A Study on the Book of Revelation. [12-16]

This is the Third Part of a Four Part study of the book of Revelation. The study is a collection of teachings of the servants of God and throughout the study abbreviations are used as references. Derick Prince [D.p], Duane Sheriff [D.s], Joseph Prince [J.p], Kenneth E. Hagin [K.h], Dr. Michael Brown [Dr.M.b.]. Contributions from, David Hogan, Heidi & Rolland Baker, Roberts Liardon, Andrew Wommack and others.

Point of Note: We need to make it CLEAR, the content of this study does NOT necessarily wholly reflect the beliefs of the ministers cited, however the study is composed of truths from revelations God has given to various ministries and aims to present it free from any Scriptural conflicts as to be able to stand scrutiny. So we wholeheartedly encourage the reader to critically examine these truths.

You can download a PDF of this study: A Study of the Book of Revelation. [Chapters 12-16]

Revelation 12: War in Heaven and Earth.

This is one of the definitive chapters that helps to give perspective to the book of Revelation. In this chapter we notice there is a break in narration of the story that was being told so far. The first initial chapters [1-3] described to us the state of the Seven churches which serve as an example for the churches throughout the age to learn from their mistakes and emulate those things which they are commended for. Chapters 4 and 5 describe to us the scene in Heaven when Christ entered Heaven with His own blood to receive Glory, Dominion and a Kingdom. Chapter 6, 8 and 9 relate to us the times from the moment the Gospel went out into the world to the final day judgement, but most specifically the closing of the period of Grace, mostly known as the times of the Gentiles. Chapters 10 and 11 describe to us the final gathering of the saints/elect from among the Jews. Now this is where the narration of the story ends. The rapture followed by the final gathering of Israel through the two prophets who proclaim Christ to her, bringing to a close the Harvest of grain, for which chapter 7 is a portrayal, an answer to the question, “The great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Revelation 6:17

Now God, after He has declared to us the end from the beginning is focusing our mind to where we currently find ourselves. We have shown in the announcement of the SEALS that the first horseman was going forth proclaiming the gospel of grace and He went forth conquering the world. At the same time after a brief period of rest we have seen the release of evil forces to counter the message of Grace at the announcement of the TRUMPETS. Chapter 12 gives us a SUMMARISED overview of these events from heaven’s perspective. From the closing of the Law in the destruction of the Temple TO the commencement of the Age of Grace at the birth of the Church, the offspring of the woman going forward in PERPETUAL troubled times. It is the COMING of the Kingdom of God on EARTH expressed in terms of BIRTH PAINS.

“And a GREAT SIGN was seen in HEAVEN: a WOMAN clothed with the SUN, and the MOON UNDER her FEET, and on her HEAD a CROWN of TWELVE STARS, and having in WOMB. And she CRIES out, being in TRAVAIL, and being in PAIN to bring forth.” [vs. 1-2]

The start of this chapter tells us from which perspective we are to study this chapter, that is the great sign seen in HEAVEN. So the story being narrated to us in this chapter is from heaven’s point of view. Now the first thing we need to point out is, the VERY obvious ERROR that many attribute the woman to be Mary, the mother of the Lord. This is VERY WRONG, such teaching is responsible for deifying Mary, grounds on which MANY are made to STUMBLE. The woman is NOT Mary, it is a portrayal of Israel, this point becomes clear as the narration of the story continues throughout the chapter. Another aspect is some who interpret the woman to be a depiction of the Church, this is also very WRONG. The Church did NOT give birth to the Lord Jesus Christ as we see this woman will do. The Church is the Bride of Christ NOT His mother as Paul clearly shows in Galatians 4:4-5.

The first instance that upholds this view of this great sign in heaven to be Israel, is the fact it was first described in a dream Joseph had. “Then he [Joseph] dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the SUN, the MOON, and the ELEVEN STARS bowed down to me.” Genesis 37:9 And Jacob, his father from whom all the tribes of Israel are named, interpreting his dreams says to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?”[vs. 10] In this one statement Jacob clearly showed the depiction of the woman to be Israel, the twelve stars as a REPRESENTATION of the twelve tribes of Israel.

The SUN: in previous chapters we have shown the Sun to be a depiction of Righteousness. So the woman clothed in the Sun is to show Righteousness, be it of the Law according to the flesh. Job describes it as, “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban.” Job 29:14 Paul also when recalling his life under the Law, when he was blind to the truth of the righteousness of God that come through faith, says, “If any other thinks to trust in the flesh, I more: circumcision on the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; according to the Law, a Pharisee; according to zeal, persecuting the church; according to righteousness in the Law, having become faultless.” Philippians 3:4-6

The point is that when Israel finally got to grips with Law, according to the fleshly ordinance as to be counted blameless, is when the fullness of the time had come for the Lord to be born. [D.s] teaches when Israel returned back from the 70 years exile in Babylon they were totally CURED from ALL acts of idolatry through which they repeatedly provoked God to anger.

The MOON: Now, Jacob even though Rachel the mother of Joseph is dead giving birth to his younger brother Benjamin, he interpreted his dream by saying, “shall I and your mother bow down before you.” The point we want to draw from this is Jacob attributed the Moon to be Joseph ‘s mother. Now in the above description of the woman in heaven we see the woman STANDING on the MOON, this is to show the mother of the Child to be born to be the Earthly Jerusalem. Paul in Galatians says of the birth of the Lord, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, having been born of a woman, having been born UNDER the LAW, that He might redeem those under the Law, so that we might receive the divine adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4-5 And again pointing to the birth of the Lord to be from the tribes of Israel says, “Whose are the patriarchs; and from whom [Israel] is Christ according to the flesh, being God over all, blessed to the ages. Amen.” Romans 9:5 The point is the Lord Jesus Christ being made flesh was born Under the Law that is He was born to the earthly Jerusalem, in order redeem those who were bound by the Law. So we see the woman standing on the Moon.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” Therefore He shall give them up, until the time that she who is in LABOUR has given BIRTH; then the remnant of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel.” Micah 5:2-3

The next point we want to make in regards to the woman being a portrayal of Israel and NOT of Mary is the birth pains which the woman in Heaven is shown to be in. Birth pain is a product of Sin; it’s an aspect of a fallen world. When God judged Eve, He said, “In pain you shall bring forth children.” Genesis 3:16 However the Lord Jesus Christ was NOT conceived in Sin, therefore His birth CANNOT accompany any of the signs that come as the birth of those who are conceived in Sin. Isaiah speaking to this fact says, “BEFORE she was in LABOUR, she gave birth; BEFORE her PAIN came, she DELIVERED a Male Child.” Isaiah 66:7 Isaiah follows that by a description of the birth of a nation, and says, “For as soon as Zion was in LABOUR, she gave birth to her children.” [vs. 8] Isaiah is speaking of the conditions of two distinct portrayals of women. The first is speaking of the mother of the Lord, of whom he says, she had NO labour, she had NO pain and she brought forth a Male Child. [Not Israel but Mary!] The second is a portrayal of the woman who NOW gives birth on the Account of HIM, of whom he says, as soon as Zion is in LABOUR she gave birth to her children. The first had no LABOUR, the Second had LABOUR, the FIRST gave birth to ONE, the second gave birth to a NATION in a day. This Zion is the description of the heavenly Jerusalem, which Paul described quoting, “Rejoice O barren woman, the one not bearing; break forth and call aloud, the one NOT travailing; because many more are the children of the desolate woman than of her having the husband.” Isaiah 54:1

The first instance was a Male Child that is the Lord Jesus Christ and He was followed by [children, male and female] who come in His likeness whose mother is the heavenly Jerusalem. [Galatians 4:26] A NEW NATION is born that is a HEAVENLY one. As Paul says, “For our CITIZENSHIP exists in the heavens, from whence also we are awaiting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 3:20 Israel has been a nation from the day God rescued them from the grips of Egypt and Pharaoh, so this verse is NOT speaking about that.

Now while the Roman Catholic church has got the right idea in regards to this teaching, however they have also managed to obscure the truth by the fable that describes the birth of the Lord as, “light passing through a glass.” This is AGAINST the TRUTH of Scripture, Jesus Christ is the firstborn Son as such He is attributed as One who OPENS the WOMB. And on this very account Mary had to go through purification for giving birth, which TAKES INTO ACCOUNT ALL of the ISSUES OF BIRTH be it without PAIN or LABOUR. God did NOT say anything to Eve in regards to the woman’s water breaking or any other element of birth, Only that she would experience great pain in the process. [Genesis 3:16] As such Luke says, “And when the days of THEIR [Jesus and His mother] purification were fulfilled according to the Law of Moses, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present to the Lord (as it has been written in the Law of the Lord: “Every male OPENING a WOMB shall be called holy to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice, according to that having been said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons.” Luke 2:22-24

Now, If the Lord Jesus Christ did not open the womb of Mary, THEN He was not born of a woman, if so He could not be the Son of Man, therefore brings to question the redemption of mankind. Paul in Hebrews says, “Therefore it behoved Him to be made like the brothers in ALL THINGS, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, IN ORDER to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” Hebrews 2:17 It is the same type of rational Paul teaches us in 1 Cor. 15:12-19, in regards to the Lord’s resurrection. Now, the Roman Catholic church’s right belief that Mary did not experience pain or labour ALSO serves to contradict their second assertion that the woman described in Revelation 12 is Mary, since this woman is clearly portrayed being in labour and in pain, “CRIES out, being in TRAVAIL.”

Therefore the birth pain described of the woman in heaven is NOT the birth pains of Mary for which there was NONE, but the descriptions of the pains of Israel who endured such STRICT PRUNING from God in order for her to bring forth the Son of God and the Law was the means by which Israel was chastened. Isaiah associating birth pains to chastening of the Lord says, “Lord, in trouble they have visited You, they poured out a prayer when Your chastening was upon them. AS a woman with child is in pain and cries out in her pangs, when she draws near the time of her delivery, so have we been in Your sight, O Lord.” Isaiah 26:16-17 That is God’s purpose in Israel was to produce a cultivated TREE from which the Lord was to be born. And Paul by comparing Jews and Gentiles says of this cultivated root, “For if you were cut off out of the naturally wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural, be grafted into their own olive tree!” Romans 11:24-25 As such God had to prune from among them, the rebels, those who transgress against Him until the day came for Christ to be born. [Ezekiel 20:38] This is the birth pain the woman in heaven is portraying.

“And ANOTHER SIGN was seen in heaven, and behold, a GREAT RED DRAGON having SEVEN HEADS and TEN HORNS, and UPON his HEADS, SEVEN DIADEMS. And his TAIL DRAGS a THIRD of the STARS of heaven, and he CAST them to the EARTH. And the dragon stands before the woman being about to bring forth, so that when she should bring forth, he might DEVOUR her Child.” [vs. 3-4]

The previous SIGN in heaven showed God preparing to bring forth His salvation to the Earth and here we have the devil preparing to oppose God’s purpose. Now the description of the dragon is according to the BEAST that was SET in PLACE to do this very thing. That is the devil is expressed in a manner that is very specific to a moment in time, that is the period that encompassed the Roman Empire. Which Daniel describes as, “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had TEN HORNS.” Daniel 7:7

Daniel describes the kingdom of the fourth beast as, “And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land. And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it CAST DOWN some of the host and some of the STARS to the GROUND, and trampled them. He even EXALTED himself as high as the Prince of the HOST; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.” Daniel 8:9-11 Daniel explains the sign that was shown in heaven in terms of an earthly kingdom that is the growth of the Roman Empire, building up to the moment of the crucifixion of the Lord, and the consequence that followed in heaven when the devil and his angels were cast down and ending with the destruction of Jerusalem. [Daniel 8:23-25] The point is, the woman giving birth and the dragon standing to oppose her CONVERGE during the time of this Empire.

So when we look at the sign of the dragon in heaven we are looking at the devil, with ALL his heads, that is the Seven principle kings of his rule of the world. However the one that is at the FOREFRONT in this passage is the one whose head is arrayed with TEN HORNS, that is the prince of the people of Rome [the angel Abaddon]. Daniel says, “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the PRINCE who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Daniel 9:26 The other SIX heads are a representation of other earthly empires through whom the devil ruled over the world. John gives us the answer to the mystery of the heads of the devil saying, “The SEVEN HEADS are seven mountains, where the woman sits on them; and there are SEVEN KINGS. The FIVE are FALLEN, the ONE IS, the OTHER has not yet come; and when he shall have come, it behoves him to remain a little while.” Revelation 17:9-10 Now the kings are NOT earthly kings, but prinicely hosts as described in Ezekiel 28:12-19. So the Five kings that are Fallen are, the princely hosts that upheld the Egyptian Empire, the Assyrian Empire, the Babylonian Empire, the Medo-Persian Empire, and the Grecian Empire. The One that is, during John’s time was the Roman Empire, and the Other that is yet to come, is the Clay portion of the final kingdom described in the prophecy of Daniel 2:42, which we will discuss in the next chapter.

Joseph Prince teaches by saying from the time of the beginning since the word was given, “He [the Seed of the woman] shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15 The devil has been waiting to kill that Seed, of whom Abel was the first victim. And he points out how the devil through Pharaoh killed all the new born babies when the redemption of Israel was drawing near, “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.” Genesis 15:13-14 And he follows that to Bethlehem when Herod killed all the children under two years old fearing a King is coming to challenge him. “And having sent forth, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and in all its vicinity from two years old and under.” Matthew 2:16 So the devil afflicted Israel throughout the years by every means possible to hinder the coming of the Messiah. Jimmy Swaggart also teaches that the seven heads of the dragon represent the seven kingdoms that persecuted Israel. So the specific moment in time described above is, when the devil is set to destroy the Lord Jesus at the very point of His birth through Herod, king of Judea who was vassal to the Roman Empire, “so he stood before the woman so that he might devour her Child.”

The next point we want to make is the dragon is described as RED, to express the nature of SIN. Isaiah says, “Though your SINS are like SCARLET, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are RED like CRIMSON, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18 So the dragon’s body described as RED means he is the SOURCE of it, his murderous intentions are a product of his vile nature. Reinhard Bonnke teaches by saying, no one enticed the devil to acts of wickedness, he was the one creature in all of heaven and earth who corrupted himself. As Ezekiel says, “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendour;” Ezekiel 28:17 More Significantly the colour RED is to show, it is during this period in time, through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ [Sin] was put away once and for all, and the power the devil had over the world was broken. [Hebrews 2:14-15 & 9:26]

His tail dragging a third of the stars of heaven is describing the effect he had on the angels that followed him. Now the devil and his angels are depicted in this manner even before the moment had fully come for them to be cast down from heaven which this chapter later covers. That is they knew of their fate, as Isaiah says, “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations!” Isaiah 14:12 As Ezekiel 28 also clearly proclaimed. However from the moment God decreed this to be their end, it took the birth of Christ and His accomplishments on the earth before it was ENFORCED first in heaven, AND soon to be on the EARTH. The point is it is a foregone conclusion, the Lord even before going to the cross said, “Concerning judgement, because the ruler of this world has been JUDGED.” John 16:11 AND “Now is the judgement of this world; now the prince of this world will be CAST OUT.” John 12:31 Which are all events that are ENFORCED after Christ entered heaven by His own blood, sealing the fate of the devil and all his angels. The wonder that is the precious BLOOD of Christ is it allows those who are forgiven to enter heaven at the same time CAST OUT all other transgressors. So Paul says, “For surely He helps NOT the ANGELS, but He helps the SEED of Abraham.” Hebrews 2:16

“And she brought forth a Male Son, who is about to SHEPHERD all the NATIONS with a rod of iron; and her Child was caught up to God, and to His throne. And the WOMAN FLED into the WILDERNESS, where she has a place having been prepared there by God, so that they should nourish her there ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED SIXTY DAYS.” [vs. 5-6]

This part summarises the coming of the Messiah, David in Psalms writes, “The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’’ Psalm 2:7-9 Now the Lord is described here in two aspects, He is called One, “who is ABOUT to Shepherd the nations with a rod of iron.” which is a term that applies to the time of Christ’s millennial reign. The other aspect is described in Psalms, “Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.” This describes what Christ PURCHASED by His own blood, which John describes HERE as “the Child was CAUGHT UP to God, and to His THRONE,” that is to obtain a kingdom, being given DOMINION in heaven and earth after He had accomplished what He came to do on earth. “He has been revealed once in the consummation of the ages for the putting away of SIN by the sacrifice of Himself. Hebrews 9:26 After which the Lord was received up into heaven, “Now go to My brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” John 20:17 The fulfilment of this event is described in Daniel 7:13-14 AND Revelation 5:6-7.

Daniel encapsulates this period it in these terms, “SEVENTY WEEKS are determined for your people and for your holy city, To FINISH the TRANSGRESSION, to make an END of SINS, to make RECONCILIATION for INIQUITY, to bring in EVERLASTING RIGHTEOUSNESS, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to ANOINT the Most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be SEVEN WEEKS and SIXTY-TWO WEEKS; The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. And AFTER the SIXTY-TWO WEEKS Messiah shall be CUT OFF, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the CITY and the SANCTUARY. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for ONE WEEK; But in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.” Daniel 9:24-27 Here it is IMPORTANT to establish first why the LAST Week was separated from the other 7 weeks and 62 weeks of Daniel’s prophecy. That is AFTER the 69 Weeks, the Dispensation of the Law came to an END at the Death and Resurrection of the Lord and Him being CAUGHT up to God. The veil of the Temple was torn. From this day forward until the destruction of Jerusalem is a period of Grace given for the Jewish people to come to faith, which lasted for about 40 years. Roughly the same amount of time Israel wandered in the wilderness in failing to enter their promised inheritance, which Paul associated in Hebrews 3:16-19. This is the ONLY reason the last WEEK was separated from the rest, it BELONGS to a different dispensation. It is the grace period which John spoke of, “And when He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” Rev. 8:1

Now THIS point NEEDS to STRESSED, the prophecies of Daniel is an ANCHOR by which we are to understand the events described in the book of Revelation. This is a FIRM UNSHAKABLE ground because the LORD HIMSELF USED DANIEL’s prophecy to give us a point of reference, saying “Therefore when you shall see ‘the ABOMINATION of DESOLATION,’ having been SPOKEN of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place—the one reading, let him understand— then those in Judea, let them flee to the mountains.” Matthew 24:15-16 There OUGHT to be NO AMBIGUITY to what the desolation Daniel spoke about refers to, it is the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70. Now any other wrangling of history to fit some man made account is in GRAVE ERROR, we need to SETTLE this in our mind. Either the LORD gave us the key by which we may understand or simply we make Him out to be a liar. The only places in the entire bible that uses the term ‘the abomination of desolation,’ are the verses, “And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation.” Daniel 11:31 And again referring to the exact same event, “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.” Daniel 12:11 There is NO other explanation we can make these prophecies fit. THIS IS A MUST!

The Maccabees Revolt preceded the Lord Jesus Christ by hundreds of years so the prophecies of Daniel of ‘the abomination of desolation,’ CANNOT APPLY to them, which the LORD HIMSELF used to point to the FUTURE. However Daniel does give an account of a revolt in Daniel 11:14 which can be attributed to the Maccabees.

The Woman in the Wilderness: The wilderness is an expression of being separated to God, where there is no other destruction. When Israel came out of Egypt she went into the wilderness where God established His covenant of the Law. God remembering this day says, “I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your betrothal, when you went after Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.” Jeremiah 2:2 That is the establishment of the Covenant of the Law, through which Israel was married to God. Similarly here the woman [Israel] is also expressed in the same manner as fleeing into the wilderness, again for the same purpose as before that is to the establishment of a NEW COVENANT by which members are individually married to the Lord. [Romans 7:4] Ezekiel says, “And I will bring you into the WILDERNESS of the PEOPLES, and there I will plead My case with you face to face. JUST AS I pleaded My case with your fathers in the WILDERNESS of the LAND of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you.” Ezekiel 20:35-36 The point is the woman fleeing in the wilderness is NOT some hide away in the wilderness of Petra as taught by TRADITION of men but a reference to a time of being separated to God, shielded by Him in order to be established in the New Covenant as in the days of Egypt. The term “Wilderness of the peoples” is to say separated from the nations NOT a physical place, but a priority given to Israel for the Gospel to be preached to them first!

The LORD HIMSELF affirmed that Jerusalem was barricaded in, surrounded by her enemies, she did not FLEE NOR her children within her. [Luke 19:41-44] So the reference here is Israel given a moment to be established into the New Covenant before destruction came upon them from the Romans. The WOMAN ISRAEL is the object, NOT the CHURCH. If the church fled it is NOT a reference to the Woman but to her OFFSPRING. The WOMAN is ISRAEL, JERUSALEM and she DID not FLEE but was barricaded in.

So John describes here a moment of time when the woman is sheltered and nourished for a period of 1260 days which is 42 months or 3 years and half. It is speaking of a moment of reprieve before the time of turmoil and the destruction that followed. Daniel writes, “Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week [7 years]; But in the middle of the week [3 and half years later] he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the WING of ABOMINATIONS shall be one who makes DESOLATE, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.” Daniel 9:27 The first half of the covenant period is when everything went as normal. However after 3 and half years he will put a stop to sacrifices by showing regard to those who forsake the holy covenant. “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days [3 and half years and one month].” Daniel 12:11 So when the period of the 7 years covenant had come to an end, he set up the abomination that defiled the sanctuary, provoking a war that brought about desolation. The consummation is the closing of the period of the Law, God has NOW moved into a New Covenant from Law to Grace through the blood of Jesus Christ.

John speaks of these periods of reprieve not in terms of Israel being spared from destruction but a moment when that last bit of nourishment was provided to the woman. God’s final plea to the children of Israel to come into the New Covenant. Daniel, writing of the events that took place in the midst of Jerusalem, in those days says, “Those of the people who UNDERSTAND shall INSTRUCT many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering.” Daniel 11:33 The term “those who understand,” are those who know the way of righteousness and are teaching others the way of truth. [Daniel 12:3] And they do this being faced with great persecutions from their own brethren. Paul’s own life and beginning and the reaction he received in Jerusalem at the end of his ministry is evident that pointing away from the Law was not well received. [Acts 21-22] And Daniel says, “those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end.” Daniel 11:35 Therefore the nourishment the woman was provided with is instruction in righteousness through the knowledge of the GRACE of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The angel said to Daniel, “And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the BOOK. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, And those who TURN many to RIGHTEOUSNESS like the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:1-3 The angel is not speaking of escaping from the rage of the Romans but obtaining eternal life, through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. These are the ones whose names are written in the book and the angle follows that with a statement on resurrection to life or condemnation.

“And there was WAR in HEAVEN: Michael and his angels warred against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels warred back. And he did not have strength, nor was found a place for them any longer in heaven. And the great dragon was THROWN OUT, the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, DECEIVING the whole inhabited WORLD. He was thrown DOWN to the EARTH, and his angels were thrown down with him.” [vs. 7-9]

John tells us, when Christ was raised up far above every principality and power and sat at the right hand of power, then war broke out in heaven. Specifically because there was no place found for the dragon and his angels anymore. And the dragon, not wanting to give up his position in heaven fought back but was defeated and cast out with his angels, never to darken heaven with his presence. It is difficult to understand or imagine how all this time, the devil and his angels had access to heaven.

However the book of Job records, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.” Job 1:6 The devil walked into heaven impudently, he did not do it as one who slipped in and it is recorded twice, “[Again] Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.” Job 2:1 The prophet Micaiah said, “I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left. And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ and Micaiah records how a spirit came forward offering how he can achieve that, “The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’” 1 Kings 22:19-22 The host of heaven standing on His right hand and on His left, is an image that resembles Matthew 25:33 when the Lord separates the sheep on His right side and the goats on the left. The point is this, a spirit who wanted to work deceit was present in heaven. But of the coming age and of the new Jerusalem the bible says, “And anything defiling, and those practising abomination and A LIE, never shall enter into it.” Revelation 21:27 The point is this is referring of the days when the devil and his angels freely roamed the heavens.

But NOW they are all cast down and Daniel prophesying of this great day said, “And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it CAST DOWN some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them.” Daniel 8:10 Daniel by describing this event under the fourth beast, the Roman Empire in essence captures for us when this feat was accomplished when SIN was accounted for by the blood of Jesus Christ and the powers of heaven were shaken.

Paul also speaking of this day quotes the prophet Haggai saying, “Whose voice shook the earth at that time; but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also heaven.’ And this, ‘Yet once more,’ signifies the removing of the things being shaken, as having been created, so that the things not being shaken should remain.” Hebrews 12:26-27 Paul notes the necessity for heaven itself to be shaken in order to establish the coming of the kingdom of God and of His Christ, through the removal of all things that cause offence both from heaven and earth. Isaiah, capturing the violence of that day, says, “All the hosts of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heaven rolled up like a scroll; All their host shall fall down as leaf falls from the vine, and as fruit falling from a fig tree. For My SWORD shall be bathed in HEAVEN.” Isaiah 34:4-5

Daniel also describes this very moment saying, “At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people.” Daniel 12:1 Here Daniel describes Michael as John standing to oppose Satan and his angels. John tells it from heaven’s perspective and Daniel from earth’s. The point is, the event in heaven had a consequence on earth, which the next few verses will describe.

