Dark Freedom: The Rise of Western Lawlessness - Chapter Two
Dark Freedom
The Rise of Western Lawlessness
by C.W. Steinle
Copyright 2015 by C.W. Steinle
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Part I - Pulling Down Strongholds
From the Flood to the Fire
"For He will
finish the work and cut it short in righteousness,
Because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth." – Rom.
9:28
How short is short to the
eternal God for whom one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as
one day? Jesus told His disciples to
watch and be ready. But man's
expectations about the timing of Christ's return have not been ruled by
patience. "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." After two thousand years of triumphs, trials,
and persecution, the hearts of Christ's followers still cry out, "How
long, O Lord."
The first century church
supposed that Jesus would return during the lifetime of the Apostles. Then Christians thought the end of the age
had come when the Jerusalem
Temple Constantine ,
the focus shifted from the Lord's return from heaven to the glory of His Church
on the earth. But within the centuries surrounding
the Little Ice Age of the 1600's, roughly one-third of the earth's population
was killed by wars, famines, plagues, and persecutions.12 Once again, believers expected the end. Then came the wars of Napoleon, the
revolutionary wars, civil wars, and world wars.
The first and second millennia
have now come and gone, and "where
is the promise of His coming?" The
patience of the world, and of the Nominal
Church
What if God really is doing a
short work? What if He has determined to
cut the work short in righteousness because keeping it short is the right thing
to do? Just like He cut the pre-flood maximum
lifespan of man down from close to 1,000 years to 120 years because of the rise
of wickedness on the earth; saying, "My
Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days
shall be one hundred and twenty years." - Genesis 6:3
What if God has predetermined
the duration of this age and we are nearly to the end? As the sin of our times grows exponentially,
wouldn't we anticipate that God would respond? If that idea sounds unnerving, it just goes to
show how far away modern thought has drifted from the apostolic expectation of
Christ's return. Yet the Church was
directly warned by the Apostle Peter that the length of this age has a limit.
"Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which
I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the
words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of
us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first: that scoffers will
come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, "Where
is the promise of His coming? For since
the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of
creation." For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the
heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by
which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now
preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and
perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved,
do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand
years, and a thousand years as one day. The
Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is
longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should
come to repentance." - II Peter 3:1-9
Peter makes three main points that
we should keep in mind and never forget: God made the world, God sustains the
world, and God determines the duration of each age. It is amazing how accurately Peter described
the world before the flood as, the earth standing out of water and in the
water. This is a great description
of the ancient geological configuration of the earth known as Pangaea, which
depicts all of the continents joined together as one landmass encompassed by
one global sea.
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Peter stated of that former age;
"the world that then existed
perished, being flooded with water."
Whether a person holds the belief of six literal days of creation, or
they believe in a recently inhabited old earth, everyone must agree that at
some point in the past, something horrible happened to the planet. This trauma actually rearranged whole
continents and oceans. Parts of the
earth were turned inside out like a worn out soccer ball. The evidence is all around us. Tectonic plates tipped on edge are exposed on
nearly every mountain range. Some were
tipped completely upside down. Others
rose from the bottom of the ocean to become the tops of mountains. The oilfields of Wyoming are a good example. There oil (fossil fuel) lies at the top of
the continental divide, yet it is trapped thousands of feet below the mountain
peaks.
The location of oilfields and
limestone deposits provide two of the most graphic illustrations of the difference
between the world that then existed
and the earth's present form. Petroleum
is made from organic material which has decomposed and then been chemically
altered over time. Limestone is also
largely made from marine plants, animals, and shells that have undergone
pressure to form sedimentary rock. Both
of these substances, which were formed from living organisms, could have once been
forests or jungles; but most of the oil and limestone is thought to have come
from the bottom of the sea.
It is common for limestone to
include the fossils of the plants and animals that once lived in the vicinity
where the sediment formed. Now consider
that vast inland quantities of oil and limestone have been dislocated and moved
to higher elevations. The bones of
whales and other marine animals have been found in the sediment of the Andes Mountains
of South America . Seabed fossils have also been found atop the
Mogollon Rim of Arizona at an elevation of 7,000 feet.
