Progressive Truth

Tatwo, my post was addressing the misunderstand of the "Antichrist". I was showing from prophecy that it is Satin, not some human. It was not to reveal Satin from his origin to his destruction. Based on over thirty years of study on the prophecies of Dan. and Rev., I believe I have a well grounded chronological understanding of closing events., of which the mark of the beast is future. From your comments here, are you suggesting the mark is already in play?

Keras, Your statement above is refuting my earlier post in which I state that, "God does not sneak up on us." You go on to prove your point by citing many texts, following the above quote. However, I believe you are mistaken in your understanding of the above. Let's take for example the flood in Noah's day. Noah preached of its coming for 120 years. However, the people thought he was a nut case, since rain had never fallen from heaven. Therefore, they believed it would never happen, thus they never prepared for it. Thus when it did happen it was unexpected. In the same post you state. "Most people have no conception of the worldwide devastation that will be caused by the hit upon the earth by the Lord’s fiery Day of vengeance and wrath." I agree with your statement. And for most it will be unexpected, because they have no understanding of Biblical teachings. But for one too believe that the Lord does not revealed before hand of His forthcoming actions is a misunderstanding of the love and mercy of God, because (Amos 3:7) informs us, "surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secrets unto His servants the prophets." So I would encourage you to reconsider your understanding on this issue, because what one believes is a flection on Gods character, and if it doesn't show case His love and mercy, it has to be wrong. Would like to mention another issue with regard to your understanding of closing events. In this thread you reference mostly old testament prophecy. Do you not understand those prophecies were for Israel only? Too, some of those prophecies had to do with the destroyer nations that God used to bring His Judgement against Israel. I believe as you that the wrath of God is coming upon the world. However, my belief is found in the prophecies of Dan., and Rev., these prophecies are apocalyptic, meaning world wide, not local. God's apocalyptic wrath is very clearly laid out in the seven trumpets and the seven bowl judgements. Why do you not use them? I had asked the following questions which you failed to give an answer, "How does the forth seal, the seven trumpet judgements, the three angles messages, of (Rev. 14:6-13) and the seven last plagues align with you understanding ?" Would still appreciate an answer, since they are clearly mentioned. One can't have a clear understanding of closing events until they are apart of the big picture. Right.

Vine Abider, I am posting these insights for you to consider, because of your belief that the tribulation is seven years in length, and because you believe the nation of Israel plays a role during that time also. God’s objectives for the seventy weeks “Plan B.” Israel was in captivity because it had ruined “Plan A.” If the new Israel cooperated with God, He would bring an end to sin and establish His kingdom on Earth at the end of the seventy weeks. [many as you, believe the 70th week is separated by centuries and the 70th week will be seven years of tribulation] If Israel failed to cooperate, God promised to destroy Jerusalem and displace Israel with a “new” Israel, starting over again. One might call the next plan, “Plan C.” Remember Gabriel’s words: “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.” (Daniel 9:24, KJV) The objectives presented in this verse are very similar to the objectives God gave Israel (“Plan A”) before entering the Promised Land, but the essential difference is timing. In Daniel 9:24, God declared that He was ready to bring in everlasting righteousness within 490 years of a particular decree! Talk about excitement! Of course, God’s objectives could only be met if Israel allowed the Holy Spirit to have dominion in the hearts of the majority of its citizens. God said, “Work with me and see what I will do through you!” If Israel had cooperated with Him, God would have accomplished these amazing things: The nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem would have risen from its ashes and flourished above all nations as an example of God’s redemption. (God gave numerous prophecies about Israel’s restoration and prominent role to Daniel’s contemporary, Ezekiel. If Israel had cooperated with God, the prophecies of Ezekiel would have been fulfilled. Israel’s redemption and release from captivity were to be a pattern of salvation, giving hope to all nations of the world that God would redeem everyone and free them from the captivity of sin and rebellion if they loved Him. The exciting news which God gave to Daniel was that all this could occur within seventy weeks of years. Think of it! God had allotted the remaining time for sin and rebellion on Earth to be a mere 490 years, but only if Israel cooperated! It is such a tragedy to discover that each generation in Israel cared less and less