After hearing these words, I felt like I could fit in somewhere. Romans 1:1-20

This study will look at Romans 1:18.

Romans 1:18-19 NASB For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, (19) because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.

Now, if you are one of those that advocate that all sinners should be sent to the Great White and only find the portals of hell waiting for them, then perhaps this is for you, as the passage, we are going to cover can give you that impression if you merely glance at the verse. But you should know me by now, as I tear everything apart, and we will do that; however, as I often do, I want to give you a glimpse into my life and hopefully, make it relate.

I recently had the opportunity to go to a men's retreat put on by two Vineyard Churches. We had done something like this two years ago, and then it was titled “No Man Left Behind.” I felt like I got thrown under the bus, and I returned home as miserable as I came. These events, much like our relationship with Christ, will give you as much as you invest in them. With that in mind, I got to camp this time, and almost immediately, I decided to jump in with both feet; besides, the speaker caught my attention.

The speaker was Dr. Eric Sandras (You can find several of his books on Amazon.com.) We were told to call him Dr. E, and we came to find out that he has a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Relations, and that he has spent nearly a decade as a Human Sexuality instructor at various universities and colleges. So, at one meeting, we had an opportunity to ask any sexual questions we had. You might think that in a “holy” environment we wouldn't speak of such things, but our silence, discomfort, and false bravado along with our phony acts of sucking up the horrible pains around us, while trying to act brave is nothing less than passive-aggressive behavior. (Passive-aggressive behavior has been a lifetime battle for me, and, it is a battle that comes out of Co-Dependency.) The disastrous side of passive-aggressive behavior is that like Mount St. Helens in Washington State, USA, you will eventually blow off that pressure with disastrous results. I know this from experience.

When Dr. “E” opened the series of meetings, the first thing he did is read off a card that they use to introduce people to the church. It looks like this.

After hearing these words, I felt like I could fit in somewhere. Since I am not in a position to move to Colorado Springs, I guess my mission is to make sure that others who correspond with this description fit in as well. Many will see a description like the one in the photo, realize that some of us are accepting those that are broken, and complain, loudly, that we are NOT pointing out their sin; how could I respond to that? Good lord, if they, in their broken conditions, are reading this, trust me, they know they are broken and thirsty; I know I did. John's gospel tells us that Jesus had an answer to this.

Now on the last day of the festival, Hoshana Rabbah (the Feast of Tabernacles,) Yeshua stood and cried out, If anyone is thirsty, let him keep coming to me and drinking! John 7:37 CJB

There were no accusations or restrictions on when or how you should come; He merely said come, and by your coming and getting closer to Jesus, the more you begin to look like Him.

Another example looks like this.
Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. (24) The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. Matthew 4:23-24 NASB

Matthew 4:23, though many see this verse talking about sickness's for which you merely take some pill, it demonstrates the same attitude that the welcome card conveys, you are welcome here. Eugene Peterson's Message puts it this way,

From there, he went all over Galilee. He used synagogues for meeting places and taught people the truth of God. God’s kingdom was his theme--that beginning right now they were under God’s government, a good government! He also healed people of their diseases and of the bad effects of their bad lives. Matthew 4:23 MSG

Jesus healed diseases, but the book of Acts in chapter 10:38 associated those same diseases with demonic oppression; however, there are, without a doubt, bad effects from our relationships and choices.

As I sat through these meetings I heard things that my “religious” upbringing wanted to conflict with; but I also heard the Holy Spirit say to me, as He had done before, you relax and listen, and all will be explained to you. I don't expect many of you to understand this, but I cried all weekend. Imagine a six foot four inch 280 pound bear of a man, crying. I had powerful men praying over me all weekend long. Some I voluntarily submitted to, while others just approached me, asking me if they could share what they had heard from the Holy Spirit, and then proceed to tell me things they would not have known otherwise. These guys poured into my life, life from the Spirit of God and spoke healing over me. For my part, I have to trust the process as I continue to put the Word of God into my life.

With that in mind let's look at Romans 1:18
Romans 1:18-19 AMP For God's [holy] wrath and indignation are revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who in their wickedness repress and hinder the truth and make it inoperative. (19) For that which is known about God is evident to them and made plain in their inner consciousness, because God [Himself] has shown it to them.

