All Roads Lead to God!!!

No matter where you look in the world today, people are attempting to look younger and live longer. Supplements, vitamins, diet programs, nutritional aids and even surgery all promises results but those results are all external and they are fake. You can look 10 years younger, but are you really? No, you are still the same age you would have been without all that stuff. So why the constant struggle to appeal to the masses then? It simply doesn't change anything except that you might be the best looking dead person around. This is man's desperate attempt to locate the true "Fountain of Life" but we have a fatalistic view.

We are forgetting the primary goal in all of it. True eternal life. Ah, to possess it would be the greatest thing at all. How much would you pay for it if you could be guaranteed you could live forever? How quickly would you sign up? This is the eternal life that never fades away and is 100% authentic.

What if not only to living for all eternity, in perfect health, in a perfect place, without every having to worry about ANYTHING? Never dying, never getting sick, never watching those around you get sick or die? Never being sad? How much is all that worth?

What if you got one of those "and if you act now, we'll even throw in a mansion for you designed just for you, for absolutely no cost, but you have to act now. Would you?

You might be surprised at how many people pass up that offer every single day.

You know how much this all costs? Just your acceptance that Jesus Christ, died for You, that He was buried, rose again on the third day, and now extends this offer to you at no charge to YOU!

Bet you most people would scoff at it. Laugh it off as unbelievable. In fact most sadly do. But it is the only 100% authentic offer of eternal life offered to any person who have be born of this world. There is no other solution that will offer the gift like Jesus does.

As we continue in our study into the Book of Revelation, Chapter 14 is a bit out of the ordinary.

It contains snippets of events of the Tribulation that are not in chronological order. Verses 1-5 were a parenthetical pause from the events we had witnessed up to that point in the Tribulation and give us a glimpse at future events prior to the Millennium. Today we will examine verses 6-7 which will bring the Great Tribulation to a conclusion.

People often believe that Jesus can't not come back either in the Rapture of the church or during the Second Coming until every single person has heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, but that it not true. It is the churches mission and we should be attempting to do just that, but Jesus will come when He is supposed to. God has other plans for how every single person will be without excuse for hearing the Gospel message.

Today we learn about one more way. We have already heard that 144,000 witnesses will be dispatched during the Tribulation period to spread the Gospel as well as the two witnesses in Israel, but here in Revelation 14, we learn about another one.

God will dispatch an angel to flying through the atmosphere in a circuit around the globe proclaiming the Gospel to those upon the earth. Every single one of us will have an opportunity to respond to it when we hear it.

What about you? Are you going to heaven? Will you have eternal life? What should God let you in? On what grounds is anyone let in?

Every single Christian should be able to answer those questions with perfect confidence and certainty!

Revelation 14:6-7 ~ "Then I saw another angel flying in the midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth - to every nation, tribe, language, and people. He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water." 

No one is exempt!!!

The gospel was given by a divine source. God gave us the gospel. Every other religion aside from Christianity is man's attempt to reach God. Christianity is God's attempt to reach man,. You can be religious all you want, but without a relationship with Jesus it is all for nothing. You are simply trying to win you way to God by what you do, say, or think. It is all for nothing. No amount of religion will get you into heaven.

So what is the gospel?

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 ~ "Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I have preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,"

It is initiated by God = It's God who's spoken to man. The source is God.

Luke 4:16-21 ~ "He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written; "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

The "poor" means poor in spirit, those who see their need. "Prisoners" is someone so depressed that they're almost without hope. The "blind" are those who need spiritual awakening.

The gospel is orchestrated by God. It is God who made the terms.

It's like playing Monopoly with someone who has made up their own rules instead of the ones supplied by Milton Bradley. It's hard to play with someone who does things like that. It just doesn't make sense.

God has placed eternity in our hearts. Man needs to believe in something. That is what this is true, that all roads lead to God, but only one leads to heaven. One day, every single one of us will stand before God and give an account of the life we lived. After that is judgment. The only way to get that eternal life we all so desperately want is ONLY through JESUS CHRIST!!!

Jesus is the only way! 

Following the Lamb Wherever He Goes!

