Presents
Revelation
Chapters 12 through 14
Presents
Revelation
Chapters 12 through 14
What a masterpiece the great Book of Revelation, the Book of the Uncovering, the Book of the Unveiling. Let's pause and reflect for a moment and review some of that which has been revealed to us thus far.
In chapter one we learned that John was taken to the Lord's Day, which is yet future from now, and shown "visually" many marvelous and wondrous truths, to provide us in these last days with concrete PICTURES of the way it is and the way it is going to be. We learned that the graphics and symbols used in the descriptions are easily understood because they are either defined right in the Book Revelation itself, or we have read of them before in the Incredible Edible Book.
For instance, we now know that the Sword of the Lord is symbolic of the Word of God, that stars are symbolic of angels, i.e. sons of God, that horses and horns are symbolic of power, and that snakes, scorpions, locusts, etc. are all symbolic of our enemies.
In chapters 2 and 3 we saw Christ address the 7 Churches present at the time of the end. He admonished all but two of them, for He found no fault with Smyrna and Philadelphia, who both taught concerning those who claim to be of Judah, but are liars and of the synagogue of Satan himself.
John was then taken to heaven in chapter 4 and he gave us a simply incredible description of the glory of Him who sat on the throne, the throne itself with the four guards (zoon), and the room where a great assembly was gathered to witness the unsealing of His Word so that the wise of this generation, spoken of by the angel to Daniel to the prophet (Dan. 12:10), would be able to understand all that Christ foretold us, and He foretold us all things (Mat. 13:23). We saw gathered at that great assembly the 24 Elders, i.e. the 12 Patriarchs and 12 Apostles, all those who have lived and died in Christ including our loved ones who have passed away, and all those who were slain for the Word of God, i.e. martyred.
The Lamb of God then unsealed the Scroll giving us in Picture Format the signs of the end time even as that same Lamb outlined them in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. To fully understand these seals is to have the seal of God in your forehead whereby the scorpions and locusts cannot harm you.
Then, having been given the complete intelligence report with all the necessary signs to look for, with all the enemy's methods of operation disclosed, the amount of briefing of the saints which must take place before the final battle, and what to do and say if and when captured by the enemy and brought to trial, John is then shown the 7 Angels with the 7 Trumps sound their trumpets.
The Trumpets are sounded in order announcing the events that are to transpire and describing the details using symbolic, understandable, graphic imagery. The last three trumps are called "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth Trumps" and culminate with the appearance of the two Messiahs. The first Messiah, Satan, the false one, appears at the 6th Trump and the true Messiah, Jesus Christ returns at the 7th Trump.
John then saw the very Temple of God opened in heaven and therein was the Ark of the Covenant. And there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail, all of which we understood.
We now come to chapter 12 of Book of the Unveiling and John is going to SEE in PICTURE format the very plan of God, from the first earth age even to the third (last) earth age, all in one chapter. He will first see two contrasting "wonders" in heaven, one in verse 1 and the second in verse 3. We will document that the first four verses of this chapter pertain to the "world that then was" (2 Pet. 3), and not to this present earth age.
Let's begin.
Can you SEE the PICTURE. She is a very beautiful woman.Rev. 12:1
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
The word "wonder" means "sign" and so John saw a great sign in heaven, and wondrous it was. Would you like see one? Go outside on any clear night and look up at the stars, and wondrous it will be. And if you are familiar with the uncorrupted Zodiac the plan of God will appear, for it is the Bible in the stars. Did not God say in Genesis 1:14 that the lights in the firmament of the heaven are to be for SIGNS, and for seasons, and for days, and years? Yes He did. And He numbered and named them ALL.
And so you can begin with "The prophecy of the promised seed", Virgo, the virgin, who brings forth the man child and travel through the redeemer's conflict, etc., to Leo and destruction of the old serpent. It was declared in the "beginning of time" and repeated in Matthew 1:23 "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." (You must read appendix 12 in the Companion Bible or and/or obtain the book "The Glory of the Stars" by E. Raymond Capt.)
Of course, just as the written Word of God has been corrupted by the traditions of men and made of none effect, so has the Zodiac, the Word of God written in the stars, been corrupted by men and reduced to superstition and daily fortune telling by the silly and the ignorant, and also made of none effect.
So what about this woman in verse one who is clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars? She symbolizes mother Israel and her 12 Royal sons, stars, chosen before the foundation of this earth age, through whom would come Messiah. Do you remember the dream that one of those stars had in this earth age while in the flesh? His name was Joseph, son of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel.
Eleven "stars", sons, made obeisance to the twelfth, Joseph.Genesis 37:9
And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
Notice that the woman hasn't given birth yet to the Messiah and in fact would not until this earth age for which she is travailing, i.e. sorrowing. The time just before the "birth of a new age" is always liken to the labor pangs, the travailing of a woman. As Christ would say regarding the signs just before the end of this age, "these are the beginnings of sorrows" (look up "sorrows", it means "travail", labor pangs) Mark 13:8. Also see Romans 8:22 and 1 Thes. 5:3.Rev. 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
John now SEES the second wonder, the bad guy, the one who rebelled and fell in the "world that then was".
Can you SEE the PICTURE? He is a very ugly beast, in contrast to the very beautiful woman![3] And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
The dragon is Satan (see verse 9) and he has his seven heads, symbolic of his 7,000 royal priests with the breastplates on (Remember? They get zapped at the return of Christ in Rev. 11:13), and ten horns, symbolic of power. We'll find in verse 9 that his angels get booted out of heaven and come with the dragon, Satan, to this earth. When? At the second Woe Trump, remember? So we see Satan's power structure in the "world that then was" which caused the "fall" of 1/3 of the "stars" which we'll see in verse 4.
And when we get to the next chapter, chapter 13, we'll see this creep, Satan the beast, with almost exactly the same power structure he had in first earth age of which we just read. The difference is he has handed out three promotions and elevated them to royal, priestly status, i.e. he has three more crowns.
