January 2011

January 12, 2011

Dear Brethren,

According to the Roman calendar we have entered a new year. While we all hope for the best, many predict things will get worse. What will the new year bring?

Will the new GOP-dominated Congress be able to “reign in” the federal government’s profligate deficit spending? Across-the-board cuts of at least 20 percent are necessary if we are to hold back an increase in the national debt—now at nearly 15 trillion dollars. But many doubt that cuts anywhere near 20 percent are possible. Even if such cuts could be made, the average American would see little or no benefit as the interest due on the debt would consume most of the savings.

The fact is, America’s collective national debt—the federal government, state debt, all business and personal debt—is so large that it defies comprehension! And it’s not just the United States that’s in trouble. Europe is also on the brink of bankruptcy with astronomical levels of debt. When the debt of all the nations of the world is added together—including all government debt, all business and corporate debt, and all personal debt—it is evident that a total collapse of the world’s financial system is imminent. It will most likely happen within the next 3 to 5 years—perhaps 7 at most. As we will see, a complete, almost instantaneous worldwide collapse is necessary in order for biblical prophecy to be fulfilled.

Undoubtedly, the current world banking system will collapse—just as the German Weimar Republic collapsed under super hyper-inflation caused by the actions of bankers. After the collapse, Germany renounced the Versailles War Reparations Treaty that ended WW I. The Third Reich formed soon afterwards under Adolf Hitler—with a new Mark as the German currency. These actions combined to eliminate Germany’s overwhelming debt, restoring order and putting people back to work. A new era of “prosperity” had begun.

A similar scenario is likely in our day: A period of super hyper-inflation—defined by dramatic price increases in oil, gas, natural gas, coal and all metals, especially gold and silver—will lead to the collapse of all fiat currencies of the world. In its place will be a new world financial system with a new world currency.

But before such a system can be established, there will need to be broad agreement for a mammoth reduction of the debt levels for all nations, perhaps by as much as 60 percent. Then a new world currency can be issued by a new “World Central Bank.” In all likelihood, this new system will have both digital and paper currency. After that, people will be put to work and a new age of prosperity will begin to develop—the last generation of which Jesus spoke.

With a new, single world currency in place, the elite will have the power to rapidly institute a new world government—undoubtedly built upon a reformed United Nations. Remember, whoever controls the monetary system also controls the government.

During the 20th century, the world elite have tried several times to bring about a world government—via the League of Nations and the United Nations—but those efforts have failed. However, with a centralized world financial system in their total control, they will finally have the power and means to set up their New World Order. Again, a new world currency and financial system will pave the way for a new world government—which will eventually lead to the “Mark of the Beast.”

Bible prophecy does not indicate a definite time frame for these events. Rather, Scripture gives us a sequence of events as a framework. Only at the very end—the last seven years—do we find a specific time sequence laid out for us (Dan. 9:26-27), divided into two segments of three and one-half years (or 42 months). As we view things today, Bible prophecy does not indicate how long it will be until there is a new world currency and financial system; nor does it tell us how long it will take to set up a world government, or the number of years it will be in existence before the last seven years begin. Furthermore, the Bible does not indicate how many leaders of the world government there will be before its final leader takes office—the “man of sin,” the “son of perdition.” This man will be the final great leader of the new world government—THE FINAL BEAST. He and the “false prophet” will be cast alive into the lake of fire when Christ and the resurrected saints take over the world and institute God’s rule of the Kingdom of God (Rev. 19:11-21).

Notice John’s vision in Revelation 13, which foretells of the rise and development of a satanic world government depicted as a beast with seven heads and ten horns:

“And I stood on the sand of the sea; and I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, and his feet like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion [depicting the great Gentile empires of Daniel 7]; and the dragon [Satan the devil] gave him his power, and his throne and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as ifit were slain to death, but his deadly wound was healed; and the whole earth was amazed and followed the beast.

 

“And they worshiped the dragon, who gave his authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who has the power to make war against him?’ And a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies was given to him; and authority was given to him to continue for forty-two months [after the deadly wound is healed]. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. And he was given power to make war against the saints, and to overcome them; and he was given authority over every tribe and language and nation [thus, a world government].

“And all who dwell on the earth will worship him [as God manifested in the flesh], whose names have not been written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If anyone has an ear, let him hear” (Rev. 13:1-9).

Again, the Scriptures do not give a definite time sequence—only an eventssequence—until the last three and one-half years (or 42 months), which is the last half of the final seven years, as foretold in Daniel 9:27.

The “Beast” has two aspects to it. First, it will be a world system of government. It is clear from other prophecies that there must be a complete revival of Europe as the center of power. Will this revival be the healing of the “deadly wound”—the wound which destroyed the Third Reich?

Second, Revelation 13 blends into its final leader who is given total rule over all the world for the last seven years. The first three and one-half years will probably be a time of unprecedented peace and prosperity (I Thess. 5:2-3). However, at the end the first three and one-half years its great leader will suffer a deadly wound—but his wound is healed.

