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Continuing our discussion from part one, at this point in our talk concerning Apophis and other Near-Earth Objects, we are going to change gears and direct our attention more towards the Scriptures. As I have commented on a number of previous occasions, the Bible is a very profound Book. In fact, it is so deep, that we could easily spend our entire lives studying it, and we would still not discover or comprehend all of the wonderful mysteries which God has hidden within its pages. Some of the original authors of the ancient scrolls which have become a part of our modern Bible evidently felt the very same way regarding the truths and mysteries of God's Word. Consider the following verses:

"Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law."


"Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it."


"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."


"Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number."


"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!"


It should come as no surprise to you then, that after over five decades of seriously studying God's Word, I continue to be amazed by the Biblical mysteries that are revealed to me. One thing I can tell you is that God never disappoints, and there are always new treasures to be found within His Word, as is hinted at in the following verse:

"Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old."


If you have read my 1998 series "Satan: King of Tyrus, King of Empires", then you will know that the Bible makes it very clear that -- while they may remain invisible to us -- in the Spirit Realm, certain spiritual beings -- both Angels and demons -- are assigned to watch over certain nations. In some cases, said beings may even manipulate and control the leaders of those particular nations. Furthermore, in certain cases, this manipulation may possibly include actual demonic possession.

For example, as I point out in the aforementioned article, in the Book of Daniel, we discover that God's Angelic Messenger is being prevented for three weeks from coming to the Prophet Daniel -- who is fasting -- until Michael the Archangel -- who is also referred to as a prince -- assists him in his battle against the evil prince of Persia. Please consider the following verses:

"Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia."


As the previous verses reveal, in addition to the prince of Persia, the Angelic Messenger also refers to the "kings of Persia". Thus, we see the mention of spiritual princes and kings all in the same verses. A few verses later, this very same Angelic Messenger informs Daniel that after he shares his message with Daniel, he must return to fight against the prince of Persia; and after that, he must fight against the spiritual prince of Greece as well. Please keep in mind that these are Demon Princes. They are not human beings. Again, consider these two verses:

"Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince."


As the opening verse of Daniel chapter twelve reveals, the Archangel Michael is in fact the spiritual Prince who God has assigned to watch over the descendants of the children of Israel, as we see here:

"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book."


Returning to the Book of Ezekiel, in prophesying against the king of Tyrus, it becomes very clear that the Lord isn't just speaking to the human king of Tyrus; He is also speaking to the spiritual entity which controls the king, which appears to be none other than Satan himself. Consider these verses:

"Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created."


Now, obviously, the physical human king of Tyrus was never in the Garden of Eden, but we certainly know somebody who was. Consider the following verse:

"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"


That God -- through the Prophet Ezekiel -- was pronouncing a judgment against Satan, and not just against the human king of Tyrus, becomes even more apparent when we read the next verses in Ezekiel's prophecy:

"Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee."


For a more in-depth Scriptural analysis of the king of Tyrus and Satan connection, please consider reading "Satan: King of Tyrus, King of Empires" in its entirety. As I explain in that series, the Prophet Isaiah uses the very same approach when writing about God's judgment against the king of Babylon. It appears that God is speaking to the human king; and then, right in the middle of the prophecy, He addresses Satan, as if Satan and the king are one and the same, as we see here:

"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."


At this point, you may be wondering where the connection is between our discussion of Near-Earth Asteroids, Apophis, and these spiritual entities. This is where it gets interesting; at least in my view.

In the twenty-ninth chapter of the Book of Ezekiel, in fact, right after the prophecy against Tyrus, we find a prophecy of the Lord against the nation of Egypt. In this prophecy, the Lord -- via the Prophet Ezekiel -- states that just as He used the military forces of King Nebuchadnezzar -- a.k.a. Nebuchadrezzar -- to punish the island nation of Tyrus, He is also going to use the Babylonian army to punish Egypt. In particular, in verses two through six, and nineteen, we read the following:

"Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt: Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself. But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales. And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven. And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel . . . Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army."


In particular, I would like to call your attention to verse three which states "Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself." We find a similar verse in chapter thirty-two which reads:

"Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers."