Having sat through the question and answer session, I was a little overwhelmed; in moments like this, I have learned to relax and let the Holy Spirit sort things out for me. I trust the Holy Spirit to lead me into all truth and to help me discern when something is not right. Simply because the topics are uncomfortable to me does not make them wrong, and this was not wrong. For several in the audience, the things that were discussed were pure ungodliness and wreaked of unrighteousness, why? Because, as I explained to one of the attendees, some people, with their legalistic point of view, are wound much too tightly. After coming down off the mountain, I made this same statement to my friends/accountability partners, and one of them asked me, what does it mean to be wound too tightly? 
Since I had an excellent example of this at the camp, I demonstrated what a brother did and said while we were there. We had been given ice breaker questions, and one of the questions was, what was the funniest thing that happened to you this weekend? While my answer was not funny at the time, several hours later, at lunch, I could laugh about it. Now it was the turn of another Christian brother from the church I attend. When he opened his mouth, he began an angry rant about how we were merely accepting people's sin, and how none of the pastors among us were addressing God's wrath and outrage over such sins. I happen to know this brother, and he fatigues himself fretting about sin; and, when he attempts to teach mature believers, they too have to endure his rants about sin.

It is sad how many are focused only on God’s potential wrath and indignation. As I said, with a simplistic read, it is easy to perceive Romans 1:18,19 as nothing less than ominous. So let's tear the verse apart.

• Wrath is the Greek word orgē and means desire, (by analogy) violent passion; by implication punishment: - anger, indignation, vengeance, wrath.

If I substitute alternate wording in for the wrath, I get, For the violent passion of God. I always look at everything in light of God's character, which is Love. Can God get violently passionate? Absolutely, and we saw this when Jesus took the time to make a whip and drive the money changers, and buyers out of the temple's outer court.

And the Jews' Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. (John 2:13-17 KJV)

The word wrath shows up in the book of Revelation in three chapters: Rev 6:16-17; Rev 14:10, and Rev 19:15. There is no doubt that God is angry in these instances, but the recipients are spelled out in scripture and have had their chances at mercy, no less than anybody else.

• Revealed is the Greek word apokaluptō and means to take off the cover, that is, disclose: - reveal. This word apokaluptō should be a familiar word as it has strong similarities to the title of the Revelation; here, the Greek word is apokalupsis but still means disclosure.

To again substitute words in place of what we have so far, For the violent passion of God is disclosed from heaven, but for what purpose?

• Against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. Well, that sounds relatively decisive. The Greek word for ungodliness is asebeia and also means impiety, and or wickedness. Impiety defined is ungodliness; irreverence towards the Supreme being; contempt of the divine character and authority; neglect of the divine precepts. Unrighteousness is the Greek word adikia and means (legal) injustice (properly the quality, by implication the act); moral wrongfulness (of character, life or act): - iniquity, unjust, unrighteousness, wrong.

In continuing to substitute words and phrases into the verse, we get: For the violent passion of God is disclosed from heaven, against all irreverence of God, contempt of His character, and neglect of His precepts.

The dictionary explanation of the word precepts goes like this: “In a general sense, any commandment or order intended as an authoritative rule of action, but applied particularly to commands respecting moral conduct.”

We who follow Christ are deemed by God to be in Christ. This wrath that is to be poured out would have been meant for us, but since Christ took the wrath that we deserved upon himself, we do not have to endure that wrath. Here is where most have problems, as they cannot disseminate between the tribulations that are a part of being in this world and the wrath that is to come (see Romans 5:9 or 1Thessalonians 1:10.) The wrath that is coming is to be poured out upon the nations, the Jews, and those have displayed irreverence of God, contempt of His character, and neglect of His precepts. Sorry, you don't get to stop here as the wrath is directed at particular people.

• Of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, Suppress seems simple enough, that is until you look the word up in the Greek. It is the word katechō and means to hold down (fast), in various applications (literally or figuratively): - have, hold (fast), keep (in memory), let, X, make toward, possess, retain, seize on, stay, take, withhold. Thayer's definitions indicate: to restrain, hinder (the course or progress of.) Take a moment to read Romans 2:8,9

Working off what we have so far: For the violent passion of God is disclosed from heaven, against all irreverence of God, contempt of His character, and neglect of His precepts, of men who have restrained others from finding the truth, and in many cases have hindered the people from the truth.

