Babylon the Great – The short version.

Posted on 09/19/2015 by remso

Babylon the Great – What are we really talking about?

Of the imagery we find in scripture Babylon is another that gives people grief. If we try to define the Babylon we see in Revelation we have to ask, what is it and what are the implications for us?

This is my attempt at making a condensed overview of my blog on Babylon which is eight pages long. Personally, I think many of you want to know where information comes from instead merely getting slammed with a caption or a headline and then moving on to the next topic. That strikes more like someone’s opinion. I am full of opinions but I try to back them up with evidence, typically scriptural or historical.

A buddy had asked me to do a bible study with him on Revelation. I guess he thought we could do it in just a couple of weeks. Even my pastor had to take three or four to do his overview. Goodness gracious, I wrote eight pages trying to define the concept of Babylon and it was initiated by one verse. The Revelation speaks about Babylon extensively in chapters 17 and 18, but I can tell you that without some background information, for me, the water was still muddy and I was no further along in my understanding. I have always kinda thought that Babylon was something more than a chunk of desert, and it is. Having sorted through the possibilities I now I look forward to chapters 17 and 18.

Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.”

(Revelation 14:8 ESV)

Clues from the passage itself?

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, ..”

We know that during the reign or Nebuchadnezzar Babylon was great.

Daniel 2:37-38 ESV You, O king, — are the head of gold.

Can we make a solid connection between a Babylon that was once great and the modern-day world? No, so any greatness carries a different connotation these days.

Babylon, having served its purpose, was to receive God’s wrath.

Jeremiah 51:29 ESV “The land trembles and writhes in pain, for the LORD’s purposes against Babylon stand, to make the land of Babylon a desolation, without inhabitant.

If God tells us that Babylon is fallen, a land of desolation without inhabitants, then we need to look elsewhere for a definition. This means Babylon is more symbolic and I believe the key phrase here is “her sexual immorality”.

Whore of Babylon (french illuminated “Book of Revelation”) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“…she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.”

Since things seemingly went well for Daniel, we assume that all went well for Israel as well. The problem is that Israel had the horrid tendency to take on other gods, and Babylon was deeply entrenched in them. If you think about the fact that they threw Daniel’s companions into the fire, then its easier to understand that evil lurked in the background.

Apparently we know far too little about Babylon because Revelation focuses rather intently on the words sexual immorality.

The prophet Jeremiah spoke a word against Babylon:

Jeremiah 50:1-2 ESV The word that the LORD spoke concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the prophet: (2) “Declare among the nations and proclaim, set up a banner and proclaim, conceal it not, and say: ‘Babylon is taken, Bel is put to shame, Merodach is dismayed. Her images are put to shame, her idols are dismayed.’

From the IVPBBC “The name Bel Marduk then continues to be used by the Assyrians and the Neo-Babylonians, and his New Year’s festival is the celebration of the renewal of fertility and life. Even the Persian king Cyrus looked at his own accession to power and the capture of the city of Babylon as having been achieved through the assistance of Bel Marduk.”

Now again, the question is, how do I perceive and apply this?

Mark Hitchcock, in his book The Second Coming of Babylon, states rather simplistically, “The city and the tower (of Babylon -emphasis mine) represent the two aspects of Babylon that continue today: political power balanced against rebellion and apostasy.”

Mark Hitchcock continues, “The city they built represents the political unity of the city of Babylon. Babylon was a literal place, ruled over by a literal king who exercised political power over all the inhabitants of the world.”

I had to think about this for a moment.

Babylon, a lasting global political power?

I already pointed out that God decreed devastation upon Babylon. Common sense should tell you that Babylon’s ability to persist has to first be spiritual, Many years after its establishment by Nimrod, and after the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon is captured by Cyrus, but this line from the IVPBBC is very telling: “ Even the Persian king Cyrus looked at his own accession to power and the capture of the city of Babylon as having been achieved through the assistance of Bel Marduk”

We are introduced to the beginnings of Babylon in Genesis chapter 10, when we are told about the generations of Noah. The son of Ham was Cush, and Cush fathered Nimrod.

Let’s explore this for a minute.

Genesis 10:8 ESV Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man.

“He was the first on earth to be a mighty man”??

The word mighty in the Hebrew is: gibbôr powerful; by implication warrior, tyrant. Another instance of the word gibbôr used to depict a mighty man comes before the flood, and describes the Nephilim upon the earth.

Genesis 6:4 ESV The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.

Most do not believe Nimrod to have been a giant as much as he was of a reckless ferocity.

When it comes to reckless ferocity what names come to your mind? Og, the king of Bashan who may have been 13 feet tall; how about Genghis Khan, or Vlad the impaler.

So are we looking for something that has control much like Mark Hitchcock described, a strange mix of power, politics, rebellion against religion, and unity. Where do we find a mix like that? The NWO, Illuminati, the Bilderberg group, perhaps even the Masons. I am just saying. These groups seem to have the makings of a world dominance club, and there are fascinating things that back up these theories like Agenda 21.

Babylon was a literal place, ruled over by a literal king who exercised political power over all the inhabitants of the world.” Therefore this Babylon will exercise power over all the inhabitants of the world as well.

Posted in Apostasy, End times, Prophetic, Thoughts, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged apostasy, Bilderberg group, Book of Revelation, end times, Illuminati, last days, Masons, New World Order, political unity, politics, power, prophecy, rebellion, Whore of Babylon | 9 Comments

Lessons Learned in Depression, That Couldn’t Be Learned on the Mountaintop

Posted on 09/10/2015 by remso

The wisdom of a newly found friend.

Wheat or Weeds

This message“Lessons Learned in Depression, That Couldn’t Be Learned on the Mountaintop” will be a quick read today. As I think about this depression over the past 2 years or so, here are some things that I have learned about myself, God, and life.

I matter, I am not bad, I have power, I can do good, I can love, I am worthy, I am joy.
God has a purpose not only for me but for every single believer.
It’s not enough to just to go to church once a week.
When God says to give the first fruits of your work and tithe he doesn’t do that to punish you. He does it to bless you.
I’ve learned how to pray more effectively to God.
I’ve learned that money isn’t everything.
I’ve learned God isn’t a vengeful God, but a jealous God that is after…

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Posted in Hope, Thoughts | Tagged Belief, depression, Faith, hope, Jesus Christ, recovery, thoughts | Leave a comment

Flying directly overhead. Revelation 14: 6,7

Posted on 09/09/2015 by remso

I had a discussion with a friend and I spoke to him about how there was nothing to prevent the Lord from coming back to remove his church from the earth. He vehemently argued that the gospel had not been preached throughout the whole earth, and could not come back.

I pointed out that the bible said this would happen but could not give him the biblical reference at the time, so in his mind he won. Really? Are we just a world full of winners or losers? Perhaps we are simply selfish, deluded, or sadly lacking in biblical understanding. Most of the people I speak with basically operate within the framework of some tradition they have learned, and I rarely meet anyone that is willing to let go of tradition, especially when the bible speaks in direct opposition to their tradition.

It would be delusional to think that everyone in the world has heard the gospel, but I do know that the knowledge of good and evil is in every man. Since every person has the knowledge of good, then you have the ability to acknowledge the creator. I know many of you do not believe that, but I also know that many of you do not believe that God is a God of mercy. All that proves how little we know about the character and nature of God, and that knowledge is an essential aspect of our growth.

The answer to the argument, if one is needed, is that God will send an angel to preach the gospel throughout the entire earth.

Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”(Revelation 14:6-7 ESV)

This could be what they look like.

I do not know what that will look like. Daniel, at seeing the angel, fell on his face. I have always wondered if that was out of fear. Well, think about it, what do they look like?

Balaam had one confront him, but he did not see it at first. The donkey he was riding saw it and smashed into the bank on one side of the trail. While we do not seem to be taken back by Balaam having a discussion with a donkey, but the man is not terribly phased by an angel standing in front of him with a sword.

The point to this is that there should be no doubt that everyone will see this angel.

I wish I could tell you that this happens before the rapture so that the entire world could get the degree of mercy we comprehend, because God, prior to unleashing his fury upon Israel and the nations, snatches his church out of the earth. This act of fury, is not only deserved, but devastating. Strangely, many people survive the continual onslaught, but do not change their minds or ways. The good aspect is that an uncountable number come to accept Jesus as the Messiah during this time.

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your own it is easy to do. He gave His own life so that you could live. In a sense, it is as if this world is one huge adoption agency, and God came, signed the paperwork, paid the fees, and invites all who would wish to become part of the family to merely sign their name to the paperwork and jump in the truck. The deep understanding would be to comprehend that God did all this for you, you understand it, and you accept that he loves he you and gives you a hope and future. That hope and future entails the promise of our life with Him.

All it takes is you opening your mouth and requesting that he come into your life, the life that you cannot handle, and take it over.

Posted in End times, Hope, Prophetic, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged Angel, Belief, Bible, Christ, flying, God, Gospel, Jesus, last days, preaching, prophecy, rapture, Revelation, Scripture | Leave a comment

The 144,000 – symbolic or literal? Revelation 14: 1-4

Posted on 09/08/2015 by remso

The 144,000

Revelation 14:1-5 CEV I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion! With him were a hundred forty-four thousand, who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. (2) Then I heard a sound from heaven that was like a roaring flood or loud thunder or even like the music of harps. (3) And a new song was being sung in front of God’s throne and in front of the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn that song, except the one hundred forty-four thousand who had been rescued from the earth. (4) All of these are pure virgins, and they follow the Lamb wherever he leads. They have been rescued to be presented to God and the Lamb as the most precious people on earth. (5) They never tell lies, and they are innocent.

Sometimes I like to work from the assumption that I just stumbled onto this portion of the bible. Besides, if you attend church then you know that you constantly sit by those that never open their bibles. Assuming you were that person and were directed here, how you come to understand what you were reading?

Revelation 14:1 ESV Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.

Mount Zion in Israel

I do not think I would have any idea how to interpret this.

I am going take several quotes from The IVP Bible Background Commentary, and see if they help explain anything.

Rev_14:1. “And I looked, and behold” indicates another vision”.

Now they reference (Ezekiel 10:1; Ezekiel 44:4; Daniel 10:5), I suppose in hopes of backing up their argument.

If I only look at Ezekiel 10:1, I feel completely lost.

Ezekiel 10:1 ESV Then I looked, and behold, on the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a sapphire, in appearance like a throne.

So all they are doing here is pointing out the similarity of the phrase “Then I looked, and behold.” How does this prove that at some moment in time John has had another vision in which he is now seeing the 144,000 standing on Mount Zion with the Lamb.

