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“... I am making everything new.” Revelation 21:5
Diana Washington Valdez
Commentary
If we believe that what the Bible says is true, then we
If we believe that what the Bible says is true, then we
must also accept that there is a spiritual dimension to our lives that is unseen.
The Bible makes it clear that when it comes to time and space, we live in parallel worlds, in the present world with its confines and in an eternal one with its infinite possibilities.
Interestingly, the existence of "parallel worlds" was mentioned by one of the experts interviewed for an "Ancient Aliens" episode that aired Oct. 20 on the local cable TV outlet. Although the popular History Channel presents several interesting facts during its episodes, especially the archaeological and other scientific findings, I consider "Ancient Aliens" as mostly a venue for entertainment, not something on which to base your life. Ancient Aliens
Interestingly, the existence of "parallel worlds" was mentioned by one of the experts interviewed for an "Ancient Aliens" episode that aired Oct. 20 on the local cable TV outlet. Although the popular History Channel presents several interesting facts during its episodes, especially the archaeological and other scientific findings, I consider "Ancient Aliens" as mostly a venue for entertainment, not something on which to base your life. Ancient Aliens
To be honest, we’re so caught up with the routines of daily life that we rarely think about that other spiritual dimension. I wonder how we would define “time” in the eternal world, or if such a concept even applies.
These issues, including the question of what death is all about, are raised by the Book of Revelation. The Christian Bible has much to say about life and death, as well as about the meaning of life.
It also describes two kinds of deaths, physical and spiritual, and what it is that kills the body and spirit. These are other subjects that we will no doubt take up in a future discussion. For now, we will get back to some points about prophetic messages that are contained in Revelation and other books of the Bible.
Recently, we learned that a writer who described himself as a "Christian numerologist" predicted that the end of the world would occur on September 23. Author David Meade's prediction did not come to pass then, and he set October 15 as the new date for the cataclysmic event. The prediction of the author of "Planet X" also came with somewhat of a qualifier: it was not to be the end end but the beginning of the end. That leaves things pretty open-ended, for now. Meade theory
Over the centuries, prophecies have come and gone. They've come from Christians and from people of other faiths and cultures. One of the best known historical figures who engaged in prophecy was the French doctor Nostradamus (1503-1566).
The entire Book of Revelation is about the "end times," and we know that Jesus Christ confirmed to his disciples that such things (as were later mentioned in Revelation) would happen before his second coming, which also is something that not all Christians believe.
In fact, I still remember quite vividly how the young daughter of a military chaplain - she must have been 10 to 12 years old - broke into a conversation that several of us adults were having about the expected return of Jesus Christ.
The young girl who was listening to us dropped what she was doing, came closer and asked earnestly, "Jesus is coming back?" Her father, an ordained Protestant minister, apparently did not teach this, and probably did not believe it himself. There are numerous ministers (of all faiths) who studied in seminaries and do not believe in the parallel spiritual dimension of life, and who do not believe in a literal heaven or hell. Revelation mentions hell as a lake of fire [1].
Many Christians, including other members of the clergy, also do not believe that a literal "antichrist" will arise sometime in the future to rule over mankind, and that he will wage war against believers and the forces of heaven in the run-up to Armageddon [2]. Revelation gives details about the characteristics of the antichrist, but his identity remains a mystery. The "666" and other clues aren't enough to make him obvious, at least not at this time.
Just like those who have set dates for the end of the world, there have been numerous old and modern-day prophets who swear they know the identity of the antichrist. The internet is filled with their findings. It's amazing how many former presidents and other world leaders have been labeled as the antichrist.
For all it's worth, over my lifetime, I've heard at least two messages about the antichrist that caught my attention. They occurred more than 30 years apart, with the two different times acting like bookends for these two claims.
I heard the first message from a Christian evangelist from Africa who had some connection to the international Youth with a Mission (YWAM) ministry. During a religious service in Germany, he shared a prophecy he had heard somewhere else. I don't recall the minister's name, but he was a respected and serious man.
The African minister said that according to the prophecy the antichrist had been born. If I recall correctly, the original prophet for this message did not provide details on when exactly he was born or where he was living. The only reason I never forgot it is because of the setting at that time, and the idea that this key figure mentioned prophetically as "the man of perdition" [3]) could be alive in my lifetime.
A more recent and similar reference to the antichrist also caught my attention. This time, it came from Perry Stone, an evangelical Christian minister who has spent decades studying Bible prophecy. Stone is controversial, and I do not agree with all his views, but I can't find many people in Christendom that I agree with 100 percent of the time. Much of the prophetic in the Bible, which hasn't already occurred, frankly, is open to interpretation.
