Capitalism

Listening to the commentary about what our government is trying to do with heath care reform, it has become clearer that they are not really trying to improve health care; it is instead about the government controlling this segment of our economy. The least that government meddling in health care will do is increase its costs. They say they are increasing competition but government control is a monopoly that eliminates competition. The public is beginning to catch on to the truth behind the rhetoric but those in power may yet manage to take this big step closer to socializing our economy.

The government take over of health care is only one aspect of a multi-front effort to fundamentally change America from a capitalist to a socialist economy. Many of the Presidents “Czars” have Marxist credentials and they are pursuing all the classic Leftist strategies such as “spreading the wealth around” and stirring up class envy. Due to the government’s big push to demonize capitalism, I feel the need to address which economic system is more biblical.

Definitions
Capitalism is an economic system in which wealth and means for creating wealth are privately controlled and owned. Free enterprise enables individuals to operate businesses for profit with minimal governmental interference. The government’s role is limited to maintaining a stable currency and upholding laws which protect rights to own property.

Socialism requires state administration or ownership of goods and services in the pursuit of equality. Socialists believe that capitalism unfairly concentrates wealth (and power) in only a few. Thus socialism seeks to redistribute a society's wealth more “equally” to all its citizens.

Dignity of the Individual
One of the reasons why capitalism is more biblical than socialism is the value God has for every person. Indeed, we are made in the very image of God per Genesis 1:26-27. This gives each of us great dignity. Capitalism provides people with more opportunities to realize their worth than socialism. Capitalism motivates people to excel because their efforts are rewarded. God promised rewards for the good works of those who trust in Jesus, see Matthew 16:27. While capitalism does not deliver for equal outcomes, it does offer equal opportunity.

Capitalism requires each person to rely on themselves and God to meet their needs, thus it provides more dignity than depending on government hand-outs. The Old Testament Law required farmers to leave some of their crops in the field for the poor to glean. This meant that the poor had to do some work themselves in order to have their needs met. Socialism seeks to usurp God role in meeting our needs and it eliminates opportunities for individuals to help the poor.

Leftists often act religious to claim that socialism is more biblical than capitalism. They point to the sharing of wealth by the early Christians in the book of Acts as proof that the Bible advocates Marxism, the parent doctrine of socialism. But what they are missing is that the property sharing in Acts show individuals making free moral choices to use their property for the good of others. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (NKJ). If all economic decisions are made by centralized authorities, opportunities to act upon personal moral convictions are reduced.

Good Intentions
Leftists put a high value on the good intentions of their policies. But good intentions are not worth anything without being accompanied with good actions. It is amazing how often good intentions fail to be accompanied by good actions to end up producing consequences directly opposite to what was desired.

Capitalism and socialism are based on completely different assumptions about human nature. Socialism totally disregards the Bible’s doctrine on the fallen nature of mankind and assumes that people will act morally if their basic needs are met. Capitalism recognizes our fallen nature taking self-interest into consideration to cancel out most of the consequences of greed.

For example, suppliers of goods or services generally want to make as much possible and so they will tend to set their prices high. But the self-interest of the consumer resists paying high prices so the vendor must yield some of their self-interest with a low enough price to attract customers.

No economic system is perfect and greed can taint a capitalist system but free market forces minimize that. The government’s role in a capitalist system should be limited to punishing the greediest. But excessive government control can neutralize the self-correcting balancing forces of a free market to actually cause worse economic problems. And in a socialist system, the government is the ultimate authority over all so there is no one to appeal to for justice.

Sins of Socialism
When President Obama was a candidate he revealed his agenda to transform America into a socialist economy when he told “Joe the Plumber” that we needed to spread the wealth around. But forcing people to give up their resources even for the common good is stealing, see Exodus 20:15. The end should not justify the means. A good end is sin if robbery is the means. Sure the government is entitled to taxes to pay for their role of keeping the peace but when they take on more authority than this, the taxes required to fund it is stealing.