Let’s look at the other verse they gave and see where they go.

Ezekiel 44:4 ESV Then he brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple, and I looked, and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple of the LORD. And I fell on my face.

Just another example of the phrase “then I looked and behold,” again.

Since that was a flop let’s try a different approach. I want to spend a few minutes looking at example of Mount Zion since that is an aspect of the 144,000.

The first one I find is:

And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD will do this. (2 Kings 19:30-31 ESV)

This may mean nothing to you but I find several things grabbing my attention. Knowing that Jerusalem will be destroyed, I see a remnant coming out of Jerusalem, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.

While this says nothing about the 144,000 who are standing on Mount Zion the following verse indicates what happens after the Lamb conducts business.

Isaiah 10:12 ESV When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the speech of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes.

Apparently his interactions with the 144,000 come before he finalizes the punishment of the arrogant king.

Back to the IVPBBC: “Mount Zion was the Temple Mount (sometimes loosely encompassing all Jerusalem), thus applied to the heavenly temple in the present (Rev_11:19) but pointing to the new Jerusalem of the future (Rev_21:2), a hope shared by nearly all ancient Jews, who longed for the restoration of their city and its sanctuary.”

What else can I know about these 144,000.

We found them originally in Revelation chapter seven.

Revelation 7:3-4 ESV saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” (4) And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

Should you decide to read this in your bible, you will find that specifics go on to verse eight, and describes 12,000 taken from designated ancestral groupings (tribes) of Israel. How vital that is to our understanding I do not know.

What is important to me, is this: “the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel.”

I have come to see that my former pastor was not alone in his thinking, as many apparently think these 144,000 are merely symbolic. I actually think he is a fairly intelligent guy, but if you cannot prove your statement with some solid evidence then you need to shut up, and he did not. Having read several commentaries on the 144,000 I believe I can see where he got what he said. That does not make it right, and if you are a student of the bible, you can find it very annoying.

Here is what the IVPBBC, and a couple of others imply: The Sealing of 144,000 Servants – One can take the 144,000 either consistently literally (literally twelve thousand male Jewish virgins from each tribe—Rev_14:4) or consistently symbolically (the spiritual people of God, not literally 144,000). (Those who take the number but not the ethnicity, gender and sexual history literally are inconsistent.) Against taking it literally is Revelation’s usage elsewhere of “servants” (Rev_1:1; Rev_6:11), suggesting that they constitute the whole of the saved community (Rev_7:3-4). But whether they represent the innumerable multitude of Rev_7:9 or the restored remnant of ethnic Israel remains debated.

And this is why I left a church after several weeks of Revelation teachings that emphasized that the 144,000 represented the whole of the saved community (raptured believers I assume). It also seemed that pastor turned virtually everything into something symbolic. No doubt the Revelation is awash in symbolism, but some of these aspects as real as rocks. In my opinion, these 144,000 will be Jewish men, handpicked by God to testify to Jews.

“Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.“

A quick chronology of Revelation:

Chapter four speaks of the churches, and then ends with – after these things. It is only logical to assume that the things are indicative of the church age on earth.
Chapter five presents the Lamb who is worthy.

and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. (Revelation 5:4-6 ESV)

In chapter six we see the seals being opened. Peace is removed from the earth. A rider on a white horse carrying a bow and a crown was given to him. I happen to believe that this rider represents a false peace (there is a “religion” that claims to be a religion of peace but wants you dead if you are non-compliant). The fact that the crown is given to him could mean that eventually one leader rises up to head whatever this deliverer of false peace is. (Clue – think Caliphate)
Now we up to chapter seven where we see the 144,000. Immediately we are confronted with:

Revelation 7:1-2 ESV After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. (2) Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea,

These are released with the express purpose of destroying the earth. And yet, just prior to this destruction, God intentionally seals 144,000 Jewish men – virgins, so that they will not be harmed.

Harpo Marx, I just had to do it.

Revelation 14:3-4 MSG and the harpists singing a new song before the Throne and the Four Animals and the Elders. Only the Hundred and Forty-four Thousand could learn to sing the song. They were bought from earth, (4) lived without compromise, virgin-fresh before God. Wherever the Lamb went, they followed. They were bought from humankind, firstfruits of the harvest for God and the Lamb.

“lived without compromise”

How do I relate to that? We were all born into a corrupted nature, therefore it seems impossible to imagine someone living without compromise. John had come to learn that such people existed.

Zephaniah 3:13 KJV The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

If you try to assign the characteristics of these chosen Jews to the church, it simply does not fit because they have too many human characteristics, therefore I will cling hard to a literal interpretation of the 144,000; thank you.

Notice something:

Revelation 7:3 ESV saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.“

Since I know four angels are about to tear the earth up, and God has sealed these Jewish servants, then it is a logical assumption that they must go through the years of wrath along all those who will not worship (We are told that those who do not bow are those whose name is written in the book of life.) I am going to throw in this passage in Revelation 13 to show that the Father already knows those who written in the book of life.

Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. (Revelation 13:7-8 ESV)

Consider an irony.

God has written His name on their foreheads, and no, we do not know what that looks like, who will be able to see it (we know these four angels can see it), or how it gets there. However, Satan/the beast goes around trying to copy God’s idea, and having people marked that have converted to a worship of the beast. (Again, I point out that I believe this is Islam doing and the beast is Allah.)

One of the things I tell people, is that John fully intended for his writing to strike the ears of Jewish converts. You can pick up on this idea because he uses terminology and symbolism that is found throughout the law and the prophets, books any Jew serious about his religion would have been compelled to memorize, primarily through audible methods alone. An example is found in the Prophet Ezekiel’s writings where judgment could not begin until the foreheads of the righteous (those who mourned over the sin of their land) were marked.

Ezekiel 9:4-5 ESV And the LORD said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” (5) And to the others he said in my hearing, “Pass through the city after him, and strike. Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity.

The imagery is already well entrenched in the Jewish mind. It is a shame that it is not in ours.

Posted in End times, Prophetic, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged Book of Revelation, Christ, end times, God, Jews, last days, Marked by God, Mount Zion, prophecy, Revelation, Satan, sealed on their foreheads, the 144000 | Leave a comment

It is for us to know. Luke 10:8

Posted on 09/06/2015 by remso

One of the popular phrases in “churchianity”, especially in these last days, is, “no man knows the day or the hour.” This of course gets applied to our ability to comprehend when Jesus is coming back for the church.

“no man knows the day or the hour.”

Allow me to try to debunk this statement.

First it has a context, and it is vital to understand the context before you can understand the scope of the statement, so let us look at that.

The verse itself is found in Matthew 24:36. It was the culmination of an ongoing barrage of questions from the crowd, the disciples, the elders and the chief priests. Matthew 22 shows us Jesus entering Jerusalem, riding on the colt, as a triumphant king might. This is exactly what Israel was looking for, but that all changed as he entered the temple with a whip made of cords.

Matthew 21:12-13 ESV And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. (13) He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Prior to this they must have thought he would make his grand announcement, declaring his Kingship and instructions on how to overthrow the Roman oppression. Well that did not happen, instead He overthrew tradition and the tables of the money-changers. Quickly the adoring crowd turned hostile, especially the religious authorities.

Upon returning to the temple the next morning he is confronted by the chief priests and the elders, and they vehemently challenged him:

Matthew 21:23 ESV And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”

Jesus calmly put them in their place with a question which they could not, nor would not answer.

Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. (Matthew 21:24-27 ESV)

The conversations and parables seem to have continued there at the temple until Jesus and the disciples finally walked away. With all that had happened over the last two days, if he wanted the twelve to see anything, it was that He was God and had everything in control.

Wouldn’t you know it, after all that, several of the guys:

Matthew 24:1 ESV Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.

The temple must have been magnificent. A symbol of their God, and the place where God dwells. The idea behind this can come from Numbers chapter 2 where the tabernacle is central to their focus:

From “Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary” – tabernacle of meeting. In the line of march, the tabernacle was in the central position—a symbol of not only Israel’s protection of the holy objects, but also of the presence of God among His people.

Perhaps Jesus heart just sank at moments like this. After all you have seen and heard over the last two days and you have to show me this edifice. The same structure I threw the money-changers out of. I get it, its architecturally inspiring, but not what I wanted you to focus on.

Jesus responds to the disciples very specific questions with:

…, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:2 ESV)

Those foundation stones took an army of men to move and place there. Destroying it does not even seem possible, and yet it happened in 70 A.D., approximately forty years after Jesus death and resurrection, when Jerusalem was under the reign of the Roman Emperor Titus Vespasian. (That is a whole other story.) The temple had been lined with Cedar and there were curtains draped everywhere, not to mention that almost everything inside was made of gold or covered in it. So when it got burned they dismantled the building to get at the gold that had melted and went between the cracks.

Several minutes passed and they are now on the Mount of Olives, one of Jesus’ favorite places, when they ask:

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3 ESV)

To be honest, they have not figured out much of what He has said to them. We know this because scripture tells us that they did not get it until after His death.

So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. (John 20:3-9 ESV)

The last two days for the disciples had been interesting to say the least, but now you are telling us that the temple, the symbol of who Israel is, will be destroyed. They were just a little confused, as they were the ones that put him on the colt. They watched the adoring crowds and knew what it meant, but this fizzled like a child’s toy rocket. I suppose this is really what the context is all about – who are you and where is this going?

If I have a strong grasp on the context, then what is the answer to the question?

So, the second thing we have to pay attention to is one of the first things He said:

And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.” (Matthew 24:4 ESV)

This is vital, and needs to be your anchor, no matter what happens.

Here is a piece of truth for you; you will be led astray by just about anything that comes your way if you do not spend time in God’s word.

How many people and things are out there that are willing to lead you astray? In truth, the number is astronomical. Just in the 20^th and 21^st century there were about 27 people who claimed the title of Jesus or Messiah. Several found their callings while in prison. One felt called to go shoot the President of the United States, so it seems like it would be rather easy to sort out the good from the bad. And yet we are led astray by the simplest of things, like false teachers, especially if they have a strong personality and a great smile.

So what did they ask him?

Matthew 24:3 LITV And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things be? And, What is the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?

This is one of the reasons why I wanted you to understand what had gone on for the past two days of their lives. Now, What did they ask him?

Tell us, when will these things be?

They had just pointed out the temple and found out that it is all coming down. They had to understand that there would be some huge calamity associated with that, and they wanted to know when. Soon is not really an answer in my book, so did He answer the question?

What is the sign of Your coming?

