Is the Spirit of the Antichrist Alive in the World Today?

 

What do you imagine when you hear the word "Antichrist?" Do you imagine a man in a red suit, dressed up looking like the devil, red pointy ears, spiked tail, pitchfork in hand? The Antichrist that is coming will look nothing like that, in fact he will be the quintessential perfect politician. He is not Barack Obama, or Joe Biden for that matter. He will be brilliant in every way. A true show man to the world. When God created Lucifer, he was the most perfect of all God's created angels and I firmly believe that will carry over into what we will see in the man who rises up in the End Times during the Tribulation period. He would be someone you would say, that you could listen to all day!

Satan and his workers always show up in opposition to Christ and His ministry. Where do you find Satan at work to destroy? In churches, in Christian ministries, in works that matter, in worship. When problems occur in these places, it is designed to distract you while you are there. To get your mind off of these things in any way he can. You ever have your mind wander in the middle of a prayer or while listening to your pastor's sermon? Satan attacks the works of the church, hates Christians and is out to destroy you, to downplay the significance and importance of church and its ministers.

The coming of the Antichrist will become an evil event because of man's resistance to God.

Revelation 13:6 ~ "He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven."

Satan is not omniscient but he can read the signs and trends. He has a lot of experience. Now ask yourself these questions.

1. Can he damage the God of heaven?
2. Can he defeat Jesus Christ?
3. Can he defile heaven itself?
4. Can he destroy the saved in heaven?

Absolutely NO! Then what is he doing it for? So that man will hate God, Jesus Christ and everything that has to do with them. He's been working really hard at it for more than 2000 plus years. It is not that the Antichrist will say anything new, but it is how he says it that will persuade those who hear him to believe it. He will come into a world that is ripe for him. The Bible says that mankind is a fallen race in need of being converted toward God.

Romans 3:20-23 ~ "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Every human has sinned, but we can have access to heaven by faith. To believe. It's called being saved, being born again, being redeemed. Every humans is born into sin, but a baby isn't held accountable for sin until they have knowledge of the law. They were born into a sinful nature. This is called the age of accountability. No one knows what that age is because it is different for everyone based on their maturity and understanding. If they died, they would go immediately into heaven.

Man is at war with God. It's in our hearts.

Acts 7:51 ~ "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers:You always resist the Holy Spirit!"

You're resisting God and He loves you so much He died for you!!!

Romans 13:2 ~ "Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who so will bring judgment on themselves."

The very thing we need, we are fighting against ourselves. Stop resisting God about your life.

James 4:10 ~ "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."

You can try to lift yourself up (pride), and Satan will be happy to play on that.

Romans 5:8-10 ~ "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this" While we were sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!"

We don't really hate ourselves, even though we think that sometimes. We're always thinking about ourselves, we're legends in our own minds. If we hated ourselves, we would be happy we're so miserable. The fact is that you don't.

It's like your grandfather deposited a bunch of money in a bank account for you, you only simply need to go get it.

Matthew 18:11 ~ "The Son of Man came to save that which was lost."

It will become an evil event because of man's hatred toward believers.

Revelation 13:7 ~ "He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation."

This verse does not apply to the church age, but applies to the believers living during the time of the Antichrist, these will be the Tribulation saints.

Daniel 7:21 ~ "As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them,"

Daniel 7:25 ~ "He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and a half a time."

Daniel 12:1 ` "At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time, your people - everyone whose name is found written in the book - will be delivered."

Daniel 12:7 ~ "The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and a half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed."

Because of man's rejection of the truth, it will become an evil event.

Revelation 13:8-10 ~ "All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast - all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. He who has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed by the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints."

Persecution is coming to us and it may take on physical forms, but it is easier to live for Jesus Christ than in the coming years ahead.

1 John 2:18 ~ "Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour."

1 John 2:22-23 ~ "Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist - he denies the Father and the Son.  No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also."

1 John 4:3 ~ "but every spirit that does not acknowledge that Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have already heard is coming and even now is already in the world."

2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 ~ "For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness."

Is your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life? Can you say it with confidence?

You're here now, able to decide, able to choose, able to receive.

Hebrews 9:27-28 ~ "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of the many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him."

Do you believe? Can you say with confidence today, "I'm trusting in Jesus Christ?"

If you call upon Jesus Christ, you will be saved!!!

How to Tell a Counterfeit From The Real One

 

The Book of Revelation addresses more Old Testament passages than any other book of the New Testament and that is why we need to make sure we know our Bible. Satan wants us to worship and bow down to him and that has always been his goal. It is anything, that is not of God. If you don't worship the God of the Bible, than you worship something whether money, education, power, fame, etc. This is the real reason that Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world, when he tempted Him in the desert. It was his to give.

When the Antichrist comes it will be a miraculous event through Satanic deception.

Revelation 13:3 ~ "One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast."

The Antichrist will look as if he had died. He will have an assassination attempt on his life that will look as though it succeeded and he will be well-known throughout the world when it happens. When he is healed, the whole world will be amazed and be deceived.

Zechariah 11:17 ~ "Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm be completely withered, his right eye totally blinded." 

Satanic deception also traffics the world of miraculous healings. Just because someone does a miracle does not mean it came from God. You'd be surprised at how far some people would go and believe just for a miracle. Matthew 7 reminds us that many will come in Jesus name performing miracles. These are not from God, they are used to get you to believe false doctrine and accept anything other than the Jesus of the Bible.

Look at Paul. Three times he attempted to pray to God for healing and all three times he was denied. God told him that His strength would be made perfect in his weakness. Paul accepted that truth and never prayed for healing again.

Don't be a fair-weather Christian. You'll follow Jesus as long as things go your way. As long as you have money, a great job, a home, health, prosperity, love, happiness...you name it. But the minute that is all taken away, you have nothing left and that is where you will find how true your faith in Jesus really is.

This is why when trials and persecution are so healthy. When things are stripped away it defines who we really are and what our true faith looks like.

This miraculous event will bring about a false worship.

Revelation 13:4 ~ "Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"

Satan appears to Jesus at the beginning of His ministry. He was trying to figure out how to deal with God in human form. Satan wanted to know if Jesus could be tempted in the same way he had and have a desire to be worshiped. It was the same reason he tempted Eve. The doctrine remains the same, to be like God. It is his passion and desire to be worshiped. The human soul craves attention, power, authority, fame and accolades because we now live in a fallen world. Satan will possess the body of a man, the Antichrist. This is the fall out of sin in the world, not acts of God like insurance policies say. This is why bad things happen even though God is still God. This is the twisted thinking of Satan to do things and then watch us blame God when it does.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 9-11 ~ "Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. 

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness." 

