This is my third blog revealing my research to identify more accurately the date the Revelation was given by Jesus Christ. Those who ignore historical documentation, and have embraced the one-hundred year old modern end-time doctrine of the Scofield Reference Bible, refuse to ask one very important question. Why would Jesus Christ tell His followers how to prepare for an event that will take place 2000 years from their time, and not prepare them for the imminent persecution that was soon to take place? It boggles my mind that common sense is not applied to this subject. Yet, Jesus Himself reveals the urgency of the matter when He instructed John...do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand...Rev. 22:10. The Greek word for hand is engys meaning: near. Near is defined as: close in time. Jesus Christ is giving the Revelation to His followers so they can prepare for what will very soon come upon them, so they will not be surprised or discouraged by the horrific events. Yes, there are future events in the prophecy, but also past and present events are delineated. When we were last together I asked, "How does the earthquake in Laodicea establish a more accurate date for the Revelation?" Jesus gave an imminent word of warning in the prophecy that was to be immediately delivered to the seven churches in Asia, because the persecution of Nero could cause God's beloved fledgling church to faint in the day of adversity. Jesus needed to instruct them in the purpose of persecution, something He could not explain while He was on the earth, because they wouldn't have understood. Emperor Nero reigned 54 A.D. to 68 A.D., although his persecution was mild, at first, but by the 60's it became vicious. If God's beloved was to be prepared for this persecution, the prophecy must have been delivered during this time, or even earlier - probably 50-60 A.D. The city of Laodicea, where the 7th church was located, collapsed by an earthquake in 65 A.D., along with Colossae and Hierapolis, sinking into insignificance after Nero's reign of terror ended at his death in 68 A.D. In His letter to this church Jesus said...as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten...therefore be zealous and repent. Would Jesus Christ send a letter of this gravity to a church that had already been decimated? The word Revelation in the original Greek language is apokalypsis. The English translation is apocalypse meaning: disclosure or take off the cover. Since it is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, it means the unveiling of Jesus Christ. Jesus takes off the cover to disclose (eyes are opened) His plans and purposes for His church, as well as revealing all the spiritual powers behind the events on the earth. The 'born again church' of Jesus Christ was in transition - B.C. to A.D. The Revelation was essential for helping them overcome what they must endure for this important cultural change. The visions of John were intended to supersede the visions of Daniel in guiding God's people. Daniel chapter 7 reveals 4 beast kingdoms - 3 of these kingdoms were deposed prior to the birth of Jesus. The 4th beast kingdom with the 10 horns is Rome, which was reigning at the time Jesus was born. While not all subsequent Roman kings severely persecuted Christians, 10 kings were especially ruthless in their endeavor to destroy them and confiscate their property - ending in 313 A.D. with the reign of Emperor Constantine. Historians have documented the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecies, but scholars of the modern end-time doctrine, refuse to acknowledge this information. When Jesus ascended to Heaven in a cloud, He was concealed from His church...Acts. l:9. Through the visions he reveals Himself once again, but this time in all His glory, showing His followers what must shortly come to pass upon the earth. John is instructed to share the prophecy with the disciples of Christ...for the time is at hand. As gold is refined in the fire to reveal its impurities, the persecution of those who claim to be followers of Christ will do the same - reveal their impurities or pretense. What does historical documentation reveal about the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question... 

When we were last together we were at the point of the 70 A.D. war that left Commander Titus with one alternative. By now, during the 70th week of Daniel's vision, he had fulfilled two objectives of Daniel 9:27...and one week shall establish the covenant with many: and in the midst of the week my sacrifice and drink-offering shall be taken away. What is left to be accomplished in this verse? There are two more objectives to be accomplished in Daniel 9:27...and on the temple shall be the abomination of desolation, and at the end of the time an end shall be put to the desolation. While fulfilling the last two objectives, Commander Titus will fulfill the three objectives in Daniel 9:26...and He shall destroy the city and the sanctuary with the prince that is coming: they shall be cut off with a flood, and to the end of the war which is rapidly completed he shall appoint the city to desolation - Septuagint Bible. Since Jesus described this war as the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled, we understand that this is the Wrath of the Lamb upon the those who rejected Him as their Messiah. So Daniel 9:26 becomes clear that it is Jesus Christ who appointed the city and the sanctuary to be destroyed by the prince that is coming - Commander Titus - a Prince of Rome. Jerusalem had been surrounded by the Roman army since 66 A.D...they shall be cut off with a flood. Now Commander Titus, having exhausted all attempts to end the war peacefully, was left with one alternative...he shall appoint the city to desolation. Was this war described in another chapter of Daniel? In chapter 12 of Daniel, Michael, the great prince, appears to Daniel and explains there shall be a time of tribulation, such tribulation as has not been from the time that there was a nation on earth until that time. This is because Israel had not rejected their Messiah until this time in history. The Wrath of the Lamb will annihilate them as a nation - this has never happened in history. At that time thy people shall be delivered, even everyone that is written in the book. What does this statement mean? The angel is telling Daniel that though this horrific war will end with the loss of life for many people, if their names are written in the Book of Life they will be delivered. Daniel and his people asleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproach and everlasting shame when Jesus Christ was resurrected. At that time many arose from the grave and preached in the streets of Jerusalem...Matt. 27:51-54. And thou, Daniel, close the words, and seal the book to the time of the end; until many are taught, and knowledge is increased...Dan. 12:4. This means: at the end of the time. Time means: week - 70th week of Daniel...Dan. 9:27. At the end of Daniel's 70 weeks (times) vision - an end shall be put to the desolation. Before all this takes place men must be taught, and knowledge increased. What could this mean? Daniel was shown that the Anointed One will arrive and be destroyed. Israel must be taught about the coming Messiah, the truth about what the prophets have foretold, and how to prepare for His arrival. The Messiah would personally increase their knowledge, not only about His plans and purposes, but also how to understand the signs that will precede the devastating annihilation of their nation - at the end of the time - 70th week. Daniel was instructed to close the words, and seal the book to the time of the end - end of the determination revealed in his 70-week vision. Why was this important? It would only be necessary to prepare the hearts and minds of the people who would actually experience the fulfillment of this prophecy. Near the end of the 62 weeks portion of Daniel's vision, God sent John the Baptist to prepare the hearts of the people for the coming Messiah. Daniel heard a conversation between angels - one asked the man clothed in linen, "When will be the end of the wonders which thou hast mentioned?" Wonders? What could that mean? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~ 

In this study series we have been exploring what the Bible says about the Invisible Spiritual Realm. I pray that the reader will be challenged to explore in depth, the hundreds of references in the Word of God that I am unable to share in this blog. The invisible spiritual realm is more real than the earthly realm, and the supernatural beings who live in this realm are eternal beings, whereby, the physical human being on the earth lives in a temporary existence. As the apostles of Jesus Christ watched Jesus ascend into Heaven, two angels were sent with a message from God...Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into Heaven?...this same Jesus, who was taken up from you into Heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him into Heaven...Acts 1:11. Two beings, who reside in the invisible spiritual realm, became visible to the apostles so they could give a special message to them from God. Now the apostles have been sent with the gospel message of Jesus to take it to the utter most parts of the earth - but they began in Jerusalem. One day King Herod had had enough of their harassment, so he killed James, the brother of John, and threw Peter into prison to be killed after the Passover celebration. Peter was bound in chains, between two soldiers, sleeping like a baby...Acts 12:1-6. An angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, Arise quickly!...and his chains fell off his hands...then the angel said to him, Gird yourself and tie on your sandals...put on your garment and follow me...Acts 12:7-8. The angel led Peter past the first & second guard posts without being seen, even the iron gate that leads to the city opened of its own accord, then the angel disappeared...verses 9-10. His mission accomplished. God has His plans, and to accomplish His plans, He will provide supernatural assistance -- whether or not we see His messengers. Sometimes He will allow us to physically see His messengers, but most time He will not, nonetheless, He does provide assistance to human beings in order to complete His plans and preparations for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the end of the world. At conception each human being is endowed by God with His plans...My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth...Your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed and in Your book they all were written...the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them...Ps. 139:15-16. This reference clearly explains that the days of each human being were planned by God before he physically lived on the earth, confirming how critical it is for us to seek God and His plans and purposes for our existence -- then He can provide supernatural assistance. I have been sharing some of my experiences in the invisible spiritual realm hoping the reader will realize how normal this is for a Christian. When I was in the 6th grade I received a paper back from a teacher with a grade B written in red with a note: You deserved an A, but your writing held your grade back. I had been criticized for my bad handwriting for years, but no one offered to help me change it -- and I didn't know how. My mother was an artist with beautiful penmanship, but could only find fault saying, "Why don't you do something about your atrocious handwriting?" All I could do was cry! I was the correspondent in the family writing notes to family members, wanting to keep family together. In those days a telephone call, even local, was so costly most of us wrote letters. Every time I wrote a newsy note to my grandmother, I would receive a tongue lashing the next time I saw her about my illegible handwriting. One day in 1968, I got a phone call from her after she had received a 10-page letter from me. She didn't even ask how I was, but launched right into the purpose of her call, because of the cost, "Just received your long letter. I'm sure it was interesting, if I could have read it -- go back to school and learn how to write legibly." No good bye, she just hung up. I slipped to the floor in a heap of exasperating tears of helplessness. Sobbing uncontrollably once again over unkind accusations, I cried out, "I don't know what to do! Why are people so mean about something I can do nothing about?!" While still sitting and sobbing on the floor, right before my eyes I saw something unusual. I saw myself sitting at a desk in my second grade classroom. I saw my pigtails with ribbons and a blouse my mother had made - she was a gifted seamstress. Then I saw the teacher, Mrs. Brown, coming toward me with her usual stern look - she was an angry person. We were being taught cursive, and she had just given the order to put our paper straight on the desk, then copy the cursive figures that were permanently printed on all blackboards. Her handwriting was not good, so she had to use the permanent figures for proper instruction. By the time she got to my desk she saw that I had turned my paper slightly to the left so that I could get the proper right-slanted angle for proper penmanship. The nails on her fingers were bitten so severely, they looked red & puffy this time as she reached for my paper and jerked it straight, as she yelled out to the class, "I said keep you paper straight on your desk!" While watching this scene I felt all the emotions that I experienced the day this incident occurred. I was so scared I didn't know what to do. In order to comply with her demand, I turned my right hand to a left slant, which I could accomplish easily while keeping my paper straight. I was transfixed as I watched the scene from my past that clearly showed me the cause of my atrocious hand-writing. I stopped crying, and didn't move a muscle, for I was mesmerized by this supernatural experience. Then the scene changed. I saw my mother sitting in the living room of the home of my teen years. She was writing a letter. My eyes were drawn to the angle of her writing tablet and the book under it for support. No words were spoken to me, but I innately knew that I was being shown in an instant how to correct my handwriting. I jumped up, found my tablet, pen and a book and sat down on my sofa. I turned the tablet and support book to my left, as I saw my mother do, and turned my hand to a right angle and began to make an "M" over and over. "Oh my," I thought, "this is amazing." My hand began to ache a bit since it was writing in the opposite direction, but I was so excited, I just added a different letter and practiced it for several rows until I accomplished the whole alphabet. Then I began to write out short sentences to find some consistency. I didn't know what had just happened -- I didn't know this was a vision -- God had intervened. Later I would know to give Him all the glory for my experience in the invisible spiritual realm. My mother told me that when she received my first letter with my new handwriting, she thought something had happened to me, because it was obvious someone else had addressed the envelope. That's how different and very legible my handwriting was from then on. All my grandmother had to say was, "It's about time I could read your letters." The Apostle Paul said to Timothy...all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution...II Tim. 3:12. So be prepared when others hurl accusations, insult you or humiliate you -- God is using every experience to draw you into intimacy with Him, preparing you for His invisible heavenly kingdom. God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~ 

There are many signs of the times that reveal that the end of the world could be very close. When we were last together in this series we explained how powerful are political and government leaders who take to the airwaves speaking with tongues of fire - spewing deadly poison which they call free speech. But, sadly, there are many Christian leaders who are doing the same thing - spewing deadly poison against other Christians - those who are made in the image of God. This ought not be so! The violence that is created by tongues of deadly poison produces chaos and anarchy in nations around the world. In the days of Noah...the earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence...Gen 6:11. Jesus admonished us to understand the signs of the times in Noah's day that preceded the end of his world, for those same signs would be evident in the world at the time of His return. And God said to Noah - and us in the 21st century...The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them, I will destroy them with the earth...Gen. 6:13. The word violence in the original Hebrew language is hamas meaning: cruelty; false; injustice; unjust gain; oppressor; violent dealing; damaging; unrighteousness; take away violently. This definition of the character of the people in Noah's day provoked the loss of millions of people as they were swept away in the Great Flood. God is not mocked - what He promises will eventually come to pass! Jesus said...as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be...Matt.24:37. As we read this profound definition of the word violence, we can clearly see that every synonym pervades the culture of the 21st century worldwide - and is getting worse by the day. A little side note. Did you notice that the Hebrew word for violence is the name of a modern terrorist organization Hamas, who speak violent words - and do acts of violence - against Israel everyday? They also speak violence against the USA who sends them money - interesting. So we can see how this escalation of violence in every nation of the world is an important sign of the times showing the end of the world is near. In the epistle of Jude, the brother of James, we find an example of how warnings to stop sinning or endure the consequences are fulfilled. Jude said...as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire...Jude 7. God is long-suffering and desires that all men come to Him in repentance. God warns and warns, sometimes for many decades, before the consequences of our unrepentant sins come upon us - but - God is not mocked, if we do not repent, the consequences will come upon us. How God deals with His people is clearly written in the Bible, many examples, so we will understand that sin separates us from Him, which grieves a loving and holy Creator. Bible Banned 1962 - Anti-Christian secret societies and non-profit Communist law firms worked day and night to bring a case before the Supreme Court, that would cause them to disallow, literally ban, the reading of the Bible from the curricula taught in public schools. The Bible was literally revered by our founders, those who wrote the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in the 18th century. In fact, the first Congress of the United States ordered 500 Bibles to be given to the public schools to undergird the children's educational curricula. Hmmm...I guess they didn't understand the Constitution they just wrote! By the 20th century, the godless Supreme Court justices insisted that this same Constitution supported their decision to ban the Bible and its dangerous influence on the little kiddos in public schools. Results of Banning the Bible - Since the Supreme Court banned the Bible from the curricula of government schools, the academic achievements of students in America have been gradually diminishing and will eventually attain the literacy level of third world countries. Quite an accomplishment! Well into the 20th century, American students ranked at the top of international academic rankings. By 2012 the PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) reveals the following data from 65 countries. The place that USA students rank with these countries in four subjects is: Math USA ranks 30th Science USA ranks 23rd Reading USA ranks 20th Problem solving USA ranks 18th As you evaluate these low ratings for US students, keep in mind that on average the USA spends $115,000.00 per student per year, while other countries with higher ranking spend an average of $53,000.00 per year. In 1963, before banning the Bible from school curricula began to be implemented across America, the most egregious crime in public schools was chewing gum or running in the halls. I remember being a hall monitor with authority to stop these awful crimes. By the end of the 20th century, murder and malefaction ruled. Metal detectors are necessary in many schools and one third of all schools have armed guards in order to thwart the nefarious activities of those who desire to harm others. Despite the statistical facts, secular humanists still insist there is no correlation between the banning of the Bible and the degeneracy of the moral and academic character of the students in crime-ridden government schools across America. Sadly, after the NEA (National Education Agency) was established in Washington DC in 1978, the teachers union declared itself an agent of the educational system - causing every student to think alike, act alike and accept without question, whatever the government tells them. Result: automatons. This has been an insidious takeover of our children's spirit, soul and body. Is it time to put Jesus Christ back on His Throne to save our kids? Did you know that in 1635 the first public schools were established by the Puritans. Why? Most parents were tending to their farms and had little time to teach their children the Bible or academically, so with one teacher and many students, they could educate their children in the Bible, as well as academically. But the 9 black robes of unrighteousness have obliterated the original intent of the public school system. Are there more signs of the times that point to the end of the world in our time? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~ 

This study on Daniel's 70 x 7 vision is intended to demystify the true meaning of the numbers. For decades Christians have heard only one interpretation of Daniel's vision, which is not supported by the historical evidence. So the historical evidence provided in this series should peak the interest of a true seeker, who wants to understand the message given to Daniel by the angel Gabriel, and how it was intended for the Jewish people - all 70 x 7 weeks fulfilled by 70 A.D. When we were last together we began to research what Moses and Jesus had to say about 70 x 7, and how this relates to Daniel's 70 x 7 vision - Genesis chapter 4. Since we extensively outlined what Moses had to say, this week we will research how Jesus used the common metaphor 70 x 7, and how it relates to Daniel's vision. In Series #5-6 we explained the meaning of Daniel's 70 x 7 vision in detail as an ecclesiastical indictment upon Israel - a judgment on sin. In our research into what Moses said about 70 x 7 we found that 70 x 7 implies immeasurable vengeance on sin. Our second reference in the Bible that refers to 70 x 7 is from the lips of Jesus Christ, which will help us solve the mystery of this common ancient metaphor. In this reference we find a conversation between the Apostle Peter and Jesus, where they are discussing the matter of forgiveness. Peter wanted to know if he should forgive seven times if someone sins against him. Jesus answered saying...I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven...Matt. 18:22. As in our Genesis reference, we can see that seven times implies measured or limited forgiveness. But Jesus uses the metaphor 70 x 7 to define the forgiveness He personifies - immeasurable. This decree He will sign with His own blood. His blood covenant of immeasurable forgiveness, defined by His death and resurrection, would supersede God's covenant with Moses in the Old Testament. When Moses instituted the blood of animals to atone for the sins of mankind, forgiveness was measured. How do we know? In those days, a sin offering was characterized by sprinkling the blood of an unblemished animal in front of the veil of the sanctuary, where the presence of God dwelled. This blood was offered for atonement for the sins of the people - sprinkled by the priest seven times. Seven times symbolized that measured forgiveness was received from the Lord. Animal blood temporarily covered the sins of mankind, yet leaving the sinner with the fear of death. When the sinless Lamb of God died for the sins of mankind, He took away the fear of death when He shed His blood for the sins of mankind. If a sinner repents of their sins and receives Jesus Christ as his Savior, he becomes a new creation, old things have passed away, all things have become new. Jesus provided 70 x 7 forgiveness - immeasurable forgiveness forever. Since numbers are used in Daniel's vision, there is a natural inclination to require a numerical calculation of years for the fulfillment of his vision. To do so would be incorrect. Both of the scripture references we have cited regarding 70 x 7 are metaphors relating to sin. One reference describes God's immeasurable vengeance on sin, while the other reference describes God's immeasurable forgiveness for sin. Daniel's 70 x 7 vision revealed that Israel would be given a determined period of time to surrender their allegiance to God. We know by countless examples that Israel often strayed from God, experiencing harsh judgment. The severe consequences drove them to repent which restored them to God's acceptance. But, within this specific decree, if they will not surrender their allegiance to God, the end of their nation would be the consequence of their faithlessness - idolatry. Did you ever ask yourself, "When the metaphor 70 x 7 is used in Daniel's vision, why wouldn't it have the same meaning as when Moses and Jesus used the term?" Questions demand answers. When the angel said to Daniel seventy times seven weeks have been determined upon the people, he is saying that 70 x 7 ecclesiastical weeks have been decreed upon sin - a religious judgment. Depending on the heart condition of the people - stiff-necked or remorseful - Israel will receive vengeance or forgiveness for their sins during this decree. This long period of time - over 500 years - will be Israel's final opportunity to surrender their allegiance to God alone, eventually through the Messiah, before their nation becomes a byword. Until Messiah the prince, there shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks...Dan. 9:25. What does this portion of Daniel's vision mean? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~ 