Are you aware that Isaiah 53 is a forbidden chapter in Israel's Synagogues? What does Isaiah 53 speak of? The Messiah and the price He was to pay by His death.

I was angrily confronted one day when a brother in Christ tried to dispute the idea that Jesus could come back at any minute. This brother in Christ told me that everybody, according to scripture, had to have a printed copy of the Bible before Christ could return. I think for some, this will be bad news, and Romans 1:19 is the reason why.

Romans 1:19-20 NLT  They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.  (20)  For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.


 Creation testifies of God, and therefore, nobody will have an excuse as they stand before God.

Romans 1:16-17, I am not ashamed.

As a child, raised in the church, the idea of being a missionary was shoved down our throats constantly. Being a missionary meant preaching, trying to convert all the people you came in contact with, and because most of these people did not go to our church, they were certainly lost and we had the exhortation to save their souls. (You can see a problem with that attitude I hope.)

At one church, under pressure from a friend and the peer group, I became a part of the Sunday evening visitor contact team. To do this, I had to go through the short training that our church had put together; they called it the Roman road; you know, Romans 3:16 and others, where it says, God so loved the world and so on. I hated the home visits for the most part with one exception. A lady had filled out a card and asked for prayer; she was extremely heavy and had difficulty walking. Because she was one of our visits, I developed a friendship and relationship with her and her family and went back to visit several more times on my own.

Overall, my public speaking ability was greatly hampered by introversion and childhood insecurities.

We frequently got hard nudges from pastors and guest speakers, as they tried to push us to be exactly like them. I, for the most part, got over my insecurities, however, on occasions, I still feel twinges of fear trying to assert control over me; fortunately, I have learned to conquer fears grip. One of those occasions came as I sat with a group of about 80 men to study at a church I was attending. The group leader got up and started introducing the speaker, saying how much he loved this guy, and then he called my name. I had no idea that we were that close. As I think back on that period of time I was also in a Celebrate Recovery group, and this particular leader would attend on occasions; maybe he heard me speak, which I did twice. Unannounced, with no intentional preparation, I chose to act like I knew what I was doing. In actuality, I had done the teaching just two days before on Sunday morning, so it was still reasonably fresh in my mind. I walked away from that moment much like Paul as he opens this next section of Romans, unashamed.

Romans 1:16-17 NLT  For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.  (17)  This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

• For I am not ashamed -

Ashamed is the Greek word epaischunomai, and means to feel shame for something: or to be ashamed. The Webster's dictionary explanation of ashamed goes like this: To be affected by shame; abashed or confused by guilt or a conviction of some criminal action or indecorous conduct, or by the exposure of some gross errors or misconduct, which the person is conscious must be wrong, and which tends to impair his honor or reputation.

Had Paul broken any laws of the local government? No, but he was going against the grain of the controlling religious system. In heavily populated Jewish communities, the Synagogue elders or council upheld the law of Moses. Since there were laws that restricted work on the Sabbath, then he could have been punished for that, but as a rule, if you know Paul's story, you don't see him breaking Sabbath laws, for Paul was an expert in the law of Moses prior to preaching this good news about Jesus as the Messiah. Teaching about, Jesus the Messiah, now that could have got him in trouble, as the majority of the Jewish community submitted to the council elders and too would have seen Paul as blasphemous for preaching about a grace-filled life in Jesus. After all, their hope, as a Jew, was wrapped up in sacrifices.

This teaching of grace alone would have put Paul at odds with the Jewish councils, for there was an entire economy wrapped up in the sacrificial temple system. In time we do find Paul being attacked by an angry mob for that very thing, as this good news Paul preached set some of those who worshiped idols free; these were the same idols that many of the townsfolk stopped buying and therefore impacted a local economy.

So, if Paul is affected by shame; confused by guilt, or has a conviction of some criminal action, it seems rather apparent that it would have been at the hands of the Jewish religious community. Paul did nothing to draw feelings or guilt upon himself in any manner.

• Of this Good News about Christ.

