Since we now know who the Antichrist shall be, I hope you don’t miss the rapture!
Done as a spoof. Please listen to the end 🙂
Tag: antichrist
Boils – Exodus 9:8-12
This is another plague that we find featured later in the book of Revelation. To help give some reasoning to why these Egyptian plagues continue to recur, I think that what we need to understand is that the plagues of Egypt were not singular, isolated events. What I mean by this is that God speaks to Israel in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 that He shall send these selfsame plagues upon Israel if they are disobedient. So, for example, when you read in Deuteronomy 28:27 that God will sent this exact same plague (boils) upon disobedient Israel, we shouldn’t be surprised.
These are the judgments of God. Upon the false gods of Egypt does God send judgment, but let us not forget that over and over again Israel’s disobedience is due to their forsaking God. It isn’t simply that Israel is disobedient because they don’t keep the kosher diet. Throughout the whole of the Old Testament we have cycle after cycle of Israel casting aside their LORD to embrace other foreign deities. These plagues against Egypt were to speak against the gods of Egypt. The plagues against Israel were to speak against the gods of Israel.
Thus, when we come to Revelation, we need to have this sort of comprehension. Why do we find replicas of the Egyptian plagues in the book of Revelation? It is because Revelation revolves around Israel, not just the land, but the people. Israel is being judged, and specifically the Jerusalem that will embrace an antichrist figure (namely, the beast) over and above her true King.
We’re stuck between the rock and hard place. On one side we see the Egyptian plagues being for the sake of Israel’s deliverance. On the other side, we see the Egyptian plagues repeated in Israel’s history, and even prophesied as coming upon them at the end of the age. If we take this too far, we are liable to expecting that the Jew is simply cursed, and that there is no means of salvation upon them. If we don’t take it seriously enough, we will embrace the modern state of Israel in a manner that the Jew and Israel can do no wrong.
Let us be clear: God has bigger plans than simply plaguing the Egyptians within these passages. Let also be clearer: God has bigger plans than sending judgment upon disobedient Israel. There is never a mention of God desiring to destroy Egypt within the book of Exodus. Instead, there are statements of the Egyptians coming to know Him, Pharaoh coming to know Him, and judgment being sent upon the gods of Egypt. Similarly, the prophets never prophesied destruction of Israel. Instead, they prophesied of a remnant to survive, and that remnant coming to know the LORD their God.
With these boils, we need to be careful how we treat the text. If we simply clap our hands at how far God will go to deliver His people, we do much damage. If it is only analogy, only a spiritual assuaging of the kingdom of darkness, then what significance is there at all? We often place ourselves in the text far too quickly. Israel itself is in the midst of this, watching as the Egyptians are receiving these plagues. At the same time, there is indeed a spiritual phenomenon taking place, and it does indeed have application to us in our present day.
Boils themselves are mentioned as coming upon Job as well. This man was not being judged, and yet Satan buffeted him. Are the boils themselves something that only God sends? No. These boils are so crippling that the magicians can’t even show their faces before Moses. Job despised them and their torment so much that he literally scraped them off of his skin with broken glass and pottery.
What might it be that you and I can find within this? Is there hope? Do you feel sympathy for the Egyptians? Are they mere innocent victims? Why would God say that He is sending judgment upon their gods, and then so ruthlessly affect the people themselves?
It is precisely here that we have a question worth an answer. Why would God inflict the Egyptians if His desire is to inflict the gods of Egypt? When you examine the cultures around the world, the culture is influenced and manipulated by the demonic forces at play behind them. There is an unseen realm, what Paul calls the principalities and powers. To what degree are people given over to those demonic powers, and to what degree are they acting of their own volition? That itself is the question of the mystery of iniquity. Just as the incarnation of Jesus revealed to us the freedom of God to reveal Himself to humanity, and the freedom of humanity to receive that revelation, so it shall be revealed at the end of the age just how manipulated humanity is by those demonic powers, and how much humanity itself has been “depraved”.
These aren’t happy thoughts, but they’re necessary. I’m not sure I have sufficient answers to the questions raised. I only have my own intuition, which is questionable to say the least.
Fruits of the Flesh – Galatians 5:19-21
Lets begin by looking at the first statement, then the last, and then listing out the “fruits” of the flesh. So, first off, notice that Paul is asserting that the fruits of the flesh are “evident”, or “obvious”. It isn’t any mystery as to what acts are of the flesh and which acts are spiritual. This isn’t rocket science, nor something debatable. If you know even the most elementary things of Christianity, you shouldn’t have to ask many questions before you come to these.
With that said, let us not be surprised at what is listed. And, let us not be surprised that “those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God”. How can they? They do the very things that are the antithesis of the Kingdom of God. This would be like an American who wants to destroy America. If you hate America so much that you forcefully battle in all of your ways against the very foundation of what America is and stands for, then you have no reason to be within America. Now, this isn’t about patriotism, but the Kingdom of God. If the Kingdom of God is about certain things, such as love, hope, faith, peace, and righteousness, then how can you expect they who hate to be a part of that Kingdom? If the Kingdom is righteous, then would it really be heaven for the unrighteous to dwell there? If the Kingdom is of self-control, will the impulsive and undisciplined actually find it to be heaven?
Adultery
Jesus defined this pretty sharply when claiming that to even look at a woman with lust is to commit adultery. Essentially, what Jesus is getting at is that the act of adultery doesn’t begin with intercourse, but way before that there was a moment when your heart went from recognizing the beauty of the other person to desiring them. It was at that moment, when you went from recognizing the beauty to desiring them sexually that you not only committed adultery, but began to see them as an object for your own pleasure and satisfaction.
Fornication
Just like adultery, this act doesn’t begin with the pre-marital sex, but with the moment that you go from simply being attracted to the other person to pursuing more than mere “attraction”. Now, here is the interesting thing: Often, the act of sexual intimacy isn’t condemned in the Bible. Fornication isn’t simply the act of having sex outside of marriage, but having sex for pleasure. When you will have sex with someone, only to then move on to the next person, you have committed fornication. Once again, this gets back to the heart of seeing people as objects instead of people. I think the biblical response to a couple who were attempting to remain pure, but got carried away in the heat of a certain moment, is that we allow them to get married. Don’t tell them they sinned and now need to break up. Instead, if they can’t keep their hands off of one another, let them express such things in the bonds of marriage. These are two completely different circumstances and dispositions of the heart, and therefore need to be treated as such. (BTW, not condoning pre-marital sex, but simply trying to help give better advice than the kind of condemnation that will lead to people forsaking Christ. Let’s be honest, there are a lot of people in my generation who probably have already had sex, or performed sexual acts, before they’re 20. How about we think through what we’re saying to them.)
