A Step Closer to the Mark of the Beast

He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. Revelation 13:16-17

While some pooh-pooh the prophecies of the End Times, this is one sign that no one can ignore because the technology to implement it is already here.

You have to be living under a rock not to notice how much more convenient banking has gotten just in the past few years. I rarely have to write a check anymore since our bank sent us ATM cards with the Visa logo. I can use it to buy gas, groceries, dog food, pay the vet, and buy stuff at Home Depot. We can now go to a restaurant and not worry about cash. The only time I really need cash now is at work when I use the vending machines. And besides, there's an ATM in the cafeteria. Damned convenient.

Over the years the world economies have been gearing up to become a single-world economy. The EURO has already become the standard currency of a dozen or so European nations that until the previous century were constantly at each others' throats.

There's already a device - RFID - in place that can track everything you buy which is implanted with this device. Nowadays we can also track our pets with a microchip implanted under their skin. There's a lot of people out there who think we all should be implanted with a microchip. We just need a good excuse.

Well, we've come closer these past couple of weeks. Identity theft has been a growing problem in our country, and that became more evident with the announcement by ChoicePoint that records of some 140,000 consumers were compromised. This has prompted upcoming Senate hearings on the matter.

Identity theft can literally ruin your life - I see it in my job everyday. Those who commit identity theft are not your casual thief. These are hardened criminals. There right down there with rapists, murderers, and child molesters. This doesn't sound very Christian, but the best deterrent to identity theft is the death penalty. Unfortunately, the penalties for identity theft are little more than a slap on the wrist.

With identity theft becoming more rampant, things like RFID and implanted microchips look very attractive. Once that happens, Big Brother or worse yet - the Antichrist - will be able to track your every move with relative ease.

Stay vigilant, my brethren. Keep watch

Weeds, Weeds, Weeds!

"Weeds, weeds, weeds!" This was the first sentence in a recent letter from our homeowners' association. It was addressed to everyone.

We have had a wonderfully wet winter here in Arizona. The nearby reservoirs are nearly full again. The desert actually looks green. And that's part of the problem.

The green represents a bumper crop of weeds. Everyone has them. They are growing everywhere. I even found two growing on the roof of my shed!

This looks to be a dry weekend. You can tell when the weekends are dry around here lately. Everyone is going outside to pull weeds. I spent about 45 minutes this morning already - and I'm pooped. Places like Home Depot, Lowes, and Walmart are running out of weed killer.

The dry weekend also means that the sunshine will work on making the weeds even taller. I've already seen some around here that are four feet tall.

Ah, but while February is the Month of the Weed, and March is going to be the Month of the Weed Pulling, we are going to have some spectacular wildflowers on the mountain slopes in around Phoenix. I've already seen one hillside turning yellow from all the flowers. Life is good - really!

The Syrian Question

It is no secret that Syria is one of Israel's most hated enemies. Besides having to deal with the Palestinians, Israelis also have to contend with missiles fired at them from Lebanon - by Syrian-backed Hezbollah militants. Surely when the appointed time comes for the big attack on Israel (see my previous post on the subject), Syria will desperately want to be part of that effort.

Yet Syria seems to be conspicuously absent from the prophecy laid out in Ezekiel 38. Why is that? Well, consider these two prophecies:

An oracle concerning Damascus: "See, Damascus will no longer be a city
but will become a heap of ruins. [Isaiah 17:1]

"Surely, her young men will fall in the streets; all her soldiers will be silenced in that day," declares the LORD Almighty. "I will set fire to the walls of Damascus; it will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad." [Jeremiah 49:26-27]

Sounds to me like Damascus is going to be taken out before they get their big chance.

Although the Bible states that one day, Jerusalem shall become "a burdensome stone for all people," [Zechariah 12:3] I would submit to you that Syria (of which Damascus is the capital) has become the burdensome stone at this point in history.

Syria maintains some 20,000 troops in Lebanon. No surprise here. Syria shares a narrow border with Israel. Having troops stationed in Lebanon offers a wider invasion route into Israel.

Last week's apparent assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister, Rafik Hariri, is believed by many to have been sanctioned by Syria. That would be no surprise if that were the case. Hariri, credited with helping rebuild Lebanon after its long and bloody civil war, was also critical of the pro-Syrian regime in Lebanon.

The bombing attack set off political shock waves throughout Lebanon. It's becoming more apparent that some of the Lebanese people are also fed up with the pro-Syrian regime as well. Opposition leaders are calling for a "peaceful uprising for independence," demanding dismissal of the government, withdrawal of all Syrian troops, and to pave the way for free and democratic elections.

Anti-Syrian sentiment is running so high now that it was even reported that some protesters allegedly set fire to tents of Syrian farm workers. Syrian troops stationed in Lebanon have been ordered to stay in their barracks for their own protection.

Syria is caught between a rock a hard spot right now. They depend on Lebanon for economic support. They may have to fight the Lebanese in order to stay, in which case they will be judged harshly by the world community. On the other hand, if they are forced to withdraw, it will be just as devastating to the Syrian government, and they might not last long.

There's been plenty of outside pressure on Syria as well. The United Nations reiterated UN Resolution 1559, which calls for the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon (Syrian troops were deployed to Lebanon during the civil war of 1975-90 - no doubt to tip the balance in Damascus' favor - and haven't left since).

On top of that, the Bush administration has long accused Syria of supporting anti-Israeli militants and the insurgency in Iraq. It's also quite likely there's a lot of terrorist training going on there. Diplomatically things have gotten so bad between the U.S. and Syria that we have recalled our ambassador there this week.

Oh yeah, then there's that pesky story about the Russians allegedly packing up Iraqi WMD and shipping them off to Syria.

