The
American
Wisdom Series
Presents
Pamphlet 1879 Rev. kc 36
Isn't
studying God's Word in these last days exciting?
I
mean here we are, present in the 2000's, when these prophecies are coming
to pass!
Just think!
The
prophets like Ezekiel and Daniel and all the disciples of Christ
wanted
to know what it would be like in our day, in the final generation,
the
generation of the fig tree which was planted in 1948,
the
first born of whom are soon to enter into their 60's and receiving AARP
cards in their right hands
(No, it's not the mark of the beast!
It's just a sign of aging and the advent of discounts.)!
Do
you realize how blessed we are that our Father saved you and me to be born
now,
at
the end of the 6th day, the 6,000 years of flesh man, to witness the birth
of a new age?
Do you realize how exciting
things will be shortly?
Why?
We
get to face the Dragon and his locust army!
(I said exciting,
not easy!)
But
having come this far,
wouldn't
you agree that the Book of Revelation is actually very easy to comprehend?
Once
we take the time to understand the symbolism that the Holy Spirit uses
to
paint vivid pictures for us, the meaning becomes self evident.
Often
it just requires the application of common sense more so than "doctoral
like" scholarship.
In our last few studies
we learned that the old serpent, the dragon,
is actually Satan himself.
And
we discovered in Rev. 12:7-9 that soon Michael will cast him
and
his army of angels out of heaven and to this earth.
"Woe to the inhabiters
of the earth", remember?
There
will be spiritual warfare such as never was nor ever shall be again!
So, let's continue our
study of the revelation of the "Acts of the Dragon" in Rev. 13:5.
Rev.
13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies;
and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
And what a BIG MOUTH
he has!
This
verse means that Satan will be permitted or allowed to speak and have power
for 42 months.
Dr. Moffat translates
it:
Rev.
13:5 He was allowed to utter loud and blasphemous vaunts, and allowed to
exert authority for two and forty months; (Moffat)
Satan
can do NOTHING except our Father allows it, though
he thinks he can.
This Big Mouth Dragon
also suffers from a severe case of self delusion!
We
also noted in chapter 12 that all prophecy pertaining to Satan
and
his own is given in "lunar" terminology since they are of the "night".
But
God's children walk not in darkness, but are children of the "day",
i.e.
light, and so prophecy pertaining to them is given in "solar" terminology.
Here Satan, the chief
"lunar-tic", is allowed 42 months (moons) to do his thing.
Of
course we know that Jesus overrode this time period and shortened it,
else
no flesh would be saved.
Mark 13:20 "And except
that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved:
but for the elect's sake,
whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days."
We learned in Rev.
9 that
the
shortened period is 5 months,
the time of the swarming
locusts.
Back to old dragon breath:
Rev.
13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his
name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
Many
people when they read these last two verses imagine that the dragon, Satan,
is
going to say evil things against God.
But he's not going
to be speaking "bad things" about God.
He's
going to be speaking AS GOD,
i.e.
everything that comes out of his mouth is blasphemous because he is
claiming that HE IS GOD.
That's
the blaspheme!
Remember what Paul
told us would happen BEFORE our gathering back to Christ?
2 Thes.
2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except
there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son
of perdition;
The
"falling away" is the great apostasy which we will read of in a few verses
in Rev. 13:8
whereby
the whole world worships the dragon, the son of perdition, the son who
will perish,
i.e.
Satan, because of the next verse in 2 Thessalonians.
2 Thes.
2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or
that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth
in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
There
is your blaspheme of Rev. 13:6!
Blaspheme of God's "name
and His tabernacle and all that is in heaven".
Satan
sits in the temple of God claiming to be the Messiah
and
all those Christians who didn't have enough oil in their lamps,
i.e.
were Biblically illiterate and were not sealed with the knowledge of His
Word,
are
bowing to the dragon, worshipping Satan, believing
he is Jesus!
The dragon is really good
at deception.
Just
wait a few verses and we'll see him perform "miracles" to dazzle the troops!
Of
course there are those rascally 'bruisers',
those
Christians who are sealed with God's Word
who
walk
around fearlessly with the gospel armour on and in place,
stepping
on Satan's little locust buddies and flashing the Big Two-edged Sword.
The
Dragon doesn't like them!
(Big deal, they don't like him either!)
Rev.
13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome
them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Do
you recall from the last few verses of chapter 12
that
Satan comes after the woman's remnant, God's elect?
He declares WAR on them!
He's
angry with them and he hates them!
Rev.
12:17 "And the dragon was wroth with the woman,
and
went to make war with the remnant of her seed,
which
keep the commandments of God,
and
have the testimony of Jesus Christ."
How
does Satan overcome the saints?
Real simple.
He
causes them to be delivered up to councils and placed on trial before the
world.
Christ foretold us this.
He
has foretold us all things!
You
just have to read them! Open your Bible!
Mark 13:9 But
take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and
in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers
and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
But
remember, not one hair on their heads can be harmed (Luke 21:18).
Beaten means the same
thing as "he overcame them"
or let's say they shall
be "brow beaten".
Satan
is not going to publicly physically beat people on worldwide TV.
He's
too smart for that.
After
all, he's the number one "liberal leftist" in the world
and
they believe in rehabilitation (conversion) not corporal punishment.
And
don't forget he's claiming he is Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord
of lords,
the
ruler of the whole world with power over all kindreds and tongues and nations.
And
all the world believes this imposter!
Rev.
13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are
not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world.
There
it is, the Great Apostasy!
If
you don't know ahead of time that there are two Christs,
if
you don't understand 2 Thes. 2 and the 7 Seals real, real good,
then
you will worship Satan as Jesus.
You see,
from Ezekiel 28 we know how beautiful and marvelous
and wonderful and charismatic
this guy really is!
And from
Daniel we know he enters in peacefully and prosperously with a booming
economy,
meaning big bucks for
everyone ("It's the economy, stupid!")!
And from
the previous chapter in Revelation, chapter 12,
we know that he drew
a third of God's children away from God in the first earth age!
Folks,
he's really, really good at swooning people!
They just love him to
death (both figuratively and literally)!
And
do you want to know something that's a mystery to most, yet it is real
simple?
Remember
in chapter 12 we saw the woman,
clothed
with the sun, with her 12 stars standing there facing the dragon and his
own?
She was standing there
"ready to go" in the first earth age,
before the foundation
of this earth age!
It
is those who stood against the dragon in that first earth age,
before
the foundation of the world, who have their names written in the Lamb's
Book of Life.
Is
yours?
[9]
If any man have an ear, let him hear.
Remember these words
from chapters two and three?
While
they may have a special significance to God's elect, here's
the shortened version:
"Do
you get it?"
To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits;
to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, you accomplish both.
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