While the church is asleep, Christian persecution is exploding around the globe.  Even in the western world, freedom for Christians to practice and express their faith is being curtailed as never before.  Today even we were shocked when we read about how two Christian hotel owners in the U.K. are being charged with a crime for witnessing to some Muslim guests.

Ben and Sharon Vogelenzang were arrested and charged with using “threatening, abusive or insulting words” that were “religiously aggravated” after a Muslim woman complained to local police in the U.K. that she had been “offended” by their comments.

So what was so offensive?

Apparently the couple believes that Christianity and that Islam is wrong.

It is alleged that they told the woman that Mohammed was a warlord and that traditional Islamic dress for women is a form of bondage.  However, the couple is insisting that they did not threaten the woman and that they have every right to explain and defend their own beliefs.

So what will happen to this couple if they are convicted of this hate crime?

Well, they could face a fine of up to £5,000 and they will have a permanent criminal record.

It would be nice if this was just an isolated incident, but the reality is that freedom of religion simply does not exist in the U.K. any longer.

For example, recently we reported on a couple of street preachers in the U.K. that were confronted by police and told that preaching the gospel and passing out tracts is not only offensive but also against the law…..

http://signsofthelastdays.com/archives/u-k-police-it-is-against-the-law-to-preach-and-hand-out-tracts

True Christianity is now considered to be “offensive” in the U.K., and if you seek to promote the Christian faith there you are apparently now in danger of being arrested.

Hopefully the hotel owners will win their case, but there is a bigger issue than that at stake here.  The reality is that millions of Christians in the U.K. will hear of this case, and they may become very hesitant to ever speak out about their faith for fear that they could be arrested and hauled into court.

The persecution of Christians is increasing not only in the U.K., but also in places such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and even in the United States.  Those of us who study the signs of the last days knew that such times would come, but to see it actually happening can be stunning at times.

The Scriptures tell us that one day there will be no place on earth where it is legal to preach the truth about Christianity. 

Are you prepared for that day?

Will you continue to stand for the truth when it may cost you your freedom or even worse?

It is something to think about.

Will the messianic expectations of all the major world religions pave the way for the rise of the Antichrist? The reality is that all of the major world religions on earth are awaiting a “Messianic figure” who will bring dramatic changes to the earth. Could the coming Antichrist use these expectations to establish his own kingdom?

Religious expectations can be a very, very powerful thing. The reality is that whether a particular religion is true or false, the people who believe those religions desperately want them to be true. Thus, during a time of extreme crisis in the future, it could potentially be quite easy for a world leader to tap into those religious expectations for his own benefit, especially if that world leader is able to tap into the supernatural and perform his own miracles.

For example, those who are Christians look forward to the day when Jesus Christ will return to this earth. Hundreds of millions of people believe that Jesus will return to this planet someday and will make things right. But specific beliefs about that return vary greatly from denomination to denomination.

Considering the fact that Christians seem to know their Bibles less than ever these days, could a supernaturally powerful future world leader who promises to bring peace and prosperity during a time of extreme crisis fool many Christians into thinking that Jesus has come back?

Probably so.

But Christians are not the only ones who are looking for a Messiah.

Jews believe that the Messiah has not come at all yet. One of the core beliefs of Judaism is the coming of a future Messiah who will be the great hero of the Jewish nation.

Connected with this belief is that this future Messiah will be involved in the rebuilding of the Temple and the resumption of Temple sacrifices. Could a future world leader who helps the Jews rebuild their Temple come to be regarded as their Messiah?

Most Christians and Jews don’t realize that Islam is looking forward to a Messianic figure as well. In Islam, that figure is know as “the Mahdi” and the expectation is that this supernatural figure will bring great deliverance to the Islamic world.

Belief in “the Mahdi” is predominantly a Shiite belief, but there are a large number of Sunnis that are looking forward to the coming of “the Mahdi” as well.

Iranian President Mahmoud’s Ahmadinejad is among those who are obsessed with this Shiite Islamic messiah figure.  Perhaps that explains his seeming lack of fear of Western military power.  According to public statements by Ahmadinejad, he believes that he is actually preparing the way for the Mahdi, and that even if Islam experiences short-term defeats, the reality is that the Mahdi is coming and Islam will be ultimately triumphant.