Ezekiel promises that in the last days the Jewish people will be brought back into their homeland in unbelief. In fact, if you go to Israel today, many Jews there today will tell you that they don't believe in God. How is that? Their argument is "Where was God during the Holocaust? So their argument isn't that they don't believe in God, they just don't agree with how He is running things. That's a convoluted declaration of faith in God. However the Holocaust was defined in Deuteronomy 28 where God told Israel what would happen if they disobeyed and it happened exactly as prophesied.

The People of the Vision - The Evangelists of God are the 144,000.

Revelation 14:1 ~ "Then I looked, and thee before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads."

Let us look at who the 144,000 are NOT.

If you have heard of the holiness movements or holiness groups, a group of special highly evolved people of God, super saints if you will, who live a life dedicated to God, and if you're lucky they'll let you fellowship with their group or meeting to see if you're worthy enough. This is a legalistic self righteous group of 3-10 people who are not the 144,000 spoken of in the Bible.

They are not the 7th Day Adventists who believe that if Jesus comes back on a Saturday, this will be the group he comes for, because they only worship God on Saturday. If you worship God on any other day of the week, you have received the mark of the beast and you're a devil worshiper. Only those who are found worshiping on Saturday will be selected to be the 144.000.

They are NOT Jehovah's Witnesses. This is a watch tower society that believed that each of them were part of the 144,000 until the numbers grew too large. When that happened, they believed that Jesus has come back already. Next time you see one, ask them what tribe they are from.

Revelation 7 and Revelation 14 tells us exactly who these people are. There will be 12,000 from each of the tribes of Israel listed in Revelation 7. They have not defiled themselves with women, so they are virgins. They are men only. They have been sealed by God. They are Jewish men who speak Hebrew and their hearts are pure for God.

This being sealed, means that God has sealed us as Christians if you're saved and born again.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 ~ "And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee."

Every believer of Christ, has been sealed by God. Born again, sealed by the Holy Spirit. Your belief has lead you to faith in Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:13-14 ~ "In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory!"

This means the Holy Spirit lives in the believer of Jesus Christ. We are guaranteed a home in heaven! You can't lose your salvation! You can't be a zip-lock baggy Christian. Sealed one day, unsealed the next. You can't be unborn again! Sheep can't turn into goats. You just need to rest in your assurance that if you are truly saved and your faith is in Jesus Christ, rest in your salvation as a sealed believer. Stop second guessing yourself everytime there is an altar call. If you feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit working in your life when you're about to do something you know you shouldn't. You're a believer in Christ. Just start paying attention more and become obedient to what He is asking you to do.

The Practice - The Worshiper of God.

Revelation 14:2-5 ~ "And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless." 

It is easy to spot an unhealthy Christian.
Worship is not a priority in their life. They haven't sang the Lord a song in a long time. They don't have a balanced spiritual diet.

They were godly men = ones who were not defiled with women.
They were set apart to God = for they are virgins.
They were uniquely born-again Jews = being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.
They were holy people = and in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.

These verses deal with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ who will come back to sit on the throne of David on Mount Zion after the Tribulation.

These 144,000 men were holy. To follow the Lamb wherever He goes. What does being holy mean?

They were willing to follow the Lamb wherever He goes. To say with certainty that you have had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ.

Holiness means: the way you conduct yourself around your neighbors, the way you treat your kids is the way Jesus would treat them; the way you conduct business is the way Jesus would conduct it; that you can hear an internal voice that is not your own, leading you.

We are in the time of the quickening, just before a woman gives birth, there are signs the labor is progressing and that is where we are at today in the world.

There are more frequent earthquakes happening all around the world.
There is a breakdown of lawlessness in the world.
There is growing antisemitism
There is a growing hatred towards the nation of Israel.
Jerusalem is the hot spot on the world.
There is a rise in persecution of Christians around the world
There are beheadings happening.

You can't deny the facts, the time is growing short.

God is Going to Answer America's Prayer

There are two different types of people who read the Bible, there are prederists who believe that the events in the Book of Revelation have already happened. Then there are the futurists, that believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible in Revelation are future events. It's futuristic. It is yet to come.

There are those that believe God is done with the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. This is not true, otherwise, there is no future for us. The exact opposite is true. If He doesn't keep His promises to the Jewish people or the nation of Israel, then there is no hope for God to fulfill any promises to us.

