Nov 2, 2009

Are We There Yet?

Terry JamesBy Terry James

My article posted for this past week, "America and Mother Earth Worship," about the December 6-18 climate change conference in Copenhagen, causes me, upon reflection, to make some corollary observations. There is need to clarify, I think.

Thinking on Bible prophecy and these volatile days through which we are passing generates the same kind of questions we often had as children on a long trip. The TV/radio commercial captures the question perfectly: "Are we there yet?"

By watching the developments of profound signals of prophetic import - like, for example, the Copenhagen conference and its potential for fomenting world governance - I fear we sometimes look at such developments as the specific events that will produce the Antichrist regime - i.e., we sometimes imply/infer that these developments mean we are, in fact, already there. Each such event seems like the fulfillment is upon us.

So, I want to somewhat moderate my thinking on advising how to consider issues and events in the news. The proof that we aren't there yet, fulfillment-wise, is quite evident. In almost every instance of those dramatic news-making trends toward Tribulation, something seems to inevitably pull the world back from the brink of that apocalypse.

In the case of the Copenhagen meetings that are to be designed to twist the arms of the leaders of all nations involved to sign on to a treaty that will obligate them to global governance in ecological matters, movement has suddenly slowed to a crawl. The following excerpt explains the slowing of the train to Tribulation that seemed, just a week ago, unstoppable:

"President Obama is 'leaning toward not going' to the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December, a senior administration official told Fox News..." (Major Garret, "Obama Likely to Skip Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen," FOXNews.com, 10/24/09).
The report stated that the Obama administration's thinking at present is that the Copenhagen conference doesn't rise to the level that needs the top echelon of leadership. The president will be accepting his Nobel Peace Prize at Oslo, Norway, on the second day of the Copenhagen conference. He will, the thinking goes, speak to the matters of global ecological concerns from his platform at Oslo.

The report states further:
"One big reason the Copenhagen conference is not a 'head of state' event is because of the slow progress of climate change legislation in the U.S. Senate. Absent Senate passage of a climate change bill mandating a cap-and-trade system, Obama will have nothing to bring to Copenhagen as part of a U.S.-led effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a factor likely to undermine global efforts to curb those emissions" (Ibid.).
The bottom line is that, for now, the administration's decision - if it holds - lets the air out of the global elitists' grandiose plans to get a treaty accomplished in December. The rest of the world will, as things are right now, have to follow the lead of the still most powerful nation on the planet.

This sort of power playing on the world stage is a major reason the globalist architects want there to be no one superpower. The neo-Tower of Babel builders want the power garnered in an oligarchy of sort, with them holding all of the marbles. It is ironic that America's current president, who seems bent on bringing America into such a configuration as the elitists want, is now acting as primary hindrance to giving them what they want - America's wealth and sovereignty.

My point beyond that is to say that, indeed, we are not there yet. We haven't yet seen the playing out of the prophecies that will first arrange as they must. God is in control! The lurching forward of prophetic rearrangement, then the sudden braking, has been a consistent part of these past several years and months. The Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union dissolved. Jews began rushing to Israel. It seemed that this was it. Prophecy would quickly unfold and planet earth would soon be in Tribulation.

Then Gulf War I and the attacks of 9/11/01 pushed alarm buttons, and the reaction, even to the non-Christian world - was to look to prophecy and the long-anticipated Armageddon.

Most every international issue and event that bursts in our headlines seems to make some conclude that now the fulfillment of the foretellings of Jesus and the prophets are at hand. I am talking about, of course, people who view Bible prophecy as truth from God's Word. Too often, the over-exuberant Bible prophecy student looks at these unfolding things as fulfillment to one degree or another. But, we aren't there yet.

My caution, therefore, is to look at all of the dynamic rearrangements taking place through the prism of God's prophetic microscope, the Bible. But, we must understand that these are all stage-settings, not fulfillment in themselves. It is a process of fulfilling in which we are involved at present.

The possible exception might be the nation Israel back in the land of promise. Even this astounding fact, however, is a prophecy in the process of fulfilling, for the people have not yet fully possessed that land.

We aren't there yet. But, obviously, from all of the evidence before us, our destination, where we will look face to face into the eyes of our Blessed Lord, can't be too far distant.

Related Links

Copenhagen Consequences: What You Need To Know - Heritage.org
Are Meetings in Barcelona and Copenhagen ‘Make or Break’ for Climate? - New York Times
Danish PM upbeat on new global climate deal - Reuters
Gore says Obama likely to attend Copenhagen climate summit - NRC International
The American Apocalypse: Is the United States in Bible Prophecy? - Terry James (Book)