Perspective

Revelation 13:16-17 says: “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”
 
The answer to how people will be misled and tricked is a remarkable thing to consider in this modern time. Deception comes from a direction most people wouldn’t suspect. Interestingly, this is precisely how Satan has worked to defraud humankind throughout history since Adam and Eve in Eden.

Revelation 12:9 warns us: “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

Satan the Devil has interacted with mankind in various and sundry ways since humans came to dwell on earth. As a result, in the garden of Eden, Adam was misdirected to disbelieve God. So now we have a world which largely rejects God and His word. Most churches reject the Ten Commandments and teach their parishioners they are done away and nailed to the cross at the crucifixion of Christ.

Jesus did indeed take out of the way something that was “nailed” to His cross. But that something was the record of our sins—our trespasses—not God’s law. The Greek word translated as “having wiped out” or “blotting out” (KJV) or “having canceled” (NASB) in Colossians 2:14 is exaleipho. It means “to wash, or to smear completely . . . to wipe away, wipe off, obliterate” (Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary, 1985).

Magic and satanic influence

Magic done by magicians is by sleight of hand. Sleight of hand is a term used to describe the fine motor skills used by performing artists in different art forms to entertain or manipulate. Magic shows are mostly based on simple tricks and misdirection combined with a believable performance. However, the real magic doesn’t happen in the magician’s hands but in the viewer’s minds.

In the early times of the Church, Philip successfully preached the gospel in Samaria. He encountered Simon who practiced sorcery or magic. Acts 8:9-11 says he had, “Astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, ‘This man is the great power of God.’ And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time.”

No doubt Simon not only was a master at magic tricks which hood-winked the inhabitants of Samaria, but he had demonic help as well which helped deceive people. Jannes and Jambres used magic when they confronted Moses and Aaron in Egypt (Exodus 7:11-12, 22; 2 Timothy 3:8-9). Incidentally, a possible meaning of their names in the Hebrew is “he who seduces and he who makes rebellious” (Gateway Encyclopedia of the Bible, Jannes and Jambres). Moses performed real miracles by the power of God, such as making his rod a serpent, which the sorcerers with their magic and satanic help also appeared to do. It is to these events that Paul is referring in 2 Timothy 3:8.

When Simon (Magus) the sorcerer saw this power being used by the apostles through the Holy Spirit as being genuine, unlike the trickery he had used to bewitch the Samaritans, he offered to pay money to the apostles so he could have this same ability to bestow the spirit to whom he chose by the laying on of hands. The apostle Peter’s words were resoundingly stout against his request; he rebuked him and said, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!” (Acts 8:20). The act of simony, or paying for position, is named after Simon Magus. He did not repent, and later in history he would play a role in the emergence of the false church of Rome.

Satan deceives the masses 

Lies, magic and trickery are the means by which Satan has kept the masses deceived. Adam and Eve were convinced by the Devil to believe that God wasn’t telling them the truth (Genesis 3:1-6). He will use any means necessary to thwart what God says or plans to do.

Be sure that Satan is working on things which will culminate at the end of this age. One major topic of discussion in Washington DC in congressional committees is Unidentified Aeriel Phonomenon or UAPs, formerly called UFOs. 

Tennessee Representative, Tim Burchett, is considered to be one of the loudest voices for more transparency on UAPs. The subject of UAPs attracted attention after whistleblower, David Grusch, claimed the Pentagon was operating a secret UAP retrieval program. Grusch told NewsNation the program was operated without the oversight of Congress, and that he believes the U.S. has recovered spacecraft and possibly even bodies of extraterrestrial origin.

The guardian.com on June 9, 2023 published an article, “A whistleblower claims the US has alien vehicles. But where’s the proof?” The article states:

“According to the Debrief, Grusch’s knowledge of non-human materials and vehicles was based on ‘extensive interviews with high-level intelligence officials.’ He said he had reported the existence of a UFO material ‘recovery program’ to Congress and filed a complaint with the intelligence community inspector general. That complaint contained classified locations, program names and other data, the Debrief said.