Like I said, the disciples put him on the colt and led him triumphantly into the city. They had hopes of him being the messiah, but it all came to a crashing halt when he threw the money-changers out of the temple. Now their question is, how will we know when you are going to come back as the Messiah we expected? This is not only answered by Jesus, but the signs are spoken of all throughout the Law and the prophets.

“When is time up?” as Eugene Peterson puts it in the Message.

When does all this come to a crashing halt, and your kingdom begin? That understanding has to imply all the horrific events that lead up to the end. Sadly, only a third of Israel survives the onslaught. This too was an aspect of the answer Jesus gave them.

Take the time to study Matthew 24:6-31. The detailed description continues, but I will leave you to finish reading it. Ask yourself, as you scan through what Jesus said, is there anything here which you have not seen happening? NO.

One of the markers of the end times – a huge and significant one – seems to have come in the form of a parable:

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. (Matthew 24:32-34 ESV)

The fig tree is Israel, and Israel has significant dates such as:

1917 when the Balfour declaration was signed; Arthur James Balfour’s purpose in confirming support from the British government, was for the establishment in Palestine of a “national home” for the Jewish people.
In 1948 Israel became a nation, and the United States was one of the first to recognize them as such. How dreadful it is to see our American President turn against the nation of Israel.
The most recent of events was the 1967 six-day war. In this war Israel regained all the territories it had previously possessed. That possession was short-lived as they were pressured by the U.N., to give back much of the land. (Someone tried recently to argue that prophecy had not been fulfilled because was supposed to repossess all their former lands and that had not been done. While my mind is not as sharp as it might have been once, the Holy Spirit brought this piece of information about the six-day war back to mind and shut down this argument.)

Other signs: There will be a treaty signed; a third temple built; a great deception, and again, the desecration of the temple – just as before. These are yet to come.

I would love to be able to say, you can count seven years with precision after the rapture, but God – the creator of time – does not seem to be restricted by time. It seems God uses time more like a guide, so he may come sooner or he may come later, but know this he will come.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. (Matthew 24:35 ESV)

Now, can we hold God to a precise timing about when he will come back as the Messiah?

Sorry, but no.

Matthew 24:35-36 NASB “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. (36) “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

This does not mean that God cannot be trusted, nor does it mean that you cannot know the season. I mentioned Rabbi Mark Biltz because he alerted us to the blood moons – signs that show that we are in a significant season.

This idea of signs and seasons is not new; it is as old as Genesis itself.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, (Genesis 1:14 ESV)

The Prophet Joel told us that the moon turning to blood would be a significant sign, as well as the sun turning dark.

Joel 2:31 ESV The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.

Are you aware of how bad the smog is in China? Look at this –

China must broadcast videos of the sun because the smog is so bad

BEIJING, CHINA - The LED screen shows the blue sky on the Tiananmen Square at dangerous levels of air pollution on January 23, 2013 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

BEIJING, CHINA – The LED screen shows the blue sky on the Tiananmen Square (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

In Beijing they cannot even see the sky and must broadcast videos of what it looks like.

Since the subtopic is seasons for the moment, does a fruit tree respond to seasons? Certainly it does, but the fruit tree is really responding to environmental changes. No, I am not preaching climate change, I am only pointing out the obvious. Here in Southern California plants that used to produce fruit or leaves in March or later, are now producing foliage in February. Why? Because they are responding to the environment. They have adjusted and moved the time of their season. Is it possible that God can adjust time to fit his demand? Do we have the right to tell God when He gets to initiate his season? NO.

God can be trusted, but if he controls time, and he does, it just makes sense to not make predictions.

Considering the laugh-ability reason, enjoyed by both the world and certain aspects of the global church, especially when vocal people make a prediction and then nothing happens. It just makes sense to not make predictions. One personality that stands out in my mind was Harold Camping. I suspect that most of us knew nothing about Camping’s claims until the end when he had put up billboards declaring his predictions. He also had members of his church close bank accounts and give him the money (that is the aspect that ruffles my feathers). Camping claimed that the rapture would be on May 21, 2011 followed by the end of the world on October 21 of the same year. Well, 2011 has come and gone, Harold Camping has died, and what of the money? I digress.

On Wikipedia someone has listed Rabbi Mark Biltz as predicting the end in September of 2015. Mark Biltz was one of the earliest writers alerting us to the significance of the blood moons, their ties to Jewish Holidays, and their scientific documentation by NASA. The world is about to experience the last blood we will see in our lifetimes and it falls precisely on September 28, one of the highest Jewish Holy Days called Yom Kippur – the day of Atonement. Having listened to Mark Biltz on many occasions I can tell you that he backs away from date setting. Pastor John Hagee, it seems, jumped on the bandwagon initiated by others.

Is it just a coincidence that most of these have occurred within close proximity to Jewish holidays or horrid events involving the Jewish community throughout the world? I don’t think so.

Here are some other statements we are good at bashing each other with:

That has been done away with! (I am not going to take the time to explain it. If you have heard it, then you know what I am talking about. Those who say this are often referring to the gifts of the Holy Spirit.)
That is out of context! (You typically get this from the bible thumpers; you know, the people who always have some biblical point they have to make that proves their righteousness. These points are mostly composed of their opinions.)
God was speaking directly to someone, therefore what was said was applicable to them but not to us. (Really? Then what do you do with, 2 Timothy 3:16 NASB All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;)

I am sure I left some of the juicy ones out, but you get the point. There is always something that can be used to divert and discourage even the strongest of believers.

If I can feel comfortable using Matthew 24:36 to shut someone up, thinking I am religiously correct, scoring big points with God for slamming you, then I should just as readily quote Luke 10:8, even in its partial state, saying, “it is for you to know the mysteries.”

(Luke 8:9-10 ESV) And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’

Arguments against using this verse are extremely weak, just as they are for using Matthew 24:36, but allow me to point out a couple of quick ones:

In Luke’s gospel he is referring to secrets or mysteries, and not the overall time-table of God’s plan. If you want to be specific, the mysteries are embedded in the parables – stories designed to show those who are paying attention the depth and truth within the kingdom of God. Daniel spoke of mysteries, and yet the angel of the Lord explained that in the last days knowledge would abound. That tends to tell me that the knowledge of the end and God’s holy plan would be more clear and some of us would get it. I get it.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. (Ephesians 1:7-10 ESV)

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. (1 Corinthians 2:6-7 ESV)

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:1-3 ESV)

Another argument that might be used against Luke 8:9-10 would be idea that the disciples asked a specific question requiring a specific, directed answer. This, again, is why I took the time to talk about the context involved with Matthew 24:36, since that was a series of directed questions and they were hoping for a specific and direct answer.

Is this applicable only to the disciples? We have really covered this concern before, but I give it to you again:

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;” 2 Timothy 3:16 NASB

Therefore all scripture is fair game when used in context. We are all very skillful at discouraging others when they go outside of the box we decide they have to live in. Christ gives us a tremendous amount of freedom, and most of us have a brain, so let’s use them to do proper bible study, and pay attention to the signs going on around us.

Posted in End times, Hope, In Christ, Prophetic, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged Arthur James Balfour, Belief, Bible, deception, end times, Faith, God, Gospel of Matthew, Holy spirit, Israel, Jerusalem, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Hagee, last days, Levite, prophecy, Rabbi Mark Biltz | Leave a comment

This calls for wisdom. Revelation 13:16-18

Posted on 09/01/2015 by remso

The phrase, “This calls for wisdom” falls in the middle of verses 16 – 18. I think understanding most of the Revelation calls for wisdom, but this section happens to be one the hardest to comprehend. If you have followed my posts at omharris.com then you know that our introduction to the beast, is really an introduction to a succession of violent empires or governing bodies. Our next introduction is to the spokesman for the beast, we also know him as the Antichrist, but he too gains the title of beast, and he is a man (No, we do not know who this guy is as yet). There is a third usage of the designation, beast, and “It” happens to be the second beast, also a human.

Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of everyone. Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. (Revelation 13:11-14 TNIV)

“Then I saw a second beast”

In some ways God is making no distinctions between the two beasts for they are both evil, possessed by evil, and serving the same intent – taking God’s people to destruction. Odd, but only if you caught it, I said God’s people, but what is so odd about that. The “rapture” has already come, possibly three and half years earlier, and yet as you study scripture you begin to see a common thread that runs through all time; up to the day of judgment they are all God’s saints. I hope this begins to give you a new perspective on how you look at those around you, especially those you pass judgment upon.

“but it spoke like a dragon” Revelation 13:11

Plain and simple, the dragon is Satan, and the deceiver. If this character speaks like a dragon, then he is speaking like Satan, fully representing him. Now how would we know what that would be like? Take a look at Luke 4:6. Here Satan is tempting Jesus by offering him all the wealth of the world.

Luke 4:6 NIV And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.

Apparently Satan, with ease, offers up what looks good upon initial inspection, but scripture tells us that the world, and all that is in it, runs contrary to God. I find myself thinking about a show on television called “Holmes on Homes”. In it this man goes through homes that have been previously inspected and deemed good. On the outside they look fine, but serious problems begin to show up; quickly the man – whom is a skilled and meticulous craftsman – points out the real problem. Isn’t that the way things seem to happen when we play with the world?

Since God made the world perfect to begin with, then something had to have corrupted it. We know that as the fall of man. Man gave up his right to the earth when Adam committed treason, in the garden. Satan through deception became the owner / the one who now had dominion over it, and he immediately gained the right to disperse it however, and to whomever he chooses. Therefore Satan is not presenting himself as gloomy and poor, but glamorous and wealthy. Jesus, if you noticed, did not argue the point.

Scripture gives us some clues about who this second beast is; “It had two horns like a lamb”.

Who do we, in the Christian community understand the lamb to be? Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and the lamb of God slain for the sins of the world.

Satan tries to mimic God’s plan of salvation by using characters that have some similar characteristics.

The first thing Jesus says, in response to the disciples question, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” is: “see to it that no one deceives you!” Why? “For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.” Consider Jesus statement for a moment. I understand from scriptures that Jesus will only touch down on this earth one more time. At that time, scripture tells us that he is coming on the clouds and every eye will see him (he is not sneaking up on anyone). He will be bathed in light and fire; He will have a sword coming out of his mouth, and He will land on the Mount of Olives splitting it in two. The Messiah will not show up standing in some farmers field, in the middle of a crop circle, admonishing people to follow him, while demonstrating that he is “the lamb” through powerful signs.

