KREEGAH, TARZAN, BUNDALO!!!
ACTION: Animation of a Tarzan chest-thumbing primitive cry
Let me begin with a Tarzan story! Well, this is as real as it is surreal. Johnny Weissmuller, the Champion Olympic swimmer who donned the role of Tarzan the ape man in the Silver screen with as much aplomb in 1930s & 40s’ as he dominated the Olympic swimming lanes in 1920s’, had “a close encounter of a different kind” with the Pro-Fidel Castro’s soldiers in late 1950s’. When the Cuban uprising was reaching its peak, he and his golf mates (on a recreational tour to Cuba…what a time to tour Cuba!) on Havana’s suburbs were surrounded by gun-toting Cuban revolutionaries, who on mistaking them for Pro-regime supporters were intent on kidnapping them. When all his pleadings to convince them that he was the harmless movie Tarzan on a normal tour (with no political links) failed to convince them, he came-up with a spectacular ‘Tarzan act’ immaculately. Thumping his chest in a typical Tarzan style, he gave out a blood curdling yell “KREEGAH TARZAN BUNDALO”, so much so that the highly impressed Pro-Castro’s men immediately curtsied with the words “Welcome Tarzan, welcome to Cuba" and escorted him and his friends to a safer area. Let me cut this story short here but doesn’t this story in a small way mirror the anguish of our own Lord? People are failing to identify the times we are living in, even though He is “screaming to us all” through Prophetical Scriptures. Each one of them (Prophecies) is getting fulfilled in FULL PUBLIC GLARE however residents of this World do not seem to be noticing!!!
The purpose of this Sermon is not to hurt anyone’s sentiment but to proclaim truthfully what the good ole’ Book says vis-à-vis several contemporary global events.
Somebody said that Prophecy “is nothing but history written in advance”. Have Biblical Prophecies been fulfilled in the past? YES! It is said that THE WORD (another Name for Jesus- John 1:1) keeps the word always (Isa 46:9-10)! Be it in blessing the obedient (Joshua 21:45) or judging the disobedient (II Chronicles 36:21). Do you know that the Laws of probability (mathematical science very much in vogue in the modern-day Insurance sector) can also be utilized for “scientifically assessing” some of the Biblical prophecies? We shall use the same all for the purpose of being further awe-struck by His nature of forever keeping HIS Word!
Whilst applying the “Probability principles” let’s consider “both sides of the coin” so to speak…prophecies of curse and those of universal blessing respectively. Firstly the 6th century B.C. prediction of the overthrow of the city of Tyre (Ezek. 26:1-21). Seven specific things were predicted, and each was later fulfilled to the letter during the 4th century B.C. The mathematical probability of this happening by mere chance has been calculated to be 1 in astounding 75,000,000.
Now coming to those of universal blessing…perhaps the most amazing series of prophetic fulfillments involves the numerous Messianic predictions concerning Christ. The Old Testament contains 332 specific prophecies which were fulfilled by Christ. These not only bear proof of His divine authenticity, but they also help substantiate the divine authorship of the Bible.
In the book, Science Speaks, Professor Peter Stoner used "the Law of Compound Probability," to assess some of the prophecies relating to Christ. Simply stated, this law is used to calculate the odds against a "chance" fulfillment of such predictions when compounded by a specific set of conditions, requirements, or qualifications. His findings were carefully evaluated by the American Scientific Affiliation, and were found to be sound and convincing. By this method, he was able to show evidence that would rule out coincidence, chance or human manipulation in the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy.
Stoner started by calculating the probability of one individual who could precisely fulfill only eight prophecies relating to Christ. He computed the odds at 1 in 10 (17th power), the same as 1 followed by 17 zeros. This is the equivalent of covering the entire state of Texas 2 feet deep in silver dollars, specially marking one of them, and instructing a blindfolded man to pick the right silver dollar on the first try!
Dr. Stoner then computed the odds of one individual that could fulfill just 48 prophecies relating to Christ. He calculated the odds at 1 X 10 (to the 157th power) — or 1 followed by 157 zeros. This figure is astronomical and beyond human comprehension, but Christ fulfilled over 300 distinct prophecies, written by different men of different professions (from a shepherd to a King) living at different times, over a time period of 1400 years, in three different languages from 2 continents! Oh Boy, the harmony of the Scriptures when it comes to pointing to the COMING SAVIOR and its eventual fulfillment (I Coming) is jaw-dropping!
