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    The International Prophetic Voice for the Endtimes

    APRIL 2010$4.75

    LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

    TenCommandmentsFridayCrucifixionOneShallBeTakenPg.37

    \

    Last-DayOppressors:HonoredElites&anIndebtedWorldOrderPartI

    Pg.23

    TheCallingof theTwelveDisciplesPhilip

    Pg.34

    FirstThessalonians4andtheRapturePartIPg.15

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    Includes every issue of

    MidnightCallfor 2009.

    Fully loaded with

    inspiring messages and

    prophecy news updates

    thatyouwontwantto

    miss!

    Amustforyourarchival

    needs.

    9Midnight CallMagazineYearbook

    $45ITEM# 1909

    order: Use the order form onpage47,: 800-845-2420 or fax:803-755-6002

    Nolibraryisomplete withoutthe

    2009MidnightCall

    Yearbook!Order now! Limitedquantities available.

    4 Easy Ways To OrderMail your orderformwithpayment toPO Box280008,ColumbiaSC 29228.

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    BANKRUPTCY OF OURNATION

    ITEM# 2244 272 pgs.

    Paperback

    $13.99Author: Jerry Robinson

    POTECT YOUR FAMILYFROMOUR

    BUY NOW, PAY LATER NATIONWelcome to the End of an EmpireSurrounded by a host of political and social problems, America standsat the crossroads of a devastating economic crisisthe size and scopeof which demand immediate action, while instability and debt loom

    over the future.

    America is the greatest debtor nation in history. The value of the dollar is at tremendous risk. Inflation is about to become a huge reality.

    Crippled by personal debt, local and state governments facing revenuelosses, and the federal government struggling to bail out segments ofthe economy, many Americans are suddenly afraid and uncertain ofwhat the future may bring. Many worry if the United States can evenrecover from this crisis. Will you and your family financially survive andeven thrive during this turbulent time?

    Bankruptcy of Our Nationgives you vital insight, historical and futureperspective, revealing how America got into this mess, and how youcan make informed decisions to weather this economic crisis. Prepareyour family for the coming hyperinflationary depression and build yourfinancial house on the Rock of our salvationwe needGods wisdom now, more than ever.

    Jerry Robinson, conference speaker,columnist, economic consultant, andpresident of Jerry RobinsonMinistriesInternational,offers cutting-edge

    teaching on geopolitical, economic,and cultural trends and how they relateto the Church.

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    C O N T E N T S

    8

    Barabbas or JesusBy Norbert Lieth

    The story of Barabbas has a meaning and a

    purpose. It is in the Bible for our sakes.It is a

    biography of the whole of mankind. God planned

    toinclude itin the Bible in order toopen our eyes

    about ourselves and about His intent to save.

    15 First Thessalonians 4 and the Rapture PartIBy Dr. Ron J. Bigalke Jr.

    If one were to request only onepassage of Scripture

    as proof for a pretribulational rapture,the majority of

    pretribulationists wouldlikely cite 1 Thessalonians

    4:13-18. Since this is a foundational passage,it is

    pertinent to understand rightly what God has

    revealed.

    23 Money: Ends and Trends

    Last-Day Oppressors: Honored Elites & anIndebted World Order Part IBy Wilfred Hahn

    According to a recently released study,government debt levels around the world have risen

    75%over the last two years. Just what threat to the entire earth would cause policymakers

    around the globe to plunge into such lunacy?We will highlight the significance of this

    development and how it relates to Bible prophecy.

    34 The Calling of the Twelve DisciplesPhilip

    MidnightCallAPRIL 2010

    COVER STORY

    28 FRANCE

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    in the World

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    4 Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By Arno FroeseZECHARIAH 7:13

    37 Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By Arno FroeseTEN COMMANDMENTS...FRIDAY CRUCIFIXION...ONE SHALL BE TAKEN

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

    Therefore it is come to pass, thatas he cried,and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear,saith the LORD of hosts (Zechariah 7:13).

    E D I T O R S N O T E

    B y A r n o F r o e s e

    After Zechariah had received

    eight prophetic visions of spiri-

    tual and heavenly substance,

    but relating to his people Israel, he

    now finds himself back in Jerusalem.

    Zechariah is now confronted with

    earthly realities: And it came to pass in the

    fourth year of king Darius, that the word ofthe LORD came unto Zechariah in the

    fourth day of the ninth month, even in

    Chisleu (verse 1). We note that the year,

    the day and the month are given. Mention-

    ing King Darius points to the fact that the

    political authority of a foreign king was ac-

    cepted. Most commentaries agree that this

    was in the second year of the rebuilding of

    the Temple, which lasted a total of four

    years. The month Chisleu is equivalent to

    November/December. The year is 518 BC.The next verse needs some explanation

    to grasp the meaning: When they had sent

    unto the house of God Sharezar and Regem-

    melech, and their men, to pray before the

    LORD (verse 2). We are not clearly told

    who they are. So lets read the NIV transla-

    tion: The people of Bethel had sent

    Sharezer and Regem-melech, together with

    their men, to entreat the LORD. These peo-

    ple are from Bethel, which means house of

    God. This is the place where Jacob had his

    dream and said, And he was afraid, and

    said, How dreadful is this place! this is

    none other but the house of God, and this

    is the gate of heaven (Genesis 28:17).

    The inhabitants of Bethel were not of the

    tribe of Judah, but they recognized it was

    God who brought Judah back from captiv-ity after 70 years. They also knew that the

    Temple in Jerusalem was under construc-

    tion. They came to ask a specific question

    regarding their religious activity: Speak

    unto the priests which were in the house of

    the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets,

    saying, Should I weep in the fifth month,

    separating myself, as I have done these so

    many years? (verse 3). The fifth month is

    the month of Av (July/August). Ungers

    Bible Dictionary names three reasons forfasting (page 164):

    1) New moon; fast for death of Aaron,

    commemorated by children of Jethuel, who

    furnished wood to temple after the captiv-

    ity.

    2) Fast in memory of Gods declaration

    against murmurers entering Canaan (Num-

    bers 14:29-31).

    3) Fast, because in the time of Ahaz the

    evening lamp went out.

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    APRIL 2010 5

    Published 12 times a year by

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    STATEMENT OF FAITHWE BELIEVEin the divine inspiration of the whole Bible andtherewith the infallibility of the Holy Scripture, which is GodsWord, and in the eternal Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

    WE BELIEVEJesus Christ, the Son of God, was conceived of theHoly Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, and shedHis blood to save mankind. He died and arose bodily the thirdday and later ascended into heaven.

    WE BELIEVEthat the Lord Jesus Christ died in the place ofeach individual sinner and that all who believe in Him as theirpersonal Savior are justified through His shed blood and havebecome children of God.

    WE BELIEVEthat Israel is Gods chosen people, and that therestoration of the Jews to their own land is the fulfillment ofthe Word of God.

    WE BELIEVEin the pretribulational appearance of Jesus Christfor the Rapture of His Church (all born again believers).

    WE BELIEVEin the immortality of our souls and the resurrectionof our bodies, and in the resurrection of the just and the unjust, theeverlasting blessedness of the saved and the everlasting punishment

    of the lost.

    The Prophetic Voice for the Endtimes PRINTED IN 12 LANGUAGES

    ISSN 10948600

    These people were religiously very active. They did what they were sup-

    posed to do.

    But there is no reaction from the priests or the prophets. The next verse

    reads: Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me (verse 4). Appar-

    ently, the men of Bethel did not need additional instruction from the priests or

    prophets; they needed to hear directly from the Lord, and thats what transpired:Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted

    and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at

    all fast unto me, even to me? And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did

    not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves? Should ye not hear the

    words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was

    inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men

    inhabited the south and the plain? (verses 5-7). We note that this is addressed

    unto all the people: those who came from Bethel and those who had returned

    from the Babylonian captivity. In other words, it was addressed to all of Israel.

    The Lord God asked three significant questions: 1) Did you fast because

    of Me? 2) Did you feast for yourselves? and 3) Why did you not listen to the

    prophets?

    When they fasted on the fifth month, they also had reasons to feast. Here

    again,Ungers Bible Dictionary(page 164):

    1) Feast, when wood was stored in temple. 2) Feast, in memory of law

    providing for sons and daughters alike inheriting estate of parents.

    The same is applicable for the seventh month. They fasted and were

    feasting as well. In plain words, they did their religious duty for the sake of

    their own selves. Now they inquire if they did enough.