The other thing the Obama administration is doing to dupe people into embracing their policies is to claim all their tax increases will be directed toward the rich. They have also been actively ridiculing executives for their perks and making a lot of money. This stirs up class envy which is sin. Exodus 20:17 says, “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's” (NKJ). Of course Leftists have no concept of sin, they totally disregard what God has to say about it in His Word.

The Federal Government’s wasteful spending practices are legend. We’ve all heard of the ridiculous prices the government pays for things it buys. This is because the arrogant bureaucrats write specifications for what they want that force suppliers to jump through ridiculous hoops to comply with. Now consider that wasteful practice extended to even more segments of our economy, the system will eventually break like what happened to the Soviet Union.

Government wastefulness is sin. Proverbs 21:20 says, “there is desirable treasure, and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man squanders it” (NKJ). The bigger the government, the bigger the sin and socialism requires a significantly bigger government than capitalism.

Socialism requires debt to fund it and debt is sin. Romans 13:8 says, “owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law” (NKJ). It is obvious that “the borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7, NKJ) which is contrary to Gods plan for us because he wants us to be free. John 8:32 says, “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (NKJ). The debt our government is incurring to pay for wild social programs will have to be paid back through either future taxes, future inflation or cancelled due to political upheaval. I don’t see how this country will avoid all three of these consequences.

The Trend
Unfortunately the direction this world is headed is toward is more socialist than capitalist. The Antichrist, “causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:16-17, NKJ). This is total control, the socialist utopia. But it will end in total disaster, see Revelation 18.

Those who rob workers of their due wealth due to excessive taxes and inflation will ultimately suffer worse than we who labor… James 5:1-7 says, “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you. Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.” (NKJ)

De-radicalizing Islam

I was listening to Dennis Prager when he praised liberal columnist Thomas Friedman for his recent article on Islam. The refreshing thing about this article is that it avoided political correctness as it called on Islamic leaders to police their own radical elements. I believe that this is in fact what will eventually happen when the raging Jihad perpetrates a sufficient international crisis.

Most of Islam is looking forward to the day that their Mahdi comes to bring peace to the world under Islam. One thing Sunnis and Shiites have in common is that they both look forward to the day when all Islam is united as they were under the Muslim Caliphate during the Ottoman Empire. Iranian President Ahmadinejad, a Shiite, recently stood inside the Sultanahmet Mosque and prayed behind a Turkish Sunni imam to demonstrate that he and the Iranian government are supporting the emerging Turkish-led Islamic Union.

Many Muslims including Ahmadinejad believe that their Mahdi will emerge to resolve a great conflict between nations in the world. That is what makes Ahmadinejad so dangerous; he believes he is called to initiate that great confliguration between nations that summons the Mahdi. This also explains why Iran is doing everything they can to provoke Israel to attack them.

The parallels between what Muslims expect of their Mahdi and what the Bible says about the Antichrist is striking. I believe that Muslims will embrace the Antichrist as their Mahdi. Certainly all the world will obey him... "all the world marveled and followed the beast" (Revelation 13:3, NKJ); indeed, "all who dwell on the earth will worship him" (Revelation 13:8). And Daniel 8:25 says the Antichrist, "by peace shall destroy many" (KJV). The Antichrist will initially enable sufficient peace that Israel is able to build a temple in Jerusalem. Such a peace will most certainly involve compromises by all parties... "through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule" (Daniel 8:25, NKJ).

The international crisis that enables the Antichrist to emerge and orchestrate a temporary peace is brewing. It is just a matter of time before Israel responds to Iran's nuclear ambitions which will set off a chain of events that will shock the world into embracing a man who solves the crisis. Since Satan is inciting the crisis, his anointed will be able to defuse it. This peace however will be short lived, "for when they say, 'Peace and safety!' then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape" (1Thessalonians 5:3, NKJ).

Thank God that followers of Jesus in our present age will not suffer through the reign of the Antichrist. It is so liberating to be "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13, NKJ). The alternatives of trusting in oneself, the growing government or the coming of the Mahdi are extraordinarily weak in comparison.

Iron & Clay

I predict that Turkey will never be admitted into the European Union. There is a report out today that Jonathan Racho, an analyst with International Christian Concern, said that admitting Turkey to the EU would exacerbate the increasing Islamization of Europe. Such positions are resonating with many in Europe because there is increasing realization that Islamization is not a good thing there.

