The earth was lit up by his radiance. Revelation 18: 1-5.

Posted on 02/12/2022 by remso

We ended Revelation 17 talking about the scarlet-clad harlot who rides the beast and how the nations allied with the beast/antichrist will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh, and will burn her up with fire.

The harlot is this cluster of people who think they have the right to lord over the rest of us, as they impose medical mandates and mask rules, all for the purpose of gaining more riches and an unlimited supply of food while many of us starve. According to scripture, these people are using the nations that fall under the category of beast nations. If these are Islamic nations, who are being driven into battles with each other, then these same nations will, in time, destroy the beast; this is the majority of the message in Revelation 18, so let’s dive in.

Revelation 18:1 NET. After these things I saw another angel, who possessed great authority, coming down out of heaven, and the earth was lit up by his radiance.

Jesus is the radiance of the Father’s glory, but this is NOT Him. This angel is a messenger, as many of them are. An intriguing piece of information: the first time we see an angel mentioned by name is in Daniel 8:6, Gabriel. What a surprise, as it is Gabriel who brings the message to Mary of the impending birth of Jesus (Luke_1:19). 

In Daniel 10:6 Gabriel shows up once again to give Daniel a much-needed explanation. Here I want you to pay attention to what this angel looks like.

Daniel 10:5-6 NASB I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen, whose waist was girded with a belt of pure gold of Uphaz. (6) His body also was like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a tumult.

Gabriel reflects an amazing amount of light and produces some of his own. We have nothing that tells us that this angel in verse one is Gabriel; I am only giving you some interesting information, and, it is what this angel says that makes the difference, as the message changes everything.

Revelation 18:2 NLT  “He gave a mighty shout: “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every foul and dreadful animal.”

As I sit here typing out this post, I can see the pictures taken by American service members of the town and the location of Babylon in my mind’s eye. It looked very similar to several of our California desert communities. Contextually, in what seems to be chronological telling of the events during the time of wrath, Babylon is fallen. In case you missed my point, as far as I am concerned, Babylon fell several thousand years ago.

The passage (Revelation 18:2) emphasizes the word fallen (piptō) by using it twice. This is meant to draw your attention to the importance of what is being said. In Greek, the word Fallen. or Piptō, means to descend from a higher place to a lower, to fall, to be thrust down, and metaphorically to fall under judgment or condemnation. 

I have gone over the subject of Babylon several times in the last couple of weeks, but there are always new readers. Israel is called Babylon, and so is the physical place where we find Daniel, formerly of Israel.

There is a fascinating reference to Babylon, the great city, in Revelation 16. There it speaks of a great earthquake splitting the city into thirds.

The obvious thing about Babylon is that it is little more than a spot on the map; in other words, it doesn’t exist anymore except when it represents spiritual debauchery.

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. (Revelation 16:19 NASB)

Is it any coincidence, in speaking of this same period, that the Prophet Zechariah says,

Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.
(Zechariah 13:7-8 KJV)

Revelation 11 speaks of the two witnesses God places back on the earth. Upon their death, they lie in the streets of Jerusalem but pay attention to how it is described.

And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. (Revelation 11:8 NASB)

Our Lord was crucified in Jerusalem, and here it is being called the great city, just as Babylon was in Revelation 18:2. The allusion to Sodom and Egypt is associated with the sexual and religious perversions that will be predominant sins ending this age (Matthew_24:37-39; Luke_17:26-30).

This may come as a shock, but we have been talking about Israel all this time.

Revelation 18:3 NLT  For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of her passionate immorality. The kings of the world have committed adultery with her. Because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the merchants of the world have grown rich.”

  • “For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of her passionate immorality.”

I want to touch on something before we continue. Israel, having come out of Egypt, at least that is how their migration is described, did not leave that junk behind; they brought it all with them. And what they did not bring with them, they adopted.

I will let you in on an aspect of my struggle to create a bible study that is based on the word and a bit more relational. I have always understood that Balaam said something to Balak, which was then used to bring down Israel. So, I did a word search for Balaam. Did you know that his donkey spoke to him, and he was not shocked, and Israel killed Balaam in one of their battles? Proof that even if God talks to you, you don’t have His protection, as some would try to imply. The Revelation has one of the most significant clues, proving that Balaam fed Balak information that eventually brought down Israel. The craziest thing is that Israel was more than willing to bring about its own downfall.

Revelation 2:14 MKJV  But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the teachings of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication.

Typically, if I use a cross-reference, I will find a word that links a revealing statement like this back to its origin. However, this one is tough as everything seems to allude to something being said but not the specifics. The passage that is the most defining in terms of how Israel went down is Numbers 25:1-3.

While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the LORD’s anger to blaze against his people. (Numbers 25:1-3 NLT)

Yes, this next one is long, but I want you to see a few things in it. I will highlight them.

Numbers 31:6-16 MKJV  And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe. He sent them and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments and the trumpets to blow in his hand.  (7)  And they warred against the Midianites, as Jehovah commanded Moses. And they killed all the males.  (8)  And they killed the kings of Midian, besides the rest of their slain: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam, the son of Beor, with the sword.  (9)  And the sons of Israel took all the women of Midian captive, and their little ones, and the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods.  (10)  And they burned with fire all their cities, their homes, and all their towers.  (11)  And they took all the spoil and all the prey of men and animals.  (12)  And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, to Moses and to Eleazar, the priest, and to the congregation of the sons of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are beside Jordan, at Jericho.  (13)  And Moses and Eleazar the priest, and all the rulers of the congregation, went forth to meet them outside the camp.  (14)  And Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, who came from the battle.  (15)  And Moses said to them, Have you saved all the women alive?  (16)  Behold, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit sin against Jehovah in the matter of Peor, and the plague was on the congregation of Jehovah.

Here is an example of what the cross-reference gives you.

Balaam. Num_22:5; Num_24:14; *Num_25:1-3; *+Num_31:8; >Num_31:16, Jos_13:22; Jos_24:9, Psa_68:21, +2Pe_2:15, *Jud_1:11.

While most of these speak about Balaam, none tell us how he instructed Balak to destroy Israel.

If Babylon refers to a physical city, which it doesn’t, how and where are these present-tense sins taking place? 

For most, including many of those who call themselves “Christians” because they will not read the Bible with an intent to learn, this means there is no physical place for this to happen. 

So, when God says come away from her, my people, you have to answer the question as to who He is talking about and where they are coming out of. Try to get a Jew to confess that Israel is neck-deep in sexual and spiritual sins, and it won’t happen.

If you wish to take this quest for a physical Babylon back to Babel, then you have to include Nimrod and the plains of Shinar. (Search for scriptural references to Nimrod, and you will find three.) 

Why am I pointing out this lack of information?

Because there are those, who feel they are biblical purists and will not accept extra-biblical information. That kind of position seems rather odd when virtually everything we are asked to understand about Babylon is extra-biblical.

  • Genesis 10:8-9.

    Here we learn his ancestry and that he was a mighty hunter. Don’t be deceived by the simplicity of the word hunter, as this has some horrifying darkness attached to it.

  • 1Chronicles 1:10, and again, we have a bit of Nimrod.

  • And finally, the Prophet Micah. In Micah 5:6, a somewhat confusing and dark statement says, “They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, The land of Nimrod at its entrances.” A statement like this masks the context and forces us to find out who and what is doing the shepherding. 

Not much in the way of information is there. Yet, Babylon, the extension of Babel, the creation of Nimrod, seems to have an extensive history, including Babel’s tower, a wife, a son, and a false religious system. What we can gather about this religious system we learn from Josephus, how Nimrod persuaded people to ascribe their happiness to him rather than God.

Ah, but this is another example where we move into extra-biblical information, and, as one brother in Christ stated, we should NOT expose ourselves to extra-biblical information. 

Are you kidding me?

We merely pick and choose which extra-biblical information we choose to cling to, such as Jesus being a carpenter when the reality is that NO ONE said Jesus was a carpenter. A similar statement was made about Joseph that goes like this – they said, isn’t this the son of Joseph, the tekton. Tekton is the Greek word for craftsman, which includes poets, and yet no one perceives Joseph as being a poet, but then neither was Jesus. So we have reasoned that this hostile statement about Joseph being a carpenter applies to Jesus because Jewish tradition says that the Son followed in the father’s career path. Considering that both Joseph and Mary were informed about Jesus’ role on earth and who His real Father is.

Revelation 18:4-5 NLT  Then I heard another voice calling from heaven, “Come away from her, my people. Do not take part in her sins, or you will be punished with her.  (5)  For her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God remembers her evil deeds.

An examination of Babylon, and the sensuality we are informed of, can easily be compared to Israel, who, soon after coming out of Egypt, started offering their children as sacrifices on the altar of Moloch, at the base of Mount Sinai; all this immediately moves the conversation over into the spiritual side and enforces the idea that Babylon is an all-encompassing spiritual entity.

But, the entity did not stay in the plains of Shinar, did it?

It, alongside the people of Israel, got brought into the present-day country of Israel.

An obvious question. Who are God’s people?

The answer to this lies in understanding that the overall context of the Bible is a Jewish book, which tells the story of a specific people, that came through Abraham and his son, Issac. So yes, nations also came through Ishmael, but it is clear that most of these nations became the enemies of Israel and God.

  • “Come away from her, my people.”

    So “my people” are talking about the Jews and, through adoption, followers of Christ.

  • “Do not take part in her sins, or you will be punished with her.”

    “Her” is equal to Israel, and the entirety of Revelation is about the punishment against the nations and Israel.

Let’s camp here for a moment. I have been trying to convey that Israel represents a considerable aspect of Babylon on several levels. The Prophet Jeremiah explains.

Jeremiah 51:1-9 AMP THUS SAYS the Lord: Behold, I will raise up against Babylon and against those who dwell among those rebelling against Me a destroying wind and spirit; (2) And I will send to Babylon strangers or winnowers who will winnow her and will empty her land; for in the day of calamity they will be against her on every side. (3) Against him who bends, let the archer bend his bow, and against him who lifts himself up in his coat of mail. And spare not her young men; devote [to God] and utterly destroy her entire host. (4) Thus, they shall fall down slain in the land of the Chaldeans and wounded in her streets. (5) For Israel has not been widowed and forsaken, nor has Judah, by his God, the Lord of hosts, though their land is full of guilt against the Holy One of Israel. (6) Flee out of the midst of Babylon! Let every man save his life! Let not destruction come upon you through her [punishment for] sin and guilt. For it is the time of the Lord’s vengeance; He will render to her a recompense. [Jer. 50:28; II Cor. 6:17; Rev. 18:4.] (7) Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, making all the earth drunken. The nations drank of her wine; therefore, the nations have gone mad. [Rev. 14:8; 17:4.] (8) Babylon has suddenly fallen and is shattered (destroyed)! Wail for her [if you care to]! Get balm for her [incurable] pain; if [you do] so she may [possibly] be healed! [Jer. 25:15; Rev. 14:8-10; 16:19; 18:2, 3.] (9) We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed. Forsake her and let us each go to his own country, for her guilt and the judgment against her reach to heaven and are lifted even to the skies. [Gen. 18:20, 21.]

Did you pick up on the idea that this conversation initiated about Babylon? This place is a skeleton of what it once was, and then inserted the character and nature of Israel in as the target of God’s wrath and vengeance.
Yes, Babylon encompasses the monetary and governmental systems, and finally, it replaced a system of worship based upon Elohim with the worship of everything but God.

Posted in bible study, End times, Harlot, Harlot of Revelation, Israel, Revelation, sexual sin, sin, unrighteousness, Vengeance, wickedness | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Because He was the Son of God, really?