Now with that in mind, all the cracked pots that claimed to be Jesus or his mouth piece, have only been just that, cracked pots. Think about that analogy. No one buys a pot that is cracked on purpose, that is just stupid, but over time the pot that was once useful, and served a purpose lost it’s

A cracked pot

ability to hold anything properly. It is possible that you did not discover the crack until it spilled its contents where you did not want it.

Here in Southern California, we have a radio program called The Jesus show. That seems safe enough, but the man is skillful with his words; he knows scripture, and he speaks with authority. The problem is that he speak as if he were Jesus, and he gets people to call him Jesus.

A cracked pot leaking water.

Is it that the cracks in men are not as obvious? What if, because we are not paying attention or we choose not to see the cracks, we do not notice or care when they spill their contents all over us. Often, by the time that happens it is too late, and that is why we see good people follow these leaders to a tragic death. As I reread this the thought races through my head, many will not believe this conclusion. Allow me then to apply it to my life. Prior to my first marriage I had prayed hard to get accepted into bible school. Surprisingly, they accepted me. I say surprisingly because I had undiagnosed learning disabilities back then and was not a very good student. When I met her I knew I was supposed to keep on moving but she was cute, blond, and I liked her smile. Those attributes prompted me to ignore good sense because I wanted what I saw. Following her wrecked my life for the next nine years, and ended with her cheating on me twice, depression and divorce. Now, do you think I chose not to see the cracks in the pot; Absolutely.

There is only one thing that will keep you from following a counterfeit Christ (by the way, that word Christ means messiah) and that is by knowing the real thing. How would you do that? Study the scriptures, for in them you will find life.

(CEV) It worked for the beast whose fatal wound had been healed.

Get something clear, you are not looking for a man to take a head wound, because taking out a national leader does not end an empire as others will rise in his place. Allow me to refresh your memory:

And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. (Revelation 13:1-3 ESV)

A common body with multiple heads that looks like ravaging animals. Does that sound like a man? No, they are empires. They are the same empires that Daniel saw on multiple occasions, and the first was identified as the Babylonian empire. We know very clearly who the next two are: The Medo-Persian, and the Grecian. The fourth is not defined, although many think it is.

This second beast is working on behalf of a violent, dominant, global entity. “It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.” I just showed you from scripture what the first beast is. Out of that beast comes a mouth piece and we call him the Antichrist. Now we are dealing with the false prophet. But this false prophet exercises all the authority of the “entity.” Since it is less than easy to define what is the common thread? We have to do some research to find the answer, and I can guarantee you that few will do that.

Here is my short synopsis:

Since we know that the Babylonian empire was the first. What begins this common thread? Violence against God’s people; the taking captive, and possibly the religion or ideology. The Babylonian empire definitely fulfilled two of those.

Nebuchadnezzar’s statue
The next one we saw was the Medo-Persian empire. Daniel served under Darius the Mede. What we also know about them is that they were Assyrians. They continued to hold Israel captive (although that was part of God’s plan), we know of their ideology, but the level of violence against God’s people can only be presumed.
The Grecian empire under Alexander. Ideology or religion is the worship of gods. Well, that fits right in with the path Israel had chosen. Alexander was known as a man who would crush nations, so again we are left with a presumption of violence. It is also fairly clear that Israel had returned to Jerusalem by this time. What is dramatically different about the Alexandrian empire comes about after his death. The result is that two of his former Generals, now controlled what Alexander controlled. Seleucid to the north, and Ptolemy to the south. While the Seleucid empire was primarily Assyrian population – the same Assyrians that Jonah despised, they all, north and south, have become the dominant Islamic world. Their level of hatred for God’s people, the violence they perform, and the commonality of their ideology Islam, makes them my choice for that common thread of the beast.

“whose fatal wound had been healed”

The only global entity that fits this description is the Ottoman empire and they were forcibly disbanded in 1924. Since 1924, there has been no degree of an accepted claim as Caliph. With that, the world thought it had peace, that is until 1979, when the Islamic empire or revolution sprang to life and the American embassy was taken hostage for over a year. No one has rested since.

This man corresponds with the false prophet.

And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. (Revelation 16:13 KJV)

And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Revelation 19:20 KJV)

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10 KJV)

Islam has its own prophecies

Were you aware that Islam has its own prophecies about end times and they closely parallel our biblical scriptures, but with a perverted twist:The Muslim version of Jesus will be a subordinate of the Mahdi. According to Islam’s sacred traditions, Jesus’ return is usually described as taking place just outside of Damascus. At the time he descends it will be to meet the Mahdi and his army as it is preparing for battle. It will be just before the time of prayer. Islamic scholars seem to be in agreement that the Mahdi will ask Jesus to lead the prayers. Jesus will then refuse this request and will defer instead to the Mahdi to lead the prayer. The important thing here is that Isa’ deference to the Mahdi is seen as a direct statement about his inferior rank to the Mahdi.

The Islamic Jesus will be a faithful Muslim. In keeping with his identity as a Muslim he will do the ritual pilgrimage to Mecca called the hajj.

The false Jesus will institute global Islamic law (Sharia). Tradition indicates that his primary purpose will be to oversee the institution and enforcement of sharia law all over the world. Within sharia men have the rights over women, even to the point of death. Sharia demands worship of only one god Allah, and Jesus will enforce that. Beheading is the method of choice.

Islamic tradition teaches that because Jesus declares himself to be a Muslim, he will lead many to convert to Islam. Regarding those who do not convert, Jesus will testify against them on the day of judgment.

Sura 4:159 There is not one of the People of the Scripture but will believe in him before his death, and on the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them.

Other names they use for their Jesus are:

Isa al-Maseeh (the Messiah)
Hadrat Isa (Honorable Jesus)
Isa bin Maryam (Jesus son of Mary)
Nabi Isa (Prophet Jesus)

With that being said, here are last verses of Revelation 13.

Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666. (Revelation 13:16-18 ESV)

This person, whether by the power of the Antichrist (you may know him as the Mahdi at this point), or under the authority of Satan – the dragon himself, causes all – both small and great, both rich and poor – to be marked.

Let’s hold up here for a minute. If this is Islam, and you have watched the not so mainstream news, then you know that ISIS is not taking the time (on an individual basis) to mark anyone. Christians in Islamic nations have attempted to blend in to some degree by covering their heads. Should you be unfortunate enough to live as an infidel (anyone outside of Islam, but especially the Christian and the Jew) and they choose not to kill you, then you are bullied into paying the Jizyah tax. I have heard it is as much as 90 percent of what ever you bring in. Here in America, we have or had the Mafia and they forced people to pay protection money. That merely meant that they won’t kill you.

Suppose you choose to sell your soul to the devil, because that is what you will be doing in God’s eyes if you convert.

Revelation 14:9-11 KJV And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, (10) The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: (11) And the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name.

Converted, how do you prove your loyalty to Allah? Take a chip? I doubt it, but hey, we have these great little armbands and headbands that you can wear, and they are really cheap to produce. Don’t get me wrong, the NWO; Illuminati bunch will probably insist on marking you as well. Just know that if you take his mark and worship his name, you are toast.

Mujahid in London

Revelation 13:17 LITV even that not any could buy or sell, except the one having the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of its name. Pay close attention to that word “or.”

“This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his

Head and arm bands

number is 666.”

The Greek word for understanding is nous, and means the mind, comprising alike the faculties of perceiving and understanding and those of feeling, judging, determining.

Essentially a person willing to find out.

The marks of Islam

The word count means to calculate.

Revelation 13:18 CJB This is where wisdom is needed; those who understand should count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person, and its number is 666.

From the Jewish New Testament Commentary: “The number of its name. In both Hebrew and Greek each letter of the alphabet corresponds to a number-the first nine letters correspond to 1 through 9, the next nine to 10 through 90, and the last few letters to the hundreds. The number of a word or name is the sum of the numerical equivalents of its letters. In Jewish interpretation, gematria (the Hebrew word derives from the Greek word “geômetria,” which underlies English “geometry”) is a system of deducing the sod (“secret”; see Mat_2:15) of a text by positing a meaningful connection between words whose numbers are either identical or related by simple arithmetic. Example: in rabbinic literature, God is sometimes called the “Place” (“Makom“). Why this should be is not evident, so Gematria explains it in this way: the letters of “YHVH“-yud, heh, vav and heh-are equivalent to 10, 5, 6 and 5. The sum of the squares of these four numbers is 186, which is the same as the number of “Makom“-mem, kuf, vav, mem (40 + 100 + 6 + 40). Those who understand should count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person, and its number is 666. This has evoked even more speculation than the beast’s mark. Who is the beast? Certain forms of the name of the Roman Emperor Nero have that number; moreover, a first-century cult expected him to be resurrected after his death in 68 C.E. Napoleon and other historical figures have been suggested. Moreover, if one uses other languages and manipulates the numerical correspondences, then, as George E. Ladd writes, “Almost anything can be done with these numbers…. If A = 100, B = 101, C = 102, etc., the name Hitler totals 666.” Thus wisdom is needed, so that one will remain alert but not be misled. The number could be entirely symbolic. The name of Messiah in Greek, Iêsous, equals 888; 7 is regarded as the perfect number; and triple repetition symbolizes absolute ultimacy (as in Isa_6:3, “Holy, holy, holy is Adonai of Hosts.”). Therefore 888 means that Yeshua is absolutely and ultimately beyond perfection, while 666 means that the beast in every respect falls short of perfection and is therefore absolutely and ultimately imperfect and evil.”

Walid Shoebat very passionately explained 666 this way, it all boils down to someone not understanding Arabic. He demonstrated what he said with this diagram:

Although Walid’s was the sanest explanation I had heard, I still had questions. In trying to figure this out I came across a website called usbibleprophecy.com. Here Michael D. Fortner debunks the Shoebat theory and lays out some clear evidence that tends to coincide with my way of thinking.

An aspect of his conclusion and one that I appreciate is: “I expect that we will yet discover more information on the number, name, and the mark of the beast as time goes by.” The story is yet unfolding exponentially. The real question is: will you go in the rapture, or do you have the stamina to endure what is coming?

Posted in Deception, End times, Prophetic, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged antichrist, Babylonian empire, Bible, Christ, Christian, Daniel, deception, end times, God, Holy spirit, Islam, Israel, Jesus, last days, muslim, Revelation, revelation 13, Satan | 3 Comments

A road map to the last days, complete with signs.

Posted on 08/28/2015 by remso

What in the world is going on?