After the Beast’s deadly wound is healed, the “false prophet” will pronounce him to be “the manifestation of God on earth”—and the whole world will then worship the Beast and Satan the Devil. The Beast, also called the Antichrist, continues for 42 months, ruling with absolute power as “God on earth”—even killing the saints. However, prior to the final seven years of Daniel 9:27, the Bible does not tell us how long this government will be functioning, and it could be a number of years.

The apostle Paul was inspired to write about the man who will be the final Beast, who proclaims himself to be God and blasphemes the true God in heaven:

“Do not let anyone deceive you by any means because that day will not come unless the apostasy shall come first, and the man of sin shall be revealed—the son of perdition, the one who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is an object of worship; so that he comes into the temple of God and sits down as God, proclaiming that he himself is God.

 

“Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? And now you understand what is holding him back in order for him to be revealed in his own set time [the final seven years]. For the mystery of lawlessness is already working; only there is one Who is restraining at the present time until it arises out of the midst. And then the lawless one will be revealed (whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth, and will destroy with the brightness of His coming); even the one whose coming is according to the inner working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in those who are perishing because they did not receive the love of the truth, so that they might be saved. And for this cause, God will send upon them a powerful deception that will cause them to believe the lie, so that all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but who took pleasure in unrighteousness” (II Thess. 2:3-12).

The Coming False Prophet: The second half of Revelation 13 predicts that a great “false prophet” will arise. Depicted as a beast with two horns like a lamb but speaking like a dragon, the false prophet will show great signs and wonders, even calling fire down from heaven. In partnership with the Beast, he will be the leader of a new world religion. The signs and wonders he performs will convince all people, and hence all religions, to come together and worship the Beast—the Antichrist—as God manifested in the flesh:

“And I saw another beast rising out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon; and he exercises all the [worldwide] authority of the first beast before him; and he causes the earth and those who dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he performs great wonders, so that he even causes fire to come down to the earth from heaven in the sight of men.

 

“And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by means of the wonders that were given to him to perform in the sight of the beast, saying to those who dwell on the earth that they should make an image for the beast, which had the wound by the sword, yet was alive. And he was given power to give life to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast also could speak; and he causes everyone who will not worship the image of the beast to be killed” (Rev. 13:11-15).

The Coming Mark of the Beast: The final verses of Revelation 13 show that a global monetary solution will be enforced—called the “Mark of the Beast.” Without this mark, no one will be able to buy or sell. “And he [the beast whose deadly wound was healed] causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, to receive a mark in their right hands, or in their foreheads; so that no one may have the ability to buy and sell unless he has the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (verses 16-17).

Never in the history of the world has it been possible for such a monetary control system to be instituted. However, the technology now exists to bring about a global financial system in which literally everyone’s participation can be monitored and regulated. Interestingly, there have been recent reports that scientists are developing an invisible bar-code tattoo that can be applied on a person’s hand or forehead. The difficulty now is to design the bar-code so that a person can be tracked by a global positioning satellite system. Sooner or later, they will no doubt figure out how to do it.

When Will the Mark of the Beast be Enforced? At the time the new world banking system is instituted—with its new digital and paper currency—the Mark of the Beast will not be immediately enforced. As we analyze Revelation 13, it is evident that the mark will not be enforced until after the Beast has recovered from his deadly wound and the final three and one-half years have begun. At that time, everyone will be commanded by the “false prophet” to make an “image” for the Beast—probably to celebrate his return to life. Anyone refusing to do so will be killed (verses 14-15). Then the Mark of the Beast will be fully forced upon everyone. The saints, however, will refuse to make the image for the Beast and refuse to allow the mark to be put on their right hands or foreheads. As a result, the saints will be martyred for Christ.

However, before these things happen, another heavenly event takes place immediately prior to the start of the Great Tribulation. What will that be? God will send three powerful angels to warn the world:

“And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and language and people; saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God, and give glory to Him, because the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him Who made the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.’ Then another angel followed, saying, ‘The great city Babylon is fallen, is fallen, because of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, which she has given all nations to drink.’

 

“And a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives the mark in his forehead or in his hand, he shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed undiluted in the cup of His wrath; and he shall be tormented in fire and brimstone in the sight of the holy angels, and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends into the ages of eternity; and those who worship the beast and his image, and all who receive the mark of his name, have no rest day and night’ ” (Rev. 14:6-11).

From the context of Revelation 13 and 14, the three angels must give their warnings before the worship of the beast and his image begins, and before the enforcement of the mark. God always gives a warning before something takes place, not after it has already happened—that is clearly evident throughout the Bible!

Finally, we will understand the meaning of the number of the Beast when he comes on the scene: “Here is wisdom. Let the one who has understanding count the number of the beast; for it is a man’s number, and his number is 666” (Rev. 13:18). We have a promise from the book of Daniel that, at the end when these thing are meant to be understood, we willunderstand: “And he [the angel] said, ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and refined. But the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but THE WISE SHALL UNDERSTAND’ ” (Dan. 12:9-10).