Posted on 02/04/2022 by remso

A brother in Christ was reading a passage in Revelation and it prompted him to make the declaration that Jesus would have known the Old Testament. My friend took his claim one step further by asserting that this knowledge would have been instilled from the womb because He was the Son of God. His assertions were posted in a group chat that is part of a devotional several of us take part in.

This is my response.

If I approach my understanding of Jesus through the word “learned,” the rabbit hole, as one “brother in Christ” put it, takes me to Joseph, the husband of Mary.

Let’s stop here for a moment and see if we can figure out where or how Jesus obtained His education.

For me, the obvious observation was that Jesus was NOT operating within the same educational patterns that we humans have to deal with. We gain some defining expressions from Hebrews.

Hebrews 5:7-9 MKJV  For Jesus, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong cryings and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death and was heard in that He feared,  (8)  though being a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.  (9)  And being perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him,

He was flesh from the moment God placed that embryo in Mary, with her permission of course; and, these two humans (Joseph and Mary,) had to teach Him who He was according to what was written and spoken about the Father. Now, consider that even one scroll, of perhaps Deuteronomy, would have been extremely expensive and so valued that you probably would not have touched it.

Here is something you rarely hear a preacher say, to make matters worse Jesus was deemed an illegitimate child, and the law of God forbade an illegitimate child from entering the Synagogue or Temple (Deuteronomy 23:2.) With that in mind, all that Jesus came to understand was from the oral traditions. As Jesus grew beside Joseph all the law, stories, and history were recited at every opportunity.

Another consideration is that silly game we played as children where a sentence is whispered into the ear of the person next to you. The sentence has typically changed its meaning drastically by the time it hits the fourth person. Now add thousands of years to these stories; it could only be the Holy Spirit of God that could have preserved the truth and details of these epic adventures God has taken with us.

How is it that I should have an impulse such as this, for I find myself constantly telling these same stories of and about God?

So let’s break down Hebrews 5:7-9.

  • “in the days of His flesh.”

    In a human frame or body, humanity.

  • “Though he were a Son.”

    Generally used of the offspring of men, but, in the case of Jesus, he was deemed a male offspring. But it is also used to describe one who depends on another.

  • “Yet learned obedience“

    Obedience also means to be affected or have been affected, to feel, have a sensible experience, to undergo.

  • “By the things which he suffered.”

    Suffered means to be affected or have been affected, to feel, or to have a sensible experience, to undergo.

So, it is clear that Jesus had to undergo life as a human, but without the drive to sin.

If you cannot understand this concept of being without sin, then you have missed the importance of God having Mary carry a fertilized embryo that bypassed the genetic damage sustained through Adam; damage that apparently pushes us to lust. Remember, the lamb (Jesus) had to be unblemished.

The plan of God to redeem humanity had to work this way to be legal. This legality goes back to the garden and Adam’s treason as Adam relinquished the dominion of the earth to Satan with his actions. Therefore, everything we see in scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, is part of God’s plan to redeem the world and humanity; and thus we have Jesus being born of man.

Because Mary stood her ground, saying that God was the father of Jesus, she was scorned, and Jesus was deemed an illegitimate child. Give me a break, none of those neighbors in Bethlehem bought into the idea that this baby was the product of God doing an in Vitro fertilization, they did not even have terminology like that. So Mary was thought of as nothing less than a liar. Joseph’s acceptance of Mary’s claim made him just as unbelievable.

Do you struggle with this, too bad because this is reality?

Did you notice that when Joseph went back to his hometown, with his betrothed wife, a wife that apparently continued to hold her belief and understanding of what transpired, NONE of Joseph’s kinfolk would take him and his betrothed into their homes?

Continuing down the rabbit hole, as one brother in Christ puts it.

How did Jesus learn the Old Testament?

Well, Matthew 1:19 gives us one of the greatest clues about Jesus’ education when it says Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man. Righteous, according to Thayer, is one who observes divine laws, and, keeps the commands of God. Jesus, being a Mumzer (an illegitimate child according to God’s law,) would not have been allowed into the synagogue or their schools to learn the scriptures, therefore, it was the father’s role to teach the young Jesus, and he did just that; he was qualified.

Want proof?

At age twelve we find the young Yahshua (Jesus) in the Synagogue in Jerusalem, a place where he was not known, intelligently discussing scriptures with the scribes and elders.

Posted in Bethlehem, bible study, character study, Dispelling myths, Hebrews, Jesus, Joseph, Mary, Nazareth, Wife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Is it possible that the image causes those who do not worship the image to be killed? Rev 13:15.

Posted on 02/01/2022 by remso

 A recent internet post attempted to make the argument that the image of the beast, that has been given breath, causes those who do not worship the image to be killed. My immediate reaction is that this is not right; I have never heard that the slaughter of Christ-followers is due to a direct command of the image of the beast.

If you have followed my posts for any length of time, then you know that I am willing to tell you that growing up in church I have heard many things that are wrong, but at least I am willing to tell you, and, at the same time make myself vulnerable to criticism.

In this rapidly changing world, we live in, the only way I can see an image come to life and order people to their death would be through artificial intelligence; you know, something along the lines of the Mr. Lincoln attraction at Disneyland (I say this as though most of know that the Disney engineers, built a metal frame, put a flexible skin on it that looks like images we have of President Lincoln and made it talk. It was, for a time, quite impressive.) Well, we are practically there, and the engineering is much more elaborate.

Keep in mind that if the governments are allowing you to see any aspect of advanced technology like this, then they are already years ahead of what you are seeing. I say this because, for years, we did not know there was a plane like the U2, flying at classified speeds until they had already replaced the U2 with the SR71 spy plane that could fly even faster. By the time we were aware that we had the SR71, it was on the verge of being replaced with spy satellites; at least that is what we were told. As far as the world is concerned, we, the masses, are out of the loop when it comes to the evil plans our rulers have made. Fortunately, God has shown us what they are doing in the dark.

One more thing before we jump into the passage at hand. If someone says to me, I have an image, my mind immediately thinks of a picture, perhaps even a sketch. Think about the practicality of making a sketch breath; it doesn’t really work does it. So it has to be something more elaborate than a mere picture. That kind of thinking moves us into the realm of a bust of a head. Madame Tussaud’s wax museum takes multiple measurements of the real person in order to make the wax image. The problem here is that the bust is of whom Allah, or perhaps the Mahdi, which Islam is expecting; then there is NOTHING on which to base this image, so the general public will be made to worship whatever they wish to make. Even Mr. Lincoln’s head started as a clay bust. And thus we have things like Revelation 13.

Revelation 13:15 NASB And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

Assuming I have nothing but verse 15 to decipher what is being said, then

  • I can see immediately that it is the second beast – the false prophet that gives the image breath.

  • I can also determine that someone or something else is giving the false prophet this power.

  • It is the breath that allows the image to speak.

    Right here is where the difficulties begin.

    Breath is the Greek word pneuma. This is the same word used for the spirit of God and/or the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:16 the pneuma descended upon Jesus; and, in John 16:13 pneuma is used in reference to the Spirit of truth, and in both instances are references to the Holy Spirit.)

    The false prophet is NOT giving this image the spirit of the living God, but perhaps he is throwing some switch that gives the image a false soul, capable of making life-changing decisions about people. Since any empowerment it has seems to be from Satan, then it is a deception at best.

  • And, the verse tells me the breath was given for a purpose. That purpose is to speak, and, as the NASB states, it causes those who do not worship the image to be killed.

    The passage in the NASB, with NO punctuation, does not promote an understanding which allows me to say, it is the now speaking image that kills, therefore, it could be the false prophet that is causing those that do not worship the image to die.

    Whether the CEV is a reliable translation is debatable, even to me, but they added a period that plainly changes the meaning. Take note.

    “It was allowed to put breath into the idol, so that it could speak. Everyone who refused to worship the idol of the beast was put to death.” (Revelation 13:15 CEV)

    It is the second beast, which we know to be the false prophet that is implied to be the purveyor of death. Note the period in the sentence, this allows for a pause and a redirection of thought that tells us that everyone who refuses to worship the image was put to death. There is nothing here that tells us who is doing the killing.

    The Moffatt translation is rather reliable and it maintains that “he,” the false prophet, is the one who is doing the killing.

    “and to this statue of the Beast he was allowed to impart the breath of life, so that the statue of the Beast should actually speak. He has everyone put to death who will not worship the statue of the Beast,” (Revelation 13:15 Moffatt NT)

    The Williams translation puts Revelation 13:15 this way.

    “Permission has also been given him to impart life to the statue of the wild beast so that it can speak, and to have all who do not worship the statue of the wild beast killed.”

    When it speaks of “him” it is talking about the false prophet who gives the statue the ability to speak; and, it is the false prophet who has the non-worshipers killed.

    The problem is that most of us are still struggling with the possibility that artificial intelligence could play a role in this scenario. Many translations are very definite when they indicate that the image or idol is the one who is ordering the deaths of non-worshipers.

A good deal of information about the false prophet comes from Revelation 13 starting at verse 11.

What do we see here?

Revelation 13:11 NASB Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon.

  • There are two strong distinctions. For example, the harlot sits upon many waters.

    Those waters are defined as people groups, nations, rulers, and empires. In Revelation 13:1 the first beast comes up out of the sea. There is an interesting parallel between the harlot and this first beast, as the harlot rides the beast.

    And yet, the harlot has little to do with the second beast except that the second beast may play a role in the demise of the harlot, which has close ties to Israel.

  • The second beast comes up out of the earth.

    I pondered this for a moment and I heard this in my spirit, this guy comes from Israel. As usual, the thought entered my head so quickly that I ignored it.

    A few minutes have passed since I started this and I decided to look at Dr. McGee’s commentary. He says

“the earth is symbolic of Palestine, and it is naturally assumed that the second beast comes from Israel. He (the second beast) is a Messiah, and Israel would not accept him unless he had come from their land and was one of them.“

As of 2016, the Temple Institute had such a man. His name is Rabbi Baruch Kahane and he is trained to function as the high priest in the NEW temple. He is well thought of and has no pushy ambitions of being the high priest. The most recent information on him informs us that he does not want the job.

At some point in time (1240 days into this morass called God’s wrath,) a man like this will change teams and exhibit bizarre powers, just as the two witnesses had been doing.

Some examples of what the two witnesses have been doing.

“If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.”(Revelation 11:5-6 NIV)

Revelation 13:12 NASB He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.

  • We are told that the second beast exercises all the power of the first.

    What witnesses do we have to go on?

“There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven. It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.” (Revelation 13:5-7 NASB)

  • So this person has an arrogant mouth;

  • He blasphemes God and the tabernacle;

  • He makes war with the saints and overcomes them;

  • And, he has authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.

These are the same things that this second beast will do. Now that means that the second beast, the false prophet, will also make war with the saints and overcome them. It doesn’t matter what Islam thinks at this point, but they deem this man to be the enforcer of sharia law which is devoted to beheading infidels – those outside of Islam.

At this point, who is doing all the killing?

Well, it was the first beast but now it is the second.

This may be the time that Jesus was telling the disciples about when He said,

“For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”
(Matthew 24:21-22 NIV)

  • “And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.”

This is the same beast that we saw in Revelation 13:3. Here it tells us that it appeared to be killed.

Revelation 13:3 CJB  One of the heads of the beast appeared to have received a fatal wound, but its fatal wound was healed, and the whole earth followed after the beast in amazement.