As we begin the 5th part of our series explaining the symbolism of the 144,000, keep in mind that we are looking back on fulfilled prophecy. In the Revelation, Jesus revealed to John what was accomplished by His death and resurrection. A profound change had taken place in the lives of mankind in the way they worship their Creator - God the Father. What Jesus was unable to explain in depth to His apostles, while He walked the earth, he did so in great detail in the Revelation. By defining the symbolism of the esoteric imagery, interpret the metaphorical language, and solve the riddles of Revelation, the message is unlocked, giving clear understanding. When we were last together I asked, "Why were the 12 gates made from pearls?" We had just learned how the New Jerusalem in Heaven...had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel...Rev. 21:12. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold...Rev. 21:21. As I was musing on the beauty of this description of the entrance to Heaven, I wondered why the gates weren't made out of diamonds, or maybe rubies or emeralds - or some other gorgeous sparkling gem. Do you ever ask questions when you are studying the Word of God? When I searched the Word for the answer to my question - why the gates were made out of pearl - I did not find the answer per se, but I did come up with an interesting speculation after I fully understood the symbolism of the pearl. Take a walk with me to see what I uncovered. Do you remember how a pearl is created in the earthly realm? When a parasitic worm invades an oyster, the oyster emits a bluish-gray substance to surround the potentially destructive irritant, in order to defend itself against this invader. This substance gradually hardens in increasing layers, resulting in the translucent pearl. So what does this symbolize? Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, and the sound of your stringed instruments; the maggot is spread under you, and the worms cover you...Is. 14:11. This text describes Hell, where Satan was condemned, and some human beings will live forever covered with maggots and worms. The image of a worm brings to mind something that is decayed - like maggots forming on spoiled garbage. A sinner is referred to metaphorically as a worm - his sin caused decay and spiritual death - no longer intimate with his Creator. When the sinner - worm - receives Jesus Christ as his Savior, God surrounds him with His saving grace, blotting out the sin, making all things new and beautiful. A worm becomes a pearl of great price - the price of the blood of Jesus Christ...Matt. 13:45-46. The beauty of this symbolism - the creation of a pearl out of a parasite - provides a possible reason why God would use this particular precious gem as the material for the gates to His eternal city. 144,000 heirs of the promise opened these gates of pearl for the first time, so that subsequent generations will be able to enter freely. Once a worm - now a precious pearl of great price - aptly describes the plight of a sinner on the earth. Then he measured its wall; one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel...Rev. 21:17. This text reveals the measurement of 144 cubits for the walls of the New Jerusalem. The "measure of a man" seems esoteric at first glance, thus easy to brush aside as impossible to understand. But if we delve a bit deeper into scripture, we will begin to understand this symbolism, as well as the significance of the mysterious number - 144. Then I, John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband...Rev. 21:2. This text clearly describes the eternal city of God...as a bride adorned for her husband. Human beings - believers - are the building materials for the New Jerusalem - 144, 000 fristfruits of salvation opened the gates to this city - measured by 144 cubits. How is the 144 cubits calculated? The government of God under the old covenant of the Old Testament is represented by the 12 tribes of Israel. The government of God under the new covenant of the New Testament is represented by 12 apostles. When we multiply the 12 tribes by the 12 apostles we calculate 144. The reason we multiply the two figures is to obtain, not only the governing body of the spiritual kingdom of Heaven, but also it symbolizes the multiple believers that will make up the walls of the New Jerusalem. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads...Rev. 4:4. The 24 elders symbolize the leadership of God's divine government in the New Jerusalem. By adding the 12 tribes of Israel to the 12 apostles of Jesus we calculate 24 heads of God's government in the heavenly city. The old covenant and the new covenant have now become one in Jesus Christ. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations. From what materials are the 12 foundations of the New Jerusalem comprised? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question... 

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In this compelling narrative, find the keys to unlock the mysteries of the Book of Revelation in an uncomplicated unveiling of biblical prophecy. The end times will come alive! Get ready to understand the last days, the hope of the rapture and the purpose of the tribulation. Unveil the deception of Antichrist, the treachery of the world union of governments and the foreshadowing of the abomination of desolation. Explore Israel's peace treaty with the man of sin and discover the apocalyptic purpose for the third temple in Jerusalem. Celebrate God's victory at Armageddon and joy in the return of Jesus Christ to Israel, as He unveils the wonders of His millennial reign. Observe the restoration of the Jews and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as you glory in the defeat of Satan and the ultimate triumph of God. Filled throughout with Scriptural references for observation, take an easy to understand journey with an angelic witness to discover how the world will end, to prepare for the creation of the new heavens and earth. The nations will declare that Jesus Christ is the King of kings and the Lord of lords! Biblical Themes Explored: * Jesus on the Last Days. * The Key to the End Times. * Six End of the Age Signs. * Israel and the Jews. * Church Apostasy. * Holy Spirit Awakening. * 666 - Mark of the Beast. * The Third Jewish Temple. * Media Bias and Antichrist. * Preparation for One World Government. * Work of Antichrist spirits & Signs of the Times. * Foundations for the Man of Sin. * Censorship to Prepare for Antichrist. * Escaping the Seven Year Tribulation. * The Rapture of the Church of Jesus. * The Divided Tribulation Explained. * Seven Seals & Seven Trumpets. * Seven Thunders & Seven Bowls of Wrath. * Antichrist's Peace Treaty with Israel. * Four Horses of the Apocalypse. * The Jews and the 144,000 Evangelists. * Antichrist Smashes Israel's Peace Treaty. * War on Israel & the Invasion of Jerusalem. * Abomination of Desolation, Temple Defiled. * War on the Saints and Persecution of the Jews. * The Counterfeit Antichrist Resurrection. * The Meaning of the Beast from the Earth. * Supernatural Power & the Beast out of the Sea. * Two Supernatural Witnesses, Elijah & Moses. * Armageddon Apocalypse, Nuclear War. * Restoration of the Jews to the Messiah. * Return of Jesus Christ, Every Eye Will See Him. * Millennial Reign on Earth, Perfect Peace. * Devil Bound for a Thousand Years. * The Total Defeat of Satan & the Demonic. * Great White Throne Judgment. * The Nephilim and Antichrist. * The End of Earth in Fire. * New Heaven, New Earth.

When we were last together we solved one small riddle among many regarding the beasts of the Revelation. This blog delves into documented Biblical history, not the revised history created by scholars of the last one hundred years. Sometimes we don't like how history sheds light on the sins of those who profess to be Christians in past decades, so they revise it so that it doesn't point the finger, so to speak, at any modern denomination. But we are supposed to learn from history, not revise it, so my purpose in life is to shed a bright light on it all the dirty linen, so maybe I won't repeat their mistakes. Revelation is an historical record of the sins of empires of the past from whom we can learn. "And another sign appeared in Heaven; behold a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads."...Rev. 12:3. We will find that all beast references in Revelation are related, but different characteristics of its purpose are symbolized - and we will define the symbolism which will unveil the message. The dragon in this reference symbolizes Satan, who symbolizes Paganism - Idolatry. The seven heads symbolize seven pagan empires on the earth. Horns symbolize seats of power. Ten horns symbolize ten subsequent seats of power related to the sixth head of the beast. Diadems or crowns symbolize royalty - power over a kingdom.The number seven means complete or perfection - God's number. This symbolism tells us that God has permitted this beast to arise on the earth. When John saw the vision of this beast, five of its seven heads - empires - had already been deposed, one empire was existing, and one was future. John was living in the existing empire - Imperial Roman Empire. In another vision John saw this same beast rising out of the sea, but now it looked "...like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority."...Rev. 13:2. Scripture asks the question, "Can a leopard change its spots?" John now sees the dragon (Satan) appearing like a leopard, symbolizing that all of the empires connected to this beast will not change their spots - Paganism will always rule. When John saw the seven-headed dragon transformed into a leopard, bear, lion combo, he was shown how these previous empires had fallen because of Paganism. Daniel in his vision saw an image of a lion which symbolizes the Babylonian Empire. The image of a bear which symbolizes the Medo-Persian Empire. The image of a leopard which symbolizes the Grecian Empire. The image of great iron teeth which symbolizes the Imperial Roman Empire...Dan. 7:2-8. When John saw the images that Daniel had previously seen, three had already fallen, but he was living during the time of the great iron teeth empire - Imperial Roman Empire. The most important image to focus on is the dragon who gave his power and authority to all of these empires - Paganism. The continuity of Paganism in all the beast empires is what Jesus was instilling in the mind of John. More about the seven-headed beast was shown to John, "...and on his heads a blasphemous name."...Rev. 13:1. Blasphemy means: disrespect for God and sacred things. In the original Greek text the word SCURRILOUS is written upon this beast. What does all of this mean? The next time we get together we will begin to reveal what Martin Luther recorded, as he experienced the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, "And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which is full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns."...Rev. 17:3. Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question...

When we were last together I asked you, "Does history really shed light on who received the visions and in what year?" Since the early church fathers were unable to identify the author of the Revelation with documents available to them, not in existence today, we cannot identify the writer of the Revelation. But, what we can do is provide historical documentation as to why 90 A.D. is not the correct year the visions were imparted, and new insight as to why the Apostle John is probably not the author. The early Christians were considered the scum of society in the culture of Roman pagans and religious Jews. Emperor Nero ordered his army to capture and torture Christians by heinous and barbaric methods, such as, wrapping them in the skins of wild animals and thrown to the dogs, where they were viciously torn and dragged to death. Others though, were brutally crucified on a cross and set on fire, creating a human torch to illuminate the garden path where the psychotic Nero strolled in the evening. Thousands were exiled to a penal colony on the island of Patmos, where all experienced extreme depravity, not just the Apostle John. In the first century, John, James, and Jesus were very common names. There is even another prominent John in the New Testament, who was often referred to as John Mark, who was a cousin to Barnabas. This John accompanied Barnabas, Paul, and Peter at separate times on missionary journeys. Could he be the John of Revelation? After the Apostle John was released from his exile on the island of Patmos, he settled in Ephesus. Historians record many deeds of this apostle during the five years he spent in Ephesus, before his death in 99 A.D. Yet, no documentation, no historical record could be found by the early church fathers that attributes authorship of this very important prophecy to the Apostle John. Historian Eusebius Pamphilus, a Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, who ministered in the court of Emperor Constantine confirmed that no documentation could be found. Why do we ignore him? Historian Eusebius made an interesting observation regarding the John of Revelation. He reveals how the writer of Revelation proclaims himself to be named John, a brother and companion in the tribulation, who had been exiled to the island of Patmos because of his testimony for Jesus Christ. John does not call himself an apostle. This John refers to himself five times in the first person, whereby, John in his gospel never gives his name, but rather refers to himself in the third person. According to Eusebius, and other historians who studied the writing style and grammar of the writer of the Revelation, then compared it with the writing style of the writer of the gospel of John, could find no similarity in the two documents. In fact, these historians even question if the gospel of John and the epistles of John even are by the same author. Is it not strange that the deeds of the Apostle John in Ephesus of much less importance than the visions, were carefully documented for posterity, yet absolutely no documentation was preserved that definitely attributes the Apostle John with receiving the supernatural visions? History does confirm that two monuments were erected at Ephesus, honoring two different men named John, with no further identification. There were many honorable men named John in the early church who helped establish Christianity. Food for thought - is it possible that God did not want us to have a confirmation of who wrote these very important visions, knowing men's penchant to put a man on a pedestal? We already know how many millions of people worship Mary, a mere human being, rather than Jesus Christ, even deifying the apostles. God commands us to have no other gods - worship Him alone. Some portions of the Revelation were so forthcoming that John was instructed...do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand...Rev. 22:10 This urgency was probably directed toward the 7th church at Laodicea because of the imminent earthquake. How does the earthquake in Laodicea establish a more accurate date for the Revelation? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question...  

When we were last together in this new series we revealed that Lucifer was created by God, described in the Bible as...the anointed cherub who covers...Ez. 28:14. Lucifer was perfect from the day he was created...till iniquity was found in you (him)...Ez. 28:15. What is iniquity? The Bible defines iniquity as perverseness, unrighteousness and wickedness. When iniquity was found in Lucifer he lost his favored position in Heaven and was cast to the earth. How you are fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground...you who weakened the nations...for you have said in your heart: I will ascend into Heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High...Is. 14:12-14. When Lucifer, the created angel, said he would become like God, what did God say to him? ...you became filled with violence within, and you sinned, therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you, O covering cherub from the midst of the fiery stones...your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor...Ez. 28:16-17. Pride is an ugly liability! God continued...you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit...Is. 14:15. It is obvious that God had given Lucifer a kingdom to oversee, but the scriptures do not give is more detail. Because of his beauty and splendor, somewhere along his path of power and authority given to him by God, he became deceived into believing he could become God and overthrow the throne of his Creator! And war broke out in Heaven; Michael and his angels fought with the dragon (Lucifer); and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in Heaven any longer...so the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him...Rev. 12:7-9. God had one last thing to say to Lucifer, now referred to as Satan, as he cast him into the Pit in the earth...you shall be a terror...Ez. 28:19. As we look around at our modern godless society, we can see how Satan is continuing to terrorize our world. But when God told Satan he would be a terror on the earth, He also prophesied...and you shall be no more forever. When God is finished allowing Satan to test mankind, he will be cast into the Lake of Fire, away from God's family forever...Rev. 20:10. Jesus anointed 70 of His disciples with His power and authority and sent them into the communities to cast out demons and heal the sick. When they returned they shared with Jesus how astonished they were that the demons were subject to them in the Name of Jesus! Jesus said to them...I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven...Luke 10:17-18. Another time Jesus was explaining to them about Hell when He said...the everlasting fire (was) prepared for the devil and his angels...Matt. 25:41. Jesus saw Satan fall like lightning out of Heaven, as God cast him to the earth to become a terror. The Apostle Peter warned human beings about Satan when he said...be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour...I Pet. 5:8. If Satan isn't real I wonder why Jesus and His disciples talked about him in the first person? After Jesus told His disciples that He saw Satan fall to the earth - a terror - He told them not to fear. He assured them when He said...I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you...Luke 10:19. Serpents and scorpions is symbolism for demons and their poisonous darts of destruction directed toward God's kids. Is it becoming a bit clearer that Satan is a real living being, who lives in the invisible world, but his works are clearly visible in our physical world? He once was a bright and shinning star in God's heavenly kingdom, but he rebelled against God. God had no choice but to cast Satan from His presence - sin cannot live in the presence of God's holiness - His purity. Since Satan no longer reflected the light and brilliance of the anointing of God, he took on the persona of wickedness, reflecting his nefarious activity hidden in the darkness of the sins of men. He was angry at God, so would relentlessly seek to kidnap God's family and take them to Hell with him. Well...how could that be since Jesus said that Hell was created for the devil and his angels? I remember a conversation with my Dad who claimed he had read the whole Bible twelve times, so felt rather scholarly. He was telling me there is no Hell. Hell is the life you have to live on the earth. I usually don't challenge someone's emphatic statements, but I may ask a thought-provoking question. So I asked him, "If there is no Hell how does it enlarge itself?" After a brief silence, he snapped, "Where is that in the Bible?" I said, "Isaiah 5:14." I explained that no human being is forced to follow God and His commandments, because He made human beings with a mind, will and emotions - they can choose whom they will follow. If they choose God, He will usher them into His heavenly kingdom - but - if they choose Satan, Hell will enlarge itself to accommodate their choice to follow him. Why don't people believe that Satan is real? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~ 

In this series we are studying the prophetic parables of Jesus regarding our eternal home - what happens at the end of the world - when we stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ. We have defined all the key points in the Parable of the Wedding Feast except one - the Wedding Hall...Matt. 22:1-14. What does it symbolize? To understand this symbolism we must turn to the Old Testament. ...the Lord said to Moses...Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat...He shall put the holy linen tunic and the linen trousers on his body; he shall be girded with a linen sash and with the linen turban he shall be attired...these are holy garments. Therefore he shall wash his body in water and put them on...Lev. 16:2-4. In the days of the Israelites, when the high priest Aaron ministered in the Holy Place (Holy of Holies) to God, presenting the blood sacrifice for the sins of the people, he could not just come in by his own will. God told him when to enter His presence. When he did go into the Holy of Holies, he was required to cleanse his body, and wear holy garments made of linen. Linen is made from flax, a fine, light colored plant. The finished material was pure white - symbolizing humility and purity of the high priest - when he enters the Holy of Holies - where God dwells. When the high priest left the Holy Place, where God dwells, he was required to remove his holy garments, preventing them from becoming defiled when he ministered to sinners in the outer court. The outer court symbolizes the world. The promise of a Messiah who would offer His blood for the sins of the world was the purpose of this ritual - looking forward to that day when He would appear in Israel and fulfill God's promise. This prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead. With this scriptural description of the Holy of Holies, let's find this fine linen garment in the heavenly Holy of Holies. The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready...and to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints...blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb...Rev. 19:7-9. When Jesus returns He will bring with Him a reward - it is the fine linen garment that He presents to His wife. The fine linen garment symbolizes the righteous acts of the saints. This means the house (temple) they built while they lived on the earth - their works. When the books are opened at the Great White Throne judgment, the house (temple) each believer built - his works - will be judged by fire (glory of God). If his house was built of righteous acts he will be invited into the Wedding Hall - Holy of Holies. If his house was not built of righteous acts - it will be deemed defiled (of the world) and he cannot enter the Wedding Hall - Holy of Holies - he will suffer loss. Yet, he is allowed to enter Heaven because he is born again by the Spirit of God...I Cor. 3:12-17. At the end of the world, God comes to the Wedding Hall to see the guests who are waiting for the Marriage of His Son. He saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment...Matt 22:11. This man had to be removed from the Wedding Hall - Holy of Holies - because he as not properly attired for the Marriage of the Lamb...Matt. 22:12-13. Many Christians are invited to the Wedding Hall, but few are prepared (properly attired) to enter in. A human being must be wearing a Garment of Salvation to enter Heaven, but must be wearing a Robe of Righteousness (Wedding Garment) to enter the Wedding Hall - Holy of Holies - where God dwells. The fine linen Wedding Garment is the righteous acts of a believer. No righteous acts recorded in his book -- no Robe of Righteousness is waiting in Heaven for that Christian. What is the loss a believer will suffer if he is not allowed in the Wedding Hall? As we saw in our Old Testament example, no defilement was allowed in a priest who presented himself in the Holy of Holies - where God dwells. This place symbolizes intimacy with God who has always dwelled in a sinless environment. If a human being desires this intimacy with God he cannot present a defiled house at the Judgment Seat of Christ. A defiled house will burn up on that Day. Not being allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, because he is not wearing a Wedding Garment is the loss a believer will suffer, causing weeping and gnashing of teeth - intense sobbing and wailing - when he realizes, albeit too late, that he truly was not ready for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus gave us so much information on how to be prepared for His return in His prophetic parables. How does the Parable of the Wise & Foolish Virgins confirm the Wedding Hall as the Holy of Holies? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~ 

