How does one go about writing an article with the intent of capturing the attention of his brothers and sisters in Christ? What can we possibly do or say that will cause you to focus your thoughts upon weighty spiritual matters of the utmost importance? We all know that it cannot be done unless the Holy Spirit impresses upon your heart that you should read and heed! And it is our prayer that He will see fit to do just that.

We at Cutting Edge are very concerned that God's people are "at ease in Zion" and pretty much unprepared for that Tribulation which is certain to occur sooner or later. Never before in human history have so many people around the world enjoyed the degree of prosperity and overall good times that we are now experiencing--not to mention the duration of it. With all things taken into consideration, the economic boom has been almost unbroken since the end of World War II and from 1945 until the present we have become increasingly "rich and increased with goods" (The Laodicean Church, Rev.3:17). So much so in fact that the poor people of the United States are actually very rich by third world standards and millions would gladly trade places with them! But this unprecidented prosperity and materialistic fervor which is now gripping the masses should be viewed by God's people as a red flag of warning. If for no other reason, we should understand that history definitely repeats itself and we are long overdue for the usual calamity to come along and level everything out again. Since the dawn of civilization men have always sought to rule the world and take by force what they could not gain through subterfuge--and to date nothing has been done to the hearts of men to put a stop to it. So just as sure as the sun will come up in the East tomorrow morning, the devil is going to see to it that this economic house built upon the sand will come tumbling down and the world plunged into chaos once again. And it is our heart-felt belief that when it does happen, the antichrist will use it to come to power.

This "ease in Zion" has also caused many Christians to deliberately turn a deaf ear to the steady, gradual onslaught against our values, our liberties, and maybe even our lives. In NEWS1729, we examined the season premiere of the Fox TV Show, "24", and clearly felt that the themes presented on this episode were precisely the conditioning themes the Illuminati wanted to present to the average American citizen so that this type of citizen would be desensitized to the brutal methods planned to break upon this nation sooner rather than later.

Then, in NEWS2181, we revealed that the 2007 season of "24" carried the exact "Doomsday Scenario" which the Illuminati has planned for this country.

Now that we have frightened you as to the closeness of the coming persecution, we want to console you -- from the only place such comfort can come - the Holy Bible!

RAPTURE TIMING MISUNDERSTANDING

It is also our belief that millions of Christians have been lulled into a false sense of security through what we see as a misunderstanding of the timing of the rapture of the Church. For over a hundred years conservative Bible teachers have been telling us that the rapture will occur before the antichrist is revealed, thus generating the general belief is that Christians will escape all the horrors of his reign. While we agree that we will be spared the actual tribulation period itself, there is no Bible teaching that assures us we will not have to endure his ascent to power! All that the Bible does tell us is that the tribulation period ("The Day of the Lord") will not begin until the apostasy and the revealing of the antichrist both take place (2 Thess.2:3). The Greek word translated "revealed" in this verse literally means "to take the lid off" thereby revealing the contents! As we understand this concept, the "revealing" of antichrist could be anything from the first incidence of his name appearing on the nightly news to his "confirming the covenant with Israel" (Dan.9:27)--which, by the way, will be the official start of the tribulation period. If his "revealing" coincides with the confirmation of the covenant, it will still meet the criteria of 2 Thess.2:3 in that it preceeded the onset of the tribulation period. And if this is the case, his rise to power--regardless of the time covered--could very well be viewed and endured by Christians prior to the rapture. The teaching that the rapture will take place prior to the revealing of the antichrist is found in in verses 7 and 8 of 2 Thessalonians 2, where we read the following:

"For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth (hinders) will let until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming" (KJV, emphasis added).

The "he who now letteth" [hinders] is believed to be the Holy Spirit and He will continue to hinder the plan and program of Satan until the time is right and then "he" [the Holy Spirit] will be taken out of the way. Where the problem comes in is that the current prophecy experts insist that the Holy Spirit's restraining influence will be removed at the rapture when His presence (within the hearts of Christians) will leave along with them. [Stop! Read our discussion on the error of standard Bible Prophecy teaching, Confirmation of Major Discrepancies In Standard Bible Prophecy Seminar Teachings: Discussion With Dr. Timothy Ice, http://www.cuttingedge.org/news/n1935.cfm]

Now that you have read this above article, now please continue reading here:

