The world is being prepared for a "Worldwide Jihad" (holy war). What is now happening in Jerusalem and Israel will soon happen on a global basis. The false pagan religion of Allah and the Arab world that follows this religious faith are almost unexplainable in their darkness. The adherence to these beliefs is by nature of their doctrines, demonic and possessed. How do you stop millions of adherents to a religion that makes glorified martyrs out of murderers? Millions of children and young people are being trained and brainwashed to be suicidal bombers until every Jew and Bible-believing Christian is dead. It is not just the Jews that they are determined to eliminate, it is also every nation that supports Israel and has even a semblance of Biblical values.

Let's first establish the Biblical context for what is going to occur after the Rapture. While most Bible commentators are careful to document the slaughter of Jewish persons during the seven years of the Great Tribulation, I have read almost nothing about the slaughter of Christians. The reasons for this relate to weaknesses in most teaching and preaching concerning who will actually be a part of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. There is also very little expectation of many conversions to Christ during the seven years.

The majority of the church world is absolutely unprepared to go with the Lord Jesus Christ to the Marriage Supper. Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China, said it best. "The whole idea of rewards that is so eloquently taught in Scripture falls on its face if every believer, regardless of their labor or lifestyle, is going to be part of the 'bride to be' caught up before the Tribulation." Worldly believers get furious at this great truth.

You cannot pursue the world and its riches and the brideship of Jesus Christ at the same time. You cannot expect to be rewarded with eternal bliss as His very intimate companion, while warming a church pew or watching soap operas on television. His bride will literally be without spot or blemish. This leaves the multitudes to be thrust into the Tribulation and to die as martyrs or to deny the Son of God. The Lord Jesus plainly described this fact to the Church of Laodicea. They were very religious and they certainly possessed a quantitative amount of truth, but listen to His words, "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." (Revelation 3:15-17).

You cannot take the Word of God literally and then deny this breathtaking truth. They did not go in the Rapture. He spewed them out of His mouth. They will be pursued by the Antichrist and slaughtered, unless they deny Christ and accept the new things the false god will be doing.

Understand the number of this multitude of lukewarm Christians that have allowed the oil of the Holy Spirit to dissipate from their lives (Matthew 25). Then, add the number of those that will surrender to the Lord Jesus after the facts of the Rapture have registered and they realize that they missed it. It will be without a doubt a number greatly exceeding those that were raptured and Satan will hate them with a passion.

Now, go to the beginning of the seven years of this coming Great Tribulation in Revelation chapter six. First, there are four seals opened which show the going forth of God and Christ's judgments. The earth becomes a hellish place as sin must be totally exposed and judged. The fifth seal is then opened, revealing what has already begun to occur to the unprepared church world, which was thrust into this chasm between God's judgment and Satan's fury. The Lord Jesus Christ gave us this description. "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." (Revelation 6:9-11).

These certainly cannot represent Jewish believers because the Nation of Israel will not be converted until the end of the seven years. The Pre-Tribulation Rapture has unquestionably occurred because we saw in chapter five the multitude of saints singing the new song, " . . . Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (Revelation 5:9b-10).

These were slain after the Rapture while the seals of the Great Tribulation were being opened. They had the testimony of the Word of God. Their souls were in a place of peace and protection, but they were told to wait for the rest of their fellow believers to be killed in the same manner. They had not yet experienced their new bodies, but were given white robes as a guarantee of their future resurrection. It is a beautiful picture of God's care for the souls that will suffer martyrdom during the coming Great Tribulation.

