Chapter 6
In chapter 10 John sees another strong angel coming down out of heaven wearing a cloud with a rainbow on his head. His face shone like the sun, and his feet appeared to be on fire. He describes what are called the Peals of Thunder Judgments, but tells John to seal them up and not to write them (v 4). The seven peals of thunder are likely prophetic. John describes them as uttering their voices and as “having spoken.” It is what “is spoken” that John is instructed to seal up. And then in verse 11 he is told he “must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.” The antithetical figure that his prophecy will be sweet in his mouth and bitter in his stomach depicts the contrast between those who are transformed by God’s word and those who are not. To those who are transformed the words are sweet; to those who reject it, they are bitter. It is clear from verse 11 that John will return to us at some point during the tribulation and prophesy again.
When he returns his prophecy will be the final words spoken about the mystery of God, “as He preached to His servants the prophets.” Obviously, the mystery is about the church age. Just as obviously, there is something Jesus has not yet told us about this church age in which we live. Therefore, John will return to fill us in. It will be his job to tell us what it is we don’t yet understand when he returns. When he does so, 10:7 indicates, the mystery of God will be finished. I suppose I could easily speculate and wax eloquent for pages upon pages as to what these Peals of Thunder prophecies might be; but such speculation would only lead to more speculation, and we wouldn’t know any more after I finished. Therefore, I will resist the temptation. It is exciting and sufficient for us to know that John will be returning, and when he returns he will be bringing information that will be important for all of us to understand. One thing is sure. Those who know he is going to return won’t be caught off guard when he does. When he comes, those who know he is coming won’t make the same error as those first century Pharisees who wouldn’t acknowledge the first coming of their Messiah, rejecting not only Him but also the message He proclaimed.
I often have to chuckle at my conservative brethren who freak out at the thought that anyone could have a new word of wisdom, knowledge, or revelation today. These dear brethren are much like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day who just knew anyone claiming to be the Messiah had to be a fake. They will refuse to believe John has returned because they believe all God has to say to us ended when the bible, as we know it, was completed. How sad it is for anyone to be so locked into a system created by man (dispensational-ism), intended to help him better understand God’s dealings with man, that he misses out on the very thing he created to help him understand that system. I know that is a mouthful, so please allow me to explain. Great multitudes today have devised the system conservative theologians like to call dispensationalism. Within that system is the insistence that God’s revelation to man ended when John penned the final words of the Revelation. They use two passages of scripture to support their theology, Revelation 22:18, 19,
“I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city which are written in this book.”
and I Corinthians 13:10 which reads, “but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.”
These dispensationalists believe that when the scripture was completed, all those gifts which have to do with such enlightenment from God (gifts of prophecy, tongues, spiritual discernment, gifts of healing, etc., ended). Such an interpretation enables them to ignore and to forbid the manifestation of the supernatural gifts in the church. Of course, it doesn’t seem to bother them to know that is a direct violation of verses like I Cor. 14:39. I alluded to this earlier. Unfortunately, as a result of their dispensational bent, they will have to deny John has returned when he comes to prophecy again as indicated he will do in Revelation 10. I’m saddened to point out that this will, in all likelihood, put them over the edge for those who have already been disillusioned by their pre-tribulation guffaw. Any who are left in these conservative evangelical pre-tribulation dispensational churches will quickly exit, stage left, for parts unknown. It appears some will end up in the WCC, while others will actually join the true church at large which will be meeting in quiet, unassuming places around the known world, avoiding the far reaching tentacles of the antichrist as he goes out to gather up all those saints who have ignored the prophets who have been warning them for decades to prepare for this hour (Rev. 1::3; 12:17).
What is especially disconcerting for me is that dispensationalists fail to recognize that no true contemporary prophetic utterance adds to or takes away from any heretofore revealed scripture anymore than Jesus’ coming added to or took away from Old Testament truth. Jesus was the fulfillment of all Old Testament prophecy. Everything He said and did was in complete harmony with what had already been revealed. Certainly, countless new insights were provided as the direct result of His coming; but absolutely nothing He said or did contradicted what had already been revealed. And that is the point of never adding to or taking away from anything that has already been revealed. Thus, if someone comes to me claiming to be a prophet of God and says, “We will all be gods in heaven.” I can reply, “Be gone, you liar and proclaimer of false testimony! For He has said, ‘Is it not I the Lord, and there is not other God besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except me.’” (Isaiah 45:21) If I know God’s word, I needn’t be fearful that I will fail to recognize false prophets. They are easy to spot and there are great multitudes of them in churches scattered across America today. It usually takes me about three minutes of listening to them preach to recognize their false doctrine. Some are better than others at hiding their identity, but all of them eventually give themselves away.
If you’re reading this writing when all of these things come to pass, please feel free to look for me somewhere in Montana. God willing, if I am still living at the time, I will be helping a multitude of the saints who refused for decades to listen to people like me. I will in no way turn any of them away. It is for that hour that I believe God has prepared me. I have guns, ammunition, warm clothing, a secluded area abundant with edible wildlife, and experience to help me provide for such people. We will not really be hiding; we will simply be surviving without being part of the antichrist’s system. We will be welcoming all who come to us asking for help. And we will be bringing great multitudes to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in the process.
Friday, March 5, 2010
The Great Tribulation Begins (Revelation 11)
Chapter 7
Chapter 11 is chronologically the beginning of the great tribulation which is divided into two 3 ½ year periods of time. The first 3 ½ year period is marked by the prophesying of the two witnesses, called the two olive trees (cf. Rev. 11:4 with Zechariah 4:3, 11, 14) and the two lampstands. It seems the temple, as it existed in Solomon’s time, will be “rebuilt” for the second time. It was originally built by Solomon. It was rebuilt the first time by Herod; and it will be rebuilt the second time by the anti-Christ. The two prophets will prophecy from inside the temple itself while the rest of the holy city, the court yard of the temple, will be given to the nations for the 3 ½ years the prophets prophesy; they will be supernaturally protected by God. It is especially interesting to note that when Jesus came for his first visit to this planet, he came in meekness. He came in humility. When he returns, it will not be in humility. He will be coming as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He will be coming as the conquering King of kings and Lord of lords. And, it is essential to note that, while these two prophets will be witnessing to the truth of the gospel, they will not be doing so in humility. Unlike the saints who have been instructed to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them, these two prophets will be slaying their enemies with fire, which will proceed from their mouths to devour them (11:5). Like Elijah, these two prophets will be able to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the 3 ½ years of their prophesying; and like Moses, they will be able to turn whatever drinkable water is left on the earth to blood. Finally, also like Moses, they will have the power to strike the earth with every plague which has ever been seen on earth, as often as they wish. Of course, the reason the inhabitants of the earth will be so happy when the anti-Christ kills them, is also rather obvious. We are told in verses 7 and 8 that that at the end of their prophesying, God will remove their supernatural protection, the devil will kill them, and their bodies will lie for three days in the streets of Jerusalem.
It seems that all the news stations around the world will have their cameras pointed at the bodies of these two prophets as they lie in the streets. The sick, perverted joy at the sight of them lying in the streets on worldwide satellite television will quickly subside when after three days they come to life before the gaping mouths of the world’s inhabitants, and ascend into heaven. The gifts those who dwell on earth have sent to one another in celebration upon the temporary death of these two prophets will serve as constant reminders of their incredible stupidity. At the very time the two olive trees ascend into the heavens, a great earthquake will destroy 1/10th of the city (Jerusalem); and seven thousand people will die instantly in the rubble caused by that quake.
It really isn’t important to know any more about these two prophets, but I think it is more than just a casual insight to note that both the kinds of miracles they perform and previous scripture indicate they may well be Elijah, John, and Moses. I realize I have named three prophets of old indicating they are the two prophets of Revelation 11. It is clear from scripture there is something eternally special about Moses and Elijah. Moses was “the prophet” who delivered Israel from Egypt. Elijah was “the prophet who shut up the sky so that it did not rain in Israel. He is also “the prophet” referred to in Malachi 4:5 whom Malachi says will be coming “. . . before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.” The great and terrible day of the Lord is likely a reference to the final bowl judgments of Revelation 15:8-16:21. When we compare Malachi’s prophecy to Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:13, “For if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come,” we realize John the Baptist was unique. He was with us first as Elijah; he came a second time as the forerunner of Jesus’ first coming as John the Baptist; and I believe he will be coming a third time with Moses as one of the two witnesses.
If that bothers you, you are certainly welcome to believe these two witnesses of Revelation 11 are two entirely different people. That just isn’t what God’s word says. Personally, I have no problem theologically accepting that God simply decided to incarnate these two individuals more than once because the task they had to perform required it. It is well within the theological and physical power of God to so such a thing. It is not a contradiction of His nature or the revealed word of God. One is not forced to believe in universal reincarnation, as do the fools of the myriad of false eastern religions, just because God reincarnates two of His mightiest prophets in 6,500 years of history. I’m afraid there are great multitudes who throw out the baby with the bath water (sorry for the use of the worn out cliché, but it is so apropos), just because there so many false religions which teach reincarnation. The Eastern religious proclamation on the topic of reincarnation is categorically absurd. However, God has brought back Samuel from the dead (I Sam. 28:12-19), Moses and Elijah (Matt. 17:3), and Elijah as John. Jesus resurrected Lazarus (John 11), the only son of a widow (Matt. 7:15), and Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:54, 55); Peter resurrected Dorcus (Acts 9:36-43), and Elijah resurrected the widows son (I Kings 17:17-23). The statement of Hebrews 9:27, “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.” obviously does not mean God cannot make an exception if and when He chooses to do so. I have not personally verified widespread claims that Christian apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor/teachers are raising the dead quite regularly in many third world (developing) countries; but most certainly, it would not be contrary to what we have had revealed to us thus far from the word of god.
My final word on this subject is this. In all cases when God reincarnates a person, He returns the spirit of that person to the body from which it came. The person’s spirit does not ever enter another body as depicted in so many of Hollywood’s incredibly stupid movies. And the reason for the reincarnation has nothing to do with winning the big game, getting a second chance to clean up one’s act, fixing something that didn’t get done in one’s first life, or helping someone else find his way. God always has a specific purpose for returning one’s spirit to his body. And He always accomplishes that purpose to the praise and glory of His holy name.
Verse 14 reminds us that there is still one woe to come. And we are informed quite pointedly that it is coming quickly. That simply means God wants to make sure those who celebrated the death of His two prophets understand the judgment that is coming is directly related to their failure to heed the warnings the two prophets spoke for 3 ½ years. When the seventh angel sounds, several things happen simultaneously: 1. The kingdom of the world is instantaneously relinquished to Jesus (v. 15); 2. Jesus begins His earthly reign from heaven; 3. The nations, unwilling to acknowledge His lordship, are enraged; 4. It is the time for judgment to come upon those who have rejected Him and to reward His bondservants, the prophets and saints who fear Him. 5. It is also the time to destroy those who destroy the earth. These five things are contained in this one last woe. Verse 19 gives us what we in contemporary video technology call a split image. John tells us what he sees both in heaven and on the earth. The temple is opened and the Ark of the Covenant appears in heaven while there are flashes of lightening and sounds and peals of thunder and another earthquake occurring on earth. Remember, this is the third earthquake described in the Revelation.
Chapter 11 is chronologically the beginning of the great tribulation which is divided into two 3 ½ year periods of time. The first 3 ½ year period is marked by the prophesying of the two witnesses, called the two olive trees (cf. Rev. 11:4 with Zechariah 4:3, 11, 14) and the two lampstands. It seems the temple, as it existed in Solomon’s time, will be “rebuilt” for the second time. It was originally built by Solomon. It was rebuilt the first time by Herod; and it will be rebuilt the second time by the anti-Christ. The two prophets will prophecy from inside the temple itself while the rest of the holy city, the court yard of the temple, will be given to the nations for the 3 ½ years the prophets prophesy; they will be supernaturally protected by God. It is especially interesting to note that when Jesus came for his first visit to this planet, he came in meekness. He came in humility. When he returns, it will not be in humility. He will be coming as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He will be coming as the conquering King of kings and Lord of lords. And, it is essential to note that, while these two prophets will be witnessing to the truth of the gospel, they will not be doing so in humility. Unlike the saints who have been instructed to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them, these two prophets will be slaying their enemies with fire, which will proceed from their mouths to devour them (11:5). Like Elijah, these two prophets will be able to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the 3 ½ years of their prophesying; and like Moses, they will be able to turn whatever drinkable water is left on the earth to blood. Finally, also like Moses, they will have the power to strike the earth with every plague which has ever been seen on earth, as often as they wish. Of course, the reason the inhabitants of the earth will be so happy when the anti-Christ kills them, is also rather obvious. We are told in verses 7 and 8 that that at the end of their prophesying, God will remove their supernatural protection, the devil will kill them, and their bodies will lie for three days in the streets of Jerusalem.
It seems that all the news stations around the world will have their cameras pointed at the bodies of these two prophets as they lie in the streets. The sick, perverted joy at the sight of them lying in the streets on worldwide satellite television will quickly subside when after three days they come to life before the gaping mouths of the world’s inhabitants, and ascend into heaven. The gifts those who dwell on earth have sent to one another in celebration upon the temporary death of these two prophets will serve as constant reminders of their incredible stupidity. At the very time the two olive trees ascend into the heavens, a great earthquake will destroy 1/10th of the city (Jerusalem); and seven thousand people will die instantly in the rubble caused by that quake.
It really isn’t important to know any more about these two prophets, but I think it is more than just a casual insight to note that both the kinds of miracles they perform and previous scripture indicate they may well be Elijah, John, and Moses. I realize I have named three prophets of old indicating they are the two prophets of Revelation 11. It is clear from scripture there is something eternally special about Moses and Elijah. Moses was “the prophet” who delivered Israel from Egypt. Elijah was “the prophet who shut up the sky so that it did not rain in Israel. He is also “the prophet” referred to in Malachi 4:5 whom Malachi says will be coming “. . . before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.” The great and terrible day of the Lord is likely a reference to the final bowl judgments of Revelation 15:8-16:21. When we compare Malachi’s prophecy to Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:13, “For if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come,” we realize John the Baptist was unique. He was with us first as Elijah; he came a second time as the forerunner of Jesus’ first coming as John the Baptist; and I believe he will be coming a third time with Moses as one of the two witnesses.
If that bothers you, you are certainly welcome to believe these two witnesses of Revelation 11 are two entirely different people. That just isn’t what God’s word says. Personally, I have no problem theologically accepting that God simply decided to incarnate these two individuals more than once because the task they had to perform required it. It is well within the theological and physical power of God to so such a thing. It is not a contradiction of His nature or the revealed word of God. One is not forced to believe in universal reincarnation, as do the fools of the myriad of false eastern religions, just because God reincarnates two of His mightiest prophets in 6,500 years of history. I’m afraid there are great multitudes who throw out the baby with the bath water (sorry for the use of the worn out cliché, but it is so apropos), just because there so many false religions which teach reincarnation. The Eastern religious proclamation on the topic of reincarnation is categorically absurd. However, God has brought back Samuel from the dead (I Sam. 28:12-19), Moses and Elijah (Matt. 17:3), and Elijah as John. Jesus resurrected Lazarus (John 11), the only son of a widow (Matt. 7:15), and Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:54, 55); Peter resurrected Dorcus (Acts 9:36-43), and Elijah resurrected the widows son (I Kings 17:17-23). The statement of Hebrews 9:27, “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.” obviously does not mean God cannot make an exception if and when He chooses to do so. I have not personally verified widespread claims that Christian apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor/teachers are raising the dead quite regularly in many third world (developing) countries; but most certainly, it would not be contrary to what we have had revealed to us thus far from the word of god.
My final word on this subject is this. In all cases when God reincarnates a person, He returns the spirit of that person to the body from which it came. The person’s spirit does not ever enter another body as depicted in so many of Hollywood’s incredibly stupid movies. And the reason for the reincarnation has nothing to do with winning the big game, getting a second chance to clean up one’s act, fixing something that didn’t get done in one’s first life, or helping someone else find his way. God always has a specific purpose for returning one’s spirit to his body. And He always accomplishes that purpose to the praise and glory of His holy name.
