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A
In our summer book series, we've selected a handful of books we hope will strengthen your faith and your understanding of Bible prophecy, and today's selection is a real page turner. You won't fall asleep poolside reading this one. It's called the Avatar By Jonathan Cahn welcome to Christ in Prophecy. I'm Tim Moore, director and senior evangelist for Lamb and Lion Ministries, and I'm joined, as always, by Dr. Nathan Jones.
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If you play video games or scroll through social media, you know what an avatar is a digital image that represents you in the virtual world. But pull out a dictionary and you'll find its original meaning is far older and far more sobering, the incarnation of a deity in human form. In his book the Avatar, Jonathan Cahn pulls back the veil on the spiritual forces operating behind the scenes in our culture, our government and specific events in recent American history. It's a timely and, I believe, prophetically significant work.
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A
Jonathan has been a frequent guest here on Christ in Prophecy and a featured speaker at our Lamb and Lion Annual Bible Prophecy Conference. He's a gifted writer who brings out wonderful truths from pages of Scripture because he understands the Jewish context of what is revealed there and because God has gifted him with discernment in these last days.
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B
The Bible makes it clear that behind the visible world there is a spiritual realm. Paul told the Ephesians. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Jonathan's book connects those ancient spiritual realities to the headlines of our day. So stay with us. We're going to get into it, but if you'd like to get your own copy to follow along, just go to our website@christinprophecy.org, click store and for only $20 and that includes shipping, you too can have a copy of the Avatar.
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A
Welcome back to Christ in Prophecy Radio. Well, Nathan, today we are going to be talking about the Avatar, a fascinating book by Jonathan Cahn. And obviously, even as we just recently celebrated the 250th anniversary, the semiquincentennial of the United States, Jonathan touches on some things as recent as the most recent presidential election in terms of the threats that were available to the country then, or at least evident. And yet, as we mentioned earlier, the very topic or the title of this book. The avatar is a concept that communicates a person who channels, manifests or serves as an instrument of a spiritual entity. And in the ancient world, rulers were considered incarnations of their gods, whether the Pharaoh in Egypt, the king of Babylon, or even the Caesar in Rome.
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B
Yeah, it's interesting in our time and era how much we consider avatars to be nothing more than represented of us in a video game. But it really, it does have such a darker meaning. And so the premise of Jonathan's book is that the Bible warns that spirits seek to possess and operate through human vessels. Ephesians 2 talks about that. It says a spirit can influence a ruler. It can even influence an entire kingdom. The so, folks, the Bible teaches that behind the visible world, there is a spiritual realm, and it drives events and nations and culture. And that's why the Bible speaks about false gods, which are, in truth, spirits, principalities, folks, demons. That's what we're talking about here. This is demonic influence of our governments and culture.
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A
You know, a lot of us in modern times, I say us, you and I do not. But too many people think, oh, that's so old and ancient, that's so medieval. We are more educated. And so we, we've moved beyond that. And yet the Bible is very clear. There are demonic forces at work. There are principalities and spiritual beings. Yes. That are seeking our destruction, seeking to thwart the will of God. Satan and his hordes, they are Antichrist in everything that they seek to do. And they do have play here in this realm. As a matter of fact, scripture says that the devil is the prince of the power of the air. He is the God of this age and of this world, which is why even when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, Satan could offer him the kingdoms of the world. So in this book, Jonathan Cahn, the author, shares firsthand experiences with spiritual warfare that he encountered in India and Cuba, specifically, these realms that have been given over to a darkness, whether it's Hinduism in India or a secularism, a humanism in Cuba.
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B
You know, I remember Tim, back in my Bible school years, our missions professor used to bring in missionaries who went to what's called animistic countries. These are countries that lived in, in fear of demons all the time. We're talking about out in the Pacific Islands or Haiti and all. And they have stories where the demonic world would manifest itself through possessions, through witch doctors. They would walk into villages and feel this deep, dark evil around them. And it kept the people in fear and it kept the people worshiping their idols, which were in fact demons. Well, we in our Judeo Christian west have expunged all these demons through the word of God. But as society continues to pull back away from God, then these demons are coming back in again. They're starting to influence and we're starting to see a paganization of the west, just like these third world countries.
