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Jack Van Impe Ministries International Newsletter
April 20, 2009
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WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER CONTENTS:
A MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM DR. JACK VAN IMPE
FROM THE HEART OF DR. REXELLA VAN IMPE
CHANGED LIVES REPORT
HIGHLIGHTED PRODUCT OFFERS
PRAYER REQUEST AREA
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A MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM DR. JACK VAN IMPE
This chapter introduces us to two beasts. The first one, commonly
known as the Antichrist, is unveiled in verses 1 through 10, while
the second beast, known as the false prophet, is revealed in verses
11 through 18. The first beast is political; the second is religious.
Both, however, are energized by the power of Satan, and thus
constitute an unholy trinity-the devil, the Antichrist, and the
false prophet. Remember, Satan is the great imitator. The incarnation
of himself in these two villains is his final attempt to wreak havoc
upon earth. Knowing that he has but a short time left, he makes an
all-out move to usurp God's position and authority through his two
allies- the beasts of this chapter.
Verse 1: And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a
beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads
and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns,
and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
As stated earlier in our study, Bible chapters and verses came into
existence in the 1500s. They are very helpful in locating passages,
but they are not inspired. At times they even cloud the information
being presented. Actually, verse 1 of chapter 13 should have been
part of chapter 12, for the subject is Satan and his persecution of
earth dwellers. Therefore, according to the original Greek
manuscript, the personal pronoun should be he instead of I, because
he pictures Satan standing upon the sand of the sea. Accordingly,
this portion of Scripture should read, "And the dragon was wroth with
the woman...and Satan stood upon the sand of the sea."
Satan standing upon the sand of the sea pictures his control over
earth's teeming millions at an appointed time (chapter 17, verse 5,
and chapter 20, verse 8). This control is established through the two
satanically-inspired beasts who come out of the sea and the earth.
The first beast (the Antichrist) rises out of the sea and has seven
heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns. He is a literal
man, but demon-possessed, for he (or his power) comes out of the
abyss, for the beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall
ascend out of the bottomless pit (chapter 17, verse 8).
The seven heads, loaded with blasphemy, also portray the five kings
who had ruled up to John's day; the sixth king who was in power at
that time; and the seventh king who will reign as the Antichrist
during the Tribulation hour.
Chapter 17, verse 10 confirms this: And there are seven kings: five
are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he
cometh, he must continue a short space. Likewise, the ten horns also
picture ten nations over whom the beast or Antichrist rules. The
scene before us pictures the final, or seventh, world leader ruling
over a confederation of ten nations during the end time.
In order to understand that the ten horns are actually ten Western
nations-each of which was part of the old Roman Empire-one must study
the prophecy of Daniel in chapters 2 and 7 of the book bearing his
name. Let's digress for a moment and investigate.
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon in Daniel's day, had a dream.
When he awakened, however, he could not recall the dream. Therefore,
he called his magicians, astrologers, and soothsayers together,
requesting that they both recall the dream and explain its meaning.
Not one of them was able to do so, even under the sentence of death:
And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they
sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. Then Daniel went in, and
desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would
shew the king the interpretation. Then was the secret revealed unto
Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven
(Daniel 2:13, 16, 19).
Next we find Daniel in the presence of the king, explaining God's
vision to him in verses 27 through 36. This is one of the most
important texts in the entire Bible because it reveals the history
of the world from that time to our present day. Daniel answered in
the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath
demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the
soothsayers, show unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that
revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what
shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head
upon thy bed, are these; As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into
thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he
that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that
I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make
known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the
thoughts of thy heart. Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great
image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before
thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of
fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his
thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of
clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which
smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake
them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver,
and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff
of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that
no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image
became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. This is the
dream.
Nebuchadnezzar was astonished as his dream was revealed, and shocked
as its interpretation was given. Daniel told the king that he
(Nebuchadnezzar) as the leader of the Babylonian empire was the head
of gold and that the two arms of silver (representing the Medes and
the Persians) would soon overthrow him. Next the stomach and thighs
of brass (Greece) would defeat the Medes and the Persians.
Eventually the two legs of iron (the Roman Empire headquartered at
Rome and Constantinople) would conquer the Greco Empire. These events
occurred exactly as God had revealed them to Daniel and as he, in
turn, told Nebuchadnezzar.
Now notice something extremely important. The ten toes of iron and
clay never destroyed the legs of iron-the Roman Empire! Why? Rome
fell through internal corruption.
This historical fact is the subject of Edward Gibbon's great book,
The History of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. Therefore, we
see that the final world power is a union of ten Western nations
represented by the ten toes of the great image. The iron tells us
these nations were part of the old Roman Empire, whereas the clay
speaks of a deterioration as the empire weakened over the centuries.