“And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying: ‘NOW the SALVATION, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the AUTHORITY of His Christ have COME, because the ACCUSER of our brothers has been THROWN DOWN, the one accusing them before our God day and night. And they have OVERCOME him by reason of the BLOOD of the LAMB, and by reason of the WORD of their TESTIMONY; and they have not loved their life unto death. Because of this, REJOICE O heavens, and those dwelling in them! WOE to the EARTH and the SEA, because the devil has come down to you, having great fury, KNOWING that he has a SHORT TIME.’” [vs. 10-12]

This part of John’s vision declares the GREAT victory of God and Christ and the enforcement of that victory in heaven and at the same time the beginning of tribulations on earth.

Now as long as SIN was an issue in the world, Satan whose name means “the adversary,” had a job. He can come before God and make accusations against us. Sin in effect was his safety net, the power by which he ruled the world. “The sting of death is SIN, and the power of SIN is the LAW.” 1 Corinthians 15:56 It is through SIN the devil exercised the power of death. [Hebrews 2:14] The picture that captures the work the devil once rendered in heaven is described in Zechariah, “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to OPPOSE him. And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.” Zechariah 3:1-3 The filthy garments are an expression of SIN and until redemption is made for those filthy garments Satan stood to accuse him.

“Salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ have come!”

But when Christ put away SIN once and for all by the sacrifice of Himself [Hebrews 9:26] and redeemed the WORLD by His blood, the authority of the devil was snatched out of his hand. As Satan once ruled the world in SIN, NOW Christ rules in RIGHTEOUSNESS. So the devil now had NO ACCUSATION he can bring before God about any of us, SAVED or UNSAVED. Christ has BOUGHT the entire world by His blood. As Paul says, “Who will bring an ACCUSATION against the elect of God? God is the One justifying. Who is the one condemning? For it is Christ Jesus, the one having DIED, now rather having been raised up, who is also at the right hand of God, and who is interceding for us.” Romans 8:33-34 So the voice in heaven declares to us we overcome the advisory, “by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.” Note, our salvation is NOT in the knowledge of Sin but in the knowledge of Righteousness, this is the essence of this statement.

[B.j] explains the meaning of, “They overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.” through the teachings of Paul that defines the process of salvation, “The word is near you, in your MOUTH, and in your HEART.” That is, the word of faith which we proclaim, that if you CONFESS with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and BELIEVE in your heart that God raised Him out from the dead, you will be SAVED. For in the HEART is belief unto RIGHTEOUSNESS, and in the MOUTH is confession unto SALVATION.” Romans 10:8-10 That is we believe in our hearts Christ has died for our Sins, that His BLOOD was spilt and He was raised to life for our justification that is righteousness and we confess Him as Lord with our mouth we have victory over the devil and his angels. That is we render the devil powerless, he has no ground, no right over us, since SIN has no dominion over us any more for we are no longer under LAW that defines SIN but under the GRACE of the LORD Jesus Christ, that defines RIGHTEOUSNESS.

So the kingdom of God under the Lord Jesus Christ was first established in heaven, through the precious BLOOD of the Lord Jesus Christ which defined the eternal separation. Now God can FREELY judge the father of all wickedness and at the same time SHOW MERCY TO us. As Paul writes in Hebrews, “For surely He helps NOT the angels, but He helps the SEED of Abraham.” Hebrews 2:16 and Jesus said, “Concerning judgement, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” John 16:11 So Now all of heaven can rejoice because they have driven the source of all offence from their presence. However, he shouts a warning towards earth, because the devil has come down knowing there is no escape for him any more, that the day of his torment is drawing close.

“And when the DRAGON saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he PERSECUTED the WOMAN who had brought forth the male Child. And the TWO WINGS of the GREAT EAGLE were given to the woman, so that she could FLY from the FACE of the SERPENT into the WILDERNESS, into her place, where she is NOURISHED there a TIME, and TIMES, and HALF a TIME.” [vs. 13-14]

When the dragon realised he was cast out of heaven, he in rage went to make war against Israel. The persecution of the Jews fully started the moment the daily sacrifice was taken away, Daniel writes, “therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage.” Daniel 11:30 Keeping in mind this story is told from the dragon’s perspective, and one of the main characteristics of the dragon and the emperor that represents him is, “he understands sinister schemes.” Daniel 8:23 So his intention from the beginning was to provoke a reaction by which he may have an excuse to bring destruction upon Jerusalem. So when stopping the daily sacrifice did not quite produce the result he wanted, he went one step further and defiled the sanctuary with an abomination that causes desolation to cause maximum offence.

The two wings of the great eagle point to the two portions of the covenant provided during this period. Ezekiel [17:1-4; 11-14] associates the great eagle with the Babylonian kingdom when Nebuchadnezzar made a covenant with the king of Israel to serve him. Though it might seem unsavoury, this also speaks of a time when the Roman Empire made a covenant with Israel in respect to the holy covenant. [Daniel 9:26-27] Daniel breaks this 7 year period into two portions, the first part of the covenant is the one mentioned above, when the woman was nourished for 1260 days. [Rev. 12:6] The second part of the covenant is when he broke the covenant and stopped the daily sacrifice. [Daniel 11:30,32] Which is the 1290 days between the daily sacrifice being stopped and the abomination that causes desolation is set up which John describes here as “where she is nourished there a time, and times, and half a time.” Rev. 12:14 [Daniel 7:25, 12:11] The point is the woman is nourished in peace time the first part as well as during troubled times the second part, that is she was shielded by God.

Traditionally we have accepted these periods of covenant to mean a time when people fled from Jerusalem into the wilderness of Petra where they managed to escape the destruction of Jerusalem. However BOTH parts of the covenant period fall BEFORE a time the abomination of desolation was even set up. Jesus said, “WHEN you shall SEE ‘the abomination of desolation,’ having been spoken of by the prophet Daniel, STANDING in the HOLY PLACE, then those in Judea, let them FLEE to the mountains.” Matthew 24:15-16 So the people would not have had cause to flee from Jerusalem, not until this moment, which takes place at the end of Seven years and one month. This is the event that agitates the people and causes the Jewish revolt to break out.

“Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones. And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Says the Lord, , “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it: I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ” Zechariah 13:7-9

Even though Zechariah is speaking of the exact same period as Daniel and John, he makes no mention of fleeing, rather one third will be left in it. And this third, he says along with Daniel will go through fire to be refined as silver and tested as gold. God is not rejecting His people, but He is now making Himself known through the grace of His Son and not through the Law. Jesus said, “He who is not honouring the Son is not honouring the Father, the One having sent Him.” John 5:23 This is the place of transition between Law and Grace when temple worship is brought to an end and the nourishment of the knowledge of His righteousness in Christ Jesus is provided. God said to Israel, “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on EAGLES’ WINGS and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and KEEP My COVENANT, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.” Exodus 9:4-5 Likewise here, the two wings of the Great Eagle are God’s last attempt to bring Israel into the promise of His rest, before the rage of the serpent is unleashed on the land.

“And out of his MOUTH the serpent cast WATER as a river after the WOMAN, so that he might cause her to be carried away by a FLOOD. And the EARTH helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and SWALLOWED up the RIVER, which the dragon had cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was ANGRY with the woman, and he went to make to WAR with the rest of her CHILDREN keeping the commandments of God and holding the TESTIMONY of JESUS.” [vs. 15-17]

The water the serpent cast out of his mouth as a flood of river is a spiritual expression for the devastation of WAR that came through the hands of the Roman Empire. Daniel in his writing intertwines both earthly and heavenly expressions and says, “And the PEOPLE of the prince who is to come shall DESTROY the CITY and the SANCTUARY. The end of it shall be with a FLOOD, and till the end of the WAR desolations are determined.” Daniel 9:26

The angel speaking to Daniel said, “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot? And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.” Daniel 8:13-14 The angel here tells Daniel that it will take a total number of 2300 days from the moment the daily sacrifice is stopped, and the abomination of desolation is set up TO the moment the city and sanctuary is burned to the ground. Now if we take away the 1290 days that are between when the daily sacrifice is stopped to the moment the abomination of desolations is set up [Daniel 12:11], we are left with 1010 days, or 33.66 months or 2 years and 8 months of the pure war of the GREAT TRIBULATION including the 45 days it took to encircle Jerusalem. And the Lord Jesus Christ described the beginnings of these days saying, “When you see Jerusalem being encircled by encampments, then know that her desolation has drawn near.” Luke 21:20 which took place 45 days after the abomination of desolation is set up. This was the time of “Great Tribulation,” when the Temple and Jerusalem were destroyed and the people fell by the edge of sword and were led into captivity. [Luke 21:24]

Now the Lord makes a point to say, “But because of the ELECT, those days will be shortened.” Matthew 24:22 Paul says, the elect are those who have accepted the grace of God in Christ Jesus. “So then also, in the present time, there has been a remnant according to the election of grace.” Romans 11:5 So the fact that it is for the sake of the elect, the great tribulation was shortened is significant proof that the first Christians were in the midst of Jerusalem and Judea during this period. Daniel 11:31-34 clearly shows the effort of these Jewish Christians in the midst of Jerusalem AFTER the abomination of desolation was set up and the Great Tribulation was in full effect. As well as Zechariah 13:7-9 describes these events as the refining of the elect.

Therefore the help the woman [Israel] received from the FLOOD was NOT to be sheltered in some hide away in the wilderness but the EARTH opening its mouth to swallow up the river. We have said the flood represented the war that was unleashed. Then the earth swallowing up the river, represents the diversion of the Roman army into other conflicts so the rage of the Empire was focused away from Israel. Daniel describes many conflicts that surround those days [Daniel 11:40-43] but the end he describes as, “But news from the EAST and the NORTH shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to DESTROY and annihilate MANY. And he shall plant the tents of his palace BETWEEN the SEAS and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.” Daniel 11:44-45 Which Joel who prophesies of the coming of Rome against Israel in in Joel 2 describes the reprieve Israel receives from the army that destroyed her, “But I will remove far from you the NORTHERN ARMY, and will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, with his face toward the EASTERN SEA and his back toward the WESTERN SEA; his stench will come up, and his foul odour will rise, because he has done MONSTROUS things.” Joel 2:20

And John ends this chapter with the description of a PERPETUAL PERSECUTION that followed against Christians, described as, “The rest of her offspring.” What John is describing here is a state of enmity that now exists between those who are Spirit born and those who are not. Paul writes, “Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. But just as at that time the one having been born according to flesh was PERSECUTING the one born according to Spirit, so also it is NOW.” Galatians 4:28-29 That is the persecution of Christians is not according to fleshly descent but of something much more fundamental that transcends nations, tribes and even families. The point is the dragon’s persecution of her offspring is not limited to the confines of the Roman Empire but is left open ended to perpetuate throughout the generations.

This is the division the Lord spoke about when He said, “Do you think that I came to give peace on the earth? No, I say to you, but rather division.” Luke 12:51 and He follows that with, “They will be divided father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother.” [vs. 53] His point being it is no longer an ethnic group or geographical location as Israel but a fundamental division between Spirit and flesh that can even exist among the most intimate of social units, the family. The Lord said, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world but I chose you out of the world, on account of this, the world hates you.” John 15:18-19 This is where Chapter 12 ends, at the definition of the new set of persecution the devil brings against Spirit born children of God.

A New Nation is Born! “But you have come to Mount Zion, and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, and to the assembly, to the church of the firstborn having been enrolled in the heavens, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous having been perfected, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkling of blood, speaking better things than that of Abel.” Hebrews 12:22-24

The main point we ought to take from this chapter is, it sets the foundation of the beginnings of the Times of the Gentiles. The conflict described in the heavens and the turmoil that engulfed Jerusalem and Judea are two sides of the same coin. The Lord after describing the Great Tribulation, in Matthew 24:15-22 follows with, “And immediately after the tribulation of those days: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’” Matthew 24:29 As described in this chapter the war in heaven was immediately followed by the war that surrounded Judea. Daniel also after describing the events of turmoil of Judea in Daniel 11:31-34 is followed by the events described as Michael the prince of Israel rising up in times of great trouble in Daniel 12:1. The point is Chapter 12 brings us to the opening moments which the Lord describes as, “Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Luke 21:24 This is where we currently find ourselves, for the last 2000 years and COUNTING.

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Revelation 13: Second Half – The Kingdom of Iron & Clay.

In the Previous chapter we saw the beginnings of the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth, through the closing of the times of Law and Sin and the opening of the Grace and Righteousness of God. This concept was portrayed to us in a description of wars that took place both in the heavens and on the earth. And Daniel and John painstakingly made sure we knew the times when these events took place, that is during the reign of the Roman Empire, represented as the kingdom of Iron. [Daniel 7:7-14; 8:9-12; 9:24-27]

Now between Chapter 12 and the beginnings of this chapter there is a VAST PERIOD of more than 2000 years, of the Age of the Lamb, that is the ministry of sheep among wolves. It is the closing of this age Chapter 13 is a portrayal of, in the description of the the LAST kingdom that will rule on earth before the return of the Lord which Daniel described saying, “Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s CLAY and partly of IRON, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the DAYS of THESE KINGS the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” Daniel 2:41-44 These are the kingdoms which John will identify for us in this chapter.

Now traditionally the interpretation of this chapter is mixed with every generation’s perception of the end times according to the period they lived in. As such the beast and the false prophet have been attributed to various public figures and popes of the Catholic church and so on, which were all in utter error. There are two main concepts that identify the basic essence of these kingdoms, that is the description Daniel gives of the beast that upheld the kingdom of Iron supported with the description Paul gives of the man of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2. And the identification of the false prophet from the teachings of the Lord and the prophecies of Zechariah.

And he STOOD upon the SAND of the SEA. [vs. between 12 and 13]

This verse connects chapter 12 to chapter 13, with the dragon standing on the sand of the sea. The SEA is a depiction from which the kingdoms of the earth are portrayed as rising up from, Daniel writes, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. And FOUR great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.” Daniel 7:2-3 Which were representations of the Babylonian kingdom, the Medo-Persian kingdom, the Grecian kingdom and the Roman kingdom. Likewise here we see an image of the dragon poised to raise up his FINAL kingdom, one of lawlessness and false worship in order to oppose the purposes of God.

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The Kingdom of Iron.

“And I saw RISING out of the SEA a BEAST, having TEN horns, and SEVEN heads, and on its HORNS, ten DIADEMS, and upon its HEADS, names of BLASPHEMY. And the beast that I saw was like a LEOPARD, and its FEET like a BEAR’S, and its MOUTH like the mouth of a LION. And the dragon gave to it his POWER, and his THRONE, and great AUTHORITY. [vs. 1-2]

Now in Chapter 12 we have the dragon described as, “Behold, a great red dragon having SEVEN heads and ten horns, and upon his heads, SEVEN diadems.” Revelation 12:3 John describes the heads of the dragon as wearing the crown of rulership, that is the angelic hosts held the principal position. However the events described in chapter 12 relay to us the defeat of the dragon and his angels. This point is clearly illustrated in the prophecies of Daniel, “I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the BEAST was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. As for the rest of the BEASTS, they had their DOMINION TAKEN AWAY, yet their LIVES were PROLONGED for a season and a time.” Daniel 7:11-12 The point Daniel was making is ALL Authority was given to the Lord Jesus Christ and at the same time these angelic hosts were stripped of theirs, and were made a public spectacle. [Daniel 7:13-14, Colossians 2:14-15]

And Again Daniel says, “But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the PEOPLE, the SAINTS of the Most High.” Daniel 7:26-27 Daniel purposely separates the giving of dominion into two categories, “the people” and “the saints.” That is to say mankind has been given back dominion over the earth through the Lord Jesus Christ. Note: however dominion over the spirits is given to those who belong to Him, who are seated with Him in heavenly places far above principalities and powers. Nonetheless the earth is given back to all of mankind.

That is, this is the beast whose head was crushed when the Law was brought to a close according to the fulfilment of, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall BRUISE [crash] your HEAD, And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15 That is the devil obtained his authority over the earth through SIN. However when the Messiah came He came to the fulfilment of these mandates, “To FINISH the transgression, To make an END of SINS, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness.” Daniel 9:24 Where such promises are fulfilled the devil is rendered powerless, Paul writes, “For the Law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the Law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2 Which is from the first law that came into effect when Adam sinned in disobeying God and ate of the fruit of good and evil.

Daniel, who is prophesying about the time of the END of the LAW, is in essence describing the means by which the beast was slain and his body cast into the burning flame. Hebrews says, “He [Jesus Christ] also likewise took part in the same things [flesh and blood], so that through His death He might destroy the one holding the POWER of DEATH, that is, the devil.” Hebrews 2:14 Which is the crushing blow of one of his heads received through which the devil’s rule over mankind through SIN came to an end. “He [Christ] has been revealed once in the consummation of the ages for the putting away of SIN by the sacrifice of Himself.” Hebrews 9:26 And when the Lord was raised back to life He said, “All authority in heaven and on the earth has been given to Me.” Matthew 28:18 [And] “I have the keys of Death and of Hades.” Revelation 1:18 The point is, it is same beast that stood and ruled during the Roman Empire and was responsible for the crucifixion of the Lord, the destruction of Jerusalem and the holy people, who is a FULL representation of SIN is the one that is described as rising up from the bottomless pit where he has been relegated for the last 2000 years. And he is described as the “Lawless One,” which is an epitome of Sin.

So Chapter 13 the description of the beast takes a different form, it is described as having, “Ten horns and Seven heads and on its HORNS Ten diadems.” That is mankind represented in the “horns” takes the preeminence as it has been given authority and dominion through the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, we might not have appropriated the right Christ has won for us, but in reality it is true. These heavenly hosts do not have dominion over us, yet they deceive us through our lack of knowledge. Just like all may not have received salvation, NONETHELESS Christ has ALREADY paid for the SINS of the world. Prior to the cross mankind was bound, held in slavery, in bondage to SIN represented by the red dragon, being made subject to the heavenly hosts, the rulers of the age and NEEDED to be set FREE. However in the last days Paul makes the point that the dragon through unrighteous deception is paving the way, [building a kingdom] for the return of the beast in tricking those who have not loved the truth. That is, the resurgence of the beast of Lawlessness in the last days is a direct result of mankind’s willful denial of God in turning themselves toward the dragon by believing his lies and they in effect will give their dominion, power and authority to the beast at his return. [2 Thes. 2:9-12]

Now we want to point out the fundamental difference between the beast Daniel describes as having Ten horns and the one John describes here also having Ten horns. Daniel described the beasts as, “The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces. The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings.” Daniel 7:23-24 Daniel is speaking of one kingdom, one people; the Roman Empire which is represented by the LEG of IRON of the image Nebuchadnazzer saw in his dream. And the ten horns described are SUCCESSIVE kings of that empire and in actual fact there were 11 horns, when the last one came 3 kings were uprooted before it. [Daniel 7:23-24]

However, the Ten horns with Ten diadems which John speaks of here in the final beast are NOT successive kings, but kings who receive rulership along with the beast and willfully give their power and authority to the beast. “And the TEN HORNS which you saw are TEN KINGS who have not yet received a kingdom, but receive authority as kings one hour, along WITH the beast. These have one mind, and they shall GIVE UP their power and authority to the beast.” Revelation 17:12-13 That is the final kingdom represented by the beast will be a WILLFUL collaboration of kingdoms. And the one hour specified here is not so much a time duration rather an indication OF THE FINAL HOUR. [J.p] teaching on the parable of the landowner who went out to hire labourers for his vineyard, portrays the time frame form early morning when the owner came into agreement with the first workers, which represented the Jews to the last workers who were hired at the eleventh hour before the owner coming back to give them their wages. Likewise these kings will also come to effect in the 11th hour.

Now, the description of the beast John saw incorporates all aspects of the previous kingdoms, that is those whose dominion was taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a time and a season, “body was like a leopard,” the kingdom of Greece, “feet like a bear’s,” the kingdom of Media and Persia, “mouth of a lion,” the kingdom of Babylon. The Fourth beast, the Roman Empire was NOT described as having a BODY, only teeth of Iron, claws of bronze and TEN HORNS. [Daniel 7:19-20] The bronze claws represent that the Roman empire has its roots in the Grecian empire, it is a product of one of the four horns into which the Grecian empire was broken into. “Therefore the male goat [Greece] grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven. And OUT of ONE of THEM came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land.” Daniel 8:9 [AND] “And in the latter time of their kingdom [the four parts of the Grecian Empire], when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes. His power shall be mighty, but NOT by his OWN POWER; he shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; he shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.” Daniel 8:23-24 The Roman Empire is represented in the final kingdom as the head with ten horns that will be restored back to life, that is a system of shrewd governance. [Daniel 7:25]

Daniel when interpreting Nebuchadnezzer’s dream said, “Inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others.” Daniel 2:40 It is this legacy of teeth of iron and claws of bronze of the fourth beast that is missing from the description of the final beast, the concept to crush and devour other kingdoms. The Grecian empire was a confederation of several kings forged together by the constant belligerent attack of the Media and Persian empire. [Daniel 11:2-3] The body of a leopard which is spotted signifies the final beast will be of a similar confederation and the bonding feature of this kingdom of Iron is its democratic rule, which is an invention of the Greeks. As described above, it is represented in the final kingdom as ten horns with ten diadems willfully giving their power and authority to the beast being of one mind with him. [Revelation 17:12-13] However in relation to the forged alliance between Iron and Clay, that is between two fundamentally different kingdoms, Daniel says it will be a divided kingdom, “As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.” Daniel 2:43

And to the representative of this kingdom John says, “And the dragon gave to it his POWER, and his THRONE, and great AUTHORITY.” When the devil tempted the Lord Jesus Christ he said, “And having led Him up, he showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, ‘I will give to You all this authority, and its glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I wish. Therefore if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.’’ Luke 4:5-7 So the dragon gave his authority to these heavenly hosts, heads that manifested as kingdoms on earth as his representatives to serve his purpose as their god. The devil has ruled over the world in this manner using 6 heads, in the final days he will use the Seventh head the Clay and the Eighth giving his own power, authority and throne to the beast of the bottomless pit. As God sent His Son, the Word putting on flesh and blood in Jesus Christ, to whom God gave power, authority and to sit on His throne. The devil likewise counterfeits this to send his angel Abaddon, manifested as flesh and blood, in the Antichrist and to him he gave his power, throne and great authority.

So the Final Kingdom of the dragon is represented by both Iron and Clay. Daniel said, “This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its LEGS of IRON, its FEET partly of IRON and partly of CLAY. You watched while a Stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.” Daniel 2:32-34 Daniel in the interpretation of Nebuchadnazzar’s dream shows the fourth kingdom of Iron essentially has two distinct appearances, one as LEG and the other as FEET mixed with Clay.

Daniel 7:11 describes the body of the beast which represented the kingdom of Iron being stripped of dominion along with the other beasts and thrown into the burning flame, for 2000 years. [Daniel 7:12, 26] However, Revelation 9 describes Satan opening the bottomless pit and the ascension of the Angel of bottomless pit called Abaddon. This beast that was thrown into the pit when Christ put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, is now described as fully ascending out of the pit after the Rapture of the church. Which John later describes this period of absence as “was not” followed by will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into destruction. [Rev. 17:8] To receive the dragon’s OWN power, throne and great authority, representing the resurgence of a kingdom that once had fallen, that is the second appearance of the kingdom of Iron mixed with Clay. And the sphere of dominion of this final kingdom is the combined area of those represented kingdoms, body of leopard, feet of a bear, mouth of a lion.

Note: The defeat of these last two heads of the Seven headed dragon represents the END of Satan, and he himself will be bound and thrown into the bottomless pit for a 1000 years. As Satan heads being totally crushed under our feet. [Romans 16:20]

Now, it is important for us to KNOW that the rise and rule of this beast CANNOT be during the age of the GRACE of the Lord Jesus Christ represented by His church. [Hebrews 9:28] That is, the ascension and healing of the head of the beast is directly related to the revelation of the Lawless one. And Paul writes, “No one should deceive you in any way, because it is not until the APOSTASY shall have COME FIRST, and the man of lawlessness shall have been REVEALED— the son of destruction the one opposing and exalting himself above every so-called god or object of worship—so as for him to sit down in the temple of God, setting forth that he himself is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Now, “apostasy” is traditionally translated to mean falling away into unbelief. However [C.c] explains the word ἀποστασία (apostasy) comes from the root word ἀφίστημι (aphistémi) meaning [to lead away, to depart from] NOT in regard to falling away from faith but as in exodus from earth as in departure.

Paul writing to Timothy said, “the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will DEPART from the FAITH, giving heed to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.” 1 Timothy 4:1 Here the same word “ἀποστασία (apostasy)” is used in the Greek but it is used in conjunction with the word “πίστεως (faith),” clearly showing from what they are departing from. The point being the word ἀποστασία (apostasy) by itself does NOT mean falling away, it JUST means DEPARTURE in relation to the context of the subject. And the context of the passage is stated in the first verse, “Now we implore you, brothers, by the COMING of our Lord Jesus Christ and our GATHERING together unto Him, for you not quickly to be shaken in mind, nor to be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as if by us, as THAT DAY of the Lord is present.” 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 The point Paul was making was, the day of the Lord as to rule on earth will not come until the departure, that is, we being gathered to the Lord “the Rapture” has come FIRST and THEN the man of lawlessness will be revealed.

