will the church witness the antichrist? pg. 12 · the guitarist attila rontó, born 1969 in...

The International Prophetic Voice for the Endtimes

midnightcall.com January 2019—$4.75

Will the Church Witness the Antichrist?Pg. 12

The Trials of the ApostlePaul - Part 1Pg. 16

The Beauty of Right Thinking and ActionPg. 20

WORLD FOCUS• Firm Implants Microchips in Employees

• Leaders Call for EU Army • Mind-Controlled TV

The Great Prosperity

Deception

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

• “False Bible”• Catholics

• GMOsPg. 35

The Desire for HeroesPg. 24

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6

The Great ProsperityDeceptionBy Arno Froese

Good times are ahead of us when it comes tomerchandise and luxuries, peace and prosperity, butfrom God’s perspective, it’s all a big lie based onSatan’s cunning deception.

12 Will the Church Witness the Antichrist?By Norbert Lieth, Lothar Gassmann and René Malgo

16 The Trials of the ApostlePaul - Part 1By Dr. Ron J. Bigalke

20 The Beauty of Right Thinking and ActionBy Fredy Peter

24 The Desire for HeroesBy Norbert Lieth

Midnight CallJANUARY 2019

4 Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By René Malgo

33 Action for Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By Arno Froese

35 Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By Arno Froese

“FALSE BIBLE”...CATHOLICS...GMOS

38 Fellow Laborers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By Elia Morise

40 The Ebenezer Home – Haifa, Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By Johnny Khoury

Contents

DEPARTMENTS

COVER STORY

26 UK

FirmImplants Microchips inEmployees

26 EUROPE

Leaders Call for EUArmy

27 SWITZERLAND

Mind-Controlled TV

28USA

Amazon Sets Trap for Drivers

28 SOUTH KOREA

Can’t Afford SecondChild

29 INDIA

Court Rules BiometricDatabase Legal

30 WORLD

One-Third of GlobalFood Supply Wasted

MIDNIGHT CALL

Editor’s Note

Let’s Not Forget the Gospel

Anew year is here. Per-haps we are anxiouslywondering what’s in

store for us. The world’s goinghaywire. The great collapse of the West in all itsdecadence seems just a matter of time. It’s not justChristians who are seeing the decline of our society.If we lack a common ethical foundation (all moral-ity is merely a matter of opinion—there are nolonger absolute precepts, and even gender bound-aries become fluid), then the already-fragile pillarsof an unsettled society can only collapse. But, whowill fill the chaos brought on by the supposedlyprogressive elite? Who will step into the rift? Inmost cases it is demagogues, the dictators andtyrants, the big, strong men who take the helm andpromise peace and security. One need only think ofHitler after the Weimar Republic.

Will a type of Antichrist again provide for “order”in Europe…or even the Antichrist himself? What-ever may happen and whatever may be in store forus personally, we hold fast to the Word of the Lord.It tells us that His kingdom is not of this world, andthat we have received a better and lasting city inheaven. For 2019, let’s write the healing Word ofgrace, the gospel, on our hearts, and keep it contin-ually in mind:

He, the originator of life, who couldn’t possiblybe overcome by decay, the firstfruits of those passedaway and firstborn of the dead: He united with ourpoor, weak, and mortal nature. He equated His

body with our lowliness, so that He might trans-form us into the image of His glory; unite us pureand imperishable with God the Father; lift us up toHim; give us a share in His immortal nature; andmake us into a beloved child of God forever andever. This is the essential thing for us Christians,and not the course of a changeable, lost worldheaded toward its end.

Christ exalted us humans by becoming humanHimself. He defeated death by dying Himself. Heremoved our sin by becoming sin Himself. He gaveus eternal life by resurrecting Himself from thedead. He took us to heaven by ascending to heavenHimself, as our forerunner and advocate. He unitedus with heaven by sending the Holy Spirit to usfrom the Father. And He sustains us in this heav-enly union, through His entrance for us as our highpriest, now and forever.

In this way, His incarnation has connected usfully with God. His obedience made us completelyworthy. His blood has completely purified us. Hisdeath completely justified us. His resurrection hasmade us fully alive. His ascension completely pavedour way to glory. His giving of the Holy Spirit hascompletely changed us. And His eternal highpriesthood before the Father keeps us completelysecure in God’s hand. Let’s never forget it!

This is the mystery of Christ, “which in otherages was not made known unto the sons of men.”Namely, that we should be fellow heirs, members ofHis body and partakers of His promise, as well as

4 M I D N I G H T C A L L Visit midnightcall.com4 M I D N I G H T C A L L

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STATEMENT OF FAITHWE BELIEVE in the divine inspiration of the whole Bible and there-with the infallibility of the Holy Scripture, which is God’s Word, andin the eternal Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

WE BELIEVE Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was conceived of theHoly Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, and shed Hisblood to save mankind. He died and arose bodily the third day andlater ascended into heaven.

WE BELIEVE that the Lord Jesus Christ died in the place of eachindividual sinner and that all who believe in Him as their personalSavior are justified through His shed blood and have become children of God.

WE BELIEVE that Israel is God’s chosen people, and that therestoration of the Jews to their own land is the fulfillment of theWord of God.

WE BELIEVE in the pre–tribulational appearance of Jesus Christ forthe Rapture of His Church (all born again believers).

WE BELIEVE in the immortality of our souls and the resurrection of ourbodies, and in the resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlastingblessedness of the saved and the everlasting punishment of the lost.

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children of His Father, companions of His house, citizens of His king-dom, temples of His Spirit, natives of His paradise, indeed, membersof His body, through Him (Eph 3:4-6)…That is why we direct the eyesof our hearts to Him alone, and live for Him in all sincerity and confi-dence of faith. Because, where else should we go? He has the words ofeternal life. He is eternal life. Abundance is in Him, not in this world.We live in His grace. We overcome in the love of His Father. And wewalk in the communion of His Holy Spirit (2 Cor 13:14).

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to presentyou faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, Tothe only wise god our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion andpower, both now and ever. Amen” (Jude 24-25).

Note: Due to a busy schedule, Wilfred Hahn is taking a break from hiscolumn this month.

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6 M I D N I G H T C A L L

Arno Froese

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! howart thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! Forthou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt mythrone above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the con-gregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of theclouds; I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:12-14).

The Great Prosperity

Deception


C O V E R S T O R Y

While this Scripture is addressedagainst the king of Babylon, itis quite plain that it goes be-

yond the king of Babylon, pointing to theoriginator of evil: the devil. The king ofBabylon has not fallen out of heaven.Thus, through the king of Babylon, theorigin of Satan is revealed.

In the New Testament, we have an ex-ample: when Jesus announced His inten-tion to go up to Jerusalem, andprophesied that He would be killed, Petertook protective measures: “Be it far fromthee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.”How did Jesus answer? “Get thee behindme, Satan: thou art an offence unto me:for thou savourest not the things that beof God, but those that be of men”(Matthew 16:23a). Did Peter become Sa-tan? Not at all, but the words Peter spokeoriginated from Satan.

“I Will Be Like the Most High”What is Satan’s aim? “I will be like themost High.” When reading the Old Testa-ment, one quickly notices that Lucifer—also known as Satan, the devil, that oldserpent, and the dragon—has been verysuccessful in deceiving the nation of Is-rael. No other nation on the face of theearth, throughout human history, has sopersonally experienced God’s supernat-ural intervention. Yet Israel did not be-lieve the Word of God; instead, theybelieved the words of the deceiver. Thatalso was made plain with Eve, who be-lieved the words of the serpent and disbe-lieved the words of God.

In summary, from the point of Eve’s de-ception to this very day, all of humanityhas been and is deceived. If only wewould fully realize our absolute lostness,or as Ephesians 2:12 states: “…having no

hope, and without God in the world.” Yet,thank God, there is one escape, as thenext verse reveals: “But now in Christ Je-sus ye who sometimes were far off aremade nigh by the blood of Christ.”

The Devil’s Cunning DevicesThe realization that mankind is lost for alleternity is a prerequisite for understandingthe devil’s plan of destruction and God’splan of salvation. Satan has successfullyinfiltrated the intellectual elite of theworld. They have long concluded, “Thereis a little bit of good in everyone.” Subse-quently, through philosophy, education,and indoctrination, man can be made bet-ter. That is a fatal mistake based on thedevil’s lie, for the Bible says: “There isnone righteous, no not one” (Romans3:10). Paul testifies, “…in my fleshdwelleth no good thing” (Romans 7:18).

Satan’s Political AgendaThroughout the 6,000-year history ofman, there have been tens of thousands ofwars with hundreds of millions of peopleslaughtered. Why? Primarily due to reli-gion. Look at Genesis 4:8: “And Caintalked with Abel his brother: and it cameto pass, when they were in the field, thatCain rose up against Abel his brother, andslew him.” This was based on religiousbelief. Cain talked to his brother. Whatabout? Obviously, concerning Cain’s offer-ing not being accepted. Thus, from thatvery point, people have killed each other,and they’re still doing it today.

Political DeceptionUnder the auspices of the god of thisworld, the intellectual elite of all coun-tries indoctrinate their population: We arethe best, the greatest, the ones favored

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What is Satan’s aim? “I will be like the most High.”

by God. That lie of Satan was probably thegreatest contributor toward the manywars fought among mankind during thesepast six millennia. Just listen to the na-tional anthem of any country, and youwill find national pride highlighted. Thefather of pride is Satan.

The Prince of Fake PeaceMany experts the world over are gen-uinely concerned about a possible thirdworld war, which without doubt wouldinclude nuclear weapons, thus destroyingmuch of if not the entire planet. That,however, would not contribute toward Sa-tan’s intention to bring about peace, andpeace he must produce to mimic thePrince of Peace.

Today, with reasonable assurance, wecan say that war is virtually out of thequestion between the developed nations.It is absurd to think that Canada wouldattack the USA, or France would go towar against Italy, or Germany attack Rus-sia. There are small conflicts where themilitary is involved in some parts of theworld, but we can’t deny that the world ismore at peace than ever before in his-tory—peace based on commercialism.

Deception of Commercialism Here we must again quote Revelation18:3: “For all nations have drunk of thewine of the wrath of her fornication, andthe kings of the earth have committed for-nication with her, and the merchants of

The Great Prosperity Deception


And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were inthe field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.” This wasbased on religious belief. Cain talked to his brother. What about? Obviously,concerning Cain’s offering not being accepted. Thus, from that very point, peoplehave killed each other, and they’re still doing it today.

C O V E R S T O R Y

the earth are waxed rich through theabundance of her delicacies.”

If ever the world has experienced an“abundance of her delicacies,” it is now.Never before in history have we had somuch merchandise at our disposal as to-day. Look at the grocery shelves andcompare them with just a few decadesago. There is virtually no comparison.But keep in mind that this system of de-ception is actually for the well-being ofhumanity. Those of us who are in our70s, 80s, and 90s remember the miser-able poverty we lived under: the small,low-ceilinged, primitive houses, and therather limited selection of food availableat the grocery store. That has allchanged for the better for most of hu-mankind.

The Financial DeceptionWe as Christians thank the Lord for pro-viding for our daily necessities, and takeadvantage of opportunities given to us toaccumulate resources, whether it be prop-erties, investments, or consumables. Wemay have possessions, but possessionsmust not have us.

Remember, the original tactic of Satanis deception. He must prove that he is thegod of this world.

Deception can only be successful byvoluntarily believing in the system of lies.Do we believe in the system of lies? Ab-solutely. For example, money—printedon paper—is totally useless; if a nationloses faith in that printed currency, it willbecome worthless. Investors have faith inthe stock market and other financialproducts. Faith is the key.

So, why is progress, peace and prosper-ity so bad? For an answer, we must go tothe Word of God. There we repeatedlyfind the word “fornication”: “…the kingsof the earth have committed fornicationwith her, and the merchants of the earthare waxed rich through the abundance ofher delicacies” (Revelation 18:3). Or inthe same chapter, verse 15: “The mer-chants of these things, which were maderich by her, shall stand afar off for the fearof her torment, weeping and wailing.” Orverse 19: “…Alas, alas that great city,wherein were made rich all that had shipsin the sea by reason of her costliness! forin one hour is she made desolate.” This isclearly describing commercialism in theend times. Nothing wrong in and of itself,but it is not based on substance, rather onfaith. There we go back to Adam and Eve,who had faith in the devil’s lie instead ofbelieving God’s Word.

In summary, good times are ahead of uswhen it comes to merchandise and luxu-ries, peace and prosperity, but from God’sperspective, it’s all a big lie based on Sa-tan’s cunning deception.

Satan’s GoalWhat is Satan’s goal? He already has thewhole world in his hands; humanity isfollowing in his footsteps, rejoicing andpraising the success of his economic andfinancial systems. So, what next? He mustpresent himself as the (false) prince ofpeace, the savior of the world. That’s inthe works right now. The apostle Paulwarns: “Lest Satan should get an advan-tage of us: for we are not ignorant of hisdevices” (2 Corinthians 2:11).

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If ever the world has experienced an “abundance of her delicacies,” it isnow. Never before in history have we had so much merchandise at ourdisposal as today.