Even those not deeply acquainted with Christianity would not deny some of the miraculous events in Jesus’ life in consonance with Prophecies in the Old Testament section of the Bible…
a) his miraculous conception (Isaiah 7:14/ Matt 1:18/ Luke 1:26-38)
b) Birth in Bethlehem (good 70 miles away from Nazareth) at a time his earthly parents were living in Nazareth (Micah 5:2/ Matt 2:1/ Luke 2:1-7)
c) triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey (celebrated as Palm Sunday in Christendom – Zechariah 9:9/ Matt 21:1-11/ Luke 19:28-40)
d) betrayal by an acquaintance (Psalm 41:9/ Zechariah 11:12/ Matt 26:14-16/47-49/Luke22:1-5/47-48)
e) sufferings on the cross (Psalm 22:15/ Matt 27:35/ Luke 23:33)
f) Resurrection (Psalm 16:10/49:15/ Matt 28:1-10/ Luke 24:1-8)
g) Ascension (Psalm 69:18/ Acts 1:9-11/ Ephesians 4:7)
If all the Prophecies regarding the “FIRST ADVENT” of the Saviour have been fulfilled, what about other Prophecies concerning Him ... relating to His II Coming? Do these Biblical prophecies need to be taken seriously? Yes, just as any diagnosis about our own health on which “our future depends” needs to be taken earnestly. Before zeroing in on those Prophecies, let’s get a clear idea about the differences’ between two landmark events’ of future –RAPTURE AND II COMING- which would occur SEVEN YEARS APART but are spoken of interchangeably as though they are one and the same.
ACTION: Display of the Table enlisting the differences between the Rapture and II Coming
Now for the Prophecies of Rapture and II Coming which would all hit the bulls eye…
ACTION: Animation of a dart hitting the Bulls eye
In response to His Disciples’ query on what would be the “Signs of II Coming”, the Master launches into an extensive reply speaking about different signs (Matt 24/ Mark 13/ Luke 21:7-36), which for better understanding can be classified under the following headings
1. Natural 2. "Battle Royal" 3. Social 4.Historical 5. International 6.Political 7. Pseudo-Spiritual and 8. Commercial.
Friends, be prepared for an Extensive journey now. Rest assured the “journey” would mostly involve interesting “visuals which would do all the talking”.
Of the Signs, in the first part of my message, we shall focus on the initial THREE SIGNS beginning with
I. NATURAL
And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences;- Luke 21:11
Many on reading this Scripture verse usually tend to respond on these lines...”oh these natural calamities… have they not been happening all along in human history” without looking even once at yet another phenomenon...the increased frequency in the occurrence of these calamities. When a woman is pregnant, yes some birth pangs are experienced even in the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy but the intensity of birth pangs shoots up once the time for child-birth draws near...
Consider these “earth-shaking facts” about the increase in natural calamities like
A) EARTHQUAKES
ACTION: a) Animation of an Earthquake
b) Display of the Table below
DATES FROM & TO PERIOD NO. EARTHQUAKES (Mag. > 6.99)
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1863 to 1900 incl 38 yrs 12
1901 to 1938 incl 38 yrs 53
1939 to 1976 incl 38 yrs 71
1977 to 2014 incl * 38 yrs 164 (to Mar. 2011) predict >190 in total.
http://www.earth.webecs.co.uk/index.htm
ACTION: Display of pictures of recent Earthquakes in Beijing and Iran respectively
Have we forgotten these, even in this days of short memory…
B) FAMINES…
These bare facts seem to be screaming for attention…
ACTION: Display of a slide with the following facts and figures
Over 70 million died of starvation in the 20th century. (Source: Famine in the 20th Century, Stephen Devereux)
925 Million people worldwide go hungry every day and 5 Million children will die of hunger worldwide annually according to the World Food Programme.
