Unleashing the Beast

I NTRODUCTION And the beast which l saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And l saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? (Revelation 13:2-4). Thunder rumbles on the distant horizon. The sky grows darker on the perimeter and the winds are gaining force. The storm is surely coming. The question is not if lightning will strike, but when. In the distant future an evil kingdom, identified in Scripture as the kingdom of the beast, will rise from the abyss of world darkness. But a smoke will precede the opening of this chasm of destruction, and it is already appearing! The thunderous noise of collapsing buildings, the awesome spectacle of steel melting under intense heat, and suffocating clouds of powdery dust give us glimpses into the future of the coming Tribulation. The September 11, 2001 collapse of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, the gaping hole in a section of the Pentagon, and the imprint of an airplane imbedded on the ground in Pennsylvania are events that initiated a conflict which is continuing to build. Years from now, the conflict