Wednesday, March 30, 2016

The association with something rising out of the sea is an easy one for the Jew. Revelation 13:1

Revelation chapter twelve ends with the dragon/Satan doing what looks like a retreat.
Revelation 12:17 ESV Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.
Don't ever think the enemy is retreating or asking for a peace treaty. If he pauses, it is only to change strategy or reload his weapons.
The Good News bible did an interesting thing, they included an excerpt of Revelation 12:18 I assume for clarity but it works.
Rev 13:1 (12:18) (And the dragon stood on the seashore.) Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads; on each of its horns there was a crown, and on each of its heads there was a name that was insulting to God.
You will come to realize that the Holy Spirit does nothing by random whim. Every word and how they are placed is intentional. Therefore, it is up to us to learn the intention.
Let's start with this:
  • The bible is a Jewish oriented book
  • Written, at first, to Jewish converts for the most part.
  • That the Revelation is prophecy; and, Jews are not the least bit interested in something that cannot be backed up.
Consider Abram (his name when God began appearing to him): God lays out the goal and plan of bringing all men back to him and starts the commitment by stating, “as for me”. God would carry out his role regardless of what the man, Abram would do.
So, what does God do? He declares and then he does, establishing a pattern. A pattern that could be trusted. Our approach to reading the Revelation is no different. Since we are fortunate enough to be grafted in as unlearned gentiles we need to find where the pattern began.
  • No one is convicted, or convinced without the testimony of at least two witnesses. Therefore, somewhere in scripture, there is corroborating evidence.

Let's consider the beast rising out of the sea.

Revelation 13:1 ESV And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.
The association with something rising out of the sea is an easy one for the Jew. This was a part of their history and salvation; and, a mandatory part of their education.
Isaiah 63:11 ESV Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit,
All Israel and a few outsiders (such as Caleb) received deliverance from Egypt by following God's command and walking through a the sea that God parted and dried adequately so that over a million people could walk across what would have been a muddy bottom. God deemed this process as coming out of the sea.
For our second witness, we have the prophecies of Daniel.
Daniel 7:2-3 ESV Daniel declared, "I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. (3) And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.
Once again, though the language is Chaldean, the word means sea, as in noisy surf. If Daniel saw these things in a dream, and there is nothing on earth physically equal, then we are talking about demons as the primary thing that motivates the world powers or leaders they equate to.
Since God can do this any way he chooses, the four that Daniel saw, may, or may not be the same thing that we see in Revelation 16. If it is, then Daniel has seen the beginnings of the first four kingdoms and will live under the rule of three of them.
Think about Daniel for a moment.
Taken captive at a time when he would have probably been getting married, he is most likely castrated, ending all hopes of ever being a daddy, and, effectively curtailing the need to escape. In spite of all that Daniel works wholeheartedly for Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian kingdom. While under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Daniel interprets a dream about a large statue with a golden head. This head parallels the first of the four beasts he later saw and is explained by an angel as being the Babylonian kingdom. Daniel outlived Nebuchadnezzar and somehow maintains his place under the Medo-Persian and Chaldean empires. This alone should give us tremendous insight into whom some of the others are as we now know the identities of three of those empires portrayed by the statue.
This beast may not be coming out of a sea at all.
Another theory and I have espoused it as well, is that the sea represents a sea of people. While that may be, the term itself, which Strong's concordance indicates means salt. That would tend to lend itself to a region and the qualities of that region I would think.
Thayer's definition states that the term is used specifically for the Mediterranean Sea or the Red Sea. If you have an open mind about this, then you can see the possibilities of these beasts being demonic (think fallen angel and this entire scenario will make more sense to you.) To give more credence to what I just said, remember that scripture tells us that four angels were bound and placed in the Euphrates river until their appointed time. So, it is not that far-fetched to envision an angel called the beast coming out of the Red Sea, is it.

“with ten horns and seven heads, with ten crown on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.”