In a previous post, I elaborated on how the Ottoman empire, which was a Muslim empire was effectively put to death in 1924. Silenced, perhaps, as the Muslim Brotherhood emerged from the ruins; and, in 1979 we witnessed the Islamic revolution in Iran. So, this beast is quite alive.

Posted in antichrist, Antichrist, Babylon, bible study, COVID 19, End times, false prophet, Harlot, Islam, mortal wound, Prophetic, Revelation, Revelation 13:3, seven headed beast, ten horns and seven heads, Thoughts, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Where the whore is. Revelation 17:15-18.

Posted on 01/26/2022 by remso

In the previous post, I tried to give you a commentary on Revelation 17:12-14 based upon logic, scripture associations, historical evidence, and a bit of influence from other commentaries. I ended on Revelation 17:14. This is what verse 14 says.

“These 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.” (Revelation 17:14 NASB)

The “these” is referring to kings that rise up – use that term kings lightly as it also refers to rulers and ruling bodies.

Waging war is in this case, limited to the time when Jesus comes back to earth as the warring Messiah that Israel has longed for. Verse 14 says “and those who are with Him are the called, the chosen, and the faithful.”

The word called is the Greek word klētos and means the invited or appointed.

Called, this word works, especially if you picture God looking over the earth and all who have been born or unborn and called them all to come back to Him. Not only were we all invited, but God takes it one step further, in that we have been appointed.

Appointed, according to Webster’s dictionary means fixed; set; established; decreed; ordained; constituted; allotted. 2. Furnished; equipped with things necessary; as a ship or an army is well appointed.

Try this on for size.

You have been decreed and ordained, before you were ever thought of, to be equipped with the things necessary, to function as an emissary for and to God.

For those who wish to argue.

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I separated you for myself...” (Jeremiah 1:5a CJB)

Chosen is the Greek word eklektos. Other, more dominant usage options are select; and by implication favorite.

And the final word used to designate those who will be with Him is faithful.

Faithful is the Greek word pistos. Pistos also means a trusty person who shows themselves faithful in – the transaction of business, the execution of commands, or the discharge of official duties.

It also applies to:
– One who kept his plighted faith;

Plighted ranges between pledged and difficult. Some, after some missionary comes back and gives the entire church their field report, may decide to make a faith pledge that they will never keep. On the other hand, it seems this life of faith we live is filled with difficulties.

– One who is worthy of trust.
– And, those that can be relied on.

The first two terms (called and chosen,) can easily be seen as characteristics of a believer in Jesus Christ, as these terms are frequently applied to a Christian; this does not mean that the “Christian” will follow after or walk in their calling. The last term, faithful, can apply to a wide variety of people, and many of them are not in your church body. Consider Matthew 25 and the sheep and goats.

As we saw in the last post scripture interprets itself.

Revelation 17:15 CJB  Then he said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the whore is sitting, are peoples, crowds, nations, and languages.

As I talk with people in church few understand what the nations are. Perhaps this will help your understanding. There are only three people groups in the Bible.

  • The Jews

    This is also deemed to be Israel.

  • The nations

    The Jews call anyone outside of Judaism, the Gentiles. We, believers, are considered Gentiles, but we are NOT.

  • And the church.

    To the Jews, the church is nonexistent, however, to the believer in Christ we are the church, and the church is in Christ Jesus. If a Jew comes to Christ then they are a part of the body and can also be a Jew. And, in a sense, we were all from the nations but are now in Christ. Very soon the church will be caught up to be with Jesus in the air, at that point there will only be two people groups on earth.

“The waters that you saw, where the whore is sitting, are peoples, crowds, nations and languages.”

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, (Revelation 17:1 NASB)

So the whore of Babylon is truly dealing with the nations – the Gentiles. Remember, if you are NOT a Jew, you are a Gentile; this includes the Ishmaelites – the Islamic nations, and all other third world nations.

If the whore represents the filthy rich, then how and why would they have anything to do with the downtrodden, the poor, the dirty, and the enslaved, you should be getting the idea?

Revelation 17:16 NASB “And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire.

  • “ And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast,”

    These are two different entities, although they worked toward what we consider a common goal. Remember, the horns represent kingdoms or empires; this applies to both physical and financial empires.

    This is why God is causing them to go astray so that they will believe the Lie.
    (2 Thessalonians 2:11 CJB)

    Context, Paul wrote this letter to a Jewish community of Christ-followers. So when Paul says “them”, he is including the Jews in this group of people that can and will go astray and believe “the lie.”

    What is the lie?

    Paul does not define it, and yet, like in the movie “The Matrix,” the lie is all around you. I hear this in my spirit, many will read this statement and say, you stupid conspiracy theorist. Let me show you something.

    Do not love the world or the things of the world. If someone loves the world, then love for the Father is not in him; because all the things of the world—the desires of the old nature, the desires of the eyes, and the pretensions of life—are not from the Father but from the world. And the world is passing away, along with its desires. But whoever does God’s will remains forever. (1 John 2:15-17 CJB)

    There, in 1 John 2, is the Matrix analogy.

    It is the drive to dominate, the lust for money, and the power they think it brings. It is intertwined throughout our governing bodies. It is an intricate aspect of “the swamp” that former President Trump described. And worse yet, for the beast, which will, in the last minutes of time will be a man, it will be the false belief that through his deceit and power grab, he believes his ideologies will overthrow God.

    The beast, while playing the game, will seem to have the same goal, global domination, but with an Islamic background, one that claims to abide by the Quran, his goal will be to make everyone a follower of Allah or they die. For the horns, the goal is global domination where they are treated in the manner in which they have become accustomed. Add this to the drive to bring the population down to a manageable level of about 400 million. Just for the fun of it, there are approximately 7.7 billion people on the earth today. Consider food for a moment, here in America it has become quite obvious that food shortages (an event that the Bible tells us will happen,) are man-made.

    Do you think for a moment that those who hold the power will do without?

    Not a chance. While we eat veggie burgers, they will dine on prime rib.

  • “they will hate the whore, bring her to ruin, leave her naked, eat her flesh and consume her with fire. “

    We are still on Revelation 17:16 talking about the whore that rides the beast. As you might have noticed, I gave you the Complete Jewish Bible translation, and this is the language that they have used. “They,” in context, is the beast, however, the usage of the term they certainly move this beyond a singular man as the beast.

    Look at what the “they” do to these “rich” people do.

    • They hate the whore,

    • Bring her to ruin,

    • Leave her naked,

    • Eat her flesh,

    • And, consume her with fire.

What kind of backing would it take to take down George Soros, Bill Gates, and Klaus Schwab at one time?

A massive economic collapse might do it.

Revelation 17:17 CJB  For God put it in their hearts to do what will fulfill his purpose, that is, to be of one mind and give their kingdom to the beast until God’s words have accomplished their intent.

  • “ For God put it in their hearts”

    “Their hearts,” is referring to the people who have already aligned, and those who will align themselves with the beast/antichrist.

  • “to do what will fulfill his purpose,”

    So the question is, whose purpose? Well, the answer is both; God has a purpose, and it will be fulfilled. The beast has a purpose that will also be fulfilled but there is a catch, it is all God’s purpose. Let me show you.

    In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.
    (Proverbs 16:9 NIV)

    Another place where we see God’s purpose demonstrated is in Genesis 37.

    Joseph’s brothers threw him into a dry well with the apparent intent of killing him.

    Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? (Genesis 37:26 NIV)

    When a band of Ishmaelites came by the brothers opted to sell him. The Ishmaelites took him into Egypt and sold him. None of them had any idea that a massive drought was coming. Joseph rises to power and ends up serving God’s purpose as he saves the entire family during the years of drought.

  • “that is, to be of one mind and give their kingdom to the beast until God’s words have accomplished their intent.”

    God’s purpose is to cause them to be of one mind; to give their kingdom to the beast; and, for that to happen until God’s words have accomplished their intent.

In finishing Revelation 17 we have this.

Revelation 17:18 NASB “The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”

  • “And the woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”

    What or where is the great city?

    I strongly suggest that it is Israel. Evidence for that, and it should be scriptural, although even scripture has a historical aspect to it.

    A Song; a Psalm of the sons of Korah. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, In the city of our God, His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion in the far north, The city of the great King.
    (Psalms 48:1-2 NASB)

    Another piece of information that feeds into this great city being Israel.

    When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, overcome them and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. (Revelation 11:7-8 NASB)

      • When it refers to “they” here it is talking about the two witnesses that were sent from God.

      • Finished – having been here for 1240 days, they are done speaking and God allows them to be killed. They will be resurrected but not for three days. Quite symbolic, don’t you think?

      • Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city which is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.

        Where does God put the two witnesses? Right in the middle of Jerusalem. The passage calls Jerusalem the great city.

        So, are the two witnesses lying in physical Babylon? NO, they are lying in the streets of Jerusalem.

        Did you notice that Jerusalem is referred to as Sodom and Egypt? This should be eye-opening, but there is a problem because it (sarcastically) says, where also their Lord was crucified.

        Where was Jesus crucified? On a hill called Golgotha, the highest point in Jerusalem.

Revelation 17 closes with “The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.” Merely because the harlot has a name associated with Babylon through comments like “the great city” which most assume to be physical Babylon; and, the idea that this great city rules over the kings of the earth, does not mean it is Babylon. We have more evidence in scripture that tells us this is Israel. One of those examples comes from Ezekiel 16.

Everyone who makes up proverbs will say of you, ‘Like mother, like daughter.’
(Ezekiel 16:44 NLT)

Here again, most will assume this is referring to Babylon. If you chose to investigate the context of Ezekiel chapter 16, you would find that God is talking about Israel. This showing of evidence can drag out for pages, so I will leave that to you.

As I started pursuing an understanding of Revelation 17:18 I became aware that some will allow this to fire their prejudice and antisemitism, and go on rants against Israel and the Jews. I am saying this because I have heard it, and the majority has come out of the mouths of “Christian” folk. You should know that Israel is the center of God’s heart and He will never forget Israel and His people. How fortunate we Gentiles are that we have been allowed to be grafted into the vine. Oh, and that Bible you are reading is a Jewish-oriented book. Maybe it’s time we adjust our thinking?

Posted in Babylon, bible study, eat, End times, gentiles, Harlot, Islam, Israel, Jerusalem, judgment, Prophetic, Revelation, Rule the nations, seven headed beast, ten horns and seven heads, Thoughts on scripture, two witnesses, wrath. | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The ten horns which you saw. Revelation 17:12-14

Posted on 01/21/2022 by remso

In studying Revelation 17:10, we saw the term seven used multiple times about the mountain on which the harlot sits, which also represents seven kings. Those kings are the final and fourth kingdom. I realize that may be hard to grasp, but it is there in the dream statue of Nebuchadnezzar.

Everything that appears after Alexander the Great works to fulfill the fourth empire and begins with both the Ptolemaic and Seleucid empires that rose after the death of Alexander. Just because the composition changes from brass to iron only serves to modify the leadership and direction of the beast.

I tend to emphasize Islam as a leading player in the end times, but I do not exclude a majority of our global leadership. For example, suppose you per-chanced to look at an ancestral association map that includes the beginnings of America. In that case, you will observe a relatively common heritage that will take you back to the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires. Coincidence, I think not.

As we progress, we find out that there is the eighth beast, and he is one of the seven.

Revelation 17:10-12 MKJV And there are seven kings; five have fallen, and one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. (11) And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition. (12) And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have received no kingdom yet, but will receive authority as kings one hour with the beast.

Because I have pushed Islam as part of the answer, you have to ask a logical question.

When does Islam show up? 

Not until sometime around 600 A.D.

