Jehovah Jireh
The-Lord-Will-Provide
The War in Heaven
The War in Heaven
Michael against the Adversary
And
there was war in Heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and
the dragon fought and his angels,
And
prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in Heaven.
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.
Rev
12:7-9 KJV
GOD ALMIGHTY HAD FOREKNOWLEDGE OF THIS WAR BEFORE IT
EVER BEGAN!!!
It began in Heaven long before Adam was created—when
the Earth was perfect!
God later recreated the Earth in Genesis 1, and
blessed it.
In John 12:31 Jesus declared the continuation of
this war—that was about two thousand years ago. He declared that the ruler of
this world, satan the dragon who deceives the whole world, will be cast out.
“Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this
world be cast out (KJV).
This prophecy was to be fulfilled in this endtime.
Guess what?
It has already fulfilled!
The dragon and his angels (principalities and
powers) were cast out of “the second heaven” by Arch-Angel Michael and his
angels in 2012.
Jesus said, “…I beheld Satan as lightning fall from Heaven” (Luke 10:18
KJV).
The expression in this verse used the English word
"beheld" which refer to the past.
Jesus saw the casting out of satan the dragon.
Also, note that the word "fall" and not
"fell" was used—therefore, Christ referred to a future time in which
satan the dragon would be "cast out"—apparently within these last
days, before the Rapture.
Note that in John 12:31 Jesus said: "Now is the
judgment of this world..."
What is the interpretation of this today?
This interprets that:
Now, Judgment is approaching—almost finally ready to
come upon the world, for the ruler of this world "who deceives the whole
world," has already been "cast out" to the earth.
The dragon was cast out of the heavenlies to the
earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Before man was created on the earth, Lucifer
rebelled against God; he was cast out of Heaven to a perfect earth.
That was the first time he was cast out to the
earth.
How art thou fallen
from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the
ground, which didst weaken the nations!
For thou hast said in
thine heart, I will ascend into Heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars
of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the
north:
I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.
Yet thou shalt be
brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
They that see thee
shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that
made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
That made the world as
a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of
his prisoners?
Isaiah 14:12-17 KJV
Lucifer was in a place called “Eden”—the garden of
God. And was anointed as a ‘cherub’ that covers the Divine Glory. But, ‘by the
multitude of his merchandise’ he was filled with violence and sinned, and was
driven out of the holy mount of God—and was ‘cast down’ to the earth.
“Thou sealest up the
sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God;
every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the
beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle,
and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee
in the day that thou wast created.
Thou art the anointed
cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain
of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Thou wast perfect in
thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
By the multitude of
thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast
sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I
will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Thine heart was lifted
up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy
brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that
they may behold thee.
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.
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.
Ezekiel 28:12-19 KJV
Before Lucifer’s rebellion in Heaven, some of the
angels were in charge of the universe and the (perfect) earth, as it were. Before he became ‘the adversary,’ and “the
accuser of the brethren,” he had great beauty and splendor, but his heart
became proud, and he corrupted his wisdom. So God Almighty made a fire come out
of him, and it consumed him—and he was reduced to the fiery red dragon—the old
serpent called the devil, or satan.
After this, the dragon was hurled down to the earth
with his angels (fallen angels).
After the earth was recreated, and populated by
humans, satan the dragon commenced his evil work of setting up the first
Babylon in ‘the plain of Shinar’ in Genesis 11.
In these last days, he has been cast out a second
time—this second time, he was cast out of "the second heaven," as the
time of the Rapture now approaches. For, Revelation 12:10 declares:
“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” (KJV).
Now, the gift of Salvation and Strength are released
more than ever—for the full redemption of our bodies on that great Day of the
Rapture, and of all others predestined to be born of God.
The Kingdom of our God is now more forcefully
advancing, almost overtaking this age, and the Power of His Christ have come.
‘The accuser’ has been cast down.
Where was he cast out?
Out of “the second heaven.”
Salvation, and Strength, and the Kingdom, and the
Power of Christ have come. And because our Lord Jesus went to the cross for us,
we overcame 'the accuser' by the Blood of the Lamb and by the Word of our
testimony—the Testimony of Jesus Christ.