Uncleanness
In Leviticus, uncleanness was never treated the same as sin. Sin meant that you needed to repent and offer these sacrifices in order to be made right before God again. Uncleanness simply required washing yourself and then at the evening sacrifice you were made clean. Certain things did require an amount of time to be made clean (like the purification after child birth – Lev 12), but most of the time it was an issue of doing something, or having something happen to you, that defiled your body, and therefore wasn’t specifically sinful. It’s on this list because from a New Testament perspective it isn’t what goes into a man, nor what is necessarily a “defect” or sickness, that makes a man unclean, but rather what comes out of the man (Matthew 15:11).
Lewdness
What is lewdness? Is it not the very thing of the heart that has already been expressed through adultery and fornication, only the outward display of it? It is lewd to be sexually profane, whether in word or in action, but it’s also lewd to display any kind of indecent or profane behavior. Once again, it comes from the heart that is bent toward injustice, objectifying people, using people for selfishness, and bigotry.
Idolatry
Idolatry in the Old Testament is often the spiritual counterpart to adultery. Whereas adultery is the physical act of cheating on your spouse, idolatry is the spiritual act of following other gods. Idolatry is manifest in any thing that you devote yourself to in order to find satisfaction, relief, and/or happiness – especially, but not exclusively, when that is found in a religious context. When you’re relieved from the sense of shame through “things” that you do, you have committed idolatry. This could include even religious things, like tithing. It isn’t through tithing that you’re saved, but through faith in Christ Jesus. It isn’t by sports that you find the deep satisfaction of your soul, the calling upon your life, but by being what God has created you to be in Christ.
Sorcery
There is a verse in the Old Testament that claims rebellion is worse than witchcraft. Some have taken this to mean rebellion IS witchcraft, but I’m not so quick to endorse that. There are obvious examples of sorcery and witchcraft in the New Testament, Simon the sorcerer of Acts 8 being one of them. Sorcery endorses the wisdom of demons, and the power of demons, in order to accomplish signs and wonders. I can say that this happens within the “church”, especially when healings, miracles, demonic deliverance, etc are being promoted heavily. It isn’t through God’s wisdom and compassion that such things take place, but through a carnal grasping of things that the Bible says, and therefore an unholy boldness in “naming and claiming” through the supposed “power” of those Scriptures and Jesus’ name. It’s sorcery at its finest.
Hatred
Hatred doesn’t begin with a condemnation toward another human being, but with being angry at your brother/sister for no warrant. Jesus said that anyone who says, “Raca” shall be condemned to hellfire, but why? Raca is the term used to say someone is worthless. You feel as though there is nothing that this person can contribute to society, nor the world in general, and therefore you hate them. To consider someone worthless is to hate, and that doesn’t begin with the feeling of “worthlessness”, but rather with the anger and bitterness that should be processed and overcome. When you can go from acknowledging someone on the road, being angry with them cutting you off, and then go from there to blowing past them without even considering that person at all, you have begun the process of hatred.
Contentions
Contentions are brought about by moments that should be overcome. A brother/sister offends you, and so what do you do? Biblically, we should go to them (and them alone), and should strive to work out our differences. If they won’t listen to you, then take someone else with you to talk to them. Reason with the other person. If they caused offense, what is it that they did that specifically offended? If they won’t listen to that, then they don’t have a tender heart (another way of saying their heart is still hardened, and possibly unchanged by the Gospel). Contentions arise when we won’t consult one another to work things out, but rather gossip or let things fester.
Jealousies
Once again, jealousies arise when we see “worthlessness”. This time, it isn’t another who is worthless, but self. Why be jealous of what another has, whether physically or spiritually? Has God not created you to be different, and therefore not have the same things? Why, then, jealousy? They don’t have what you have, and you don’t have what they have. Rejoice in that, because God builds all things together according to His wisdom and not out own.
Outbursts of Wrath
This is the expression of hatred, contentions, and anger. If you are not willing to deal with these issues like healthy adults, then it will explode at some time in some way. Whether in physical violence or verbal/emotional violence, it makes no difference. Both require that hatred, contentions, and anger fester instead of being dealt with.
Selfish Ambitions
This doesn’t mean that we should have no goals or hopes or ambitions. What it means is that our ambitions should be loving enough to consider others. Why does Paul say to seek prophecy? We have thought we should seek tongues, but Paul doesn’t say to seek tongues. He says to seek prophecy, or if you do seek tongues to also seek the interpretation of tongues. Why? Because it is the loving thing to do. Above all, seek love, which then leads straightway into “seek prophecy”. Why? Prophecy edifies the whole Body, and interpretation of tongues edifies the whole Body, but the gift of tongues only edifies you. Do you see how this is an example of selfish ambition?
Dissensions
This is similar to contention, but doesn’t specifically have to result in anger or offense. It could be that you are jealous, that you gossip, that you don’t like someone, or even that you disagree doctrinally. Doctrinal differences aren’t to result in church splits or denominationalism. Is there not one truth? If there is one truth, then why split churches? Should we not wrestle together until we come to the same conclusions?
Heresies
Heresy is not simply false teaching. Heresy is the renunciation of all truth. It is the establishment of lies in the place of truth. Heresy demands that you have said something so contrary to the truth that there is absolutely no way that you are in Christ, but rather are antichrist. You’ve rejected truth on such a fundamental level that the only satisfactory response is damnation.
Envy
This is likened to jealousy. What do you have that you have not received could be changed to, “What do they have that they have not received?”
Murders
Jesus’ point in Matthew 5 was that murder starts with the heart. It begins by saying someone is worthless, and then progresses to even further extremes. Not only are they worthless, but actually a hindrance to society, and the world would be better without this person. Have you ever heard someone say something like that? They might not have actually murdered someone, but they haven’t done any better by expressing “young earth creationists”, or Christians/Jews in general, are a hindrance to the progression of society.
Drunkenness
This comes down to self-indulgence. One of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. When you can’t even control yourself enough to know how much you can drink before getting drunk, you haven’t only sinned against your own body, but against the very drink itself. Alcohol isn’t forthright condemned in the Bible, but drunkenness is. You can treat the alcohol with respect, knowing that wine has some medicinal properties, and that alcohol itself can relax your muscles. I can add to this the very lack of self-restrain that obesity demands. It isn’t genetics, nor a sickness, but self-indulgence that brings about obesity. These things are not fitting for the Kingdom, and they who struggle with them need to be encouraged with a godly encouragement.
Revelries
This is like partying, which if you’ve ever been to a college party, you know exactly why this is condemned. Hollywood exaggerates, this is true, but that doesn’t mean that the mentality doesn’t exist or pervade many of the college parties. That mindset can be very much alive without the need for a “party”.
What Is Heresy?
I made it a New Year’s resolution to attempt YouTube this year… So far, I seem to only be getting negative responses in regard to comments. I’ve been called a false teacher, one who hates his brethren, sowing discord in the Body, and then “blessed” that I might be an “exemplary tribulation saint” (which, if you know anything about the pre-trib rapture theory is about the lowest thing you can say to someone…).