It seems like only yesterday that the world was calm, but calm is such a relative term. I find myself flashing back to the MS Achille Lauro, when on October 7 of 1985, four men representing the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) hijacked the Italian liner off the coast of Egypt, as it was sailing from Alexandria to Ashdod, Israel. One 69-year-old Jewish American man in a wheelchair, Leon Klinghoffer, was murdered by the hijackers and thrown overboard.

Achille Lauro

In better times people were taking vacations to see places like Istanbul, Egypt or Algeria. Then the trouble starts happening?

Progressively, everything literally begins to blow up. People are taken hostage and subjected to brutal murders, all for the sake of what? Allah.

Having finally finished reading the book, The Last Days, written by the Jewish author, Joel Rosenberg, there is a character that stands out to me, Dr. Eliezer Mordechai, the former Mossad spy chief. I will tell you up front that I have adapted many pages from this book and integrated them into my blog to make a point.

What is it that is so different about him aside from his sense of calm and his ability to understand the enemy? The man, thanks to his wife, had come to deeply understand the scriptures (the Torah and the Talmud), something that had not been that important to him as a young man. But there was something more.

After a brief period of calm, the former finance executive, now Senior Adviser to the President, Jonathon Bennett, somewhat angrily approaches Dr. Mordechai, Former Head of Mossad, and asks him, “what in the world is going on?”

Eli, knowing full well what Jonathan meant replies, “What do you mean,?”

Even I have figured out that it is sometimes best to toss the question back at the person asking, because you need to define what it is they are really asking.

Jonathon replied, “I mean, .. things are out of control. .. snipers, anthrax – suicide bombers? What is this? We’ve got a war in Iraq, a Palestinian civil war, people trying to blow up the Temple Mount. .. It’s scary, isn’t it?”

The book was written while America was still at war with Iraq. While I do not recall an overt Palestinian civil war, Hamas is busily brutalizing and killing its own people when they do not cooperate in their attempts to bomb Israel, and there is a daily rock throwing Jihad (called interfada) coming from Palestinians against Israeli troops, police and citizens. I do not know if attempts have been made to blow up the Temple Mount, but it would not surprise me considering the level of animosity shown to Jews who now have the legal right to be there.

Everyone knows that the Temple Mount belongs to the Jews, and that the temple will be rebuilt there. The Prophet Daniel speaks of this when he tells us that they shall come and destroy the sanctuary once again:

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:25-27)

After a brief break in the conversation Eli resumes. “Jon, do you believe in the supernatural?”

Bennett replied,“I don’t know. Why?” Angels, demons, Sodom and Gomorrah?” .. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Eli responded: “Sure you do. I am asking if you believe that there is an unseen battle going on all around us – a cosmic showdown between good and evil. That there is an all-knowing, all-powerful force in the universe that enter time and space, that can alter the course of human history, that can destroy the living and raise the dead.”

Jonathon replied: “You’re asking if I believe in God?”

Again the response from Eli: “No, no. Not just God. A God who is at war with evil. A god with a plan and a purpose. A God who has the awesome, fearsome power to achieve that plan and accomplish that purpose.”

There were others in the room, however the room went silent. These were not people that gave much credence to the irrational. These were skilled tacticians, CIA operatives, and business people, used to dealing with tangible concepts.

“I don’t know,” Bennett said finally, quietly, “I don’t know what I believe.”

Dr. Mordechai’s response: “Then I suggest you figure it out – quickly.”

“Why?” Jonathon asked.

Letting the question hang in the air for a moment, Eli replied, “Because that is the answer to your question.”

You will recall I opened with that very question, What in the world is going on?

Dr. Mordechai went on to explain: “Jonathon, I have spent my whole life lurking in the shadows, cultivating sources, paying off informants, desperately hoping I would find my enemies before they found me. Why? Because I wanted someone to put a bullet in my head? No. Because knowledge is power. Because what you don’t know can kill you. ..”

After explaining why our information pipeline shut off, a rather lengthy conversation, Dr. Mordechai says, Now I am going to tell you what you want to know. I am going to tell you why all hell is breaking loose. After several minutes of letting the room absorb what he had said about the need for spies and information Eli spoke again:

“.. in the nineties, the CIA stopped paying off ‘unsavory characters’ as sources. Why? It is a long story. The point is, America went dark. You stopped being able to see inside the mind of evil. You let evil go unchecked. And you paid a terrible price. You got September eleventh. …”

Mordechai lit a match and took a few puffs from his pipe. He then said:

“My business is all about sources. So is yours. Who you know and what they know. Maybe you cannot stand your sources. Maybe you wish they would keel over and die. You know what? It does not matter what we think about a source. The only thing that matters is whether that source is credible, whether he or she is telling you the truth, even if the truth is ugly, even if the truth does not make sense. Right?”

Bennett nodded in agreement, and so should you.

“Good” replied Eli. “Now I am going to tell you what you want to know. I am going to tell you why all hell is breaking loose. But I am going to cite you a source you may not like. That is not the point. The point is does the information make sense? Is it credible? Is it true? If it is not, don’t worry about it. Blow it off and move on. But if it is, then you have a decision to make: What are you going to do about it, and how long are you going to wait?”

Mordechai took a sip of Brandy, stared at his pipe for a moment, then began to speak:

“We are not living in normal times Jonathon. We are now living in what the Hebrew prophets called the last days.”

I would suggest at this point, that you mentally take out the name Jonathon and insert your own. This is speaking directly to you.

Bennett asked, “What does that mean?”

Eli responds with, “Remember the story of the Dead Sea Scrolls?” … “part of those scrolls contained the book of Isaiah, almost three thousand years old, written exactly like what is in the Bible today.” … “So here is what Isaiah said in chapter 2. In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.”

Bennett asked, “meaning what?”

Eli quickly said, “Meaning three thousand years ago, Isaiah said the Temple would be rebuilt in the last days. Daniel said the same thing. So did Ezekiel. In chapter 37 he predicts the rebirth of the modern State of Israel after centuries of neglect. In chapters 38 and 39 he references peace and prosperity in the land of Israel, as well as a bunch of other events… In chapter 40 onward, he talks in great detail about the Temple yet to come.”

I am including these scriptures because most of you will not look them up.

Ezekiel 37:21-22 CJB Then say to them that Adonai Elohim says: ‘I will take the people of Isra’el from among the nations where they have gone and gather them from every side and bring them back to their own land. (22) I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Isra’el; and one king will be king for all of them. They will no longer be two nations, and they will never again be divided into two kingdoms.

Ezekiel 38:8-11 CJB After many days have passed, you will be mustered for service; in later years you will invade the land which has been brought back from the sword, gathered out of many peoples, the mountains of Isra’el. They had been lying in ruins for a long time, but now Isra’el has been extracted from the peoples and all of them are living there securely. (9) You will come up like a storm, you will be like a cloud covering the land — you and all your troops, and many other peoples with you.’ (10) “Adonai Elohim says: ‘When that day comes, thoughts will well up in your mind, and you will devise a sinister scheme. (11) You will say, “I am going to invade this land of unwalled villages; I will take by surprise these people who are at peace, living securely, all in places without walls, bars or gates.

Ezekiel 39:23-27 CJB while the Goyim will know that the house of Isra’el went into exile because of their guilt, because they broke faith with me; so that I hid my face from them and handed them over to their adversaries; and they fell by the sword, all of them. (24) Yes, I treated them as their uncleanness and crimes deserved; and I hid my face from them.’ (25) “Therefore Adonai Elohim says this: ‘Now I will restore the fortunes of Ya`akov and have compassion on the entire house of Isra’el, and I will be jealous for my holy name. (26) They will bear their shame and all their [guilt from] breaking faith with me, once they are living securely in their land, with no one to make them afraid. (27) This will be after I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, thereby being consecrated through them in the sight of many nations.

Bennett pointed out the obvious. “But there is no temple.”

Mordechai responded with, “.. I am just saying there are a whole lot of people out there – Christians and Jews alike – who believe we have entered some new phase of history, and the Temple is coming….” “Remember the Bush administration’s Road Map to peace?”

“Of course, said Bennett.”

Dr. Mordechai continued, “The Scriptures lay out a road map to the last days, complete with signs that will tell us when we get there. … First, the world will hear of ‘wars and rumors of wars.’ ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.’ We will see ‘great earthquakes’ and ‘famines and pestilences in various places.’ Persecution will be rampant as the ‘gospel of the kingdom’ is ‘preached in the whole world.’ At the same time, ‘many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.’ There will be all kinds of strange signs in the skies. ‘Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world.’”… “Israel – described throughout the Jewish scriptures as the fig tree – will be restored and in full bloom. ‘Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled’ – that is, until the last days when the Jews retake control of the Holy City, and Jews from all over the world start streaming back to their homeland. And ‘when you see these things happening,’ the Bible says, ‘you know that the kingdom of God is near’ – even ‘right at the door.’”

Bennett asked, “And you think we’re passing all those road signs?”

Challenged by the fact that life is filled with war, Dr. Mordechai responded with, “Well, think about it, ‘wars and revolutions’ and kingdoms rising against kingdom.’ Just look at the twentieth century.” “Of course there have been wars and revolutions throughout time. But never anything on the scale we saw in the twentieth century.”

Bennett asked the same questions you or I would ask, “You can’t just say because we’ve had a few huge quakes .. that we are living in the last days.’”

Mordechai quoted some legitimate and sobering statistics. Should you want to look some of this information up, then go to the U.S. Geological Service website and look into it.

Eli states, “You could say the same thing about ‘famine and pestilence.’ Just look at Africa. Ethiopia, Somalia – hundreds of thousand of people died of starvation. And disease? We have ten million AIDS orphans in Africa alone, and the numbers are climbing every day. Are we supposed to do nothing? .. “Of course not. … but my point is this: number one, the magnitude of these problems, and number two, the convergence of all these signs and events in the same century and right up to the present moment – that gives us all the evidence we need. That and the fact that for the first time in over two thousand years Israel is suddenly a country again, and Jerusalem is suddenly under Jewish control, just as predicted. That is what clinched it for me.”

Eli continued: “Maybe it was 1948, maybe it was ’67. I don’t know. At some point some kind of cosmic clock began ticking. A prophetic countdown is under way, Jonathon, and for better or worse, we are right in the middle of it.”

McCoy, a CIA operative and follower of Jesus Christ, caught it first, and she said, “Dr. Mordechai – I mean Eli, I really appreciate all you said tonight. I just have a quick question before we go.” … “Weren’t some of the verses you were citing from the New Testament?”

Dr. Mordechai responded, “Most of it was the Jewish Scriptures, but yes, it was Jesus who laid out the ‘road map,’ the signs of the last days in the Gospels.”