When does the Apostle John write the Revelation?

Somewhere around 95 A.D. So, John knew nothing about Islam or Mohammad as that was 500 years into the future. So Islam does not fit into the passage above.

Revelation 17:10 gave us one more massive clue as to who this king is in that it tells us that he must continue a short time. It was not that difficult to associate this “king” (king equals a dominant leader) with the antichrist or the false prophet. We assume that the antichrist reigns for at least seven years. However, Daniel 11 demonstrates that this character does not fully cooperate with the world’s leaders. The ships of Kittim, which happens to be the coastal nations of the Northern and Western Mediterranean ocean, will come against him and cause him to back down; this is when we see the false prophet step in; and, though it seems as though he is following this ruler, he seems to take the lead and initiates a slaughter of anyone who demonstrates allegiance to Jesus Christ.

I hope you understand that this break in allegiance, the possible attack by the ships of “Kittim,” and the entrance of the false prophet all happens at the midpoint of the seven years of God’s wrath upon the earth. The wrath of God and the entry of the antichrist initiated with the removal of the church from the world.

Back to Revelation 17:11.

The beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition.

  • So “the beast was.”

These kings that we refer to were discussed in Daniel 11, albeit in terms that make no sense to most unless you validate them through historical accounts.

Undoubtedly, you can comprehend the range of years that they covered. https://www.faimission.org/wire/special-report-ships-of-kittim

  • But “now, is NOT,”

    An obvious factor is that many of the rulers that make up the fourth beast have been defeated, displaced, and are physically gone. 

    If I was trying to focus on Islam as a motivator, I am hard-pressed to see the relationship; unless I consider that the iron legs of this statue are primarily Assyrian. 

    So, if I ask the question, what aspect of these “empires” is NOT gone, I believe the answer would be that they are descendants of Ishmael, whom God promised would also be as the sands of the sea and great nations.

    We are frequently told that a technique used to study the Bible is to let scripture interpret scripture, so here is an example of that. A passage that speaks to a powerful empire disappearing is Revelation 13:3. 

    I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast. (Revelation 13:3 NLT)

    The empire that fits this description all too well is the Ottoman Empire which effectively ended November 1, 1922. The known world breathed a sigh of relief as the piracy on the Mediterranean sea and wanton slavery of its victims was rampant.

  • “he is the eighth and, is of the seven, –”

    He is the eighth what, a king, an empire, or a beast? The answer is yes, and this will all become clear momentarily.

    I could take the easy way out and call him a part of the Roman Empire, merely because that is a common but misguided argument. In my opinion, this argument is irresponsible because it demonstrates that they are not willing to do the work or accept historical testimony.

    Look, according to Josephus and Tacitus, historians who documented the influence of Rome in Jerusalem during the destruction of the temple, both told us that it was Assyrian conscript troops that destroyed the temple, against orders from Titus, the Roman General.

    Because I know from Revelation 17:11 that the eighth “king” goes into perdition, then I know that he is either the antichrist or the false prophet.

    We rarely visualize the false prophet as a global leader, but there is no doubt that this persecution of Christ-followers and those who refuse to worship the beast, will lead to death. Perhaps he does have a global influence; this global power makes sense if you can see it from the perspective of an Islamic follower.

  • “and, goes into perdition.”

    Verse eleven helps us to understand what this person is as it tells us that “he goes to destruction.” We religious folk consistently proclaim that there are people already in hell, with more to come. However, according to scripture, that is NOT a true statement. The only place we humans are sent to hell, up to this point, is in Revelation 19 when Jesus comes riding back to the earth to do battle. Here, only two humans are sent to the lake of fire, the beast, which is the antichrist, and the second beast, the false prophet.

    So the defining piece of information comes from Revelation 19:20 below, where we see the antichrist and the false prophet being thrown into the lake of fire.

    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. (Revelation 19:20 NASB)

    Having had these discussions, I know that arguments will come, so I will show you the evidence.

    And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh. (Revelation 19:21 NASB)

    The rest?

    All those who chose to fight with Jesus and the armies of heaven on that day. Remember, this Bible is context-oriented and the contest has, at this moment, everything to do with Jesus coming

    So where are they and what has become of them?

    They are merely sleeping in their graves.

    They have left me among the dead, and I lie like a corpse in a grave. I am forgotten, cut off from your care. (Psalms 88:5 NLT)

    The dead cannot sing praises to the LORD, for they have gone into the silence of the grave. (Psalms 115:17 NLT)

    The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing…
    (Ecclesiastes 9:5 NLT)

    Matthew 25 tells us that the nations will be gathered for the final judgment.

    All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. (Matthew 25:32 NLT)

    Some will say, this passage in Matthew 25 has nothing to do with the dead; that assertion is wrong since Matthew depicts the final judgment.

    “Then he will say to those on his left (the goats,) ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
    (Matthew 25:41 NIV)

    Since we do not accept the testimony of one witness then there has to be another example from scripture, and there is, you find it in Revelation 20. Here, instead of saying nations, He calls them the dead.

    And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. (Revelation 20:11-12 NLT)

Revelation 20:15 spells out plainly, that those NOT found in the book of life are cast into the same lake of fire.

Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15 NIV)

If you are honest, then you must admit that both Matthew’s account and Revelation 20 are the same scenarios just from different points of view. In one, we see God sitting on the throne, while in the other we see Jesus sitting on the throne. In one case He is the shepherd and in the other, He comes across as the ominous judge. Since Jesus told us that He and the Father are one, then it is God in both instances.

Revelation 17:12 NASB “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.

The Greek word for an hour is hōra and can mean a limited portion of time, a season of the year, or a destined period.

If it is a destined period, who has established the time?

God.

Whether it’s ten mountains or ten kings, we are being directed to the same ruling bodies. Horns emerge from these seven empires and they are ten more rulers. We know little about who these are except that they have yet to receive authority as leaders of the people for one hour. Revelation 12:3 tells us that there were seven heads but ten horns. Obviously, some of these empires have multiple rulers. Daniel chapter two is where we find the dream statue of Nebuchadnezzar. Here we have these final kings detailed as toes. Daniel 7 speaks of one of those horns, the antichrist.

“While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.”

(Daniel 7:8 NASB)

These have one purpose.

Revelation 17:13 NASB “These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.

The ten horns that emerge from the seven heads, have one purpose, to give their power to the beast.

Revelation 17:14 NASB “These 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.”

They give their power to the antichrist and they, in union with the antichrist, wage war against the Lamb.

When does the antichrist and these horns wage this war?

At the end of the seven years when Jesus comes back as the warring Messiah. Read Revelation 19 for the details on this war.

The ABC’s of Salvation

A stands for “admit.” We must admit that we are sinners and that we are therefore under God’s judgment.

B stands for “believe.” We must believe that God loves us in spite of our sin and that he has acted in Jesus Christ to remove sin and restore us to himself.

C stands for “commit.” This is an act of faith by which we give up trying to run our own lives and instead place ourselves in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us and rose again.

Posted in antichrist, Antichrist, bible study, Daniel, End times, Hell, Islam, Israel, Matthew's gospel, Millennium, Nebuchadnezzar's statue, New World Order, Prophetic, Revelation, seven headed beast, ten horns and seven heads, the fourth kingdom, the little horn, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

This calls for wisdom and understanding. Revelation 17:10.

Posted on 01/13/2022 by remso

To bring you up to speed, let me take you back to Revelation 17:3.

So the angel took me in the Spirit into the wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that had seven heads and ten horns, and blasphemies against God were written all over it. (NLT)

We are given a rather detailed description of this woman.

The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing and beautiful jewelry made of gold and precious gems and pearls. In her hand, she held a gold goblet full of obscenities and the impurities of her immorality. (Revelation 17:4 NLT)

  • “She wears purple and scarlet clothing.”

    This is highly symbolic and, among other things, represents the blood of the saints who will be martyred during the time of wrath.

    A friend read my last post on Revelation 17 and did what I wish most of you would do, analyze the symbolism and begin to grasp how the governing bodies, many of which seem to operate above the law, are actually doing us harm and creating the shortages that will play a role in the deaths of millions.

    So what can we ascertain of this woman?

    • It is NOT a woman but an attractive entity that feeds our lusts.

    • Purple is representative of power.

      In a previous post,   I broke down a simplistic word – king. These days it leans more toward a ruling body. There are very few countries that still have a king as the ruling body, but there are many that have multi-body voting groups, that often exclude the public’s opinion. Perhaps men like Putin can fill the role of a king because to cross him means that you disappear. Emanuel Macron and Justin Trudeau are apparently striving to hold those supreme positions should they become available.

      Along the lines of people who have power. Just this morning 01/07/22 I read a quote from Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada. He said, shall we tolerate those who refuse to get vaccinated. A website called the Pulse (https://thepulse.one/2022/01/03/prime-minister-justin-trudeau-calls-the-unvaccinated-misogynistic-racist-extremists/) tells us that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on a Quebec television station that “people who do not get vaccinated against COVID-19 are often racist and misogynistic extremists.” I looked up the definition of misogynistic and this is what I found. “Someone who is strongly prejudiced against women.” Where did that kind of hateful comment come from? The Pulse website added this assertion. “What type of reasoning is being used to label the unvaccinated as racist and misogynistic? This clearly has no basis in fact and simply continues what seems to be a coordinated political campaign to demonize the unvaccinated.”

    • “ and scarlet clothing”

      We are told that the scarlet clothing is covered in the blood of martyred saints.

      And I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s people and the blood of those who were killed because they had been loyal to Jesus. When I saw her, I was completely amazed. (Revelation 17:6 GNB)

      How much blood does it take to soak your clothing? Revelation 7:9 answers the question.

      (NASB) “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; “

      This group is defined in Revelation seven, verses fourteen and fifteen.

      (NASB) “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; (GNB) He who sits on the throne will protect them with his presence.”

      The point here is that the woman, clothed in scarlet, is clothed in this color because she is stained with the blood of those this entity or ruling body has killed. I am not suggesting that this is a contest, and yes the majority seems to happen during the seven years after the church is gone, but many will pay for the babies we have allowed to be murdered.

  • “and beautiful jewelry made of gold and precious gems and pearls.”

    The harlot, called a woman, is an entity. We are NOT to be looking for some woman, as there are NO women listed as a world leader in end times eschatology. I will say that while all these things; jewelry made of gold, along with precious gems and pearls, tend to be associated with women’s jewelry, they are representative of financial gain.

    I learned, years ago, that the Rothschild family financed both sides of virtually every “modern” war; and made serious money because of their financial decisions. We are in a war now, and for the most part, we, the general public, will be the bodies left lying in the fields. I see so many more than the Rothschild family involved in this pathetic way of life they are feeding us.

So much for an introduction. Let’s move on to verse ten and beyond.

Revelation 17:9-10 GNB  “This calls for wisdom and understanding. The seven heads are seven hills, on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings:  (10)  five of them have fallen, one still rules, and the other one has not yet come; when he comes, he must rule only a little while.

    • The seven heads

      These are rulers, whether they be an individual or a tribunal.

    • Are seven hills

      I have looked at commentaries and most have the same foolish assertion, that we should be looking at Rome. That is hogwash in my mind. Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary answers this as I might.

      “The seven heads can hardly be at once seven kings or kingdoms (Rev_17:10), and seven geographical mountains.

      (My comments will be bracketed and italicized as I segment this JFB quotation. The hills and the heads are two different things.)