So, what does the “heresy” word even mean?
It is by far the most thrown out insult in the Christian dictionary. It has become a cheap and glib way of kicking someone below the belt. What are the requirements of heresy, and if we’re calling someone a heretic, just how severe is it?
Heresy demands that the person speaking is not saved. What they teach is so far against anything the Bible holds true that they are antichrist through and through. They have denied the faith, spurned God’s love, mocked His means of redemption, and have offered others a vehicle of “redemption” apart from the one true God. Heresy demands that the teacher is so corrupt in their doctrine that there is absolutely no way in which we can even possibly call their teaching “Christian”.
When you claim that someone is a heretic, you are claiming that their teaching is so abominable that God will only damn them in response to it. Theories about the end times, atonement theories, questions regarding evolution or creation, and other sorts of things cannot cross these bounds. For something to be so anathema that hellfire is the only possible response, it must deny Christ in all possible ways, and in His place erect a false religion.
Galatians can be a good example of this.
By what means are you saved? This isn’t to question in what way Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection atones, but to question something much more foundational. Are you saved on the basis of your own merit, or is it only by grace that you are saved? Can you gain eternal life through Mohammad, or Buddha, or Confucius, or Talmud, or must salvation only come through Jesus Christ? The Galatians were being taught that in order to be saved, they had to do so according to the regulations of Moses. It bypassed Christ, undercutting the work of the cross and the Gospel of the living God, in order to maintain that there are pre-requisites and “works” by which you can enter the Kingdom of God.
I’ll say this:
If your theory of the end times crosses the bounds of Biblical doctrine, and this is really true for all categories in Scripture, then I would call you a false teacher. To then go the next step, as the Preterist or Covenant Theologian, and claim that all Bible prophecy is fulfilled, there will be no physical second coming of Christ, no bodily resurrection of the saints, no physical new heaven and new earth, and we are currently living in the new heaven and new earth, you have crossed the bounds into heresy. I don’t personally see how you can reason that covenant means spiritual life, and therefore all that the Bible discusses is “spiritual life” and “spiritual death” (therefore meaning that if you are in Christ you are “spiritually alive”, and within the new heaven and new earth).
Does this help?
I don’t usually get upset or offended when people call me names. In fact, recently I got a good laugh at an insult that was thrown at me, simply because they “insulted” me by saying the very thing that I hope to do and achieve. Such a thought of denying myself unto death was so foreign to them that they thought by “cursing” me unto martyrdom I would get offended. In this, I rejoice, because God has granted me a heart that desires Him to be glorified, and not myself. If I shall be judged, and therefore endure the Tribulation, then may God be glorified in it, and if at the end of it all I still receive hellfire, then even from there I shall cry with all my soul that God shall get the glory.
Turning Aside to See – Exodus 3 Intro
Exodus 3 follows immediately after Exodus 2. What took place in Exodus 2 is foundation to what we read here in Exodus 3. We saw a Moses who was discontent with the oppression of His people. We saw a Moses who was moved from discontentment to action (faith without works is dead). He took matters into his own hands, knowing full well that God was also displeased with the torment of His people. We saw a Moses who fled into the wilderness and came unto a well, where shepherds were oppressing some women. We saw Moses again rise up in indignation and act against the oppression. However, the chapter ends with God reassuring the reader that He has heard the cry of the oppressed, and that He remembers the covenant He has made.
Here in Exodus 3, we find the story picking up again. There is a question being raised. Though the reader has just read that God has not forgotten, we have not seen Moses receive that assurance. Moses has been outside of Egypt, away from his people for 40 years. Do you think that Moses is questioning whether God actually does see, actually does hear? I would. It is at this time, when Moses turns aside to see the burning bush that God gives that assurance and sends Moses back to Pharaoh to release the prisoner, set free the oppressed, and to proclaim good news to the poor.
There is a catch, though. There is always a catch.
Moses would never receive this calling, let alone this assurance, if he had not turned aside to see the bush that is burning, but is not consumed. This sight must have been a marvel, and yet how many of us would have passed on by, only wandering to ourselves as to how such an impossibility was possible? What is equally as radical as the miracle that God performs to get Moses’ attention is that Moses drops everything – we can liken it to leaving work without any warning – in order to investigate this most curious of sights.
For the majority of people, life is too important to drop in order to investigate some “abnormality”. So there were 6 million Jews that died in the Holocaust, and it is a marvel that any survived at all, but so what? Life happens, and I can’t spend too much energy trying to figure out why the Jewish people were not eradicated from Europe, as Hitler’s plan was… So there are millions of people fleeing from ISIS in Syria, and it is incredible that so many are even able to escape their own country, let alone be permitted entrance into other countries, but so what? The Middle East isn’t necessarily known for its generosity and hospitality…
These sorts of quickies are detrimental to our spirituality. It is a quickie because it continues with life, completely content to ignore the pain, the suffering, the oppression, and the hurting. Even if there is nothing that can be done, it behooves us to turn aside to see.
Our very Christianity was (supposedly) formed from a turning aside to see. Everything that is Christian is in utter opposition to the mindset and mentality of the world. It takes a turning aside to see in order to even recognize the alternative – the Gospel. It is not that we have been given the opportunity to go to heaven when we die, but that we have been given the opportunity of heaven now. It is not that we have been promised that peace on earth, or that sinlessness is coming when Jesus returns, but that we can experience these things now. Through being the people of God, we can both have peace, and extend peace.
In the first couple centuries, one of the practices of the early Church was to meet in homes. While there, they would go around the room expressing their needs, expressing the ways that God has provided, expressing the praises that they have, and expressing the burdens that they have. In expressing their needs, if someone else who was present had whatever it took to satisfy that need, whether food, clothing, shelter, employment, or something else, they would speak up and give their brother or sister whatever they lacked. That was simply what they did. It was called “breaking bread”. It was a political statement, because Caesar Augustus was known for handing out bread in the market place and claiming that he was the provider. Augustus called this propaganda “breaking bread”. So, the early church took that idea and used it in a way to provide amongst themselves, and whoever might have joined their fellowship.
It is the wisdom of the world, which is ultimately the wisdom of demons, to seek first your own kingdom. Selfishness is rampant, even within Christianity. When we can take the Bible and employ it in a way that it then benefits us, we have forsaken Christianity to embrace paganism, but called it “Christian”, and called our god of prosperity “Jesus”. There are marvelous statements withing Scripture about how God loves, protects, and blesses His people, but those statements are never to be taken as “promises” that we can “claim”. This is a relationship, and not a magic lantern.
To come into the faith, we must turn aside and see. We must recognize the absolute polarity of God’s ways and the ways of the world. Everything that we’ve before lived, all of our lifestyle choices, the entirety of our attitude, disposition, and mentality toward self and others needs to be radically challenged. Down to the very foundations of what we say, how we say it, why we say it, what we believe, why we believe it, how we act, and why we do what we do needs to be scrutinized under the most anguishing meticulous analysis.
