Who Are The Elect?

Recently I have been doing some word studies trying to ascertain the proper definition of words so that I can have a full understanding with what I am writing, preaching and teaching about.
Scripture says...

James 3:1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

What James is saying that we should not look to be teachers and preachers, because those of us who are, we will come under greater scrutiny from the Lord when we stand before Him.
With every article I write, I always try to keep this in mind. I will give an account for my words one day when I stand before the Lord.
It is my greatest desire that when I do stand before Him, He will say "Enter my kingdon my good and faithful servant."
Ideas of Men VS. God’s Word
In doing this study, I have come to realize that there are a lot of things that we have been taught that do not stand up to the Word of God.
How do I know?
When we use God's Word to define The Bible itself, I am finding out that we have been taught "man's opinion" and not what God's Word clearly teaches.
So why question things that have been nicely laid out for us by all these great teachers and wonderful books they have written?
Because 2 + 2 is not adding up to 4 when we really allow God's Word to define itself in light of men's books.
Here is the portion of scripture that alerted me.

Matthew 24:31 (KJV) And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

See when I read it then read the commentary, the commentary was stating that the "elect" was Israel.
Hmmmm, something just did not ring true.
Call it a gut instinct or something, but what I was "being told" the verse meant Israel, but I knew that this did not line up with what God's Word was saying.
We can clearly see from this verse that it is talking about the rapture, right?
In fact, let's use scripture to define scripture....

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

We see the same things taking place in Matthew 24 and 1 Thessalonians 4.
Matthew used the word "elect" in Chapter 24.
We also see in 1 Thessalonians 1 Paul identifying the elect...

1 Thessalonians 1:4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

So we can see that both Matthew and Paul refer to the elect as the ones being gathered up in the rapture.
This is using scripture to define scripture. In other words, this is proper hermeneutics, proper study.
Now, let's look at these two portions of scripture Matthew 24 and 1 Thessalonians 4. What do we see here that is common?

1 - We have angels present

2 - We have the trumpet sound

3 - We have the gathering together

Both of these verses are clearly talking about the same event, correct?
We can see that it is talking about the rapture.
It also answers “Who” is the rapture for?
The rapture is for the believer, His elect.
So, here is the quandary I have.
Why do a lot of teachers and authors state that in Matthew 24 the elect spoken here is NOT believers, but Israel?
I honestly believe that it is because an idea was put out there a long time ago and that idea molded into a doctrine and that doctrine has become cemented in theology today.
See a man named Scofield who lived about 200 years ago decided to put it in his study notes. Then a gentleman named Moody came along and produced what is called "The Scofield Study Bible."
If you have a Scofield bible, Scofield states that in Matthew 24 that Israel is the elect.
What?
Now I am going to let a lot of you know that I have not been a fan of Scofield for some time now. This is why my "Sword" of choice is the Thompson Chain Reference Study Bible - KJV.
I have also read papers and a biography about Scofield, and let's just say that he was not a cool guy.
I guess you could call him the Rick Warren / Joel Osteen of his day, with a lot of personal baggage.
A very eye opening book to read is titled "The Incredible Scofield and His Book" By Joseph M. Canfield
Book Here >>> http://tinyurl.com/The-Incredible-Scofield
Canfield's book goes into a lot of historical documentation about Scofield and how he lived his life.
There are a lot of things that bothered me about Scofield, for example...
Scofield abandoned his wife and children and refused to support them.
Scripture says...

I Timothy 5:8 says “ But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

When his first wife Leontine originally filed for divorce in July 1881, she listed the following reasons:

“ (he had)…absented himself from his said wife and children, and had not been with them but abandoned them with the intention of not returning to them again…has been guilty of gross neglect of duty and has failed to support this plaintiff or her said children, or to contribute thereto, and has made no provision for them for food, clothing or a home, or in any manner performed his duty in the support of said family although he was able to do so.” (1)

Cyrus Scofield had several other incidents of a downright dishonest nature after he supposedly became saved. The fact that in 1892 he began calling himself Doctor Scofield without producing any Doctorate degree from any Seminary or University is the least of his devious activities. Even the details he gave in his story of conversion are proven to be fabricated, including the time, place and other particularities, thereby placing doubt on the whole story.(2)

He was a self-promoter in every sense of the word, even lying about being able to comfort and calm the entire city of Belfast, Ireland with a sermon he delivered there the Sunday after the Titanic sunk. (3)

CYRUS I. SCHOFIELD IN THE ROLE OF A CONGREGATIONAL MINISTER

“ Cyrus I. Schofield, formerly of Kansas, late lawyer, politician and shyster generally, has come to the surface again, and promises once more to gather around himself that halo of notoriety that has made him so prominent in the past. The last personal knowledge that Kansans have had of this peer among scalawags, was when about four years ago, after a series of forgeries and confidence games he left the state and a destitute family and took refuge in Canada. For a time he kept undercover, nothing being heard of him until within the past two years when he turned up in St. Louis, where he had a wealthy widowed sister living who has generally come to the front and squared up Cyrus’ little follies and foibles by paying good round sums of money. Within the past year, however, Cyrus committed a series of St. Louis forgeries that could not be settled so easily, and the erratic young gentleman was compelled to linger in the St. Louis jail for a period of six months.