      “The true connection is, as the head is the prominent part of the body, so the mountain is prominent in the land. Like “sea” and “earth” and “waters … peoples”” (Rev_17:15),

      (Revelation 17:15 tells us “…The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.”) (NASB)

      “so “mountains” have a symbolical meaning, namely, prominent seats of power.”

      (This assertion makes the most sense.)

      “Especially such as are prominent hindrances to the cause of God” (Psa_68:16, Psa_68:17; Isa_40:4; Isa_41:15; Isa_49:11; Eze_35:2);

      (Many interpreters speak of this process as being a hindrance to the cause of God. While I contend that followers of Jesus Christ may be targeted, this all changes when I consider this through the scope of the goals of Islam, which declares everyone who lives in America to be people of the book, where the book is thought to be the bible. They don’t care if you are an atheist, there will still be a target painted on your back. Another consideration is the denial that we are forced to absorb, as speaking as I am, is considered hate speech.)

      “especially Babylon (which geographically was in a plain, but spiritually is called a destroying mountain,” Jer_51:25),

      (I get upset when bible teachers insist that physical Babylon will be rebuilt. Babylon is a spiritual entity. Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown refers to Jeremiah 51:24, 25. “But I will repay Babylon … O destroying mountain, Who destroys the whole earth,” When in fact, this region is known as the plains of Shinar, the opposite of a mountain.)

      “in majestic contrast to which stands Mount Zion, “the mountain of the Lord’s house” (Isa_2:2), and the heavenly mount; Rev_21:10, “a great and high mountain … and that great city, the holy Jerusalem.”

      (As I progressed through the Revelation I could see Satan’s actions attempting to mock God. For example, God has sealed us with the Holy Spirit, and Satan sees to it that everyone must take the mark of the beast, the antichrist. God, as you can see in Jeremiah 51:25 and Revelation 21:10, that God has His mountains as well.)

    • Upon which the woman sits

      We have seen that Babylon is now a spiritual entity that sucks in people and represents power. It is the killing force, and these vaccines may play a role in that killing. We have also seen that hills or in some cases, mountains, are also representative; the evidence for that comes from Babylon being called a mountain, and there is a reference to something like a burning asteroid to strike the earth and it too is called a burning mountain.

      So, the woman, which is representative of power, wealth, and lust sits somewhere. If you are going to make the false assumption that this harlot is a person, then how does she sit in multiple locations at the same time?

      The statement forces you to begin asking how can this be understood?

    • They are also seven kings

      Daniel 11 tells us of the “kings of the north and the south.” More specifically the beginnings of the fourth kingdom.

      Several years ago I tried to do a study on Daniel 11 with the men I sit with. I can tell you it was tough, to say the least. Effectively, some of the players in Daniel 11 sound like the old movie Anthony and Cleopatra, as the story is filled with war, assassinations, and inter-marriage for peace.

      If you choose to read Daniel 11, keep in mind that you are reading about the fourth kingdom and that the story projects into our current time frame, but it doesn’t exactly spell that out for you. This means you have to read Daniel 11 with intelligence and an open mind and considerations of Daniel’s explanation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream statue, and Daniel’s chapter seven and eight.

      One of the best discussions about Daniel 11 comes from the Frontier Alliance Mission and can be found here.
      https://www.faimission.org/wire/special-report-ships-of-kittim

      Portions of Daniel 11 that stand out.

      “Now in those times many will rise up against the king of the South; the violent ones among your people will also lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they will fall down. “Then the king of the North will come, cast up a siege ramp and capture a well-fortified city; and the forces of the South will not stand their ground, not even their choicest troops, for there will be no strength to make a stand. (Daniel 11:14-15 NASB)

      “Those times” are the times that we are living in. The only thing lacking is Gog (seen in Ezekiel 38) swarming upon Israel. Gog will be slaughtered on the hillsides of the Valley of Achor – Meggido.

      We are told that they, both the North and the South, will attack and capture Israel, the well-fortified city. I know very few people that can comprehend that Israel will just about be wiped out in this battle. Ezekiel 38,39 tells us God will come to Israel’s aid destroy many in a firestorm.

      “He will set his face to come with the power of his whole kingdom, bringing with him a proposal of peace which he will put into effect; he will also give him the daughter of women to ruin it. But she will not take a stand for him or be on his side. (Daniel 11:17 NASB)

      If you are a student of eschatology then you know that the antichrist/beast comes to make a peace treaty. He never says that this treaty is a treaty with Israel; that does not mean it can’t happen.

      If there was an orchestrated attack on Israel, given what you can see in the news coming from the Mideast, who do you think will attack Israel? I suggest that anything with Islam attached to it will answer the question.

    • five of them have fallen, one still rules,

      If John, as we assume, is aware of one of these rulers, then the last has to have a relationship, whether it be politically, nationally, or spiritually with the previous kingdoms. And, the last clue which directs our point of view is the amount of time in which he rules.

    • and the other one has not yet come; when he comes, he must rule only a little while.

Forty-two months, or 1260 days.

How or why his tenure is so short is not clearly spelled out in scripture, however, it is spelled out in the prophecies of the Muslims. It is evident that the “false prophet”, or, as the Muslims call him, ʿĪsā ibn Maryam will step in as the enforcer of Sharia. This opens the door to the drastic increase in deaths that Jesus spoke of. 

Sorry, if this disappoints, as I would have liked to gotten farther in the Revelation, but I hit my limit in terms of the amount of information.

The ABC’s of Salvation

A stands for “admit.” We must admit that we are sinners and that we are therefore under God’s judgment.

B stands for “believe.” We must believe that God loves us in spite of our sin and that he has acted in Jesus Christ to remove sin and restore us to himself.

C stands for “commit.” This is an act of faith by which we give up trying to run our own life and instead place ourselves in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us and rose again.

Posted in antichrist, Antichrist, Babylon, bible study, COVID 19, Daniel, End times, false prophet, Harlot, Islam, Israel, Nebuchadnezzar's statue, Prophetic, Revelation, the fourth kingdom, Thoughts, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Being fully persuaded. Romans 4:18-25.

Posted on 01/06/2022 by remso

What do we know about Romans four so far?

That God called Abraham at a time when he was living in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the plains of Shinar, the empire of the Assyrians. You might say they were foreigners but WE ALL came from Noah and his descendants. Knowing how much of a destructive force the Assyrians were upon the earth, I cringe when I don’t see Abraham responding quickly to God when He tells Abram (his name at this point in the story,) to get out of here and go to the land that I will give you and your descendants. After a trip to Egypt, he finally arrives in the promised land.

Abraham does not seem that faithful.

What if God only concerns himself with the end result and not the junk in between?

As we read about the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, we see many who did not start well but ended well. At this location, God shows up in a very vivid dream; it is so vivid that most read about the encounter as though it happened in the physical realm. Because of this dream, Abraham demonstrated his allegiance to the oral contract that God has made with Abraham.

This contract includes promises to Abraham’s seed, which means that after many years of NO children with Sarah, the impossible is going to happen any day now. What makes this worse is that they are both getting to the point that making babies is not even on the menu anymore.

But Abraham was believing in God. Yes, there were “things” that happened between the promise and the fulfillment, but Abraham had faith; and yet, there is that tag line, but God.

We have made it through Romans 4:17 to this point, so let’s move on.

Romans 4:17-18 NASB (as it is written, “A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS HAVE I MADE YOU”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. (18) In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE.“

Those words, “in hope against hope he believed,” were spoken about Abraham.

What is the writer talking about?

Abraham heard, and in the case of the dream, effectively lived out God’s promise to him. The promise from God is the reason for the hope. Looking at the circumstances would be the things that are against your hope, and I covered several of those things in the paragraphs above. One of those things was Sarah. Not knowing if the reason for NOT having children is her problem or Abraham’s, Sarah tells him to go test the water with her handmaid Hagar and because of Sarah’s pushing, Abraham takes Hagar as a wife – legitimizing Ishmael (Now it is really complicated.) Abraham shrugs his shoulders and says, why not, and Hagar gets pregnant. Considering that we were told that they both thought that their bodies,, in terms of making babies, were dead, demonstrates that Abraham now had faith. Well, now we know that the infertility problem has been with Sarah the entire time, but none of this makes believing in the promise any easier.

“ he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations.”

As far as we know, Abraham seems to be driven to fulfill this role; that’s an interesting thought. After all, you can’t have descendants without having a boy child.

Romans 4:19 NASB Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb;

This next verse is what I have been talking about when I said, God is not as concerned about the events in between the promise and the fulfillment.

Romans 4:20 NASB yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God,

“ with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith,”

Are you kidding me, I just talked about one of those moments of wavering. Consider that God made the promise to include Sarah, and no one else. So, Hagar could easily fall under a human propensity to lust. Yes, I get it and spoke of how sex, for Abraham, would require faith on his part anyway.

Does that make the act right?

No, but God can use everything if He needs to. I must tell you that signed up for a free course from Hillsdale college on the book of Genesis, and just yesterday 1/5/22, the discussion was about Abraham and Hagar. Dr. Jackson talked about the nuances of the wording and it is there before us (if we choose to look) that Abraham took Hagar as a wife, as well. How he could simply throw away a wife and a child I do not know. But even that is resolved in scripture, as Hagar returned to Sarah.

How is Ishmael a God thing?

Looking far into the future, there will be a people group known as the Assyrians. Ishmael and his descendants will play a role in the punishment of Israel at the hand of the Babylonians.

When Jonah was sent to the people of Nineveh, to deliver a message of God’s judgment if they do not change, Jonah seemed to know something of God’s character and knew that He would relent (for the moment,) and show them mercy. Who were these people? They were Assyrians – descendants of Ishmael.

Romans 4:21-22 NASB and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. (22) Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

“and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.”

From the delivery of the message to Abraham, until the fulfillment with the birth of Isaac, was 25 years. We are told that Abraham was “fully assured.”

Have you ever given any thought to what it would be like to be fully assured?

We are told, in Hebrews 11:6, that without faith it is impossible to please God. I am sure that the writer of Hebrews meant a good-sized bucket full of faith. I strive to maintain my bucketful but I think this striving creates a problem as it tends to push me over into the idea of working to please God.

“Fully assured” is the Greek word plērophoreō said twice. The word means to carry out fully, to be completely assured or persuaded.

So Abraham, by some standard set by the writer of Hebrews, carried out fully what God asked of him, or, he was fully assured/persuaded. Get real, Abraham was a broken human, just as we are; and, as a broken human, subject to the same temptations that we all are. I can assure you, that just as the serpent did to Eve, Satan tried to move Abraham off course and quit. While we do see some of the failures, like Hagar and Ishmael, God does not focus on the failures but the end result; the things that demonstrate that you were fully persuaded and provable by the end result.

Perhaps one of the ways we become assured or persuaded is to understand that God never lies, He cannot, so what we have been told is true. Reading passages that speak of the nature of God in those terms and then mulling them over in your mind, until you believe it.

“… God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,” (Titus 1:2 NASB)

Since we never judge a thing based upon one witness, here is a second statement about God.

“God is not a man, that He should lie, …” (Numbers 23:19 NASB)

“ Now not for his sake only was it written”

Romans 4:23-25 NASB Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, (24) but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, (25) He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.

If you have been following the conversation, then you would know that the subject is Abraham. These promises were not written for Abraham only. The NLT translation puts it this way. “it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit.”

So, who else was intended when God spoke these promises to Abraham?

“but for our sake also,”

Again I lean on the NLT where it says “for our benefit, too.” Here the writer, who was clearly writing to the Jews, is also speaking to the reader, which is you. Ah, but although it seems that life in Christ is merely handed to you on a plate, you must pick up the fork to partake. The fork, in this case, faith.