While it might be technically “morally acceptable” to live in a large home, have multiple televisions, multiple cars, all sorts of wireless devices, video games, sports attire, etc, the question needs to be asked, “Does any of this display the character of God?”
This isn’t to say that we can’t have nice things. I type this out on a computer that is hooked up to Internet (albeit borrowed internet). So it isn’t the “things” in themselves. It isn’t about whether what you are doing, or where you are working, is glorifying to God, but about the inward heart. Is the heart bent upon selfishness, or does it lend itself toward others? If you were to learn that a brother or sister in Christ were homeless because they lost their job, and their family was not able to be supported, and so that led to family trouble, which led to divorce, which led to who knows what, would you be willing to take them in?
The radical claim of the Gospel, the radical demand of the Gospel, is that God has not left this world in darkness, but has been lavish enough to give His only begotten Son, paying the highest price – even an unthinkable price – so that you and I might know love. Now that you have experienced that love, go and likewise share it. Be lavish, go beyond simple words, and take up your cross to follow Him unto the ends of the earth.
Harvest of the Earth – Rev 14:14-20
And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud [was] sitting one like the son of man, having on his head a golden crown and a sharp sickle in his hand. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud, “Put forth your sickle and reap, because the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth has ripened.” And the one sitting upon the cloud put forth his sickle upon the earth, and the earth was harvested. And another angel came out of the temple in heaven, having also a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the altar, having authority over the fire, and he called with a loud cry to the one having the sharp sickle saying, “Put forth your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth; because the grapes of it have fully ripened.” And the angel put forth his sharp sickle to the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth and cast them into the winepress of the wrath of the great God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed out of the winepress as high as the bridles of the horses, to the distance of one thousand six hundred stadia.
Here we have the harvest of the earth. This is another one of those passages that is a little controversial. Why would it be controversial? To they who claim Revelation is a chronology of events, the difficulty is to explain why there is a harvest of the earth before the second coming. To they who claim a post-tribulation pre-wrath rapture, this would be the rapture of the church. Yet, the exact same language is being used here as what we expect with the second coming. This isn’t some sort of rapture because it mentions Jesus in the clouds, but not on the earth. What we’re seeing here is final judgment.
The overall flow of the text reveals to us the wrath of the Lamb at the sixth seal, which is pretty easy to figure out is the return of Jesus. Then, at the final trumpet, we find that the kingdoms of the earth have become the kingdoms of the Lord and His Christ. Once again, where do we see this? We expect it at the second coming of Jesus, and not before or after it. Then we enter into the twelfth chapter. Here we have the complication of whether the chapter goes back to the birth of Christ or whether it is during the tribulation, but whichever way we take it, it is nearly impossible to claim that this chapter is somehow after the seventh trumpet. Some have said it is the seventh trumpet, because it mentions a “woe to the earth” for Satan’s being cast down. Once again, how do you have the kingdoms of this world becoming the Kingdom of God without the return of Jesus? In our progression forward, we’ve seen the abomination of desolation in chapter 13, along with the mark of the beast, and now we’re seeing the harvest of the earth.
When we went through Daniel for a brief framework, where does the harvest of the earth fit best? I would say it is at the same time of the resurrection (Dan 12:2). That resurrection is at the return of Jesus. This glimpse into the harvest of the earth can be compared with Matthew 13:24-29, 37-43 where Jesus tells a parable regarding the end of the world and the return of the Son of Man. He likens it to a harvest of the earth where the weeds and the wheat are gathered together, and the weeds are thrown into the fire. In Revelation 19, we find that Jesus’ robe is dipped in blood. Why? Could it be that this is a reference back to this chapter and the winepress of God’s wrath? There is no mystery here. The one identified as “the son of man” is defined in Rev 1:13.
The language of “another angel” comes from the first part of 14, where we find three angels. The “other angel” of 14:6 goes back to that John has already seen angels in his vision. He is saying that this angel is not one of the ones that he had already seen. There is no confusing passage here unless we purposefully try to find something that isn’t obvious. The “son of man” phrase comes from Daniel 7:13, Matt 24:30, Mark 13:26, Luke 21:27, and in all of these cases it is the son of man coming at the end of the tribulation. The only possible exception is Daniel 7:13 where it mentions the son of man coming to the right hand of the Ancient of Days. Here He is wearing a golden crown instead of the diadem in Rev 19:12.
Notice that when you go to Matthew 13, you find that Jesus explicitly mentions the angel’s involvement with the harvest of the earth. He also mentions the angel’s involvement in Matthew 24 and parallels. Once again, no mystery here. It is as plain as plain could be unless we start referencing texts that are not the obvious.
In Joel 3:13, we read that after the nations are aroused and brought together for the final war (Armageddon), the cry goes forth to “swing the sickle”. In Mark 4:29 we find end time significance to the reaping with a sickle as well. The parable is about the Kingdom of God being like a seed that is planted, which we can take as Christ’s first coming, and it grows all by itself. The seed goes from being a seed to being a big plant until the day comes where the sickle shall reap the harvest of the plant. So it is with Jesus’ two comings. He came, and planted the seed of the Kingdom of God. Thus, He did come and smash the statue of Daniel 2. However, the extent of Daniel 2 is not fully present with us. Therefore we await until the day that this plant (the Kingdom of God) has fully grown, for in that day the sickle shall reap the harvest.
In verse 16, it mentions that Jesus harvested the earth. Then, when we begin verse 17, it begins to mention the angels harvesting the earth. Once again, no mystery here. This isn’t trickery and magic trying to create a contradiction. Yes, Jesus harvested the earth. Along with Jesus harvesting the earth, the angels harvested the earth. When was the last time that you saw a farmer go out into the field and reap the harvest in a moment? It takes time, especially if the field is large. Obviously Christ has the ability to reap instantaneously, but there is no reason to assume this is what is happening.
We can compare the gathering of the “clusters of grapes” with Isaiah 63:1-7. The question is asked, “Who is this that comes from Bozrah with his garments stained crimson?” The answer is that this man has trodden down the nations in his anger, trodden the winepress down in his wrath. “For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of redemption has come.” The man claims that he trod the winepress alone; he looked, but there was none to help. And what shall we make of this, because we see angels helping. Read the text of Isaiah 63 in context, and the text of Revelation 14 in its own context. Isaiah 63 is making the point that there was no man, no nation, no people that were righteous to be able to tread the wine of God’s wrath with him. It signifies nothing of the angels.