Verse 14 reminds us that there is still one woe to come. And we are informed quite pointedly that it is coming quickly. That simply means God wants to make sure those who celebrated the death of His two prophets understand the judgment that is coming is directly related to their failure to heed the warnings the two prophets spoke for 3 ½ years. When the seventh angel sounds, several things happen simultaneously: 1. The kingdom of the world is instantaneously relinquished to Jesus (v. 15); 2. Jesus begins His earthly reign from heaven; 3. The nations, unwilling to acknowledge His lordship, are enraged; 4. It is the time for judgment to come upon those who have rejected Him and to reward His bondservants, the prophets and saints who fear Him. 5. It is also the time to destroy those who destroy the earth. These five things are contained in this one last woe. Verse 19 gives us what we in contemporary video technology call a split image. John tells us what he sees both in heaven and on the earth. The temple is opened and the Ark of the Covenant appears in heaven while there are flashes of lightening and sounds and peals of thunder and another earthquake occurring on earth. Remember, this is the third earthquake described in the Revelation.
The Historical Parenthesis (Revelation 12)
Chapter 8
Chapter 12 is what I call a historical parenthesis. Verses 1 and 2 describe Israel and identify her as the one who gave birth to the Messiah (cf. Gen. 37:9, 10). Verses 3-5 describe the relationship of the devil to the Messiah. He is called the great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns with ten diadems on the heads. The heads are both references to seven kings and the city of Rome, the city which sits upon seven hills (cf. Rev. 17:9-13). It is the city out of which the false church rises. Need any more be said about the Roman Catholic Church? The current ecumenical movement to unite all believers under one banner (not one Lord), will end as it began, in Rome. Is it not strange that Catholic means universal? Is it not obvious that the very reason for the reformation was the heresy of the Catholic Church? Is it not obvious that Satan will finally commit the ultimate expression of his rebellion against all God intends for mankind by leading the greatest awakening of foolishness ever perpetrated upon the mind of man? I tell those of you who are now in the Catholic Church, “Come out of her my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” (Rev. 18:4, 5) She is, even now as I write these words, moving to unite all liberal protestant churches with her into a One World Church which calls itself The World Counsel of Churches. This church will make a covenant with the devil for a time, after which he will break the covenant and kill all who claim loyalty to the church. This is the abomination of desolation described by Daniel in chapter 9 and verse 27 and 12:11. At the end of the 1,290 days the bowl judgments begin. That is why I have concluded the bowl judgments will only take 45 days to complete. The phrase “How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days!” seems to be a reference to the period when Satan’s time is over and Jesus returns to establish His earthly kingdom. During that time the bowl judgments, the final judgments of God on humanity, the most devastating judgments ever to be experienced by the inhabitants of planet earth, are poured out upon them.
Chapter 12 is what I call a historical parenthesis. Verses 1 and 2 describe Israel and identify her as the one who gave birth to the Messiah (cf. Gen. 37:9, 10). Verses 3-5 describe the relationship of the devil to the Messiah. He is called the great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns with ten diadems on the heads. The heads are both references to seven kings and the city of Rome, the city which sits upon seven hills (cf. Rev. 17:9-13). It is the city out of which the false church rises. Need any more be said about the Roman Catholic Church? The current ecumenical movement to unite all believers under one banner (not one Lord), will end as it began, in Rome. Is it not strange that Catholic means universal? Is it not obvious that the very reason for the reformation was the heresy of the Catholic Church? Is it not obvious that Satan will finally commit the ultimate expression of his rebellion against all God intends for mankind by leading the greatest awakening of foolishness ever perpetrated upon the mind of man? I tell those of you who are now in the Catholic Church, “Come out of her my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” (Rev. 18:4, 5) She is, even now as I write these words, moving to unite all liberal protestant churches with her into a One World Church which calls itself The World Counsel of Churches. This church will make a covenant with the devil for a time, after which he will break the covenant and kill all who claim loyalty to the church. This is the abomination of desolation described by Daniel in chapter 9 and verse 27 and 12:11. At the end of the 1,290 days the bowl judgments begin. That is why I have concluded the bowl judgments will only take 45 days to complete. The phrase “How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days!” seems to be a reference to the period when Satan’s time is over and Jesus returns to establish His earthly kingdom. During that time the bowl judgments, the final judgments of God on humanity, the most devastating judgments ever to be experienced by the inhabitants of planet earth, are poured out upon them.
Satan Goes After the Church (Revelation 12:7-12)
Chapter 9
Revelation 12:7-12 explains to us why Satan is so determined to kill the saints. He has done battle with Michael and his angels in heaven and lost. He has been cast to the earth and no longer has access to the throne of God. He has taken one third of the angels with him (cf. 12:4 with verse 9). John lauds believers and warns unbelievers in verses 10-12. He tells unbelievers that the devil is now going to be angry with everyone, even those who have sworn allegiance to him, because he has gone absolutely berserk. He again goes after the 144,000 divinely protected Israelis, gets even angrier when God supernaturally opens the earth and swallows up the flood of waters he is trying to use to destroy Israel in the wilderness (12:15, 16), and uses his final burst of energy going after those Christians who are still left on earth. These are described in 12:17 as those, “who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”
Chapters 13:1 through 14:15 summarize Satan’s 3 ½ year temper tantrum. Angry that God is supernaturally protecting the 144,000 sealed from Israel, he goes after those who have been providing them shelter and refuge, those nations who have openly provided them arms and munitions to fight against their enemies for the previous decades. Today the only nation doing that is the United States. Though we who live here know full well this is not a Christian nation, the Muslim world and its allies look upon us as the enemy who arms their enemy, Israel. Our support of Israel has been open and entirely above board for at least four decades. It has only been recently that Muslim nations have had sufficient numbers and munitions to fight back; and that is what they are doing even as I write these words. Millions of Muslims are working in cell groups around the world, especially in the United States and those places where U.S. embassies stand, to kill, maim, or silence any way possible what they perceive as the Christian assault on their way of life. As prophesied by Jesus, they truly believe they are doing God a favor by killing us.
I suspect this country will be relatively powerless to help Israel during this period of history; but of course, God will not be. He will divinely protect the temple for forty-two months. At the end of forty-two months, the antichrist will enter the temple, declare himself god (Daniel 9:31; 12:11; Matt. 24:15), and send his troops around the world to gather up and martyr all those claiming to be followers of Jesus Christ. Chapter 13 describes his rise to power. He is the dragon who stands on the sand of the seashore. The beast who comes out of the sea is the human agent to whom Satan will give his power and authority. He is described as coming out of the sea. The sea is used in the Revelation to describe the populations of the world. This description simply means he is a man of the world. He is not a supernatural angelic being, though he will have incredible powers given to him by Satan. He is a human. He will undoubtedly have powers of speech much like Napoleon and Hitler. He will amaze and mesmerize his listeners when he speaks. The ten heads and seven horns are difficult to interpret because each has dual meanings and John doesn’t explain this until chapter 17 of the Revelation. The ten heads represent ten kingdoms (17:12). I will expand on the covenant the beast will make with the false church when we get to chapter 17. The seven heads represent two things: 1. the seven mountains upon which the woman sits (17:9, Rome); 2. seven kings (17:10). I will also expand that thought when we get to chapter 17. For now it is important that we remember this is the 3 ½ year period when Satan will be wreaking havoc upon the earth. He and the world think he is in charge; in actuality, he is like a crazed man, running to and fro trying to look important and powerful. He knows he only has a short time to convince the world he is god and take as many as possible with him into eternal hellfire and damnation. I’m sure, in the back of his mind somewhere, he thinks he still has enough time to gather sufficient forces to defeat God and His angelic forces and actually take over the universe. After all, when a human looks at the incredibly destructive power our current nuclear technology can muster, it seems natural to think it might be enough to overthrow God himself.
In 1945 the United States dropped two atomic bombs, the first on Hiroshima and the second on Nagasaki, (the forerunners to our current nuclear stockpile) and killed approximately 135,000 innocent Japanese people. The devastation was sickening. In II Kings 19:35 one angel of the lord killed 185,000 Assyrians in one night. That is power my beloved brethren; and Satan apparently hasn’t a clue what he is up against.
Verse 2 of chapter 13 describes the beast (Satan’s emissary) as like a leopard, with feet like those of a bear, and a mouth like that of a lion. These three images symbolize speed, power, and authority. The leopard is one of the swifter animals of the jungle, the bear one of the most powerful, and the lion is known as the king of the jungle. The phrase, “And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and his authority.” lends credence to the meaning of the symbols of the leopard, the bear, and the lion. Daniel 7:3-8 tells us these animals also represent three kingdoms that have arisen; the fourth will be the kingdom of the antichrist (Dan. 7:7). Daniel 7:8 indicates the antichrist will, at some time during his reign, dethrone the first three kings; so obviously they will also be kings reigning during the final hours of history.
Verse 3 of chapter 13 has always given interpreters trouble. Again, the symbol of the head has more than one meaning, thus the problem with the interpretation. One of his heads could mean one of his kings. In that case, it would mean the antichrist actually resurrects one of the kings who has temporarily given his kingdom over to the authority of the antichrist (Rev. 17:13). Such a feat would certainly cause a stir. It would convince great multitudes he has the power over death. Only prophets of God and Jesus himself have ever done that before.
There’s a little known verse in the Zechariah where God says, “I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for the perishing, seek the scattered, heal the broken, or sustain the one standing, but will devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs.” Specifically in verse 17, He says, “Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock! A sword will be on his arm and on his right eye! His arm will be totally withered and his right eye will be blind.” (Zech. 11:15-17). Quite possibly such a wound will identify the antichrist but will not be the miracle he performs here to astound the world. More likely this will identify someone who will be closely connected with the antichrist. When this person is revealed, those who are familiar with the verse will remember it and realize we are in the final 7 years of history.
Some interpret this verse to mean the beast himself (Satan’s human emissary) will die and come back to life, thus imitating the resurrection of Jesus. Tim LaHaye’s series Left Behind indicates that he thinks this is an acceptable interpretation of this verse. And while it isn’t critical we know exactly what the verse means, it is helpful to use the juxtaposition of the pronouns to determine who this person most likely is.
The previous sentence has been interpreted from the Greek to render, “And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and his great authority.” “Him” is a reference to the beast. His heads are the kings who have given him their authority. Therefore, it seems obvious the beast will resurrect one of his kings, who has likely been assassinated by an unhappy constituent. That is an easy scenario to imagine, and the text seems to support such an interpretation better than any of the other myriads that have been offered. Such a feat would be significant enough to amaze the world and cause them to worship the beast saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with Him?” The blasphemy he speaks here is the abomination of desolation referred to in Daniel 9:27 and 12:11,
And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to the sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until the complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured on the one who makes desolate.
From the time of the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.
Without straying from the specifics of the Revelation, it is important to note that three chapters is Daniel—7, 9, and 12—all provide an abundance of information that serves to verify the events as well as their timing as recorded here in the Revelation to John. At this point of the tribulation (remember we are in the final 3 ½ years) the beast goes after the saints. Note the intentional non-authoritative authority the beast has been given here. The phrase, “It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.” Satan, whose only authority is that which has been given to him by Jesus for this very brief period of time, apparently gives this authority to the beast. And of course, the beast uses it to deceive the nations. While the havoc and destruction he brings during this period will certainly be real, it is critical for Jesus’ followers to understand such havoc and destruction will be both short lived and meaningless when measured against eternity.
Many believers will become victims of this assault. They will be martyred in rather large numbers. We believers are instructed not to resist this martyrdom in Revelation 13:10, “If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and faith of the saints.” The saints must understand during this period of martyrdom, such martyrdom is the perfect will of God and will result in great reward for those who suffer it (see Rev. 20:4, 5). During the millennial reign of Christ, these saints will reign with Him for that thousand years. They will judge the nations (see also Zechariah 14:9-21). I will spend a great deal more time explaining the millennial reign of Christ when we get to Revelation 20. For now, I will only point out that it will be a one thousand year period of time when Jesus will be physically present and ruling on the earth as its King.
A second beast rises from the earth in Revelation 13:11. He is described as having two horns like a lamb, which simply means the horns are on his head not his nose. He also speaks like a dragon. That simply means he has some of the same authority as the first beast. We are also told he exercises all the authority of the first beast while in his presence. That simply means he gets his authority as a direct result of his political ties to the first beast. This second beast (a king of one of the nations who has risen to the position of personal attendant of the beast), makes the inhabitants of the world to worship the antichrist. This second beast will be able to perform signs. These signs will be significant when compared to the magic performed by small time magicians. They will have to be. Otherwise, the world would just laugh at him. He will be able to make fire come down from heaven. Obviously it will have to be something like the fire that descended when Elijah was mocking the prophets of Baal in I Kings 18:36-40. We recently had a lightening bolt strike the ground near our home in Montana. The noise was deafening. I’m not sure I can imagine what it would be like standing next to someone, watching him command a lightning bolt from heaven to strike the earth. Everything this second beast does will be done to bring attention to the first beast. And the first beast will have all the authority and power Satan is capable of giving. He may at some point be indwelt by Satan. I see no reason to believe Satan himself ever inhabits a human body. It seems it is too risky a thing to do considering what happened to those Jesus sent into the swine; and his abject failure when he entered Judas Iscariot would seem to suggest he won’t take that chance again.
This assistant to the antichrist will also perform miracles. He will actually give breath to an image of the beast, which will evidently make some think the image has come to life. It is at this point (13:14) that we see the third reference to the beast who has had the wound of the sword and has come to life (see also 13:3 and 12). These two references seem to indicate the first beast is the one who had the fatal wound (a death blow) and has healed himself. Again, I don’t think it is paramount we know whether the antichrist resurrects himself or another ruler. Of course, if he resurrects himself, it would fool those false believers who would liken it to the historical record of Christ’s resurrection. Finally, the reference to the wound of the sword simply means he was killed by someone; he did not die from some illness or natural cause.
It is at this point the antichrist introduces his infamous mark. He wants to identify and eliminate all Christians in the world, so he comes up with a clever way to identify them. He requires everyone who wants to do business in his one world economy to receive a mark in their forehead and/or the back of their hand. One of the major reasons so many contemporary prophets believe the final hours of history are upon us is that this technology has been in its experimental stages for over twenty years now. It was first introduced in prisons in the eighties as an experiment to identify prisoners. It is part of the idea of a cashless society that is also being ushered in as I write these words. This mark will enable the one who has it to conduct business without the use of credit cards, which have proven they are easily stolen and/or duplicated.
This technology is so commonly known about today that there is little resistance to the idea now. Twenty years ago the resistance to human branding was astronomical. The current form of this technology consists of injecting a tiny microchip with a surgical needle just under the skin into the back of the hand and into the forehead. We already had a similar device injected into the neck of two of our dogs. Of course we only had that done thinking it would enable anyone who found them, should they stray off, to identify them and return them to us. It never occurred to me when we had them injected this was the same technology. And of course, it isn’t the mark of the antichrist that was injected into my animals, but it is the same application of the same kind of technology. The injection referred to in Rev. 13:16, which brands its recipients with the mark of the antichrist, will have a lot more information in it. It will have one’s social security number preceded by the numbers 666; it will have bank information much like the information in that little black stripe on the back of bank cards; it may have criminal information; certainly, it can be set up so such information can be added later. It will be much like downloading information to your computer; and it will likely have a record of all your purchases for the past decade or so.
I have written one novel and started another, dealing with what Christians should be doing to prepare themselves for this period. It will last no more than 3 ½ years and may well be significantly shorter. We aren’t told exactly at what point in the last 3 ½ years of his reign the beast will institute this program. A few things are important to consider. Christians will not be able to buy or sell during this time because they will refuse to receive the mark (see Rev. 14:9, 10 and 20:4). At least for a few years, we will have to have some alternative way to get food; and we will not likely be able to live in our regular homes because doing so will require us to pay utilities and taxes which will not be possible without the mark of the beast. Therefore, we will get caught, jailed, and in some cases martyred, or we will be living off the land at some remote location. Of course there are those who think we will not be here. I suppose it will be easier for us to prepare if they are right. The problem is they are wrong. Considering the abundance of instruction given to us, i.e., to read, hear, and heed the words of this prophecy, I simply can’t help but be adamant about what I perceive to be fact. I have already addressed that subject at length, so I won’t do so again. If, by some strange twist of the truth there is something I have failed to grasp and my pre-tribulation brothers are right, this information will still serve well those who are here during the tribulation who are not yet saved but who will still refuse to accept the mark of the beast.