- [06:02]
A
You know, you're actually touching on another of Jonathan Cahn's books, which is Return of the Gods. And so in that he talks about how these ancient demonic forces are finding sway even in our culture. There are ancient demonic forces. You think of the prophets of BAAL and Ashtarah and Molech who demanded child sacrifice. And so what is one of the mantras, at least of the left in this country, that there should be repatriation, freedom, by which they mean the ability and the freedom to massacre children in the womb. And that's exactly what has happened in this Judeo Christian country. And so yes, those demonic forces are raging and they're finding a foothold even here in America. Well, Jesus talked about the unclean spirit returning to an empty house. In other words, even after a demon had been cast out, if a person does not embrace truth, then they are an empty vessel and the original demon will come back with seven others to make it even worse than the original demonic possession. And when the Gospel came to the Roman world, and obviously we within the west have followed after that tradition, the gospel drove out those pagan gods, sort of a mass exorcism throughout Western culture. But as America and the west have emptied themselves of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in other words, we, we've abandoned our Judeo Christian roots. Those ancient spirits have returned once again.
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B
Yeah, and you look at governments that obey the word of the Lord, America was set on Judeo Christian values. When the people turn to the Lord, these demons flee. And so government is more useful. It's not so corrupt. It's made of fallen human people. So it's going to make mistakes. But overall, if they turn to God, then they judge righteously. But when a society rejects God and turns away from him and his wisdom, then they start listening what the Bible calls doctrines of demons. And Tim, it terrifies me actually to see how much in the West, I mean, Europe is pretty much gone, but in the new world here, the North American area, we are seeing, especially with Canada falling so quickly because they've jettisoned the gospel. And there's always something that has to fill the void and that's almost always some kind of satanic religion.
- [08:13]
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It is. And you think, why is Canada and why are countries in Europe embracing this cult of death, in other words, determining that people should be able to commit suicide at any point in their lives just for virtually any reason, because that is the individual autonomy. It's because demons hate human beings and they want these God image bearers destroyed. And so they're motivating too many people to actually destroy themselves. We've seen a tremendous rise in teen suicide, even among young women. And that is because, again, the demonic forces are raging and they know their time is short. Well, Nathan, you and I believe that America is in a bit of a reprieve right now. But if hearts do not change and God is not brought back into people's lives, then these demonic forces will actually reclaim our culture.
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B
Yeah, really, folks, the only thing that's going to save America is we have a genuine revival, a turning back to God. And Tim, I thought just in our recent era, and unfortunately with Charlie Kirk's death, you know, blessings to his family, but we saw quite a spark in Gen Z. So many youth now turning back to God and, you know, who knows? Revivals don't last forever. But I'm hoping that the Lord will keep bringing revivals to America until he calls us home to be with him in heaven.
- [09:28]
A
Amen. Well, folks, the spiritual warfare and research that Jonathan Cahn reveals in his book the Avatar is not theoretical. It's active and actually intensifying. And so, coming up, building on what Nathan just said about some of the dynamics surrounding the Charlie Kirk death and all, the movement of young people identifying along with Charlie as followers of Christ, we'll take a look at current events through the lens of Bible prophecy in a segment we call what's really Going On. Stay with us.