The Deception of WorshipThe god of this world has created a rel-atively well-functioning global society,where people are enjoying freedom,prosperity, and riches. But there is onething he still intends to fulfill: “I willbe like the most High.” So, what islacking? Worship. Here is what theNew Testament records: “Again, thedevil taketh him up into an exceedinghigh mountain, and showeth him allthe kingdoms of the world, and theglory of them; And saith unto him, Allthese things will I give thee, if thou wiltfall down and worship me” (Matthew4:8-9). That is his ultimate goal; hewants to be worshiped, but worship be-longs only to God, the Creator ofheaven and earth.

We note in this Scripture that thedevil, the god of this world, has in hispossession: “…all the kingdoms of theworld, and the glory of them.” Thisstatement puts cold water on the oftenpresumptuous statement by religiouspeople, even well-respected gospelpreachers: “Our country is founded onChristian principles; we are a godly na-tion.” That’s one of the most successfullies Satan has used to lure into bondagemillions of people around the world.

The Coming AntichristIt is the apostle Paul who reveals Sa-tan’s masterpiece, the Antichrist, andhis aim: “Who opposeth and exaltethhimself above all that is called God, orthat is worshipped; so that he as God

sitteth in the temple of God, showinghimself that he is God” (2 Thessaloni-ans 2:4).

No Future for Believers on EarthWe, as individual believers, need to re-alize that we live in this world, but weare not of this world. This world is des-tined for judgment—that means totaland absolute destruction. Or, as 2 Peter3:12 states: “Looking for and hastingunto the coming of the day of God,wherein the heavens being on fire shallbe dissolved, and the elements shallmelt with fervent heat?”

The Great Prosperity DeceptionIn summary, the world today has at its dis-posal a level of freedom and peace incom-parable in history. We are being floodedwith merchandise of high quality at rela-tively low cost; our supermarket shelvesare filled with the most delicious foodproducts we have ever seen in history.

That, my friends, is the greatest dan-ger. We may summarize it with oneword: prosperity.

Before judgment came upon Sodom,the prophet Ezekiel testified: “Behold,this was the iniquity of thy sisterSodom, pride, fulness of bread, andabundance of idleness was in her…”(Ezekiel 16:49). In the New Testament,we hear the Church of Laodicea ex-claim: “…I am rich, and increased withgoods, and have need of nothing…”(Revelation 3:17). That is a testimonyto prosperity galore.

The Great Prosperity Deception


What is Satan’s goal? He already has the whole world in his hands; humanity isfollowing in his footsteps, rejoicing and praising the success of his economic andfinancial systems. So, what next? He must present himself as the (false) prince ofpeace, the savior of the world.

C O V E R S T O R Y

Even the epitome of abomination,Mystery Babylon, expresses the pride ofher heart: “I sit a queen, and am nowidow, and shall see no sorrow” (Reve-lation 18:7b).

Thus we see, in both the Old and NewTestaments, the greatest danger is the timewhen humanity indulges in global com-mercialism, racing toward more posses-sions, more luxuries, more, more, more.James describes this group of people: “Goto now, ye rich men, weep and howl foryour miseries that shall come upon you.Your riches are corrupted, and your gar-ments are motheaten. Your gold and silveris cankered; and the rust of them shall bea witness against you, and shall eat yourflesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped trea-sure together for the last days” (James5:1-3). Note the words “last days.”

Independence from GodOne more thing: with each new inven-tion that makes life easier for themasses, dependence on God decreases,and dependence on man’s own creationincreases. Thus, we see in the end thatthis tendency will lead to Satan’s goal,as document in Revelation 13: “And de-ceiveth them that dwell on the earth bythe means of those miracles which hehad power to do in the sight of thebeast; saying to them that dwell on theearth, that they should make an imageto the beast, which had the wound by asword, and did live. And he had powerto give life unto the image of the beast,that the image of the beast should bothspeak, and cause that as many as wouldnot worship the image of the beast

should be killed” (verses 14-15). Thatis global worship. All of humanity willworship the image of the beast or bekilled.

Commercialism will also be totallydictated: “And he causeth all, bothsmall and great, rich and poor, free andbond, to receive a mark in their righthand, or in their foreheads: And that noman might buy or sell, save he that hadthe mark, or the name of the beast, orthe number of his name” (Revelation13:16-17).

This short article attempts to showthat we are living in the end stages ofthe end times. Soon, we pray, may thefullness of the Gentiles come in, so theChurch, His body, the spiritual temple,will be raptured into His presence. Areyou ready?

(969)

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Thus we see, in both the Old and New Testaments, the greatest danger is thetime when humanity indulges in global commercialism, racing toward morepossessions, more luxuries, more, more, more.


When we summarize the state-ments in Scripture, theyshow that the Church will

not witness the Antichrist. The Book ofRevelation makes it clear that the An-tichrist will appear in connection withthe tribulation period, also called theDay of the Lord. The Church will notexperience this tribulation (see below):

1. The tribulation period is alsocalled the “time of Jacob’s trouble”:“Alas! for that day is great, so thatnone is like it: it is even the time of Ja-cob’s trouble, but he shall be saved outof it” (Jer 30:7). This expression al-ready suggests who this time is for;namely, “Jacob,” the ethnic people ofIsrael.

2. When the Lord Jesus speaks inMatthew 24 about the end time of Israel,

He is talking about this time of tribula-tion. The Church as the body of Christwas still a perfect mystery at that time(Eph 3:4-6): “For then shall be greattribulation, such as was not since the be-ginning of the world to this time, no, norshall ever be” (Matt 24:21).

3. That the tribulation period hasIsrael in focus is underlined by the factthat the so-called 70th Week, which in-cludes this tribulation, refers only tothe Jewish people: “Seventy weeks aredetermined upon thy people and uponthy holy city…” (Dan 9:24). Just as theprevious 69 year-weeks have only Is-rael as their subject, the 70th year-week also refers only to Israel. Betweenthe 69th and 70th year-weeks is thetime of the Church Age. When theChurch is taken from the earth, the

Will the Church Witness the Antichrist?

No,the Church Will Not Witness the Antichrist

By Norbert LiethA


We want to let different Bible-faithful Christians express their opinionon various, semi-controversial issues. As iron sharpens iron, onebrother should sharpen the other (Prov 27:17), so that we believers“may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ”

(Eph 4:15).

?

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70th year-week begins for Israel. In thistime, judgment falls on Israel, the An-tichrist appears, Israel experiences spiri-tual restoration, and Jesus returns inglory.

4. The Church is expressly not des-tined to wrath; this applies to Israeland the unbelieving people who rejectJesus. The Church is no longer judgedbecause it is already in Christ (apartfrom the Judgment Seat of Christ).Rather, as the body of Christ, whosehead is the Lord, the Church will judgethe world and the angels with Him (1Thess 1:10; 5:9; Rom 5:8-9; Eph 5:6;Col 3:6; 1 Cor 6:2-3). This judgment orwrath is poured out during the tribula-tion period (Rev 6:15-17). Thus, wecan assume that the Church has al-ready risen to the Lord, participating inthe judgments from heaven, and com-ing back with the Lord at the end ofthe tribulation (Rev 19:11-14).

5. The judgment of God is alsocalled the “Day of the Lord.” This“Day” includes the time of tribulation,the time of the Antichrist, and the re-turn of Jesus in glory. Jesus Christ andHis apostles have pointed out that onthat day, the world will be invaded asby a thief in the night (Matt 24:43; 1Thess 5:2; 2 Pet 3:10). But the apostlePaul makes it clear that the Churchdoes not belong to the night: “Forwhen they shall say, Peace and safety;then sudden destruction cometh upon

them, as travail upon a woman withchild; and they shall not escape. But ye,brethren, are not in darkness, that thatday should overtake you as a thief” (1Thess 5:3-4). Not least for this reason,the apostle makes a clear distinction be-tween “they” and “you.” He speaks oftenof the Church of Jesus having to gothrough tribulation at all times, but at nopoint does Paul mention that it goesthrough the Great Tribulation of God’sjudgment.

6. The Day of the Lord is related to theappearance of the Antichrist (2 Thess 2:2-3). The appearance of the Antichrist canonly unfold when the Church no longerexists to hold it back (2 Thes 2:6-7).

7. That the Day of the Lord doesn’tapply to the Church is evident in 2Thessalonians 2:9-12: “Even him,whose coming is after the working ofSatan with all power and signs and ly-ing wonders, And with all deceivable-ness of unrighteousness in them thatperish; because they received not thelove of the truth, that they might besaved. And for this cause God shallsend them strong delusion, that theyshould believe a lie: That they allmight be damned who believed not thetruth, but had pleasure in unrighteous-ness.” The Church of Jesus has ac-cepted the love of the truth, andtherefore does not have to live throughthe time in which God allows the effec-tive power of dark delusion.

The Church is expressly not destined to wrath; this applies to Israel andthe unbelieving people who reject Jesus. The Church is no longer judgedbecause it is already in Christ (apart from the Judgment Seat of Christ).A:

14 M I D N I G H T C A L L Visit midnightcall.com

Personally, I would also likethe Church to be rapturedbefore the appearance of

the end-times Antichrist, butcan’t find it as a clear statement in

the Bible. Therefore, I recommendthat all believers be prepared for both:

the absolutely possible Rapture at anytime, and the coming (and already pre-vailing in some countries) persecution.To this end, a brief statement in thesisform.

1. In Revelation 7, we read of twogroups: 144,000 sealed from 12 tribes ofIsrael (the full number of those rescuedfrom Israel), and an innumerable multi-tude “of all nations, and kindreds, andpeople, and tongues” (v. 9: the redeemedof non-Jewish peoples). The latter standas overcomers “clothed with white robes,and palms in their hands” before thethrone of God, and they are said to havecome “out of great tribulation” (v. 14)—that is, not removed from it.

2. In Revelation 13:7, we read that thebeast of the sea (the Antichrist) is given to“make war with the saints, and to over-come them.” The “saints” in the New Tes-tament are always born-again Christians,not only from Israel, but also from the na-tions (see Rom 1:7, et al.).

3. Further, in Revelation 13:16-18, allbelievers are warned against accepting themark, and are asked to calculate the num-ber of the beast so as not to be deceived.

All these and many more warnings in Rev-elation would be superfluous if theChurch had already been raptured at thattime.

4. Jesus Christ foretells in Matthew24:21-22, in reference to the days of GreatTribulation, “but for the elect’s sake thosedays shall be shortened.” That is, theChurch is not simply spared the time ofsuffering under the Antichrist. Rather, theChurch enters the tribulation period, butis then raptured out of it (cf. Rev 3:10,where the Greek literally speaks of a“preservation from the hour of tempta-tion”). Nothing is said in the New Testa-ment about the “elect” being limited toIsrael; it means rather, the Church of Is-rael and the nations united in Christ (cf.Eph 2; Rom 8:33; 16:13; 2 Tim 2:10; Tit1:1; 2 John 13).

5. According to 1 Corinthians 15:52,the transformation of the faithful who arestill living at the end happens “in a mo-ment, in the twinkling of an eye, at thelast trump.” According to the testimonywithin the New Testament, the “mystery”of 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 is further de-veloped and revealed in Revelation 10:7and 11:15-19—in the form of the seventh(and final) trumpet, from which emergesthe final increase of the seven bowl judg-ments during the Antichrist’s time oftribulation. Thus, the Church is indeedcaught up in the wrath of God (cf. 1 Thess1:10; 5:9), before the seven bowl judg-

By Lothar Gassmann

A


Yes,the Church Could Witness the Antichrist After All?


JANUARY 2019 15


Our forefathers in the faith afterthe apostles, believed that theChurch would experience the

end-times persecution of the Antichrist(for example, Irenaeus of Lyon). Thisinterpretation was later adopted by theReformers. In the 7th century, in theEast, in the context of the so-calledPseudo-Ephraem, the interpretationcame up that a remnant of the Churchwould be hidden by God in a desert be-fore the appearance of the Antichrist.This “horizontal rapture” into thedesert has confused some modern com-mentators with its doctrine of the Rap-ture. But it was not until the Bibleteacher John Nelson Darby (died 1882)that the focus of attention shifted to thefact that the Church would be rapturedbefore the Antichrist came. This viewwas adopted mainly in evangelicalchurch circles. Midnight Call Ministrybelieves that this interpretation of theScriptures is legitimate and contributesto the body of Christ’s growth in knowl-edge and maturity (Eph 4:12-16). His-tory shows, however, that faithful menof God can represent different positionsin the understanding of the Antichristand the Church. The following are non-negotiable: the biblical truth that anAntichrist will come, that the Churchmust remain vigilant, and that whateverhappens, she is waiting for her Lord andSavior. (MR0218/919)

ments that complete the wrath of God(Rev 15:1).

6. In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul writes of“the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and[. . .] our gathering together unto him”(the Rapture), and unequivocally empha-sizes that “that day shall not come, exceptthere come a falling away first, and thatman of sin be revealed”: the appearance ofthe Antichrist. This order cannot be re-versed without doing violence to theWord of God.