The city mentioned in verse 20 is Jerusalem. That is the focus of Revelation all the way through. We can also compare Joel 3:2, 12, Zechariah 14:2-15. The flowing blood seems to come from Ezekiel 32:6, Isaiah 34:3, 7, and/or Genesis 49:11-12. In Genesis, to begin with the beginning, it is prophesied concerning Judah that there will be a ruler to rise from his tribe that will “wash his garments in wine” and “the blood of grapes”. In Isaiah, we find the judgment of the nations resulting in “the mountains being soaked with blood” and the “land being drenched with blood”. Ezekiel 32 laments the slaying of Pharaoh, where God will “drench the land with your flowing blood all the way to the mountains.” Where precisely the 1,600 stadia comes from, it is quite possible this is a new revelation given to John.
The Eternal Gospel – Rev 14:6-13
And I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach upon those dwelling on the earth and on every nation and tribe and tongue and people, saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship the one having made heaven and earth and sea and springs of waters.” And another angel, a second, followed saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who of the wine of the passion of her immorality she has given all the Gentiles to drink.” And another angel, a third, followed them saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand, he will also drink of the wine of the wrath of God having been mixed undiluted in the cup of his wrath, and he will be tormented in fire and brimstone before the holy angels and before the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up to ages of ages, and those worshiping the beast and its image [will] not have rest day and night, and if anyone receives the mark of its name.” Here is the endurance of the saints, those keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice out of heaven saying, “Write: Blessed are the dead in the Lord dying from now on.” Yes, says the Spirit, that they will rest from their labors. And their works do follow with them.
Let us break down each of these messages from the angels. Overall, we can see they speak the destruction of Babylon, and the terrifying fate of those who worship this “Babylon”. This first angel doesn’t acknowledge the wicked and what their fate shall be. Instead, we’re told that this angel proclaims the “everlasting Gospel”. You can compare this with Matthew 24:14. The Greek word for Gospel is a derivative of the same word for evangelist. The word for preach is another derivative. There is a reason for this. Though there is a message, and there is a Gospel to be preached, it is intimately tied up with the bearer of that message. The man is the message, and the message is the man. The two cannot be divided.
In Matthew 25, when Jesus separates the sheep and the goats, how is it that neither of them knew when they treated the Lord poorly or very well? Righteousness is not something that we attain, but something that are. The righteous are righteous, therefore they act righteously. The actions that the sheep perform unto the least of these are righteous, not because of the “right-ness” of those actions, but because it is the righteous who perform them. The statement of being righteous is not a statement of doing rightly, but because you are righteous, the acts that you perform are righteous. Here, with the Gospel, it is not that you are preaching the Gospel because you know it, but because you are it. The message cannot be rejected without rejecting the one who proclaims it.
We can compare the message this angel brings with Acts 14:14-15. Paul and Barnabas not only speak similar words, but their actions show forth exactly what the words declare. The sentence “fear God” is found in Ecclesiastes 12:13, and is even the conclusion of the whole book. “Give him glory” comes from Joshua 7:19, 1 Sam 6:5, Isa 42:12, and Jer 13:16. “Judgment has come” reflects what has been said in 6:10, 16-17, and 11:18. “Springs of waters”, see 1 Kings 18:5, 2 Kings 3:19, 25, Exodus 15:27, Numbers 33:9.
What is it about this message that is “the eternal Gospel”? There is no mention of sin, no mention of repentance, no mention of Jesus, no mention of redemption, and no mention of the cross/resurrection. What makes this the eternal Gospel is not the words in themselves, for the Gospel is not a formula. What makes this the eternal Gospel is that it is absolute truth and reality being expressed through the character of the angel, the radical separation it calls for from the world, and the weight of glory in the proclamation. That is true evangelism.
A second angel comes behind this proclamation. He continues to declare the Gospel. His message is one of fallenness unto Babylon. Compare these words with Jer 51:7 and Isa 21:9. Here we find the wine of her fornication is now coupled with the wine of wrath. We find in 14:10 and 17:2 these as two distinct things. Though there is distinction, there should not be separation. It is like the Church and Israel. They are distinct, but don’t allow that distinction to dictate a separation. See Jeremiah 25:15. The two are one and the same.
Interestingly, the wine of her adulteries seems to be a play on communion. Think about it. You have the wine of the table of the Lord, which represents the blood of the sacrifice (or even the drink offering) prescribed in Leviticus 1-7. Ultimately, Jesus is that sacrifice. Yet, here we have the table of demons in that there is a wine of Babylon, which is adultery. This wine is maddening, whereas the wine of the Lord brings clarity.
The third angel then plays off of Revelation 13 in what he says. Most likely the worship and the reception of the mark are the same thing. To receive one is to receive the other. We can see in Jeremiah 25:15 this cup being offered to Babylon, and now she drinks it in full. Isa 51:17, Psalm 75:8, and Job 21:20 all speak of drinking God’s wrath. This cup is given to Jerusalem and Babylon. (In our text they are one and the same; a duality of Antichrist kingdom and unfaithful Israel.) There comes a time when the cup of wrath leads to Jerusalem’s redemption, but it leads to Babylon’s destruction. What precisely is it about the cup of wrath that will lead to this one’s salvation, but to another’s final damnation?
“He is tormented with fire and brimstone.” See Isa 34:8-10, Gen 19:24, and Eze 38:22. This concept of fire and brimstone was first introduced in 9:17-18, and is again repeated with 19:20, 20:10, and 21:8. While some maintain that hell is not eternal, but instead is about the destruction of the soul, I’m not sure that this verse supports that claim. Please note: the claim is not a rejection of hell, but of the eternality of hell. They believe that hell exists, and they don’t believe that after spending time there you’ll go to heaven. Annihilationists advocate that hell destroys the soul, thus giving reason to fear Him who can kill body and soul in hell.
They are tormented in the presence of angels and the Lamb. Why in the presence of angels? We can possibly compare Isa 14:15-16 and Ezekiel 28:16-18. This would advocate that the angels shall behold the demise and judgment of Satan. In beholding that demise and judgment, they shall also behold the demise and judgment of Babylon and all the people who worship Babylon. We do find the exact statement made by Jesus in Luke 12:9.
We can compare this first statement in verse 11 with 18:19, 19:3, 20:10, and Isa 34:10. “Have no rest” occurs in 4:8 as voluntary worship. See Isaiah 48:22 and 57:21.
This statement in verse 12 is a repeated statement from 13:10 and 12:17. We can also compare it with Rom 3:22 and Gal 2:16. Why does the judgment of Babylon require the patient endurance of the saints? It only makes sense in the understanding that there will be Jewish people in flight in the last days, running from the Antichrist’s fury into the wilderness where she will be taken care of by the Church for that stretch of time. While God sends judgment upon Jerusalem, which inevitably affects the Jewish people, the Antichrist is establishing his kingdom in Jerusalem. The cup of wrath shall not be solely given to Jerusalem with the judgment upon the Jewish people, but shall be given also unto the Antichrist and his followers.
