JOURNAL: By Jove, it's Jupiter! (Pt. 3)

As I promised in my last note, we will take a closer look at Europa now.

One of Jupiter's many moons, Europa, was discovered in 1610 by Galileo. (Interestingly, as I write this note, a CNN article has just reported that his two missing fingers have been found in a jar...Galileo has been made whole again and now can rest in peace, I guess.) Europa is the smallest of the 4 Galilean moons, roughly a bit smaller than Earth's moon. As I pointed out in one of my earlier notes, some researchers believe Europa is our best bet to find extraterrestial life due to what they believe to be a deep ocean on its surface.

Europa is sometimes referred to as Jupiter II and was named after the mythological Phoenician woman Europa. She was daughter of the King of Ancient Tyre. This is the same Tyre that centuries later, Ezekiel, the Biblical prophet of the Lord, prophesied against. Moreover, some Biblical scholars believe that the Lord's prophetic warning to the King of Tyre was also aimed at sending a message to Satan (see vv. 12-18 in Ezekiel 28). And since we are on the topic of Tyre (a city in modern day Lebanon, which happens to figure into the Biblically prophetic Psalm 83 war), Hiram Abiff, a central figure in Masonic literature and tradition hailed from Tyre. Needless to say, Tyre seems to be a rather interesting place rich in history.

Anyway, getting back on track, what I found most fascinating about the legend of Europa was the fact that she was abducted by Zeus, who changed himself into a white bull (the same bull as the constellation Taurus) and made her his wife. This is fascinating because the European Union uses this imagery, the woman riding the beast as their "trademark" so to speak, which makes sense since Europe was named after Europa. In fact, the official website of the EU is named Europa, which begs the question, who or what is represented by the beast (aka Zeus)??? Does this remind anyone else of Revelation 17 - the woman riding on the beast?

Finally, in closing, it is interesting to note that at the same time that Jupiter's moon Europa is taking on more significance as a possible habitation for extraterrestial life, its namesake, the European Union is taking on more influence as a world power. I'm not sure what this means, if anything, but it is at the very least an interesting coincidence!

JOURNAL: By Jove, it's Jupiter! (Pt. 2)

In my last note I promised that I would share a few quick facts about Jupiter and its moon Europa. So, I did a little digging to find out more about them but unfortunately I only made it as far as the planet Jupiter. Europa will have to wait. But without further adieu, here is what I have managed to find out about Jupiter.

Jupiter is the 5th planet from our Sun and is the largest planet in our Solar System. It was named after the Roman god...you guessed it, Jupiter. I'm assuming the Romans gave it that name since it was the biggest planet and their god Jupiter was the king of the gods, aka the god of sky and thunder. According to Mythindex.com, the Romans believed that Jupiter,

"determined the course of all earthly and human affairs: he foresaw the future, and the events happening in it were the results of his will. He revealed the future to man through signs in the heavens and the flight of birds..."

This being the case they saw Jupiter as their protector and guide. He also happened to be the grandfather of Romulus and Remus...yes, the same Romulus that killed Remus and founded Rome. And since we are on the topic of his family, you may be familiar with some of his family members: His father was Saturn, his wife/sister was Juno, his sons were Mercury and Mars, and his brothers were Neptune and Pluto.

You may also recognize some of the other names given to Jupiter throughout history.

Going back to Babylonian times, the Babylon equivalent was the god Marduk. Some believe that Marduk is associated with the legendary Nimrod, who we read about in Genesis 10. Interestingly enough, Marduk had a pet dragon/serpent/snake...hmm, who do we know that fits all those characteristics? If you're not sure who it, here is a hint.

Moving on we come to the Greek god equivalent, someone we have all heard of - the great and mighty Zeus. An altar was built to Zeus in Pergamum (modern day Turkey) in the 2nd century b.c. And by the A.D. 90's John the Revelator's message to the church at Pergamum associated the city as the place of Satan's throne (Revelation 2). Could this be a coincidence?? On an interesting note, some have pointed out that the temple that was constructed for President Obama's acceptance speech in Denver was modeled after this Great Altar of Zeus.