Do you understand that there was a man named Jesus?

“God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.” NLT

Faith happens when you move over into an internalization of Jesus; that He is the Son of God; that He died for to redeem your life back from the enemy (this doesn’t happen individually, it happened once covering everyone but does everyone accept that Jesus lived and died for them, no, they don’t; this acceptance happens individually.), and that Jesus will bring you to the Father to live for all eternity.

The NLT points out that it was the Father who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

And finally, we have this.

“He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.”

I despise how quickly we choose to send Judas to hell, especially since NO ONE has been sent to hell yet; that all happens at the great white throne. Yes, there are two exceptions and they are the antichrist and the false prophet, both of which are humans; this happens just before the millennial reign begins.

I mention Judas as we see him as the one who delivered Jesus over to his death. But who did Judas deliver Jesus to, and why? Some think he was trying to force Jesus into His role as Messiah of Israel.

The UCRT dictionary explains that Jesus was both actively handed over – having offered up Himself.

“… Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins.” (Hebrews 7:27 NLT)

And passively handed over.

“so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. …”(Hebrews 9:28 NLT)

Regardless, the question is, what will you do with Him? 

It is the only thing you will be judged for.

Admit that you are a sinner. This boils down to the realization that you are broken, we all are, and that you cannot fix this on your own.

Believe on Jesus Christ. There is NO other answer. Oh sure, if you’re stupid, even during the time of wrath, you will find that there is NO other way to the Father. Heaven, peace, and life in the heavenly kingdom, can only happen if you give your life to Jesus.

And Confess – Jesus, I have come to realize that there is no hope without you. And you already paid, with your life, so that I could have this life and peace with the Father. I accept and receive your life in me.

Posted in bible study, dreams, Faith, Hebrews, Jews, righteous, Romans | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The beast you saw. Revelation 17:8

Posted on 12/26/2021 by remso

 I used to watch a Saturday morning cartoon called Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties. Virtually every show would end with his girlfriend Nel, tied to the railroad tracks by Dastardly Dan, and Dudley would come to her rescue in the nick of time.

Well, that is the way this post feels to me because the last post on Revelation 17 left you hanging with, “why do you wonder?” I explained that the word wonder is a Greek word that means to stand in awe.

How could John possibly be in awe of a woman who is drunk with the blood of the saints, and, the witnesses?

And the angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. (Revelation 17:7 NASB)

If I read this from Wilbur Pickering’s New Testament I get the closest translation to what the Strong’s tells us.

“So the angel said to me: “Why are you impressed?”

John is about to get an explanation straight from heaven.

Revelation 17:8 NASB “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.

Let’s try to break this down.

First, I will tell you that I looked at Dr. J. Vernon McGee’s commentary. I like him because I never heard him brag or speak about his earned Theology Doctorate, and, he came across the radio like an old country pastor. But, when it came to Revelation 17:8 he did what I despise, and fell back on a traditional theory – that this was referring to the revised Roman Empire, and it is not.

Allow me to show you what tradition does. The story goes like this.

The family meets for their yearly Christmas dinner and the ladies had gathered in the kitchen to prepare the meal. One of the younger women laid out the ham and trimmed off the ends, as they had done for years. After a few moments passed the question was asked, why do we always cut off the ends of the ham? Great Grandmother responded, oh that’s easy, because my oven was too small for the ham to fit, and we have been doing it that way since, without question.

Now, before I go any further, you need to understand something, the church will NOT be on earth to see this beast, and here is why. “And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.” This only applies to those chose to not heed the warnings from the prophets – which is simply those giving testimony for and to Jesus, nor did they heed the scriptures. Because of their actions and choices the rapture came and they were left. Mind you, after the church is caught away many will come to know the Lord and will chose to lose their lives for Jesus rather than follow after the antichrist beast. The bold type above tells us that it is only those NOT written in the book of life that will stand in awe of this stupidity.

If you want a clear understanding of why this is not the Roman Empire revisited, I would advise you to read Joel Richardson’s books, The Islamic Antichrist and The Mideast Beast.

Breaking down the passage a bit at a time.

  • “The beast that you saw was,”

I admit that for a moment, I was a little bewildered by this and, therefore, began to look at some commentaries. Albert Barnes had this to say, “before this, it had an existence.” I stopped reading right there as the Holy Spirit began to speak to me.

Of course, it had an existence, that is only logical, but what did that existence look like?

The answer to what that version of the beast looked like lies in what Daniel saw.

In Daniel chapter two Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. Under a blanket penalty of death, Daniel, not only told him what the dream was, but what it meant. It might be easier to show you than to tell you.

The first two kingdoms are clearly defined in scripture: the Babylonian and the Medo-Persian empires;4Beast Comparative Chart

these two empires share a commonality in that they are both deemed to be Assyrian. The Grecian empire under the rule of Alexander the Great, is not outlined so clearly forcing us to associate the symbolism and timing of Alexander’s entrance into the picture. Nevertheless, the Grecian empire is third.

The fourth kingdom, and the one we are dealing with in Revelation 17, is defined if you do your research, much like we had to do with Alexander.

In short, after Alexander’s death, the Grecian empire modifies and slowly diminishes under the rule of two of Alexander’s generals, Ptolemy and Seleucid.

Note how the bronze waist transition to legs of bronze and then iron indicating that purpose and itinerary does not change, however, power is now diminished; and, in time, its character is no longer Grecian but Assyrian and controlling the same territory that the Grecian empire possessed. The Roman empire never extended to the boundaries of the Grecian empire. It is said that Trajan, the Roman general made it to the eastern boundary, but hearing of trouble to the west turned around to go back and died shortly thereafter.

The feet of the statue have toes that are mixed with clay. The Hebrew word for mixed is arab, and for some, this should be an eye-opening moment.

Every aspect of this statue, from the girdle of bronze to the feet of iron and clay, all are a part of the freakishness that makes the fourth beast of Revelation 17:8. The bronze initiates the idea of strength but has an artistic quality that asserts intelligence. Iron, also exudes strength, but there is brutishness to it; and, it has little in terms of artistic attributes. In my opinion, having the legs split is indicative of the transition to the two remaining Grecian generals and the beginnings of the weakening of the Grecian empire. The conversion from bronze to iron demonstrates a dramatic shift in leadership. The goal and intention, which we saw in the bronze portions, was global dominance, and that still remains but the methods have now shifted.

As I noted above, the assimilation of the Grecian empire, much like when Balaam told Balak how to destroy Israel, has happened from the inside as the statue has taken on Assyrian qualities once again. The final point to make here is the clay integrated into the toes. The toes give the body the ability to balance, which the statue, symbolic of human rule, demonstrates the fact that the entire structure is now unsound.

I have spoken of Islam’s insertion into the world on multiple occasions, and how they have become a negative, and deadly source of irritation ever since.

Those who abide by the tenets of Islam are merely the sons of Abraham through Ishmael and Esau. Concerning Esau, God said, you will be like a wild donkey and you and your descendants will do little more than fight among themselves.

The angel of the LORD said to her further, “Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has given heed to your affliction. “He will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, And everyone’s hand will be against him; And he will live to the east of all his brothers.”(Genesis 16:11-12 NASB)

Daniel saw another rendering of the same beast in chapter seven of his writings. Look at how Daniel described the fourth beast.

“After this, I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. (Daniel 7:7 NASB)

The iron is still there, so don’t get lost simply because you don’t see legs. The ten horns are an analogy to the ten toes, so this is the same beast.

“While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.(Daniel 7:8 NASB)

This little horn is the person that Charles, Prince of Wales, referred to in his speech before the COP 26 climate summit. And, it is the antichrist that everyone knows of; and he is also called a beast.

“we need a vast military style campaign to marsh the strength of the global private sector, with trillions at his disposal”

Daniel wanted to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, and this is how he expressed the question.

“Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet, (Daniel 7:19 NASB)

Different? Our first consideration is that this is an Aramaic word, which some have indicated was Chaldean. Why is that important? Because Daniel wrote to be understood and as a “prisoner” of Babylon and now the Chaldeans, it suddenly makes sense. He was NOT writing in code, as some have indicated that John did with the Revelation.

The word different is shenâ’ and its primary usage in scripture is change. It also means to alter or be diverse – different. The Word Study Dictionary says “It refers to a difference that has become evident.”

You would have to look intently at the previous empires (The Babylonian, Chaldean, and the Medo-Persian) to figure out where the dramatic differences were. A couple of clues: The Babylonian empire came out of the mind of one man, Nimrod.

The sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan. The sons of Cush were Seba and Havilah and Sabtah and Raamah and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. (Genesis 10:6-10 NASB)

Ham was the one who looked upon his father’s nakedness (this is infested with some strange darkness,) and was cursed for his actions, although the curse was placed upon the son, Kenan. We are either sadly lacking some details or this is a gross injustice. A few of Noah’s descendants through Ham were, Cush, and Nimrod. Nimrod created a town called Nineveh. Everything associated with Nimrod played itself out in some horrendous and deadly attempts at killing off the inhabitants of Judah and Israel.

This takes us to Jonah, and why he thought it best to commit suicide instead of going to Nineveh to preach a message of destruction. Jonah had a allotment of fame because he prophesied that the borders of Israel would be rebuilt.

In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel became king in Samaria and reigned forty-one years. He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher. (2 Kings 14:23-25 NASB)

Fame is often short-lived and without this prophetic word we would have nothing to explain why anyone knew Jonah. I speak this way because some would have you think that Jonah had some great reputation, and this is what prompted the people of Nineveh to repent so quickly. The only other piece of information we have comes from the man himself. Jonah tries to do anything but deliver God’s message because he knows God will show them mercy.

The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. (Jonah 1:1-3 NASB)

Notice where Jonah is sent, Nineveh, the town established by Nimrod.

These people were a part of the Assyrian community, and held no esteem with Israel, just as the Nazi party holds with the Jews community today. 

Do you think you could come up with some causes for these differences that Daniel 7:23 speaks of?

The explanation given to Daniel begins with Daniel 7:23.

Daniel 7:23 NASB “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it.

  • While it is the fourth kingdom, in virtually every assessment we demonstrate that we are assuming when we say we know, and especially when we say that it is the Roman empire. It is definitely a kingdom, much like the Ottoman empire was a kingdom.

  • It will be dramatically changed from the previous kingdoms. Part of our assessment above should include punishment from God for ignoring the seventh-year Sabbath rest on the land.

  • And, as we see in Daniel 7:23, this empire will devour the whole earth. No kingdom has done that or been able to, however, there is one that despises artistry, music, and any mention of anything other than Allah; and that is Islam.

The fact that it will be a fourth kingdom on the earth is not new news to us, but what we assume that this fourth empire is the Roman empire. The bronze belly and thighs could be the Roman empire if it were not for the legs of iron and the toes mixed with clay. The Roman empire never covered the same territory that the Grecian’s nor Assyrians did, or further yet, the Islamic caliphates. I cannot see how I could assert that the Roman empire devoured the whole earth when their rule was limited to Europe and a portion of the Mideast.

‘As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. (Daniel 7:24 NASB)

“ out of this kingdom ten kings will arise” again we go to Charles, Prince of Wales, as he was speaking about ten sectors that hold the responsibility for climate damage at the COP 26 climate summit in Glasgow. It may be possible that these ten sectors may have ten rulers and, therefore, fit into the idea of ten kings. On the other hand, there may be ten Islamic leaders, many of whom have come and gone.

“ arise; and another will arise after them” This is the antichrist.

“While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.
(Daniel 7:8 NASB)

Antichrist is the first of twelve names given to this person.