The same concept is again repeated from a different perspective, “For the mystery of lawlessness is working already; there is only the ONE at present RESTRAINING it, until HE might be GONE out of the MIDST. And THEN the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the breath of His mouth and will annul by the appearing of His coming.” 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 Here Paul shows that the Holy Spirit who is holding back the working of the mystery of lawlessness MUST first be taken out of the midst ALONG with His Church, then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will destroy when He returns to rule on the earth. The same point is repeated twice, first from the perspective of the believers and again from the Holy Spirit the LIFE of the Church. So if the Church departs so does the Holy Spirit and if the Holy Spirit departs so does the Church, the kingdom of God is represented in the midst of the believers. [Ephesians 2:19-22] The point is the church WILL NOT witness the man of lawlessness being revealed. However, because the rest of mankind did not love the truth that they may be saved but rather have chosen to embrace a LIE to determine that they themselves know what is good and evil APART from God they in essence have embraced the nature of the devil, and will be made subject to the beast. [D.s]

The mystery of lawlessness is the laying down of the groundwork of the core belief of the man of lawlessness which is, the opposition to every so-called god or object of worship. So lawlessness has to do with the absolute refusal to acknowledge God. This is the spirit that is at work today, the growing trend of unbelief toward God, especially in nations of Judo-Christian background that once identified the values and truth of the gospel of Christ no longer do. They have slowly but purposely turned away to embrace world values and ideologies, in essence they have chosen to deny Christ, so this beast who epitomises such a belief can be revealed in due time.

Now since the fall of the Roman Empire, no unified IRON kingdom has existed, even though western civilization throughout the world is rooted in the seed of the Roman and Grecian Empires. However in these final days we are witnessing the rise of a unified democratic kingdom of the European Union. Where kingdoms have willfully given their power and authority to the formation of a unified kingdom that once stood and was described as a kingdom of IRON. Now on the face of it, the principles of the union are nobel, free movement, free trade and a greater influence on the world stage to become a superpower. Yet it comes with a compromise on judo-christian values and embracing Atheistic, humanistic ideologies built on a man made concept of GOOD and EVIL which is a slippery slope that is repeatedly exhibited throughout history in every nation and power that turned itself against God.

The current world political climate, the shoving and shuffling of kingdoms stirred up by the devil such as the belligerent action like that of Russia is serving to build a bond and collaboration of a far greater power. Just like the belligerent action of the Media and Persians resulted in the rise of the kingdom of Greece. [Daniel 8:4-7] The European Union, which is the central seat for the kingdom of Iron, is being forged into greater solidarity of one government, and will rise to be a far greater force in the world. However, at the end of it all, it WILL end up serving the devil’s interests NO matter how noble its beginnings, the devil has designed it to be so. “[The Lawless one] Whose coming is according to the working of Satan, in every power, and in signs, and in wonders of falsehood, and in every deception of wickedness unto those perishing.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 And when the time comes they WILL willfully hand over their power and authority to the beast, the angel of the bottomless pit, Abaddon or in Greek Apollyon.

The atrocities committed by Hitler, Stalin and Mao all have this in common, who spouted visions of some utopia and grandeur who attributed religion to be “an opioid of the masses,” [Karl Marx] a delusion people suffer from which they need to be revived by whatever means necessary. And their moral superiority was expressed in the blood of millions they bathed in through their absolute disregard for life. The Lord says, “And because lawlessness is to be multiplied, the love of the many will grow cold.” Matthew 24:12 The Lord is not speaking about an increase in crime but where atheism is flourishing, the less love we have for one another. It is proof by these men that the value of peoples lives were made that much cheaper by their godless people’s ideology. And they have rallied people to unimaginable acts of cruelty and to extraordinary sacrifices. Such is the man the mystery of lawlessness will reveal.

Now, most people at this point ask the question where is the United States in these last days? And assume failure of being mentioned means some sort of nuclear disaster. However, the answer to that is, what does it matter? Nations that are mentioned in these last days are not to be envied! The fact the US is not mentioned should be a cause for celebration that in the last days, God has moved in such a mighty way upon the nations that at the RAPTURE a shell of a nation is left behind not even worth to be mentioned in the closing of the Book.

And ONE of its HEADS was as having been SLAIN to DEATH. And its wound of death was HEALED, and the whole earth MARVELLED after the BEAST. And they WORSHIPPED the dragon, who had given authority to the beast; and they WORSHIPPED the beast SAYING, “Who is like the beast? And WHO is ABLE to make WAR against it?” [vs. 3-4]

Now, traditionally the healing of the head has been interpreted to mean the Antichrist will physically die and rise to life to the amazement of the world. However the “head” refers to a heavenly host and NOT an earthly king, which is normally represented by a “horn.” At the same time we can also easily associate the healing of the head with the rise of the fallen angel from the bottomless pit in relation to the kingdom he upheld. However this is also flawed because it does NOT distinguish between being SLAIN and receiving a WOUND of death.

Daniel speaking of the four kingdoms said, “I watched till the BEAST was SLAIN, and its BODY DESTROYED and given to the burning flame. As for the REST of the BEASTS, they had their dominion taken away, yet their LIVES were prolonged for a season and a time.” Daniel 7:11-12 Now, the rest of the beasts who were preserved were the princely powers that represented the Babylonian, the Media & Persia and the Grecian empires. However Daniel here describes how the beast, the princely power of the Roman Empire, the kingdom represented by an Iron was SLAIN. Which we earlier identified as Abaddon the angel that ascends out of the bottomless pit, the angel of Perdition. [Revelation 9:11; 17:8, Daniel 9:26]

We have to understand DEATH is NOT an END of existence, death is separation from the realm of the living. And this is a very tricky concept for us to grasp in terms of angels and spirits. So when Daniel described the beast of the Roman Empire as SLAIN and his body thrown into the bottomless pit, he is describing its death through the angel being cut off from interacting with living. [Daniel 7:11, Daniel 8:25] As described above John calls this period when the beast was “SLAIN” as “WAS NOT.” [Rev. 17:8] The contrast is the other beasts that represented Babylon, Media-Persia and Greece who like the beast of Rome were also stripped of their demonion yet they were allowed to LIVE for a season and a time, while Abaddon was exiled from the living realm into the bottomless pit. As Satan also will be exiled, so that he will not be able to deceive the living. [Rev 20:1-2]

However the healing of the deadly wound John describes is not that the beast suffered death but that he was grievously wounded. Here we need to build a narrative of how this wound came to be. The beast in question is the Angel Abaddon, the same beast that ruled through the Roman Empire, and is normally described as having ten horns. It is this beast John wrote of saying, “And when they shall have completed their testimony, the beast coming up out of the abyss will make war with them, and will overcome them, and will kill them.” Revelation 11:7 This war is in relation to the two prophets that testified to Israel for three and half years of the Seven year period of the end of Grace. So these two prophet to come will prophesy, fight a WAR with the beast and die in Jerusalem. [Revelation 11:8] Zechariah, also writing of the coming of a foolish and worthless shepherd, describes him as rising IN THE LAND that is Jerusalem and receiving the wound of the SWORD upon his right eye and arm. [Zechariah 11:15-17] And it is during this war with these two prophets whom we established to be the angels Gabriel and Michael that the Beast Abaddon received his deadly wound.

The wound of the SWORD is describing the word of their mouth, John writes of the two prophets, “If anyone should desire to harm them, fire goes out of their MOUTH and devours their enemies. And if anyone should desire to harm them, thus it is necessary for him to be KILLED.” Revelation 11:5 It is this wound of death that he survived in order to overcome the two prophets and kill them. And on this ground the world marvelled, “And those dwelling on the earth REJOICE over them and make merry, and will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets have TORMENTED those dwelling upon the earth.” Revelation 11:10 That is the angel Abaddon will be received as a hero, one who delivered the world from the plagues these two prophets unleashed upon the world. So they marvel at his power in defeating them and surviving his wound, even to worship him in FEAR saying, “who is able to make war with him?”

The WORSHIP of the DRAGON and of the BEAST. Worship here is not in the traditional sense. No one, even those of false faith engage in worship because they want to serve the dragon. But through lack of knowledge of the truth or disregard for it they are inadvertently given to be of the same mind with the dragon. Now two forms of worship are described here, one toward the dragon the other toward the beast.

Worship is a form of alliance in surrendering our hearts to whatever we base our faith and hope on. Atheism might seem like no worship and the choice of the intellectual, but if that ideology was propagated by the devil then every one who gave their heart to BELIEVE that lie is in alliance and worship of the devil through that ideology. It is a frame of belief that blinds us from knowing the truth. Paul writes, “But if indeed our gospel is concealed, it is concealed to those who are perishing, in whom the god of this age has BLINDED the MINDS of the UNBELIEVING, so as for not to beam forth the illumination of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 Note: The devil does not blind just anyone, they first by choice have to be unbelieving. An unbelieving person is one who has heard the truth and has rejected it. As it says in Psalms, “Today if you should HEAR His voice, DO NOT HARDEN your HEARTS, as in the rebellion.” Psalms 95:7-8

And John describes the end time society as, “The rest of the men who were not killed by these plagues DID NOT even REPENT of the works of their hands so that they will NOT WORSHIP the demons, and the golden and silver and bronze and stone and wooden IDOLS, which are able neither to see, nor to hear, nor to walk. And they DID NOT REPENT of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their sexual immorality, nor of their thefts.” Revelation 9:20-21 James describes all these behaviours under one term: Covetousness. “You desire and do not have. You kill and covet and are not able to obtain. You fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, that you may spend it in your pleasures.” James 4:2-3 That is they did not turn away from living to satisfy their lustful intents of their flesh through which covetousness has become an act of idolatrous worship. [Colossians 3:5] Even to justify their act of sorceries [demons], immorality, murder and theft. Whatever has taken the preeminence in our hearts to dispel God that IDOL has taken the worship due to Him and has become the principle that guides our conduct NOT God.

The characteristics that described the Roman emperor and the beast that upheld him was his disdain for all things God and worship. “Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. But in their place he shall honour a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honour with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things.” Daniel 11:36-38 [AND] “Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall DESTROY many in their PROSPERITY.” Daniel 8:25

That is, the pursuit of personal pleasure in appeasement of the flesh is at the heart of the current state of the world, the ideology, if it feels good, do it, which Paul described as, “Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” 2 Timothy 3:4 This in essence is coming to agreement, being of one mind with our fallen sinful nature. Paul writes, “In which once you walked according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all also once lived in the desires of our flesh, doing the things willed of the flesh and of its thoughts; and we were by nature children of wrath even as the rest.” Ephesians 2:2-3 We CANNOT separate the act of living for the satisfaction of the flesh from the act of worshipping the devil. That is the worship of the devil is in the ACT of exalting the nature of fallen flesh and this reaches MAXIMUM expression when the fear of God is driven out of the heart of mankind through such ideologies as Atheism. David said, “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and have done ABOMINABLE INIQUITY; There is none who does good.” Psalm 53:1 Whereby mankind casts off ALL restraints and abounds in acts of lawlessness where such behaviours are exalted, admired and encouraged. [Romans 1:28-32]

It is this foundation of Atheism that is being resurrected in the final kingdom, which is a growing present trend of most advanced democratic economies and EVERY socialist communist nation that ever existed in the world and not something that is hidden in the corner. The systematic removal of the mention of the Lord Jesus Christ from every aspect and form of life. From every public arena, school, work, entertainment, world affairs, under the false pretense of equal representation and avoidance of offence. So policies are implemented to assassinate any form of expression of faith in Jesus Christ, while ELEVATING every other free expression of SELF. Only the FREE self expression of faith toward Jesus Christ seems to offend people.

The point is the devil does not care if you buckle and fall before him or not, he is just as happy to take you down with him with your heart bursting with pride. So he will lead the Atheist with mankind elevated in the center of their heart living out their life for the pursuit of that which does not satisfy so by any means necessary he might hinder your salvation and destroy you along with himself.

The other concept of worship is worship that is born out of FEAR. John writes, “they worshipped the beast, SAYING, “Who is like the beast? And who is able to MAKE WAR against it?” [vs. 4] That is the expression of nations in submission to the power and might of the beast. The idea is to fall in line to a narrative that is being propagated so as to isolate anyone that does not adhere to some ideology put forth by the beast. In the book of Daniel, we have an incident, “Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counsellors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.” Daniel 3:1-2 Note: he first required those who were directly employed by him to bow down before the image, [ideology]. And any disobedience was severely punished as it was later decreed against the three Jewish administrators, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.” Similarly in the current world state we are witnessing, the beginnings of forceful silencing of individuals who do not submit to the forceful propagation of some narrative, which are rooted in Atheism such as COVID-19 and LGBTQ agenda being prime examples.

The point is God considers the act of capitulation through fear to be an act of worship. Everyone who receives the mark of the beast for the sake of buying or selling or even to save one’s own life is considered as worshipping the beast. [Revelation 14:9-10] In the bible Fear and Worship are represented to be interchangeable. Where it says fear in the old testament the Lord translated to mean worship. [Matthew 4:10] Under the Law the fear of God was NECESSARY since the Law brings righteous judgement, and sinful mankind MUST fear God. The Lord said, “I will show you whom you should fear: Fear the One who has authority, after the killing, to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I say to you, fear Him.” Luke 12:5 However, when mankind casts off the fear of God then lawlessness will abound as it is today. Now, it might be unpleasant to make such a comparison, however when we are forced to submit to ideologies that violate our conscience through fear of unrighteous punishment it is therefore an expression of worship. And in the last days, nations and people will submit to the beast in fear and in effect will end up worshipping him.

“And a MOUTH was given to it, speaking GREAT THINGS and BLASPHEMY, and it was given AUTHORITY to act FORTY and TWO months. And it opened its mouth unto blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, those dwelling in heaven.” [vs. 5-6 ]

A MOUTH is associated with an act of exalting oneself. In the book of Daniel we have the story of king Nebuchadnezzar who when he exalted himself saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honour of my majesty? While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!” Daniel 4:30-31 Judgment was pronounced against him and his kingdom taken away until he acknowledged the Most High rules over the kingdom of men. The point is this final beast is described as having a mouth of Lion as an expression of exalting one’s self. The other aspect, a mouth signifies is the ability to persuade people, to stir them up.

Daniel, describing the fourth beast that represented the Roman Empire says, “It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had Ten horns. I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a MOUTH speaking pompous words.” Daniel 7:7-8 The difference we want to point out between the beast Daniel describes and the one John describes here is that the one John describes does not have an eleventh horn and a MOUTH is DIRECTLY given to the beast. The significance of this point as we have suggested in the previous chapter is that the Angel Abaddon, who ascends out of the bottomless pit to go to destruction will himself be directly manifested on earth as a MAN. The concept being, the fate of mankind is equally decided with that of those FALLEN angelic hosts. The devil and his angels were cast out of heaven to the Earth and the final battle will see those of mankind that gave themselves to serve the beast and the beast himself being destroyed. [Rev. 14:9-11]

There is a shift of DOMINION that took place at the CROSS, Revelation 12 showed the heavenly hosts wearing the crown but Revelation 13 shows mankind wearing the crown. So for the angel of the bottomless pit to receive power, throne and great authority in order to act in DOMINION over the world he has to come as a man. It is a parallel to the coming of the Messiah, that is the Lord HAD to come as Man to win Dominion over the world, these likewise NOW have to come as a man in order to EXERCISE that dominion.

[J.p] teaches in the days of Noah the earth was fully corrupted, that is the seed of mankind was so mixed with that of angels, only Noah and his family retained their purity. [Genesis 6:4] The point being both angels and mankind SHARED the same fate of JUDGEMENT being bound together, REPRESENTED in the children they bore. When Adam sinned ONLY mankind was judged to death however when Christ came and redeemed mankind, the heavens were judged. [John 12:31, John 16:11, Revelation 12:7-10, Isaiah 34:4-5, Haggai 2:6] Now, those from among mankind who reject Christ share the same fate with those angels for whom hell was prepared. The Lord will say to them,“Depart from Me, those being cursed, into the eternal fire, having been prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matthew 25:41

Angels have appeared as men to mankind many times in the bible, Paul even tells us in Hebrews, “Do not be forgetful of hospitality, for through this, some have entertained ANGELS unawares.” Hebrews 13:2 That is to say, angels were indistinguishable to us to the point we did not even know WHEN we interacted with them. As we have suggested in the previous chapters the two prophets to come were the angels who established the LAW to Israel, the man of lawlessness will also be revealed to be the angel Abaddon who ascends out of the bottomless pit, who once ruled over mankind in SIN and will go into destruction. The description of the beast himself side by side with the ten horns convey this point. Not represented as through an 11th horn as in the description of Daniel, but the beast himself in unity WITH the ten horns. “And the beast which was, and is not, is also himself an eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into destruction. And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but receive authority as kings one hour, ALONG WITH the beast. These have one mind, and they shall give up their power and authority to the beast.” Revelation 17:11-13

The point is when Christ returns to gather His elect to Himself, the Grace of God that worked through the Spirit of God is removed from the earth, immediately Sin that has been put down and cast to the burning flame in the angel that embodies it is revealed to the world. And the woman, the great prostitute is described as clothed in a scarlet robe and seated on a scarlet beast, that is to say her sins were remembered! [Rev. 17:3-4] God who has put away our sins NOW remembers her deeds. “For her SINS have been heaped as high as heaven, and God has REMEMBERED her INIQUITIES.” Revelation 18:5 Now, SIN, is reestablished in the world, therefore God acts in righteous judgement towards those who dwell in it.

Daniel giving description of the 11th horn that had eyes like a man and mouth speaking pompous words, that is Emperor Vespasian, the 11th emperor of Rome before whom three emperors fell during the year of four Emperors, the one responsible for the destruction of temple and Judea says, “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.” Daniel 7:25 and giving account of the pompous words he writes, “Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all.” Daniel 11:36-37 Another aspect of the feat of this Emperor’s mouth was his ability to persuade people with flattery even to the point that they should act against the Holy Covenant. [Daniel 11:32]

Similarly, Paul writing of the man of lawlessness to come says, “—the son of destruction, the one opposing and exalting himself above every so-called god or object of worship—so as for him to SIT down in the TEMPLE of God, setting forth that he himself is God.” 2 Thessalonians. 2:3-4 Which John described here as, “it opened its mouth unto blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His TABERNACLE, those dwelling in heaven.” The association is similar to that of abomination of desolation which Daniel spoke of in respect to the Law, [Daniel 11:31] that is the man of lawlessness will blaspheme God’s tabernacle on earth by defiling it with his presence, as to sit in the temple of God, through which he exalted himself as God. The Romans defiled the temple by placing an object, an emblem of offence but here we have the prince of the people of Rome the angel Abaddon that represented that very object, himself manifested as a man sitting in the temple of God. [Daniel 9:26]

The man Daniel speaks of and the beast John & Paul describe bear a striking resemblance, we might even be tempted to think they are prophesying of the same event. However the similarities that are found is simply due to the fact it is the same princely host whose character was first exhibited through the emperor of Rome, is now exhibited in the man of lawlessness as the beast himself. And of this beast along with the dragon and the false prophet John says, “I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the MOUTH of the BEAST, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go forth to the kings of the whole inhabited world, to GATHER them together unto the BATTLE of the great day of God the Almighty.” Revelation 16:13-14 That is to have the ability to PERSUADE the nations even to rise to act against God, through the words he speaks.

The final point that establishes the beast to be the angel Abaddon himself manifested as a man is from the way Daniel and John portray him in their writings. Daniel first describes the beast along with the horn that is a human representative that embodies his nature in Daniel 7:11-12, where the Emperor of Rome spoke the pompous words but the beast, the angel Abaddon was put to sword and cast into the burning flame. John uses the same method to distinguish between a beast and a human representative. Now, if John was referring to a person, a world figure, a king of sorts to be the Antichrist he would have made that clear. John always refers to the second beast with two horns like a lamb through the man, the false prophet that represents him. But he makes NO SUCH DISTINCTIONS for the first beast, he ALWAYS refers to him DIRECTLY interacting with the kings of the earth as well as with the false prophet. [Revelation 17:11-13; 19:20]

And when the Antichrist: the man of lawlessness is revealed, he will have authority granted him for forty and two months, which is another way of saying “time, times and half a time.” This part of the vision covers the second half of the seven year wrath of God “the day of the vengeance of the Lord.” The first half is when the two prophets of God proclaimed the judgments of God for 1260 days to bring the people of Israel to repentance. And the beast that is coming will make war on them and kill them. [Revelation 11:7] Now, this beast who is an expression of lawlessness holds sway over the nations and this period is described in Revelation 16:1-14.

“And there was given to it to make WAR with the SAINTS, and to OVERCOME them. And AUTHORITY was given to it over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And ALL dwelling on the earth will WORSHIP it, of whom their names have NOT been written from the founding of the world in the BOOK of LIFE of the Lamb having been slain.” [vs.7-8]

Daniel describing the [foreshadow] of this event says, “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a TIME and TIMES and HALF a TIME.” Daniel 7:25 We used the term foreshadow because what this princely host accomplished through the emperors of Rome, he himself will perform in the last days. That is the same princely host which exalted itself against the Prince of hosts, and turned his hands against the children of Israel will do so again. [Daniel 8:11-12]

As we have said before, these events Daniel and John speak about might seem identical but they are fundamentally different. Daniel says the saints of the Most High that is the Jewish people will be given over to him for time, times and half a time. However John shows here it is every tribe, people and nation that are given over to him, that is put under his authority for the period of 42 months. The significance of this parallel comparison is, when Israel was given over to the Emperor Vespasian who would eventually bring about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, in AD70 it says, “So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant.” And “Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery;” Daniel 11:30,32

The point being, even though Judea has been under subjection to the Romans for over a hundred years, God recorded the saints actually being put under his hand, from the moment they consented with him to stop the daily sacrifice. After which the Emperor placed the Abomination of Desolation in the Temple which caused the Jewish revolt, 45 days later Jerusalem was surrounded by armies and 965 days later Jerusalem was burned to the ground, the people put to the sword and the captives sold as slaves throughout the world. These dates were worked out by, “Total days from daily sacrifice to utter destruction: 2300” Daniel 8:14 [minus] “Days between daily sacrifice to abomination of desolation: 1290” Daniel 12:11 [equals] Total number of days of conflict: 1010 [minus] “the time it took to surround Jerusalem: 45” [“1335” Daniel 12:12 – “1290” Daniel 12:11] [equals] actual days of war: 965. So NOT the war that came after, NOR the OCCUPATION that preceded it, but the period when he brought an end to the daily sacrifice for 3 and half years was considered as to be given into his hand. [Daniel 7:25; 8:11-12; 9:27] That is the time he actually affected their faith and act of worship.

Likewise, the beast will have authority when the nations give up their dominion and power over to him, their act of submission to him is considered to be an act of worship be it through fear. So John says they will worship the beast saying, “who is able to make WAR against it?” Note, the beast does not make a covenant with Israel. However, the nations are simply given over to him for this period, because these nations have rejected the truth for themselves when they rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. [2 Thes. 2:11-12]

Now, when John described the final beast, he described him having the feet like a bear. Now we can understand the significance of this statement if we compare it to the description Daniel gave of the fourth beast the Roman Empire. “Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet.” Daniel 7:19 And describing the rise of the Roman Empire from among the remnants of the Grecian Empire he says, “A king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes. His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; he shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive.” Daniel 8:23-24 The point is, the feet on the ground of the Roman Empire were the claws of bronze that is the Grecian Empire. Rome, used their battle expertise, sea navigation skills, army training techniques, to the point Daniel says, the Roman kingdom prospered mightily but NOT by its own power. Similarly the last kingdom to rise on earth to be ruled by the man of lawlessness will have feet like that of bear, that is to say the feet on the ground in the act of conquest will be those that are represented by the Medo-Persian Empire.

In this respect both Joel and Zechariah make a point to mention those who come against the land of Israel at the end of THIS age will be from the surrounding nations. Joel says, “Assemble and come, ALL you NATIONS, and gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord. “Let the nations be awakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the SURROUNDING NATIONS.” Joel 3:11-12 Zechariah also describing the final days of battle says, “Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather ALL the NATIONS to battle against Jerusalem;” Zechariah 14:1-2 [&] “Judah also will fight at Jerusalem. And the WEALTH of all the SURROUNDING NATIONS shall be gathered together: Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.” Zechariah 14:14 He makes the last statement to show the SPOILS of war, just as Ezekiel says, “they will plunder those who plundered them, and pillage those who pillaged them.” Ezekiel 39:10 Zechariah is simply relaying to us, the wealth of surrounding nations is gathered together because they FIRST came out against Israel, to plunder and pillage them.

The significance of the surrounding nations represented by the feet like that of a bear, that is the beast that represented the Medo-Persian Empire is to portray the Clay portion of the final kingdom, whose territory currently represents a great portion of the Islamic nations, from Libya to Egypt all the way to the borders of India. The point is when John says, “The sixth poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way might be prepared of the kings of the rising of the sun.” Revelation 16:12 That is to say the armies to come are from the territories covered by the feet of the bear [Medo-Persian Empire], which is east of Israel. So the beast supported by the false prophet will gather these nations to battle against Israel, with the consent [submission] of the rest of the world. [Rev 16:13-14]

Daniel says, of the Emperor of Rome who like the beast exalted himself against God and every type of worship, “But in their place he shall honour a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honour with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a FOREIGN god, which he shall ACKNOWLEDGE, and ADVANCE its GLORY; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.” Daniel 11:38-39 While the Roman Emperor may not have been worshipped as a god by those whom he utilised to do his conquest, the idea is he galvanised an army by advancing the glory of their god, through which he enabled them to get much spoil. Daniel makes reference to this and says, “the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels.” Daniel 11:43 That is the Libyans and Ethiopians who worship different gods than that of Rome will do his bidding, represented in the conquest of Egypt. It is a similar concept that will be worked out in the final kingdom of Iron and Clay.