Again, we'll cover this in more detail when we get to it, but you already know that waters and the sea are the peoples of the world (Rev. 17:15). And when you wear the title (name) of Priest of Christ on your forehead, and you're one of Satan's own, it sure is blasphemous, wouldn't you say?Rev. 13:1
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
One last thought on Rev. 12:3. He is called the "Red" dragon. Look up "red" in Strong's Concordance and your see that it is "purrhos" from "pur" meaning "fire" or "literal or figurative, specially lightning". And so Jesus Christ would say regarding this fire breathing dragon in Luke 10:18 "And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven."
Do you know what Satan did in the first earth age? It is revealed to us in the very next verse. It is the reason that you and I are here on this earth, in these flesh bodies, today!
Oh, Satan drew 1/3 of God's children into his camp of deception and caused their downfall, "brought them down" as we say, cast them to the earth! Got it? There's now big trouble in God's family! One third of His children have forsaken Him.Rev. 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
Our Father then held the first judgment of one of His sons, Lucifer. And He sentenced him to "perish", to die the 2nd Death in the lake of fire. So you can see there was a price to pay for sin even in the "world that then was". That price was death! Satan's sentence is so recorded in Ezekiel 28:
Ezekiel 28:18-19
Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
"And never shalt thou be any more" is exactly what "perish" means! Satan is even called the son of perdition, the son who will perish. He's as good as dead which is why he is also called "death", to whom some of you will be delivered up to.[19] All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
But our loving Father did not judge the rest of His children, because the penalty for those found guilty would be death also! Sentencing your children to die is not something anyone would want to do. So He postponed that judgment until after the Millennium, after His plan to salvage His children, His plan of salvation, was fulfilled.
He would make man, His sons, to dwell in flesh bodies fashioned after the very likeness of themselves, and yet be born innocent, which is WITHOUT knowledge of the world that then was. That way they could be free from interference to chose whether to love God or once again follow Satan's tail.
But the penalty for sin would still be death and so our Father, in His infinite love for His children, decided to pay the price Himself, to DIE FOR US, in our stead, that we might be redeemed to Him and love Him as He so wants His children to do. Is that not the most awesome thing you've ever heard?
Those of you who have children know full well that you cannot order or command or decree by law that your children love you. It must come from their hearts. And so it is with our Father and we His children. The price has been paid. We can live eternally with Him, if we'll turn to Him and love Him, for He first loved us and He still does.
What say ye?
We've seen the two great signs in heaven. One was a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. The sun "solar" represents the "sun of righteousness", Jesus Christ, and the moon "lunar, having no light of it's own" represents the "lunatic", Satan. So you could say that the woman, mother Israel, was clothed or covered, even protected by the LORD, wrapped in His arms. And of course the moon is under her feet where the footstool belongs.
Then we saw a great red dragon with seven crowned heads and ten horns. This is Satan and his power structure in the "world that then was" (2 Pet. 3:6), before this flesh age, where his tail drew, i.e. dragged down, a third of God's children to rebel against our Father and follow after him.
And we saw the dragon, Satan, standing before the woman, which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was to be born. It was to be born at the appointed time, at the first advent in this earth age. So we now jump ahead to that time.
This brings us to Mary, who gave actual birth to Christ, but as you know, to get to this point and bring forth the promised Messiah (Gen. 3:15) from mother Eve on, was no small task as that great red dragon, that old serpent, tried to devour the "seed" from the beginning.Rev. 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
And this "man child" was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, which didn't happen when He walked this earth and hasn't happened yet. He was born an innocent babe and died to pay the price for our sins. It is when Christ returns, at His second advent, that He takes command of all nations with the rod of iron.
What a day the sounding of that 7th Trump, announcing the Day of the Lord, that Day of Vengeance, will be. Meanwhile "her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne" where He now sits at the right hand of the Father, and He will remain there until all His enemies are His footstool.Rev. 19:15
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Neither Jesus nor Satan are present on earth, in person, at this time. And we have documented time and again that they both are returning, in person, soon. Satan comes at the 6th Trump and Christ comes at the 7th Trump. Let no man deceive or confuse you by any means. Of course, both the Holy Spirit and Satan's evil spirit, as the prince and power of the air, are present now.Hebrews 10:12-13
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; [13] From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
From the parting of the Red Sea and the earthquake that split the ground asunder and swallowed all those who followed Korah, throughout the Bible, we can read how God has used nature and natural forces to protect His own and even defeat their enemies. It then should seem no great thing if the woman is protected by our Father, and she will be. We already read in Rev. 9 that Satan cannot harm in any way those with the seal of God in their foreheads.Rev. 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
But the wilderness is our place among the people, prepared of God, where He wants us to be. It is not a physical place in the desert, like Petra, where we fly in a 747 Jumbo Jet to save our hides from some blood and guts battle espoused by Biblically illiterate preachers. We're foot soldiers of the Most High, and we can always be found on the front lines.
You may remember that John the Baptist was a voice crying in the wilderness, and common sense tells you he wasn't preaching to the animals.
This was a direct quote from the prophet Isaiah:Matthew 3:3
For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
There's not much food in the desert, is there? What did it say the woman would be doing in the wilderness? Feeding for 1260 days. And so it is that the woman will be fed during the worldwide famine of Amos 8:11, even as we now feast on the Word of God.Isaiah 40:3
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
And remember what will the two witnesses be doing during those same 1260 days? Rev. 11:3 "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth." They will be prophesying, teaching. They will continue to pump oil into the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
One thing is for sure, the woman is certainly not "hidden" somewhere for she will be persecuted when Satan gets here as we will see in verse 13. So much for the flying to Petra theory.
So get ready. War in heaven is about to take place in the next verse, and woe to the inhabiters of the earth.
War in heaven?Rev. 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
"But I thought everything was peaceful and serene there with harps of gold and people sitting on fluffy clouds saying holy, holy, holy! War in heaven?"
Welcome to reality. Heaven is where Satan and his angels are right now, and wherever he is there's trouble. Yes, he's been here on earth in person before. He was in the garden and he was here when he tempted Christ.
But don't worry, he's no match for Michael and the rest of the Christian Army there.