    The Lord reminds them of Jerusalems former glory, the times under David

    and Solomon, when peace and prosperity reigned. This included Bethel, theplace located about 20 kilometers north of Jerusalem. Interestingly, it also

    mentions the south and the plain, which includes part of todays Negev. That

    was the time when God looked upon the people and the land favorably.

    It stands to reason therefore that the Israelites were in dire need during

    those days; they were hoping for the good ole days to return. They knew

    that the God of Israel was the source of all blessing; subsequently, they prac-

    ticed their religious duty to obtain favor from God.

    Next comes the Lords thundering accusations against His people: And

    the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying, Thus speaketh the

    LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and com-

    passions every man to his brother: And oppress not the widow, nor the fa-therless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against

    his brother in your heart (verses 8-10). They faithfully practiced their reli-

    gious feasts, but quite apparently in a shallow manner; not in truth or with

    compassion. The most essential, they failed to practice, and that can be

    summarized with the words of our Lord: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as

    thyself (Matthew 19:19). Their personal well-being, the accumulation of

    possessions, was how they defined the sign of blessings of the Lord.

    What a message for the Church today! In reading Christian literature and lis-

    tening to the voices over the air, it becomes crystal clear that we confuse blessing

    with success, possessions with compassion. When it comes to the poor in our

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    nation, they are either totally ignored or brushed off with the words, They are

    too lazy to work. Often Scripture is used to support such heartlessness, If any

    would not work, neither should he eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10). But this Scrip-

    ture is not applicable to a nation; it is addressed to the Church.

    In talking about the stranger, the foreigner, we see an abundance of un-

    bridled hate clearly expressed in Christian literature: hate against strangers,foreigners, and the less fortunate.

    In conversation with a brother some time ago, who expressed his disdain

    about the great number of Mexicans coming to this country, I found that he did

    not realize that the majority are of Native American descent. He ignored the

    fact that most have not had the opportunity to hear the Gospel of the Lord Je-

    sus Christ. I said, Allow for the possibility that the Lord brings these people to

    us because we were too lazy to go to them and present the Gospel. Such sim-

    ple truth hurts, but it exposes our diabolical selfish nature. We only think

    about ourselves, our family, our people. Self-centeredness is probably more ev-

    ident today than ever before. Here we are reminded of the words found in 2

    Timothy 3, which specifically emphasizes the last days: For men shall be

    lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient

    to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false

    accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady,

    highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God (verses 2-4).

    The Israelis in ancient time did imagine evil against [their] brother in

    [their] heart. That was the accusation of God against His people.

    Not heeding the Word of God, not wanting righteous judgment, and not

    practicing mercy and compassion leads to the hardening of the spiritual ear:

    But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their

    ears, that they should not hear (Zechariah 7:11).Throughout the Bible, over and again, man is invited, admonished, even

    urged to hear what the Lord has to say. Even in the last book of the Bible, Rev-

    elation, we read of the exalted Lord urging the church seven times: He that

    hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit sayeth unto the churches.

    Israel was chosen by God to be a nation above all other nations on the face of

    the earth, yet they simply and stubbornly refused to listen to the prophetic Word

    of God. This is a deliberate act of rebellion. It reminds us of disobedient children.

    If faced with the truth, they will shrug their shoulders and act as if they dont

    know what is being said, thus deliberately refusing to acknowledge wrong.

    The Lord continues: Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone,

    lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hathsent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from

    the LORD of hosts (verse 12).

    These accusations, we reemphasize again, are directed unto all the people. In

    the first place, it means the people of Israel, but it also includes the entire world.

    Do we find many righteous people, upright in heart, full of compassion?

    The brutality and hate against our fellow man is the very nature of our be-

    ing; it is the old Adamic flesh with the heart of stone. It needs to come to

    the cross, not once, but must remain there until the death of the old nature.

    Israel refused to listen to the prophets. Today, Churchianity has excluded

    the prophetic Word from the proclamation of the Gospel. Worse yet, Bible-

    To start or renew yourNews From Israelmagazinesubscription, please use the

    order form on pages 46-47, orcall 800-845-2420 and haveyour credit card ready.

    In light of thetimes,NewsFrom Israelisa necessary monthly

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    E D I T O R S N O T E

    believing Christianity increasingly refuses to heed the prophetic Word,

    which instructs us: Waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. This

    plain and simple admonition to wait is being changed by interpretation to

    mean, after certain events. For example, many teach today that we must

    first wait for the tribulation, or the middle of the tribulation. Innumerable

    other theories are being put forth with one purpose in mind: the believershould not wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ today, but rather

    must wait for certain signs to be fulfilled first. That is a false gospel.

    It is not just a matter of ignoring the prophetic Word or of shutting ones

    ear to the warning of God, but the very messengers proclaiming the warning

    are attacked.

    Some 500 years after Zechariah, it was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who

    stated, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been

    partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses

    unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets

    (Matthew 23:30-31). We know what happened in 70 A.D. The Romans came,

    destroyed Jerusalem and burned the Temple, not leaving one stone upon an-

    other, and the Jewish people were dispersed all over planet Earth.

    Now we come to our introductory verse: Therefore it is come to pass, that as

    he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the

    LORD of hosts (verse 13). That too was literally fulfilled. There was no prophet

    in Israel during those 500 years. Then John the Baptist appeared on the scene

    with a very simple message: Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand

    (Matthew 3:2). Doubtless, during those 500 years, the Jews in the Diaspora and

    the few who lived in the land of Israel searched the Scriptures diligently. They

    practiced their religion, they read the Torah, but there was no answer from

    heaven; there was no prophet who said, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel.When we refuse to hear the words of the Lord, it will not only result in

    the hardening of the heart and the closing of the ear, but something much

    worse: I would not hear. He, the Lord God of Israel, would shut off His

    ear to the cry of His people.

    With the rejection of the nation of Israel, although temporary, the land

    suffered as well: But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the na-

    tions whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no

    man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate

    (verse 14). This is evident from a number of historical documents: Israel be-

    came a desert, void of vegetation. It could no longer be defined as a pleasant

    land; the land was stripped of its fertile soil and exposed to the burning heatof the Middle Eastern sun.

    We cannot conclude this study without again showing Gods mercy, long

    suffering, grace and His intention to return His people to their land: And

    I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries,

    and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of

    Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the countryAnd the

    tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase,

    and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD,

    when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the

    hand of those that served themselves of them. (Ezekiel 34:13, 27).

    APRIL 2010 7

    Atlantic CoastProphecy Conference2426 October 2010

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

    N O R B E R T L I E T H

    It is the greatest exchange of places in the history of mankind.

    This event epitomizes the truth concerning God and man.

    It is the story of Barabbas, the condemned murderer,

    and Jesus the Son of God.

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    C O V E R S T O R Y

    The person of Barabbas shows us

    a true picture of man. Jesus

    shows us the true image of

    God. In Barabbas we see a piece of

    ourselves. In Jesus we see the nature

    of God. Yet Barabbas was set free, and

    Jesus condemned. The story of their

    change of places is in Mark 15:6-15:

    Now at that feast he released unto

    them one prisoner, whomsoever they

    desired. And there was one named

    Barabbas, which lay bound with them

    that had made insurrection with him,

    who had committed murder in the in-

    surrection. And the multitude crying

    aloud began to desire him to do as he

    had ever done unto them. But Pilate

    answered them, saying, Will ye that

    I release unto you the King of the

    Jews? For he knew that the chief

    priests had delivered him for envy. Butthe chief priests moved the people,

    that he should rather release Barabbas

    unto them. And Pilate answered and

    said again unto them, What will ye

    then that I shall do unto him whom ye

    call the King of the Jews? And they

    cried out again, Crucify him. Then Pi-

    late said unto them, Why, what evil

    hath he done? And they cried out the

    more exceedingly, Crucify him. And so

    Pilate, willing to content the people,released Barabbas unto them, and de-

    livered Jesus, when he had scourged

    him, to be crucified.

    The story of Barabbas has a meaning

    and a purpose. It is in the Bible for our

    sakes. It is a biography of the whole of

    mankind. God planned to include it in

    the Bible in order to open our eyes

    about ourselves and about His intent to

    save.

    Barabbas shows us man as he is.The meaning of the Aramaic name

    Barabbas is son of the father. It is

    striking that Barabbas has no family

    name. For this reason Mark describes

    him as one named Barabbas. He seems

    to lack a clear identity. He is not called

    Bar Jona (son of Jona), or Barnabas

    (son of comfort), or Barsabas (son of

    the sabbath). His name is not

    Bartholomew (son of Talmai) or Barti-

    maeus (son of Timaeus). Barabbas is

    simply called son of the father. Barab-

    bas is the son of a father. This unusual

    name casts light on certain truths con-

    cerning us.