Thus, the final world power will not be communism but a confederation
of ten Western nations under the first beast, or the Antichrist.
The ten toes also coincide with the ten horns of the beast in the
verse under consideration. In the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's
dream (2:36-44), Daniel described the toes as kingdoms, concluding
with the statement, And in the days of these kings [ten of them, as
pictured by the ten toes] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom,
which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to
other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these
kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
For centuries Christians have prayed Matthew 6:10: Thy kingdom come.
During the Tribulation hour, the 144,000 Jewish evangelists of
Revelation 7:3-8 will preach the gospel of the kingdom-the good news
that the King is about to return. Can you hear them shouting this
exciting information in the streets? "The King is coming! The King
is coming!" Finally the King is seen returning in chapter 11, verse
15, and chapter 19, verse 16, and this event of the ages takes place
when a final confederation of ten Western nations has been
established upon earth. Could the present European Union be a part of
this picture? I believe it could be! Oh, Jesus is coming soon!
At this point we need to consider another extremely important fact.
Ireland and Denmark-present Common Market members-were never part of
the old Roman Empire. This apparent problem, however, is quickly
resolved when one considers the information presented in Daniel,
chapter 7. Here we discover that, following the establishment of a
ten-nation confederacy, another world leader arises. He takes
control, ousts three nations, and replaces them with two others and
his own. Specifically, Daniel says, I considered the horns [ten of
them], and, behold, there came up among them another little horn,
before whom there were three of the first horns [original members]
plucked up by the roots (7:8). This coincides perfectly with
Revelation 13:5.
Daniel continues in verses 24 and 25: And the ten horns out of this
kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after
them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue
three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High.
Here we not only see the world leader overpowering three kings and
replacing them with original members of the old Roman Empire-we also
observe him fulfilling the prediction of blasphemy described in our
text.
There is no doubt about it. A confederacy of ten Western nations will
be formed. Then another leader will appear, remove three nations,
replace them, and rule as the Antichrist until the King of kings
returns to earth and destroys his evil empire. Thus, the Common
Market will grow to thirteen nations, and these thirteen could
eventually control all nations and finally be reduced to ten at the
end when this ten-toed, ten-horned confederacy is destroyed. This is
the event described by Daniel as a stone cut out without hands
[breaking] in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and
the gold.
Then Daniel 2:44,45 occurs: And in the days of these kings shall the
God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and
the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in
pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain
without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the
clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the
king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain,
and the interpretation thereof sure.
Yes, King Nebuchadnezzar's dream has come to pass throughout hundreds
of years of history, and the present alignment of Western nations in
the form of the European Union may well be the final piece in the
puzzle. Prepare to meet thy God (Amos 4:12).
Verse 2: And the beast which I saw was like unto
a leopard, and his feet were as the feet
of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of
a lion: and the dragon gave him his power,
and his seat, and great authority.
We have already discovered that (1) Babylon, (2) Medo-Persia,
(3) Greece, and (4) Rome constitute the last four empires of world
history. We have also learned that the revived Roman Empire,
originating in 1948 in the form of a final ten-nation confederation,
becomes the end-time power block. Daniel 7 pictures these four
empires as (1) a lion, (2) a bear, (3) a leopard, and (4) a beast who
is a combination of the previous world powers he has conquered. The
beast's empire contains a portion of each preceding empire. Actually,
the only difference between the descriptions of John and Daniel is
that the order is reversed in the Book of Revelation. The reason for
this is simple: John is looking back to the beginning while Daniel is
looking forward to the conclusion. Putting it all together, the
message of the ten horns, the ten toes, and the four beasts is one
and the same from different vantage points and all picture a world
dictator governing ten nations at the time of the end! This
ten-nation confederacy constitutes the revival of the fourth
power- the old Roman Empire-as typified by the fourth monstrous
animal or beast.
Verse 3: And I saw one of his heads as it were
wounded to death; and his deadly wound
was healed: and all the world wondered
after the beast.
The wounding of the beast is mentioned three times in this
chapter-verse 3, 12, and 14. The wound produces death, but
restoration to life follows. Some commentators think that this
statement represents the fall of the old Roman Empire and its
restoration through the ten-nation confederacy. Others believe that
it speaks of the resurrection of Judas Iscariot, for he and the
Antichrist are the only ones ever called the son of perdition (John
17:12 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3). God alone knows.
A third possibility would be that the Antichrist is assassinated or
killed midway through the Tribulation hour (See Daniel 11:45). Such
an event would give the great counterfeiter, Satan, the opportunity
to perform a resurrection. This would prove invaluable to the
prestige of the Antichrist, since the deity of the Lord Jesus was
affirmed by His resurrection 2,000 years before (see Matthew 12:39,
40). Remember that the Antichrist proclaims himself God and even sits
in the Temple in Jerusalem during the Tribulation (see 2
Thessalonians 2:4 and Matthew 24:15). Thus, a counterfeit
resurrection would assure the world that he is all he claims to be. I
personally believe this to be the correct solution, because when it
happens, all the world [wonders] after [him]. Mankind is literally
overwhelmed by the Antichrist's power and authority.