Daniel showed the final kingdom of mankind is composed of two fundamentally opposed kingdoms, the kingdom of IRON and the kingdom of CLAY. The man of Lawlessness, the Antichrist represents the kingdom of Iron whose core belief is founded on Atheism. The false prophet represents the kingdom of Clay whose core belief is the worship of a false god. As such Daniel says they will not adhere to one another. [Daniel 2:43] So the idea is the beast that represents the kingdom of IRON utilising the forces of the kingdom of CLAY to invade Israel. Even though in this case it is to advance his own glory, since the Clay nations being deceived by the false prophet will worship him as God, and on the day of overcoming, “—so as for him to sit down in the temple of God, setting forth that he himself is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4

As we have previously suggested that Acts 12 is a foreshadow of the event relayed in the last days. In which we have the portrayal of king Herod, an Edomite that is the descendant of Jacob’s brother Esau. Herod who ruled over Judea for Caesar, represents the combined persons of both the man of lawlessness and the false prophet who is a descendant of Ishmael the brother of Isaac, a child of Abraham. Acts record, “Now he [Herod] had been furiously angry with the Tyrians and Sidonians, and they came to him with one accord. And having gained Blastus, who was over the bedchamber of the king, they were seeking peace because of their region being nourished by the king’s. Now on the appointed day Herod, having put on the royal apparel and having SAT on the THRONE, was making an ADDRESS to them. And the people were crying out, “This is the voice of a god and not of a man!” Acts 12:20-22 The overall EXPRESSION is, Tyrians and Sidonians represent the neighbours of Israel [surrounding nations], that they being brought to submission to the combined personalities of Herod that is of the Antichrist and the false prophet, to the point of being worshipped as a god.

Now, as explained in previous chapters, the Lord Jesus Christ is King and High Priest. [Zechariah 6:13] This being said Paul says, “Then certainly if He were on earth, not even would He be a priest, there being those offering the gifts according to Law, who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly.” Hebrews 8:4-5 That is, the Lord being of the tribe of Judah is excluded from serving as priest according to the Law of Moses, under which the temple was built. THEREFORE, there will NOT be a third Temple other than the believer in whom the Spirit of God dwells in, a temple not made by the hands of mankind. “Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is increasing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:20-22

So the significance of, “for him to sit down in the temple of God,” is according to the authority granted him to OVERCOME the saints [Israel.] He will stand on the foundation where the temple of God once stood to the same measure now stands a building “the dome of the rock.” The presence of the man of lawlessness at the VERY same sight is an exemplification of the kingdom of IRON and CLAY. He has used the might of the surrounding nations and has overcome the saints. And the beast and the false prophet will be represented SIDE by SIDE at this sight. [Rev 19:20] Where he will be worshipped as God by the surrounding nation.

Whose names are NOT written: Those that are left on earth are the nations who have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ and the children of Israel, who have now come to acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah. Daniel, speaking of the great tribulation of Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans, wrote, “And at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book.” Daniel 12:1 The significance of this statement which specifically addresses ONLY those from among Israel, is to portray there could be some form among the children of Israel that might fall away during this time of tribulation. For this reason the Lord says, “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one watching and keeping his garments, so that he should not walk naked and they might see his shame.” Revelation 16:15

“If anyone has an EAR, let him HEAR. ‘If anyone is to go into CAPTIVITY, into captivity he goes; If anyone is to be KILLED with the SWORD, by the sword it is necessary for him to be killed.’ Here is the ENDURANCE and the FAITH of the SAINTS.” [vs. 9-10]

This part of the vision is describing, “to make war with the saints, and to overcome them.” We need to stress this is not speaking of the Great tribulation. The one and Great Tribulation of the first century left Judea and Jerusalem devoid and destitute for over a millennium. “And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Luke 21:24 And every atrocity that has happened to the Jewish people has its roots to this very day.

So just as during the Great tribulation, the devils rage found its expression against the Jews through the Romans. The man of lawlessness will also gather the surrounding nations against Israel. This is the tribulation which Zechariah prophesied about which precedes the return of the Lord and of that day he says, “Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather ALL the NATIONS to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into CAPTIVITY, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.” Zechariah 14:1-2

The question is why does the Lord wait? The rest of the world has missed out on their chance to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and Israel has given glory to God through the testimony of the two prophets THEN why wait until Israel is invaded and put to sword? The point is, Faith must be tested, for this reason the Lord starts this verse with “If anyone has an ear, let him hear.” Then He follows that with a declaration of an inevitable fact, those deemed for captivity to captivity and those deemed for the sword to sword. Not as an act of punishment but for the purpose of testing the endurance of faith of the saints. As Peter says, “At present for a little while if it is BEING NECESSARY, having been PUT to GRIEF by various TRIALS, so that the proven GENUINENESS of your FAITH, more precious than gold, perishing though being refined by fire, may be discovered to result in praise and glory and honour in the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:6-7 So, by the sword to test those who will not love their lives unto death and captivity to those who will endure ALL the torment that will surely accompany that.

Paul writing to the Thessalonians says, “So as for us ourselves to boast in you in the churches of God about your ENDURANCE and FAITH in all your persecutions, and in the tribulations that you are bearing. This is a plain token of the righteous judgement of God, for you to be ACCOUNTED WORTHY of the kingdom of God, for which also you suffer.” 2 Thessalonians 1:4-5 As also James, “Blessed is the man who ENDURES TRIAL, because, having been approved, he will receive the CROWN of LIFE that He has promised to those loving Him.” James 1:12 The point is our faith must be tested to determine the genuineness of our faith for qualification to eternal life.

And in future Israel’s case this will be through the horrors of war the Antichrist and the false prophet will bring upon them. John describing this trial of fire says, “And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with FIRE, and those CONQUERING over the beast, and over its image, and over the number of its name, standing upon the sea of glass, having harps of God.” Revelation 15:2 And their victory over the beast and false prophet is described in the final day as, “The souls of those having been BEHEADED because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who did NOT worship the beast, NOR his image, and did not take the mark upon the forehead, and upon their hand.” Revelation 20:4 It is not a conquest of a great battle won but a perseverance of faith in the midst of utter defeat. The reign of Christ over the nations as with the Rod of Iron does not start until His return. So those who believe in Him prior to that day will be as sheep in a world of wolves. And the tribulation to come is a LESSER tribulation than the first because of the hope of deliverance when the Lord Himself returns. “Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east.” Zechariah 14:3-4

Now, the term SAINTS can be a cause for confusion if we translate it to mean the Church. As such it can be grounds for pre & post tribulation disagreements. The term, “saints” John uses here is not according to the New Testament term of a Spirit born child of God but according to a Covenanted people of God. Which Daniel used when the Romans persecuted the Jews saying, “Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law.” Daniel 7:25 and David also exhorting his brethren says, “Oh, Love the Lord, all you His saints! Psalm 31:23 We are making this distinction because the man of lawlessness is only revealed when He [the Holy Spirit] who restrains him is removed. And everyone in whom the Spirit of God dwells is also taken up with Him, which is the Rapture of the Church. And the Saints from among the Jews who believe during this time of tribulation of the last days will be raised back to life by the Holy Spirit at the closing of THIS age, as to be born from the dead, which is the first resurrection. [Revelation 20:4-5]

In Christ Jesus there is no difference between Jew and Gentile all are made one through His body. [Galatians 3:27-28, Ephesians 2:14-18] However when the grace of God is closed there are again two sets of people on earth, the saints of God which are the children of Israel and the nations which are the Gentiles. There are no other covenants outside of Christ except the one God made with the children of Israel. “Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.” Genesis 17:19 And the Gentiles BECOME partake of this covenant ONLY through the Lord Jesus Christ. [Galatians 3:13-14]

And Paul says accordingly, “For as regards the gospel, they are enemies on account of you; but as regards election, beloved on account of the patriarchs. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Romans 11:28-29 Paul is saying, during the dispensation of the gospel of grace there are those who are the elect even from among the children of Israel, through the election of grace of which he himself is one. Just as there are the elect among Gentiles who receive Christ. However here he emphasises, concerning election which is outside of the gospel of grace, he says they are beloved for their fathers sakes. So the term saints here refers to the Jewish people, who have to face the tribulation to come because those who remain did not accept Christ in time.

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The Kingdom of Clay.

“And I saw another BEAST rising out of the EARTH, and it had TWO HORNS like a LAMB, and it was SPEAKING like a DRAGON. And it exercises ALL the AUTHORITY of the FIRST BEAST in the PRESENCE of it, and CAUSES the earth and those dwelling in it, that they will WORSHIP the first beast, of whom its FATAL WOUND had been HEALED.” [vs. 11-12

In the first part John has described to us the IRON part of the final kingdom through the beast who ascended from the bottomless pit. Now, John describes to us the beast that represents the CLAY portion of the final kingdom. While all other beasts that Daniel and John describe came up out of the sea, this is the only beast that came up from the earth [Clay]. And it had two “horns like a lamb” and was speaking like a dragon. The horns like all other times represent a human representation of the beast. Therefore the two horns are a representation of two significant figureheads that come out of this beast. The similarities of these horns, likened to that of a lamb, is to show the counterfeit aspect of these two figureheads who resemble the likeness to the Son of God yet deliver the words of the dragon. That is they will appear to be as innocent as lamb but produce the works of the dragon. The Lord said, “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So every good tree bears good fruits, but the rotten tree bears bad fruits.” Matthew 7:15-17 No one with the right sense willingly and knowingly follows the devil, so the purpose of these horns likeness to a lamb is to deceive.

The rise of this kingdom of Clay is identified by John as, “The SEVEN HEADS are seven mountains, where the woman sits on them; and there are SEVEN KINGS. The FIVE are FALLEN, the ONE IS, the OTHER has NOT YET COME; and when he shall have come, it behoves him to remain a LITTLE WHILE. And the beast which WAS, and IS NOT, is also himself an EIGHTH, and is of the seven, and goes into destruction.” Revelation 17:9-11 We can draw a parallel to the vision Daniel had of the four beasts, in which the Fourth kingdom was the Roman Empire. However, according to John’s time when the prophecies of Daniel had their fulfilment, the Roman Empire is attributed to the SIXTH head, the one identified as, “ONE IS.” Therefore the two kingdoms or heads that were not mentioned were those who preceded the visions Daniel had and that of the dream of king Nebuchadnezzar are the Assyrian and Egyptian kingdoms. This helps us to identify the Seventh kingdom described as, “NOT YET COME and remain a LITTLE WHILE,” which comes AFTER the FALL of the Roman Empire [IRON] 330 AD and before the reestablishment of the EIGHTH which is the second appearance of Abaddon the angel that represents the kingdom of IRON. This Seventh kingdom is distinct from ALL other kingdoms before it, because it comes when the dominion of the earth has been passed from the heavenly hosts to mankind through the Lord Jesus Christ. [Daniel 7:26-27] Therefore it does not rise out of SEA but from the EARTH, which Daniel identified as CLAY.

And since the kingdom of this beast with two horns like that of lamb is seeking to emulate the Kingdom of Christ which the Lord established through the TRUTH He taught then we can also expect this kingdom to be established on similar grounds of teachings be it on a false foundation, as a kingdom sowed in seed. That is the kingdom of Clay is built on ideology, a belief system emulating that of Christ. No other kingdom on the earth, Not Egyptian, not Assyrian, nor Babylonia nor Medo-Persia or Greece or even Rome were first founded on a teaching. For this reason Daniel described the final kingdom saying, “they will mingle with the seed of men but will not adhere to one another.” [Daniel 2:43] because this kingdom is built on faith.

Now John does not make a distinction between the two horns in this chapter but presents the beast as one UNIT. Only in subsequent chapters does he refer to the Second horn through its human representative identified as the FALSE PROPHET. [Revelation 16:13; 19:20] That is we have to bear in mind this chapter is speaking to us of the LAST SEVEN years of the closing of the AGE. Now it is possible for us to designate the whole beast as a FALSE PROPHET because this kingdom was not built by kings. From the first instance when the seed was first sown to the final appearance described here this beast built a kingdom promoting the worship of a false god through deception.

Now, we first need to define what it means to be a false prophet. The Lord said, “For false Christs and FALSE PROPHETS will arise and will give great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.” Matthew 24:24 The Lord gives two categories of deceptions, false Christs and false prophets. In respect to the latter Moses writes, “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 13:1-3 This is the guideline we used to determine what a false prophet is.

Now there may be many false prophets who speak presumptuously in the name of God, speaking the imagination of their own mind, there are many examples of these in the bible. There are also other prophets who serve their own god, like the prophets of Baal and Asherah, however these are not necessarily referred to as false since they serve their own gods according to their belief. However, a False Prophet we are referring to here is one who appears to speak the word of God but is intent in leading the people away from the truth. This beast is described as having a horn like a lamb but speaks like a dragon which makes him false. Therefore the two horns that represent this beast claim they are serving the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob but in reality point to another god as portrayed here in this beast who points to the angel Abaddon as God. NOTE: they are NOT saying Abaddon is a god, as many other religions have their own gods, but they are pointing at this angel claiming he is the God of Israel. And the defining character of Abaddon, according to Daniel and Paul is his disdain for God and the worship of ANY god exalting himself above them all even to present himself as God. [Daniel 11:36; 2 Thes. 2:3-4] meaning he does not want to be worshipped just as a god but The God.

And it is in this respect the Lord described, the inception of this kingdom, in the parable He taught on the seeds sown by the Son of Man and those sown by His enemy. “The kingdom of the heavens has become like a man having sown good seed in his field. And while the men are sleeping, his ENEMY came and SOWED WEEDS in the midst of the wheat, and went away.” Matthew 13:24-25 And the Lord explains the meaning of the parable, “The One sowing the good seed is the Son of Man; and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the weeds are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy having sown them is the DEVIL.” Matthew 13:37-39 That is, these two opposing kingdoms are both sowed in the earth and grow to produce fruit accordingly. Now, while Christ having come in the likeness of sinful flesh, made Himself an offering for our Sins unto death and having been raised back to life by the Spirit of God imparts His life to us. This TRUTH sowed into sinful mankind [clay] produces in us a heavenly life, people who are in the world but not of it, awaiting a HEAVENLY body in the likeness of the Lord. However, the first horn who APPEARS as if representing God also came and sowed seeds of teachings [A LIE] that in bearing fruit EXEMPLIFY the nature of the dragon in mankind, that is the nature of fallen flesh [Clay].

Now, what we assert is the kingdom of Clay represents the Islamic religion as such the first horn represents the first false prophet of Islam Muhammad, that is even though he presented himself as serving God, he was not pointing to the God of Israel. Muhammad was born in 570 AD, in Mecca, Arabia, and is believed to be a descendant of Ishmael, a son of Abraham born to him by Hagar, his wife’s Egyptian slave. The history of Islam records that by the time Muhammad was 40, in 610 AD he made a practice of going to a cave to pray by himself. And in one of these visits, he claimed that the angel Gabriel visited him commanding him to read a verse written on a cloth and almost being suffocated to death by the angel because he was not able to read it. This encounter had so terrified Muhammad that he wondered if it was indeed Satan who approached him in the cave until his wife Kadijah to whom he confided, through a test she performed assured him it was not and encouraged him to continue with the spirit. This encounter is considered his first revelation of the Quran. After a few years he proclaimed the message of submission to the one God and that he himself was the messenger of God.

It is important to state that at the onset of him proclaiming this message, the people in Mecca asked him to prove if indeed he was a prophet of God by performing signs, such as making a spring of water flaw in a desert to which he respond by saying the revelation of the Quran was itself a sign and no other signs were necessary to prove he was true. In respect to this the Lord said, “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if ANOTHER should come in [his] own name, you will receive him.” John 5:43 [AND] “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me. But if I do, even if you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and may understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” John 10:37-38 The point being Muhammad is one who came in his own name without a shred of evidence to what he taught was truly from God. Coming in his own name does not mean he fabricated his experience but that he does NOT represent God, this is the contrast the Lord was making. The Lord came in His Father’s name and proved it by signs from God, however Muhammad does not do likewise.

Nonetheless, his followers slowly but surely grew and this brought him in conflict with the polytheistic society in which he lived, therefore the initial period of the growth of Islam was spent in conflict of war and being exiled from Mecca. During his lifetime Muhammad passed to his followers the Quran through a method of reciting, and established Islamic way of life that is Islamic law. He was also involved in many battles through which he spread the message of Islam, essentially making the SWORD the emblem of Islam. Most of the battles he won, some he lost and some were stalemate. However, by 629 Muhammad had gathered enough followers and was able to march on Mecca and was able to take over the city without much bloodshed. From there he engaged in other major battles with followers numbering thousands. This history of battle and his close association with the sword in spreading his message is what gives strong indication that the prophecy of Zechariah 11:15-17 can be APPLIED to Muahammad.

Before going any further it is important to first establish the Dual aspect of the Ministry of the Lord. That is Jesus Christ’s FIRST appearance was as a Prophet and Priest making a sacrificial offering to God and it is in this process He came at odds with shepherds of the time, the Levitical priesthood. So Zechariah records, “I dismissed the three shepherds in one month. My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me.” Zechariah 11:8 The three shepherds refer to the three division of the tribe of Levi into which Levitical priesthood was divided: Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites. [1 Chronicles 23:6] Which the Lord Jesus Christ ABOLISHED when He abolished the LAW. And this animosity with the shepherds of Israel was expressed in the Shepherd of God being sold for the thirty pieces of silver, which is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ being delivered to be crucified. This aspect of the Lord’s ministry as a Shepherd is described by Ezekiel as, “I will establish one Shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.” Ezekiel 34:23-24

The next event Zechariah describes to us is of a foolish shepherd who follows after, in keeping with the parable the Lord told of a field sown by good and bad seeds. “And the Lord said to me, “NEXT, take for yourself the IMPLEMENTS of a FOOLISH SHEPHERD. For indeed I will raise up a shepherd IN the LAND who will NOT care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in pieces. “Woe to the worthless shepherd, who leaves the flock! A sword shall be against his arm and against his right eye; his arm shall completely wither, and his right eye shall be totally blinded.” Zechariah 11:15-17 Now before going any further we have to cast away any notion that Zechariah is referring to a Jewish spiritual leader, a priest. The Lord makes this point by saying, “raise up a shepherd in the land,” NOT from among the people, which we believe refers to the presence of Islam in Jerusalem.

Now we might be tempted to use the Lord’s statement about the Good Shepherd from the gospel of John and apply it to the prophecy of Zechariah and reach a different conclusion. However, we have to bear in mind that in the gospel of John the Lord was NOT speaking of a foolish shepherd to come after Him, but was referring to the shepherds that went before Him saying, “All who ever came BEFORE Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.” Then He says, “I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. But the HIRED SERVANT, being not the shepherd, whose OWN the SHEEP are NOT, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them—” John 10:8, 11-13 The Levitical priesthood are the HIRED servants, who served God under the Law. So the Lord here was addressing the exact same point which Ezekiel 34:7-10 prophesied about. Where the Lord delivered His flock from the hands of the hired shepherds who did not care for them, making them to be prey for the beasts of the field.

The main point the Lord was emphasising was a matter of OWNERSHIP. Hebrews says, “And indeed Moses was faithful as a SERVANT in all His house, unto a testimony of the things going to be spoken, but Christ as the Son over HIS HOUSE, whose house we are.” Hebrews 3:5-6 Christ owns His sheep; they are His and He calls them “My sheep,” however the servant does not. More importantly for our understanding of the Prophecies of Zechariah this system of administering the things of God has come to a close which Ezekiel as Zechariah clearly shows saying, “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will CAUSE them to CEASE FEEDING the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.” Ezekiel 34:10 If God chose to CAUSE them to STOP feeding the sheep, He then CANNOT turn around and say a shepherd will come from them one who does not feed the flock! So the conclusion is that the foolish shepherd is NOT in reference to Israel’s priesthood but to the one who comes AFTER under his own name and stands in UTTER CONTRAST to the Lord Himself.

This being said, the event that strictly follows after the Good Shepherd is the event Zechariah described at the beginning of the chapter, “There is the sound of wailing shepherds! For their glory is in ruins. There is the sound of roaring lions! For the pride of the Jordan is in ruins.” Zechariah 11:3 [J.m] teaches that this is speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem. The shepherds, that is the priests, are wailing because the temple of God which they took pride in was burned to the ground by the Romans. The Lord also described the desolation of Jerusalem as, “And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, UNTIL the TIMES of the GENTILES are FULFILLED.” Luke 21:24 The point is, even though throughout the centuries many Gentiles lived in the land of Judea, yet according to God it was considered to be DESOLATE because the rightful owners, the Jews have been in exile.

So when Zechariah says, “For indeed I will raise up a shepherd IN the LAND,” the object of that statement is in respect to the flock that is the Jewish people. Therefore for the prophecies of Zechariah to apply, the Jews MUST first be reestablished in their own land. Therefore by necessity of the desolation of Jerusalem Zechariah’s prophecy of a foolish shepherd must be referring to the times of the SECOND HORN, that is one who comes after the Rapture of the Church in fulfilment of the times of the Gentiles. A similar principle is also repeated in the closing chapters, Zechariah 13:7-9 describes the striking of the Shepherd and scattering of the flock, that is the desolation of Jerusalem. After which Chapter 14 opens in the final days, ONCE Judea has been resettled by those who were scattered, and in the process of being oppressed by the surrounding nations [Islam].

Which brings us to the Second aspect of the Lord’s ministry at His return, as both High Priest and King, to rule the nations with a rod of iron. Which Ezekiel describes as “David My servant shall be KING over them, and they shall all have one Shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them.” Ezekiel 37:24 Here Ezekiel establishes the Lord Jesus Christ as both Shepherd and King, which Zechariah also describes the Lord as a Priest sitting on His throne. [Zechariah 6:13] It is in this respect that the Lord Jesus Christ will come to battle against BOTH the ruler of this world and the one who represents him in a false faith. [Revelation 19:19-20]

Likewise, the prophecies of Zechariah of the foolish shepherd seem to be presenting both beasts of Revelation in one statement. The initial aspect makes a reference to a false prophet, in regards to the service he fails in rendering, “who will NOT care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand.” Which we can compare to the service the Lord Himself renders as a Good Shepherd, “I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God. I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgement.” Ezekiel 34:15-16 The second aspect of Zechariah prophecy describes the physical appearance, “A sword shall be against his arm and against his right eye,” which relates to John’s description of the Antichrist, the ruler of this world, “the beast that has the wound of the sword and has lived.” Revelation 13:14 So the foolish shepherd aspect is attributed to the false prophet while the wound of the sword can be applied to the king the Antichrist. That is the false prophet is given ALL the authority of the Antichrist that he may fully represent him IN THE LAND. And he will seek to deceive and force the Jews to worship a false god at the pain of death. [Revelation 15:2; 20:4] That is they will seek to Invade Israel together. [Rev. 16:13-14]

The principle we used to apply this prophecy to Muhammad is the principle we used throughout this study. We used the prophecies of Daniel in respect to the Roman Empire, the kingdom of Iron to understand the kingdom of the Antichrist. That is by knowing the character of the beast [Abaddon], the spirit that worked through the Roman Emperors, according to the writings of Daniel, we have grounds to expect what the man of lawlessness will be like in the last days. Therefore, in this instance the character described by Zechariah 11:15-16 of the Second Horn can be applied to the First Horn: Muhammad because it is the same beast [spirit] that operates in both of them. The main point is the contrast between the Good Shepherd and the foolish one, it is TRUTH against a LIE, it is SHEEP against WOLVES [in respect to method], a wolf tears its prey and eats its fat, while sheep are meek. And the beginnings of Islam under Muhammad qualify for these comparisons. So Even though Muhammad has never been to Jerusalem his method and practice are identical to the one who is yet to come IN THE LAND.

So when Zechariah describes the foolish shepherd as one who eats their flesh and tears their hooves to pieces that is to say he is not there to serve the interest of the flock but he will serve his own interests ruling over them in tyranny. The Lord gave a similar example in Ezekiel, “As I live,” says the Lord God, “Surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock.” & “For I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.” Ezekiel 34:8,10 The illustration is eating the flesh of the fat that is of the flock represents the flock serving the interests of the shepherd. And when he says “tearing their hooves in pieces,” it is to signify how with cruel intent he seeks to subdue the flock, making the people fall into submission at the pain of death. Tearing the hooves, makes the flock unable to STAND and unable to ESCAPE, that through their lifetime they may be BOUND to him in FEAR.

Zechariah also makes the point that the foolish shepherd “does not feed those that STILL STAND,” we can compare this aspect with the Good Shepherd, “I will feed My flock, and I will make them LIE DOWN.” That is the foolish shepherd will not give them REST, he will KEEP them in a constant state of performance, working, trying to earn to qualify themselves. There is a difference between those that are STILL STANDING and those STANDING STILL. The idea is after the sheep are fed they are made to lie down to masticate. David also says, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.” Psalms 23:1-2 So Zechariah is showing the foolish shepherd will establish a religion of performance which Islam is.