“But in a follow-up interview with NewsNation on Tuesday night, Grusch said the US had also found alien pilots. ‘Well, naturally, when you recover something that’s either landed or crashed, sometimes you encounter dead pilots and believe it or not, as fantastical as that sounds, it’s true,’ Grusch said. Grusch said there was a ‘sophisticated disinformation program targeting the US populace’ to suppress information on UFOs, which is a common conspiracy trope in the UFO community.”

Many feel the intelligence agencies are suppressing this information and hiding it from the American people. The effect is, the more it is covered up, the more it is discussed. Many are tuned into Sci-Fi and the old X-Files television series which often showed the poster above Mulder’s desk which said, “I Want to Believe.”

It is possible the UAP issue, in the form of an invasion from space, could be utilized to fool people into believing Christ has returned and by this means the Beast’s one world government could be brought to fruition. It is something many might think could not happen, but it is a strong possibility.

The apostle Paul states in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”

Revelation 13:11-14 shows that lying wonders will be utilized to sway the masses to believe:

“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.” 

Our mind-set: love the truth

People will be swayed and deceived by unbelievable signs, and by Satan’s magic show will be made to believe. If they refuse to believe, the other option is death (Revelation 13:15). In like manner, the ancient King Nebuchadnezzar erected an image and commanded all to bow down and worship the image or be cast into a fiery furnace and die. Death will be used as a powerful motivator to submit to the Beast and what is coming (Daniel 3:16-18).

Shadrack, Meshak and Abednego, as well as the prophet Daniel, set an incredible example for all those upon whom the ends of the world are come, to follow. When commanded by the king to bow and worship the idol they resolutely stated, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18).

Our minds must be set, as Daniels friend's hearts were, to face the challenges we have ahead of us. Our love for righteousness and truth must be such that we would be willing to suffer and die for it if need be.

This is my Perspective and the current edition of the Prophetic Times follows below: 

Prophetic Times

Iran foreign minister warns of ‘terrible’ days ahead for Israel 

December 7, 2023 jpost.com reported:

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian warned of ‘terrible’ days to come for Israel in a call with his Qatar counterpart, according to Iranian pro-regime media.

The two men discussed the war in Gaza, Fars News and Tasnim News reported. Tehran and Doha have excellent ties; Iran’s foreign minister has traveled to Qatar to meet Hamas leaders over the last two months in the wake of the Hamas attack and massacre of more than 1,200 people in Israel on October 7.

According to Iranian media, Iran’s foreign minister discussed the West Bank and Gaza with the Qataris. He also discussed the ‘Zionist aggression’ that Tehran has slammed numerous times. Iran backs proxies in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen and has sought to inflame the West Bank.

Warning to Europe: ‘Network of Hamas operatives active across continent’

December 6, 2023 jpost.com reported:

Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry sent personal letters to about 20 European leaders, signed by Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, which included evidence of the terrorist activity of Hamas activists and operatives of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in major cities across the continent.

‘Weeks have passed since the barbarism that Hamas committed against infants, children, the elderly, and thousands of Israeli citizens. This is not the time for ambiguity. I want to clarify this unequivocally. Hamas has proven that their goal is to kill Jews everywhere,’ Chikli wrote.

‘Since the massacre, calls for violence against Jews worldwide have increased by 120% – a shocking statistic. Unfortunately, Hamas’s bloodlust is not limited to Israel and Jews but also extends to Europe and Christians. I want to remind you that in the past, Hamas members expressed the Islamic intention to conquer Europe.’

The letters were sent to leaders in Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Greece, Germany, and representatives of the European Union.

IDF finds one of the largest Gaza weapons stockpiles ever near school and hospital

December 6, 2023 jpost.com reported:

The IDF engaged hundreds of Hamas terrorists and terror targets and discovered one of the largest weapons stockpiles ever found in the Gaza Strip over the past twenty-four hours the military said on Monday.

The IDF said that it had found one of the largest weapons stockpiles in the history of its operations in Gaza, an arsenal containing hundreds of missiles, launchers, long-range rockets, anti-tank missiles, UAVs, and explosives.

The massive weapons cache was located near a hospital and a school, the IDF reported.

The terror munitions were discovered by the 50th battalion of the 460th brigade. The IDF said that some of the munitions were detonated on site while others were sent for further investigation.

