A Warning To 'The Elect' From The Concordia?

Did we all just witness a worldwide warning to "the elect" from the Concordia?

Here we go again...

For anyone who's new here, or new to these (admittedly) highly subjective 'Symbolism Studies' and their possible -- and I stress the word 'POSSIBLE' -- connection to the near fulfillment of end times Bible prophecy, please READ THIS IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER first (look for the 'Symbolism Studies Disclaimer') before you continue.

Remember, nowadays, it doesn't even matter if a published news story is ultimately 'true' or 'false' because it's not necessarily about the story itself, but about the impression that the headline, byline, and report makes upon an unsuspecting individual.

That's why we often publish posts here that merely catalog an observation or two. Yes, they might 'seem out of place' from time to time (and, according to some visitors, even damage this community's credibility and Christian witness), but you know I'm fond of reminding you that this isn't a popularity contest. It's never about me and LUF, but always about Him and His Word.

The 'big picture' of what God's Word tells us to expect in the last days is the worldview that we subscribe to here, and that's where our hearts and minds are firmly set because that's where Jesus Christ's return is, and so it's about pointing you in that same direction by getting you to view the world in much the same way.

So, any of those 'subjective' and 'speculative' entries we publish here at LUF are just our humble attempts to point out all the reasons why we believe something from Pop Culture is being used by our common enemy to 'leave an impression', and to 'condition the masses' by attempting to slowly change our hearts and minds about a particular subject.

It's an effort to expose and to warn (Ephesians 5:11; Matthew 10:16). Please join us as we fight the fear that they so desperately want to instill in us by countering it with a pure Christian faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and all His promises.

Thanks for your patience.

By now, you're all well aware of the tragedy involving a cruise ship called the 'Costa Concordia' in Italy. First and foremost, our prayers are with all of those affected by these unforeseen circumstances.



Folks, as crazy as this will sound to some, it just has to be said. Remember, these are just observations that may or may not have any kind of spiritual or prophetic value to them. As always, test everything (1 Thessalonians 5:21), apply Acts 17:11, and take all things to the Lord in prayer before you settle upon any conclusion.

You all know how I feel about playing 'Pin-The-Tail-On-The-Antichrist' in these parts. However, you also know that I have no problem calling attention to certain individuals so that we can simply put them on our 'spiritual radar' as 'Someone-To-Watch' -- just in case.

The last time we performed that exercise was just last week when we spent some time calling to mind Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of the Roman Catholic Church.

I'm beginning to wonder if there's a more important reason how my independent and private Bible studies have suddenly shifted in their focus lately (by 'suddenly' I mean 'drastically' if that counts for anything), and why they keep leading me to research what the early church fathers and reformers thought about Catholicism's role in the fulfillment of end times prophecy. Today is no exception.

If you're inclined to wonder why we even bother with such things, then I will kindly refer you to Revelation 1:1-3 where we're told quite explicitly that we will be "blessed" for studying such things.

Furthermore, let's not forget that we are giving such warnings about the coming Antichrist and his reign upon earth so that we would not be deceived.

Matthew 24:24-25 (ESV) For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.

Mark 13:22-23 (ESV) For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.

Why would Jesus Christ Himself tell us such things, warn us to be on guard, and even go so far as to point out that He's warning us ahead of time, unless He was doing so out of a genuine concern that we be not deceived? In other words, He wanted us to be ready for a time such as this.

Do I believe that the time Jesus was speaking of is now upon us? Do I believe that we are about to be sold an incredible lie? The short answer? Yes.

My dear brothers and sisters, aside from highly subjective and highly speculative accounts from individuals within the Body of Christ like me about why they (or I) feel this way or that, I think we'd be foolish to ignore all the 'Romish' type of symbolism coming up over and over again these days.

From the highly publicized Catholic faith of various political candidates to Madonna's release of her new album and her upcoming appearance at this year's Super Bowl, if I couple all of that with the knowledge of how the Holy Spirit has been intimately working in my own personal life in recent weeks to that same end, then I have no choice but to conclude the things you're about to read about here (or at least give them more serious thought than immediately dismiss them outright).

For instance, I firmly believe that the Costa Concordia tragedy in Italy was extremely symbolic prophetically speaking. At the very least, I firmly believe that it is a thinly veiled message to those of us with ears to hear and eyes to see (Proverbs 20:12) about where we are on God's prophetic timeline as we begin 2012.