Of course the truth is that “the Mahdi” is not coming, but could the Antichrist tap into this messianic belief as well?

But it doesn’t end with those three religions.

Buddhists and New Agers are looking forward to the coming of a “Lord Maitreya”. 

According to Buddhist tradition, Maitreya is a “bodhisattva” who will some day appear on Earth, achieve total enlightenment, and will teach “the pure dharma”.

In fact, prominent New Age gurus in the West openly declare that either Maitreya has come (but has not yet been revealed to the world) or that he is coming very soon.  World famous New Age teacher Benjamin Creme has made headlines around the world for years with his pronouncements regarding the Maitreya, but so far the promised world teacher has not yet appeared on the scene.

Could the Antichrist some day appear and claim to be the Maitreya?

Hindus are anticipating a messianic figure as well.  Many Hindus are expecting the coming of a figure known as “Kalki”.

Wikipedia explains the expectations regarding “Kalki” this way…..

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Contemporary Hindu eschatology is linked in the Vaishnavite tradition to the figure of Kalki, or the tenth and last avatar of Vishnu before the age draws to a close, and Shiva simultaneously dissolves and regenerates the universe.

—–

But the truth is that the discussion above represents just the tip of the iceberg regarding messianic expectations.  Other ancient religions speak of a future “return of the gods”.  Many modern UFO cults have some really bizarre messianic expectations.  Various pagan, Wiccan, occult and Luciferian groups actively look forward to a coming leader, although these beliefs can vary widely.

However, even though there is variance among different religious traditions, the truth is that almost all major religions are looking forward to something – and in most cases that “something” involves a person.

Could the future Antichrist use these expectations by attempting to apply them to himself?

Could the future Antichrist claim to be the Christian Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, the Islamic Mahdi, the Buddhist Maitreya and the Hindu Kalki all at the same time?

Could this be what happens when all of the major religions merge into the one world religion prophesied in the book of Revelation?

The reality is that such a scenario is not going to happen tomorrow, but as the world descends into times of great crisis, the rise of a supernatural world leader become more likely.

The arms race in the Middle East is now officially out of control.  As if tensions in that region were not high enough, there are now reports that Hezbollah is stockpiling chemical and biological weapons near Israel’s border, that Syria is about to start receiving MiGs from Russia and that Iran has developed systems that can now intercept stealth cruise missiles.

In a region where it seems like war is almost always ready to erupt, this is really, really bad news.

According to DEBKA, European intelligence sources have recently indicated that Hezbollah has received and is stockpiling a supply of chemical shells and short-range missiles with chemical warheads.  These types of shells and warheads can do much, much more damage to a civilian population than the rockets that were fired into Israel during previous conflicts.

When you couple this news with the previous report that Hezbollah has stockpiled over 40,000 rockets near the border of Israel, this all becomes very ominous. 

Not only that, but according to DEBKA’s sources,  Hezbollah is about to receive biological weapons as well.  The amount of devastation that a terrorist organization can achieve with just a few of those is mind blowing. 

One of DEBKA’s sources describes the new Hezbollah as “bad guys with good strategic vision.”

If that wasn’t bad enough, a Russian newspaper is reporting that Russia has agreed to sell advanced MiG fighter jets to Syria but has not yet begun delivering the planes.

If this is true, and there is no reason to believe that it is not, then this would totally change the air superiority equation in the Middle East.  Up until now, the Israeli air force has always been vastly superior to the Syrians, but this would equal things up significantly.

One Israeli defense official put it this way in the Jerusalem Post: “If Syria gets new MiG-31s, this will pose a definite threat to our air force.”

Not only that, but there are several troubling reports about Iran’s military buildup.

Firstly, Iran is now claiming that it has developed weapons systems that are able to intercept stealth cruise missiles.  If this is true (and they are prone to exaggeration) then this substantially upgrades Iran’s defensive capabilities.

Secondly, DEBKA is reporting that Iran is now closer then ever to being able to produce a nuclear bomb.  According to DEBKA, Iran will have stockpiled enough high-grade enriched uranium for two nuclear bombs by February 2010.

Will Israel wait that long to strike?

Only time will tell.

Lastly, there are now rumors that the cargo ship that was hijacked and subsequently disappeared in the Arctic Sea was carrying S-300 missiles bound for Iran.