While that certainly can be true, we must point out that it says the hindering influence of the Holy Spirit is "taken out of the way"--not "removed" as would be the case with the rapture scenario! God can [and we believe He will] simply take His restraining hand off world affairs and allow Satan to have free reign for his allotted time. If this is in fact the case, then the timing of the revealing of antichrist would not be tied in any way to the rapture of the Church and necessarily subsequent to it

Further, the world must prophetically pass through the period known as the "last birth sorrows" (Matthew 24:8) needed to "give birth" to Antichrist. We cover this subject thoroughly in NEWS1408, and encourage you to read it carefully and prayerfully. The Illuminati has prepared for exactly the kind of "birthpangs" of which Jesus foretold, and it is called, World War III, with an attack on Iraq possibly the trigger. Believe me, this time period may very well feel like Tribulation events for all of those called to live through it. As we stated in NEWS1729, our population is being desensitized, and conditioned, to accept the brutality the Illuminati has planned.

Christians who believe they will escape all manner of "bad stuff" because Jesus will rapture His beloved bride out of the world prior to the final birthpangs of Matthew 24:8 may wake up rudely one day, realizing they are heading straight into persecution and devastating events for which they are not prepared.

We take this position merely to point out that we must not consider the subject to be chiseled out in granite and thereby make the mistake of ruling out other possibilities. What if our maverick view of these events is correct and genuine Christians--those who have been taught that they would be raptured prior to all of this taking place--suddenly find themselves up to their eyeballs in end-time events which are clearly related to the antichrist and yet they are still here? What if our belief is correct and the devil stages a "false rapture" (NEWS2101) and people are told by the media that millions world-wide have disappeared, yet those who were positive that they were among God's elect are still here? Folks, this may not happen and we may be wrong--but for the love of God wake up to the realization of its possibility and ask Him to help you prepare for anything that might come. We certainly believe that the rapture of the Church is imminent, but it could be years away and who knows what the world, the flesh, and the devil might throw at us in the interim?

Every Christian should realize the world situation at this hour is one big pot of seething hatred just waiting for an opportune time to boil over. The Palestinians and other Muslim groups hate Israel with a passion that is bound to erupt in hostilities sooner or later--and the political climate is such that when this confrontation takes place, the rest of the world is likely to be sucked into it. If the production of oil in the Middle East were suddenly shut off because of Arab retaliation, the stock markets of the rest of the world would likely crash and the majority would find themselves to be destitute with no viable options. A society that just a few hours earlier had been thriving and everything looking rosy could quickly be turned into a unimaginable nightmare.

BIBLICAL, SPIRITUAL PREPARATION

Are you in any way mentally and spiritually prepared for disaster to strike? None of us are ever totally prepared, but just realizing that it could happen and bracing ourselves through prayer and Bible study will certainly help. Anticipated calamity is never quite so overwhelming as one that catches us completely off guard.

So what do we do if the worst happens and we find ourselves "up against it"? We cannot get along without God and our personal, loving relationship with Him. When the darkness overtakes us and everything seems lost, our first priority must be to look up and thank Him for the circumstances because He has told us in Romans 8:28 that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." Notice that it does not say that all things are in and of themselves good, but rather that they work together for our good. If you ever really get a "handle" on this verse, your outlook on life will be changed forever! No matter what the world, the flesh, and the devil throws at us--God says that every bit of it will work together for our good. Medicine often tastes bad, or has painful side-effects, but is necessary if we are to recover from our illness.

Are you fully aware of God's promises to us in His Word? Unless you have been through a protracted time of having your faith tested, you may have never been forced to consider them. For that reason, we want to point out some precious Scripture references with the sincere hope that you will print them out and save them. But don't wait until the roof falls in on you to use them, look them up and receive a blessing right now!

We begin our selection with a passage from Psalms:

"Blessed--happy, fortunate [to be envied]--is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law; that you may give him power to hold himself calm in the days of adversity, until the [inevitable] pit of corruption is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not cast off nor spurn His people, neither will He abandon His heritage" (Psalm 94: 12-14, Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible Commentary, emphasis mine).

NOTE: The majority of quotes taken from the Old Testament apply equally to saints of all ages, but we must point out that some of them apply only to the Jew under the Law of Moses. Conditional promises of health and wealth, etc.,--God says if you do this, then I will bless you in thus and thus manner--do not apply, as such, to the rest of us.