This requires the patient endurance of the saints. We must be willing to invite the refugees into our own homes, knowing that this will be both illegal and threaten our very lives. Without that understanding, it just seems ludicrous that this verse would be here. This should be our rejoicing, and not our need for patient endurance. In chapter 19, heaven rejoices at the destruction of Babylon. Here we must patiently endure. John is pulling from the duality of Jerusalem/Babylon.
Our final verse in this section can be compared to Romans 14:8. This comes after declaring there is no rest for they who worship the beast. Though the beast and his followers shall have no rest, the saints of God shall eternally rest. Their deeds shall follow them. Yet, what does that even mean? This goes back to our discussion at the first. The righteous do righteously because they are righteous. Righteous deeds are not righteous simply because they are “good”, but because the righteous perform them. We find in Rev 19:8 that the Bride’s apparel is the righteous acts of the saints. We’ll be clothed in righteousness, just as we’re clothed with Christ.
Zion or Babylon – Revelation 14:1-5
And I looked, and behold the Lamb was standing upon Mount Zion, and with him a hundred forty four thousand having the name of him and the name of his Father having been written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice out of heaven as the sound of many waters and as the sound of loud thunder. And the voice that I heard was like that of harpists harping with their harps. And they are singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one was able to learn the song if not of the hundred forty four thousand, having been redeemed from the earth. These are they who have not been defiled with women. They are indeed pure. These follow the Lamb wherever anyhow he shall go. These have been redeemed out from men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb, and in their mouth was not found a lie. They are blameless. Before the throne of God.
Let us begin with some general statements. In our timeline that we’ve been trying to keep, the verses that follow this speak of the destruction of the Antichrist’s kingdom, and the harvest of the earth. Therefore, it follows that this is somehow a leap to the end of the timeline. We left off in chapter 13 with the abomination of desolation, which is halfway through the Tribulation. Now we’re at the very end, where the Lamb is seen upon Zion with His saints. With that much being said, what precisely is this scene? It is my belief that we are seeing the wedding of the Lamb, which is mentioned again in Revelation 19:7. Just like we saw the beast in 13:2-7 is further explained in chapter 17, so we will find this chapter being further explained in chapters 18-19.
In the first verse we see the Lamb set opposed to the beasts, and His followers against the followers of the beast, and His mark against the mark of the beast. Mount Zion is the place of God’s dwelling. It is where His temple sits. And, in Joel 3:5 and Obadiah 17, it is the place of deliverance. Zion is somehow dual. It is heavenly as much as earthly. They are counterparts to one another, and neither are complete without the other. This is also seen in the Body of Christ, where the Church is not complete without Israel, and Israel is not complete without the engrafted Gentiles. The two need one another, and until they are all under the one Head, the deliverer cannot come out from Zion.
It is important to note the character difference between the Lamb and the beast. This beast has been given his throne through self-exultation, but the Lamb has obtained His throne through sacrifice. While the world is steeped in “me first” mentality, it is the character and disposition of the Lamb to defer to another, and to suffer on behalf of that other. The Lamb is gentle, meek and mild. The two poles in Revelation are significant, and should not be ignored in our worship.
We first saw the 144,000 in chapter 7. I defined them as the first fruits of the nation of Israel to be redeemed. It is important to note that they have been redeemed from the earth. They are called sexually pure, as opposed to the prostitute in 17. Jerusalem and the rest of Israel is that prostitute (we’ll get into this with much detail, but see Ezekiel 16, Zechariah 5:5, and 1 Peter 5:13). They are first fruits to God, which we also are called. Here I the mystery. I believe these to be the Jewish people – the true nation of Israel. Yet, notice what Paul says in Romans 11. The chapter begins with a praise that God has preserved a faithful remnant within Israel. There are still some Jews who believe in Jesus.
At this moment in our timeline, there is great likelihood that this 144,000 is actually all of Israel, but that detail is not mentioned here. There is a reason for that. We have not yet gotten to chapter 17 where the prostitute is revealed, and we have not yet heard the cry, “Come out from her my people!” If I am correct in my thinking that this is the wedding of the Lamb, then this is the Church, Israel, and the Land all being married unto the Lamb. We’ll get into that later as well.
For the names upon the head, see Exodus 28:36-37. This seems to reflect the crown placed upon the priests in the Old Testament.
In verse 2, we hear a sound, and we recognize that sound as harpists playing their harps. Compare Revelation 1:15, Ezekiel 43:2, and Revelation 5:8-9.
We can also compare verse 3 with Rev 5:9. “No one was able to learn the song.” There is a certain revelation only given to these 144,000. Something has been displayed to them that no one else has comprehended. It is quite possible that this is new revelation only for them, but it is also quite possible that this is a mystery hidden in God until the appearing of Christ at the end of the age. While it seems these 144,000 are Jewish in 7:5-8 (nowhere else is Israel or the tribes explicitly mentioned), it is difficult to reconcile that here. Somehow the overcomers of 12:11 seem to also be represented. The two have become one. They have been “redeemed from the earth”. Whether that redemption is speaking of our salvation, or whether it is speaking of the overcoming, it is up for debate.
The mystery that Paul expresses in Ephesians 3:1-6 is that the Gentiles shall receive inheritance with Israel at the return of Christ. We have been grafted in, and therefore, like Ruth who has declared, “Your people shall be my people, and you God shall be my God”, we have separated from our original nationalities and inheritance to be engrafted into Israel. We are no longer Ham or Japheth – or even some other part of Shem – but are now “Israel”. Together the Jews and Gentiles in Christ shall inherit glorified bodies at the return of Christ to rule with Him as priests.
In verse 4 we find these 144,000 to be sexually chaste. Compare Matthew 19:12. These are the people who are solely married to their God. What that means is that they do not commit idolatry. For the following of the Lamb, see Luke 9:57. For first fruits, see Jeremiah 2:3, Romans 8:24, 29, and James 1:18.
For verse 5, we can compare Zephaniah 3:13, 1 Peter 2:22, John 1:47, and Malachi 2:6. They are blameless, because they have overcome. It is after this scene that judgment comes to Babylon. It is after that scene that we find the harvest of the earth. This follows the exact pattern we’ve seen all along. In the seals, the wrath of the Lamb comes in the sixth seal, and the end of the age with the seventh. The sixth trumpet seems to bring judgment upon the beast that comes out from the Abyss, and in the seventh trumpet we find the kingdoms of this earth have become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ. Now we find the same thing in chapter 14. The rest of the book of Revelation shifts focus. While the first half seems to revolve around Israel and outward unto all the world, the last part seems to revolve around the Antichrist kingdom and its downfall. The ultimate question of Revelation is thus posed: Which shall be the City of God – Babylon or Zion?
Mark of the Beast 2 – Rev 13:16-18
In the previous post I examined a bit of the character of the kingdom of darkness, specifically the characteristic that will distinguish between Christ and Antichrist. I also came down rather hard on they who perpetuate falsehood, hoping that it might make abundantly clear the need for truth and reality. They who continue to give themselves to deception will not be able to discern the difference between the two witnesses and this False Prophet. They will be liable to following one or the other simply because they heard them first. Discernment is necessarily stunted when we will not consciously pursue truth in absolution.
