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6139008-History-of-Money

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According to pre-tribulation premillennialists, who are known as dispensationalists, Yeshua-Joshua will come secretly inthe clouds and raise deceased Christians – and only Christians – from the dead. Immediately thereafter, every trueChristian will be transported bodily into the sky, and from there to heaven: the Rapture event. The passage cited todefend this view is found in Paul’s first letter to the church at Thessolonica: "For the Lord himself shall descend fromheaven with a shout, with the voice <strong>of</strong> the archangel, and with the trump <strong>of</strong> God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [harpazo] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord inthe air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thes. 4:16-17). Throughout most <strong>of</strong> church history, this passage wasassociated with the final judgment, but beginning sometime around 1830 in England, it was linked to the premillennial,pretribulational Rapture – a word that is not found in the Greek text or in any English translation <strong>of</strong> the New Testament.Its Latin root word is in Jerome’s Vulgate, a translation <strong>of</strong> the Greek "harpazo" – seize, catch, or pluck. This outlook onthe earthly future became increasingly popular among fundamentalists, beginning in the 1870's. It was formalized in thefootnotes <strong>of</strong> the Sc<strong>of</strong>ield Reference Bible (1909; revised, 1917). In 1930, it became the first Oxford University Press bookto reach sales <strong>of</strong> one million. It has now sold over five million copies. C. I. Sc<strong>of</strong>ield’s system has defined fundamentalismfor nine decades. The Rapture-based escape from history is now universally believed by fundamentalists to be imminent.Generations <strong>of</strong> fundamentalists have believed that they will escape bodily death. They will be transported into the sky, likeElijah, though without benefit <strong>of</strong> chariots. But when? That has been the great question. The answer: "Soon." But whysoon? Why not a millennium from now? The psychological answer: Because men do not live that long in this millennium.The main selling point for fundamentalism’s Bible prophecies is to get insight into what is coming soon. In this case, theissue <strong>of</strong> mortality is central. As the slogan says, "Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die." Thedoctrine <strong>of</strong> the imminent Rapture allows Christians to believe seriously that they can go to heaven without dying. Millions<strong>of</strong> Americans believe this today.But how can they be so sure? Because <strong>of</strong> the events <strong>of</strong> 1948. In that year, the crucial missing piece <strong>of</strong> the propheticpuzzle – the restoration <strong>of</strong> the nation <strong>of</strong> Israel – seemed to come true. Critics <strong>of</strong> the dispensational system could no longersay, "But where is Israel in all this?" The answer, at long last: "In Palestine, just in time for the Great Tribulation." TheGrim Fate <strong>of</strong> Israel: The source <strong>of</strong> the idea <strong>of</strong> the Great Tribulation is found in Yeshua-Joshua’ last words regardingIsrael, which are recorded in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, thenknow that the desolation there<strong>of</strong> is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which arein the midst <strong>of</strong> it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days <strong>of</strong>vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that givesuck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by theedge <strong>of</strong> the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down <strong>of</strong> the Gentiles,until the times <strong>of</strong> the Gentiles be fulfilled (Luke 21:20-24). Throughout most <strong>of</strong> church history, this prophecy wasinterpreted as having been fulfilled by the Roman siege <strong>of</strong> Jerusalem and the destruction <strong>of</strong> the temple in 70 A.D. With therise <strong>of</strong> dispensationalism, however, the fulfillment <strong>of</strong> this passage was moved into the future.Dispensationalism’s critics had long asked: "Where is the nation <strong>of</strong> Israel? Where are the Jews?" Not in Palestine,surely. So, dispensationalists tended to apply this prophecy <strong>of</strong> near-destruction to Jews in general – only symbolicallyresiding in Israel – until 1948. This was one reason for their silence on Hitler’s persecution. Hitler was just another rung inthe ladder <strong>of</strong> persecution leading to the inevitable Great Tribulation. The prophesied agency <strong>of</strong> the great persecution hasshifted over the years. As Wilson shows in Armageddon Now!, from 1917 until 1977, Russia was a prime candidate. But,after 1991, this has become difficult to defend, for obvious reasons. The collapse <strong>of</strong> the Soviet Union has created a majorproblem for dispensationalism’s theologians and its popular authors. But there have been no comparable doubts about theintensity <strong>of</strong> the coming persecution. Here is the opinion <strong>of</strong> John F. Walvoord, one <strong>of</strong> dispensationalism’s leadingtheologians, who served for three decades as the president <strong>of</strong> Dallas Theological Seminary (founded, 1924), themovement’s main seminary. The purge <strong>of</strong> Israel in their time <strong>of</strong> trouble is described by Zechariah in these words: "And itshall come to pass, that in all the land, saith Jehovah, two parts therein shall be cut <strong>of</strong>f and die; but the third shall be lefttherein. And I will bring the third part into the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold istried" (Zechariah 13:8, 9). According to Zechariah’s prophecy, two thirds <strong>of</strong> the children <strong>of</strong> Israel in the land will perish,but the one third that are left will be refined and be awaiting the deliverance <strong>of</strong> God at the second coming <strong>of</strong> Christ whichis described in the next chapter <strong>of</strong> Zechariah. [John F. Walvoord, Israel in Prophecy (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,[1962] 1988), p. 108. Nothing can or will be done by Christians to save Israel’s Jews from this disaster, for all <strong>of</strong> theChristians will have been removed from this World three and a half years prior to the beginning <strong>of</strong> this 42-month period <strong>of</strong>tribulation. (The total period <strong>of</strong> seven years is interpreted as the fulfillment <strong>of</strong> the seventieth week <strong>of</strong> Daniel [Dan. 9:27].)In order for most <strong>of</strong> today’s Christians to escape physical death, two-thirds <strong>of</strong> the Jews in Israel must perish, soon. This isthe grim prophetic trade-<strong>of</strong>f that fundamentalists rarely discuss publicly, but which is the central motivation in themovement’s support for Israel. It should be clear why they believe that Israel must be defended at all costs by the West.If Israel were militarily removed from history prior to the Rapture, then the strongest case for Christians’ imminent escapefrom death would have to be abandoned. This would mean the indefinite delay <strong>of</strong> the Rapture. The fundamentalistmovement thrives on the doctrine <strong>of</strong> the imminent Rapture, not the indefinitely postponed Rapture. Every time you hearthe phrase, "Yeshua-Joshua is coming back soon," you should mentally add, "and two-thirds <strong>of</strong> the Jews <strong>of</strong> Israel will bedead in ‘soon plus 84 months.’" Fundamentalists really do believe that they probably will not die physically, but to securethis faith prophetically, they must defend the doctrine <strong>of</strong> an inevitable holocaust. This specific motivation for the support<strong>of</strong> Israel is never preached from any fundamentalist pulpit. The faithful hear sermons – many, many sermons – on thepretribulation Rapture. On other occasions, they hear sermons on the Great Tribulation. But they do not hear the twothemes put together: "We can avoid death, but only because two-thirds <strong>of</strong> the Jews <strong>of</strong> Israel will inevitably die in a futureholocaust. America must therefore support the nation <strong>of</strong> Israel in order to keep the Israelis alive until after the Rapture."The Hidden <strong>History</strong> Of <strong>Money</strong> & New World Order Usury Secrets Revealed at last! Page 673

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