Then the fourth angel sounded: and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night...Rev. 8:12. Before we begin to define the symbolism in the warnings of the 4th angel, keep in mind that the number 3 symbolizes Divine - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When three is used in prophecy of scripture, it reveals God's hand in the prediction. The number 4 symbolizes change in the heavens or the earth. In this text, the sun, moon and stars metaphorically describe people in authority - religious and secular - who are ruled by Satan and his sinister doctrines of demons. These rulers will devastate and destroy their own citizens during the Christian era, in order to maintain their powerful stranglehold on the masses. So during the Christian era, great change in the heavens and the earth will be accomplished The 4th trumpet blast is a forbidding warning to the people of the earth. Is it a coincidence that the sun, moon, and stars were created on the 4th day of creation, and now, metaphorically symbolize the judgment within the 4th trumpet blast? Food for thought... The sun is the greater light and was given authority over the day, while the moon is the lesser light, along with the stars, and was given authority over the night. When the sun, moon and stars do not giver their light, this symbolizes the spiritual understanding of world leaders - religious and secular - will be contaminated - their understanding will be darkened by sinister doctrines of demons - under Satan's control. Before we can fully understand this symbolism, we must take a look at ancient history - Old Testament. In the days of the Prophet Jacob, his son Joseph had a dream where he saw the sun, moon, and eleven stars bow down to him...Gen. 37:9-10. Jacob interpreted the sun, moon and stars to symbolize himself, Joseph's mother, and brothers. So we can see that prophets used the constellations to symbolize great rulers, lesser rulers, and people of prominence. Keep in mind that Satan is the initiator of all evil that is accomplished under the trump warnings. If the sun, moon, and stars symbolize rulers of nations in every degree of authority and power, and a third of them were darkened - Satan is responsible. But, it is the judgment of God on their sin. What does darkened symbolize? The word darkened symbolizes how ominous and superstitious doctrines of demons will influence the lives of those in powerful positions of authority (sun), producing perversity and corruption. The term third symbolizes God's divine judgment upon these leaders, throughout the Christian era. Governing authorities - political and religious - will succumb to the seduction of these poisonous false religious doctrines - bitter water of Wormwood - causing them to defy the Ruler and Creator of the universe. They will thumb their noses at the gospel of Jesus Christ. All authorities and dominions - sun, moon, stars - in opposition to Jesus Christ will become more depraved, more defiant, more insolent, and more unjust as their minds gradually darken by the influence of these sinister doctrines of demons. Rebellion against their Creator will open the door for the entrance of malevolent spiritual entities - demons - to possess them and rule their lives. Men will deify themselves - becoming gods. Yet, they are only tools of Satan - fulfilling his plans and purposes by kidnapping as many human beings as possible - snatched out of the hands of God before His plans for their lives can be accomplished. How will Satan accomplish this feat? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~   

When we were last together in this series which will identify the Two Witnesses, we found that God revealed to the Prophet Zechariah their identity...Zec. 4:13-14. Jesus also revealed their identity to John...these are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth...Rev. 11:4. In this vision, God revealed to the Prophet Zechariah who the olive trees on either side of the lampstand symbolized. God was releasing Israel from their 70 years of captivity in Babylon. King Cyrus chose two men to lead them back to Israel to rebuild Jerusalem and their temple. Zechariah asked the angel in the vision...what be these two olive branches, which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? The angel told Zechariah...these are the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth...Zec. 4:12-14. God confirmed to Zechariah that Zerubbabel and Joshua were His choices to lead His people out of captivity. King Cyrus anointed Zerubbabel as Governor of Judah, who would represent the Law of God - civil authority. King Cyrus anointed Joshua the high priest and prophet - the spiritual leader, who would impart the oracles of God to the people. Anointed means: oil - to produce light. In the days of Zechariah, perpetual light was supplied to the tabernacle from the seven-branched golden lampstand - menorah. The Two Anointed Ones in our text symbolize Governor Zerubbabel and Priest Joshua, who became mobile lights, lighting the path that will lead God's chosen people to rebuild Solomon's destroyed temple in Jerusalem. Lampstand in the original Hebrew language means: portable light. While in the temple they appeared to be stationary, but could be moved. A lampstand in the temple of worship was made of solid gold and had seven branches which supplied oil from real olive trees. The number 7 symbolizes completeness - perfection. The olive oil supplied perpetual light from the lampstands in the tabernacle, which were placed in front of the Holy of Holies - symbolizing God's eternal light in Heaven. The anointed oil - light of God - poured into the Two Anointed Ones, which then emptied out of themselves to the people they would lead back to Israel to rebuild Solomon's temple. Zerubbabel and Joshua were anointed and empowered by God to complete this assignment. The Two Anointed Ones manifested on the earth as two literal men in the service of the Lord on the earth. Let's recap what we have learned so far... Two Witnesses = Two Olive Trees Two Olive Trees = Two Anointed Ones Two Anointed Ones = Zerubbabel and Joshua We have laid out the scriptural background that defines the Two Witnesses of Revelation 11:3. One witness symbolizes the Law - civil authority. The other witness symbolizes the priest/prophet - spiritual authority. But...are they two men or something else? But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets...Rom. 3:21. Paul is explaining to believers that, through Christ, righteousness has been provided for them apart from the Law - serving the Law will not save them - Jesus Christ did. Paul said that the Law & the Prophets had already witnessed this revelation. So what did the Law & the Prophets witness? Earlier in this series we determined that Jesus and His apostles tread a path through Jerusalem witnessing His message of salvation for 1260 days. By defining the ministry of Jesus and His apostles - what they were witnessing - we will find the answer to our question. One day a gentile woman was pleading with Jesus to help her with her demon possessed daughter, whom He eventually helped. Jesus said to her...I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel...Matt. 15:24. Why is this declaration by Jesus critical in identifying the Two Witnesses - who are the lost sheep of the House of Israel? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question... 

As we embark on the fascinating study of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in Revelation chapter 6, we will discover what the Old Testament reveals about these horses - scripture proving scripture. Together we will scrutinize and define the symbolism which will reveal the message on the scroll beneath the seals, and compare it with the same message - edict - on the scrolls of the Old Testament so we will understand to whom the message was intended. The modern end-time doctrine is about 100 years old, becoming most popular after the Scofield Study Bible was published in 1909. Cyrus Scofield gleaned much of his doctrine from John Darby. Within a few years his end-time doctrine was placed in the curriculum of Bible schools and seminaries in America, eventually becoming the only doctrine accepted by most mainline churches in this country. Over many decades I have listened to many Christian radio and television programs, read books and magazines where Christian preachers and authors offered their latest and greatest end-time analysis - hoping to find out how historians define the symbolism - but I could not. I did find that some European authors of this subject couldn't believe that the Americans would adopt the false end-time doctrine of John Darby, their British preacher of the 1800's, which they rejected long ago. After we analyze Old and New Testament scriptures, we will better understand that what Jesus Christ is revealing to John in 50-60 A.D. regarding the mission of the Four Horsemen is specific to Israel and was perfectly fulfilled in 70 A.D. Of course, this means that the 70th week of Daniel's vision has also been fulfilled - and it was - proven by the historian Flavius Josephus - which will be the subject of our next study. The Apostle Peter said...no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation...for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit...II Pet. 1:20-21. So I ask, why do so many preachers and Bible teachers disobey his wise words? I don't know, but I do know that prophecy of scripture is understood in it fulfillment - historical documentation of a fulfilled prophetic event provides accuracy in the message. Revelation chapter 5 describes Jesus Christ after He returned to Heaven, having accomplished His work on the earth. He is now sitting on the right hand of God on the throne in Heaven - the only One worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals...verses 1-2. Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a loud voice like thunder, "Come and see"...and I looked, and behold, a white horse...He who sat on it had a bow, and a crown was given to Him, and He went out conquering and to conquer...Rev. 6:1-2. Everyone in Heaven was waiting watchfully and expectantly for the seven seals to be opened and reveal the secrets hidden within the scroll. Behind each of the first four seals John sees a horse - each a different color to signify its specific function in fulfilling the indictment against Israel, which is written on the scroll. The horses that are colored fiery red, black, and pale symbolize the Lamb's judgment, His vengeance against Israel for rejecting Him as their Messiah - Wrath of the Lamb...Rev. 6:16. With joy in his heart, John reverently beheld Jesus Christ approaching the throne where His Father was sitting. The silence was deafening, while all eyes were riveted upon Him, as they breathlessly watched the Worthy One remove the scroll from God's right hand. Energized suspenseful anticipation hung like a misty cloud, while John and all the heavenly spirit beings anxiously waited for Him to remove the first seal. Behind the first seal John sees a white horse. Who is sitting on the white horse and what does white symbolize? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question... 

Sunday, April 13, 2014 When we were last together, I promised that we would delve into to the history that provided the modern end-time doctrine of all mainline denominations - the one you hear on radio and television programs. While it will take more than one blog, I will begin today, while also explaining one of the enigmas in the doctrine. Have you ever heard of Francisco de Ribera, John Darby, Margaret MacDonald, or Cyrus Scofield? If not, I will acquaint you with these players, who provided the script for the modern end-time doctrine that many of you have embraced without question, because your spiritual leadership has told you that this doctrine is the truth. In 1909, Cyrus Scofield published a reference Bible with his personal end-time philosophy, at the prestigious Oxford University Press in London. He gleaned his modernistic ideas from the writings of the other three people mentioned above, professing that most of the visions in the Revelation had not come to pass. Historians refute this claim. His commentary interpreted Bible prophecy and set up a strategic outline for future events to come to pass. Why did the seminaries and Bible school teachers in America quickly embrace and adopt into their curriculum, his fanciful, scripturally unfounded interpretations of Bible prophecy? Did they know anything about the personal life of this self-proclaimed prophet of the future? Did he have any Christian fruits in his lifestyle, or did the Bible scholars of the 20th century even bother to find out? They did not bother to find out, they simply swallowed his newfangled ideas without question. I was perplexed at their lack of inquiry into Mr. Scofield's character, before they adopted his eschatology. But to have a new and bright idea with which to capture the attention of their waning national flock, probably was one reason the scholars grasped hold of a doctrine that could not be supported by biblical historians, but was mysteriously sensational enough to captivate the interest of their followers. ANTICHRIST - An enigma Who is the Antichrist? Do you know? Since the Scofield Reference Bible purported there is coming an evil person called the Antichrist, who will rule the world someday, thousands of books have been written on this subject, and movies with endless speculations? Did you know that new translations of the Bible have altered portions of scripture to prove this theory? Probably not...but they have. The Apostle Peter said that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit...II Peter 1:20-21. So why do men insist on attempting to interpret Bible prophecy, if prophecy is understood in its fulfillment so we will believe, according to Jesus? John 14:29 In the 1930's during Benito Mussolini's totalitarian reign in Italy, a self-appointed cadre of pastors from America, took a long journey to personally meet with him? Why would they do such a thing? This proud group of Bible prophecy interpreters, went there to inform this tyrant that he was the Antichrist of the book of Revelation. Where in the book of Revelation does it call anyone the Antichrist? Apparently these scholars had it all figured out - were they right? A major danger in interpreting prophecy of scripture - it will mislead the saints of God to follow another voice. Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question...  

Then I saw an angel coming down from Heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand...he laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years...Rev. 20:1-2. This blog is dedicated to defining all of the symbolism in Revelation -- all the metaphors, idioms, enigmas and esoteric imagery. After researching church history, I found that the message Jesus left to His Church in His revelation, is locked up in the symbolism. If we define the symbolism the accurate and succinct message to us will be revealed - unlocked. After I became born again in 1972, I became aware of the thousands of books and several movies that had been produced regarding Bible prophecy. The information in these mediums seemed to parrot one another, with a few twists to distinguish one author from another. Studying the Bible became my passion so it didn't take long before I was totally confused. Why? I ran across a pesky scripture in the epistles of Peter, which contradicted all the books and movies I had been perusing. Let's take a serious look at what Peter said...And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts...know this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation...for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit...II Peter 1:19-21. Now what do we do with this scripture? Do we say the meaning isn't clear so just ignore the admonition, or, do we heed what the prophet is saying? Now it is 2018 and I still see thousands of books, several movies, preachers on radio and television interpreting prophecy of scripture, apparently hoping to be the one to get it right. Jesus was very clear regarding prophecy of scripture when He said...now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe...John 14:29. I cannot find one scripture where Jesus tells us to interpret prophecy of scripture. Yes, He gives visions and dreams to His followers in the 21st century, confirming His promises and giving guidance. But prophecy of scripture is totally different. What did Sir Isaac Newton say about prophecy of scripture in 1692? He loved researching prophecy in the Bible. Regarding the book of Revelation he said, "The folly of interpreters has been to foretell times and things, by this Prophecy, as if God designed to make them Prophets. By this rashness they have not only exposed themselves, but brought the Prophecy also into contempt. He gave the Prophecies, not to gratify men's curiosities by enabling them to foreknow things, but that after they were fulfilled they might be interpreted by the event and His own Providence, not the interpreters -- the event predicted many ages before, will then be a convincing argument that the world is governed by Providence. Over 400 years ago Sir Isaac Newton understood what the Prophet Peter proclaimed regarding prophecy of scripture, so what happened to modern-day researchers of the Bible? Why do they ignore what Peter, Jesus, and Sir Isaac Newton said -- when the prophesied event occurs, we will understand the interpretation and believe? Believe what? Believe in Jesus and all that God said about Him has come to pass -- what He says is true and faithful! The last few months of this blog we have done a Bible study on several topics, but now it is time to get back to defining the symbolism of Revelation, Daniel & the Olivet Discourse. Since I began this blog in 2013, you will find that we have defined the symbolism in several chapters of prophecy. My study of church history has found that the majority of John's visions have already come to pass, and I give names, dates and places of their fulfillment. When we look back at fulfilled prophecy we simply delineate the facts, recorded by historians, for clear understanding of the prophecy - and believe. By attempting to interpret prophecy of scripture with our finite minds, we fall into the trap of foretelling God's intention, bringing the prophecy into contempt as Sir Isaac Newton proclaimed. One chapter in Revelation in particular is full of symbolism -- Chapter 14 - 144,000. In my archives you will find this fascinating study in 2015 - Feb. 15 through Mar. 29. When the symbolism is defined you will find yourself saying, "Wow...is that what that scripture means, now I understand!" After all, doesn't Jesus want us to believe and understand the Providence of God? The fulfilled event interprets prophecy of scripture - then we will understand and believe. In my 2017 archives I began a study series of Revelation Chapter 20 - Thousand Year Reign with Christ. I promised my readers that we would finish the study of this very important chapter, which we begin today -- Satan Bound 1000 Years. So reading the Thousand Year Reign with Christ Series will help you to better understand this series. As we delve into Revelation chapter 20, we will find that Reigned with Christ a Thousand Years and Satan Bound a Thousand Years are simultaneous events. The outset of these two events began the moment that Jesus rose from the dead. By His death and resurrection He brought the Kingdom of Heaven to the earth - men could now reign with Christ on the earth. And Jesus broke the power of death that Satan had in his grasp since the fall of Adam and Eve - Satan could no longer hold men in bondage to death - his power was now bound (limited). When did the First Resurrection take place? Stay tuned.. God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~ 

Keep in mind, as we continue to define the symbolism that explains the true meaning of the 144,000, that Revelation 14:1-16 is depicted in the heavenly realm. Read it again with new eyes and you will see the 144,000 are the firstfruits of salvation who are presented to God the Father by Jesus Christ after His resurrection. The modern end time doctrine tells you something completely different - see series #1. Previously we learned that the 12 tribes of Israel were the gates to the city. The names of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ were placed in the foundation of the city. Together 12 + 12 they symbolize the governing body of the heavenly New Jerusalem. Multiply 12 x 12 they equal 144 symbolizing, not only the governing body, but the multiple believers who are the materials for the wall of the city. When we were last together we began to study the symbolism that reveals the materials that form the foundation of the wall of the New Jerusalem. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones...Rev. 21:19. To better understand what these precious stones symbolize we must turn to the Old Testament, where God showed Moses the design for the breastplate that must be worn by the High Priest when he ministered to God in the Holy of Holies. And they set in it four rows of stones; a row with a sardius, a topaz, and an emerald was the first row...the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and diamond...the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst...the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in settings of gold in their mountings...there were twelve stones according to their names, engraved like a signet, each one with its own name according to the twelve tribes...Exodus 39:10-14. The 12 stones in the breastplate of the priestly garment worn by the High Priest, represent the 12 tribes of Israel. When Aaron donned the priestly garments, Moses was instructed by God to anoint and consecrate him so that he could minister to God, interceding for the people as High Priest in the Tabernacle...Ex.40:13. Each of the 12 stones of the breastplate is engraved like a signet - what does this symbolize? The word signet in the original Hebrew language is hotam meaning: a signature; a seal; a signet. If a decree is sealed with a signet ring, what is written in the decree is irrevocable - the message is immutable. What God promised to Abraham, and was envisioned throughout the generations by the 12 tribes of Israel, is irrevocable and immutable - symbolized by God's signature on each precious stone in the priestly breastplate. The 12 apostles represented the 12 tribes of Israel. God's promises to Abraham were nurtured throughout the generations by the 12 tribes of Israel - the 12 apostles birthed God's promises. The saints of the Old Testament, and the saints of the New Testament became One in Christ - promises fulfilled. Since these precious stones symbolize the irrevocable and immutable promises of God, they are now seen in the heavenly city as the foundations for the wall of the New Jerusalem. The Apostle Paul summed it up when he said...you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building; being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit...Ephesians 2:19-22. The Apostle Paul clearly understood that through Christ, God built for Himself a spiritual temple of blood-bought human beings for His dwelling place - the heavenly New Jerusalem. All human beings are invited to become the dwelling place - spiritual temple - of God, by repenting of their sins and accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. The heavenly New Jerusalem is constructed totally from human beings - those who...bear the image of the Heavenly Man...I Cor. 15:49. In our next series we will tackle the significant symbolism of Revelation chapter 11. Looking back on fulfilled prophecy gives us clear understanding of the message that is revealed in the symbolism. Do you really know who are the Two Witnesses described in this chapter - human or something else? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question... 