PROMISES TO THE RIGHTEOUS

Old Testament: Genesis 15:1; Genesis 22:17; Exodus 23:22; Leviticus 26:5-6; Deut.28:1-13; Deut.33:27; 1 Sam.2:9; 2 Chron.16:9; Ezra 8:22; Job 5:11-27; Job 8:4-7; Job 820-21; Job 11:15-20; Job 22:21-30; Job 36:7-12; Psalm 4:3; Psalm 5:12; Psalm 15:2-5; Psalm 23:6; Psalm 25:10-14; Psalm 28:8; Psalm 29:11; Psalm 32:6-8; Psalm 32:10; Psalm 33:18-19; Psalm 34:9-10; Psalm 34:15; Psalm 34:17; Psalm 37:3-5; Psalm 37:9; Psalm 37:18; Psalm 37:23-29; Psalm 37:34; Psalm 41:1-2; Psalm 50:15; Psalm 55:22; Psalm58:11; Psalm 62:8; Psalm 65:4; Psalm 73:24; Psalm 81:10; Psalm 84:11; Psalm 85:9; Psalm 91:1; Psalm 91:3-7; Psalm 91:9-12; Psalm 94:17-18; Psalm 97:10-11; Psalm 111:5; Psalm 112:6; Psalm 121:3-8; Psalm 125:1-3; Psalm 128:1-6; Psalm 145:18-21; Proverbs 1:33; Proverbs 2:21; Proverbs 3:1-10; Proverbs 3:25-26; Proverbs 10:3; Proverbs 12:2; Proverbs 14:26; Proverbs 15:29; Proverbs 16:7; Proverbs 21:21; Proverbs 28:25; Proverbs 29:25; Eccles. 7:18; Eccles.8:5; Isaiah 4:5-6; Isaiah 11:6-9; Isaiah 25:8; Isaiah 26:3; Isaiah 33:16; Isaiah 33:21-22; Isaiah 33:24; Isaiah 35:10; Isaiah 40:10-11; Isaiah 40:29; Isaiah 40:31; Isaiah 41:10-11; Isaiah 41:13; Isaiah 43:2; Isaiah 44:2-3; Isaiah 49:9-12; Isaiah 50:7-9; Isaiah 51:11; Isaiah 54:1-17; Isaiah 56:2-8; Isaiah 57:1-2; Isaiah 58:8-14; Isaiah 59:20-21; Isaiah 64:4; Isaiah 65:13-14; Isaiah 65:17-25; Isaiah 66:13-14; Jeremiah 17:7-8; Ezekiel 18:5-9; Ezekiel 18:19-20 Ezekiel 34:11-17; Ezekiel 34:22-31; Daniel 12:1-3; Hosea 6:3; Nahum 1:7; Haggai1:13; Haggai 2:4-5; Zechariah 3: 7; Malachi 3:16-18; Malachi 4:2-3.

Have You Been Looking At The Prophetic Storm Clouds Lately?

The Book of Hebrews contains this important exhortation to Christians:

"And let us consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up (stimulate and incite) to love and helpful deeds and noble activities; not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing—warning, urging and encouraging—one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24-25, Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible Commentary, emphasis mine).

What is this "day" referred to in verse 25? Most conservative Bible commentators agree that it is a reference to the "Day of the Lord"—that time during which Jesus Christ will come back to earth as King of kings and Lord of lords! It is also generally believed that this period of time will encompass both the Tribulation Period as well as the Millennial Kingdom. The exhortation, therefore, is for Christians to be faithful in church attendance and to "warn, urge, and encourage" one another—especially as they see events taking place which are clearly precursors to that "day". For many years the expression "signs of the times" has been an oft-used one in prophetic sermons and refers to those various precursors—events which must take place in order to "set the stage" for ultimate prophetic fulfillment. Chuck Missler, a well-known Bible commentator and teacher, has quipped that we are living in the "times of the signs"! So much of prophetic significance and interest is taking place around the world that it is almost impossible to digest all of it.