I moved to Montana with my dear wife in 1993 because I am convinced we will be here during the tribulation; Montana is arguably one of the best places in the entire United States to live off of the land. Wild game is plentiful, and there are huge areas that are unsettled and relatively undisturbed by human hands. While the winters are brutal, those who have lived here a few years know it is possible to sustain oneself through them if properly prepared. Any book written by a survivalist will provide the information needed for basic survival in sub zero weather. Just remember, if you’ve never experienced 90 degrees below zero, you have no idea how brutal it can be. You also have no idea that such temperatures can be tolerated when one is properly equipped. Finally, a shotgun for small game, a high powered rifle for large game, minimal fishing gear, and a dependable way to start a fire are the minimum requirements for one to be able to provide himself food and warmth in the cold.
The simplest way to start a fire without matches is the Indian way with the stick, the string, and the piece of wood upon which the stick is rubbed. A little tender at the base of the stick will quickly ignite when the point where the stick meets the board gets hot. The string wrapped around the stick makes it easy to move the stick fast enough to cause the necessary friction to get the stick hot enough to ignite the tender. Just a thought. Of course, if one can carry waterproof matches that would even be easier. This book is not intended to be a survival manual, so I’ll stop with the specific survival information. It is sufficient for any who are here during the tribulation to know they will have to do something similar to what I have suggested, surrender to the antichrist, and go to jail or to their death. Those will be your only options.
I got some rather troubling news a few years back that I didn’t recognize as such until just recently. It seems the number 666 is going to be connected to our social security numbers. In a book called The Cashless Society the author photocopied some social security checks that had been sent out by accident. Those checks had the numbers 666 stamped on the back. That number was the guarantee the checks were genuine. It seems our government inadvertently sent these checks out. They were experimental. I am almost sixty-three years old. I am currently looking forward to retiring in 3 ½ years at which time, God willing, I will begin getting my social security checks.
Of course, if we have entered the final years of the tribulation, that will not be possible. That’s both good and bad news. The bad news is obvious. The good news will be that there will only be two or three years left before Jesus will return and establish His one thousand year millennial reign. Of course, I won’t need social security then. Hallelujah, and amen! Anyway, for all who will be here, the numbers 666 are those that identify the unholy king and his unholy kingdom. Beware! DO NOT IGNORE THIS WARNING! ONCE YOU RECEIVE THE MARK OF THE BEAST, YOU WILL NOT EVER BE ABLE TO CHANGE THE DECISION TO DO SO. IT IS THE MARK THAT WILL GUARANTEE YOU WILL SPEND FOREVER IN THE ETERNAL LAKE OF FIRE, WHICH HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS AND ANY WHO RECEIVE THE MARK OF THE BEAST.
Revelation 12:7-12 explains to us why Satan is so determined to kill the saints. He has done battle with Michael and his angels in heaven and lost. He has been cast to the earth and no longer has access to the throne of God. He has taken one third of the angels with him (cf. 12:4 with verse 9). John lauds believers and warns unbelievers in verses 10-12. He tells unbelievers that the devil is now going to be angry with everyone, even those who have sworn allegiance to him, because he has gone absolutely berserk. He again goes after the 144,000 divinely protected Israelis, gets even angrier when God supernaturally opens the earth and swallows up the flood of waters he is trying to use to destroy Israel in the wilderness (12:15, 16), and uses his final burst of energy going after those Christians who are still left on earth. These are described in 12:17 as those, “who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”
Chapters 13:1 through 14:15 summarize Satan’s 3 ½ year temper tantrum. Angry that God is supernaturally protecting the 144,000 sealed from Israel, he goes after those who have been providing them shelter and refuge, those nations who have openly provided them arms and munitions to fight against their enemies for the previous decades. Today the only nation doing that is the United States. Though we who live here know full well this is not a Christian nation, the Muslim world and its allies look upon us as the enemy who arms their enemy, Israel. Our support of Israel has been open and entirely above board for at least four decades. It has only been recently that Muslim nations have had sufficient numbers and munitions to fight back; and that is what they are doing even as I write these words. Millions of Muslims are working in cell groups around the world, especially in the United States and those places where U.S. embassies stand, to kill, maim, or silence any way possible what they perceive as the Christian assault on their way of life. As prophesied by Jesus, they truly believe they are doing God a favor by killing us.
I suspect this country will be relatively powerless to help Israel during this period of history; but of course, God will not be. He will divinely protect the temple for forty-two months. At the end of forty-two months, the antichrist will enter the temple, declare himself god (Daniel 9:31; 12:11; Matt. 24:15), and send his troops around the world to gather up and martyr all those claiming to be followers of Jesus Christ. Chapter 13 describes his rise to power. He is the dragon who stands on the sand of the seashore. The beast who comes out of the sea is the human agent to whom Satan will give his power and authority. He is described as coming out of the sea. The sea is used in the Revelation to describe the populations of the world. This description simply means he is a man of the world. He is not a supernatural angelic being, though he will have incredible powers given to him by Satan. He is a human. He will undoubtedly have powers of speech much like Napoleon and Hitler. He will amaze and mesmerize his listeners when he speaks. The ten heads and seven horns are difficult to interpret because each has dual meanings and John doesn’t explain this until chapter 17 of the Revelation. The ten heads represent ten kingdoms (17:12). I will expand on the covenant the beast will make with the false church when we get to chapter 17. The seven heads represent two things: 1. the seven mountains upon which the woman sits (17:9, Rome); 2. seven kings (17:10). I will also expand that thought when we get to chapter 17. For now it is important that we remember this is the 3 ½ year period when Satan will be wreaking havoc upon the earth. He and the world think he is in charge; in actuality, he is like a crazed man, running to and fro trying to look important and powerful. He knows he only has a short time to convince the world he is god and take as many as possible with him into eternal hellfire and damnation. I’m sure, in the back of his mind somewhere, he thinks he still has enough time to gather sufficient forces to defeat God and His angelic forces and actually take over the universe. After all, when a human looks at the incredibly destructive power our current nuclear technology can muster, it seems natural to think it might be enough to overthrow God himself.
In 1945 the United States dropped two atomic bombs, the first on Hiroshima and the second on Nagasaki, (the forerunners to our current nuclear stockpile) and killed approximately 135,000 innocent Japanese people. The devastation was sickening. In II Kings 19:35 one angel of the lord killed 185,000 Assyrians in one night. That is power my beloved brethren; and Satan apparently hasn’t a clue what he is up against.
Verse 2 of chapter 13 describes the beast (Satan’s emissary) as like a leopard, with feet like those of a bear, and a mouth like that of a lion. These three images symbolize speed, power, and authority. The leopard is one of the swifter animals of the jungle, the bear one of the most powerful, and the lion is known as the king of the jungle. The phrase, “And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and his authority.” lends credence to the meaning of the symbols of the leopard, the bear, and the lion. Daniel 7:3-8 tells us these animals also represent three kingdoms that have arisen; the fourth will be the kingdom of the antichrist (Dan. 7:7). Daniel 7:8 indicates the antichrist will, at some time during his reign, dethrone the first three kings; so obviously they will also be kings reigning during the final hours of history.
Verse 3 of chapter 13 has always given interpreters trouble. Again, the symbol of the head has more than one meaning, thus the problem with the interpretation. One of his heads could mean one of his kings. In that case, it would mean the antichrist actually resurrects one of the kings who has temporarily given his kingdom over to the authority of the antichrist (Rev. 17:13). Such a feat would certainly cause a stir. It would convince great multitudes he has the power over death. Only prophets of God and Jesus himself have ever done that before.
There’s a little known verse in the Zechariah where God says, “I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for the perishing, seek the scattered, heal the broken, or sustain the one standing, but will devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs.” Specifically in verse 17, He says, “Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock! A sword will be on his arm and on his right eye! His arm will be totally withered and his right eye will be blind.” (Zech. 11:15-17). Quite possibly such a wound will identify the antichrist but will not be the miracle he performs here to astound the world. More likely this will identify someone who will be closely connected with the antichrist. When this person is revealed, those who are familiar with the verse will remember it and realize we are in the final 7 years of history.
Some interpret this verse to mean the beast himself (Satan’s human emissary) will die and come back to life, thus imitating the resurrection of Jesus. Tim LaHaye’s series Left Behind indicates that he thinks this is an acceptable interpretation of this verse. And while it isn’t critical we know exactly what the verse means, it is helpful to use the juxtaposition of the pronouns to determine who this person most likely is.
The previous sentence has been interpreted from the Greek to render, “And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and his great authority.” “Him” is a reference to the beast. His heads are the kings who have given him their authority. Therefore, it seems obvious the beast will resurrect one of his kings, who has likely been assassinated by an unhappy constituent. That is an easy scenario to imagine, and the text seems to support such an interpretation better than any of the other myriads that have been offered. Such a feat would be significant enough to amaze the world and cause them to worship the beast saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with Him?” The blasphemy he speaks here is the abomination of desolation referred to in Daniel 9:27 and 12:11,
And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to the sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until the complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured on the one who makes desolate.
From the time of the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.
Without straying from the specifics of the Revelation, it is important to note that three chapters is Daniel—7, 9, and 12—all provide an abundance of information that serves to verify the events as well as their timing as recorded here in the Revelation to John. At this point of the tribulation (remember we are in the final 3 ½ years) the beast goes after the saints. Note the intentional non-authoritative authority the beast has been given here. The phrase, “It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.” Satan, whose only authority is that which has been given to him by Jesus for this very brief period of time, apparently gives this authority to the beast. And of course, the beast uses it to deceive the nations. While the havoc and destruction he brings during this period will certainly be real, it is critical for Jesus’ followers to understand such havoc and destruction will be both short lived and meaningless when measured against eternity.
Many believers will become victims of this assault. They will be martyred in rather large numbers. We believers are instructed not to resist this martyrdom in Revelation 13:10, “If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and faith of the saints.” The saints must understand during this period of martyrdom, such martyrdom is the perfect will of God and will result in great reward for those who suffer it (see Rev. 20:4, 5). During the millennial reign of Christ, these saints will reign with Him for that thousand years. They will judge the nations (see also Zechariah 14:9-21). I will spend a great deal more time explaining the millennial reign of Christ when we get to Revelation 20. For now, I will only point out that it will be a one thousand year period of time when Jesus will be physically present and ruling on the earth as its King.
A second beast rises from the earth in Revelation 13:11. He is described as having two horns like a lamb, which simply means the horns are on his head not his nose. He also speaks like a dragon. That simply means he has some of the same authority as the first beast. We are also told he exercises all the authority of the first beast while in his presence. That simply means he gets his authority as a direct result of his political ties to the first beast. This second beast (a king of one of the nations who has risen to the position of personal attendant of the beast), makes the inhabitants of the world to worship the antichrist. This second beast will be able to perform signs. These signs will be significant when compared to the magic performed by small time magicians. They will have to be. Otherwise, the world would just laugh at him. He will be able to make fire come down from heaven. Obviously it will have to be something like the fire that descended when Elijah was mocking the prophets of Baal in I Kings 18:36-40. We recently had a lightening bolt strike the ground near our home in Montana. The noise was deafening. I’m not sure I can imagine what it would be like standing next to someone, watching him command a lightning bolt from heaven to strike the earth. Everything this second beast does will be done to bring attention to the first beast. And the first beast will have all the authority and power Satan is capable of giving. He may at some point be indwelt by Satan. I see no reason to believe Satan himself ever inhabits a human body. It seems it is too risky a thing to do considering what happened to those Jesus sent into the swine; and his abject failure when he entered Judas Iscariot would seem to suggest he won’t take that chance again.
This assistant to the antichrist will also perform miracles. He will actually give breath to an image of the beast, which will evidently make some think the image has come to life. It is at this point (13:14) that we see the third reference to the beast who has had the wound of the sword and has come to life (see also 13:3 and 12). These two references seem to indicate the first beast is the one who had the fatal wound (a death blow) and has healed himself. Again, I don’t think it is paramount we know whether the antichrist resurrects himself or another ruler. Of course, if he resurrects himself, it would fool those false believers who would liken it to the historical record of Christ’s resurrection. Finally, the reference to the wound of the sword simply means he was killed by someone; he did not die from some illness or natural cause.
It is at this point the antichrist introduces his infamous mark. He wants to identify and eliminate all Christians in the world, so he comes up with a clever way to identify them. He requires everyone who wants to do business in his one world economy to receive a mark in their forehead and/or the back of their hand. One of the major reasons so many contemporary prophets believe the final hours of history are upon us is that this technology has been in its experimental stages for over twenty years now. It was first introduced in prisons in the eighties as an experiment to identify prisoners. It is part of the idea of a cashless society that is also being ushered in as I write these words. This mark will enable the one who has it to conduct business without the use of credit cards, which have proven they are easily stolen and/or duplicated.
This technology is so commonly known about today that there is little resistance to the idea now. Twenty years ago the resistance to human branding was astronomical. The current form of this technology consists of injecting a tiny microchip with a surgical needle just under the skin into the back of the hand and into the forehead. We already had a similar device injected into the neck of two of our dogs. Of course we only had that done thinking it would enable anyone who found them, should they stray off, to identify them and return them to us. It never occurred to me when we had them injected this was the same technology. And of course, it isn’t the mark of the antichrist that was injected into my animals, but it is the same application of the same kind of technology. The injection referred to in Rev. 13:16, which brands its recipients with the mark of the antichrist, will have a lot more information in it. It will have one’s social security number preceded by the numbers 666; it will have bank information much like the information in that little black stripe on the back of bank cards; it may have criminal information; certainly, it can be set up so such information can be added later. It will be much like downloading information to your computer; and it will likely have a record of all your purchases for the past decade or so.
I have written one novel and started another, dealing with what Christians should be doing to prepare themselves for this period. It will last no more than 3 ½ years and may well be significantly shorter. We aren’t told exactly at what point in the last 3 ½ years of his reign the beast will institute this program. A few things are important to consider. Christians will not be able to buy or sell during this time because they will refuse to receive the mark (see Rev. 14:9, 10 and 20:4). At least for a few years, we will have to have some alternative way to get food; and we will not likely be able to live in our regular homes because doing so will require us to pay utilities and taxes which will not be possible without the mark of the beast. Therefore, we will get caught, jailed, and in some cases martyred, or we will be living off the land at some remote location. Of course there are those who think we will not be here. I suppose it will be easier for us to prepare if they are right. The problem is they are wrong. Considering the abundance of instruction given to us, i.e., to read, hear, and heed the words of this prophecy, I simply can’t help but be adamant about what I perceive to be fact. I have already addressed that subject at length, so I won’t do so again. If, by some strange twist of the truth there is something I have failed to grasp and my pre-tribulation brothers are right, this information will still serve well those who are here during the tribulation who are not yet saved but who will still refuse to accept the mark of the beast.
I moved to Montana with my dear wife in 1993 because I am convinced we will be here during the tribulation; Montana is arguably one of the best places in the entire United States to live off of the land. Wild game is plentiful, and there are huge areas that are unsettled and relatively undisturbed by human hands. While the winters are brutal, those who have lived here a few years know it is possible to sustain oneself through them if properly prepared. Any book written by a survivalist will provide the information needed for basic survival in sub zero weather. Just remember, if you’ve never experienced 90 degrees below zero, you have no idea how brutal it can be. You also have no idea that such temperatures can be tolerated when one is properly equipped. Finally, a shotgun for small game, a high powered rifle for large game, minimal fishing gear, and a dependable way to start a fire are the minimum requirements for one to be able to provide himself food and warmth in the cold.
The simplest way to start a fire without matches is the Indian way with the stick, the string, and the piece of wood upon which the stick is rubbed. A little tender at the base of the stick will quickly ignite when the point where the stick meets the board gets hot. The string wrapped around the stick makes it easy to move the stick fast enough to cause the necessary friction to get the stick hot enough to ignite the tender. Just a thought. Of course, if one can carry waterproof matches that would even be easier. This book is not intended to be a survival manual, so I’ll stop with the specific survival information. It is sufficient for any who are here during the tribulation to know they will have to do something similar to what I have suggested, surrender to the antichrist, and go to jail or to their death. Those will be your only options.
I got some rather troubling news a few years back that I didn’t recognize as such until just recently. It seems the number 666 is going to be connected to our social security numbers. In a book called The Cashless Society the author photocopied some social security checks that had been sent out by accident. Those checks had the numbers 666 stamped on the back. That number was the guarantee the checks were genuine. It seems our government inadvertently sent these checks out. They were experimental. I am almost sixty-three years old. I am currently looking forward to retiring in 3 ½ years at which time, God willing, I will begin getting my social security checks.