Mount Zion is in Israel near the Temple Mount today and it will be where the throne of David will be established during the millennium. Many liberal churches don't believe that. This is why it is important to know your Bible. What it says, is what it is.

When we left off in our study yesterday we were dealing with Chapter 14 in the Book of Revelation and that verses 1-5 are what is called a parenthentical pause. God has push paused on the action to give us some behind the scenes information about what is coming after the Tribulation. Without knowing that it can be kind of confusing to understand it if you look at it chronologically based.

We left off with four important things to consider when looking at these verse, yesterday we looked at the person, the Lamb which is Jesus Christ, and almost got into the place, which is Mount Zion. The important thing to note here is that Jesus Christ is standing! There are only two places where Jesus Christ according the scripture stands. The first is right here in Revelation 14:1 and the second one is in the Book of Acts as Stephen is being martyred. An interesting book to read would be Foxes Book of Martyrs to understand how people can go through intense persecution for their faith and not bat at eye. Stephen was in the process of being stoned and he looked up into heaven and saw the Son of God standing before the throne."

All other times when we read about Jesus' ascension, He is seated. He is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Even in earlier studies of this book we see Him seated at the right hand of God. He is resting. I believe that Jesus stands whenever he receives a saint home. To receive us into heaven into glory. That is why scripture tells us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, and that He is with us always. What a greater moment for us to need God then when we are passing from this life into our eternal home!

Do you have that assurance today?

So just where is Mount Zion?

Psalm 2:2-6 ~ "The kinds of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One. Let us break their chains, they say, 'and throw off their fetters.' The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath saying, 'I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill." 

There are passions inside people to cast God out. Trust me, God doesn't stay where He isn't wanted. He will answer that prayer one day and leave the nation to its coming judgment. It's coming to America. You want God out of the schools, out of the courts, out of the medical decisions, out of your marriages and homes, He is leaving very soon. This nation needs desperately to repent of its sin.

Psalm 48:1-3 ~ " Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King. God is in her citadels' he has shown himself to be her fortress."

We know currently that Mount Zion is not lofty in elevation, but this psalm has yet to be fulfilled. This is a future event being spoken off where a great earthquake will happen that will raise Mount Zion to a lofty elevation and that will be coming just prior to the millennium. We have seen that mountains can rise in great elevation as Mount St. Helens has already grown by 900 feet since its last eruption.

Psalm 48:11-14 ~ "Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments. Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation. For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end."

Judah is in Israel today and those future generations will be during the millennium when the longevity of life is extended once again. Imagine to be 100 is to feel like a child?!!!

Psalm 132:13-14 ~ " For the LORD has chosen Zion, he had desired it for his dwelling; This is my resting place forever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it -"

Without Israel being a nation, Christ can't return until it does. May 14, 1948 made that a reality.

Isaiah 2:1-4 ~ "This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem; In the last days the mountain  of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore."

This is the earthly Mount Zion in Israel. These are the events following the Tribulation.

Light Begins to Dawn

As we open our study today into Chapter 14, we need to come to an understanding before reading this so it does not confuse you when you read it. This is going to be a sneak peek into heaven. Our spiritual life should be dominating our life that it impacts our physical world. To walk in the Spirit, we will not satisfy the flesh. To walk in the Spirit is to obey God. Stand up against the darkness of the world.

We are going to learn more about the 144,000 sealed men of God, think of 144,000 Billy Grahams or Paul the Apostles. In fact if you circle Chapter 14 from verses 1-5, this is another parenthetical pauses from God in the action of what we have just been reading. We left off with the Antichrist and the False Prophet in Chapter 13 and the receiving of the mark and now arrive at Chapter 14. It is not the chronological events in the order as they happen from verses 1-5. It is a highlight chapter or an insert to provide some detail from God on the events as they are on pause. These verses will deal the things that follow the Great Tribulation Period in verses 1-5.

We will come across 6 angels as we move forward in Chapter 14.

In verse 6, we come across another angel # 1.
In verse 8, we come across another angel # 2
In verse 9, we come across another angel # 3.
Then we have a break with the mention of Jesus Christ.
In verse 15, we come across another angel # 4.
In verse 17, we come across another angel # 5.
In verse 18, we come across another angel # 6.

There are three types of believers in the world when it comes to Bible Prophecy. You have the Pre-millennialists, A-millennialists or the Post-millennialists.

