of the foul smell of the Titanarum-which looks impressive but stinks to high heaven!

ALL THIS WHILE GOG-MAGOG IS RISING-CHURCH, LISTEN UP!

Joe Farrah's G2 Bulletin on WorldNetDaily confirms our worst suspicions-speaking about our patriotic ally, Mexico: American's Hiroshima (http://g2.wnd.com) is about to happen, and, apparently, a lot sooner than you think because of our erstwhile ally, Mexico!

"In addition to detonating its own nuclear weapons already planted in the U.S., military sources also say there is evidence to suggest al-Qaeda is paying former Russian Special Forces Spetznaz to assist the terrorist group in locating nuclear weapons formerly concealed inside the U.S. by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Osama bin Laden's group is also paying nuclear scientists from Russia and Pakistan to maintain its existing nuclear arsenal and assemble additional weapons with the materials it has invested hundreds of millions in procuring over a period of 10 years.

"The plans for the devastating nuclear attack on the U.S. have been under development for more than a decade. It is designed as a final deadly blow of defeat to the U.S., which is seen by al-Qaeda and its allies as 'the Great Satan.'"

Hey, Sharm El Sheik, London, Beirut, all over Iraq, Israel . . . you name it, Islamic Radicals are attacking big time-AND THERE'S NO END IN SIGHT! Go figure-40-50 US servicemen killed between July 26-August 3!

WARS WITHOUT, WARS WITHIN . . .

I found myself last week on some absurd forum entitled WARRIORS - next thing you know they were calling me a spy, a fifth-columnist, and traitor-dare I equate America with Nazi Germany! How stupid and useless of me to ascribe such comparisons as valid-eventually, they kicked me out of their "Warrior" forum (took them long enough-about 10 minutes!). Man, I must have wondered into a nest of alleged patriots bent on killing a couple million Moslems or something, just prior to taking away my "free speech rights!"

And, would you believe: CONGRESS PASSES THE PATRIOT ACT's EXTENSION (http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/07/22/london.tube/index.html) -makes 14 of 16 provisions of the PA effective for the next ten years! Naturally, just as in Nazi Germany-Americans were delighted at the additional security measures being taken to protect us all. Yes, this little bit by bit progression into precaution-land USA continues unabated-no sense talking about comparisons here.

Then, Michael Klare of The Nation reassures us all:

"Repeating what was said at the outset (of his remarks), there is no evidence that President Bush has already made the decision to attack Iran. But there are many indications that planning for such a move is well under way--and if the record of Iraq (and other wars) teaches us anything, it is that such planning (like just before Iraq), once commenced, is very hard to turn around. Hence, we should not wait until after relations with Iran have reached the crisis point to advise against US military action. We should begin acting now, before the march to war becomes irreversible." (My Note: Now doesn't Michael sound reasonable and assuring?)(http://informationclearinghouse.info/article9544.htm).

So, there you have it: Scores of Islamic mad-bombers, armed with suitcase nukes pouring across our border with our ally Mexico; and, Iran's nuclear program is utterly "at the brink" (no, President Bush hasn't formulated a plan to democratize Iran, doesn't need to!); scores are being killed all over the world-London, Egypt, Beirut, Israel, Thailand, Iraq-and Islamic Radicals are wondering if the West will ever wake up and finally see the West isn't fighting against the Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka nor the IRA or the ETA (Basque terrorists)-or for that matter, Shining Path, et al . . . . No, a thousand times NO! We are fighting them, you idiots-they're staring us right in the face and we are so politically correct we can't see straight!

Man, what an awful thought-that your Islamic neighbor, fellow student, shopkeeper, and shopper at K-Mart is not only sympathetic to OBL but prays to Allah for OBL's goals and aspirations for a triumphant Islam in his war against the West and, not only so, actually supports those who support OBL! That little "security problem" will be horrific once a dirty bomb goes off-forget it, no time to blame Homeland Security-but lots of time to go after the Fifth Column amongst us . . . "and then they came for me!"

SECULARISTS BEWARE!

Don't get so smug in your effete perceptions . . . Stalinists, utopian crackpots on the Left abound whose tortuous ways need no amplification here. You stand out there in your academician tower and claim membership in the "Church of the Immaculate Perception" - confirmed in your belief that "We wouldn't be having these problems if these idiot absolutists/religionists would discover the joys of the Enlightenment, the Scientific Revolution, true Humanism; and, join the Progressive Earth with our utopian socialist ideals (of one sort or another).

Shame on you-history's as much against you and your pontifications as it is against absolutists-AND YOU KNOW THAT . . . need I explain the millions who perished in the Gulag! And don't try to differentiate between Uncle Joe/Mao and Che-that's not going to work either.

So-where do we go from here? None of this is going to change the real Messianic Scenario, the Gog-Magog War, and the ultimate Battle of Armageddon, nor the manifestation of THE Antichrist-that's all going to happen!

The real issue here is: What ON EARTH are you going to do about it-and I'm talking spiritual here? You bet I am. In brief: Prepare to meet your Maker, and now! Time's running out-you not only sense that from every compelling prospect; you actually abhor the thought you just might have to do something about it (if you think deep enough).

What hope can you hold out to the peoples of the earth-aside from resuscitating the NPT (Nuclear Proliferation Treaty) or putting teeth into it? Your desperate attempts to reform the system-to keep the progressive "juggernaut" alive is akin to the clash of the Bismarck vs. the Hood: You don't have a Kaiser's chance in h-e-double-toothpicks!

Christ-the real Jesus Christ-is there. You know He's never been for the sword and NEVER has He ever ascribed to Augustine's JUST War-NEVER! There's something far beyond the surface of Christianity that demands your and my utter submission IN LOVE! That's right. LOVE! He calls you, me, and everyone-not to the Sword of Dominionist Christianity, to the parapets of Crusader Reconstructionism, to the continual confrontation of Islam-but to His Cross!

Give it up-give in to God's full and complete manifestation of pure love through Jesus Christ our Lord. He's calling you today-He's calling me today-to enlist with Him and to testify in the "Street of the Great City: BABYLON."

Say it, say it softly, and then say it loudly: "Lord, I give up . . . I submit to Your Lordship, Your way of doing things . . . save me by the blood of Your Cross alone . . . I confess I cannot do it myself-You are my salvation . . . You took my sin, my wretchedness, my selfishness and nailed them to Your Cross . . . I accept Your freedom; Your Life in the midst of this chaos all around me . . . now, pour out Your Life through me to bring hope amidst despair, Life where there is death, and comfort where there is utter discouragement: JESUS TAKE ME NOW and make me Your vessel of righteousness . . . not for me, but for Your glory at the close of this age. Yes, Lord, I can hear you now!

(Please see complete article/graphics/links @ http://www.the-tribulation-network.com)

Doug is a member of the "Last Days Network" . . . a group of evangelical pundits providing news and analysis on Religion in Politics. "Applied Biblical prophecy," apostasy and deception, the impact of the New American World Order System, and the influence of the Religious Right and Left upon American culture--are topics discussed by the group. He is an educator in the public schools (California) and an administrator.