7. But what else is delaying the rest ofthe same chapter? According to myknowledge, in this context, it cannotmean (primarily) the Holy Spirit in theChurch, because He is here again after theRapture in new converts. The overcomersof Revelation 15:2 can only overcomethrough the Holy Spirit, so the Holy Spiritis still there. It could refer instead to thelaws and their advocates, still predomi-nantly inspired by the Christian spirit,which are increasingly being abolishedbefore our very eyes (for example, the in-troduction of gay marriage). This removalof a restrained Christian legal order auto-matically paves the way for the anti-Christian dictator.

8. Why can the Rapture of the Churchstill happen at any time? Because Jesus ex-horts us to constant vigilance and patientreadiness, and we are not allowed to cal-culate a specific date (Matt 24:36ff.). Wealso don’t know whether the 70th year-week of Daniel 9:27, the Antichrist’stribulation period, has already begunand how far we have progressed in it atthis time.

Let us remain faithful to the Lord Je-sus. Let us be vigilant and not be de-ceived by the Antichrist and hisforerunners in any way!

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By René Malgo

AThe Antichrist andthe Church


Xerxes dispatched a messenger to one ofLeonidas’ generals, threatening, “Our arrowswill block out the sun.” The general replied,

“Then we shall have our battle in the shade.”Spartans were some of the most fearless warriors

in history. When compelled by Persia’s forces to sur-render their weapons, Leonidas uttered a classical

expression of defiance: “Molon labe” (“Come andtake [them]”). Ephialtes (a Milian Greek) betrayedhis country by leading a Persian detachment to therear of the Hellenic force. At that point, Leonidasdismissed the majority of the army to form a rear-guard. All died in battle (except 400 Thebans whosurrendered to Xerxes without a fight), yet their

The Trials of theApostle Paul - Part 1Dr. Ron J. Bigalke

For three days, in 480 BC, only 300 Spartans (and approximately 7,000 otherGreeks) fought against overwhelming odds: the entirety of Persia’s armies (likelybetween 70,000 and 300,000). Xerxes I of Persia intended to invade and conquerall of Greece with his enormous army, yet his superior numbers amounted tonothing when King Leonidas I of Sparta met him at the narrow coastal pass ofThermopylae.

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sacrifice allowed the greater part of the army to re-treat and regroup. Over the heroes’ burial mound,an amphictyony (“league of neighbors”) inscribedthis epitaph: “Stranger, report this word, we pray, tothe Spartans, that lying here in this spot we remain,faithfully keeping their laws.”

Subsequent to Paul’s emotional farewell to theEphesian elders (Acts 20:17-38), the book of Actsnext reveals the apostle’s faithfulness in keepingGod’s laws and heeding the Word of the Lord to thevery end of his life. Similar to Leonidas, the apostlePaul fought his battles with only a few compan-ions, and he could be said to have lived in likemanner as a Spartan (i.e. living a frugal, minimal-ist, simple lifestyle). The final chapters of Acts de-pict Paul at a “narrow pass,” offering a defensebefore kings and governors. Not only was he bat-tling for his life, but also he strived to testify re-garding the good news of God’s grace in ChristJesus.

The courage and steadfastness exemplified inthe final chapters of Acts tend to be fleeting virtuesin modern society. Jesus said, “For whoever wishesto save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his lifefor My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For whatdoes it profit a man to gain the whole world, andforfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:35-36). Although beliefis the primary command, Jesus is not seeking merebelievers. The Lord calls for those who are believ-ing to follow, obey, and serve Him—even to “takeup his cross” as His disciples (v. 34). The servant isnot greater than his master. Those who seek fullsatisfaction in this life will never attain it, andthose who demand their best life now will forfeitlife with Christ. Churchianity is the degeneration

of Christianity, wherein mere believers are more in-terested in saving their lives than denying self forthe sake of the Lord God.

What is your legacy? What do you want yourepitaph to be? Paul never sullied his integrity, evenas he returned to Jerusalem in tense circumstancesto offer a defense before his enemies. Courage is al-ways crucial, yet even more so when fidelity to Godand His Word, the Holy Bible, may lead to the ulti-mate sacrifice.

RESOLUTE FAITH(Acts 20:17—22:2) In his farewell message to the el-ders (20:17-38), Paul reviewed his past ministry(vv. 18-21), his present concerns (vv. 22-27),warned concerning future dangers (vv. 28-31), andencouraged them in their commitment to God (vv.32-35). Biblical fidelity in life and doctrine is thebond of mutual affection among those called tospiritual leadership (vv. 36-38). Leaders ought tobe examples of good judgment, humility, and wis-dom (vv. 18-21), and should never avoid declaringanything that is beneficial, both publically and pri-vately (vv. 20, 25-27). Paul was cognizant of diffi-culties awaiting him, yet he proves thefundamental goal for a spiritual leader is servingChrist entirely (vv. 22-24). Leadership is notmerely a “job.”

Having established his own credentials and illus-trated his own example, Paul next instructed howthe Ephesian elders should accomplish their du-ties: “be on guard” (vv. 28-30) and “be on the alert”(v. 31). As he concluded, Paul commended all theleaders to God and “the word of His grace” (v. 32).Notice what is most important for those called to

Spartans were some of the most fearlesswarriors in history. When compelled by Persia’s forces to surrender their weapons,Leonidas uttered a classical expression of defiance: “Molon labe” (“Come and take [them]”).


spiritual leadership: God and the Bible! God helpsthrough His Word, the Holy Bible!

In closing, Paul urged the leaders to follow hisexample of industry as opposed to being dependenton others (vv. 33-35). One day, your earthly life willbe near its end. Will you have regret, or be able tolook ahead without anxiety? Determine to be afaithful steward with the Lord’s gifts (vv. 20-24), forit is an awesome responsibility to be a servant ofGod.

The farewell journey from Miletus resulted in joyand sorrow, which is typical of life experiences. TheBible is based on history, and thus Acts 21:1-9 de-scribe the journey to the Phoenician coast withsome detail. Faithfulness to God necessitates goingand doing what the Lord requires, no matter thepersonal challenges involved.

Agabus from Judea is reintroduced (cf. 11:27-30), who, upon his arrival, took Paul’s belt (withbehavior characteristic of the prophet Ezekiel) andbound himself in a manner that simulated Paul’simminent binding and then imprisonment (21:10-11). The Holy Spirit is the unmistakable source ofthe prophecy. Similarities can be made with Jesus’return to Jerusalem (Matt 20:18-19; Luke 18:32).The immediate response was the plea “not to go upto Jerusalem” (Acts 21:12), to which Paul verbal-ized a readiness for death (v. 13; cf. 20:24).

When none could convince Paul otherwise, thebelievers simply remarked, “The will of the Lordbe done!” (21:14; cf. Luke 22:42; James 4:15).Paul was “bound by the Spirit” (Acts 20:22).When someone knows God’s will from the Bible,he or she must not be deterred from pursuing thebiblical stipulation. Always pursue obedience toGod, even when those who are well-meaning at-tempt to convince you otherwise. Paul departedand was well-received by the believers inJerusalem (21:15-17). When you have determinedto “become all things to all men” (1 Cor 9:22), thatresolve may lead you into unusual actions that as-suredly will be criticized by some and praised byothers (Acts 21:17-26).

Scripture certainly does not give approval for to-talitarianism, yet does reveal the harshest criticismfor anarchy, wherein persons refuse to heed au-thority and laws and give themselves over to law-less rebellion (vv. 27-32). Government is ordainedby God (Rom 13:1), and even though its excessesand imperfections can be frustrating, the Bible af-firms that it exists to protect law-abiding citizensand to punish law-breakers (v. 4; 1 Pet 2:14): topromote peace and order in society (1 Tim 2:1-2).

Claudius Lysias (named in Acts 23:26) was amilitary tribune (chiliarch), and thus his responsi-bility was to stop the lawless rebellion, which hedid immediately by arresting Paul without concern

The Trials of the Apostle Paul - Part 1

When someone knows God’s will from the Bible, he or she must not be deterredfrom pursuing the biblical stipulation. Always pursue obedience to God, evenwhen those who are well-meaning attempt to convince you otherwise.

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for his guilt or innocence. Paul was chained (asAgabus predicted, 21:11), and only then did Lysiasask the crowd for an explanation. A mobof anarchists is hardly a reliablesource for a coherent response;hence, the tribune broughtPaul into the barracks(21:33-36). What is your re-sponse in difficult situations?Why not adopt the example ofPaul by giving yourself whollyto the Lord to accomplish His will,regardless of the outcome?

Although he was under false arrest, God woulduse all of Paul’s circumstances to accomplish Hisperfect will. With polite and refined Greek, Paulasked for permission to speak. The commander wassurprised that Paul was not the Egyptian who hadpreviously incited a revolt, and thus granted himpermission to address the people in the Hebrew di-alect (21:37—22:2). Loyalty to Christ not only in-volves willingness, but also wittiness. How yourespond in difficulties is crucial. Know what to ac-complish and also how to do it!

DEFENDING ONE’S FAITH(Acts 22:3-30) In the book of Acts, more emphasis isupon defense speeches than missionary messages.While noting a few additions, the account in Acts22:3-21 is essentially the same as chapter 9. Theworst enemy of the church may become the mostvocal advocate, once God brings him or her to sal-vation (vv. 3-5). Moreover, people may doubt yourbeliefs, yet a testimony of personal conversion ismost convincing when it is backed up by life trans-formation as evident in godly living (vv. 6-13).

Paul’s defense was his identification with theJews (vv. 1-16). He associated his conversion with“Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard ofthe Law” (v. 12). Paul was tactful, which is oftennecessary to convey one’s message. When someone

is saved by God’s gracethrough faith in Christ Jesus, the Lordalready knows how He will use that person for Hisglory and service; yet sometimes that individualmight be slow to understand God’s will and mayeven resist it (vv. 14-21).

The people listened until Paul said the word“Gentiles,” and then the crowd became frenzied(vv. 22-23). This, of course, brought an abruptend to the speech. Similarly, in contemporary so-ciety, there are ideas, phrases, and words thatelicit violent responses, and should be avoidedunless absolutely necessary. When such expres-sions are vital, attempt to convey the most princi-pal ideas prior to the reaction occurring. Paulmentioned the martyr Stephen, who also was ableto proclaim the gospel message prior to an abruptend (v. 20). The point is to say what is most fun-damental prior to what may be contentious.

Paul’s defense ended with a threat of scourging,which he avoided by declaring his Roman citizen-ship (vv. 22-29). His release led to him appearingbefore the Jewish Council (v. 30), with that ac-count continuing into chapter 23. When every-thing appears contrary and there is no apparentend in sight, God’s servant may know that theLord is working His perfect will and never for-sakes those who belong to Him (Deut 31:6; Heb13:5).

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Although he was under false arrest, God would use all of Paul’s circumstances toaccomplish His perfect will.


Right thinking leads to right action,which in turn leads to right conse -quences. Paul emphasizes this by

saying, “Finally, brethren, whatsoeverthings are true, whatsoever things are hon-est, whatsoever things are just, whatsoeverthings are pure, whatsoever things arelovely, whatsoever things are of good re-port; if there be any virtue, and if there beany praise, think on these things” (Philip-pians 4:8).

Philippians 4:8 isn’t just a good rule forquestionable things, or a checklist for ourleisure behavior, reading material, moviesand TV shows we watch, and the conversa-tions we have. Rather, this verse containsprinciples that extend to all areas of our lifeand are beneficial to all human beings.

Jean Koechlin asks in the CommentaryBible, “How can we avoid evil thoughts?”and delivers the disarmingly simple an-swer: “By cultivating the good!”

The Beauty of RightThinking and ActionA continuing series on the epistle to the Philippians, by various writers for MidnightCall. Part 30. Philippians 4:8-9.

Fredy Peter

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We should cultivate these goodthoughts in all areas of life. Specifically,this means: to be mindful of everything,to consider everything, to reflect oneverything, to ponder everything, to thinkeverything over, and to consider “whatso-ever things are true, whatsoever things arehonest, whatsoever things are just, what-soever things are pure, whatsoever thingsare lovely, whatsoever things are of goodreport.”

“True”: that excludes everything fake,dishonest, spurious. It means thinkingabout all that is true, truthful, faithful,real, and genuine. Where do we find it all?In God (John 3:33) and in Jesus Christ(John 7:18), and thus in the Holy Spirit-inspired Scripture—in our Bible. “Thyword is truth” (John 17:17b).

There is nothing better, more blessed,than to engage with His Word daily, toread and study it. “O how love I thy law!it is my meditation all the day” (Psalm119:97). Only through familiarity withScripture am I able to recognize and beprudent about everything that is “true” inthis world. Is what we’re thinking about(he, she or it) “true”?