There can never be true worship without deep love and appreciation. Any attempt to worship anything else will leave you empty. Satan will attempt to show his true agenda (worship).

Matthew 24:15 ~ "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation' spoken of through the prophet Daniel - let the reader understand -"

This miraculous event will come through demonic persuasion.

Revelation 13:5 ~ "The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months."

The Jerusalem Initiative will promote the Antichrist to a global statesman when he is able to broker the 7-year peace treaty that no one has been able to do. There is a satanic agenda at work today.

1 John 2:18 ~ "Dear children, this is the last hour, and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour."

1 John 2:22-23 ~ "Who is the liar? It is the man who denies the Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist - he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also."

1 John 4:3 ~ "but every spirit that does not acknowledge that Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."

Wherever, whenever the Lord is at work, there will be a satanic agenda at work.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 ~ "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 ~ "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Jesus. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve."

Charismatic deception is nothing new. Watch out when you go to church. Wherever miracles were performed in the Bible, there were those who counter-argued that these were not from God. Where do you find counterfeit $100 bills? Alongside real $100 bills.

The Word of God is more true each time we hear it and read it. It builds our faith. The truth is always the truth, we are just catching up to it.

Just Who Are You Following Any Way?

 

Some might say the Book of Revelation is too hard to understand, but I would challenge you to join this study and see if it doesn't make sense and you gain a clarity you didn't have before. I know I have and thus the reason for sharing it with you. Grab a Bible and a notebook and join in the fun in this study.

We have been studying the rise of the Antichrist, both in nature and character. The word Antichrist means impostor Christ or instead of Christ. Jesus provided a warning that deception would be coming just before His return. This Antichrist will become a legend so much in his own mind that he will stand in the temple in Jerusalem and proclaim himself to be god.

If you don't know the Bible, you might already find yourselves being deceived, even though what someone is saying sounds correct. We need to open our Bibles and compare it to what God says in regards to what is being said and forget about what we "feel."

In the teaching and preaching of the ministry of Jesus about what the signs would be before the end times, He provides such clarity.

Matthew 24:3-5, 11, 15 ~ "As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sing of your coming and of the close of the age?" And Jesus answered them, "See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, "I am the Christ and they will lead many astray."  And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),"

Jesus reminds us that the number one thing we need to be wary of is being deceived. Many will be deceived, both in the authority of Jesus and coming to them in His Name, but they are not. Look at the level of deception in the world today by false prophets, cults, false teachers, false gospels and even false Christs. Are there more of these in the world today than say the last 100 years? Absolutely! More than you can count and they are growing every day.

In Matthew 24:15 this is a culminating event for the Antichrist to stand in the temple and declare himself to be god. In order for that to happen, there has to be a temple built and that will happen one day on a vacant plot of land that sits waiting for that to happen.

Matthew 24:32-33 ~ "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates."

We need to understand this parable and learn the truth that is conveys. When spring comes it seems one day the trees are on the verge of budding and then the next day, it bursts forth in color and newness. This means it will be sudden. Some scholars believe that the fig tree represents Israel and that when we see events happening in Israel we should be looking up. Israel became a nation again for the second time in one day on May 14, 1948. The entire future program of God is centered around the nation of Israel and the return of Jesus Christ to that Israel.

Regarding false prophets and false teachers, the apostle Paul warned...

Galatians 1:8-9 ~ "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, 'let him be accursed.' As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, 'let him be accused."

The Antichrist has an agenda of deception. It will be a global event by political means.

Revelation 13:1-10 ~ "And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?" The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast - all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. He who has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints."

Daniel 8:25 ~ "By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy man. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken - but by no human hand."

He engineers a 7 year peace treaty but he will deceive the world through this peace. He will impress the U.N. and the European Union. He will out politic the United States and the world will love him because he will be their man!

He will come by religious mockery.

Luke 21:17 ~ "You will be hated by all for my name's sake."

The moment you mention, Jesus Christ, the Bible or God, you will be hated by those who hear you and this is only going to increase. The global system of mockery of biblical Christianity and the biblical Jesus. The world hates a real Christian and the world hates a real Jesus. If we feed the homeless, the world hates us because they are not the ones doing it and they feel bad. Why is it when you curse, you'll say the name of Jesus or ask God to condemn something or someone. Because there is power in that name. No one even feels better after they do it either because there is a spirit against Jesus in the world today.

You will only hear more and more blasphemous doctrine and speech in the days ahead. Even now you hear of people being shot simply because they confess they are Christians over any other religion or that they believe in Jesus. Why is that? When you probe these people you will find out that deep inside of them, they have been hurt by someone or upset them under the premise of saying that they believe in Jesus like a church leader or teacher.

The question I have is who are you following anyway?

Is the Antichrist Alive Today?

 

This is probably one of the greatest questions most people will ask when discussing End Times events and Bible prophecy, is the Antichrist alive today?  If you were to ask me based on my own personal opinion and looking around at the events I see happening around me every single day with my Bible wide open, I would have to say that Yes! I believe he is. Israel is the main topic of global politics today and remember that the nation of Israel did not exist until May 14, 1948. The world today hates the nation of Israel, the Jewish people and if you notice the city of Jerusalem appears in the news more daily than any other city since 1948.

Yet we have to understand a few things as well. We know that Satan is not omnipotent or omniscient, all knowing and all powerful like God is. He does not know when the End Time events will happen much like we don't. Therefore, he has had to have a man standing by in every generation for when that time does come. Satan doesn't know when that time will come only God does, but he can understand the signs much like we do and he is watching, believing that regardless of how the Bible says it will all turn out in the end, he believes through his pride and arrogance that he will win in the end.

The coming of the Antichrist will be a global event by political means.

Revelation 13:1 ~ "And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name." 

The Antichrist will come on the scene almost insignificant at first. He will come in intrigue, from a leadership role in what used to be the Ancient Roman Empire in the last days. The United States of Europe. It will be a system that will take over the world, much like the euro is overtaking the dollar. A currency will rise in Europe that will overtake the dollar including the British pound and the Chinese Yen.

We know that the Antichrist will usher in a 7 year peace treaty that Daniel 7:26-27 speak of. The world is looking for someone to bring peace to the Middle East. It won't happen in the world til it happens in the Middle East first.

If we look at the meaning of the word "sea" from Revelation 13:1 and understand that "sea" in the Middle East, means the Mediterranean Sea. But "sea" in the Bible means Gentile communities around the world. It is where we get the phrase, sea of humanity. Can it mean both and still make sense, absolutely. A beast will come out of the Gentile sea of humanity in the area close to the Mediterranean Sea, or Ancient Rome!

