World Christian Ministries Association

January 26, 2011
When will the Saints Be Caught Away

There has been many ideas and views regarding this subject, more notably decribed as Pre-Trib, Mid-Trib and Post-Trib.  To answer this age old question one need only review about six scriptures in the Book of Revelation.  So, let's get started.

Scripture One

"He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints."

Revelation 13:10


What is the above context? 

"And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Revelation 13:7-8

The context is talking about the beast making war with the saints and about people worshipping the beast.  The only ones that will not succomb will be the saints. 

Scripture Two

"Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."

Revelation 14:12

What is the context of this verse?

"And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." Revelation 14:11

The context once again is speaking about people being judged for worshipping the beast and taking the mark of the beast.  Again, this calls for patience on the part of the saints.

Scripture Three

"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."

Revelation 12:17

What is the context of the above scripture? 

"And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child]."  Revelation 12:13 

This context is where Satan is cast to earth and begins to make war with Israel (the woman) at some point after Yahushua ascends to heaven, fails to destroy her, and then turns his attention to the saints.

Scripture Four

"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone."

Revelation 19:20

What is the context of this scripture?

"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready."  Revelation 19:7

The context for Revelation 19:20 concerns the marriage supper of the Lamb for HIS bride.

Scripture Five

"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection."

Revelation 20:4-5

Scripture Six

"And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, [and] over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God."

Revelation 15:2

So, what is the common thread that can be observed in all six scriptures?  They deal with the patience of the saints and the saints not worshipping the beast or not taking his mark.  So, for those that believe that the saints are not going to be on the earth during the "tribulation", and given that the mark of the beast is not pushed upon all that live on the earth until the Beast breaches the covenant with "many", (which is 3.5 years into Daniel's 70th Week), then why is patience of the saints called for?  Why would it be significant that the saints did not worship the beast or take his mark if they were not here to experience either?  Why would the Revelator suggest that "my people" come out of Mystery Babylon (Revelation 18:4) if they were not still on the earth to potentially participate in the judgments against her?  Why would one want to confirm via calculation (Revelation 13:17-18) the "number of his name" (the beast's) if one was not even on the earth for it to even matter?

The answer appears to be quite obvious.  If the early church was not exempt from great persecution, how do we in moderns times expect to be exempt.  YHVH has/will made/make a way of escape for those that trust in him, by way of death.  Satan cannot destroy our soul in hell if we keep the "testimony" of Yahushua Mashiyach.  Thus, this calls for the patience of the saints.  You will undoubtedly face the challenge of renouncing the testimony of Yahushua (in some way), forced to worship the beast and take his mark or be killed/executed (in some way).  It does not appear that the saints are resurrected until the time right after or upon the commencement of the Battle of Armegeddon (Revelation 20:4-5).

August 12, 2010

More about China in Bible Prophecy

Although the idea that “the United States would no longer be the world's biggest consumer of energy” has been doubtful or just a distant unlikely possibility in the minds of many, it is now a current reality.  After topping the energy consumption charts for more than a century, the U.S. has been left behind as China leapfrogged past. According to the International Energy Association's (IEA) latest report, China burned its way through 2,252 million tons of oil equivalent last year - about 4% more than the U.S.

(The oil-equivalent measure is a bundle of all forms of energy consumed, including crude, coal, nuclear, natural gas, and renewable resources.)

That is an astonishing turnaround, according to IEA chief economist Fatih Birol, who noted that as recently as 2000, the United States consumed twice as much energy as China (BP Statistical Review of World Energy, 2010).  It’s no longer 1973, when President Nixon could declare that our status as top energy consumer was “good.  That means we are the richest, strongest people in the world.”  Today, bragging about winning the energy-eating competition doesn’t gain you any brownie points, which is probably why Chinese authorities were quick to reject the IEA data as “unreliable,” choosing instead to focus on their intention to sink about 5 trillion RMB (about US$750 billion) into renewable energy projects.

Despite the denials, a new age in the history of energy has begun, and the implications are enormous. China may not want to accept the honors, but the reality is that it’s now the most important player on energy’s demand side.

According to the IEA report, China will be investing more than $4 trillion over the next 20 years to ensure there are no power or fuel shortages, and that there is enough energy to keep feeding its economy. Thus the ever-increasing number of ships steaming out from Canadian and Australian ports: all are bound for Beijing, all loaded with precious energy supplies.