See what I mean? He's a loser. And it's time this whole bunch of losers, Satan and his angels, get kicked out of heaven, to the earth. Woe! So when the war is finished on that battle front it resumes here on earth. Got your gospel armour on (Eph. 6)?[8] And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
"So that's OK Michael, send them down, we'll take it from here. Jesus has given us power over all our enemies. And believe us, were thankful and give praise to Him because our names are written in the Book of Life."
Let's see now. When Michael stands up and fights against the dragon, it will be "woe" time, Woe Trump time, to the inhabiters of the earth (vs. 12), i.e. big trouble here. Hmmmm. That's exactly what Daniel said concerning the end time.Luke 10:19-20
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. [20] Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
Again, if your name is written in the book, that would be the Book of Life, then Satan is ordered to leave you alone.Daniel 12:1
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
Let there be no doubt about who the great red dragon is. He is the Devil, Satan himself, that old serpent who was in the garden of Eden and seduced mother Eve.Rev. 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
He is cast to this earth! And he fools a couple of people? No, he deceives the WHOLE WORLD. He's really good. He's coming disguised as Jesus. He will sit in the temple claiming to be God (2 Thes. 2). And remember, we just read he drew away 1/3 of God's children in the "world that then was", but it will be even easier to deceive them in their flesh bodies. They will be impressed when he snaps his finger and calls fire down from heaven.
"Wow", they will say! "Woe", we will say!
What is the most dangerous doctrine/belief in Christianity today? Did you know there is one? It is so dangerous that it could cause you to lose your very soul!
It is the "any moment Rapture theory"! Why? Because if a person believes that Jesus Christ can return at any moment, then when the supernatural archangel, Satan, and his angelic entourage are cast out of heaven to this earth (Rev. 12:9), disguised as Christ and His "angels of light", that person will think Jesus Christ has returned to this earth. And they will worship him as Jesus! Yuck! Just wait until the real Jesus returns at the 7th Trump and they discover they've been worshipping Satan. How ashamed they will be!
The apostle Paul made it perfectly clear in 2 Thes. 2 that we WILL NOT gather back to Jesus Christ until AFTER the son of perdition, Satan, stands in the holy place showing the world that he is God, i.e. Jesus. Until that happens Christ isn't returning, so don't expect Him today or tomorrow!
And what of Satan's angels? Yes, we read his angels are cast out with him (Rev. 12:9)! Remember those 7,000 who were measured in the temple (Rev. 11:1) and are destroyed by Christ at His return (Rev. 11:13). They were here on earth before when they seduced women, the daughters of Adam. You can read of them in Genesis chapter 6 where they are called the sons of God. They were giving and taking in marriage and giants were born as a result of their "hanky panky".
But you don't have to take anyone's word for it that these angels are coming. Jesus Christ Himself documented that they are coming again when He gave the signs of what it will be like just before He returns.
Noe is Greek for Noah. What was going on then?Matthew 24:37
But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Who was marrying and giving in marriage? Those before the flood, the fallen angels and the daughters of Adam. Jesus told us that it is going to be just like it was in those days before the flood. They, those seducing fallen angels, are coming again to marry and give in marriage! That is also why Paul says in 1 Cor. 11:10 that a woman should have power, the veil of Christ, on her head, i.e. be subject to Him. The reason? Read it yourself: "For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels." Because of the angels who will be coming to seduce them.[38] For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
Satan and his angelic host will deceive the whole world, except for those who are aboard the ark of the covenant of these last days, i.e. have the seal of God in their foreheads. All others will drown in the flood of Satan's lies.
There's going to be a whole bunch of people swept away, just like they were in the flood of Noah.[39] And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
The woman taken in the field is taken by whom? By Satan and his angels, swept away in their flood of lies, just like those swept away in the flood of Noah days![40] Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Those left working in the field, who wait upon the true bridegroom, who aren't swallowed by the flood, who aren't seduced by Satan and the fallen angels, those "virgins" who endure until the end, they are the ones who shall be saved.[41] Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Let's return to Revelation where John is speaking.
Satan's a big "tattle tale"! Every time you do something wrong he runs to your Father and tells on you and tries to get you in trouble! Read about the conversation this "smart aleck" had with our Father concerning Job in Job 1:6-12.Rev. 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
But what about those who have the seal of God in their foreheads, whom Satan accuses day and night, i.e. relentlessly?
They overcame Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by kicking that old dragon in the teeth with their testimony, WITHOUT FEAR of harm or death, knowing that they have the victory![11] And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Rejoice ye that dwell in the heavens? Oh yeah, sure! You kicked him out! It's easy to sing Hallelujah now, isn't it? Didn't we read back a few chapters that "there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour" (Rev. 8:1)? Nice and peaceful![12] Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
"But Woe to us poor suckers, the inhabiters of the earth and the sea. Thanks a lot! You not only sent Satan down here in person, but now he's really PO'd because he knows he only has 5 months and he thought he had 3 1/2 years."
Now there's a surprise! He comes after those rascally children of God! He'll be sorry.[13] And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
Again, these two wings aren't found attached to the fuselage of a jet owned by Eagle Airlines. Our Father is liken to this great eagle in Deut. 32:9-11. This 32nd chapter of Deuteronomy is the very "Song of Moses" that the overcomers are singing in Rev. 15. It is therefore a part of the Book of Revelation. Notice that God's people are found in the "wilderness" and protected by "wings" of the great eagle, our loving Father.[14] And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
And so the woman is given the two wings of this great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness of the world, fully protected and nourished during the great tribulation. Of course, the great eagle is our loving Father.Deut. 32:9-11
For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. [10] He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. [11] As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:
OK, now get ready, cause here comes the flood!
He's trying to drown the woman in the field and take her, isn't he?Rev. 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
Our feet don't even get wet from this dragon's flood of lies! With God and mother nature on our side (remember the two witnesses) he doesn't have a prayer of a chance![16] And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
Them's fight'n words! But you know, to Christian soldiers there's nothing funnier than an angry, out of control, flailing dragon, puffing smoke! After kicking him around awhile to show others he's a loser just take the sharp two-edge sword and go for the head![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.