"About 15,000 feet up on
Tibet's desolate Himalayan-Tibetan Plateau, an international research team led
by Florida State University geologist Yang Wang was surprised to find thick
layers of ancient lake sediment filled with plant, fish and animal fossils
typical of far lower elevations and warmer, wetter climates."14 The disfiguration
of the earth that divided the continents and turned ocean floors into mountain
ranges could not have been the result of volcanoes or storms. This unparalleled catastrophe, by which the world that then existed
perished, could only have been caused by the earth's collision with another
celestial body. Scientists agree that
such a collision would have also caused the continents to be flooded with water.
We have more than geological
evidence for this great upheaval which divided the ages. The very language of the Bible preserves
terminology which would otherwise seem meaningless, or at the least irrelevant,
if it were not based on actual events of the past. The Bible alludes to such extraordinary events
as the islands being removed, mountains thrown into the sea, and mountains
being brought low and valleys raised up.
Without the benefit of modern geology where else could these concepts have
come from, unless they were based on actual historical accounts passed down
from one generation to another?
We will return to the second
catastrophe, noted by Peter as the scorching of the planet by fire; but first,
let's consider the possibility of a future significant astrological collision. There is more stuff flying around in outer space than most people think. The sources below provide ample evidence that
the duration of man's time on earth has been exaggerated by evolutionary
scientists in order to provide enough time for their theory.
According to Dr. Sten Odenwald,
"On any given day, the estimates are that the Earth intercepts about
19,000 meteorites weighing over 3.5 ounces."15
"Scientists estimate that
44 tonnes (44,000 kilograms, about 48.5 tons) of meteoritic material falls on
the Earth each day. Several meteors per
hour can usually be seen on any given night. Sometimes the number increases dramatically -
these events are termed meteor showers. Some occur annually, or at regular intervals,
as the Earth passes through the trail of dusty debris left by comets. Meteor showers are usually named after the
star or constellation that is close to where the meteors appear in the sky. Perhaps the most famous are the Perseids,
which peak around the Twelfth of August every year. Each Perseid meteor is a tiny piece of the
comet Swift-Tuttle, which swings by the Sun every 135 years. Other meteor showers and their associated
comets are the Leonids (Tempel-Tuttle), the Aquarids and Orionids (Halley), and
the Taurids (Encke). Most comet dust in
meteor showers burns up in the atmosphere before reaching the ground; some dust
is captured by high-altitude aircraft and analyzed in NASA laboratories. . . .
More than 50,000 meteorites have been found on Earth. Of these, 99.8 percent come from asteroids."16
"Asteroids with a diameter of 7 meters enter Earth's atmosphere with
as much kinetic energy as Little Boy (the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
"On February 14, 2013 a
10,000 ton meteor about 17-meters in diameter entered Earth’s atmosphere over Russia
traveling at 40,000 mph (18 km/s). It detonated in the air over the town of Chelyabinsk and the
explosion caused major damage to the town injuring 1,000 people. The people were hurt by flying glass when the
windows of over 3000 buildings blew out over an area of about 1000 km2. Unlike the famous Tunguska Event of 1908 which
blew down 80 million trees and was not ‘discovered’ for many decades afterwards,
the Chelyabinsk Meteor was extensively videoed by hundreds of dash-cams and
cell phones as it happened. Studies of
thousands of meteor sightings by scientists can now tell us just how often
asteroids of 4-meters or larger enter Earth’s atmosphere. About two of these
events happen each year over the entire surface area of Earth."18
Professor S.A. Nelson of Tulane
University has articulated the dangers presented by incoming astrological
bodies. Below are some excerpts from his
summary titled, "Meteorites, Impacts, & Mass Extinction."19
Although the Chelyabinsk meteorite probably weighed about
12,000–13,000 metric tonnes, and measured 17 to 20 m in diameter before it
exploded, scientists were quick to point out that it was very small compared to
other objects that could potentially hit the earth. The explosion released
energy estimated at about 500 kilotons of TNT (about 20 to 30 times more energy
than the Hiroshima
atomic bomb). The event brought to the world's attention the very real hazards
associated with the impact of objects from outer space.
The impact of a space object with a size greater than about 1
km would be expected to be felt over the entire surface of the Earth. Smaller
objects would certainly destroy the ecosystem in the vicinity of the impact,
similar to the effects of a volcanic eruption. Larger impacts could have a
worldwide effect on life on the Earth. We will here first consider the possible
effects of an impact, and then discuss how impacts may have resulted in mass
extinction of species on the Earth in the past.