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.
Rev. 12:11 KJV
Only by the cross is our redemption predestined; by
Jesus going to the cross our salvation is guaranteed.
Our Savior said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all
men to Myself" (John 12:32).
At the cross, Jesus bruised the head of satan.
“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 (Gen 3:15 KJV).
And, "the God of Peace" will soon crush
satan under [our] feet (Rom. 16:20).
Heaven rejoices over 'the casting-down' of the
dragon and his angels.
But, how horrible it is for the earth and the sea!
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.
Rev 12:12 KJV
Now, satan knows that he only has a short
time—before the Rapture, and so he is filled with great wrath
Why does this verse say “woe to the inhabitants of
the earth and the sea?”
Because the devil has been cast down to the earth,
having great wrath. The Great Tribulation will be satan’s great wrath upon the
earth.
The
War on Earth
“The War on Earth” is a continuation of “the War in
Heaven.”
“The War in Heaven” broke out a long time ago—before
man walked upon the earth. “The War on Earth” has already begun! It commenced
with the persecution of Israel [the woman], and will carry-on into the time of
the Great Tribulation with the persecution of “the tribulation saints” [“the
remnant of her seed”].
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 12:17 KJV
“The
tribulation saints” will keep the Commandments of God and have the Testimony of
Jesus Christ, otherwise they cannot be saved.
“The Church Triumphant” (the Rapture-Church) have
the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus.
Now when satan the dragon saw that he had been cast
to the earth, he persecuted Israel.
And when the dragon saw
that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth
the man child (Rev. 12:13 KJV).
The dragon’s rage against the woman [Israel] is
executed through Palestine, some of the Arab and Islamic states, European
Union, the US and even some of the world’s organizations like the UN,
constitute a part of it.
Verse 14 says, “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 (KJV).
‘Eagle’ speaks of the prophets; therefore, the “two
wings of a great eagle” given to “the woman” so that she might fly into the
wilderness—to her place, a place of protection; represent “the two witnesses”
who will be given to Israel in the time of the Great Tribulation.
They will prophesy 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth
(11:3). The 1,260 days which is 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation is
prophetically presented as “a time and times and half a time” (12:14). In chapter
11 verse 2 it is presented as “forty-two months.”
“The two witnesses” are ‘the two olive trees’ and
‘the two lampstands’ standing before the God of the earth (11:4).
When satan’s great wrath is released upon the earth,
“the God of the earth” will send His two witnesses to Israel.
The woman [the Elect out of the tribes of Israel]
shall be fed and nourished by the words of ‘the two prophets’ (12:6, 14). She
will be nourished away from the presence of the serpent.
The armies of “the beast” will spread-out like water
against the Elect of God—they will advance with the intent of annihilating
God’s post-rapture remnant.
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 (Rev. 12:15 KJV).
Isaiah 59:19 declares:
“…When the enemy shall
come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against
him” (KJV).
The earth will open its mouth ‘by-way-of’ an
earthquake and swallow up satan’s armies.
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 (Rev 12:16 KJV).
“The
Name of the Lord shall be feared from the west
and
His Glory from the rising of the sun.”
The
Third Casting Out
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be
darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from
heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Matt 24:29 KJV
Immediately after “the Great Tribulation” in the
earth, “the powers of the heavens” will be shaken.
“The powers of the heavens” are principalities and
powers in high places (the second heaven).
“The heavens” mentioned in this verse refer to the
sky and the universe (the first and the second heavens).
Immediately after the Great Tribulation in those
days, the powers overshadowing the earth will be convulsed (which means, they
will be suddenly and violently cast out, and they will fall uncontrollably).
In the ‘first-casting out,’ Lucifer who rebelled
against God was cast out of Heaven with his angels, to a perfect
earth. A fire consumed him and destroyed his beauty and splendor, and he became
the dragon.
In the ‘second-casting out,’ the dragon which became
“the ruler of this world,” “the prince of the power of the air,” and “the
accuser of the brethren” was cast out with his angels (principalities and
powers) — out of “the second heaven” to the earth and the sea.