And he makes war with the remnant of her seed. We know that this old serpent has been after the "seed" of the woman from the very beginning. At the beginning of this chapter we saw the picture of him standing there in the first earth age waiting with "baited breath" for the chance to devour. And when this flesh age began and God placed Adam and Eve, though whom the "man child" would eventually come, in the garden, then lo and behold, there he was just chomping at the bit! Here is what our Father had to say to him:
Yes, there sure is enmity, isn't there? But you see, "the losers", Satan and his offspring, the kenites, only bruised the heel of the "man child". This happened when the stake was driven through His feet at Calvary. But "the winners", the seed of woman, the real bruisers, take the head off that old serpent, the dragon, the devil, Satan.Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
We have the victory!
Chapter 13 of the Book of Revelation is to many folks one of the scariest and most misunderstood chapters in all the Bible. Why? Well, the main reason is that people (including preachers and ministers) who are unfamiliar with the Word of God and the plan of God try to interpret what it says. Since they are completely unfamiliar with the symbology used to create a PICTURE to make things clearer and illustrate what's happening, they must make up stories out of their own imaginations to try and explain that which completely baffles them. And that's really scary, for that which one who claims to be a teacher or preacher says to God's children, affects their very lives and even their souls. It is a serious matter.
But for those who do have eyes to see and ears to hear, who are familiar with God's Word, and even for those who have followed along with us in this Book of the Revealing from the beginning, this chapter is easy, as you will see, because we have seen and read of it all before.
As an overview, we will encounter two "beasts" in this chapter, the descriptions of which will give us a PICTURE of the Political and Religious systems, two of the Four Hidden Dynasties, in their full flourishing, that Satan uses to deceive the whole world. It's really just that simple! Enjoy it.
Here's the first beast:
Before we even begin to try understand the symbolism used and what these verses mean, let's make sure we SEE the PICTURE. (Note: You can often acquire artist's conceptions of this beast at various phone booths around the country.)Rev. 13:1
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.[2] And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
So what do we see? There's a great beast, a ghastly monster if you will, who rises up out of the sea. And he has seven heads! Wow, seven heads! I don't know of any real animal or beast who has seven heads, do you? And he has ten horns with crowns on them! What a weird looking creature, but very intimidating! And look! He also looks like a leopard with bear's feet and lion's mouth. He's an awesome, terrible looking thing. In fact he makes Godzilla look like a beauty contestant.
Got the PICTURE? Then you have just seen the awesomeness of what the structure of the New World Order will look like after Satan, the dragon, is cast out of heaven and takes over. Remember Rev. 12:9 "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
Now let's look at the symbolism used in the PICTURE.
1.) Who is the dragon? We just read Rev. 12:9 so there can be no doubts or guess work as to the identity of the dragon. The Dragon is Satan.
Remember also that we saw this same description of this same power structure of the dragon in the first earth age in Rev. 12:3, except that he will have 3 more "crowns" with him this time when he gets here.
2.) And what is the sea? The sea is the people of the earth from which the political system arises.
3.) And what or who are the ten horns? We've seen them before and we'll see them again. They are ten kings under the authority of Satan!Rev. 17:15
And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
These ten kings will be present during the reign of the false-christ, Satan, during that great hour of temptation. Are the ten kings ten leaders of countries today? Probably not. In so far as they were present in the first earth age, they will most likely accompany Satan as part of that entourage of angels who are cast out with him. They will reign over, i.e. divide up, the whole world, all seven continents.Daniel 7:24
And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: ...Rev. 17:12
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
4.) And what of these names of blasphemy? Don't forget, just as Satan will be appearing as the Messiah, though he be the false one, his angels will be with him and appearing as, and called by the name, "Ministers of Christ". Can you be more blasphemous than that?
5.) And what about the leopard, bear, and lion? We could spend several days studying the attributes of these three "beasts" and their usage in the Bible. You should read all of Daniel chapter 7 where you will find the leopard, the bear, and the lion all identified as separate beasts before the final beast with ten horns rises up and takes over.
Here in Revelation, though, we see that final beast, and he possesses the most outstanding attributes of each of these carnivorous, flesh eating, animals. The leopard is cunning and swift whose spots cannot be changed (Jer. 13:23). This should also bring to mind the fact that "their spot is not the spot of His children" of Deut. 32, the Song of Moses, which we will soon see the overcomers singing in Rev. 15. And the bear? His powerful feet are able to crush and break in pieces as the one world system can do. And mouth of a lion? The mouth contains the lion's teeth which rip and shred and tear and devour. Remember we read of Satan's "locust army" who also had the teeth of lions?
But there's no need to fear these attributes of Satan's political system. Though it might appear to us as a giant beast we're not afraid of Goliaths or multi-headed beasts, or scorpions, or locusts, etc. We have power over them (Luke 10:19) . How about that David?Rev. 9:8
And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
Did the lion's mouths hurt Daniel when he was cast before them in the den? Not!1 Samuel 17:36
Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
Even Paul was delivered out of the mouth of the lion by the Lord who stood with him!
So much for lions and tigers and bears, oh my!2 Tim. 4:17
Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
Hmmmm. Would seem that the New World Order has a problem keeping its heads on straight. One of them takes a lethal blow to the skull. But not to worry, his deadly wound is all patched up. There, there. Any guesses as to who heals it?Rev. 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Note: I thought I told you not to guess about God's Word.If you want to look ahead to verse 12 you will see that Satan himself, the supernatural archangel coming as Jesus Christ, heals the deadly wound. No problem for Slick Satan.
"And all the world WONDERED after the beast". Yes, it will be truly amazing, just marvelous for world peace!
Now, for those who like to speculate as to what the deadly wound will be to the New World Order, here's a type set forth in history by the predecessor to the United Nations, The League of Nations, formed during President Wilson's term (he also gave us the Federal Reserve System).
The following quotation is from the World Book Encyclopedia.
The League of Nations received a deadly wound and it died, for it could not settle an international dispute. It was replaced in 1946 with the United Nations, another attempt at a powerful enough world organization that could try to force nations to remain at peace. Can it?"The League of Nations was an international association of countries which was created at the end of World War I. It grew out of the desire of the people throughout the world to prevent war forever.The most important work of the League of Nations was the peaceful settlement of international quarrels. The Council of the League of Nations was set up for this purpose.