It's interesting with all the sabre-rattling going on now that Syria has allied itself with Iran. They're in deep doo-doo, and they know it. They need all the help they can get. I just wonder how much more helpful the Iranians will be. They're already supporting Hezbollah. But will they send troops or planes? Will it matter? Right now we probably have our aerial drones spying on them, and the Iranian government is paranoid enough over the "shiny objects" flying in their airspace.

There's just too many cards stacked up against Syria right now. Perhaps the next piece of the prophecy puzzle will involve Syria. Who knows (but God) the degree of destruction that will be leveled upon Damascus? And will it perhaps be the catalyst for attacking Israel?

Stay vigilant, my brethren. Keep watch.

Busy, Busy, Busy Weekend

It's been almost two weeks since my last post. I've been taking it easy - as well as preparing for the Walk to Emmaus which was held at my church this last weekend. The big day finally came Thursday evening as pilgrims (those attending for the first team) and team members (those who are serving the pilgrims in some capacity) arrived for the weekend.

All went very well.

My responsibility was logistical support. I had been making preparations with the church for quite some time, not only for this Walk but for future walks. Our newest challenge is working around the new 9:00 Contemporary Service which is held in the same fellowship hall where the Walk to Emmaus is typically held. I had prayed about being on the team in this role for the purpose of keeping it all running smoothly. I must say, it all all worked out even better than I expected.

The Contemporary Service required to have one of the talk sessions given in another location, namely the Sanctuary. It also made it necessary for the cook team to cease all activity as it would have disrupted the church service. We instead had them attend the Contemporary Service and even share some songs with the congregation - it was a hit! We certainly boosted the image of the Walk to Emmaus with my church, perhaps even to the point of planting some seeds in getting more people from our church to attend.

One very interesting aspect of this Walk to Emmaus weekend was the weather. Here in Arizona, it usually doesn't rain much - if at all - during any given three days. Forecasts were showing a lot of rain headed our way for the weekend. It had already taken a lot to remove the man-made obstacles for this spirit-filled weekend; now we had to contend with nature. I knew who was in charge. I prayed to God (as I'm sure others) in regards to the weather. I praised God for the rains we've had this year, helping to alleviate our drought. I acknowledged that we still needed more rain to heal our land. Then I asked that God would make this Emmaus weekend occur as comfortably as possible under these rainy conditions.

Sure enough, God answers prayers. The rain came Thursday afternoon but it was quite light, and not enough to interfere with setting up the conference room, the kitchen, and the sleeping quarters. By Friday morning, the rain had grown heavier and steadier. It never let up the entire day. Except when the pilgrims and talk team went to chapel. The rain just stopped. And it stayed that way until they returned to the fellowship hall. Coincidence? No, it was God-incidental. The rain had grown even heavier overnight, but stopped to the point where I saw stars when I awoke early Saturday morning. The clouds were starting to gather again as the pilgrims and talk team went to chapel, but again they were dry. Dark clouds were rolling in from the west and I figured they open up soon. They did as soon as everyone was back in the fellowship hall. The rain continued throughout the day - but stopped in time for the arrival of the Emmaus community for services that evening. On Sunday, there was no rain.

It was a wonderful weekend. With my brothers in Christ, I started some new friendships and deepened several others.

I even experienced God touching my heart in a special way. There were no words, but an overwhelming feeling that God was communicating to me his plan for one of the other team members - that this team member would be the lay leader for one of these weekends in the near future. It was quite compelling, like nothing I've felt before. I shared this feeling with my friend and advised him to be listening for God's call. He said he didn't feel ready; I replied, "None of us ever do." I think his expression reflected surprise toward my reply. Had I prophesied? I don't know, but I think he and I may find out soon enough. Nonetheless, this was a very emotional experience for me.

This is the fourteenth Walk to Emmaus/Chrysalis team I have served on. I was thankful that I took today off from work - I would have had to call in sick anyway. This weekend was exhausting and at times painful for me. Last night and this morning I slept as many hours as I had the entire weekend. I awoke with my head pounding. My muscles ached and my feet hurt. I asked myself if the sacrifice was worth it. My answer was a resounding YES. The heartfelt testimony of the pilgrims - those sheep who were in our charge - bore that out.

Giving Terrorists the Finger

On Election Day here in America we show our civic pride by slapping on an "I Voted Today" sticker. In Iraq, they proudly display their ink-stained fingers.

On Sunday, many brave Iraqis made a statement to the world by getting out to vote in their country's first democratic election despite threats of grievous violence. In essence, they gave the insurgency and the terrorists leading it the finger.

From the news reports I can sense the excitement these people must have felt. Many wept for joy. Are we Americans as passionate about our right to vote? I'd like to think we are - we're just able to do it so much more easily.

I feel this demonstrates to the insurgency that they have not won the hearts and minds of the Iraqi majority - at least not yet. I am cautiously optimistic that this could be a turning point for Iraq, one way or the other. Certainly the "credibility" of the insurgency has reached an all-time low.

With this election, Iraq - along with Afghanistan - is already the closest thing to a democracy ever seen in the Arab world. And that scares a lot of people in that region. But despite all threats, intimidation, and the rhetoric from the jihadists (you can't call them freedom fighters!), the people have spoken.

And despite the negative viewpoints being broadcast by the Arab media, I can't help but think that a small seed may have been planted in the hearts and minds of many. In defiance to what they're being told, I can't help but think that there are some in the Arab world who are watching their Iraqi brethren gleefully casting their ballots on television and saying to themselves, "I want that."

Democratic revolution in the Arab world is a longshot, but in our lifetime we have witnessed something we didn't think remotely possible twenty years ago - the collapse of Communism in the Soviet Union and its satellites. Never underestimate the human spirit when it thirsts for freedom.