6 Mar 2023

Published on: by RR7 Category:Nearing Midnight

Why Is the Satanism Category Ranked So Low?

One of the most common questions regarding the Rapture Index is why the rating for the Satanism category is so low. Right now, it is at a two rating, which seems to conflict with recent headlines:

District officials in Pennsylvania had green-lighted an “After School Satan Club.” It was poised to be a headline-grabbing countermeasure to a Christian club by an atheist group claiming to be Satanists.

The name of the sponsoring group is the Satanic Temple, and they don’t claim to worship the same Devil that is in the Bible. June Everett, the After School Satan Club national campaign director, said the club is anything but a joke.

“We are run by the Satanic Temple, and we are; the club is brought to you by your local, friendly, self-identified, non-theistic Satanists.” Everett said the Satanic Temple doesn’t believe in the same Satan that Christians do.

Senator Ted Cruz, R-Tex., joined a chorus of Republicans and conservatives voicing outrage over a controversial performance during this year’s Grammys on February 5, which featured a singer dressed as the Devil.

“Nonbinary” singer Sam Smith’s duet with transgender artist Kim Petras for their song “Unholy” featured Smith wearing Devil horns while Petras gyrated in a cage against the backdrop of flames. Dancers dressed as demons bowed and crawled around Smith.

“This…is…evil,” Cruz wrote in response to a tweet of the performance shared by conservative commentator Liz Wheeler.

Another congressman is upset over an animated horror comedy featuring Danny DeVito as the voice of Satan, which is “clearly evil.” US Rep Mike Johnson from Louisiana, through his Facebook post, denounced “Little Demon” as being from the pit of hell. His official website says the series is about a woman and her 13-year-old daughter who are trying to live normal lives even though Satan is the girl’s father and wants custody of her soul.

“I couldn’t get to the remote fast enough to shield my 11-year-old from the preview, and I wonder how many other children were exposed to it — and how many millions more will tune in to the new series, owned and marketed by DISNEY,” the congressman and vice chairman of the House Republican Conference wrote in a recent post.

In the past few years, there have been all types of satanic representations on TV:

In 2016, Fox presented a TV series that portrayed the Devil as a smooth operator. The series revolved around the story of Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis), the DC Universe’s version of the Devil, who abandons Hell for Los Angeles, where he runs his own nightclub named Lux and becomes a consultant to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Katy Perry topped Sam Smith with her 2014 Grammy Awards performance that had her doing a full-fledged witchcraft incarnation live on national TV.

In 2021, Gay rapper Lil Nas X grossed out some of his closest fans by sliding down a pole to hell to give the Devil a lap dance.

It is clear that Satan is the god of this world. He is a being of extreme popularity, but few people believe he really exists. You can look at the most satanic rock bands of all time, and the majority of them don’t think the Devil was ever a real being. The band AC/DC had hits like “Highway to Hell,” “Care of the Devil,” and “Hells Bells.”

Not a single member of AC/DC thinks that Satan is a real being. They have been around since 1973, and they are the second most successful band in the history of rock and roll. They have sold over 200 million records worldwide.

When I created the Satanism category in 1987, I knew that the actual worship of Satan was low, and it still is. The Devil prefers that people think that he doesn’t exist. I find that to be very odd for someone who is extremely arrogant. Since Satan is a being of super intelligence, it ultimately makes sense that he would deceive people into thinking he never existed.

“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

–Todd

Iranian Nuclear Nightmare

The last time we looked in this column at the prophecy about an apparent Persian/Iranian nuclear-type disaster was a number of years ago. At the time, it looked very much like the Iranian regime was on the verge of attaining the technology and obtaining the fissionable materials in sufficient amounts to produce a nuclear weapon.

Israel looked to be at that time about to take out Iran’s nuclear production centers within the Bushehr Mountains by military strikes. However, the program seems to have been disrupted by something called a Stuxnet worm—a cyber virus introduced by Israel’s IDF into Iran’s nuclear development computer system.