Of course, if we have entered the final years of the tribulation, that will not be possible. That’s both good and bad news. The bad news is obvious. The good news will be that there will only be two or three years left before Jesus will return and establish His one thousand year millennial reign. Of course, I won’t need social security then. Hallelujah, and amen! Anyway, for all who will be here, the numbers 666 are those that identify the unholy king and his unholy kingdom. Beware! DO NOT IGNORE THIS WARNING! ONCE YOU RECEIVE THE MARK OF THE BEAST, YOU WILL NOT EVER BE ABLE TO CHANGE THE DECISION TO DO SO. IT IS THE MARK THAT WILL GUARANTEE YOU WILL SPEND FOREVER IN THE ETERNAL LAKE OF FIRE, WHICH HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS AND ANY WHO RECEIVE THE MARK OF THE BEAST.
The Rapture of the Real and False Church (Revelation 14)
Chapter 10
If I understand the rapture correctly, it seems very few others do. Chapter 14 begins with John seeing Jesus standing on Mount Zion accompanied by the 144,000 Jews He had sealed in chapter 7. They have His name written on their foreheads and they sing a new song that only they know. They are described as chaste. They are virgin men. Ladies, please don’t get yourselves in an uproar. I didn’t choose this group; Jesus did. The only connection I can make to interpret this literally is found in Paul’s comments about such people being able to devote their entire lives to the service of God. Since it is obvious that is exactly what this group is doing, it seems appropriate to interpret the fact that they have not been defiled with women literally. While sexual intercourse with one’s wife is not sin, it is clear from the Old Testament that both the male and female were considered unclean when they engaged in it and had to undergo purification before they were considered clean. Both David’s encounter with the priest while fleeing from Saul and the law as found in Leviticus 15, make it clear that one had to undergo cleansing after engaging in sexual activity. (I Sam. 21:4, 5; Lev. 12; 15:16-18). There are those who prefer to interpret this as symbolic. I simply prefer to follow the rule I heard first mentioned by Dwight J. Pentecost in his book Things to Come about the final hours of history, “If the literal sense makes good sense, seek no other sense.” Here, the literal sense makes good sense, though it will undoubtedly rub great multitudes of women’s rights activists the wrong way. Because God is not intimidated by our cultural mores, I am likewise inclined to ignore them.
If one chooses to interpret the verse symbolically, he will see these 144,000 as chaste with regards to their devotion to Christ. Of course, such a statement seems utterly nonsensical to me. Why would it be important to make such a declaration? No one would be standing with Jesus who was an idolater. I will offer this last thought before moving on. It seems from the mood of the text that this group of 144,000 has specifically set themselves aside, believing Jesus is returning soon. They have dedicated themselves to the complete, unhindered worship of our Lord. They are the quintessential Jews for Jesus. While it is not absolutely necessary we believe they are the same group described in Revelation 7, it is clear they are Jews. Verse 1 makes that connection. The Lamb was standing on Mount Zion. That is the mount that has been identified with the nation of Israel for over three thousand years. If we are, in fact, living in the final hours of history, these Jews for Jesus are, at this very moment, beginning to gather themselves together in preparation for the second coming of their Messiah. Wow! What a glorious period of history in which to be living! And all of God’s people said ________________!
The final thoughts about this group are given to us in verse 5. “And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.” This is indeed an extraordinary group. They are chaste men who speak the truth and live holy lives. No one who lives today and commits to a serious study of what it means to speak the truth and to live blameless will take this description of 144,000 real live human beings lightly. I’m relatively certain it would be difficult to find 144 people in America today whom we could describe as having no lie found in their mouth and blameless, much less 144,000. The point is this. These men are extraordinary. They are men who have prepared themselves by the power of God for this day and hour. They are sold out to the perfect will of their Messiah; and they are Jews.
Now comes the juice. Three angels are about to usher in three major events. Angel one ushers in the most powerful period of preaching of the gospel the earth has ever known. Angel two identifies the fall of the false church. And angel three ushers in the rapture. Verses 6 and 7 speak of a time when the declaration of the gospel will be powerful and worldwide. It is to be preached to those who live on earth, to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. This message is a little more direct that the one the church has proclaimed heretofore. “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.” Notice this message addresses those things upon which He has ushered cataclysmic upheaval.
Those to whom the message is preached have just recently seen this God about whom these preachers are speaking wreak havoc on this heaven, earth, sea, and springs of waters about which they speak. In other words, brothers and sisters, they have had the ultimate object lesson given them to help them understand the message these preachers are bringing to them. None of them will be able to legitimately say, “Show us a sign.” Of course, I also believe, based upon historical precedents, that the preachers of the final hours of history will again be healing the sick and raising the dead as did first century apostles and prophets. When antichrist has been active in the past, the Holy Spirit has been even more active demonstrating clearly the difference between that which is clean and that which is unclean.
Verse 8 describes the fall of the false church. When the second angel speaks, he says, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.” It is here where my beloved pre-tribulation brethren again get confused. It is their pre-disposition to the pre-tribulation rapture theory that requires them to interpret literally things that should be interpreted figuratively and to interpret figuratively things that should be interpreted literally. Here, Babylon is a figurative reference to the first place in the history of mankind when he began building an edifice into the heavens and unto his own glory.
Today, many such edifices stand. The Crystal Cathedral, begun by Dr. Schuler and the San Dimas Walk-in/Drive-In Church, begun by David Ray, are similar edifices built to show the glory and majesty of man. Today there are literally hundreds of such edifices which have been built in America in the past thirty years by some of the wealthier congregations. I often watch the ten or more full time Christian broadcasting stations offered on Direct TV. And while I am sometimes a little awed at the incredible buildings some of these well meaning groups have constructed, I can’t help but think Jesus must be looking at them in disgust. I sometimes can’t help but think some of our contemporary preachers are trying to compete with Solomon. It seems some of them think their holiness is a direct reflect reflection of the size and elegance of the buildings they have constructed. I believe they are direct affronts to the glory and majesty of God. They are filled with stained glass, crystal, fancy windows, even fancier altars, huge glass podiums, plush pews, million dollar audio-visual systems, and preachers who wear thousand dollar suits, two hundred dollar ties, two hundred dollar shoes, diamond rings, Rolex Watches, and often preach the doctrine of demons. I suspect the first earthquake, spoken of in Revelation 6:12-17, will swallow up most if not all of these outlandish tabernacles of men. And to think, the leadership of these churches actually spent the money their members gave for ministry to build these towers of Babylon. I had the unfortunate opportunity to have gotten married in the one in San Dimas. The marriage wasn’t unfortunate, just the fact that we didn’t have the sense to find another place to perform our vows. The ultimate example in the world today of such ungodly foolishness is the building we call the Sistine Chapel.
The Pope is the ultimate spirit of antichrist on planet earth today. He is not the antichrist. But in him resides the spirit of antichrist. For about 1800 years the Catholic church has persecuted true believers. While the reformation only began about 600 years ago, the Universal (Catholic) church of the Roman Empire has been led by heretical teachers since the inauguration of the first Pope, and it has expelled, exiled, and martyred millions. When the beast comes, his first order of business will be to make a covenant with the ecumenical church (the Catholic and liberal protestant church alliance), which he will honor for the first 3 ½ years of the tribulation (Dan. 9:27). In the middle of the tribulation, he will break that covenant, set himself up as the King of kings, and reign as such for the final 3 ½ years of the tribulation. Those who hold the pre-tribulation view have to interpret this covenant as occurring with the nation of Israel because, based upon their pre-tribulation theory, the church will be gone. And, while I have to reject that interpretation, I also have a hard time identifying this abomination in Rome as a church at all. Two things strike me as important. First, there will be some who are part of this abomination who will be called out of that church in the final 3 ½ years of history (Rev. 18:4). Second, this church, filled with its false teachings, teachers, and prophets will be raptured with the true church (Rev. 14:15-20). This is that which I wrote about at the beginning of this chapter.
These verses seem to indicate that both real and false believers will be raptured at nearly the same time. Read them. It really is incredible. The first angel reaps and gathers in the earth’s harvest (vv. 14-16). These are true believers. Then another angel comes who also has a sharp sickle who reaps, but this one reaps the clusters (unbelievers) from the vine of the earth (an illusion to the doctrine of antichrist), and throws them into the great wine press of the wrath of God (clearly not a good thing), which is trodden outside the city (of the false church, vv. 17-20). The blood of these false believers fills a valley for a distance of two hundred miles to a depth of about 3 ½ feet. Please don’t ask me to explain this in light of all we already know about this period. Few will accept what I have to say until someone with the appropriate credentials discovers it. In the final analysis, some will only realize is true when it actually happens. Maybe some of you will actually be reading these words when the event occurs. If so, please read on and be aware that you will still have one more opportunity to declare your love for Jesus if you survive the forty-five days which follow the rapture.
I want to say one last thing about this two-fold rapture which has never been revealed in any commentary on the Revelation of which I am aware. I suggest there is a very logical reason God would rapture both true believers and false ones at the same time. Jesus’ warning in Luke 17 and James 3:1 indicate there will be a special place prepared in hell for those who have purposefully led anyone away from the true knowledge of saving grace. My guess is that false teachers will be in the cell right next to the devil himself
If I understand the rapture correctly, it seems very few others do. Chapter 14 begins with John seeing Jesus standing on Mount Zion accompanied by the 144,000 Jews He had sealed in chapter 7. They have His name written on their foreheads and they sing a new song that only they know. They are described as chaste. They are virgin men. Ladies, please don’t get yourselves in an uproar. I didn’t choose this group; Jesus did. The only connection I can make to interpret this literally is found in Paul’s comments about such people being able to devote their entire lives to the service of God. Since it is obvious that is exactly what this group is doing, it seems appropriate to interpret the fact that they have not been defiled with women literally. While sexual intercourse with one’s wife is not sin, it is clear from the Old Testament that both the male and female were considered unclean when they engaged in it and had to undergo purification before they were considered clean. Both David’s encounter with the priest while fleeing from Saul and the law as found in Leviticus 15, make it clear that one had to undergo cleansing after engaging in sexual activity. (I Sam. 21:4, 5; Lev. 12; 15:16-18). There are those who prefer to interpret this as symbolic. I simply prefer to follow the rule I heard first mentioned by Dwight J. Pentecost in his book Things to Come about the final hours of history, “If the literal sense makes good sense, seek no other sense.” Here, the literal sense makes good sense, though it will undoubtedly rub great multitudes of women’s rights activists the wrong way. Because God is not intimidated by our cultural mores, I am likewise inclined to ignore them.
If one chooses to interpret the verse symbolically, he will see these 144,000 as chaste with regards to their devotion to Christ. Of course, such a statement seems utterly nonsensical to me. Why would it be important to make such a declaration? No one would be standing with Jesus who was an idolater. I will offer this last thought before moving on. It seems from the mood of the text that this group of 144,000 has specifically set themselves aside, believing Jesus is returning soon. They have dedicated themselves to the complete, unhindered worship of our Lord. They are the quintessential Jews for Jesus. While it is not absolutely necessary we believe they are the same group described in Revelation 7, it is clear they are Jews. Verse 1 makes that connection. The Lamb was standing on Mount Zion. That is the mount that has been identified with the nation of Israel for over three thousand years. If we are, in fact, living in the final hours of history, these Jews for Jesus are, at this very moment, beginning to gather themselves together in preparation for the second coming of their Messiah. Wow! What a glorious period of history in which to be living! And all of God’s people said ________________!
The final thoughts about this group are given to us in verse 5. “And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.” This is indeed an extraordinary group. They are chaste men who speak the truth and live holy lives. No one who lives today and commits to a serious study of what it means to speak the truth and to live blameless will take this description of 144,000 real live human beings lightly. I’m relatively certain it would be difficult to find 144 people in America today whom we could describe as having no lie found in their mouth and blameless, much less 144,000. The point is this. These men are extraordinary. They are men who have prepared themselves by the power of God for this day and hour. They are sold out to the perfect will of their Messiah; and they are Jews.
Now comes the juice. Three angels are about to usher in three major events. Angel one ushers in the most powerful period of preaching of the gospel the earth has ever known. Angel two identifies the fall of the false church. And angel three ushers in the rapture. Verses 6 and 7 speak of a time when the declaration of the gospel will be powerful and worldwide. It is to be preached to those who live on earth, to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. This message is a little more direct that the one the church has proclaimed heretofore. “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.” Notice this message addresses those things upon which He has ushered cataclysmic upheaval.
Those to whom the message is preached have just recently seen this God about whom these preachers are speaking wreak havoc on this heaven, earth, sea, and springs of waters about which they speak. In other words, brothers and sisters, they have had the ultimate object lesson given them to help them understand the message these preachers are bringing to them. None of them will be able to legitimately say, “Show us a sign.” Of course, I also believe, based upon historical precedents, that the preachers of the final hours of history will again be healing the sick and raising the dead as did first century apostles and prophets. When antichrist has been active in the past, the Holy Spirit has been even more active demonstrating clearly the difference between that which is clean and that which is unclean.
Verse 8 describes the fall of the false church. When the second angel speaks, he says, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.” It is here where my beloved pre-tribulation brethren again get confused. It is their pre-disposition to the pre-tribulation rapture theory that requires them to interpret literally things that should be interpreted figuratively and to interpret figuratively things that should be interpreted literally. Here, Babylon is a figurative reference to the first place in the history of mankind when he began building an edifice into the heavens and unto his own glory.
Today, many such edifices stand. The Crystal Cathedral, begun by Dr. Schuler and the San Dimas Walk-in/Drive-In Church, begun by David Ray, are similar edifices built to show the glory and majesty of man. Today there are literally hundreds of such edifices which have been built in America in the past thirty years by some of the wealthier congregations. I often watch the ten or more full time Christian broadcasting stations offered on Direct TV. And while I am sometimes a little awed at the incredible buildings some of these well meaning groups have constructed, I can’t help but think Jesus must be looking at them in disgust. I sometimes can’t help but think some of our contemporary preachers are trying to compete with Solomon. It seems some of them think their holiness is a direct reflect reflection of the size and elegance of the buildings they have constructed. I believe they are direct affronts to the glory and majesty of God. They are filled with stained glass, crystal, fancy windows, even fancier altars, huge glass podiums, plush pews, million dollar audio-visual systems, and preachers who wear thousand dollar suits, two hundred dollar ties, two hundred dollar shoes, diamond rings, Rolex Watches, and often preach the doctrine of demons. I suspect the first earthquake, spoken of in Revelation 6:12-17, will swallow up most if not all of these outlandish tabernacles of men. And to think, the leadership of these churches actually spent the money their members gave for ministry to build these towers of Babylon. I had the unfortunate opportunity to have gotten married in the one in San Dimas. The marriage wasn’t unfortunate, just the fact that we didn’t have the sense to find another place to perform our vows. The ultimate example in the world today of such ungodly foolishness is the building we call the Sistine Chapel.
The Pope is the ultimate spirit of antichrist on planet earth today. He is not the antichrist. But in him resides the spirit of antichrist. For about 1800 years the Catholic church has persecuted true believers. While the reformation only began about 600 years ago, the Universal (Catholic) church of the Roman Empire has been led by heretical teachers since the inauguration of the first Pope, and it has expelled, exiled, and martyred millions. When the beast comes, his first order of business will be to make a covenant with the ecumenical church (the Catholic and liberal protestant church alliance), which he will honor for the first 3 ½ years of the tribulation (Dan. 9:27). In the middle of the tribulation, he will break that covenant, set himself up as the King of kings, and reign as such for the final 3 ½ years of the tribulation. Those who hold the pre-tribulation view have to interpret this covenant as occurring with the nation of Israel because, based upon their pre-tribulation theory, the church will be gone. And, while I have to reject that interpretation, I also have a hard time identifying this abomination in Rome as a church at all. Two things strike me as important. First, there will be some who are part of this abomination who will be called out of that church in the final 3 ½ years of history (Rev. 18:4). Second, this church, filled with its false teachings, teachers, and prophets will be raptured with the true church (Rev. 14:15-20). This is that which I wrote about at the beginning of this chapter.
