On a serious note, there are people so lost to reality that they hear Obama make sounds and they assume he is issuing 'truth for the ages', but too many are aware that he is an empty suit for him to be antiChrist. The real anti will be 'touched with demonic brilliance' and not appear to be an empty suit to so many.
One last point: IF--and this is a big 'if'--alien life comes out into the open to proclaim themselves to humankind AND these ETs are the actual demons spoken of in the Bible, the end times will be upon us because it will mean that God is no longer 'binding them from having power over men'. On a non-biblical note, if aliens come out into the open and proclaim themselves openly, it will also be the end of times of humankind prior to the 'great leap' which will follow such a revelation that we are not the sole intelligent species in the physical universe and that there is a fact about spacetime which we have missed prior to the revelation, since these aliens are 'from' somewhere and got here somehow outside of the limitations we have heretofore assumed to exist.
Ping ... meant to include you in the ‘to’ line.
I am not a believer. I listen to Coast and read these alien invasion threads because aliens are exceedingly popular and so many claim personal contact and project so much onto them.
Fact is, if there are space aliens, they would view us as the space aliens, and dangerous on top of that.
I wonder what the reaction would be if such a race came here preaching to us how we should live...I suspect the left would vilify them as well.
You make some great points.
And we should also be aware that when the actual Antichrist figure spoken of in the Bible is unveiled, it may (or may not) be accompanied by alien (demon) visitors, but if these ‘aliens’ make their appearance, it would be expected that they would be facing all sorts of questions from our species, and one primary question would be (or should be) “Do you confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, King of kings, Lord of lords and the Prince of Peace?”
And bearing in mind that the Devil is the father of liars, and a master of deception and deceit, we can expect those ‘aliens’ to smile, nod their big grey heads and say “of course we do!” Because it wouldn’t surprise me at that point if they followed up that statement with “Jesus sent us to prepare His way for Him!”
And millions will be deceived.
NIV 1 John 2:18-29
18. Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.
19. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
20. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.
21. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.
22. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist--he denies the Father and the Son.
23. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
24. See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.
25. And this is what he promised us--even eternal life.
26. I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.
27. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in him.
28. And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
29. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
NIV 1 John 4:1-3
1. Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
3. but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
NIV 2 John 1:7
Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.
NIV Revelation 13:1-18
1. And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.
2. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.
3. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast .4. Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"
5. The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months.
6. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.
7. He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.
8. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.
9. He who has an ear, let him hear.
10. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.
11. Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon.
12. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.
13. And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men.
14. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
15. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.
16. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead,
17. so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
18. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.