For starters, please take some time to familiarize yourself with THIS and THIS because it will help set the stage for these next points.

The key takeaway for us? Well, if we continue along this 'He-Might-Be-The-Antichrist' path, then isn't it compelling how the cruise ship that ran aground is called the Concordia? Why? Because Archbishop Charles Chaput was born in Concordia, Kansas.

Now, here's where things get even more intriguing! Remember, we're operating under the admittedly subjective and speculative assumption that Archbishop Chaput 'Might-Be-The Antichrist' for all the reasons stated in previous posts (and for the Biblical proof that actually makes a pretty strong case that a future Pope will one day fulfill that prophecy), but here's where I was blown away myself if we continue in that same frame of mind...

-- Let's recall the Winged White Horse/Omega Symbolism from JD3 at the Acceleration blog that makes us think of Revelation 6:2

-- The tragedy occurred in Italy, which is home to Rome, and home to the Vatican/Pope, and the very place directly referenced in the prophetic verses of Scripture when we read about the revived Roman Empire (Revelation 17:12-13)

-- The fact that the tragedy took place in a body of water within the context of a symbolic study of the coming Antichrist obviously calls to mind the "beast from the sea" verses too (Revelation 13:1)

-- The fact that the Concordia ran aground, and is lying on its side, but was not entirely lost due to being completely sunk let's say, made me think of the symbolic connotations with the Antichrist (with the man from Concordia who might become the Antichrist perhaps?) who will appear dead from a "fatal head wound", but he won't really die (Revelation 13:3; Revelation 13:12; Revelation 13:14)

-- The fact that 3 people died in the cruise ship tragedy made me think of the symbolic connotations to how the Antichrist will be successful in killing "three horns", or three kings (Daniel 7:8, Daniel 7:20; Daniel 7:24). Yes, I'm well aware of the fact that there were some 4,000 on board and the number of dead is likely to rise (although I pray that's not the case), but it's just strange the the story all day has remained unchanged with the number of dead stuck at 3, which is why I felt the need to comment on it as well.

-- Chaput/French: nickname for a habitual wearer of a distinctive cloak or hat; one who wore a cope, a long enveloping ecclesiastical vestment; one who wore a cape or hooded cloak

-- I came across one website that calls itself the 'Name And Surname Analysis Online', which, depending on how much credibility you want to put in this sort of thing, has this info on the Archbishop's name: "This word has the following phonosemantic features out of 25 possible -- coward, small, mean, bad, sad, evil, pacific, roughness, dim, dark, sad, cold, weak, short, angular, feeble"

-- Caput: means "a headlike protuberance on an organ or structure", which makes me wonder if we might be right to call such a protuberance a "little horn" maybe (Daniel 7:8; Daniel 7:11; Daniel 7:20; Daniel 8:9). Yeah, I know it's not the Archbishop's name, but come on! What are the odds that a word with just 1 letter difference has a definition that so closely resonates with the characteristics of a study like this?

-- If it did turn out that a perceived Christian (i.e. a Catholic Pope) became the prophesied Antichrist, and if it did turn out that it was Archbishop Charles Chaput who would fulfill that infamous role, isn't it uncanny how he hails from Concordia, Kansas? I mean, he would be a 'wayward son' in every sense of the label, and it just so happens that classic rock band Kansas is best known for their hit "Carry On Wayward Son" from 1976 with some even weirder lyrics like "Masquerading as a man with a reason / My charade is the event of the season" too.

Believe me, I know how completely insane it all sounds. I do. Sometimes I hate it when I feel this compelled to put material like this out there because I know the likely response.

Even so, disobeying when I personally believe I'm being led to write and publish this material for your urgent prayerful consideration (even if it's devoid of any "Thus sayeth the Lord..." type of pronouncement) is not something I want to get in the habit of.

Galatians 1:10 (ESV) For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

That's all I have for you at the moment.

Pray for wisdom and discernment. Don't be deceived!

Keep looking up!

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Posted in: America In Prophecy,Antichrist,False Christs,Four Horsemen,How Close Are We?,Pope And Vatican,Symbolism,Synchro-Pop,Truth From The Fringe,White Horse