Pre-millennialists believe that Jesus Christ must return in the Second Coming before the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ can begin because He has never sat on the throne of David which the Bible says He must do.

A-millennialists fall into a lot of what the Catholics believe which is the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ is symbolic and it is not real. Christ will not return to the earth.

Post-millennialists - are of the dominion now theology and that Jesus won't come back until the church prepares the earth for His Coming. He needs to the church to get the world ready.

I'm a firm pre-millennialist because you really have to twist scripture any other way into order to get it to fit the logic of what they believe.

4 Things are apparent in this parenthetical pause in chapter 14. The first is the person of the vision - the Lamb of God.

Revelation 14:1 ~ "Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads."

In this chapter, God reveals how you want to be marked by Him. The 144,000 are marked with the name of God. "the Lamb" is Jesus Christ.

In verses 1-5, deal with John seeing those things that will happen after the Antichrist is defeated, after the false prophet is judged, and when the millennium age is about to begin just after the Tribulation.

Revelation 5:6 ~ "Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it has been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders." 

Revelation 5:8 ~ "And when he had taken it, the four-living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."

Revelation 5:12-13 ~ "In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealthy and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise! Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!"

Revelation 6:1 ~ "I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!:

Revelation 7:9-10 ~ "After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb."

Revelation 7:14 ~ "I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

The Lamb, mentioned in all of these verses and in Chapter 14 is Jesus Christ! The person is Jesus!

The second thing we need to consider is the place of the vision. The Mountain of God in verse 1. Where is Mount Zion? If you said Heaven, you are correct. If you said, on earth. You are also correct, because one day the two will be in the same place as heaven and earth come together. Remember again this is a future vision or parenthetical pause.

A Lamb is Standing on Mount Zion.

Jesus is standing. There are only two times that Jesus stands in the Bible and we will look at that.....


...tomorrow!!!

On Your Mark?

We are going to see a creature created during the Tribulation Period that will be able to scan those who have accepted the mark of the beast and those that do not and will dispense judgment accordingly. He will given life of some sort kind of like all the advance special effects we have now that it possible for us to believe something is real when its not. Imagine what will be possible in the last days that will get our attention and make us believe in it.

The deception of the False Prophet will be undeniable.

Revelation 13:14 ~ "and by the sings that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived."

We see the term "those who dwell on the earth," and in the Greek is simply means earth dwellers. They live for this world. As believers, we know this world is not our home and we are just merely passing through. People of the world are hanging on to everything about it. The people of the world will believe their eyes! To make an image, statues have always been created by man to commemorate or to honor events or heroes in history. Statues, idols, images and icons are an abomination to God.

The deception of the False Prophet will be inescapable.

Revelation 13:15 ~ "And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain."

The word in this verse for breath, is not the Greek Word zo-ea, like God gives. The Greek word here is pneuma or pneumatic, meaning not actual life but virtual life, superhuman.

High tech! We can track the movement of a human being through satellite technology. We can now wee a match strike from 180 miles out in space. An image, a statue of idolatry. This is a high tech, virtual reality idol. This age of technology has been born in our life time the mating between computer technology. It will detect those who have the mark or not, somehow, and those without the mark will be put to death. Beheaded according to the Bible.

Revelation 20:4b ~ "Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the Word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They can to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years."

All in the name of a pagan god, these things will happen. Who will encourage these religious murders? Who will authorize this religious cleansing ? The False Prophet.

The domain of the False Prophet (2nd beast) will be universal. His domain = his realm, his influence and its global with global technology.

Revelation 13:16 ~ "Also it cause all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead,"

You will have an option. Forehead or right hand. If you don't believe this kind of technology is available today and that they are not using it right now, look up two companies ADSX, Applied Digital Solutions Inc and Digital Angel. 10,000 US troops have agreed to have this chip embeded into their right hand so they can be tracked wherever they go, they can monitor their heart rate and other vitals and would be amazing in the event of capture. We would know right where they are being held.

This technology will be used to help close the borders, to eliminate international terrorism because what terrorist will want this embed in them so that everything they do can be tracked. No more lost immigrants whose visas have expired. We know where they are at all times. This technology will dry up terrorism and you can't get it without the mark. It is no longer valid for me to say that I am me. We know have numbers that verify our identities over our voice that claims who we are. We have driver's license numbers, social security numbers, passport numbers, numbers for insurance, you name it. What if we just had one all purpose one and we wouldn't even have to remember what those numbers were.