“Jesus?” Galashnikov blurted out. “But you’re Jewish, for crying out loud.”

“So was Jesus,” said Mordechai, now cleaning his pipe.

“But I don’t get it,” said Bennett, .. “What’s the former head of the Israeli Mossad doing going around quoting Jesus?”

Pay attention now.

“Mordechai looked around at the group. “It is all about sources, my friends. And I told you already, there is only one question that counts: is the source telling the truth? If he is not, cut him loose. But if he is, you had better hold on tight and listen good, because the stuff he gives you could save your life.”

There was something else. Some time had passed. Bennett could not quite put his finger on it, still it intrigued him. McCoy had it, and so did the President. It was a sense of peace, a sense of purpose that he didn’t have. These people weren’t afraid. They weren’t scared of the future. The chose life, but they weren’t scared of death. They seemed to know exactly where they were going and who they were going to see when they got there. The more Bennett spent time with them, the more he thought they just might be right.

Mordechai certainly wasn’t the kind of person to base his faith on some slick-talking evangelist or touchy-feely emotional experience. He knew all the arguments for and against, and he’d come out for.”

“I just started studying the source documents,” Mordechai told the three of them just before they left the restaurant. “I started reading the Jewish prophets to see what they said to look for in the Messiah. I found out that Micah said the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Honestly, I had never known that. Isaiah said the Messiah would be born of a virgin, and live in Galilee. I had never read that before.” … “Daniel,” Mordechai went on, “said, after the Messiah was ‘cut off,’ Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple would be destroyed by an occupying power. King David said, ‘evil men’ would kill the Messiah in a merciless fashion, and that his hands and feet would be ‘pierced.’ Isaiah said the Messiah would be ‘pierced for our transgressions’ and ‘crushed for our iniquities.’ He said ‘the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.’ He also said the Messiah couldn’t be held down by the grave but would live again and ‘prolong his days.’ I could go on and on. But look, I am no rocket scientist. I just looked at the picture the prophets were painting, and I said, who does that look like?”

Then Mordechai said something Bennett couldn’t shake. “One day I was reading a parable that Jesus told His disciples. He said the kingdom of God is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold al he had and bought that field. And it hit me, Jonathon, I was that man. I knew the truth. I had found buried treasure. But what was I going to do about it? Walk away? Ignore it? Or follow Christ whatever the cost?”

Bennett kept thinking about that. He had a million questions. He wanted to research everything Mordechai had said in great detail, and in time he would. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized he didn’t need anything else to make a decision. He was ready.

Posted in Hope, Prophetic, Thoughts, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged Achille Lauro, Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Israel, Jerusalem, Jewish Temple, Jews, King David, Micah, Old Testament, prophecy, prophet Daniel, Talmud, Temple Mount, torah | 2 Comments

The two witnesses represent God; this beast will also represent a god. Revelation 13: 13,14

Posted on 08/26/2015 by remso

In the post, “This guy forces the whole earth to bow. Revelation 13:12”, I attempted to focus on who the second beast is. I happen to think that knowing something about how a person acts, makes it easier to identify him. That could be beneficial, not so much for the follower of Christ, but those that remain on the earth after the rapture, they might need to know. If I got it right and this second beast is a Jew, a high priest, with access to the temple, and he is Muslim, then the things we see in scripture that describe his actions, open the door to such deception. In that post I took the liberty to expand into some of the other scriptures there in Revelation 13. I really wanted to continue exploring some of these aspects in-depth, so hold on.

The Beast from the sea with seven heads (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Revelation 13:13-14 ESV (13) It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, (14) and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.

Note that the ESV immediately calls him “it.” Perhaps that is because this beast is such an oddity. For example: Calling fire down from heaven in front of people. Who does that anymore?

So, again I will reuse a statement: Just before the onset of this second beast, what has been going on?

The rapture has taken place.
Panic, upheaval, martial law, depression, and for many hopelessness.
Within days a man will be telling you that he has everything under control. He may be signing a peace treaty with Israel, but scripture tells us that he will sign the treaty with many.
It is possible that the firestorm we see in Ezekiel 39:6 may have a nuclear aspect to it and the devastation will have been great. Why do I believe this will take place? Because Israel has to build the third temple, and so many things have to take place.
The two witnesses have shown up in the streets of Jerusalem, and they have declared the greatness of God for 1,260 days.

Revelation 11:3-8 ESV And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” (4) These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands that stand before the Lord of the earth. (5) And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. (6) They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. (7) And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, (8) and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.

“They stand in the streets for three and one half years, calling down fire, stopping the rain, prophesying, turning water into blood, and striking people and nations with the plague, as they desire.”

It is obvious that there is a constant effort to kill them. We know this because, “if anyone would harm them fire pours out their mouths and consume their foes.” Give me a break, do you think Islam will tolerate these guys stopping their fun. Think about how it goes on the temple mount even today, as Jews attempt to legally access the mount; every interaction turns violent.

the practical usage of the two witnesses

I have written about the practical usage of the two witnesses, seeing as the potentially disciplined church has left the earth.

With hardly anyone to show you what being a man or woman of God looks like, I suggest that you look to these two as your example. Since they walk this earth in the power of God, that means you walk this earth in the power of God, just as the prophets of old did. Do you not realize that I am compelling you, even now, to do this, and at the least, find a readable version of the Bible – not that Mormon garbage, and read about the lives of Samuel, Elijah, and Elisha.

Am I overstepping what the life of the follower of Christ should like? Not at all. As a matter of fact, I am sickened by the fearful, pathetic, can’t do examples we leave for people. Allow me to give you an example from scripture:

Joel 2:28-29, 32 ESV “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. (29) Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. (32) And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.

Peter, empowered by the in filling of the Holy Spirit – a new experience for him – stood before the crowd of naysayers, on the day of Pentecost and told them:

Acts 2:13-18 ESV But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” (14) But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. (15) For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. (16) But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: (17) “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; (18) even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

What does this tell us? That we should have lived in the fullness of this prophecy since the day it was spoken by Peter, but we don’t. We waste our time and energy, telling folks that they are mere people, squeaking by on the concept of saved by grace, and powerless over the advances of the enemy. Does that sound pathetic? It is. You think I am kidding. You don’t sit in “bible study” with me. A bible study where the leader claims that we teach nothing but the bible, and then makes stuff up. My girlfriend asks me why I stay. I have asked myself that question as well. The primary reason I stay is to build relations with at least some of the guys. Every week they break off into three groups and go to coffee, but do they discuss Jesus? No, they talk about life. Unfortunately, for the most part, it is life apart from God. The things they say that have a religious spin, prove that they do not know the character of God.

After all the two witnesses do

After all the two witnesses do, such as shut off the rain and call down fire, how do you follow such a an act?

The problem is, for the world, this is no act, this is real.

Now you want to out do what others have done, and so you, at minimum, do the same things. We saw this when Moses and Aaron stood before Pharaoh. They turned water into blood, brought forth frogs upon the land, and threw down the rod that budded – after it was cut from the tree – and it turned into a serpent. Pharaoh’s court magicians followed suite, performing the same things, with one exception, Aaron’s rod ate theirs.

Question: Did any of this change their hearts toward God? Not at all. It might have struck fear in a few of them, but we don’t see that. It was not until God killed off all the firstborn of Egypt that were unprotected by the blood on the doorposts, that Egypt was motivated to release the Jews. Do you not realize that the protection given to Israel, was there for the Egyptian also. Do you not realize that Caleb was not born an Israeli, but became one.

The two witnesses represent God; this beast will also represent a god

The two witnesses represent God; this beast will also represent a god – Allah. Not only that but he is a Jew, a traitorous Jew.

He will cause it to rain. Why is that significant? Because God’s two witnesses have stopped the rain. It almost seems like a competition to gain the hearts of the people. Of course stopping the rain and turning what water you have left into blood, does not make friends, but the two witnesses are not here to make friends.

and by the signs … it deceives those who dwell on earth

and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. (Revelation 13:14 ESV)

“and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth,”

First I want to show different ways this is translated:

by reason of the signs
he is allowed to perform
which he was given power to do
which it was given to it to work
“and by the signs that it is allowed to work”

Now the question here is, who is giving him the power to work the signs?

There are two possibilities, both of which are practical.

He is empowered by Satan.

Revelation 13:4, 11-12 ESV And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” (11) Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. (12) It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.

Now why would I think that he could be getting all his rights and abilities from the Antichrist character? “it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast”. Another translation states, “And he deceives my own people who dwell on the earth by the signs which were given to him to do before the Beast”. I really do not think that God is trying to deceive his own people, but it is certainly possible. However, there is one whose only purpose on earth is to deceive, Satan. Since the dragon – Satan – has empowered the first beast, then that person has now empowered this guy.

Islamic prophecies show that when the Mahdi shows up at the temple this guy bows to him – the Mahdi and gives allegiance to Allah, declaring that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is his messenger. A Jewish high priest doing this. It is possible that this is when this assignment of power comes.

“And he deceives my own people who dwell on the earth by the signs which were given to him to do before the Beast”

He is empowered by God.

I know your mind fights against that idea, but watch:

Jeremiah 18:11 ESV Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the LORD, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’

What is God trying to do? Turn Israel’s heart toward him.

it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.

Revelation 13:14 EMTV And he deceives my own people who dwell on the earth by the signs which were given to him to do before the Beast, saying to those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound–and came to life! -from the sword.

The Douay Rheims translation says this: “And he seduced them that dwell on the earth.” The majority of translations convey that he deceives all those living on the earth.

Are you considered deceived if you intentionally put your brain in park, and decide to follow some sick, twisted ideology on your own?

Israel, as a nation, is supposed to be avid followers of Jehovah, but not everyone in Israel is a Jew. As of 2011 Israel is only 75.4% Jewish, and 6.9% Muslim.

If we work on the idea that the world is deceived, then what are the logistics that would make that happen?