“Honest”: [Most translations renderthis “honorable.”] That excludes every-thing dishonorable, offensive, frivolous. Itmeans being aware of everything that de-serves respect, that is worthy and noble.The Elberfelder Study Bible with languagekey puts it this way: “Honorable, decent,respectful, venerable [. . .] It not only in-dicates the earthly dignity that someonepossesses, but designates someone whoowes his respectability and dignity to hishigher civil rights (cf. Phil 3:20). [. . .] Itrefers to a quality that carries somethingmajestic and awe-inspiring, but does not

reject it, but attracts and invites it.” Whosets the standard for respectability? “Nowunto God and our Father be glory for everand ever” (Phil 4:20). Second Peter 3:18bspeaks of our Lord and Savior JesusChrist: “To him be glory both now and forever.” Is the thing we are intent on consid-ered “honest”?

“Just”: That excludes everythingwrong, unjust, unworthy. It means medi-tating on everything that is just, right,righteous, and, in a sense, responsible.Since the Lord alone is just and righteous(1 John 2:1), everything and everyonemust measure themselves against this un-changing standard. Is the one, the circum-stance, or the thing we’re contemplating“just”?

“Pure”: That excludes everything im-pure, immoral. It means to consider allthat is morally and ethically clean: what isholy, chaste, and undefiled. Jesus is de-scribed in Hebrews 7:26 as the “highpriest [. . .] who is holy, harmless, unde-filed, separate from sinners, and madehigher than the heavens.” Ephesians 5:3-4brings us the concrete application: “Butfornication, and all uncleanness, or cov-etousness, let it not be once named amongyou, as becometh saints; Neither filthi-ness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting,which are not convenient: but rather giv-ing of thanks.” Is he, she or it, what weare contemplating in our thoughts,“pure”?

“Lovely”: This word only appears herein the New Testament, and excludes bit-terness, annoyance, resentment, and aver-sion. It means to consider all that is sweet,dear, costly, enjoyable, agreeable, pleasing,admirable, winning, and engaging. Thisword also includes the meaning of pro-

“Pure”: That excludes everything impure, immoral. It means to consider all that ismorally and ethically clean: what is holy, chaste, and undefiled.


moting peace and avoiding conflict.What does John testify about theLord Jesus Christ? “And theWord was made flesh, anddwelt among us, (and we be-

held his glory, the glory as of theonly begotten of the Father,) full

of grace and truth” (John1:14). Is what we are

thinking about lovely?“Of good report”:

It excludes everythingthat has a negative con-notation and causes of-

fense. Like the previous“lovely,” “of good report”

is used only in this one pas-sage of the New Testament. Itmeans to consider all that ispraiseworthy, commendable, en-

joyable, beautiful, respected, unobtrusive,auspicious, and enjoying a good reputa-tion, name, and sound. To whom does thisapply in a unique way? To Jesus Christ:“Wherefore God also hath highly exaltedhim, and given him a name which isabove every name” (Phil 2:9). Are thethings that concern us of good report?

Thus, these six terms (“true, honest,just, pure, lovely, of good report”) pre-cisely characterize the life, nature, andministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. Onecould call this list “the shortest biographyof Jesus.” It shows how much we need tochange our whole thought process. Butthat’s not all we should be aware of.

The seventh term is “any virtue”: Thatis a wonderful term and excludes any vice.William Barclay says, “In classical thoughtit described every kind of excellence. Itcould describe the excellence of the

ground in a field, the excellence of a toolfor its purpose, the physical excellence ofan animal, the excellence of the courage ofa soldier, and the virtue of a man.” Is itvirtue that we think about? We should becareful of that.

The eighth term is “any praise”: Thislast term in the apostle’s list excludeseverything repugnant and despicable. Itmeans thinking about everything that de-serves praise, applause, and appreciation.Is it deserving of praise, what I’m thinkingabout?

Dear readers, let us ask ourselves: whatare we thinking of? Where are we going?What are we engaged in? What do weread, what do we hear, what do we see? Ismy pursuit in my married life, in familylife, in church life, in my life within soci-ety, with all the possible leisure pleasures,as well as cultural and culinary activities,“true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of goodreport?” Do we recognize how current Ro-mans 12:2 is? “And be not conformed tothis world: but be ye transformed by therenewing of your mind.”

We should aim for and develop such re-newed thinking. Renewal comes throughcleansing forgiveness by the blood of theLord Jesus shed on the cross. Renewalhappens through the workings of the HolySpirit by the Word of God. And renewalalso happens through our completelypractical, day-to-day decisions. We mustdecide what we think about and whichthoughts we allow.

Proverbs 4:23 sums it up as follows:“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for outof it are the issues of life.” As a manthinks, so is he. Or, as the second-centuryRoman emperor and philosopher Marcus

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs4:23). As a man thinks, so is he. Or, as the second-century Roman emperor andphilosopher Marcus Aurelius once said, “Our life is what our thoughts make it.”

The Beauty of Right Thinking and Action

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Aurelius once said, “Our life is what ourthoughts make it.”

As proper thinking leads to right ac-tion, so pure thoughts also lead to pureactions. Paul has aligned his thinking withwhat is best, and therefore recommendshimself as a model: “Those things, whichye have both learned, and received, andheard, and seen in me, do.” What a Spirit-filled, sanctified life this man must haveled, that he can recommend himself to thePhilippians in this way.

“Learned”: The Philippians got to knowGod through Paul, and learned to lead aGod-fearing, God-pleasing life. Yes, theywere in the discipleship school of Paul.

“Received”: The Philippians receivedthe authorized doctrine through Paul ashe had received it. Paul, for example, be-gan the words of the sacrament: “For I have received of the Lord that which alsoI delivered unto you…” (1 Cor 11:23).

“Heard”: The Philippians heard Paul’sproclamation with their own ears. Perhapsover time they also heard testimoniesabout Paul.

“Seen”: The Philippians finally had theprivilege of being with Paul, and thus ofhaving his whole life and struggle of faithin mind (Phil 1:30; 3:17).

We can see how the personal rolemodel then and still today is an integralpart of teaching.

Let us turn right thinking into right ac-tions. Not a one-off, but continuous; itshould become a permanent lifestyle. “Butbe ye doers of the word, and not hearersonly” (James 1:22). Right thinking leadsto right action, and that has right conse-

quences: “and the God of peace shall bewith you” (Phil 4:9b).

Paul uses the expression “God ofpeace” in five other passages (Rom 15:33;16:20; 1 Cor 14:33; 2 Cor 13:11; 1 Thess5:23). “Peace [. . .] denotes the end or ab-sence of strife [. . .] describes a situationof untroubled, undisturbed well-being”(Elberfelder Study Bible with languagekey).

Pure thoughts cause pure deeds, andthese in turn have a pure effect: the pres-ence of God in our lives! That’s the glori-ous effect of right thinking and acting.What a promise! Could we have a greaterinner peace than the “God of peace” beingwith us? The reason why some Christiansdon’t experience these effects and have noinner peace, is perhaps the failure to fol-low these instructions about the goals andobjects of our thinking. Let us thereforecheck ourselves, when peace is not thereor is no longer there: what thoughts arerobbing it? Which attitudes are preventingit?

Let us be mindful of everything, con-sider everything, reflect on everything,contemplate everything, think everythingover, and dwell on “whatsoever things aretrue, whatsoever things are honest, what-soever things are just, whatsoever thingsare pure, whatsoever things are lovely,whatsoever things are of good report; ifthere be any virtue, and if there be anypraise...” What we have realized in theWord of God through reading, studyingand listening, “do: and the God of peaceshall be with you.”

(MR0718/949)

Pure thoughts cause pure deeds, and these in turn have a pure effect: thepresence of God in our lives! That’s the glorious effect of right thinking and acting.What a promise! Could we have a greater inner peace than the “God of peace”being with us?


Due to the impact of the terrorist attacks ofSeptember 11, 2001, Focus published an edi-torial on February 25, 2002 called “Time for

Heroes—Why People Yearn for Idols.” In it, we readthe following about the return of heroes: “Especiallyafter the turning point of September 11, the long-os-tracized heroes are back in demand.” This “heroboom” hasn’t diminished since then, but has steadily

increased. Superheroes, demigods, and supermen aresetting the tone for the entertainment industry. Theirstories seem to arouse a deep-seated need, especiallyin the people of the West, who are turning away fromGod more and more. Heroes are the substitute gods ofour secularized society.

Mankind is in search of role models to serve as ex-amples. Focus noted at the time:“The perseverance,

The Desire for Heroes

It seems that superhero comic adaptations are dominating the landscape of cinema,streaming video, and television. What used to be a pastime for adolescents nowthrills the masses. Where does this yearning for heroes come from?

Norbert Lieth

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the ‘superhuman power,’ the willingness to sacrificeand suffer have always been part of the essence of ahero. He is a relic of the old ‘warrior societies’ and theproduct of an ‘archaic world of thought.’ […] Dedica-tion and fighting for certain values prove the hero,through his willingness to sacrifice his physical in-tegrity or even his life. […] The hero is pursuing aspecific goal; he has an objective, a mission hedoesn’t abandon. This unique form of stubbornness,the absence of any self-doubt, applies to the ancientheroes of antiquity […] through our current pop-he-roes. […] The famous classical philosopher KarlKerenyi recognized the ‘splendor of the divine’ in thehero’s immobility. […] The longing for the superman[…] is so great because individuals secretly desire thealpha position. […] Through its strategy of recklesslydeveloping force, the National Socialists pervertedthe ideal of the hero.”

There was once an age of heroes, the generation atthe time of the Flood. This “end time” was very closeto divine judgment. It is said about this time, “Therewere giants in the earth in those days; and also afterthat, when the sons of God came in unto the daughtersof men, and they bare children to them, the same be-came mighty men which were of old, men of renown”(Gen 6:4; cf. Job 1:6, 2:1; 2 Pet 2:4-5; Jude 6-7). These“sons of God” are, in our opinion, fallen angels wholeft their homes and dwelled in the bodies of men—perhaps warriors, authorities, heroes, or famous men.Interestingly, it was believed in antiquity that heroes orfamous men were descended from “gods” through in-tercourse between “gods” and humans. This suggeststhat the fallen angels, described as the “sons of God,”presented themselves to men as “gods” and seducedthem. As the cited commentary shows, the “splendorof the divine” can still be seen in heroes today.

Jesus compares the end times with the time ofNoah and says, “And as it was in the days of Noah, soshall it be also in the days of the Son of man” (Luke17:26). Could our time of so much heroism and su-perhumanity be the introduction to these days ofNoah? In any case, there are amazing parallels.

Mankind “urgently needs heroes, no matter wherethey come from,” Focus wrote over 15 years ago now.This longing hasn’t broken off, but has only intensi-fied. Perhaps the moment is even closer than wethink, when a false Jesus will appear as a hero andruthlessly enforce his goal and his evil mission. Hewill act as a role model and become a leading figure,an idol, for the world. He will be the “superman” theworld demands, and he will demonstrate his superi-ority in all spheres. He will be so sure of himself thathe will win many people to his cause. He will be thehero everyone was longing for, the “Avenger,” “Su-perman,” or “Guardian,” who is doing signs andwonders that everyone will look up to. “And I sawone of his heads as it were wounded to death; and hisdeadly wound was healed: and all the world won-dered after the beast. And they worshipped thedragon which gave power unto the beast: and theyworshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto thebeast? who is able to make war with him?” (Rev13:3-4).

Only One will be able to defeat this “hero”: theLord Jesus Christ upon His return (2 Thess 2:8). It isvery instructive that every time the Bible talks aboutthe last anti-Christian empire (e.g. Dan 2, 7, 8, 11),the remarks end with the Lord Jesus returning as the“stone cut out of the mountain,” as the “Son of man,”or as the “Prince of princes,” to put an end to thisempire and establish a kingdom Himself that willnever perish. Revelation also ends with the glorioustriumph of the second coming and the reign of Jesus.He is the hero of all heroes, King of kings and Lord oflords!

Today, our earth is increasingly being openly ledand attuned to the coming reign of terror in the GreatTribulation. But soon after comes the Lord, to whomthe last word and all the kingdoms of this earth be-long: “And I heard as it were the voice of a great mul-titude, and as the voice of many waters, and as thevoice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for theLord God omnipotent reigneth” (Rev 19:6).

(MR1018/966)

Superheroes, demigods, and supermen are setting the tone for the entertainmentindustry.

U K

Firm Implants Microchipsin EmployeesConcern is growing that UK firmsare considering implanting mi-crochips into their employees toboost security.

Biohax, a Swedish company thatprovides human chip implants, told

the Daily Telegraph it was ‘in talks’ with anumber of UK legal and financial firms toimplant staff with the devices. Apparently, one client has ‘hundreds of

thousands of employees’ and probably be-lieves that injecting chips into their work-ers is easier than issuing them with asecurity pass. “These companies have sensitive docu-

ments they are dealing with,” JowanÖsterlund, the founder of Biohax, told thepaper.A spokesperson for the Confederation of

British Industry told the Guardian: ‘Whiletechnology is changing the way we work,this makes for distinctly uncomfor tablereading.‘Firms should be concentrating on rather

more immediate priorities and focusing onengaging their employees.’

Österlund said bigger companies, likethose with over 200,000 employees, couldoffer this as something optional to maketheir employees’ lives easier and save thecompany money. ‘If you have a 15% uptake that is still a

huge number of people that won’t require aphysical ID pass,’ he said.