Here I wanted to get into some of the specifics. This is probably one of those posts that many readers will want to know. What exactly is the mark of the beast? What exactly should we be looking for? I think there are a couple things to note. First, the Greek word is epi, and therefore “on” or “upon” the skin. Second, John is referencing things that would be known to his readers, and not some sort of future microchip that only this generation would know about. That isn’t giving you reason to get a microchip implanted into yourself, but to say that we need to be a little less tossed about by the winds and waves of doctrine.
I’m not one for sensationalism. We noted last time that the statue here in Revelation 13:14 is much like Daniel 3. In fact, I think this might be one of the things that John is referencing. After all, John did write this, even though he was transcribing a vision. In Daniel 3 we find Nebuchadnezzar builds a statue. This statue is 60 cubits high. It is 6 cubits wide. There are 6 instruments played when people are forced to worship it. Did you notice the three sets of 6 there? What John is beholding here is something like Nebuchadnezzar’s decree. That isn’t to say that John is seeing Daniel 3, but that John is seeing something like Daniel 3.
John knew the Hebrew Bible extremely well. He knew that Solomon’s annual income was 666 talents of gold (1 Kings 10:14). Did you catch the three sixes? He knew that up to Solomon’s throne there were six steps. On the left of each step was a lion. On the right of each step was another lion. Therefore, you have six lions on the left, six steps, and six lions on the right (1 Kings 10:20). Did you see the other set of sixes? John would have also known that Goliath, the warrior from Gath, was clothed in six pieces of armor. He stood 6 cubits and a span high. His spear weighed 600 shekels. Do you see the other set of sixes?
In the Hebrew Bible, when someone wants to make the point that a human being stands for Satan, they might use the three sixes. It is a reference that is often not noticed. Three sixes is not the number of man, in the sense that man is inherently wicked like Satan. It is the number of man in the sense that you can go back to the Hebrew Bible and find these three instances – each time revealing to us something of the character of Satan – and find the same application to the Antichrist. It is a pattern, and with patterns there are always the archetypes. The Antichrist is the archetype of Goliath. Goliath was one who stood opposed to the people of God and spoke forth blasphemous words against their God. Solomon used slavery to build the Temple, build his palace, and to build military bases. Nebuchadnezzar built the statue already referenced, and in Daniel 4 was humbled because of his pride.
Notice also that the mark goes on the right hand or forehead. We’ll see in Revelation 14:1 that the 144,000 have their Father’s name on their foreheads. Here is what I find interesting. The Jewish people today wear tefillin. Tefillin goes on the left arm and forehead. This mark of the beast goes on the right. You can see the practice from Deuteronomy 6:8. This is once again a hint (as in 13:13) of the Jewish nature of this false Christ and prophet. It isn’t necessarily that they will be Jewish, but that they will specifically be targeting the Jewish customs. It is true that certain Muslim customs and ‘prophecies’ are also found bearing witness, but that would not be something John is familiar with.
It has also been posed that when you compare 13:1 and 17:3 that you find similarity. When you compare 13:16 and 17:9 you also get similarity. Could the number have to do with the blasphemous names?
My last thought here concerning the mark of the beast comes from Domitian. Since I believe that John is writing this during the reign of Domitian, it would not be odd that he might reference the mark that Domitian forced upon people. Once again, this isn’t to say that John is saying the mark of the beast is Domitian’s mark, but to say it will be like his mark.
Domitian enforced everyone to get a mark on their right hand or forehead. It worked like this: When you enter the marketplace, you would have to burn incense to Caesar in order to buy, sell, or trade. In order to make sure that you have offered the incense, you would be marked after you’ve payed tribute to Caesar. Thus, the issue coming forth here in the letter is two-fold. First, John is pushing that they who are under the reign of Caesar should not get the mark. Second, this vision is speaking to a future time when this kind of mark will again be enforced. What is behind this mark is an entire system and mindset.
There are commercials playing where everyone is in line for food or groceries. Everyone is moving quite quickly until someone decides to pay with cash instead of credit card. Though the concept is brilliant when we are speaking in marketing terms, the problem arises when we examine it spiritually. It is a lie. When was the last time that you went to a store and everything went quickly and smoothly? I don’t care if everyone pays with a credit card; it still takes 20 minutes before the 6 people in front of you are done.
The mark is a sign of propaganda. John is giving all of the clues for us, though layered in mystery and uncertainty. We just have to be willing to dig a bit. Of course, this is not the last word, and I’m sure that some will disagree with me. I hope that this has helped to take away the veil of mystery and uncertainty, at least a bit, for some of you. The mark of the beast is quite interesting, but it is also quite simple. Speculation and sensationalism will drive us to believing some very bizarre things.
Mark of the Beast 1 – Rev 13:14-18
And it deceives those dwelling on the earth because of the signs that were given to it to perform before the beast, telling those dwelling on the earth to make an image to the beast, that has the wound of the sword and has lived. And it was given to it to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should also speak, and should cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast would be killed. And it causes all the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the servants, that it should give them a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and that no one should be able to buy or to sell if not having the mark – the name of the beast, or the number of its name. Here the wisdom is. The one having understanding let him count the number of the beast. It is indeed man’s number. And the number of it is 666.
We spoke briefly previously about this image. The signs are warned of in Matthew 24:24 and parallels. Paul tells us to watch out for false signs in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10. Something beyond dubious signs should be expected. It isn’t enough to consider that this man will come out claiming Satan to be god, and here is the proof! We can’t simply expect a Muslim Antichrist, and therefore these things will be done in the name of Allah. These signs are warned against. It would imply, therefore, that there is a seduction that can take place in beholding these signs. They aren’t fake. This man truly calls down fire from heaven.
The people who flock to televangelists and other phenomena, whether true or not true, are in danger at this point. What is it within the human mind that miracles and signs are the signet ring of heaven? There is something here that needs to be burrowed out. We identify heaven by the character, and not by the miraculous. The Antichrist and the False Prophet will give every sign of being authentically in God the Father, yet are not. They somehow are able to deceive, thus we have warnings of their coming, but at the same time blaspheme the very name of God and they who dwell in heaven. What is it that is so drastically neutered in our thinking to be so placated?
One thing is certain: they who are cheap in their walk with Christ are in far more danger than the devout. To read the Bible, whether New Testament or Old Testament, and to still be searching for what it says ‘to me’ is a grave disgrace. Herein lie the glory of eternity, and we would rather see ourselves. There is something calibrated within our souls. We hope to find a mirror instead of a pool. A mirror will reflect back to us what we are, and we’re happy with that. A pool reflects us, but also reveals what is beyond the surface. It is much better to find self in the Scriptures than to find God, for in finding God we are confronted with something much more grand than ‘me’.