We need to understand the meaning of the 7 heads, which represents 7 leaders that will arise in the global world.

10 horns represents kingship and authority or rule. These represent the 10 kings that will initially arise in the global one world government.

10 crowns represent the kings and their authority over their lands, kingdoms or nations or regions over the earth.

The Bible contains the worlds history past, present and future. In the Book of Daniel, we understand that the Antichrist will dupe the whole world with peace and prosperity. Now there is nothing wrong with wanting peace and prosperity as long as it comes with the right priority first. We are missing justice and equity in the world. There are so many lost that still live in bondage to the darkness. Jesus reminds us,

"What would it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? " ~ Mark 8:36. 

Don't love money or what it promises to give up. Love God and see what He can do with the money.

The Antichrist will make a religious mockery and make light of it. We see that the United States of Europe has removed any reference to God in their constitution because they feel America had gotten it wrong and that is why things are falling apart today.

John 14:6 ~ "Jesus answered, "I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Some might argue that this verse is too narrow in the way we should think about eternity. But if you look at it in the Greek or Hebrew it actually reads, I am THE way, and THE truth and THE life. It narrows it even further to mean there is no other way, no other truth and no other life apart from Jesus to get to heaven. This upsets people but on Sunday morning, the tomb of Jesus was empty. The tombs of all the other religious leaders in the world are still full. You have to deal with the truth of Christ. You either have to deny Him or accept Him. You can't ignore Him.

The Antichrist will lead the world in denial against Jesus. He will offer an alternative that promises you freedom to do whatever you want, worship however and whomever you want all with no consequences and that is just what the itching ears of the world wants to hear. This will be one of the indicators that a global leader and a new age, new world government is on its way. Look around it is happening more and more each day. 

The Way is Being Paved for the End Times

 

If you know your Bible, then you know there is the Holy Trinity, which is comprised of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but when the Tribulation begins, Satan will also attempt to create an unholy trinity which is comprised of Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet. The Antichrist or impostor Christ will rise out of a political theater and will come out of no where. You might say that isn't possible that someone can rise to such a place of prominence without anyone knowing anything about him, but consider our former president in the United States, Barack Obama. No one had heard of him 12 years ago, he has a limited political background and was immediately pushed to the forefront of the presidential campaign while people were still trying to figure out just where he came from and what his background was. This makes the rise of the Antichrist possible and without question it can and will happen in the future.

The False Prophet will be a religious leader that will take charge of the world's religions and combine them in a global one world religion that appeases most everyone except those that hold to the doctrines of the Bible as absolute.

So is the Antichrist alive today? Based on the world events we see happening around us everyday, it wouldn't surprise me if he was. He is not the image of what the world might imagine. He won't be grotesque in appearance or have a red tail or act in a demonic like manner, but quite the contrary will be charismatic, influential, brilliant and he will swoon the world with his words like Hitler did. He will be a great orator to draw people in by what he has to say. It will be deceptive, demonic and spiritual in nature and character and the world will fall for it. He will allow for a global world church. He will establish a cashless system which we have already have begun laying the groundwork for even now, and will establish a way to identify those who follow him and those that don't with the introduction of a mark.

We see how easily that would be to introduce with the rise of terrorism and drugs in the world, simply take away the cash and see how much that would limit what they could do. We have heard about the implementation of a national security card and the possibility of chip implants that would host information about the person that it is implanted in as a way of tracking them, maintaining their medical history and so much more. The world is aching for someone to fix what is rapidly happening in the world from the issues with global downfalls of the economy, the global pandemic of CoVid 19, and the rise of terrorists threats. It is telling us that man can not govern himself and we simply need to establish a global government to solve all of the world's problems in a nut shell.

The Bible has promised that the Antichrist will appear when Israel has troubles with her neighbors and we know that since Israel became a nation for the second time in history on May 14, 1948, that we have been moving forward in that direction but now it seems imperative just how much hatred there is for the nation of Israel, the rise of antisemitism and the persecution and hatred for Christians around the world and it is only growing.

Daniel 9:26 ~ "After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood; War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed."

The Antichrist will sign a 7 year peace treaty with the nation of Israel and her neighbors giving them what they have always wanted peace. The ability to worship in their Jewish way and allow them to rebuild their temple. It will only last 3 1/2 years however and then things will go south in a hurry. The Antichrist comes from a political means and with tremendous influences to impact the world on a global scale. The world will all fall under his spell.

Revelation 13:1-10 ~ "And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, an they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?" The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast - all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. He who has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints."

We should not be concerned in trying to figure out just who the Antichrist is, because the church will be long gone before he comes onto the scene and rises up in the world. We learn about Revelation and the End Times because it strengthens our faith as believers and because of what Revelation 1:3 promises.

Revelation 1:3 ~ "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near."

This is the only book in the Bible that offers a special blessing on the one who reads it and hears the words. A blessing comes to those who study it and thus the reason we are walking through it verse by verse, chapter by chapter. You can't understand the Book of Revelation however as we have learned without first reading and understanding the Old Testament. As we look into the description of the creature mentioned in this chapter, we have to remember where have we heard these words before and that would be in the book of Daniel. Daniel has described this creature and these events and identifies for us who it is.

We see the creature has animalistic characteristics of a leopard, lion and a bear and we will be breaking down what these means in the nature and character of the Antichrist. He will connive and weave his way into the world much like the serpent did in the Garden of Eden and as we know the whole world will believe it except those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

The way is being paved and the stage is being set, and if you truly know and understand your Bible, you know we have never been closer that we are right now in history. More tomorrow! 

Despite What is Happening in the World, You Can Still Have Hope

 

As we continue through the Book of Revelation, it is really important not to rush through it and realize how it is speaking to us in our own personal relationship with Jesus if we have one today. It should be an ongoing personal checklist to how we're doing in our relationship with Jesus. If you don't have a personal relationship with Him, than how can you say you're a Christian. It's just religion if you are simply going through the motions. The questions we need to be asking ourselves today is:

Is this real in my life?
Am I really a Christian?
How are you doing in this world?
Are you relying on the blood of Jesus Christ and His faithfulness day by day?
Have you placed your entire existence upon the altar of God?
How is your faith?
How is your hope?
How is your love?

Never underestimate man's own ability to justify his own sin. Remember that appearances are everything to the Christian life and how others perceive us. Just because you're living together to save money for your wedding and you aren't sleeping with one another, people who don't know you, believe that you are. How can you justify that as a Christian?

Will you fight temptations so that you can stay strong today?

2 Corinthians 9:8 ~ "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

Ephesians 3:20 ~ "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us."

Lamentations 3:32-33 ~ "Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men."

God's not setting out to ruin your day today. 