We already saw this in Revelation chapter 12. However, in chapter 12 it is not called a beast; it is called a red dragon.
Revelation 12:3 KJV And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
Because we are intelligent and have considered the context of chapter 12, we know the red dragon is Satan. We can then say that what we see here is one of two things, and perhaps both:
  • That these are demonic kingdoms
  • Or, that they were completely motivated and empowered by Satan.
We also know from chapter 12 that the dragon had three purposes:
  • Kill the man-child, Jesus.
  • Pursue Israel – the woman.
And to make war with the remnant of her seed. (Keep in mind that we Christians are grafted in and, therefore, targets as well.)
seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.”
Daniel served Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian kingdom, which was toppled by, Darius the Median, and, eventually Cyrus the Persian.
What was the common thread?
They were all Assyrian. Three empires, operating in unity and purpose under one central Assyrian head. Does this have possibilities? Yes.
Who took over next?
The Grecian empire.
Now we have a dramatic change, but what happens? Alexander dies and there ensues a power struggle. The result is that four generals run the empire until two rule supreme – Seleucid and Ptolemy. And they only maintain peace between them because of an intermarriage between the families.
But are we not looking for seven empires?
Scripture tells us that seven power structures come into being. That does not mean that the empires are contiguous, but they could be. We have extraordinary historical clarity from Babylon to the Grecian empire, but beyond that is vague, unless you do your homework.
Daniel 9:26 is a verse that seems clear and yet is greatly misunderstood. Why? Because it is attributed to Rome and assumes incorrectly that we should be looking to some leader coming out of the Roman empire to stand as the Antichrist. What does the verse say?
Daniel 9:26 ESV And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.
Historically, we know that Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed by troops, operating under the Roman flag, under the control of Titus Vespasian, one of the Caesars, in 70 A.D.; Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 24 that this day would come. But what came in 70 A.D., was only a shadow of a future event.
Focus, for a moment on the phrase, “the people of the prince who is to come”.
Historians, Josephus and Tacitus, both documented that as the Roman empire swept through a region the defeated were forced into military service. They had little choice in the matter. Josephus tells us that the majority of the troops in Jerusalem, marching under the Roman banner, were men from Arabia and Syria; and, they had a vile hatred for the Jews. Many killed off the escaping Jews, searching their bellies for swallowed gold.
Because the Jews were attempting to fight back it sounds as though much of the city was burning, including the gates of the temple as the Romans attempted to quell the rebellion. Josephus documented much of this but it is lengthy. You find the details in the Wars of the Jews, book 5, chapter 13; and, book 4, chapter 6.
So, when it comes to the destruction of the temple, and, identifying who the people of the prince that shall come are, you need to know some background information. You cannot successfully understand end times events with flannel board lesson you learned as a child.
Titus was well aware of what these so-called troops were doing and their lousy attitudes toward the Jews. According to Josephus, Titus tried to stop their barbarism but the Arabians and Syrians did not seem to care.
Moreover, do the Arabians and Syrians now first of all begin to govern themselves as they please, and to indulge their appetites in a foreign war, and then, out of their barbarity in murdering men, and out of their hatred to the Jews, get it ascribed to the Romans?"..... But it appeared that the love of money was too hard for all their dread of punishment,... Josephus, Book 5, Chapter 13
Yes, the order was originally given to use fire to drive the Jews that were using the temple as a stronghold, out, but then the directive changed, and they were to quench the fires inside. With that, Titus went off to rest.
... when Titus had given orders to the commanders that the rest of their forces should lie still; but that they should make use of such as were most courageous in this attack. So he commanded that the chosen men that were taken out of the cohorts should make their way through the ruins, and quench the fire.”
So Titus retired into the tower of Antonia, and resolved to storm the temple the next day, early in the morning, with his whole army, and to encamp round about the holy house. ... although these flames took their rise from the Jews themselves, and were occasioned by them; for upon Titus's retiring, the seditious lay still for a little while, and then attacked the Romans again, when those that guarded the holy house fought with those that quenched the fire that was burning the inner [court of the] temple; but these Romans put the Jews to flight, and proceeded as far as the holy house itself. At which time one of the soldiers, without staying for any orders, and without any concern or dread upon him at so great an undertaking, and being hurried on by a certain divine fury, snatched somewhat out of the materials that were on fire, and being lifted up by another soldier, he set fire to a golden window, through which there was a passage to the rooms that were round about the holy house, on the north side of it. ….”
It is blatantly obvious that Caesar attempted to stop the destruction of the temple based upon what this next paragraph tells us.
And now a certain person came running to Titus, and told him of this fire, as he was resting himself in his tent after the last battle; whereupon he rose up in great haste, and, as he was, ran to the holy house, in order to have a stop put to the fire; after him followed all his commanders, and after them followed the several legions, in great astonishment; so there was a great clamor and tumult raised, as was natural upon the disorderly motion of so great an army. Then did Caesar, both by calling to the soldiers that were fighting, with a loud voice, and by giving a signal to them with his right hand, ordered them to quench the fire. But they did not hear what he said, though he spake so loud, having their ears already dimmed by a greater noise another way; nor did they attend to the signal he made with his hand neither, as still some of them were distracted with fighting, and others with passion. But as for the legions that came running thither, neither any persuasions nor any threatenings could restrain their violence, but each one's own passion was his commander at this time; ... and when they were come near the holy house, they made as if they did not so much as hear Caesar's orders to the contrary; but they encouraged those that were before them to set it on fire.