    Perhaps Barabbas was an illegitimate

    child who did not know his father.

    Somebody fathered him, but he did not

    have a father in his home. Family

    warmth and security were not known tohim. This is the whole point.

    According to Deuteronomy 23:3, a

    man who was the product of a forbidden

    marriage or an extra-marital relation-

    ship was not allowed to enter into the

    congregation of the Lord, even to the

    tenth generation.

    Because he had no name, we can in-

    sert any name here. We can insert our

    own names. Barabbas means every one

    of us. Any one of us could be in hisplace. Yes, Barabbas bears a thousand

    names.

    It is bitter to grow up without a fa-

    ther. Such people often lack warmth.

    They have difficulty in showing their

    feelings. They are often shy and retiring,

    or else ruthless and hard. Later on their

    own children often suffer under the fact

    that their father (or their mother) had

    no father themselves.

    APRIL 2010 9

    The story of Barabbas has a meaning and a purpose. It is in the Bible for oursakes. It is a biography of the whole of mankind. God planned to include it in theBible in order to open our eyes about ourselves and about His intent to save.

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

    It is incomparably worse, however,

    when we are fatherless in the spiritual

    sense. All people that are born into this

    world have by nature no Father in

    heaven. We were not born into the fam-

    ily of God, for we are born in sin. The

    natural man does not know the warmth

    and security in God.

    As shocked as many people may be,

    it is the biblical truth that every personis by nature a child of the devil. Jesus,

    in His lifetime, shocked the most pious

    people in the world, the Jews, with this

    truth.

    But the problem is just as topical to-

    day and concerns each one of us. Jesus

    said, Ye do the deeds of your father.

    Then said they to him, We be not born

    of fornication; we have one Father, even

    God. Jesus said unto them, If God were

    your Father, ye would love me: forI proceeded forth and came from God;

    neither came I of myself, but he sent

    me. Why do ye not understand my

    speech? Even because ye cannot hear

    my word. Ye are of your father the devil,

    and the lusts of your father ye will do.

    He was a murderer from the beginning,

    and abode not in the truth, because

    there is no truth in him. When he

    speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own:

    for he is a liar, and the father ofit (John 8:41-44).

    The lies of the world and the

    lies of life show us who our fa-

    ther is, and they reveal how all

    our own piety and the fulfilling

    of moral and religious laws can-

    not change the inborn nature of

    man.

    Barabbas is a person underthe rule of sin and Satan.This

    man, who lacked a real father, is given

    many other descriptions in the Bible in

    the place of a family name:

    He is called a robber (John

    18:40).

    He is said to have made insurrec-

    tion and committed murder (Mark

    15:7).

    He is called a notable prisoner

    (Matthew 27:16). He was a political antagonist who

    lay bound with them that had made

    insurrection with him (Mark 15:7).

    It is assumed, therefore, that he was a

    zealot, a resistance fighter against the

    Roman occupation powers. He was,

    then, a terrorist, a rebel, an incalculable

    man, capable of anything, ruthless and

    full of hatred.

    Even if not all people behave as

    wickedly as Barabbas, we all bear thesame seed of evil in us.

    Man robs by taking advantage of

    others.

    He is rebellious against God, as

    also against man.

    He is a captive of sin, hatred and

    resistance.

    Man takes other people with him

    and induces them to do evil. Man influ-

    ences man and is influenced by others.

    It is assumed, therefore, that he was a zealot, a resistance fighter against theRoman occupation powers. He was, then, a terrorist, a rebel, an incalculable man,capable of anything, ruthless and full of hatred.

    BARABBAS OR JESUS

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    C O V E R S T O R Y

    Yes, man is sitting with thou-

    sands of other rebels in the

    same cell.

    Barabbas is what pleasesman. Barabbas symbolizes amankind who chooses every-

    thing rather than Jesus:

    power, politics, religion, re-

    bellion. Barabbas also sym-

    bolizes simultaneously men

    who let themselves be influ-

    enced by all sorts of things,

    just not by the truth in Jesus

    Christ. But the chief priests

    and elders persuaded the

    multitude that they should

    ask Barabbas, and destroy Je-

    sus (Matthew 27:20). This

    has not changed up to the present day.Man is influenced today by:

    a new atheism,

    everything anti-godly, such as the

    doctrine of evolution, for instance,

    pseudo-scientific books, antichrist-

    ian articles in news magazines, films,

    television and the Internet,

    diverse religions or esoteric things,

    all kinds of trends and movements.

    A cold, calculating Barabbas is prefer-

    able to people to a loving Jesus. Theheathen of our day are admired and

    their way of thinking quickly adopted.

    What Barabbas wanted appears to them

    to be logical and exemplary; what Jesus

    brought, they reject. Somebody said,

    The choice between Jesus and Barabbas

    is a clear proof of how dangerous it is to

    let public opinion decide concerning the

    most important questions of life, truth

    and right.

    The governor answered and saidunto them, Whether of the twain will ye

    that I release unto you? They said,

    Barabbas (Matthew 27:21). Is it not

    shocking what superficial and adopted

    convictions people prefer to cling to,

    rather than to choose Jesus? Man does

    not want any changes that God makes.

    Instead of this, he lets himself be led by

    others. Thereby he becomes a victim of

    self-deception and thinks he has his

    own opinion and is free. Yet in reality heis succumbing more and more to group

    pressure.

    Pilate saith unto them, What shall

    I do then with Jesus which is called

    Christ? They all say unto him, Let him

    be crucified (verse 22). Our present

    world is intent as never before on doing

    away with Jesus and choosing an an-

    tichristian Barabbas for themselves. In

    German [and no doubt American]

    APRIL 2010 11

    Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?They all say unto him, Let him be crucified (verse 22). Our present world isintent as never before on doing away with Jesus and choosing an antichristian

    Barabbas for themselves.

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

    schools everything is

    taught under religious

    instruction, whether it

    be Buddhism or Yoga,

    but that which Christ

    brought is trampled

    underfoot.

    And the governor

    said, Why, what evil

    hath he done? But they

    cried out the more,

    saying, Let him be cru-

    cified (verse 23). In

    truth, the people had

    no valid argument against Jesus and His

    Word. Jesus is historically incomparable

    and superior to all. The Bible has never

    really been proven wrong, but ultimately

    confirmed.

    The famous Russian author, FyodorMikhaylovich Dostoyevsky, wrote, I be-

    lieve there is nothing more lovely, deeper,

    more likeable, more reasonable, stronger

    and more perfect than the Redeemer.

    One of the most significant presidents

    of the United States, Abraham Lincoln,

    said, In my opinion, the Bible is Gods

    greatest gift to mankind. All the good

    deeds of the Redeemer to mankind are

    made known to us through this book.

    I have often been brought to my kneesbecause I was convinced that there is no

    alternative.

    Man has ultimately no argument

    against Christ, What evil hath he

    done? This is the reason for mans argu-

    ment, Crucify him.

    When Pilate saw that he could pre-

    vail nothing, but that rather a tumult was

    made, he took water, and washed his

    hands before the multitude, saying, I am

    innocent of the blood

    of this just person: see

    ye to it (verse 24). Ul-

    timately, every individ-

    ual person is himself

    fully responsible for

    what he does with Je-

    sus, and by whom he is

    influenced. Pilate saw

    that Jesus was accused

    out of envy, without

    having done anything

    wrong. There were no

    real arguments. The

    Roman governor called Him a just per-

    son, even, and then said, See ye to it.

    What are you going to do with Jesus?

    What are you going to let happen? Do

    you set your sail according to the wind?

    Do you howl with the wolves? And soPilate, willing to content the people, re-

    leased Barabbas unto them, and deliv-

    ered Jesus, when he had scourged him,

    to be crucified (Mark 15:15).

    Man seeks satisfaction. He seems to

    find the greatest satisfaction in doing

    away with Jesus Christ, so that he can

    live as he pleases. Our world rejects Je-

    sus and cries simultaneously for a world

    redeemer. And they were instant with

    loud voices, requiring that he might becrucified. And the voices of them and of

    the chief priests prevailed (Luke

    23:23).