Among the many malicious acts that characterized his career, was one peculiarly atrocious, that has come under our personal notice. Shortly after he left Kansas, leaving his wife and two children dependent upon the bounty of his wife’s mother, he wrote his wife that he could invest some $1,300 of her mother’s money, all she had, in a manner that would return big interest. After some correspondence he forwarded them a mortgage, signed and executed by one Chas. Best, purporting to convey valuable property in St. Louis. Upon this, the money was sent to him. Afterwards the mortgages were found to be base forgeries, no such person as Charles Best being in existence, and the property conveyed in the mortgage fictitious…” (4)

This article is not about tearing down Cyrus Scofield. Many people have come to the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ though the Scofield bible.
There is an old saying, if God can use an ass to speak to men, he can use ______________.
… Insert Cyrus Scofield.
What I am trying to paint for you is that Scofield was the "popular" preacher of the world during that time. Again, like Rick Warren and are Joel Olsteen are today, Cyrus Scofield was back then.
It has been Scofield's notes that millions have leaned upon and because they are included in the Scofield study bible, no one questions it.
Here is something else that I found troubling when I was doing my research.
There are no records that can be found where Scofield even claimed that he was a repented man, washed in the blood of Jesus Christ for all his sins and that Jesus Christ was his personal Lord and savior.
You would think that there were some records of a personal testimony somewhere. Some record of Scofield telling his testimony to someone. When I heard of this, I searched pretty deep and I have not found any record.
So why have we as the church allowed this person who appears to be a lukewarm Christian and most likely a "Christian In Name Only" (C.I.N.O) at best to influence generations of pastors and lay people?
When the Scofield bible was published, Moody the publisher, sent copies to just about every pastor there was in the US and England.
What this did was cement Scofield's ideas into the minds of men.
Yes, the Scofield bible was widely accepted, but there were the critics out there too.
But over the years those criticisms we forgotten and Scofield became a 'solid name" thus his commentaries were completely accepted without question.
The logic went like this.... If Moody published The Scofield Bible, and because Moody put his stamp of approval on it, it has to be correct and be doctrinally sound.
Look at how many of us go to these commentaries in our bibles and give it a "PASS" and not think about it at all.
We tell ourselves, "Well "so & so" wrote this great book. Obviously it has to be right because he has sold so many copies over the years and he is such a popular person."
Isn’t that how it usually goes? 
What has taken place over the past two hundred years is that we as Christians have gotten lazy and instead of seeking out the truth via God's Word, we have had all these great authors and teachers pre-chew our scripture for us and then regurgitate it up for us so that we can better digest it.
Let me paint it for you this way...
Don't you realize that all this pre-chewed scripture has lost a lot of God's vitamins and nutrients? (God's meaning and definition) What has gotten mixed in is the saliva of man and because of that, we have latched on to man's ideas vs. what God's Word really says.
In today's fast paced world we have become dependent upon this pre-chewed food, and we have forgotten that we have the ability to dig into God's Word ourselves.
We have forgotten to be good Bereans like Paul tells us to be in Acts 17:11.

Act 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Letting God's Word Define The Elect
So how can the elect be Israel where God's Word itself clearly says the elect is something different?
Romans 11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
Right there scripture states that Israel is not the elect.
Out of 16 times that the word elect is used in the bible, and as many of you know, I only use the KJV, we find the following...

- 10 references refer to all believers in general

- 2 refer to believers who are specifically Gentile

- 1 refers to believers who are Jews

- 2 refer to Jesus Christ himself

- 1 refers to Jacob the person as being God's elect

Here are the scriptures so that you can see this for yourself - be a good Berean...

Matthew 24:22 - 24 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Matthew 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Mark 13:20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.

Mar 13:21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:

Mark 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

Mark 13:27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

Luke 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

Romans 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

Romans 9:11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

Romans 11:5-7 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

Colossians 3:11-12 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

1Thessalonians 1:4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

2 Timothy 2:10 Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

Titus 1:1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

1 Peter 2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

2 Peter 1:10-11 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

2 John 1:1-2 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;

2 For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.

Isaiah 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

Isaiah 45:4 For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

Isaiah 65:9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.

Here is what Webster's 1828 English Dictionary states...

Elect

ELECT', v.t. [L. electus, from eligo; e or ex and lego; Gr. to choose.]

1. Properly, to pick out; to select from among two or more, that which is preferred. Hence,

2. To select or take for an office or employment; to choose from among a number; to select or manifest preference by vote or designation; as, to elect a representative by ballot or viva voce; to elect a president or governor.

3. In theology, to designate, choose or select as an object of mercy or favor.

4. To choose; to prefer; to determine in favor of.

The Golden Rule of Interpretation
Dr. David L. Cooper, was the founder of the Biblical Research Society and he stated the following... "When the plain sense of scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise."
In other words...

A. Seek the plain, literal meaning of the Scriptures

B. Seek the figurative meaning only when the facts demand such an interpretation

C. Study every statement of the Scriptures in context ("A TEXT APART FROM ITS CONTEXT IS A PRETEXT")

If you have been a reader of mine for a year or so, you know that this is something that I tend to harp on. We need to stick to God's Word and let His Word define itself.
If you are interested, you can learn more about the Rules of Interpretation at -- http://www.biblicalresearch.info/page7.html
See without having a true common sense rule to understanding God's Word, our flesh can be allowed to run down bunny trails proving that the Grass was created to be purple and that the sky was created to be green.
This is why having a good grounding in hermeneutics and realizing that God's Word defines itself, not man defining it, is so important.