Yet, after the Great Tribulation, satan the dragon
and his principalities and powers which occupy the heavens once again in the
near future—as territorial evil spirits, will be cast out one last time; out of
‘the heavens’ (the second and the first heavens).
Each time the Glory of the Lord is getting ready to
be revealed—each time when it is close to the season of His glorious appearing
in the clouds, “the powers of the heavens” are “cast out” first.
Before the Rapture, and before the Second Coming of
Christ, the powers of darkness and their hordes of spiritual wickedness are
cast out of the heavenlies.
After ‘the third casting out’ of the dragon and his
fallen angels, then, “the sign of the Son of Man” will appear in “heaven” (the
first heaven)—and He shall be coming on the clouds of heaven with Power and
great Glory.
This will be His “Second Coming!”
“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and
then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man
coming in the clouds of Heaven with Power and great Glory.
Matt 24:30 KJV
Behold, He cometh with
clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all
kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.
Rev 1:7KJV
The Second Coming of Christ will be for the
gathering of the Elect.
And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and
they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of
heaven to the other.
Matt 24:31 KJV
The gathering of the Elect, like the Rapture, will
take place in the sky [first heaven].
The Elect [144,000] will be redeemed from among
men—and they will be redeemed from the earth as “firstfruits” to God and to the
Lamb.
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.
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 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.
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.
And in their mouth was
found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
Rev 14:1-5 KJV
The Great Multitude out of many nations, who come
out of the Great Tribulation will have their robes washed in the Blood of the
Lamb, and they too shall be saved.
After this I beheld,
and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and
kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb,
clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
And cried with a loud
voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the
Lamb.
And all the angels
stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and
fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
Saying, Amen:
Blessing, and Glory, and Wisdom, and Thanksgiving, and Honour, and Power, and
Might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
And one of the elders
answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and
whence came they?
And I said unto him,
Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of Great
Tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the Blood of
the Lamb.
Therefore are they
before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He
that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
They shall hunger no
more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any
heat.
For the Lamb which is
in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living
fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Rev 7:9-17 KJV
Summary
Revelation 12 ‘winds-up’ the story of God’s Divine
Redemption for man—from the glory and majesty of Zion to the birth of the
Savior, to the redemption of the saints and the Israel that is by faith.
The Rapture is “the Great Escape” from “the Great
Tribulation.”
Each time “the powers of the heavens” are cast out
of the heavenlies, they fall like stars and lightning. Each time the dragon and
his angels are cast down to the earth, the light of the sun and the moon are
blurred, and the stars fall from the sky as seen in Matthew 24:29. In Genesis
1:2 the earth was a shapeless, chaotic mass, and darkness was upon the face of
the great deep. Dark vapors were over the waters.
The dragon and his angels have been cast out of the
heavenlies; they will be cast out of the heavens one last time!
Therefore rejoice saints of God who have the Word of
God and hold to the Testimony of Jesus. Rejoice you Israel of God!
The powers that overshadowed the earth will be
completely barred from going up to the heavenlies, neither shall they find
their place any more in Heaven!
In the future, 'the fallen dragon' will go into his
first imprisonment for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-3), even yet, after the
Millennium, he will be cast into the lake of fire, the place of his doom
(v.10).
God will bring down a New Heaven and a New Earth.
The New Jerusalem—the glorious celestial city for
His children will come down and be established forever.
Winning terrorism
Winning terrorism
Terrorism is
a combination of evil spiritual power and physical warfare, and religion.
Terrorism is a warfare made up of composite factors and devices: spiritual,
militant, scientific, technical, methodical, systematic, logical, precise,
controlled, manipulated, political and of course religious.
Terrorism is
not just about religion as many have already wrongly speculated; terrorism is
not just about the belief system of a group of people, but it is an act of
hate. Terrorists are motivated by a combination of several things: religious
belief or dogma, politics, philosophy, theory, misery, anguish, hate, amidst
other influences and vices.