Finally, we end our mini-journey through history with the germanic god equivalent, someone that avid comic book readers would be familiar with, the viking god of thunder, Thor. By the way, if you have ever wondered where we came up with the name Thursday, we have Thor to thank for it (Thor's day). No kidding!

Now with a little more background on Jupiter we can move on to finding out about Europa in my next note...

UPDATE(S):

11/27/09: Today I came across an article about another holiday act of terror (this time Thanksgiving instead of Christmas) that occurred in Jupiter, Florida of all places??!!? A relative shot four people, including a child, yesterday during a Thanksgiving get together. You may remember last Christmas when a disgruntled husband dressed like Santa and went to his in-laws house and started killing people, including shooting a young girl in the face. In all seriousness, these families will probably never celebrate these respective holidays the same way again. What are these "assaults on the holidays" all about?

JOURNAL: By Jove, it's Jupiter! (Pt. 1)

Have you ever experienced this phenomenon: You hear about something that you are unfamiliar with - maybe a word or a concept - and then over the next several days it seems like you keep running into it. Well, that happens to me quite often. The most recent was with the planet Jupiter.

It all started with my interest in wanting to find out more about 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: The Year We Make Contact. These science fiction films were made in 1968 and 1984 respectively.

Now although I have never seen these movies before, all my information about them has come from the "all-knowing" wikipedia website. So with that disclaimer being said, in the first movie a group of astronauts make an unsuccessful mission to Jupiter aboard the Discovery One Spaceship. The whole crew dies except for one, Dave Bowman, who comes across a black monolithic structure which turns him into a "fetus-like" being. I know - a little strange - but it is what it is. In the film's sequel, 9 years has passed and a new group of astronauts go in search of the missing spacecraft and its crew. They find Dave Bowman, who has been turned into an incorporeal being. Bowman warns them to leave the area quickly. The new crew also finds out that the black monolith is actually alien made and apparently it begins to multiply on Jupiter's surface at an exponential rate eventually engulfing Jupiter and causing it to explode into a small star. While Jupiter is in melt down mode, the crew tries to escape the area and they hear a message from an alien intelligence telling them that all the planets are theirs except Europa, Jupiter's moon. We then see icy Europa transform into a lush jungle. Finally, as the film comes to a close, it pans over the jungle and settles in on a black monolith which is standing alone waiting for intelligent life forms to evolve.

The next morning on my way to work while I was listening to the news on KTAR, the morning show anchors were bantering back and forth about Jupiter and its moon, Europa. What? Are you kidding, out of all the millions of things to joke about on a morning talk radio show they pick something that I was just reading about the previous day.

Later that day, while I was trying to find articles about the recent discovery of water on Earth's Moon, I came across an article on the National Geographic website entitled Could Jupiter Moon Harbor Fish-Size Life?. In the article, Richard Greenberg from the University of Arizona claims that there is so much oxygen in Europa's global ocean that "[t]hat amount of oxygen would be enough to support more than just microscopic life-forms: At least three million tons of fishlike creatures could theoretically live and breathe on Europa..." Of course we won't be able to confirm that claim until NASA develops the technology to successfully study Europa in-depth.

So what's so significant about Jupiter and Europa? Good question, I have no idea. But in my next note, I will share a few quick facts about them.

UPDATE:

• 
  
  How Realistic Was Arthur C. Clarke's 2010? [Source: Space.com, January 8, 2010]
• 
  
  Pictured: spectacular moment space missile smashes into Jupiter [Source: Telegraph, June 5, 2010]
• 
  
  First results on impact of large celestial body on Jupiter [Source: Daily News & Analysis, May 21, 2010]:
  

  An amateur Australian astronomer came across the presence of a large, black spot close to the polar region of the planet Jupiter, the biggest in the Solar System, on July 19, 2009. The impact had taken place at a very high latitude close to the planet's South Pole barely 3 or 4 hours before the spot was seen on Jupiter's dark side (at night), and this prevented it from being observed directly.