about this amazing opportunity as the 490 years rolled by. God promised to send His Sacrifice, the Lamb of God, and offer Him up for sin within 490 years. The Savior of the world would appear, and He would die in the middle year of the seventieth week. Afterwards, Jesus would usher in everlasting righteousness, but only if Israel cooperated. If Israel cooperated with God, they would have the privilege of anointing “The Most Holy.” The term, “anointing the most holy,” is a Hebraic concept that refers to anointing the most holy officer in Israel, the high priest. (Exodus 29:21; Leviticus 4:3; Leviticus 8:30) Even though Israel had long anticipated the birth of Messiah (the word Messiah means the Anointed One), God told Israel they would have the privilege of anointing the Messiah! Tragically, He came unto His own and His own did not receive Him. (John 1:11) So, the Holy Spirit anointed Jesus at His baptism. (Mark 1:10; Luke 4:18) The fourth objective was an amazing promise. If Israel cooperated, God promised to seal up this vision and all the other prophecies in the book of Daniel, because these prophecies would not come to pass. In other words, if the new Israel cooperated with God so that “Plan B” could be fulfilled, human history would unfold as promised under the original plan. The point is that if the new Israel cooperated with God, He would seal up the prophecies given to Daniel, and their contents would never be known or implemented. Notice what God is doing. God spoke to Ezekiel at the same time He spoke to Daniel, and God promised a grand and glorious future for Israel if they would cooperate with Him. The prophecies of Ezekiel were conditional. Israel would be marvelously blessed if they chose to cooperate with God. However, if Israel did not cooperate, then Daniel’s visions and prophecies would be fulfilled. You must see this larger picture of what God is doing to appreciate the contrasting messages that God sent to Daniel and Ezekiel. Always Starting Over These objectives have profound significance, because they show God’s intentions if Israel would cooperate with Him. The prophecies of Jeremiah, Isaiah, and other prophets pointed to a grand fulfillment of “Plan A.” Unfortunately, Israel did not cooperate. Therefore, God destroyed His temple, people and city. After seventy years in Babylon, God offered a new Israel “Plan B,” promising to fulfill it within 490 years! It is hard to believe, but the new Israel failed, too. They rejected God and they rejected God’s Son. (Luke 20:9-19; John 1; Romans 9-11) Therefore, God destroyed His temple, people and city a final time in A.D. 70. Mercifully, God started again with “Plan C.” Under this plan, God redefined Israel. Israel includes anyone who will believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2, Galatians 3) Under “Plan C” there is a new covenant that is even better than the former covenant. If I were to identify the primary reason for so much prophetic confusion among Christians today, it would have to be this: Scholars are still trying to figure out ways for God to fulfill the many Old Testament prophecies that belong to “Plan A” and “Plan B.” However, these scholars are wasting their efforts because God has implemented “Plan C.” Instead of looking forward to a rebuilt temple in old Jerusalem, we should be looking forward to the New Jerusalem that comes from God out of Heaven. The exciting news is that there will be no temple in the New Jerusalem because the Father and the Lamb will be among their people. (Revelation 21:2,22) Think about this: If Israel had cooperated with God during the 490 years, there would have been no need for a Second Coming. Nowhere in the Old Testament, other than in the book of Daniel, is there a mention of a Second Coming.

Bible Nuggets, I would like to make you aware of an issue that you may not of given thought to at this time in your quest to better understand Dan. 9:24-27. It’s very simple, yet when understood can easily put to rest any interpretation claiming a “double application”, regardless of its highly intellectual rendering of the original texts. Apocalyptic prophecy has “only one fulfillment”, which is proven by those events within prophecy that have been fulfilled to date. If this were not true, who then has the authority to tell others that this event or that event has yet another fulfillment, or multiple to come. Such reasoning makes the more sure word of apocalyptic prophecy into a nose of wax. I would discourage anyone from going down that road.

As I understand the sixth seal it is describing the actual return of Christ. As you understand it, 8 billion people or more would be utterly caught off guard and most unaware of the everlasting gospel which must go out to the entire world. Too, how does the forth seal, the seven trumpet judgements, the three angles messages, of (Rev. 14:6-13) and the seven last plagues align with you statement? In Noah's day, he preached of the coming flood for 120 years, and people had plenty of time to make up their minds to enter the ark or not. I believe it is written, "as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the coming of our the Son of man/Lord " It's not in God's character to sneak up on us.