This development reinforces my position that a coalition of Islamic nations led by Turkey (the "revived" Ottoman Empire) is represented by the clay in Daniel 2:37-44, the Prophet Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. And we certainly know that the iron in the dream represents the Roman Empire (or its revival). Daniel 2:43 says that the two national coalitions ruling the world at the time Jesus returns would not “adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.”

Assuming my interpretation of the iron and clay in Daniel 2 is correct, it makes sense that the entire world will either be aligned with the European Union (EU) or the Islamic Coalition (IC) being formed by Turkey. Revelation 17:12-13 indicates that the world will be effectively ruled by ten kingdoms who yield their authority to the Antichrist. While these ten world rulers will be more or less aligned with either the EU or IC, they will come together to solve the world's problems of the economy, climate, and terrorism. As Revelation 17:13 says, "these are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast" (NKJ).

With the US becoming less powerful in the world, the EU is stepping up to fill the void. But we should watch the IC because it is most likely that the Antichrist will come from the IC than from the EU because of Ezekiel 38.

There are spectacular developments going on in the nations today. The Lord said, "Look among the nations and watch-- be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you" (Habakkuk 1:5, NKJ).

Ezekiel 38

Ever since I finished reading “The Islamic Antichrist” by Joel Richardson, I’ve been planning to do my own analysis of the countries mentioned in Ezekiel 38 to corroborate the author’s interpretation that Turkey is the main protagonist and not Russia. I used Wikipedia for my research since it is a good repository for generally accepted historical scholarship.

Ezekiel 38:2 mentions “Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal...”
Magog was the son of Japheth; grandson of Noah. But no particular nation or territory is associated with him beyond his descendants being to the north of Israel. Some Biblical scholars believe that Gyges, king of Lydia (687 BC-652 BC), is meant. In Assyrian letters, Gyges appears as Gu-gu so Magog might be his territory in Anatolia which is in modern day Turkey.

Rosh is the seventh of the ten sons of Benjamin so this would be inconclusive if it represents a nation. But this term is probably better used as a modifier for “prince” thus Gog is the “chief prince” of Magog as Rosh Hashanah is literally the "head of the year."

Meshech is named as a son of Japheth who has been associated with Phrygia which was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia (Turkey).

Tubal is a son of Japheth and is associated with Tabal, a Luwian speaking Neo-Hittite kingdom of South Central Anatolia (Turkey).

Ezekiel 38:5 names “Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya” which are obvious. Persia is now called Iran but most Iranians still refer to themselves as Persians. Ancient Ethiopia also included Sudan and Somalia which are certainly in the same rabidly anti-Israel Islamic state category as Iran and Libya.

Ezekiel 38:6 mentions, “Gomer and all its troops” and “the house of Togarmah from the far north.”

Gomer was the eldest son of Japheth and is usually identified with the migratory Cimmerians from Assyrian inscriptions. The Cimmerians were ancient equestrian nomads of Indo-European origin and Assyriological archeology establishes them to have been near Urartu south of the Caucasus. Urartu was an Iron Age kingdom centered in the Armenian Highland adjacent to modern Turkey. It is interesting to note that Turkey has recently signed a treaty with Armenia. This is pretty incredible given the historical animosity between these two countries due to Turkey’s atrocities against Armenia in WWI.

Togarmah was the third son of Gomer, and grandson of Japheth. He is regarded as either the ancestor of the peoples of the South Caucasus (the Georgians and the Armenians) or the Turkic peoples. The reference to “the far north” was the description that previously convinced me to go along with those implicating Russia in Ezekiel 38. But in the day these words were written, Turkey would have also qualified as being to “the far north” of Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 38:13 says, “Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder?’” Sheba was a kingdom mentioned in the Old Testament but the actual location is disputed with most evidence tending toward Yemen in southern Arabia. Dedan’s descendants probably settled among the sons of Cush, on the north-west coast of the present Persian Gulf; thus modern day Saudi Arabia.