And now, since Caesar was no way able to restrain the enthusiastic fury of the soldiers, and the fire proceeded on more and more, he went into the holy place of the temple, with his commanders, and saw it, with what was in it, which he found to be far superior to what the relations of foreigners contained, and not inferior to what we ourselves boasted of and believed about it. But as the flame had not as yet reached to its inward parts, but was still consuming the rooms that were about the holy house, and Titus supposing what the fact was, that the house itself might yet he saved, he came in haste and endeavored to persuade the soldiers to quench the fire, and gave order to Liberalius the centurion, and one of those spearmen that were about him, to beat the soldiers that were refractory with their staves, and to restrain them; yet were their passions too hard for the regards they had for Caesar, and the dread they had of him who forbade them, as was their hatred of the Jews, and a certain vehement inclination to fight them, too hard for them also. Moreover, the hope of plunder induced many to go on, as having this opinion, that all the places within were full of money, and as seeing that all round about it was made of gold. And besides, one of those that went into the place prevented Caesar, when he ran so hastily out to restrain the soldiers, and threw the fire upon the hinges of the gate, in the dark; whereby the flame burst out from within the holy house itself immediately, when the commanders retired, and Caesar with them, and when nobody any longer forbade those that were without to set fire to it. And thus was the holy house burnt down, without Caesar's approbation.”
Were they operating under the Roman flag? Yes, but as you can see Titus was unable to rein them in and the temple was burned in opposition to Caesar's orders; that would imply that this action was against Roman approval as well.
What we Christians like to say is, that the prince was Caesar and that the troops were Roman, therefore, the people who are going to come will come from Europe. Can you not see that history records the opposite. That Rome had little to do with the direct destruction of the temple, but Arabians and Syrians did. Syrian, by the way, is a generalization for those forced into duty from the Assyrian nations to the North of Israel.
Revelation 13:1 BBE And he took his place on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads unholy names.
Thayer's definition of diadēma or crown is this: “a blue band marked with white which Persian kings used to bind on the turban or tiara.” This could be huge because the Persian kings are now called Iranian. And, the greatest threat to civilization now is Islam. A product of the Middle Eastern world.
One last thing before I go. Depending upon the translation you will get unholy names or this:
Revelation 13:1 AMP [AS] I stood on the sandy beach, I saw a beast coming up out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads. On his horns he had ten royal crowns (diadems) and blasphemous titles (names) on his heads.
Jesus told the Pharisees that they had crossed the line, blaspheming, when they attributed the works that he did to the devil.
Luke 12:10 ESV And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
In what way do religions then blaspheme? Since attributing Godly things, including names, to someone or something other than God when they should be, is blaspheming.
Islam calls him Allah. Why would that be a problem? Because Islam was not created until 600 years after Christ's death and resurrection. Allah is the name given to Mohammad by an angel that was trying to kill him, and that angel identified itself as Gabriel, according to Mohammad. Is it possible for an angel to lie? Certainly, Satan did. The other side of this would come from scripture that tells us that there is no other God but God and that we are not to worship man's creations.
Exodus 20:1-5 ESV And God spoke all these words, saying, (2) "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. (3) "You shall have no other gods before me. (4) "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. (5) You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
I can assume that worshiping something other than God would then be blasphemy.
If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, then that tells me you are an avid reader of God's word and in an active pursuit of this love affair, we have with Christ. What's that you say? Your beliefs are private and you do not like to read. That is a shame. That sort of makes you like the ten virgins of Matthew 25. 50% of those invited only had enough oil to get them there. After demanding that the others give them of their oil and being denied, those lacking had to go find an all night market in hopes of getting some oil. While they obtained oil, it was too little, too late and they were shut out.
I wish I could tell you all the implications in that, but I cannot. What I can tell you is that Christ, out of love for us all, gave his life on the cross and purchased, not only our freedom from sin but removed all judgment from us. There will be a day, at the Bema seat of Christ where the question will arise, “what did you do with what I gave you?” Many respond to that with, what did Christ give me? The first response I have to that is, freedom. Dying, William Wallace cried out, “you can take my life, but you cannot take my freedom. Why is that possible? Because our freedom was secured on the cross. There is something blatantly obvious though and it becomes glaringly apparent if you spend any time in a recovery group. There are many people there who do not seem so free. As a matter of fact, they are constantly pulled back into their destructive lifestyles.
Because we can be pulled back into our destructive lifestyles, does this make God's grace of no effect? No!
Some would even say (and they have), you should never preach a grace gospel as it is the hell fire and brimstone message that keeps people on the straight and narrow path. Really. What if that kind of thinking borders on blasphemy, as it ignores the price Christ paid for us. What if, that kind of thinking is no different from witchcraft as it attempts to control and manipulate you.
Paul wrote to church body in Rome and said,
Romans 13:14 ESV But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Read chapter 13 of Romans. That is how we are to live, by loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