Ultimately,
there is more to terrorism than just a battle or fight by a ‘rebel force’
against a constitutional government. It is more than just a confrontation by
dissidents against an established leadership in order to seize administrative
or military control. Terrorism is more than just a protest.
There is
more to terrorism than jihad.
It sometimes
wears the face of radicalism or extremism; and at other times it appears to be
religious; yet most of the time it is faceless.
Terrorism is
more horrific than the mind of men can imagine.
Terrorists
are under influences of principalities and powers, and demons; they are ruled by
wicked spiritual forces.
The
stronghold of terrorism is spiritual wickedness.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:12 KJV
The English
dictionary definition of terrorism: violence or the threat of violence carried
out for political purposes.
An act of
terrorism creates intense or overwhelming fear.
Terror
involves fear, horror, dread, panic.
Terrorism
includes violence (brutality), bloodshed, intimidation, radicalism, extremism,
bombing, kidnapping (abduction), killing (assassination), and sabotage.
Terrorism is
political violence.
Terrorism is
lawlessness.
Terrorism is
linked with corruption.
Terrorism is
an act of wickedness; it is a vile crime.
Terrorism is
a global warfare.
Terrorism is
a network.
Terrorists
often engage in guerrilla warfare, radicalism, extremism, fanaticism, threat,
abduction, killing and bombing; to the extent of intimidating others— this is
often for political purposes—relating to the balance of power.
There is
“intellectual radicalism” and there is “ideological radicalism.”
The world
today unfortunately has terror sponsors, strategists, masterminds, promoters,
extremists, militants, bomb experts, suicide bombers, fanatics and
sympathizers. Men, women, and even children are being recruited and radicalized
into terror organizations and groups around the world. Terrorists now operate
terror cells in foreign cities which are outside country where they are based.
There are
religious extremists and there are militant extremists. There are even IT
experts and engineers contracted for coordinated cyber attacks against websites
and web portals of governments, organizations, and institutions.
There are
terrorists who are enemies of the state, and there are terrorists who work for
an evil regime. What is generally referred to as “terror” is usually
unconventional.
Several
terror attacks around the world which are being reported by the media are
actually orchestrated by global elitists circle, and fraternity of the rising
New World Order. Several individuals amongst world leaders, organizations,
government administrations, agencies, business groups, institutions, religious
groups, sects, and even church leaders play a role in it.
They want a
one world order, one world government, one world economy, one world
constitution, one world army, and a one world religion. Their objective is to
remove from the mind of the people: their individualism, loyalty to their
families, national patriotism, and religion, in order to achieve world
government.
There are
three ways by which they are working to actualize a new world order:
1.)
Destruction of the monetary system, leading to "a one world
currency."
2.) Destruction
of nationalism and patriotism, leading to "a one world constitution."
3.)
Destruction of religions around the world, leading to "a one world
religion."
Terrorism is
one of the machineries they operate by which they plan to achieve this. They
believe in the establishment of a new world order by revolution—and they
believe in achieving this not only militarily, but by controlling the minds of
people.
Their aim is
one-world government; a one-world religion; under a one world leader.
They are
fighting for an ‘ecumenical world order!’
By trickery
and craftiness they orchestrate terrorism.
They are
rebellious.
They call
"rebellion"—"revolution."
Their aim is
to capture, subjugate, spoil, and extort. By false peace and security they
destroy many.
Today, some
of the conflicts and wars that you see on television, going-on around the
world, were orchestrated by ‘occult-diplomacy’ of international relations and
agencies.
There is a
network beyond the terrorists!
They run a
regime of terror.
They are
'masters of intrigue.'
The spirit
of suicide works with the demon of terrorism; this is why suicide and terrorism
are intermittently connected.
According to
authorities on the subject of suicide, suicidal rates are on the increase, with
more cases being documented over the years. According to World Health
Organization (WHO), on the average, almost 3,000 people commit suicide across
the world daily, and for every person who completed a suicide, 20 more people
might have attempted to end their lives. Suicide was estimated to be the eight
leading cause of death in all age groups.