Whether it’s coal, gas, uranium, or oil, China’s import numbers are only heading in one direction – up.  China is also the number two single country GDP producer in the world, just behind the USA, pushing Japan aside. Of course this does not negate EU’s second place GDP position as a union of nations/countries just ahead of the OIC. 

So what does all this mean and how does all this relate to Bible Prophecy and the predictions made in DOC Volume 7 ?  With China being the GCC’s biggest oil and gas customer, they will continue to facilitate the transfer of wealth from China to the GCC and cause the GCC to favor China in situations and circumstances that may ill-favor other former leading nations.  And since China heavily drains wealth from most IMF affiliated countries, in particular, the US, Japan, the EU, etc., the transfer of wealth away from the IMF countries continue to transfer to the GCC via China, a trend that is unlikely to end anytime soon.  Furthermore, China is also heavily invested in the government debentures of IMF countries and in particular the USA, Japan and the EU.

Furthermore, the GCC are among the wealthiest members of the OIC, which further transfers the world’s wealth under the umbrella of the OIC, the second largest intergovernmental organization in the world, whose sole religion is Islam and the third largest GDP in the world as a union of nations.  The GCC has already announced its intentions of developing it own gold/oil backed currency to operate independent of the IMF system, which is well underway.  The GCC will require all nations of the world, including China, to purchase their oil/gas using this new currency, instead of using petro-dollars or US-dollars, a further drain on and devaluation of other IMF linked currencies.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has also been pushing the OIC to develop its own monetary fund/currency, hoping to draw the GCC into this plan, a plan that would involve the many (57) OIC member nations representing several billion Muslims rather than just a few.  Such an event would truly shake the world.  

As shown above the shift of wealth (and with wealth comes power), is moving away from the WEST and back to the EAST and without a traditional war which often precipitates the eventual confiscation of a nations “gold” (wealth) taken by the “victor” nation.  This shift of wealth occurred voluntarily, as consumers willingly handed over their cash daily, weekly and yearly to the GCC, closing their eyes to the eventual.  They were/are looking only at the here and now, with self-gratification being the more important issue at hand.

With China so embedded and entangled in the top GDP economies, it is easy to see that when she (China)falls, or any of the top three (or four) economies for that matter, the whole thing will topple, the entire IMF System together with its member nations of the world, not to mention the UN, the WCC, the RCC and the GOC, all of whom are in bed together, all of Mystery Babylon's daughters.  This collective consciousness, collective economic system, collective "religion", collective way of buying, selling and living is Mystery Babylon…and she is about to fall...even though the IMF thinks she is invincible, but she is not.  

China is just one big piece of the puzzle.  If this giant does not get her needs met (resource needs), she will rise up and go after it.  If any country defaults in their resource contracts, there will be trouble.  And she is already developing many contracts with African countries and beyond, her appetite is growing and growing fast.  And since she does not embrace the ethics, morals and patience exercised by other nations, she is brutal and she will rise up, especially if maltreated in business, in such a way that will harm/impede her insatiable appetite for more resources.  China is what John the Revelator saw, relative to the 200 million man army.   Some speculate it to be India or an Indo-China union of some kind, but this is doubtful (not impossible) due to the shortage of time.

But with the GCC and the OIC developing its own independent monetary fund (mark), backed by gold/oil and independent of Mystery Babylon, this beast will be able to survive the fall and be able to sweep in and institute a global recovery welcomed by the world.  The catch being, of course, that one cannot buy or sell (do business with them) without using their monetary instruments (their currency), one will make said purchases by using the currency held in hand or in one's forehead (most likely the memorized pin # of some sort of debit card of the system).  This currency is the mark. 