A discussion about the marriage supper of the Lamb.

The morning bible study started out with a discussion about the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Revelation 19:7-8 NASB "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." (8) It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
The general opinion is that this wedding supper is a feast, much like what Isaiah describes, and that the church will be the guests at the supper.

Where do we get these crazy ideas?

What if I told you that I have never had clarity on this subject. Seeing as the leaders took us to Revelation 19 to attempt to sell their point, it was easy to grasp what the marriage supper of the lamb consisted of out of Revelation 19 and the perceived context. Considering that, in effect, we have two leaders (one seems to be the watchdog over the other) anything can happen, and it did.
One of the men, a man deemed knowledgeable, adamantly declared, “we have to eat, and Jesus had to eat; the fact that he ate fish on the beach with the disciples proves it.” Because he said this many seemed to groan in response, that must be true then.
Dig hard and you will not find anything in scripture that backs up the need for an eternal man to eat. Eating, it seems, is purely a pleasure at this point. As I thought about this, I was reminded of Adam and Eve in the garden. Edible things were pleasant to the eyes and “good” for food, but this does not prove my point either. Perhaps looking at this from the standpoint that man was first made a spiritual being. However, he did not remain a spiritual being only as God put flesh on him. Now thinking about Jesus, He voluntarily put on flesh, became a man and maintains that humanness still today, and, therefore, may have to eat. The problem I have then is not that we might have a need to eat, but the presumption that this is really some sort of fancy dinner when it is a bloody and horrific battle.
With eyes wide open let us continue.
Revelation 19:9 ESV And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are the true words of God."
Thinking as a Jew might what would be the association I could make? Isaiah 25:6 ESV “On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.” At least, we have the imagery of a dinner. However, we quickly find ourselves turning our heads away.
Look up the word supper and you get the Greek word deipnon/dipe'-non. It is from the same as G1160; dinner, that is, the chief meal (usually in the evening): - feast, supper. If I pursue the reference to the Strong's number G1160 I get this: dapane/dap-an'-ay. From dapto (to devour); expense (as consuming): - cost.
This idea of supper now carries the connotation of the bride acting savagely, for the word devour by definition means to ruin or destroy. While that may not at first make sense, it will when I consider who else is called to this supper given by the lamb.
Here is what Isaiah describes:
Isaiah 25:6 ESV On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.

It is all about context.