By the time of the "Abomination of Desolation" at the mid-point of the seven years, this crowd will have become a multitude. It is thrilling to see how the Lord has planned a special moment for these martyred saints. They missed the "brideship," but they will not be forgotten. They have paid the ultimate price for their failure and neglect and they were slain in holy war by the Antichrist crowd. Now, they have "white robes and palm in their hands." (Revelation 7:9). The Pre-Tribulation raptured saints are seen in chapter four on thrones with crowns of gold. These will not have thrones to sit on or crowns to wear. They are certainly guests at the wedding, but will not be in the number of the bride. They were killed for the Word of God and their testimony, which they proudly held after they had "washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Revelation 7:14)

The opportunity to repent and be redeemed will continue all the way through the seven dark years. Chapter eleven shows two prophets that are commissioned to prophesy and perform miracles for three and one-half years. They are protected from death until they finish their commission. Their death causes the world to have a party, send gifts, and rejoice against God that sent them. Our Lord and our Heavenly Father has planned a special resurrection and catching away for these two unique prophets. What a witness to the world that their ascension into Heaven will be. You can guarantee the Evening News will show them disappearing amid the blasphemy and cursing of the godless. No doubt others will repent at this scene if they have not taken the Mark of the Beast.

God's mercy is so great that He then employs an angel to plead His cause with the population of the earth. While the evil is at its greatest expression, God's mercy knows no retreat. The Scriptures states, "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." (Revelation 14:6-7).

The great truth of ancient days cannot be doubted. "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11). Souls will continue to be washed in the blood and pursued in the holy war of the Antichrist.

Revelation chapter twelve gives an incredible picture of the Antichrist, an extremely religious figure, and his consecrated attacks on Christians and Jews worldwide. I believe this chapter is absolutely a picture that shows the Rapture and the anger and desperation of Satan following the Rapture. He will institute a worldwide "holy war" to seek and destroy every semblance of Bible-believing people, Jews or Gentiles. The training and early stages of this holy war (Jihad) has already begun. The hordes of godless people among the Muslim terrorists are presently at the lead of this development. They will eventually be joined by the radical Charismatics, called "Joel's Army." This crowd is already talking about the coming war to establish the idea of the kingdom of God. (Read the article on "Joel's Army" reprinted in this edition.) Also, the Catholic system that produced the crusades of the past will be an intimate part of the final picture.

Please note the description of Satan's anger against Bible-believers in Revelation chapter twelve. "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child." "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." (Revelation 12:12-13,17).

In this Scripture quotation, you can see the Orthodox Jews, "those who keep the commandments of God," and the repentant Christians that have the "testimony of Jesus Christ." This is a breathtaking picture of the "One World Religious War" against all that refuse to take their religious mark of submission to the "False Trinity."

Worldwide Jihad is developing as I write. Yesterday (September 11, 2001), we witnessed a day unlike any day in American history. I was supposed to finish this article, but was stunned beyond thought. My heart has never hurt worse than while I watched the terror and carnage spewed out by the religious terrorists on this nation. How could four very capable pilots from the Arab world, plus their unnumbered counterparts commit suicide so bravely? Their religion promises them "candy land" and "unending sex forever" as their reward. They have been bred with the commitment to make Allah the god of the entire globe. Heretics (anyone not a worshipper of Allah) must be converted or eliminated.

While Israel has suffered misery and terror, America has teetered between support and condemnation. Maybe, we have awakened to the truth of what Arafat really represents and what the entire Islamic terrorist organization is set to accomplish. We may now slow the development of the "worldwide holy war," but we will not stop it altogether. Arafat was recently reported in a major Israeli newspaper as saying to his organization, "to kill a settler every day." While he publicly denied the report, he told his security officials, "Don't pay any attention to what I say to the press, on the television, or in public places. Pay attention only to orders I give you directly in writing." (Until..., 2001 Volume Seven Issue Seven, by Jimmy DeYoung. Published by Until Productions, Chattanooga, TN.)

Here are the words of Yasser Arafat in an earlier statement. "We know but one word: struggle, struggle. Jihad, Jihad, Jihad. When we stop our intifada, when we stop our revolution, we go to the greater Jihad, the Jihad of the independent Palestinian state with its capital Jerusalem." (The Philadelphia Trumpet, Vol. 12, No. 7, August 2001, p. 5. Published by Philadelphia Church of God, Edmond, OK.)

The official television station of Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian authority recently broadcast the following instructions to all Arabs. "All weapons must be aimed at the Jews ... whom the Koran describes as monkeys and pigs ... We will enter Jerusalem as conquerors. ... Blessings to he who shot a bullet into the head of a Jew." (Article by George Will received via fax, August 18, 2001.)