From these and other prophecies, it is clear that Jesus Christ will not be returning in the foreseeable future. We may see many more years come and go before all these final prophetic events unfold.

Remember, we are not given any specific time sequence—only an events sequence. Yet, all of these prophecies must be fulfilled. These are the key events that lead up to the return of Christ: “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branches have already become tender, and it puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. In like manner also, when you see all these things [all 14 things], know that it [Jesus’ second coming] is near, even at the doors. Truly I say to you, this generation [the generation when all these things will be fulfilled] shall in no wise pass away until all these things have taken place. The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My words shall never pass away. But concerning that day, and the hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matt. 24:32-36).

What Should We Do Until Then? There are four things we must continue doing every day. First: We must always be watching. Jesus warns us: “Watch, therefore, because you do not know in what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have been watching, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also be ready. For the Son of man is coming at a time that you do not think [because we do not know the day or the hour, though we know the times and seasons]” (Matt. 24:42-44).

Second:We must always be doing the will of God and keeping His commandments. “Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom his lord has set over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he comes shall find so doing. Truly I say to you, he will set him over all his property” (verses 45-47).

Third: Since it is apparent that there may be much more time than we had previously anticipated, we are not to take the attitude that Christ is delaying His coming. Remember, God the Father and Jesus Christ are never early and never late. God’s plan is always on time, and it is God Who sets the schedule. So we need to be on guard not to slip back into the world, deceiving ourselves that we can always repent later. Moreover, the ministers of God are not to abuse the brethren in any way. Notice Jesus’ warning: “But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, ‘My lord delays his coming,’ and shall begin to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken, the lord of that servant will come in a day that he does not expect, and in an hour that he does not know. And he shall cut him asunder and shall appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 24:48-51).

Fourth:We must always maintain our personal relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. Jesus gave the “Parable of the Ten Virgins” to illustrate that, while we are watching, we must also maintain our relationship with God through the Holy Spirit (as pictured by the oil and lamps). This is something each one of us must do daily. We cannot get lazy and neglect this most vital part of our lives—being led by the Holy Spirit. When you maintain a good personal relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ through daily prayer and study, you will be led by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:14).

The “Parable of the Ten Virgins” depicts those who are wise and those who are foolish:

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be compared to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. The ones who were foolish took their lamps [they had the Word of God], but they did not take oil with them [they did not exercise the power of the Holy Spirit, symbolized by the oil]. But the wise took oil in their vessels [an extra supply of oil in a separate vessel—they were led by the Holy Spirit] along with their lamps.

 

“Now when the bridegroom was gone a long time, they all became drowsy and slept [everyone has problems and weaknesses]. But in the middle of the night [when it is least expected] there was a cry: ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Go out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.

“And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out’ [they were not maintaining their personal relationship with God]. But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there not be enough for us and for you [you cannot give someone else of the Holy Spirit that you have, which God gives through maintaining a close personal relationship with Him. So they tell the foolish ones], but instead, go to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’

“And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut. And afterwards the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ But He answered and said, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you’ [they did not maintain their personal relationship with God in order to use the Holy Spirit to develop the grace and character needed to enter the Kingdom of God]” (Matt. 25:1-12).

This is why we need to watch and keep on watching. However, we must know the Scriptures and rightly divide the Word of God in order to understand the flow of events. To help everyone understand what we are to watch for, we have included in this mailing the first two of three messages entitled “Fourteen Things in Prophecy to Watch.”

Church at Home DVD: This month’s Church at Home DVD is a series entitled “Obsessed with Sex,” parts 1-9. We will continue to send these DVDs every month. Remember, you can use the DVDs to introduce new people to the truth of the Bible.

Paperback Second Edition of the Bible: By the end of January we will have received 6,000 copies of the second edition of the paperback version of The Holy Bible In Its Original Order. At the present time we are completely out of the first edition. As you know, we send the majority of these paperback Bibles to inmates in various prisons. The Bibles provide a way for them to learn about God and, hopefully, begin to get their lives straightened out. Certainly, when they are released they will be better citizens—and some will eventually repent and be converted. What we are giving them is far better than a mere visit—for the Word of God will give them constant comfort.

Brethren, in these difficult times in which we live, we need to draw close to God in personal, heartfelt prayer and in the daily study of His Word. When we are faithful in maintaining our relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ, we will be growing in grace and knowledge and always be watching and ready.

We praise God the Father and Jesus Christ daily for the goodness and mercy shown to all of God’s people. We thank you for your continued love and faithfulness to God and your love toward one another. We thank you for your prayers for us and all the brethren. We are thankful for your faithfulness in your tithes and offerings, especially in these difficult times. We pray that God will continue to bless you and keep watch over you in everything. We continue to pray for you daily—for your health, your healing and that God’s love and grace will be upon you in everything.

With Love in Christ Jesus,

Fred R. Coulter

FRC