Tarshish could be a number of places. Solomon traded with Tarshish and received ivory, apes, and peacocks (2 Chronicles 9:21, 1 Kings 10:22) which are all native to the jungles in India. India's state bird for example is the peacock. Jonah 1:3 indicates that Jonah also attempted to sail to Tarshish but was swallowed by a large fish and taken to Ninevah by way of the Tigris River. Today Ninevah is known as Mosul, found in the nation of Iraq, geographically between Israel and India. Additionally, the Bible uses the term ships of Tarshish to denote large ships intended for large voyages whatever their destination. Others think the name may denote Spain, Italy or the European coasts west of Greece.

So my findings reinforce the conclusions of Joel Richardson that the nations threatening Israel in Ezekiel 38 are in a coalition led by Turkey and not Russia. Indeed, terms referring to Turkey are mentioned multiple times. It is also interesting to note that this coalition of nations are all Islamic and they effectively surround Israel with Turkey to the north, Iran to the East, Ethiopia to the South, and Libya to the West.

The nations feebly protesting the Turkish coalition are some combination of Western nations and the Persian Gulf nations that supply them with oil. Recent developments with Turkey becoming more aligned with their Islamic neighbors indicate that Ezekiel 38 coming to fruition may not be far off.

The only other reference to Gog and Magog in the Bible is Revelation 20:8 which reveals Gog to be a term for the Satan-inspired (or possessed) world leader that precedes God pouring out His wrath. So harmonizing this with Ezekiel 38 means that Ezekiel’s Gog must refer to the Antichrist.

I once thought that Ezekiel 38 could precede the Rapture which meant that the reference to "unwalled villages" in Ezekiel 38:11 was only symbolic since they are no barrier to modern armor. But since I'm now convinced that Gog is just another term for the Antichrist then this event must occur during the Tribulation, probably just before the midpoint when the Antichrist declares himself to be god in the Jerusalem Temple. Ezekiel 38 happens when Israel has their guard down in the midst of the coming false peace that enables them to build a temple due to a 7-year peace treaty brokered by the Antichrist. This peace treaty may also require Israel to remove the security fences that they have put up... a Mideast version of "tear down this wall."

I know it sounds pretty improbable that Israel will be able to build a temple in Jerusalem but this is what Daniel 9:27 tells us. I think the most likely scenario for this to transpire is that Syria and Hezbollah will attack Israel in response to action taken to neutralize the Iranian nuclear threat. This forces Israel to act decisively probably nuking Damascus as Isaiah 17:1 indicates. The Antichrist comes on the scene in the wake of this conflict to unite the Islamic world and bring the false peace to Israel.

Since we know that the Rapture occurs before the Antichrist reveals himself by brokering the false peace to make the Jerusalem temple possible, seeing the Ezekiel 38 coalition being formed helps us see how close we really are to seeing Jesus face-to-face. Maranatha!

The End Justifying the Means

ClimateGate is not going to be the end of the Global Warming Dogma. I read an article this weekend on ClimateGate in Newsweek where I get my insight into the rationale of the Liberal mind. The article lamented the airing of ClimateGate dirty laundry but insisted that the science of global warming is sound. When you are dealing with religious beliefs, people's minds are not going to change when you provide them with evidence that contradicts their beliefs. Indeed, it is a miracle of God when people change their minds about Him.

The other major factor that gives life to the Global Warming Dogma is the powerful forces working to bring about the political changes necessary for a one world government; the Global Warming Dogma is simply a means to that end. So if the science of global warming becomes tarnished, other justifications for curbing carbon dioxide emissions will emerge. Indeed such has been proposed in Copenhagen where a UK participant said that acidification of the oceans is a "powerful incentive" to cut carbon emissions because of the threat to marine life and humanity's food supply.

What the Global Warming Dogma does is provide a reason for redistributing the world's wealth from rich, successful nations to poor, failed states. This will put the world on more of an even footing with no superpowers to act unilaterally.

One way or another, a one world government will come to fruition. No matter how much evidence is brought forward to prove the errors of the global warming science, the agenda to unite the world under one government will move forward. Indeed, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" (Revelation 13:4, NKJ).