Conclusion
We need to start being good Bereans and start seeking the scriptures out to see if what man is saying is true according to the Scriptures, NOT according to the popular books and commentaries.
We need to remember that the best interpretation of scripture is God's Word itself. Who better to define His Word than God the Creator and Author of The Word?
In this study, we clearly see that when Scripture is talking about the "Elect," God's Word defines it as Believers in God / Jesus Christ.
It is the Elect that one day will be gathered up from all the corners of the earth when we see the angels in the clouds with the Lord, and
We hear that trumpet, The Trump of God sound.
So if you have put your faith in all these popular books, and these shiny teethed teachers with "aerodynamic" hair, then you might want to start doing a checkup from the neck up and start digging into God's Word.
We need to start building our houses upon the Rock of Jesus Christ and His Word and stop latching onto all these fancy men who sure sound good and weave a nice tale.
The only way to do this is putting their books down, and start picking up our only true source, God's Word.. The Bible.
A word to the wise, drop all these modern versions also and stick with the one bible that has been through the fires of testing, the King James Bible. It has been with us for over 400 years and God himself promises to preserve His Word. I believe that preserved Word for the English speaking people is the KJV.
I hope that this article / study has given you something to think about and to strive to be a better Berean when it comes to reading, studying and digesting God's Word.



By Ray Gano




ENDNOTES
1 - Quoted from the papers in case No. 2161, supplied by the Atchison County Court – reproduced by Joseph Canfield, The Incredible Scofield And His Book, p. 89
2 - Canfield, op. cit., pp. 65-68
3 - Canfield, op. cit., p.239-240
4 - Canfield, op. cit., pp. 79-80 – as taken from the files of the Kansas State Historical Society

Under The Shadow of The Almighty

A lot has taken place over the past week or so. We have had terrorist events in Boston, almost half of the city of West Texas has been destroyed due to an explosion. We have had other explosions in other areas of the US.
David Kupelian wrote an article recently titled “Americans 'snapping' by the millions.”
He opens his article with these words…

Terrorism. Chaos. Fear of the future. In the age of Obama, America is undergoing a “fundamental transformation” – that much everyone knows.

But what few seem to realize about this transformation is that the sheer stress of living in today’s America is driving tens of millions to the point of illness, depression and self-destruction. Consider the following trends:

• Suicide has surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of injury death for Americans. Even more disturbing, in the world’s greatest military, more U.S. soldiers died last year by suicide than in combat;
  
  
• Fully one-third of the nation’s employees suffer chronic debilitating stress, and more than half of all “millennials” (18 to 33 year olds) experience a level of stress that keeps them awake at night, including large numbers diagnosed with depression or anxiety disorder.
  
  
• Shocking new research from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that one in five of all high-school-aged children in the United States has been diagnosed with ADHD, and likewise a large new study of New York City residents shows, sadly, that one in five preteens – children aged six to 12 – have been medically diagnosed with either ADHD, anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder;
  
  
• New research concludes that stress renders people susceptible to serious illness, and a growing number of studies now confirm that chronic stress plays a major role in the progression of cancer, the nation’s second-biggest killer. The biggest killer of all, heart disease, which causes one in four deaths in the U.S., is also known to have a huge stress component;
  
  
• Incredibly, 11 percent of all Americans aged 12 and older are currently taking SSRI antidepressants – those highly controversial, mood-altering psychiatric drugs with the FDA’s “suicidality” warning label and alarming correlation with school shooters. Women are especially prone to depression, with a stunning 23 percent of all American women in their 40s and 50s – almost one in four – now taking antidepressants, according to a major study by the CDC;
  
  
• Add to that the tens of millions of users of all other types of psychiatric drugs, including (just to pick one) the 6.4 million American children between 4 and 17 diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed Ritalin or similar psycho-stimulants. Throw in the 28 percent of American adults with a drinking problem, that’s more than 60 million, plus the 22 million using illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens and inhalants, and pretty soon a picture emerges of a nation of drug-takers, with hundreds of millions dependent on one toxic substance or another – legal or illegal – to “help” them deal with the stresses and problems of life.

We are a nation that has lost its spirit, its drive, its happiness. We have replaced that with being angry, which in turn breeds anxiety, fear, confusion, hopelessness and depression.
Tracye and I have felt what we call a “foreboding” just hanging over us. In fact we were just talking today about how little sleep Tracye was getting. I didn’t get a great restful night’s sleep either. Sure I could sleep, but we would wake up still tired and not very often did either of us feel fully refreshed.
The stress is so heavy that it seems like you can cut the air with a butter knife.
It seems like our nation is being destroyed and there is nothing that we can do about it. Look at all the stress elements.

• Economy going to hell
• Crime is rampant, murder is up, rape is up, theft is up, etc, etc.
• People are being fired at a drop of a hat and companies are laying off. And when hired again you can’t work over 29 hours and your wage is half of what it was.
• 4 Million on food stamps and food prices are going through the roof.
• Drug, alcohol, sex along with every vice known is drastically up in use.
• Children are in utter rebellion and parents no longer care what happens to them.

