The Language of God.

 

Many years ago, I was reading through the Psalms and came upon the verses below. The part I have underlined bothered me. It said God’s people would never be left to the power of evil people and be condemned. I knew this wasn’t true. There are history books and the Bible itself that tell us how Jews and Christians have been persecuted, condemned and killed all through time.

Psalm 37:32-34

Though the wicked lie in wait for the righteous,

and seek to slay them,

the LORD will not leave them in their power

or let them be condemned under judgment.

Wait for the LORD and keep His way,

and He will raise you up to inherit the land.

When the wicked are cut off,

you will see it.

 

I told God my misgivings and it came into my mind that this promise was made for the far future, when the judgement of God comes upon the world. At that time, we will not be condemned and not only that God will raise us up from our graves or from the earth to inherit our own land.

 

I thought about all the promises I’d read in the Bible and it all became clear to me why Jesus said things like, “Whatever you ask for in my name, you shall receive it.” Because I knew that didn’t happen in a literal sense. If it did, we would all be millionaires.

 

God and Jesus speak in a Spiritual sense. They speak to us about the deep things of life through poetry and the use of similes, metaphors, personification and hyperbole. Jesus’ disciples had a very hard time understanding what Jesus was trying to convey. This is just one example from the Bible:

 

“When the disciples reached the other side of the lake, they had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.   Matthew 16:5-12

 

The rulers of the church of that time didn’t understand a lot of what Jesus was teaching, but they did know that their influence of the people was waning while Jesus’ influence was gaining and they hated him for that.

 

I have noticed that whenever a person asked Jesus what he meant, he always answered and explained. He did this for the disciples and this has been true for me when I have had questions about spiritual things. The Lord always brings the answer to my mind. I know it is him because it is usually something I wouldn’t have thought of. My sister says the same thing. She brings a problem to God and says, “You could do A. B. or C.” She told me he almost always does D. Something that surprises her. We laugh a lot about how God answers our prayers.

 

The Book of Revelation uses personification throughout. Symbols, imagery and poetry abound. Even though the title of the book means, “to reveal,” scholars disagree on what the book means. There are probably hundreds of interpretations and I won’t go into that. However, there is one part of Revelation most people have heard of and that is the number 666.

“And the second beast performed great signs to cause even fire from heaven to come down to earth in the presence of the people. Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived. The second beast was permitted to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship it to be killed.”

The Mark of the Beast

“And the second beast required all people small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark—the name of the beast or the number of its name.”

“Here is a call for wisdom: Let the one who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and that number is 666.” Revelation 13:11-18

I believe all scholars agree that the number 7 in the Bible signifies perfection. God gave us 7 days, the Sabbath was made for us to worship God on the 7^th day. In the book of Deuteronomy and Leviticus the number 7 was referred to over and over.

“Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them. And he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its utensils and the basin and its stand, to consecrate them.” Leviticus 8:10,11

Jesus referred to the number 7 when talking about forgiveness: “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!”

In saying this, Jesus was telling us to always forgive. He told us that if someone sinned against us 7 times in one day and asked for forgiveness, we must forgive them.

666

So, most have concluded that the number 7 symbolizes spiritual perfection. In the case of the number 666, it is close to perfection, but it is off by one number three times. In my opinion, this means it is an entity which is close to spiritual perfection but is not. It looks spiritually perfect, but it is not. The Bible text tells us it deceives the people of the world and will try to force people to worship it or they will be killed. This entity will not allow people to buy or sell unless they worship the way they want. Most scholars see this as the time near the end of this world.

“And a third angel followed them, calling out in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives its mark on his forehead or on his hand, he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. Day and night there is no rest for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”  Revelation 14:9-11 (There is no spiritual rest for these people at the end. They have accepted a lie because they liked the spirit of that lie.)

 

When I started writing, I had no plans to write about 666 or the end of the world. But sometimes this is the way it goes, and it seems God wants me to write about it.

 

One last thing. There are about 500 verses in the Bible that describe death as a sleep or being in the grave. Jesus himself said death was a sleep. There is no hell to go down to. There is no eternal punishment. God says, “All the wicked I will destroy.” Period. Destroy does not mean keeping people alive in a place to torture.

 

There are a few verses that people believe says there is a hell like the one I described. They are wrong. Personally, I could never worship a God who could invent such a thing. The verse above which says, “…the smoke of their torment arises forever,” is symbolic. The smoke lasts forever, which symbolizes their sin, and the result of their sin will never, ever be forgotten so that no one in the universe will desire to sin again. We will remember what rebellion against the Lord of the Universe brings: heartache, destruction, pain, vile evil and death.

It is Finished. The Seven Last Plagues.

“It is finished,” were the words of Jesus on the cross as he died. He was talking about his life and his sacrifice for the world. The work he had come to do, he had accomplished.

“Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. And a mighty shout came from the throne in the Temple saying, “It is finished.” Then the thunder crashed and rolled and the lightning flashed. A great earthquake struck – the worst since people were placed on the earth.” Rev.16:17,18

It goes on to say that people cursed God because of the terrible plagues that were falling on the earth. But I believe it isn’t God who sends these plagues, it is us. We are killing the planet now and one day will destroy it completely.

The first plague is sores on mankind. Probably chemical warfare, some of which produce sores.

The second plague is the sea became like the blood of a dead man. Everything in the sea dies. We don’t know what ocean or sea the Bible refers to; but we do know what we have done to them. It doesn’t surprise me the creatures of the oceans will die.

The third plague is the rivers and springs become like blood. We have certainly polluted those also.

The fourth plague is the sun scorching the earth and man dying from the heat. Global warming at its worst.

The fifth plague is darkness. Perhaps large electrical grids going out in the cities.

The sixth plague is the drying up of the Euphrates River and the armies coming together for war. A war over water? Yes, very likely. Right now, Turkey wants to dam the Tigris River because they need more water. Iraq and other countries say this will take their water, and they are right.

The seventh plague is the great earthquake and huge hailstones. We are already experiencing very large hailstones. I read in the news that recently hailstones that weighed 50 lbs. fell upon a city.

These events are coming and some have already started. God will not have to send them. We have created them all by ourselves.

Jesus said,

 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars, and on earth dismay among the nations. They will be bewildered by the roaring of the sea and surging of the waves. Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. At that time, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up our heads, for your redemption is drawing near.”

“…But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of this life – and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. So, keep watching at all times, and pray you may have the strength from God to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”  

Luke Chapter 21.

Revelation: The New Earth.

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New Earth

          Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  Rev. 21:1

          After the unpleasant day of carrying out the judgment of the wicked, the desolate and charred earth that has been sitting dormant for a thousand years will be recreated by God.  What a privilege it will be to witness this creation step by step.

 What will the new earth be like?

For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.  (Is. 65:17)  After the new earth is created, we will mercifully forget the imperfect earth from which we came and we will forget any pain, suffering and sadness we may have experienced and we will never have bad experiences again.  …He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.  (Rev. 21:4)

They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit.  (Is. 65:21)  During the thousand years after we were taken to heaven, we lived in God’s mansion.  But when we move to the earth made new, we will build and live in our own houses.

And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy will lead them.  Also the cow and the bear will graze, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like an ox.  The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.  They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.  (Is. 11:6-9)  All the animals of the new earth will be tame and no one will ever come to harm again.

Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection…  Rev. 20:6

Probation is not yet closed; we all still have time to choose where we will spend eternity.  Jesus is coming, and coming soon.  Will you be ready?

Revelation: The Thousand Years Ends.

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After the Thousand Years

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God…  Rev. 21:2

We have been living in God’s mansion in heaven, but now a new city is prepared for us, and Jesus, to live in for the rest of eternity on this earth. 

But first there is some unfinished business…

When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth…to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.  And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.  And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also…  Rev. 20:7-10

We who have been in heaven were either alive when Jesus came for us or we were raised from the dead in the first resurrection.  Satan was left with nothing to do while we were enjoying the bliss of being in heaven with Jesus and our loved ones.  But after the thousand years a second resurrection takes place wherein the unsaved from the history of the world are raised and Satan, who has had a millennium to make plans, gathers these innumerable people in order to make war against the New Jerusalem and those of us inside.  Satan, his angels, the beast and the false prophet receive their punishment immediately.  The rest of humanity is left to learn of their fate.

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.  And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.  Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.  This is the second death, the lake of fire.  And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.  Rev. 20:11-15

All the unsaved from all of history will stand before Jesus to hear why they are not among the saved and to hear the judgment of their deeds.

Revelation: The Works of Christians.

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Faith & Deeds of the Christian.

          So where do deeds come into the picture?  When you fall in love with someone you desire to please that person, and our love for Jesus will be no different.  The longer Jesus is in your life, the more you will know him and the more you will love him and the more you will want to please him.  So what is it that pleases Jesus?  When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus replied, …”You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind”.  This is the great and foremost commandment.  The second is like it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”   (Matt. 22:37-39)  Loving God and treating people as we would want to be treated are the deeds for which we are judged.  (See Matt. 25:31-46)

By ourselves we cannot please Jesus, but he promises to help us personally, to give us the Holy Spirit to help, and to cover us when we fall short.  I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever…  (John 14:16)  …he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.  (John 15:5)   …for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.  (Phil. 2:13)  …if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  (1 John 2:1)  For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  (Heb. 4:15, 16)

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Matthew 25:34-40

Those who do not do these works are those whose hearts are hard. They are people who perhaps say they are Christians, but if Christ was in their hearts, they would do these kinds of works, for he puts this in our hearts. God will bring people into your life who need help. The Holy Spirit will whisper to us, "Help them." Not all of us do large or far-reaching good works, but the small kindnesses of life add up to a mighty river of righteousness.