Suicide Bombings In Israel
The recent pizza restaurant bombing in Israel revealed a perfect picture of Biblical fulfillment. The picture in this article of the rescue worker holding a child brings to mind the prophetic words of an ancient prophet. Jeremiah stated, "Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?" (Jeremiah 3:6).

The Orthodox Jewish rabbis have themselves conceded that "Jacob's Trouble" has begun. George Will describes the carnage at the pizza restaurant by quoting a USA reporter actually present thirty yards from the entrance. The reporter and a guest had actually attempted to enter for lunch, but were turned away by the crowded conditions. "The blast ... sent flesh flying onto second-story balconies a block away. Three men were blown 30 feet; their heads, separated from their bodies by the blast, rolled down the glass-strewn street. ... One woman had at least six nails embedded in her neck. Another had a nail in her left eye. Two men, one with a six-inch piece of glass in his right temple ... tried to walk away. ... A man groaned. ... His legs were blown off. Blood poured from his torso. ... A 3-year old girl, her face covered with glass, walked among the bodies calling her mother's name. ... The mother ... was dead ... One rabbi found a small hand against a white Subaru parked outside the restaurant." (Article by George Will received via fax, August 18, 2001.)

A statement in the USA reporter's article gripped my heart for its cold-bloodedness. Please note the evil clearly declared in this expression by an Islamic terrorist. "'We want this successful operation to prove to the terrorist (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon that we can, and we will continue to, get him and his fellow pigs and monkeys where it hurts the most,' senior Islamic Jihad official Abdallah al-Shami said." (USA Today, Friday, August 10, 2001, p. 9A.)

When everybody else is "pigs and monkeys," slaughtering them becomes nothing more than a hunting game. We are dealing with a mindset that cannot be called anything but Antichrist and anti-human. This dark commitment to promote the Islamic way of life and to convert the world to Allah is a life and death struggle for these misguided millions. It fits perfectly the plan of Satan for the End Times. Worldwide Jihad will be their way of life until the Lord Himself comes to set the world system right at the close of the Tribulation period.

The Time of "Jacob's Trouble"
The Scripture is extremely clear in describing the coming sorrows of the Jewish people. Their sages and rabbis have warned their people for centuries that one last "holocaust" will grip the Jewish people of the world. Recently, over thirty of the leading religious leaders in Israel declared that this time has come. Here are their words, "So over the past 24 hours the Jewish community here in Israel and throughout the world has united in prayer. What is unusual about this year's Yom Kippur Katan is that in light of the 6-month-old Palestinian uprising which has claimed the lives of 57 Israelis, including more than 20 through the direct involvement and participation of Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority, the rabbis have added the designation as 'a time of Jacob's trouble.' IT IS A TROUBLED TIME FOR YA'ACOV BUT HE WILL BE SAVED. Israel, the holy nation, is experiencing a time of suffering. Wicked people are launching attacks against our people, and are intent on causing trouble for the Jews in the Holy Land." (Taken from Bible Prophecy Research website. Website address: http://philologos.org/bpr/files/j006.htm.)

The purpose of this article is to show the worldwide "religious war," but Israel certainly will have her own sorrows almost beyond measure. Zechariah describes the breadth and length of this horrendous day. "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. 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. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God." (Zechariah 13:7-9).

Two-thirds of all Jews worldwide will be slaughtered in this "hunt and kill" game of the Antichrist and his hordes of Bible-hating fanatics.

Conclusion
The world is on a collision course with judgment. Our friendship and support of Israel and the remnant of godly people in this nation will provide us some mercies of our Heavenly Father. We will not be insulated from pain and expressions of this evil "religious war" that I believe has already begun. The level of our sufferings will be determined by the honesty of our repentance for sin. We appear to be the last barricade to a full expression of the "One World Order" so important to the Antichrist kingdom. When the Rapture occurs, no barricade will hold the total development of a world government and the evil reign of the "man of sin." A "religious holy war" will be his final plan for establishing his "one world religion." Believe me when I say, "There will be no room for Bible truth."