Note the other titles:

  1. “the king of Babylon” (Isa_14:4);

  2. “the Assyrian” (Isa_14:25; +**Mic_5:5 note);

  3. “Lucifer, son of the morning,” in opposition to “the bright and morning star” (Isa_14:12);

  4. “the Prince that shall come” (Dan_9:26);

  5. “the king of fierce countenance” (Dan_8:23);

  6. “the vile person” (Dan_11:21);

  7. “the willful king” (Dan_11:36);

  8. “the man of sin” (2Th_2:3);

  9. “the son of perdition” (2Th_2:3);

  10. “that wicked (or lawless) one” (2Th_2:3; Rev_13:18);

  11. “the beast with ten horns” (Rev_13:1);

  12. “the little horn” (Dan_8:8)

  • Ten horns = ten toes, which in turn equals ten kings.

Kings – meleḵ: An Aramaic masculine noun meaning king. This very common word is equivalent to the Hebrew word melek (H4428), meaning king. It is used to speak of the top government official.

We are told, “another will rise after them, and he will be different from the others and will subdue three kings.” I do not think that Charles, Prince of Wales, will be expecting this man that they are looking for to do that.

Subdue – šep̱al: An Aramaic verb meaning to humble, to subdue. It describes figuratively the bringing down or making humble the prideful person.

Which global influences would volunteer to be humbled?

Daniel 7:25 NASB ‘He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

Again, this is the man that Prince Charles is looking for. Seeing as God is no longer desired in the New World Order of things this should not be surprising.

  • This man will speak out against the Most High (God)

  • and wear down the saints of the Highest One.

Ask yourself, when is this all taking place?

Since we know that this “he” person does not show up until after the church is gone, then this is happening during the time of wrath (the tribulation.) Of the 50 translations I own, there is only one that got this correct.

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that that man of sin be disclosed, even the son of perdition,
(2 Thessalonians 2:3 Geneva; and yes, I made it more readable.)

So, when we see him wearing down the saints, who are being affected?

All those people, who have had changes of heart and will now turn wholeheartedly to the Lord.

My wife and I have befriended a Salvation Army bell ringer; he is a Mormon and goes to a local temple, but he is likable. I pray that God opens his eyes, which will happen, either now or in the near future because scripture tells me that at the catching away of the church the veil will be lifted from the world.

Does that mean all will turn to Jesus?

Hardly, but it will be an uncountable number.

The term Saints may also apply to those who will decide to take a stand against these Socialist regimes that are trying to take over the world, and this may apply most directly to those who refuse to bow to Allah.

This last assertion could be a source of contention, as many are telling you that what I am saying is hate speech and will do their best to turn you away from looking at Islam as a future problem. If you don’t comprehend this, pay attention, as Islamic followers are directed by the Quran to kill the infidels (Infidels are thought of as people of the book – the bible. Muslims happen to think everyone that lives in this “Godly country” of America is, therefore, an infidel;) and Jews at every opportunity. When our governments fall, and this will happen with the entrance of the antichrist, Islamic followers will unleash their numbers in every manner possible worldwide.

If you think I am wrong, then tell me who is speaking out against the Most High?

Daniel 7:25 NASB ‘He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

Oh, and note something else, “he will intend to make alterations in times and in law;” 

This is what Islam intends to do – make alterations in law. These alterations consist of the installation of Sharia law. Try walking the streets of some UK communities, you will answer to Sharia law there, and the same goes for much of Michigan.

(Daniel 7:26-27 AMP) “But the judgment shall be set [by the court of the Most High], and they shall take away his dominion to consume it [gradually] and to destroy it [suddenly] in the end. And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heavens shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions shall serve and obey Him.”

I assure you that the antichrist and the false prophet will be thrown into the lake of fire.

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. 
(Revelation 19:11 NASB)

This is Jesus Christ, and it is awesome, but watch what happens next.

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. 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 which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh. (Revelation 19:19-21 NASB)

The fourth kingdom has been active and in pursuit of its goal since the days of Nimrod, and is about to come to its climax and end. Folks, the church is about to be removed from this earth and the antichrist is about to be revealed.

Are you ready?

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Posted in antichrist, bible study, End times, false prophet, Islam, Jews, Nebuchadnezzar's statue, New World Order, one world religion, rapture, Revelation, seven headed beast, ten horns and seven heads, the fourth kingdom, the king of fierce countenance, the little horn, the prince that shall come, the willful king, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Posted on 12/22/2021 by remso

 In our last dive into Romans, we saw that Abraham was justified because of his faith. Now he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the covenant God made with Abraham for the Jews. However, through faith, we have been grafted into the vine and are, therefore, Jews by faith.

So that Abraham might be the father of all who believe; well, that certainly means me.

On that note, let’s dive in.

Romans 4:13 NASB For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law but through the righteousness of faith.

Perhaps a cleaner version would be the NLT.

Romans 4:13 NLT  Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.

Faith, in and of itself, does not have righteousness, but a right relationship is acquired by having faith in God.

Since the Jewish community, in general, does not put their faith in a relationship with Yeshua, then all they have left is an arrogance in the law, and this is why Paul has to say,

Romans 4:14-15 NLT  If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless.  (15)  For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)

Premise the next few bits of information under this assumption, “If God’s promise is for”

  • “those who obey the law,”

    Let’s not pull any punches here; he is talking about the Jews. None of which keep the law either. Want proof?

    Genesis 6:5 NASB Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

  • “then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless.”

    If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, then you know that faith is necessary, and the promise is real and gives validity to our hope that there is a heaven to gain, and finally, peace in the love of the Father’s arms.

  • “For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it.”

    There are many translations, and this one is not necessarily a true statement.

    Some will tell you that the King James version is the only correct and accurate translation, so let’s see what it says. “Because the law worketh wrath.” The Strong’s concordance tells us that the word worketh also means accomplishes or causes. 

    Seriously, the law causes wrath?

    If I kept the law, I might be boring, but shouldn’t I be considered righteous in God’s eyes, and therefore, excluded from God’s punishment?

    The simple answer should be yes. You don’t get punished for trying to obey the law.

    You get punished for disregarding the law. Let me ask you a question.

    How many laws (commandments) did Israel start with?

    Ten; and the focus of those laws was to love God and love on people by treating them right. Of course, the idea of being “right” is not based on human standards but on God’s character, nature, and moral standards.

    But Paul writes (NET translation) “because where there is no law there is no transgression either.”

    The young granddaughter, who reads quite well, ignored the signage at the park, which stated, No riding of any wheeled vehicle on the rubber playground mats, and her tire went between the cracks, which caused her to fall and scratch her face. Her dad did not realize that it was his child screaming because she was actually hurt; then he yelled at her that it was her fault, and she shrieked back, I didn’t know. I will say this, as the adult, I believe it was her father’s job to make sure she learned the rules, but he didn’t do that; he merely focused on some video on his cell phone, as he always does. She is very capable of reading, but who looks at the signs. 

    Isn’t this a summary of who we are and what we do?

    Perhaps a better way of considering the law might be this; the law shows us how frequently we stumble and how much we need a savior. 

Romans 4:16 (GW)  Therefore, the promise is based on faith so that it can be a gift. Consequently, the promise is guaranteed for every descendant, not only for those who are descendants by obeying Moses’ Teachings but also for those who are descendants by believing as Abraham did. He is the father of all of us,

The promise, once again, is God’s promise to Abraham. Hebrews 6 covers it.

God made a promise to Abraham. Since he had no one greater on whom to base his oath, he based it on himself. He said, “I will certainly bless you and give you many descendants.” (Hebrews 6:13-14 GW)

Those descendants came through both Ishmael and Issac, but the promise was through the promised seed, Issac.

I struggle to find a translation of Romans 4:17 that made sense.

Romans 4:17 Moffatt NT (as it is written, I have made you a father of many nations). Such a faith implies the presence of the God in whom he believed, a God who makes the dead live and calls into being what does not exist.

Abraham has been married to Sarah, who is now in her 90’s and well past childbearing age, and has produced NO children. Sarah suggests he try it with Hagar, and it works. I am not a doctor, but something tells me that the problem was not Abraham. The problem here is that the promise was meant to be through Sarah, not Hagar. The ability to have faith for a child just became more unreasonable. And yet, Abraham believed God.

The father of many nations, but who would think in these terms?

If we take this idea back to Noah, we can see that the entire earth was, once again, entirely populated through Noah and his descendants.

Consider something, thousands of years later, people seeking religious freedom came to America. There were already people here, but it seemed like there was plenty of land and you could throw a rock and not hit anybody. The point I am making is that there were a number of people but they were not shoulder to shoulder as it often feels now. 

Abraham, most likely, had no idea of what that would eventually look like.

What did Abraham know of God?

Not much. This is a huge assumption because as you read about Adam’s transgression in the garden (Genesis 3), you come to the discernment that God instructed Adam in how to keep the penalty for transgression at bay (Genesis 3:21). We ignore the fact that Adam passed this information along orally, first to Cain and Able – whom Cain killed, and then to Seth (the third son in the lineage), who passed that same information down the line to Noah. I am pointing this out because the answers are there if you are willing to think outside the box. But then, there was this lifelike dream that was like no other Abraham had ever had. This dream is where God promises that He will make Abraham the father of many nations.

There was something extraordinary about this dream because we all read about the sacrifice, the blood, and what was said, as though Abraham was physically standing there before God.

I write these studies for believers, and many of them may be familiar with the manner in which God introduced Himself to Abraham; it is because of this assumption that I don’t always insert the Bible passage that validates what I am saying. That assumption could be an issue as I am always hoping that some may be coming into a relationship with God as they read this, and seeing the passage would possibly cause faith in them.

That being said, the first interaction, where we see God speaking to, at this point, Abram, is in Genesis 12:1. We are merely spectators and can only assume how this utterance took place, because the details, like so many other incidents in scripture, are left out.

If I look up the Hebrew meanings of what seems like a simple word, “said” we find that some of the likely interpretations are to say in one’s heart, or to think. In reality, the heart is the mind. 

Many years ago, someone said that we should practice listening to God’s voice. The idea behind this practice is to respond when He tells you to do something that will bring life into a situation. He will not tell you to jump off a cliff, that would be the devil. If an assertion like this is something you would say, then you should know that the fact that you are bringing out this alternate point demonstrates that you are capable of hearing voices in your head. Not to worry, we all hear voices in our heads. For some, the voice sounds like your wife; a friend; a drill sergeant, or God. Many of us have to sort out which voice we are going to respond to. Practicing listening to God’s voice, which is no different than the Holy Spirit of God, could, as it did for Abraham, turn out to be an interesting and productive thing.

Moffat’s translation tells us “Such a faith implies the presence of the God in whom he believed.”

Wow, how would it change your life if you did not believe in God, and then, suddenly He appears before you in a very realistic dream, as Jesus Christ, whom you recognize; and therefore, believe what He tells you.
I met such a man – a Muslim, and he now preaches Jesus.

Let’s do the breakdown of Romans 4:17.

  • “a God who makes the dead live and calls into being what does not exist.”

    Lacking a doctor capable of doing all the tests necessary to determine which of them was infertile could imply that Abraham’s body was dead too. But we are not talking about Abraham when we talk about dead people. Paul is referring to Issac, Abraham’s son.

    Wait a minute.

    God spared Issac’s life at the last second by causing a Ram to appear in the thicket suddenly.

    So how does death apply to Issac?