One thing that the climate change fear mongers have right is that global warming will in fact happen. Revelation 16:8-9 says, "the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory" (NKJ). And this is only a precursor to the ultimate global warming that will occur... "the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up" (2 Peter 3:10, NKJ). Fortunately, followers of Christ will be with the Lord during these two global warming events.

Where the climate change fear mongers are wrong is that the global warming that is coming is something that humans can stop. The best thing we can do on an individual level is to recognize the truth about what is coming and be "even more diligent to make our call and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10, NKJ). A good way to do that is to evaluate ourselves using the tests of faith in Christ given in the book of 1 John.

Another Power Grab

We have learned this week of the EPA decree that carbon dioxide is a toxic substance which they must regulate. I believe that this was done to boost President Obama's credentials as a faithful citizen of the world at Copenhagen. If Congress can't pass Cap-and-Trade then the Obama Administration will invoke all cap and no trade by administrative fiat.

Since all of us "pollute" the atmosphere just by breathing, the EPA now has the power to direct what we can and can't do. Fortunately the government is too inept to micromanage all of us but they are trying hard to get that ability. I'm sure the EPA will focus on controlling the "worst offenders" but the threat of unbridled regulation will further stifle growth of the economy in this country because businesses will not risk investing when the rules are changing so much.

We are in the era of changing rules. America voted for change and we are getting it. That is one accomplishment that history will credit Obama with; he is delivering on his campaign promise to fundamentally change America. I'm sure there will be constitutional challenges to the EPA's power grab on Obama's behalf but this will not undo the damage to the economy resulting from postponed growth. And there is risk in this postmodern age where words are subject to interpretation that the rule of law embodied in the Constitution will have little power.

Despite his eloquent public rhetoric, the power grabs by the Obama administration reveal that he has little respect for the Constitution of the United States. Obama has a pattern of doing things that avoid the checks and balances on administrative power required by the Constitution. The unprecedented number of "Czars" that do not have to be confirmed by Congress is another power grabbing example. Obama is acting as if he believes the Constitution to be an antiquated document that needs to be updated for the new age we are in. This disregard for the rule of law is right out of the Antichrist's playbook. Daniel 7:25 says, "he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws" (KJV).

President Obama's challenges to the Constitution certainly reveals his thinking to change laws. And he is also seeking to wear out opposition to his agenda of change with the continuous attacks on many fronts of the freedoms and prosperity that this country has been blessed with for so long. The Holy Spirit working through the saints of the most High is what restrains the evil that results from concentrated human power in this world... "the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way" (2 Thessalonians 2:7, NKJ).

While the evil-restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit ceases at the Rapture of the Church, the Obama power grabs foreshadow how the Antichrist will consolidate his political power. These power grabs reveal how close we are to the Rapture when we see the strategies of the Antichrist being employed so effectively even with the Restrainer still being active. So watching to see if opposition to the growth of the Federal Government gains or loses ground is an excellent gauge of how close we are to the Rapture.

Clay Kingdom

It occurred to me that I have been neglecting developments associated with the “Revived Roman Empire” in large part because I have recently been convinced that the Antichrist will emerge from an Islamic nation. But there is no question that the European Union will have a huge impact on the coming global government. The EU is already leading the world in regulations affecting international commerce. And the EU is the prototype for how diverse nations can work together to achieve common goals.

The essential problem I have avoided is reconciling my new interpretation of Revelation 17:9-10 with Daniel 2:37-44. The Revelation passage refers to “seven heads” representing the gentile governments that have ruled over Jerusalem prior to the reign of the Antichrist which will be an eighth kingdom. The Daniel passage picks up with the Babylonians but appears to be one kingdom short…

Revelation 17:10 – The five governments that had fallen at the time this Scripture was written were the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and Greeks. Rome was the one that “is” and they morphed into the Byzantine Empire. The one that would come best describes the Turkish Ottoman Empire as the seventh head.