- [09:57]
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When you scroll through the daily news, you almost always hear bad news. It's easy to forget that there's anything good happening in the world today. But here at Christ in Prophecy, we're proclaiming the good news that Jesus Christ is returning soon. This program is one of the many resources made possible because of the sacrificial financial support of our prophecy partners. These are faithful men and women who give each month and pray for our ministry. Prophecy partners commit to give $25 a month or more. That's less than a dollar a day. For your gift. We'll send you our Lamplighter magazine, ministry updates and special offers throughout the year. To become a prophecy partner and share the good news that Jesus is coming back, go to christinprophecy.org donate that's christinprophecy.org Donate
- [10:52]
B
welcome back to Christ in Prophecy Radio and our segment what's really Going On. Recently, we spoke with the messianic pastor and author Jonathan Cahn about his book the Avatar and the convergence of ancient patterns with modern headlines. Let's listen to a clip.
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Jesus gave the parable. He said that when a man is delivered of the spirit, he said, he said, but then the spirit comes back, finds him empty like he's not filled with God and so brings seven other spirits and he gets repossessed. Well, because, okay, that's about a person, but not just a person. He said, so shall be with this generation. And the principle is this. When the gospel came into the world, it drove out the spirit, drove out the gods, drove out the spirit, was like a mass exorcism happening in the West, Rome and onward. Well, the thing is this, you know, the warning is if any nation or culture or civilization that has been so delivered and has known of God, but now empties itself of God, what was cast out of it is going to come back into it. And that's what we've been watching in America since the, since we said, okay, we can get rid of God here, take him out of the schools. You know, the house is not going to stay empty. You know, it's. And so that's why we're watching really, a paganization of America, because these are ancient entities and they're at work. And that's what, in Return of the Gods, I, you know, you can actually identify them. And it's amazing. Everything from abortion to gender transition, that's part of the ancient gods, you know. But the thing is that, so the Olympics, this past Olympics, you know, had something that shocked a lot of people. It was probably the, the greatest act of blasphemy, the most widespread act of blasphemy ever, and that is in the opening ceremony. I don't know if you, I don't know if you caught it, Tim, but They had, they had basically a recreation of the Last Supper. They tried to deny, but it was the Last Supper. And it. But instead of Jesus, they had basically a woman as Jesus and they had men dressed as women gyrating around the stage. But then where the elements representing Jesus, the bread and the wine would be instead of, they have a platter, looks like a platter of food. But they take off it, they take off the top and it's a man addressed as an ancient pagan God replacing Jesus. It was the God Dionysus and replacing Jesus. So now, now listen, when Jesus came into the world, when the gospel came in the world, Jesus drove out Dionysus and drove out the, all those gods. But now it was like the culture saying now we are replacing, we are driving out Jesus and replacing him with a pagan God. I mean it was actually like a prophetic manifestation. The reverse of what happened when the gospel came is we're watching a civilization turn back.
- [13:21]
B
Well, Tim, what do you think? As we are watching civilization turn against God, can a civilization turn back to him?
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A
Well, a lot of us would like to hope so. The reality is sometimes we fear that we are too far gone. In other words, have we crossed the point of no return as Dr. David Reagan would say? I think that as Christians, we are not optimists, we are not pessimists. We are people of eternal hope. And so as long as we have breath, as long as you and I can testify to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the. The Lord can do mighty things. And yes, he can do mighty things in nations, but he does mighty things in individual lives. And so we cannot give ourselves over to just wishful thinking and we cannot give ourselves over to despair or hopelessness. We must always pursue the hope that through the truth of the gospel lives will be changed. And as enough lives are changed, Nathan, entire nations can be changed.
- [14:18]
B
Yes, but we know ultimately that when Jesus Christ comes back, he's going to destroy what he calls the time of the Gentiles, gentile world powers. He's going to set up his kingdom. So these nations that we have today are temporal. They will go away and one day they will be replaced by the ultimate kingdom, the everlasting kingdom, the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
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A
Well, on that note, when we return, we will continue with our teaching about the Avatar and really the times of the end that we are beginning to see before our eyes today.
