A commentary worth reading

Occasionally I run across a commentary that I read and think "I couldn't have written this better myself".

My good friend and fellow prophecy watcher Mike Mickey has posted a very interesting commentary regarding current events, including the U.S. elections. This can be found on his site "RaptureAlert.com". First, let me make very clear: I'm not a democrat, nor am I a republican. In other words, I don't have a horse in this race. I watch elections strictly for the purpose of analyzing the prophetic implications. Period.

The following commentary was recently written by Mike, and as stated, I couldn't have said it better myself:



Barack Obama, The EU and Bible Prophecy

by Michael G. Mickey
(11-7-08)

Since the election of Barack Obama to the office of president of the United States and somewhat even before, there have been a whirlwind of developments taking place of interest to those of us following current events in the world pointing to the soon-coming return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In this commentary, I would like to share with you a few of these events, along with links to various articles you can read that will make it clear to you that, although many of us are upset that a man we feel is going to lead our nation further down a path that takes it out of God's will, there is a reason for all things and God is still in control.

A Beast Looking For Teeth

In Bible prophecy, the rising of a revived Roman empire is foretold that will ultimately become what most of us today refer to as a new world order.

In Daniel 7:23, we get a glimpse of this Beast empire the Antichrist to come will wield power over and see it will be an aggressive alliance of global powers:
Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
Quietly, this Beast empire has been rising for decades in the form of the European Union which presently consists of 27 member nations.

Recently, with the newly-formed 16-member Mediterranean Union being brought into the fold, the European Union, for all practical purposes, is now 43 member nations strong. (To view three maps of the old Roman empire, the European Union and, lastly, the European Union combined with the Mediterranean Union, click HERE and see how dramatically the Roman empire of the days of Christ has been reborn, for all practical purposes, in our world today.)

On a number of occasions, each time noting that the European Union is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium where the most powerful military force in the world (NATO) also calls home (no coincidence in my opinion), I've brought to my readers' attention that the revived Roman empire is considering the benefit of having its own military, something for us to bear in mind in light of Daniel 7:23's prophecy, in spite of the fact I question its necessity to exist on any grand scale for Bible prophecy to move forward now due to NATO's existence and availability to the EU.

Along these lines, however, on October 27, 2008, the EU Observer reported that the United Kingdom's Defense Minister favors the creation of a European Union military along with French president Nicolas Sarkozy who "had hoped to place EU defense architecture at the heart of his country's EU chairmanship until his best-laid plans were overtaken by the global financial crisis."
The potential of a European Union army rising capable of operating outside of NATO remains an issue of prophetic interest at the very least so bear in mind I'll be keeping an eye on that topic and reporting on it periodically if the Lord wills it.

A Greater Role for the EU?

On the very day of the U.S. elections, something I've told my readers to watch for to occur for years was physically requested by the European Union, namely the EU being given a more influential role in the world to include "more engagement with a resurgent Russia and more emphasis on peacemaking in Afghanistan and the Middle East."

How many times, those of you who have followed along with me through the years, have I told you we should watch for a turn of events to occur that would place the revived Roman empire of Bible prophecy in a posture to potentially resolve the troublesome issue of Middle East peace? I have to tell you, brothers and sisters in Christ, that I got chills and am right now as I type these words to you. Why? Because the EU Observer report that details this request on the part of the EU states the following, in part (emphasis added mine to stress the relation to Bible prophecy):
The letter urges the new US administration to put the Middle East peace process at the top of its agenda and foresees a "useful role" for the EU as co-guarantors of a future Israeli-Palestinian accord.
The European Union as co-guarantors of a future Israeli-Palestinian accord? This language reads as though it was ripped from the pages of Bible prophecy! Let me explain.

In Daniel 9:26-27, we're told that a prince (or leader) of Roman descent is going to confirm (or make strong) a covenant of peace in the Middle East that will be seven years in duration. This leader, the prophesied Antichrist, will go on to head the new world order and will immediately, by confirming this covenant, begin the seven-year Tribulation Period, the culmination of which will be the battle of Armageddon, a sequence of events highlighted by the visible, physical, bodily return of Jesus Christ and the armies of heaven to the earth after which Christ will set up His kingdom on the earth!

Praise God, there is HOPE for us too, Church! CHANGE is coming and not just because Barack Obama has been elected president of the United States of America, contrary to what many believe!

Barack Obama elected president of the United States

As everyone who has read my website at all knows, I have been less than enthused by the prospect of a Left-leaning Democratic party-led president and Congress having control of our nation at a dangerous time in our nation's history like this, but could it put Bible prophecy on the fast track to fulfillment? Absolutely. And why? Because, quite frankly, I believe that Barack Obama, true to his word, is going to be very interested in repairing what the Left believes to be a George W. Bush-shattered image of the U.S. around the globe. The European Union has made a request of president-elect Obama and he will, in my opinion, if for no other reason than to stick one more fork in President Bush's foreign policy, grant it .

Demonstrative of how receptive our world is becoming to practically worshipping a man as though he were god, even a man who has done absolutely nothing like Barack Obama to merit such worship, people around the globe are giving us a glimpse into how nuts mankind is going to go over the prophesied Antichrist when his advent occurs. Below are a few excerpts from an Associated Press article for your consideration that illustrate this (emphasis added mine):
• This is the fall of the Berlin Wall times ten," Rama Yade, France's black junior minister for human rights, told French radio. "America is rebecoming a New World. "On this morning, we all want to be American so we can take a bite of this dream unfolding before our eyes," she said.
• "What an inspiration. He is the first truly global U.S. president the world has ever had," said Pracha Kanjananont, a 29-year-old Thai sitting at a Starbuck's in Bangkok. "He had an Asian childhood, African parentage and has a Middle Eastern name. He is a truly global president."