Hebrews 6:19 ~ "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain."

Have you put all your hope and trust in God? Some might be putting all your trust in money. Realize that it can never buy you great health.

Psalm 42:5 ~ "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. "

You are not hopeless. Your hope is in God, no matter what happens to you. It is the only thing that will get you through to the end. People who are dying want and will cling to the Word of God. Maybe what you're losing or have possessed, isn't what is important for you right now.

Psalm 146:5-6 ~ "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them - the LORD who remains faithful forever."

Got problems? Give them to the LORD.

1 Peter 1:3-4 ~ "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you."

Our hope is alive, because Jesus rose from the dead! That is the deep assurance and hope of a Christian despite circumstances.

Romans 15:13 ~ "May the God of hope fill you will all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Titus 2:13-14 ~ "while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."

To look for, means to anticipate something. It may look to some like they are fretting or worrying sometimes, like sprinters before a race walking around the track aren't worrying about the race, but anticipating the sound of the gun and finishing the race.

Let each moment we have count, regardless of what is going on around you. Jesus paid for the cost of our sins, past, present and future sins through His death on the cross. That is how He redeems us from all wickedness and purifies us for Himself when we put our faith and trust in Him.

God knows how special you are. He is so in love with you and will be with you always. He will never leave you. He loves us because He is love. It has nothing to do with what we can do for Him. That is not love. God's love for us is unconditional. Eager to do what is good is easy to do when you are a Christian, because we can't wait to do something to give God all the glory, honor and praise. That is what being a Christian is all about.

We will pick up our study into the Book of Revelation 13 tomorrow but through today, consider just how much you are loved by God and how wonderful you are to Him. Be blessed through the love and hope that can be found only in Jesus Christ.

It's Time to Gain a Heavenly Perspective

 

Things are not always how they appear. Having the right perspective is how we view those in heaven will see spiritual things that we are studying in Revelation 12 in the war between Michael and his angels and Satan and his fallen angels. The Bible is silent however on whether or not we, who are in heaven, will be able to see things going on in the earth. What is interesting is that if we, in heaven, are giving God's perspective on things, we would not see things happening below to our loved ones as sad. We would know why there are happening and thus not be sad.

Daniel 10:12-13 ~ "Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the King of Persia."

In a nutshell, the prayer Daniel prayed, was possibly in the process of perhaps being answered by Gabriel and he was dispatched from heaven the day Daniel prayed it. However, because he (Gabriel?) was delayed by a fallen angel identified as the prince of the Persian kingdom, it took Michael coming to help him before he could deliver the answer to prayer to Daniel. He was being held up in the spiritual realm. If you want an idea of what goes on in the spiritual realm and our own physical world, read Piercing the Darkness from Frank Peretti! Too often we fail to recognize and forget that there are demonic influences happening in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

Matthew 25:41 ~ "Then he will say to those on his left, "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."

Hell wasn't created for humans, it was created for Satan and his angels. Humans wind up there on their own choices to reject God and do what they want.

Isaiah 24:21 ~ "In that day the LORD will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below."

We need to remember that our most effective weapon we weld as a Christian is prayer, We need to pray and pray again in those desperate hours in our lives.

Ephesians 6:12 ~ "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

This is where our battle is, not with the people we encounter. Pray and pray always in all things.

Ephesians 6:18 ~ "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."

We need to enforce the fact that means "apply the Bible through prayer/" This is the only way to affect the spiritual realm. This is how Christians weld weapons.

Daniel 12:1 ~"At this time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people - everyone whose name is found in the book - will be delivered."

"At this time" is the time referred to in Revelation 12:7 with the war in heaven between Michael and Satan. Michael stands up to act and to defend. Fighting the right battle, wins us the victory, there is a victory that is fully guaranteed us.

Revelation 12:8 ~ "But he was not strong enough (Satan), and they lose their place in heaven."

Jesus took his disciples to a place in Caseara Phillipi where it was not a place for Christians to go. In fact, during that time, it was the biggest place of Satanic worship and demon activity. It was a place carved out of rock where places were that you could worship your god of choice, declare allegiance to them and then sacrifice your child by throwing them into the river below. The place still exists today and you'd be surprised at what it is called, "The Gates of Hell." (See pictures contained in this post). We pick up the story and see how this changes our perspective in what we have read all along now.

Matthew 16:18 ~ "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not over come it."

This was one of the darkest places on the planet. Pan was worshiped here. It was known as Pan - Ick. Worship of Pan, declare their name, worship him and then sacrifice your children to him." These rocks in Casarea Philippi are called the Gates of Hell. This is the reason that Jesus told Peter and his disciples in that location, that the gates of Hell will not prevail against His church, no matter what happens in the world. No matter how dark or evil it might look.

John 10:27-29 ~ "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's Hand."

Jesus gives eternal life for free, it is not something any of us can attempt to earn. Once we have it, we need to rest in that assurance that we belong to Jesus and nothing that happens to us in this life will ever take away the promise of eternal life He have given to those who call Him Lord and Savior.

Philippians 1:6 ~ "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Psalm 138:8 ~ "The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; you love, O LORD, endures forever - do not abandon the works of your hands."

Jude 1:24 ~ "To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy."

John 16:11 ~ "and in regards to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned."

Hebrews 2:14-15 ~ "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humility so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death -  that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."

Satan either wants you to fear death or simply never to think about it. There is a victory that is absolutely final.

Revelation 12:8 ~ "But he was not strong enough (Satan), and they lost their place in heaven."

Luke 22:31-32 ~ "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

Isn't it interesting what Simon might have been thinking when Jesus posed this to Simon. I'm sure he was probably saying, "Why didn't you just tell Satan, No and then we'd would move forward without anything happening to me. I mean prayer is fine and all that, but really?"

When Satan asks to "sift you as wheat," that is not a good thing. People masquerade all the time in their faith, carrying their Bible, attending church, but they'd rather enjoy the pleasures of this world over what Jesus has promised and are not true followers of the faith. Why would anyone want to follow them?

The world right now belongs to Satan and his followers but as we have studied in Revelation 12, that will not always be the case. Jesus is coming back and that will soon change. 

Satan Is Expelled From Heaven

 

As we have been continuing our study into the Book of Revelation it is important to understand that this is for a 7 year duration period once the church is removed from the earth in Revelation 4:1. What we need to understand is that the final 3 1/2 years is known as the Great Tribulation period, one filled with atmospheric disturbances, wars, plagues and geological events. The believers we find scattered through these chapters are simply Tribulation Saints, ones that responded to the message in faith after the rapture of the church. Church Age Saints or Believers have been in heaven up to this point.