- [14:49]
C
Understanding Bible prophecy prepares God's people for what's to come. Are you ready for to find out what the Bible has revealed and to stay up to date about unfolding events. Keep listening to Christ in Prophecy and explore our resources online. In addition to radio, Christ in Prophecy offers a weekly TV program, a podcast, and our Lamplighter magazine. It's a perspective you won't find anywhere else. You can also search our website to discover reliable biblical insight without speculation into fascinating topics such as the End Times, Middle Eastern politics, archaeology, the Rapture, and so much more. Friends, God wants us to be prepared. Find out what the Bible has to say when you go to christinprophecy.org get informed and get ready at christinprophecy.org
- [15:46]
B
welcome back to Christ in Prophecy Radio. I'm Nathan Jones. I'm here with Tim Moore. Scripture is clear that the closing chapter of human history will also be defined by an explosion of spiritual deception. It's going to be a final desperate campaign by Satan to blind the hearts of as many people as possible before Christ returns. So let's examine what the Bible tells us about the supernatural assault and how believers are called to respond.
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A
Well, Nathan, I think it's clear that Jesus himself warned that deception would be the hallmark of the last days. In Matthew 24:4, he said, See to it that no one misleads you. And again in verse 11, many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Even as Jesus revealed what would be happening in the days to come in Matthew 24 and the apostles asked about the signs of what he had revealed and the end of the times and of his coming, he said, see to it that no one mislead you. Over and over again. Paul warned, for instance in 1 Timothy 4:1, the Spirit explicitly says that in the latter times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the doctrines of demons. I think, Nathan, we have to be on guard at all times lest we stray in our faith that was once for all handed down to the saints.
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B
Very true. And when the church, the body of Christians that God calls the bride of Christ, when they step back, when they don't influence society, as 2 Timothy 3:13 says, Evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. So deception is not merely intellectual, but it's also spiritual and supernatural in origin. Satan does not merely offer bad ideas. This is what we hear, you know, bad choices. But no, he offers counterfeit gospels. He counterfeit miracles and counterfeit Christ, folks. Basically, he's offering a lie.
- [17:27]
A
He certainly is. And you know, this is the essence of spiritual warfare. That's exactly what Paul wrote in the book of Ephesians when he said, our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers that against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. There is a great lie being perpetrated today that Satan has no authority on earth. That is not what Scripture teaches. He has the authority on earth until Jesus exerts his authority to reclaim earth and all of its kingdoms under his rulership. That will happen during the millennial reign. But right now, Satan is ruling. And as Hal Lindsey wrote, Satan is alive and well, planet Earth. And one of his oldest weapons is doubt and distortion of God's word all the way back to the garden in Genesis 3:1 when he said, did God really say, in other words, planting seeds of doubt and then outright contradicting the word of God and asserting that God is a liar.
- [18:26]
B
Yeah. The ultimate place where this is going, folks, according to Bible prophecy, is there will be a one world ruler called the Antichrist. He will have a false prophet. They will perform counterfeit signs and wonders. They are going to deceive the world, even possibly the elect, according to Matthew. And So that's why 2 Thessalonians 2 tells us the one whose coming is in accord with the activities of Satan with all power and signs and false wonders and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish because why they did not receive the love of the truth and so be saved. So folks, this is where the path is going. The Bible prophesies that evil times are going to get more and more evil until the world experiences a one world ruler, the Antichrist. But Tim, there's hope, right? Those who are saved will be raptured off this earth before that happens.
- [19:13]
A
They certainly will. We know that our blessed hope is that Jesus is coming for the bride. And we believe that all the signs are multiplying before us. They are increasing in intensity and frequency and they are converging like never before. But here's the reality. In addition to those of us who have eyes to see, ears to hear, we can discern these things. So can Satan. And he knows his time is short. And so his deceptions will actually intensify because the end is near. And Nathan, that's why we see such doctrinal compromise within the church, the erosion of biblical authority, because Satan has been able to deceive even the elect in some cases. And we're seeing all sorts of spiritual counterfeits, whether it's New Age practices, occult activity, and even false religion. Filling the vacuum left by biblical illiteracy.