Now this shepherd is described as foolish because he is one who does not have the fortitude to see and understand that he himself is being deceived. The implement of a foolish shepherd is the SWORD. Zechariah gives the example of the Good Shepherd with a staff in His hands by which He guides and corrects His flock. This is contrasted against the foolish shepherd who in the act of shepherding takes up the sword by which he terrorizes the flock ruling over them to serve his own interests. From the moment the message Muhammad brought gathered sufficient followers, it was steeped in blood, not as a sacrifice given at the altar of truth but as blood exacted from those who resist. Sacrifice is laying down one’s life however when we are taking lives to advance our own cause we are not sacrificing we are butchering. So Muhammad set in motion a kingdom of faith that is spread through the land by a sword and he is believed to have died from an illness at the age of 61 by the year 632.

This was the beginning of the Islamic kingdom, and every successive leader that came after him propagated the ideology of submission to the one God and Muhammad being his messenger through which they united the people and continued on the conquest of the middle east, from parts of north Africa to Persia. Tribes and clans that were divided were conquered and held together through submission to this faith. The succession of this new found faith and kingdom was passed peacefully by the first 3 leaders that came after Muhammad and continued from 632 to 661. However after the murder of the third successive leader, civil war broke out on the question of right of succession and Islam essentially became divided into two main groups, the Shias and the Sunnis. It is during this initial period that the city of Jerusalem fell into the hands of Islam some time between 635-638 and the city remained off and on under various Islamic rule until the fall of the Ottoman Empire 1922 and was passed into the hands of the British. In 1948 Israel gained her independence and by 1967 in a six day war Jerusalem once again was in the hands of the Jews.

At this point it is important to CLARIFY that Islam is not strictly a kingdom or an empire. The kingdom that Islam is comparable to is the kingdom of Christ, the church. However, Christ’s kingdom is not earthly it is HEAVENLY so cannot be described as such with other earthly kingdoms. But this ought to give us an understanding of the unique standing of the kingdom of Islam. John described the Seventh head as, “when he shall have come, it behoves him to remain a little while,” this he says in contrast to the other five kings who have fallen including the sixth, Rome when extended to apply to our own time. That is there is a spirit of Islam that began at the rise of the Seventh head through the FIRST horn that will remain until the rise of the EIGHTH beast and the revelation of the SECOND horn. That at the end of days, both IRON and CLAY may be represented side by side. So from its beginning in 610 Islam’s belief has been propagated by a variety of Islamic nations and kingdoms through the process of conquest, each seeking to be the rightful custodian of the faith. Islam has no apostles to speak of but uses the method of conquest and governance to convert and rule. So it will remain until the days of harvest as the Lord said, “Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the harvesters, “First gather the weeds, and bind them into bundles in order to burn them; then gather together the wheat into my barn.” Matthew 13:30

So the Second horn will once again form a united Islam by a forceful method of conversion and submission to the worship of the beast whose wound was healed. For which the Medo & Persian and Babylonian Empires are an appropriate representation of its territory and techniques. Therefore just as the unifying feature of the kingdom of Iron is its democratic rule coupled with Atheism, the unifying feature of the kingdom of Clay is its faith in Islam and the laws that accompany it. It is worth noting here that Islam by its traditions has an expectation of a figurehead to come during the end of days, called the Mahdi, who will come before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and is expected to restore the true faith of Islam. This concept varies between Sunni and Shias; nonetheless there is a sense of expectancy of such a person by both groups. The point is the heart and mind of Muslims is already geared towards accepting such a figure! So when he does appear with signs and wonders they will easily follow him.

The next point we want to address is [the beast of the false prophet] is described as having “ALL the authority of the FIRST BEAST in the PRESENCE of it.” The point is there is a hierarchy, “the dragon gave to it his power, and his throne, and great authority,” to the first beast, the angel Abaddon whose wound was healed. However the second beast operates under the authority of the first beast, that is under a delegated authority. So when John says in the PRESENCE of it, that is to show the second beast which is represented by the Second Horn, the false prophet will act in great authority ONCE the first beast is REVEALED. Unlike the Antichrist, who appears suddenly, the man, the false prophet, must by nature have been alive for a significant amount of time prior to the revelation of the man of lawlessness, however he does not get to perform any of the signs and wonders until this day. And the signs and wonders which are granted to him by the FIRST BEAST are for the purpose that he may deceive those who dwell on the earth, and CAUSE them to WORSHIP the first beast, of whom its FATAL WOUND had been HEALED.

Which in essence identifies the angel ABADDON as the god of ISLAM. That is the Second horn is NOT introducing a NEW concept, if the Second beast with two horns in the final days pointed at the angel Abaddon saying he is God then it stands to reason the First horn that represented the same beast would have presented the same angel as God since it is EXACTLY the SAME spirit. Therefore in a general term what Islam calls Allah is a reference to the angel Abaddon. This is what makes the two prophets that come through this beast FALSE. As Moses described, they appear to serve God and by the signs and wonders granted to them they will cause people to worship a false god. So every Muslim believes they are worshipping the same God as Jews and Christians, on which their faith is dependent, however in reality this is not true. So Islam’s authenticity as a faith is bound to the claim of association it makes to Judaism and Christianity, which with the same breath it denounces as false without this claim it is just another philosophy with an idolaters worship practices.

So in essence the false prophet is like the serpent in the garden that seeks to make people eat from the poisoned tree, by making it seem that all the trees in the garden are alike. The serpent said to Eve, “Has God indeed said, “You shall NOT eat of EVERY TREE of the garden?” Genesis 3:1 By this one statement the devil planted in the mind of Eve that ALL the trees were under the same judgement of God, so when she in response negated it, he then turned and presented the forbidden tree to be just as valuable as the rest if not more. Through subtlety of mere ASSOCIATION he made the once FEARED forbidden tree to be acceptable, first to her eyes then touch and finally taste. So likewise, the Quran is also represented side by side with the Torah and Bible, while hiding its true purpose to bring death. It references names and places and dialogues all with the purpose of drawing similarities, but ultimately it stands in stark opposition to the truth. It plays on the feeling of rejection of Ishmael, as it did on Cain that is they by merit of being a descendant of Ishmael, PREFER to believe Muhammad to be a preferred prophet above all and the words of his mouth to be true above of that of the Torah and Gospels.

The relationship of the First beast to that of the Second beast can be expressed in the vast reach of territory they cover. The Angel Abaddon sits on a throne in an area where his prevalent disdain for the worship of God is expressed in Atheism, that is Unified Europe [Iron], while the other part of the final kingdom is served by the Second beast the false prophet, who subdues the people under a Unified Islam [Clay] to worship Abaddon himself as God. Therefore bringing the reach of the kingdom of the Antichrist from the tips of western Europe all the way to the far reaches of the borders of the Persian kingdom. “The beast that I saw was like a leopard, and its feet like a bear’s, and its mouth like the mouth of a lion.” All of which he manages without a single act of war!

“And it works GREAT SIGNS, so that it should EVEN cause FIRE out of HEAVEN to come down to the EARTH in the presence of men. And it DECEIVES those dwelling on the earth, by REASON of the SIGNS that were given to it to perform before the beast, telling those dwelling on the earth to make an IMAGE [TO] the beast that has the WOUND of the SWORD and has LIVED. And there was given to it to give BREATH to the IMAGE of the BEAST, so that image of the beast also should SPEAK, and should cause that as many as WOULD NOT worship the image of the beast would be KILLED.” [vs. 13-15]

The previous verse stated that the signs and wonders which are granted to him by the FIRST BEAST are for the purpose that he may deceive those who dwell on the earth, and cause them to WORSHIP the first beast, of whom its FATAL WOUND had been HEALED as God. This statement signifies to us the beginnings of the 42 months authority of the first beast. We normally confuse Daniel with John and think the Antichrist will rule for 7 years which is a mistake. The Antichrist will come to prominence in the SECOND half of the end of the age of Grace. That is during the first 3 and half years of the testimony of the two prophets the Antichrist and his false prophet are not able to do anything. However once the two prophets of God FINISH their testimony they are killed by the Antichrist, then he also will bring forth his false prophet and give him authority that he may deceive the world that he in fact is God. So the Wound of the Beast serves as a marker for us. And the fact he has a wound in a manner the world can relate to is evidence that Abaddon will be manifested among mankind as a man.

FIRE out of HEAVEN: This sign has significance in seeking to deceive people because Elijah used it to convince the children of Israel to turn away from the worship of Baal by making fire come down from heaven before men, proving the God of Israel is God saying, “the God who answers by fire, He is God.” [1 Kings 18:22-39] Likewise we see here the First beast granting his false prophet to perform the same feat in the presence of mankind to convince them the Antichrist, the beast whose wound was healed is God. There is another example of a similar demonstration of the power of Satan in the story of Job. Where Satan having been granted permission to afflict Job went out to bring destruction upon him. And one of the means he used was to bring fire from heaven to burn up the sheep. “The FIRE of God FELL from HEAVEN and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them!” [Job 1:16]

Note: This is one of the many SIGN(S) the false prophet will perform, however since John used the word “even” to describe this sign we can expect it to mean this is the pinnacle of the display of his power.

Make an IMAGE [TO] the Beast: In the description of the first beast John says, “its mouth like the mouth of a lion.” We have suggested that this is in respect to Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar and the manner he sought to exalt himself above the word of God. In the story Nebuchadnezzar was given a dream of the kingdoms of the world, starting from his own: Gold followed by Media and Persia: silver, then Greece: bronze, then Rome: Iron, finally a final kingdom of Iron and Clay. The meaning of the dream was told to him by Daniel saying, “The great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this.” Daniel 2:45 However, the next incident the book of Daniel records is, “Nebuchadnezzar the king made an IMAGE of GOLD, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.” Daniel 3:1 The significance of this act was that Nebuchadnezzar was openly defying God to say my kingdom of gold will endure forever, which the Antichrist also seeks to do by exalting himself.

Through which king Nebuchadnezzar for the first time sought to implement forcible worship of the image he built on his subject at the pain of death. “So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counsellors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and ALL the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.” Daniel 3:3-6 So the Second aspect Babylon represents in the final kingdom is the act of forceful worship, which the false prophet also will implement.

So the false prophet by the signs he performs deceives people, “to make an image TO the beast that has the wound of the sword and has lived.” Here we would like to point out the significance of making an image [TO] the beast. As we have suggested before, the Antichrist will come to prominence when he defeats the two prophets who tormented the world. This seems to be the significant feature through which he attained relevance in both the Western and Eastern world. John writes how the world celebrated, “Those dwelling on the earth REJOICE over them and MAKE MERRY, and will SEND GIFTS to one another, because these two prophets have tormented those dwelling upon the earth.” Revelation 11:10 So the Antichrist will be received by the entire world in honour for this deed and the False Prophet seems to want to commemorate his victory by building an image TO the beast, emphasised by “has the wound of the sword and has lived.”

Here it is important to elaborate the role a False Prophet plays in the last days. Now, it is evident the Western world accepted the Antichrist willingly being of one mind with him to give him their power and authority even to the point of burning Great Babylon with fire, without the need of a prophet. “The TEN HORNS that you saw, and the BEAST, these will HATE the prostitute, and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh, and will burn her with FIRE.” Revelation 17:16 The fact these nations are in complete agreement with the beast in HATING the woman is evident they also like him are in complete opposition to any form of worship of God.

However, the Antichrists will use a False Prophet to deceive the rest of the world. A False Prophet has a very specific sphere of influence. Paul said, “prophecy is not to the unbelieving, but to the believing.” 1 Corinthians 14:22 So a prophet be true or false has significance ONLY among believers NOT Atheists. So by the virtue of his title a prophet must have a religion he represents and in this case the False Prophet represents the Islamic faith, that is in respect to Israel’s surrounding nations over whom he will have the greater influence. It is in this respect that the second beast is granted to perform signs and wonders, precisely for the purpose of convincing people in FAITH, not to turn away from Islam but to strengthen it by giving evidence for their faith in the person of the Antichrist.

The next sign which the false prophet seems to perform is to give breath to the IMAGE so as the image of the beast also should SPEAK. So like the image Nebuchadnezzar built representing his kingdom, these also will be required to worship the IMAGE of the Antichrist. And the IMAGE will be able to keep track of people keeping account who are worshipping it and those who do not. The result of which is those who refuse to worship the image will be killed.

Now, Islam on the face of it is opposed to any form of image worship, yet it is a faith that has directed its prayer to a single place on earth where a central figure Kaaba resides which according to the tradition of Islam believed to have been built by Abraham and Ishmael. Upon which a black stone is attached of unknown origin where Muslims point to, touch and kiss and is the focal point when circling around the Kaaba during their yearly pilgrimage, which Muhammad called the “right hand of Allah.” This mysterious object is the recipient of all acts of worship to which every Muslim man, woman and child bows before with their head to the ground. The point is an IMAGE set in the right place can be a central point of worship and in keeping with their tradition of pilgrimage of the faith it can keep account of those who fail to worship it. [Subjective]: Therefore it is more than likely that the IMAGE of the beast will be built in Mecca, because it is the centre of all worship in Islam. Islam itself has a belief that at the end of days the black stone will open its mouth to testify of those who touched it with sincerity of heart, as the Image itself will do.

In the previous section we have shown that Israel was actually considered to be given into the hands of the Emperor of Rome from the moment they submitted to stop the daily sacrifice, which Daniel described as “The saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.” Daniel 7:25 Likewise here the nations are also given to be into the hands of the Beast for 42 months. It is over this period the False Prophet will implement ALL his deceptive system to bring the surrounding nation to submission. At the start of Revelation 16 we can see when the wrath of God was first poured out; it affected those who had the mark of the beast. “The first departed and poured out his bowl into the earth, and an evil and grievous sore came upon the MEN having the MARK of the BEAST and those WORSHIPPING its IMAGE.” Revelation 16:2 This is significant because EVEN before gathering to come against the Land of Israel, the surrounding nations have ALREADY been made subject to the beast, his image and his number.

So we can use the prophecies of Daniel as a guide to build a sequence of events of what we expect the end of days to be like. John attributes 1260 days for the first portion of the 7 year covenant when worship went as normal until the daily sacrifice was stopped. [Rev. 12:6] which we equally associate with the 3 and half year period when the two prophets of God testified to Israel, until they also were stopped when the Antichrist killed them. [Rev 11:3] Now Daniel attributes 1290 days from this moment until the abomination of desolation was set up. [Daniel 12:11] Daniel gives an extra 30 days here, outside of the 7 year covenant. We also have associated the 42 months when the Antichrist and the False Prophet caused the nations to be brought into submission, which we are addressing in this chapter. [Rev. 11:2,13:5] [Subjective] The 30 days difference, we have attributed to the time when God’s wrath will be poured out on the kingdom of the beast. Daniel allocates another 45 days between when the revolt started in Jerusalem when the object offence was set up to the day the Roman army surrounded Jerusalem. [Daniel 12:12] We also have allocated these 45 days to the time when the Euphrates river dries up to make way for the kings of the east to come against Israel. [Rev. 16:12-16]

As it started in Babylon when Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold for the nations and people to forcibly worship at the pains of death, it will end in the same way. In the days of Daniel the three Jewish men, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego” would NOT fall down to worship the gold image, likewise in the last days only the Jews will have light to see and will refuse to worship the image of beast causing many of them to be beheaded. [Rev 15:2; 20:4] So the Image of the Beast is a demonstration of defiance against God.

Here we need to Justify why there will be SEVERE Judgement on those practising the ISLAMIC faith, during this time especially against those devout worshippers who will be made subject to the image of the beast and bear his mark. [Rev. 14:9] Islam’s act of submission is actually an open declaration of one who is devoted to stand in TOTAL opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ. God calls the Atheist a fool, “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” Psalms 14:1 However in terms of those who have given themselves to be subject to the beast through the deception of the false prophet, these He gathers first from the world to be burned. Islam is not just an act of denying the Lord, or ignoring the Lord but an act of a willing service to His enemy. And this is illustrated in the final days by the army the beast and the false prophet gather to fight against the Lord. So the Seventh head of the kingdoms of the earth is unique in this respect.

“And it causes ALL the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the servants, that it should give them a MARK on their right hand or on their forehead, and that no one should be able to BUY or to SELL, if not the one having the mark—the name of the beast, or the number of its name. Here is the wisdom. The one having understanding, let him count the number of the beast, for it is a man’s number, and its number is six hundred sixty-six.” [vs. 16-18 ]

Here we see things accelerating fast, keeping in mind the Antichrist and the false prophet only have 42 months to bring the whole world into submission. So the next step the FALSE PROPHET takes is to force the entire population to bear the mark of the beast that unless they have the mark of the beast upon their right hand or forehead they will not be able to BUY or SELL. Which in general means ALL forms of money transaction including employment, since we SELL our service to earn money. John describes a wide rage of society NONE are exempted, from the rich all the way to the slave. Again here we would like to point out the False Prophet’s sphere of Influence, so this measure will most likely be implemented by Islamic nations, the point is the MARK represents PROOF of faith.

[SUBJECTIVE]: Now we can deduce the state of the world during these days to be dire. The Rapture has taken a quarter of the population. The ensuing event of sword, famine, plague and beast of the earth will destroy a third of the world’s population. So we can expect goods and services will not be easy to come by. And in such cases, the flesh of mankind will seek to segregate and give preference of service, which itself is a ploy. So in the regions where the false prophet presides over, he will mandate a system by which one must bear the mark of the beast to engage in any commercial activity making it imperative for survival. As it is, many poor people who travel to rich Islamic nations for employment are required to be converted to the faith. So it is not far-fetched to imagine failure to have adhered to this faith can easily segregate a person out from any form of activity. As it stands currently identification papers in some, if not all of Islamic countries have your registered faith at birth. And any deviation, bearing in mind not towards but away from is punishable by prison or death.

Now, this prophecy can be applied to include various world wide events. Like the recent COVID related measures used, to restrict movement and employment through forced ownership of people’s BODIES. Also China, who is working on a chip to be implanted in the hands of its population to be used for identification and commercial purposes. Now these by itself do not constitute a mark of the beast, it is however a system implemented to shackle the population with a particular nation’s agenda. However, the same technology used in Islamic regions, for the purpose of the advancement of the worship of the beast is. The mark of the beast is not just the use of technology, it is in respect to what it represents, “the NAME of the beast or the NUMBER of his name.” That is why the USE of a FALSE PROPHET is a significant point. So the world will increasingly seek ways to isolate particular groups that do not adhere to a narrative that is being propagated, but these are just the beginnings of the foundation. However, the mark of the beast is Only implemented during the SEVEN YEAR period of the End of GRACE, so the systems we are witnessing are mere preludes.

Though we can understand how the right hand can be used as described in the chip China seeks to build. However we will be hard pressed to identify a reason why someone will have one on their forehead for the purpose of buying or selling. As we have said Islam stands in CONTRAST to Christianity, because of this aspect it is UNIQUE from all the other kingdoms of the earth and from every other idolatrous worship that is practised around the world. Now, John speaking of the new Heaven and Earth says, “And there will not be any curse any longer. And the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will serve Him. And they will see His face, and His name will be on their FOREHEADS.” Revelation 22:3-4 The mark on the forehead is a mark of belonging and it is this concept that is being counterfeited here. The point is it has spiritual significance, so the mark on the forehead is not an aspect of Atheism but one of faith.

Calculating the Mark of the Beast: The number of the beast is in reference to the Antichrist and NOT to the False Prophet. We know the first beast is the angel Adbaddon that rises from the bottomless pit, which John himself identifies for us. [Revelation 9:11 & 11:7] The False Prophet is responsible for causing people to worship the first beast and his image and to receive his mark. [Revelation 19:20] So the mark of the beast will consist of the NAME by which the angel of the bottomless pit will be known on the earth [the name of the beast] OR the number of its name. And John follows that with a statement, “let him count the number of the beast, for it is a man’s number.” John clarifies to us this beast that has been described thus far is NOW equated to a man so the number six hundred sixty-six links the beast to mankind.

So what is the mystery John is asking us to consider, when saying “let him count the number of the beast?” The word used here as “count” can be to calculate or even to consider. The other place this word was used in the New Testament is when the Lord said, “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first, having sat down, count the cost, whether he has enough for its completion?” Luke 14:28 The question is, why would this even have significance to the church that is already Raptured? The revelation of the Antichrist is not relevant to the church, since he will NOT be revealed until after the Church with the Holy Spirit is taken away from the world. [2 Thes. 2:3-4, 6-8] Therefore by DEFAULT as far as the Church is concerned, it means we WILL never know his name before the time. Which means the search to identify the name of the Antichrist is FUTILE. Then the significance of the number of the beast [for which John instructs us to count] must be something other, perhaps as it relates to the time in respect to man’s triune nature. The number 6 in Hebrew represents mankind.

However the Second beast is in respect to the False Prophet and Daniel speaking of this final kingdom of IRON and CLAY says, “As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.” Daniel 2:43 The relationship of the Islamic world with the rest of the world has been a tumultuous one. Though bonded to one another through needs [oil] yet are driven apart through values that ultimately diverge. Islamic faith traces its ancestry to Ishmael, the son Haggar born to Abraham and God speaking of him said, “You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has heard your affliction. He shall be a wild man; his hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” Genesis 16:11-12 And it is this relationship that is ultimately expressed, through the faith that stems from his bloodline.

[The above information as it relates to Islam was gathered from wikipedia.com search terms used are: Black stone, Muhammad, Mahdi]

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Revelation 14: The Harvest of Wheat & Grapes.

This chapter is one of the DEFINITIVE chapters of the book of Revelation that enables us to understand the closing of the Age of Grace, told to us from a HEAVENLY PERSPECTIVE. From the opening of the Age of Grace, with its first [144,000] workers, to the proclamation of the gospel to the end of the earth. It goes on to give a briefest of notice to the unfaithfulness of Babylon the Great followed by the STERNEST of WARNING to the teaching of a false faith by a false prophet. And the chapter closes by describing the closing of the age in terms of harvest; the harvest of wheat, the saved and the harvest of grapes, the condemned. So this chapter in essence summarises the book of Revelation and it is the SPINE that connects all. So if we have a right view of this chapter we will be able to understand the entire book as far as it concerns the sequence of events.

The parable that best captures this chapter is the parable of the wheat and tares of the field, and the Lord giving the meaning of the parable said, “The One SOWING the good seed is the Son of Man; and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the weeds are the sons of the evil one; and the ENEMY having SOWN them is the devil; and the HARVEST is the CONSUMMATION of the age; and the HARVESTERS are angels.” Matthew 13:37-39 So this chapter is using a farming analogy to bring to a close the effect of chapter 12 and 13 of two contrasting kingdoms. The main point is the word “SOWN,” a kingdom that is produced through that action. Mankind has fallen from the day Adam sinned, has doubted God and worshipped idols but what we fail to see is the MAGNITUDE of the effect of this action. It is not to pick on Islam for the sake of it, but to illustrate its coming forth to be specifically to CONTRADICT the Gospel of Christ and the UTTER destruction it brings upon those who are deceived by it.

“And I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing upon Mount Zion, and WITH HIM one hundred forty-four thousand having His name and the name of His Father having been WRITTEN on their foreheads. And I heard a voice out of heaven like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of loud thunder. And the voice that I heard was like that of harpists harping with their harps.” [vs. 1-3]

These are the SAME 144,000 servants of the Lord that were sealed on their foreheads from all the tribes of Israel in Chapter 7. When he says the Lamb standing on mount Zion with Him 144,000 he is speaking in terms of the heavenly Jerusalem. Paul in Hebrews writes, “But you have come to Mount Zion, and the CITY of the living God, the HEAVENLY Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, and to the assembly, to the church of the firstborn having been enrolled in the heavens, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous having been perfected, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkling of blood, speaking better things than that of Abel.” Hebrews 12:22-24 This is the same picture John is describing for us here.

These 144,000 are ALREADY standing with Him, and have received their REWARD, as the Lord said, “The one overcoming, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall not go out anymore. And I WILL WRITE upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” Revelation 3:12 That is to say they have run their course on the earth and were received up into heaven. So while Chapter 7 described the beginning of their ministry NOW Seven chapters later we see them having accomplished their purpose standing in Glory with the Lord, harp in hand.

“And they are singing as a new song BEFORE the THRONE, and before the four living creatures, and the elders. And no one was able to learn the song, except the one hundred forty-four thousand having been redeemed from the earth. These are they who have not been defiled with women; for they are pure, these following the Lamb wherever He shall go. These have been REDEEMED out from men as FIRSTFRUITS to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth no lie was not found; they are blameless.” [vs. 4–5]

These 144,000 as described above are the first workers of God. Those who have dedicated their lives to proclaim the message of the gospel. Paul in 1st Corinthians, exhorts men and women to dedicate themselves to the service of God, especially on the account of the times they were living through. And he wished others were as himself was, as one who received grace from God. “Now I say this by way of concession, NOT by way of COMMAND. And I wish all men to be even like myself. But each has his own gift from God; for one has this, but one that.” 1 Corinthians 7:6-7 The point is there was such an exhortation to the pursuit of preaching the message of the gospel they have laid aside other pursuits of life. “Now I say this for your own benefit, NOT that I might place upon you a RESTRAINT, but for what is seemly and devoted to the Lord, without distraction.” 1 Corinthians 7:35

Paul and Barnabas were ones who have dedicated themselves to such pursuits, “Have we no authority to eat and to drink? Have we no authority to take about a believer as a wife, as also the other apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?” 1 Corinthians 9:4-5 The point is even though he was writing to the Gentiles the concession he was pointing to was a life of purity in the service of the Lord without the burden of command. This conveys the mindset of some of the workers of the early Christians. So he says, “So then also, the one marrying the own virgin does well, and the one not marrying will do better.” 1 Corinthians 7:38 These are the ones described above, THEY ARE NOT YET TO COME, but have already been.