    In our day the cries are becoming

    louder and louder. The headwind is be-

    coming stronger. People do not want Je-

    sus but Barabbas. Those who voice their

    Christian opinions are called extremists

    and fundamentalists. Jesus is con-

    demned for what Barabbas did. Man

    One of the most significant presidents of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, said,In my opinion, the Bible is Gods greatest gift to mankind. All the good deeds ofthe Redeemer to mankind are made known to us through this book. I have often

    been brought to my knees because I was convinced that there is no alternative.

    BARABBAS OR JESUS

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    C O V E R S T O R Y

    gives God the blame, while he legiti-

    mates evil. The truth has to die for the

    lie, and the just One is given up for the

    unjust.

    Are you crying out against God in

    your heart?

    Jesus. And Jesus? He simply standsthere. Is God the brutal, unjust judge

    who deliberately torments us and is re-

    sponsible for evil? No, Jesus shows us

    through Himself who God is. Jesus does

    not answer; He says nothing and He

    does not argue with the abysmal injus-

    tice of the people against Him. He sim-

    ply stands in silence next to Barabbas,

    and even accepts the exchange of places.

    He wants it. His silence is the loudest

    speaking of God to our hearts. He wants

    to bring freedom to us rebels, we people

    who are laden down with rebelliousthoughts. He wants to be a Father to the

    fatherless.

    In Barabbas, the son without a father,

    we see coldness and ruthlessness. We

    see the world, sin and ourselves. In Je-

    sus, the Son of the Father in heaven, we

    see the exact opposite. John greets the

    recipients of his second letter concern-

    ing the Father and His Son fittingly with

    the following words, Grace be with

    you, mercy, and peace, from God the Fa-ther, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the

    Son of the Father, in truth and love (2

    John 3).

    Barabbas or Jesus today. Today weare living at the end of the days before

    the return of Jesus. The battle of society

    over the decision between Barabbas and

    Jesus is taking on distinct outlines. At

    that time, it was one of the first acts that

    belonged to the rejection of Christ. To-

    day, we are approaching the climax of

    the last act of the rejection of Jesus.

    Barabbas, a son of the fatherJe-

    sus, the Son of the Father. Some trans-

    lations even add the name Jesus to the

    name of Barabbas; the German Luther

    Bible, for instance.

    So at the beginning of redemption a

    Jesus, son of the father, is confrontedwith the heavenly Jesus, Son of the Fa-

    ther.

    At the end of the age of grace, the

    world will have to decide again between

    an Antichrist and the true Christ. We

    know now already how this choice will

    turn out. The tendencies of our day

    speak a clear language.

    The so-called public opinion will, as

    it was then, be strongly influenced. Be-

    APRIL 2010 13

    At the end of the age of grace, the world will have to decide again between anAntichrist and the true Christ. We know now already how this choice will turn out.The tendencies of our day speak a clear language.

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

    THETIMINGOFTHE PAROUSIA

    There are three views with regard to the

    timing of the Lords coming, and those

    are pretribulationism, midtribulation-

    ism, and then posttribulationism.1 It is

    important to understand that the timing

    issue with regard to the Lords coming

    (i.e. the doctrine of the rapture as dis-

    tinct from the second coming) is the re-

    sult of premillennial theology. For

    instance, amillennialists and postmillen-

    nialists do not believe Scripture to teach

    any kind of rapture, because those the-

    ologies believe there is only one return

    of the Lord Jesus, which is accompanied

    by a general resurrection and general

    judgment.2

    Consequently, amillennialand postmillennial eschatology is sim-

    plistic (and therefore easy to under-

    stand), because all prophecies with

    regard to judgment and resurrection are

    combined.

    Premillennial eschatology is very

    complex because there are many diverse

    events. Scripture prophesies of a rapture,

    seven-year tribulation, second coming, a

    75-day interval prior to the millennium,

    the final rebellion of Satan at the end ofthe millennium; moreover, there is not a

    general resurrection and general judg-

    ment, but there is the judgment seat of

    Christ, the first resurrection, the second

    resurrection, and the Great White

    Throne judgment. What is noteworthy

    with regard to premillennialism is to

    compare it to diagrams of the Book of

    Kings or the Book of Chronicles, which

    are also incredibly complex because

    those Old Testament books are accounts

    of real history. Likewise, premillennial

    eschatology is complex because it sys-

    tematizes what will be historical, and

    therefore literal details of the Bible.

    It is also worthy noting that there is

    nearly universal agreement that if one

    interprets Scripture literally, the out-

    come will be a premillennial eschatology.

    For instance, (amillennialist) Oswald T.

    Allis wrote, The Old Testament prophe-

    cies if literally interpreted cannot be re-

    garded as having been fulfilled or as

    being capable of fulfillment in this pre-

    sent age.3 Floyd E. Hamilton, who was

    also opposed to premillennialism, wrote

    similarly, Now we must frankly admitthat a literal interpretation of the Old

    Testament prophecies gives us just such

    a picture of an earthly reign of the Mes-

    siah as the premillennialist pictures.

    That was the kind of a Messianic king-

    dom that the Jews of the time of Christ

    were looking for, on the basis of a literal

    interpretation of the Old Testament.4 Of

    course, amillennialists and postmillenni-

    alists attempt to provide explanations as

    to why one should not regard specificprophetic texts literally and why one

    should not interpret biblical prophecy

    literally. Certain passages in 1 Thessalo-

    nians or in Daniel (chs. 712) and Rev-

    elation are regarded as an apocalyptic

    genre (sc. symbolic primarily), and/or

    are interpreted spiritually (allegorically),

    so that the literal meaning is not de-

    sired.5 Therefore, addressing the issue of

    the distinction between the rapture and

    Premillennial eschatology is very complex because there are many di-

    verse events. Scripture prophesies of a rapture, seven-year tribulation,

    second coming, a 75-day interval prior to the millennium, the final re-

    bellion of Satan at the end of the millennium; moreover, there is not ageneral resurrection and general judgment, but there is the judgment

    seat of Christ, the first resurrection, the second resurrection, and the

    Great White Throne judgment.

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    the second coming is not a concern for

    amillennialists and postmillennialists.

    PRETRIBULATIONISM ANDMIDTRIBULA-

    TIONISM

    The issue with regard to the rapture of

    the church is a premillennial discussion

    dealing with the timing of that coming,

    and whether it is pretribulational,

    midtribulational, or posttribulational.The pretribulational view that the rap-

    ture will precede the seven years of

    tribulation is whatMidnight Callunder-

    stands Scripture to teach. The midtribu-

    lational view is actually a variation of

    the pretribulational, because midtribu-

    lationists simply regard the church as

    being exempt from tribulation, or the

    wrath of God, which begins at the mid-

    point of the tribulation, that is, the last

    three and a half years. Both pretribula-tionists and midtribulationists would

    agree the church is not destined to ex-

    perience the wrath of the tribulation,

    but pretribulationists and midtribula-

    tionists disagree as to when that wrath

    begins.

    The pretribulationist understands

    the wrath of God to begin at the begin-

    ning of the tribulation, and the

    midtribulationist believes that Gods

    wrath occurs at the tribulational

    midpoint, which is their method

    for affirming that the church is

    raptured prior to the outpouring of

    Gods wrath. Midtribulationists re-

    fer typically to Revelation 11,

    wherein the biblical text refers to

    the snatching upward of the two

    witnesses who have been martyred.

    Midtribulationists believe the

    prophesied event to be symbolic of

    the church. Consequently, the

    midtribulationist does not believe the

    rapture is imminent; it cannot occur at

    any moment because certain events

    must occur, which is a primary distinc-

    tion from pretribulationism, which

    states the rapture can occur at any mo-

    ment (i.e. although events may precede

    the rapture, there are no prophesied

    events thatmustoccur).Midtribulationism does not receive

    much attention, as there are not many

    midtribulationists presently, and there

    have not been many midtribulationists

    throughout the history of the church.

    Marvin Rosenthal, the founder of Zions

    Hope Ministries and the Holy Land Ex-

    perience in Orlando, Florida,6 has at-

    tempted to revive midtribulational

    thinking with what he calls the pre-

    wrath rapture of the church. Rosenthaldoes not regard his view as midtribula-

    tional and does not make any reference

    to midtribulationism. However, his ar-

    gumentation is entirely similar to

    midtribulationism, and should be un-

    derstood as a combination of both pret-

    ribulational and posttribulational

    assertions. The majority of rapture dis-

    cussions involve the pretribulational or

    posttribulational views.