  [Now] The results of the research, conducted by Planetary Sciences Group at the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country with its headquarters at the Faculty of Engineering in Bilbao and led by professor Agustín Sánchez Lavega, have appeared in Astrophysical Journal Letters.

  Jupiter loses one of its stripes and scientists are stumped as to why [Source: Mail Online, May 17, 2010]:

Jupiter has lost one of its iconic red stripes and scientists are baffled as to why.The largest planet in our solar system is usually dominated by two dark bands in its atmosphere, with one in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern hemisphere.However, the most recent images taken by amateur astronomers have revealed the lower stripe known as the Southern Equatorial Belt has disappeared leaving the southern half of the planet looking unusually bare.The band was present in at the end of last year before Jupiter ducked behind the Sun on its orbit. However, when it emerged three months later the belt had disappeared. Update: Hubble Finds Jupiter’s Missing Stripe [Source: Wired.com, June 16, 2010].

JOURNAL: Defiance - Movie Review

I recently watched Defiance, a true story that centers around the Bielski brothers whose parents were murdered during a German Invasion of Russian land in 1941 during WWII. After the death of their parents they escape into the woods and inadvertently begin helping Jews hideout in the Russian forest from the Germans for 2-3 years until the war ended.

The story was at times reminiscent of the Israelites exodus from Egypt. The Jewish refugees would complain to their de facto leader Tuvia Bielski (Moses), wishing they were back in the Ghetto (Egypt) because they would at least have food and water. As the movie climaxed, the refugees had to make what seemed to be a no-win decision, either they could stay put and die in the forest by the invading German army or they could risk their lives by crossing the swamp area (Red Sea) with the young, elderly, and sick. They made the decision to cross the swamp area and made it through okay but the German army was waiting on the other side to kill them. Fortunately, the Germans themselves were ambushed by another Bielski brother, Dus Bielski, and his armed men who had earlier in the movie left the forest camp to fight with the Russian army.

Although I have seen many movies about how the Jewish people were forced into hiding during WWII, I never really thought of how it might affect their faith in God. A particular scene in the movie got me thinking about this issue. Right before, the German planes began bombing the forest, there was a scene where a rabbi was teaching the Jewish children about God’s faithfulness to the Jewish people throughout history. I began wondering how they could continue to trust God even though they were literally living day to day in a forest with barely enough to eat and living in fear of their lives. Moreover, it wasn’t like they lived that way for just a month or two - rather it was 2-3 years of this!

I hope to never have to endure such things due to another person’s/country’s desire to “rid” themselves of Christians and fortunately, God placed me and my family in a country that allows freedom of religion. Of course there has been lots of talk about and even some government policies that have been enacted that would limit freedoms for Christians in America all in the name of tolerance. The Bible warns that in the near future the world government will become increasingly more hostile to Christians even to the point of death. Will my family and I, along with countless other Christians have a chance to endure similar situations as the Jews depicted in this movie did? According to some Bible teachers we may get the chance to. Whatever the case though, we as Christians should always be prepared to suffer for the sake of Jesus. It is during times of crises that these words of Peter come to life and can bring us hope:

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:6-7)

"After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you." (1 Peter 5:10)

"For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong." (1 Peter 3:17)

DEVOTIONAL

As I was reading the book of Jonah today I was taken aback by how similar he is to many Christians, including myself. The book of Jonah does not make Jonah look like someone who has it all together or some "holier than thou" Christian, instead we see his faults and failures. He is someone I think we as Christians can relate to and will help us realize that God doesn't only use those "Billy Graham" type of people to accomplish His purposes.

In Chapter one, the Lord tells Jonah to go to Ninevah to preach God's impending judgment. Jonah runs away from the Lord and heads to the farthest point of the known world, Tarshish. If you're anything like me, there have been countless times that you have tried to run away from God's plan for your life and disobeyed him. The great thing though is that God cares for his own and will not let you get very far. In Jonah's case, on his way to Tarshish he ended up overboard and in the belly of a great fish for 3 days and nights.