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Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.  Rev.20:6

Revelation: Faith and Works.

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          Satan, his angels, and those whose names are not written in the Book of Life will have their deeds judged by the saints in heaven.  Jesus has already judged who is and who is not to be saved, so why are we going to judge the works of those who are not saved?  We can speculate and come up with a twofold answer.  First, the punishment for their deeds must fit the crime.  Adolph Hitler was responsible for the murder of millions of people, but Joe Schmuckatelly down the street simply did not believe in God and he never killed one other human being.  Do they deserve the same judgment?  Of course not.  Judgment occurs…so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.  (2 Cor. 5:10)

          The second speculative answer as to why the saints are allowed to judge the world is to satisfy questions we may have.  For instance:  Why isn’t that TV preacher here in heaven?  When we look at his deeds we see he was not a servant of God, but instead he was a greedy and power hungry megalomaniac.  He did not have a personal relationship with Jesus; he used Jesus’ name to advance his own agenda.

Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.  Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?”  And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” (Matt. 7:21-23)  (Emphasis supplied)                                         

Salvation vs. Deeds

          The question now arises:  Why are salvation and deeds two separate things?  This is a topic that has been debated for thousands of years, and we will not settle the matter here in this book.  But we will try to put it as simply as possible so we have a basic understanding.  Salvation is a gift that we receive freely:  we can do NOTHING to earn it.  …the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Rom. 6:23)  So how do we receive this free gift?  It says in John 1:12, But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.  Jesus said …This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.  (John 6:29)  

When Jesus was crucified, one of the criminals being crucified next to him asked Jesus to remember him when he came in his kingdom.  Jesus replied that the criminal would be with him in paradise.  (See Luke 23:42, 43)  This man was a criminal, and he was such a bad man that the death sentence had been passed against him.  So how could Jesus simply say yes, you will be in heaven with me?  Because this criminal believed that Jesus was the Son of God and said he wanted to be with him. 

That is all that is required to be saved:  believe that Jesus is sent of God to save you and ask him to be in your life.  Suddenly your name is written in the Book of Life and heaven is yours.  …he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent me, has eternal life, and…has passed out of death into life.  (John 5:24)

  

Revelation: What Will Heaven Be Like?

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          The world is destroyed, the wicked are dead, and Satan and his angels are trapped with nothing to do.  The rest of us have been caught up in the clouds with Jesus and our loved ones.  The burning question at this point is: what happens next?  What is heaven like and what will we be doing there?  The apostle Paul says, Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.  (1 Cor. 2:9)  We cannot imagine what heaven will be like.  Our eyes and ears have never been exposed to anything resembling what is awaiting us, and our wildest imaginations cannot even come close to what the reality will be.  But the Bible gives some clues as to what to expect.

Heaven

New Bodies

          …flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God…but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.  (1 Cor. 15:50-53)  When Jesus returns and the saved are reaped from the earth, everyone will immediately receive a new, immortal body that will never experience sickness or death.  And no resident will say, “I am sick”…  (Is. 33:24)  For they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God…  (Luke 20:36)

The Party

          …Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb…  (Rev. 19:9)  The Bride of Christ, the true church, those who are saved, takes part in what is described as a marriage supper.  When Jesus was on earth he was a guest at a wedding in the city of Cana, the event of his first miracle where he changed water into wine.  In those days a wedding celebration was a huge affair that lasted about one week.  In heaven, Jesus will be the host of a party so huge that it is impossible to imagine.  We will be with Jesus, with our loved ones, and with those we have only read about.  I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  (Matt. 8:11)

Royalty

          See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.  (1 John 3:1)  Jesus said, In My Father’s house are many dwelling places…I go to prepare a place for you.  (John 14:2)  We are sons and daughters of the king of the universe and in heaven we will be living in the same mansion as Jesus and God the Father! …in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.  (2 Tim. 4:8)  Royalty wear crowns to signify their positions.  So we too, on the day Jesus returns to this earth and gathers up his people, will be given a crown by him personally. 

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Revelation: Satan Bound.

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          …in Christ all will be made alive.  But each in his own order:  Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end….  1 Cor. 15: 22-24  (emphasis supplied)

          Once the saved have left the earth, the final battle between good and evil, Satan and Jesus, begins.

Jesus as Warrior

          And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.  His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 

He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.  And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.  From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.  And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”  And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.  Rev. 19:11-16, 19

          The armies assembled in the plain of Megiddo were planning to wage war against one another, but as their world is falling apart and they see the armies of God descending upon them, former enemies unite and turn as one against our God.