    Both pretribulationists and midtribulationists would agree the church is

    not destined to experience the wrath of the tribulation, but pretribula-

    tionists and midtribulationists disagree as to when that wrath begins.

    FIRST THESSALONIANS 4 AND THE RAPTURE

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

    POSTTRIBULATIONISM

    Posttribulationalists are attempting to

    reassert their position. Baker Books has

    even released a new book affirming acertain type of posttribulationism,7 be-

    cause adherents of that position recog-

    nize that primarily with regard to the

    rapture, the majority of the focus has

    been upon pretribulationism. According

    to the posttribulational view, the church

    will experience the entire seven years of

    tribulation, and the rapture and the sec-

    ond coming are regarded as one event.

    George Eldon Ladd (1911-82), who was

    professor of New Testament exegesis andtheology at Fuller Theological Seminary,

    is a primary reference for posttribula-

    tional studies. There is also much atten-

    tion upon Ladds eschatology and its

    relationship to the miraculous gifts of

    the Holy Spirit.8 The theology of Ladd

    was a major influence upon John Wim-

    ber (1934-97), founder of the Vineyard

    Christian Fellowship, who was con-

    vinced that demonstration and valida-

    tion of the power of the Gospel was

    through miracles. Ladd is a noteworthy

    individual not only for eschatological

    studies, but also for pneumatology (doc-trine of the Holy Spirit) among those

    who argue that signs and wonders of the

    New Testament times should be com-

    mon practices in the contemporary

    church. Ladds writings remain influen-

    tial in the current time.

    As a futurist posttribulationist, Ladd

    wrote, The parousia, the apokalypse,

    and the epiphany appear to be a single

    event. Any division of Christs coming

    into two parts is an unproven infer-ence.9 Ladd believed the words parou-

    sia, the apokalypse, and the epiphany

    refer to the same, single event, and

    therefore are not to be differentiated.

    Ladd is incorrect, however, in his asser-

    tion. The first word, parousia, is trans-

    lated coming in 1 Thessalonians 4:15,

    and in that passage refers rather specifi-

    cally to the rapture of the church. The

    same Greek word, parousia, is used in

    The first word, parousia, is translated coming in 1 Thessalonians 4:15,

    and in that passage refers rather specifically to the rapture of the church.

    The same Greek word, parousia, is used in Matthew 24:27 and is accu-

    rately translated coming with regard to the Lords return to earth.

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    Matthew 24:27 and is accurately trans-

    lated coming with regard to the Lords

    return to earth. Since the same Greek

    word is used in Matthew 24:27 and 1

    Thessalonians 4:15, posttribulationists

    believe the texts refer to the same, singleevent. Pretribulationists disagree, and

    understand parousia to describe two

    separate events: the rapture and the sec-

    ond coming.

    Parousia is properly translated as

    coming, and literally bears the idea of

    presence associated with the coming. An

    illustration may help to clarify the literal

    meaning. Grandparents may say they

    are expecting the presence (the

    parousia) of their grandchildren for aspecial occasion. The statement may be

    understood in a twofold manner. The

    first meaning may be that the grandpar-

    ents are expecting the presence of their

    grandchildren soon, and they will be

    present for the special occasion. In other

    words, the grandchildren will come

    soon, which will be evident in them be-

    ing present and experiencing the special

    occasion of their grandparents. There-

    fore, the soon coming and

    the actual celebration occur

    at one time. The second

    meaning of the statement

    could be that the grandpar-

    ents will be experiencing

    the presence of their grand-

    children soon, and they will

    also be present for the spe-

    cial occasion. Therefore,

    two events are understood.

    The grandchildren could

    come soon, leave the grand-

    parents home, and return again for the

    special occasion. The coming of the

    grandchildren may refer to one event, or

    it could refer to two events.

    The illustration serves to demonstrate

    that the coming of the grandchildrendoes not necessarily infer one, single

    event. It is similar with the presence

    (coming) of the Lord Jesus. When the

    Greek word, parousia, is used, it does

    not have to mean that the rapture and

    the second coming are one event.Parou-

    siacould quite simply be a word that de-

    scribes two separate events. Ladds

    statement is wrong because the mere use

    of parousia does not indicate whether

    the coming is the rapture of the churchor the Lords return to earth. Only con-

    text of the biblical passage will indicate

    which coming is being referenced.

    The other word used with regard to

    the Lords coming is apokalupsis

    (). The three uses of this

    word in 1 Corinthians 1:7 and 1 Peter 1:7

    and 4:13 are references to the rapture.

    Apokalupsissimply means revelation. In

    the Corinthians passage and the two ref-

    The illustration serves to demonstrate that the coming of the grandchil-

    dren does not necessarily infer one, single event. It is similar with the

    presence (coming) of the Lord Jesus. When the Greek word, parousia, is

    used, it does not have to mean that the rapture and the second comingare one event.

    FIRST THESSALONIANS 4 AND THE RAPTURE

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    But this would not be the intended

    meaning of the word usage, because

    what is meant is just what a motor

    does. One understands the function of

    a motor, and therefore the usage of

    that word is characterizing; it is not

    intended to mean that every reference

    to a motor refers to the exact, same

    motor. It is similar with the words

    used for the rapture and the second

    coming.

    Therefore, parousia, apokalupsis,

    and epiphaneia do not catalog the

    Lords return into a single event;

    rather, one must examine context to

    determine what the words character-

    ize. One must ask, does the word

    characterize the rapture, or does theword characterize the second coming?

    To be rather direct, there are too many

    irreconcilable differences between the

    biblical passages with regard to the

    rapture and those regarding the sec-

    ond coming for them to be cataloging

    the same event. Revelation 19, for in-

    stance, prophesies Christs coming,

    and the emphasis is upon His judg-

    ment of the wicked. Whereas, in 1

    Thessalonians 4, there is only a depic-tion of the righteous in Christ, and the

    emphasis is upon the dead being

    raised to life. The dead are raised to

    life and the living are immediately

    translated (i.e. they receive a new, glo-

    rified body).

    In Revelation 19, however, the liv-

    ing are judged: either the living are

    judged to experience death, or the liv-

    ing are judged to enter the kingdom.

    In 1 Thessalonians 4, the living meet

    the Lord Jesus in the air; whereas, in

    Revelation 19, there is the prophecy of

    Christ coming with the armies of

    heaven, that is, coming with His

    saints. The emphasis in 1 Thessaloni-

    ans 4 is upon the guests at the mar-

    riage supper of the Lamb; whereas, in

    Revelation 19, the bride is distinctfrom those assembled for the great

    supper of God. In 1 Thessalonians 4,

    the emphasis is upon the coming of

    the Lord Jesus for those who will be

    with Him forever. Conversely, in Reve-

    lation 19, the emphasis is upon those

    forever separated from Christ Jesus.

    Incredibly distinct events are being

    described in 1 Thessalonians 4 and

    Revelation 19.

    John 14:1-3 and 1 Thessalonians 4use remarkably similar language. In

    John 14, Jesus said do not be trou-

    bled, and in 1 Thessalonians 4, He

    said, do not have sorrow, because

    the emphasis is upon the fact that if

    one trusts in Jesus as Lord and Sav-

    ior, and therefore believes in God,

    then when Christ comes, He will

    take those individuals to be

    with Him. John 14 states that

    APRIL 2010 21

    In its original language (Koine [common] Greek), the New Testament

    used different words to describe the rapture and the second coming.

    The usages do not catalog the Greek words, nor do they indicate that the

    coming of Lord Jesus is a single event; rather, the usages characterizethe return of the Lord Jesus at the rapture and at the second coming (i.e.

    two events, not one).

    FIRST THESSALONIANS 4 AND THE RAPTURE

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    the Lord Jesus will receive them,

    whereas 1 Thessalonians 4 says they

    will be raptured, taken to be with the

    Lord, and will always be with Him. Of

    course, these are tremendous differ-

    ences from what one reads in Matthew

    2425 and Revelation 19; in those

    passages, the emphasis is upon events

    when Christ returns to earth. There-

    fore, the biblical text causes this writer

    to disagree with his posttribulational

    brethren, as he does not believe that

    parousia, apokalupsis, and epiphaneia

    catalog one single event. When con-

    text is examined more carefully, it is

    evident that those words may refer to

    two different events: the rapture of the

    church and the Lords return to earth.

    The believer in Jesus may biblically an-

    ticipate the return of the Lord prior to

    the beginning of the seven-year tribu-lation. (379)

    ENDNOTES

    1 Pre-wrath rapturism would be best identified as a

    variation of midtribulationism.See this authors

    previous article:Pre-Wrath Rapturism,Midnight

    Call(December 2008): 17-25.