The deception comes when we are not lovers of truth, as Paul would tell us in 2 Thessalonians 2:10. To love the truth is more than desiring truth. We can desire truth and hate it. We can seek truth and not love it. We can be content to ‘know’ truth, and yet not live by that truth. We might even delight in the knowledge, but as soon as requirement hits to live by that truth we show the reality of our condition. In the olden days, back when you used gold and silver for currency, one of the ways you knew whether it was true silver was by throwing the coin to the ground. It would hit the floor and make a *ping* that resonates for time after the incident. If the coin be fake, it would hit the ground with a *thud* and the ring would instantly stop.
Either we are true through and through, or the truth is not in us. Truth is something that we live, and not simply something we ‘agree’ with. Doctrine is a strange thing. It goes beyond what we believe. It reverberates into the very soul itself. It finds lodging in the deepest cracks, and from there it shows forth its reality. Whether we are truly believers will come through in all instances in life. For example, when you are in the midst of joy, that joy will overflow into praise unto God. When you are in the midst of trial, no matter how adverse the trial, that will drive you into the loving arms of God the Father. If you be true, you find in all things, in all moments, Christ is there. If you only have the outward appearance of silver, but lack the actual thing, you will find that no matter what circumstances life brings to you, you will continue to emanate your ‘self’, and not a new creation either.
I have often found it bizarre that in the midst of the Charismatic miracles and healings there is always a personality. In the midst of the prophetic, there is rarely a word. It is almost always characterized by ‘getting the Bible out of the way’. You give the quickie sermonette so that people will hear what the Bible says, but the real action is within the healings. The real action is within the prophetic word. Why do we so quickly pass by the Scriptures in order to come to something ‘more glorious’? Could there truly be anything more glorious? This isn’t a critique against prophecy or miracles, but against our mindsets.
This sort of quick grab-bag mentality stinks. It comes up into the nostrils of God and reveals our inner hearts. We don’t truly want Christ. We want manifestations. We want prophecy. We want excitement. We want something bigger, louder, more ‘hit you in the chest’. Our desire is tangibility, but the reality is not found there. How is it that the two witnesses perform signs explained in Revelation 11, and yet just across town people are lining up to get marked? Does this not blow the whistle on the whole thing? The true is abandoned because it is true. The false is embraced because it is easier.
Don’t think that by ‘easier’ it means without hard preaching. They who speak harshly against cults and leaders can be quite easy. Condemn the outward sin, but let’s not talk about the inward problems. Talk about death and death and death, but let’s neglect resurrection. Crucify the leaders who are wolves in sheep’s clothing, but let’s not mention that we too have our struggles. The preacher who stands on a platform lies to you. Any elevation is a lie. They are ‘over’ you only in their imaginations. The elevated platform perpetuates the lie, but Jesus has said that we’re all one. If that is true, that we are all one, then the person behind the pulpit is no greater than you are. To perpetuate that lie is to give yourself over to deception. It is the love of truth that will raise the banner. I cannot give myself to that performance. It is blaspheme to continue in the system called ‘church’ when we know good and well that it is only a building and a service. Calling it church doesn’t make it church. Gathering together doesn’t mean Jesus is in the midst. The whole thing is based off of pretense and error, and to continue in that is dangerous.
The False Prophet makes a monument unto the beast. This is much like when Absolom made a monument unto himself in 2 Samuel 18:18. The Davidic kingdom was orchestrated by God. It was given from heaven, and blessed by God. Yet, this man in his arrogance attempts to steal the kingdom with force. So it is today that they who would call themselves the ‘head’ of any congregation is perpetuating a lie. It is an Absolom anointing, which ultimately is an anointing of Satan. It is antichrist at the heart. We have kicked out the people of God in order to continue in our games and events and programs. We have neglected the Jewish people, some even calling them cursed, and in that have rejected David as king. We have run out the prophets and apostles from our midst, because they won’t allow the pretense. They who are Davidic, whether Jew or Christian, are shunned – even from the Messianic congregations.
The Davidic character is one of tears. It is one of authenticity. It desires truth in the inward parts and will not allow the lie to be perpetuated. David is humble. He is gentle. Yet, when you oppose the Lord his God, you will find that he can also be a man of war. For this reason they are considered rude and bringers of division. They goat kick and wolf back, but to the sheep they are lovers beyond what can be worded. They protect the flock and destroy any who devour. For this reason they are opposed most strictly by the leadership within the walls. They are an affront to anyone who would claim leadership as a job instead of a function in the Body. To receive income for your ‘calling’ is an abomination.
We see in Daniel 3 the story of Nebuchadnezzar building a statue. Why is it that only these three men were caught opposing it? The same question can be asked of chapter 1. Why is it in Daniel 1 that these four men are the only ones unwilling to eat the defiled meat? Did no one else know the Law? Or, more correctly, could no one else discern the abomination? Here it is that the other Israelites considered themselves as blessed and being taken care of. Daniel and his three friends could see that this meat is anathema. What was it that Daniel and his three companions had that the rest of the nobility lacked? What wisdom did they draw from?
I speak quite harshly in this post concerning the religious system that we’ve made. The reason for this is to shock you into reality. By what wisdom do you know whether what you are doing is right or wrong? How is it that you know that wherever your attending is not an Absolom? How do you know that the meat is not defiled? Is it because you pray? So did the rest of the nobles. Is it that you read the Bible? So did Absolom. What makes you so different? This is the heart. This is the nub of the argument. How can we discern whether the miracles are true or false? How can we know and recognize this deception? It is by knowing intimately the culture and character of heaven, because we’ve spent time with God in heaven.
Heaven is the place of intimacy with Christ. It is where you and I are one. From that place, where Christ revealed Himself to you, you are united unto Him and all the holy brethren. If you are unable to love the brothers and sisters of Christ, then you do not love Him. You cannot love Him and then despise His brethren. They who claim they love Jesus and then hate their brother shows themselves to be a liar, and the truth is not in them. This is your antidote. This is the litmus test. The man or woman who would willingly cast out or oppress someone else because they don’t get along together is antichrist. It is true that some people are difficult to get along with. Are they your brother? Are they your sister? Are they truly of Christ? If yes, then you have no excuse. If no, then you cast out the unbeliever from your midst. This is what is important, and not whether you all play nicely.
What will distinguish the Antichrist and False Prophet will be their words. With their lips they’ll claim one thing, but with their actions show fruit of something else. Anyone who opposes them will be vehemently opposed. How is this possible if the love of God is within them? Did not Jesus show us that God’s character is one of servanthood and gentleness? Does not David show us that he was unwilling to harm the Lord’s anointed? This is the character of God. He is willing to endure suffering on behalf of the other person so that they might receive greater glory. If that character is lacking, then there is a problem.
I’ll pick up next time examining the mark of the beast more specifically. Until then, grace and peace in Christ.
tjustincomer 