Blood on the Altar

As the world races toward its momentous end-times encounter between good and evil (known in the Bible as Armageddon), a deepening antagonism is developing worldwide against conservative Christians. According to a 2014 Pew Research Center report this hostility now includes the United States, which elevated from the lowest category of government restrictions on Christian expressions as of mid-2009 to an advanced category in only the last three years. This trend may point to one of the most overlooked aspects of Bible prophecy--a war that ultimately pits born-again believers against religious Christians. The inspired texts themselves say a time is coming when "whosoever killeth you [true Christians] will think that he doeth God service." In Matthew 24:9, Jesus further warned: "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you," and in the book of Revelation it describes this era as when Antichrist will have power "to make war with the saints, and to overcome them..." (Rev. 13:7; Dan. 7:21). All this unfolds as a False Prophet emerges--a final global superchurch leader that causes "as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed" (Rev. 13:15).