Last Daze

Granted, there will be manifestations in the natural realm. What I was getting at is that even though the beast and his ten horns brought us the Roman Empire, their emergence from the abyss in the last days is not confined to the former Roman territories.

Worth keeping an eye on.

What I would say would go something like this: There is going to arise in the Middle East a man who will perform signs and wonders to deceive the world into believing that he is God. He will claim to be God but he is lying because when God returns to Earth in the person of Jesus Christ, He will be seen by everyone, everywhere. This false prophet will demand obedience to his authority and those who refuse will be killed. He will have the means to take everything you own so set your affections on things above and cling to the blessed hope of eternal life in Christ, a hope beyond this world.

That's why its important to stay flexible. The interpretations of LaHaye, Jefferies, Lindsey, et al are largely irrelevant yet some still cling to those notions. They were big on a 10 nation federation in Europe without realizing that the beast and his 10 horns are primarily evil spirit beings who influence the natural realm. They aren't bound to geography.

The disciples who were both Jews and charter members (sans Judas) of the new covenant church which exists to this day. That's why the discourse speaks both to Israel and the church.

I think that's talking about preachers who come in Christ's name, who confess Jesus as the Christ. I don't think someone would both claim to be Christ and then come in His name. That's not to say that there won't be false Christs. The above passage refers to the deception caused by preachers who claim to be Christians, kind of what we see a lot of today. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires. 2 Tim 4:3 Agree. People need to be ready to endure great tribulation. Its not for no reason that we are instructed over and over again by Jesus to be ready and on the alert. This world is not our home.

Have a great day!!

Sleep is what happens after death, usually in the ground but not necessarily so. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. Daniel 12:2 Everyone is appointed to die. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 1 Cor 15:22 Those believers who are alive when Christ returns die, but they don't sleep. Death and sleep are two different, albeit related things.

So true. I've found that when someone has to toot their own horn often and loudly, beware! Someone led by the Spirit doesn't need to denigrate or act condescendingly. That's prideful flesh talkin'. Someone led by the Spirit knows that it is He who leads into truth so they simply present the truth and let the Holy Spirit do His job.

Good advice for everyone.

If only that were true. I'm out.

I also see this as vital to understand because the man of sin will declare himself to be God and this truth will prove him to be a liar.

Correct. I see the last trumpet, the trumpet of God, as immediately subsequent to the seventh angelic trumpet, not the seventh trumpet itself.

If you had one minute to give advice to a new believer who is unfamiliar with the last days return of Christ, and what you tell him would be all that he would know about it, what prophetic advice would you give him? Jesus led with "See to it that no one misleads you" in Matthew 24. How would you succinctly expound on that?

When you've got nothin', fire the ad hominems. Lol. No one ever does. Secret king must win again! The fact that you feel the need to state that claim over and over tells me that its not so. It's akin to the current administration trying to sell the American public on Biden's greatness. Its observably false regardless of what they claim. It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority was given to him over every tribe, people, language, and nation. Rev 13:7 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude [from the great tribulation] which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands. Rev 7:9 No mention of Mediterranean anywhere.

Nonsense. Let's try again. Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. Genesis 18:18 Are only the Mediterranean nations to be blessed through Abraham? NO. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matt 24:14 The gospel is to be preached to only the Mediterranean nations? NO Since Christians are in all nations in the whole world, and the man of sin persecutes Christians, the man of sin's persecution reaches around the whole world. The following verses bear that out: It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority was given to him over every tribe, people, language, and nation. Rev 13:7 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude [from the great tribulation] which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands. Rev 7:9 The language makes it clear. This whole nonsense is predicated on a pretrib rapture which makes it even more dubious. One error leading to another.

Well, I'm not sure about millions being prepositioned, could be true. But when the man of sin deceives the masses with his whizbangery, he will have a rabid following.

This is exactly right. The signs and wonders that he performs deceives the world and it is those deceived people who build the image that must be worshipped. He has a global army of deceived people eager to do his bidding and rid the world of Christians.

And the offspring of the woman: Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus. Rev 12:17 Her offspring are all over the world. Consequently his reach extends around the entire world. It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. Rev 13:7 Stated in such a way as to leave no doubt as to the scope.

I think its a smaller group from all time and I think it revolves around the following: For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matt 16:25 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Gal 5:24 I don't see people becoming physical martyrs for Christ without first having become spiritual martyrs, losing their lives for His sake. Again, that's a call only God can make.

Well, that could be true. "The ruler of demons - Beelzebul" Mat 12:24 "King over them - Apollyon" Rev 9:11 Sounds like the same job description to me but I will concede that it may be a hierarchical thing where Satan is over all evil spirit beings and has appointed Apollyon over a subset. How do you view the 10-horned beast in Daniel 7, the 7/10 beast of Rev 13, and the 7/10 beast in Rev 17? Specifically, are they the same or different?

There are two types of resurrection, [1] being brought back from the dead to die again (Lazarus) and [2] being raised immortal. Paul is addressing the second.

Could be. I'm looking at 2025 myself.

Of course they're demons. You missed the point completely. There's no mention of Apollyon coming up out of the abyss, only the locusts (demons).

As Paul states: For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then the end, when He hands over the kingdom to our God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. If they are considered to be Christ's then, yes.