You might think that removing the Christian community from the earth would be part of the solution, but if you have not noticed, the so-called Christian community, is already avidly following big name false teachers. Many in America think they are Christians merely because they have been born here. This tells me that the majority are vulnerable to deception.
One of the things I have seen young people seek over the years is power. Because we, as a religious community think that if we talk about power, you will automatically slide over to the dark side. Since the church won’t promote God’s power, the world goes elsewhere looking to find it. One of the primary places they find this power is within the Satanist religions. Do you think the worshipers of Satan will be deceived? They are deceived already.
While you may scoff at conspiracy theories, the truth is that powerful people are trying to recreate the world as they want it. Because we know from scripture that the harlot (the global elite) rides the beast, then we also know that, up to a point, that means the global elite are trying make the beast do what they want. Part of our understanding to back this up is being established before our eyes, as our Muslim President has given Iran everything they asked for to create the illusion of a “peace treaty.” This will backfire. These elite have no intention of falling into the hands of Islam, but they will because the beast rises up against the harlot. In a sense, they are already deceived.
People that tend to have no religious affiliation – atheists. Since they have nothing to be deceived out of, it may not be so much a deception, as it is a loss of personal freedoms. Based on what we have seen for the last several years, we know that militaristic Jihadists will swarm this nation as well. They will kill your children in front of your eyes. You will have to make a conversion decision at the cost of death should you refuse. If you see someone performing great signs, do you think you might be compelled to believe other things they say? Of course you will, beside you, as a concerned parent, do not want to sacrifice the lives or your children, do you?

“telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.”

The second beast, having won the world, and many in the Jewish community over, has them make an image of the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. I have already explained that this beast being referred to is an empire or global governing body. Islam best fits the descriptions given, as the Ottoman empire was taken out-of-the-way in 1924. At this point the world breathed a sigh of relief, at least until 1979, when the Islamic empire sprang back to life again.

How does one make an image of something that looks like a freakish, multi-headed beast. That should tell you that this is not what they are making an image of. But if the beast is really a representation of perhaps Allah or Muhammad, now we are talking about something more tangible. There is only one problem, no one knows what Allah looks like.

Can’t you tell, just about everything is in place.

I am not good with odds; I tend to lose, but I have an advantage as I came to know Jesus as a very young man. I have developed a love and understanding of God’s character because of dark times and a heart that longed for Him. I suggest you turn your heart toward Him as well, because the hour grows late.

Posted in Cult teachings, Deception, End times, Prophetic, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged Al-Aqsa Mosque, an image of the beast, antichrist, Bible, Cults, deception, end times, fire from heaven, future, Islam, Jerusalem, Jews, last days, Mahdi, muslim, prophecy, Revelation, signs, Temple Mount, the false prophet, Third Temple | 1 Comment

The head that was mortally wounded is alive again. Revelation 13:3-4

Posted on 08/24/2015 by remso

If you read my last post, you are aware that I defined this head with the mortal wound. I have to assume that most people merely stumble upon my posts, so I will define it once again.

One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” (Revelation 13:3-4 ESV)

“One of its heads” – Nobody has multiple heads, so we are talking about a governing body or life threatening empire. Merely finding a governing body who has lost a head of state does not do it, because that typically does not end the empires rule.

The Islamic Caliphates best fit this characterization as they came into being and power in 632 A.D. This was called the Rashidun Caliphate. The last major Caliphate was the Ottoman empire which started in 1299, and ended as the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924. If we can see the Ottoman Caliphate as one of the heads on the beast, then it is easy to see that one of the heads sustained a deadly wound, because the world assumed Islam was dead.

However Islam resurrected itself in 1979 with the The Iranian Revolution

At the beginnings of the Iranian Revolution. Notice – No Burkas.

(also known as the Islamic Revolution or the 1979 Revolution). The 1979 Islamic Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty under Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, who was supported by the United States and its eventual replacement with an Islamic republic under the Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the revolution, supported by various leftist and Islamic organizations and Iranian student

movements.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

So the head that was wounded and “dead” is alive again.

“and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast”

While there is no doubt that there were followers of Islam since 1924 but we paid them no attention. Many of the nations that the United States has been at war with looked like progressive democracies until Sharia law regained its hold. Apparently progressive democracies allow for personal freedoms, and personal expressions of freedom are banned under sharia law. These extravagances were banned to the point of sending the Middle East back to the dark ages.

Now with that in mind, who is following the beast and why?

Surprisingly, Islam is everywhere, but it is most deeply entrenched in third world nations. Does that have anything to with the hopelessness that runs so deep there, maybe. You also see many Muslim converts coming out of prisons and that can be a fairly hopeless situation.

These nations are under majority Islamic control. Just because your country is not listed does not mean they are not there.

While they may have had plans to infiltrate and overtake the world for a long time, we in the Western world simply ignored it, and now Islam has its hands deeply invested in every major governing body in the world (with perhaps the exception of the governments of Japan and China.)

Since Islam treats women like furniture – unless they are being useful to the cause and blowing themselves up – why would any woman with a brain, follow Islam. It is a death sentence to women, and children.

“they followed the beast.“

The question you need to ask is: who or what, is the beast?

If, as we decided, the beast was a multi-headed governmental entity, with a central core; what is that core? The option that fits best is Islam. But Islam is an ideology, so the central persona that Islam follows and worships is Allah.

Since Allah is a creation of Muhammad’s conversation with probably no more than a demon – a fallen angel – then the beast is a demon disguised as Allah. However, we see the dragon/Satan empowering not only the beast, but men as well.

Within Islam does anyone worship Islam itself? No, they worship Allah. If Allah is a Satanically inspired and empowered demon then doesn’t it make sense to make yourself more marketable by having a spokesman – a mouth. So, this second beast, a man (a spokesman), forces the whole earth to pay homage to the first beast (now, at this point are they going to pay homage to a man, or to Allah?

2 Thessalonians 2:4 ESV (4) who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

Who then are they paying homage to – or worshiping?

Suppose Princip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, gets his way and is declared the Mahdi,

Princip Erdogan of Turkey

then the world would be forced to worship him. Currently ISIL/ISIS is forcing people to worship who? Allah. Since whoever gains the position and authority of the 12^th Imam, the missing Mahdi, will have the authority and power of Allah, the world may be forced to worship this guy. But until then we will work under the assumption that the world will be forced to worship Allah.”

“And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast”

Right now there is only one group that intentionally worships Satan, and that is the Satanist church; or at least I thought so.

The word “worship” – proskuneo – is not always, used in a religious sense. It means, properly, “to kiss”; to kiss toward anyone; that is, to kiss his own hand and to extend it toward a person, in token of respect and homage (Robinson, Lexicon).

The IVPBBC says, The praise here offered to the beast mimics a praise often offered to God (Exo_15:11;

“Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? (Exodus 15:11 ESV)

In Yahoo answers, someone asked the question, Does the Illuminati worship Satan?

illuminati symbols

The response is not one I expected:

“Yes and no, it rather depends on your definition of “Satan”. There are 3 different forms of Satanism that is practiced: there’s Theistic Satanism, Atheistic Satanism and the Lucifer Doctrine. Atheistic Satanism is not practiced by the Illuminati, this follows the understanding that there is no divine being, God or Satan, but Satan is just used as symbol for denouncing Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Under this belief there is no God, there is no devil. The Lucifer Doctrine is the healthy form of Satanism that is learned in the highest degree of Freemasonry. Albert Pike wrote the book “Morals and Dogma”, which is highly reveled in Freemasonry.

Freemasonry

In this book, Pike acknowledges Lucifer as the one true god. According to their perspective Adam and Eve were prisoners of God, not through a prison of bars or physical restraints, but mentally. God kept them dumbed down, unaware of their true potential. That’s where Lucifer, the serpent came along and coaxed Eve into feeding from the tree of knowledge. This opened Adam and Eve’s eyes to the concept of Good and Evil. Lucifer saved them and gave them the gift of knowledge. This belief is okay if one chooses to follow it, but as long as they don’t take it a step further, which many Illuminati initiates do.”

That was some weird and twisted thinking, but that is what Satan tends to do. I, however, tend to operate in the black and white. Satan, prior to the fall had the name of Lucifer, but he lost that title and position when he tried to mutiny.

You can see from the quote above that Freemasonry believes that Lucifer is the one true god; while Islam believes that Allah is the one true god; God on the other hand declares himself to be the only true God.

Is it possible that this is describing people who are worshiping the dragon and they do not even know it?

The dragon, whom they cannot see, gave its power to the beast.

Our initial definition of the beast is that of empires, however, the mouthpiece takes on the role and characteristics of a beast as does this second person – the second beast. This is why when people fling out statements such as, no one can understand Revelation, I occasionally respond with, you need to identify which beast you are talking about.

When we say, the dragon gave its power to the beast, we are either talking about the multi-headed entity, or one of several men. Here, in Revelation 13:3-4, I believe the reference is to the first man – the spokesman. He may take on the role of the Mahdi, but initially he is going to come off as smooth, calm and peaceful. That won’t last long.

We will not see this transfer of power, we will only see what seems like a powerful man. With Islam, the assumption is that Allah gives this man the power to do what he does, and I strongly suspect that he is among us now.

“and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

“The Quran is clear that there must be “no compulsion in religion” (2:256). Yet Islam is not indifferent to conversion either – Muslims consider their religion to the be the one true religion, and invite people of all races, nationalities and religions to be part of it.” Religionfacts.com – What Muslims believe

This fails to mention that to not convert means death and therefore compulsion. This concept is proven out before us daily in the Middle East.

From: Islam-guide.com

Muslims believe in one, unique, incomparable God, Who has no son nor partner, and that none has the right to be worshiped but Him alone.

If Islam is the beast and they have the saying, “who can fight against it?”, then what backs that statement and gives it validity?

From Pickthall’s English Translation of the Quran with Commentary

al-Baqarah: The Cow [2.191] And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers.

al-Ma’idah: The Food [5.33] The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His apostle and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement,

Islam believes all The Jews and Christians:

Whom the Koran calls people of the book, can retain their religion but on the sufferance of accepting humiliation and subjugation to Islam and payment of Jizyah (poll-tax) to the Islamic rulers.

I heard a recent testimony by a converted Muslim, who said the Jizyah tax was 90%. So, even if you survive and they do not outright kill you, they will continue to try to make your life, in their presence, unbearable. I cannot imagine attempting to live on 10% of whatever you scrounge up. The Jizyah tax is no different than extortion or protection money, much like the Mafia collects.

I suppose I make it sound like your only hope is armed retaliation. For the follower of Christ our command is:

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. (Matthew 10:16 NASB)

What does that all mean? Pay attention, keep your eyes open, be discreet or thoughtful, and pour yourself out as you mingle with people.

There is no doubt that Jesus is coming soon. Just yesterday 8/23/2015 the news spoke of four more national economies collapsing, a sure sign of the Shemittah.

If you have no confidence that you belong to Christ then give yourself over to Him. The thief on the cross simply said, remember me. You may not be under that kind of duress, so I suggest that you tell him that you are sorry for trying to run things on your own, and invite Him into your to take control.