John says, they are the firstfruits, “These have been REDEEMED out from MEN as FIRSTFRUITS to God and to the Lamb.” That is these were the first to be redeemed from ALL of MANKIND, and they strictly belong to the tribes of Israel and hold a UNIQUE standing for all of eternity. Jacob said to Ruben, “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.” Genesis 49:3 This is what it means to be firstfruits, the first product of the earth and is GREATLY valued by God. The Lord Himself is described as being a firstfruit. “Christ has been RAISED out from the DEAD, the FIRSTFRUIT of those having FALLEN ASLEEP.” 1 Corinthians 15:20 This signifies a gathered harvest, they were sown, grew and flourished and were gathered up to become firstfruits of those “having fallen asleep.” NOTE: Christ is NOT the firstfruits of those born again but those that have fallen asleep. Fallen asleep is a term used for Christians that DIE in the Lord. So if we equate being born again to a farming terminology it would be to be PLANTED but to have fallen asleep is to be harvested, to pass on having accomplished the time on earth. Firstfruits are not those in the ground, they are those held in hand as sheaves.

The Times of the Jews: So these verses are describing the end of the sealing of 144,000 and the opening of the door to the Gentiles which we addressed in Chapter 7 and chapter 8. That is the 144,000 were already sealed by the time the first incident to harm the earth, the famine that swept across the world. From this point forward the Jews were increasingly hostile to the Gospel, for which Acts 13 was the beginning of and the inevitable end of the destruction of Jerusalem.

“And I saw another angel flying in MID-HEAVEN, having the everlasting GLAD TIDINGS to preach upon those dwelling on the earth, and upon every nation and tribe and tongue and people, saying in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgement has come. And worship the One having made heaven, and the earth, and sea, and springs of waters.” [vs. 6-7]

John now describes for us the Times of the Gentiles through three Main Proclamations that follow the vision of the Lamb with His 144,000.

The First Proclamation the angel makes is the preaching of the gospel message to all who dwell on the earth. This is the second time John distinguishes for us the first to receive the message of the Gospel were the tribes of Israel. The Lord charged His disciples saying, “It is not yours to know times or seasons that the Father put in place by His own authority. But you will receive power, the Holy Spirit having come upon you, and you will be witnesses for Me, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:7-8 The Lord set out the progression of events from the midst of Jerusalem extending out to Judea and Samaria then to the rest of the world. And Paul also exhorted his brethren saying, “it is right the message should be proclaimed to you first.” Acts 13:46

So we see here the times of the Gentiles have now fully come and the angel is proclaiming the message to be preached to, “every nation and tribe and tongue and people,” for them to turn to God as to be introduced to HIM. Which is the same message Paul preached in Athens saying, “So indeed God, having overlooked the times of ignorance, now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He set a day in which He is about to judge the world in righteousness by a Man whom He appointed, having provided a guarantee to all, having raised Him out from the dead.” Acts 17:30 The point being the sequence of events, first Israel the firstborn then the nations. And this period will come to an end on the sounding of the sixth trumpet in Chapter 9 when the CHURCH is RAPTURED.

“And another, a second angel, followed, saying, “Fallen, Fallen is Babylon the great, who has given ALL the Gentiles to DRINK of the WINE of the passion of her IMMORALITY.” [vs. 8]

Here we enter into the last Seven years of the age of Grace, when God’s judgement is poured out on the world.

The Second Proclamation the second angel makes is the destruction of the false church. The early church had to constantly struggle against teaching that came up against the truth of the Gospel. And Babylon the Great is charged with causing the Gentiles to take part in the passions of her immorality. Wine speaks of the corrupt teachings of Babylon the Great through which she has caused every nation and tribe and tongue and people to acts of unfaithfulness towards God. And the angel here declares the judgement that befell her. Great Babylon is mentioned between the seeds sown by the Son of man and seeds sown by the devil. And she is portrayed as one who has no harvest to give, be it good or bad. No children to speak of, just unfaithfulness to God, and through a form of religiosity she lulls people into a false sense of security and into sleep that produces no fruit. And her destruction is described from the end of chapter 16 to chapter 18. This is a significant point to consider, when such a vast space in chapters is dedicated to this topic. The Antichrist and the false prophet have less chapter space dedicated to their destruction, than the False Church.

We can compare Babylon the Great to the warning the Lord gave to the church of Thyatira, to give us an ILLUSTRATION of effect NOT a DIRECT association. “But I have against you that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, the one calling herself a prophetess and teaching and misleading My servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols. And I have given her time that she might repent, and she is not willing to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will cast her into a sickbed, and those committing adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they shall repent of her deeds. And I will kill her children with death.” Revelation 2:20-23 Jezebel was king Ahab’s wife who misled Israel into more unfaithfulness, she made idolatry to prosper in the land and killed the servants of God. [1 Kings 18:13] She did not cause their departure but she made certain they did not find their way back. It is the same spirit that is described here, she caused the Gentiles to be drunk in the wine of her immorality that they may not find the way of truth. That is UNLIKE Jezebel of Thyatira, who corrupted the children of God, Great Babylon caused the people in the world to be drunk that they might not have the sense to be saved. And God will judge her for this act.

“And another, a third angel, followed them, saying in loud a voice, “If anyone WORSHIPS the BEAST and its IMAGE, and receives a MARK on his forehead or upon his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the anger of God, having been mixed UNDILUTED in the cup of His wrath; and he will be tormented in FIRE and BRIMSTONE before the holy angels and before the Lamb. And the SMOKE of their torment goes up to ages of ages; and those worshipping the beast and its image have no rest day and night, and if anyone receives the mark of its name.” [vs. 9-11]

The Third Proclamation the third angel makes is the STERNEST of all warnings. In chapter 13 we have distinguished two forms of worship of the beast. The warning that is given here is particularly to those who worship the image and bear the mark of the beast which is referring to the faith of Islam and the judgement that will befall those who follow it. We at times underplay the significance of the effect of Islam, and relegate it as just another faith among many in the world. It is represented as one of the monotheistic faiths, with Judaism and Christianity, however we disregard the fact it came up in direct opposition to Christ. [Matthew 13:37-42] The significance of this faith is best illustrated when we consider the two children of Abraham, Isaac the child of the promise [Spirit] and Ishmael the child of his flesh. Through Isaac came Christ and Christianity and through Ishmael came Muhammad and Islam. And the magnitude of the effect of this faith has bound billions with such fierceness and those who belong to it AND receive its mark are especially singled out for judgement from all the rest of the world.

Sometimes we compare tares to be fruitless Christians but tares are all together a different plant. A fruitless Christian is wheat without a head, as the Lord says in the parable, “The one having been sown among the thorns, this is the one hearing the word, but the care of this present age and the deceit of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” Matthew 13:22 However, Tares have seeds which they produce; they are just not edible. Tares are as much the herb of the field and every green thing which God created as such ACCORDING TO GOD’s OWN WORDS have seeds by which they multiply. [Genesis 1:11] Wheat without a head is still a wheat plant though it is seedless and will be gathered along with ALL the other wheat. But a tare is different from its fundamental nature; the only similarity it has to wheat is according to the likeness of the beast with two horns like a lamb. That is it appears to mankind in the likeness of the worship of God but serves the dragon. So these likewise appear as wheat but produce inedible fruits according to their nature. The Lord said, “Then surely by their fruits you will recognize them.” Matthew 7:20 Notice it is NOT the LACK of but of KIND. The point is a fruitful and fruitless Christians are gathered together and sorted after. But TARES and WHEAT are gathered separately, each according to its own fruit season, first one then the other.

The point is the Lord singled out those who worship the image and receive the mark of the beast from ALL the unfaithful and faithless in the world. So we need to sternly stress the magnitude of this act, which is an expression that parallels the contrast between Spirit and flesh. When a child of God is saved, they are sealed by the Holy Spirit. [Ephesians 1:13] The mark of the beast is a direct counterpart to this and those who receive his mark upon their flesh are sealing themselves in unbreakable alliance with the one true great enemy of God. It is not just foolishness of intellectualism given to what is falsely called knowledge or the many foolish idolatrous worship that are in the world but a mark of identification with the devil himself, by bearing his name. “If anyone worships the beast [&] its image, [&] receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand.” These will face the judgement of God, from His wrath being poured out in Chapter 16 to their final destruction in chapter 19:19-21. NOW bearing in mind the world will continue for another 1000 years but NONE of those that followed and worshipped the beast as to receive his mark will be in it.

“Here is the ENDURANCE of the SAINTS, those keeping the commandments of God, and the FAITH of Jesus. And I heard a voice out of heaven, saying “Write, ‘Blessed are the DEAD DYING in the Lord from NOW ON.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they WILL REST from their LABOURS; for their WORKS FOLLOW with them.” [vs. 12-13]

Here we go back to the proclamation of the First Angel and this statement is in reference to those who give HEED to the Gospel message preached, the Saints and are encouraged in the endurance of faith.

The declaration the Spirit of God is making here is of the New Covenant. That is those who worship God through faith in Jesus Christ. The Lord said, “Come to Me, all those toiling and being burdened, and I will give you REST. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 The significance of which is that we do not work or labour to earn RIGHTEOUSNESS but we are freely accepted by God through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says, “To the one NOT WORKING, but BELIEVING on the One justifying the UNGODLY, his faith is reckoned for righteousness just as David also declares the BLESSEDNESS of the man to whom God CREDITS RIGHTEOUSNESS apart from WORKS.” Romans 4:5-6

Now, in the LAW, our works must go ahead of us, because it is SINNERS seeking to earn their way by justifying themselves. However under Grace, Sinners are freely made Saints by the blood of Jesus Christ and are accepted by God and their work, which is the consequence of the righteous nature they have in Christ come after. So the works that follow us are not the product of our labour but of our rest in the Lord. As Paul says, “For by GRACE you are saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the GIFT of God, NOT as a result of WORKS, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for GOOD WORKS which God prepared beforehand that we should WALK in THEM.” Ephesians 2:8-10 That is good works are the fruit of righteousness.

The DEAD DYING in the LORD: “God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, made us alive with Christ even we being DEAD in TRESPASSES—by grace you are saved—” Ephesians 2:4-5 [&] “And you being DEAD in the TRESPASSES and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.” Colossians 2:13 The point is, the Holy Spirit is distinguishing from ALL the world that are DEAD in sin and trespass those who have accepted Christ. And these He says are the blessed ones in dying their works will follow.

“And I looked, and behold, a WHITE CLOUD, and upon the cloud is sitting One like the Son of Man, having on His head a GOLDEN CROWN, and in His hand a SHARP SICKLE. And another angel came out of the temple, crying in a loud voice to the One sitting on the cloud, “Put forth Your sickle and REAP, because the hour to reap has come, because the HARVEST of the earth has ripened.” And the One sitting upon the cloud put forth His sickle upon the earth, and the earth was HARVESTED.” [vs. 14-16]

The Harvest of Wheat is a reference to the Rapture of the Saints. This is the harvest of the seed sown by the Son of man which is a reference to the First Proclamation described in [vs. 6-7].

The One sitting on the white cloud described as, “One like the Son of Man,” is the Lord Jesus Christ when He comes back to receive His bride to Himself. The Lord said, “And they will see the Son of Man coming on the CLOUDS of HEAVEN, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great trumpet call, and they will GATHER together His ELECT from the four winds, from the ends of the heavens to the ends thereof.” Matthew 24:29-31 Paul, also describes this moment as, “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we, the living remaining, will be caught away together with them in the CLOUDS for the meeting of the Lord in the air; and so we will be always with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 This is speaking of the Lord’s FIRST RETURN and His feet will NOT touch the ground as described in Zechariah 14:4 but will remain in the Clouds to gather His Elect and take them back with Him to Heaven. [J.p]

The event that follows this is the marriage supper of the Lamb. [M.h] teaches according to the old Jewish wedding tradition the wedding feast lasted for 7 days. So here also the Lord Jesus Christ with His bride the Church will be in heaven for Seven years before returning to the earth to rule for 1000 years.

Now this verse is NOT speaking in terms of the END of the AGE REVIVAL but the gathering of the harvest to be put into the Lord’s barn, HEAVEN. [Matthew 13:30,39] Here the REAPERS are the ANGELS but when a revival harvest is collected it is collected by the works of MANKIND. The Lord said, “The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the WORKMEN are few. Beseech the Lord of the HARVEST, therefore, that He might send out WORKMEN into His harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38

“And another angel came out of the temple in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel having authority over the FIRE came out of the ALTAR, and he called in a loud cry to the one having the sharp sickle, saying, “Put forth your sharp sickle, and gather the CLUSTERS from the VINE of the EARTH, because its GRAPES have fully RIPENED.” [vs. 17-18]

This chapter does not really cover the lawlessness aspect which is of unbelief but only of seeds that are sown by the Son of Man or of the devil and their respective harvest. Lawlessness is not a product, it is a DEFAULT state, it is rebellion which is the CORE nature of fallen mankind. Likewise Great Babylon does not bring forth any children to God because she does not bring any change over those she reigns. So the harvest of grapes refers particularly to those who worship the beast and [his image] and receive a mark on their foreheads or right hand. These are the direct products of the seeds the devil had sown. [vs. 9-11]

The Harvest of Grapes which is in respect to the Tares of the parable is a reference to the final day battle. The angel with authority of Fire of the Altar is a portrayal of the fire of the Judgment of God. In the Law the bronze altar on earth was used for SIN, however under Grace the golden altar in heaven is used for RIGHTEOUSNESS. And Paul says, “He [God] set a day in which He is about to judge the world in righteousness by a Man whom He appointed.” Acts 17:31 This is not to say God is righteous in judging since He always is, be it Law or Grace. But in respect to, “For the Father judges no one, but has given ALL judgement to the Son.” John 5:22 The first judgement that came into the world was for Sin. [Romans 5:18] However the judgement that comes through the Lord Jesus Christ is of righteousness.

And John describes this day of fire in two forms, the harvest of the grapes [an imagery] and the battle of the great day of God the Almighty [the reality]. “And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, like frogs; They are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go forth to the kings of the whole inhabited world, to gather them together unto the battle of the great day of God the Almighty.” Revelation 16:13-14 So when John says, the vines were gathered into the winepress of the wrath of God, he is describing for us when men’s hearts are so lifted up as to raise themselves in battle array against God then they have become ripe.

In the conclusion of chapter 13 we have shown how the relationship between the beast the man of lawlessness and the beast the false prophet is formed. Which we have deduced from Daniel 11:37-41 which is a TYPE an illustration of what is to come. That is an Atheist using the rallying power of a foreign god to the fulfilment of his purpose. The point is the harvest of grapes is in relation to the proclamation the third angel made in regard to those who worship the beast and receive his mark. That is, the gathering of the grapes is the gathering of the armies of the surrounding nation who follow the beast through the deception of the false prophet with false signs and wonders, which is specifically from the Islamic faith. As the harvest of wheat was to the proclamation of the first angel, the gospel.

Now this approach may appear biassed as to disregard the many who are raised up from the rest of the inhabited world against Israel. However the point is IN THIS CHAPTER it is specifically addressing according to the seeds that are sown in fulfilment of chapter 12 and 13. So the object of focus from among all who are raised up are those who bear the mark of the beast. The prophet Joel affirming this prophesied saying, “Let the nations be [awakened,] and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to JUDGE all the SURROUNDING nations. Put in the SICKLE, for the HARVEST is RIPE. Come, go down; For the WINPRESS is full, The vats overflow— For their wickedness is great.” Joel 3:12-13 Which is an EXACT depiction of the events described in this chapter. [D.p] teaches Jehoshaphat means “Yahweh is judge, has judged,” that is God is gathering the nations to the land of Israel so that He may enter into judgement against them because they have lifted themselves up against Israel. So we have a CLEAR indication that the grape harvest is specifically speaking to those of the surrounding nations, which is of the faith of Islam.

Now according to the Jewishencyclopaedia.com there is no valley called the valley of Jehoshaphat in Israel. The point is to see the term the valley of Jehoshaphat as an expression of an event. Joel calls the same valley a few verses later, “the valley of decisions.” Joel 3:14 which is in respect to the Judgment God will enter on those nations that are gathered against Israel.

The book of 2 Chronicles 20:1-30, records a battle Israel had during the reign of king Jehoshaphat with the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who are descendants of Lot and Esau and nations that surrounded Israel from the EAST. The unique thing about this battle was even though Israel gathered together to face a great army they did not have to fight, the Lord intervened on their behalf and caused the invading army to turn on each other to utter destruction. At the end of which Israel gathered much spoil from the bodies of the armies that came against them and they called the place the valley of Berachah meaning blessing. [Subjective] So the reference the Lord makes to the valley of Jehoshaphat in relation to the final day battle seems to be according to similarity in events. As in the days of Jehoshaphat it is the surrounding nations coming against Israel, [Joel 3:12-13] more so it is a relation of Israel as Lot and Esau were so in the final days it is the descendants of Ishmael the brother of Isaac who are the prominent opponents. And as in then the Lord will intervene and cause the army to be stricken with confusion and each will turn on his neighbour to utter destruction and the wealth of the nations that came against Israel will be gathered up and God will turn the disaster into a blessing for Israel. [Zechariah 14:3,13-14]

And the angel put forth his sickle to the earth and gathered the VINE of the EARTH, and CAST them into the GREAT WINEPRESS of the WRATH of GOD. And the WINEPRESS was TRODDEN outside the city, and blood flowed out of the winepress, as high as the bridles of the horses, to the distance of one thousand six hundred stadia. [vs. 19-20]

This part describes the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ in this terms according to the prophecy of Isaiah 63:1-6, “having been clothed with a garment having been dipped in blood,” [Revelation 19:13] and “And He treads the press of the wine of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.” [Revelation 19:15] So the wrath of God is unleashed on the beast and the false prophet and all those who follow them, in that one event the final battle, which is outside of the city. It is the gathering of the clusters of the vines, it is the treading down of vines, it is the time the beasts of the earth and the birds of the air gorge themselves on all those who have fallen which Revelation 19:17-21 and also Zechariah 14 captures.

And the Lord describes the closing of the age as, “Therefore, as the WEEDS are gathered and consumed in FIRE, so will it be in the CONSUMMATION of the AGE. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all the stumbling blocks and those practising lawlessness, and they will cast them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” Matthew 13:41-43 It is false faith [weeds], the true faith [the grain] and those who fall short [practising lawlessness]. Then there are the remnant of the world, who have not believed in the Lord in time, yet have come through the seven years turmoil into the millennium reign of Christ. These are the ones Ezekiel describes as Gog of the land Magog the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal and the remnants of Persia, Ethiopia and Libya Gomer and Togarmah from the far north. [Zechariah 14:16, Revelation 20:7-8]

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Revelation 15: The Harvest of Jews.

In the previous chapter we have the description of the method of salvation followed by the corresponding harvest. And it is the same concept that is continued here, the conclusion of events that started in chapter 11. Whereby the two prophets ministered to Israel for 1260 days, and the Last of the Elect from among the Jews have come to repentance and are entered into the kingdom of God. And the Seventh and last trumpet has sounded proclaiming the end. From this point forward there is no more repentance, only the testing of Faith. So as Chapter 14, has illustrated to us the preaching of the gospel followed by the rapture of the church. And it also related to us the consequences of those from among the Gentiles who follow and serve the devil by receiving his mark. Now chapter 15 is following after, to illustrate for us the final piece of the harvest of the kingdom of God from among the Jews.

We have to bear in mind there are CURRENTLY three types of people in the world, Jew, Gentile and the church of God. Paul said, “Be you without offence both to JEWS and GREEKS, and to the CHURCH of GOD—” 1 Corinthians 10:32 So when the Grace of the Lord was open, all were alike but now Grace is closed at the rapture of the church so for the last 7 years there is again a clear distinction made between Jew and Gentile ACCORDING to the covenant of the Law. [Revelation 11:1-2]

“And I saw another GREAT and WONDERFUL sign in heaven: Seven angels, having Seven PLAGUES—the LAST, because in them the WRATH of God was completed.” [vs. 1]

The wrath of God started at the sounding of the Sixth Trumpet when the four angels were released who brought the judgement of God upon the world through Sword, Famine, Plague and the beast of the earth. This was followed by the ministry of the two prophets who prophesied for three and half years and caused disaster to come upon the nations of the world. However, this is not strictly the wrath of God but a method used by God to TESTIFY to Israel and to bring them back to their land as He did in Egypt. Now we are introduced to the Seven angels with bowls of the LAST wrath of God to be poured out on the earth.

So continuing on with the theme of harvests, we have seen how the Lord first gathered up His bride; this was followed by the angels gathering up those who belong to the beast into the winepress of the wrath of God. Each harvest was separated by an event described in Heaven, as the angels coming out of the temple and the altar. Here also we have a description of angels coming out of the temple in heaven, with a wrath of God. However, the UNIQUE thing about this HARVEST is it is facilitated by the hands of mankind in response to the wrath of God being poured out. [D.p] taught by saying, God bless the Jews directly and the Gentiles through the Jews. And He punishes the Gentiles directly and the Jews through the Gentiles. So we have here the description of the event that will bring about the Harvest of the Jews.

“And I saw something like A SEA OF GLASS mingled with FIRE, and those CONQUERING over the BEAST, and over its IMAGE, and over the NUMBER of its NAME, standing upon the SEA of GLASS, having HARPS of God. And they are singing the SONG of MOSES, the servant of God, and the SONG of the LAMB, saying, “Great and wonderful are Your works, Lord God the Almighty! Righteous and true are Your ways, O King of the nations! Who should not fear You, O Lord, and will glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all the nations will come and will worship before You, because Your righteous acts have been revealed.” [vs. 2-4]

Here John CLEARLY describes to us, there are some who come through the LAST 7 years of the WRATH of God, the mention of the beast, his image and mark is a clear indication. As we have described in chapter 11 these are from the tribes of Israel ONLY who have to endure the tribulation the Antichrist and the false prophet will bring upon them. The conquering aspect of these saints is that they have resisted the beast to the point of death. And the song they sing of Moses and the Lamb of God is to SPECIFICALLY point out they are JEWS. The covenant which Moses brought is ONLY applicable to the Jews and NO ONE ELSE and the fact that this is the song they sing is to ILLUSTRATE that point. And the song of the Lamb is to denote salvation, Peter said, “And there is SALVATION in no other, for there is not another NAME under heaven having been given among men, by which it behoves us to be saved.” Acts 4:12 So these Jews in the last days are saved in recognising Jesus as their Messiah. These are the LAST to be gathered into the kingdom of God.

The Sea of Glass mingled with Fire: The Sea of Glass is a representation of the kingdom of God as also described in chapter 4, however here FIRE is added as an expression of trial. Now the wrath of God is what literally facilitates the trial by fire which those from among the Jews who have believed in God and the Lamb have to go through, even to the point of death. Every child of God must go through a testing of faith, as taught in Hebrews 12:5-6 and 1 Peter 1:6-7 and the final repentance of the Jews is no different. So these elect of God likewise will have to go through a trial of fire through being made subject to the forces of the Gentiles that come against Israel and Jerusalem for the sake of their faith in God and of the Lamb. The Lord said, “I will bring up the nations against Jerusalem.” Zechariah 14:2 So God uses these nations against Israel in order to test and and purify them. “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me.” Ezekiel 20:37-38 At the same time, as Joel said He will judge these nations for their malicious deeds against Israel. [Joel 3:9-13] The Harps in their hand standing on the Sea of Glass signifies that they have died for their faith.

The full scale of this harvest is not revealed until the Last battle is finished and the beast and the false prophet have been defeated. Another unique aspect of this harvest is that those who perish during this tribulation do not enter heaven immediately because the Holy Spirit is not in the world during this period. And is a fulfilment of the parable the Lord gave of the Nobel man who gave a great supper Luke 14:16-24. And they will have to wait until the last day when the Lord opens their Grave and puts His Spirit in them as Ezekiel prophesied. “Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land.” Ezekiel 37:13-14

And John describes this very moment as, “I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgement was given to them, and the souls of those having been BEHEADED because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who DID NOT worship the BEAST, nor his IMAGE, and did not TAKE the MARK upon the forehead, and upon their hand. And they LIVED and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4 These are the ones that are described above as standing on Sea of Glass with Harp in hand, the completion of the event described in the Fifth Seal, “It was said to them that they shall rest yet a little time, until their fellow servants would also be complete, and their brothers, those being about to be killed as they also had been.” Revelation 6:11

“And after these things I looked, and the TEMPLE of the tabernacle of the TESTIMONY in HEAVEN was OPENED. And the Seven angels having the Seven plagues came forth out of the temple, having been clothed in pure, bright linen, and having been girded with golden sashes around the chests.” [vs. 5-6]

This is the point where we find chapter 11 intersecting with this chapter as it says, “And the TEMPLE of God in HEAVEN was OPENED, and the ARK of His COVENANT was seen in His temple.” Revelation 11:19 However between these two points there is a 42 month period of the rule of the Antichrist and the False Prophet, which Chapter 13 covers, that is when they bring the nations of the world to subjection through deception, to worship the beast and his image and to bear his mark. Leading to the third and final “WOE” when the wrath of God is poured out.