The GCC/OIC, the holder/maker of this forthcoming mark are the same people who currently hold in trust the Dome of the Rock, via the wakf.  Some connected leader (probably Iranian) to the wakf will make a “covenant with many” (the UN) for seven years and to prove that HE can be trusted, that he is peace loving he will make the gesture of allowing the Jews to resume temple worship on the temple mound, a phenomena that will truly dazzle the world leaders.  The “many” will be seduced, they will enjoin the Son of Perdition, they will “buy into” his economic system; people will once again become accustomed to a new economic/monetary fund system; the Jews will resume worship on the temple mound; things will seem fine for awhile, except for the cognizant believer that knows that this new system of the GCC/OIC is the Mark of the Beast system and is unable to use it to buy or sell.  For the Jews this euphoric bliss will end about three and a half years after resuming their temple mound worship.  This end of temple mound worship will usher in great stress for the Jews and heat things up for the saints as well into what is called the “patience of the saints”.  The conclusion and end of next three and a half years will bring the return of our LORD to defeat the armies of the world that will rise up against Israel.

The above essay is a brief summary of Dr. Briggs' non-traditional eschatology relative to Mystery Babylon, China, the Mark of the Beast, the Son of Perdition, etc., etc.  However, to fully understand the terms, ideas, acronyms, etc. in the essay, please use DOC Volume 7 to bring greater clarity, as well as viewing the many references that support this Biblical view.

July 30, 2010

China in Bible Prophecy

As predicted in DOC Volume 7, back in 2007, China would continue to awake, arise in power, especially by way of consumption, and begin its march towards Africa and beyond.  This is obviously well under way…and just on time to coincide with Bible prophecy.  There is no denying that China has become a country of serious power. With that power, comes worldwide consequences, for all of her actions.

At this moment, no one human is certain which way China is heading. Will China continue this massive growth and fuel the world economy?  Some say, the bullish economists, who analyze China, that the country is still in the early stages of economic development. Combine this with their government's power and riches, its growth could continue to blossom.  Of course there are plenty of “bearish” economists out there that are calling for a bubble as the Chinese government scrambles to curb property speculation while simultaneously pumping billions of stimulus dollars into expansion.

And of course, there is a very fine line between who is right and who is wrong.  Maybe there is a bubble, maybe there is not.  But in the final analysis, China is not going anywhere. As a matter of fact, they are still growing - and fast.  It is this fact that links heavily to Bible Prophecy.  What would cause China to rise up with her armies and march toward Africa and the Middle East?  You guessed it.  Her insatiable appetite for natural resources to satisfy the consumer needs of the largest populated country in the world.  Now that China has a taste in her mouth for materialism, much more of the same is (and will be) what drives this beast beyond her borders.

China On Top (Excerpt Taken from Equedia.com)

Back in June 2007, China surpassed the U.S. and became the world's top emitter of greenhouse gases. Three years later, China has topped the U.S. once again to become the world's largest consumer of energy. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), China overtook the U.S. in energy consumption sometime last year and was not expected to overtake the U.S. in energy consumption until at least 2015.

Those who continue to doubt the growth of China and its ability to continue should think again. In 2000, the US consumed twice as much energy as China. In less than 10 years, China has not only caught up, but has now surpassed the US in energy consumption.

Three years ago China was a net exporter of coal.  This year it is expected they will become the world's largest coal importer, beating out Japan.  China has also become Saudi Arabia's largest oil customer -- a position held for decades by the U.S. 

But wait, they're not finished.

China is now the world's biggest investor in energy-efficient technology. Furthermore, they already have plans to spend close to $800 billion dollars on saving energy.

Let`s not forget that China is still on track to surpass Japan this year as the world's second largest economy after the U.S.

So while there continues to be talk of a major bubble in China, one thing is for certain... 

China Needs Energy

According to IEA statistics, more than half of China's total energy in 2009 came from coal, a heavy polluter that accounts for less than a quarter of U.S. consumption.

Oil  (the No. 1 energy source in the U.S., accounting for nearly half the total) made up less than a fifth of the Chinese energy total. But that is already changing as more Chinese trade their bicycles for cars.

Last year, China passed the U.S. as the biggest auto market by number of vehicles sold. Passenger vehicle sales in China jumped from 326,000 in 1995 to 8.7 million in 2009. That number is expected to soar to 13.5 million vehicles in 2015.

So while coal provided most of China's energy, oil will not be too far behind. That is why we have seen China buying up oil from all across the globe, including Canada's oil sands.

State-owned Chinese energy companies have forged multibillion-dollar deals in Central Asia, Africa and Latin America to secure access to oil and gas supplies.