To receive the mark, we look at the word 'mark' in the Greek and it is charagma, an etching, embossing, a stamp or engraved mark.

This is not the first time this has been used. Back in Ancient Roman times, citizens were marked in order to buy and sell within Rome. Without it you couldn't and resisting it was the same as not saying Caesar in not Lord. All Roman citizens were required to say Caesar is Lord otherwise suffer the consequences as an enemy of Rome. Those who refused went to prison, beaten, and fed to the lions.

When the world implements this it will be based on a security driven issue. It is already being used in credit cards, our veterinarians to track pets and their medical information, so when you see a lost pet, you can take it to any vet and hopefully find the owner.  We won't need a bunch of numbers any more just one in the end times. Instead of all the numbers we have now. All those in the military opted to receive theirs in their right hand. This number you will be assigned with be unique to you as well as your standing in the global community as one who can buy and sell. Your alliance won't be challenged because you can only receive the mark by accepting the message and doing it willingly. We know in part the number will contain a prefix of 666 according to the Bible. How that plays out, the Bible isn't clear but we can see how it could be used.

We are already use to a cashless society and are moving there more and more each day with bio metrics being introduced as well such as theme park passes require this technology and no one really questions it or what they do with the information they have collected. We are seeing data breaches happening all the time and they will need to find a way to ensure these types of events stop happening. Most people don't like using cash over their credit cards because of the incentives the credit card companies offer them like cash back, rewards, or even mileage programs for free trips or other perks.

Let's take a look at the way numbers are used in the Bible today. Here are some meanings of the numbers in the Bible.

3 is the number of God or the trinity in totality
4 is the number of creation
5 is the number of grace
6 is the number of man
7 is the number of God's perfection or Spiritual perfection
8 is the number of New Beginnings
9 is the number of judgment
10 is the number of divine or God rule
12 is the number of perfect government
40 is the number of judgment or probation
666 is the number of man, considering himself to be godlike or divine.

Look up George J Laurer's website. He is the creator of the UPC code or bar code. On his website he answers a lot of questions and you might want to check out number 6. The PC or product codes are on all products and truly don't really mean anything. There are just there as a way of tracking the product from point of origin to where it is bought and who bought it. If you look at the first two thin lines and the last two thin lines as well as two thin lines in the middle, they are the number 6. So in a sense the number 666 is there and it doesn't mean anything by it but it does beg the question, why the number 6 over any other number to be used?

Why do they even have that in there at all?

In the Hebrew language the letter W is 6 in regards to its numerical value. Yet when you visit the World Wide Web, the prefix before the address local is numerically 666. Again, it doesn't mean anything but it begs the question, why this number and not any other. Are we slowly being trained for a time when it simply won't matter what numbers are what and how they are used. For now both of these devices have the ability to track and locate information. Just some interesting things to consider.

It was be economical to use this system.

Revelation 13:17 ~ "So that non one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name."

It will abolish fraud and it eliminates counterfeiting. It will unify the world and world security.

The domain of the False Prophet will be diabolical.

Revelation 13:18 ~ "This calls for wisdom; let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man and his number is 666."

6 is the number for man
3 is the truine Godhead
666 is man, declaring himself to be god.

In Biblical numerology 777 is the number of the Perfect God. 6 is man, 66, is man governing, and 666 is man claiming to be divinity.

So how will this work? When will it happen?

Deuteronomy 29:29 ~ "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law."

You have to be willing to accept this mark when the time comes and it's message to get it. You can't be tricked or held down against your will. Until that time, however keep looking up! 

What Are You Serving?

Is the U.N. a demonic entity? Look at how they vote. What nation has been sanctioned against more than any other nation by the UN? Israel! What nation is repeatedly condemned? Israel. Look at the UN's track record. It seems like man has commandeered the UN entity to war against the nation of Israel. Every tax payer funds the U.N.

If you have ever been to the U.N. building in New York, there is a plague outside the U.N. that reads, " They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore."