-metro.co.uk, 12 November 2018

Commentary: Security, increased produc-tivity, and more money are the keys tothis adventure. We may call the injectedchip “ancient,” when compared to today’stechnology to identify persons. Neverthe-less, the tendency and goal is clear: totalcontrol. Ultimately, a manmade systemthat will have complete authority when itcomes to worship.

We need to realize that the god of thisworld has ruled humanity since the Gar-den of Eden; but then, about 2,000 yearsago, Jesus came and offered total liberty.Only a minority accept that offer, believ-ing Jesus Christ to be the Son of the livingGod. His voluntary death on the cross,where He poured out His life in Hisblood, is all-sufficient to save every per-son on planet earth for all eternity. Thedevil must do likewise: he needs to copy

the Lord Jesus.That’s why he iscalled “Antichrist.”His ultimate goal isthat humanity wor-ships him.

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E U R O P E

Leaders Call for EU Army German Chancellor Angela Merkelendorsed the creation of an EUarmy, siding with French PresidentEmmanuel Macron whose similarcall drew a fusillade of wrathfultweets from U.S. President DonaldTrump.

Merkel threw her support behind theidea in an address to the European

Parliament, part of a series of leaders’speeches on the future of Europe.“Jean-Claude Juncker already said that a

common European army would show theworld that there would never again be war inEurope,” Merkel said, referring to the Euro-pean Commission president, who was in theParliament chamber.“The times when we could rely on others

are over,” Merkel said. “This means nothingless than for us Europeans to take our des-tiny in our own hands if we want to surviveas a Union. This means, in the long run, Eu-rope has to become more capable to act. Wehave to reconsider our ways of deciding andto renounce the principle of unanimity wherethe European treaties allow and whereverthis is necessary. I proposed a European se-curity council, in which important decisionscan be prepared faster.”“We have to create a European interven-

tion unit with which Europe can act on theground where necessary,” Merkel continued.“We have taken major steps in the field ofmilitary cooperation, this is good and largelysupported in this house. But I also have tosay, seeing the developments of the recentyears, that we have to work on a vision toestablish a real European army one day.”

Jowan Österlund from Biohax with oneof the microchip implants (Biohax)

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The microchip is placedbetween the thumb andforefinger (Image: Biohax)

In her speech at the European Parliament,Merkel repeatedly stressed European values.“Tolerance is the soul of Europe, it is an in-dispensable basic value for us Europeans,”she said.“Solidarity is a component of the Euro-

pean treaties,” Merkel said. “It is a centralfeature of our values.”

-www.politico.eu, 14 November 2018

Commentary: To create a truly Europeanarmed forces would be a gigantic task,which at this time seems all but impossi-ble.

Other voices insist that armed forces ofeach country should work independently;the reason being that, in most cases, anarmed force is relatively unnecessary inthese modern days.

What is Europe’s future? War betweenthe nations is virtually out of the question,because of their almost fully integratedeconomic and financial system. But thewar machines of the world’s nations con-tinue to increase, as proclaimed by theprophet Joel: “Proclaim ye this among theGentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mightymen, let all the men of war draw near; letthem come up: Beat your plowshares intoswords and your pruninghooks intospears: let the weak say, I am strong” (Joel3:9-10). This has been historically true un-til this day. Yet commercialism and mer-

chandising will be the ulti-mate king, as reported inRevelation: “For all nationshave drunk of the wine ofthe wrath of her fornication,and the kings of the earthhave committed fornicationwith her, and the merchantsof the earth are waxed richthrough the abundance ofher delicacies” (Revelation18:3).

Today, Europe is thesafest, richest, and most secure continent.That, we believe—based on the propheticWord—will continue until Europe is theonly model left for the rest of the worldto follow. Europe’s motto, “United in di-versity,” will become a reality even more,as proclaimed in Revelation 17:13:

“These have onemind, and shallgive their powerand strength untothe beast.”

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S W I T Z E R L A N D

Mind-Controlled TVSamsung TVs are already some ofthe most popular options for high-end home theater systems and thecompany is now using its televi-sion-making prowess to help peo-ple with disabilities live morenormal lives.

A new project by a Samsung team inSwitzerland could yield the first

smar t TV that can be controlled withthoughts.As CNET reports, Samsung has partnered

with Swiss scientists to bring the system tolife. Called “Project Pontis,” the ultimate goal

is to build a brain/software interface that willallow individuals with movement disabilities tocontrol television features like channel switch-ing and volume control with their brains ratherthan their bodies.At present, the system combines brain-

monitoring sensors and eye-tracking hard-ware to identify what selections the individualintends to make. Going forward, the partner-ship hopes to make the system smart enoughto accept commands via brain commandsalone, meaning that you’d only need to thinkabout changing the volume for the action tobe performed.

-nypost.com, 12 November 2018

Commentary: While there may be some ad-vantages for those who are handicapped,we find this attempt to marry man’s brainwith a television/computer pointing to theend times.

Speaking of television, it is the tool thatshapes humanity’s thinking, and hastremendous influence politically, culturally,and religiously. It is not without reason thatthe last book of the Bible makes this state-ment: “Blessed is he that readeth, and theythat hear the words of this prophecy” (Rev-elation 1:3a). Nothing is said about seeing,

and seeing—in thiscase, television—has a much strongerinfluence on theviewer than everthought before. 6886(See End-Times Super

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% 1-800-845-2420 JANUARY 2019 27

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EU Army (continued from page 26)

Merkel threw her support behind the idea in an address to the European Parliament Frederick Florin/AFP via Getty Images

U S A

Amazon Sets Trap for DriversAmazon uses fake packages to catchdelivery drivers who are stealing, ac-cording to sources with knowledgeof the practice.

The company plants the packages—in-ternally referred to as “dummy” pack-

ages—in the trucks of drivers at random. Thedummy packages have fake labels and are oftenempty. Here’s how the practice works, according to

the sources: During deliveries, drivers scan the labels of

every package they deliver. When they scan afake label on a dummy package, an error mes-sage will pop up. When this happens, drivers might call their

supervisors to address the problem, or keep thepackage in their truck and return it to an Amazonwarehouse at the end of their shift. Drivers, in theory, could also choose to steal

the package. The error message means thepackage isn’t detected in Amazon’s system. Asa result, it could go unnoticed if the packagewere to go missing. “If you bring the package back, you are inno-

cent. If you don’t, you’re a thug,” said Sid Shah,

a former manager for DeliverOL, a courier com-pany that delivers packages for Amazon. Shrinkage—the industry’s term for losses at-

tributable to theft, error, or fraud—cost retailersnearly $47 billion last year, according to the Na-tional Retail Federation. Amazon doesn’t say how many packages it

loses to theft each year. The company deliveredmore than 5 billion packages to Prime cus-tomers worldwide last year. In a 2017 survey conducted by the packaging

company Shorr, 31% of respondents said theyhad experienced package theft.

-www.businessinsider.com, 21 September 2018

Commentary: Although this system ofdummy packages is somewhat primitive, itis very effective. Scanning the package isrelatively new, and produces absolute proofthat the driver is guilty of stealing.

There are many other systems being imple-mented to reduce the $47 billion loss to theft,according to the National Retail Federation.

What we are seeing, however, is posi-tive, for these electronic devices keep manywould-be thieves honest. That will developeven more in the years to come. Wheneverand wherever you go or buy, there is mostlikely a digital record. Products can noweven be traced to physical locations.

It was at one of our prophecy congressesthat an iPad was stolen from a staff member.After reporting it to the police, he was able totrack the iPad at another hotel, but obviouslywas unable to retrieve it, as that would entailsearching rooms in the hotel. However, crimerates the world over are going down, mainlydue to electronic surveillance. In the end,the Antichrist system, which has been in theworks for the last 2,000 years, will bring

“peace on earth,”although only tem-porarily. And then,all nations in theworld will be calledto judgment.

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Amazon sets traps with fake packages fordrivers suspected of stealing.Paul Sakuma/AP PhotosAmazon


Can’t Afford Second ChildKim Young-ji, a working mother inSeoul, gave up having a secondchild. She had dreamed of having atleast two babies, but it wasn’t longbefore she faced the harsh reality.

“From the day I came back to work af-ter childcare leave, I started juggling

between work and home,” she said.It was her job to leave her baby son at a

daycare center every morning. Since shecomes home late in the evening, she had tofind a babysitter to bring her son home fromthe daycare center.

Upon arriving home, she had to preparedinner and take care of her son. Her husbandusually came home late at night like other Ko-rean men, and was of little help.“After paying a babysitter and part-time

housekeeper, not much is left from my salary.However, I can’t quit my job since we have topay our mortgage. We will need more moneysoon to send my son to a hagwon (privatecram school). How could we dare have a sec-ond child?”As Korean women such as Kim are shun-

ning childbirth like Kim, the number of babiesborn in the second quarter totaled only82,000, down 8.7 percent from a year ago.

The country’s birthrate, or the number oflive births per 1,000 women in the reproduc-tive age or between the ages of 15 and 44years, recorded 0.97 in the second quarter. It came as a shock since such low rates

were witnessed only during war or in soci-eties in rapid transition, such as Eastern Euro-pean countries’ transition to capitalism fromcommunism. Korea is the only country in theworld with the figure below 1. The low birthrate is leading to an aging so-

ciety. According to the 2017 census, senior citi-

zens aged 65 or older made up 14.2 percentof the total population last year. The working

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age population, meanwhile, dropped by116,000. It is expected that four out of 10 Ko-reans will be elderly in 2060.Aging threatens the economy since pro-

duction and consumption slow down whilewelfare spending snowballs. It will be difficultto pull up economic growth by injecting labor.The country’s growth rate is expected to fallto below 1 percent after 2026.

-www.koreatimes.co.kr, 7 September 2018

Commentary: This is the fruit of prosperity.Japan has for decades battled the aging ofthe nation, with not enough births to replacethose that pass away. That is not unusual indeveloped countries, and will have to be ad-dressed by the governments. Europe may bea model: Yoon Hong-sik, professor at InhaUniversity, pointed to Sweden: “Swedenovercame the low birthrate in the 1930s bytackling difficulties that ordinary peoplefaced in their lives. It focused on improvingthe quality of life, and the birthrate startedto rise as a result.” Sweden now has abirthrate of 1.85 per woman, followed bythe USA with 1.82.

Slowly but surely, one notices that manypeople in different countries, particularlythe prosperous ones, are beginning to servetheir economy; instead of working for a liv-ing, they start living for the sake of their ca-reer.

Here is what the Bible says: “Lo, chil-dren are an heritage of the Lord: and thefruit of the womb is his reward. As arrowsare in the hand of a mighty man; so arechildren of the youth. Happy is the manthat hath his quiver full of them: they shall

not be ashamed, butthey shall speakwith the enemies inthe gate” (Psalm127:3-5).

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I N D I A

Court Rules BiometricDatabase LegalIndia’s highest court ruled that theworld’s largest biometric identifica-tion database doesn’t infringe on citizens’ privacy rights—but needssome new limitations.

The country’s controversial Aadhaarprogram uses photos, finger and eye

scans and has already signed up more than 1billion people. It has sparked an intense globaldebate over how far a democracy should beable to go in collecting the personal data of itscitizens and how that data can be used,shared and protected. A five-judge panel ruled in a 4-1 decision

that the program is constitutional and helpsthe poor by streamlining disbursement of wel-fare benefits. Being in the database, however,shouldn’t be required for using mobilephones, opening bank accounts or for schooladmissions, according to the 1,448-pagedocument outlining the court’s decision. Ithad been unclear for some time whether suchorganizations could compel people to supplyAadhaar numbers. “It’s a historic judgment,” Finance Minister

Arun Jaitley said. “Everyone must realize, in-cluding critics of Aadhaar, that you can’t defytechnology or ignore it.”“This is a good judgment,” said Parvesh

Khanna, a Delhi-based lawyer and one of themain plaintiffs in the case. “It’s okay for thegovernment to use my data but not the privatecompanies,” he said.

-www.wsj.com, 26 September 2018

Commentary: Data protection is an issuethat will continue. Europe has put into lawthe world’s strictest data protection system.

Where will it lead? On the one hand, toa better-regulated society, significant de-crease of crime and corruption; subse-quently, an increase in prosperity for thecountry.

On the other hand, we know from Scrip-ture that this development is to come. Allpeople on planet earth will be registered,identified, and classified. We agree with Fi-nance Minister Arun Jaitley: “Everyonemust realize, including critics of Aadhaar,that you can’t defy technology or ignore it.”

But we believe there is more to it. We arereminded of Jesus’ first coming, where weread in Luke 2:1: “And it came to pass inthose days, that there went out a decreefrom Caesar Augustus that all the worldshould be taxed.” The NASB makes it a lit-tle clearer: “…that a census be taken of allthe inhabited earth.” Another translationreads: “…for the general registrationthroughout the Roman world.” What wasthe purpose? In plain words, for the RomanEmpire to “count their sheep.” But we knowthere was a much greater reason: becauseJoseph and his fiancée Mary were dwellingin Nazareth, yet the prophets proclaimedthat He would be born in the city of David,in Bethlehem. Thus, the entire upheaval inthe Roman world served to fulfill theprophetic Word—Jesus had to be born inthe city of Bethlehem.