Prior to his conversion on the road to Damascus, the only thing Paul knew about Jesus was what he witnessed from the sidelines, as the Synagogue elders cried out for the Romans to crucify Jesus. Saul, as we would have known him then, probably watched as they hung Jesus on the cross. He most likely did not know that Jesus said he would rise again. Paul would not have been aware of the numerous miracles that Jesus performed; nor did he know or experience the unique relationship Jesus had with the Father God. (Why say unique, because no one spoke to the Father, nor called Him Father, the way Jesus did.)

So all that Paul learned of this grace either came from the vision on the Damascus road, or the three years that he spent seeking God's face in Arabia. Consider how Saul/Paul was a master of the Law and the Prophets; in practicality, he was working on his Doctorate when the Lord found him that day (They did not have a Doctoral system of education.) That means Paul finished his education in the deserts of the Sinai peninsula, the same deserts that Moses had to wander in, and, if all that Paul preached was in God's eyes, reworked information, then Paul found the grace and mercy that he taught in what many perceive as the most restrictive books in the Bible. (This restrictiveness is why many will not touch the Old Testament.)

• It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.

The phrase, it is, speaks of the Good News about Christ. If time permits and God is willing, we will eventually discuss all that the Good News/power of Christ entails. Since we have Bibles, something that neither Paul nor the early church had, we have God's Word in a nicely packaged form. If you are like me, then you have concordances and can quickly look up the most straightforward of words and find intricacies you did not know existed. And, you can cross-reference items such as the phrase "it is the power of God at work." That cross-reference work will lead you to passages like you see below.

While Jeremiah 23:29 speaks of power, the mercy and grace evade me. NASB "Is not My word like fire?" declares the LORD, "and like a hammer which shatters a rock?

This next one is deep.

1 Corinthians 1:23-24 NLT  So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended, and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.  (24)  But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

In pondering these two verses, I see that the truth is all wrapped up in Jesus submission to the cross.

Christ is the power and wisdom of God, that is a lot, and it is all that I need to understand, but that is probably not going to happen in the few pages I allow myself to work with.

In case you missed it, this process of understanding happens among those called by God to salvation. This means you.

Paul tells us in Romans 1:17 NLT, that -

• This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight.

Whether it is instantaneous, or after a while, we are made righteous. What does that word righteous mean? Webster's dictionary tells us that it means just; accordant to the divine law. Applied to persons, it denotes one who is holy in heart, and observant of the divine commands in practice; as a righteous man. Since we are born broken thanks to Adam's treason, it would be impossible for us to attain any righteousness unless something extraordinary took place. Well, something did take place, and now we back to Christ crucified. Christ's willing submission paid the price that our sin/brokenness demanded; it demanded our death, but He died in our place and took the penalty for that sin away.

Are you kidding me, if God made us right, then that means I am a free man?
Well, yes and no. Yes, your price was paid, but much like my adoption agency scenario, in which God comes and pays for all of us to go home with him. The No side of this is that we still, in a sense, have to get off our lazy butts, put down the game controller and sign the paperwork that demonstrates our willingness to go with Him. There is no paperwork in God's plan, as acceptance comes in the form of you, by faith, asking Him to take over your life and the mess you have made with it. If this statement were to change anything, it should change the way we look at, and speak to people, for they are all loved, welcomed, and forgiven by the Father.

• This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

There is nothing you can do to make yourself righteous.

I know, there are many religions that advocate works, such as Islam, that mandate works as a measure of acceptance, but even Islam would not dare to guarantee that you can obtain right standing with their god. It works this way in virtually every religion but Christianity.

Sadly, because of false teachings and poor leadership you can find religious legalism in Christianity as well. An example of this legalism came a couple of years ago at a Sunday evening service I attended at a church I grew up in. The Pastor that evening said, if you have had a miracle in your life, then come forward so that you can pray for others; so I did. As I expected no one came to me, so as I stood there wondering why I came down, the spirit of the Lord said to me, that lady. I pointed at her and motioned for her to come down front. There was, of course, some hesitancy as I am told that I can be seen as a big, somewhat scary man, but as I waited for the lady to respond, the Holy Spirit said, go get them. Now she was gathering her husband and others to go with her. We all prayed as the Holy Spirit gave me the words to say to them. We cried, hugged and had a great time, and then they returned to their seats. Only moments later this tall, angry lady, came charging over to me and demanded to know who gave me permission to pray over people. I know what I wanted to say, like did you listen to anything the Pastor said? But I did not. I merely pointed to the Pastor and said, he did. She huffed and rattled on about classes that must be attended. I never attended those classes and no longer participate in that church. She, on the other hand, was laid off.