And the list goes on and on.
See, I am one who believes that this is on purpose.
The past four administrations has been pushing the US towards global socialism. Many of the goals they have set a very long time ago, have come to pass.
Yes, there have are in fact goals to bring down our nation. Don’t believe me, read it for yourself. It was even entered into the Congressional Record…

Communist Goals (1963) Congressional Record--Appendix, pp. A34-A35 January 10, 1963  

Current Communist Goals EXTENSION OF REMARKS OF HON. A. S. HERLONG, JR. OF FLORIDA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Thursday, January 10, 1963 .

Mr. HERLONG. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Patricia Nordman of De Land, Fla., is an ardent and articulate opponent of communism, and until recently published the De Land Courier, which she dedicated to the purpose of alerting the public to the dangers of communism in America.

At Mrs. Nordman's request, I include in the RECORD, under unanimous consent, the following "Current Communist Goals," which she identifies as an excerpt from "The Naked Communist," by Cleon Skousen:

[From "The Naked Communist," by Cleon Skousen]

PZ NOTE – All the bolded lines have taken place / been enacted.

1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.  

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policy-making positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use ["]united force["] to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction [over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction] over nations and individuals alike.  

Source Microfilm: California State University at San Jose Clark Library, Government Floor Phone (408)924-2770 Microfilm Call Number: J 11.R5

Congressional Record, Vol. 109 88th Congress, 1st Session Appendix Pages A1-A2842 Jan. 9-May 7, 1963 Reel 12

Kupelian stated in his article the following…

“Such a radical change cannot be accomplished while Americans are calm, happy, content and grateful for their blessings. Citizens must be unhappy and stressed out. Indeed, widespread popular discontent has always been the required fuel for leftist transformation.”

What is taking place is not by chance, it has been planned for a long time and we see this communist / socialist plans now replacing our American way of life…right before our eyes.
Where Is The Hope?
Our hope is not in the things we do, what laws we make or people we elect.
There is only one true hope, which is Jesus Christ our Lord.
But the sad thing is that people will not turn to Him. One of the reasons is that they have no idea who God, Jesus or what His Word has to offer.
We as Christians have the means at or fingertips to help us through these hard times, but how many of us really take solace is God’s Word?
One of the greatest and most powerful chapters in God’s Word is Psalms 91.
In this one chapter alone there are great promises from God that give us peace and I know when I read it I feel a peace within me.
This chapter has gotten me though some dark times in my life and I know that Tracye has also leaned upon this chapter in some of her dark times as well.
Psalms 91

Psalms 91:1-16 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

It is believed that David wrote this for Solomon, knowing that he would be King one day. He wanted Solomon to KNOW God and that God would be with him through thick and thin.
It is also rumored that Kings and Noblemen would read this and have it read to their troops prior to battle.
Lean On Him
No matter what takes place in this wicked world we live in, God is there for us. He will see us through.
Find that “secret place,” which I believe is being in His Will. Once you are there, do all you can to stay there and don’t venture away.
I know that it is hard but what we need to do is cleave to the Lord and His Word like never before.
What we are experiencing is the beginnings of the storm that so many have been talking about.
The only way to battle this is grounding yourself in Him and His Word.
We read in Romans 12 the following…

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

It is only through the renewing of your mind, which equates to the study, reading and meditation of scripture that will help you stay within God’s Will.
The more you read His Word, the more you start thinking and understanding the ways of the Lord.
Folks, there may come a time where we may not have access to the Bible. I highly recommend that you start memorizing verses.
Psalms 91 is a great chapter to memorize, it will get you through so many trials and hardships.
We are living during a time of great upheaval. The enemy truly has the high ground and we who truly love Him are the minority.
In all of this, there is opportunity, the opportunity to be a light in the darkness for others who have lost their way. A chance to be salt to the world who do not know of Christ and God’s gift of eternal life.
It is through hardship that the church is purified and out of that, many souls do come to the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are living at a time where we need to really choose who we will serve. I am not saying who we are giving lip service to, but heart service.
The time for sitting on the sidelines is over. God is wanting people of action and those who really love Him.

Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

God is calling people to step out of the boat and get out on the water with Him.
You call yourself a Christian? We are coming to a point where we need to prove it.
As I have said, the enemy has the high ground. His soldiers are winning the battles.
Faith Without Works is Dead

In James we read the following…

James 2:14-26 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Conclusion
It is God’s Word that gives us power. Until we have God’s Word in our heart, we lack that power.
Renew our minds with His Word. Get back to really reading the scriptures and meditate on them daily.
With God’s Word working through us, we will have the courage that is needed to exercise the faith that is expected.
And then having done all, we then stand for Him.

Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

By Ray Gano

The Final Generation???

Do  we or do we not serve a God of logic and reason?
Well the answer is obvious, we serve a God of logic and reasoning. To confirm that all we need to do is look at His creation.
If we serve a God of logic and reason, then why do so many of us believe in things that almost equate to being a fairytale and worse, given no critical thought at all?