DEVOTIONAL

It has been said that God works in mysterious ways. I'm sure as Christians, we all have had those times when it appears that only God could have orchestrated certain events or bring something to pass that seemed impossible. Well, reading through 1 Kings chapter 17, the other day I was struck with how God provided for Elijah in some rather an unusual ways. Most of us, I assume, have had the opportunity to feed the birds at some time in our life, whether it be directly (e.g., throwing your dried leftover loaf of Wonderbread to the pigeons in the park) or indirectly (e.g., dropping your half-eaten sandwich from lunch on the ground because their just wasn't any trash can around). But most, if not all of us, have never had the experience of being fed by those very same birds. But as we read in 1 Kings 17, we see that God had the ravens provide meat and bread every morning and every night for Elijah during a time of drought in the land. This may seem kind of odd at first, which it would be (how many times have you been sitting at the bus stop when a pigeon comes by and drops a dried crust of bread in our lap?), but some things that make it even more odd is that ravens like to eat dead animals (so you could only guess where that meat may have come from), ravens were considered unclean according to Leviticus 11:15, and finally, ravens have long been associated with bad omens, selfishness, and death. Yet in spite of all those things, God, being ruler and creator of His creation took these unclean, ominous, selfish, and death-bringing creatures and brought promise, hope, selflessness, and life to Elijah.

But just when you would think that God had done His miracle for the day and it was time for Elijah to take over and start trying to find a way to provide for himself, the Lord tells Elijah to meet up with a widow in another town 80-90 miles away. Now when some of us here the word widow, it may conjure up images of a rich white widow whose husb[Photo]and died and is left with a ridiculously large inheritance. However, widows back in the time of Elijah were women without a lot of power and social influence and certainly not wealthy. They were near the bottom of the social class, if not at the bottom. So with that in mind, we find Elijah arriving in town and asking the first widow he sees for a drink of water, and if that wasn't enough he asks her for a piece of bread also. I'm sure it felt weird and maybe a little humbling for Elijah to ask this poor widow, in the midst of a drought nonetheless, for some bread and water (imagine yourself asking one of those guys standing on the street corner holding a "hungry and homeless" sign to give you some money for food). But the widow complied, after a bit of protest, and provided Elijah with not only bread and water but also a place to live for awhile!

God used some amazing yet humbling means to take care of Elijah. Here was an able-bodied man being served and provided for by some wild birds and a poor destitute woman. May we always be reminded of how God provided for Elijah and that He will always provide for our daily needs but not always through the means we might expect.

Let me leave you with one of my most favorite Bible passages found in Matthew 6:24-35. This passage reminds us of the truth of God's Faithfulness and His provisions.

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Prayer Thought:

"Lord, may You never let me forget about Your providence. May I be reminded daily of Your faithfulness to me and for Your provisions. I am thankful for all that You have blessed me with and I am confident that You will continue to provide for my daily needs in whatever manner you see fit. I place my hope and my trust in You. Amen!!"

DEVOTIONAL

In 1 Kings 19 we find Elijah running for his life, literally, because of the "contest" that took place on Mount Carmel between him and the prophets of Baal. The Lord had shown his power and superiority over the false god Baal, and in response, Elijah had all the prophets of Baal "slaughtered". This of course, greatly upset Queen Jezebel and she swore that she would "slaughter" Elijah because of what he did. So this caused Elijah to run and hide out and he began feeling very depressed even to the point of asking to die. More than likely, he probably felt all alone, like he was the only follower of God left and that all had turned away. Thankfully, God brought him to Mt. Horeb, the same mountain that Moses received the 10 Commandments, (also known as Mt. Sinai) and gave him a word of encouragement by saying, "[y]et I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.” (1 Kings 19:18). In other words, God was telling Elijah that he wasn't the only one left who was a true follower of God. There were still others that were faithful servants.

As a Christian in today's society, it is too easy to feel that you are the only one left and that everyone has turned away from the things of God and desires rather to do their own thing. Especially with reports about how Christianity has plummeted 10% in the last decade. However, we must remember that God's word to Elijah still holds true to us today in some respects. We have encouragement that we are not the only ones left, but that God has chosen His people and that not even Satan can pluck them out of His hand. And He'll remind of us of this fact whenever you see someone standing up for their beliefs in the news or if you meet someone in the grocery store who is a christian or even maybe as little as a person carrying a bible down the street.