These verses seem to indicate that both real and false believers will be raptured at nearly the same time. Read them. It really is incredible. The first angel reaps and gathers in the earth’s harvest (vv. 14-16). These are true believers. Then another angel comes who also has a sharp sickle who reaps, but this one reaps the clusters (unbelievers) from the vine of the earth (an illusion to the doctrine of antichrist), and throws them into the great wine press of the wrath of God (clearly not a good thing), which is trodden outside the city (of the false church, vv. 17-20). The blood of these false believers fills a valley for a distance of two hundred miles to a depth of about 3 ½ feet. Please don’t ask me to explain this in light of all we already know about this period. Few will accept what I have to say until someone with the appropriate credentials discovers it. In the final analysis, some will only realize is true when it actually happens. Maybe some of you will actually be reading these words when the event occurs. If so, please read on and be aware that you will still have one more opportunity to declare your love for Jesus if you survive the forty-five days which follow the rapture.
I want to say one last thing about this two-fold rapture which has never been revealed in any commentary on the Revelation of which I am aware. I suggest there is a very logical reason God would rapture both true believers and false ones at the same time. Jesus’ warning in Luke 17 and James 3:1 indicate there will be a special place prepared in hell for those who have purposefully led anyone away from the true knowledge of saving grace. My guess is that false teachers will be in the cell right next to the devil himself
The Bowl Judgments (Chapters 15-16)
Chapter 11
Chapter 15 sets the stage for the bowl judgments. Before John describes the judgments themselves, he describes something like a sea of glass mixed with fire upon which the tribulation saints were standing. Of course, they are now standing in heaven because they have just been raptured. Voila! Make sense? It is rather amazing how all the Revelation fits so perfectly into the post-tribulation position. This thing upon which they are standing is, among other things, meant to instill awe in the one watching. Imagine a thousand square miles of glass that is on fire.
Of course, this scene covers a lot more than a thousand square miles, but I am just attempting to get us to imagine the incredible scene John had the privilege of viewing. And I know there are some who have a hard time imagining it would be glorious to hold harps of God and sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb; so for you, I simply say, “This will not be your task in heaven.” I play the guitar. I have never thought about playing a harp. It is far too complicated an instrument for me during this lifetime. In the life to come, however, it seems these musicians are able to play these instruments because God makes it so. And remember, these are harps of God. No harp manufactured on this planet is comparable. So, I simply admonish you, don’t make the mistake of comparing this scene to anything on earth. It would be something like comparing apples to oranges.
This song is certainly worthy of reproducing here. Someone with more talent than me really should put it to music. It is a great praise song.
Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!
Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy;
For all the nations will come and worship before You,
For Your righteous acts have been revealed. (15:3b, 4)
It is after this scene that we see the seven angels who are about to unleash the final judgments of God on planet earth. Their judgments are called The Bowl Judgments. John sees the temple of the tabernacle open in heaven, and the seven angels, who will deliver the seven last plagues, come out clothed in clean, bright linen with golden chest sashes. One of the four creatures (see 4:6, 7), gives the seven bowls of the wrath of God, one to each the seven angels who will pour them onto the earth. One of the reasons I believe these plagues will only last a short while is the phrase, “. . . no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.”
I believe these judgments will only last 45 days, the period of time between the 1290 days of the antichrist’s final 3 ½ years and the 1335 days referred to in Daniel 12:11, 12. It is long enough to make life a living hell for those who remain on the planet, but short enough that some will actually survive it. Those who survive it who do not join with the antichrist against the forces of God at Armageddon (Rev. 16:6), will enter the millennial reign of Christ, during which time they will have that final opportunity I mentioned previously to accept the lordship of the Messiah (Zech. 14:9-21). Of course, they will not be members of the group we call the church because their confession of allegiance to the King of kings will not be based on faith as it was for members of the church age. They will choose to submit to his rule during His millennial reign, therefore, they will be part of his eternal kingdom.
It is also clear from Zechariah 14 there will be some who do not submit themselves to Jesus as Lord even when He is reigning visibly from His throne in Jerusalem during the millennium. That said, it is also clear that some will finally see He is the Sustainer and Creator of the universe and will voluntarily submit to His rule. These will enter eternity, but, as I already mentioned, not as do those who lived during the age of salvation by faith, i.e., the church age. Of course, it is obvious that living on the streets of heaven for eternity beats living one millisecond in hell. Frankly, I haven’t a clue what those who don’t acknowledge the lordship of Christ until the millennium will do in heaven; I just know scripture indicates they will not get the same reward as do those who entered by faith during the church age.
In verse 1 of chapter 16, we read that John heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels to go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God. The bowl of the first angel will cause a loathsome and malignant sore to erupt on those who have received the mark of the beast. Notice, this implies there will still be those on earth who have not yet received the mark of the beast. They are also obviously those who will not acknowledge Jesus as Lord in spite of the preaching they will hear during the last 3 ½ years of the tribulation. This is, to say the least, a stubborn bunch. My own conversion makes me glad Jesus is so patient. I must have had twenty different people try to share the gospel with me the year I finally listened to one of them. Some of those still on the planet after the rapture will likely help the saints who will not be able to buy or sell during the last 3 ½ years of the reign of the antichrist; so Jesus is not willing to give up on them.
The second angel poured his bowl into the sea. This time every living thing in the sea will die. All that is left of life in the oceans of the world will die in an instant of time. Imagine how that will smell after forty-five days. The third angel will pour out his bowl on all of the fresh waters; they will become blood. This is done as direct retribution for the blood of the saints the antichrist and his kingdom spilled during his reign (Cf. II Thes. 1:8 with Rev.16:5-7). The fourth angel will pour out his bowl onto the sun. This will be a cataclysmic event to top all cataclysmic events. The result will be that men who are exposed long enough to the sun will literally become living torches. Imagine the hottest day you have ever experienced and then add about forty degrees to that. For some that might not result in 184 degree temperatures. But try to imagine how hot that would be. Actually, I understand it gets to about 140 degrees in the Arabian deserts. Imagine 180 degree temperatures. Imagine watching humans burst into flames because they got caught out in the sun and were not able, for whatever reason, to get to shelter. Interestingly enough, those who are scorched don’t repent; those who survive will actually respond by blaspheming God.
The fifth angel goes right to the heart of the problem. He pours out his bowl on the throne of the beast and his kingdom will become darkened. Tim LaHaye and David Jensen place this event at the mid-point of the tribulation in their Left Behind series. And they indicated the entire region of Babylon (the city in Iraq), will be darkened for 3 ½ years. Of course their book is a novel, not an exposition of the book of Revelation, but, once again, it belies their pre-tribulation predisposition. I apologize for continually beating that dead horse, but one has to stretch so many verses and entire sections of scripture out of context that don’t fit when he teaches the pre-tribulation rapture theory. Too many verses just don’t match chronologically or theologically into that position. Even a superficial reading of Matthew 24 makes it clear the rapture occurs at the end of the tribulation. The fact is when this judgment is poured out, the entire planet earth will be darkened; and the sores to which the text is referring are described in 16:2. And, once again, the amazing thing is that even then, those who are part of the anti-Christ’s kingdom will not repent of their deeds.
When the sixth angel pours out his bowl of the wrath of God, the Euphrates is dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the east. I’m not sure anyone has really done this passage justice. Contextually and theologically this must be a reference to all or most of the eastern block of countries, i.e., Iraq, Iran, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and Russia. I don’t know which or if all of these countries will be included. No one does, in spite of what some preachers might claim to know. What is clear is that it seems these kings are not at all happy with the way things are going under the rule of the anti-Christ. They are not coming to challenge God; they are coming to challenge the anti-Christ who has established his headquarters in Jerusalem. Verses 13 and 14 really do make that rather obvious. This battle of Har-Magedon (transliterated Armageddon), is between the anti-Christ and the nations of the east who refuse to acknowledge his right to rule the world. It is called the war of the great day of God, the Almighty because it is the war of wars on planet earth.
I have previously mentioned the death toll at Hiroshima and Nagasaki compared to the death toll of Sennacherib’s army in II Kings 19. This battle of Har-Magedon is likely called the war of the great day of God because more people will be killed in it than in all the wars previously engaged by man in his entire history. The fact that it takes place at a place called Har-Magedon seems to cause most bible expositors to believe it is a battle between God’s forces and Satan’s. That battle won’t take place until after the millennial reign of Christ (see Rev. 20:7-9). Again, my pre-tribulation rapture theorists brethren have to twist scripture to fit their theory, though it fits the post tribulation theory like the proverbial glove. This battle is clearly between the anti-Christ (16:12-14) and the armies of the East. When the anti-Christ realizes the kings of the East are gathering to wage war against him, he calls the nations which support him to the battle. The three unclean spirits that come out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet indicate the desperate condition Satan knows he is in. These spirits of demons perform signs which go out to the kings of the whole world to convince them to gather with him against these kings of the East who dare to challenge his authority.
Verse 15 is like a super-imposed markup on the screen of an x-rated movie. “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.” It reminds me of the many parabolic warnings in Jesus’ teachings, especially the one found in Matt. 24:42-51. The point is that you don’t want to get caught with your hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Keep on the alert. If you find yourself still on planet earth when the bowl judgments are being poured out, wake up and get it together. If you are a member of any military anywhere in the world, become an instant conscientious objector. Refuse to go to the battle between the kings of the east and the anti-Christ. Everyone gathered there for both sides will perish.
The angel who has the seventh bowl provides us with some insight about the outcome of the battle of Har-Magedon. When he pours out his bowl upon the air, John hears a loud voice from the temple saying, “It is done.” Just try, if you can to imagine this plague. It begins with flashes of lightening and sounds and peals of thunder. Then, the most devastating earthquake ever to hit the earth occurs. Remember, we have already read about three, and each has likely gotten progressively more devastating than the former. Verse 18 makes it clear this is the earthquake by which to measure all earthquakes. IT IS THE MOST POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE TO EVER HIT PLANET EARTH. Six things result from this quake: 1. The great city (Jerusalem) will be split into three parts; 2. The cities of the nations will collapse (from the earthquake); 3. Babylon the Great will be remembered (revenge will be taken); 4. All islands and mountains will disappear; 5. One hundred pound hailstones will strike planet earth; 6. Man will respond to the hailstones by blaspheming God.
If we take these cataclysmic events one by one, we cannot help but realize they are the judgment of judgments. They are the most awful things God can think of to do to show mankind His dissatisfaction with their choice to reject Him and His provision for their sin in His Son. It is not a pretty picture. It is not something that any of us should wish upon our worst enemy. It is something we should seriously consider when thinking about why we should be evangelizing our neighbors. I can’t imagine hating anyone enough to want them to undergo the five devastating things those who dwell on the earth will undergo when the seventh angel pours out his judgments. Jerusalem will be split into three parts. Obviously the first two events indicate there will be an earthquake that will encompass the entire planet. The same earthquake that splits Jerusalem (the great city) will all the cities of the nations to fall. All of those magnificent buildings we have been building for the past 4,500 years will crumble into the dust.
Those of you who have seen the pictures of the World Trade Towers demise should have a tiny picture of what it will be like when entire cities all over the world vaporize at least as quickly as did those two buildings. To think how we shudder at the loss of two buildings, and then to imagine every building on the planet will suffer the same fate at the pouring out of the seventh bowl judgment of God. It is more than my mind can handle to realize that mankind’s response to all of this will be to blaspheme God. It is such a precious but poignant picture painted by verse 19, “And Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.” When I have the unpleasant task of driving through big cities in America, I am forever amazed at the number of giant multistory buildings each contains. There are literally thousands of towers of Babel scattered all over the world. And the amazing thing to me is that we call them magnificent feats of engineering while God calls them towers of Babel. What we choose to call progress, God chooses to call an attempt to be equal to Him in power and majesty. We humans are forever trying to accomplish something, anything that will prove we are a match for our creator.
Personally, I could return to riding horses, digging wells by hand, and using candles to see at night without any sense of loss. I often think what we call progress is nothing more than a selfish depletion of non-renewable resources just so we can have conveniences that have done little more than make us fat and complacent. The washing machine has made it possible for the housewife to wash her clothes and watch the latest edition of some disgusting soap opera that promotes divorce and lauds wives who chase after other women’s husbands. The internal combustion engine has made it possible for us to get everywhere faster so we can spend more time drinking and partying all the while depleting millions of gallons of non-renewable resources (petroleum) each hour of each day around the world. Oh yeah, that’s progress for you. I’m quite sure God does not look upon such things as progress.
God’s final outpouring of judgment on the final series of judgments is one hundred pound hail stones that will pelt the earth. I’ve never seen them, but I’ve been told we have had golf ball sized hail stones land near my home in Montana. I’ve seen them the size of big marbles. I suspect one hundred pound hail stones would have to be at least six to eight feet in diameter. It would be interesting to find someone who could determine the approximate physical mass of a hailstone that weighs a hundred pounds. The point for us to contemplate here is that these hailstones will be like none that have ever been seen before. I’m sure it is safe to say that anyone struck by one of these giants falling from heaven will not live to talk about it. Imagine tens of thousands, even millions of these giant one hundred pound projectiles falling from the sky striking and demolishing anything missed by the earthquake, instantly killing anyone unfortunate enough to be caught out in the open. Of course, there aren’t many buildings that could withstand these hundred pound cannon balls, so I’m not sure there will be a safe place to hide when this judgment comes. It seems rather clear that’s the idea. God is going to destroy those who have destroyed (depleted the natural resources of) the earth. When these judgments come, it won’t be a time for repentance. It will be a time for running and hiding from the great day of the wrath of God.
Now is the time to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus. If you haven’t done so yet, there might not be too many more opportunities for you to do so. You could get up from reading this commentary, walk outside, and get fried by a single bolt of lightening, and that would be the end of all opportunities for you to repent. No matter what you may have been told by a heretic Catholic Priest, Mormon Elder, or any member of any other sect. If anyone tells you you have a second chance to get saved after you die physically, they are lying to you, and you won’t be able to use the excuse that they lied when you stand before Jesus at the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15). You will be judged by your deeds and God’s word makes it clear if you haven’t accepted His provision for you in His Son, none of the deeds you did while alive were acceptable in His sight (Is. 64:6). This is not an expose on hell so all I will address about that topic here is that everyone who is not redeemed by the blood of Jesus will go there for eternity. While the bible clearly teaches that everyone will not spend eternity in the same part of hell, no part of it will be where anyone would choose to spend eternity. Every corner of it will filled with unbridled pain, agony, and torture. And remember, if you are reading this and have not chosen to follow Jesus yet, you had your chance. If you choose to ignore God’s call, and die in that condition, take your punishment like son of hell you have chosen to be.
Chapter 15 sets the stage for the bowl judgments. Before John describes the judgments themselves, he describes something like a sea of glass mixed with fire upon which the tribulation saints were standing. Of course, they are now standing in heaven because they have just been raptured. Voila! Make sense? It is rather amazing how all the Revelation fits so perfectly into the post-tribulation position. This thing upon which they are standing is, among other things, meant to instill awe in the one watching. Imagine a thousand square miles of glass that is on fire.
Of course, this scene covers a lot more than a thousand square miles, but I am just attempting to get us to imagine the incredible scene John had the privilege of viewing. And I know there are some who have a hard time imagining it would be glorious to hold harps of God and sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb; so for you, I simply say, “This will not be your task in heaven.” I play the guitar. I have never thought about playing a harp. It is far too complicated an instrument for me during this lifetime. In the life to come, however, it seems these musicians are able to play these instruments because God makes it so. And remember, these are harps of God. No harp manufactured on this planet is comparable. So, I simply admonish you, don’t make the mistake of comparing this scene to anything on earth. It would be something like comparing apples to oranges.
This song is certainly worthy of reproducing here. Someone with more talent than me really should put it to music. It is a great praise song.
Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!
Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy;
For all the nations will come and worship before You,
For Your righteous acts have been revealed. (15:3b, 4)
It is after this scene that we see the seven angels who are about to unleash the final judgments of God on planet earth. Their judgments are called The Bowl Judgments. John sees the temple of the tabernacle open in heaven, and the seven angels, who will deliver the seven last plagues, come out clothed in clean, bright linen with golden chest sashes. One of the four creatures (see 4:6, 7), gives the seven bowls of the wrath of God, one to each the seven angels who will pour them onto the earth. One of the reasons I believe these plagues will only last a short while is the phrase, “. . . no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.”