Now, in the end stages of the end time,we have these censuses taken in virtuallyevery country, and they become more accu-rate as time goes by. India is leading theworld with a biometric identity database.So, be ready: there’s more to come. 6851(See Answers to the Most Important Questions About the

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Second Child (continued from page 28)

An eye scan for India’s Unique Identifica-tion database system, Aadhaar, in NewDelhi. PHOTO:SAUMYA KHANDELWAL/REUTERS


WO R L D

One-Third of Global FoodSupply WastedA third of the world’s food is lost before it ever reaches anyone’s plate,a panel of global experts has warnedas it called for a war on waste to improve worldwide diets.

Waste and spoilage in harvesting,storage, transport and shops ac-

counts for an estimated 1.3 billion tons offood a year and squanders huge amounts ofresources.The panel led by the UK’s former chief sci-

entific adviser, Sir John Beddington, estimatedthe value of wasted food reaches $1 trillion(£777bn) each year.“Meanwhile, approximately one third of all

the food produced for human consumptionnever reaches the consumer’s plate or bowl.”“The numbers are staggering,” the panel

reported. “Each year more than half of all thefruits and vegetables produced globally arelost or wasted. A vital source of protein,around 25 percent of all the meat produced—equivalent to 75 million cows—is not con-sumed.”The fight against global hunger has in re-

cent decades relied on growing more starchystaple crops like grains. But while that hasseen the proportion of starving people fallsharply, billions are left with unhealthy diets.Squandering less of the nutritious food al-

ready grown could dramatically improve diets,the panel said.In developing countries, waste is high after

food is harvested and while it is beingprocessed, as poor storage and transport of-ten leads to it spoiling or rotting. In developedcountries there is high waste in shops andhomes where food is thrown out.

-www.telegraph.co.uk, 13 November 2018

Commentary: Another reportshowing much of our food iswasted; in this case, one-thirdglobally. Some five to six decadesago, researchers proclaimed thatthe world is running out of fooddue to overpopulation. Today,they have been found wrong, andso will all those who try to iden-tify the future of this world.

Technology in agriculture hasdeveloped so successfully that an

over-abundance of food is produced globally.While not too long ago, up to 95% of the pop-ulation was employed in agriculture, todayit’s a mere 2% in the developed world.

Viewing this from a Bible prophecy per-spective, we realize how mankind becomesmore and more independent from God. Whilefarmers only a century ago would fall on theirknees and pray for rain or sunshine in order toharvest grains, today technology has devel-oped to such an extent that God is excluded,and technology is virtually worshiped. Will itcontinue? We believe so, based on Genesis8:22: “While the earth remaineth, seedtimeand harvest, and cold and heat, and summerand winter, and day and night shall not

cease.” That, ofcourse, is the realreason why there isan abundance offood available formodern humanity.

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I S R A E L

High-Tech Raises $1.6 Billion in Third Quarter Israeli hi-tech companies raised $1.6billion in 131 deals in the third quarter of 2018, according to a report published by IVC ResearchCenter and law firm ZAG-S&W.

During this period, the largest dealsaw Israeli start-up Trax Image

Recognition close a $125m. investment roundled by Chinese private equity investment firmBoyu Capital.A total of $4.5 billion of capital finance has

been raised so far, equaling 82% of the totalcapital raised in 2017 but only 68% of thenumber of deals.The most recent quarter saw venture capi-

tal financing account for 42% of total capitalinvested, reversing a slowdown in venturecapital fund investments since the first quar-ter of 2017. “Despite the vacations in thethird quarter, Israeli hi-tech was able to with-stand this period,” said Shmulik Zysman,managing partner at ZAGS&W.The report also noted the particularly high

and increasing volume of capital raised fromforeign investors, primarily due to Chinese in-vestment and the growing interest of Europeanventure capital funds in Israeli innovation.

-www.jpost.com, 1 November 2018

Commentary: This is another success storyof Israel’s high-tech industry. We note thatIsrael’s high-tech is global; communistChina and socialist Europe are keenly in-terested in Israel’s products. And, this isonly the beginning; programs, systems,and platforms are being created en masseby Israel.

According to the prophetic Word, thereis much more to come. Psalm 2:8: “Ask ofme, and I shall give thee the heathen forthine inheritance, and the uttermost parts ofthe earth for thy possession.” 6880(See Messianic Psalms, Item #1074, $14.95.)

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Waste and spoilage in harvesting, storage, transportand shops accounts for an estimated 1.3 billion tons offood a year CREDIT: GETTY

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E U

Best Gift to Our Children:The EUWho would dispute that memoryand commemoration are not part ofthe journey towards craftingstronger national identities?

No historian, no anthropologist, noethnographer would argue against that.

However, as we prepare to commemoratethe 100th anniversary of the end of the GreatWar on Armistice Day, there is a risk of limitingour commemoration to representing the pastthrough lengthy speeches, exhibits in historicalmuseums, and brief visits to historic sites.No civilization can survive and take a bold

view of its own future if it lacks a sense ofmemory. Today, young people are more likely to learn

from history books, which makes it even moreremote. So how to make it more personal? Military theorists and political leaders at the

time expected the war in 1914 to be a limitedand decisive conflict, aimed at restoring equi-librium in the Balkans.It was a war that exposed the European rul-

ing classes’ inability to reconcile national aspi-rations and interests in a peaceful andcollaborative manner; they instead surren-dered to the flattery of aggressive nationalistsand their expansionist rhetoric.Nobody could have imagined that it would

cause the sacrifice of more than 10 millionsoldiers, and an unspecified, very high num-ber of civilian casualties.Those who reduce the conflict to the sim-

plistic fact that one country won the war andanother lost it are mistaken.[Nationalism] is a threat to many of today’s

societies, but especially for Europe, which, inthe aftermath of the Second World War, hadthe courage to unite and set aside futile prideand past divisions.Reconciliation and peace are the greatest

achievements of the European Union. By interlink-ing our economies and interests, by perfecting

the art of compromise, we have created the mostreliable system for long-term peace in the world.Without peace, there is no sustainable Europe.

So, as we commemorate those who died in thesenseless slaughter of the First World War, weshould take action to build a European identity todefeat those who claim that going back to na-tional models will save the day. It will not.The only certainty is that, despite its limitations,

the European Union is still the best gift we cangive to our children and our children’s children.That is how we can make the commemorationpersonal.

-euobserver.com, 9 November 2018

Commentary: The excerpts from this long ar-ticle highlight how “interlinking oureconomies and interests…have created themost reliable system for long-term peace inthe world.” How did Europe achieve peace,prosperity, and security? Simply by openingits borders and using merchandising as thebonding agent for the EuropeanUnion. Each country stillspeaks their own language, hastheir own culture, keeps theirown special holidays, and sticksto their traditions. But when itcomes to merchandise, it hasbecome an inseparable union.

The prophet Daniel revealsthe world under four Gentile su-perpowers: Babylon, Medo-Per-sia, Greece, and Rome. The lastone, Rome, can be clearly identi-

fied as Europe, and Europe has subdued thewhole world. We must not underestimate thefact that on the American continent (North andSouth), Europeans established 35 sovereignnations, of whom all speak European lan-guages and have European culture and charac-teristics. Most value a close relationship withEurope even today.

Australia can be considered a Europeancontinent. When we look to the East, Asia toowas subdued by European powers, and bor-ders were drawn according to the liking of Eu-ropean power brokers. The same is true forAfrica.

Reading the book of Daniel, we get moredetails: “Thus he said, The fourth beast shallbe the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shallbe diverse from all kingdoms, and shall de-vour the whole earth, and shall tread it down,and break it in pieces” (Daniel 7:23). Note thewords: “devour the whole earth.” It is also de-scribed as being extremely diverse; such hasnever before happened in human history.

When we realize that this world is underthe jurisdiction of the god of this world, thenwe begin to understand how the spirit of An-tichrist is preparing humanity—regardless ofreligion—toward that one goal: unity at allcosts. Peace, prosperity, and security are thegreatest issues all governments of the worldare concerned with. According to propheticScripture, it will come to pass, although tem-porarily. 6888(See Daniel’s Prophecies Made Easy, Item #1057, $12.)

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A field of poppies. 'While young peoplefought each other in 1918, young peoplein 2018 travel to study together under the Erasmus program.'(Photo: Mohammad Hamidi)

N E T H E R L A N D S

World’s HappiestTeenagersIn report after report, the Nether-lands tops OECD countries for highlife satisfaction among its youngpeople.

It contrasts starkly with the picture incountries like Britain, where depres-

sion and anxiety are on the rise amongteenagers, and the US, where the number ofyoung people taking their own lives has risensharply.So why is this flat, damp country of 17 mil-

lion people with its history of Calvinism andcolonialism so good at giving young peoplean optimistic outlook?“I think Dutch children have generally posi-

tive interactions in all their social surround-ings,” says Dr. Simone De Roos, a researcher.“They have a supportive environment athome, with friends and also at school. Dutchparents give a lot of support and have mildcontrol. There’s an egalitarian climate, teach-ers are not authoritarian but accept the feel-ings of pupils, and pupils trust teachers.”The last Health Behavior in School-aged

Children (HBSC) study, comparing children of11, 13 and 15, showed a happy Dutch youth.When asked where they would be on“Cantril’s ladder”—with the worst possiblelife for them on 0 and their best at 10, about94% of Dutch boys said six or above. Dutchgirls were slightly lower, ranging from 84% to92%.“If you look across Europe, the Dutch and

the Danes are the most lenient and focusmore on developing autonomy than giving pri-ority to obedience—and that fits the society,”says Prof. Ruut Veenhoven. “Children aremore free to do what they want, and in doingwhat they want, develop an idea of what theyreally like and social skills. A happy boy maybe sometimes not a very good boy.”Despite the country’s reputation for

cannabis smoking, the Trimbos Institute re-

ports a downward trend for using alcohol anddrugs and smoking in Dutch children aged 12to 16. Such activities are described by HBSCexperts as “risk behaviors” that impact hap-piness.

-www.theguardian.com, 17 June 2018

Commentary: This report is noteworthy,because it follows an anti-Biblical philoso-phy when it comes to children, educationand discipline. Yet the report card is quiteamazing. More than 11% of the populationis foreign-born, with about 5% Muslim.And, this liberal country is secure with alow crime rate. NationMaster.com lists theUSA as eight times more dangerous thanthe Netherlands when it comes to violentcrime and murder rates. Capital punish-ment was outlawed long ago, and it wasthe first country in the world to approvesame-sex marriage. The gross nationalproduct per capita stands at $53,600, andlife expectancy is 81.4 years.

Thus, the question: why is such a liberalcountry so successful? Answer: theNetherlands is quick to adopt change. Inother words, “Go with the flow,” meaninga modern, liberal education. Thus, they arebuilding a society where peace, prosperity,and security are guaranteed to all people.That will lead to global government underthe leadership of Satan’s masterpiece: theAntichrist.

6873(See One World, Item #2203, $15.99.)

U S A

Telepathy to ControlDronesA person with a brain chip can nowpilot a swarm of drones—or evenadvanced fighter jets, thanks to re-search funded by the U.S. military’sDefense Advanced Research ProjectsAgency, or DARPA.

“As of today, signals from the brain canbe used to command and control … not

just one aircraft but three simultaneous types ofaircraft,” said Justin Sanchez, who directsDARPA’s biological technology office, at theAgency’s 60th-anniversary event in Maryland.“The signals from those aircraft can be deliv-

ered directly back to the brain so that the brain ofthat user [or pilot] can also perceive the environ-ment,” said Sanchez. “It’s taken a number ofyears to try and figure this out.”It’s another breakthrough in the rapidly ad-

vancing field of brain-computer interfaces, orBCIs, for a variety of purposes. The military hasbeen leading interesting research in the fieldsince at least 2007. And in 2012, DARPA issueda $4 million grant to build a non-invasive “syn-thetic telepathy” interface by placing sensorsclose to the brain’s motor centers to pick upelectrical signals—non-invasively, over the skin.

-www.defenseone.com, 6 September 2018

Commentary: Nothing seems to be impossiblefor the scientific community in our days.Most elderly people can barely make full useof a simple cell phone, which the new genera-tion has already left behind in their quest toconquer the world of thoughts.

Here we are again reminded of the endstages of the end times, when the falseprophet will order humanity to build theimage, which is able to read the thoughts ofman. And in that case, whether they trulyworship the image or not, which will resultin capital punishment. 6874(See Are We Really Living in the Last Days? Item #2277,

$17.95.)