Sounds pretty good right? It's from Isaiah 2:4 but what is missing is that they only decided to use the last half of the verse and not the complete verse because it's taking it out of context. Let's look at what it really says.

Isaiah 2:4 ~ "He (God) will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore."

Quite different when you read it the way it was intended. They removed all reference from God when they did that. Satan's plan of deception is not limited to religious settings. He will commandeer any hall of power, to perpetrate his deception. One of the great pulpits he has today is the U.N., the Security Counsels, notice what they believe in, the non existence of Israel. It's an evil tool, but God is not threatened. In fact in Israel whenever they see a U.N. vehicle, it is referred to as the United Nothing of the UN-necessary.

1 Timothy 4:1-2 ~ "The Spirit says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron."

This is happening all around us today. People are leaving Christianity, they are abandoning their faith, and it makes you wonder if they were ever saved or born again at all. Especially with the logic behind their reasoning. They will even tell you what they are doing is wrong and unbiblical but they try to justify their decision anyway. They want to go where someone is preaching what they want to hear even if it contradicts the Bible.

The False Prophet will be an impostor when it comes to worship. He will glue together the political realm with the religious realm. Politics and organized religion are never far apart. Make no mistake about it, godless political movements are often draped in religion. Christianity is NOT a religion.

Revelation 13:12 ~ "It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and make the earth and all its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed."

"In its presence," They are working in stereo to deceive the world. When the Antichrist rises to power, the U.S. will NOT be on the scene, it is neutralized somehow. Europe will now be the new focal point. The Antichrist will give praise to the false prophet. Notice the unholy trinity. This demonic representation of the Holy Trinity. Notice the impostorship of Satan. Satan is attempting to be in the role of God the Father. He is the dragon spoken of in Revelation. The Antichrist is in the place of Jesus Christ the Son, and promises to bring a fake Utopia into the world. The False Prophet is in the place of the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 11:3 ~ "But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ."

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 ~ "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds."

We won't know who they are unless you know your Bible. There are so many ways to God in this day and age but they are all false if they don't include Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. All of them. If you want to do further research check out the Crown Prince of Jordan, is also the president of the world conference on religion and is author of proposing a one world religion. Even our current Pope is using his position to bring all the world's religions together and even believes now that evolution is true.

We know that this False Prophet will be an agent of evil.

Revelation 13:12-13 ~ ""It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and make the earth and all its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It will perform great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, "

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 many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken - but by no human hand."

That's the cry of the world today, peace and prosperity. Remember when Jesus sent his disciples out and away to preach and to heal and to cast out demons, Judas was one of those ministers. Be warned it's not the miracles, it's the message.

1 John 4:6 ~ "We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error."

1 John 4:1-3 ~ "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already."

1 John 2:18-19 ~ "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not 'been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us."

So what must we do as Christians?

Acts 17:10-11 ~ "The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so."

The deception of the False Prophet will be irresistible to the world. Bringing fire down from heaven is a big time miracle. Remember when God used fire from heaven to judge the nations of Sodom and Gomorrah? The demonic world has not forgotten that. He will mimic this act, so how does he do it?

We have to remember not all miracles are from God. When Moses performed his miracles before Pharaoh, what did Pharaoh's magicians do? The very same things. When you study the ancient pagan religions and miracles, just because a miracle happens, doesn't mean its from God. You have to search out the message to see if it aligns up with the Bible. Who gets the glory of the miracle? Test all things!

If you don't know your Bible, you will fall into deception. If you're desperate enough, you will do anything. What if your child was dying and a man promised he could heal her even if he prayed to Fred Flintson. Would you still take your child? If your faith is based on the Bible, remember seeing is not believing. If you believe in God, you'll be able to handle things when it comes to your faith. It will not be emotionally based.

Some miracles are real and so are simply staged.

There was a man who was from the U.S. who led a tour to Israel and over a 1000 people signed up to go. He promised stops along the way with a message or two. After a certain stop, he would climb out of his limo, give his message and then would conduct a healing service and people were healed. Then the next bus came along since not all 1000 people could travel in the same bus, and each time it was the same people who were healed over and over again. This is a true story. It was conveyed by Israeli guards who investigated this incident and found it to be true.

The probability of your watching this very person on TV is high and he makes over 5 million dollars a year. That is his annual salary but he is teaching a false message under the very premise he is doing it under the authority of God. But which God? These people are in our world today. Their goal is covert deception and people are falling for it hook, line and sinner.