- [19:58]
B
We're seeing so many Christians fall for these false pagan values, which are no values at all. They're lies. And so what happens is the culture gets captive, the world's values have seeped into the church, and believers become indistinguishable from unbelievers. And meanwhile, then they turn and persecute and spiritually discourage those who are serious believers in Jesus Christ. So it's always a war, right, Tim? It's a war between good and evil. Let's just call it what it is.
- [20:24]
A
But here is the proper biblical Christian response. As Paul says, we need to put on the full armor of God. We are called to urgent evangelism and holy living. And when we do take up that full armor of God, we are able to resist. Certainly we are in days that are increasingly evil. But as Paul goes on to continue, therefore, we can stand firm, having our loins girded with truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness. So folks, first and foremost, we need to saturate our minds and our hearts with scripture. As Psalm 119:11 says, we need to pursue community with other believers. In other words, reject the demonic deception of isolation. Don't think you can be a lone sheep Christian. Satan loves to devour lone sheep. And so we need to be connected with other believers to mutually encourage one another. Yes, pray without ceasing and while there is still time, boldly share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
- [21:22]
B
Excellent advice. Well, folks, the spiritual battle in the end times is very real, but so is the victory that belongs to every believer in Jesus Christ. Jonathan's book the Avatar is available on our Christ in Prophecy online bookstore along with many outstanding books on Bible prophecy. Please visit our website@christinprophecy.org, and if we've been a blessing to you, then please click that donate button. Okay? Stay with us because coming up, Tim's going to conclude with a final word of encouragement. Well, folks, if you've been blessed by Christ in Prophecy Radio, we ask you to partner with us. We call these prophecy partners because we have a prophetic the soon return of Jesus Christ. Lamb and Lion Ministries exist to proclaim the soon return of Jesus Christ. We believe that when people are excited about the Lord's soon return, they do three things. One, they're called to holy living. Two, they go out and evangelize the world. And three, they have hope for the future. If you want to have holy living, evangelism, and have hope, then join Lamb and Lion Ministries in proclaiming the soon return of Jesus Christ. We want people to be blessed like you've been blessed. So check out our website christinprophecy.org, hit donation or donor at the top of our website and you will know how to become a prophecy partner. You'll get a letter from Tim periodically, our Lamplighter magazine, and many other benefits that help you partner with us in getting this special message out. Please join us today.
- [22:47]
A
Well, today's conversation about the Avatar is a powerful reminder that the world we see with our eyes is not the whole picture. As Jonathan Cahn's subtitle says, the Return of the Ancients and the Future of America. In other words, there's much more than what meets the eye. The Apostle Paul declared to the Corinthians, the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Behind the political upheaval, the cultural chaos and the rise of wickedness in our day there is a spiritual war raging, one that has been underway since Satan first rebelled against the Most High God. But here's what we must never forget that war has already been decided at the cross. Jesus Christ disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public display of them. Having triumph over them, Satan and all the false gods. Every principality and power that sets itself against the knowledge of God have already been defeated. Their judgment is certain, their fate is sealed. And yet we live in a window of time, a season of reprieve, where the God of Heaven is still extending mercy. He is still calling men and women to repentance. He is still drawing the lost Jew and Gentile alike to Himself through the Gospel of His Son. In fact, more Jewish people have come to faith in Yeshua since 1967 than in the previous 20 centuries combined. Obviously, God is not finished. His redemptive purposes are racing toward their appointed conclusion. The question is, how will we respond? Will this generation seize the opportunity before us? Or will we grow complacent while the darkness presses in? As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to be salt and light, not spectators on the sidelines of history, but spirit filled soldiers standing firm in the full armor of God. So do not grow weary. Do not be deceived by the noise and confusion of this present darkness. Our blessed hope is guaranteed by the faithfulness of God himself. The same God who has kept every promise to Israel will keep every promise to you until he comes. Let us be found, faithful Maranatha. Come Lord Jesus, and Godspeed.