Please note that in Ezekiel 32:2, the translators' notes in two different Bibles state that the word "whale" has an alternate translation of "dragon" or "sea serpent". I reveal this same point in my article entitled "Leviathan: An Ancient Dragon of the Sea?". According to the Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Hebrew Aramaic English Lexicon, the word "rivers" is derived from the Hebrew word yeh-ore', which it defines as follows:

----- Begin Quote -----

yeh-ore'

of Egyptian origin; TWOT - 832; n m

KJV - river 53, brooks 5, flood 5, streams 1; 64

1) river, stream, canal, Nile, Nile-canal
   1a) stream, river (Nile)
   1b) Nile-arms, Nile-canals
   1c) watercourses
   1d) shafts (mining)
   1e) river (in general)

----- End Quote -----

Based on the previous definition, it would seem that these verses in Ezekiel may actually be referring to the Nile River. It also appears that one of the main reasons why the Lord has chosen to judge this particular pharaoh, is because in his pride he boastfully claims "My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself." In reality, God made the Nile River, just as He created the entire Earth, yet this proud pharaoh basically appears to be declaring himself a god. Of course, this should come as no surprise to us, because the pharaohs of Egypt did in fact view themselves as gods.

Concerning the actual identity of this particular pharaoh, online sources suggest that he may have been Hophra, who was also known as Apries in ancient Greek, and also as Waphres or Wahibre Haaibre. According to the Wikipedia website, he was the fourth king -- counting from Psamtik I -- of the twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt, and ruled for nineteen years from 589 BC to 570 BC. This same pharaoh is also mentioned by name by the Prophet Jeremiah, who was a contemporary of Ezekiel. Here again we see God pronouncing judgment against Hophra:

"Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give Pharaohhophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life."


Now, the reason why I find all of this talk of Apries/Hophra so interesting is because, as you may recall, in part one of this article, I mentioned the fact that the asteroid Apophis gets its name from the ancient Egyptian god of chaos, Apep, who in the ancient Greek language is Apophis. As we learned in part one, Apophis is depicted in art as a great serpent, and conferred with titles such as "Serpent from the Nile" and "Evil Dragon". Is it merely a coincidence that we likewise see pharaoh Apries/Hophra being described as a dragon or sea serpent who has made the Nile River his own? Who knows. Maybe it is nothing. Or maybe Apries was viewed as the physical incarnation of this ancient Egyptian god. It would be interesting to find out.

It is also interesting to note that just as Apep/Apophis was the god of chaos, in Ezekiel 32:2 above, we are likewise told that pharaoh Apries/Hophra also stirred up quite a bit of chaos, both in Egypt itself, as well as in the countries which surrounded it, referred to in that verse as "rivers". Ezekiel wrote that he "troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers."

To continue, while astronomers inform us that, based on the latest observations, Apophis poses no serious threat to the Earth for the next century, sadly, there are some people out there -- including some wannabe Christian "prophets" -- who continue to vehemently insist that the asteroid Apophis will strike the Earth on April 13, 2029 and wreak great havoc and destruction. In fact, some of these characters -- such as Tom Horn in his 2019 book "The Wormwood Prophecy" -- are erroneously claiming that Apophis is the Biblical Wormwood, which we find mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Consider these two verses:

"And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter."


Quite frankly, as I first mentioned in my 2010 series called "2012: New Age Deception and Psychobabble", personally, it is my view that Tom Horn is a very misguided teacher, as well as a false prophet. Similar to so many other money-making Bible hucksters, the man has a propensity for latching on to very popular topics, and then distorting the Scriptures -- as well as other sources of information -- so that they appear to support his wayward doctrines. Over the years, this man has said so many things in so many of his books, which have never come to pass, as I first pointed out thirteen years ago. So please beware of him, and others like him!

Sadly, even though Horn's interpretations rarely -- if ever -- come to pass, there are so many gullible Christians who continue to purchase his nonsensical books, while Horn rakes in the money. I can only conclude that such people either don't have an ounce of Spiritual Discernment, or else they have a very short memory, or else they simply love being deceived by Mr. Horn. I am reminded of the following verse:

"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived."


In the case of Mr. Horn, he is so deceived, that he has in fact convinced himself -- and apparently his readers also -- that the U.S. government, astronomers, etc., are outright lying to the American public. According to Horn, they are engaged in a full-scale coverup operation, so that people don't realize what is happening until it is too late. We all know how many people just love to suck up conspiracy theories; and these money-making Bible hucksters will use it to their advantage! So again, watch out! Don't you be their next victim, and don't spend your hard-earned cash on their junk!

One of their tactics which I have observed over the years, is that these deceivers seem to coalesce together. They will appear on each others' TV shows, radio shows, podcasts, etc. Not only do they do it to support each other, but they also do it to add legitimacy to themselves and to what they teach. In other words, if five of these guys agree about something, then certainly they can't be wrong, right? Wrong! That is precisely how they seduce and deceive people into accepting their doctrines, and into purchasing their books, videos or whatever else they are selling.