Matthew 7:21-23 ~ "Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and do many works in your name? And then will I declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness." 

The two prophets of Revelation are able to work miracles involving fire from the heavens to the earth, Elijah the prophet called down fire from heaven and the False Prophet will love to mimic the ministry of God. That is why it is so critical to know your Bible. Don't be deceived by someone calling himself to be a man of God. Know what the Bible says yourself. Test all things!

Deception: Because its the miracle that is in direct association with the authority of God. In your life, you're living to serve. We all serve somebody or something. 

What you are you serving?

More to come tomorrow!!!

"

There Is No Neutral Ground!

We are making a transition in our study from the Antichrist, a political leader to the false prophet, a religious leader that arises out of a global universal church that embraces all religions. He will be the amalgamation of all the worlds religions to use this false doctrine to his means and with the Antichrist.

We will learn more about false doctrines and prophets in our future studies. When you point it out the truth that is found in the Bible, people will deny what they read from the Bible no matter how true it is. It's almost like they are reading something different than what you are. Like they are blind. They simply don't get it and write you off as some religious kook.

The title of Antichrist is not only a person, but also a spirit, an attitude and an agenda that has been around since the Garden of Eden. It is a belief system that is energized by Satan, himself. You are either leaning towards things of God or things of this world. You either know Jesus or you don't. There is no neutral ground.

The False Prophet will deceive by signs and miracles and his message that will deceive the unbelieving world. When we look at Bible prophecy it shouldn't be something that causes us to be afraid.

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, ad I will do all that I please."

When God says something is going to happen, it will happen. There is no doubt about it because He knows it all. He is all knowing.

John 13:19 ~ "I am telling you know before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He."

The use of the word He in Greek is "I am that I am" and is used to make the statement more powerful. There is nothing new to God. If the LORD is God, there should be evidence of His existence. Our faith in Jesus and God is founded on fact. Any Christian should be able to articulate why the Bible is true!

1. There is an observable universe. - Man has been programmed to argue with God since the Garden of Eden. Technology that speaks of divine engineering or intelligent design showcases things like atoms, DNA, our expanding universe that all before the invention of devices to show us that they are there, was simply unseen. Just because we couldn't see it doesn't mean it wasn't there. That is good science. What the Bible says is true and becoming true through the scientific discoveries and studies just proves what it has said.

2. Historical Record: No other book in the world is perfect and without error like the Bible is. It's historical accounts are founded on facts, everywhere the Bible has said a people, city or culture has existed, archaeology is proving it to be true.

3. Internal Witness. You have tribes deep in the jungles around the world who know withing themselves that there is something bigger than them out there. That is why you will often find them with lots of little gods and one bigger god. They know there is something bigger than them out there.

4. Biblical Revelation. What the Bible has to say speaks to the answers we need in all areas of our life. It contains the answers to man's soul.

Revelation 13:11-12 ~ "Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed."

This is another very bad and evil beast. He has a religious background. The description of the false prophet is that he will be a deceiver of religion. If you want to deceive someone thoroughly you have to incorporate religion into your political agenda. Every movement of a dictator will substitute the belief in God with a new religion. Man wants to self govern. They all incorporate religion into their agenda from Napoleon to Hitler to Nebuchadnezzar.

He has two horns which represent religious authority and two rulerships. One horn signifies the authority over the Antichrist, political leader, and the other horn represents the religious leader. He will speak like a dragon meaning smooth, slick, convincing, knowing, comforting and caring. That is Satan, himself!

Matthew 7:15 ~ "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves."

This is a command from Jesus. The "sheep's clothing" is a reference to religious garb. He will look like a true man of God but is far from God. He will be spouting religious propaganda and will be saying things that all the religions of the world want to hear. A protective shepherd will have scarred hands from protecting his sheep, this man on the other hand will be in it for the money, power and authority it provides under the garb of religiosity. He will really be into the signs, wonders and miracles he performs. He will be a grandstander and a true showman. He will use those he can to help him achieve his desired purpose and agenda.

Revelation 19:20 ~ "But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur." 

There is no mistaking who the second beast is.

More coming to tomorrow!!!!