I'm sharing the following insights, which I believe makes more sense of prophecy than anything I have read to date. Too, it makes sense to me if God sent His son in human flesh to reveal the God Head to man, than He would also require satin to appear in human flesh so that mankind can witness his true character as well. The Man of Lawlessness Paul indicates “the man of lawlessness” (Lucifer, the devil) will put on a big show with counterfeit miracles, signs, and wonders. (2 Thessalonians 2:9–12) Millions of evil angels (actually demons) will herald the fake news, “Almighty God has arrived! Come out to see him! He has come to establish the kingdom of God on Earth and there will be a thousand years of peace and prosperity for everyone!” The wicked will be excited by this announcement. Yet, we can only understand this deception if we learn the events that occur prior to the Antichrist’s appearance.The first four trumpets will devastate Earth and ruin its many infrastructures. People who live then will be in very primitive, miserable conditions. I believe the devil and his angels will appear about two and one half years after the first four trumpets occur. Consider the devil’s appearance as John saw it: “The fifth angel [that stands before God in Heaven (Revelation 8:2)] sounded his trumpet, and I [John] saw a star [a term used to describe angels (Revelation 1:20), a brilliant being] that had fallen from the sky to the Earth [cast out of Heaven]. [At the appointed time,] The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he [the devil] opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it [a great cloud of angels appeared in the sky, the cloud was so dense that it looked] like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The Sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. And out of the smoke locusts [millions of angels with wings, the number of them was so great that they looked like a giant swarm of locusts] came down upon the Earth and were given power [from God to hurt certain people, the harm they caused was] like that of scorpions of the Earth.” (Revelation 9:1–3, insertions mine) In John’s day, the Abyss was thought to be a mysterious region located beneath a flat Earth. People believed that demons dwelled in the Abyss and volcanoes served as chimneys for the fires that burned down there. The shaft (or bottomless pit) of the Abyss was considered to be a hole that went through the flat Earth. In this case, the star is Lucifer who was cast out of Heaven. As the angel king of the Abyss, he is given a key so that he and his followers can escape. This language indicates that Jesus deliberately and precisely controls when the Antichrist appears. “They [the demons] were told not to harm the grass of the Earth or any plant [crops] or tree [they are not permitted to physically destroy anything], but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. [The torture was so great that] During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them. The locusts [the angels from the Abyss]looked like [well-armed] horses prepared for battle. On their heads they [the demons] wore something like crowns of gold [showing authority over mankind], and their faces resembled human faces. Their hair was [long] like women’s hair, and their teeth were [deadly, powerful] like lions’ teeth. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron [they were invincible, human beings could not stop them, injure them, or kill them], and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses [very loud] and chariots rushing into battle [they had intimidating power]. They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, [the star who received the key] whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon. [Whether Jew or Gentile, his title means: The Destroyer.] The first woe [the first curse on the wicked] is past; two other woes are yet to come [upon them].” (Revelation 9:4–12, insertions and italics mine) John saw a representation of Lucifer and his demons in the same way that he saw the seven-headed beast in Revelation 13:1. If you remember, the seven-headed beast looked like a leopard, but it had feet like a bear, and a mouth like a lion. These features are representations that describe Babylon’s powers. Lucifer and his demons will not physically look like locusts having scorpion tails. Instead, the devil and his angels will be brilliant, glorious beings with a human-like appearance, because like mankind, they were made in God’s image. (Genesis 1:26; Job 38:7) The demons from the Abyss will be much larger and more powerful than humans. People will not be able to control, stop, or kill them. God will release them from the Abyss and give them power to rule over the whole world for about fourteen months. God only releases the devil and his angels from the spirit realm (the Abyss), after the world has rejected the clearest evidence of His will and higher authority. When the fifth trumpet occurs, Lucifer will confront each wicked person with the clearest evidence of his will and authority. Standing about fifteen feet tall and deceptively cloaked in brilliant light and charming benevolence, the devil will tell the wicked that he is “Almighty God.” I believe that Lucifer is physically “15 feet tall” using the following texts. Psalm 8:3–5reveals that Jesus created man “smaller” or “shorter” than the angels and 1 Kings 6:23–26 documents that Solomon constructed a