Revelation 6:12 through 17 … Economic prosperity, seriously?

 In the previous post, I mentioned how I heard my pastor speak as though the antichrist will bring economic prosperity when this male “global” leader comes on the scene. If you read that post on Revelation 6:3-11, you know that I disagreed with the pastor’s assertion. I suppose we might get the idea that economic prosperity is coming because the “globalists” will unleash their “great reset.” An aspect of their reset is income for everyone; they call it universal basic income. If I can be painfully honest, the only ones who see themselves making money are guys like: Klaus Schwab and Bill Gates – members of the World Economic Forum.

Suppose economic prosperity was going to be possible during the seven years of wrath. How could anyone tell people that God is bringing judgment against the nations and the Jews for their rejection of Him?

Honestly, few would see a need for God or repentance in this upcoming and horrific time associated with the antichrist.

Think about what we already know of this time of wrath that may be upon us, and soon.

• A rider on a white horse.

I do not believe that anyone will see this guy come riding out of the sky on a white horse reserved for Jesus. It is, therefore, a symbolic event, although the man – the antichrist, will be real enough, and he will be unleashed upon the earth. Something will have happened that necessitates a call for peace.

I told you that I see nothing in my bible that makes me believe that this guy has the slightest concern for Israel’s peace, and though the scripture tells us, “that he makes a covenant, for seven years, with many, there is no Israel mentioned.

This first rider immediately goes out conquering and conquering (and this just the first seal.)

Do you see any affirming aspects in this statement? Yeah, me neither, and so I have a hard seeing this man as bringing financial prosperity.

If you were to take the time to read The Copper Scroll, by Book by Joel C. Rosenberg and Robert Feather, you would get a good feel for the real motivation behind most global conflicts, and that is oil.

.Much like a popular radio station, the hits keep on coming.

• The second seal brings us the rider on the red horse.

This rider is permitted to remove peace from the earth; and that men would slay each other. (Yes, God is deeply invested in what is going on here, and He uses people to accomplish His plan.)

Didn't we just learn that the first rider goes out conquering?

Now we have an exponential growth in violent and deadly acts upon humanity from other people.

• The third seal has a rider carrying scales – a device for weighing out things, like gold.

It is indicative of cheating, the rapid rise in food costs, and general economic upheaval. This is NOT a flourishing economic recovery. Just look at Venezuela's economy, and you will understand better.

• The fourth seal brings us two riders, Death and Hades.

The combined efforts of these two riders will affect one-fourth of the earth's population; this equates to close to two billion people being killed, but that is not the end of it. These people will die by the sword, plagues, and by wild animals.

End of page one.

• With the fifth seal, we see a vast number of martyred saints beneath the altar in heaven.

The fact that they are here, before the throne, indicates that the conquering, and the killing, have already begun. Do you read the news? I do not make it a habit as it will ruin my day, but it is evident that the killing of “Christians,” especially in the Northern African nations is on the rise.

Can what we see here include those already slain before the rapture? The logic says NO as we do not perceive them as Christians, as the church was caught up in the rapture already. So No, these are dead after the catching away; and, they have turned their hearts to Jesus. Scripture tells us that they are here because of their testimony.

I had previously asked what does their “testimony” look like? Since some of the definitions of the Greek word marturia we have translated as testimony are a “declaration in a matter of fact,” and judicial evidence, testimony in general, or reputation, then you should be able to see that it is not a tightly defined word. Consider the thief on the cross, whom Jesus told, this day you will be with me in paradise. How extensive was his testimony? The answers are there, and, if you pay attention, quite deep, but the words he said, simple as they were, spoke out to Jesus in belief.

Earlier in this post, in talking about the rider on the white horse, I said that the descriptive initiates symbolically, as NO ONE will see him coming out of the clouds, as they will when Jesus comes back to the earth. With that in mind, can we say that the rest of the riders will become physical manifestations? Not likely, but it is clear that humans and wild animals are also busy fulfilling God's plan.

So, I want you to ask yourself a hypothetical question. In these seal scenarios, when does the bad stuff begin?

My response is, immediately after the catching away, or as many call it, the church's rapture.

There is still so much more to come, like trumpet blasts and bowls of horror.

In trying to describe the timing of these events, some will say NOTHING happens until the antichrist puts forth this seven-year covenant of peace. So, in making a statement like that, we have put mandates on God, attempting to get God to conform to our image, and that NEVER works.

Let's pick up where we left off.

Revelation 6:12-17 NASB (12) I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; (13) and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. (14) The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. (15) Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; (16) and they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; (17) for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"

• He (being Jesus) broke the sixth seal.

  Because of that:

  There was a great earthquake;

  The sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;

  The stars of the sky fell to the earth as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.

  The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up,

  Every mountain and island was moved out of their places.

End of page two.

Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?

We are going to ponder this for a few minutes.  Who or whom are these people?