Unfortunately, the efforts of the Council were not always successful. For example, during 1935 and 1936 the Council failed to settle the dispute between Italy and Ethiopia. At that time Italy was trying to build up a great empire at the expense of the Ethiopians.
The failure of the Council to solve the Italian-Ethiopian dispute did much to weaken and finally destroy the influence of the League of Nations. No one really had the power to force nations to remain at peace." World Book Encyclopedia, 1953, vol. 10, pg. 4342.
Now there's a surprise! They worshipped the dragon! Everyone should be totally "up to speed" by now on who this dragon dude is. How is that the world worships the dragon? They believe he is Jesus Christ! So of course they will worship him!Rev. 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
And he, the dragon, heals the deadly wound and does bring about world peace and a One World Political System. And who is able to make war with him?
My goodness, they say that now! I've heard the statement several times on talk shows: "Who is able to go against the wishes of the international community?" President Clinton even said it in his State of the Union address regarding Saddam Hussein. How much more true it will be when Satan comes!
Turn on your radios and television sets and listen to what is being said. Then go read 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. No one, not even the apostle Paul, should have to tell you what season we're in!
Should not have to tell you this!1 Thes. 5:1-3
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
That means while one is sleeping. We're not![2] For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
Got your radio on? The locusts are coming soon! And the dragon with them! Right after the NWO takes a hit! It's the next benchmark in Bible prophecy! You are there![3] For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
[4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
Watch and be sober! They're crying Peace and Safety! The cold war is over and people no longer fear.[5] Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.[6] Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
Isn't studying God's Word in these last days exciting? I mean here we are, present 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 now senior citizens and received 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.
Earlier 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.
And what a BIG MOUTH he has!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.
This verse means that Satan was permitted or allowed to speak and have power for 42 months. Dr. Moffat translates it:
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!Rev. 13:5 He was allowed to utter loud and blasphemous vaunts, and allowed to exert authority for two and forty months; (Moffat)
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:
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?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.
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. 2:3
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;
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!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.
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!)
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."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.
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!
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!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.
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)!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.
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?
Remember these words from chapters two and three? While they may have a special significance to God's elect, here's the shortened version:[9] If any man have an ear, let him hear.
We learned concerning the dragon, Satan, that "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 (Rev. 13:8)."
Then we were told in the very next verse that "If any man have an ear, let him hear (Rev. 13:9)".
So the obvious question must be asked? Do you have ears to hear?
This is an important question because the very nature of the question itself lets us know by implication that there are those who don't have them, right?
Therefore, there are two types of people who will read the rest of this 13th chapter of Revelation. Those who have "ears to hear" and those who do not. Those who do not cannot "see" or "hear" past the flesh level and cannot understand that the tribulation is a battle for their soul, not their flesh.
When they read "kill with the sword" they think about their flesh, despite the fact that we are told in Rev. 1:16 that the "sword" is the Word of God.
When they read of "famine" they think about their bellies, despite the fact that Amos 8:11 tells us that the famine of the end times is for the hearing of the Word of God.
In fact they love to hear preachers tell them how they are going to "fly away" in the clouds to save what? Their souls? NO! They say you must be saved to be "raptured". What then? To save their flesh! Does the Rapture Theory have anything to do with other than saving their little old flesh hides? Think about it. Did Paul tell us in Eph. 6 to put on the gospel armour to fly away or to take a stand? Even our Christian soldiers when they go off to war ask God to protect them on the front lines. They don't ask Him to fly them away so they can watch the battle from a remote place of safety. Arrrggg!
Is the Bible a book about saving your flesh or your soul? Should we be worried beyond that which is the instinct of natural preservation about our bodies, which are going to wither and die ANYWAY!
Here's what Jesus Christ has to say concerning the matter:
I rest my case.Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
This next verse in Revelation continues with the "destiny" which we just read in verse 8, just prior to the "If you can understand".
This verse contains a Hebraism, again showing destiny (read Jer. 15:2), which the KJV doesn't bring forth all that well. Here's how Dr. Moffat translates it:Rev. 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Remember again verse 8. You are going to be "captive" to either the dragon or the real Jesus Christ. IF you understand the destiny then you are "marked" for one or the other, aren't you? In other words, you either have the Seal of God in your forehead whereby your name is written in the book, or you have the Seal of Satan in your forehead, whereby you'll worship the dragon. So who holds your soul captive? If your name is written in the Lamb's book then you have the patience and the faith to endure unto the end.Rev. 13:10 Whoever is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes: whoever kills with the sword, by the sword must he be killed. This is what shows the patience and the faith of the saints. ( Moffat)
Now, remember when we began chapter 13 we said there are two "beasts" described in this chapter? Well here is the second beast (different from the "first" as shown in verse 12), who is the religious beast. This PICTURE is nothing more than another profile of the dragon coming out of the pit, i.e. Satan.
What are the two horns (powers) of the Lamb? Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, is the (1.) King of kings and (2.) Lord of lords. He wields both the Rod and the Scepter. He's both World Ruler and High Priest. Satan's imitations of Jesus are described to us as blasphemous, venomous beasts. So this verse is another PICTURE showing us that Satan comes disguised as the Lamb of God, speaking blasphemes as the dragon, because he is the dragon.Rev. 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
He utilizes to the fullest extent the "first beast", which is the one world political system, which he healed, put back together, and made into the "new and improved" New World Order, which he heads. And he will have the world like obedient dogs "licking out of his hand". Check out the word "worship" in Strong's.[12] And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
proskuneo, pros-koo-neh'-o, Greek 4352; from Greek 4314 (pros) and a probably derivative of Greek 2965 (kuon) (meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand); to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (literal or figurative) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore) :- worship.
The Greek word "fire" is pur Greek 4442; a primary word; "fire" (literal or figurative, specially lightning).Rev. 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
This guy is really good! That's why Jesus shortened these days. Satan can snap his "pinkies" and lightning falls from the sky. Get ready! He will be spectacular!