As of 2011,
an estimated one million people per year die by suicide, cutting across
genders, different age groups, social class and all with different underlying
motives.
The spirit
of suicide is one of the devil’s most strategic “condemnation machinery”
against the human race. The devil is an assassin—going to and fro the earth,
seeking who he may devour. This wicked spirit is in charge of suicide bombers
who carry out deadly operations to kill others without expecting to survive
themselves. People, who undertake a suicide pact; who agree to kill themselves
at the same time are under the domain of the spirit of suicide. It is a demon
of recklessness, rashness, irresponsibility, and madness.
The spirit
of suicide haunts the man who sheds the blood of another man:
A man that doeth violence to the blood of any person shall
flee to the pit; let no man stay him (Prov. 28:17 KJV).
This agrees
with the ancient law, “…whoso
sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed” (Gen 9:6)—there
is a connection between murder and suicide. He that has committed murder,
though he flees for his life, shall be continually haunted with terrors, shall
himself flee to the pit, betray himself, and torment himself, like Cain, who,
when he had killed his brother, became a fugitive and a vagabond, and trembled
continually.
God is well
pleased with the importunity of those that come to Him with their petitions. A
prayer of faith and prayer with fervency will break the snare of suicide.
In most
cases, people who fight against GOD end up in suicide or become suicidal. The
same is the case with several servants of GOD who disobey or rebel against Him.
When Prophet
Jonah disobeyed the Word of The LORD to go to Nineveh and preach, and fled from
the Presence of The LORD, at a point he became suicidal, and as it were, in his
drowning in the sea, yielding to death, GOD intervened.
Then the sailors
said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible
for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.
So they asked him, "Tell us, who is responsible for
making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is
your country? From what people are you?"
He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship The Lord,
The God of Heaven, Who made the sea and the land."
This terrified them and they asked, "What have you
done?" (They knew he was running away from The Lord, because he had
already told them so.)
The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him,
"What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?"
"Pick me up and
throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know
that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you."
Jonah 1:7-12 NIV
By fervent
prayer with trust in GOD, The LORD of Hosts can pursue His enemies to their
ultimate destruction (like Judas who became a traitor and betrayed The Son of
Man)—or by the same, give the Grace for Salvation (like the thief that received
the gift of Salvation on the cross).
Psalm 140 is
about preservation from violence (terrorism).
Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man: preserve me from the
violent man;
Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are
they gathered together for war.
They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders'
poison is under their lips. Selah.
Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me
from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings.
The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; they have
spread a net by the wayside; they have set gins for me. Selah.
I said unto the Lord, Thou art my God: hear the voice of my
supplications, O Lord.
O God the Lord, the Strength of my Salvation, thou hast
covered my head in the day of battle.
Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked: further not
his wicked device; lest they exalt themselves. Selah.
As for the head of those that compass me about, let the
mischief of their own lips cover them.
Let burning coals fall upon them: let them be cast into the
fire; into deep pits, that they rise not up again.
Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil
shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.
I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the
afflicted, and the right of the poor.
Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the
upright shall dwell in Thy Presence.
Ps 140 KJV
Prov.
3:31-32 says:
Do not envy a violent man
or choose any of his ways,
for the Lord detests a perverse man
but takes the upright into His confidence (NIV).
The
terrorist is ‘a violent man.’
He is
‘froward’—difficult to deal with: stubbornly disobedient (see KJV). The
terrorist is stubbornly unreasonable; he will refuse point blank to accept the
offered help; his mind is perverted. He is obstinate and headstrong.
Avoid him!
To stay
alive, keep far away from the ruthless, merciless, cold-blooded man.
A violent man entices his neighbor
and leads him down a path that is not good.
Prov 16:29 NIV
The path of
the terrorist and the extremist ‘is not good.’
Along that
path there is no bargain.
Ignorance,
unbelief, false teachings; misleadings in doctrine and living, and negative
influences produces negative characters in any society.
Several
Bible prophecies reveal to us that there are still greater conflicts to come in
this world. In Matthew 24, Jesus spoke about perilous times which will play out
as signs of His Coming.