From Revelation 12 to Revelation 19, the Bible takes the reader into the microscopic details of the events we see coming to the earth during the final 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation period. As we studied in previous posts we learned that the nation of Israel and the Jewish remnant will flee to the wildness and we have deciphered that this is located in Jordan, and we believe it will be in the city of Petra. During the Tribulation period, the Antichrist will have Jordan as their enemy and thus he will not be able to touch them.

Daniel 11:41 ~ "He (the Antichrist) will also invade the Beautiful Land (Jerusalem). Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand."

Right now the European Union has been stockpiling food supplies and resources in Jordan in an undisclosed location but reportedly not far from Petra in the event of a global war that would impact Europe or the Middle East. It is slated to contain enough food for 2 million people. If you attempt to search for this, you will not find any information on the Internet but those who are involved in the process can't comment on what is happening or where the supply location is. This would be perfect to align up with Revelation 12:6 ~"The woman (Israel) fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days (or 3 1/2 years)." This means that Jordan will supply the food to enable this to happen. 

Revelation 12:7-12 ~ "And there was a war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down - that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury because he knows that his time is short."

This details the eviction of Satan out of his access from heaven. Remember that this is a detailed look at what is going on during the Tribulation period in a behind the scenes kind of way. This is during those final 3 1/2 years known as the Great Tribulation.

Matthew 24:21 ~ "For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now - and never to be equaled again."

Fighting the battle, wins us the victory. There is a victory that can only come from war despite how we may feel. No one wants war, but if you want to stop your enemies from attacking you on your own soil, you have to attach them on their own soil. You can't wait for them to get here. We all want peace, but in order to achieve it, sometimes war is necessary. Think about what happened if the US had opted to stay out of the war when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor or when Germany invaded Europe. The world would be a drastically different place.

Behind earthly wars, there are first spiritual powers at play. The Bible tells us there are nations that are stirred up by demonic and heavenly warfare. Salvation is the absolute victory and purpose of God and Satan wants to do anything he can to prevent that from happening.

We know in reading the Bible that there are 3 levels or types of heaven. We have the (1) heaven which consists of ground zero to where our atmosphere ends and space begins. Then the (2) heaven is from all the space and beyond to include all the planets and stars, suns and galaxies as far as it exists. The (3) heaven is the very abode of God. When we read that there was a war in heaven, this is all three heavens rolled into one.

During the Tribulation Period, Satan is expelled from heaven and the Throne Room of God where he has been accusing believers since the creation. Why does God even allow him access? Satan likes to pick fights, he's been doing it all along and even through the Tribulation period because he knows his time is limited. We see in our study today that a war is breaking out in heaven between Michael and his angels and Lucifer (Satan) and his angels.

This is an incredible sight to fathom because when we consider angels, they are not the cute chubby cheek cherubs. Whenever they have appeared throughout the Bible, people are afraid when they show up, and are often sick for days. Here we see Michael versus Satan. Jesus does not have an equal opponent. This is a battle in the spiritual realm of heaven and one we will look at in greater detail tomorrow.

Is Antisemitism Part of Satan's Ultimate Plan?

 

As we have been studying in the Book of Revelation we have learned at this point in our study in chapter 12, that we are breaking down Satan's plan to destroy Israel, the Jews and belief in anything pertaining to Jesus before his time runs out. If he can do any of this, the Messiah can not return and in his mind he will have won the war against God and Jesus.

The connection between Jesus and Israel is and will remain unbroken. From Genesis 3, God has promised that the Messiah would come and destroy Satan and that Satan has been planning on ways to destroy the genetic line of the Messiah for centuries. Look back on Biblical history and we can see how Pharoah and Herod both tried to wipe out the lineage of Jewish born babies. Satan has been trying to kill the Jews, and they have been the most persecuted race throughout all of history. Why? Because Satan is trying to destroy God's plan of redemption for the world.

That is why Jesus, Jews and Israel is so hated. Antisemitism is rising and all of it is demonically inspired. Revelation 12 is the key to understand Bible Prophecy and it contains a lot of Old Testament references. This is mid point in the Tribulation period and is the advent of Satan's agenda.

Genesis 37:5-11 ~ "Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my shelf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it." His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me." When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you? His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind."

Now let's look at Revelation 12:1-6 to unveil the clues given to us from the Old Testament.

Revelation 12:1-6 ~ "A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven" An enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a male child, who will rule the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days."

The woman is Israel and the twelve stars are the tribes or sons of Israel.

Romans 9:30-33 ~ "What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the 'stumbling stone.' As it is written: "See I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

Israel is still God's chosen people and nation but there is a veil over their eyes. This is Israel's unbelief. The Gentile gathering has been happening since the church age began at Pentecost and will continue until the Rapture of the church.

If you ever have taken notice that Arab maps don't list Israel on their maps. Why is that? It goes against the Koran because it says that Allah can't not exist as long as Israel does. It lists the land of Israel as Palestine instead. It is not great wonder why the sudden push for Palestine to become a state or recognized nation. The nation of Israel has become a thorn in their flesh since it became a nation on May 14, 1948. This is the very reason Satan has been trying to eradicate the line of the Messiah from the beginning. Satan's mission is to destroy the church.

John 1:1-3,14 ~"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

This is the message of the New Testament Church! Satan is desperately fighting for total control. A desire to control human government.

Revelation 12:3 ~ "An enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads."

Satan is represented as a dragon has been a symbol for quite some time. The 7 heads, 10 horns and 7 crowns or diadems, all apply to earthly global powers or politics. We know that throughout the Bible there are references that specific nations, regions or lands are controlled by specific demons for example Persia is referred to in Daniel 7, who has a demonic ruler on control of the land. We need to understand that there is a spiritual battle at play when it comes to politics. We need to ensure we are praying and voting in every election. People would argue that religion and politics should remain separate but this is not the foundations our founding fathers of this nation would agree with. There should be no separation of religion and politics and in fact should go hand in hand with one another.

If you were to ever look at the the very top of the Washington Memorial, it states if you could see it. "Laus Deo or Praise be to God in Latin. "

Satan knows that if he can corrupt the decision makers over a city, a country, or a nation = he can directly influence and effect millions or even billions of people. In the end, Satan and his powers will be condemned. We see that since Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14, Satan is a victim of his own lies and he keeps on trying to find loopholes that will allow his plan to succeed. 

There Will Be No Place to Hide

 

So many people will wonder just why they don't understand the Book of Revelation and it's simply because in order to know what is being said, you have to have knowledge of the things from the Old Testament to make sense of what you are reading first. Once you do that, you will gain clarity to what you are reading. That is one definite way to tell who has read the Old Testament and who hasn't.

