The world has never been faced with so many monumental decisions from presidential elections to propping up the world’s economy, one wonders how to pray. Never has the world been so plagued with one natural disaster after another causing a great strain on the world’s economy and the survivability of its citizens, one wonders how to pray. As the war drums beat louder from madmen of the East promising death and destruction to Israel and America, one wonders how to pray. Finally, as all manner of wickedness seems to go unabated and the streets are filled anarchists, one wonders how to pray. Now take a half an hour and get your thoughts together and after you get them together… toss them out because they will be of no use to you. Start by getting in the Spirit, the Muslim can’t do it, the Hindu can’t do it, the unbeliever can’t do it, but you can, because without it you are wasting your time. And to be truly in the Spirit means to reject your independence and learn total dependence upon God. God is not interested in your ideals, your solutions, or your agenda to bring change to a besieged world. On the other hand, He is interested in your total submission to His will.

Now that you are in the Spirit, you can close the door to your closet. You will be conducting business between you and God alone. “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10). The veil has been lifted and you see the world the way God sees it. All the nationalistic boundaries are erased, all cultures eradicated, all political and social barriers are removed, and all racial differences eliminated. So what else does God see when He looks in the earth? He sees His faithful remnant in every part of the world and sees the pagan hordes encamped against them.  In shock, we have a new way of thinking! We no longer support one country against another. We no longer support one politician against another. We no longer highly esteem one culture or race over another. Conversely we support every Christian in prayer over the pagan encamped against him. We acknowledge that Satan is leading the pagan around by the nose to do his will and our prayers finally begin to take shape.

We pray, Holy Father remove the blind fold from the pagan hordes so that they see your magnificent love flowing though us to our brethren in every part of the world. We pray let us boldly proclaim to the pagan hordes that your judgment is raining down from heaven with hopes that they might see their pitiful condition and repent. Let us also pray for our brothers and sisters around the world that they will die to self and walk in the Spirit at all times and in every situation. Let them not be overcome by the many trials and tribulations in the world, but allow it to awaken the spirit within them to come and walk closer to You, Oh, Lord. As Christians join hands from around the world and allow God’s Holy Spirit to lead them in prayer it will have a profound effect upon the world in which we live. As we fast approach the end of days, use this time in effectual prayer to bring about real change in a beleaguered world, augmenting the polarization between the only two groups that exists. Amen

This is an important book review in a confused world.

Most biblical scholars believe that the Biblical Antichrist will arise out of a revived Roman Empire. This proves to be no problem for Mr. Joel Richardson who goes to great length to prove that the true Roman Empire never ended in the West but simply moved to Constantinople in the East during the Church schism. Furthermore, this was eventually taken over by the Turkish Ottoman Empire. I believe his point is that since Rome continued in the East in the Middle of Islamic world that this would prove that the Biblical Antichrist would now come from the East as a Muslim. Personally, I believe that Mr. Joel Richardson is on very shaky ground theologically and a stretch historically. Quite clearly Rome continued as a world Empire for many years in the West. “Eventually the great Empire of Rome was swallowed up by the barbarous northern nations and the city itself was sacked and looted of its treasurers in 410 AD.” (pp. 104, Final Warning, by Rev. Daniel W. Blair).

When the Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation while on the Island of Patmos, he clearly saw the Beast (or the Antichrist) in Rome who had a death grip on the world and especially the small fledging community of Christ followers. The Apostle also wrote about the Kings from the East who would attack the Holy City and cause the Biblical Antichrist (or the Beast) to assemble his league of nations to confront them in a large Valley in the modern state of Israel. Furthermore, these kings from the East are actually seen as one of the bowls of God’s wrath against the Antichrist. “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East.” (Rev. 16:12) And why does God allow this to happen, because the Biblical Antichrist has been leading His children astray by requiring them to worship him rather than God. Moreover, if the Antichrist is truly a Muslim from the East why would he now be seen enlisting other nations to fight against himself?

Let’s keep in mind that Biblical eschatology is Christian eschatology. The Biblical Antichrist comes to lead God’s people astray and what better person than someone from the revived Roman Empire in the West. Clearly the Biblical Antichrist will be an individual who will twist the Gospel of Jesus Christ by leading Christians to stop trusting in God exclusively for their salvation. He will lead them to follow Satan in his plan of self improvement rather than following God in His plan of self-denial. (I write about this extensively in my book, “Final Warning.”) The Biblical Antichrist will be assisted by the religious False Prophet perhaps even a respected leader from the Christian community. Mr. Joel Richardson appears to have a good heart for reaching the Muslim community through spreading the good news of salvation. But he would be better served by not accusing their expected spiritual leader for being our anticipated Biblical Antichrist.

Indeed, the Mahdi may well have a role in human history but not as the Biblical Antichrist, but perhaps as an individual used by God to inflict His Wrath on fallen humanity and especially those who follow the Beast or Biblical Antichrist. This would not be the first time that God uses a pagan nation to bring punishment upon His people, to turn them around to serve Him alone. Furthermore, this Muslim leader is expected to come during a period of great turmoil and unrest. I believe we may be seeing the beginning of this turmoil in the Middle East as riots and revolutions spread from country to country. The Biblical Antichrist could very well use this to promote his agenda of world democracy and peace. And then it may well be the Mahdi who will unite all the Muslim Nations to come against the West as the prophesied Kings of the East. But more about this in a later blog.

It is time for all Arab countries including Palestine to recognize Israel’s right to exist in their own homeland – “they must recognize the right of the Jewish People to its own state in its historical homeland.” It’s time for Christian brothers and sisters in both Israel and Palestine to join hands together in a united effort to work for peace. Let them be the first in setting an example on how to live together side by side in peace. Let them both proclaim Yeshua as the true Prince of peace. Let the Palestinian Christians seek to encourage their Palestinian neighbors to stop fearing the State of Israel, but rather to lead them to lay down their weapons of war through a process of demilitarization.

I also call on both Palestinian and Israelite Christians to join hands together and help the Palestinian State to accept all Palestinian refugees back inside the borders of the their new State. Moreover, Christians should set an example of humanitarian aid and assistance to every Palestinian refugee; to help each refugee to find their place back into a productive society. Let Christians from around the world become a beacon of hope and true messengers of hope from their Messiah, Jesus Christ.

I must admit I don’t understand the thorny issue concerning “Israelite Settlements” in the West Bank. Did not each of the Israelite Settlements purchase the land from its owners? And if the answer is yes and if the settlement is inside the border of the new state of Palestine and if taxes are paid to the Palestinian authority then why is there a problem – treat them as immigrants. And if the answer is no, then a price must be agreed upon to pay the Palestinian authority for the land built upon, if they are willing to sell the land.

Finally, the true road map to peace has always been reconciliation. God wanted peace with fallen humanity so He sent His Son as the Prince of Peace. His job was not to condemn but to bring about peace between sinful man and a Holy God. Only by Christ shedding His blood on the cross could man receive forgiveness for his sins. And only through His resurrection from the dead could man be born again into a new transformed life and capable of having a relationship with God. Our peace was not negotiated by given up a piece of who we are; our peace was obtained by giving up everything for the promise of a better future. I will continue to pray that the Jewish People of the Nation of Israel find true lasting peace by accepting their true Messiah, Jesus Christ.