Still, the rumors persisted that the Iranians were on the verge of producing a nuclear bomb. The claim always seemed to indicate it would happen within several months at most.

The bomb, of course, was never demonstrated to have become fact, and yet the same claims are made today. Iran is on the cusp of creating a nuclear weapon, and they promise to use it to eliminate Israel when the capability comes into being.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in power during most of those earlier Bushehr Mountain threats. We know how the Israeli government has gone in and out of various stages of political-ideological phases since. And now, in 2023, Netanyahu is once again in power, and everything coming out of his government’s inner circle indicates the Iranian threat to complete its nuclear weapons program is about to come to fruition. Netanyahu continues to vow—as when he was in power in those earlier days—that Israel’s blood-vowed enemy will never be allowed to achieve nuclear weapons capability.

This would seem like a ho-hum moment in that we’ve seen it before, and nothing came of it. That they will once again come up with a Stuxnet-type technological worm to infiltrate and destroy Iran’s project before it can be completed is at the heart of the sense of not to worry.

There is an entirely different feel to these matters this time, however. This is particularly true among those of us who look at all other developments in Bible prophecy progression and see all the things mentioned by Jesus and the prophets as coming together into profound convergence. This factor and the obvious ratcheting-up of Israel’s military planning and Netanyahu’s strong words might indicate the Elam prophecy given by Jeremiah the prophet could be close to fulfillment.

Analyzing from a biblically prophetic perspective of the dangerous situation presented by Iran’s threats has been the mission of my friend Bill Salus of Prophecy Depot Ministries. He wrote in a 2014 article about a report outlining that danger.

The war-weary world is watching with worrisome eyes as Iran assembles a uranium enrichment arsenal that now numbers about 19,000 centrifuges. This many centrifuges spinning 24/7 can produce a nuclear weapon within about six weeks. Perhaps even more startling is the June 9, 2014 headline below from The Washington Free Beacon:

“Israeli Official: Iran to Have 50–100 Nuclear Warheads by 2024.” (“Elam: Iran’s Forgotten Prophecy: Middle East,” Bill Salus, Koinonia House, June 2014)

Well, the year 2024 is almost upon us. And, like all other prophetic signals on the immediate horizon, our headlines at the moment blaze with news from Israel.

As stated many times in these commentaries: No matter in which directions the cameras and microphones might be turned at the moment, they always swing right back to focus on Jerusalem and Israel as the center of controversy.

That truth continues to be in play. The following portrays the seriousness of the moment.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday evening, at the Hartog National Security Conference at the Setai Hotel in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, was interviewed by Prof. Walter Russell Mead, Professor of Foreign Affairs and Humanities at Bard College, and the ‘Global View’ Columnist at the Wall Street Journal…

In response to the question: What would the policy be on Iran, on the assumption that the US administration claims that the 2015 nuclear agreement is completely finished, and in light of reports that Iran has enriched its uranium to 84% just below nuclear level, Prime Minister Netanyahu replied:

“Ask a question. How do you stop a rogue nation from acquiring nuclear weapons? Let’s see. I mean, there have been some examples, so we can maybe deduce a rule. “…

“The only thing that has credibly stopped rogue nations from developing nuclear weapons is a credible military threat or a credible military action. You can couple that with crippling economic sanctions, but that’s not a sufficient condition. A necessary condition, and an often sufficient condition, is credible military action. The longer you wait, the harder that becomes. We’ve waited very long.”

“I can tell you that I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. That is not merely an Israeli interest; it’s an American interest; it’s in the interest of the entire world.” (“PM says stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons in interests of the entire world, not just Israel,” Arutz Sheva, Israel National News, February 21, 2023)

While Mr. Netanyahu lays out the nightmare for the entire world if Iran is allowed to develop its nuclear weapons program, it is a nightmare for the Persian people, sadly, that is in view from God’s prophetic perspective.