How does he deceive the people, them that dwell on the earth? By means of those miracles, one of which we just read of in verse 13. Snap, snap. And the people will "snap to it".[14] And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
And he gives new life to the NWO.
Satan's one world political system will be Bigger than Life itself and what it says goes! And if you don't participate you're dead meat, marked for the kill brother! The dragon is coming after you snorting "fiery darts". Are you going to "fly away" or stand and chop his head off?[15] And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
They will ALL be his "right hand men and women", yes, obedient little sheep! They are his "captives" remember? They will just love him! They will do his bidding which is what "to receive a mark in their right hand" means. It is a figure of speech just like I used "right hand man". It has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE RIGHT HAND, it's ALL ABOUT SERVICE.[16] And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
What did we read in verse 8? All those whose names are not written in the book will "worship the dragon, the religious beast". They will SERVE him as Lord!
Note: There is so much ignorance regarding God's Word for the lack of understanding figures of speech. I said before that if in the Book of Acts we found a verse that read "The apostle Paul got into hot water", there would be churches that would require members in good standing to get into a pool or tub of hot water. The scholars would discuss how much water they should get into and just exactly what degree of temperature crests the threshold from "warm" to "hot". They would cite Strong's concordance which would say that "water" means the wet stuff H2O as coming from a lake, river or the sea. But the figure of speech "he got into hot water" means he "got into trouble" and it has NOTHING TO DO WITH WATER! Do you have wisdom or not?
There are only two choices:
(1.) You either have the Seal of God in your forehead, in which case Satan can't touch you.
(2.) Or, you have the Seal of Satan in your forehead, in which case you'll do his bidding and worship him.
Oh, did I mention you are destined for one or the other?
Here's something else to consider. If you don't know something then you don't know that you don't know it! That's a definition of deception. In other words, if you are deceived then you are unaware that you are deceived. You believe a lie and stories to be truth. So, if you're running around looking for Satan's mark to be a tattoo or stamp or some microchip or a UPC code, then guess what? He's already got you captive. You already have the mark of the beast in your forehead and you don't know it! Wisdom has completely escaped you! ("That ought to make me some new friends", he said facetiously as he went to the next verse.)
What is the mark? It's his "seal" in your forehead, i.e. you are one of his, you carry his stigma. What is "the name of the beast"? It's blaspheme, remember? His name will be Jesus, but he is the son of perdition. What is the number of his name? 666 not 888. He's Satan not Jesus. Do you "have his number"?Rev. 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
In other words, if you are not a member of "the party", the NWO and his Congregation, you'll have much difficulty in commerce. How did those who were not members of the Nazi party make out in Hitler's Germany?
So, you'll either be saying "Heil Sweet Jesus" to the "fire breathing dragon" or else you'll be delivered up. (I just know some you 'bruisers' are going to say "Kiss my Sword!" See you on the witness stand.)
This is so simple if you have eyes to see and ears to hear. You must first understand the verb "count" and then the understanding will appear wherein the wisdom lies.[18] Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
What does "count" mean? Here's Dr. Strong's Concordance:
It comes from the root word:psephizo, psay-fid'-zo, Greek 5585; from Greek 5586 (psephos); to use pebbles in enumeration, i.e. (genitive) to compute :- count
It simply means to "enumerate using pebbles that have been worn smooth over a long period of time". This number of the beast, Satan's number, has been present for a long time, even from the beginning when the first mark was placed on the first one with rocks in his head, Cain. And you can trace his descendents, who are the tares of Mat. 13, the vipers Christ addressed in John 8, i.e. the kenites, throughout the Bible and throughout history from the garden of Eden to present day. How wise are you?psephos, psay'-fos, Greek 5586; from the same as Greek 5584 (pselaphao); a pebble (as worn smooth by handling), i.e. (by implication of use as a counter or ballot) a verdict (of acquittal) or ticket (of admission); a vote :- stone, voice.
The men who have stood out in defiance of God (Goliath and Nebuchadnezzar) are emphatically marked by this number. (I wonder if that means they had "666" stamped on their foreheads?") Have you read? And it all fits with the Biblical numerics of 666. 600 = Warfare, 60 = Idol worship, and 6 = man, evils of Satan. Reference "Biblical Mathematics", Ed. F. Vallowe.
And have you looked up 666 in Strong's?
What is a stigma? It is as Strong's defines it "(figurative) scar of service" which is precisely as Webster has it "a mark of shame or discredit". So, do you carry his "stigma"? Are you stigmatized with the traditions of men? Do have the mark of the beast "in" your forehead where the brain resides? Are you deceived? Hello, hello!chi xi stigma, khee xee stig'-ma, Greek 5516; the twenty-second, fourteenth and an obsolete letter (Greek 4742 (stigma) as a cross) of the Greek alphabet (intermediate between the fifth and sixth), used as numbers; denoting respectively six hundred, sixty and six; six hundred sixty-six as a numeral :- six hundred threescore and six.
One last comment. Are you familiar with the Song of Moses which we've already mentioned several times is sung by the overcomers in Rev. 15, which we will soon study. If you read Ezek. 28 you'll discover that Satan is called the king of Tyrus, which in Hebrew means "rock". How many different ways must we be told, how many vivid PICTURES must we be shown until we understand that there are two lambs, two Jesus Christs, yes there are two rocks.
So the question is: If you are not familiar with the Song of Moses, then how are you going to know it to sing it? Huh? You won't, because you wouldn't know one pebble from another. So you'll be counted out! Christ will say as it is written "Get away from me, I never knew you."Deut. 32:31
For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.
In chapter 14 we get to see what is happening on earth when Jesus Christ returns. Good old John is still in heaven and once again he looks on.