As I point out in articles such as "Money-Making Bible Hucksters and Mammon", and also in "Abundant Life Doctrine: Scripturally Exposed!", these things ought not to be! God, Jesus and the First Century Apostles were and are opposed to selling God's Word for profit. Yet sadly, that is precisely what so many of these deceivers do. In the New Testament, this vile practice of greedily profiting from God's Word is referred to as "filthy lucre", and the Apostle Peter even talks about making merchandise out of God's hungry sheep. Consider the following verses which verify this point:

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for YE DEVOUR WIDOWS' HOUSES, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation."


"And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: WHICH DEVOUR WIDOWS' HOUSES, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation."


"Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; WHICH DEVOUR WIDOWS' HOUSES, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation."


"And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."


"And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise."


"And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves."


"Not given to wine, no striker, NOT GREEDY OF FILTHY LUCRE; but patient, not a brawler, NOT COVETOUS . . . Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;"


"For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, NOT GIVEN TO FILTHY LUCRE . . . Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, FOR FILTHY LUCRE'S SAKE."


"Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; NOT FOR FILTHY LUCRE, but of a ready mind;"


"And through COVETOUSNESS shall they WITH FEIGNED WORDS MAKE MERCHANDISE OF YOU: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not."


While I discuss Wormwood in my 1998 article entitled "Comet Hale-Bopp, Chernobyl and the Death Star Wormwood", unlike Tom Horn and his misguided ilk, at this current time, I have no overwhelming reason to believe that Apophis is Wormwood. In fact, to be quite honest, at this point in time, I am not even certain if Wormwood is a past event, or an as-of-yet unfulfilled prophecy. I am sure that time will certainly tell. It always does. Regardless of how things turn out, we still have to continue to trust the Lord.

Now please don't get me wrong. If God can use the natural forces of the Earth -- such as earthquakes, floods, fires, hurricanes, typhoons, pestilences/diseases, droughts, etc. -- as His instruments of judgment and chastisement against a wicked and unrepentant world -- as He does throughout the Bible -- then I am sure that He can use comets, asteroids, meteoroids, etc., for the very same purpose. That is, if He so chooses. The question is whether or not that is the case with Apophis. As we have now seen, the astronomers say "no" while Horn and his crowd say "yes". You need to decide for yourself what you want to believe.

Let me also add that I am absolutely convinced that every jot and tittle of God's prophetic Word will be fulfilled to the letter, sooner or later. If for the sake of argument we adopt the position that Wormwood is a future event, then whether or not the NEA referred to as 99942 Apophis, a.k.a. 2004 MN4, will turn out to be the prophetic death star we know as Wormwood -- assuming that it is even meant to be understood in a literal, physical sense -- remains to be seen.

While I currently believe that Apophis will not strike the Earth in 2029, or any time during the next 100 years, there is a reason why I am not completely shutting the door on such a possibility. I already mentioned this reason to you in part one of this article when I explained that even the scientists and mathematicians who run the Sentry collision monitoring system, clearly state that calculating the paths of NEOs, and their proximity to the Earth at their closest approach, isn't a perfect science. As more observations are conducted, the impact risk of a particular asteroid can in fact be lowered or raised. It is simply the nature of the process.

As I have already made clear, based on current observations, astronomers believe that Apophis will come very close to the Earth -- within 20,000 miles -- but it will not strike the Earth directly. But it's not a perfect prediction, and there is still room for human error. The year 2029 is still six years away. Perhaps something could happen between now and then which might slightly alter the current trajectory of this asteroid, and bring it closer to the Earth. Then again, maybe not. I am not a professional astronomer, so it is not for me to say. Only God knows His intentions for the Earth.

However, given the current wicked state of the world, it is difficult for me to believe that God's judgments will not be forthcoming at some point. We have certainly filled up our cup of iniquity in so many ways. If God's Wrath in some form should be poured out in the near future, are you prepared in your mind, heart and spirit for such things? If not, then I urge you to get ready soon. That begins with repenting of any unconfessed sins in your life, accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and then endeavoring to live your life in as wholesome a manner as you possibly can, in accordance with God's Word.

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

2012: New Age Deception And Psychobabble
Abundant Life Doctrine: Scripturally Exposed!
Comet Hale-Bopp, Chernobyl and the Death Star Wormwood
Divine Protection: Do You Have Fear or Faith?
Is Science Better Than the Bible?
Leviathan: An Ancient Dragon of the Sea?
Money-Making Bible Hucksters and Mammon
Satan: His Origin, Purpose and Future
Satan: King of Tyrus, King of Empires
Science and Technology: The Forbidden Knowledge?
The Nibiru Planet X Wormwood Controversy
When Was Satan Cast Out of Heaven?
Who Hindered the Antichrist?

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