North Korea has witnessed 1.5 million people starve to death under the reign of communist leaders. There are currently 6 million people threatened by famine with UN food aid as the only means avoiding a catastrophe. (Source: Reuters )
C) PESTILENCES…
ACTION: a) Display of a graph showing increase in Aids disease in Europe
b) Display of an animation of a plane in flight
Oh the spread of diseases/epidemics due to increase in travel facilities which is yet another fulfillment of Biblical prophecy (Daniel 12:4)… so a disease which originates in a remote place like the African jungles’ starts spreading like a forest-fire throughout the World.
Says a WHO website
“Current epidemiological models project that a pandemic could result in two to 7.4 million deaths globally.
If an influenza pandemic were to occur today, we could expect the virus to spread rapidly due to the interconnected nature of the world and the high level of global travel.”
(Source : http://www.who.int/csr/disease/influenza/pandemic/en/)
Wouldn’t it stun even a lay onlooker, when the above WHO statement is compared with a Biblical Prophecy which reads thus:
“But Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal it up so that it will not be understood until the end times, when travel and education shall be vastly increased”. – Daniel 12:4
D) TSUNAMIS’
…AND HERE ON EARTH THE NATIONS WILL BE IN TURMOIL, PERPLEXED BY THE ROARING SEAS AND STRANGE TIDES- LUKE 21:25 B (The Living Bible)
ACTION: a) Animation of a Tsunami (with Earthquake triggering it in the sea surface)
b) Actual live pictures of Japan Tsunami in March 2011
Ponder on the wording in the Scripture “STRANGE TIDES”. Is not Tsunami, the very definition of the phrase “Strange tide”, for it is not caused by a cyclonic storm like the usual tidal waves are but it is an offshoot of an Earthquake in the Sea surface.
Stunning visuals (all over the media) of devastating Tsunami waves (tossing cars and even ships like weightless empty paper cups) which left Japan reeling in March 2011 would have removed doubts (in some skeptical souls) about the veracity of the Noah’s Flood account in the Scriptures.
Even as our hearts go out to the suffering lot of all the natural calamities in different places’ and we do everything possible to alleviate their suffering, should we not consider Divine Sovereign will of God at this poignant moment?
It makes me also shudder that the intensity of all these horrific natural calamities would further increase in the 7-year Tribulation period following the Church Rapture what with Seals, Trumpet and Bowl judgments bound to come. Raise your hands those who want to “face the music” in the 7-year Tribulation…good no hand has gone up!!!
The Chart of different events Pre-Post Tribulation is given below for easier understanding of the subject…
ACTION: Display of Comprehensive Event by Event Chart from
a) From Church rapture to Second Coming
b) Millennium to Great White Throne Judgment
c) New Heavens and New Earth
II) "BATTLE ROYAL"
ACTION: Animation of machine gun fire
Then he told them, “Peoples will fight each other, nations will fight each other,- Luke 21:10 (CJB)
A) Local (Civil wars)
“Peoples will fight each other... Luke 21:10 (CJB)
ACTION: Display of pictures of Civil war in Libya and Syria
B) Inter-Continental
“...nations will fight each other,- Luke 21:10 (CJB)
ACTION: Display of pictures of war in Iraq and Aghanisthan
ITS ALL HAPENNING IN FRONT OF OUR EYES...
III) SOCIAL
a) Infliction
…they will seize you and persecute you.- Luke 21:12
ACTION: Display of pictures of persecution of Christians in
a) Orrisa, India
b) Pakistan
c) Nigeria
d) Sudan
Some tell-tale pictures above…
Civilized society? Enlightened age? Religious tolerance? Do not these words seem like misnomers in the context of persecution of Christians in different places’ in this World? If this is the state of affairs in Pre-tribulation times, what would be the pathetic condition of those who accept Christ during the 7-year Tribulation period when Anti-Christ would be ruling? Accept Christ now and “escape the Tribulation woes”!!! What ought to be the Christian response then and now to persecution… “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44). Nothing more, nothing less and nothing else!!!
b) Insert
“The secret power of lawlessness is already at work;…” (II Thess 2:7).
At the cost of sounding repetitive, I want to reiterate that Anti-Christ’s advent is at hand. What does it mean? Church rapture is more imminent.