Daniel 2:37-44 – This is where the Prophet Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a statue made with materials ranging from gold which is the most precious building material to ceramic clay which was the most common. The gold head represented Babylon, the silver chest and arms referred to Medo-Persia, the belly and thighs of bronze were the Greeks and the legs of iron represented Rome. Since the Iron continued into the feet and toes, it is generally recognized that the Roman Empire continues in some form until the time Christ returns. But there is also the clay that is in the feet and toes.

I have heard many interpretations of the clay which quite frankly have never quite satisfied me. I recall one author who made the case that the clay represented fallen angels who are bolder in running the government of the Revived Roman Empire because Daniel 2:43 says, “they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay” (NKJ). Certainly fallen angels mixed it up with mankind before Noah’s flood; as Jude 1:6 says, "the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day."

I have also read the case that that the iron mixed with clay represented democracy since the people being governed will participate in running their government. Certainly, “O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8, NKJ). I think the democracy explanation still has merit but not to explain what the clay represents.

The idea that the clay in Daniel 2 refers to fallen angels or people are category errors. A better explanation for the clay which helps reconcile the apparent disparity between the historical kingdoms in Revelation and Daniel is that the clay represents the Ottoman Empire. This resolves the category error since all the materials in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a statue represents kingdoms that would rule over Jerusalem. As Jesus said in Luke 21:24, “Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (NKJ).

As I read through the history of the Ottoman Empire in Wikipedia, there is a lot which resonates with Daniel 2 and Revelation 17. For example, Wikipedia says, “the Ottoman Empire was, in many respects, an Islamic successor to the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire.” The Ottoman Empire took over the Byzantine leg of the Roman Empire by military conquest. This was the same for each of the kingdoms that have ruled over Jerusalem. There were also many times in the history of the Ottoman Empire that they were allied with the remnants of the Roman Empire. Throughout their history, the land ruled by the Ottomans and Rome jockeyed back and fourth from the time the Ottomans came on the scene up until Israel regained authority over Jerusalem in 1967. Israel let the Palestinians hold onto the Temple Mount so technically the heart of Jerusalem is still being “trampled by Gentiles” thus we are still in “the times of the Gentiles.”

The “iron mixed with ceramic clay” represents the Romans ruling the world alongside the Ottomans and they certainly did not “adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay” (Daniel 2:43). The Ottoman Empire morphed into Turkey making it something of a “Revived Ottoman Empire” so to speak. If the European Community is the Revived Roman Empire, Turkey certainly is the Revived Ottoman Empire. And their joint history of loosely working together but not mixing well continues with the EU refusing to bring Turkey into the fold. In response, Turkey has begun to make alliances among their Islamic neighbors and is poised to unify them to be a more formidable competitor to the EU.

The more I consider the interpretation that the clay of Daniel 2 is the Turkish Ottoman Empire, the better everything fits. The Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire are represented by the iron and clay that have traded off in ruling over Jerusalem and will continue to do so “until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” I believe that the EU and the Mideast nations led by Turkey will be two of the ten horns representing world leaders who yield their authority to the Beast in Revelation 17:16-17.

Daniel 2:42 says, “as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.” The two independent iron and clay governments have not been effective in ruling over Jerusalem. This has contributed to Israel and the Palestinians haggling over who controls what in Jerusalem.

Daniel 2:43 says, “As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men…” I think the best explanation of this is that both the iron and clay kingdoms will be democratic. Unlike the former kingdoms, the rulers of the iron mixed with clay kingdoms will be subject to the people they rule. This is certainly the case with Turkey and the EU today.

It is also interesting to note that for democratic rulers to be successful in their agenda, they must control the opinions of their people. That is why spin-doctoring has become such an art form in our day. The mainstream media has basically become a propaganda arm of the government. Jesus warned us about this time saying, “take heed that no one deceives you” (Matthew 24:4).

The exciting thing about the times we live in is that it is becoming easier and easier to understand how the end-times prophecies will be fulfilled. While the prophetic Word has been “shut up” and “sealed until the time of the end,” we are now living in the time when “knowledge shall increase” (Daniel 12:4, NKJ). So the day Jesus comes for His Bride has to be approaching fast. This is not a time to be caught without oil for your lamp (see Matthew 25:1-13).