Regional and Global
Effects
Again, we as humans have no firsthand knowledge of what the
effects of an impact of a large meteorite (> 1 km in size) or comet would
be. Still, calculations can be made and scaled experiments can be conducted to
estimate the effects. The general consensus is summarized here.
Massive earthquake - up to Richter Magnitude 13, and numerous
large magnitude aftershocks would result from the impact of a large object with
the Earth.
The large quantities of dust put into the atmosphere would
block incoming solar radiation. The dust could take months to settle back to
the surface. Meanwhile, the Earth would be in a state of continual darkness,
and temperatures would drop throughout the world, generating global winter like
conditions. A similar effect has been postulated for the aftermath of a nuclear
war (termed a nuclear winter). Blockage of solar radiation would also diminish
the ability of photosynthetic organisms, like plants, to photosynthesize. Since
photosynthetic organisms are the base of the food chain, this would seriously
disrupt all ecosystems.
Widespread wildfires ignited by radiation from the fireball
as the object passed through the atmosphere would be generated. Smoke from
these fires would further block solar radiation to enhance the cooling effect
and further disrupt photosynthesis.
If the impact occurred in an ocean, a large steam cloud would
be produced by the sudden evaporation of the seawater. This water vapor and CO2
would remain in the atmosphere long after the dust settles. Both of these gases
are greenhouse gases which scatter solar radiation and create a warming effect.
Thus, after the initial global cooling, the atmosphere would undergo global
warming for many years after the impact.
Also, if the impact occurred in an ocean, a giant tsunami
would be generated. For a ten km-diameter object, the leading edge would hit
the seafloor of the deep ocean basins before the top of the object had reached
sea level. The tsunami from such an impact is estimated to produce waves from one
to three km high. These could easily flood the interior of continents.
Large amounts of nitrogen oxides would result from combining nitrogen
and oxygen in the atmosphere due to the shock produced by the impact. These
nitrogen oxides would combine with water in the atmosphere to produce nitric
acid which would fall back to the surface as acid rain, resulting in the
acidification of surface waters.
The Geologic Record of
Mass Extinction
It has long been known that extinction of large percentages
families or species of organisms have occurred at specific times in the history
of our planet. Among the mechanisms that have been suggested to have caused
these mass extinctions have been large volcanic eruptions, changes in climatic
conditions, changes in sea level, and, more recently, meteorite impacts.
Risk - It is estimated that in any given year the odds that
you will die from an impact of an asteroid or comet are between 1 in 3,000 and
1 in 250,000. . . . Although this seems like long odds, you have about the [the
same odds] of dying from other natural disasters likes floods and tornadoes. In
fact the odds of dying from an impact event are much better than the odds of
winning the Powerball lottery.
A 400 meter asteroid striking the earth would produce a
destructive force of 2,800 megatons of TNT.
On November 8, 2011, the 400 meter asteroid designated (308635) 2005
YU55 passed within the moon's orbit of the earth. Purdue University
 |
Figure 2 - Plot
of orbits of known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (size over 460 feet (140 m)
and passing within 4.7 million miles (7.6×106 km) of Earth's orbit) as of early
2013.21
|
In 2002 an asteroid between 50
and 120 meters passed between the moon and the earth. Two asteroids in 2012, and one in 2013, all
in the 35-45 meter range, passed through this same corridor. According to the scientists' calculations,
asteroids of this size enter the earth's atmosphere about once every 300
years. But the reality is that we only
went 106 years, from 1908 to 2015 to experience two massive explosions from
asteroids of this size. And who knows
how many more entered uninhabited areas of the planet during that same period.
Through advanced telescopes
astronomers have gotten a much better picture of all that is "out there". The earth is moving around the sun at 67,000
MPH. Our solar system is moving through
the galaxy at 490,000 MPH. And the
galaxy appears to be traveling through space at 2,236,936,290 MPH. What could possibly go wrong? The data which astronomers have obtained has
not set the scientific community at ease about the possibility of another
extinction event. Quite the contrary. Canada ,
Europe, and the United
States have begun to scramble to prevent the
next extinction event. The U.S. Congress
passed, in 2005, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Authorization Act, containing the following directive:
The U.S. Congress
has declared that the general welfare and security of the United States
The Biblical account of the
flood tells us that eight people survived the last great extinction event and were
able to tell the story. This is indeed
the most reasonable explanation for the Bible's inclusion of language
describing the same geological changes which have only recently been discovered
through science. Considering the damage,
it is truly a miracle that Noah and his family survived. And based on the number of the bodies in
motion which have the potential to impact the planet, it is quite reasonable to
believe that only a few thousand years have gone by since the beginning of the
present age.