Its all through faith and I have faith in the one who sent me. That faith also anchors me in the hope of an eternity of peace and joy with Him. I so long for that.

He was reading a fictional story based on Revelation 13.

Recently I turned to one of my “Christian” radio stations and heard Dr. David Jeremiah reading from his fictional book, which, he told us, is based upon Revelation 13. I had missed the introduction that he would have usually given, and so I cannot inform you which book Dr. Jeremiah was reading from; a strong possibility could be “Agents of the Apocalypse: A Riveting Look at the Key Players of the End Times.” Since Dr. Jeremiah wrote this book also, and it speaks of the Antichrist, a key player in the apocalypse, then it would be a logical assumption.

Here is the problem; although he is reading a fictional story, he tells us that it is based on scripture. The immediate inclination, on the part of the naive, is to think that what he is saying is exactly the way this particular scenario will play out. Dr. Jeremiah, as I entered the radio program, was talking about a character, that in just a matter of minutes, is demonstrated to be the Antichrist.

I get it that most choose not to believe how gullible we are so I will give you a powerful example.

In 1938 Orson Welles produced and introduced a radio production of H.G. Wells novel “The War of the Worlds.” “The one-hour program began with the theme music for the Mercury Theater on the Air and an announcement that the evening's show was an adaptation of The War of the Worlds. Orson Welles then read a prologue which was closely based on the opening of H.G. Wells' novel but modified to place the story's setting in 1939. The next half hour of the broadcast was presented as a typical evening of radio programming being interrupted by a series of news bulletins. The first few bulletins cut into a program of dance music and describe a series of odd explosions observed on Mars. The episode became famous for causing panic among its listening audience, though the scale of that panic is disputed, as the program had relatively few listeners. The program has become famous for supposedly tricking some of its listeners into believing that a Martian invasion was actually taking place. The illusion of realism was furthered because the Mercury Theater on the Air was a sustaining show without commercial interruptions, and the first break in the program came almost 30 minutes after the introduction. Popular legend holds that some of the radio audience may have been listening to The Chase and Sanborn Hour with Edgar Bergen and tuned in to "The War of the Worlds" during a musical interlude, thereby missing the clear introduction that the show was a drama; however, contemporary research suggests that this happened only in rare instances.[3]:67–69
In the days after the adaptation, widespread outrage was expressed in the media. The program's news-bulletin format was described as deceptive by some newspapers and public figures, leading to an outcry against the broadcasters and calls for regulation by the Federal Communications Commission.[2] Nevertheless, the episode secured Welles's fame as a dramatist.” (Sourced from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_(radio_drama))

When I turned on Dr. Jeremiah's radio program that day, he is introducing a character; based on the description, he easily could have been an Archbishop. Given permission to enter, the primary, fictitious characters office he steps forward and presents his case for a one world government and its one world religion. The person that we will soon understand to be the Antichrist responds with, excellent, as he refers to the Archbishop by name. I am glad you brought this up as it is something I feel strongly about; we need to talk about this more, but I must go ready myself for a critical, televised meeting. Hold your thought, and we will speak again about this matter. Within minutes of this meeting, the Antichrist character is shot in the head by an assassin. The doctors at the hospital declared him dead as there is no brain function and the Archbishop is called to the hospital room to say a prayer over the man. As the Archbishop begins to pray some standardized prayers over the deceased, the Antichrist character sits upright. Much to the surprise of everyone in the room the man who was dead only moments ago from an undeniable and severe head wound, now has no evidence of any injury to his head. With several short discussions, we find out that the plans are already in place to mark the citizens of the world in a manner that would cause all to be subject to this universal mark, and the “beast.”

While it makes for an exciting read, it is FICTION and must be looked at in that light alone.

Since Dr. Jeremiah informed his audience that the story is based in Revelation 13, then it behooves to study this out, and that is what we are going to do.

Revelation 13:1-2 NASB And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. (2) And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.