Is Your Name Written in the Lamb's Book of Life?

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.

Who Are You Following Anyway?

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?

Interpreting the Vision of Revelation 13

It is so exciting to see the events happening around the world today with our Bibles wide open and see how relevant it all is in light of what is coming. We know from the Bible that Edom, Moab and Ammon are mentioned and when you look at modern day Jordan, that remains. Petra exists but in the Bible it is referred to as Sela. Indiana Jones visited it in the Temple of Doom movie and it wasn't a stage that was built but it is the Kingdom Treasury that we see carved into the rock face.

Any religion that says that Jesus Christ is not the Son of God that is the Spirit of the Antichrist. Around the Dome of the Rock Mosque declaration in Arabic, "God was not begotten, nor does God have a son. This did not exist in the mid-600s and shows just how much the world is leaning against this type of teaching in the world.

Yet Proverbs 30:4 declares something much different according to Solomon.

Proverbs 30:4 ~ "Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name? Surely you know!"

Solomon knew that this was God and His Son, Jesus Christ! In order to get to heaven, Jesus was perfectly clear in his conversation with Nicodemus, one of the greatest Jewish scholars of the time. Jesus told him that he had to be born again, but not a new rebirth, but born from above. When it came time for Jesus' body to be removed from the cross, who was there to take down his body? Nicodemus. He understood what Jesus was saying by then. Even Paul the apostle with all his religious credentials counted every single one of them a loss compared to knowing Jesus Christ. No one gets to heaven regardless how long you've been an active church member, no Christian, no devout Hindu, No Buddhist or even a Koran carrying Muslim unless you have been born again. NO ONE!!!

John 3:3 ~ "Jesus answered him (Nicodemus), "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is 'born again' he cannot see the kingdom of God."

We know in our study of the character, nature and physical persona of the Antichrist in Revelation 13, all the heads of the beast that rises up from the sea has on them blasphemous names against Jesus. We see this happening all around us today. Mention any other religious figures name, and no one bats an eye, but mention Jesus and everyone becomes unraveled. The cults have this in common that they all deny Jesus! Jesus must not, will not be who the Bible says He is. In order to define the beast we see rising up from the sea in Revelation 13, you have to go back and read Daniel 2 and 7 to make sense of it all and we will look at it in further detail tomorrow.

We understand he contains three animal like characteristics about him, a leopard, a bear and a lion. Like a leopard, the Antichrists spots can not be changed. His character and nature can not be changed. Let's look at Daniel 2 and it is in reference to a dream Daniel is interpreting for King Nebuchadnezzar.

Daniel 2:31-44 ~ " You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of hem could be found. But the stone that struck the image because a great mountain and filled the whole earth. This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all - you are the head of gold (Babylonia Empire) . Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you (Medo-Persian Empire), and yet a third kingdom of bronze (Grecian Empire), which shall rule over all the earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom (Roman Empire), strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. And as you saw the feet and toes partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with soft clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,"

Daniel 7:1-8,16-25 ~ "In this first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dram and visions in his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. Daniel declared, "I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, 'Arise, devour much flesh.' After this I looked, and behold another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broken in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things. I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever. Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom. Thus he said, "As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces. Ad for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall rise, and another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings. He shall speak words against the Most High and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times and half a time."

Man see these powers as glorious kingdoms from Daniel 2.
Babylonian Empire (Gold) - LION
Medo-Persian Empire (Silver) - BEAR
Grecian Empire (Bronze) - LEOPARD
Roman Empire (Iron) - Hasn't been conquered but will rise again in the End Times

The LORD sees these powers as brute beasts from Daniel 7.  We see a lot of indicators that the stage is being set. We study the Bible because it is true and it speaks about the Antichrist, but we don't look for him because, we, as believers in Jesus Christ, will not be here when the Holy Spirit reveals who he is.

Things can't save you, only Jesus can.

Look to Jesus. Search your heart. If you died today, where would you go? Are you born again?

It is between you and God and no one else. It you are born again, you know without a doubt where you would go if you died today.

If you believe that Jesus is the Son of Go, that He came to die for your sins on the cross, was raised on the third day and if by faith you believe in Him, surrender your heart to Him and be saved, you will spend eternity in heaven.

Spirituality is NOT your salvation. JESUS is!

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

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!