Don't self determine what Revelation says, this is the language of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reveals the mysteries of God to those who are willing to be open to what He says and have the Spirit living within them. All around the Dome of the Rock mosque, their is engravings in Arabic that say, God does not have a son. We know from the Bible this is clearly false doctrine and thus the reason that Christians don't serve the same God as Muslims do.

Proverbs 30:4 ~ "Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know!"

Isaiah 66:7-11 ~ " Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children. Do I bring the moment of birth and not give delivery? says the LORD. Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery? says your God. Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her. For you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance."

Isaiah 9:6 ~ "For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Psalm 2:7-9 ~ "I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery."

Psalms 2:12 ~ "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him."

Psalms 2 reveals that this is Jesus. Jewish people will argue that this is not Jesus, but then ask them who is it then?

Acts 13:32-33 ~ "We will tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: "You are my Son; today I have become your Father."

John 1:1-3,14 ~ "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have 
seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

The existence of Israel and the Son of God is what Satan's battle plan is. He is trying hard to get people to buy into the fact that Israel is not God's chosen nation and that Jesus is NOT the Son of God.

John 1:18 (NIV) ~ "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known."

Satan's goal is against Israel and against the ministry of Jesus during the Tribulation period as well as an ongoing battle since the creation of the world. As of May 14, 1948, Israel exists for a second time in history as a nation. This is why God's chosen nation has undergone the horrors and atrocities because they have repeatedly disobeyed God. Look back at Israel's history. Each time they obey God, He blesses them immensely, but then a king will come along and cause Israel to go against the very God they were worshiping and thus God will send them a prophet to warn them to come back to God. When they don't, He uses enemy nations to discipline them, and when they turn back, God forgives them and the blessings return.

Look back at the world today and see if there are any traces of the Ammonites or Edomite people's? No, because God has wiped them from the face of the earth. Israel's enemies are wiped off the face of the earth, yet Israel still stands. This prophecy from the prophet Isaiah warns against the people of Israel that if they do not turn back to God, he will scatter their possessions and scatter them to the four corners of the earth. This happened just prior to the Holocaust. Israel rejects their God again and again and leaves God no choice but to administer discipline.

If you want a commentary on Revelation 12, read Matthew 24:15-21.

Matthew 24:15-21 ~ "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation' spoken of through the prophet Daniel - let the reader understand - then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now - and never equaled again."

We will study this section in more detail in further studies but this has to be a journey that is taken by foot that will take a day and a half to complete. "Judea flee to the mountains."  In reference to the Sabbath, Jews would be fleeing with a conscience on their mind to not go past 12 furlongs in a day. The reference to winter, means that it does snow in Jerusalem and you can't get out of town when it does. With regard to being pregnant and nursing, just means that it is hard to get anywhere on foot in a hurry if you are pregnant or nursing without great difficulty not saying for people to not have babies.

The Bible has continually promised that the Messiah would come through Israel. The fact that the reference is made in Revelation 12 in regards to the dragon waiting to devour the child from the woman has been Satan's plan all along. He has always wanted to prevent the Messiah's coming since God's proclamation in the garden in Genesis 3, that He would send forth a child to destroy him. He wants to destroy the Messiah at any chance because to do so would mean that His plan would succeed to rule the world. From Pharoah's plan to kill all the Hebrew babies to Herod's declaration to kill all babies, Satan has been trying to destroy the line of the Messiah throughout the ages. This is the reason that Joseph and Mary went to Egypt instead while Herod has issued a decree to kill all newborn babies.

Jesus was born from Mary in the line of David in Bethlehem in Israel exactly as the Bible had predicted it to happen. Jesus warned that in the future, after Israel has rebuilt its long awaited temple, that a horrific time would come. This is the abomination of desolation spoken about in Matthew 24:15.

When Jesus came, He came to Israel first (birth in Bethlehem) and will be returning to Israel in His Second Coming. This is why Satan is trying so hard to destroy Israel so that Jesus has no place to come back to. This is the very reason Satan has been trying to destroy the Jewish people as well. Ezekiel promises that Jesus will return to come through the Eastern Gate, which is currently walled up and the bodies of people lie below the area. It goes against Jewish beliefs to walk over the land where dead bodies are laid and are buried. More proof that Satan's plan continues!

One of the Best Reasons for Reading The Book of Revelation

Revelation 1:1-8 ~ "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw - that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. 

John, 

To the seven churches in the providence of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. 

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father - to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. 

Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. 

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." (NIV).

Picking back up from our study from Friday, we have learned the reasons why Jesus must come back. In these references from Scripture, just in the first chapter of Revelation, there are eight references to Jesus Christ alone.


In Revelation 1:5, He is the faithful witness and the firstborn from the dead. In verse 8, He is the Alpha and Omega, the One who was, who is, and who is to come, the Almighty!

The book of Revelation is amazing in that it contains it's own outline. In Revelation 1:19, it says, "Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this." So there are three sections to the Book of Revelation.

1. There are things which are seen. That is what John describes in Chapter 1 as he views the glorious and resurrected Christ who is in complete control of everything that is about to happen.

2. There are the things which are. This is a reference to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3. This describes not on the seven real churches but gives us a chronological look at church history from the beginning up to the present day.

3. There are the things that are after these things. These are the future events to follow that are found in Chapters 4 to 22. It is this simple outline that gives us a brief overview of the contents of the Book of Revelation.

Another unique thing about the Book of Revelation it is the only book that was sent and delivered by angels. In Revelation 22:16, "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches." In fact, Revelation is full of angels from beginning to end, and appear in every chapter with the exception of chapters 4 and 13. This book was given from Jesus through the angel to the apostle John.

John was one of the three special disciples who was often singled out from the rest along with Peter and John on special missions, to witness the glory of Jesus on the hilltop along with Moses and Elijah, as well as being asked to pray with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. John was the only one who stood at the foot of the cross when Jesus was being crucified along with Mary, Jesus's mother. At one point, Jesus sets aside a special task to John from the cross, when he says to John, "Behold your mother!" The Bible clearly states that from that moment, John took her home and cared for her in John 19:27.

When they were told the tomb was empty, both Peter and John ran to the tomb, and John arrived first. He was the one to look in and saw the tomb was empty and the grave clothes folded where the body had been but the body of Jesus was gone. We read that he saw and believed. He seems to be a bit more spiritually perceptive and was always close to Jesus, calling himself, "the disciple that Jesus loved." He was the one leaning his head on Jesus during the last supper, perhaps as not to miss a single word Jesus was saying. After Christ, had risen from the dead and was calling them from the shore while they were on the boat fishing, it was John who realized it was Jesus, and said, "It is the Lord!" (John 21:7).

