Soap Box

This column is not written by one claiming to be a prophet, a wise man or even a Bible scholar, but strictly from the point of view of a Christian believer who's drawn some serious personal conclusions concerning the End Times as we know it, the advent of the antichrist, a seven-year period known as the Great Tribulation and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to earth.

I have drawn these conclusions as a result of studying the Holy Bible and the writings and opinions of people who I respect. I claim no spiritual insight, superior knowledge
or deeper understanding of the scriptures, just a layman's deductions made by applying the prophecies written thousands of years ago to present day society and world events. 

Up until a few short decades ago of one, if not the most, in-pregnable books in the Bible was the Book of Revelation.

It spoke of a time when the world would be ruled by a man known as the antichrist, a man of great intellect, charisma and leadership abilities, who would seemingly have all the answers to bring peace to a world at war.

A man who would institute a one world government, bring peace to the Middle East and get Israel and its Islamic neighbors to lay down their arms and live side by side without hostilities. He'll even sign a peace treaty with Israel and it will appear that at last there is a solution to a thousands of years old conundrum, all due to the ingenuity of this one fabulous person who seems to have an answer to every problem.

He will introduce a world wide religion, a pagan cult complete with a false Messiah and will lead millions away from the truth, and will eventually proclaim himself to be God.

All this gets very deep and requires serious reading and study, but the signs of his appearing are here and are accelerating at an exponential pace.

The Bible says that in the last days Israel will stand alone, threatened, ridiculed and isolated and
it�s very apparent, regardless of recent remarks made by President Obama (as actions speak much louder than words) that the world grows more anti-Semitic every day.

Another is the falling away from God or the Great Apostasy, which is witnessed by many old line denominations introducing new policy that redefines church doctrine and contradicts ancient Biblical scripture, in essence, a new age acceptance of the "doctrines of demons" written about in the Bible.

There are many other signs in many Books of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, and are readily available to those interested enough to look them up.

But the main thrust of this piece is one of the more perplexing actions of the antichrist, the answer to which has plagued mankind for centuries, the mark of the beast.

The Bible says that the antichrist will cause a mark to be put on the hand or the forehead and that anyone without this mark cannot buy or sell, in other words you can't do business of any kind, you can�t buy groceries, can�t get medical help, can�t hold a job or even sell any service or product.

In other words, as far as society is concerned you don't exist and on top of that you will be viewed as a hindrance to progress and beheaded for not taking the mark.

Now what is this mark, how can it be administered and controlled? How could it be so devastating that the Bible says that for those taking the mark there will be no repentance, that they will be cast into the lake of everlasting fire?

My opinion - taking the mark of the beast will be declaring your allegiance to Satan and knowingly turning your back and denouncing God, declaring there is a higher power than Him.

My opinion - The mark of the beast will not be a brand or tattoo but the invisible implanting of some minuscule type of chip where everything from your social security number to your bank balance will be instantly available when you pass your hand over a scanner or your forehead passes an electric sensor, much like the price of products are read by a scanner in a grocery store.

The technology to administer a computer undertaking of this magnitude exists. To manufacture a chip that stores all personal and professional information and keep track of their coming, going, buying and selling and current whereabouts is possible, only the funds to carry it out and the distrust of government is keeping it from being a reality.

But one day it will be the law of the land.

When is this going to happen? I don�t even pretend to know, but feel that the pieces are falling into place right now.

What will happen to set this in motion? My feeling is an "all is lost" feeling, a time of unprecedented international war and upheaval when it looks as if there is no hope when a man will step forward and bring order to the chaos and the people of the earth will mistakenly believe that he is their only hope, their salvation and savior and give their allegiance to him and the one world government he will be the leader of.

This is going to sound like the practical solution to all the world's fiscal problems, a cashless society where nobody carries currency, therefore no muggings or robberies or identity theft, no more bad checks or bank fraud because every transaction would be instantaneous, keeping an up to the minute accounting of what you have and what you don�t have.

Criminals couldn't run forever or deny who they are because their identity is embedded in their hands and if they try to buy anything they will be identified immediately.

In fact there will be no place to run and no place to hide for anybody who wears the mark.

As to the eschatology, the removal of God's people from the earth, the Second Coming of Jesus and the many terrible plagues that will befall the earth, I certainly don't know or when it will begin.

No man knows, the Bible tells us that no man knows the time and the hour when Jesus Christ will return to earth, but it does not tell us that we can�t know the season.

Look around you, things are about ready to bloom.

What do you think?

Pray for troops and the peace of Jerusalem.

God Bless America

� Charlie Daniels

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