The darker
it gets in the world, the more we should rejoice as believers, especially as we
proclaim Jesus Christ, Who said,
“I am the Light of the world:
he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of
Life” (John 8:12).
This is not
the time for fear or for relying on yourself or your abilities. This is the
time to trust the Lord and get closer than ever to Him. This is the time to
find your Hiding Place in Him and stay there:
“He that dwelleth in the Secret Place of the Most High
shall abide under the Shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my
Refuge and my Fortress: my God; in Him will I trust” (Psalm 91:1-2).
The Hiding
Place is our address! God’s Presence is our address. If we stay and abide with
Him, He has promised to dwell with us and protect us.
Let’s stay
close to Him. Let’s hide in Him.
The Gospel
of Jesus Christ must be our priority!
We must
continue to preach the uncompromising Gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations!
JESUS CHRIST
alone has the lasting solution to the world’s enormous and complex problems—He
will put an everlasting end to the rising global violence and wars, for He is
Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last—the Prince of Peace.
Revelation the Book of Consummation
The Book of Revelation
The Book of Consummation
Just as Genesis is the book of beginnings,
Revelation is “the book of consummation.”
In it, the divine program of redemption is brought
to fruition, and the Holy Name of God is vindicated before all creation.
A rich biblical portrait of the Divine Trinity (Rev.
1:4-8) is followed by an overwhelming visible manifestation of Christ in verses
9 to 18.
The Divine Trinity is our God Who is, and Who was,
and Who is to come—our Eternal Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ Who is the
Faithful Witness, and the Seven Spirits before His Throne.
Just like John, and the rest of the apostles, and
prophets, all 'the bridal saints' of Christ bear the Testimony of Jesus and
hold on to the Word of God. They overcame by the Blood of the Lamb and by the
Word of their testimony.
In this beginning chapter of Revelation, John
recorded:
I, John, your brother
and companion in the suffering and Kingdom and patient endurance that are ours
in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because
of the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus (verse 9 NIV).
Note that the chapters in the book of Revelation
which begin with: “After this” or "After these things" refer to a
prophetic occurrence which must take place precisely after an event or after a
series of events. Such case can be seen in chapter 4:1; 7:1; 18:1; and 19:1
“After this I looked,
and, behold, a door was opened in Heaven: and the first voice which I heard was
as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will
shew thee things which must be hereafter”(4:1KJV).
“And after these
things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the
four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the
sea, nor on any tree”(7:1KJV).
“And after these things I saw another angel
come down from Heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his
glory” (18:1KJV)
“And after these
things I heard a great voice of much people in Heaven, saying, Alleluia;
Salvation, and Glory, and Honour, and Power, unto the Lord our God…” (19:1KJV)
In Revelation 4 John is translated into Heaven where
he is given a revelation of “the Divine Majesty.” In it, the Father (“One sat on the throne”)
and the Son (the Lion and the Lamb) are worshipped by the twenty-four elders,
the four-living creatures, the angelic host, and the entire Heaven.
They all worship the Father and the Son for what
they have done.
And, what have they done?
Creation and Redemption!
This is unveiled in chapter 4 and 5.
There is a prophetic connection between the Sixth
and the Seventh Seals. This is seen in chapter 7 which describes the protective
sealing of the 144,000 and also looks ahead to the Great Multitude from every
part of the Earth who come ‘out of the Great Tribulation.’
There is an extended prophetic connection between
the trumpet and bowl judgments.
There are three cycles of seven judgments between
chapter 6 and 16—consisting of seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls.
The first cycle of seven judgments—the Seals:
The First Seal (6:1-2)
The Second Seal (6:3-4)
The Third Seal (6:5-6)
The Fourth Seal (6:7-8)
The Fifth Seal (6:9-11)
The Sixth Seal (6:12-17)
The Seventh Seal (8:1-5)
The second cycle of seven judgments—the Trumpets:
The First Trumpet (8:6-7)
The Second Trumpet (8:8-9)
The Third Trumpet (8:10-11)
The Fourth Trumpet (8:12-13)
The Fifth Trumpet (9:1-12)
The Sixth Trumpet (9:13-21)
The Seventh Trumpet (11:15-19)
And, the third cycle of seven judgments—the Vials
(Bowls):
The First Vial (16:1-2)
The Second Vial (16:3)
The Third Vial (16:4-7)
The Fourth Vial (16:8-9)
The Fifth Vial (16:10-11)
The Sixth Vial (16:12-16)
The Seventh Vial (16:17-21)
The catastrophic events in most of the trumpet judgments
are called “woes.” This is seen from chapter 8 verse 2 to chapter 11.