We know that Patmos was not the tropical island location but it was cold, windy and barren. This was during a time when the church was facing extreme persecution in the Roman Empire. It began with emperor Nero and continued with other emperors, most notably Diocletian. Many believers were losing their lives and families were being torn apart as they were arrested, imprisoned, tortured or put to death in the Coliseum.

They thought that by exiling him to the island of Patmos, they would never hear from him again. It was on this wind swept island that God gave the incredible revelation to John which is contained in the book of Revelation. In many ways the Book of Revelation reads like an action-packed thriller. If you love a great novel, you will love this book. It has drama, suspense, warfare, horror and mystery. It contains rebellion, unprecedented economic collapse, and the ultimate war of all wars in the world. But is also a book of hope and joy and comes with a dramatic climax where sin and death are destroyed forever and those of us that believe in Jesus Christ will live with Him forever. It reminds us that we win in the end, and there is no better hope than that.

Revelation 21: 3-4 ~ "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." 

When we read in verse 3 of the special blessing that accompanies those who reads, hears and keeps the words of the book, we need to understand what that means.

"Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near." ~ Revelation 1:3. 

In order to receive the promised blessing you must:

1. You must read it. By the way the term in the Greek for "read: means to read it out loud. Sometimes when we read it out loud when hear it with our ears and it becomes not just words on a page. We hear it as well as read it. The impact on retaining this is much greater when you do that.

2. You must hear the words of this prophecy. Jesus would often say, "He who has ears, let him hear!" If the Holy Spirit opens your spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear what the Word is saying, it will make all the difference in the world.

3. You must keep it. It means keeping the truths of what you read. It means applying these truths to the way we live our life. It should motivate us to live our lives in anticipation that Jesus could be coming at any time and thus we should be doing the work He has called each of us to do. The reason we want to learn about the future is to help us live right in the present.

So what can we learn from Chapter 1? First of all Revelation reveals that the events of the last days are closely linked. Verse one speaks of "things that must shortly take place." or better stated might be, what must happen rapidly. Some might argue that this book was written over 2000 years ago, so how is this rapidly beginning to happen. But John wasn't referring to how quickly these events would happen in his lifetime, but once they happen, whenever that is, it will be in rapid succession. In other words, once the first domino falls, the rest fall in succession quickly.

Verse 5, speaks of Jesus Christ, the faithful witness. Who better to reveal Himself to us than Jesus? It means that He is the faithful witness, there is no lies about who He is, He is 100% authentic and true. It is followed up by "to Him who loved us," or better stated, "to Him who always keeps on loving us." There are some who believe we must do something in order to earn our way into Heaven, but this is not the case. God loves you the way you are, defects and all. He knows you intimately inside and out.

Jeremiah 31:3 ~ "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you." (NIV). 

What a contrast between the love Jesus has for us, and the love we find in our culture today. The world's love in conditional based, if you are pretty enough, popular, wealthy enough. God loves you when you are unknown and a complete nobody. God loves you when you are penniless and weak, offering nothing in this world. The world loves the extraordinary while God loves the ordinary. He showed this kind of love for us by his death,

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." ~ John 15:13. 

Jesus showed us this kind of love which brings us back to verse 5, in Revelation 1, "He washed us from our sins in His own blood." Did you notice the past tense "washed?" Meaning it has been done. He paid the price for all of our sins, past, present and future. There is no other option in this world for someone to forgive you of everything you have ever done, are doing or will do in the future. No other god offers the power to forgive all sins, based on a love for us, like Jesus.

Tomorrow, we will pick back up with our study and detail Jesus's arrival in the clouds, how the entire world will see him and that Jesus is in fact God incarnate and that this chapter of Revelation is the only book in the Bible where we get a detailed description of what Jesus looks like. Hope you will join me tomorrow.

Not Your Typical Island Paradise

Imagine a world where there are no cars, no telephones, all the modern conveniences of the world haven't even been invented yet. The mode of transportation is still walking or perhaps a cart pulled by a donkey, goats or camel. There are no drive thru fast food places, in fact the place you are confined to is a small rocky island in the middle of the Aegean Sea called Patmos. This isn't your idyllic island paradise. This place was meant like Alcatraz Island, to be a place of punishment, removed from anyone and everyone you could speak with.

That is how the apostle John was dealt with. As being a follower of Jesus Christ, they had tried everything in order to keep John silent, to keep him from preaching and sharing the good news, of what it meant to follow Jesus. They had tried boiling John in oil but it has as much effect as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did in the fiery furnace. So they resolved to exile him to the Island of Patmos where he was given a vision by the Holy Spirit which was later written into the Book of Revelation. The first century church was just beginning and they faced a slew of problems one of which was the persecution and murders of Christians for their testimony. They had hoped if they killed all those who had witnessed the teaching of Jesus Christ, they would simply fade away, but as you can tell, it did not. It only grew.

Knowing the background of the setting for John and the time in which he lived, most people believe that the Book of Revelation took place when John was on the island of Patmos in 70 A.D to 90 A.D.. Imagine how a person of John's time might attempt to describe the events he is shown such as nuclear war, or an atomic bombs, or even modern military technology and machinery of his time, how would he have put it into words if he didn't really know what he was seeing. It is important to understand this when reading the Book of Revelation and thus not everything is an exact view of what something might represent, but in comparing what John knew to what he was being shown, we can make some pretty good estimations or possibilities.

Some of the Book of Revelation is written in figurative language, symbols, metaphors or other techniques to describe what he is witnessing and those will be defined as we come across them as well as possible interpretations. I would encourage you as we venture into this study together, to have your own Bible out and follow along. I am in no way an expert but thought you might like to join me in this endeavor and hope we can explore the book together.

The title of the book Revelation means an "unveiling." That those that seek understanding in this book will find it. Taken as a whole, the Book of Revelation reveals quite a bit more than it conceals and those who understand what it is talking about will be blessed by what they find.

Before we begin our study, I would ask you to join me in a word of prayer:

Heavenly Father,

We know so many people fear what is found within the pages of the Book of Revelation, but it isn't meant to cause fear as it is to unveil the very nature of both Jesus Christ, as a loving and just Son of God, the one alone who accomplished what no man could ever hope to do by dying for our sins, leaving behind all His powers in Heaven and coming to earth as a man. After He was crucified, He didn't stay dead, but rose again as both the Scriptures and prophets foretold, on the third day and now awaits his return for His church as well as coming back to Earth. Lord, as we walk through this study together, bless those who journey with us, open and reveal to us all that You want us to see. Let nothing be hidden from our eyes and let this cause us to move, think and act differently in knowing what await us in the very near future for we seek these things in Jesus Name, AMEN!!!