It is not a lavish dinner where you get to sit and fulfill your selfish, glutenous desires, and the context of Revelation 19 reveals that.
Revelation 19:17 KJV And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
So, even though Isaiah 25:6 describes a lavish feast, that is not what the context suggests here. In human comprehension this is disgusting:
Revelation 19:18 KJV That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
What is clear is that this is the result of a horrendous battle.
Revelation 19:19 KJV "And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army."

So, who is invited to this feast?

Revelation 19:9 KJV And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb”
Since we already comprehend that the bride has made herself ready, you would assume the bride is one of the called. Revelation 19:7 tells us, “his Bride has made herself ready.”
Some of the guests include:
  • Flesh eating birds.
Revelation 19:17 ESV Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, "Come, gather for the great supper of God,
  • Jesus himself, of course.
Revelation 19:11 ESV Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
  • The armies of heaven.
Since we have this declaration from Paul's second letter to the church in Thessalonica, we know that this army includes followers of Christ who are already in heaven with him.
1 Thessalonians 3:13 ESV (13) so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
  • The nations.
I try to tell people, as much as possible, that there are only three people groups in scripture: The Jews/Israel; the nations; and, the church/the body of Christ. What does that make the nations in this instance? All those not belonging to either of the other two.
Revelation 19:15 ESV From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

What is on the menu?

The flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.”
(17)Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, "Come, gather for the great supper of God, (18) to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great." (19) And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. Revelation 19:17-19 ESV
This “feast” is nowhere close to what Isaiah described and must then be taken to be symbolic.

The church is not the bride.

I challenged one of the men with this idea and he immediately went back to Revelation 19:7 to try and make his point.
Revelation 19:7 ESV “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;”
As a stand alone sentence, this does not define who the bride is. As a matter of fact, nowhere in the New Testament will you find the church referred to as the bride. All references to the bride come out of the Revelation with one exception and that is in John's gospel where John the Baptist is speaking.
John 3:29 NASB "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.
Because John the baptist speaks in the present tense, he reveals that the coming for the bride has happened with the appearance of the Messiah. There is a problem here because the bride rejected the groom, the Messiah, and still does. (By the way - Jesus had already been baptized by John and was already actively ministering when John said this.)
All other references to the bride are found in the Revelation, and two of the most revealing are found in chapter 21.
Revelation 21:2 ESV And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
That in itself does not convince me but leads my mind to rethink this concept of a bride. What does convince me is this.
Revelation 21:9-11 ESV Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, "Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb." (10) And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, (11) having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
Here, in Revelation 21:9-11, is the bride and without question it is the holy city Jerusalem.
Certainly Isaiah speaks of a time, at the end of wrath, when God will establish peace once again. And, though we can apply almost everything to the church as well, it is rather specific in dealing with the restoration of Israel, his people. We know this because of two declarations made within the paragraph - "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."
Isaiah 25:7-9 ESV And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. (8) He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. (9) It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."
The bride is Israel, who still to this day awaits the Messiah.



He hasn't much time, and he knows it.