And despite investments by China for cleaner energy, we are still many years away from adaptable technology that will make any major impact on oil demand.

That is why we expect strong long-term growth for oil and gas companies in the next few years. Remember, U.S. oil demand is still 20% below its all-time high due to this recent recession. When things pick up, demand will increase and there will be yet another shortage of oil supplies to fuel the boom.

Output will need to rise to keep up with demand from both China and the U.S. This will lead to yet another strong oil spike in the coming years. (End of Equedia Excerpt)

Closing Comments

Remember, there are now only two world powers leading the fight for energy - and both of them use a lot of it.  When Mystery Babylon falls, it will topple the US, China, and the EU, who will undoubtedly remain in the top three, but not before China mobilizes her 200 million man army.  Other potential contestants for the top three could be India and Japan, but this is not likely due to the shortage of time left.  These top three (USA, China and the EU) are aside from the OIC since they will run independently of the IMF system.

May 25, 2010

As Dr. Briggs has been predicting since 2007, certain end-time global shifts must occur.  These global shifts are underway and this webpage (Bible Prophecy Updates) was established to expose events that directly or indirectly relate to said global shifts.  The weblink below is a must see video clip that further indicates that the world is getting closer to the end and in the manner that was predicted in Disciples of Christ Volume 7.  More Bible Prophecy related information will be posted as it is discovered.

Click Here to See Video Clip

1290 Days

An additonal consideration regarding the 1290 Days count (as found in the Book of Daniel) from 691 A.D., as shown below, brings another significant impact relative to the 1981 A.D. date (see DOC Vol 7).

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was created on May 25, 1981 comprised of the Persian Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.  This unified economic agreement between the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council was signed on November 11, 1981 in Riyadh. These countries are often referred to as The GCC States.

Of course not all of the countries neighboring the Persian Gulf are members of the council at this time. Iran and Iraq are currently excluded although both nations have a coastline on the Persian Gulf. The associate membership of Iraq in certain GCC-related institutions was discontinued after the invasion of Kuwait.  The GCC States have announced that they support the Document of The International Compact with Iraq that was adopted at Sharm El-Sheikh on 4-5 May 2007.  It calls for regional economic integration with the neighboring states but there is no prospect of Iraqi accession to the GCC.

Yemen is in negotiations for GCC membership, and hopes to join by 2016. The GCC has already approved Yemen's accession to the GCC Standardization Authority, Gulf Organization for Industrial Consultancy, GCC Auditing and Accounting Authority, Gulf Radio and TV Authority, The GCC Council of Health Ministers, The GCC Education and Training Bureau, The GCC Council of Labor & and Social Affairs Ministers, and The Gulf Cup Football Tournament. The Council issued directives that all the necessary legal measures be taken so that Yemen would have the same rights and obligations of GCC member states in those institutions. There is, however, strong resistance to full Yemeni membership amongst most GCC states, due to the country's poverty, large population, and different system of government.

A GCC common market was launched on January 1, 2008.  The common market grants national treatment to all GCC firms and citizens in any other GCC country, and in doing so removes all barriers to cross country investment and services trade. A customs union was declared in 2003, but practical implementation has lagged behind. Indeed, shortly afterwards, Bahrain concluded a separate Free Trade Agreement with the USA, in effect cutting through the GCC's agreement, and causing much friction.

The GCC members and Yemen are also members of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA). However, this is unlikely to significantly affect the agenda of the GCC as it has a more aggressive timetable than GAFTA and is seeking greater integration.

Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar on December 15, 2009 announced the creation of a Monetary Council, a step toward establishing a shared currency. The board of the council, which will set a timetable for establishing a joint central bank and choose a currency regime, will meet for the first time on March 30, 2010.

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Sabah al-Salem al- Sabah said on December 8, 2009 that a single currency may take 10 years to establish. The original target was in 2010.  A more reasonable date would be 2015 or later, which aligns better with Bible Prophecy.  And, on March 15, 2010 United Arab Emirates said it remains committed to the concept of a single currency, though free trade in the region must come first and admits that a 2015 or later date would be more reasonable. The U.A.E., withdrew from the currency project in May of 2009 after the Saudi capital, Riyadh was selected as the location for the Monetary Council, the future central bank. The U.A.E. has no plans to rejoin the union project.