In blog #10 of this series, I asked two questions: (1) where is outer darkness and what is the reward that Jesus brings with Him when He returns...behold I am coming quickly and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work...Rev. 22:12. We can see that His reward is inextricably connected to our work(s) on the earth. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad...II Cor. 5:10. In blog #11, I explained where in Heaven we will find a place called Outer Darkness. Today we will begin to find out what the scriptures reveal about the reward Jesus brings with Him, and what His prophetic parables say about the loss a believer will experience if Jesus is unable to give His reward to him. Light will be shed upon this important topic. The Apostle Paul said regarding the foundation of salvation built by Jesus Christ...if anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward...if anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire...I Cor. 3:1-15. Again, we can see clearly that our work(s) on the earth is connected to His reward. Paul is explaining to born again believer's that the work(s) they do on the earth for the Lord will be judged at the Great White Throne on the day He returns. In order to prevent our house from burning up at the Judgment Seat of Christ, there are two garments that must be worn by a born again believer. Prophetically, the prophet Isaiah says regarding this Day...I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me in the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels...Is. 61:10. We can see clearly there is a garment of salvation and a robe of righteousness. If a believer is not adorned with the robe of righteousness on that Day, his house will burn up and he will not receive the very important reward. But...because his sins have been forgiven, he is washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, he is welcomed into Heaven, because he is wearing the garment of salvation. We must be very clear: sins forgiven by Jesus Christ while we live on the earth, are never to be equated with our works being judged on that Day. Sadly, denominational doctrines of men have done just that, creating confusion and perplexity in the minds of believer's. Because of this, many believer's will not be prepared on that Day, so their house will burn up and they will experience great loss - causing sobbing and wailing with grief and sorrow...weeping and gnashing of teeth...Matt. 22:13. My passion is to prevent this horrific loss. It will take more than today's blog to provide all the prophetic scriptures that pertain to His reward, and the subsequent loss, but let us at least begin today. Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready...and to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints...Rev. 19:7-8. I believe this scripture is very clear, no interpretation needed. The righteous acts - works - of a believer weave a fine linen garment that is given to him on that Day, by Jesus Christ. During this series I have carefully revealed scripture that describes the works of a believer - good and bad - righteous and unrighteous. The day Jesus returns, the reward He brings with Him is a fine linen garment - robe of righteous - woven by the righteous acts of each believer. This is why the garment He brings with Him is called a robe of righteousness - righteous acts of the saints - because the unrighteous works of the saints burned up on that Day. Only saints who built their house from righteous acts - treasures stored in Heaven - will be prepared for the Day - will be able to receive the reward of the Lord. If anything we accomplish on the earth can burn up at the fiery end of the world, these same works will also burn up when they are judged by the fire of the glory of God on that day. Only treasures that we have stored in Heaven - righteous acts - will survive His judgment when our books are opened for us to see what has been recorded...Rev. 20:12. Humility, love, patience, kindness, peace, longsuffering, faithfulness, self-control, forgiveness - feed the hungry, water for the thirsty, clothe the naked, compassion on the sick, visit those in prison , help the widows and the orphans, will produce treasures in Heaven - no fire can burn them up. All these attributes of Christ, among others, will weave your robe of righteousness - the reward Jesus brings with Him on that Day. What does Jesus say about a Wedding Garment - Robe of Righteousness - in His prophetic Parable of the Wedding Feast? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~ 

Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth...and to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power...Rev. 9:3. When the 5th angel sounded we were left with a lot of esoteric imagery to define in order to find the message conveyed through the symbolism. In the last blog I asked who do the locust symbolize? Maybe if we define the literal locust - the insect - we might obtain insight as to whom they symbolize in this prophecy. The locust - literal insect - is known to congregate in hordes, too many to count. They are migratory and travel in larges swarms, subduing vegetation with a vengeance. Since they leave a trail of death and devastation when they swarm a targeted area, little vegetation survives - if any at all. With this description of the literal insect. I think we can see that the metaphorical locust in our text symbolizes a specific migratory group of people, who travel in mobs, subduing their prey, much like a warring army would do, leaving a trail of devastation and death. To them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. The poison in the sting of a scorpion to bring death to the flesh of mankind, has been given to this locust army to poison the hearts and minds of mankind, as well as the flesh. This locust army resembles the locust insect in the following manner... 1. too numerous to count - migratory 2. attack with ferocity, overwhelm and subdue victim with a vengeance 3. maim or murder victim 4. not much, if any, left to live The locust army must play a dominate role in this prophecy because we have been provided a very detailed description of them in Rev. 9:7-10. There is a lot of symbolism to define in these verses, so let's begin with the esoteric imagery in verse 7. The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle...on their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. These metaphorical locusts are described as shaped like horses prepared for battle. In ancient times, a battle horse had to be ferocious, swift, fast and determined - always ready to fight and make war. Battle warriors ride battle horses. Crowns in scripture symbolize royalty - kings and priests - those who rule over kingdoms or empires. A king rules a nation, kingdom or empire, while a priest rules over the religious needs of the empire. On the heads of the locusts are crowns, indicating they are a nation, kingdom or empire. But, there is a qualification to the crown that these locust - kings - wear while they rule, which gives us a hint to their identity. How does their crown identify the locusts? The color of the crowns on the heads of the locust army is described as...something like gold. Isn't this an intriguing description, as well as a bit perplexing? But it is a very significant detail. Describing their crowns as something like gold symbolizes that their kingdom or empire is an imitation of a legitimate kingdom or empire. What does this mean? The kingdom of the locusts army is a counterfeit - an imitation of royalty. Their kingdom is false - not genuine - deliberately deceptive. How do I know this? The locusts were birthed from the smoke - doctrines of demons - that was released from the bottomless pit (Hell), so they are possessed and empowered by Satan and his demons - serpents/scorpions. The locusts army is a religious empire empowered by Satan himself and set up on the earth to poison - scorpion sting - human beings with wicked religious doctrines. Their faces were like the faces of men. What does this symbolize? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~ 

When we were last together I asked, "Did God leave us defenseless against these mighty wicked powers in the invisible ream? After He was baptized...Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil...and when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry...Matt. 4:1-2. Matthew goes on to explain how Jesus was tempted by Satan to follow the way of the flesh and worship him. With every resistance to Satan's temptations, Jesus said...It is written! What is written? The reason that Jesus could successfully resist Satan's temptation to follow him was because He knew God's answer -- it was the immutable Word of God! When Jesus was hungry after the long fast, Satan said mockingly...If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread. Although Jesus had the power and authority to command the stones to become bread, He knew the wiles of the devil desired that He submit to the lust of the flesh. Jesus overcame Satan's temptation by saying...Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God...Matt. 4:3-4. The allegiance of Jesus Christ was totally submitted to God -- not the world, the flesh or the devil! Jesus overcame the wiles of the devil for us - but we must overcome His way! The final temptation was when Satan took Jesus to a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, saying to Jesus...All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me...Matt 4:8-9. What did Jesus say? Away with you Satan! For it is written...You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve...Matt. 4:10. Jesus, as a man, knew the Word of God, therefore, was able to defeat the temptations of Satan. Do you know the Word of God well enough to defeat the temptations Satan throws at you on a daily basis? Only God's Word can defeat the wiles of Satan. After Jesus shed His blood as a sacrifice for our sins, death and the fear of death was finally defeated. Satan was defanged spiritually, but still roamed the earth roaring like a lion seeking whom he may devour...I Pet. 5:8. If the power and authority of Satan has been defeated by the blood of Jesus Christ, why is he allowed to roam the earth and roar -- creating chaos and destruction? Satan was defeated spiritually, but he is still god of this world and is allowed to tempt mankind until the end of the world. He has not faced his final judgment as yet. When is his final judgment? At the end of the world, the earth and the works that are in it will burn up. At this same time, Satan will face his final judgment...the devil, who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are...and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever...Rev. 20:10. In the meantime...the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds...II Cor. 10:4. The word strongholds means: Satan's arguments/deception against God/Jesus Christ. God has not left His followers defenseless against the mighty wicked powers in the invisible realm. But...we must use those spiritual weapons to defeat the wiles - deceptions/arguments - of the devil. If we do not use the spiritual weapons supplied to us by God -- we will be defeated! What is the number one weapon that Satan uses against us? IGNORANCE! As a whole, the Church has neglected to emphasize to the followers of Jesus Christ that there are two real realms - worlds. The most important realm is the spiritual invisible realm. Why is it the most important realm? The spiritual invisible realm is eternal - was, is, and always will be. The earthly realm is physical and created by God -- it will burn up at the end of the age. When we talk about something over and over again, it becomes real - clear in understanding. By the Church neglecting to discuss with the followers of Christ the importance of understanding the invisible realm, we have fallen prey to the world, the flesh and the devil. The Apostle Paul wrote...Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might...put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil...Eph. 6:10-11. What is the armor of God? The Apostle Paul said that after we have prepared ourselves according to God's instructions, we are to...stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness...and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one...and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God...praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints...Eph. 6:14-18. If Satan and his demons are not real why does the Bible have so much to say about protecting ourselves from these invisible entities. What are the fiery darts of the wicked one, which our shield of faith will quench? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~ 

Revelation chapter 9 is full of symbolism that describes the Locust Army who has been on the planet since the 7th century. The last few blogs have been devoted to defining the symbolism which has already unlocked their identity - but there is much more in this chapter that details their character and purpose, leaving no doubt who is the past and current enemy of, not just Christians and Jews, but all human beings who refuse to "bow the knee" to their god. Let's begin with verse 19...for the power is in their mouth, and in their tails; for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. To understand this symbolism we must go back to the Garden of Eden where a serpent spoke to Eve with seductive equivocal words - obviously believable since she doubted the warnings of her Creator. Eve was so enchanted by the logical words from the serpents' mouth, she believed his poisonous lies. The prophet that lies is the tail. We already know that the serpent in the Garden of Eden symbolized Satan - and we already know that the Locust Army originated from the bottomless pit - Satan's home. The serpents in this verse symbolize the Locust Army. Verse 17 says...and thus I saw the horses in the vision and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone; and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. Describing the heads of the battle horses as heads of lions, defines the Locust Army as ferocious, with unrelenting determination to prove to the whole world that they are the King of the Religious Jungle, just as in the natural world the lion is hailed as king of the jungle. Them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire reveals there are riders on the battle horses, an invincible foe, with the purpose of burning up (destroying) anyone or anything that attempts to prevent their worldwide take-over. The colors of the breastplate symbolize the weapons this religious army will use to kill resisters. These weapons are words because the text says...out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. 1. Fire (jacinth) - reddish orange. This weapon reveals the Locust Army will consume their victims with hate-filled, intimidating, and threatening words using the media as their lap dogs. They will gradually infiltrate the governing bodies of every nation, obtaining influential positions, while buying shares of television and radio networks in developed countries in order to curry favor for their cause. Look around - this has already come to pass in 2014. 2. Smoke - blue. Smoke symbolizes false religious doctrines, originating from the bottomless pit the birthplace of the Locust Army. Out of their mouths they will spew the false religious doctrine of their Prophet, while condemning all other religions. They have already propagandized that Jesus Christ, someday, will bow His knee to their Prophet recognizing him as the one true god. 3. Brimstone (sulfur) - yellow. Brimstone coming our of the mouth of the Locust Army symbolizes judgment - God's judgment on the sins of His people who have surrendered their allegiance to other gods. - fame and fortune. God is allowing the Locust Army to torment and intimidate the citizens of the world, causing grievous pain and death, through their relentless propaganda of demanding spiritual, mental and physical submission to their violent and murderous Prophet. If God's Church suffers from the results of their many sins - will they repent and turn back to Him? Hopefully... The Globalist leaders of the developed nations of the world have not only embraced multiculturalism, but forced it down the throats of their submissive citizens. By doing so, they gave the green light to the warriors of the Locust Army, who are now moving fast and furiously across the planet, forcing their doctrine of demons into public schools and all governments, where their offensive doctrine will do more damage and devour more humanity quickly. READER BEWARE - the Locust Army is gaining a foothold in 2014 because of Globalism. Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared...and I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet...for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of the great day of God almighty...Revelation 16:12-14. This text describes when God released the Locust Army to infiltrate every nation on the planet. It seems like a riddle at first glance, but the esoteric imagery is easy to identify. Who does the dragon, beast and false prophet symbolize? Frogs are unclean spirits, but what else do they symbolize? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question... 

When we were last together in this series I asked, "Are there more signs of the times that point to the end of the world in our time?" Today we will begin to search the Bible for what God says to the people who forsake Him and His righteous Son, Jesus Christ, who died to provide a pathway to His heavenly kingdom. God's love is unconditional, yet He gives mankind the power to chose Him, or they can chose the pathway to Hell provided by Satan. Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. for assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled...Matt. 5:17-18. Jesus is saying that He has fulfilled the Law by His own righteousness, because mankind in his sin could never fulfill the requirements of the Law. While many fleshly requirements of the Law were done away with, such as dietary laws, feasts. & rituals, the spiritual principles of the Law stand forever. Heaven and earth will not pass away - end of the world - until every iota (jot) and every Hebrew mark (tittle) in the Law is fulfilled - gospel and prophecy. The Ten Commandments, which represent the righteousness of God, have not been done away with, but sinful men were unable to keep them. This is why God sent His Son to pay the ransom for our sins, so we could be reconciled to Him, and His light could lead us through the dark journey on the earth. God's Word...is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path...Ps. 119:105. The Ten Commandments are not the only commandments from our God, they are an outline - a blueprint. The first of the ten commandment tells us to serve the Lord our God, and only HIM shall we serve. Yet, Jesus said...the first of all the commandments is: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one...and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength...and the second, like it, is this: you shall love your neighbor as yourself...there is no other commandments greater than these...Mark 12:29-31. Jesus clearly expanded the original blueprint of the Ten Commandments, which we see throughout the Bible. What happens to people who reject the Creator and His Son, thus His commandments that are meant to protect us from evil? The 28th chapter of Deuteronomy describes the blessings and curses that will come upon people who obey His commandments and those who disobey His commandments - it is our choice. The blessings are listed in verses 1-14 and the curses are listed in verses 15-68. Please read all of the blessings & curses and be educated. If we refuse to obey the commandments of the Lord, and continue to seek foreign gods, we have signed up for the consequences. The word curse used in this chapter means: execrate. The definition of execrate: to call down evil upon us. When we reject God, His Son and His commandments, we chose to call down evil upon us. If we forsake the Lord, evil will come upon our cities; the fruit of our body; and the produce of our land. The Lord will send confusion and rebuke all that we set our hand to do -- plagues & disease will consume us. We will be defeated by our enemies -- a nation we have not known will eat the fruit of our produce & labor and we will be oppressed and crushed. The alien (foreigner, stranger) who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower...he shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head and you shall be the tail...moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes...Deut. 28:43-45. I'll bet you didn't know that allowing the false gods of the aliens in our midst to take preeminence over Jesus Christ has unleashed these curses upon us! Look around the nations, including the USA, and you will see the devastation of the curses. When the developed nations, who once revered the God of the Bible, invited unlimited and unrestricted people to dwell in their lands and build altars to their foreign gods, all the curses listed in Deuteronomy have now come upon them. Since that unconstitutional ruling by the Supreme Court in l962, the Ten Commandment have been removed from all government buildings, including government schools. The only way the name of Jesus is allowed in government venues is when it is a curse word. Traditions of the USA are considered hurtful, inconsiderate and exclusory to aliens, so citizens are made to feel ashamed of their beliefs and their favorite holidays are renamed with secular titles. Aliens have become the head and citizens have become the tail. Signs of the times. What did God say to Solomon about serving foreign gods? But if you or your sons at all turn from following Me, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples...I Kings 9:6-7. Insert USA, UK, France, Germany, etc, for Israel in this reference and know this message is for any country that once walked with Jesus Christ, but turned away to welcome the foreign gods of the aliens in their midst. The curses of Deuteronomy are overtaking these nations. You can make the name of Jesus Christ & His Bible illegal, you can remove every vestige of his name on buildings, in books, or public documents, and you can remove statues that offend your pure sensibilities -- but God's words are spirit and truth, so they will live forever. Teddy Roosevelt said that an immigrant who comes to America must assimilate, become in every facet an American -- and nothing but American -- there can be no divided allegiance. We have room for one flag, one language, and one sole loyalty -- loyalty to the American people. President Roosevelt knew and understood our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Do you? Did you know there were intercessors in the Old Testament - with the mark of God on their foreheads - who wept over the sins of Israel when they left God to serve others gods? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~ 

When we were last together we were studying the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matt. 22:1-14). We left off with the part that describes the end of the world, when the King (God) appears in the Wedding Hall to see the guests that have arrived to participate in the Marriage of the Lamb...Rev. 19:7. The King spots something out of place. When the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment...Matt 22:11. We know the man is in Heaven, because he wandered into the Wedding Hall - so he must be wearing the Garment of Salvation. Why is this garment not enough to attend the Marriage of the Lamb? What did the King say to the man who is not properly attired for the Marriage of the Lamb? So he said to him, "Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?" And he was speechless...Matt. 22:12. The man was shocked to find out that he needed a wedding garment in order to attend the Marriage of the Lamb! When he studied the Bible, while he lived on the earth, didn't he ever read the Parable of the Wedding Feast? Did he ever hear a pastor preach a sermon about a Wedding Garment, or that it is the reward Jesus brings with Him the day He returns? Dear reader, did you ever hear a sermon preached on this subject? No, I didn't either. Before any of us stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ, at the end of the world, we must be prepared to participate in the Marriage of the Lamb. In this prophetic parable, Jesus calls it a Wedding Garment, while the Prophet Isaiah calls it the Robe of Righteousness...Is. 61.10. The Robe of Righteousness is worn over the Garment of Salvation. In other words the garment is issued first - while we live on the earth. The robe is issued to us at the Judgment Seat of Christ. But, the issuance of the robe is contingent on the the house (work) we build for the Lord, while we live on the earth. We must make sure our house (work) does not burn up on that Day. Regarding that Day, the Apostle Paul said to believers about the foundation of salvation built by Christ...if anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward...if anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire...I Cor. 3:14-15. Why did the King (God) call the man without a Wedding Garment - friend? The word friend in the original Greek language is hetairos meaning: clansman; tribe. By calling this man friend, God was acknowledging him as part of His heavenly family - tribe. But since he was not wearing a Wedding Garment he could not stay in the Wedding Hall and participate in the Marriage of the Lamb. What happens to this man? Then the king said to the servants, "Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth?...Matt. 22:13. God called His servants (attendants) to bind him, hand and foot, remove him from the Wedding Hall, and cast him into Outer Darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth in this place called Outer Darkness, because this is the loss a believer will suffer when his house burns up at the Judgment Seat of Christ. How do we define the symbolism - bind him hand and foot - in this verse? It symbolizes that when this believer stood before Jesus at the Great White Throne judgment, he did not present...the image of the heavenly Man...I Cor. 15:49. The house he built on the earth did not honor and glorify Jesus Christ, it honored and glorified himself. His mind was focused on worldly pleasures, rather than on the spiritual pleasures of the Lord. He wasted his life, squandering his talents, so he reflected the material world at the Judgment Seat of Christ. I was told by pastors and Bible teachers that all three places in the Bible referring to outer darkness are defined as Hell, Hades, or Lake of Fire. In other words, damnation. When I finally looked up the original Greek language for these words, I found a different understanding. The word outer is exoteros meaning: exterior. The word darkness is skotos meaning: obscurity; shadiness (darkness of error); adumbration (outline). Outer Darkness is a place on the exterior of Heaven, far away from the brightness of the Wedding Hall, where the Marriage of the Lamb takes place. If a believer finds himself in Outer Darkness, rather than attending the Marriage of the Lamb there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth - sobbing and wailing - as he realizes, albeit too late, that he was not properly attired to enter the Wedding Hall. For many are called, but few are chosen...Matt. 22:14. This is the last verse of the Parable of the Wedding Feast. Born again believers in Christ are invited to attend the Marriage of the Lamb, but few are selected to enter the Wedding Hall. It is obvious that the Wedding Hall is a significant location. According to the Old Testament, what does it symbolize? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~