    2 Scripture distinguishes the rapture of the church

    and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth, in

    addition to differentiating the first resurrection

    (which includes the judgment seat of Christ for the

    church,the judgment of Old Testament saints, the

    judgment of tribulation saints, the judgment of

    millennial saints) from the second resurrection

    (the judgment of unbelievers at the Great White

    Throne).

    3 OswaldT.Allis,Prophecy and the Church(Philadel-

    phia: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1945) 238.

    4 Floyd E.Hamilton, The Basis of Millennial Faith

    (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,1942) 38.

    5 For example,Allis wrote,Obedience is the precon-

    dition of blessing under all circumstances

    (Prophecy andthe Church, 33).It is correct to state

    that some blessings of God in both the Old Testa-

    ment and New Testament are conditioned upon

    obedience.However, it is equally true that the sov-

    ereign decrees of God will be fulfilled exactly as He

    promised.Moreover, while Israel was disciplined

    severely for disobedience,the fulfillment of Gods

    promises to the believing remnant is unconditional

    (as in election). Hamilton provided another alleged

    reason for rejecting premillennial doctrine, Jesus

    Himself,in speaking of that whole idea said,The

    kingdom of God is within (or,in the midst of ) you

    (Luke 17:21), thus contradicting the idea that it was

    an earthly, literal Jewish kingdom(Basis of Millen-

    nial Faith,39). Jesus, however, did not declare a spiri-

    tual form of the kingdom had arrived,but was

    indicating that the kingdom was near because He

    was present on earth, and a genuine offer of the

    kingdom was proffered to the nation of Israel (seeRon J. Bigalke Jr.and George Gunn,Contingency of

    the Davidic Reign,in Progressive Dispensationalism:

    An Analysis of the Movement and Defense of Tradi-

    tional Dispensationalism,ed.Ron J. Bigalke Jr.(Lan-

    ham, MD:University Press of America, 2005) 181-82.

    6 As a result of increasing debt,the Holy Land Experi-

    ence was purchased by the apostate Trinity Broad-

    casting Network in June 2007.

    7 Craig L.Blomberg and Sung Wook Chung, eds.,A

    Casefor Historic Premillennialism: An Alternativeto

    LeftBehindEschatology(Grand Rapids: Baker,

    2009).

    8 Bruce A. Baker,Progressive Dispensationalism and

    Cessationism:Why They Are Incompatible,Is Pro-

    gressive Dispensationalism Really Dispensational?,

    in Progressive Dispensationalism,257-84,346-60.

    9 George E.Ladd, The Blessed Hope(Grand Rapids:

    Eerdmans,1956) 69; cf.Douglas J. Moo,The Case for

    the Posttribulation Rapture Position,inThe Rap-

    ture: Pre-, Mid-,or Post-Tribulational?(Grand Rapids:

    Zondervan, 1984) 176-78.

    Therefore, parousia, apokalupsis, and epiphaneia do not catalog the

    Lords return into a single event; rather, one must examine context to de-

    termine what the words characterize.

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

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    APRIL 2010 23

    MONEY: ENDS & TRENDS $For resources on endtime economics and to subscribe to the free newsletter,Eternal Value Review,visit Wilfreds

    website www.eternalvalue.com or contact him at: [email protected]

    Last-Day Oppressors: Honored

    Elites & an Indebted World Order Part I

    The results continue to roll in and they are shocking. Though some

    may think that the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) already belongs to the

    history books, in reality, its fallout is epochal for the world; its

    development a chapter in the processes leading to the end of days.Readers might think this a sensationalist statement. However, by the

    end of this article, you may want to reconsider.

    B y W i l f r e d H a h n

    According to a recently

    released study by two well-

    known international econ-

    omists, Carmen Reinhart and

    Kenneth Rogoff, the impact of the

    GFC upon global debt levels has

    been catastrophic. In their re-search report1, they document that gov-

    ernment debt levels around the world

    have risen 75% over the last two years.

    Stop to consider this statistic for a mo-

    ment. Astoundingly, in the short time-

    span of only two years, global

    government debt levels have risen by

    more than two-thirds. No, this is not a

    statistic that applies to a single banana

    republic nation. Rather, it applies to the

    entire world. The total amount of all

    government debt in the world rose 75%

    in that incredibly short space of time.

    While anyone following global finan-

    cial affairs during the last few years will

    not have been surprised by this develop-

    ment, it nonetheless is alarming. Manysecular observers would agree. However,

    we here wish to focus upon the

    prophetic timeline and an entirely dif-

    ferent set of questions. Just why the ra-

    pidity? Just how does this trend

    correlate with the Bible? Does govern-

    ment debt have an endtime role?

    Taken together with several other

    trends and a literal scriptural perspec-

    tive, in our view, it leads to an irrefutable

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    diagnosis. These developments do align

    with endtime Bible prophecy. Though,

    of course, we cannot draw any near-

    term, specific predictions, we would be

    negligent not to conclude that the worldis indeed on the fast track to great trou-

    bles such as never was (Daniel 12:1).

    Just what threat to the entire earth

    would cause policymakers around the

    globe to plunge into such lunacy? Of

    what great significance is this develop-

    ment?

    Recent Reprobations of GreedyBankersThe news media is full of reports of vari-

    ous committees and hearings in high

    places, examining the causes of the

    Global Financial Crisis

    (GFC). Wall Street

    bankers and mone-

    tary officials have

    been summoned

    before special

    tribunals, which

    are investigating the massivelosses and financial instabilities

    foisted upon America and the world.

    Why did it happen? Who can be

    blamed?

    One Wall Street banker, Lloyd Blank-

    fein, CEO of Goldman Sachs, appearing

    before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Com-

    mission, even claimed that the GFC was

    an act of God. Only weeks earlier,

    when being interviewed in London, he

    commented that he was only a bankerdoing Gods work. Other senior finan-

    cial executives have also expressed fa-

    vorable opinions on the morality of their

    work and their bulge bracket compa-

    nies and incomes.

    They accept no extraordinary blame

    for financial misadventure. It is a char-

    acteristic trait of some parts of this in-

    dustry already long documented. The

    respected John Kenneth Galbraith, in

    his book The Great Crash: 1929, writes

    of this industrys leaders: They re-

    mained very quiet. The sense of respon-

    sibility in the financial community for

    the community as a whole is not small.It is nearly nil. To speak out against

    madness may be to ruin those who have

    succumbed to it. So the wise on Wall

    Street are nearly always silent. The fool-

    ish have the field to themselves and

    none rebukes them.2 Observing recent

    intransigent attitudes on Wall Street, it

    is actually much worse than Galbraith

    suggests. Said Daniel Fass, organizer for

    an Obama fundraising dinner from Wall

    Street at the Mandarin Hotel, The in-

    vestment community feels very put-

    upon. They feel there is no reason why

    they shouldnt earn $1 million to $200

    million a year, and they dont want to be

    held responsible for

    the global finan-

    cial melt-

    down. And

    so, only a year

    after many ofthese financial

    firms were saved

    from certain col-

    lapse through government-funded

    bailoutsactually, by future generations

    of our childrenthey are again paying

    themselves multi-billions in bonuses. To

    recall, these bailouts were one of the

    contributing causes to soaring govern-

    ment debt levels.

    How does such graft and corruptioncontinue unprotested? Past instabilities

    and mismanagement aside, bankers

    well understand that they remain in the

    drivers seat. How so? This industry sits

    squarely upon the edifice of money.

    Bankers (meaning any and all who

    work in financial institutions and are

    plugged into global financial markets)

    know well that they will not soon be

    thrown out of mankinds secular temple

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

    MONEY: ENDS & TRENDS $

    The news media

    s full of reports of

    various

    committees and

    hearings in high

    places, examining

    the causes of the

    Global Financial

    Crisis (GFC). WallStreet bankers

    and monetary

    officials have been

    summoned before

    special tribunals,

    which are

    nvestigating the

    massive losses

    and financial

    nstabilities foisted

    upon America and

    the world. Why did

    t happen? Who

    can be blamed?

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    Last-Day Oppressors: Honored Elites & an Indebted World Order Part I

    of this present Age of Capital. We live

    in an era of global convergence in val-

    ues. The world has agreed to endorse

    humanist materialism. Fractional re-

    serve banking, wealth in the form ofdebt, and the notion that human

    progress is defined by growth in gross

    domestic product (GDP) make up the

    unholy trinity of toppling idols that

    must be propped up and nailed down at

    all cost. They adorn it with silver and

    gold; they fasten it with hammer and

    nails so it will not totter (Jeremiah

    10:4).