          These (the kings of the earth) will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.  Rev. 17:14

          Jesus and his army will prevail.

          Then another angel…swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God.  And the wine press was trodden…  Rev. 14:18, 19

And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.  And the rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse…  Rev. 19:20, 21

          But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.  2 Pet. 3:10

          The beast, the false prophet, and all those bearing the mark of the beast will be destroyed.  The earth will be burned and left as scorched nothingness.

          Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.  And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.  Rev. 20:1-3

            It is possible that Satan is chained up and thrown into a literal pit for a thousand years.  It is also possible that he and his minions are limited to wandering the destroyed and deserted earth for the one thousand years.  Either way it is a torment for this evil angel who has been ceaselessly active for thousands of years to have absolutely nothing to do but remember the past and plan hopelessly for the future.

The question you must ask yourself is this:  Will you see Jesus as your Savior and be thrilled to see his return, or will you see Jesus as a Warrior and be filled with fear?  The choice is yours.  Free will has been given to all of us to exercise in choosing which side we will be on when the end comes.

Revelation: Armegeddon, the Seventh Plague.

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Armageddon

And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon (Satan) and out of the mouth of the beast (Catholicism, Pope) and out of the mouth of the false prophet (apostate Protestant leader), three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.  And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.  Rev. 16:13, 14, 16

          The plain of Megiddo was often the site of major battles in Old Testament times.  (See Judges 5:19 and 2 Kin. 23:29)  It is located in modern day Israel and here, Revelation says, will be the site of the final great battle of this world. 

 As the threat rises from those kings from the east, the image of the beast (the beast, the false prophet, the political powers backing them up) will convince all the nations to rally together and send armies to fight.  The stage will be set in the Middle East for the climactic battle between radical Islam and Christianity, with the Jewish nation of Israel caught in the middle.

Seventh Bowl of Wrath:  The End of the World.

Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.” 

And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty.  The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.  Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.  And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.  And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, and because its plague was extremely severe.  Rev. 16:17-21

          We learned that Babylon the great, the mother of harlots… (Rev. 17:5) is Jezebel, the false church (Catholicism) and as the mother of harlots we see she is joined with apostate Protestant churches.  (See Chapter 7) 

Those having the mark of the beast cry and lament as they see their world crashing down (Rev. 18:9-19).  But those of us bearing the seal of God will rejoice (Rev. 18:20).

The Antichrist.

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Addendum

The Antichrist

The prefix “anti” is used to describe a person or organization that is against, or opposes, or counterfeits something.  So an “anti” Christ would be a person or organization that is against, opposes, or counterfeits Christ.  In the Bible, the term antichrist is not found in the book of Revelation.  Here are some verses where you will find this term.

“…just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared…”  1 John 2:18  John, the same John who wrote Revelation, says there were antichrists in his time so this term is not limited to one person at the end of time, as many seem to believe.

“Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ?  This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.”  1 John 2:22  Here we see that an antichrist is one who denies that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, and therefore an antichrist is one who denies God the Father and Son.

“…every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.”  1 John 4:3  Even in John’s day there were people who said Jesus was just a man, or just a good man, or just a prophet.  They denied then, and millions deny today, that Jesus is from God.

As you can see, there have been antichrists for 2000 years.  There is no reason to use the term in any special way or as referring to any special person in our study of end time events.

Addendum

Prophecy uses symbolic language to refer to literal things and people.  Here is a list of what we covered in this chapter.  Also, see Appendix 2 for a more detailed explanation of these symbols and their meanings.

SYMBOL

MEANING

King of North/                          United States of America

Lamb from Earth

King of South/                           Radical Islamists

Egypt

False Prophet                             US Protestant Leader

Image of Beast                           Unification of Political, Protestant and Catholic Powers

Mark of Beast                             Compliance with Demands of Image of Beast

Babylon the Great                       False Church, Jezebel, Catholicism

Revelation: Probation Closes.

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Continued from previous post...

Probation Closed

“But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them (the two witnesses, the two olive trees, the Holy Spirit and Jesus), and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them.  And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.”  Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them.  And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.  The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.”  Rev. 11:11-14

The three and one half years have passed.  Those who received the mark of the beast, whether his name or his number, are locked in with their choice and tremble with great fear.  The Holy Spirit and Jesus stop working and leave the earth on its own.

In Chapter 12 of the book of John a voice came out of heaven and spoke to Jesus.  In verse 29 it says, “So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him.””   Just as some who were standing around Jesus knew they had heard a voice while others thought it was simply thunder, so too when probation closes at the end of time on this earth.  Some will know that the Holy Spirit has left this earth and that Jesus has stopped interceding for us, while others will not have a clue.

Will you know when probation closes?  Will you be sealed by God or will you have received the mark of the beast?  Probation is going to close and we must make a choice as to what side we will be on.