Alright, in reading the first two verses, especially those which describe the beast, you should be asking, is there anything like this? The answer is a resounding NO unless the beast represents some other things.

Here is a massive clue for you, in attempting to “interpret” scripture, there is nothing new under the sun, and so you should be able to find comparable scriptures to help you understand. Do we have such a thing with this beast? YES!

Read Daniel 7: 1-8, and you will discover four kingdoms referred to as beasts; descriptions of the same animals that we see in Revelation 13, and the mention of horns and heads. The Jews gave considerable credence to prophetic patterns, and so should we.

In Revelation 13:3 we see one of the many heads sustain a head wound as though it had been killed.

Revelation 13:3 NASB I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;

As a child, I can remember, while on the playground at school, learning that our, then President, John F. Kennedy, had been assassinated, shot in the head. It seemed that the entire religious world watched and waited for him to come back to life; not because they thought he was evil, but because he was so well liked. He did not come back from the dead, and so life went on, and everyone went back to looking for the next potential Antichrist.

Another consideration for us. Daniel is one of the leading players when it comes to understanding the scheme of things in Revelation 13.

In Daniel chapter two Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. Daniel not only told the king what the dream was, but he explained what it meant. Daniel spoke in a language that the king could understand; in other words, he did not get all religious and spout high church theology. Daniel started by saying, “that head of gold is you oh king.” Gold represents the noblest position, and although Nebuchadnezzar may not have been the noblest representative for God, he is undoubtedly a resounding message to us all, as this first kingdom was the Babylonian empire.

If God's Word is true and logical, and it is, then it easy to assume such standards for the other kingdoms as well, and Daniel told us that there were to be three more. Daniel and history have helped us to understand.

In Daniel chapter five Nebuchadnezzar, we must assume, is dead and his son Belshazzar is now king.

We learn that Belshazzar gave a great party, and God saw fit to provide him with a great sign, handwriting on the wall. Daniel was eventually brought in to interpret, and this is what he read:

"This is the interpretation of the message: 'MENE'--God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it. " 'TEKEL'--you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. " 'PERES'--your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians." (Daniel 5:26-28 NASB)

Clear cut evidence that the second empire, or head, is the Medo-Persian empire.

Wikipedia gives us this information:
In 334 BC after re-imposing control over the southern Greek City-States, Alexander began his invasion of the Persian Empire by conquering Asia Minor (Turkey), then Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. He then invaded Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), defeated the Persians at the Battle of Arbela (or Gaugamela) and conquered Babylon.

Thanks to history, we can understand that the third empire is the Grecian empire under Alexander's rule.

The Fourth empire is a bit of a mystery as the typical, but ill-conceived school of thought tries to tell us that we should be looking for a resurrected Roman Empire. The “evidence” they use to back their argument for this comes from Daniel chapter 9.

"Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. (Daniel 9:26 NASB)

Most attribute the title of “prince” to Antiochus Epiphanes, a Roman general who, desecrated the temple, but the scripture gives us every reason to believe that another temple (a third temple) will be built and that it once again will be desecrated.

Another argument is one that ignores the historical record given by both Josephus and Tacitus and attributes the destruction of the temple to the Roman army, an act in conflict with recorded history.

Josephus indicated that conscripted Assyrian troops, marching under the Roman flag, disobeyed commands from Titus to desist, and because of their violent hatred of the Jews, destroyed the temple. (Wars of the Jews, book 6 chapter 4.) This train of thought should help to undo the theory that we are looking for the Antichrist to come out of a restored Roman empire.

So what are we left with for options? Some common sense and history can help us figure that out.

After the death of Alexander, the Grecian empire dissolved under two remaining generals of Alexander, Ptolemy in the South (Egypt and Northern Africa), and Seleucid in North. The Seleucid empire took in the Assyrian empire which included the Babylonian empire, extended into Egypt, and North where they held allegiances with the Scythians of Asia and Southern Russia. Remnants of the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires still exist today, as does the Assyrian empire under Islamic rule.

Since this head is NOT a man, although it is definite that a man will soon step up and try to lead whatever this entity is. What then are we talking about, an ideology such as Islam, a fallen angel/demon that controls blindsided nations and people? In 1924 the world thought they had killed off Islam and the damage the Ottoman Caliphate was causing. Only a fool would believe that the Caliphate is still dead. Hopefully, I have given you something logical to think about and therefore make a proper decision as to whom or what this head that sustains the mortal wound is.