God, through Jeremiah, foretells that the Persians’ bow (its military capability) will be broken. There will be such a disaster as a result that the people of the region will have to scatter to the four winds to survive the carnage. I believe that carnage is nuclear radiation because of the facilities’ destruction.

Here is what Jeremiah said:

“Against Elam I will bring the four winds From the four quarters of heaven, And scatter them toward all those winds; There shall be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will not go” (Jeremiah 46:39).

As I say, this is sad—tragic—if looked at as happening before the Rapture. There is a tremendous number of Christians in Iran, and reports have it that the number is growing spectacularly despite the evil regime’s efforts to stamp out believers in Christ. This might well be one more reason to add to the Rapture taking place before this prophecy is fulfilled—meaning that, with the seeming assault by Israel coming very soon, the great Rapture event might be sooner than even the most ardent Titus 2:13 watchman can imagine!

—Terry

6 Mar 2023

Published on: by RR7 Category:Israel Watch

Hoaxed?

Archaeological finds in Israel are always particularly exciting.

From the “David” reference at Tel Dan, to excavations in Jerusalem’s Old City, there is always something exciting to find when a shovel hits the dirt. The modern fascination with Israeli archaeology probably occurred during the work of famed archaeologist William Albright. As professor of ancient Semitic languages at Johns Hopkins, Albright became director of the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem in the 1920s. His work is still highlighted in east Jerusalem.

He helped authenticate the Dead Sea Scrolls and then established his reputation as a biblical archaeologist. Very importantly, as he came of age during the reign of the evil German Higher Criticism (a school of thought that said much of the Old Testament is myth), Albright rejected that and believed the biblical records are accurate.

Recently though, a discovery has come under scrutiny and we can thank the Israel Antiquities Authority for that. It does no good to come upon an interesting find and peddle it as truth if it isn’t.

The story of the discovery of an inscription referring to King Darius the Persian is quite fascinating. Darius of course was ruler in a time of intense struggle for Jews in Mesopotamia. Rocked by invasions from Assyria and Babylon, they found themselves slaves in Babylon.

Until the Medo-Persian empire arose. Which leads to one more archaeological find that is authentic. The so-called “Cyrus Cylinder,” a barrel-shaped clay cuneiform message, was a decree from King Cyrus (predicted to come 150 years before he did, in Isaiah 45) that allowed conquered peoples to return to their ancestral homelands. This is what precipitated the exodus from Babylon back to Jerusalem by the Jews in the sixth century B.C.

 

Darius was king between Belshazzar and Cyrus.

The inscription on the pottery shard referring to Darius excited many only weeks ago when it was announced. However, the end of the story, though disappointing in one sense, is still intriguing and again, we must acknowledge the diligence of professionals that did not allow this find to “take root.” But the rest of the story is not nefarious, as in a blatant hoax.

Archaeological hoaxes are fairly common, and usually involve money or notoriety. A much more recent example would be the infamous “Hitler Diaries” in the 1980s, a collection of writings attributed to one of the most ruthless men in history. It came out then though that the “diaries” were really sophisticated forgeries.

Much more important are ancient Near East artifacts. If we are to properly know history, we must get the archaeology right.

It turns out that, far from being a sinister plot, the real ending to this story is a bit more mundane, albeit fascinating.

It was found in the Tel Lachish national park in southern Israel. According to the Jewish News Syndicate:

“However, in a rare weekend press announcement two days later, the IAA stated that an expert, who participated in the expedition last August contacted it following the publication of the find.

“The scholar informed the authority that she had created the inscription ‘while demonstrating to a group of students the manner in which sherds were inscribed in ancient times.’ (‘Sherd’ is a technical term that often overlaps with ‘shard.’)

“The scholar accidentally left the shard on the site, leading to the erroneous identification, per the statement.”

So there you have it! An innocent mistake led to a fairly electrifying announcement. The Antiquities Authority is revising procedures that will hopefully prevent such a mistake from being made again.

In the meantime…hey, what’s that over there? Sticking out of the dirt!

 Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com