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FROM THE HEART OF DR. REXELLA VAN IMPE
How Do You Handle Guilt
"How do I handle the guilt of having lived in adultery for twenty
years?" a woman asked me.
First, I led her to the Lord. Then I assured her that the past was
forgotten, just as if she had never sinned. The blood of Christ
cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). The moment we receive Him, we
start a new life. Our past is never remembered again.
God has promised, "Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no
more" (Heb. 8:12). It is often said that God casts our sins into the
sea of His forgetfulness and puts up a sign: "No fishing allowed."
However, Satan can use guilt feelings to rob us of our joy and
effectiveness for Christ. Often he brings to our remembrance the past
with all its ugliness. To overcome this assault, we must have full
assurance that we have been forgiven of our sin (the promise of 1
John 1:9). Then we must dwell with Christ in daily communion,
constantly aware of His glory and the joy of knowing that He wants
to use us in spite of our past.
Having received forgiveness in Christ, we must next forgive ourselves
for our failures. This is what I believe the apostle Paul was
thinking when he wrote, "forgetting those things which are behind,
and reaching forth unto those things which are before" (Phil. 3:13).
I picture Paul sitting down one day and, in a state of despair,
declaring, "I am the worst of sinners." Then the Holy Spirit
whispers, "Forget those things which are behind. You did your best.
You did all that you could do, and God knows all about it, so forget
all the things which are behind you. Press toward the mark for the
prize of the high calling of Christ" (see Phil. 3:13, 14).
The Holy Spirit makes the same statement to us today. Do all that you
can now and leave the rest with the Lord. Look toward the future.
Our thought processes can work to our advantage or to our
disadvantage. I believe that "Gird up the loins of your mind" (1 Pet.
1:13) means don't allow yourself to look back, especially on failure
and on the sins for which you have been forgiven. Think on those
things that edify the soul. Philippians 4:8 expresses beautifully the
kinds of thoughts that should fill the minds of Christians: things
that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report.
It is very hard for me to reflect on my life. I have found it much
healthier to look ahead, reflecting only long enough to say "Thank
you, Lord." I never wallow in guilt, even for two minutes. I will not
allow my mind to do that.
I learned to control my thoughts at a very young age. After singing
in church one night, I was angry with myself because I thought I had
done a bad job. My brother Bob asked, "Did you do your best?"
"Yes, I did," I answered.
He simply said, "Well?"
"Thank you, Bob," I replied.
That lesson stuck with me. During the first year of our ministry, I
fought those angry feelings when I didn't do a good job. The Holy
Spirit seemed to speak to me as Bob had done.
"Did you do your best?"
I did.
"Well?"
I realized that although I might not do a superb job every night, I
could do my best... and that's all that is required.
Each of us struggles with personal failure. Remember Paul's
frustration in Romans 7? The things he wanted to do, he didn't do.
The things he didn't want to do, he ended up doing. That is also true
in my life. I echo his cry, "O wretched man that I am! who shall
deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus
Christ our Lord" (Rom. 7:24, 25).
You may feel guilty over a son or daughter who has strayed away from
God. Don't condemn yourself by asking, "Where did I go wrong?" Did
you do your best in rearing him or her for Christ? Then claim the
promise of Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way he should go:
and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Don't spend the rest
of your days in regret. Rather, seek God's guidance in helping your
child now. Forget the past and let your love and concern show through
your prayers to the God who cares. Hands off -- God is at work!
We will never be perfect in this life, but it's good to know we have
been forgiven -- not only for our past sins, but also for our daily
shortcomings and the weaknesses that will cause us to fall short of
the glory of God throughout life on earth.
Think of it! We are forgiven... past, present, and future! "There is
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Rom. 8:1).
No condemnation! And no guilt!
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CHANGED LIVES-one at a time
Dear Jack and Rexella,
Thanks so much covering important issues of our Christian faith. I
am very concerned about the emergent/emerging church within the
evangelical churches by compromising the gospel. Some are trying to
make the gospel sound "nice" and are turning away from the basics of
our faith. Thanks for preaching the Truth.
Blessings to you both and your ministry,
B. B.
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Thank you so much for the emails. I have been studying Bible
prophecy for about 20 years. I am so thankful for Christians like
you and Rexella. I have watched your weekly program for quite some
time now, and I just love how Jack tells it like it is. Only ONE way
to heaven and that is through Jesus our Lord and Savior. Thanks
again for spreading the true gospel of our Lord. God bless, your
friend and brother-in-Christ,
J. P.
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