We need to understand that the Book of Revelation is all about the unveiling of Jesus Christ, who He was, who He is, and who He will be, as well as giving us a look into heaven, the Tribulation Period and the wrath of the judgment of God on the world. The primary objective isn't to reveal the antichrist, but to reveal the one true Christ, Jesus Christ.

He is the star and the theme of the entire book of Revelation. Let's begin in Revelation 1:1-8 ~ "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw - that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. 

John, 

To the seven churches in the providence of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. 

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father - to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. 

Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. 

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." (NIV).

The Book of Revelation is about things that will culminate in the future of the world and the book of Revelation reveals the kingdom of Jesus. It is interesting to note that out of all 66 books of the Bible, this is the only one with a blessing for those who read it and hear it. So why do so many churches avoid teaching on the book of Revelation? I believe there are three reasons.


1. They're scared to teach on it.
2. They don't understand its meaning, so they avoid it.
3. Some believe it's a closed book.

It's put at the end, because it assumes you've read the rest of the Bible. Don't get me wrong, it is important, but not as important at understand Jesus Christ and the message He has brought to a fallen world. In fact, if you haven't read much of the Old Testament, you might not fully grasp what Revelation is about.  It's the reason, most people don't understand what they read. God restores what is lost in Revelation. It glorifies Jesus.

So why the Book of Revelation?

The Bible is so perfect it drives people crazy! All the details are 100% accurate. In the mind of God's eye, everything is now! We can't understand it, because we live in a timeline.

Isaiah 46:9-10 ~ "Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please." (NIV).

We need to understand that Jesus Christ is coming back!

Acts 1:7-11 ~ "He said to them, "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken away from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (NIV).

Why do some people get so excited, and so many people get fearful when they hear that Jesus is coming back?  The apostles knew it:

Titus 2:13 ~ "while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." (NIV).

Jesus, himself even said it, in John 14:1-3 ~ "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. in my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (NIV).

Why is Jesus coming back? What are some of the signs indicating that Jesus must come back again?

1. It is indicated by Political Reasons. 

Matthew 24: 3-7 ~ "As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"Jesus answered, "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places." (NIV).

God oversees all the nations. We now have the unified Europe or U.S. of Europe, trying to mimic the U.S. of America. The Antichrist will rise up in Europe, the old ancient Roman Empire. Geo political problems that become so wide spread that there is no apparent answers.

We have to also consider the major players in the Bible in the Book of Revelation as well. cities like Libya, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq as well as Israel. The nation of Israel fulfilled the prophecy in Ezekiel 37 when on May 14, 1948, it became a nation in just one day. The prophecies of Zachariah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel all concern the establishment of the nation of Israel in just one day.

2.  It is indicated by Societal Events - Global/Social Trends.

A. General Lawlessness - in Matthew 24, people simply stop caring about one another. There was a situation in Seattle, Washington where a women was in a car accident, that you know someone must have seen her, and she remained there for a week. No one reported it, it shows a low concern for the value of a human life. I am sure most people assumed someone else would simply call it in, but no one ever did. She could have lived if she would have gotten help sooner. I believe we are seeing this become more prevalent even now. That there is no value on human life any longer. Instead of people holding you up and asking for money, now they simply shoot you and take whatever they want.

B. Racial Divisions (Matthew 24. This is referred to as nation versus nation) Which in the Greek, nation simply means ethnos, so translated it means ethnos vs ethnos. Ethnos is where we get our word ethnicity from. It's a giant wedge in our country even now. We see racial tensions on the rise from the recent killings of 9 black men and women in the AME church by a white teen. We see the constant racial tensions between white policemen and black suspects. Just look at the news recently and see if these are not increasing.

C. Increase in strange flesh in nature or human sexuality.
Homosexuals means sex against nature, meaning that two men and two women can not create an offspring. They would cease to exist if these relationships were allowed to continue. All human life would end after one generation. There will be an increase in abhorrent sexual nature, that destroys nature and race. We now have seen the recent Supreme Court ruling which has not allowed for same sex marriage in all 50 states to be recognized, so this is just the beginning of what will be an increase in this type of sexual nature and perversion with even more vile things being accepted as normal.

D. Refusal to Recognize History.

We now live in a culture that is redefining history. How many people believe now that the Holocaust never happened? In the world? If you take a look at the history books from 1950 and the ones today, you might be surprised at what is being taught but more so, what isn't being taught to our children. People today are questioning if our country was really founded on Christian principles or if the Bible was even allowed in schools. These are being stripped out of what is being taught to our kids. Grab their history book, they are being taught more about the rise of Hitler, and Islam than our founding fathers.

 3. It is indicated by Natural Events on a Grand Scale. 

Matthew 24:7 ~ "Nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places." (NIV). 

The word "famine" means political famines. People will starve to death based on the ruling and reigning of a few. Pestilence, incurable diseases, earthquakes in various places, Jesus said these would be the beginning of sorrows. There have been an increase in the volcanoes, earthquakes, greater frequency and intensity. There have been more killer quakes world wide in the last 6 years than in the last 200 years on record. The science tells us this is already happening. An increase in weather issues, raging seas, super storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, larger storms that are up by 500% in the last 10 years. Category 5 storms are increasing in frequency and intensity as well. People are attributing this to global warming. Check out the latest information from the Weather Channel and see if this isn't happening. In France alone 3000 people have died just from the heat.

4. It will be indicated by Satanic Events worldwide.

We see that even now in our nation with the satanic agenda trying to push their materials in the classroom as well as displays in public buildings or events alongside the Nativity displays. There will be an increase in the occult and in the fascination with dark things. Whether this is in movies, video games or television shows, we are beginning to see this more readily accepted. A fascination with evil, weird, macabre, death and cults. They begin to live this out in culture as if it were becoming a reality. We see more of this programming on our cable and TV, whereas, a few years ago these shows would have never had a chance of being on public or even cable TV.

5. It will be indicated by a rise in cults or non biblical Christianity more liberal ways of teachings. 

Matthew 24:5 ~ ""Jesus answered, "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many." (NIV).

They won't necessarily say they are Jesus but will deceive you saying there are other ways to get to heaven besides Jesus. That is not the way to Heaven at all. By saying there are other paths to God besides Jesus. Are we not living in those days now? They all have a different message on how to get to God, who is God really? God doesn't want you religious, he wants you in a relationship with Him.

I will continue more on this study tomorrow and continue more on end time signs on why Jesus needs to return and also what we can do to prepare for this. I hope you enjoyed this study today. Please feel free to leave me comments or to share this study with others. It is a great list to post and watch and see if these things don't continue in frequency and intensity. We will continue more tomorrow. Enjoy and be blessed! Jesus is coming back sooner than we ever thought before.