Part1:
-The Sound of Footsteps: Why we are Seeing an Increase
in Troubles 
Before 
the Tribulation Period
-And With the Beasts of the Earth
-Stage-Setting for Tribulation Scorched Earth: Heat
Waves Triple in 
Last 50 
Years
-Here Come the Gladiators 
-Stage-setting for the Mark of the Beast
-Stage-setting for the Prophesied Temple and Jewish
Persecution by Rome
-Advertisements
Part Two:
-Desensitized to Violence: Stage-setting for
Tribulation Murders 
(Rev.9:21) 
And the Power of Christian Withdrawal
-Alcohol: Are you and Ant or a "Slug"gard?


THE SOUND OF FOOTSTEPS: WHY WE ARE SEEING AN INCREASE
IN
TROUBLES BEFORE THE TRIBULATION PERIOD
1Ki 14:6 And it was so, when Ahijah heard the SOUND OF
HER FEET, AS SHE 
CAME IN AT THE DOOR, that he said, Come in, thou wife
of Jeroboam; why 
feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to
thee with heavy 
tidings.

Jas 5:9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest
ye be condemned: 
behold, the judge standeth before the door.

The "tribulation period" is the age from the pre-trib
rapture until the 
second coming of Christ to judge the Antichrist.
Specifically it is the 
whole age prophesied in Mt.24, Mk.13 and Lk.21. It
includes the period 
of 
"great tribulation" (Mt.24:21) within it. Notice what
the Bible says 
about 
the START of this age:

Mt 24:4 ¶ And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take
heed that no man 
deceive you.
5 For MANY shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ;
and shall 
deceive 
many.
6 And ye shall hear of WARS and rumours of wars: see
that ye be not 
troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but
the END is not 
yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom: 
and 
there shall be FAMINES, and PESTILENCES, and
EARTHQUAKES, in divers 
places.
8 All these are the BEGINNING of sorrows. 
The "end" is the second coming of Christ to destroy
the wicked. It does 
not 
come until the last part of the whole age. Notice the
calamities that 
are 
said to be at the BEGINNING of the Trib. Mark and Luke
teach the same:

Mr 13:6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am
Christ; and shall 
deceive many.
7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars,
be ye not 
troubled: 
for such things must needs be; but the end shall not
be yet.
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom: 
and 
there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there
shall be famines 
and 
TROUBLES: these are the BEGINNINGS of sorrows.

Lu 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not
deceived: for many shall 
come 
in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth
near: go ye not 
therefore after them.
9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be
not terrified: for 
THESE THINGS must FIRST COME TO PASS; but the end is
not by and by.
10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against
nation, and 
kingdom 
against kingdom:
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places,
and famines, and 
pestilences; and FEARFUL SIGHTS and GREAT SIGNS shall
there be from 
heaven.
12 But before ALL THESE, they shall lay their hands on
you, and 
PERSECUTE 
you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into
prisons, being 
brought 
before kings and rulers for my name's sake.

Putting all of this together, we see that the
BEGINNING of the 
Tribulation 
period will include:

1. False Christs
2. Wars
3. Famines
4. Pestilences (deadly epidemic diseases)
5. Earthquakes in divers (various) places
6. Troubles
7. Fearful Sights
8. Great Signs from heaven
9. Persecution

All of this occurs before the most horrible period of
persecution in 
history begins later in the Trib. What does all of
this reveal? I 
believe 
it teaches us to expect some "footsteps" and
"rumblings" of these NINE 
calamities before they actually arrive at the door.
Since these nine 
judgments are at the START of the Tribulation period,
it makes sense 
that 
as we approach the end of our age (leading into the
start of the 
Tribulation age), we will begin to see the birth pains
of these future 
calamities among us. These nine Tribulation calamities
are "birth 
pains" 
themselves, which lead up to the second coming and end
of the world. 
Yet, 
right now, in our age, we are seeing the "birth pains"
that are leading 
up 
to those birth pains. We are not technically in the
so-called "birth 
pains" 
(or pangs) in the present; we are in the birth pains
of the coming 
birth 
pains! This is an important distinction to make. There
are signs that a 
woman is pregnant which are far different than the
signs that she is 
about 
to actually go into labor. Many prophecy teachers
teach that the 
earthquakes and other troubles we are now seeing are
themselves the 
"birth 
pains" (actually "beginning of sorrows") that are
mentioned in Matthew 
24. 
Hal Lindsey, in "The Late Great Planet Earth" taught
that we have been 
experiencing the "beginning of sorrows" ever since
1948. Yet, I believe 
we 
have only been experiencing the "final sorrows" of
THIS age that lead 
up to 
the "beginning of sorrows" of the NEXT age. We are
presently in the 
times 
predicted by the Apostle Paul, which will include the
coming 
Tribulation, 
but is not limited to it:

2Ti 3:1 ¶ This know also, that in the last days
perilous times shall 
come.
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and
worse, deceiving, and 
being deceived.