Jesus said, his yoke is easy. Compared to the one you have been carrying, you know, the one you thought gave you all the control. Jesus gently guides us, and will guide us into his kingdom. And a huge plus, in contrast with Islam, you do not have to blow yourself up to obtain his grace. That was already done and paid for by the Son, Jesus Christ, that bloody day on the cross.

Posted in Cult teachings, Deception, End times, Prophetic, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged antichrist, Belief, Bible, blasphemy, Book of Revelation, convert, Cults, deception, dragon, end times, Islam, Jesus Christ, Jizyah tax, last days, Lucifer, muslim, Ottoman Caliphate, Ottoman empire, prophecy, Rashidun Caliphate, Revelation, Satan, the beast | 3 Comments

This guy forces the whole earth to bow. Revelation 13:12

Posted on 08/21/2015 by remso

While the focus is really on the character of the second beast, it is good to know where he came from, and so I include verse 11. In verse eleven this second person comes out of the same region as the first, but there is something hidden and sinister about this one, he looks like a lamb. Now that in itself does not seem so bad, except that followers of Christ know the lamb to be the Messiah, and this is a beast. There is the added dimension in that he speaks like a dragon. Since we know the dragon to be Satan, then like Satan, this guy is a deceiver also. Watch as this story develops.

Revelation 13:11-18 ESV

(11) Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon.

(12) It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.

(13) It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people,

(14) and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.

(15) And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain.

(16) Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead,

(17) so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.

(18) This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.

From Wikipedia:

“Like all prophets in Islam, Jesus (Isa) is considered a Muslim (i.e., one who submits to the will of God), as he preached that his followers should adopt the “straight path” as commanded by God. Traditionally, Islam teaches the rejection of the Trinitarian Christian view that Jesus was God incarnate or the son of God. The Quran says that Jesus himself never claimed to be the Son of God, and it furthermore indicates that Jesus will deny having ever claimed divinity at the Last Judgment, and God will vindicate him. Islamic texts forbid the association of partners with God, emphasizing a strict notion of monotheism(tawhīd).”

“Numerous titles are given to Jesus in the Quran and in Islamic literature, the most common being al-Masīḥ (“the Messiah”). Jesus is also, at times, called “Seal of the Israelite Prophets”, because, in general Muslim belief, Jesus was the last prophet sent by God to guide the Children of Israel. Jesus is traditionally understood in Islam to have been a precursor to Muhammad, and is believed by Muslims to have foretold the latter’s coming;”

Revelation 13:12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.

“It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence,”

A quick review of what the first beast does (do not disassociate the beast from its mouthpiece. He – the mouth, carries all its weight and authority.)

It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. (Revelation 13:6-8 ESV)

It too (this second beast) will utter blasphemies against God
The second beast is: allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.
Authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation.
And all who dwell on earth will worship it. This only applies to those whose names are not written in the book of life. You need to understand that the rapture of the church has taken place already, therefore these are those that God already knows will come to Him during this time. I know that causes some of you grief as you try to find some logic with which you can understand God’s plans. Just know that He is still showing mercy until the end.

So this second beast acts and sounds like the first in terms of authority and power, but with a deceptive twist. It is possible that we will not see one without the other, but the way they are laid out in Revelation it almost seems as though one steps out-of-the-way while the other takes over. Seeing as Satan and his deceptions are the main goal here, they, regardless of where we find them, will be working hard at taking people to hell with them.

What has been going on just prior to the arrival of the second beast?

Aside from the destruction going on – earthquakes beyond imagination; Tsunamis; Volcanoes; 100 pound hail; fire from heaven, and the violence of men continuing just as before, only worse. The rapture of the church should have initiated much of this, while almost immediately two prophets from God show up in the streets of Jerusalem.

They could look like this.

And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, (Revelation 11:3-7 ESV)

they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth

1,260 days = three and one-half years. Do not get hung up in the clothing, as God is using the symbolism to get the attention of the Jews. This means a lot to them. For example: John the Baptist’s apparel. Many godly men throughout scripture, donned sackcloth as a sign of mourning or repentance. I can assure you that the symbolism is relevant.
“And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes.”

Does this not speak of authority and power? But what is God’s character? You have to go back to the garden to begin to realize what his character is, for when his man, Adam, commits high treason, God/Jesus calls out to him, just as he had always done. You or I might have blasted Adam with a lightning bolt, but God showed the man respect, almost as if he was ignoring what Adam had done. God, because his character is mercy, calls out to the man instead of just invading his life, in so doing he allows for the man’s free will.
“ They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.”

This is really starting to sound like Rev 13:13 It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people,

How is it that this second beast gains the freedom to do what he does?

Considering that the two witnesses breathe fire on any enemy that comes against them, how is it that this second beast gains the freedom to do what he does? It is only because God said their time is done, and he allows the two witnesses to be killed. (Note: no ordinary man has been able to touch them. What would make this second beast so powerful? Only Satan.)

Keep in mind that he is also called the false prophet, and Islam believes he will be a priest.

Because they are taken out-of-the-way, and he (this second beast) is empowered by the dragon. Not paying attention, many will say, where does Satan get such power? This too goes back to the garden and what Adam did. Using deception, Satan works Eve over and she buys into it. Adam, sadly, was standing right there watching the entire process. Knowing full well the repercussions he bites into the fruit and in so doing hands everything over to Satan. All Power, Authority, and the Dominion man had over the earth was given away. Jesus, tempted by Satan after the forty day fast, did not dispute Satan’s claim that it was his to give, but merely rebuked him in his attempt.

And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'” (Luke 4:5-8 ESV)

Back to the two witnesses for a moment.

Revelation 11:7-8 ESV And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, (8) and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.

Not to worry though, watch what happens:

After three days, they will be raised to life again, and ascend up into heaven.

For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. (Revelation 11:9-12 ESV)

You might think that with such power, they could prevent the wanton slaughter of those that have come to the Lord, but it seems the realm of the two witnesses is primarily the Middle East. I would not attempt to make that a law though, because they are no more constrained in their spirits than God is, however they have been sent back as humans and are subject to gravity just as we are. They become just one more thing to frustrate the enemies plans on the earth.

Now that the two witnesses are out-of-the-way, it is unleashed.

It used the vast authority of the first beast in its presence. It forced the earth and all who live on it to worship the first beast, whose wound had healed. (Revelation 13:12 GNB)

This guy now forces the whole earth to pay homage to the first beast, whose wound was healed.

I can hear it now, I thought you said this guy was from the region of the Middle East! And well he might be, but does that stop you from having a neighbor from the Mid East where you live? Not at all. We live in global community. Why even I, stuck here as I am, have an influence in a variety of

An American police officer paying homage to Allah

nations through my writing.

I have, on several occasions, put forth that this first beast is either Islam or Allah. Consider: Within Islam does anyone worship Islam itself? No, they worship Allah. If Allah is a Satanically inspired and empowered demon then doesn’t it make sense to make yourself more marketable by having a spokesman – a mouth. So, this second beast, a man (also a spokesman), forces the whole earth to pay homage to the first beast. Who then are they paying homage – or worshiping if you choose?

Suppose Princip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, gets his way and is declared the Mahdi, then the world would be forced to worship him. Currently ISIL/ISIS is forcing people to worship who? Allah. Since whoever gains the position and authority of the 12^th Imam, the missing Mahdi, will have the authority and power of Allah, the world may be forced to worship this guy. But until then we will work under the assumption that the world will be forced to worship Allah.

Bowing to Allah

Question: Can any man force you to do anything? The truth is no! You can be threatened, tortured, even killed, but you do not have to cave. It is primarily our codependency that causes us to cave. With that in mind what have we been seeing in the “not so mainline news”? Followers of Islam beheading people. Why there have even been a few that caved and converted, only to be beheaded anyway because they were cowards.

Understand something, they will use the most horrid of tactics to get you to denounce your relationship with Christ. Considering that anyone outside of Islam is considered an infidel, the entire purpose is to force a conversion upon you regardless of what you worship. Did you ever think about that? There will be plenty of lukewarm Christians going into the time of wrath, but right next to them will be the atheist (who claims to not believe that there is a God), and you think Islam will waste their time discussing your theology or lack there of. They will put a bullet in your head if you don’t comply, and from what we have seen, they will put a bullet in your head anyway. Imagine the thought just before they kill you, this did not work out quite the way I had hoped.

It forced the earth and all who live on it to worship the first beast, whose wound had healed.

Where have we heard that before?

Revelation 13:1-3 ESV And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. (2) And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. (3) One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast.

I talked about this in a earlier post, but to recap: There is nothing on earth that physically fulfills this beastly description, therefore it is symbolic of something. We are not in the dark about the identities of some of these as Daniel’s prophecies describe them.

During Daniel’s captivity King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that disturbed him and he could remember it. After threatening the lives of all the wise men (Daniel was among them), Daniel sought the Lord and came up with the answer.

But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind. “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all–you are the head of gold. Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.” (Daniel 2:30-45 ESV)

I highlighted in red the words that Daniel said to the king, “you are the head of gold.” So we know

Nebuchadnezzar’s statue

without question, that the Babylonian Empire was the head of gold, the first empire in the list of descriptors. Historically we know that the Babylonian empire fell to the Medes and the Persians (Assyrians), and the empire that followed was the Grecian empire under Alexander. The Grecian empire, under Alexander’s reign went through several radical changes after his death, It was split between four generals, but two eventually rose up, overtook the others, and we were left with – The Seleucid empire in the north and the Ptolemaic in the south.

It is rather easy to conjecture that two legs are these last two empires, but what of the toes for there are ten, and it is plainly noted that there is a fault with them, potentially make them capable of causing the entire statue to fall. What of those?

Scripture does not tell us who the fourth empire is.

By presenting all this info again, I believe it establishes that we are looking at empires operating upon the same theme. Out of these empires one dominant empire sustains a wound that potentially ends the reign of terror, but many years later it comes back to life. What destructive empire or form of government has caused that much grief? The answer is the Caliphates: They started around 640 A.D. With the last, the Ottoman empire being taken down in 1924. The arrest of the Ottoman empire brought about a sigh of relief to the world. But scripture tells us that this second beast (a man) “makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.” How is that possible, unless this beast that sustained the seemingly mortal wound was the Islamic Caliphate, and by extension, Allah?

I am assuming that you are not the type to bury your head in the sand. Since you are paying attention, then you know that things are moving faster than the news can keep up with them. That means only one thing, my Jesus, the Messiah I have come to love and long for, is coming soon.

You can be ready for Him by accepting Jesus life as yours. He has already forgiven your sins and longs for you to come running into His arms. Do it today, as I do not want you to have endure the wrath that is to come.