    The key argument bankers used to

    bludgeon governments into bailing

    them out, was the cry that economies

    cannot recover if you do not first allow

    us to recover. We see that the world has

    been held hostage by the financial in-

    dustry. How did this late state of affairs

    happen? In recent decades, the financial

    industry became inordinately large, not

    just in America but worldwide. The af-

    fairs of money grew to the point that

    this sector represented more than a thirdof all corporate profits.

    How is it that an industry that con-

    tributes so little productive activity

    should become so profitable and employ

    so many people? We have documented

    these epochal developments in previous

    articles.

    Franklin D. Roosevelt was to have

    said, The money-changers have fled

    from their high seats in the temple our

    civilization. We may now restore thattemple to the ancient truths. He made

    this rather optimistic statement during

    his First Inaugural Address, in 1933. At

    that time, America was in the depths of

    the Great Depression. Wall Street had

    been chastened, and thousands of banks

    were closing their doors. Unfortunately,

    Roosevelt was wrong. He probably did

    not imagine that the business of money

    would become many, many times larger

    relative to human life than during his

    day.

    It surely did, and it likely will remain

    so. The love of money reigns rampant

    today in its advanced state, there beingfew and fewer restrainers in the world

    against this force. Corruption runs deep

    in high places, the world having com-

    mitted to a materialist heaven on earth

    (denying God), and much of religion

    has found a comfortable coexistence

    with this state of affairs. That this is the

    road to an eventual holocaust for

    mankind is supported by Christs state-

    ment, Man shall not live by bread

    alone, but by every word that pro-

    ceedeth out of the mouth of God

    (Matthew 4:4). This statement in itself

    essentially condemns the modern

    worlds slavish fixation with every nu-ance and statistic of the fabricated no-

    tion of GDP.

    Wrangling EconomistsDebates continue to rage in the acade-

    mic world of economics as to the causes

    of the GFC and just what should be

    done in the future to avoid similar disas-

    ters. While we certainly respect the con-

    tributions of some of these intellectuals,

    $

    Franklin D.

    Roosevelt was

    to have said,

    The money-

    changers have

    fled from their

    high seats in the

    temple our

    civilization. Wemay now

    restore that

    temple to the

    ancient truths.

    Unfortunately,

    Roosevelt was

    wrong. He

    probably did not

    imagine that the

    business of

    money would

    become many,

    many times

    larger relative to

    human life than

    during his day.

    APRIL 2010 25

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    Last-Day Oppressors: Honored Elites & an Indebted World Order Part I

    the mind and heart of man are cunning

    (Psalm 64:6).

    How Three Endtime Conditions In-

    terconnectWe now return to the topic of govern-

    ment debt. Just how does it figure into

    endtime developments? Shouldnt it be

    strange that government indebtedness

    plays a role? Isnt it indebted and

    trapped individuals who come under the

    economic influence of the False

    Prophet and the Antichrist? If it is true,

    as the Proverbs writer says, that The

    rich ruleth over the poor, and the bor-

    rower is servant to the lender

    (22:7, KJV), just how can

    indebted governments

    collaborate to rule the

    world?

    Actually, with respect to

    the money aspects of last

    day events, conditions are

    rather more complex according

    to the Bible. At least three major

    impulses can be identified fromBible prophecy, including that of

    an indebted world rulership. To

    explain how these conditions in-

    terweave, we will describe each of

    these three roles.

    1. A protracted wealth skew. What is

    meant by a wealth skew? It is the ex-

    treme between the wealthy and the

    poorthe outcome of the wealthy be-

    coming richer and fewer, the relatively

    poor more so. But is such a conditionprophesied? Yes, James specifically

    prophesies that an amassing of riches

    plays a role in the endtimes. He says,

    Now listen, you rich people [] You

    have hoarded wealth in the last days

    (James 5:1, 3). The King James transla-

    tion, in this writers opinion, translates

    this condition of amassing wealth more

    accurately, stating, Ye have heaped trea-

    sure together for the last days (verse 3).

    Here, we understand that not only

    may wealth have increased overall, but it

    is also heaped or amassed, as is im-

    plied by the Greek wordthesaurizo.This

    is an important distinction, as it gives ev-idence of a wealth skew. Wealth cannot

    be heaped and concentrated without

    there being a deprivation of someone

    elses wealth.

    However, is it reasonable to deduce

    this endtime condition of an extreme

    wealth skew from only one single verse?

    Not only would it be plausible to argue

    that this verse is clear, but also many

    other Bible references fore-

    shadow conditions that are

    in alignment with this con-

    dition. From the Old Testa-

    ment (OT) to the New

    Testament (NT) prophets,

    times of extreme commer-

    cialism and financial oppres-

    sion in the last days are

    outlined. Isaiah and Zechariah

    point to extreme commercial-

    ism, among other OT prophets.In the New Testament, the

    Apostle Peter warns of difficult

    times that are evidenced by

    lovers of money (2 Timothy 3:1-

    2). John prophesies in Revelation of the

    Laodicean church that says, I am rich;

    I have acquired wealth and do not need a

    thing (Revelation 3:17). This seventh

    and last church that is admonished is

    commonly believed to represent the last-

    day church.In Part II, we review the other two

    major players and conclude with the

    implications for the world.

    ENDNOTES

    1 Carmen Reinhart (University of Maryland),Kenneth

    Rogoff (Harvard University and NBR),Growth in the

    Time of Debt,December 31,2009.

    2 John Kenneth Galbraith,TheGreat Crash: 1929,1954,

    Houghton Mifflin Company, New York.

    $

    What is meant

    by a wealth

    skew? It is the

    extreme

    between the

    wealthy and the

    poorthe

    outcome of thewealthy

    becoming richer

    and fewer, the

    relatively poor

    more so. But is

    such a condition

    prophesied? Yes,

    James

    specifically

    prophesies that

    an amassing of

    riches plays a

    role in the

    endtimes.

    APRIL 2010 27

    MC

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    Dupouy, a 28-year-old

    lawyer, got almost five

    months paid maternity leave from

    er company for the birth. She

    an take another seven months

    ffbeyondthatayear totalun-

    aid, if she wants, with her job

    uaranteedunderFrench law.

    When her son Louis was born,

    ealthy and by way of a normal delivery, she got to

    tay in her local French hospital, around the corner

    rom where she lives, for five full days, to rest.

    Welcome to France, voted the best place in the

    world to live for the fifth year in a row by Interna-onal Living magazine, which has been analyzing

    ata and publishing its annual Quality of Life Index

    or 30 years.

    One of the reasons France keeps winning the

    anking is its world-class health care system, which

    Dupouy just experienced first-hand.

    They treat expecting mums like treasures here,

    Dupouy told CNN from her Paris apartment. They

    ake really good care of you. The health care sys-

    em is just amazing. She said she wouldnt have

    otten the same maternity leaveor carebackome inAustralia.

    At her job, Dupouy also gets seven weeks paid

    acation a year, although itsher first job as an attor-

    ey since graduating with a law degree inAustralia.

    She doesnt think twice about taking the Metro

    cross townfor just $1.37 a rideto visit a friend.

    Or she picks up a rental bike at one of the many

    omputerized bike hire racks in town to get around.

    France scores high marks across the board in

    he survey, which is done every January, from

    health care (100 points) to infrastructure (92

    points) to safety and risk (100 points).

    No surprise, said the magazine in its report.Its (Frances) tiresome bureaucracy and high

    taxes are outweighed by an unsurpassable qual-

    ity of life, including the worlds best health care.

    Following France in the top ten are Australia,

    Switzerland, Germany, New Zealand, Luxem-

    bourg, the U.S., Belgium, Canada and Italy, in

    that order.

    The United States dropped from third to sev-

    enth place in this years rankings, largely be-

    cause of the grinding economic crisis last year.

    Of course, France too has its

    problems. The country suffers

    from high youth unemployment,

    particularly among the disaffected

    young people who live in its equiv-

    alent of the projects, known asles-

    banlieues.

    Late last year, the French gov-

    ernment opened a national dis-

    cussion about national identity, which has

    evolved into debates over whether immi-

    grants, and particularly Muslim immigrants,

    are French enough. The country has the h igh-

    est Muslim population of any European coun-try, with an estimated six million living in the

    country.