You can listen to a brief version of Stone's message at Perry Stone video for yourself. His organization, Perry Stone Ministries, uploaded it on YouTube last year. "And He (the Lord) let me know that the antichrist ... he is presently, the man, is presently on the planet," said Stone, who claimed that the Lord revealed this to him during a visit to Jerusalem.
If we are to assume the two prophecies are accurate, then it means that the man who could become or is the "antichrist" is a person who walks among us now. Considering the time lapse between these two messages, he is a man who may be in his 40s or 50s. I will speculate that he is probably not from the Western Hemisphere, partly based on the fact that the two prophecies were transmitted in the Eastern Hemisphere. Of course, the many caveats for these two prophecies are self-evident.
Jesus Christ warned his followers in the Book of Matthew [4] to watch out for "false messiahs" and "false prophets," and He spoke to them at length about the conditions that would exist on the Earth just before His return. A lot of life as usual, and so forth.
Truthfulness was the test of a real prophet in the Old Testament days. Back then, if a prophecy proved to be false, then the prophet who uttered it was as good as dead, not to mention discredited. That was the price to pay for making false predictions in the name of the Lord.
In another video, the aforementioned Perry Stone says he believes that the antichrist will be a political and military leader of the Muslim faith. He also describes another view of the meaning of the name and number of the antichrist, which traditionally has been noted simply as "666." Perry Stone 2
There is a third prophetic message about the End Times worth sharing that differs from Stone's version of who the antichrist might be.
The late Yves Dupont, a French Roman Catholic prophecy scholar, said he believed that the antichrist would come from the Jewish tribe of Dan, born in Israel's Chorazin (Corozain) area to a prostitute, and evil from his youth. Dupont studied numerous "prophecies" from over centuries, and it appears that his conclusions add to the idea that this man is in the earth today. A summary of the information that he compiled and was published in 1975 may be viewed @ Dupont .
I encourage everyone to study the prophetic themes of the Bible, including the Book of Revelation. They are interesting, fascinating, and are meant to be read. Today, we have many study aids available to help guide students through the writings. Some churches have Bible study groups that are willing to discuss the end times, and are not intimidated by the parts that as yet seem unclear.
John, the author of Revelation, states that there is a blessing for those who read and study this prophetic book: "Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." [5]
Those who read Revelation will find that it describes how our "parallel" world will no longer exist side by side but actually intersect. The wall of invisibility will come down. There will come a moment when we will be able to see things as they really are.
I may live long enough to see whether the prophecies I've mentioned - about the antichrist - will come to pass before I die. If not, the very next generation after me will be able to read this blog in the future, and conclude whether it proved to be only a blind alley.
#DianaWashingtonValdez , an award-winning multimedia journalist and a Christian ordained minister, is a member of the International Association of Religion Journalists.
End notes
[1]New Testament (NT): Revelation 20:10.
[2] NT: Revelation 16:16.
[3] NT: 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. (KJV)
[4] NT: Matthew 24: 1-44.
[5] NT: Revelation 1:3.
These issues, including the question of what death is all about, are raised by the Book of Revelation. The Christian Bible has much to say about life and death, as well as about the meaning of life.
It also describes two kinds of deaths, physical and spiritual, and what it is that kills the body and spirit. These are other subjects that we will no doubt take up in a future discussion. For now, we will get back to some points about prophetic messages that are contained in Revelation and other books of the Bible.
Recently, we learned that a writer who described himself as a "Christian numerologist" predicted that the end of the world would occur on September 23. Author David Meade's prediction did not come to pass then, and he set October 15 as the new date for the cataclysmic event. The prediction of the author of "Planet X" also came with somewhat of a qualifier: it was not to be the end end but the beginning of the end. That leaves things pretty open-ended, for now. Meade theory
Over the centuries, prophecies have come and gone. They've come from Christians and from people of other faiths and cultures. One of the best known historical figures who engaged in prophecy was the French doctor Nostradamus (1503-1566).
The entire Book of Revelation is about the "end times," and we know that Jesus Christ confirmed to his disciples that such things (as were later mentioned in Revelation) would happen before his second coming, which also is something that not all Christians believe.
In fact, I still remember quite vividly how the young daughter of a military chaplain - she must have been 10 to 12 years old - broke into a conversation that several of us adults were having about the expected return of Jesus Christ.