I shall be blessed by the will of God to come to you. Romans 1:8-12.

When I was young, I rarely found a trek through the Bible interesting. I suppose that had more to do with the person who was doing the teaching and their personality. I often find my character to be a bit quirky, and that adds a flair to my teaching efforts. In many ways I see things differently; I like to call it putting flesh and blood on the biblical characters. Perhaps that adds a bit of undue negativity but we all came out of the same mold, and therefore, struggle with similar issues.

An example of this is my perception of Paul when he says; I unceasingly make mention of you in my prayers. How do I take this, especially when my trust-er is slightly broken? Paul had a history of throwing himself into his work; and, there is this tenacity that we find when we learn of his interactions. By paying attention, I have learned that I can trust Paul, just as I trust God and His word.

With that being said, let's dive in.

Romans 1:8-10 LITV  First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of in all the world.  (9)  For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son, how without ceasing I make mention of you  (10)  always at my prayers, beseeching if by any means now at length I shall be blessed by the will of God to come to you.

• “ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all,” ...For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son, how without ceasing I make mention of you  (10)  always at my prayers,”

Paul tells us why he prays unceasingly for them.

• “Because your faith is spoken of in all the world.”

This sentence is a positive accolade.

Here are some verses that say something comparable.

2 Corinthians 3:2-4 LITV  You are our letter, having been inscribed in our hearts, being known and being read by all men,  (3)  it having been made plain that you are Christ's letter, served by us, not having been inscribed by ink, but by the Spirit of the living God, not in tablets of stone, but in fleshly tablets of the heart.  (4)  And we have such confidence through Christ toward God;

Paul had a similar conviction about the church at Colossae; and, therefore, prayed unceasingly for them.

Colossians 1:9 LITV  For this cause also, from the day in which we heard, we do not cease praying on your behalf, and asking that you may be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,

And we can contrast Paul's thoughts against John's, as John says:

3 John 1:3 LITV  For I rejoiced greatly at the coming of the brothers, also bearing witness of you in the truth, as you walk in truth.

John's audience bore witness to the truth and walked in it.

• “beseeching if by any means now at length, I shall be blessed by the will of God to come to you.”
  So Paul has an earnest desire to be able to come and “visit” with them. I doubt that ever happened.

Romans 1:11-12 Moffatt NT (11) For I do yearn to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift for your strengthening — (12) or, in other words, that I may be encouraged by meeting you, I by your faith and you by mine.

• “For I do yearn to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift for your strengthening,”
  What that spiritual gift is we are not told. Later in this letter to the church in Rome Paul begins to clarify the idea of giftings.

Romans 12:6 NET. And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith.

Just knowing that there are a variety of gifts probably doesn't help most people. In Acts chapter eight, Peter and John, after hearing about Philip's work in Samaria decided to go there and contribute what they could. We find out the Philip was then baptizing the new converts. It is an assumption, but a good one, that this water baptism.
Acts 8:14-17 NET. Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. (15) These two went down and prayed for them so that they would receive the Holy Spirit. (16) (For the Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) (17) Then Peter and John placed their hands on the Samaritans and they received the Holy Spirit.

Again, what did Paul say to the church in Rome?

Romans 1:11 NET. For I long to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you,

What is my keyword here? Impart - To give, grant or communicate; to bestow on another a share or portion of something; To confer; To communicate the knowledge of something; to make known.

So, through the laying on of hands, we can impart, not only spiritual gifts, but bestow, confer, and make known – to the best of our/God's ability, the information concerning those gifts.

In the case of Peter and John, the first realization they had of the Holy Spirit was on the Day of Pentecost. Is it possible that they had to learn by trial and error, or did they have a teacher? The best was Jesus, but aside from the examples He left them, we do not see Jesus teaching them directly about hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit. The point here is that there is hope for us.

• “ that I may be encouraged by meeting you, I by your faith and you by mine.”

This letter to the church in Rome is what Paul says to, not only this church body but to your body as well. Obviously, Paul is no longer with us, but we who follow Christ are now His hands and feet, and we are compelled by this to encourage others and impart or convey any of a variety of spiritual gifts.