Isaiah, prophesying about an entity and calling it "the king of Tyre", also a real person, puts the king of Tyre in the garden of Eden, addresses him the anointed cherub and speaks of how perfect he was. Common sense would tell you that this had nothing to do with the literal king because he was never in the garden, nor was he a cherub. It might be speaking of a fallen angel, now referred to as a demon, but the most logical chance is that this is speaking of Satan/Lucifer.
Because we assume that the garden incident - you know, the one which brought about the corruption of every human being, happened so quickly, we must assume that Satan's transition and mutiny happened a short time before the fall of man. We can also assume that after man's banishment from “the garden” Satan made a concerted effort to kill anything that looked like it might carry the seed that would bring the Messiah. This, in a nutshell, is the mystery.
Perhaps this explains what almost sounds like an apology.
Revelation 12:12 ESV "Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!"
It seems, in the scheme of things, these segments of time are nothing more than a blink in God's eyes. Consider how Daniel asks for understanding of a dream he had and the explanation comes like this:
Daniel 9:24 ESV "Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place."
The LASB says this about the 70 weeks,
“some scholars see this figure of 70 weeks as a figurative time period. Others, however, interpret this time period as a literal 70 weeks or 490 years, observing that Christ's death came at the end of the 69 weeks (i.e., 483 years later).”
I take it literally. What we come to understand is that the part that says, “to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place” has not happened yet. For those who think it might have, just ask yourself, are we living in an everlasting righteousness yet? The answer is NO. So, the distance between the 69th and 70th year was an indeterminate time, known only by God.
Religious folk love to quote the verse from Matthew 24 that says, “no man knows the day or the hour.” The problem is, they take the verse out of context. The context actually begins in Matthew 22 when at his instructions they went and obtained the young colt and it's mother, placed Jesus on the colt and walked him into town.
The context continues with much drama, violence and an exit past the temple.
The disciples did not understand Jesus mission and reasons for being on the earth, they only knew what every other good Jew knew, that the Messiah would come some day and clean house, making all things right. So when Jesus did not do that and instead began violently throwing the flea market salesmen out of the temple courts, the disciples were completely lost, as were the chief priests and elders. A raging verbal battle ensued for two days. Finally, the yelling stopped and the disciples began to move with Jesus to the mount of Olives. At a loss for an intelligent response to what they had saw, the disciples merely pointed out the magnificence of the temple as they went by.
Everything Jesus had said and done was meant to show them that He was the Messiah and they could not comprehend that truth yet; they only saw the temple - the source of Jewish pride and one of the main things that pulled the eyes of the Jew away from the truth. This may be one of the reasons that God split the veil in the temple.
Jesus responded to their statement about the temple with:
Matthew 24:2 MKJV And Jesus said to them, Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, There shall not be left here one stone on another that shall not be thrown down.
That surely seemed like an impossibility but they had to know and so a short time later they asked him two pointed and very Jewish-oriented questions.
Matthew 24:3 MKJV And as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the world?
It is in response to these questions that he says,
Matthew 24:36 MKJV But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels of Heaven, but only My Father.
He is telling them that no one knows when he will physically return and make all things right. In reading about the end times, we see terminology such as times-time-and half a time, referring to 1260 days or three-and-one-half years. But, we all seem to have this solid idea in our head that God has to hold fast to any of it. Can we pinpoint the moment that the timing of God's wrath will come? NO. As a matter of fact, we could already be in it. Just because the Antichrist makes a seven-year treaty with many, does that mean God must honor some man's timetable? NO. So, in truth, we do not know with precision when Jesus will come riding back to the earth on a white horse.
Are we in the darkness, unable to comprehend the times and the seasons upon us? NO.
1 Thessalonians 5:3-5 ESV (3) While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. (4) But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. (5) For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.
Since I advocate that we think like a Jew, then we too should go with the two witness concept demanded by God. Speaking to his own disciples, not yet filled the Holy Spirit of God, that aspect that teaches us all things and shows things to come, Jesus said:
Mark 4:11 ESV And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables,
They, of all people, would have had the inside track to knowledge as they walked with God himself; and yet they were clueless. We do not have to be clueless, do we, and yet religious zealots will oppose what I just stated, even when confronted with scripture that proves them wrong. Does anyone else see this as a problem?
Where were we? Ah, yes, “the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short.”
Revelation 12:13 ESV "And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child."
The woman is Israel, but, could it also apply to the followers of Christ who has been grafted into the vine? The dragon has certainly done his fair share of pursuing believers. Israel really pertains to the Jews, so it seems reasonable to consider what has become of Israel since Jesus birth. In short, tumult. Controlled by Rome for many years the region seems to have been filled with insurrections and Rome crushing those insurrections. Thousands were slaughtered and impaled on poles as a warning to others. Islam comes into full force around 640 A.D.” with the Rashidun Caliphate. Israel increasingly took on a Muslim flavor. Even as the British took control it seems there was no resemblance of sanity as violence continually filled the streets of Jerusalem. There were struggles with the Arab community and struggles against the British as Jews strained to regain some form of homeland again.
In the Balfour Declaration (November 1917) a letter from the United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour to Baron Walter Rothschild, a leader of the British Jewish community, was transmitted to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland, with the intent of the establishing a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. As you can imagine, this did not go over well with the people who now claimed Palestine as their homeland. The Balfour Declaration was, if nothing else, an encouragement. Eventually, Israel fought for and gained its independence as a nation in 1948.
So we see, that at no time has the dragon/Satan, ever stopped in his pursuit of the Jewish people.