I believe these judgments will only last 45 days, the period of time between the 1290 days of the antichrist’s final 3 ½ years and the 1335 days referred to in Daniel 12:11, 12. It is long enough to make life a living hell for those who remain on the planet, but short enough that some will actually survive it. Those who survive it who do not join with the antichrist against the forces of God at Armageddon (Rev. 16:6), will enter the millennial reign of Christ, during which time they will have that final opportunity I mentioned previously to accept the lordship of the Messiah (Zech. 14:9-21). Of course, they will not be members of the group we call the church because their confession of allegiance to the King of kings will not be based on faith as it was for members of the church age. They will choose to submit to his rule during His millennial reign, therefore, they will be part of his eternal kingdom.
It is also clear from Zechariah 14 there will be some who do not submit themselves to Jesus as Lord even when He is reigning visibly from His throne in Jerusalem during the millennium. That said, it is also clear that some will finally see He is the Sustainer and Creator of the universe and will voluntarily submit to His rule. These will enter eternity, but, as I already mentioned, not as do those who lived during the age of salvation by faith, i.e., the church age. Of course, it is obvious that living on the streets of heaven for eternity beats living one millisecond in hell. Frankly, I haven’t a clue what those who don’t acknowledge the lordship of Christ until the millennium will do in heaven; I just know scripture indicates they will not get the same reward as do those who entered by faith during the church age.
In verse 1 of chapter 16, we read that John heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels to go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God. The bowl of the first angel will cause a loathsome and malignant sore to erupt on those who have received the mark of the beast. Notice, this implies there will still be those on earth who have not yet received the mark of the beast. They are also obviously those who will not acknowledge Jesus as Lord in spite of the preaching they will hear during the last 3 ½ years of the tribulation. This is, to say the least, a stubborn bunch. My own conversion makes me glad Jesus is so patient. I must have had twenty different people try to share the gospel with me the year I finally listened to one of them. Some of those still on the planet after the rapture will likely help the saints who will not be able to buy or sell during the last 3 ½ years of the reign of the antichrist; so Jesus is not willing to give up on them.
The second angel poured his bowl into the sea. This time every living thing in the sea will die. All that is left of life in the oceans of the world will die in an instant of time. Imagine how that will smell after forty-five days. The third angel will pour out his bowl on all of the fresh waters; they will become blood. This is done as direct retribution for the blood of the saints the antichrist and his kingdom spilled during his reign (Cf. II Thes. 1:8 with Rev.16:5-7). The fourth angel will pour out his bowl onto the sun. This will be a cataclysmic event to top all cataclysmic events. The result will be that men who are exposed long enough to the sun will literally become living torches. Imagine the hottest day you have ever experienced and then add about forty degrees to that. For some that might not result in 184 degree temperatures. But try to imagine how hot that would be. Actually, I understand it gets to about 140 degrees in the Arabian deserts. Imagine 180 degree temperatures. Imagine watching humans burst into flames because they got caught out in the sun and were not able, for whatever reason, to get to shelter. Interestingly enough, those who are scorched don’t repent; those who survive will actually respond by blaspheming God.
The fifth angel goes right to the heart of the problem. He pours out his bowl on the throne of the beast and his kingdom will become darkened. Tim LaHaye and David Jensen place this event at the mid-point of the tribulation in their Left Behind series. And they indicated the entire region of Babylon (the city in Iraq), will be darkened for 3 ½ years. Of course their book is a novel, not an exposition of the book of Revelation, but, once again, it belies their pre-tribulation predisposition. I apologize for continually beating that dead horse, but one has to stretch so many verses and entire sections of scripture out of context that don’t fit when he teaches the pre-tribulation rapture theory. Too many verses just don’t match chronologically or theologically into that position. Even a superficial reading of Matthew 24 makes it clear the rapture occurs at the end of the tribulation. The fact is when this judgment is poured out, the entire planet earth will be darkened; and the sores to which the text is referring are described in 16:2. And, once again, the amazing thing is that even then, those who are part of the anti-Christ’s kingdom will not repent of their deeds.
When the sixth angel pours out his bowl of the wrath of God, the Euphrates is dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the east. I’m not sure anyone has really done this passage justice. Contextually and theologically this must be a reference to all or most of the eastern block of countries, i.e., Iraq, Iran, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and Russia. I don’t know which or if all of these countries will be included. No one does, in spite of what some preachers might claim to know. What is clear is that it seems these kings are not at all happy with the way things are going under the rule of the anti-Christ. They are not coming to challenge God; they are coming to challenge the anti-Christ who has established his headquarters in Jerusalem. Verses 13 and 14 really do make that rather obvious. This battle of Har-Magedon (transliterated Armageddon), is between the anti-Christ and the nations of the east who refuse to acknowledge his right to rule the world. It is called the war of the great day of God, the Almighty because it is the war of wars on planet earth.
I have previously mentioned the death toll at Hiroshima and Nagasaki compared to the death toll of Sennacherib’s army in II Kings 19. This battle of Har-Magedon is likely called the war of the great day of God because more people will be killed in it than in all the wars previously engaged by man in his entire history. The fact that it takes place at a place called Har-Magedon seems to cause most bible expositors to believe it is a battle between God’s forces and Satan’s. That battle won’t take place until after the millennial reign of Christ (see Rev. 20:7-9). Again, my pre-tribulation rapture theorists brethren have to twist scripture to fit their theory, though it fits the post tribulation theory like the proverbial glove. This battle is clearly between the anti-Christ (16:12-14) and the armies of the East. When the anti-Christ realizes the kings of the East are gathering to wage war against him, he calls the nations which support him to the battle. The three unclean spirits that come out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet indicate the desperate condition Satan knows he is in. These spirits of demons perform signs which go out to the kings of the whole world to convince them to gather with him against these kings of the East who dare to challenge his authority.
Verse 15 is like a super-imposed markup on the screen of an x-rated movie. “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.” It reminds me of the many parabolic warnings in Jesus’ teachings, especially the one found in Matt. 24:42-51. The point is that you don’t want to get caught with your hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Keep on the alert. If you find yourself still on planet earth when the bowl judgments are being poured out, wake up and get it together. If you are a member of any military anywhere in the world, become an instant conscientious objector. Refuse to go to the battle between the kings of the east and the anti-Christ. Everyone gathered there for both sides will perish.
The angel who has the seventh bowl provides us with some insight about the outcome of the battle of Har-Magedon. When he pours out his bowl upon the air, John hears a loud voice from the temple saying, “It is done.” Just try, if you can to imagine this plague. It begins with flashes of lightening and sounds and peals of thunder. Then, the most devastating earthquake ever to hit the earth occurs. Remember, we have already read about three, and each has likely gotten progressively more devastating than the former. Verse 18 makes it clear this is the earthquake by which to measure all earthquakes. IT IS THE MOST POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE TO EVER HIT PLANET EARTH. Six things result from this quake: 1. The great city (Jerusalem) will be split into three parts; 2. The cities of the nations will collapse (from the earthquake); 3. Babylon the Great will be remembered (revenge will be taken); 4. All islands and mountains will disappear; 5. One hundred pound hailstones will strike planet earth; 6. Man will respond to the hailstones by blaspheming God.
If we take these cataclysmic events one by one, we cannot help but realize they are the judgment of judgments. They are the most awful things God can think of to do to show mankind His dissatisfaction with their choice to reject Him and His provision for their sin in His Son. It is not a pretty picture. It is not something that any of us should wish upon our worst enemy. It is something we should seriously consider when thinking about why we should be evangelizing our neighbors. I can’t imagine hating anyone enough to want them to undergo the five devastating things those who dwell on the earth will undergo when the seventh angel pours out his judgments. Jerusalem will be split into three parts. Obviously the first two events indicate there will be an earthquake that will encompass the entire planet. The same earthquake that splits Jerusalem (the great city) will all the cities of the nations to fall. All of those magnificent buildings we have been building for the past 4,500 years will crumble into the dust.
Those of you who have seen the pictures of the World Trade Towers demise should have a tiny picture of what it will be like when entire cities all over the world vaporize at least as quickly as did those two buildings. To think how we shudder at the loss of two buildings, and then to imagine every building on the planet will suffer the same fate at the pouring out of the seventh bowl judgment of God. It is more than my mind can handle to realize that mankind’s response to all of this will be to blaspheme God. It is such a precious but poignant picture painted by verse 19, “And Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.” When I have the unpleasant task of driving through big cities in America, I am forever amazed at the number of giant multistory buildings each contains. There are literally thousands of towers of Babel scattered all over the world. And the amazing thing to me is that we call them magnificent feats of engineering while God calls them towers of Babel. What we choose to call progress, God chooses to call an attempt to be equal to Him in power and majesty. We humans are forever trying to accomplish something, anything that will prove we are a match for our creator.
Personally, I could return to riding horses, digging wells by hand, and using candles to see at night without any sense of loss. I often think what we call progress is nothing more than a selfish depletion of non-renewable resources just so we can have conveniences that have done little more than make us fat and complacent. The washing machine has made it possible for the housewife to wash her clothes and watch the latest edition of some disgusting soap opera that promotes divorce and lauds wives who chase after other women’s husbands. The internal combustion engine has made it possible for us to get everywhere faster so we can spend more time drinking and partying all the while depleting millions of gallons of non-renewable resources (petroleum) each hour of each day around the world. Oh yeah, that’s progress for you. I’m quite sure God does not look upon such things as progress.
God’s final outpouring of judgment on the final series of judgments is one hundred pound hail stones that will pelt the earth. I’ve never seen them, but I’ve been told we have had golf ball sized hail stones land near my home in Montana. I’ve seen them the size of big marbles. I suspect one hundred pound hail stones would have to be at least six to eight feet in diameter. It would be interesting to find someone who could determine the approximate physical mass of a hailstone that weighs a hundred pounds. The point for us to contemplate here is that these hailstones will be like none that have ever been seen before. I’m sure it is safe to say that anyone struck by one of these giants falling from heaven will not live to talk about it. Imagine tens of thousands, even millions of these giant one hundred pound projectiles falling from the sky striking and demolishing anything missed by the earthquake, instantly killing anyone unfortunate enough to be caught out in the open. Of course, there aren’t many buildings that could withstand these hundred pound cannon balls, so I’m not sure there will be a safe place to hide when this judgment comes. It seems rather clear that’s the idea. God is going to destroy those who have destroyed (depleted the natural resources of) the earth. When these judgments come, it won’t be a time for repentance. It will be a time for running and hiding from the great day of the wrath of God.
Now is the time to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus. If you haven’t done so yet, there might not be too many more opportunities for you to do so. You could get up from reading this commentary, walk outside, and get fried by a single bolt of lightening, and that would be the end of all opportunities for you to repent. No matter what you may have been told by a heretic Catholic Priest, Mormon Elder, or any member of any other sect. If anyone tells you you have a second chance to get saved after you die physically, they are lying to you, and you won’t be able to use the excuse that they lied when you stand before Jesus at the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15). You will be judged by your deeds and God’s word makes it clear if you haven’t accepted His provision for you in His Son, none of the deeds you did while alive were acceptable in His sight (Is. 64:6). This is not an expose on hell so all I will address about that topic here is that everyone who is not redeemed by the blood of Jesus will go there for eternity. While the bible clearly teaches that everyone will not spend eternity in the same part of hell, no part of it will be where anyone would choose to spend eternity. Every corner of it will filled with unbridled pain, agony, and torture. And remember, if you are reading this and have not chosen to follow Jesus yet, you had your chance. If you choose to ignore God’s call, and die in that condition, take your punishment like son of hell you have chosen to be.
The Judgment of the Harlot (Revelation 17:1-19:6)
Chapter 12
Chapters 17:1-19:6 are nothing more than detailed descriptions of what was already summarized in chapter 14:8-20. There is little disagreement that the great harlot who sits on many waters is the false church (the WCC united with the Catholic Church). Even now, the current ecumenical movement is alive and well on planet earth. I mentioned it earlier, but several things are clear form Revelation 17 and 18 that warrant our attention now. The statement that she sits on many waters simply means this harlot is a combination of many religious groups who have come together and have made a compact to work together for world peace. After World War I, our President Wilson’s ten point peace plan and the ensuing League of Nations attempted to accomplish such a task. After World War II the United Nations, NATO, and the Warsaw Pact were all attempts to make sure all nations were secure within their borders with the autonomy to pursue their political aspirations without interference from any other nation.
The problem with all of these plans is that they were kind of like the guy who tries to divert attention away from the fact that he is an adulterer by giving to the church’s widow fund. All of the major players in each of these organizations began immediate colonization of any and all nations they could get their political hands on for fear enemy nations would beat them to the punch. Capitalist democratic republics like the U.S. colonized the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Great Britain and France colonized some Middle Eastern countries, some North African countries, and some Southeast Asian countries. Russia simply took over all of the Slavic speaking countries and created the U.S.S.R. claiming such action gave them a buffer zone against any future aggression of NATO countries.
What secular groups have been unable to do in the last hundred years, this ecumenical religious group (the WCC) thinks it will finally accomplish. It will easily deceive the nations because what it wants to accomplish is, by nearly anyone’s calculation, a worthy goal. Their religious fervor will easily fool those religious fanatics around the world who want to look holy and righteous. They are doing that now. Beloved, please be adequately forewarned. DO NOT JOIN ANY CHURCH THAT IS PART OF THE WORLD ECUMENICAL CHURCH MOVEMENT! The World Council of Churches (WCC), begun in 1948 is the banner under which all of these movements function. It is a movement attempting to unite Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant churches around the world under the leadership of one small group of elite Bishops (aka Elders, Presbyters). It is “. . . the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.” (17:2)
It is clear from the description of the things with which this harlot is connected that this world church will possess incredible wealth she ill acquire through numerous unholy alliances that she will make with first class world entrepreneurs. The name written on her forehead “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH,” makes the connection between her and the first false world religious organization as recorded in Genesis 11:4-9,
Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’ The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. The Lord said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. Let us go down there and confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.’ So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.
There are several things about this illusion to the first false world religion that are important for us to consider: 1. it was, first and foremost, an attempt by man to exalt the accomplishment of man above God. 2. it was an attempt to demonstrate man’s majesty by providing a monument of his ability to build a magnificent structure. 3. It was an attempt to reach into heaven. 4. Those who built the city believed this religious symbol would keep them united. 5. God knew the simple way to scatter them was to confuse their languages. 6. This was the point in the history of mankind when God scattered him to the four corners of the earth and populated, what later became, the continents.
Now, as we consider the implications of each of these truths for the Ecumenical church of the Revelation, we can gain some helpful insights. It seems man has always strived to create great monuments to his majesty. Everything from the small rural church in Podunk, Montana to the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City is, in some sense, an attempt to do what God has told us countless times in history not to do. Even the quaint little chapel set out in the high plains of Montana that looks so pure and innocent is a vain attempt by man to build something we can then call “The House of God.” God does not nor has He ever lived in a house. And while the Jewish temple was the place where He agreed to meet with His people, it was never intended to be a house for the Creator of the universe. God does not live in house made with human hands. Today, He is living in the heart of every born-again believer in the form of His Spirit (I Cor. 6:19); but He does not live in buildings constructed buy men. The church is, figuratively speaking, His house because biblically the church is defined as any place where two or three believers are gathered together to minister the word of God to one another, and God is living inside those who are gathered together.
For years I have had the joy of being part of home based churches at various times in various and sundry places. While attending BIOLA University we had one in our tiny two bedroom apartment in Buena Park, California. It was a truly glorious time of meeting with the brethren and studying God’s word together. We learned and shared powerful truths as we met and discussed what God had been teaching each of us during our personal times of bible study throughout the week. While attending college in Flagstaff, Arizona, I was part of a home church that had at least fifty people in attendance. We used nearly every room in the rather large house where we met for bible study groups after we listened to important announcements about what God was doing in the group, sang songs of praise, and prayed together.
In foreign countries, I have been told home churches are literally growing faster than pastors can keep up with them. They don’t bother constructing church buildings for two reasons: 1. they can’t afford to do so; 2. they couldn’t build them fast enough to accommodate all of those who are getting saved. These ministries spend less money and reach more people with the gospel that we can conjure in our wildest imaginations in America. I’ve recently been corresponding with the overseer of II Timothy 4:5, an international ministry based in Chandler, Arizona. If I understand what he has told me, one affiliate of that group is trying to set up home based churches across America. Our observations may well be wrong, but it seems both of us believe that we in America are so conditioned to the “temple” based churches we have created that we can’t imagine the home church could be a more powerful ministry. We so love our solid gold sound systems, our projection systems, our pastors in thousand dollar Armani suits, and our crystal cathedrals that we simply can’t imagine a better way to reach the multitudes.