As EUBusiness.com is reporting, the European Union is openly rejoicing that Obama has won the presidency. In my opinion this is because the EU's leadership sees Obama as someone they'll be able to get to roll their way on most everything which I concur with. The following is an excerpt from that article:
"This is a time for a renewed commitment between Europe and the United States of America," Barroso said in a statement. "We need to change the current crisis into a new opportunity. We need a new deal for a new world."

"I sincerely hope that with the leadership of President Obama, the United States of America will join forces with Europe to drive this new deal. For the benefit of our societies, for the benefit of the world," he said.

Make no mistake about it, the pathway to a new world order coming into existence just became a lot less rocky to obtain, as if I even need to state that to the majority of my readership.

If a new deal is needed for a new world (order), Barack Obama will be the first to sign off on it as would any president chosen from among the cast members of the loony Left, all of whom I pray will have mercy on me and not send me to a re-education camp now that their evil empire is almost in place. (A little humor interjected there, folks. Sorry, but I couldn't resist. But seriously, Obama Truth Squad dudes, you don't have to fear me. Most people think I'm a nut just like you do so I'm not a threat to you or your plans. I'm just hanging out, watching the fireworks with the religious right - my Bible in one hand and a cup of hot coffee in the other.)

In related news, concerning the new deal the EU is looking for, EUBusiness.com is reporting that "Obama's US election victory has revived European hopes for deep reform of the global financial system."

Recently, I documented that the EU is presently pushing for a new world order and that vice president-elect Joe Biden indicated he and Obama have accepted the realities of a new world order so I expect the EU has little, if anything, to hope for. My guess is the EU can fully expect the Obama administration to go along with most anything the Europeans want on that front which, once again, will only serve to advance the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Perhaps, the EU's leaders already realize this based on some of the language found in an EU Observer article.

A "former trade official in the Clinton administration and a consultant on foreign affairs and emerging markets", David J. Rothkopf stated recently, "President Obama will play a bigger role in re-inventing the international system than any other president before in past decades." No surprise here where that is concerned. I wholly agree.

Conclusions

The last few days have been for many in the evangelical community, myself included, pretty anxious in relation to what an Obama presidency may mean for our nation, our constitutional rights, and our standing in the world.

Not surprisingly, I have been overwhelmed with e-mail asking me everything from whether I think Barack Obama is the prophesied Antichrist to whether we've entered the Tribulation Period, neither of which I believe to be true for any number of reasons.

Suffice to say I am where a lot of my brothers and sisters in Christ are right now - a bit concerned, dismayed, frustrated and, admittedly, a little angry with those of us who overlooked the Word of God's teachings and voted for the candidate most likely to lead this nation down the path to destruction and the Body of Christ into persecution. But, even in the midst of all this confusion and hurt, I can see, more and more clearly by the hour it seems, that all of this is part of God's plan, not that I ever really doubted it per se, but I'm seeing it!

While I wholly believe that John McCain wouldn't have been a perfect president by any means, I think he would've held back the darkness that I sense is coming upon our nation and the world to some extent. The old maverick would've put his foot on the brakes now and then, in my opinion, but it looks like God has a different plan - a better one as hard as that is for us to see right now.

I once heard Dr. Charles Stanley preach a sermon wherein he explained that God always hears our prayers and answers them in one of three ways.
1 God answers our prayers with a "yes" and gives us what we want.
2 God answers our prayers with a "yes, but later" response because what we want is something He is willing to give us but there's something else He has in mind for us right now He knows is more important for us to learn or experience.
3 God answers our prayers with a "no, I have something better in mind" response. This is the one we struggle with most as we only hear the "no." From our perspective we can't see past God failing to give us what we want. We often can't envision any scenario wherein He has something better in mind for us than what we wanted but we can be sure He always does. Is it not written that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose?" (Romans 8:28)
This is a time for us to do our very best to look beyond our circumstances and perceptions and simply trust the Lord that everything is going to be okay.
Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Even though president-elect Obama isn't, in all likelihood, going to be a president who will value our contributions to this nation or love us enough to stand with us in protecting the unborn, fighting off the homosexual agenda and pledging our unyielding dedication to the nation of Israel regardless of what any power on earth thinks of it, three things he could do to bring remarkable blessings to our land that would benefit him as well as us, we need to pray for him, his family, and his administration.

We should pray for the salvation of president-elect Obama and his administration above all, but also for them to be wise in deciding the course our nation will take in the next four years. Additionally, just in case their hearts are too cold or stubborn to do what is right for our common good, we should pray that God Himself will honor our wishes that His will be done and, if necessary, supernaturally set up roadblocks that only He can that will prevent Him from having to judge our nation harshly that the vital work of those of us who still believe in His Word and are trying to honor it can continue in His service here without fear until He comes for us, if that is His will.

Hang in there, brothers and sisters! A happy ending is coming as well as tremendous reward if we faint not in these troublesome times that vex our souls! Everything is proceeding according to God's plan and THAT is something no power on earth, whether by means of an election or by the edge of a sword, can change!

Our redemption draweth nigh!

Until next time, God bless you all