John looked and saw Jesus standing on Mount Zion. He has returned! And there are 144,000 with Him. Hey, we saw that number before in Rev. 7:2-4. Remember there were 12,000 out of each of the tribes of Israel who were "sealed" with the Word of God in their foreheads just before the 4 Winds were let loose and the final events of this earth age commenced.Rev. 14:1
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
The qualifier in this verse, "having His and His Father's name (as the texts read) written in their foreheads", lets us know that these are the same 144,000. Let's review from chapter 7:
So the 144,000 obviously made it through the great tribulation and now John sees them with Christ on Mount Zion after He has returned.Rev. 7:2
And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, [3] Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. [4] And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
The one in charge of the proceedings in heaven told the Royal Celestial Orchestra to begin to playing. A one... and a two... and a three.Rev. 14:2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
And the great choir of 144,000 Overjoyous Overcomers sang the Song of Moses to those assembled in the great hall of the brilliant flashing throne of God, with the floor that looked like a sparkling sea of glass and the Zoon, the four awesome guards at the throne, standing at attention, and the 24 Elders in formal attire all seated with their crowns on their heads.[3] And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
Yes, they made a joyful noise before the LORD. (We'll document that it was the Song of Moses when we get to chapter 15.)
Please notice that these are only the 144,000, redeemed from the earth, redeemed from this earth age, singing at this time and not God's elect. God's elect were chosen before the foundation of the world, before this earth age. Of course the 144,000 were redeemed from the earth by the Blood of the Lamb but it was His elect that help to seal them.
So did you get the PICTURE of the ceremony going on? The return of Christ is a momentous occasion to say the least. So this is not a difficult thing to understand. It is simply a special presentation of the firstfruits unto God. Of course there will be millions more who attend the wedding, from the great multitude out of all the nations in Rev. 7:9, which no man could number.
Virgins? They're virgins? Do you think there's 144,000 virgins left in this society?[4] These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
Flesh, flesh. Our minds seem to always go there first, don't they? But we know this doesn't mean they never had sex. These folks were not "spiritually seduced" by Satan and his angels into believing the Great Lie! Which was what? That the one sitting in the temple in Jerusalem was Jesus Christ as Paul so warned in 2 Thes. 2. Remember Satan deceives the whole world with his miracles and his great and prosperous "Peace on Earth" society, which means they all got screwed!
Note: It is written that at the time Satan appears in person, when he is cast to this earth (Rev. 12:7-9), that only the 7,000 very elect will not bow a knee to Baal. Therefore, the 144,000 will at first fall for him, i.e. engage in his foreplay, but they ultimately do not go all the way, and jump out of his bed when they see God's elect delivered up and give testimony, i.e. witness to the world at which time the gospel goes forth in all languages, direct from the Holy Spirit, through His elect. Pretty cool that it's called a "Witness Stand", isn't it?
You can look up the word "guile" if you so desire, but this verse pretty much speaks for itself.[5] And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
The Word of God is eternal, it is forever. And yes, there will be preaching and teaching during the Millennium. It is also document in the closing chapters of Ezekiel. Begin with chapter 44 and read on.[6] And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
The sand has run out of the hour glass. It is time to pay up! There will be judgment when Christ returns, both good and bad, so give glory and honor and reverence to God. We will read of some of this judgment in this chapter.[7] Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
It ALL GONE! The walls have come tumbling down![8] And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
And if you know the history of that first great city, Babylon, founded by the "seed" (offspring of the serpent), who was Cain sent forth into the land of Nod, who is also known as Sargon the Magnificent in secular history, then you know how perverse and idolatrous the first world empire was at the beginning. So shall it be at the end.
Do you recall in Daniel chapter 2 the image that Nebuchadnezzar saw, with Babylon as the first "one world political system", the head of gold? Well, the last "one world political system", is the "beast" we just studied in Rev. 13:1, the one with the 10 "crowns", i.e. kings, remember? It is the same as the fourth kingdom of iron in Nebuchadnezzar's image, the one with the 10 "toes" identified as "kings" in verse 44 of Dan. 2, and it is smashed by Jesus Christ at his return. Then the angel of Rev. 14:8 will say "Babylon is fallen, is fallen."
Isn't it amazing how we've seen all of this before in the Word of God? The scripture so rings true as it is recorded in Eccles. 1:9 "... there is no new thing under the sun." Here's the account in Daniel:
The whole Babylonian system is GONE, smashed to pieces, when Christ returns! Including that great city, the Babylon of the end times, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt (Rev. 11:8), where also our Lord was crucified, where the son of perdition sat with his angels and deceived the whole world. It's gone! Remember its portion was measured in Rev. 11:1? Did Christ not tell His disciples concerning the temple, which was included in the measuring, that not one stone would be left standing upon another? He meant smashed!Daniel 2:40
And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.[42] And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
[43] And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
[44] And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
[9] And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Now I don't know about you, but I sometimes have difficulty with the way they spoke in 1611 England. The revisers help a little bit, but my brain isn't so formal and it has to put verses like these into words I can better relate to:[10] The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Got it? Because if you want to make it more difficult than that, then you don't understand the simplicity of what is being said."And the 3rd angel followed the other 2 angels and said loud enough so everyone could hear him, 'If anyone participates with Satan's activities in any way shape or form, he's really going to 'get it' from our Father according to His Word, who will give it to him with the fire and brimstone paddle, right in front of everyone in total anguishing humiliation!"
And by the way, the "cup of His indignation" is the same cup that Jesus desired could pass from Him in the garden. It was the cup of wrath to be poured out, not a cup of fear. Christ was never afraid to pay the price! He came for that express purpose.
Wow, could we ever make Dante's Inferno come alive with this verse. Go ahead, but let me ask you, are we actually talking about "smoke", which is the by-product of something that has been consumed by fire (which we just read they get from our Father in vs. 10, because He is a consuming fire, Heb. 12:29) and smoke does go up for ever and ever, or is it an analogy, a figure of speech? (Some of you probably get so hot and angry with me that smoke pours out of your ears.)11] And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Anyway, here's verse 11 with some updated figures of speech:
Now think about it. This is the return of Jesus at His second advent, not the great white throne judgment and the second death which occurs AFTER the Millennium. We are at the very first day of the Millennium! And we just read in Rev. 14:6 that the "everlasting gospel" will be preached unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. Well, part of that everlasting gospel is the love of God which entails not only chastisement but discipline as well. Yes they will work their butts off during the Millennium and we will see when we get to chapter 20 that their judgment will be of their works and not of grace which we are afforded in this dispensation of flesh, which requires it! They will be in spiritual bodies which don't have the lust and pulls of flesh."The aftermath of their punishment will reach to high heaven and they are going work their butts off (during the whole period of the Millennium.)"