I suggest one other element is a critical part of the equation. In America, we are so busy making sure we have enough money to live our comfortable lifestyles that we aren’t being faithful to the number one priority of the church, namely that of making disciples who are equipped to go and make more disciples. I suggest the reason we aren’t multiplying exponentially is because, for the most part, we just aren’t interested in that kind of commitment to our Lord. The excuses I have heard in the thirty-five years I have been a Christian for why people don’t lead others to the saving knowledge of Jesus are definitely a fine example of American ingenuity. But, of course, they really are nothing new. And they aren’t unique to Christianity. It seems man is always more creative at making excuses for not doing something he should be doing than he is at actually doing it.
It’s interesting to note that Jesus first ministered in temples; then He went to the streets. Paul always went into the synagogues first wherever he preached; then he went into the streets and moved the disciples from their prior worship in the synagogues to homes. He took those who believed what he preached in Ephesus and moved into the school of Tyrannus where he spent the next two years training them for ministry (Acts 19:9); and in Corinth Paul moved into the house of Titius Justus right next to the synagogue when the religious leaders there resisted and blasphemed upon hearing his preaching. It seems we in America are still struggling with the same problem mankind faced in Genesis 11. I once attended the only church I have ever entered that was, in my humble opinion, entirely unpretentious. It was huge; but it was little more than a metal tent. The worship service and preaching was just as unpretentious, but it was powerful.
I don’t wish to make any kind of judgment about whether or not inner-city cathedrals, which fill up with as many as 10,000 each Sunday morning, are ministering the word faithfully. None of the pastor/teachers of those churches will ever answer to me. I’m not particularly impressed with most of their preaching, but I’m quite sure none of them would loose any sleep over that fact. My point is simple. First century believers literally turned the Roman world right side up starting house churches all across the Roman Empire. I am a student and teacher of world history and that is a fact easily verified in the historical record. Another unfortunate fact, in my ever so humble opinion, is that when God begins moving mightily among His people, it seems they immediately find it necessary to institutionalize the mighty moving of His Spirit and the revival He began comes to a screeching halt.
Think about it. We have hundreds of magnificent monuments across this nation we call churches in cities like Chicago, L.A., New York City, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Portland, and Nashville. At the same time, these cities have the highest crime rates found anywhere in the world. Murder, prostitution, drugs, and gang related activity is increasing exponentially. Right in the areas where these huge monuments stand, filled with thousands of believers, the crime rate continues to soar. Are these mega-congregations ministering effectively to the poor, blind, lame, orphans, and widows? I suggest that if they were the crime rate in the cities where they minister would be going down. Many of these mega-churches are proud about the millions of dollars they are spending helping out widows and orphans around the world. I can’t help but wonder why they don’t think their own neighborhood warrant such attention. I’m not quite sure why they are sending so much money to African missions when there are people right outside their doors who are starving. Jesus came to minister to the blind, lame, poor, sick, widows, and orphans right in His own neighborhood. Even the great commission indicates we are to begin our discipleship programs in our own towns. Our Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria are our first priority.
I suspect that when these people meet Sunday mornings for their worship services, they are so awed by the numbers at their own church, they quite naturally think they are doing a wonderful job reaching the lost for Jesus. After all, they think to themselves, this is the biggest church in Chicago. It doesn’t cross their mind that in a city of 3 million people, 10,000 isn’t even a drop in the bucket. Personally, I think mega-churches are one of the greatest hindrances to effective ministry ever to cross the mind of man. But, once again, those attending and building them will never answer to me for what they are doing.
What is puzzling to me is that in spite of the fact that we know the apostle Paul reached dozens of countries on two continents, planted dozens of home based churches, never built one building we are aware of, and he never used a megaphone or any kind of electronically enhanced voice assistance, we continue to think we can come up with better ideas for doing what he did. I believe it’s safe to say the impact of his method for ministry is still reaching people today. I’m not opposed to using anything at our disposal to reach the lost. I am opposed to spending millions of dollars building churches and millions more equipping them to reach the multitudes with the message of salvation, and then allowing 10,000 people to attend services each week while only one thousand of them are actively doing the work of the ministry. There’s something desperately wrong with the preaching in a church where that is going on.
Finally, for forty years, approximately six million people worshipped God in a tent. Israel wondered in the wilderness for those forty years before entering the Promised Land during which time they worshipped God in a tent. Actually, they were outside the tent. The priests took their offerings into the courtyard of the tent to offer them. That tent sufficed through the times of the Joshua, the Judges, and both King Saul and King David’s reigns—well over a thousand years. The point is that we need to be extremely careful if we are attending a mega-church. Babylon the great, the mother of harlots will be such a church. I think many of our current mega-churches are archetypes of Babylon the Great.
Note, in verse 6 this woman is drunk with the blood of the saints. During the reformation, the Catholic Church martyred millions of Protestants for heresy against its teachings. She was drunk with the blood of the saints. The angel clearly identifies the church which will be martyring the saints in verse 9. “Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, . . .” and again in verse 18, “The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.” Every theologian and historian of any substance knows Rome was the great city which reigns over the kings of the earth at the time John wrote the Revelation. And it wasn’t long after John wrote this prophecy that the Pope as head of the Catholic Church literally reigned over all the kings of the western world. In the final hours of history, the beast will make a covenant with this world religious order (the many), with the full intention of breaking that covenant after 3 ½ years, in the middle of the week (Daniel 9:27).
At that time, the antichrist will begin his move to the top “. . . and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.” It is at this point where my pre-tribulation brethren once again get confused. And again, it becomes necessary for them to twist the text out of recognizable proportion to conclude the antichrist performs the abomination of desolation at the beginning of the last 3 ½ years of the tribulation. In other words, he sets himself up as the Messiah of Israel. The text does not say that. It says at this point, after making a covenant with the many, breaking it in the middle of the week, he moves to Jerusalem where he enters the temple, puts a stop to the sacrifice and grain offerings, which Israel reinstituted when they rebuilt the temple, (remember it had been supernaturally protected for the first 3 ½ years of the tribulation; Revelation 11:2; cf. Dan. 9:27 with 12:11).
The abomination of desolation will not occur until the end of the antichrist’s seven year rise to power. It is at this point that he apparently thinks he has gained enough momentum that He can actually muster sufficient force to lay claim to the entire planet. Chapter 17 and verse 8 makes it clear the antichrist hasn’t much time left. Verses 9-18 provide an incredible amount of information about the kings of the nations who give their power to the antichrist for one hour, their battle with Jesus (which they loose), and the relationship of the beast to the harlot. What none of them realize is that their entire plot was devised by God before the foundations of the world. Thinking they are putting one over on God, they are actually doing exactly what God was telling them to do. “For God has put it is their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled.” (17:17)
The antichrist will not perform the “abomination of desolation” until just before God begins the bowl judgments. It is at this point that we can calculate the length of the bowl judgments. The abomination of desolation is implemented after 1290 days—3 ½ years, then the bowl judgments begin lasting 45 days, thus the pronouncement, “How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1335 days!” (Dan. 12:12) The beast will end the grain offerings; Three and one half years later he will enter the temple, stand at the altar claiming he is the long awaited Messiah of Israel, and thus usher in the final judgments of God upon the planet.
Verses 15 and 16 make it clear that it is at this point—the middle of the tribulation—that the antichrist breaks his covenant with the harlot, “. . . these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and burn her up with fire.” Chapter 18 provides us with a great deal of detail about the final judgment of this false religious group called Babylon the great, the mother of harlots. John sees another angel coming down from heaven with great authority. His entrance to the earth literally lights up the world. He pronounces the final doom of the false church. He provides the description,
“She has become the dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirits, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.” (18:2) Then he provides the reason, “For all the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.” (18:3)
Think about the nature of these relationships. The nations have drunk the wine of the passions of her immorality is a pretty good description of many of today’s mega-churches. Much of the world today is fascinated by these ministries. I recall the words of my father many years ago. They served as kind of a wake up call to me. “That Dr. Schuler, now he’s a man who knows what he’s talking about.” My father had no problem accepting Dr. Schuler’s philosophical ranting on world wide television and he was a Mormon.
The nations of the world today are drinking the wine of the passion of many of these mega-churches’ immorality. So many are being deceived by this false gospel (Gal. 1:6, 7; II Cor. 11:4) that they are joining these churches, thus committing acts of immorality with her. And finally, the merchants of the earth are getting rich by the wealth of her sensuality. Imagine how many merchants are getting rich providing the real estate, filling the building contracts, and furnishing these colossal giants. I’ve heard more than one professing believer brag about how his membership at one of these churches was one of the best business moves he ever made.
It is at this time that a voice from heaven will cry out, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” (18:5) Two things are clear from this unparalleled admonition of God. It is a voice from heaven. It is God Almighty telling His people, true believers, to come out of this false church. Realizing this book would be read by every generation since the time of its writing, it is a message to every generation. Obviously, there have been and are thousands of churches preaching another gospel about another Christ. Some today tell us we should not ever be involved in splitting a church. The fact is the book of Acts records several times when Paul and Peter took the true believers from under the teaching of the false teachers and began the first century churches (see my previous comments on pp 93, 94). And while I am not advocating anyone go from church to church wreaking havoc, intent on splitting the churches they attend, I am suggesting many of the church splits which occur today do so because the teaching in the church is often so weak to begin with. My final thought for now is that every denomination begun in the past four hundred years has risen as a result of some kind of church split. I’m not sure how those pastors justify their complaints about anyone who takes part of their congregation to begin a new church, especially considering that’s exactly how their denomination got started.
I don’t believe Satan will ever get a foothold (though he will certainly try) in a church who’s Elders who meet the stringent guidelines outlined in I Timothy and Titus. They will be mature, powerfully informed and ordained Elders, who will effectively guard the flock of God from wolves who come into their midst donning sheep’s clothing. If you are in one of those churches, thank God for that, submit yourself to its leadership, and become a powerful disciple so you can go and make more disciples. If you are not in one of those churches, God’s word to you is, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.”
The second obvious point is that in the final hours of history, just before God pours out His judgment on this final world church, He will admonish those who have somehow been a part of this movement thus far that it is time for them to come out of her. I suggest this will literally be a voice from heaven that all true believers will hear audibly and respond to post haste. They will realize at a moment in time, like a light bulb being turned on in their brain, who this church is historically; they will run from her unhallowed halls as fast as their feet will take them. The phrase of verse 8 suggest possibly some Sunday morning, while the congregations of these churches are meeting, there will be some who somehow have managed to be attending who have not received the mark of the beast; a prophet will stand in the middle of the service and pronounce the words, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” All of the true believers in all of these churches around the world will get up and beat feet for the exits; and just as they get outside at a safe distance away, fire will come down from heaven and instantly destroy every single false church on the planet. Of course, the biggest of these will be meeting in Rome at the Sistine Chapel. This scenario seems clear from 18:10, “standing at a great distance, because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’”
Here is another place where my pre-tribulation brethren have trouble. This is clearly not the physical Babylon of Genesis 11 (Current day Baghdad, Iraq). I have demonstrated already this is an illusion to the political/religious Babylon of ancient history. This judgment is clearly the judgment that is coming upon the false church for its persecution of true believers. It’s also clear the historical persecution on Protestant Christians by the Catholic Church is insignificant when compared to the persecution that will be unleashed in the final hours of history when this false church makes its covenant with the beast. Part of that covenant will obviously be a vow to help him get rid of this group of religious fanatics who refuse to submit themselves to theirs and his leadership.
Chapter 18:11-20 need little exposition. They describe the reaction of the merchants of the world to the destruction of the Vatican and the world church system. What is rather astounding is that in spite of the incredible judgment that has come upon the harlot, this group of world entrepreneurs is only interested in the economical loss they have sustained as a result of God’s final judgment upon this colossal monstrosity, the false church.
Chapter 18:20-19:10 describe the reaction of true believers and the heavenly hosts to the righteous judgment of God on this false church. Chapter 19:11-16 describe the return of Jesus to the earth to establish His one thousand year millennial reign. It begins with His physical return to the earth to do final pre-millennial battle with the beast and his armies. It’s interesting that 19:20 makes it clear the beast and false prophet were thrown alive into the lake of fire while those who were deceived by his reign of terror were killed first by the army of God. If you were ever puzzled by Jesus words as found in Matthew 24:28, “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” which, by the way, were spoken at the end of His message about the final hours of history, they should now make sense. Revelation 19:19 tells us, “and all the birds were filled with their flesh.”
Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, and the chronological sequencing of Revelation all fit perfectly into the post-tribulation theory of the rapture of the church. I urge those of you who preach the pre-tribulation theory to reconsider. It is important because teaching the pre-tribulation theory or teaching no theory at all fails to prepare believers appropriately for what is about to come upon us. If you are willing to be entirely candid, you will be forced to admit that the pre-tribulation theory makes two serious mistakes: 1. it completely ignores dozens of scriptures that describe the church’s activities during the tribulation; 2. and it has to discount the chronology of Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, and the Revelation. It is void of substance because it is by its very nature vague and ethereal. When one realizes the church will be here during the tribulation, he is able to understand the myriad of verses that make no sense to the one who thinks the church will be raptured before the tribulation begins. The post tribulation theory is the only one of the three that doesn’t require twisting text, denying literal translation, and ignoring dozens of verses to make sense. My soul agonizes when I consider the massive problems that are being created by those preachers, prophets, evangelists, and pastor/teachers who are misleading great multitudes of brothers and sisters in Christ by telling them they will not be here when the tribulation begins. While believing pre, mid, or post tribulation theory should not divide the brethren as might more critical areas of theology and doctrine, it’s difficult for me to imagine a more important subject to understand than eschatology outside of those foundational doctrines of the deity of Christ, salvation and sanctification based solely on faith, repentance from dead works, the bodily resurrection of Jesus, water baptism, and obedience of true believers to the admonitions of scripture.
Chapters 17:1-19:6 are nothing more than detailed descriptions of what was already summarized in chapter 14:8-20. There is little disagreement that the great harlot who sits on many waters is the false church (the WCC united with the Catholic Church). Even now, the current ecumenical movement is alive and well on planet earth. I mentioned it earlier, but several things are clear form Revelation 17 and 18 that warrant our attention now. The statement that she sits on many waters simply means this harlot is a combination of many religious groups who have come together and have made a compact to work together for world peace. After World War I, our President Wilson’s ten point peace plan and the ensuing League of Nations attempted to accomplish such a task. After World War II the United Nations, NATO, and the Warsaw Pact were all attempts to make sure all nations were secure within their borders with the autonomy to pursue their political aspirations without interference from any other nation.
The problem with all of these plans is that they were kind of like the guy who tries to divert attention away from the fact that he is an adulterer by giving to the church’s widow fund. All of the major players in each of these organizations began immediate colonization of any and all nations they could get their political hands on for fear enemy nations would beat them to the punch. Capitalist democratic republics like the U.S. colonized the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Great Britain and France colonized some Middle Eastern countries, some North African countries, and some Southeast Asian countries. Russia simply took over all of the Slavic speaking countries and created the U.S.S.R. claiming such action gave them a buffer zone against any future aggression of NATO countries.
What secular groups have been unable to do in the last hundred years, this ecumenical religious group (the WCC) thinks it will finally accomplish. It will easily deceive the nations because what it wants to accomplish is, by nearly anyone’s calculation, a worthy goal. Their religious fervor will easily fool those religious fanatics around the world who want to look holy and righteous. They are doing that now. Beloved, please be adequately forewarned. DO NOT JOIN ANY CHURCH THAT IS PART OF THE WORLD ECUMENICAL CHURCH MOVEMENT! The World Council of Churches (WCC), begun in 1948 is the banner under which all of these movements function. It is a movement attempting to unite Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant churches around the world under the leadership of one small group of elite Bishops (aka Elders, Presbyters). It is “. . . the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.” (17:2)
It is clear from the description of the things with which this harlot is connected that this world church will possess incredible wealth she ill acquire through numerous unholy alliances that she will make with first class world entrepreneurs. The name written on her forehead “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH,” makes the connection between her and the first false world religious organization as recorded in Genesis 11:4-9,
Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’ The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. The Lord said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. Let us go down there and confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.’ So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.