life-sized likeness of the two angels for the Most Holy Place. To prove the lie that he is “Almighty God,” the devil will call fire down from the sky on command. (Revelation 13:13) The devil will declare he has come to establish God’s kingdom on Earth and he invites everyone to join him for 1,000 years of peace and prosperity. The devil is called “the false prophet” for this reason. Behind the scenes, demons will arrest and torture everyone caught refusing to worship the devil for blasphemy and insubordination. The Beast from the Abyss is the Antichrist In Revelation 9:1-11, John saw “the angel king of the Abyss” released from the Abyss. In Revelation 13:11, John saw a beast come up out of the Earth (inferring this beast will come up through a shaft in the Earth). In Revelation 11:7, John says the beast from the Abyss will kill the Two Witnesses and in Revelation 17:8, John says the wicked will be astonished when they SEE the beast from the Abyss because currently, he is not visible. Putting these pieces together, I conclude at the fifth trumpet, Jesus releases “a higher power.” At this point, the devil and his angels will physically appear and descend from the sky. They will torture everyone except those having the seal of God as they take control of the world and rule with absolute authority. Paul calls the devil, the man of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2 because he will not be subject to manmade laws. When the five months allotted for the fifth trumpet end, the sixth trumpet will sound. At that time, Jesus will permit the devil to kill one-third of mankind. (Revelation 9:15) When he receives this power, the devil will demand a one-world government be formed. Lucifer will set himself up as King of kings and Lord of lords and no one can stop him. He will demand everyone who refuses to worship him be put to death. To make his dominion complete, the devil will abolish and outlaw the religions and governments of the world. There will be one faith, one Lord, and one baptism. At this time, the 144,000 will announce an inflammatory third message to counter this global development: “If anyone worships [obeys] the beast [from the Abyss] and his image [his one-world government] and receives his mark [a tattoo] on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.” (Revelation 14:9–10, insertions mine) The devil’s one-world government is described in Revelation 13 as an image (or a likeness of the government set up by the seven-headed beast) because it will be similar. The seven-headed beast will be a global church/state directed by seven heads, but the devil’s image will be a global church/state directed by an evil impostor claiming to be Almighty God. The Mark of the Beast If we want to understand the mark of the beast, we have to understand the dire situation that will exist on Earth at the sixth trumpet. After the devil abolishes the religions and governments of the world, he will establish ten “puppet” kings as task masters. He will give these kings an assignment to build God’s kingdom. Everyone must work on this project or be punished for sedition. The devil will resort to an ancient method for dealing with large numbers of people to enforce his laws and manage his subjects. He will divide the people of Earth into groups of 1,000. (Exodus 18:24–26, Numbers 31:48–54, Deuteronomy 1:15, 1 Samuel 22:7, 1 Chronicles 27:1) One person will be chosen from each group to serve as its captain. After the devil divides the people, he will tell each captain that the first 666 people willing to receive a tattoo on the right hand showing “666” can live. All others must be put to death. (Revelation 9:15) This gruesome tactic will expose those who have the slightest reservation about worshiping the devil and obeying his laws. People who immediately accept the devil’s mark will live. The phrase, “the mark of the beast” is a poor translation from the Greek language. The phrase should be translated, “the engraving of the beast.” The Greek word: charagmais translated “mark” in English, but the Greek word means an engraving, such as an engraving on a tombstone or a tattoo, an engraving on the flesh. A tattoo is a very simple, low tech, easy way to control people in large numbers. Hitler tattooed millions of prisoners and the devil will do the same. A tattoo is not reversible, transferable, or subject to theft or counterfeiting. To conduct business (some buying and selling will be possible at that time), a tattoo showing “666” on the right hand will be required. The dire circumstances on Earth at the time of the sixth trumpet require strong action. The Bible also describes Lucifer’s government as a great prostitute (Revelation 17:1), riding on (controlling) the seven-headed beast. This caricature indicates that everyone who goes along with the devil to survive will behave as a prostitute. A prostitute is a person without morals. A prostitute is willing to violate his or her body for something even though he or she knows that doing so is evil. The parallel will be obvious. When the mark of the beast is offered, billions of people who refused to love the truth, people who refused to trust in God and depend on Him for survival will sell their souls and bodies to the devil to survive. This is a profound lesson found in Revelation’s story: When people reach a point where they value life more than righteousness, the Creator of life has determined that such people are unfit to live!