“And one of the four living creatures gave to the Seven angels Seven GOLDEN BOWLS full of the WRATH of God, the One living to the ages of the ages. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power; and NO ONE WAS ABLE TO ENTER into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.” [vs. 7-8]

The main point we want to address from these verses is, “No one was able to enter the temple until.” The temple it speaks of here is the one that is in heaven. Paul says, “Therefore brothers, having confidence for entering the HOLY PLACES by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He dedicated for us through the veil that is His flesh.” Hebrews 10:19-20 That is Jesus made the way for us not to enter an earthly temple but into heaven itself. [Hebrews 9:24] But now it seems entering into heaven is NOT open until the final completion of the wrath of God. As we have described above this explains why Revelation 20:4 had the souls of those beheaded for their faith in God and Christ awaiting to be raised. That is, everyone who resisted the beast and the worship of his image and has not received his mark will most likely be put to death by beheading and their soul will enter the heart of the earth.

That is before the Holy Spirit was given EVERY patriarch and servants of God were sent to sleep with these words, “Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.” Genesis 15:15 [And] “But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.” Daniel 12:13 So those who come to faith from the children of Israel during this period of tribulation will have to wait, in the same manner as the fathers of the first generation waited to come out of their graves until the day Christ was raised. Which Matthew describes as, “And the TOMBS were OPENED, and many bodies of the SAINTS having fallen ASLEEP AROSE. And having gone forth out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered into the holy city and APPEARED to MANY.” Matthew 27:52-53 This is NOT a type of resurrection in the likeness of Lazarus or the son of the widow of Nene, but a type that corresponds to Christ Himself as it says Christ is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

So these SAINTS are, the ones Daniel prophesied of saying, “And many of those who SLEEP in the DUST of the EARTH shall AWAKE, some to EVERLASTING LIFE, some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Daniel 12:2 This is NOT a reference to New Testament believers, since they die with the words, “to be ABSENT out of the body, and to be at HOME with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8 So a new testament believer DOES NOT sleep in the dust of earth. So the saints Matthew is referring to DID NOT live out their lives here on earth but were received up into heaven with the Lord. And Matthew makes this point clear by saying, “they APPEARED to many,” in the same manner which Paul describes the Lord’s resurrection saying, “ He appeared to Cephas then to the Twelve. Thereafter He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once.” 1 Corinthians 15:5-6 To APPEAR is significantly different from being given back alive, it is a statement of evidence!

Therefore it also will take the physical return of the Lord to raise the Elect from the children of Israel who died in faith in Him during this period. The MAIN point is the Holy Spirit is not in the world during this period of tribulation therefore the souls of those who perish are not united to be one Spirit with Christ until the day the Lord returns. So as Mathew says in respect to the OLD saints, “And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints having fallen asleep arose.” Matthew 27:52 these will also be in the same manner. Which is EXACTLY what Ezekiel 37:13-14 prophecies, the opening of their Graves and God putting His Spirit into them to raise them back to life, before establishing the Lord as King. “The First ARE Last.”

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Revelation 16: The Wrath of God – the Final Woe!

The Last Seven years of the closing of the age of Grace are described in chapters 10-11, 13, 16, 18-19 that somewhat run consecutively and are mainly divided into two major portions. The First portion of this period, which chapters 10-11 cover, runs for 1260 days during which Israel is brought into repentance and ends at the death of the two prophets. This is immediately followed by the Second portion of this period, which chapters 13 & 17 cover and this will run for 42 months during which the Antichrist and the False prophet will rule over the nations. “And a mouth was given to it, speaking great things and blasphemy, and it was given authority to act forty and two months.” Revelation 13:5 This CONCLUDES the Seven year period, and chapters 16, 18-19 are events that take place outside of this.

Now as described in previous chapters, the events that take place in this chapter CORRESPOND to the 30 days which Daniel described between the end of the Seven year covenant [Daniel 9:27] and the setting up of the Abomination of Desolation [Daniel 11:31]. When the abomination of desolation was set up during the Roman Empire, which the Lord Himself made a reference to, it provoked Israel to war and served to bring about the desolation of AD 70. [Matthew 24:15-22] Similarly here we see when the Wrath of God described in this chapter is poured out, it will also provoke the Antichrist and the False prophet to gather to war and will serve to be their doom, in utter destruction. Now we need to STRESS as we have done in previous chapters Daniel is speaking of a different time period than that of John. It is an UTTER ERROR to confuse Daniel with the events John is describing.

So two major events will come to pass as a consequence of the bowls of the wrath of God. First the nation’s heart will be lifted up in rage and they will gather an army for war to destroy Israel in rebellion against God. There by starting the Harvest of the Jews which chapter 15 described, since Israel will be overcome by them. Second, their action serves to gather the most rebellious of the nations into the winepress of God, thereby the Harvest of Grapes which chapter 14 described when the Lord returns to tread down His enemies. Like Pharaoh when he gathered ALL his army to come against Israel by the Red Sea after his land endured the judgement of God and it served to be his doom.

And the bowls of Wrath described in this chapter seems to be SEQUENTIALLY associated with the Trumpets sounding listed in chapters 8 and 9. Trumpet 1: the beginning of the EARTH dying, [Famine]; Trumpet 2: the beginning of the SEA dying, [fishing]; Trumpet 3: the beginning of the corruption of the Springs and Rivers, [deceptive teachings]; Trumpet 4: the darkening of the Sun, Moon and Stars, [darkening of understanding]; Trumpet 5: the Torment of the people of the world – [the kingdom of Iron]; Trumpet 6: the judgement of God against flesh when the angels at the River Euphrates were released; Sword, Famine, Plague and Beasts of the earth.

We have to keep in mind in the New Testament God is Not angry with the World. However the world in Sin reacts to the HAVOC the devil causes, “Woe to the EARTH and the SEA, because the devil has come down to you, having great fury, knowing that he has a short time.” Revelation 12:12 So the TRUMPETs were warning us of what the devil is going to do. So, the burning up of vegetation and the eruptions of the sea were all his work building up to the point of the RISE of Abaddon who represents the kingdom of Iron. Paul described this process as, “Whose [Antichrist] coming is according to the working of Satan, in every power, and in signs, and in wonders of falsehood, and in every deception of wickedness unto those perishing.” 2 Thes. 2:9-10

So the significant point that links the Trumpets with Bowls of Wrath is, the wrath of God is poured out on all the works of the devil. So the PRIMARY target is the kingdom of the Antichrist [Iron] and of the False prophet [Clay]. And on those who did not heed the warning to give them their just reward. Hebrews compares those who fell short of the Grace of God to Esau, “Observing lest any be failing of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up should trouble you and by this, the many might be defiled, lest there be any FORNICATOR or profane person, as ESAU, who for one MEAL sold his birthright.” Hebrews 12:15-16 That is in respect to those who made food and drink OR the pursuit of pleasure their primary goal in life.

Now, IRON and CLAY are a MAJOR feature of the closing of the Age of Grace. Daniel said, “As you saw IRON mixed with ceramic CLAY, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. And IN the DAYS of THESE KINGS the God of heaven will set up a KINGDOM which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” Daniel 2:43-44 Daniel is saying the Kingdom of God on Earth through the Lord Jesus Christ will be established, at the DESTRUCTION of Iron and Clay which Revelation 13 described. It is WORTH mentioning here Gog of Magog, Rosh, Meshech and Tubal are NOT part of the Kingdom of IRON meaning Ezekiel 38 is speaking of another time, which Revelation 20:7-9 covers. This is IMPORTANT for us to get, because it affects our understanding of the book of Revelation. If we attribute Gog, Rosh, and the far north to be actors in these Last days we will misunderstand the events that are unfolding before us.

Finally, this chapter can be understood according to the spirit of the story of Israel’s Exodus from Egypt. [Exodus 7-14] It is the same concept that separated Israel from the world leading to confrontation, the end of which was the total destruction of those that gathered themselves to war. It will End the same way it began.

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First Bowl: Judgement of Clay! [The False Prophet]

“And I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out into the earth the Seven Bowls of the WRATH of GOD.” And the FIRST departed and poured out his bowl into the EARTH, and an EVIL and grievous SORE came upon the men having THE MARK of the BEAST and those WORSHIPPING its IMAGE.” [vs. 1-2]

The first point we want to establish is when these events will take place. The fact that when the first bowl was poured out it affected those who have the MARK of the beast proves that chapter 13 has run its course, that is the Antichrist and the False prophet have successfully fulfilled their objective in the 42 months they ruled over the nations of the world.

Now the trumpet that corresponds to this event is the first trumpet, when hail and fire having been mixed with blood was cast upon the earth and a third of the earth was burned up. However, here we see the effect is not on the vegetation of the earth or the beasts of the field but Only those who specifically bear the mark of the beast who are tormented. In Revelation 13, we have shown how the Second beast with two horns like a lamb that came out of the earth, who deceived those who dwell on earth to worship the image of the first beast and to receive his mark, is a depiction of the faith of ISLAM. So here we see the wrath of God targeting the CLAY portion of the FINAL kingdom, in the flesh of those who receive the mark of the beast.

When Western ministries study the end times they normally are caught up in the idea of the Antichrist and FAIL to see the role the FAITH associated with it plays. The devil is a counterfeiter; God brought His Gospel so the devil responded likewise with his message. God marked His people on their foreheads and the devil will also respond likewise. So the MARK of the beast is an expression in DIRECT contrast to those who bear the seal of God on their foreheads, it holds a RELIGIOUS significance. The devil ruled over mankind through the lust of our sinful flesh so when one receives the mark of the beast they are literally declaring they belong to the flesh and not the Spirit in direct CONTRAST to Romans 8:9-10 & Galatians 5:16-17. The BASIC idea of salvation is we are released from the bondage and dictates of our sinful flesh to the rule and dictate of the Holy Spirit. [Romans 6:17-18] So this people will be manipulated by the dictates of their flesh. Fear of death to worship the IMAGE of the beast, creation over the Creator. [Romans 1:23,25] Hunger and thirst to receive the MARK of the beast, all in identification WITH a FAITH that exemplifies the nature of the FLESH.

Mankind has valued the things of the Flesh rather than the things of the Spirit so we can see here God judging the flesh of mankind. “An evil and grievous sore,” came up on those who have chosen to bear the mark of the beast. The point of note is, this mark is real, it is visible, it is identifiable just as the Holy Spirit is a mark that identifies the children of God. [Romans 8:15, Gal. 4:6, Ephes. 1:13] We need to understand the MAGNITUDE of the effect of the FALSE PROPHET. If Christianity is the faith of Heaven in contrast Islam is the faith of earth, this is the depth of the consequence it brings on those bound by it. We magnify the effect of Atheism but underplay the consequence of Islam, this is understandable since it is not Islam that is threatening the Western world but Atheism. Nevertheless God is speaking to us from the perspective of Faith. God judged Great Babylon HARSHLY for the part she played to destroy souls in deceptive teachings. Likewise the false prophet is also engaged in deceiving people in FAITH through SIGNS to bring them to worship a false god. Atheism does not do that! This is the MAIN concept, the false prophet represents a religion that is SPECIFICALLY raised up in opposition to the Gospel of Christ.

The Sixth Plague: Sores and boils. “And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” Exodus 9:9

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Second Bowl: Life of the Sea!

“And the SECOND poured out his bowl into the SEA, and it became BLOOD, AS ONE DEAD; and every LIVING SOUL that was in the sea DIED.” [vs. 3]

One explanation had this pouring out as an expression of the pollution that is in the sea and oceans reaching a critical point, killing all the living creatures of the sea. In Revelation 8 when the Second trumpet sounded we saw the beginning of the destruction of the living creatures of the sea, which is now brought to completion here. And one of the terms of judgement used against those on earth is, “to destroy those who are destroying the earth.” Revelation 11:18 The point is if in the first outpouring, Revelation 8:8 we in this generation did not see the third of the sea LITERALLY becoming blood neither would those of the final days. The earth is portrayed as a living being and the domain of the sea as a means of sustaining those living in it. [Genesis 1:20] This he says, “became blood, as of one dead” resulting in the death of the living souls that were in the sea. So the interpretation of blood is to mean death of the SEA that is unable to sustain life. And the death of all living things in the sea will bring a WORLDWIDE hunger. Note: God is judging the flesh of mankind.

Ezekiel and Zechariah also give us a clear indication that when the Lord returns one of the defining features is that a living water flows out into the great seas bringing with it life wherever it goes. “And in that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea.” Zechariah 14:8 And the process of its effect is specifically described as healing the waters. “When it reaches the sea, its WATERS are HEALED. And it shall be that EVERY LIVING thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, WILL LIVE. There will be a very great multitude of FISH, because these waters go there; for they will be HEALED, and everything will live wherever the river goes.” Ezekiel 47:8-9 So the explanation provided here is not turning blood back to water but reversing the effect of pollution that was unleashed into the waters by mankind, as to be Healed. The key point is for us to associate it as an answer against the act of destroying the earth.

The devil works to destroy the earth, the same way he works to destroy the lives of people through wars, poverty and sickness. Likewise he works through the lust and desires of mankind to afflict the earth. So the process that started in the sounding of the Second trumpets in the death of the living creatures have now come to the inevitable end. Life is from God, however people have rejected God who gives and sustains life and keeps evil at bay. So the Wrath of God is expressed here in the fulfilment of the choices of mankind. Daniel said to king Bleshazzar “And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who HOLDS your BREATH in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.” Daniel 5:23 The point is mankind has exalted the works of their own hands and have rejected God who feeds them so they now bear the consequence of that choice. The point is GOD is NOT judging the SEA but the one to whom the content of the sea was given. “And on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. Every moving thing that lives shall be FOOD for you.” Genesis 9:2-3

The First Plague: Waters Become Blood: “And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. The FISH that were in the river DIED, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not DRINK the water of the river.” Exodus 7:20-21

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Third Bowl: Days of Delusion!

“And the THIRD poured out his bowl into the RIVERS and the SPRINGS of the WATERS, and they became BLOOD. And I heard the ANGEL of the WATERS saying: “Righteous are You the One being, and having been, O holy One, because You have JUDGED these things, BECAUSE they have poured out the blood of SAINTS and of PROPHETS, and You have GIVEN to them BLOOD to DRINK, they are worthy.” And I heard the altar saying: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.” [vs. 4-7]

As above we have a completion of a process that started in chapter 8 when the Third trumpet was sounded and Satan was cast down to the world, to work his deception in obscuring the truth and blind the minds of the unbelieving. Paul says, “[The man of lawlessness] Whose coming is according to the working of Satan, in every power, and in signs, and in wonders of falsehood, and in every deception of wickedness unto those perishing, in return for which they DID NOT receive THE LOVE of the TRUTH in order for them to be saved.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 So the idea here is that the SPIRIT of TRUTH has left the world and the world is now FULLY steeped into absolute and utter deception of the devil. The effect of it is described as, “And because of this, God will send to them a working of delusion, for them to BELIEVE what is FALSE, in order that all those not having believed the truth but having delighted in unrighteousness SHOULD be JUDGED.” [vs. 11-12] Again the point to bear in mind is if in the first outpouring we in this generation did not see a third of rivers and springs of waters LITERALLY becoming wormwood NEITHER would those of the final days.

A human CANNOT live by drinking blood, so the implication here is NOT a literal transformation of drinking water becoming blood. When Moses turned the river Nile into blood he said, “the Egyptians could NOT drink the water of the river.” But HERE John says, “YOU GAVE THEM BLOOD TO DRINK.” Note the contrast, NOT that they have NO drinking water BUT blood to drink. The Lord said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. The one believing in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:37-38 [John 4:14] The point we want to make is that truth is drunk just as water and it is necessary to life. [1 Corinthians 10:4] The Lord said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life.” John 6:63 So the inverse of this is also true, that those who did not love the truth in order to be saved are given LIEs – DEATH to drink, which is represented in BLOOD. “to BELIEVE what is FALSE [in order] to be JUDGED.”

So when the angel of the water says, “because they have poured out the blood of saints and of prophets,” it is to express the point they have REJECTED what they had to say to them and chose to believe a lie. The Lord said, “Behold, I send to you PROPHETS and WISE MEN and SCRIBES. Some of them you will KILL and will CRUCIFY, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and will persecute from town to town; so that upon you shall come all the RIGHTEOUS BLOOD being poured out upon the earth, from the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.” Matthew 23:34-35 That is the rejection of the truth of God is measured in the blood of His saints. So the consequence of their rejection of Christ and God has put them utterly in the hands of the father of lies. As also the Lord said of Jerusalem, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those having been sent to her! How often would I have gathered together your children, the way in which a hen gathers together her chicks under the wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is left to you desolate!” Matthew 23:37-38

These likewise are given into the hands of the Antichrist/the man of lawlessness who is a true expression of the devil. The Lord said, “He [the devil] was a murderer from the beginning, and has not stood in the truth, because there is NO TRUTH in him. Whenever he might speak FALSEHOOD, he speaks from the own; for he is a liar, and the father of it.” John 8:44 So those who listen to him drink the lie he tells them expressed as blood that is of death just as those who come to Christ are given truth/living water to drink leading to life. The point is in this chapter we are witnessing the pinnacle of events that started at the casting down of the devil to spoil a third of springs of water and rivers brought to its full effect. So in the world there is now NO TRUTH, only the LIE of the ANTICHRIST and the deception of the FALSE PROPHET prevailing over every tribe and people and tongue and nation with the exception of Israel. The effect of which will culminate in the gathering of an army to oppose God.

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Fourth Bowl: Extreme Heat Waves!

“And the FOURTH poured out his bowl UPON the SUN, and there was given to it to SCORCH MEN with FIRE. And the men were SCORCHED with GREAT HEAT, and they BLASPHEMED the name of God, the One having authority over these plagues; and they DID NOT REPENT to give Him glory.” [vs. 8-9]

The trumpet that corresponds with events that are described here is the Fourth trumpet when a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them should be darkened. However here the effect is upon the SUN only and the result is the inhabitants of the earth are experiencing EXTREME HEAT WAVES. Isaiah 24-27 gives a brief description of the end of the Ages(s): starting from the Fourth Bowl and ending with the imprisoning of the heavenly hosts with the haughty people of the earth for a 1000 years, which this chapter covers. He then describes the resulting effect of this period for Israel and the nations. UNTIL the end of the 1000 years reign of the Lord from Mount Zion in Jerusalem when God will strike once and for all the nations, Gog of Magog that rises up against the camp of the saints. [Rev. 20:7-9]. Resulting with Isaiah 27 the destruction of Satan. [Rev. 20:10]

And Isaiah describes the events of the Fourth bowl as, “The earth mourns and fades away, the world languishes and fades away; The HAUGHTY PEOPLE of the earth languish. The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the CURSE has DEVOURED the earth, and those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are BURNED, and few men are left.” Isaiah 24:4-6 Isaiah begins by describing the Earth as gasping her last breath, from the moment of the Rapture of the Church the Earth was steeped into destruction followed by the turmoil of the Seven years that has now built up to the death of the Sea. Through which more than half the population of the world are gone, and he points out that the HAUGHTY people left languishing with the earth will be BURNED on the account of their transgression. That is men are scorched with GREAT HEAT as Fire because of the wrath that is coming upon the EARTH.

[G.h] used the following verses from Isaiah to explain the event described here. “There will be on every high mountain and on every high hill Rivers and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover the light of the MOON will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the SUN will be SEVENFOLD, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord binds up the bruise of His people and heals the stroke of their wound.” Isaiah 30:25-26 The point he is making is that on the day the Lord returns to deliver Israel from the nations, the Sun will ALREADY be burning with sevenfold brightness.

Here it is important to point out, they DID NOT REPENT. In chapter 11 we pointed out that to be under the measuring rod of God meant an opportunity for repentance, “And a measuring rod like a staff was given to me, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and those worshipping in it. And leave out the courtyard outside the temple, and DO NOT MEASURE it, because it has been given up to the NATIONS.” Revelation 11:1-2 Here we see the effect of being LEFT outside that specification, that is no matter what affliction is poured out on the nations there will be no repentance coming forth.

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Fifth Bowl: Judgement of Iron! [The Antichrist]

“And the FIFTH poured out his bowl upon the THRONE of the BEAST, and ITS KINGDOM became DARKENED, and they were gnawing their tongues for the DISTRESS, and they blasphemed the God of heaven on account of their DISTRESS, and on account of their SORES; and they did not repent of their deeds.” [vs. 10-11]

The trumpet that corresponds with events that are described here is the Fifth trumpet when the bottomless pit was opened and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit which finally led to the rise of the angel Abaddon, the king of Iron. So as described above in the first bowl, the corresponding wrath of God is now poured out on the Iron portion of the final kingdom.

Now it is worthwhile for us to identify where the throne of the Beast, the kingdom of IRON is going to be centred. Daniel has revealed to us that the angel Abaddon was the prince of the people of Rome. [Daniel 9:26, Daniel 7:7-Revelation 13:1; Daniel 7:11-Revelation 9:11] Even though Abaddon was the prince of the people of Rome, he was STRIPPED of his DOMINION and cast into the burning flame. [Daniel 7:26] However in Chapter 13 we see the dragon giving him his own POWER and THRONE. The point of note is a prince presides over a territory, like the prince of persia or the prince of Greece. So the significant point for us is that Abaddon has obtained a NEW rulership. It is on this ground we base the throne of Satan is NOT in Rome and the reason why the Antichrist in agreement with his ten kings is able to destroy her. [Revelation 17:17-18] We may say Emperor Nero burned the city of Rome, however Nero is not a representation of the Antichrist, the Emperor Vespasian, the eleventh horn is.

[D.p] taught on the throne of the beast making reference to, the Lord’s message to the church of Smyrna, “I know where you dwell, where the throne of Satan is; and you hold fast to My name, and you have not denied My faith, even in the days of Antipas My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” Revelation 2:13 And he concluded that Pergamon, which is currently located in modern day Turkey, is where the throne of the beast will be. Now this falls short of the explanation which Scripture gives of the man of lawlessness, that he is opposed to all kinds of worship of God. As described many times in previous chapters, “The man of lawlessness shall have been revealed—the son of destruction, the one OPPOSING and EXALTING himself above every so-called god or object of worship.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Turkey is an Islamic state and will remain one for the foreseeable future, as such it is represented in the CLAY portion of the final kingdom. The point is [D.p] assertion does not quite address the Atheism aspect of the final kingdom [IRON]. Nevertheless [D.p] provides us with a solid starting point.

Now before we go any further we first need to identify the meaning of the throne from Scripture. The first recorded act of worship is, “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he was testified to be righteous, God bearing witness to his gifts.” Hebrews 4:11 And throughout the generation we see all the fathers of the faith making such offerings. Now the Ark was a covenant agreement between God and Israel but their relationship with Him was expressed through blood sacrifice. And in nowhere is the significance of the altar clearly illustrated for us than when Elijah challenged the worshipers of Baal, and they constructed two altars, one for the God of Israel and another for Baal. [1 Kings 18:17-39] So a temple of any kind is constructed around the central feature of the expression of worship which is the altar of sacrifice. And Moses writes of Israel, “They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; With abominations they provoked Him to anger. They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they did not know.” Deuteronomy 32:16-17 Showing the place sacrifice holds in the expression of worship. So we may conclude the throne of Satan is the altar of his sacrifice.

The second teaching we have on the throne of Satan is taught by [J.p]. He attributes the throne of Satan to an altar that was discovered in Pergamon, which was later exported and assembled and put on display in a museum in Berlin, Germany by 1900’s. It is worth considering that from this point forward Europe was plunged into 2 great world wars, all mainly centred around Germany. And in 1930 the altar was again moved to a new building that was able to adequately display its great artwork. Now the distinctive mark of the second world war that followed was the rise of a man who made it his mission to destroy all the Jews. And many at that time thought the collaboration between Italy [vatican] and Germany to mean the fulfilment of the prophecies of John. And some still expect the false prophet to rise from Rome, which stands in stark contradiction to the purpose of the beast to destroy that Great City. Nevertheless the point [J.p] was making is that the throne of Satan which once stood in Pergamum is the altar and where that altar is, is where the throne of the beast will be.

Therefore we may conclude that the strength of the beating heart of Atheistic United Europe is Germany. And a rule of thumb that defines the relationship between the Antichrist and the false prophet is a foreign god, that is a god the Antichrist’s fathers have not known or served. [Daniel 11:37-39] So the false prophet is of Islam and NOT from the Christian faith and he will stand side by side with Antichrist, to raise an army to overcome Israel leading to the final battle of that great day of God Almighty. This being said, God will punish Great Babylon [Rome] for misleading the Gentiles into unfaithfulness, by the hands of those she was meant to serve. [Rev. 16:19]

Now the next thing for us to determine is what this darkening of the kingdom of the beast means? David said of Israel, “Let their table become a snare before them, and their well-being a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see; and make their loins shake continually.” Psalms 69:22-23 Though Paul used this verse to distinguish the elect of Israel from those who perish, the application for us is that the pursuit of well-being to the neglect of Christ being a trap, resulting in darkening and distress. The Lord said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his soul?” Matthew 16:26 There were two major features which we identified in the beginning of this chapter which characterised the nature of Esau in those who have not accepted Christ. One was seeking to satisfy the stomach, the other was the pursuit of immoral pleasure. So while CLAY was identified with the mark of the beast in terms of buying and selling, IRON is identified with luxury [Oil] and pleasure [Wine]. [Revelation 6:6] And in the Fifth trumpet we had the beginning of the torment of those who did not have the seal of God and we have explained their torment in terms of the pursuit of disillusioned fleshly pleasure that does not satisfy.