The Christian disciples were told to "watch" in Mt.24,
Mk.13 and Lk.21 
because to start with, it is a "double application"
prophecy. Many of 
those 
things did happen leading up to the destruction of
Jerusalem by Titus. 
However, just as John the Baptist did not COMPLETETLY
fulfill the 
Malachi 4 
prophecy concerning Elijah (Mal.4:5, Mt.17:11),
neither did A.D. 70 
completely fulfill the prophecies in Mt.24, Mark 13
and Luke 21. They 
all 
will be completely fulfilled in the age leading up to
Daniel's 70th 
Week. 
That this age is AFTER the rapture, and not before,
can be seen from 
Christ's own words:

Lu 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye
may be accounted 
worthy to escape ALL THESE THINGS that shall come to
pass, and to stand 
before the Son of man.

The "all these things", on the basis of sound,
literal, Biblical 
interpretation, must rationally include the beginning
or sorrows 
mentioned 
in Luke 21:8-12, unless it can be proven otherwise. If
"all" does not 
mean 
"all" in verse 26, then what does it mean in verse
32?:

Lu 21:32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall
not pass away, 
till 
ALL be fulfilled.

Luke 21:36 is therefore one of the strongest proofs in
the Bible that 
we 
are not already experiencing the "beginning of
sorrows". And that 
brings up 
an interesting point. Pre-tribbers" may again be
divided into "pre"  
"mid" 
or "post" themselves since many believe that
Christians will only be 
translated from the "worst part" of the sorrows. Many
pre-tribbers 
believe 
we are now IN the "beginning of sorrows". They are
technically 
"pre-wrath" 
or "mid-tribbers" and not "pre-tribbers" in regard to
the tribulation 
sorrows, since they do not see the rapture as an
escape from all the 
nine 
sorrows prophesied to begin the final age.

The final, main reason the Christian disciples were
told to "watch" is 
that 
the second coming of Christ will include the stage of
the pre-trib 
rapture. 
Since this has not yet occurred, it is obvious we are
not yet in the 
"sorrows" that will occur subsequent to it. But we do
presently hear 
their 
footsteps creeping up to the door.

AND WITH THE BEASTS OF THE EARTH
Re 6:8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his
name that sat on 
him 
was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was
given unto them 
over 
the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and
with hunger, and 
with 
death, AND WITH THE BEASTS OF THE EARTH.

"Drought: man vs. animal: Camping is a way of life for
Boy Scouts but 
recently campgrounds in one New Mexico park have seen
more than their 
share 
of bear attacks. Officials are blaming the encounters
on the drought. 
The 
Philmont National Boy Scout Ranch has been the site of
six separate 
incidents so far this year...Bromley says the bears
are acting out of 
desperation because the dry weather has slowed the
development of their 
food source. 'The bears are probably more active
because they have less 
to 
eat because of the drought,' Bromley said...According
to Shelby, the 
drought has made berries, plants, and insects scant
and that means lots 
of 
hungry bears...'We have had numerous incidents of
bears in metropolitan 
areas or urban areas - none that have resulted in
injuries,' said 
Shelby...'We have all officers on bear alert. We've
supplied sheriffs 
and 
local emergency officials with the numbers of
conservation 
officers...Pests 
make their way to the great indoors: In the midst of
the ongoing 
drought 
across southern part of the U.S., certain pests seem
to be making their 
way 
inside more frequently...According to NPMA, drought
drives pests such 
as 
springtails, millipedes, and cockroaches inside. In
areas of the 
Southwest, 
scorpions and spiders might find their way indoors
because that's where 
other insects are - and other insects serve as their
food source..." 
(Jul 
28 2000, weather.com)

STAGE-SETTING FOR TRIBULATION SCORCHED EARTH: HEAT
WAVES
TRIPLE IN LAST 50 YEARS 
"Death by Heat Wave - Report: Heat Waves Rise Steeply
in Last 50 Years 
- 
For all the terror that tornadoes and hurricanes
bring, the real threat 
this summer may be the slow and steady heat wave,
according to a study 
released today. Soaring temperatures and high humidity
have killed more 
people in the last decade than other weather
phenomenon, including 
destructive storms, according to National Weather
Service data. One 
reason 
for the fatalities may be that prolonged periods of
excessive heat have 
become more common. Analyzing the temperatures from
172 U.S. weather 
stations over roughly the last 50 years, from
1948-1999, the study 
found a 
threefold increase in the number of heat waves across
the country. A 
heat 
wave is defined as a four-day period when average
temperatures are 
above 
the 85th percentile for summer temperatures in the
area...Scientists 
say 
urban areas stay hot in the summer because heat is
trapped in concrete 
and 
metal...Not only are heat waves becoming more
frequent, so are 
sweltering 
nights..." (ABCNEWS.com -June 26)