There is a prophetic interlude between the Sixth and
the Seventh Trumpets (chapter 10:1-11:14).
Two unnamed witnesses minister during
three-and-a-half years period of the Great Tribulation.
At the end of their ministry they are overcome by
“the beast”, but their resurrection and ascension confound their enemies.
“The second woe is
past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly” (11:14 KJV)
Chapter 12 to 14 contain a number of miscellaneous
prophecies that are inserted between the trumpet and bowl judgments—however,
note that the trumpet judgments (8:6-13;9;11:15-19) begin after the time of the
Rapture. It will be followed by the bowl judgments (chapter 16).
When “the Seventh Seal” is broken, it will be time
for “the Rapture.” After this last seal is broken, the Rapture will take place
within the space of prophetic "half an hour." This time frame is in
Revelation 8 verse 1.
The trumpet judgments begin after the time of the
Rapture. It will be followed by the bowl judgments.
In the record of “the Seventh Trumpet” in chapter
11, Christ’s Millennial and Eternal Reign is foreseen.
And the seventh angel
sounded; and there were great voices in Heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this
world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall
reign for ever and ever.
And the four and
twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and
worshipped God,
Saying, We give thee
thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because Thou
hast taken to Thee Thy great Power, and hast reigned.
And the nations were
angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be
judged, and that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and
to the saints, and them that fear Thy Name, small and great; and shouldest
destroy them which destroy the earth.
And the temple of God
was opened in Heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His
testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an
earthquake, and great hail (vv.15-19 KJV).
The Mystery of God will be accomplished in the
Seventh Trumpet.
But in the days when
the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be
accomplished, just as He announced to His servants the prophets"(Rev 10:7
NIV).
In chapter 12, the Woman [Zion] travailed in pain of
bearing the Holy Child (vv.1-2).
"Before she goes into labor, she gives
birth;
before the pains come
upon her, she delivers a Son.
Who has ever heard of
such a thing?
Who has ever seen such
things?
Can a country be born
in a day
or a nation be brought
forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion
in labor
than she gives birth
to her children.
Do I bring to the
moment of birth
and not give
delivery?" says the Lord.
"Do I close up
the womb
when I bring to
delivery?" says your God.
Isa 66:7-9 NIV
Like as a woman with child, that draws near the time
of her delivery, is in pain, and cries out in her pangs; so have Israel been in
the sight of God (Isa 26:17).
Verse 3 of Revelation 12 speaks of the dragon and
his rising Babylon.
The enormous red dragon's seven heads, ten horns and
seven crowns were delegated to "the beast out of the sea" (the
antichrist) with 3 additional crowns
(see 13:1). The beast mentioned in this verse is a blasphemous beast (“on each
head a blasphemous name”).
The scarlet beast mentioned in chapter 17 is
"the beast out of the sea."
“Babylon the Great” is the woman which sits on the
scarlet beast.
Then the angel carried
me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet
beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns
(v.3 NIV).
“The city that never sleeps” is the woman; it is the
universal headquarter of “Babylon the Great.”
The woman you saw is
the great city that rules over the kings of the earth." (v.18 NIV).
The mystery of “the woman” and “the beast” is unraveled
in chapter 17 verses 7 to 18.
Then the angel said to
me: "Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the
woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns. The
beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss
and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not
been written in the Book of Life from the creation of the world will be
astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet
will come.
"This calls for a
mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They
are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but
when he does come, he must remain for a little while. The beast who once was,
and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his
destruction.