S-300 missiles are Russia’s most advanced anti-aircraft weapon, and if they had gotten to Russia it would have seriously made it much more difficult for Israel to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.  Thus there are rumors that seem to be very persistent that Israel may have been involved in the disappearance of the Russian cargo ship.

In fact, one anonymous source told a U.K. newspaper that in the event of a strike on Iran’s nuclear installations, S-300 missiles would likely increase Israeli casualties by up to 50 percent.

So what does all this mean?

It means that both sides are getting ready for something.  A major war in the Middle East is closer now than it has been in ages, and if something is not done this seething cauldron of tension is likely to boil over.

Let’s hope that does not happen any time soon.

Will you be forced to take the swine flu vaccine if you live in the United States?  Well, the truth is that the answer depends on who you are and where you live.  So far, Barack Obama is promising that the swine flu vaccine will not be mandatory for all Americans.  However, it has now been revealed that the swine flu vaccine WILL be mandatory for all active duty U.S. military personnel and for all health care workers in the state of New York, among others. 

Perhaps none of us should have been surprised when the Department of Defense announced that all active duty U.S. military personnel will be required to take the swine flu vaccine.  After all, the Pentagon regularly makes U.S. military personnel take a large variety of vaccines – even experimental ones.  However, to hear that they will be forced to take this new untested swine flu vaccine was very disappointing for many members of the American military.

According to the DoD’s press release, the mandatory vaccination program for the swine flu will begin about early October, and swine flu shots will also be made available to all military family members who desire to take it.

But the good news is that the swine flu vaccine will not be made mandatory for the family members of military personnel. 

The swine flu vaccine will also be mandatory for ALL health care workers in the state of New York.  In fact, a new regulation now requires that any person who works in a hospital or a health care facility in the state of New York MUST get a swine flu shot or they will be fired.

According to New York state health department spokeswoman Claire Pospisil, this troubling new regulation, which officially took effect back on August 13th, will require all New York hospitals and health care facilities to provide proof that all of their workers have been vaccinated for the swine flu. Penalties for health care institutions that violate this new regulation include fines of up to two thousand dollars for the first offense and up to five thousand dollars for subsequent offenses.

Other local governments, hospitals, universities and schools around the nation are considering similar regulations.

So will you be forced to take the swine flu vaccine?

It is going to depend on where you live and who you work for.

Already there are millions of Americans for which the swine flu vaccine is now mandatory.

At least for now, however, most Americans still have a choice.

Unfortunately, it appears that in France the citizens are not going to have such a luxury.

A recently revealed internal French government document has uncovered the intention of the French government to vaccinate each and every resident of that nation for the swine flu without exception. The type of vaccination program detailed in this stunning document more closely resembles a military campaign than a public health program.

If you can read and understand French you may be very interested in looking over the original document…..

http://www.sante-jeunesse-sports.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/Circulaire_vaccination_090824.pdf

But it is not just citizens of France that need to be concerned.  The reality is that disturbing laws are being proposed and passed in legislatures across the United States.

For example, in Massachusetts, Senate bill 2028 (the “Pandemic Response Bill”) would impose fines of up to $1000 a day and up to thirty days in jail for refusing to submit to health authorities during a public health emergency.

This horrific bill has actually passed the state senate in Massachusetts and now it is before the house. The good news is that as news of this bill has gotten out opposition to it has grown dramatically.  Hopefully this bill will be stopped before it can officially become law.

But the reality is that as more people around the U.S. catch the swine flu, the temptation for schools, employers and state and local governments to overreact will intensify.  It is likely that we will see more regulations and more laws that seek to compel people to take the swine flu vaccine.

How soon we forget 1976, when only one person officially died from the swine flu, but thousands either died or were permanently disabled from the swine flu vaccine.  In fact, the swine flu vaccine at that time was so horrible that they had to pull it back.

So who says that this current swine flu vaccine is any better?  There are new articles on the Internet every week about the adverse side effects that people are experiencing from various vaccines around the world.  How do we know that this one is going to be safe?

The truth is that we are moving into a time when there will be increasing pressure to take the swine flu vaccine – whether or not it has been tested and whether or not it is actually safe.  Let us hope that this whole episode does not turn into an unmitigated public health disaster.