Matthew 24:34(KJV) Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 

Many folks point to this verse when speaking of the last day / end times.  Some say that the countdown clock started in May 1948, others say it was June 1967 when Israel finally took back the city of Jerusalem and won control of the Temple mount.

Both points are promoted, but I stand upon the birth of the nation that took place in 1948.

The issue that I want to focus on is this, IF we are the final generation, then why do we bow down to the god of time?
"WHAT?? The god of time?"
Yes, often when asked a question that is hard to answer, many people say "it is just a matter of time."
Many people ask, "when will the rapture take place? " Common answer is "Well, God tells us not to set dates, but it is just a matter of time."
As a side note, let me state right here that I am one who stands upon the imminent return of our Lord, so please don't send me emails giving me grief about timing and such.
There are many out there proclaiming that there is an upcoming middle east war and even claiming it to be a fulfillment of some of the prophecies found in scripture.  You see it in discussion forums, emails and even some popular bible prophecy teachers newsletters and websites.
" We will see prophecy come to pass this summer 2013, you mark my words. And if things don't turn out, well it is just a matter of time till they do."
Foolish Statements
With the election of the new Pope, we hear foolish statements like "The antichrist will be an Italian of roman catholic decent."
Or this "Russia is going to invade Israel and then we are going to get raptured out of here."
Or this, " a European antichrist with his forces are going to kill all the Christians by beheading them, Revelation 20:4 tells us so."
Or this, " The coming war is the fulfillment of Psalm 83"
Or this.. " Islam is going to be wiped out this summer in the Israel war."
Do you get the idea at what I am trying to point out here?
People are making foolish statements that have little if any biblical backing what so ever.
Often they are thrown out there without any logic or reasoning given what so ever. The sad thing is that I have heard some of these statements come from the very teachers whose books we read, TV shows we watch, ect.
What's more is that you yourself have heard these sort of things out there too.
What is the common theme in all of this?
If things don't work out, all of these are backed up by the god of time.
" It will happen - it is just a matter of time."
This is why I ask, are we the final generation or not?
People quote this verse all the time and then state something else that completely contradicts the final generation found in Matthew 24:34.

Matthew 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

 It is like the old Hollywood Indian saying you see in the movies.. "white man speaks with forked tongue."
Folks, if we are the final generation then that means we are running seriously out of time.
What is the flip side of that?
We are NOT the final generation and all those bible prophecy that have come to pass, well, all those were just chance, a winning roll of the dice.
It is like we have become accustomed to having our cake and eating it too.
Either these things that are being taught are going to take place here soon,…
because we are the final generation,…
OR they are not and we are not the final generation.
In fact, let me pick on some of these statements to clarify.
"The antichrist will be Italian of roman catholic decent."
This is one that has been tossed around out there for a while now, and I hate to say it, but time has just about run out on this one.
How has it run out?
Everyone can clearly see that Europe is being taken over by Muslims, this is a fact.
Based on birthrate studies, in order for a culture to maintain itself for more than 25 years the required fertility rate must be 2.11 children per family. Historically a culture has never reversed a fertility rate of 1.9 children per family. AND IF the fertility rate hits 1.3, it is impossible for that culture to reverse because it would take that culture 80 to 100 years to correct itself. In fact there is no economic model to sustain a culture during that time.
Let's look at the birthrate of Europe.

France 1.8
England 1.6
Greece 1.3
Germany 1.3
Italy 1.2
Spain 1.1

Across the European Union  that consists of 31 countries, the cultural fertility rate is 1.38. Historical research tell us that these numbers are impossible to reverse.
In just a matter of years, Europe as we know it will cease to exist.
But Europe is growing and birthrates are high. What is taking place? Immigration.. Islamic immigration.
Who are having all the children?  Muslims.
Based on the numbers and information above, I do not see some Italian guy coming to power being backed by the catholic church when 1/3 of all European children will be born to Muslim families by 2025.
It is a fact that Islam will not bow to a Italian man backed by the Catholic Church. But the Catholic Church will bow to Islam and this has been historically proven time and again.
But what is the answer given by those who support this idea?
"Just give it time, you will see. Some Italian guy from Rome will rise up, you mark my words."
Well they are dutifully marked and it is looking like they are coming up wanting.
Folks, the sands of time are running out. We do not have the luxury of time any more if we are the final generation.
Do you know that most census offices worldwide utilize as the timeframe of 25 years for a generation as an average?
But we are speaking biblically here. How long is a biblical generation?

Scripture says…

Psalms  90:10 (KJV)  The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

In other words, the number of years people live on the average is 70, possibly 80 if they are strong and of good constitution.
To back this up, Matthew in his reciting of Christ's generations follow the Psalms 90:10 definition of a generation, 70 years.