The young girl who was listening to us dropped what she was doing, came closer and asked earnestly, "Jesus is coming back?" Her father, an ordained Protestant minister, apparently did not teach this, and probably did not believe it himself. There are numerous ministers (of all faiths) who studied in seminaries and do not believe in the parallel spiritual dimension of life, and who do not believe in a literal heaven or hell. Revelation mentions hell as a lake of fire [1].
Many Christians, including other members of the clergy, also do not believe that a literal "antichrist" will arise sometime in the future to rule over mankind, and that he will wage war against believers and the forces of heaven in the run-up to Armageddon [2]. Revelation gives details about the characteristics of the antichrist, but his identity remains a mystery. The "666" and other clues aren't enough to make him obvious, at least not at this time.
Just like those who have set dates for the end of the world, there have been numerous old and modern-day prophets who swear they know the identity of the antichrist. The internet is filled with their findings. It's amazing how many former presidents and other world leaders have been labeled as the antichrist.
For all it's worth, over my lifetime, I've heard at least two messages about the antichrist that caught my attention. They occurred more than 30 years apart, with the two different times acting like bookends for these two claims.
I heard the first message from a Christian evangelist from Africa who had some connection to the international Youth with a Mission (YWAM) ministry. During a religious service in Germany, he shared a prophecy he had heard somewhere else. I don't recall the minister's name, but he was a respected and serious man.
The African minister said that according to the prophecy the antichrist had been born. If I recall correctly, the original prophet for this message did not provide details on when exactly he was born or where he was living. The only reason I never forgot it is because of the setting at that time, and the idea that this key figure mentioned prophetically as "the man of perdition" [3]) could be alive in my lifetime.
A more recent and similar reference to the antichrist also caught my attention. This time, it came from Perry Stone, an evangelical Christian minister who has spent decades studying Bible prophecy. Stone is controversial, and I do not agree with all his views, but I can't find many people in Christendom that I agree with 100 percent of the time. Much of the prophetic in the Bible, which hasn't already occurred, frankly, is open to interpretation.
You can listen to a brief version of Stone's message at Perry Stone video for yourself. His organization, Perry Stone Ministries, uploaded it on YouTube last year. "And He (the Lord) let me know that the antichrist ... he is presently, the man, is presently on the planet," said Stone, who claimed that the Lord revealed this to him during a visit to Jerusalem.
If we are to assume the two prophecies are accurate, then it means that the man who could become or is the "antichrist" is a person who walks among us now. Considering the time lapse between these two messages, he is a man who may be in his 40s or 50s. I will speculate that he is probably not from the Western Hemisphere, partly based on the fact that the two prophecies were transmitted in the Eastern Hemisphere. Of course, the many caveats for these two prophecies are self-evident.
Jesus Christ warned his followers in the Book of Matthew [4] to watch out for "false messiahs" and "false prophets," and He spoke to them at length about the conditions that would exist on the Earth just before His return. A lot of life as usual, and so forth.
Truthfulness was the test of a real prophet in the Old Testament days. Back then, if a prophecy proved to be false, then the prophet who uttered it was as good as dead, not to mention discredited. That was the price to pay for making false predictions in the name of the Lord.
In another video, the aforementioned Perry Stone says he believes that the antichrist will be a political and military leader of the Muslim faith. He also describes another view of the meaning of the name and number of the antichrist, which traditionally has been noted simply as "666." Perry Stone 2
There is a third prophetic message about the End Times worth sharing that differs from Stone's version of who the antichrist might be.
The late Yves Dupont, a French Roman Catholic prophecy scholar, said he believed that the antichrist would come from the Jewish tribe of Dan, born in Israel's Chorazin (Corozain) area to a prostitute, and evil from his youth. Dupont studied numerous "prophecies" from over centuries, and it appears that his conclusions add to the idea that this man is in the earth today. A summary of the information that he compiled and was published in 1975 may be viewed @ Dupont .
John, the author of Revelation, states that there is a blessing for those who read and study this prophetic book: "Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." [5]
Those who read Revelation will find that it describes how our "parallel" world will no longer exist side by side but actually intersect. The wall of invisibility will come down. There will come a moment when we will be able to see things as they really are.
I may live long enough to see whether the prophecies I've mentioned - about the antichrist - will come to pass before I die. If not, the very next generation after me will be able to read this blog in the future, and conclude whether it proved to be only a blind alley.
#DianaWashingtonValdez , an award-winning multimedia journalist and a Christian ordained minister, is a member of the International Association of Religion Journalists.
[1]New Testament (NT): Revelation 20:10.
[2] NT: Revelation 16:16.
[3] NT: 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. (KJV)
[4] NT: Matthew 24: 1-44.
[5] NT: Revelation 1:3.
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