Because of the monumental implications of these fast breaking developments, the words of the Old Testament prophet Zephaniah should arrest our attention:

"[The time for repentance is speeding by like chaff whirled before the wind!] Therefore consider, before God’s decree brings forth [the curse upon you], before the time [to repent] is gone like the drifting chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you, yes, before the day of the wrath of the Lord comes upon you! Seek the Lord—inquire for Him, inquire of Him, and require Him [as the foremost necessity of your life]—all you humble of the land, who have acted in compliance with His revealed will and have kept His commandments; seek righteousness, seek humility—inquire for them, require them [as vital]. It may be you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger" (Zephaniah 2:2-3; Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible Commentary)

A related passage is found in Isaiah:

"Come, my people, enter your chambers and shut your doors behind you: hide yourselves for a little while until the [Lord’s] wrath is past. For, behold, the Lord is coming forth out of His place [heaven] to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth also will disclose the blood shed upon her, and will no longer cover her slain and conceal her guilt" (Isaiah 26:20-21, Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible Commentary)

Notice that God’s people are exhorted to enter your chambers and shut your doors behind you! Could this be a reference to our heavenly mansions prepared by the Lord Himself for our use after the rapture, during the Tribulation Period, and for all of eternity? I realize that the primary thrust of these passages is directed toward the Jewish people, but like the rest of the Bible they have relevance for us today.

Just as sure as the sun is going to come up tomorrow morning, God’s wrath is going to be unleashed upon this earth very soon. The events of the Tribulation Period (in which His judgment is going to be poured out upon Israel in particular and the rest of the world in general) are now taking shape in an unmistakable way. It is breathtaking to contemplate the magnitude of the satanic forces now arrayed against Israel and the "collateral damage" which is certain for the rest of the world. God said in Zechariah 12:2 that Jerusalem would be to the rest of the world "a cup of trembling"—and it already is and will be more so in the future. The lights burn all night in the capital cities of the major powers as men try their best to reconcile the seemingly irreconcilable by removing the fuse of that political and religious powder keg called Jerusalem. But all of their best efforts are going to be futile, because God Almighty has decreed that Israel will be the focal point of the entire world during the Tribulation Period. As this spiritual scenario unfolds—as Bible prophecy declares that it must—man will reap not only the fruit of his own depravity, but God is going to turn all of nature loose at the same time! Natural disasters will become more and more commonplace—adding to the consternation and misery of all involved. Jesus Christ Himself tells us in Matthew 24 that this world has never seen anything like it:

"For then there will be great tribulation—affliction, distress and oppression—such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now; no, and never will be [again]" (Matthew 24:21, Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible Commentary)

In our opening text from Zephaniah, we should note with particular interest that its primary emphasis of repentance is directed toward the nation of Israel, but is secondarily addressed to the "humble of the land, who have acted in compliance with His revealed will and have kept His commandments." These righteous people (referred to throughout Israel’s history as "the remnant") are directed to continue to vigorously seek righteousness and humility that they might be hidden during the day of the Lord’s anger. Thus this verse will be especially relevant to those Jews who will be saved during the Tribulation Period and will try to hide from the wrath of the antichrist. But the phrases of particular importance are those referring to the "time for repentance"—"The time for repentance is speeding by like chaff whirled before the wind!" and "before the time [to repent] is gone." The prophet is urging his people to avail themselves of the opportunity to repent before it is too late. God has allowed him to "see" what is coming in the future and to warn others about the dire consequences of their sin.

At the present we are living in a time of relative peace and unparalleled prosperity. The "Dow Jones Average" continues to climb into the financial stratosphere and the attitude of the general public seems to be one of complete preoccupation with amassing wealth. They go about their daily activities with blinders on, blissfully ignorant of the dark and menacing storm clouds gathering overhead. Yet the Lord predicted just such an hour when He said:

"As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man. For just as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, [men] marrying and [women] being given in marriage, until the [very] day when Noah went into the ark, and they did not know or understand until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man" (Matthew 24:37-39, Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible Commentary)

In other words, people were going about the routines of life—it was "business as usual"—before the torrents of rain began to fall upon them. An interesting point about this incident, and one that is often overlooked, concerns the fact that this antediluvian (pre-flood) civilization had never seen rain before! Up until this time the earth had been watered by dew, or condensation: "But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground" (Genesis 2:6).

When Noah warned them about the impending flood (120 years of fruitless preaching!), can’t you just imagine the kidding he received? Those people probably doubled over laughing at the very idea of water "falling out of the skies"! "Why, we have lived hundreds of years and nothing of that sort has happened!" Noah was probably tempted to smile along with them, because of their complete lack of prior knowledge of such a thing—but God had predicted that it would happen and Noah believed Him. As we know today—from both the biblical account and fossilized remains—the earth did experience that cataclysmic flood and only eight people survived it!