 

In today's society as a Christian, it is too easy to feel that you are the only one left and that everyone has turned away from the things of God and desires rather to do their own thing. Especially with reports about how Christianity has plummeted 10% in the last decade. However, we must remember that God's word to Elijah still holds true to us today in some respects. We have encouragement that we are not the only ones left, but that God has chosen his people and that not even Satan can pluck them out of His hand. And He'll remind of us of this fact whenever you see someone standing up for their beliefs in the news or if you meet someone in the grocery store who is a christian or even maybe as little as a person carrying a bible down the street.

Finally, this brings to my remembrance of a story that Matt Redman told of how he was playing a concert in Norway one night and for some reason he kept thinking of that Michael Jackson song "You are not alone", so he went ahead and played it and afterward was having regrets about playing the song. However, his choice was confirmed when after the concert a lady walked up to him and said that she felt so alone before the concert and was spoken to by that song. This is just one tiny of example of how God shows us that we are not alone. (Hebrews 13:5)

JOURNAL: Nation's eyes on state after Prop. 8 ruling

Nation's eyes on state after Prop. 8 ruling

[Source: San Francisco Chronicle, May 28, 2009]

Back in May both sides of the Gay Rights' Debate were brought together to the steps of the California Supreme Court. At 10:00 a.m. the Supreme Court Justices announced whether Prop. 8 would stand or be overturned. The Justices had a dilemma on their hands: they could keep the will of 52% of the voters who voted to make traditional marriage a constitutional amendment, and in the same process anger the gay rights' community, or they could overturn the proposition, anger 52% of California residents, but make the gay rights supporters happy. No matter what decision they made, they were going to upset a portion of the population.

This reminds me of when Jesus put the Jewish religious leaders in a dilemma. They came to Jesus asking "by what authority he was doing these thing [i.e. healing people]". Jesus knowing that the leaders did not have pure motives but rather wanted to trap him in his words so that they could rid themselves of him, said that he would answer their question only after they answered His. Jesus asked the leaders if they believed John's authority to baptize came from heaven or from men. Right then, the Jewish leaders knew that they had been outwitted by Jesus. If they answered "from Heaven", Jesus would ask why they didn't believe John's message but if they said "from men" then the people would become angry at them. So instead of giving their answer, they decided to say that they didn't know where John's authority to baptize came from. And with that being said, Jesus held up his end of the deal and did not answer their question.

Read the story: Matthew 21:23-27

UPDATE:

• Prop. 8 trial: Closing arguments end as judge presses both sides [Source: Los Angeles Times, June 16, 2010)
• Judge rules California's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional [Source: CNN, August 04, 2010]
• Judge lifts Prop. 8 stay - gay marriages on hold [Source: San Francisco Chronicle, August 13, 2010]

JOURNAL: Berlusconi says he's world most popular leader

Berlusconi says he's world most popular leader

[Source: Reuters, May 1, 2009]

Well, you may have never heard of him but he claims to be the best thing since sliced, Italian bread. His name is Silvio Berlusconi, the 72-year old conservative President of Italy. He is now serving his third-term in office and has recently said that opinions polls show that he is at 75% approval rating - higher than that of Barack Obama - and ergo, the world's most popular leader!  This isn't surprising though because he has once said that he was the Jesus Christ of Italian politics and second only to Napoleon himself...but only taller. These comments may seem like nothing more than just the normal and usual rantings of an egocentric politician but it becomes a little more interesting when one takes a look at what the Bible has to say about the world leader in the last days. Daniel 11:36, says that "[t]he king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard of things against the God of gods." In addition to this similarity with the world leader, Berlosconi also is the top guy in Italy. Revelation 17:9-11 hints that the world leader will come from the place of "the seven hills" and Rome, Italy is known as the city of seven hills. Whether or not you believe that Mr. Berlusconi is the leader that the Bible is talking about is left up to your own discretion.