Often, a simplistic reading only shows you what seems like selfish motives, such as Paul's comment - “that I may be encouraged by you,” so it becomes necessary for us to pursue the context of the passage. Since Paul has given us his thoughts on multiple occasions - in his letters to the churches, we can understand that he cares about those that have come to follow Christ. Considering who he was and his personality that is difficult at best to comprehend.

The annoying part of this process was a technique that my mother loved to push at us when we had a problem with someone. She would say, you need to ask God to change you. Now, why would I do that when clearly they are the problem? Mom would be relentless, and in time I would pray that prayer. Much like a wound that had been bothering you for weeks, and you suddenly realize that it was gone, this change would take place in me, and I would begin to see those people who caused me grief differently. I can only explain this as God intervening to change my heart.

Merely telling you these things triggered a string of memories; memories in which I felt hatred toward certain people. In all honesty, I held this hatred, in many cases, for years, but something changed, and almost without notice I found myself able to see the value in them, and I cared for them. No, it did not happen all at once, or overnight, but with some, it did happen. Apparently, we can change.

Questions a friend asks me. Today's is based in Matthew 18:10.

Matthew 18:10 NASB "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

• What are these angels doing in Matthew 18:10, do they guard children?

When I look at the notes in my Dake's bible I am referred to Psalm 34:7

Psalms 34:7 NASB The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.
So I can understand that angels operate on our behalf. But what does a child understand about fear for and of the Lord? They don't unless we indoctrinate them with the notion that God can kill them, which He can, but that is not the nature and character of God, and certainly would not explain the caring and compassion God has for children.

Knowing that God cares for children, then why would He allow such horrible things to happen to them, especially since there are angels assigned to them, just as they are assigned to us?
I am not sure I can answer this appropriately, as there are innocent children, on a daily basis, kidnapped, tortured, blown up, and they were nothing more than innocent victims. One of my friends read a statistic that said there were 200,000 children that go missing every year in America.

• Where then were these angels?

Perhaps God's plan surpasses our understanding and is, therefore, a part of this mystery.

In what other ways do angels surround us?

• In the case of Elijah and Gehazi, they were surrounded by the Syrian army. Gehazi was the only that seemed terribly concerned by this and cries to Elijah about the situation as though Elijah did not know.

2 Kings 6:15-17 NASB Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" (16) So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." (17) Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the LORD opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

• On behalf of Daniel, an angel shut the mouths of the lions.

Daniel 6:22 NASB "My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime."

• The angel Gabriel came to deliver a message to Daniel and had to physically fight.

Daniel 10:13 CJB  The prince of the kingdom of Persia prevented me from coming for twenty-one days; but Mikha'el, one of the chief princes, came to assist me; so that I was no longer needed there with the kings of Persia.

• Angels are commissioned to work for us.

Hebrews 1:14 NASB Are they, not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

• In the latter days (days which we may see.) Michael will stand up and deliver those whose name is found written in the book.

I can apply this to the church, or to the Jews in general. If I project the idea of latter days into the time of wrath, then it becomes those who are to be delivered because of their testimony. Sadly, for many, deliverance comes by the sword or some other form of death.
Daniel 12:1 CJB  "When that time comes, Mikha'el, the great prince who champions your people, will stand up; and there will be a time of distress unparalleled between the time they became a nation and that moment. At that time, your people will be delivered, everyone whose name is found written in the book.

• On our behalf

Psalms 91:11 CJB  for he will order his angels to care for you and guard you wherever you go.
The standard argument is, why then did He let me go through (insert the horror you experienced here?) The answer lies in God drawing your heart back to Him, and, should you survive it, making you the great witness that you are today.

• If God knows already who his heirs are, then why do we need angels to guard us, and how does play into fate/destiny vs free will?

The angels guard us because we are flimsy, weak, mortals, with an inherent genetic defect that drives us to sin. To prove my point the flood scenario depicts a pre-flood world left to its own devices, the world was filled with violence and every thought of man was evil.


Free will works in opposition to God most every time. Free will is overrated. And fate is an allusion to sin. God is in control, no matter what it looks like, and sometimes it looks like the bad guys just won.