"The ten horns you saw are ten kings who
have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as
kings along with the beast. They have one purpose and will give their power and
authority to the beast. They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will
overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings — and with Him will
be His called, chosen and faithful followers."
Then the angel said to me, "The waters
you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and
languages. The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They
will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn
her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish His purpose
by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's Words are
fulfilled. The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the
earth" (NIV).
The mystery of the beast is unraveled in chapter 13:7-18.
A third of the angels became part of the dragon’s
rebellion in Heaven.
“And his tail drew the
third part of the stars of Heaven, and did cast them to the earth…” (12:4a KJV).
This verse goes on to say:
“…and the dragon stood
before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as
soon as it was born (12:4b KJV).
This is why Matthew 2:16 occurred.
Then Herod, when he
saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth,
and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts
thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had
diligently inquired of the wise men (KJV).
Zion which travailed in great pain brought forth the
Holy Child Who will rule over the earth.
(“And she brought
forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron…” (Rev
12:5a).
The Man-Child is the Anointed One—the Messiah.
His Reign over the earth was decreed from eternity
and prophesied long before His human birth.
He Himself said:
“I will declare the decree:
the Lord hath said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee.
Ask of Me, and I shall
give Thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the
earth for Thy possession.
Thou shalt break them
with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
Ps 2:7-9 KJV
He shall reign and rule over the earth as “King of
kings and Lord of lords.”
Out of His mouth comes
a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them
with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the Wrath of
God Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has this Name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD
OF LORDS (Rev 19:15-16 NIV).
Zion's Child was caught up unto God.
"...and her child
was caught up unto God, and to His throne" (Rev. 12:5b KJV)
At the cross of His crucifixion, satan the dragon
was defeated. Christ died and rose from the grave, and ascended into the
Heaven, seated at the Father’s right hand (Acts 1:9; Col 3:1; Eph 1:20).
Chapter 13 gives a graphic description of a
prophetic exposure of the beast and his false prophet; both empowered by satan
the dragon. The first beast is given political, economic, and religious
authority, and because of his power and lying wonders performed by the second
beast, he is worshipped as ruler of the earth.
Chapter 14 contains a series of visions including
the 144,000 at the end of the Great Tribulation, the fate of those who follow
the beast, and the outpouring of the Wrath of God.
The seven bowl judgments of chapter 16 are prefaced
by a Heavenly vision of the Power, Holiness, and Glory of God in chapter 15.
In chapter 17, Babylon the Great—the great harlot,
and a scarlet beast full of blasphemous names are described and judged.
The kings of Babylon the Great and their kingdoms
will be destroyed by the KING of kings and LORD of lords.
Chapter 18 anticipates the destruction of Babylon
the Great—the city of the habitation of demons, foul spirits, and every unclean
thing.
Earth mourns Babylon’s destruction, while Heaven
rejoices.
In chapter 19 we see the Marriage banquet of the
Lamb ready, and the Second Coming of Christ Who leads the armies of Heaven into
battle against the antichrist and his false prophet.
In chapter 20 satan the dragon is bound for a
thousand years in the bottomless pit.
During this one-thousand year period Christ will reign
over the earth with His resurrected saints.
The Millennial Reign of Christ will consist of all
who have part in the First Resurrection.
In this chapter also is a revelation of the Great
White Throne Judgment.
In chapter 21 is the revelation of a New Heaven and
a New Earth as a new universe is created—this time unspoiled by sin, death,
pain or sorrow.
The New Jerusalem is shaped like a gigantic cube;
1,500 miles long, wide and high (note that the most holy place in the Old
Testament tabernacle and the temple was also a perfect cube).
The multicolored stones of this holy celestial city
reflect the Glory of God, as it is continually filled with Light.
But, the greatest thing of all is that all believers
will be in the Presence of God forever, and “they shall see His face.”
Revelation concludes with an epilogue (22:6-21),
which reassures the readers that Christ is coming quickly (vv.7, 12, 20) and
invites all who wish to “take the Water of Life freely” (v.17) to come to the
Alpha and Omega, the Bright and Morning Star.
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