    But for the most part, French people enjoy a

    good lifestyle. International Living says that dur-

    ing their large chunk of leisure time, the French

    enjoy visiting the countrys many beaches and

    Alpine ski resorts.

    Dupouylike more famous experts Ernest

    Hemingway and Julia Child before heragrees.-cnn.com, 11 February 2010

    Contrary to many other reports, France pre-

    sents a rather impressive report card.

    Peace, freedom, prosperity, and security are

    the goals of every nation on the face of the

    earth. That is one side of the story. The

    other side is exposed by our Lord in

    Matthew 16:26: For what is a man prof-

    ited, if he shall gain the whole world, and

    lose his own soul? or what shall a man give

    in exchange for his soul? 3750

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

    F R A N C E

    Half-timberedhouses inCalvados in the

    Augecountryside, anarea that hassome of themost beautifulvillages inFrance.

    TheBestPlacetoLiveintheWorldBindiDupouy, anAustralian living inParis, andherFrenchhusband, justhad their firstchild,a sonborninthe country.

    STORY HIGHLIGHTS

    Francescoreshighmarksacrosstheboard,especiallyinhealthcare

    U.S.dropstoseventhplacefromthird becauseof economy

    FrenchenjoyeverythingfromRiv-ierabeachestoAlpineskiing

    Vacationsarelong,leavesaregen-erous,lifestyle good

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    APRIL 2010 29

    The decision comes after an exhaustive

    investigation by the European Commis-

    sion into the situation which identified significant

    shortcomings in respect of Sri Lankas implemen-

    tation of three UN human rights conventions, the

    EU executive said in a statement announcing the

    measure.

    The withdrawal of GSP Plus (an extension of

    the Generalized System of Preferences) will begin

    in six months time, it said, during which time Brus-

    sels hopes to engage in a dialogue with Colombo

    over the matter, giving Sri Lanka extra time to ad-

    dress the problems identified.

    Unlike many other EU trade relations, the GSP

    Plus program is predicated specifically on adher-

    ence to human rights norms.

    Under the program, the EU provides additional

    preferences to economically vulnerable developing

    countries that have ratified and effectively imple-

    mented27 international conventions in thefieldsof hu-

    man and labor rights, sustainable development and

    good governance.

    Brussels is to closely monitor the situation and reg-

    ularly re-evaluate its position. Once sufficient progress

    has been made, the decision is to be reversed.-euobserver.com, 16February2010

    The EU represents the worlds largest economy.

    They also occupy the number 1 spot when it

    comes to imports and exports. Politically, how-

    ever, the EU is little more than a paper tiger, at

    least at this moment. But economy and politics

    go hand in hand; thus, one can expect the EUs

    political power to grow significantly in the fu-ture. Human rights are the key to remain in favor

    with the European Union and democracy.

    Analyzing political/economic global devel-

    opment requires us to look at Scripture. Daniel

    chapter 2 reveals an image representing the four

    Gentile superpowers: Babylon, Persia, Greece,

    and Rome. The fourth oneRomeis diverse

    from all others, And the fourth kingdom shall

    be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in

    pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that

    breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and

    bruise (Daniel 2:40). This last global power

    structure will force the world to be unified. That

    means all the traditions, customs, cultures, and

    laws of individual nations will be broken to

    pieces in order for all nations to become subject

    to the final power structurethe iron and clay

    kingdom! 3749

    (For detailed information, read Daniels Prophecies

    Made Easy, Item 1057).1068).

    P O L A N D

    Polish Political Power in BelarusPolandhasthreatenedtofreezeprogress inEU-BelarusrelationsandtolobbytheIMFtocutoffaid followingacrackdownonethnicPoles.

    Police arrested the leader of the Union of

    Poles in Belarus, Angelika Borys, along

    with around 40 other activists on their way to a

    rally in Valozhyn, in the west of the country.

    Thanks to Polish engagement Belarus has

    found itself in the Eastern Partnership. Poland

    would like to continue the trend of gradually de-

    veloping contacts, Polish deputy foreign minis-

    ter Andrzej Kramer told press in the Polish

    capital.

    But a negative scenario is possible, which

    would mean the self-isolation of the Belarusian

    side, if these repressive acts continue.

    Mr. Kramer said Poland will deny visas to any

    Belarus officials involved in the events. Warsaw

    has also asked EU foreign ministers to discuss

    the situation at a regular meeting in Brussels.

    The Polish government is in a tricky spot.

    On the one hand it is facing public pressure to

    act tough. But it does not want to jeopardize its

    strategic aim of bringing Belarus closer to the EU or

    its efforts to improve the lives of ordinary people liv-

    ing in the authoritarian state.

    If the crackdown continues, Poland is likely to try

    and block any prestigious high-level EU-Belarus

    meetings.

    A Polish diplomat also underlined Warsaws

    growing influence in the International Monetary

    Fund (IMF), which is propping up Belarus crisis-hit

    economy with billions of dollars in aid. We will try to

    exert pressure in all international fora where Poland

    hasa voice, the diplomatic contact said.

    The Polish Union in Belarus is the largest inde-

    pendent NGO in the country.

    Belarus is home to 400,000 ethnic Poles

    following a change in borders after World

    War II, which pushed the Polish frontier to

    the west.-euobserver.com, 15 February 2010

    As a full-fledged member of the European

    Union, the Poles are a key nation in build-

    ing relationships between the EU and for-

    mer Soviet nations.

    While there are only few signs indicat-

    ing Belarus political change, progress is

    nevertheless being made slowly and surely.

    Belarus is a European nation and will even-

    tually obtain EU membership. Fundamen-

    tal human rights and democracy are the

    first stepping stones toward a preliminary

    application for membership. Belarus can-

    not ignore the rich, the free, the secure and

    prosperous European Union. 3752

    Asthepoliticalsituation inSriLankadeterioratesandaccusationsofhumanrightsabusesmount,EuropeanUnionmemberstateson15Februaryagreedtosuspendpreferential tradebenefits fortheislandcountry.

    Belarussianpolice arrestUnion ofPoles activist(Photo:Nasha Niva)

    S R I L A N K A

    EUWarnsofHumanRightsAbuses

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    Londons Court of Appeal rejected a

    request by British Foreign Secretary

    David Miliband to prevent senior judges from

    disclosing claims that former Guantanamo

    Bay detainee Binyam Mohamed had been

    shackled and subjected to sleep deprivation

    and threats while in U.S. custody.

    The office of Dennis Blair, U.S. director of

    national intelligence, issued a statement say-

    ing the British courts decision to release

    classified information provided by the United

    States is not helpful, and we deeply regret it.

    The protection of confidential information

    is essential to strong, effective security and

    intelligence cooperation among allies, the

    statement said. It indicated the ruling would

    create challenges but the two countrieswould remain united in our efforts to fight

    against violent extremist groups.

    Miliband had argued that full disclosure of

    the redacted claims might make the United

    States less willing to share intelligence and

    thus prejudice Britains national security.

    Recent events showed the importance of

    sharing intelligence, and the U.S. authorities

    were concerned about the release of such

    material, he told parliament, adding that he

    was working with U.S. officials to ensure bi-lateral ties were not damaged.

    The court excluded seven sensitive para-

    graphs supplied by U.S. intelligence services,

    and judges said later the United States had

    threatened to end intelligence cooperation if

    the evidence of alleged torture was released.

    But last October, two High Court judges

    ruled there was an overwhelming public in-

    terest in releasing the details, a decision the

    Appeal Court upheld.

    The treatment reported ... could be readily

    contended to be at the very least cruel, inhu-

    man and degrading treatment by the United

    States authorities, the now public judgment

    said.

    Miliband said the Appeal Court would have

    upheld the principle that no country should

    disclose intelligence from another without its

    agreementhad the substance of the para-graphs not already been put into the public

    domain by a U.S. court judgment in a sepa-

    rate case in December.

    Without that disclosure, it is clear that the

    Court of Appeal would have overturned the

    Divisional Courts decision to publish the ma-

    terial, Miliband said in a statement.

    He told parliament Britain was opposed to

    torture. The UK firmly opposes torture and

    cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or

    punishment. This is not just about legal oblig-ations, it is also about our values as a nation

    ....

    Human rights campaigners said the gov-

    ernment had gone to great lengths to conceal

    torture and the Foreign Office had been con-

    cerned mainly with saving face.

    These embarrassing paragraphs reveal

    nothing of use to terrorists but they do show

    something of the UK governments complicity

    with the most sha