And continuing on the prophecies of Isaiah, he describes the Fifth bowl: the darkening of the kingdom of the Antichrist as, “The new wine fails, the vine languishes, ALL the MERRY-HEARTED SIGH.The mirth of the tambourine CEASES, the noise of the jubilant ENDS, the joy of the harp CEASES. They shall not drink WINE with a song; Strong drink is BITTER to those who drink it. The city of CONFUSION is broken down; Every house is shut up, so that none may go in. There is a CRY for WINE in the streets, ALL JOY is DARKENED, the MIRTH of the land is GONE. In the city desolation is left, and the gate is stricken with destruction.” Isaiah 24:7-12 The expression Isaiah gives us is the joy with which mankind normally drowns himself with to satisfy his flesh will become without effect. In this respect Paul gives us a contrast saying, “And not to be drunk with wine in which is debauchery. Instead be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18 So the picture we have is of a GREAT DEPRESSION that will be over the land without any means of natural relief. So the judgement of God on the portion of the kingdom that lived IN PURSUIT OF luxury and pleasure of the flesh is expressed in darkness: No Joy, No song, No wine to cheer the soul, only depression and distress.

There is a point of note which John makes in the pairing DISTRESS with SORES. The implication being of the kingdom of the Antichrist WITH the followers of the false prophet that is of the kingdom of IRON and CLAY. It is worth considering, Clay is not distressed who as a rule do not drink wine, but suffer SORES while for Iron, wine is considered part of a stable diet. Daniel also said, “As you saw IRON MIXED with ceramic CLAY, they will mingle with the seed of men.” Daniel 2:43 That is even though wrath is poured out on the throne of the beast, and on his kingdom the combination of the effect is described here. Meaning his kingdom will consist of many from Islamic faith who will take upon themselves the mark of the beast.

The Ninth Plague: Darkness: “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be DARKNESS over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt…. They did not see one another; NOR did anyone RISE from his PLACE for three days. But ALL the children of Israel HAD LIGHT in their dwellings.” Exodus 10:21,23

Now when John says the Fifth bowl was poured out on the throne of the beast and his kingdom became full of darkness, the image that should conjure for us is the contrast that was between the land of GOSHEN and EGYPT. As it was in the days when the Fifth trumpet sounded, those who bear the seal of God upon their foreheads [the church], were separated. God will once again make distinction between those who are His and those of the world. That is, in the days of the Fifth bowel Israel will be the only ones who bear the mark of God, whose names are written in the book of the Lamb of God. [Rev.13:7]

Isaiah also expresses a similar distinction for us, in the 24th chapter mentioned above, where in the first 13 verses he describes curse and destruction and distress upon a city of confusion. And he immediately follows that with the voice of singing of the righteous, saying “They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing; For the majesty of the Lord they shall cry aloud from the sea. Therefore glorify the Lord in the dawning light, the name of the Lord God of Israel in the coastlands of the sea. From the ends of the earth we have heard songs: “Glory to the righteous!” Isaiah 24:14-16 This expresses for us, when darkness falls and all joy has departed from the kingdom of the beast as it was in the days of Pharaoh, Israel being separated onto God will have LIGHT which Isaiah expresses in the SINGING of the joy of the righteous, and their voice reaching to the end of the earth.

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Sixth Bowl: Path to War!

“And the SIXTH poured out his bowl upon the great RIVER EUPHRATES, and its WATER was DRIED up, so that the way might be prepared of the kings of the RISING of the SUN.” [vs. 12]

The trumpet that closely relates to the effect being described here is the Sixth trumpet, when at the rapture of the church the four angles that were bound at the river Euphrates were released and the third of mankind perished through Sword, Famine, Plague and Beast of the earth. Likewise the events that are transpiring here are also building up to a great slaughter, described as the gathering of HARVEST in chapter 14 & 15. That is at that time Israel represents the only nation on earth whose names are written in the Book of the Lamb and their redemption will likewise result in the destruction of those who rise against them. So the gathering of the vine of earth in the winepress in terms of the armies that come against Israel and of the Jews as a direct consequence of that.

The events described here are similar to that of Israel crossing the Red Sea. The Lord said to Moses, “But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honour over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen.” Exodus 14:16-17 The point we want to make is, the Red Sea dividing was a cause that drew Pharaoh into its midst in order to face his own destruction. Likewise the River Euphrates drying serves a similar purpose in drawing in the armies of the nations to face their own destruction.

However, the significance of the River Euphrates drying up is NOT so a great army can practically cross over, but an expression of LACK, perhaps as a direct consequence of the extreme temperatures described in the Fourth bowl. In the story of Exodus, Pharaoh let Israel go when he saw the land of Egypt was desolate as a result of ten plagues, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?” Exodus 10:7 After which they changed their mind and Pharaoh mastered his army to come after Israel to bring them back into bondage, saying, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” Exodus 14:5 and it served to be the doom of the might of Egypt. Similarly here, Israel was first gathered from the nations by the preaching of the two prophets, when they struck them with plague and drought. And the events described in this chapter in the outpouring of the Wrath of God has brought the kingdom of the Antichrist and the False prophet to a dire state, in famine and drought. The only nation in the world that seems to be prospering in this time is the land of Israel which Isaiah 24 portrayed for us in the previous bowl, by putting side by side the distress of one city against the joy of the other, which directly led to a conflict! So when John says, the River Euphrates dried up so the way may be prepared, it is to give cause for the enemies of Israel to be gathered to a predetermined end.

The other aspect that the River Euphrates signifies is the BORDER of Israel according to the promise God made to Abraham AND Joshua his Seed, who represents the Lord Jesus Christ. And as close to reality it came during the rule of king David. [Genesis 15:18, Joshua 1:4] So John makes a specific identifying mark saying “the way might be prepared of the kings of the RISING of the SUN,” meaning east of the River or even Israel. On which bases God will judge the nations, “I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgement with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also DIVIDED up My land.” Joel 3:2 Now, the army that will come against Israel will consist mainly of the surrounding nations, and NOT from the far north or west. As Joel prophesied saying, “Let the nations be awakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the SURROUNDING nations.” Joel 3:12 And Zechariah 14:14 also clearly pointed out the main component of those who come against Israel are the surrounding nations led by the Antichrist and the false prophet.

“And I saw coming out of the mouth of the DRAGON, and out of the mouth of the BEAST, and out of the mouth of the FALSE PROPHET, three UNCLEAN spirits, like FROGS; for they are spirits of DEMONS, performing signs, which go forth to the KINGS of the WHOLE inhabited WORLD, to gather them together unto the BATTLE of the GREAT DAY of God the Almighty.” [vs. 13-14]

The Second Plague: Frogs: “So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your BEDROOM, on your BED, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your OVENS, and into your KNEADING BOWLS. And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants.” Exodus 8:3-4 This is very Subjective, however the significance of the unclean spirits linked to a FROG is for us to draw association to the plagues of frogs that afflicted Egypt. In which the frogs are described as affecting, the bedroom and bed followed by the oven and kneading bowl, of both servant and master. Which we identified in the beginning of this chapter as the character of ESAU of the people of the kingdom of Iron and Clay. Food and pleasure ARE the UTMOST driving force of the flesh of mankind. So the significance for us here is, it is on this basis the world is persuaded to come against Israel. We have to keep in mind the world in those days is going to be markedly different from the one we know, we cannot begin to conceive of the devastation that will come upon the world as a result of losing nearly half its population. So the frogs are described as coming out of their mouth to illustrate their SPEECH, the REASONING they give.

So out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet came out demonic spirits like FROGS, going forth to the peoples and nations and tongues and kings to entice them to an act of war, to turn their hearts against Israel. “And there was given to it TO MAKE WAR WITH THE SAINTS, and to overcome them. And authority was given to it over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.” Revelation 13:7 Now the subjective reasoning for the expression of “the kings of the WHOLE Inhabited world,” is in regards to bringing their case for the invasion of Israel to the gathering of Nations. The kings of the whole inhabited world, giving consent for war, being persuaded by the beast the Antichrist and the beast the false prophet. And Isaiah describes the galvanising of the nations to rise against Israel as “But I said, “I am ruined, ruined! Woe to me! The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously, indeed, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.” Isaiah 24:16

So the main driving force for a world in a dire condition, as it was in the days of Pharaoh is to seek to enslave Israel, which Joel describes as, “Because you have taken My silver and My gold, and have carried into your temples My prized possessions. Also the PEOPLE of Judah and the people of Jerusalem you have SOLD to the Greeks, that you may remove them far from their borders.” Joel 3:5-6 And Zechariah also says, “The city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into CAPTIVITY, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.” Zechariah 14:2

“Behold, I am coming like a THIEF. Blessed is the one WATCHING and KEEPING his GARMENTS, so that he should NOT WALK NAKED and they might see his shame.” [vs. 15]

As mentioned above in Revelation 11 and also Revelation 13 during this period of tribulation the reference to SAINTS is only applicable to the children of Israel who come to faith in Christ. So the LORD is speaking to them to hold fast through the tribulation they WILL have to endure, from the Antichrist and the false prophet even unto death. The Lord says this right at the BRINK of the day to come when ISRAEL is about to be engulfed by her enemies. Now when He says He will come as a THIEF it is to emphasise the importance of staying in faith indefinitely. Meaning the when or the how is not important, the surety of the definite stand is. More so to emphasise the URGENCY of the PRESENT moment, that none may be caught off guard when the evil day DOES come.

WATCHING is an act of prayerfulness. The Lord said to Peter, “So, were you not able to watch with Me one hour? WATCH and PRAY, that you do NOT enter into TEMPTATION. For the spirit is willing, but the flesh weak.” Matthew 26:40-41 In previous chapters we have shown that in Acts 12 Peter an apostle to Jews was a figurative representation of the children of Israel. So here the temptation of Peter is what is going to be LITERALLY facing the children of Israel in the last days, for which the Lord gives them the SAME remedy to WATCH in an act of prayerfulness so that like Peter they may not be forced to deny God through the weakness of their flesh. “The one having found his life will lose it, and the one having lost his life on account of Me will find it.” Matthew 10:39 This is the HOUR of ISRAEL’s trials!

The Lord said, “Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, UNTIL the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Luke 21:24 And when Christ returns to gather His bride the time of the Gentiles will be fulfilled, the door will be shut, and NO GENTILE beyond this point will be saved. We have a foreshadowing of this when Joseph made himself known to his brehtern on their SECOND visit, but not before commanding all others to depart from the room. “Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So NO ONE stood with him while Joseph made himself KNOWN to his brothers.” Genesis 45:1 Which is the picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, having gathered to Himself, all those who are His from the Gentiles as well as Jews in the Rapture. NOW, CHRIST makes HIMSELF known ONLY to the Jews, His brethren, which is expressed in Revelation 11. [J.p]

“And he GATHERED them together unto the place called in Hebrew Armageddon.” [vs. 16].

Armageddon in Hebrew is translated to mean Har Megiddo, which is the hill of Megiddo. This is the event Joel and Zechariah speak about of the gatherings of the nations prior to the final crashing in the winepress of God. The timeline that corresponds to this event according to the prophecies of Daniel is the 45 days from the moment Jerusalem went into revolt to the time it took for the Roman armies to surround the city. [Daniel 12:11-12]

Now there seems to be an apparent contradiction from that of Hill of Megiddo where John states the armies of the Antichrist and False Prophet will be gathered to the one suggested by Zechariah 14 and Joel 3, which are within the vicinity of Jerusalem. The point is John states they will be gathered at Hill of Megiddo NOT that the battle will be held there. The likeness is to that of the armies of Rome which Daniel speaks of, saying “Blessed is he who waits and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty five days.” The blessedness is that this one will escape the tribulation being able to see the city being surrounded and not be trapped within it. So likewise here we have an act of GATHERING of ARMIES. The return of the Lord is clearly stated by Zechariah 14:4-5 as well as also in Acts 1:11-12 that as the Lord ascended from Mount Olivet He also will return to the same point. The point is whatever scenario it may be, the armies of the Antichrist and the false prophet WILL HAVE to invade Jerusalem. As Paul also says, “so as for him [Antichrist] to sit down in the temple of God, setting forth that he himself is God.” 2 Thes. 2:4

In the prophecies of Joel 3, we used the term “the valley of Jehoshaphat” to draw conclusion on how the relatives of Israel, Moab, Ammon and Mount-seir translated to mean a relation of Israel [Ishmael] will come against her in the final days. Likewise we have applied the same principle here, in the book of 2 Chronicles 35:20-23, there is a mention of a battle of Carchemish by the River Euphrates. The principal actors of this battle were king Necho from Egypt allied with the king of Assyria fighting against the king of Babylon allied with Media, Persia and Scythians. [wikipedia] However when king Necho was on route to the battle he was intercepted by king Josiah of Judah at the hill of Megiddo. The subjective conclusion we are drawing from this is that the hill of Megiddo serves as a meeting point for the main forces that surround Israel to gather. That is Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Mede and Persia are the main principal heads of the dragon that represent CLAY while Greece and Rome represent the IRON portion of the final kingdom. The point is, the gatherings of these kings to battle even if it was against one another while Judah is isolated at the hill of Megiddo is the concept that is being portrayed for us. So Hill of Megiddo serves as an affirming POINT that the armies that will come against Israel in the final days will MAINLY consist of the SURROUNDING nations as Joel and Zechariah CLEARLY pointed out.

[NOTE]: Using the same timetable as Daniel when he prophesied of the Siege of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD, we have established, after Seven years of the end of THIS Age is finished, which was broken into 3 and half years ministry of the two prophets to Israel followed by 3 and half years of the reign of the Antichrist and the false prophet. This was followed by 30 days of the wrath of God poured on the kingdom of the Antichrist and false prophet, including the 45 days of the Sixth bowl when the armies of surrounding nations were gathered at Megiddo. From this point forward Daniel allocates 965 days of siege and war and devastation of Jerusalem which is included in this bowl. So Israel is invaded, and put under subjection, some are taken into captivity as Joel and Zechariah specified. So we have confident ground to expect the Antichrist would have sat in the temple of God in Jerusalem showing himself to be God and worshipped by the surrounding nations ALL of which precedes the Seventh bowl. [2 Thessalonians 2:3-4]

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Seventh Bowl: Judgement of the Exalted Ones! [The Dragon]

“And the SEVENTH poured out his bowl UPON THE AIR, and a loud voice came out from the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is DONE!” [vs. 17]

Now in the previous bowls we have seen the wrath of God being poured out, first on the Earth in respect to the false prophet, and all those who follow him. Second we have seen it being poured on the throne of the beast and his kingdom, which was represented as coming out of the Sea in Revelation 13. Now we finally see the wrath of God being poured out on the Air, representing the realm of the dragon, the prince and power of the air. Which Paul describes in Ephesian, “According to the ruler of the AUTHORITY of the AIR, the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience.” Ephesians 2:2 [And] “Because to us the wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the HEAVENLY REALMS.” Ephesians 6:12 That is since Satan and his angels were all cast out of heaven down to the earth, they have occupied the air, the atmosphere of the earth.

The significance is in the previous verses, John wrote, “I saw coming out of the mouth of the DRAGON, and out of the mouth of the BEAST, and out of the mouth of the FALSE PROPHET, three unclean spirits, like FROGS.” The dragon is mentioned along with beast the antichrist and the false prophet, that they are all gathered together as one in the final battle. As we have said, above God is punishing both angelic hosts as well as the unfaithfulness of mankind. Isaiah writes, “It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will punish ON HIGH the host of exalted ones, and ON THE EARTH the kings of the earth.” Isaiah 24:21 which ties the fate of earth and those who dwell in her with the fate of the heavenly hosts under one event. The Lord also said, “the ruler of this world has been judged.” John 16:11 And speaking of the final day of the judgement of God of those who reject Him, He said, “Then also He will say to those on the left, ‘Depart from Me, those being cursed, into the eternal fire, having been prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matthew 25:41

It is DONE: In Chapter 15 a condition was set that “no one was able to enter into the temple UNTIL the Seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.” Revelation 15:8 That is heaven was closed and we have explained the implication of this was that no one who died from among the elect during this period was able to enter heaven. Now the angel proclaims that it is done and John later follows this declaration with, “And I saw HEAVEN having been OPENED, and behold, a white horse, and the One sitting upon it called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.” Revelation 19:11 That is the next event that is to come to pass from heaven’s perspective is the return of the Lord with the armies of heaven. The point to remember is during the last SEVEN years of the turmoil of the earth heaven was engaged in the marriage supper of the Lamb which chapter 19 will describe. So when the wrath of God is finished on earth, and the armies of the nations have overcome Israel then the time has come for the Lord to return.

There is a point of note in regard to the SEVENTH marker of the SEAL, the TRUMPET and the BOWL. Each Seventh Marker was used to introduce the NEXT set of events at the successful completion of the previous. The Seventh Seal marked the successful gatherings of the kingdom of God and introduced the contrary events that will transpire over the same period. The Seventh Trumpet marked the successful gathering of the Last of the elect of God and introduced the judgement event to follow on the unfaithful. Likewise the Seventh Bowl marked the successful outpouring of the wrath of God and is now pointing to the NEXT set of events in Revelation 19 which is the return of the Lord. Each marker signified the gathering of a specific group, the first group the complete elect from both Jew and Gentiles. The second group is the last of the Elect from only the Jews. Last of all the gathering of the unfaithful and rebellious to face the winepress of the wrath of God to destruction. [Revelation 14:8-11 & 18-20]

And there were flashes of lightning, and voices, and thunders; and there was a GREAT EARTHQUAKE, such as there had not been since men were upon the earth—SO GREAT was the earthquake, so mighty, and the GREAT CITY was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and BABYLON the GREAT was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath.” [vs. 18-19]

We now have the third and final sign of COMPLETION in, “flashes of lightning, and voices, and thunders; and there was a great earthquake,” marking the end of the current AGE of the world and the beginning of the AGE of the reign of Christ of which there is no end. Daniel writes, “Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.” Daniel 7:14

Now the earthquake described here is a counterpart to the events that transpired in Jerusalem, when the first half of the time of tribulation had expired. “And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand names of men were killed in the earthquake. And the rest became terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.” Revelation 11:13 However in this great and mighty earthquake there is no repentance coming forth from the NATIONS of the world. Isaiah describes this shaking of the earth as, “For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble. The earth is violently broken, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall totter like a hut; its TRANSGRESSION lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again.” Isaiah 24:18-20 The earthquake is a response to transgression of which God has acquitted Israel, “For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted; For the Lord dwells in Zion.” Joel 3:21 God will NOT act in wrath toward those who have repented and turned to Him. And this Mighty shaking is not the act of nature instigated by the devil but an ACT of God.

So there is a significance to why the GREAT CITY Jerusalem was split into three parts, [the implication of which we do not know!]. However, of the rest of the world he says, “the cities of the nations fell.” A point of note, this is NOT the earthquake that happens at the return of the Lord, which Zechraiah describes as, “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south.” Zechariah 14:4 This is an earthquake that shakes the WHOLE EARTH which Isaiah describes as, “The earth is violently broken, the earth is split open.” We see both Isaiah and John struggle with searching for words to convey to us the MAGNITUDE of this event, how mighty, how devastating, it is going to be. John portrays it by comparison and says, “Such as there had not been since men were upon the earth,” keeping in mind John is speaking of a future event, therefore it includes us also.

BABYLON the GREAT was remembered before God: Here we see a corresponding judgement coming upon Great Babylon, we have seen God Judge in wrath, the kingdom of Iron and Clay and the spirits and powers of the Air. Now Great Babylon DID NOT escape any of the judgement that came upon the earth and the kingdom of the Iron and Clay. However we see here God apportioning her ANOTHER judgement of wrath because she failed in serving those she was sent to. John writes, “Give back to her as she also has rendered; and pay back double to her, twofold according to her works.” Revelation 18:6 So she is delivered into the hands of those she was meant to serve. It is important to note that Great Babylon will be burned by the Europeans, the TEN kings of IRON who will give their authority to the Beast Abaddon. [Revelation 17:16-18] While Israel will be made subject to the kings of the East, that is surrounding nations [Clay]. And the common denominator of ALL these events is the Antichrist. So the next two chapters specifically deal with the relationship of Great Babylon with the kingdom of IRON and the final outcome of that. [Rev 14:8]

“And every ISLAND fled, and MOUNTAINS were not to be found. And a GREAT HAIL, about a talent weight, comes down out of heaven upon the men. And the men BLASPHEMED God on account of the plague of the hail, for the plague of it is exceedingly severe.” [vs. 20-21]

Now we first have to identify what does the island fled, and the mountains were not found mean? If we apply it to mean literal islands and mountains as a result of the effect of the great earthquake, then we have the question of the Mount of Olives, which Zechariah 14 describes at the return of the Lord. And also in Revelation 6, John writes, “And heaven departed like a scroll being rolled up, and every MOUNTAIN and ISLAND were moved out of their places.” and he follows that with, “And the kings of the earth, and the great ones, and the commanders, and the rich, and the powerful, and every slave and free, hid themselves in the caves, and among the rocks of the MOUNTAINS.” Revelation 6:14-15 Meaning there is an application to the meaning of mountains and islands we have not considered.

However there is a subjective interpretation we can apply for Mountains which we find described in Revelation 17. “The seven HEADS are seven MOUNTAINS, where the woman sits on them; and there are seven KINGS.” Revelation 17:9-10 That is the mountains are a representation of kings, NOT earthly ones as most have interpreted it to mean but heavenly hosts, that represented the kingdoms of the world throughout the ages. Which we find a similar description in Ezekiel 28, in relation between the prince and the king of Tyre. So the effect of the earthquake here is the shaking of both heaven and earth. The prophet Haggai writes, “I will shake HEAVEN and EARTH. I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms.” Haggai 2:21-22

Daniel also showed how each kingdom of the earth was supported by a princely power saying, “And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come.” Daniel 10:20 [And] “And the people of the prince who is to come [Rome] shall destroy the city [Jerusalem] and the sanctuary.” Daniel 9:26 And finally, “At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;” Daniel 12:1 Now we know these principalities were stripped of their dominion, [Daniel 7:12] however they were let loose on earth to cause havoc, as described in Revelation 12:12. And Paul makes it clear in his letter to Ephesians saying, “Because to us the wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12 These are the ones described as ISLANDS minor spiritual forces and MOUNTAINS principalities. Keeping in mind the Seventh Bowl was poured out on the Air, the effect is upon the heavenly realms of the earth. And as we have stated above the Lord is judging both Heavenly Hosts as well as mankind.

The significance of the Islands and Mountains fleeing and not being found is as Isaiah said above, “It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will punish on high the host of exalted ones, and on the earth the kings of the earth.” Isaiah 24:21 As we have said above the Seventh Bowl is pointing to the next major event that is the return of the Lord. And these principles powers of the Air have NO AUTHORITY to OPPOSE the Lord, John in Revelation 12 clearly portrayed to us, the spiritual fight in heaven was ALREADY finished. So they are described as fleeing and not to be found because the time has come for them to be imprisoned for a 1000 years. There is only one battle left, that is on EARTH, where these hosts working through and with haughty mankind make their final stand. So we also have a corresponding act coming upon mankind described in great hail falling upon the earth. And the state of the heart of mankind is revealed, that is throughout the process of being made subject to the wrath of God, they have not humbled themselves but rather blasphemed God. And their response is to gather for battle which Revelation 19:19-21 describes in fulfilment of the Harvest of Grapes described in Revelation 14:18-20.

The announcement of the passing of the Third “Woe” is when the wrath of God poured out on the world, Great Babylon is destroyed, the beast and false prophet gather armies and make war. Which is equivalent to the setting up of the abomination of desolation of Daniel’s prophecy. And it is this act that instigates the final war from heaven. This “Woe” is NOT declared, we suspect it is because it is the end, the next event that is ushered in is the 1000 year reign of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[Back to the Top]

A Study on the Book of Revelation. [12-16]

Contents:

Revelation 12: War in Heaven and Earth.

Revelation 13: Second Half – The Kingdom of Iron & Clay.

The Kingdom of Iron.

The Kingdom of Clay.

Revelation 14: The Harvest of Wheat & Grapes.

Revelation 15: The Harvest of Jews.

Revelation 16: The Wrath of God – the Final Woe!

First Bowl: Judgement of Clay! [The False Prophet]

Second Bowl: Life of the Sea!

Third Bowl: Days of Delusion!

Fourth Bowl: Extreme Heat Waves!

Fifth Bowl: Judgement of Iron! [The Antichrist]

Sixth Bowl: Path to War!

Seventh Bowl: Judgement of the Exalted Ones! [The Dragon]

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Contents:

Revelation 12: War in Heaven and Earth.

Revelation 13: Second Half – The Kingdom of Iron & Clay.

The Kingdom of Iron.

The Kingdom of Clay.

Revelation 14: The Harvest of Wheat & Grapes.

Revelation 15: The Harvest of Jews.

Revelation 16: The Wrath of God – the Final Woe!

First Bowl: Judgement of Clay! [The False Prophet]

Second Bowl: Life of the Sea!

Third Bowl: Days of Delusion!

Fourth Bowl: Extreme Heat Waves!

Fifth Bowl: Judgement of Iron! [The Antichrist]

Sixth Bowl: Path to War!

Seventh Bowl: Judgement of the Exalted Ones! [The Dragon]

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