As we continue our study defining the symbolism of the seven trumpets in Revelation chapter 8, we must first define the symbolism for incense and smoke in verses 3 & 4...then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar...he was given incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne...and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand. What does incense symbolize? In the days of the Israelites, incense was used as a purifying agent after a blood sacrifice for sin was offered to the Lord. Incense is sweet smelling, providing a favorable aroma to destroy the stench of death. This natural act explains the symbolism in our text, where we see the angel mingling incense with the prayers of the saints before they ascend to God. The prayers of the saints are beseeching God to avenge the blood they have shed on the earth - martyr's death - for the cause of Christ. Symbolically, we see the angel purifying the prayers of the saints- sacrifice of death - providing a sweet smelling fragrance as they ascend to God. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints...Ps. 116:15. The smoke - vapors - of the sweet smelling incense is a conveyance, with the assistance of the angel, enabling the prayers to encircle the throne of God. God hears the prayers of the repentant, those who seek His love and justice. Remember, after the Shulamite woman rose up to seek her beloved Solomon, she said when she saw him...who is this coming out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke perfumed with myrrh and frankincense?...SS 3:6. The smoke (vapors) filled with perfumed incense (purification) brought her to her beloved. God is the beloved in whom we seek. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth...and there were noises, thundering, lightnings, and an earthquake...Rev. 8:5. A censer is used to burn sweet smelling incense, so why would the angel now fill it with fire and throw it down upon the earth? God hears the prayers of His saints seeking His love and justice, provoking His wrath upon the earth to avenge the shedding of innocent blood. Fire in Heaven symbolizes His glory - glory symbolizes His presence. No sin can stand in the presence of God without burning up. When the fire - glory - is thrown to the earth, it symbolizes that His presence is revealed in His wrath upon the idolaters of the earth - those who murdered His saints who had witnessed the way of salvation to them. God's wrath is revealed through the Trumpet Warnings. The verse also says...and there were noises, thundering, lightnings, and an earthquake - what does this symbolize? This means there was a great uproar - rejoicing - in Heaven. Lightning symbolizes the splashing of colorful rays of light throughout the spiritual realm. Noises and thunder symbolize the tumultuous sounds exhibited by the exuberant rejoicing from the angels, and the redeemed human beings, causing a massive quaking and shaking. Earthquake symbolizes societal upheaval on the earth. Why was all of this exuberant rejoicing taking place? The firstfruits of salvation who had finally arrived in Heaven, along with the angelic army of God who had participated in this event, are ecstatic that judgment was finally coming to the immoral idolaters of the earth - Egypt & Sodom - revealing that the time of the end of the ages was in sight. The angels had waited so long to see Jesus accomplish His work on the earth - the redemption of mankind - and the end of evil when Satan is thrown in the Lake of Fire. The seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound...verse 6. What happens next? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~ 

Sunday, April 27, 2014 When we were last together I asked the question, "Where did this doctrine of some future Antichrist originate? It originated after the great Reformation of Martin Luther had begun, and the publication of his Bible for the common man to read in 1522. He knew the citizens were never allowed to read the scriptures for themselves, and if they could, they would find out that salvation was a free gift from God, through the blood of Jesus Christ -- not by works lest any man could boast...Eph. 2:8-9. Once Luther's Bible was placed in the hands of the common man, a rebellion against the Holy Roman Empire for teaching them a false religious doctrine erupted violently. The Empire literally hemorrhaged, as thousands of citizens bolted from a dark false religious doctrine, into the light of the truth revealed in Luther's Bible. This priestly heretic, Martin Luther, even had the audacity to draw pictures in his Bible revealing the Pope as not only an antichrist leader, but also the fulfillment of John's visions in Revelation - namely the seven-headed beast in chapter 17. A woman, who symbolizes paganism, sits on this scarlet-colored beast, which symbolizes sin. Luther drew a crown on her head, just like the one worn by the Pope of the Holy Roman Empire, which says "God on Earth" and the "Vicarious Christ." Luther agreed with the vision which declared this as blasphemous - Mystery Babylon - Mother of Harlots. Prophecy of scripture is understood in its fulfillment. We will study more historical evidence that proves that the seventh head of the seven-headed beast is the Holy Roman Empire. But Martin knew it in his day, because he personally experienced this beast kingdom, from an insiders perspective. Because of the mighty protestation against the Holy Roman Empire, new churches popped up all over, with oversight from the underground church pastors who had been patiently waiting for an opportunity to come out into the light without being imprisoned or murdered by the Empire. So the Empire strategized a way to plug this hemorrhage of obedient servants, and quash the new belief that the Pope was the fulfillment of the beast of Revelation -- Man of Sin described by the Apostle Paul. In order to stop this massive exodus, the Pope enlisted the help of a priest named Ignatius Loyola, who was already a member of the Spanish Alumbrados -- Latin rendering is Illuminati. The Illuminati originated in the days of Nimrod's rebellion against God, when he formed "The Mysteries" religion where they were called the Enlightened Ones - morphing into the Illuminati later in time. But how could they interrupt the passionate Protestant Church movement? Ignatius Loyola founded a secret society - Society of Jesus - for the sole purpose of devising a plan to infiltrate the newly formed Protestant churches by stealth, and covertly plant their false doctrine. They knew these new Christians were not well versed in the scriptures, so they could easily be persuaded to fall back into the old familiar doctrine of the Empire. These covert Jesuits found it tantalizing to create confusion, doubt, and unbelief in this fledgling truth movement. A member of this secret society, a Spanish priest named Francisco de Ribera, eventually had a bright idea. He could write a scholarly commentary on the book of Revelation that would definitely cast doubt on Luther's proclamation. In his commentary, a complete fabrication of his imagination, he said that at the end of all time, a political antichrist, a man of sin, will arise when the Holy Roman Empire falls away from the Pope. Of course, he never expected the Empire to fall - but it did. This antichrist man will pretend to be God, appearing prior to a great seven-year tribulation, where he will persecute the saints of God and abolish the Christian religion. In order to make sure his readers know this happens many centuries from his time, Francisco declared this antichrist man will make a covenant with the Jews for three and a half years in the temple at Jerusalem. He believed that his grandiose end-time fabrication, would definitely convince the populous of the 1500's that the Holy Roman Empire is not the seventh-head of the beast of Revelation - because this beast will not appear until the the end of time. Did Francisco's commentary of 1590 dissuade the massive Protestant revolt as intended? The next time we get together we will find out what happened to his commentary, and how it influenced the false end-time doctrines of John Darby and Cyrus Scofield, whom we introduced at the beginning of this study. Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question...  

The Mark of the Beast in Biblical Prophecy In the realm of biblical prophecy, one enigmatic concept that has captivated scholars and believers…

As we embark on this new series to research Daniel's 70-Week Vision, we will find that historians have a lot to say on the subject - much of it you have never heard. Why haven't you heard? You haven't heard because the historical documentation doesn't fit into the modern viewpoint on eschatology. If historians prove that the 70th week of Daniel's vision has already been fulfilled, the modern viewpoint crumbles like a house of cards. What is the origin of the the modern viewpoint on end-time matters? About a hundred years ago the American church began a rapid and radical transformation of their understanding of Revelation, Daniel's 70-week vision, and the Olivet Discourse regarding end-time events. This transformation from the historical viewpoint that was embraced by the church for centuries, to the modern viewpoint, pretty much discarded sound doctrine. How did this happen? Cyrus Scofield published a reference Bible in 1909 with extensive commentary that carefully outlined a new and innovative viewpoint of end-time events, literally invalidating the historical viewpoint embraced by Christians for centuries. He sold millions of copies, still popular today. Who is Cyrus Scofield? Cyrus Scofield was a lawyer of Jewish descent, who claimed to be a Christian, but certainly lacked the fruits of a follower of Christ. After he was appointed U.S. District Attorney of the state of Kansas, he later had to resign under a cloud of scandal. - suspected of taking bribes. After his resignation he was later jailed on forgery charges. In the late 1800's, on the pretense of investment, he took $1,300 (a million in today's dollars) from his wife's mother - her life savings - and never returned it. In 1883 his first wife divorced him for abandoning her and their two children, whom he refused to financially support - admitting he drank too much alcohol. During the divorce process, he was ordained as a Congregational minister - later becoming a Southern Presbyterian. He bestowed upon himself the title C.I. Scofield, D.D., although no record has ever been found to prove he had attained this degree. How did Cyrus Scofield obtain information he inserted into his Bible as a new end-time doctrine? Most of his research was from the writings of an itinerant preacher from Great Britain, John Darby, who founded "The Brethren" denomination. Mr. Darby was also a lawyer, who visited the United States several times sharing his modern viewpoint on eschatology. After reading Mr. Darby's writings, Mr. Scofield was convinced that the 70th week of Daniel had not been fulfilled - even though historians had proven otherwise. From whom did John Darby glean his new end-time doctrine? After millions of people bolted from the Holy Roman Empire, because of the new revelations of truth presented to them by Martin Luther, the Empire had to offer a counter doctrine. Luther had proven the Empire was the 7th head of the beast in Revelation - man of sin. What did the Empire do? A Spanish priest named Francisco de Ribera, a member of the Society of Jesus, decided he would write a scholarly commentary of the book of Revelation that could definitely cast doubt on Luther's proclamation. In his commentary, a fabrication of his imagination, he said that at the end of time a political antichrist - man of sin - will arise when the "church" falls away. This antichrist figure will pretend to be God, appearing prior to a seven-year tribulation, where he will persecute the saints and abolish the Christian religion. He will rebuild the temple at Jerusalem for the third time, after making a covenant with the Jews for three and a half years. This priest made sure he emphasized that all these things will take place far into the future - at the end of the world - then Jesus will return. Francisco believed that his grandiose end-time fabrication would definitely convince the populous that Martin Luther lied when he called their religious leader of the 1500's - the man of sin described by the Apostle Paul...II Thes. 2:3. Did the public ever read Francisco's fictional end-time commentary? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~ 

When we were last together we continued our study of the identity of the Man of Sin, as revealed by the Apostle Paul in his prophecy recorded in II Thessalonians Chapter 2. The subject of Paul's prophecy is...concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him...verse 1. The believers he is speaking to wanted to know when Jesus would return for them, so Paul is explaining...that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition...verse 3. Then Paul says...and now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time...verse 6. If we keep Paul's prophecy in context, with the subject of his message the return of Jesus, we will understand that he is delineating to the believers...what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. Jesus is being restrained from returning, because the falling away has not as yet occurred, and the Man of Sin has not been revealed when Paul spoke this prophecy. The Apostle Paul continues to describe "what is restraining" the return of Jesus Christ in verse 7 & 8...for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way...and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. Twenty five years ago, when my prayer partner and editor of my manuscript first discussed Paul's prophecy, which had been misinterpreted in the commentary of the Scofield Study Bible, and countless others that copied from him, she said, "Studying this prophecy contextually and diagramming the sentences correctly sheds light on the truth of the message. But, hearing the false interpretation of it in every church I have attended, has created a groove - deep rut - that is hard to fill in with the truth that I now see. When you hear only one end time doctrine over and over your whole Christian life, it is challenging to replace it - even with the truth - it feels awkward." Let's summarize what Paul has said so far. 1. Who is restrained? -- Jesus Christ 2. What is restraining? -- falling away and the Man of Sin - lawless one 3. Who will be revealed in his own time? -- Jesus Christ According to Paul's prophecy, the mystery of lawlessness was already at work in his society. This lawlessness would define the Man of Sin, who will restrain the return of Jesus Christ -- until the Man of Sin is taken out of the way...who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God...verse 4. The falling away must come first - what does this mean? It means that believers will abandon the faith of their forefathers - apostasy. While every era of history records great apostasy, including the 21st century, never in recorded history has there ever been a protracted falling away of the faith, than during the thousand-year reign of the Holy Roman Empire -- Dark Ages. No one will understand the identity of Man of Sin...until he is taken out of the way...verse 7. How is he taken out of the way? The Man of Sin...the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming...verse 8. What does this mean? The Man of Sin will be taken out of the way because he will be consumed with the breath of God's mouth. When God speaks - breath of His mouth - it is His word that comes forth to our ears. The great Reformation was kindled because the truth (breath) of God's word was revealed and received by the spiritually ignorant populous for the first time in a thousand years. While faithful believers had preached God's truth during this protracted period of apostasy, it was not time for God to expose the Man of Sin until 1517. The preaching of the gospel by God's very brave servants, symbolized the 'breath of His mouth' by the truth they were speaking in God's stead. Jesus called men to preach His word, which will reveal and consume, false religious doctrines - light of the truth extinguishes the darkness of lies. What did Paul mean in this prophecy when he said the lawless one will be revealed and...the Lord will...destroy with the brightness of His coming? Stay tuned... God's sheep question men's doctrines...sheeple follow without question... 

As we continue our study to determine the meaning of the symbolism of the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse, we will find the message contained within it. We know that historical documentation has proven that the visions were imparted to John between 50-60 A.D. The message contained in this chapter of Revelation confirms the message given in Daniel's vision - 70th week...Daniel 9:27. The historian Josephus documents this information and we will delve into it in our next study series. So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand...and I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and the wine...Rev. 6:5-6. John must have been pretty shaken up by now from what he had seen behind the second seal, and may not have been to eager to view the contents of this third seal, but he watched solemnly while Jesus Christ opened it. Behind this seal John sees a sleek black horse, proudly holding his head high, yet a sense of foreboding permeated the atmosphere, because he understood that the color black symbolized death and mourning. He must have been mortified as he watched this horrendous pronouncement against his people. He knew that Daniel's 70-week vision had been faithfully fulfilled through the 69th week. Now he is seeing how the 70th week will be fulfilled. The rider of the shiny black horse held in his hands a pair of scales - balances. Scales represent a means of ascertaining the weight of something - symbolizing the gravity (weight) of the prophecy. Israel had been weighed in the balances and was found wanting - spiritually bankrupt. This very grave assessment will result in vengeance, producing death and mourning - Wrath of the Lamb...Rev. 6:16. God had given everything to Israel, His chosen people, but Israel had given nothing back to Him except their paganism (idolatry) and immorality. They had been takers - the scales were grossly out of balance. John knew that a denarius was payment for a full day of work in his day, so to equate it with the ingredients of one loaf of bread must have been incredulous to him. Imagine today, if your wage is $200.00 a day, and you had to use it all to buy one loaf of bread, would this create a hardship for you? Very soon in Israel money, fame, or status would be useless in delivering them from this horrific war of famine and death - judgment. At the end of the ominous black-horse prophecy we read...and do not harm the oil and wine. Of course, John knew immediately what this meant - do you? John knew that the temple priest placed oil and wine on the daily sacrifice to the Lord - the drink offering. But how does this admonishment pertain to the coming war? The answer to this question will be answered in detail in our study of Daniel's Seventy-week vision. For now we can understand that once the war begins, and Jerusalem is surrounded by Roman armies unable to escape, the priests locked behind the walls will be unable to preserve the oil and wine they need for the drink offering, let alone have any animals for the burnt sacrifice. We will find out that God has a special purpose for the timing of the cessation of these rituals, during the war of 70 A.D. After Israel rejects God's Son as a final, unblemished sacrificial offering for their sins, they continued their bloody animal sacrifices and drink offering. This was a rebuke to God - a thumb in His eye. They didn't understand this act was a stench in His nostrils - and He would stop it permanently. So I looked, and behold, a pale horse...and a name of Him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with Him...and power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by beasts of the earth...Rev. 6:8. With much trepidation, John watches as Jesus Christ opens the 4th seal, which reveals the details of the coming war of judgment against Israel. John must have been horrified to see the horse behind the 4th seal - a pale horse - emaciated. The original Greek language describes the pale horse as greenish - dun-colored - which is a dull grayish brown. To summarize the green, gray, brown colors, a more accurate description of the pale horse would be - a pallid ghostly appearance. This verse is full of esoteric language - what is it telling us? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question... 