As you are reading through chapter twelve the chronological clock takes a huge jump forward in time.

Revelation 12:14 ESV “But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.”
a time, and times, and half a time.” This terminology, when we find it, is only referring to events occurring at the end of time.
Prior to the birth of the Messiah we see this:
Revelation 12:4 ESV His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.
Having missed his opportunity Satan goes into a constant and deadly pursuit of those who carry the name Jew, and of the Lord. Unfortunately, this will continue until the Jesus physically comes back, eliminates those who choose to fight and tosses Satan into the bottomless pit for a thousand years, while tossing the Antichrist, and the false prophet into the lake of fire for their eternal damnation.
I can never read this without picturing a rather deadly end for Israel. We are told that two-thirds of Israel will be killed. Fortunately, we serve a merciful God and this happens:
“And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.” (Revelation 12:14 KJV)
Once again I beseech you to think as much like a Jew as possible and remember that no testimony is valid without two or three witnesses. This is no different in prophecy, which this is. For God to speak these words bears witness through the symbolic speech he had used already.
Exodus 19:4 ESV “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.
Deuteronomy 32:9-12 ESV (9) But the LORD's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage. (10) "He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. (11) Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, (12) the LORD alone guided him, no foreign god was with him.
Let's assume we do not know if this is literal or symbolic, does it really matter? What matters is that God always has a plan, and his plan includes saving a remnant of Israel. Where the place is, is also speculation and many suggest that Israel will run to Petra. Listen, having watched many cowboy movies as a child, the bad guys would always be waiting up on the edges of the canyon to shoot those who tried to escape. But, as you might be seeing yourself, God is not terribly concerned with the bad guys.
However, it is the serpent that pours out this flood. I am not so sure that Satan has creative abilities like God but maybe he does. It could also be that he breaks a dam or something. Regardless, it is meant to take Israel off the map.
Revelation 12:15 ESV “The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood.”
What would be the corresponding scriptural equivalents?
Isaiah 8:7-8 ESV therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks, (8) and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel."
Obviously, God has played a role in washing away the wrongs done by men during their existence upon the earth. One of the first events that demonstrated that a Godless lifestyle could and would be done away with is found in Genesis.
Genesis 6:17 ESV For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.
In both cases, it is God that is bringing the judgment, but in Revelation 12:15 it is Satan. Once again, we struggle to decide if this is literal or symbolic, but I can guarantee you that the Genesis flood was literal.
Revelation 12:16 KJV “And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.”
As you read your bible, how many times does the earth open up swallowing people? Several, correct? God had the earth open and swallow many of Israel's number as they rebelled in the desert; he swallowed up the Philistines on several occasions, and it was the earth that opened up and poured out some of the flood waters that cleansed the earth in Genesis. So, the concept and validity of such a statement are rather common to the Jewish mind.
With this look into verse 17, we finish up chapter twelve.
Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.” (Revelation 12:17 ESV)
This, should at a minimum, cause us ask about the timing.
If this is a throw back in time, then when did this flood take place? Since we really have no evidence of such a flood, then it implies something more spiritual than physical. If it is still speaking of a future event, and I want to get an idea of when this is going to happen, then I need to apply some focus to events pertaining to Israel and this time frame 1260 days.
Give some consideration to this as I try to show a timeline that represents the time of wrath.
A conceptual timeline of the years of wrath.
A conceptual timeline of the years of wrath.
What's my point?  The rapid changes initiating the removal of the church from the earth and all the associated events that go along with that event could happen any day. What happens within days or almost simultaneously will be life changing for the commoners, of which I am one. Grief will rise exponentially, but then, so will the spirit of God. I believe that the majority who call ourselves Christians have done a poor job of showing the world what Godly people look like, and trust me on this, it has little with acting like you are uber religious. I prefer to think it is acting more like Elijah the prophet. Regardless, keep your eyes, if you can, on the streets of Jerusalem, for there will two witnesses, sent from God standing there. Follow their lead.
Turn your hearts toward the Lord Jesus Christ. Do not worship the beast; worship his image when it gets set up in the temple; and, do not take his mark. Stay committed to these three things at all cost. Failure to do so will separate you from God permanently.

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