There is also a longstanding
belief, passed down from the ancients, that the present age is only intended by
God to last for a few thousand years. To
understand this tradition it is necessary to understand Biblical "seasons." The Apostle Paul said that Christians should
be knowledgeable about times and seasons.
One example of the use of the word "season" (one which also
stresses the importance of being watchful) is found in Jesus' response to the
request for a sign from heaven. "Then the Pharisees and Sadducee's
came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He
answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair
weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today,
for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky,
but you cannot discern the signs of the times." – Matt. 16:1-3
The Greek word used here for "times"
is kairon. Kairos is the Greek
word for season, or a measure of time. Both
of these words from the ancient manuscripts are derived from the Greek word for
time chrono. Our English word chronology comes from this
Greek root.
The ancient Hebraic seasons had
names and were about 2,000 years in duration. In the Hebrew traditions there were three of these
seasons totaling 6,000 years. Each
thousand-year period was thought to represent one of the six days of creation.
The late Risto Santala was an
international authority on ancient Hebrew writings. He was the author of the well known books, The Messiah in the Old and in the New Testament
in the Light of Rabbinical Writings,23 and Paul - The Man and the Teacher in the Light
of Jewish Sources.24 Many of the Pauline Epistles express concepts
found in the ancient rabbinical writings. In his book on Paul, Santala inserts several
paragraphs expressing his own eschatological theories. These were primarily based on the Hebrew 6,000
year doctrine. The following quotes,
which state the basic assumptions of this ancient Hebraic tradition, are from
Risto’s website.
The tradition of Elijah teaches that the world is to exist
for six thousand years; In the first two thousand desolation; in the next two
thousand the Torah will flourish and the next two thousand are the days of the
Messiah but on account of our sins, which were great, things turned out as they
did."- Sanhedrin 97a
It was essential to this traditional expectation that the
sovereignty of the Torah -- the Law of Moses -- would last 2000 years, the same
as that of the Messianic period. In the same far-ranging discussion from which
the above citation is taken we find, in explanation, that:
"The seventh millennium will be war, and at the close of
the millennium the Son of David will come". - Sanhedrin 97b
In the discussion which follows mention is made of "The
war of Gog and Magog and the remaining period will be the Messianic era, whilst
the Holy One, blessed be he, will restore his world only when the seventh
millennium is over."
This so-called "Elijah Tradition", which represents
the understanding of the majority of the Sages, brings to mind the mainstream
Christian teaching of the Last Days and the Millennial Kingdom
Risto Santala isn’t the only
Bible scholar who believed in this tradition of the ancient rabbis. Irenaeus of Lyons lived about a hundred years
after the death of the Apostle John. Irenaeus
was tutored by John's disciple, Polycarp. Irenaeus wrote extensively during the late
second century in order to battle the onslaught of false teachings. Fortunately, he not only discredited false
doctrines, he also recorded what was believed universally by the Church of his
day. His writings have been relied on by
the Church as a source for sound and true doctrine. In Volume 5 of his work, Against Heresies, Irenaeus states some of the eschatological views
held by the Early
Church
He says also: "And he will cause a mark [to be put] in
the forehead and in the right hand, that no one may be able to buy or sell,
unless he who has the mark of the name of the beast or the number of his name;
and the number is six hundred and sixty-six,"that is, six times a hundred,
six times ten, and six units. [He gives this] as a summing up of the whole of
that apostasy which has taken place during six thousand years.
For in as many days as this world was made, in so many
thousand years shall it be concluded. And for this reason the Scripture says:
"Thus the heaven and the earth were finished, and all their adornment. And
God brought to a conclusion upon the sixth day the works that He had made; and
God rested upon the seventh day from all His works." This is an account of
the things formerly created, as also it is a prophecy of what is to come. For
the day of the Lord is as a thousand years; and in six days created things were
completed: it is evident, therefore, that they will come to an end at the sixth
thousand year.