Matthew  1:17 (KJV)  So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

Matthew is using the Psalm 90 definitions of generation in order to tell a specific chronological time story of our Lord Jesus Christ. So if Matthew is using it pertaining to and qualifying our Lord, we should use it also.
So with all that said, and just doing simple math, 1948 70 years comes to 2018. That is approximately 5 years. Well taking into account that 2013 is 1/4 over, we have a little over 5.5 years left.
Now I do not want to get emails saying I am date setting, I am not. What I am showing is logic and reasoning. Either we are the last generation or we are not.
Continuing on and looking at the birthrate of Muslims in Europe, what are the odds of an Italian man backed by the Catholic Church coming to power, uniting Europe as a force to rule the world in just 5.5 years?
Will Islam just sit back and let this happen?
If you say "Yes," you are kidding yourself and rejecting logic and reasoning.
The problem is that these people who promote this idea have lost the ability to mix fairness with objectivity and are suffering from an acute case of "Don't confuse me with the facts my mind is made up!"
In other words they worship at the feet of the god of time and feel like they have all the time in the world for their ideas to jell together.  
On the other hand, how many Muslims are looking for the Mahdi to come and establish the global one world caliphate?
Who do we as Christians look to in scripture to create a global one world government in these last days?
Think on this for a moment.
Here is another one the defies logic and reasoning…

" A European antichrist with his forces are going to kill all the Christians by beheading them, Revelation 20:4 tells us so."

Revelation 20:4 (KJV)  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Like the Italian AC, this is another one that is surrounded by illogical ideas when being promoted.
In fact I produced a 10 minute video taking this topic on.
You can watch this video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fVwv7r-Nqw
Many people point to the Catholic Church being the ones who will help the Antichrist dispatch all the Christians worldwide. A majority of the popular authors promote the idea.
I have been reading a book titled " On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill In War and Society"  written by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman.
This book was written to explain a startling fact: throughout most of military history, up until the end of World War II, the vast majority of soldiers (between 75% and 95%) have refused to kill their fellow man.
Brigadier General S.L.A. Marshall, who studied this phenomenon during World War II, found that no more than 20% of soldiers would "take any part with their weapons".
The interesting fact is that these results can be found throughout time and across cultures, from Alexander the Great who lost only 700 men in years of fighting, to tribesmen in New Guinea who remove the feathers from their arrows before going off to war, to the soldiers at Rosebud Creek in 1876 who fired 252 rounds for each American Indian they hit.
Grossman conducted very in-depth research.
So what was happening to these soldiers?
These fighting men were resorting to a number of options, and I mean anything that prevented them from having to kill their fellow man.
So what did these soldiers do?
Some fell back to support positions running supplies, ammo, messages. Some tended to the wounded carrying them off the battlefield.  Some even faked injury themselves and even others ran away. 
In fact many just fired into the air just above the enemies heads.
In Civil War times, conscience-stricken soldiers also had the option of pretending to fire - that is, loading up their muskets, mimicking the movements of a firing soldier next to them, and pretending to recoil.

Do you know at Gettysburg there were over, 27,574 muskets were found on the battlefield? Over 90% of these guns were loaded. On the average a good soldier can load and fire a musket about 4 times in a minute.  So logically speaking the chances of these muskets representing mostly soldiers killed JUST before they were getting ready to fire is pretty slim.
Do you know that over 12,000 muskets were found with multiply-loads down the barrel? In fact, at Gettysburg they found over 6,000 of them loaded with 3-10 rounds apiece? That means that the soldier "Faked" firing the weapon and then went through the procedure to reload the weapon. They consciously objected to killing their fellow man. So they just went through the paces to look like they were fighting the battle.
Clearly this shows that among soldiers a deeply ingrained resistance to killing is prevalent when faced with killing other human beings. But this isn't just with soldiers, it is with man in general, he does not want to kill his fellow man.
Now what is interesting is that Grossman uses most of his book to discussing the ways in which this resistance can be overcome.
How can this take place? Simple, training and brainwashing is conducted upon the soldier.
Revelation 20:4 tells us the Christian martyrs will die, that is a fact.
But here is what I have to ask, were are the huge number of forces that are being trained to dispatch Christians?  In fact we also need to include Jews as well because we know that Jews will also be persecuted against during the tribulation.
How Many Will Die?
According to the website adherents.com, there are 2.1 billion Christians worldwide. This number also includes Mormons, JWs, ect.  
So how many of these will go in the rapture?
Scripture gives us clues.
In Matthew 7, which I consider one of the bibles most troubling chapters in all of scripture, we see Christ who is speaking to Christians / believers.
Scripture says…

Matthew  7:13-14 (KJV)  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at:

14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Christ himself tells us that there are many believers who are on the broad way that leads to destruction. He also tells us that those who are on the narrow way, the Lord tells us that "few there be that find it."
Now I am not talking about losing one's salvation. I am one who stands on if a person is saved, they cannot lose their salvation.
What is being presented in this chapter are those who claim the title, but are not true Christians. These Christians In Name Only, or what I refer to as C.I.N.Os.
What do I mean by that?
Simple example, Oprah Winfrey publicly claims to be a Christian, but we clearly see that her fruits do not show it. We cannot judge ones heart, but based on her fruits, I would speculate that she is one of those on the broad way.
So how many is "few there be that finds it?"
To be honest I don’t know, but to look at the logic of this situation let's be fair and keep things simple and say 1 billion Christians are raptured.
Of those who are left, again keeping it simple to explain logic let's say that 1 billion "Christians" are left behind.
We also have to remember that there are approximately 14 million Jews in the world as well.
We know based upon scripture that 2 thirds of the Jews living will be persecuted.

