The "N" Times

I wanted to take a few moments and discuss an apocryphal book titled 2 Esdras. I was introduced to it by the late Pastor Arnold Murray, and the book has proven quite profound and enlightening in my eyes. It is a prophetic companion to the book of Ezra, found in the Old Testament. It covers topics ranging from the end of the world to what happens to us when we die. Why don't we peek into this a bit? 2 Esdras 4:33-39 is an especially enlightening segment of scripture. In it, the very nature of purgatory and the rapture and resurrection of the saints is discussed, in detail. The archangel Jeremiel seems to make it plain that God makes many of these individuals wait, capturing and harvesting the age like a "crop" of sorts. All together, at the same time, until the rapture and resurrection of the saints, it appears. The apostle Paul talked at length about this event, and the mystery has apparently been solved. Purgatory is what lies between the corruptible and the incorruptible. 2 Esdras 7:78-101 talks about what happens to the soul after death in the greatest amount of specificity that I have ever read. Verses 78-87 talks about the unrighteous and their lot. Apparently, they have 7 days to wander about, soaking in what they have lost. The righteous, apparently, also have 7 days before being gathered into their "habitations" (purgatory), where they would be guarded by angels "in profound quiet." The first thing, apparently, that happens after death is the beholding of the glory of God. Combining this book with what we already know, the nature of death, Heaven, Hell, and the end of the world comes into sharp focus. I wanted to take a moment and talk about the Iran deal, as well. Namely the criticism that the deal will give Iran the time and money it needs to build a delivery system for a bomb. Here is the only problem: we need time as well. Daniel 11 makes it clear that a conflict with Greece (logically) will turn into a conflict with the greater West. (The Greeks aren't about to flex too much military muscle on their own). There are hawks pushing for war, and war right now. The longer we can postpone this conflct with Iran, the better off we will be. The time is not now, and we do not have another alternative to striking a deal. I have thought long and hard about what in the world could bring Iran and Greece into conflict. Greece is not a Persian Gulf power and Iran is not a Mediterranean power, so a sea dispute is out of the question. After seeing the Greeks throwing off the reigns of austerity and the terms of their EU loans, one might speculate that the Greeks might one day go back to the Drachma. Could Greece's refusal to alter their budgetary habits lead them to one day turn to international creditors looking for money? There aren't too many other good leads on this, but it's the most speculation I can offer at this point. As I've previously explained, scripture makes certain that the AntiChrist will one day have the bomb. If we can make him jump through hoops to get it, we should do so. If Iran is stopped, where might they get the bomb? Pakistan is my best bet.

If not Pakistan, maybe the Far East. Back to my point: Iran needs time, but so do we. It may not be perfect, but it's the best we can do right now. When the time comes to get down to business, we will be ready. That day is not today.