"Bush declares TX disaster - Governor George W. Bush
has declared a 
state 
of disaster for three-quarters of Texas' counties
because of the 
drought. 
He has also asked for federal assistance in fighting
fires...So far, 
soaring temperatures have been blamed for at least 35
deaths this year, 
according to the Texas health department. The stubborn
heat has also 
strained water resources...Bush noted in a letter to
President Clinton 
that 
the dry weather has created fire hazards in some
areas..."  (Jul 28 
2000, 
weather.com)

HERE COME THE GLADIATORS?
"Inspired by the Ridley Scott film Gladiator, modern
Romans have 
inundated 
a course offering lessons in how to fight to the death
in the 
arena...Courses by the Gruppo Storico Romano, a club
for lovers of 
ancient 
Roman combat, last two months and cost £75. After two
beginners' 
sessions 
on gladiators and their culture, students learn how to
use a gladius, 
the 
sword of ancient Rome...Mr Iacomoni is Nero. He said:
'The film has 
created 
gladiator fever in Rome.'..." (28 July 2000,
Electronic Telegraph)

STAGE-SETTING FOR THE MARK OF THE BEAST
"Eye-scanning system could reduce airport lines,
hassles - Travelers 
soon 
may be scurrying through airport ticketing lines in
the blink of an 
eye. 
EyeTicket Corp. is talking to several airlines and
airports about 
adopting 
an eye-scanning system that it says could dramatically
speed up the 
check-in process. 'It will instantly check you in
without you reaching 
for 
a wallet or having a ticket or standing in line,' said
Evan Smith, 
senior 
vice president for EyeTicket, based in McLean,
Virginia. 'Just look in 
the 
camera and go.' By scanning the eye with an ordinary
digital camera, 
the 
system comes up with a 12-character code based on the
characteristics 
of 
the iris. That code then can be stored in a database
with other 
information, such as passwords and frequent-flier and
passport numbers, 
which participating airlines could share..." (July 24,
CNN)

STAGE-SETTING FOR THE PROPHESIED TEMPLE AND JEWISH
PERSECUTION
BY ROME 
"Jerusalem Urged To Be International - Vatican City
(AP) - Pope John 
Paul 
II on Sunday urged creation of a special international
status for the 
holy 
sites of Jerusalem, saying in an appeal aimed at Camp
David's 
negotiators 
that only world oversight can safeguard all the
ancient city's 
religions...'The Holy See continues to maintain that
only a special 
statute, internationally guaranteed, can effectively
preserve the most 
sacred areas of the Holy City,' John Paul said,
speaking from the 
window of 
his summer villa outside Rome. John Paul, leader of
the world's one 
billion 
Catholics, seized the potentially decisive opportunity
of the Camp 
David 
talks to press the long-held Vatican position that
Jerusalem's holy 
sites 
should be internationally governed. Less than a half
square mile of the 
walled city holds some of the holiest sites of Islam,
Judaism and 
Christianity: the Western Wall, remnant of ancient
Israel's Second 
Temple; 
Islam's Dome of the Rock, from which Mohammed sprang
into heaven on a 
winged horse; and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher,
where Christ was 
crucified, entombed and resurrected...Israel's Foreign
Ministry 
immediately 
dismissed the appeal. 'It's not on the table,' said
Aviv Shiron, 
spokesman 
for Foreign Minister David Levy...A Palestinian
spokesman welcomed the 
pope's words, interpreting them as siding with the
Palestinians in the 
challenge to Israel's insistence on sole stewardship.
'This is a sign 
from 
the pope, who is the highest Christian authority in
this world, that he 
is 
denying the claim of Israeli sovereignty over
Jerusalem,' insisted 
Hassan 
Abdel Rahman, PLO envoy to Washington and a frequent
spokesman for the 
Palestinians during the Camp David talks...Israel and
the Vatican have 
been 
at odds over the city since 1967, when Israel captured
and subsequently 
annexed east Jerusalem - which includes the Old City
and its holy sites 
- 
in the Mideast war. The Vatican called the annexation
an illegal 
occupation. In February, the Vatican signed a strongly
worded accord 
with 
the Palestinians covering the status of churches and
the freedom of 
worship 
in the Palestinian territories...The Vatican has been
vague - publicly, 
at 
least - about just how extensive an international role
it envisions and 
just how it would be administered..."
(July 23, 2000)

[Comments: The Whore of Rev.17 is interpreted by the
Bible itself to be 
a 
literal CITY (Rev.17:18). This city will one day
influence and control 
the 
world (Rev.17:15). It sits on seven mountains
(Rev.17:9). It was the 
city 
in power when John wrote the Revelation (Rev.17:18).
This city will one 
day 
rise again to persecute Jews and Christians (Dan.9:26,
Rev.17:16). Rome 
already has a serious conflict with Israel over
Jerusalem. It appears 
this 
conflict will only increase. Perhaps there will be an
agreement to try 
to 
appease the Catholics, the Muslims and the Jews that
will bring forth 
the 
rebuilt temple. Yet, this agreement will end in
Jerusalem's 
destruction.]