Zechariah  13:8 (KJV)  And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

That is approximately 4.6 million Jews left in the world with 9.3 million being persecuted.
My question is, who is being trained and brainwashed to kill 1 billion, nine point three million Christians and Jews worldwide?
Do we see the Catholic Church stepping up to the plate to fulfill this large order?
What about other false religions out there? Maybe Mormons? What about New Agers? What about the dreaded freemasons?
Here is another point to consider. Studies show that it takes approximately 2-3 people to execute one person.
Now we know for a fact that there will be Christians and Jews who do survive the tribulation, scripture tells us of the nations who will populate the millennial kingdom. This is a fact. So not all 1 billion, nine point three million Christians and Jews worldwide will die. But a good number of people will.
So again, I have to ask who is being trained to dispatch these millions of people?
FACT - We know that man has an aversion to killing other human beings, Christian morals or not, that is clearly shown in the multiple military studies conducted.
FACT - We also know from scripture that "beheading" will be the method of choice so we cannot blame nuclear, biological or chemical weapons of mass destruction.
It will be the simple "off with their head" solution.
"Well Ray, the "restrainer" will be taken out so all hell will break lose."
Good point, but it does not negate these studies. Grossman in his book talks about Alexander the Great who lost only 700 men in all his years and campaigns of fighting and concurring the known world. He also experienced the same unwillingness to kill. Alexander lived at the time prior to the restrainer.
Folks, the unwillingness to kill our fellow man is ingrained into us. God's law is written upon all of our hearts.

Romans 1:18-19 (KJV)  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

We know that the restrainer was not present during Alexander's time. There are other "pre-restrainer" cases in history that back this up as well. We also know that the law of God is known to all men because it is written upon our hearts.
The only way to overcome this unwillingness to kill our fellow human being, is to be subjected to training and brainwashing. In fact the longer that the person is exposed, the less remorse and mental trauma one will encounter.
Knowing that millions will die at the hands of the Antichrist and that a generation is 70 years. Where are the masses of people being trained today to kill their fellow man?

Last Generation?
Remember that based upon Psalms  90:10 a generation is 70 years. Again looking at Israel becoming a nation in 1948 and using simple math we get the year  2018 being the approximate end of the generation. Seeing that we are about on quarter through 2013, that gives us approximate a little over 5.5 year to train millions to behead and kill all those during the tribulation.
"Well Ray, I have heard that there are guillotines all over the US in secret FEMA camps just waiting to be used."
Again, an unwillingness to think critically or objectively.
If this was the case, who is the company that produced all these guillotines?
Where are they located?
Based on the statement above, they had to be shipped all over the US.
Where are the truckers to drove these guillotines all over the US?
What about the people who loaded and unloaded the guillotines from these vehicles?
What about the people who worked in the no-name factory who built these guillotines?
What about eye witnesses of some form or fashion, or  innocent bystanders who happened to be in the right place at the right time?  
The truth about a secret is that no matter what, it will not remain a secret very long specially if it is a government secret.
In regards to this story, there are too many variables that would easily expose the production of  these guillotines taking place in this nation.
In fact ramping up a company, training the workers and in these financially stressful days, finding the money, stockholders, and financial backing to achieve this as well as dispatching all those Christians, I think 7.5 years is not enough time.
Again there are too many variables that could go wrong in keeping this a secret. 
Now playing the devil's advocate, and taking the US alone, how many true blue Americans would put up with a large number of guillotines being produced in secret? Someone would expose this, there would be pictures posted on facebook, videos on you tube. More proof of the company would come out followed by investigations and then congressional hearings.
Folks, a tool of death like the guillotine, would not go unnoticed and would be reported to the public the moment that the company came into existence .
 Just look at the 9/11 conspiracy,  the Obama birth certificate conspiracy or what about the old idea that  men did not land on the moon  and it was all shot on a movie sound stage?
All these are well known, the conspiracy of guillotines all over the US is a myth and does not have any provable facts based on logic and reasoning to support it.
BUT, let's just entertain this idea for a moment and say it is  true, you would still need 2-3 people trained and brainwashed to kill their fellow human being day in and day out, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week non-stop because we are dealing with millions. Look how long it took Hitler to kill six million Jews. We are talking at least a billion people here.
Here is another point. Our own military is trained to kill and have put into practice these ideologies to help overcome the resistance to kill and still they are ineffective. Look at how many  of our gulf war and Afghanistan war vets come home with post traumatic stress syndrome because they have been trained and have killed, and yet they are still suffering the consequences of taking another's life. 
The American fighting man and woman are some of the best trained soldiers in the world, but what is missing is the brainwashing making killing a part of their lives.
Scripture says…

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)  Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