LYara Agterhof, left, Saffron Jones, right,and Dani Karremans at school in theNetherlands. Photograph: Judith Jockelfor the Guardian


L

JANUARY 2019 33

The land of Israel and the Jewish peo-ple belong together; they are insepa-rable. In the above verse, we take

special notice of the last five words: “…di-vide the land for gain.” The Hebrew Tanakhreads, “He will deal with forfeited strong-holds with the help of an alien god. He willheap honor on those who acknowledge him,and he will make them master over many.He will distribute the land for a prize.” Biblescholars agree this speaks of Antichrist. Wemust realize that Antichrist is not only inthe future, but also he is active now, and hasbeen at work for over 2,000 years. In 1 John2:18 we read: “Little children, it is the lasttime: and as ye have heard that antichristshall come, even now are there many an-tichrists; whereby we know that it is the lasttime.” So, the question: what’s so specialabout Antichrist? “Anti” in Greek means “inplace of.” In other words, he will be a fakechrist.

One of the most direct fulfillments ofBible prophecies is the return of the Jews totheir land. The spirit of Antichrist has perse-cuted Israel throughout the world. The epit-ome of evil was revealed during Germany’sNazi reign in Europe, when six million Jewswere murdered. But, the god of this world’smasterpiece, the Antichrist and his spiritfailed at eradicating the Jewish people. The

Jews came back and established a function-ing nation—and, we must add, a very suc-cessful and prosperous one. Thus, it seemslogical that the next step is not granting Is-rael their right to take possession of thePromised Land. If Antichrist can instill thespirit of rebellion—which he already has—in all nations of the world, then prophecycannot be fulfilled; the Jews cannot takepossession of the entire land, as promised toAbraham in Genesis 15:18: “In the same daythe Lord made a covenant with Abram, say-ing, Unto thy seed have I given this land,from the river of Egypt unto the great river,the river Euphrates.”

Countries have borders; many of thoseborders are still a source of conflict in sev-eral parts of the world. However, all were es-tablished with weapons of war. That allchanged in 1967, when Israel extended theirborders: in the north to the Golan Heights,and in the south to the Red Sea. Lo and be-hold, the nations vehemently opposed Is-rael’s possession of the Promised Land. Theyestablished their own law, which states thatonly land prior to the Six-Day War can beIsraeli territory. Below is an excerpt from theEuropean Union Binding Directive 39.

In 2013 the EU adopted a binding directive ac-

cording to which the Israeli government will be

required to state in any future agreements with

“Thus shall he do in the most strong holds witha strange god, whom he shall acknowledge andincrease with glory: and he shall cause them torule over many, and shall divide the land forgain” (Daniel 11:39).

Ac ion for Israel

MIDNIGHT CALL

BY ARNO FROESE

34 M I D N I G H T C A L L34 M I D N I G H T C A L L

the EU that settlements in the West Bank, in-

cluding East Jerusalem are outside the state of

Israel. The directive partially implements an

earlier EU foreign ministers’ declaration that “all

agreements between the state of Israel and

the EU must unequivocally and explicitly indi-

cate their inapplicability to the territories occu-

pied by Israel in 1967.” The guidelines prohibit

the issuing of EU grants, funding, prizes or

scholarships to Israeli entities unless a settle-

ment exclusion clause is included. Israeli insti-

tutions and bodies situated across the

pre-1967 Green Line will be automatically inel-

igible. The EU directive is similar to the one

signed between the United States and Israel in

1972 whereby Israel undertook, in exchange

for science funding, to restrict the projects

within the 1967 borders.

-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel%E2%80%93

European_Union_relations

Thus, we see the spirit of Antichrist, “shalldivide the land for gain.”

The prophet Joel speaks of Israel andJerusalem, pronouncing God’s reason for

the judgment upon the nations. “I will alsogather all nations, and will bring themdown into the valley of Jehoshaphat, andwill plead with them there for my peopleand for my heritage Israel, whom they havescattered among the nations, and parted myland” (Joel 3:2). That’s precisely what thenations are doing; they are parting the landof Israel according to their liking.

What will be the end result? Here againthe prophet Joel has this to say: “The Lordalso shall roar out of Zion, and utter hisvoice from Jerusalem; and the heavens andthe earth shall shake: but the Lord will bethe hope of his people, and the strength ofthe children of Israel. So shall ye know thatI am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion,my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem beholy, and there shall no strangers passthrough her any more” (Joel 3:16-17). Notethe words “no strangers.” That means therewill be no embassies in Jerusalem; they willall be expelled, for then Jesus Christ, theSon of the living God, the Messiah of Israel,the Savior of the world, will reign.

Mail to: Midnight Call Ministries, PO Box 84309, Lexington, SC 29073

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“False Bible”Dear Mr. Froese,

I was very concerned afterreading Samuel Rindlisbacher’sarticle in the November 2018Midnight Call, titled “GrowingWeary in the Fight” (pp. 16-17), as the Bible version TheMessage was used. The versePhilippians 4:3 as quoted,“Since you’re right there to helpthem work things out, do yourbest with them…” is from afalse Bible and not even close tothe original.

-J. Tippelt, MN

Answer: Unfortunately, we do not

have any original writings from the

Bible except copies of copies: the

New Testament mainly written in

Greek, and the Old in Hebrew. You

are right; it seems far away, but it

still says the same thing. The portion

Mr. Rindlisbacher quoted from The

Message in the KJV reads: “I intreat

thee also, true yokefellow, help

those women...” The Luther Bible,

translated from the same manu-

script, says: “I implore you, my dear

fellow servant, stand with them…”

Translating from one language to

another is often difficult. The spirit

of the content must be included. If

you have a Bible dictionary, look up

the word “purged” found in Hebrew

1:3. It is listed as G4160, and you will

find a long list of words that give a

similar expression. My suggestion is

to read the whole chapter, prefer-

ably the whole book, praying for

wisdom to understand the depths

of the message conveyed in the

translation.

CatholicsDear Editor Arno Froese,

First, I would like to say I enjoy your magazine. I maynot agree with everything, but

the majority of the writings aregood.

I have been a missionary for58 years. We establishedchurches in Mexico, and nowhave over 300 churches and sixBible schools.

I pray you don’t include inyour Spanish magazine, thatthe Roman Church has somedoctrine that’s good, and youcan get to heaven with thatdoctrine. Only Jesus saves.

There might be someCatholics saved, as we have afriend who is Catholic. Shedoesn’t believe that theCatholic Church is the onlychurch, and she prays to Jesus,not to idols. She says she can’tleave because of relatives.

I appreciate how you folksstand up for the Bible! We arein the last days, as so manypreachers only teach the pros-

Address letters for publication to: Letters to the Editor, Midnight Call, P.O. Box 84309, Lexington, SC 29073. Include full name,

address, and daytime phone number. Without name and address, letters will be discarded unread. All material is subject to edit-

ing. Midnight Call assumes all publishing rights on letters sent to the Editor.

Note: All letters will be answered by the Executive Editor, Arno Froese.

“FALSE BIBLE”...CATHOLICS...GMOS

Letters to the Editor

JANUARY 2019 35 % 1-800-845-2420

Letters to the Editor


perity doctrine. The Lord didn’teven have a horse and buggy.He had to walk everywhere.

-M. Kincaid, TX

Answer: The Spanish Midnight Call

is out of my jurisdiction.

The Catholic doctrine is built

upon a good foundation, but many

manmade teachings are added, and

that we reject. You are correct when

you write, “Only Jesus saves”; that

message is received in the hearts of

multiple millions throughout the

world. But keep in mind, God is not

limited to our activity, for Jesus

clearly stated, “I will build my

church.” He will continue to do so

until that Church is perfected. At

that moment, we’ll be taken out of

this world into the glorious pres-

ence of our Lord, and will be there

from eternity to eternity. Thank you

for sharing.

GMOsDear Midnight Call,

If a lie is repeated oftenenough, people will begin tobelieve it. One of those lies isthat GMOs are just as healthyas non-GMO crops.

I have lots of apples andother crops that are rottingaway, because they are not fit toeat due to contamination fromthe poisons that are sprayed onthe GMO crops grown on sur-rounding fields.

[Regarding another issue,] I notice that churches that teachagainst voting don’t do a goodjob of proving that teaching.

-R. Peterson, MN

Answer: The website Non-GMO Pro-

ject writes, “In the absence of credible

independent long-term feeding stud-

ies, the safety of GMOs is unknown.” In

64 countries around the world, geneti-

cally-modified food must be labeled.

It continues: “Most packaged foods

contain ingredients derived from

corn, soy, canola, and sugar beet—

and the vast majority of those crops

grown in North America are geneti-

cally modified.” I do not have the ex-

pertise to judge in this matter, but do

know that documentation proves

that life expectancy in America in the

year 1900 was 43 years, when there

was no GMO; today it’s almost 80. My

guideline regarding food and drink is

1 Corinthians 10:25: “Whatsoever is

sold in the shambles, that eat, asking

no question for conscience sake.”

The church that teaches against

voting is just as wrong as the one that

teaches it is a Christian duty to vote.

We are free and may do as we please

in that regard. Some countries, like

Australia and Brazil, make voting

compulsory; in that case, we are obe-

dient to the government.

The Third TempleDear Mr. Froese,

The nation Israel has beenpunished 70 years by a mod-ern-day quartet. Israel cele-brated her 70th year May 14,2018. Cyrus and Darius wereboth Gentiles. Darius’ ances-tors left Egypt with the mixedmultitude under Moses. That isthe link that connects Cyrusand Darius, to do favors towardJudah, Daniel and the three He-brews. I will give you the

movements of Cyrus and Dar-ius from the Scriptures, so youcan follow the pattern of Presi-dent Trump from his campaignuntil now. There are sixrecorded dates in Scripture re-lated to Cyrus and Darius.

The first year of Cyrus, hemade a decree immediately af-ter Judah’s 70th year of punish-ment. The decree was: let thetemple be built at Jerusalem(Ezra 1:1-2; 6:1-3).

The second year of Darius islisted six times in three booksof the Old Testament. PresidentTrump doesn’t know he is fol-lowing a pattern of Cyrus andDarius. But the nation of Israeland the Jews in Jerusalemknow these Scriptures anddates. This is why they havestamped President Trump’sprofile or image on two sepa-rate coins. Trump’s firstagenda, first year: move theembassy. Trump’s second yearagenda, in his second term:build the temple in Jerusalem.Trump does this at the end of a70-year peace period.

There’s a seven-year Shmitaperiod, every seven years for 49years, then a 50-year Jubileeevery 50 years. But now, a 70-year period comes into play.The third date is a 70-yearpeace period: from 1948-2018.

-C. Wise, NC

Answer: Coincidental analysis of Scrip-

tural truth is not helpful. Your mention

of the temple in Jerusalem being built

after 70 years because of President

Trump, is based on vivid imagination.

You will find out when those years

have passed, so keep this letter on file.

Incidentally, there is no Israeli cur-

rency with the image of Mr. Trump.

This news is incorrect. The coin is dis-

tributed by the “Mikdash Educational

Center” in Israel. You and I can have

our own coins made, but we will need

customers to buy such coins.

The third temple is the spiritual

one. “Ye also, as lively stones, are built

up a spiritual house, an holy priest-

hood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, ac-

ceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1

Peter 2:5). Paul adds: “In whom all the

building fitly framed together groweth

unto an holy temple in the Lord: In

whom ye also are builded together for

an habitation of God through the

Spirit” (Ephesians 2:21-22). When that

spiritual house, i.e. habitation of God, is

perfected, it will be raptured into the

presence of the Lord.

At this point in time, on the Temple

Mount stands the Dome of the Rock

and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and that for

over 1,300 years. To remove those

buildings and build a Jewish temple

is virtually out of the question. It can

only be accomplished when the

Prince of Peace returns to Israel, and

His feet shall stand on the Mount of

Olives. What the UN, the EU, Russia, or

the US does has little to no biblical

significance. MC

Take an amazing journeywith God’s chosen people, into the past, the present and the future.

The first Exodus gave the Old Testament to theworld. The second Exodus climaxed in theappearance of the Messiah, the King of the Jews—

Jesus Christ—in Israel, which gave us the New Testament. The third return, now in progress, will see the completionof the Church on earth and the spiritual revival of thenation of Israel.

The first Exodus revealed God the Father, the secondExodus revealed God the Son, and the third Exodus willreveal God the Holy Spirit, as the prophet Zechariahproclaims: “And I will pour upon the house of David, andupon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace andof supplications: and they shall look upon me whom theyhave pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as onemourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness forhim, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn”(Zechariah 12:10).

ISRAEL’S THREEFOLD EXODUS ITEM #1088128 pgs. • Paperback

$14.50 NewAuthor: Arno Froese

NEW

MIDNIGHT CALL

Fellow Laborers


In the Egyptian city of Ismailia, asmall church is active in many ways,with regular prayer services for chil-

dren, youth, and women, in addition toroutine worship services. Unfortunately,this bothered many Muslim neighbors.For this reason, the brothers and sisterswanted to use the rooms on the secondfloor of the house, where there is nowindow and no street-side visibility. Be-cause the room is closed, air condition-ing is also in use. There, worshipservices and all of the church’s activitiescan be carried out without disturbingthe neighbors. It’s also better for the be-lievers themselves, because they cannow listen to the service in peace.