Judged according to their works!Rev. 20:12
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Note: Those who do not partake of the first resurrection, who enter the Millennium with spiritual bodies (which everyone will have (1 Cor. 15) but still have mortal souls, meaning they could still perish in the lake of fire at the end of the Millennium, are referred to as "the dead", not dead as corpses but spiritually dead. You'll need to understand the Greek words translated "dead" in the Bible in order to rightly divide the subjects of resurrections and judgments. If you don't want to take the time to do it then you can simply remain confused. Appendix 139 in the Companion Bible titled "DEAD" AND "THE DEAD" will assist you with this study. If you don't have one, then at least get a Strong's Concordance and do some work now "whilst thou still havest time." (Hey, I can speak 1611 English!)
Though we keep the commandments and the faith of Jesus because we deeply love Him, knowing the rewards of the first resurrection inspires our patience to wait on Him.Rev. 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Again, if you are not familiar with the Greek words translated "dead" in the New Testament (see appendix 139 in the Companion Bible), then just read "those" for "the dead", i.e. "Blessed are those which die in the Lord from henceforth".Rev. 14:13
And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
Why? Yea, saith the spirit, they get to rest during the Millennium, the day of rest, instead of working their butts off day and night while awaiting the great white throne judgment and the hope of the second resurrection! So you see, your works do follow you, don't they?
It's the Day of the Lord, the first day of Millennium here on earth. Jesus Christ has returned to reap the harvest of that good seed which He has sown (Mat. 13) and to exercise judgment and pour out "the cup of wrath" on the wicked.
In the first few verses of this chapter 14 we saw the "Happy Time" of the Day of the Lord when the overcomers were singing and the heavenly orchestra was playing and the saints were with Jesus on Mount Zion.
Now, in the remaining verses of this chapter 14 we are going to SEE a very graphic PICTURE of what the "No-So-Happy Time" looks like for those who are not standing on Mount Zion. We continue with John's description:
Jesus Christ returns with a Golden Crown upon His head, for He returns as King of kings and Lord of lords. No longer does He have a crown of thorns, a crown of humiliation on His head. And now it's harvest time and He will do the reaping and the threshing.Rev. 14:14
And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
The Father knows and determines the exact times, for no man knows precisely. Now here comes word from a messenger who was in the temple, where He sits, and the word is "The time has come", "The harvest of the earth is ripe", which simply means it's judgment time![15] And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
The Firstfruits have been gathered. You see, you reap "golden wheat" with a sickle.[16] And He that sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
Here comes another messenger out from the temple he also has a sharp sickle to do some reaping. But...[17] And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
Uh oh! Here comes an angel from the "altar" this time to give instructions to the one with the sharp sickle! You remember what comes from the altar, don't you? Fire! Remember what we read in our last study in Rev. 14:10 "The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:" Well, here it comes![18] And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
But it would seem that there's somewhat of a problem here. The problem is that you don't harvest "grapes" with a sickle! It gets real messy!
Yes, God is going to "Put the Squeeze on Them" for their wickedness is great.[19] And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.[20] And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
What does it mean "without the city? Without or outside the city simply means the wrath of God is not poured out on His children who love Him, because do you remember where they are? They are with Him on Mount Zion, which is where John saw Jesus standing in verse 1, which is "within in the city".
Is all this something brand new that we are reading in the Book of Revelation? Hardly. Remember we have said repeatedly that if you are familiar with the Word of God then by the time you get to the Book of the Revelation you'll have seen and read it all before?
Well, the prophet Joel told us EXACTLY the same thing about the judgment we just read of on the Day of the Lord. Have you read it? Let's do it now.
Joel writes the words of the Lord who says "Wake Up" for I will bring Judgment to the Valley of Decision, to those heathen "round about", i.e. "without the city" as we just read in Rev. 14:20.Joel 3:12-15
Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
There's the same sickle of Revelation! And it's the harvest time! Thrust it in and cast those wicked grapes into the winepress![13] Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.
Here's the definition of "fats" word for word from Strong's Concordance:
yeqeb, yeh'-keb, Hebrew 3342; from an unused root meaning to excavate; a trough (as dug out); specifically a wine-vat (whether the lower one, into which the juice drains; or the upper, in which the grapes are crushed) :- fats, presses, press-fat, wine (-press).There will be so much juice draining from this press it will produce a river as high as a horse's bridle and farther than the eye can see! Squish! SEE THE PICTURE!
And when does all this occur? Joel tells us!
Oh, the Day of the Lord! Is God's Word consistent and accurate from beginning to end or what?Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
And when the "multitudes, multitudes" are squeezed in the winepress (figuratively of course) there will be more than a few drops of blood (figuratively of course). There will be river of blood! Yeeccchhh! I think I'd rather be standing on Mount Zion.
By the way, here's the definition of "blood" used in the last verse of Revelation 14:
So here's a question. Have you ever read the Book of Joel, whose name means "Yah is God"? Has your pastor or minister ever taught it to you? All Christians should know it thoroughly. Peter knew it and because he did he KNEW what was happening on that first Pentecost Day when he stood up and quoted directly from it. Joel describes the locusts of the locust army we read about in Revelation chapter 9. And it contains much information about the Day of the Lord and the judgment which we just read of. Live Link to- Joelhaima, hah'ee-mah, Greek 129; of uncertain derivative; blood, literal (of men or animals), figurative (the juice of grapes) or special (the atoning blood of Christ); by implication bloodshed, also kindred :- blood.
As a final thought, in the next chapter of Revelation, chapter 15, we will see the overcomers singing the Song of Moses, which is the 32nd chapter of Deuteronomy (Deut. 31:30 And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.)
You see, we know who the true vine is. Jesus said in John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman." But just as their rock is not our Rock, their vine is not our Vine:
And they are going to get their grapes smashed! Ouch!Deut. 32:32-43
For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter:
Their "truth" comes from the dragon himself, that old serpent! They'll also get squashed![33] Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.
[34] Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures? [35] To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.