When we were last together, Emperor Constantine had seen in a dream the replica of a cross, which Jesus told him to use to replace his Roman standard. He made his new standard from gold and precious jewels, then marched with his army toward Rome and the battle with Emperor Maxentius. Demons had advised Maxentius how to win the war, but Jesus Christ had advised Constantine how to win the war. As the battle raged on, Maxentius and his army found themselves retreating, unable to sustain against the advancing strength of Constantine and his army. Remember the trap that Maxentius plotted for the death of Constantine? Well, with no time to strategize another defense against the overwhelming power of Constantine's army, Maxentius and his army found themselves inadvertently backing onto the faulty bridge he had built to trap his enemies, because it was the closest avenue of escape to his compound in the city of Rome. Emperor Maxentius and his army plunged into the icy waters of the Tiber River, when the bridge collapsed beneath them. The weight of his armor anchored Maxentius under the water until he drowned. This ended nearly three hundred years of Imperial Rome's persecution of the Christians. The prophecy of the ten horns - ten kings - of the sixth head of the beast was now fulfilled. The Christians were so thrilled with Constantine's victory, they brought him to Rome to celebrate for seven days. In the market place, they erected an image of him holding a cross in his right hand with the inscription, "With this wholesome sign, the true token of fortitude, I have rescued and delivered our city from the yoke of the tyrant." Constantine restored property to the Christians that had been confiscated during the previous persecutions. Eventually he provided government funds to rebuild the churches that Dioclesian, Maximian, and Maxentius had unscrupulously obliterated. The fervor of Christianity flourished with freedom provided by Constantine. Emperor Constantine found it a difficult task to persuade the Roman populous to surrender to Jesus Christ. Constantine had ordered that no pagan deities be allowed to be worshiped in his kingdom, nor even their names spoken. But for centuries these people had worshiped hundreds of deities, including the Caesars, and were resistant to acknowledging only one God - Jesus Christ. In order to accommodate the commands of Constantine, the pagans simply renamed their deities with more acceptable Christian titles. For example: Nimrod the Sun God, founder of demon worship of the Babylonian religious system, had a wife named Semiramis called the Queen of Heaven - intercessor for the people. She claimed that her son, Tammuz, was the fulfillment of the Genesis prophecy regarding the coming Messiah. Artists of the Babylonian era portrayed her with her son on her lap, and the glory light around their heads. By the time Constantine freed the Christians, the leadership of Christianity had already commingled the paganism of Rome with Christianity. To comply with the requirements of Constantine, the Christian leadership changed the name of the Queen of Heaven to Mary, and her son to Jesus. Semiramiis had been worshiped as Queen of Heaven, now she became Mary, who would be worshiped as Queen of Heaven - intercessor for the people. This was the beginning of Mary worship, proclaiming her to be the intercessor for mankind, rather than Jesus Christ. Artists now placed the glory light around the heads of Mary and Jesus. It was during this time when Constantine became impatient with the persistent paganism in Rome. He moved his seat of power - capitol - to the farthest eastern portion of his empire. He renamed the city of Byzantine to Constantinople, where Christianity was practiced freely. He left the western portion of his empire at Rome in the hands of the papacy, whom he believed would protect and preserve Christianity. He was unaware that Semiramis, the Queen of Heaven, had already evolved into Mary, Queen of Heaven in order to meet his requirements. It was during this transforming period of history that Jesus Christ, who is divine, became merely an intangible deity to be revered - but never approached - by the emerging Holy Roman Empire. After the death of Constantine in 337 A.D., the empowerment he bestowed upon the papacy in Rome, eventually evolved into an oligarchy. This oligarchy would soon be identified with the seventh head of the seven-headed beast in our study. The Holy Roman Empire arises with full power and authority that was granted to it by Emperor Constantine. Rome was the seat of power for the Imperial Roman Empire, and now it is the seat of power for the Holy Roman Empire, who is the mirror image of Imperial Rome. This is the fulfillment of...then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon...Rev. 13:11. The two-horned beast merely symbolizes apostate religion and its unholy alliance with secular government. The lamb metaphorically symbolizes Christianity, while the dragon metaphorically symbolizes a serpent (Satan), who speaks for the beast. Constantine, representing the sixth head of the beast, granted power to give breath to the image of the beast...Rev. 13:15. The image of the beast is the Holy Roman Empire - seventh head of the beast. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed...Rev. 13:12. Wow...is this a fun riddle to solve? And we will...stay tuned. God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question. 

Those who refuse to acknowledge the reality of Satan and his demonic hordes residing in the invisible spiritual realm, do so at their own peril. Modern society is lawless, worldwide. This means they are not subject to God's spiritual laws -- paganism and immorality rule over the masses. Societies at large have been kidnapped by Satan who has directed their path to his home in Hell -- and eventually the Lake of Fire...Rev. 20:15. God's kids are especially singled out for persecution on planet Earth. Why? Because they carry the message of the Cross. Jesus shed His blood on a cruel bloody cross to pay for the sins of mankind - those who repent of their sins will be forgiven and live eternally in Heaven with Him. Satan couldn't kill Jesus, so he viciously went after His kid's. How can the saints of God overcome the injustice they must endure, and all the assaults hurled at them in this immoral and pagan world? They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death...Rev. 12:11. How do we overcome Satan and his relentless harassment and persecution on our earthly journey? We tell those we meet that the blood of Jesus Christ paid the full price for our sins, (death), and He welcomes all into His heavenly kingdom, who repent of their sins and receive His free gift of salvation. And...we must not love our lives more than the will of God, even when faced with death for our devotion (allegiance) to Him! For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds...casting down arguments, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ...II Cor. 10:4-5. We can avoid being kidnapped by Satan by using the spiritual weapons provided by God. With our advanced telecommunications in the 21st century, which spiritual weapon is used most abundantly? For the answer simply turn on any mainstream media, read any mainstream newspaper, or check out Twitter or Facebook -- it is the tongue! Have you been humiliated lately, insulted, or treated with contempt and hostility? If so, you have experienced someone's tongue used as a weapon. The major media across the world is using their tongues as weapons of mass destruction - WMD's. This aught not be so, because the tongue can also be used as a blessing and encouragement to other's. It is always our choice to be a blessing or a curse when we speak to others. Death or life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit...Proverbs 18:21. In other words, if you speak life - blessings, hope, kindness & encouragement - into someone's life, those words will create the same for your life. But, if you choose death - insults, humiliation, unkind words of contempt and hostility - into someone's life, those words will create the same for you. We must choose our words carefully. Christians must daily overcome the temptations of Satan and his demonic hordes by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony, telling what Jesus has done for us. While assaults, injustice, and vicious attacks will be experienced daily by God's kids on our earthly journey, we can only have spiritual victory, by applying the spiritual weapons of our warfare provided by God. As we continue our study of Revelation chapter 12, we find...when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child...but the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times, and half a time, from the presence of the serpent...verses 13-14. The Great Red Dragon realized that he had been unable to the kill the Christ child who now has grown up, and begun His ministry. This text is revealing how God protected Jesus and His apostles during that specific period of time, called the wilderness, by preventing Satan from intruding until their message had been proclaimed...for a time and times, and half a time. Remember, the term wilderness is a metaphor to describe a place of isolation and safety from outside intrusion. The woman was nourished for a...time and times, and half a time. What does this symbolism mean? The woman symbolizes Israel, represented by the 12 apostles. Jesus nourished His apostles by teaching them truths from the Law & the Prophets regarding Himself -- how He is fulfilling all Messianic prophecies. Jesus and His apostles ministered for 3.5 years or 42 months. Each of these figures equals 1260 days. In Blog 3 of this series we learned that Prophetic Calendar calculates a year to be 360 days. Biblical historians have agreed... time symbolizes 360 days times symbolize 720 days half a time symbolizes 180 days total 1260 days 1260 days is the amount of time that Jesus spiritually nourished (enlightened) His apostles, while they ministered publicly. What does the text mean when it says...the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~

Remember, this blog is dedicated to proving that the majority of John's visions have been fulfilled. Historical biblical documentation provides how, when, and by whom they were fulfilled. By defining the metaphorical language, the message locked in the riddles, enigmas, and esoteric imagery is released so that we can understand the message. Jesus revealed to John the profound spiritual changes His people would experience because of His death and resurrection. Revelation chapter 11 is rife with symbolism to describe the Two Witnesses. Last week I left you with verse 9...then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. I asked if you can solve this riddle? Jerusalem was the hub of many nations where people gathered for commercial endeavors. At any given time, people of many languages gathered for business and fellowship. If there was a death of a loved one or business acquaintance, there could be no memorial until that person was buried (put in the grave) - then the remembrance service could begin. In the days following the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the populous refused to memorialize the testimony of the Two Witnesses - two covenants. The Two Witnesses were essentially dead - gone - but never buried. All the sinners wanted to do was go back to business as usual - they were grateful not to have to hear the preaching of the two covenants - repent- and accept the way of Jesus. The silence was refreshing. For 3 & 1/2 days everyone in the city noticed the Two Witnesses were dead - all the apostles fled into hiding - but they were not put into graves. What did the citizens of Jerusalem do during this time? And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth...verse 10. The people rejoiced and made merry because they had prevailed over the gospel of Jesus Christ! The words of God spoken through the two prophets - Two Witnesses - one symbolizing the old covenant and one symbolizing the new covenant - could no longer torment the hearts of the people regarding their immorality, homosexuality, and paganism. They could go back to worshiping their many gods without condemnation. The murderers of the two prophets - Two Witnesses - could now breathe a sigh of relief, provoking their jubilance over their triumphant victory - Jesus was dead and His apostle have fled - party time! After Jesus was crucified, He rose again after being dead for 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth - fulfilling prophecy...Matt. 12:40 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you."...John 20:19. The resolve of the apostles had been shattered by despair, not knowing what to do next since their teacher was dead. The gospel He preached - two covenants - died with Him. What would they do now? After Jesus appeared to the Mary's, He left and spent the day appearing to the men on the road to Emmaus until evening - see blog #s 7 & 8. By the time Jesus appeared to His apostles behind closed doors - it was evening on the day He was resurrected - 3 & 1/2 days had passed. He found them hovered behind closed doors, fearing for their lives in their room of gloom. We can only imagine the look on their faces, stunned to disbelief and astonished awe, instantly changing to resounding joy, when they came to realize they were beholding their risen Lord - He's alive! And after three days and a half the Spirit of Life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon them which saw them...Rev. 11:11. This text from the diary of the Two Witnesses is written in very clear language - no metaphors or symbolism. For 3 & 1/2 days the Two Witnesses are dead - the apostles who represented the two covenants - suddenly disappeared from the market place. After 3 & 1/2 days the Spirit of Life from God entered them when Jesus came into their hiding place in the evening, to prove He was alive. Great fear fell upon those who witnessed this miracle. Is there another scripture that explains this phenomenon? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question... 

When John was invited into the Throne Room of Heaven - chapters 4 & 5 of Revelation - he saw God and His heavenly government depicted in symbolism - define the symbolism and we understand the message that was conveyed to him - to us. In blog #4 God was sitting on His throne and His character was symbolized by precious stones - which we defined...Rev. 4:3. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and back...the first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle...Rev. 4:6-7. These four living creatures are truly the expressed image of God, reflecting His character - His nature. These magnificent angelic beings exemplify the virtuous integrity and diverse nature of God - the Creator of all things. The 1st living creature resembles a lion. This symbolizes the authority, royalty, and strength of God. The 2nd living creature resembles a calf. This symbolizes the sacrifice of God, which generated the praise and thanksgiving of men and angels. The 3rd living creature resembles a face like a man. This symbolizes a type and image of the likeness of God - intelligence. The 4th living creature resembles a flying eagle. This symbolizes transcendence, sagacity (acumen) and the exaltation of God - He is superior and above all created things, because He created them. The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within...and they do not rest day or night, saying...Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come...Rev. 4:8. We defined full of eyes around and within in blog #6. To understand more clearly who these 6-winged creatures are, we must turn to the Old Testament. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple...above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew...Isaiah 6:1-2. The Prophet Isaiah had a glimpse of the Throne Room of Heaven, where like John, he saw the same four, 6-winged, living creatures which he described as seraphim - a category of angelic beings. The definition of seraphim is burning ones. Their fiery appearance - burning ones - is the glory of God - radiating sparkling rays of light - eternal purity. What is their purpose? Seraphim are the highest order of angels, because they always minister at the throne of God, yet, they have multiple purposes in their service to Him. Both Isaiah and John heard them praising and exalting Almighty God - Creator of Heaven and Earth - the whole universe. The most vital purpose of these four living creatures is perpetually giving glory, honor, and praise to God, the Creator for all things that He has created in His Throne Room, because He is deserving of this veneration. But, they also appear on the earth as the four winds in many prophecies, depicting empires, which I have defined in past blogs. As we move to Revelation chapter 5 of our tour of the Throne Room of Heaven, we will find Jesus Christ returning from His victorious mission on the earth, receiving the exaltation He deserved from the redeemed human beings that He brought to Heaven with Him - firstfruits of salvation - as well as from all the angels. When John was asked to come to God's throne room he was told...I will show you things which must take place after this...Rev. 4:1. The question is, "After what?" The answer is - after Jesus paid the price of His blood, and rose from the grave, after He brought the firstfruits of His salvation to Heaven - subsequent prophecies will be fulfilled in a timely manner. Understanding the symbolism - plus historical documentation - reveals how chapter 5 has been fulfilled. The modern end-time doctrine describes Revelation chapter 4 as a secret rapture of the church, which hasn't taken place as yet, so all subsequent chapters will be fulfilled at some future date. Once we understand the true meaning of Revelation chapters 4 & 5, we find a completely different message presented to us. And I saw in the right hand of Him who sits on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals...Rev. 5:1. John was well aware he was observing the return of Jesus Christ to Heaven, receiving well deserved exaltation. Then John turned his gaze toward God, who still appeared like brilliant jewels, but now was holding a scroll in His right hand with writing on both sides - sealed with seven seals. What does all of this symbolize? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~ 

March 30, 2014 When we were last together I said that on my next blog we will begin to study end-time doctrines - the differences between the modern viewpoint and the historical viewpoint on the book of Revelation. This will be an extensive study delving into historical documentation and defining the strange symbolism, idioms, metaphors, riddles, enigmas and esoteric messages. By doing so, the beautiful message in the Revelation will be unveiled. During this comparison study, I hope you will become a questioner of modern men's religious doctrines, rather than simply accept their opinions without inquiry or challenge. The Apostle John said, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." - I John 4:1. Can you imagine 2,000 years from now what our descendants may think if they read a book published in 2014, where someone asks the question, "Has a cat got your tongue?" Or, when a theater performer goes on stage, another performer says, "Break a leg." If the future reader tries to literalize either one of these metaphors, they would totally misunderstand the context of the story. We can not literalize a metaphor, or it wouldn't be a metaphor. The languages of the Bible, specifically Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek are richly laced with metaphors, idioms, and figures of speech. Did you know that the book of Revelation is rife with these riddles, as well as scary imagery? Even numbers have significant meaning. If I told you that every one of these riddles and enigmas can be explained with clarity and accuracy, revealing the beautiful truths of the Apocalypse -- would your interest be peaked enough to walk with me as I shed illumination on what some would say is impossible to understand? Let's go back a bit in time - 55 A.D. We can see the Roman Emperor Nero's persecution of the Christians has just begun, where he is hotly pursuing the fledgling church, whom he imprisoned, tortured, and viciously murdered. They did not have an instruction book to explain why they must endure this horrific treatment, so it was urgent that Jesus Christ get a message of hope to them stat. Jesus spoke in veiled language with extraordinary imagery, because it would be spiritually discerned by the believers, but would prevent their government enemies from understanding God's plans and purposes for His followers. Believe me - you can understand the book of Revelation! God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question...

In blog #9 of this series we began to dissect Daniel's vision of 70 x 7 weeks -- Seventy years have been determined upon thy people and upon your holy city, for sin to be ended, and to seal up transgressions, and to blot out the iniquities, and to make atonement for iniquities, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal the vision and the prophet, and to anoint the Most Holy...Dan. 9:24. We found five objectives in this verse that only Jesus Christ can fulfill. We itemized those objectives, defining the first 3 in the last blog. The fourth objective in this edict is to seal the vision and the prophet. The word prophet means a God-inspired, or God-anointed human being. Besides Daniel, there were many other prophets who prophesied the birth, death, and resurrection of the Messiah. The word seal in this reference means: to make an end to. But make an end to what? The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ would fulfill all prophecies regarding His arrival to earth. At His anointing (including His death), Jesus will seal - make an end to - the 62 week edict of Daniel's prophecy. Jesus fulfilled - made an end to - all prophecies regarding His birth, death and resurrection. The fifth objective to be fulfilled is to anoint the Most Holy. The word anoint means: to rub with oil. In the days of ancient Israel there was an anointing that came with the office of a king, priest, or prophet. God would send His messenger who would pour oil on the head of the person He had called to a specific office. The oil symbolized that the power and authority of God was upon this individuals life. This act assured the person that God's anointing was upon him to fulfill his calling. God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power; who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him...Acts 10:38. At the public baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan, God sent the Holy Spirit - in the form of a dove - to rest upon Him, symbolizing that God's power and authority was upon Him to fulfill His calling...Matt: 16-17. Before His death, while He ate in the home of a Pharisee, a sinner wept as she poured oil on Jesus, prompting Him to say to the Pharisee...you did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil...therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much...but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little...Luke 7:46-47. Christ means: Anointed One. After God anointed Jesus with the Holy Ghost, Jesus became the Christ - the Anointed One. This title explains how God was with Him to do good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil. Jesus Christ is the one who fulfilled the 5th objective in Dan. 9:24 - Anoint the Most Holy. God not only sent His Son to the earth to save men from their sins, but to be a hand-on, in-the-flesh personal representative of God's immeasurable and unconditional love and mercy...I Tim. 3:16. We know this to be true, because Jesus said...he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me...John 12:45. This leaves us with the question, "Now that God has gone to such great lengths to prove to mankind of His existence, forgiveness, and mercy will we finally surrender our total allegiance to Him? The next verse in Daniel's 70-week vision is Daniel 9:25 where the angel Gabriel tells Daniel...thou shalt know and understand that from the going forth of the command for the answer and for the building of Jerusalem until Christ the prince there shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks. Gabriel is explaining the span of "real time" that must take place before the fulfillment of the edicts measured by 7 weeks and 62 weeks will be accomplished. These weeks do not measure a sequential period of time, but rather measure 70 ecclesiastical years (judgments) on the Jewish people for their faithlessness - immeasurable vengeance or immeasurable forgiveness - their choice. What actual dates comprise this period of time? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~ 

When we were last together I asked you "how did Martin Luther define 666." He lived to see the fulfillment of Revelation chapters 13 and 17 where a seven-headed beast is depicted. In his Bible, Luther drew a tiara on the woman arrayed in purple and scarlet, which says Vicarious Son of God. The seventh head - empire - was the Holy Roman Empire, the image of the beast according to Martin Luther. We know that prophecy of scripture is understood in its fulfillment, so we should pay attention to the historical documentation left by Martin Luther. 666 = the sum total of human achievement. Martin Luther was a priest, who personally experienced the secrets of the Holy Roman Empire, and chose to expose their hypocrisy to the people, rather than continue to defraud them. Because of their worldwide prestige and dominance, nations feared the power and authority of the Holy Roman Empire, so the secret sins of the leadership were easily covered up. Luther blew off the cover. Millions of people blindly followed the religious leadership of this empire without question -- deceived by the outward appearance of righteousness - but many authors meticulously documented their immorality, sexual perversion, idolatry, drunken reveling, orgies, lying, stealing and covetousness. Those brave souls who declared the truth about the empire were excommunicated, imprisoned, tortured, or murdered. The common folks of the 1000-year reign of the Holy Roman Empire - Dark Ages - had no access to the scriptures, preventing them from reading the truth about Jesus Christ and His free gift of salvation. The mass liturgy was recited in Latin, while the interpretation supplied by the prelates must be accepted as infallible, even though it was skewed by them. It is interesting to note that Latin is called the mystery language. The word Latin is derived from the word lateo meaning: lie hid. The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues...and the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth...Rev. 17:15 & 17. Luther knew he was experiencing the fulfillment of the harlot, apostate leadership of the Holy Roman Empire, who rules over multitudes worldwide. The woman in this text symbolizes paganism - that great city of Rome, the pagan capitol of the Holy Roman Empire that reigns over kings of the earth. I am so sorry that the modern church has chosen to ignore the historical documentation of hundreds of authors, who exposed the sins of this empire, otherwise we would understand how most of John's revelations have already been fulfilled, such as, I saw a woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement...Rev. 17:6. Since the woman symbolizes paganism, we know that the religious leadership of the Holy Roman Empire - harlot - represents paganism. So what does it mean to be drunk with the blood of the saints? The apostate religious leadership of the Holy Roman Empire was intoxicated with their own power and authority over the lives of all their subjects around the world - power to destroy the lives of any rebellious dissenters of the faith. The unscrupulous acts of these religious leaders were persistently exposed by courageous Christians, hurling public accusations against them. These faithful followers of Jesus Christ were imprisoned, tortured, or burned at the stake. Millions of true Christians succumbed to the cruelty and murderous rampage of the harlot, who became drunk with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus Christ. ...And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns...and on her forehead a name was written: Mystery Babylon the Great - the Mother of Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth...Rev. 17:3 & 5. Martin Luther personally saw the fulfillment of this scripture and revealed it in his historical writings. By doing so, he became the empires' worst nightmare. The forehead symbolizes our allegiance to the one we worship - Mark of the Beast or Mark of God (666). How did Martin Luther identify the blasphemous names on this woman's forehead with the Holy Roman Empire? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question...  