Earlier, when the meetings took placeon the ground floor, loud readings from

the Koran could be heard from the sur-rounding businesses. Now, it’s quieter:we don’t disturb anyone, and no one dis-turbs us. The disadvantage of this solu-tion, however, is that our brothers andsisters who are elderly or disabled areunable to climb the stairs to the secondfloor.

One day I was visited in Germany byfellow Christians Jonathan Malgo and

“Midnight Call” Elevator in Egypt

BY ELIA MORISE

AFRI

CA

The living God guides circumstances and hearts worldwideso that a small church in Ismailia can now worship togetherwithout interference.

EGYPT • ISMAILIA


800-845-2420

“To the only wise Godour Saviour, be gloryand majesty, dominionand power, both nowand ever” (Jude 25).


r After prayerful consideration, I/we have decided tosupport ________________.

r yearly r monthly r one time $__________

Name:___________________________________________

Address:______________________________________

City:__________________________________________

State:______________________Zip:________________

Credit Card #:__________________________Exp:_____


Email:________________________________________

Norbert Lieth, as they were returninghome after preaching. Over coffee, theyasked me, “What’s on your heart rightnow, Elia?”

Just prior to this, the church in Egypthad written to me with their prayer re-quest: “We’re praying for an elevator.”

This is an immense project for thecountry and for a small church. I toldthem about it. We prayed together. Afew days later, I received the joyful newsthat the Lord had opened a door andMidnight Call can give them an elevator.The money was actually received.

A bit later, I received a call from a pas-tor in the US. He spoke of an evangelismevent and asked me to pray that Godwould truly touch hearts. I asked whothe speaker was. He named an engineerwho owns an elevator installation com-pany in Egypt. I was able to speak per-sonally with this brother, and was ableto hand over the installation order forthe elevator.

So today, this small church in Ismailiahas an elevator at its disposal. Thosewho are elderly or have disabilities nolonger have to sit in front of a screen atthe entrance below, but are now able toenjoy God’s Word together with all ofthe members of the congregation in thesanctuary.

When I was recently in Egypt on busi-ness, I saw that the brothers and sistershad placed Midnight Call’s logo on theirelevator. They are very thankful andpray for our missionary work.

(MR0918)

MIDNIGHT CALL

MC0119

JANUARY 2019 39 % 1-800-845-2420

Artist’s representation

Most people avoid speaking about death.Several months ago, Ebenezer Home helda seminar on “Coping with Dying, Death

and Grieving.” Sooner or later, we all need to dealwith death. Some Holocaust survivors refuse totalk about death, and tend to silence anyone whotries to raise the issue. One can understand why.The Holocaust Memorial Museum Yad Vashemserves as a “mouthpiece” for survivors such asthese, and others who are willing to tell their story.The readiness to share these experiences, howeverpainful, is important for several reasons.

First, to warn future and complacent genera-tions—who have not personally experienced geno-cide—that similar horrible human acts can happenagain. The prophet Joel says; “Tell your sons about it,and let your sons tell their sons. And their sons thenext generation” (Joel 1:30). You will often hear peo-ple ask, “Where was God in the horrors of the war

(Amos 6:10b) or the Holocaust?” But the real ques-tion that needs to be asked is, “Where was man in theHolocaust?” If it had not been for God, it would havebeen much worse! God was there in the miracles ex-perienced by people, and through God-fearing peo-ple who helped survivors reach the end of the darktunnel and come out into the light of a new future.

Secondly, opening up and sharing these memo-ries, however painful, helps to release inner stressand is an important part of the healing process.Even today, there are some survivors who are notyet willing or able to share their experiences; thismay lead to the pain breaking out in other ways. Inlight of the difficulty some survivors have in talk-ing about their experiences, at Ebenezer, we try tolisten not only with our ears, but also throughtouch, empathy, patience, flexibility, understandingand love. That is one aspect of our vision forEbenezer Home.

N U R S I N G W A R D P R O J E C T


800-845-2420

Web: midnightcall.com/

ebenezer

Note: Donations forthe project bycheck/money ordershould be made out toMidnight Call, andspecify Ebenezer Homein the memo line.


r Yes, I wish to support the Ebenezer Home Project

r monthly r one time $__________

Name:___________________________________________

Address:______________________________________

City:__________________________________________

State:______________________Zip:________________

Credit Card #:__________________________Exp:_____


Email:________________________________________

MIDNIGHT CALL

MC0119

Coping with Death By Johnny KhouryEbenezer Managing Director


MC

Know the Timing of Biblical ProphecyRespected author Dr. Ron J. Bigalkeaddresses these fundamental issuesfrom the perspective of premillennialism.He assesses the views of prophetictiming in relation to amillennialism,postmillennialism and premillennialism,with an extended emphasis upon theBiblical texts that describe Christ’s returnto the Earth. This volume will prove to bean invaluable reference in understandingthe schedule of prophetic events—andwhy such doctrines are relevant to eachof our lives.

CAN WE STILL BELIEVE IN THE RAPTURE? ITEM #2332240 pgs. • Paperback

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WHEN? ITEM #2340 • 338 pgs. • Paperback

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Christian Fiction...orBiblical Fact?• Why do some believers object tothe idea of a rapture?• Does the timing of the rapturereally make a difference?As you explore what Scripture

says about the end times, you’ll geta grander glimpse of your gloriousfuture and the deepest hope ofevery follower of Jesus.

Making Sense ofCrucial Last-DaysSignsBible prophecy expert RonRhodes surveys 15 current trendsthat affect us on a worldwide,national, and personal scale—suggesting some inescapableconsequences to our safety,rights, and way of life. You willsee how the stage is being set forthe end times with drasticdevelopments.

END-TIMES SUPER TRENDS ITEM #2342

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What Can We Expect Next inthe Middle East?ISRAEL ON HIGH ALERT

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Studying Prophecy CanChange Your Life

BIBLE PROPHECY ANSWER BOOKITEM #2333256 pgs. • Paperback


A CHRONOLOGICAL TOUR

THROUGH THE BIBLE

ITEM #2348 416 pgs. • Paperback


% 1-800-845-2420 JANUARY 2019 41

Travel StraightThrough the Eventsof Scripture

Midnight Call’s January Resource Guide

NEW


What’s Next for the Middle East…and How Will It Affect Us?ISIS, Iran, Israel is an updated edition of the book Iran and Israel by prophecy scholar MarkHitchcock, with all-new information on ISIS, Russian involvement in Syria and Iran, and thestate of relations between Israel and Iran. Hitchcock brings a strong biblical perspective to thelatest conflicts, while answering important questions such as…• Where did ISIS come from—and why are its tactics so brutal?• Are we on the road to the Apocalypse?• Will there ever be peace in the Middle East?• What can we expect in the days to come?• How are events in the Middle East affecting America today?An eye-opening survey of where things stand and how it all ties in with Bible prophecy.

ISIS, IRAN, ISRAEL AND THE END OF DAYS ITEM #2283 240 pgs. • Paperback • Author: Mark Hitchcock

$15.99 Sale $12

Revised

ISRAEL MATTERS ITEM #2328


$17.99 Sale $14Author: Gerald R. McDermott

Why Christians MustThink Differentlyabout the People andthe Land

How Did theConflict Begin?FAST FACTS ON THE

MIDDLE EAST CONFLICTITEM #2195 • 208 pgs.Paperback

$11.99Sale $8

Author: Randall Price

ISRAEL CALENDAR 2018-19 ITEM #9078 • 36 pgs.

Format: 11.61” x 8.66” $5.50 Clearance $2.50

316 Month Calendar: September 2018 through December 20193Beautiful, full-color pictures of the Holy Land 3Room for notes 3 Jewish days and months, as well as holidays3Wall model with central poster

Order online: midnightcall.com/9078

Looking at these glorious pictures of Israel, you will be remindeddaily to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” with the knowledge that“they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6). Also, this calendarmakes an excellent gift for family, friends, coworkers and churchmembers. Order extra copies today!

A perfect gift for all who love Israel!

JANUARY 2019 43 % 1-800-845-2420

What does theCatholic Churchteach concern-ing salvation?Presented in a convenientquestion-and-answer format,readers are given a generaloverview and detailedinformation based on abiblical evaluation of theRoman Catholic Church.They discover similaritiesand differences between thebasic theologies of

Catholicism and Protestantism. Topics include:• Have the basic doctrines of the Roman Catholic Churchchanged? • What are the sacraments, and how do theyfunction in the life of a Catholic believer?

THE FACTS ON ROMAN CATHOLICISM ITEM #233496 pgs. • Paperback

$6.99 Sale $5Authors: John Ankerberg, John Weldon, Dillon Burroughs

What is theWatchtower Society?Known for their extensiveresearch and Bibleknowledge, these authorsoffer readers the essentialfacts they need to evaluateand discuss today’s issuesregarding the Jehovah’sWitnesses, a religiousorganization, and theWatchtower Society. Theconcise, easy-to-follow

information helps readers answer such questions as:• Is the Watchtower Society’s translation of the Bibleaccurate? • Is the Society’s teaching on salvation biblical?

THE FACTS ON JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES ITEM #233696 pgs. • Paperback


How did Mormonismoriginate?The Facts on the Mormon Churchpresents the truth about the Churchof Jesus Christ of Latter-daySaints—Mormon history, doctrines,practices, and theology. Readersfind well-researched and easy-to-understand answers to many of thecommon and not-so-commonquestions surrounding this high-profile church, all in a handy, quick-reference format. Topics include:• Who was Joseph Smith? • Is it a

Christian religion? What does it teach about God? • What is theMormon doctrine regarding salvation? Life after death?

THE FACTS ON THE MORMON CHURCH ITEM #233596 pgs. • Paperback


Is Masonry areligion?The Facts on the Masonic Lodge isfilled with well-documented factsand comprehensive comparisons tobiblical truths. Readers learn whatMasonry (also known asFreemasonry or “the Lodge”) is bydiscovering when it began, who hasbeen involved, what its teachingsare, and how it influences their livesand the Christian church today. TheFacts on the Masonic Lodge providesconcise, straightforward answers toquestions that include:

• What do the Masons teach about Jesus, salvation, and life after death?• What do Masonic symbols represent? • Are Masonry and Christianitycompatible? • Why is understanding Masonry important today?

THE FACTS ON THE MASONIC LODGE ITEM #2337



ISRAEL CALENDAR 2018-19 ITEM #9078 • 36 pgs.

Format: 11.61” x 8.66” $5.50 Clearance $2.50


44 M I D N I G H T C A L L Order online: midnightcall.com/store

A Message for All People of All TimesWe included the following fourprophetic books for these reasons:Obadiah primarily speaks of judgmentagainst Edom. There is no questionabout Jonah; he was sent to theGentiles, and Nahum likewise thundershis message against Nineveh. WhileHabakkuk does speak of thedeliverance of Judah, he also declareshis message against the Chaldeans.However, the message of the prophetsis applicable to all people of all times.

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Judgment andRestorationThe ten-tribe Israel is distinctlydifferent from Judah-Israel. We read,“So Israel rebelled against thehouse of David unto this day” (1 King 12:19). The three prophets,Hosea, Amos and Micah, exposeIsrael’s sin in an unmerciful manner,which leads to God’s declaration, “I will no more have mercy upon thehouse of Israel; but I will utterlytake them away” (Hosea 1:6b).

The Glorious Future of Jewish IsraelA verse-by-verse prophecy studyof Joel, Zephaniah, Haggai,Zechariah and Malachi. Thetwelve Minor Prophets includeall of humanity for all times, andclimax in the revelation of JesusChrist, the Son of God, whoHimself declared, “Salvation is ofthe Jews.”

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Jesus had no other proof of Hislegitimacy than He Himself. Henever wrote a book, commandedno army, had no political office,and no possessions. Almost 2,000 years ago, He traveled within a radius ofabout 150 kilometers of His hometown of Nazareth, andyet His name is still well-known today.

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You can understandBible prophecy!In this guide, originally titledUnderstanding BibleProphecy for Yourself, you’llfind all the essentialbuilding blocks forunderstanding prophecyand more:• step-by-step examples ofhow to interpret Biblepassages on the rapture,

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Can I know for sure what’s in store forthe future?With so much hype about the signs of the times, it’s more important thanever to know what God really said was going to happen. It’s not enoughto take someone else’s word for it. You must know how to uncoverprophetic truths in the Bible for yourself. In this easy-to-read yet ex-tremely helpful guide to understanding the nature and purpose of theprophetic passages in Scripture, Jeff Kinley will show you…• the five biggest mistakes people make when it comes to Bible prophecy• how to sort fact from fiction and spot false prophets• the major views and interpretive principles you need to know• the difference Bible prophecy makes in your life right now!

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JEFF KINLEY (ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary) hasauthored over 30 books and speaks across thecountry. His ministry equips churches to discern thetimes. Jeff’s weekly Vintage Truth podcasts are heardin 38 countries. He and his wife live in the Ozarks andhave three grown sons. His website is jeffkinley.com.

will the church witness the antichrist? pg. 12 · the guitarist attila rontó, born 1969 in...

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