Philippines accuses Chinese vessels of ‘swarming’ reef off its coast

December 5, 2023 aljazeera.com reported:

More than 135 Chinese vessels were “swarming” a reef off the coast of the Philippines in the South China Sea, the Philippines coastguard said on Sunday, amid renewed tensions between the two countries.

Coastguard officials described the growing number of boats off the coast of Whitsun Reef, which the Philippines calls Julian Felipe Reef, as an “alarming development”, on Sunday.

The number of Chinese maritime vessels has increased in the past few weeks. When the coastguard deployed two patrol boats to the area, officials noted the number had increased to 135 boats, from the counted 111 on November 13.

“No response was made to the radio challenges issued by the PCG [Philippines Coast Guard] to the CMM vessels which is now estimated to have grown to more than 135 vessels dispersed and scattered within Julian Felipe Reef,” the Manila’s coastguard said.

The Chinese boats were “dispersed and scattered” within the boomerang-shaped Whitsun Reef more than 1,000km (620 miles) from the nearest major Chinese landmass of Hainan Island, and around 320km (200 miles) west of Palawan Island of the Philippines.

Iran, Cuba Seek Closer Ties to Confront US Sanctions 

December 5, 2023 voanews.com reported:

Iran and Cuba vowed Monday to strengthen relations and stand together against sanctions imposed on them by the United States.

‘What can neutralize the sanctions is the exchange of capacities between the two countries,’ Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said during a joint statement with his visiting Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel.

Cuba has been under a U.S. embargo since 1962 and is included on the American list of countries supporting terrorism — like Iran, which is also subject to severe sanctions linked primarily to its nuclear program.

‘There is a serious determination between the two countries to develop relations,’ Raisi said, adding that ‘the common feature of the two countries is that they both stand against the system of domination.’

Diaz-Canel, who arrived in Tehran on Sunday after participating in the U.N.’s COP28 climate talks in Dubai, thanked Iran for supporting his country’s ‘fight against the cruel embargo’ imposed by the United States.

The Islamic State Renews Calls for Attacks on Europe in Wake of Gaza Conflict

December 4, 2023 breitbart.com reported:

Islamist propaganda is working to juice every possible advantage out of the Hamas terror attack against Israel, with calls for attacks against Jews, ‘crusaders’, and the West being issued.

Muslims who want to liberate Palestine should join the Islamic State, an Afghan IS propaganda newspaper claims, while others call for believers to use absolutely any means at their disposal to launch an attack, even if it’s just punching an unbeliever. The messages encouraging violence and murder are the latest wave of Islamist propaganda that has come since Hamas launched their October terrorist attack against Israel which was followed by a considerable uptick in antisemitism in Western states.

German newspaper Die Welt reports Europol-flagged Islamic State digital jihad body Talai’ al-Ansar had recently put out a new propaganda video meant to radicalize followers in Europe into action, noting it said Muslims in Europe should attack ‘Europe, the infidel West and everywhere… crusaders’ with ‘bombs, guns, knives, cars, stones or punches and kicks.’

Three commercial vessels attacked in Red Sea by Houthi rebels, says US

December 3, 2023 theguardian.com reported:

Three commercial vessels came under attack in international waters in the southern Red Sea, the US military said on Sunday, as Yemen’s Houthi group claimed drone and missile attacks on two Israeli vessels in the area.

“Today there were four attacks against three separate commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea,” the statement from the US Central Command reads. “We have every reason to believe that these attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran.”

The Carney, a US destroyer, responded to distress calls and provided assistance following missile and drone launches from Houthi-controlled territory, according to US Central Command. It named the vessels attacked as Unity Explorer, Number 9 and Sophie II.

Yemen’s Houthi movement said its navy had attacked two ships, Unity Explorer and Number 9, with an armed drone and a naval missile and claimed the vessels were Israeli. A spokesperson for the group’s military said the two ships were targeted after they rejected warnings, without elaborating.

In a broadcast statement, the spokesperson said the attacks were in response to the demands of the Yemeni people and calls from Islamic nations to stand with the Palestinian people.

The US military said the Carney shot down two drones as it helped the commercial vessels. It was not clear if the warship was a target. It said the attacks were a threat to international commerce.