This is often seen as a blessing to Christian parents, but when viewed from another angle, it is seen as a curse.
Who has been training up their children to kill at such a young age?
You know and I know… Islam.
How many Muslims are there worldwide?
According to adherents.com, it is estimated that there are 1.5 billion Muslims. This study was also conducted around 2001. It is believed that nearly one-fourth of the world’s population today is Muslim. Without firm numbers it is believed that  there are more than 1.5 billion, to quite possibly 2 billion with Islam being the fastest growing religion in the world today.
So taking into account that Christians will be taken out in the rapture, that Islam is the fastest growing religion and that many will die at the hands of the antichrist, there is only one group of people that fit the ability to meet Revelation 20:4 and that is Islam.
Points to consider about Islam …
Muslims are taught to hate Christians and Jews
Muslims are taught to kill the infidel
Beheading is the standard form of execution
Muslims are taught from a young age to die for the cause of Islam
Muslims are taught to kill for the cause of Islam
But here is the stickler, all the countries mentioned in scripture that are associated to Christ's physical return are all Muslim countries and are clearly named. There is no refuting that.
For example , the chapters in Isaiah 13 - 29 all deal with Christ's literal second coming and the destruction of Israel's enemies.
Isaiah 13 Burden of Babylon,
Isaiah 14:24 Burden of Assyria,
Isaiah 14:28 Burden against Philistia (Gaza),
Isaiah 15:1 Burden of Moab,
Isaiah 17 Burden of Damascus & Samaria,
Isaiah 18 Burden of Ethiopia
Isaiah 19 Burden of Egypt
Isaiah 21:13 Burden against Arabia
Isaiah 22 Burden against Jerusalem (occupied by enemy),
Isaiah 23 Burden against Tyre.
All of these are  Muslim counties.
In fact every time the sword of the Lord is mentioned, it is always in association to a Muslim country.

Ezekiel 30:4- 5 (KJV)  And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down.

5  Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword.

We must accept the fact that Islam and the descendent of Ishmael, Esau and Lot are the last day players. Over and over again they are mentioned by name in scripture. Not the EU, USA, New York or Rome.
We as students of bible prophecy have forgotten that  this whole situation started in Genesis with the children of Abraham and a battle over the promised land.
The problem, there are many who refuse to look at the logic and reasoning. Like many of the statements believed above, they do not want  to be bothered with the facts because their mind is made up to what they want to believe even when it is clearly in black and white and contained in God's Word.
Conclusion
I personally believe that we are the final generation.
If we are the final generation as many in the bible prophecy arena are teaching, we must contend with logic and reasoning and not fairytales.  
Just because something has been taught for the last 50-100 years, does not make it so.
We are called to look down at scripture and then peer out to the horizon to see how the world fits within scripture, not how scripture fits within the ideas that are being taught in the world.
We as students of bible prophecy need to put away all the books of men and look at what scripture is truly teaching.
We have forgotten to go to God's Word and apply Acts 17:11 to make sure that what is being taught holds true to scripture. But more than that, it must adhere to logic and reasoning because our God is not a God of confusion nor does He lie.
Therefore if it is not God who is in error, we have to ask "who is?"
The obvious answer is man.
We need to once again learn how to think critically, with an objective mind. We have got to stop allowing people to "spoon feed" us what they believe we need to know and this includes me as well.
It is the Holy Spirit which teaches us and it is He who will illuminate the truth if we apply God's logic and reasoning.
We also need to come to the realization that if we are the final generation that scripture talks about, then there are some issues at hand that we need to contend with and not push it off to the god of time.
We need to admit that there are things that we have once believed that do not fit scripture as well as the timeframe given the days we are living in.
We must come to the understanding that If scripture fits, we must submit.
There are going to be those out there who will argue the timeframe of a generation, when did that generation begin, when will it end, ect. Personally that does not matter, time is still time and it is ticking down. An extra 20 or so years will not really matter if we are the final generation.
Taking into account of the Muslim demographics presented, that situation is not changing and only some fairytale idea of all the Muslims being taken off the earth in some miraculous event is absurd. Yes, there are folks out there who believe that all of Islam will be destroyed.
The fact that an event like that is not even mentioned in scripture either except at Christ's literal second coming when He destroys the enemies of Israel should tell you something about the idea.
Therefore we need to decide if we are the final generation or not. If we are that final generation, we have a limited amount of time in this generation for things to come together logically because we serve The Omniscience God of logic and reason. (all knowing all seeing)
More importantly, we need to start holding our teachers feet to the fire and challenge them with God's Word as well as logic and reasoning. We need to start asking the hard questions and demand solid biblical as well as logical answers. Not these fairytale ideas that were dreamt up some 50-100 or more years ago when Israel was not a nation. 
We need to reexamine what we have been taught with a sound mind allowing the Holy Spirit to teach us and not the latest popular teacher with the bestselling book.
Folks, I hold myself up to the same scrutiny as well. If I am wrong, I am willing to admit that I am wrong if shown from scripture to be incorrect. I have admitted error before and I have no problem recanting something said in error.
But one has to ask, how many others are out there with all their books, DVDS, CDs, studies, TV shows on the line? How many are out there are willing to admit that they are wrong when presented with sound logic and reasoning in light of all their books, DVDs, CDs, ect?
Odd are that they will stick to the  "Don't confuse me with the facts my mind is made up! Besides, it is clearly stated in my book, CD or study guide, so how can I be wrong?"
If that is the answer you get, then we need to question pride being the culprit.
Scripture says…

Proverbs 16:18 (KJV)  Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

If we are the final generation, we have a lot of work still needing to be done. Millions upon millions do not have any knowledge of the Lord our God, nor the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We no longer have the luxury of time and must be about the Lord's Work.
BUT… if we are NOT the final generation, then we have all the time in the world and can worship at the feet of the god of time.
What you need to do is ask yourself "what generation are we?
The final generation or the one serving the god of time?



 By Ray Gano