This is our fourth and final segment on the identity of the Man of Sin...Son of Perdition...Lawless One - revealing how the Apostle Paul's prophecy on this subject was completely fulfilled during the 1000-year reign of the Holy Roman Empire...II Thes. 2:1-12. When we were last together I asked if you knew what Paul meant when he said, that when the lawless one is revealed he will be destroyed...with the brightness of His coming...II Thes. 2:8. Martin Luther ripped away the blanket of deception, revealing the Man of Sin, who controlled the Holy Roman empire, by publicly exposing his antichrist activities. This apostate religious empire truly violated God's commandment to walk in His righteousness as leaders of His flock. Instead of teaching that a believer in Jesus Christ becomes the temple (residence) of God, the Pope became the temple of God. Their followers were required to worship an antichrist in a man-made temple of God. Only the leadership had access to the scriptures, which was imperative to preserve their lies. In 1522 Martin Luther printed a Bible for the common man to read the truth about salvation. In this Bible Luther had pictures. On the head of the woman sitting on the scarlet beast, he drew the papal tiara, indicting that this vision was fulfilled by the paganism of the Man of Sin, who ruled the Holy Roman Empire...Rev. 17:3 When the people read for themselves that they had been taught a counterfeit Christianity, they bolted from the empire. There was a mass exodus of millions of people, all over the world, stampeding out of the Dark Ages of false religious doctrines, because of the brightness of His coming to the people who had never heard that salvation was a free gift from God. The light of God's truth exposed the dark doctrines of demons that had led men away from Jesus Christ. When light is shed upon darkness, the darkness - Man of Sin - is taken out of the way, just as Paul predicted...II Thes. 2:7. The great Reformation advanced because the truth preached by God's faithful servants repudiated the lies, superstitions, tyranny, and terror that had ruled spiritually ignorant men during the Dark Ages. The Man of Sin exalted himself above all that is called God, becoming God on Earth to the citizens of the Holy Roman Empire, who were required to worship him. By the preaching of the true gospel of salvation during the great Reformation, the Man of Sin was...consumed with the breath of His mouth and destroyed with the brightness of His coming. The light of God's truth had come to the people living in the darkness of a false religious doctrine. The new believers in Christ were called Protestants - protesters of false religious doctrines - and established their own churches free from the rule of the Holy Roman Empire. Because people were reading the Bible, they were accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior and sharing this truth with others, causing this movement to spread like wildfire across the globe Revival broke out everywhere and nothing could contain it. The eventual collapse of this empire was inevitable, as the Man of Sin gradually lost his power and influence. Through the mighty Reformation, Paganism was crushed for a period of time, as people across the planet reveled in their new-found joy of the Lord and His salvation. The seventh head (empire) of the seven-headed beast was now defeated. It took about three centuries for the church to divide into many denominations, causing them to return to familiar rituals and ceremonies - works of the flesh - for salvation. The passionate fires of the Reformation, and subsequent Great Awakening, was eventually reduced to mere embers. Because of this, Paganism reared its ugly head again, precipitating the rise of the Eighth Beast, who is ruling every government on planet earth in the 21st century. While I described the Eighth Beast in Part 7 of this study, there is more about the works of this beast, and who it is using as its 'muscle' to subdue and/or eliminate global citizens. As we proceed, I will define the esoteric imagery and symbolism used to reveal who the 8th beast is using to cause the global citizens to submit to its power and authority - or die! Who are the Locusts from the Bottomless pit in Revelation chapter 9? Hint: they are a violent and vicious army. How does the Locust Army correlate with the dragon, beast, and false prophet of the river Euphrates territory in Revelation chapter 16? Hint: a revered prophets' false religious doctrine originated in the territory of the river Euphrates. Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question... 

There is so much historical documentation for us to research for Daniel's 70-Week vision, making this series very long, but hopefully it is answering questions you have pondered for years. When we were last together I had just begun to reveal the multiple warning signs God had provided Israel before His judgment fell on them for rejecting Jesus Christ as their Messiah. As we explained in the last blog many of these supernatural signs occurred during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The eastern gate of the inner court was made of brass and iron. It was so heavy it required 20 men to open and shut it. At the 6th hour, on the day of the feast, this gate opened of its own accord. What makes this supernatural event so significant? When Jesus was dying on the cross, darkness covered the land at the 6th hour, lasting until the 9th hour of His death...Matt. 27:45. This darkness symbolized error, revealing that a specific miscalculation had been perpetrated by the religious leaders of Israel, when they rejected Jesus as their Messiah - resulting in His death. Because the horrible suffering - beating/torture - of Jesus precipitated His 6th-hour darkness, then death, the priests of the temple were given a 6th-hour sign to let them know that the same darkness of suffering and 9th hour death will enter their inner court, resulting in their own horrific death during the "great tribulation" that Jesus Christ warned them was coming during the 70th week of Daniel's vision. Another phenomenon occurred during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. About the time of dusk, a menacing sign was seen in the sky. Eyewitnesses to this heavenly event reported seeing apparitions - ghostly figures - in the form of chariots and armed troops high in the sky, interacting with each other in the midst of the fluffy clouds over Jerusalem, and surrounding cities...II Kings 6:17. These savvy temple priests must have known that this supernatural revelation in the sky was a portent of war. Collectively, all of the omens and supernatural signs were a forewarning to the priests that they were no longer secure in their temple. The citizens must have been frightened, because they received no answers to their questions about these ominous signs from the silent religious hierarchy. There is no evidence the priests warned the populous, nor did they explain these omens. Did Jesus warn Israel about the events of the 70th week of Daniel's vision? Luke, who was a physician and disciple of the Lord, recorded in his gospel what sign they should watch for that would prompt them to flee Jerusalem before the "great tribulation" descends upon them. Luke recorded...when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near...then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her...for these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled...Luke 21:20-22. Luke describes the coming war as the days of vengeance, which means there will be retribution against Israel for rejecting her Messiah. Jerusalem surrounded by armies will fulfill the first objective in Daniel 9:26 - He shall destroy the city and the sanctuary with the prince that is coming. God will destroy Jerusalem and the temple with the prince that is coming - Commander Titus Vespasian - a prince of Rome. The second objective in Daniel 9:26 - and they shall be cut off with a flood - describes how Commander Titus and his army of 6,000 men will surround Jerusalem and cut them off from the outside world - no escape from the Wrath of the Lamb...Rev. 6:16 The third objective in Daniel 9:26 - he shall appoint the city to desolation - was accomplished by Commander Titus. As the war was ebbing, Commander Titus ordered what was left of the city to be destroyed by his army. How do we know that Titus is the fulfillment of the predictions in the 70th week of Daniel's vision? We have the personal testimony of Titus himself as he fulfills all of Daniel 9:27. Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~ 

When we were last together I asked if you had ever heard about John Huss, who was martyred by the Holy Roman Empire - burned at the stake for refusing to surrender his allegiance to them. Jesus Christ was the only one to whom he would surrender his allegiance. John's passionate desire was to expose the false religious doctrine of the Empire, and awaken the people to the truth written in the Bible. Historical documentation reveals that John was more incredulous over the scandalous private lives of the leadership of the Empire, their opulence and unrestrained lasciviousness, and was determined to expose them publicly. Before long, John was arrested and brought before the court of the Empires' religious hierarchy. Even King Wenceslaus, who previously was sympathetic with John's cause, feared the revenge of the church leadership, and eventually allied with them against Huss. For the crime of exposing their false religious doctrine, the Empire forbade John to buy or sell in Prague. Denying the basic needs of this true-heart did not silence him, but rather invigorated his message to bring the truth to the beguiled. Once again John was brought before the court of the Empire, found guilty of heresy and thrown into prison. While in prison, John was given time to recant his vitriolic attack on the Empire, but he steadfastly refused to surrender his allegiance to them. John lost his long battle for the truth of the gospel, and was burned at the stake on July 6, 1415, praying for the salvation of the Pope, who personally ordered his execution. During the reign of the Imperial Roman Empire (6th head of the beast) and the Holy Roman Empire (7th head of the beast), historians have estimated that 50 million Christians were murdered. Christians were hunted like animals, imprisoned, tortured, beheaded, and burned at the stake simply because they refused to surrender their allegiance to these Empires. Tyrannical men in power demand allegiance to them - religious or secular - so Jesus Christ becomes the competition...and must be stamped out. Now you understand why Christians have been so viciously persecuted, and will continue to be until their Lord returns for them. You may be asking if Revelation reveals this terrible persecution of the true Christians during the Dark Ages - the thousand-year reign of the Holy Roman Empire? I'm glad you asked that question, because Martin Luther gave us the answer from his biblical research, when he revealed the woman on the scarlet beast in chapter 17 of Revelation as, not only Paganism, but she also symbolized the leadership of the Holy Roman Empire. "I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement"...Rev. 17:6. The religious leaders of this Empire were intoxicated with their power and authority over the lives of all their subjects around the world - power to imprison, torture, and murder all who refused allegiance to them - thousands of books have recorded their chicanery. But the preaching of John Huss, and so many other martyrs, awakened many of the disillusioned subjects to question the religious doctrine of the Holy Roman Empire, and demand the truth. John left a legacy of hunger for a revival of Biblical truth, which paved the way for the success of Martin Luther in 1517 in Germany. Light began to shine on the false religious doctrines of the Empire -- guiding the way out of the Dark Ages of lies and superstitions. No wonder the seer of the vision marveled with great amazement when he saw the woman drunk on the blood of the saints - seeing a great religious empire persecuting and massacring multitudes of faithful followers of Jesus Christ, must have stunned him with incredulity! Next we must delve into the historical documentation that proves that the 7th head of the seven-headed beast is the Holy Roman Empire. As we progress we will also find out which head is the image of the beast, and which head received a mortal blow, but lived again - and why. The answers to these riddles are easy, but will take a few blogs to provide the historical documentation. Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question...

When Jesus Christ appeared to John, He was not just revealing the future of His church, He was explaining in detail what had just been prophetically fulfilled for the 12 tribes of Israel, explaining a new way for them to interact with their Father in Heaven. So it is extremely important for us to keep the visions in their historical setting of fulfillment. By defining the metaphorical language, enigmas, and esoteric imagery the message unfolds for our understanding. Last week, I asked what did Rev. 11:7 mean when it says...make war against them - the Two Witnesses? The ruler of the bottomless pit is Satan - he is the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. The word war in the original Greek language is peloma meaning: to bustle; move quickly; battle. As soon as the ministry of Jesus and His apostles to the lost sheep of the house of Israel was fulfilled, God would allow the icy fingers of death to choke the breath of earthly life out of His Son - this is God's plan. When Jesus is standing before the powerful Roman Governor, we know that God has granted to the beast, permission to kill His Son, and make war against His apostles, eventually killing them too. Once permission was granted to kill Jesus, Satan moved quickly - bustled - to battle against Jesus and kill Him. By the mouth of the enemies of Jesus and His apostles - Rome and the Sanhedrin - a major disinformation campaign was lodged against them, attempting to refute the gospel, by calling Jesus an imposter, and His apostles false prophets I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered...Mark 14:27. Jesus Christ was brutalized and murdered at the precise time appointed by His Father in Heaven, who had orchestrated this great plan to redeem men from their sins. There were a lot of rumors in the town to get rid of His apostles too, in order to silence their "false" message that Jesus was the Messiah. Then they all forsook Him and fled...Mark 14:40. The confused and terrified apostles ran and hid from their enemies. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified...Rev. 11:.8. The Two Witnesses lie dead in the great city where the Lord was crucified - Jerusalem. Since the death of Jesus Christ, the two covenants that were witnessed by Him and the apostles, is no longer heard in the streets of Jerusalem. There is simply dead silence - Two Witnesses lie dead in the street. Why does this text describe the great city as Sodom and Egypt? Sodom symbolizes immorality and homosexuality. Egypt symbolizes idolatry and oppression. The Two Witnesses - two covenants - were sent to an idolatrous and morally degenerate society who needed a Savior. They defied and mocked the old covenant, and covered their ears from hearing about the new covenant. Both covenants condemned idolatry and immorality, but offered salvation through repentance. The religious interpreters of Bible prophecy in Jerusalem, as well as the rank-and-file, were looking for a Messiah who would deliver them from the oppressions of Rome, and set up His own kingdom in Jerusalem upon His arrival - no dilly-dallying! But all Jesus and His apostles did was preach what the Law and the Prophets had already witnessed - His kingdom is not of this world...John 18.36. Since Jesus and His rag-tags didn't fit the bill - they had to be killed. After Jesus was crucified, His apostles ran into hiding behind closed doors, trembling from fear. Dead bodies lie in the street of the great city is an idiom used to describe the disappearing of the apostles - silencing of their message - from the public square. They hid so well that it appeared as if they - and their message - were dead for 3 1/2 days. No one knew where they went. It must have been a welcome relief to no longer have to listen to the bombastic Sons of Thunder, challenging the idolaters of Jerusalem to give up their false gods. Those repentance radicals were finally silenced - Dead! I'm sure no one was asking where they went, because the citizens were so relieved by the peace and quiet. Now they could return to the business of sinning without the scrutiny of the Two Witnesses. Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three and a half days three and a half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves...Rev. 11:9. Can you solve this riddle? If not, we will next week...stay tuned. God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question... 

The last time were together in this series I asked, "How do we know that Titus is the fulfillment of the predictions in the 70th week of Daniel's vision?" In order to answer this question, we must turn to historical documentation NOT the Scofield Reference Bible that presented false conclusions regarding Daniel's vision, establishing the false end-time doctrine embraced by mainline denominations today. Commander Titus perfectly fulfilled the 70th week of Daniel's vision described in Daniel 9:27...and one week shall establish the covenant with many: and in the midst of the week my sacrifice and drink-offering shall be taken away: and on the temple shall be the abomination of desolations; and at the end of the time an end shall be put to the desolation...Septuagint translation. General Vespasian, father of Titus, had been sent to Jerusalem by Emperor Nero to quell the sedition of the Jews. When he first arrived with his army, he stayed on the outside of the city to set up fortifications that would protect him and his men from assaults, once the inevitable war heats up. In order to establish his authority and power, General Vespasian killed over a thousand young men of the sedition when he first arrived, plundered their belongs, and took captive their families. This was a forewarning to the seditionists of more to come if they continued their insurrection against Rome. Before General Vespasian returned to Cesarea, he left many of his armed forces around the city to prevent the citizens of Jerusalem from escaping, then went home. Months later, when he was preparing his army for his final march on Jerusalem, Emperor Nero suddenly and unexpectedly died on June 9, 68 A.D. Vespasian's son Titus was in Greece when Nero died, but was already on the road toward home in Cesarea when he got the message. Titus told Josephus the historian, that he had been directed to go home by divine inspiration. General Vespasian immediately returned to Rome to become Emperor, so he sent his son, Commander Titus, to finish the war against Israel at Jerusalem. By the time Commander Titus arrived in Jerusalem, the seditionists had rebelled against the Roman army left as guards by General Vespasian months earlier. Since the Jewish people had been held captive behind their wall for so long, they had not been able to refresh their supplies - animals or produce - from the farmers. Because of this hardship, they had eaten their previously stored supplies. Now there were no animals left for the daily sacrifice, nor enough priests to offer it. This war began at the Feast of the Passover, after multitudes of Jews - two to three million - had arrived in the city from all parts of Judea to celebrate this great festival. This number included the people who had fled to Jerusalem for protection after Vespasian's armies had plundered their towns and villages in other parts of Israel. The Roman's had no personal interest in the religious temple rituals or celebration of the feasts of the Jewish people, but Commander Titus Vespasian was an exception. Josephus the historian, also a close friend of Titus, records how Titus had great respect for the sacred feast celebrations, and that he revered their temple and other holy sites. How did Titus acquire his reverence for the religious system of the Jewish people? Was it after he received divine prophetic messages from Flavius Josephus? Flavius Josephus fought against Rome, was captured, and thrown in a dungeon at the palace. God gave him several prophetic messages, but one was fulfilled quickly. Josephus told Titus how his dad would suddenly be promoted to Emperor, which happened. Because of this, Titus released Josephus from prison and gave him a home, considering him a respected friend from that day forward. This is how we will get an intimate look at the heart of Commander Titus - the prince that is coming...Dan. 9:26. We do know that Titus received divine guidance to take his father's place to finish the war at Jerusalem. God knew that Titus would never destroy the city he revered, unless forced into it. Because of his unusual respect for the Jewish people, their temple, and their holy celebrations, Commander Titus personally offered a covenant to Israel...one week shall establish the covenant with many. What was the covenant offered by Titus during the one week - 70th week - of Daniel's vision? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~ 

The last time we were together I asked, "How did Jesus fulfill the Levitical Law when He presented the 144,000 firstfruits of His salvation to His Father in Mount Zion?" When Jesus was resurrected from the dead, He became the firstborn of humanity to enter Heaven. All human beings who had died prior to this time were residing in Sheol - place of the dead. When referring to the waiting saints, Jesus called this place Abraham's bosom...Luke 16:22. When Jesus was resurrected from the dead, He carried the waiting saints of Abraham's bosom with Him to Heaven, and presented them to His Father in Mount Zion, as the firstfruits of His salvation...Is. 26:19. And they sang a new song before the throne...and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand who were redeemed from the earth...Rev. 14:3. The 144,000 firstfruits of salvation sang a new song before the throne of God because of the great work Jesus Christ had accomplished on the Cross. They were the first to open Heaven's gates, because they have been reconciled to God the Father - sins are blotted out. From that day forward, when a believer dies on the earth he will go directly to Heaven - a new song was sung because a new things had been accomplished - old things have passed away. During the annual Feast of Firstfruits, the farmers were required to give the firstfruits of their harvest to God, before they were allowed to partake of their own labors. Following this requirement of Levitical Law, Jesus Christ presented the fristfruits of His salvation to His Father in Heaven - the firstfruits of the New Covenant. Now a harvest of virgins - born again believers - can be harvested from the earth. Jesus fulfilled the Law. The 144,000...are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins...these are they which follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth...these were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb...Rev. 14:4. This text reveals that the 144,000 were...redeemed from the earth...but now they are seen in Heaven. Not defiled with women; for they are virgins is a beautiful metaphorical description of the 'born again' experience...if anyone is in Christ, he is as new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new...II Cor. 5:17. The blood of Jesus Christ washes away the sins of mankind, purifying them, making them a brand new spiritual creation. The spirit of man, which was dead in trespasses and sins, has been made new again, restored to the pure and natural state that he was when he was created in the Garden of Eden - a virgin. Since virgin means pure and natural state, this is exactly what happens to a human being when he is 'born again' by the Spirit of God. The 144,000 symbolize the first 'born again' human beings - virgins - to follow the Lamb right into Heaven, presented to the Father by Jesus Christ as the firstfruits His salvation - sealed by His blood when He resurrected them. Mankind was now reconciled to God...clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands...and crying out with a loud voice, saying, salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!...Rev. 7:9-10. The 12 tribes of Israel, to whom the promise of a coming Messiah had been given and preserved for centuries, have been rewarded as the firstfruits of His salvation for their faithfulness. The promise to Abraham of a holy nation under the old covenant, has now been fulfilled by the new covenant. ...Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife...he showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God...having the glory of God...her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal...Rev. 21:9-11. Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel; three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west...Rev. 21:12-13. Chapter 21 of Revelation describes the eternal city of New Jerusalem, where peace and safety will be enjoyed by all who enter this celestial realm. This chapter describes the walls, gates, and those who guard the gates of the heavenly city. The text above clearly explains that there are 12 gates to the heavenly city, with the name of each tribe of Israel written on the 12 gates. This study will reveal the significance of the symbolism of the number 144. A gate describes an entrance into somewhere, or a passage way. The 12 tribes of Israel were the gateway to salvation for the human race. Because salvation was first promised to the 12 tribes, they became the gates to the eternal city of God. Their faithfulness to the first covenant that birthed Jesus Christ the Messiah - first born from the dead - was not for themselves alone, but also for the Gentiles. The twelve gates were twelve pearls...Rev. 21:21. Why were the 12 gates made from pearls? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question... 