    It doesn’t, any more than Sarah being included in this conversation because she was barren unless these people are primarily symbolic. No doubt, all these people died, but Issac represented Jesus and his willingness to be sacrificed for sins. And, if you want to get picky, there was Lazarus, Jesus’ friend. He was dead for four days. There is a significance to that four days as the Jews believe that the spirit stays with the body for three days. This is also the reason that Jesus referred to Jonah as an example of His death and resurrection. So Jesus’ hesitation in going to see him was meant to prove that Lazarus was completely dead and his resurrection, therefore, was to be taken seriously.

  • “ and calls into being what does not exist”

    For Sarah, the ability to produce a baby did not exist, and yet there it is.

    The nation Israel did not exist, and yet, there it is.

    Heaven and earth did not exist, and yet John tells us that Jesus, the Word, spoke them into existence.

    If you think about these statements, there are a vast number of other examples as well; and each of those is a call for us to apply faith to the things we think are impossible.

Posted in Apostle Paul, bible study, death, dreams, Freedom from sin, God's character, grace, In Christ, Jesus, judgment, lawlessness, Mercy, mercy, redemption, restore, righteous, Romans, Sin, the commandment of God, the nations, The Word was God, Thoughts, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The woman drunk with the blood of saints. Revelation 17:6-7.

Posted on 12/20/2021 by remso

 In my previous post, I only covered two verses. I suspect the reason I did that is that the majority of us are experiencing the World Economic Forum’s goals of global dominance and a concerted effort to reduce the world’s population. While, on the other hand, we are trying desperately to figure out who is pulling the puppet strings intended to make us dance.

Here is a portion of Revelation 17:5 to help prove my point.

Revelation 17:5b. ISV …BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND DETESTABLE THINGS OF THE EARTH.

Some might say, what they are doing is NOT detestable, and it is common among my community of friends. We all have a community of what we call friends, just as Jeffrey Epstein did. However, they were all so blinded that they could not or refused to see that what they are doing to children was no better than what Israel did with that Molech idol that they coerced Aaron to make in the wilderness.

The Old Testament does not convey the depth of perversion involved in what Israel did there with that idol. But, as you can see from this ISV translation that we are told, it was just an idol to be used in a festival. Well, that sounds like a good time is to be had.

He took them (their gold adornments) from them and, using a tool, fashioned them into a molten calf. The people said, “This, Israel, is your god who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it, and then he proclaimed, “Tomorrow is to be a festival to the LORD.” (Exodus 32:4-5 ISV)

But Stephen understood what it was and what they did there that day, and he retold the details to the Jewish council that would soon kill him because of false charges that caused him to be standing here.

Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him (both God and Moses) but pushed him aside and turned back to Egypt in their hearts, saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go in front of us, for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt — we do not know what has happened to him!’ At that time, they made an idol in the form of a calf, brought a sacrifice to the idol, and began rejoicing in the works of their hands. But God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘It was not to me that you offered slain animals and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, was it, house of Israel? But you took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god Rephan, the images you made to worship, but I will deport you beyond Babylon.’ (Acts 7:39-43 NET.)

That sacrifice was their children, which they roasted as they danced.

Albert Barnes, in his commentary, explains for us what Moloch was. “Moloch – This word comes from the Hebrew word signifying “king.” This was a god of the Ammonites, to whom human sacrifices were offered. Moses in several places forbids the Israelites, under penalty of death, to dedicate their children to Moloch, by making them pass through the fire”.

God’s character and moral law have never changed, and His law has been written upon the heart of every living being; it has been this way since He put humanity on this earth.

First, it is essential to note that Satan understood that humans would know good and evil.

The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! “For God knows that in the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5 NASB)

Let’s take for granted that you don’t believe me, then look at this interaction between God and Cain. This interaction brings us to my second point. Cain, having sacrificed improperly, brings God into the picture (in the form of Jesus), and God has a conversation with Cain.

“Abel, on his part, also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” (Genesis 4:4-7 NASB)

God could not have this conversation unless He, in some manner, had previously instructed  Cain on what is right and how to do it. God’s nature is not to pull a sneak attack on you and then laugh as He throws you mercilessly into hell. Therefore, we can lean on one of two things.

  1. Because we see nothing that tells us that God instructed Cain, his instructions had to come from Adam. I am telling you this because I have heard these foolish arguments.

  2. Since Adam gave up the dominion of the earth to Satan by his actions, God had to come down and slaughter enough animals to offer a sacrifice for both Adam and Eve, but explained why; and then made clothing out of the skins. Information about the necessity of a sacrifice, and perhaps the clothing, was passed from Adam to Cain and Abel. And we know this by inference – Abel sacrificed a lamb, the firstborn, and God accepted that sacrifice.

So, even though this next piece of information comes from Leviticus, it seems to have come after the Moloch incident. Of course, some will take this idea to the next level and say, see, these people should not be held responsible for roasting their children to a false and abhorrent god. Sorry, that argument is not going to work, and I have already told you why.

‘You shall not give any of your offspring to offer them to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the LORD. (Leviticus 18:21 NASB)

Just in case you think I was kidding about this Moloch stuff, check this out.

“You shall also say to the sons of Israel: ‘Any man from the sons of Israel or from the aliens sojourning in Israel who gives any of his offspring to Molech, shall surely be put to death; the people of the land shall stone him with stones. ‘I will also set My face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given some of his offspring to Molech, so as to defile My sanctuary and to profane My holy name. ‘If the people of the land, however, should ever disregard that man when he gives any of his offspring to Molech, so as not to put him to death, then I Myself will set My face against that man and against his family, and I will cut off from among their people both him and all those who play the harlot after him, by playing the harlot after Molech.” (Leviticus 20:2-5 NASB)

If you have been bold enough to speak out against the vaccine tyranny on YouTube, then your page, or at least your speech, has probably been blocked, demonetized, and made to disappear from the internet. I say this because some have made compelling documentaries about how the rich kill the children they take off the street because they believe that they gain some dark spiritual power. Do not think for a second that they will go unpunished.

So much for an introduction. Let’s move on to Revelation 17:6. 

Revelation 17:6 NASB “And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly.”

Drunk is the Greek word methuō and obviously means drunken, but it is also (as Thayer’s dictionary conveys) metaphorically indicative of one who has shed blood or murdered profusely.

If you were to ask me, when does all this blood get shed? I would have to say, look at the third world nations, especially those with a considerable Islamic influence, because there is hardly a week that goes by where anywhere from ten to 100 churchgoers are shot, burned, or bombed.

Is it just the third-world nations?

Hardly because the news out of Europe frequently has some fool screaming Allahu Akbar while stabbing or shooting ten or so people. The fact that the passage tells us that the “woman” is drunk with the blood of saints tells me a significant motive of the global elite is to kill off those who associate themselves with Christianity. I can tell you that our governing bodies are turning against the Church daily here in America.

Our California governor was sued, and a judgment was rendered by the state supreme court. The decision against him prevents him from making proclamations against the church.

So how does our illustrious governor responds to a court order?

He hands off his dirty work to local city councils, such as San Jose’s or the state health department. But, you might ask, how is the state health department playing into this role? Since the California governor cannot declare our church assemblies illegal, he has the health department limit the number of people who meet indoors to 1000, which again attempts to disrupt the church. Here is what is interesting about this. Since the initial Covid shut down, many churches have closed their doors and not reopened.

In the last few weeks, before writing this post, I have come to find out that California Governor Gavin Newsome, the nephew of Nancy Pelosi, was a recent graduate of the Klaus Schwab school of global governance. When you consider that Klaus Schwab is the dark lord leader of this international governing body that we see in the end times, it only makes sense that this school is an educational ground for future oppressors.

  • “drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.”

For a period of time, I thought that the context of the word saints, as used here, only spoke of those who were killed during the time of wrath. However, if you look up the word saints, you will find that Paul addressed the believers as saints on several occasions. Therefore, we cannot limit this conversation to the time of wrath alone, especially since Christ-followers are killed daily.

In the reference to the blood of the witnesses of Jesus, the definition of a witness is not so rigid.

Why say that?

The thief on the cross is one of the most dramatic examples of a witness that fits outside of the religious definition. Before the crucifixion, we know nothing about these two lawbreakers hanging there with Jesus.

Yet, as soon as the conversation begins, you get a strong sense that everyone in this scenario is a Jew.

“One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other answered, and rebuking him, said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43 NASB)

It is clear that there is an understanding that Jesus is God in this man, that they, the criminals, deserved punishment, but Jesus did not; and he asked that Jesus remember him, to which Jesus said, I will.

This interaction had none of the standard religious talks, and yet the thief, also nailed to a cross, had a heart toward God; this was evident because he expressed an understanding of who Jesus is, and he knew that Jesus had done nothing wrong. All of these assessments are true. The thief did not cry out for salvation, did not necessarily plead for forgiveness of sins, and may not have been able to have a lamb sacrificed for his benefit.

Can you see that that there is nothing standard about this process?

And yet, Jesus told him, this day, you will be with me in paradise. A vast number in the Middle Eastern world have been brutally murdered for not bowing to Allah and giving their allegiance to this god who is no god.

Is it possible that they, like the thief on the cross, by rejecting a false god, gave their lives to the God who created the heavens and promised them a life of peace with the Father?

John, in Revelation 17:6, says, “When I saw her, I wondered greatly.” Wondered sounds so benign and simplistic, why would anyone feel the need to pursue such a simple word? Because I always read this and thought, this is like looking at a horrific car crash and not looking away.

The word wondered is the Greek word thaumazō, and it means to regard with admiration or to reverence. 

Suddenly I find myself disgusted, or, at the least, taken back by the fact that John was not repulsed. After all, this is the entity drunk on the blood of saints. The obvious thing that I see here is that riches and power have an extraordinary draw on us.

Revelation 17:7 NASB And the angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.

What an odd question this angel asked. It is almost as if John is surprised this entity is so attractive. Isn’t that the way Satan seems to work? Revelation 17:7a. BBE, puts it this way, And the angel said to me, Why were you surprised? He makes the worst of things seem attractive, at least for a time.

The angel begins to answer the question.

  • “I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.”

Mystery? The Greek word is mystērion and for me, the meaning is unusual. Mounce’s dictionary says it best. It is “a matter to the knowledge of which initiation is necessary; a secret which would remain such but for revelation.”

Every time I see the word mystery, I get a sense of something we cannot possibly know.

One of my pastors verbally attacked me because, as he claimed, NO ONE can understand the book of Revelation or eschatology. Obviously, he did not, and he asserted, that is why I don’t teach it.

How does the Revelation open?

Revelation 1:3 NASB “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

Another translation reads, God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church.

Based upon this, should I make the foolish assumption that God does not want me to understand?

The answer is NO. He desires for us to know, it merely requires an open mind and the time to look at passages in the Old Testament, because there is little in the New Testament that did not come from the old.

Romans 16:25,26 NASB tells us

“Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith;.”

Paul, writing to the church at Colossae, says

I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship from God — given to me for you — in order to complete the word of God, that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. (Colossians 1:25-26 NET.)

Alright, so it’s no longer a mystery to the believer, as the Word of God – scripture is the thing that allows us to understand things that used to be mysteries.

This “mystery” is what the prophet Daniel dealt with as he was frequently shown images that made no sense. A lack of understanding prompted him to ask for interpretations, which were provided, although I doubt some of the explanations made sense because they were for future times; nonetheless, explanations were freely given. I genuinely believe that we are living in those times now.

Next time we will regroup at Revelation 17:7 and move forward quickly from there.

In the meantime putting yourself into the arms of Jesus moves you into the category of those who have had the mystery opened up to them, but there is also the knowledge that you are accepted and loved by the Father.

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