But when this Antichrist shall have devastated all things in
this world, he will reign for three years and six months, and sit in the temple
at Jerusalem; and then the Lord will come from heaven in the clouds, in the
glory of the Father, sending this man and those who follow him into the lake of
fire; but bringing in for the righteous the times of the kingdom, that is, the
rest, the hallowed seventh day; and restoring to Abraham the promised
inheritance, in which kingdom the Lord declared, that "many coming from
the east and from the west should sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."26
Obviously, the Early Church kingdom
of God
The time has been fulfilled - kairos. Jesus spoke in other places about the Scriptures
being fulfilled, joy being fulfilled; and Paul wrote that the law had been
fulfilled. But here in Mark, Jesus says
the time (a measure of time, or season) has been fulfilled. That season which had been fulfilled was that
2,000 year season called the time of the Law or the Days of Elijah. (Remember,
the first 2,000 year period was the time of desolation, or, the Days of
Wilderness.)
Today we are just finishing up
the Days of Messiah – the third 2,000 year period. Those who believe that this age of man has
continued for millions of years cannot fathom that man’s time upon the earth is
about to come to an end. However, those
who believe the Bible understand that only scoffers refuse to acknowledge the
coming catastrophe and Christ's return.
Seasons do change. It’s a God thing. Today we live around the Hebrew calendar year
6,000 – the time of the end of man’s kingdom. (Experts have determined that the popular Hebrew calendar date is off
by around two hundred years.)
No man knows the hour. But we can, and are expected to, know the
season. Because Jesus came in due time (at
just the right time, right at the 4,000-year mark), we have every reason to
believe the events of the Tribulation will begin around the 6,000-year mark. In other words – at any moment.
Peter wrote that, "the heavens and the earth which are
now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment
and perdition of ungodly men." – II Peter 3:7 End times Bible prophecy
lends itself strongly to the conclusion that celestial impacts will play a
significant role in the end of the age.
The destructions listed in the eighth chapter of Revelation begin with
fire being thrown to the earth. But the
physical effects of these judgments align themselves closely with to the
expected results of falling asteroids.
"Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the
altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings,
lightnings, and an earthquake. So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets
prepared themselves to sound." - Rev. 8:5-6
Flaming meteors? "The
first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they
were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all
green grass was burned up." - Rev. 8:7
Large asteroid? "Then
the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire
was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. And a third of
the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were
destroyed." - Rev. 8:8-9
Torch-like falling star -
Perhaps a comet, resulting in acid rain?
"Then the third angel
sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell
on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is
Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the
water, because it was made bitter." - Rev. 8:10-11
Sky darkened by debris? "Then
the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the
moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third
of the day did not shine, and likewise the night." - Rev. 8:12
Comet or Massive Asteroid? "Then
the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To
him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit,
and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun
and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit." - Rev. 9:1-2
Lastly consider the mountainous rock
of the end times prophet, Daniel. Daniel's
interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream also ends with a rock breaking up all
of the kingdoms of the earth. The
generally accepted Christian teaching holds that the Rock is Christ - in
keeping with Isaiah 9:7; "Of the
increase of His government and peace there will be no end."
Nevertheless, it is also
reasonable to expect that God would use a physical rock to manifest the
breaking up and destruction of the kingdoms of man; those kingdoms which stand
in ever-increasing unity against the Lord and His anointed One. (Psalm 2)
"Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain
without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the
silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to
pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure." –
Dan. 2:45
But clearly we must consider the
fact that Peter said the final judgment would come by fire, and God has
promised never to flood the entire earth again.
This dilemma might be solved by the descent of several smaller asteroids
(described in Rev. 8), accompanied by a large enough meteor storm to heat up
the earth's atmosphere. God will use
whatever means He has purposed to use. Our
sun has been acting peculiar recently. Will
it go into a super-nova phase? That
would provide another physical explanation for the fire. Or perhaps the CERN super-collider will split
the wrong particle?
It is not so important to know how
God will bring the fire of judgment as it is to understand that the world was
made by God's word, it is sustained by His word, and God has already determined
the means of the next judgment. The
present age is reserved for fire until
the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. This is the reason that the destructive
forces at the end of this age are referred to as the wrath of God. It is the same wrath that closed out the last
age with the flood, because "the
Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent
of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." – Gen. 6:5
The godly are not the only ones grieved
as lawlessness leads to more lawlessness - God is watching. And although this age is only a short work
upon the earth to the Lord, He is waiting patiently. "The
Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is
longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should
come to repentance." – II Peter 3:9
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