There are several things about this illusion to the first false world religion that are important for us to consider: 1. it was, first and foremost, an attempt by man to exalt the accomplishment of man above God. 2. it was an attempt to demonstrate man’s majesty by providing a monument of his ability to build a magnificent structure. 3. It was an attempt to reach into heaven. 4. Those who built the city believed this religious symbol would keep them united. 5. God knew the simple way to scatter them was to confuse their languages. 6. This was the point in the history of mankind when God scattered him to the four corners of the earth and populated, what later became, the continents.
Now, as we consider the implications of each of these truths for the Ecumenical church of the Revelation, we can gain some helpful insights. It seems man has always strived to create great monuments to his majesty. Everything from the small rural church in Podunk, Montana to the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City is, in some sense, an attempt to do what God has told us countless times in history not to do. Even the quaint little chapel set out in the high plains of Montana that looks so pure and innocent is a vain attempt by man to build something we can then call “The House of God.” God does not nor has He ever lived in a house. And while the Jewish temple was the place where He agreed to meet with His people, it was never intended to be a house for the Creator of the universe. God does not live in house made with human hands. Today, He is living in the heart of every born-again believer in the form of His Spirit (I Cor. 6:19); but He does not live in buildings constructed buy men. The church is, figuratively speaking, His house because biblically the church is defined as any place where two or three believers are gathered together to minister the word of God to one another, and God is living inside those who are gathered together.
For years I have had the joy of being part of home based churches at various times in various and sundry places. While attending BIOLA University we had one in our tiny two bedroom apartment in Buena Park, California. It was a truly glorious time of meeting with the brethren and studying God’s word together. We learned and shared powerful truths as we met and discussed what God had been teaching each of us during our personal times of bible study throughout the week. While attending college in Flagstaff, Arizona, I was part of a home church that had at least fifty people in attendance. We used nearly every room in the rather large house where we met for bible study groups after we listened to important announcements about what God was doing in the group, sang songs of praise, and prayed together.
In foreign countries, I have been told home churches are literally growing faster than pastors can keep up with them. They don’t bother constructing church buildings for two reasons: 1. they can’t afford to do so; 2. they couldn’t build them fast enough to accommodate all of those who are getting saved. These ministries spend less money and reach more people with the gospel that we can conjure in our wildest imaginations in America. I’ve recently been corresponding with the overseer of II Timothy 4:5, an international ministry based in Chandler, Arizona. If I understand what he has told me, one affiliate of that group is trying to set up home based churches across America. Our observations may well be wrong, but it seems both of us believe that we in America are so conditioned to the “temple” based churches we have created that we can’t imagine the home church could be a more powerful ministry. We so love our solid gold sound systems, our projection systems, our pastors in thousand dollar Armani suits, and our crystal cathedrals that we simply can’t imagine a better way to reach the multitudes.
I suggest one other element is a critical part of the equation. In America, we are so busy making sure we have enough money to live our comfortable lifestyles that we aren’t being faithful to the number one priority of the church, namely that of making disciples who are equipped to go and make more disciples. I suggest the reason we aren’t multiplying exponentially is because, for the most part, we just aren’t interested in that kind of commitment to our Lord. The excuses I have heard in the thirty-five years I have been a Christian for why people don’t lead others to the saving knowledge of Jesus are definitely a fine example of American ingenuity. But, of course, they really are nothing new. And they aren’t unique to Christianity. It seems man is always more creative at making excuses for not doing something he should be doing than he is at actually doing it.
It’s interesting to note that Jesus first ministered in temples; then He went to the streets. Paul always went into the synagogues first wherever he preached; then he went into the streets and moved the disciples from their prior worship in the synagogues to homes. He took those who believed what he preached in Ephesus and moved into the school of Tyrannus where he spent the next two years training them for ministry (Acts 19:9); and in Corinth Paul moved into the house of Titius Justus right next to the synagogue when the religious leaders there resisted and blasphemed upon hearing his preaching. It seems we in America are still struggling with the same problem mankind faced in Genesis 11. I once attended the only church I have ever entered that was, in my humble opinion, entirely unpretentious. It was huge; but it was little more than a metal tent. The worship service and preaching was just as unpretentious, but it was powerful.
I don’t wish to make any kind of judgment about whether or not inner-city cathedrals, which fill up with as many as 10,000 each Sunday morning, are ministering the word faithfully. None of the pastor/teachers of those churches will ever answer to me. I’m not particularly impressed with most of their preaching, but I’m quite sure none of them would loose any sleep over that fact. My point is simple. First century believers literally turned the Roman world right side up starting house churches all across the Roman Empire. I am a student and teacher of world history and that is a fact easily verified in the historical record. Another unfortunate fact, in my ever so humble opinion, is that when God begins moving mightily among His people, it seems they immediately find it necessary to institutionalize the mighty moving of His Spirit and the revival He began comes to a screeching halt.
Think about it. We have hundreds of magnificent monuments across this nation we call churches in cities like Chicago, L.A., New York City, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Portland, and Nashville. At the same time, these cities have the highest crime rates found anywhere in the world. Murder, prostitution, drugs, and gang related activity is increasing exponentially. Right in the areas where these huge monuments stand, filled with thousands of believers, the crime rate continues to soar. Are these mega-congregations ministering effectively to the poor, blind, lame, orphans, and widows? I suggest that if they were the crime rate in the cities where they minister would be going down. Many of these mega-churches are proud about the millions of dollars they are spending helping out widows and orphans around the world. I can’t help but wonder why they don’t think their own neighborhood warrant such attention. I’m not quite sure why they are sending so much money to African missions when there are people right outside their doors who are starving. Jesus came to minister to the blind, lame, poor, sick, widows, and orphans right in His own neighborhood. Even the great commission indicates we are to begin our discipleship programs in our own towns. Our Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria are our first priority.
I suspect that when these people meet Sunday mornings for their worship services, they are so awed by the numbers at their own church, they quite naturally think they are doing a wonderful job reaching the lost for Jesus. After all, they think to themselves, this is the biggest church in Chicago. It doesn’t cross their mind that in a city of 3 million people, 10,000 isn’t even a drop in the bucket. Personally, I think mega-churches are one of the greatest hindrances to effective ministry ever to cross the mind of man. But, once again, those attending and building them will never answer to me for what they are doing.
What is puzzling to me is that in spite of the fact that we know the apostle Paul reached dozens of countries on two continents, planted dozens of home based churches, never built one building we are aware of, and he never used a megaphone or any kind of electronically enhanced voice assistance, we continue to think we can come up with better ideas for doing what he did. I believe it’s safe to say the impact of his method for ministry is still reaching people today. I’m not opposed to using anything at our disposal to reach the lost. I am opposed to spending millions of dollars building churches and millions more equipping them to reach the multitudes with the message of salvation, and then allowing 10,000 people to attend services each week while only one thousand of them are actively doing the work of the ministry. There’s something desperately wrong with the preaching in a church where that is going on.
Finally, for forty years, approximately six million people worshipped God in a tent. Israel wondered in the wilderness for those forty years before entering the Promised Land during which time they worshipped God in a tent. Actually, they were outside the tent. The priests took their offerings into the courtyard of the tent to offer them. That tent sufficed through the times of the Joshua, the Judges, and both King Saul and King David’s reigns—well over a thousand years. The point is that we need to be extremely careful if we are attending a mega-church. Babylon the great, the mother of harlots will be such a church. I think many of our current mega-churches are archetypes of Babylon the Great.
Note, in verse 6 this woman is drunk with the blood of the saints. During the reformation, the Catholic Church martyred millions of Protestants for heresy against its teachings. She was drunk with the blood of the saints. The angel clearly identifies the church which will be martyring the saints in verse 9. “Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, . . .” and again in verse 18, “The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.” Every theologian and historian of any substance knows Rome was the great city which reigns over the kings of the earth at the time John wrote the Revelation. And it wasn’t long after John wrote this prophecy that the Pope as head of the Catholic Church literally reigned over all the kings of the western world. In the final hours of history, the beast will make a covenant with this world religious order (the many), with the full intention of breaking that covenant after 3 ½ years, in the middle of the week (Daniel 9:27).
At that time, the antichrist will begin his move to the top “. . . and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.” It is at this point where my pre-tribulation brethren once again get confused. And again, it becomes necessary for them to twist the text out of recognizable proportion to conclude the antichrist performs the abomination of desolation at the beginning of the last 3 ½ years of the tribulation. In other words, he sets himself up as the Messiah of Israel. The text does not say that. It says at this point, after making a covenant with the many, breaking it in the middle of the week, he moves to Jerusalem where he enters the temple, puts a stop to the sacrifice and grain offerings, which Israel reinstituted when they rebuilt the temple, (remember it had been supernaturally protected for the first 3 ½ years of the tribulation; Revelation 11:2; cf. Dan. 9:27 with 12:11).
The abomination of desolation will not occur until the end of the antichrist’s seven year rise to power. It is at this point that he apparently thinks he has gained enough momentum that He can actually muster sufficient force to lay claim to the entire planet. Chapter 17 and verse 8 makes it clear the antichrist hasn’t much time left. Verses 9-18 provide an incredible amount of information about the kings of the nations who give their power to the antichrist for one hour, their battle with Jesus (which they loose), and the relationship of the beast to the harlot. What none of them realize is that their entire plot was devised by God before the foundations of the world. Thinking they are putting one over on God, they are actually doing exactly what God was telling them to do. “For God has put it is their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled.” (17:17)
The antichrist will not perform the “abomination of desolation” until just before God begins the bowl judgments. It is at this point that we can calculate the length of the bowl judgments. The abomination of desolation is implemented after 1290 days—3 ½ years, then the bowl judgments begin lasting 45 days, thus the pronouncement, “How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1335 days!” (Dan. 12:12) The beast will end the grain offerings; Three and one half years later he will enter the temple, stand at the altar claiming he is the long awaited Messiah of Israel, and thus usher in the final judgments of God upon the planet.
Verses 15 and 16 make it clear that it is at this point—the middle of the tribulation—that the antichrist breaks his covenant with the harlot, “. . . these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and burn her up with fire.” Chapter 18 provides us with a great deal of detail about the final judgment of this false religious group called Babylon the great, the mother of harlots. John sees another angel coming down from heaven with great authority. His entrance to the earth literally lights up the world. He pronounces the final doom of the false church. He provides the description,
“She has become the dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirits, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.” (18:2) Then he provides the reason, “For all the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.” (18:3)
Think about the nature of these relationships. The nations have drunk the wine of the passions of her immorality is a pretty good description of many of today’s mega-churches. Much of the world today is fascinated by these ministries. I recall the words of my father many years ago. They served as kind of a wake up call to me. “That Dr. Schuler, now he’s a man who knows what he’s talking about.” My father had no problem accepting Dr. Schuler’s philosophical ranting on world wide television and he was a Mormon.
The nations of the world today are drinking the wine of the passion of many of these mega-churches’ immorality. So many are being deceived by this false gospel (Gal. 1:6, 7; II Cor. 11:4) that they are joining these churches, thus committing acts of immorality with her. And finally, the merchants of the earth are getting rich by the wealth of her sensuality. Imagine how many merchants are getting rich providing the real estate, filling the building contracts, and furnishing these colossal giants. I’ve heard more than one professing believer brag about how his membership at one of these churches was one of the best business moves he ever made.
It is at this time that a voice from heaven will cry out, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” (18:5) Two things are clear from this unparalleled admonition of God. It is a voice from heaven. It is God Almighty telling His people, true believers, to come out of this false church. Realizing this book would be read by every generation since the time of its writing, it is a message to every generation. Obviously, there have been and are thousands of churches preaching another gospel about another Christ. Some today tell us we should not ever be involved in splitting a church. The fact is the book of Acts records several times when Paul and Peter took the true believers from under the teaching of the false teachers and began the first century churches (see my previous comments on pp 93, 94). And while I am not advocating anyone go from church to church wreaking havoc, intent on splitting the churches they attend, I am suggesting many of the church splits which occur today do so because the teaching in the church is often so weak to begin with. My final thought for now is that every denomination begun in the past four hundred years has risen as a result of some kind of church split. I’m not sure how those pastors justify their complaints about anyone who takes part of their congregation to begin a new church, especially considering that’s exactly how their denomination got started.
I don’t believe Satan will ever get a foothold (though he will certainly try) in a church who’s Elders who meet the stringent guidelines outlined in I Timothy and Titus. They will be mature, powerfully informed and ordained Elders, who will effectively guard the flock of God from wolves who come into their midst donning sheep’s clothing. If you are in one of those churches, thank God for that, submit yourself to its leadership, and become a powerful disciple so you can go and make more disciples. If you are not in one of those churches, God’s word to you is, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.”
The second obvious point is that in the final hours of history, just before God pours out His judgment on this final world church, He will admonish those who have somehow been a part of this movement thus far that it is time for them to come out of her. I suggest this will literally be a voice from heaven that all true believers will hear audibly and respond to post haste. They will realize at a moment in time, like a light bulb being turned on in their brain, who this church is historically; they will run from her unhallowed halls as fast as their feet will take them. The phrase of verse 8 suggest possibly some Sunday morning, while the congregations of these churches are meeting, there will be some who somehow have managed to be attending who have not received the mark of the beast; a prophet will stand in the middle of the service and pronounce the words, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” All of the true believers in all of these churches around the world will get up and beat feet for the exits; and just as they get outside at a safe distance away, fire will come down from heaven and instantly destroy every single false church on the planet. Of course, the biggest of these will be meeting in Rome at the Sistine Chapel. This scenario seems clear from 18:10, “standing at a great distance, because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’”
Here is another place where my pre-tribulation brethren have trouble. This is clearly not the physical Babylon of Genesis 11 (Current day Baghdad, Iraq). I have demonstrated already this is an illusion to the political/religious Babylon of ancient history. This judgment is clearly the judgment that is coming upon the false church for its persecution of true believers. It’s also clear the historical persecution on Protestant Christians by the Catholic Church is insignificant when compared to the persecution that will be unleashed in the final hours of history when this false church makes its covenant with the beast. Part of that covenant will obviously be a vow to help him get rid of this group of religious fanatics who refuse to submit themselves to theirs and his leadership.
Chapter 18:11-20 need little exposition. They describe the reaction of the merchants of the world to the destruction of the Vatican and the world church system. What is rather astounding is that in spite of the incredible judgment that has come upon the harlot, this group of world entrepreneurs is only interested in the economical loss they have sustained as a result of God’s final judgment upon this colossal monstrosity, the false church.
Chapter 18:20-19:10 describe the reaction of true believers and the heavenly hosts to the righteous judgment of God on this false church. Chapter 19:11-16 describe the return of Jesus to the earth to establish His one thousand year millennial reign. It begins with His physical return to the earth to do final pre-millennial battle with the beast and his armies. It’s interesting that 19:20 makes it clear the beast and false prophet were thrown alive into the lake of fire while those who were deceived by his reign of terror were killed first by the army of God. If you were ever puzzled by Jesus words as found in Matthew 24:28, “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” which, by the way, were spoken at the end of His message about the final hours of history, they should now make sense. Revelation 19:19 tells us, “and all the birds were filled with their flesh.”
Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, and the chronological sequencing of Revelation all fit perfectly into the post-tribulation theory of the rapture of the church. I urge those of you who preach the pre-tribulation theory to reconsider. It is important because teaching the pre-tribulation theory or teaching no theory at all fails to prepare believers appropriately for what is about to come upon us. If you are willing to be entirely candid, you will be forced to admit that the pre-tribulation theory makes two serious mistakes: 1. it completely ignores dozens of scriptures that describe the church’s activities during the tribulation; 2. and it has to discount the chronology of Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, and the Revelation. It is void of substance because it is by its very nature vague and ethereal. When one realizes the church will be here during the tribulation, he is able to understand the myriad of verses that make no sense to the one who thinks the church will be raptured before the tribulation begins. The post tribulation theory is the only one of the three that doesn’t require twisting text, denying literal translation, and ignoring dozens of verses to make sense. My soul agonizes when I consider the massive problems that are being created by those preachers, prophets, evangelists, and pastor/teachers who are misleading great multitudes of brothers and sisters in Christ by telling them they will not be here when the tribulation begins. While believing pre, mid, or post tribulation theory should not divide the brethren as might more critical areas of theology and doctrine, it’s difficult for me to imagine a more important subject to understand than eschatology outside of those foundational doctrines of the deity of Christ, salvation and sanctification based solely on faith, repentance from dead works, the bodily resurrection of Jesus, water baptism, and obedience of true believers to the admonitions of scripture.
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