JOURNAL: The 2009 Bilderberg Conference

You may have heard of a Build-a-bear or of a Whataburger, but what about a Bilderberger? If that doesn't ring a bell it may be because it is a secret society, one of the most secret because it has no official name - at least as far as we know.

They have been around since 1954, holding meetings every year. Today marks the start of their 2009 annual meeting which is being held in Greece. It is reported that as many as 150 influential world leaders are club members and that many of them will be attending the conference this year which will deal with...you guessed it....the global financial crisis. It's been reported by Daniel Eustelin, a Bilderberger connoisseur, that the question up for debate this year is whether to implement "either a prolonged, agonizing depression that dooms the world to decades of stagnation, decline and poverty — or an intense but shorter depression that paves the way for a new sustainable economic world order, with less sovereignty but more efficiency.” With the way things have been playing out in the media my best bet is on the latter.

It comes as no surprise however to Christians that man is attempting to control the world as some have claimed the Bilderbergers of doing. We see this happening in Genesis 11 with the Tower of Babel and Revelation 13:7 speaks of a coming world leader given power over all people - creating what could be deemed a global society. As we read about such things as these secret societies trying to exert their power and control over the world it shouldn't alarm us or cause us to fear but rather it should help us to trust in the Lord and be thankful for His Word which illuminates this dark world, uncovers the secrets of man and promises that one day the powers of evil will be forever vanquished!

RELATED ARTICLE(S):

• What are the Bilderberg Group really doing in Spain? [Source: The Independent, June 4, 2010]
• Former Nato Secretary-General Admits Bilderberg Sets Global Policy [Source: Prison Planet, June 7, 2010]
• Fidel Castro fascinated by book on Bilderberg Club [Source: AP via Seattle Times, August 18, 2010]
• Breaking: Secret Bilderberg Agenda Leaked by Mole [Source: Infowars, June 8, 2011]
• Rich, Famous and Powerful Converge at Bilderberg [Source: CNBC, June 9, 2011]

Examiner 11-09-2010: Downtown Phoenix rally protests October 31 church attack in Iraq

Hundreds of supporters filled the streets of Downtown Phoenix on Monday to protest the murder of dozens of Christians in Iraq by a terrorist group on October 31, in an attack not unlike those that will be perpetrated upon true believers during the Last Days as prophesied in the book of Revelation.


Rallies similar to the one held at Washington and First Avenue in downtown Phoenix were held worldwide on Monday. Phoenix was joined by cities and countries such as New York City, Chicago, Canada, the UK, and Germany as they gathered to speak out against the horrific attack on Iraqi Christians in Baghdad last month.

For more information: Group protests attacks on Christian church in Iraq
On October 31, gunmen entered the Syrian Catholic Church in Baghdad, Iraq and killed more than 50 people, injuring at least 80. It has been reported that a terrorist organization known as the Islamic State of Iraq, with ties to Al-Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to Voice of the Martyrs , this is the second time in recent years that this church in particular has been a target of an attack, and just one example of the persecution that has been occurring all over Iraq.

Unfortunately, these kinds of attack are nothing new for this part of the world. Christians are being killed every day in countries such as Iraq, Pakistan, India, and many more. The Bible warns Christians that there is a day coming when worldwide persecution of Christians will be widespread and rampant under the leadership of the Anti-Christ.

At the opening of the Fifth Seal in Revelation, the Apostle John writes that he "...saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne" (Revelation 6:9).  Later in the book John shows that these souls were the Christians that were persecuted and killed by the Anti-Christ. According to Daniel 7:21 and Revelation 13:7 the Anti-Christ makes war with the saints and prevails over them.

To further illustrate this point, in Revelation 12, the Apostle John relates his vision of the pregnant woman (Israel) and the dragon (Satan). After the dragon is unable to kill the woman he goes after her offspring (Christians). "Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus" (verse 17).

It is clear that according to the Bible, in the Last Days persecution of Christians will not be confined to just certain parts of the world, but rather this coming persecution by the Anti-Christ will be global in nature.