Ponder on this modern-day phenomenon also. Swipe cards related frauds are increasing by the day. Now consider this Newspaper report of June 13th, 2008…
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International credit card racket busted in city
ACTION: Display of picture of some culprits caught in the act of committing Cyber crime
GAME IS UP: The youths who were arrested on the charge of international credit card fraud in Hyderabad on Thursday.
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What is the way out ask the worried lot? How can one eliminate totally the recurrence of these kind of fraudulent operations ask the Bankers with worry- lines creasing their foreheads? If it has not already, an idea would dawn upon the global banking sector; why not request our valued customers to carry all the requisite data (name, address, account no…etc) in a microchip safely implanted under their skin? Since it is meant, for the safety of their account, there wouldn’t be many objections to this procedure, right? YES!
Not only in Banking transactions in every other sphere of activity also (registering one’s attendance in office at the entry door itself for example), an inserted multi-purposemicro-chip (only the size of a rice grain…have a look at the picture below of a microchip used in pets already) in one’s hand instead of a swipe card would be more handy.
ACTION: Picture of a mircro-chip... the size of a rice grain
Is this not a clear sign of “secret power of lawlessness being already at work…” for during Tribulation period, it has been clearly been foretold that the False Prophet on behalf of Anti-Christ (Unholy Trinity comprises’ of Satan, Anti-Christ and the False Prophet – Rev 13) would require everyone to be “tattooed” (read chipped) with his special number, failing which they would not be able to buy even groceries in a market (Rev 13:16-17-The Living Bible).
Talking of groceries, was the groceries market in India ever in the hands of major companies even 5 years back? Only now big business houses apparently in keeping with the global trend of super malls and hypermarkets, and most importantly as though suddenly “propelled by an unseen power” are making a beeline into this lucrative business (have a look at pictures below), hitherto controlled by roadside vegetable grocers and pushcart vegetable vendors.
ACTION: Display of pictures of Food Stores/Departmental shops which have sprung up in India
Why are the decoding or the reader instruments placed at the billing counter (of the super malls) which the poor roadside vegetable grocers or the pushcart vegetable vendors can never afford nor plug to an unavailable electric source (as such could not have used in the tribulation period also)? To merely at once scan the labels and the billing rate? Is it not to scan the “mark of the Anti-christ” also very soon in the bodies of his followers? Oh boy…oh boy…“it alls happening” to borrow the patented phrase of my favorite cricket TV commentator Bill Lawry. Honestly, it cannot get clearer than this! Let those with eyes SEE and let those with ears LISTEN. Is the secret of lawlessness already at work? YES! To be fair to the ultra-modern vegetable retailers, even they do not know at this moment, what direction their business would take in the near future, but they have entered this field by providence as Anti-Christ can use them better in “food management area” during tribulation rather than their less resourceful roadside counterparts, especially in the Indian context.
Continuing on the Food subject, many in my Readership would be acquainted with “Biometrics based” Unique Identity number scheme introduced in India, whereby a Unique Identity number is given to each individual.
The Indian Government has noble motives behind introducing the system, which is to facilitate better governance of the country but look at exactly where it is leading…a section of Newspaper report of April 23rd 2012
(http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/features/investment-world/money-wise/article3339695.ece) culled from the Net below bares it all
ACTION: Display of Newspaper report which says that supply of Cooking gas will depend on the availability of Unique Identity Number being given to every Indian citizen
_________________________________________________________
You may need Aadhaar for your LPG
K.VENKATASUBRAMANIAN
The Government intends to link gas cylinder delivery to the UID.
_____________________________________________________________
Is this not a case of “The secret power of lawlessness is (being) already at work;…” (II Thess 2:7)” especially when we consider this Tribulation related Biblical Prophecy… “He (False Prophet at the behest of Anti-Christ) required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666.”- Rev 13:16-18
Again, I reiterate I am all for technology-based better governance (I love my country) The purpose of my Sermon-adopting a Biblical Worldview- is to show in what direction the World-affairs are headed.
We shall continue with the other SIGNS in the next part of this series
Suresh Manoharan
ps...This Sermon replete with ALL animations/pictures/charts/tables/graphs is also available at the following URL...
http://www.jandsmministries.com/message_sep1_12.asp