Another very interesting thing is that Noah and his family were in the ark seven days before the flood actually occurred. (Genesis 7:10). The New Testament parallel (antitype) is that the church will be in heaven with Christ 7 years (the duration of the Tribulation Period) before His final judgment falls at Armageddon. However, unlike that seven day period of relative inactivity which Noah and his family experienced prior to the flood, the Tribulation Period will be characterized by ever increasing chaos and disasters around the world—which the Lord compared to the labor pains of a woman about to have a baby. They start out relatively mild and then steadily increase in frequency and intensity.

As I mentioned earlier, the men of Noah’s day probably scoffed at Noah’s warnings. I say "probably" because we are not specifically told that they did, but after 120 years of grace and the preaching of Noah, only eight people were on the ark (out of a world population estimated by some Bible scholars as being near 2 billion!). Human nature being what it is, I think we can safely assume that men thought that he was crazy! By way of comparison we do know from 2 Peter 3:3-6 that there will be scoffers during the "last days" saying, "Where is the promise of His coming?" "Where is this Jesus Christ that you keep saying is going to return?"—As they elbow each another in the ribs, smile and wink in a teasing manner. This is understandable coming from unbelievers, but many professed "Christians" do not believe it either! While still others profess to believe it, but the way that they are living tells us that they do not think that it will be any time soon.

Because of the unmistakable signs that the return of the Lord is near, (the ongoing "peace" negotiations between Israel and her neighbors, just to name one) the time for repentance is at hand! The dark storm clouds are gathering overhead and the animals are climbing aboard the ark, just waiting for Noah and his family to join them. In Genesis 7:1 we find that God Himself gave the command to enter the ark and in 7:16(b) we find that "the Lord shut him in and closed round about him." I believe that this may be a picture of the Rapture when God "slams the door shut" on all who have heard the warning and rejected it (see 2 Thessalonians chapter two and specifically verses 10 and 11).

As Zephaniah said, in our original text, the time for repentance is speeding by. As a Christian are you ready to meet your Lord and Savior? As an unbeliever are you prepared to stand before the Sovereign Judge of the universe to give an account of your life? In either case, are you absolutely certain of what you believe and why you believe it? Upon what, or I should say Whom, are you resting your eternal soul?

What I am about to say is not original by any means, but I feel that it bears repeating: If I am wrong and my spiritual beliefs are completely without basis, in the end I will have lost absolutely nothing. My life has been one of indescribable blessing and joy and my sixty years have passed with few regrets to mar the memories. On the other hand, if I am right, (and I am!) nothing I have experienced thus far can even begin to compare with the blessings that await me and the rest of God’s redeemed. Talk about a "win-win" situation! Yet there are those who stubbornly refuse to believe and are literally "betting their lives" that they are right! Stumbling and groping through the spiritual darkness of this present world, they seek that which they know not. Their lives are spent trying to find a black cat in a totally dark cave, which is not even there! Nothing they do is really satisfying and life itself becomes an endless circle of futility. When pressed about their meaningless existence, they defiantly insist that belief in Christ and total commitment to Him is not an option for them. All I can say to them is, "Look out, because it definitely looks like flooding rain!"

The "umbrella of repentance" is also a wise choice for those who understand that they are believers but out of fellowship with the Lord. At any given moment you may find yourself face-to-face with Jesus Christ and have to give an account of what you have or have not done for Him. The time for repentance is now—tomorrow may be too late. I urge you to consider the lateness of the hour, confess your failures and prepare yourself to meet Him in the air!

Are you spiritually ready? Is your family? Are you adequately protecting your loved ones? This is the reason for this ministry, to enable you to first understand the peril facing you, and then help you develop strategies to warn and protect your loved ones. Once you have been thoroughly trained, you can also use your knowledge as a means to open the door of discussion with an unsaved person. I have been able to use it many times, and have seen people come to Jesus Christ as a result. These perilous times are also a time when we can reach many souls for Jesus Christ, making an eternal difference.

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, but have come to realize His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to accept His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can also do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you accept Him as Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually.

If you would like to become Born Again, turn to our Salvation Page now.

We hope you have been blessed by this ministry, which seeks to educate and warn people, so that they can see the coming New World Order -- Kingdom of Antichrist -- in their daily news.

Finally, we would love to hear from you.

You can contact us by mail or email.

God bless you.

Source: Cutting Edge News Updates