In this series we are searching the scriptures in order to find out exactly when the Thousand Year Reign with Christ on the earth begins. Has it already begun or is it yet in the future? In the last three blogs we laid out evidence for when the first death and when the first resurrection occurred. When Jesus Christ rose from the dead He brought the Kingdom of Heaven to the earth, and deposed the reign of Satan on the earth. This is when the Reign of Christ on the earth began. When Jesus Christ began His reign on the earth, He provided the only way for mankind to be reconciled to God, their Creator. If a human being repents of his sins and accepts Jesus Christ as the blood sacrifice - payment - for his sins, he will become born again...John 3:3. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new...II Cor. 5:17. Is the born again experience the first resurrection for human beings? Does he begin his Reign with Christ on the earth the moment he is born again? For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ...Rom. 5:17. When Adam sinned, death reigned through him to all human beings, but those who receive the gift of righteousness - forgiveness - through Jesus Christ, they will reign in life through Him. When a human being receives the gift of righteousness he has been...called out of darkness into His marvelous light...I Peter 2:9. He is no longer dead in trespasses and sins, but has been resurrected from death to life - first resurrection. Resurrection means: standing up again. Now we know that scripture explains very clearly when the Reign with Christ on the earth begins for a human being - it is when he is born again. Your next question should be, "How does the word thousand qualify the Reign of Christ on the earth?" ...and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years...Rev. 20:4 - the last sentence. We must determine the definition of the word thousand. This particular word in the original Greek language is chiloi meaning: uncertain; an indefinite period of time. It can also mean continual or uninterrupted, depending on the context in which it is used. If the word thousand in this text was meant as a numerical calculation, the Greek word would have been chilias. There is a big difference in the definition of these two Greek words. At the time this vision was given, John had no larger word in the vocabulary of his day to describe a long indefinite period of time, than thousand. The words million, billion or trillion had not been conceived. In order to describe a long indefinite period of time, John could have qualified the word thousand by saying one thousand years, but this would put a limit to the amount of years for the fulfillment of the prophecy. John also could have said ten thousands of years, indicating unending - but he didn't mean unending. The thousand year reign of Christ on the earth describes an indefinite period of time, because the opportunity to reign with Christ - become born again - must be offered to all generations of people until God says it is over - that time period cannot be calculated by men. So the Greek word chiloi was used by the translator to convey to the saints of God, there will be an eventual ending to the reign with Christ on the earth, but no human being knows when that will be. We can glean more insight on the meaning of the word thousand from the Apostle Peter. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, a thousand years as one day...II peter 3:8. The word thousand in this text is from the same Greek word as above - chiloi - an indefinite or uncertain period of time. The Apostle Peter explains that one day is as a thousand years - one and the same - a continuum in the spirit realm. Time on the earth has a beginning and an end. In the spirit realm there is no time - eternal life is continual, an uninterrupted existence. Time in the spirit realm is always now. This is why God told Moses that His name is I AM...Ex. 3:14. Does Jesus tell us when the Thousand Year Reign with Christ on the earth ends? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrine of men...sheeple follow without question~~~ 

When we were last together we read in the Bible what Moses and the Apostle Peter said regarding the works of Satan. Satan and his demonic army live in the invisible realm, but he uses human beings to accomplish his destruction upon the earth. He uses witches, wizards, mediums, psychics, astrologers, necromancers (those who talk to the dead) diviners, and rejecters of Jesus Christ to impart his supernatural powers in order to separate human beings from their Creator. There are diffferent classifications of demons revealed in the Bible, but a specific one that Moses referred to seems to be the most common to manifest in the lives of human beings - familiar spirit. Why do I say this? Dictionary definition of familiar spirit: demon or evil spirit that acts as an intimate servant--a close companion. Bible definition of familiar spirit: a necromancer; to seek or ask; talking to the dead. When you seek a medium or psychic to ask them to contact a dead loved one, you will actually encounter a demon spirit who is in possesion of the medium. The demon that the medium conjures will be familiar with every personal detail of the earthy life of the dead person, because it was an intimate servant when he/she was alive. Often they are passed down the family line causing problems from generation to generation. Even if the familiar spirit was unable to possess a certain person when he was alive, just hanging around - close companion - tormenting that person will give the demon information that he can pass on through the medium or psychic. When the medium imparts some accurate knowledge, this supernatural experience convinces the seeker that he/she has made contact with his loved one - but the seeker is deceived. Seeking knowledge from Satan - father of lies - rather than seeking knowledge from God is an abomination - destestable to the Lord. God knows that when you seek knowledge from Satan and his demons you will be kidnapped from Him--separated from His guidance and protection. The goal of Satan is to destroy the human race, which is his revenge against God. An insidious poison has been cast upon the worldwide society of the 21st century -- just as if a witch waved her far-reaching magic wand and cast her poisonous spell, paralyzing the Church of Jesus Christ. This magical poison is TOLERANCE!. Did you know that this word is not found in the Bible? Now the word tolerable is found in the Bible, which means: endurable; bearable. What is the meaning of tolerance? This word has many synonyms, and a few stand out as perfect descriptions of a neutered Church of Jesus Christ, that has adopted the complexion of its materialistic society: open-mindedness; liberalism; permit; consent to; sensitivity; lenience; concession; freedom from bigotry or prejudice. Why does the Church at large seem to work overtime to exemply this definition of tolerance, especially when the Bible doesn't command them to do so? Could it be because they don't know the commandments of the Lord as well as they understand the requirements of a pagan and immoral world system? While Jesus commanded His followers to walk in love, He also told them that in His Name they had authority...over all the power of the enemy. He did not tell them to be tolerant of their enemy. Who is their enemy? The enemy of a believer is Satan and his demons who live in the invisible world, but manifest their wickedness through human beings in the earthly world. By not standing up for the pure and absolute principles of Jesus Christ, which bring salvation, healing, deliverance and hope to all, the tolerance of the Church of Jesus Christ is permitting Satan and his demons to create chaos and anarchy around the world. Tolerance has caused the Church of Jesus Christ in the 21st century to shrink from its assignment to be witnesses of God's salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ. They are called bigots if they insist that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, so they shrink away...John 14:6. Believe me, Christians will be persecuted for standing on the immutable commandments - principles - of Jesus Christ, because He warned us...Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake...rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you...Matt. 5:11-12. Wow...we are to rejoice when the world speaks evil against us when we stand up for the commandments of God! Jesus went on the say to believers...You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses it flavor, how shall it be seasoned?...it is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men...you are the light of the world...a city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden...nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house...let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven...Matt. 5:13-16. Salt is a preservative - light is the power and authority of Jesus Christ resident in a believer. These metaphors also describe the character of Jesus exemplified by born again believers, who will infiltrate the darkness of secular society with the Word of God, lighting the way into His Kingdom. If tolerance is submited to, salt and light will no longer affect society for the good of the gospel; believers will become...good for nothing...thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.. Is the Chruch of Jesus Christ being trampled underfoot by men - by the pagan & immoral leaders of every government of every nation of the world? Is chaos and anarchy ruling all nations? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~ 

When we were last together I left you with the question, "What does historical documentation reveal about the Mark of the Beast?" If you have carefully followed this series, you know that I place the visions of Revelation sequentially, according to their fulfillment as verified by historical documentation - the subject of the Mark of the Beast is no different. What is different you have never read in any book or heard taught by any denomination, because they all believe the Mark of the Beast is a future experience. This is such an important subject with so much information, that it will take me awhile to reveal to you all the documentation, so you will be able to see clearly for yourself what is the truth of the matter. Since I accepted Jesus as my Savior in 1972 I have searched the Bible and church historians for truth. So much that is taught seems to be men's ideas, so I ask a lot of questions - I hope you do too. In 1972-4, as I was embarking on this spiritual journey I immediately heard about some evil Antichrist figure that would someday take over the world. He would require everyone to take his mark, otherwise they could not buy or sell...and...anyone who took this mark would go to Hell! Wow...scary! In the 20th century these scholars said that the mark was a stamp on their forehead or hand with the numbers 666 - much like the stamp Hitler put on the victims of the holocaust. Now they have changed their minds - it is a chip implant, not a stamp...hmmm. I had read Revelation and saw where it was described: He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their hand or on their foreheads...Rev. 13:16. I could read for myself that sequentially the Mark of the Beast" was connected to the image of the beast. When I asked any of these scholars, how could the Mark of the Beast be in the far future, when it is connected to the image of the beast, who is one of the empires of the seven-headed beast - fulfilled prophecy? Do you know the answer they gave? The seven-headed beast prophecy has not come to pass - it is in the future. Wow...that defies the historical documentation that I have carefully outlined in past weeks to you, proving the seven-headed beast prophecy has been faithfully fulfilled. In the early 70's when I was searching for the truth about the Mark of the Beast, I did not know then, what I can prove to you in the ensuing weeks of this blog. But one thing I did know - these scholars did not have the truth of the matter of the seven-headed beast - so how could they have the truth about the Mark of the Beast since these two subjects were connected at the hip? In part 13 of this blog, we provided clear documentation to prove that the image of the beast was the Holy Roman Empire. The image of the beast demanded, that the allegiance the people of the kingdom once surrendered to the Imperial Roman Empire, now be transferred to them. - if they did not they would be imprisoned, tortured, or murdered. In our study text, he - the image - causes all to receive a mark...that no one may buy of sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name...Rev. 13:17. Contextually, the Mark of the Beast cannot be separated from the image of the beast, who is the Holy Roman Empire. One thing I learned early in Bible research - do not take a scripture out of context - unless by doing so it will not lose its identity with the context of the chapter! Cyrus Scofield in his 1909 Bible commentary, took all end-time prophecy out of context, but the Bible scholars of the 20th century, threw away important research principles in order to accept his fanciful concepts - now embraced by every radio and television preacher - myriad of authors in modern times. It is mind-boggling to me. So let's keep asking questions. Now we can see for ourselves that the Mark of the Beast was revealed through the Holy Roman Empire. What kind of mark could this empire put on the hand or forehead of their citizens? What does this mark look like - is it visible or invisible? Is the Mark of the Beast physical or spiritual? Remember - in the Revelation - Jesus is showing John His spiritual kingdom of Heaven - the spiritual side of the happenings on the earth. We will learn in this study the spiritual definition of the Mark of the Beast. Once we define the symbolism for the hand and the forehead the message wrapped up in 666 will clearly unfold to you. Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question...

Star Shower When we were last together I asked, "Aren't you a tiny bit curious to know what "works" you are doing on the earth right now, that may burn up at the Great White throne Judgment - with weeping and gnashing of teeth?" God endows each of His children with talents which they will use on the earth to glorify the Kingdom of Heaven. "Works" by a believer that only glorify His Kingdom are symbolized by gold, silver, and precious stones as building materials for the house built by him - treasures in Heaven that are not corrupt. These incorruptible "works" will provide the threads that will design our Wedding Garment - righteous acts of the saints...Rev. 19:8. This house will not burn up at the Great White Throne Judgment. Remember when the Prophet Samuel said to King Saul, behold, to obey is better than sacrifice...I Sam. 15:22? Obedience to God's call on our life is another thread in our Wedding Garment. The cry of our heart must be to always honor and glorify Him who has bought us with the price of the blood of Jesus Christ - we are no longer our own. Often though, a new believer begins the "work" that God has called him to do, but then along the way he becomes prideful in his accomplishment, accepting praise and honor for the great work "he" has built. While "his" work may be very noble, continuing to grow exponentially on the earth, but receives adulation and glory from the masses, the house he built will burn up at the Great White Throne Judgment, because this believer took the glory that belongs only to God. The Apostle Paul described incorruptible threads for the Wedding Garment, when he told his disciple Timothy...pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness...I Tim. 6:11. Notice that he said to pursue these attributes of Christ. Paul told believers in Galatia...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...against such there is no law...Gal. 5:22-23. These "works" are the incorruptible threads - against such there is no law - that will produce our Wedding Garment. Each believer is responsible for his own house - God gives him the freedom to choose the materials with which he builds his house - the Word is very clear. But, we must understand the consequences for building our house from wood, hay, and stubble - it will burn down to the foundation of salvation when standing before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on that Day. While we will be allowed in Heaven, we will not receive the reward Jesus brings with Him - the Wedding Garment. I must ask the Lord to exam my heart daily to see if there be any wicked way in it, so I can make the corrections needed while I still live on the earth. So I asked the Lord to show me if any of my endeavors for Him seek glory or exaltation for myself, if so, I must immediately repent and get back on His path of humility - putting others before myself - glorifying Him only! What are the motives of my heart; is there any jealousy in me; am I envious of the "works" of other believers; am I easily angered, impatient with others; am I resentful and hold grudges; do I curse unbelievers to Hell for their works; am I dishonest; do I lie (even white lies); do I have selfish ambitions; do I have revenge in my heart; do I bear false witness, etc.? If any of these materials produce the house I build on the earth - wood, hay, stubble - my house will burn up when I see Jesus face-to-face. Then there will be great loss with weeping and gnashing of teeth. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire...I Cor. 3:15. This short statement by the Apostle Paul should prompt an immediate question - what loss? The believer who built his sheep house out of wood, hay, stubble has nothing written in his heavenly book to warrant a reward from Jesus Christ when He returns, so his house will not only burn up, but he will suffer loss with weeping and gnashing of teeth. The word loss in the original Greek language is zemioo meaning: to injure; to experience detriment. Since this believer defiled his house, by becoming entrenched in the materialism of the world, honoring himself or spiritual leaders of the world, there were no treasures in Heaven to weave his Wedding Garment. In the Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:20-30), Jesus said regarding the one talent believer...cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth...verse 30. Remember in the Parable of the Wedding Feast when God threw a man out of the Wedding Hall, and he was cast into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth? So the unprofitable servant and the man without a Wedding garment are cast into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Hmmm...begs the question - Where is outer darkness? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question   

In this series about the Wedding Garment that began with Part 34, we have begun to open our eyes slightly to a clearer understanding of the Parable of the Wise & Foolish Virgins, by defining the symbolism accurately. When we were last together I asked, "Are you a wise or foolish virgin?" In the parable of the Wise & Foolish Virgins Matt. 25:1-13, verse 8 says...and the foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out." Notice how their lamps are going out, they have not gone out. Oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit, so we know He dwelled in the foolish virgins. So how could the Holy Spirit's power diminish in the life of a Christian? The Apostle Paul told Timothy...stir up the gift of God which is in you...II Tim. 1:6. The word stir in the original Greek language means - rekindle. Paul says to rekindle the gift of God in us. Think of your fireplace ablaze with several logs of wood - soon the wood burns up leaving only glowing embers. When you add more wood, the fire is rekindled, and the blaze becomes vibrant once again. Each Christian is responsible for rekindling his own spiritual fire. How does the oil in our spiritual lamps grow dim? It happens so gradually, because the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful...Matt. 13:22. The fruits of the Spirit are love, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control...Gal. 5:22. The Apostle Paul says...examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith...II Cor. 13:5. Since we cannot be objective, we must spend time with the Holy Spirit who will examine our lives objectively so that we can make spiritual adjustments on this earthly journey of faith. Each believer in Christ has an assignment from the Lord - a calling - for which He equips him to accomplish. This "work" a believer is assigned to accomplish is an opportunity to develop the fruits of the Spirit. The actual "work" we accomplish on the earth will die on the earth. When we stand before Jesus at the Great White Throne Judgment, our "work" will be judged - the house we built on the earth. Only the fruits of the Spirit developed in us - character of Christ - will not burn up at His Throne - because we will be like Him. How many churches keep their congregants busy doing functions for the growth of the church? I know I was often exhausted doing busy "works" for the church, believing I was fulfilling my "calling" from the Lord. But my Christ-character was being neglected. I would get up early and spend time with the Lord and He would show me changes to make - if I would do so He would be glorified. Everyone likes to fit in, so they go along to get along to please the leaders in a church body, while intimacy with the Holy Spirit is set on a shelf. As I was struggling for more intimacy with the Lord, so He could reveal my many flaws, and help me develop the fruits of the Spirit, my pastor asked me to be his superintendent of the Sunday school. When I told him I needed to pray and see if God wanted me to devote the time needed to fulfill this position, he was aghast - he said he knew best. As you begin your quest to become more like Christ - shunning the adulation and praise of human beings - believe me you will not be popular. When I turned down the position, the cold shoulder was evident. The foolish virgins were so busy in the world educating themselves about Jesus, they really didn't know Jesus intimately - which is the only way a believer can be transformed into humble, loving servants of the Living God. Attending to the things of the world - receiving praise and credit for your works - means that you neglected to attend to the One who gave you the free gift of salvation. The oil in their lamps was nearly out when the bridegroom came, unable to take them into the Wedding Hall. Instead He says...assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you...verse 12. Profound loss!They had built their house (works) from wood, hay, and stubble, so it burned up at the Throne on Judgment Day. Since they had no righteous works Jesus could not give them His reward - fine linen Wedding Garment - woven from the righteous acts of the saints...Rev. 19:8. While each believer is part of the body of Christ, and we must work together as lights in a dark sinful world offering Him as the only way to God, it must never be at the expense of an intimate relationship with Him - this takes time away from other things. Precedence goes to the Holy Spirit! Who are the wise virgins who were ushered into the Wedding Hall when the Bridegroom arrived? Stay tuned... God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple will follow without question...