If you have been following my posts on Revelation, you know I have done the best I could to explain that we are looking at those who think they are in control when they speak out about population reduction, a global reset, and a one-world economy. Examples of those who believe they are in control are the World Economic Forum – they have been the most vocal of all these groups and seem to be telling everyone else how they should think. I say this because, in the light of the “Covid vaccines” doesn't it seem strange that virtually everyone, down to the small town Doctor, seems to be pushing this “life saving” vaccine. A vaccine that so severely damaged or killed every animal they tested it on that they chose to stop testing and use it on humans. So, we, in a sense, became the test dummies.

The passage tells us that the kings of the earth, etc., hide in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. When this was written, there were no elaborate, abandoned, military-style bunkers, which they convert to luxury underground living arrangements; but there is now, which is where we find these people when this passage opens.

Again, I cannot tell you exactly when these events will happen. I suppose, much like with the rapture, that if you knew when it would happen, you would dig your bunker deeper, hoping to escape God's wrath.

The scriptures demonstrate that instead of calling out to God, they cry out for the rocks to cover them and hide them from the presence of God. There seems to be a clear understanding that the great day of God's wrath has come, and no one will be able to stand.

Do you know for sure you are going to be with God in Heaven when your time comes?

You can know, and that is a significant difference between the followers of Christ and any of the other religions. None of the others offer you the confidence of knowing your relationship can be secure; that is because Jesus Christ paid the price for our redemption – the forgiveness of sins.

Acknowledge that you are broken and need a savior. Another way of saying this is to admit that you are a sinner.

Believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and was raised on the third day.

And finally, you need to call upon the Lord.

Recently I talked about the thief on the cross and how he did nothing religious, and yet Jesus said this day you will be with me in paradise.

What did the thief do to gain acceptance, as he did?

• He acknowledged that Jesus had done nothing wrong; therefore, he admitted that Jesus was sinless.

• The thief, looking at Jesus, says to the other thief, do you not fear God. The thief understood that Jesus was God.

• The thief said to Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom. He knew there was a kingdom, that Jesus would soon be there, that it was the eternal home of the Father and the Son, Jesus, and that others could join Him there.

End of Page three.

What will become of you?

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 NASB (1) Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, (2) by which also you are saved if you hold fast the word which I preached to you unless you believed in vain. (3) For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, (4) and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

The gospel, which was preached to you, in which you stand, by which you are saved if you hold fast to the word which I (Paul) preached to you. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. He was buried and was raised on the third day, just as the Scriptures tell us.

This is what we believe, nothing else. I suppose it requires you putting faith in these words, but it also means that something else has to happen – you make a 180° change, you turn to the Lord, just as that thief did.

 

Revelation 6:3-11, a rider on a red horse.

 In my post on Revelation 6:1,2, I focused on Finis Jennings Dake and his well-founded theory that the rider on the white horse, unleashed with the first seal, is the antichrist. You should also know that there are many who understand this to be so.

If you looked at verse two with an understanding that the church is caught up into heaven - the rapture, before God's wrath is poured out; then you can understand that all the seals, about to be opened, have to do with one thing, God's plan and the associated wrath his plan brings.

If we can consider that any number of events will have taken place in the moments preceding the catching away of the church or thereafter, then we can agree that those left here on earth, and there will be many, should be overwhelmed. I am talking about this moment in this manner because any sensible bible teacher should tell you that none of us can say to you, with precision, what will happen next.

Aside from what will seem like the instantaneous unleashing of the antichrist upon the world, you may see the Ezekiel 38 war with this cryptic leader Gog leading the battle against Israel, a war in which God comes to aid of Israel and no one else does. Here again, this war may happen just moments before the church leaves the earth.

When is the best time to offer a peace treaty?

There are two times: before a war; this allows you time to gain allies; the other is when a conflict breaks out. At this point, you would be trying to restore order and peace.

The scriptures, contrary to popular opinion, do not mention Israel in this agreement (although many will try to tell that the treaty is with Israel. You would have to been living under a rock to not be aware that Former President Donald Trump, proffer a treaty, in which many have signed on as allies of Israel. What would be a common reason to do this? Oil. This is one of the reasons you see “Kittim and Dedan, asking those who have attacked Israel, why are you doing this? The clue here is that Kittim and Dedan are Saudi Arabia.)

Reasons why I feel comfortable saying that "we," as prophecy teachers, cannot specifically say when these events will take place: Because halfway through the seven-year reign of the antichrist, he will end the sacrifices in the temple and set himself up as god; this cannot happen unless the temple is rebuilt. It is because of these things we will see things happen rapidly.

I would hope, at this point, that you picked up on the fact that the antichrist is an aspect of god's wrath.

If so, then let's move on to Revelation 6:3,4, where we see the second seal broken.

Revelation 6:3-4 NIRV "the lamb broke open the second seal. then I heard the second living creature say, "come!" (4) another horse came out. it was flaming red. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. He was given a large sword."

In verse three, "he," which is the terminology that many translations use, refers to Jesus Christ, the lion of Judah, the lamb that was slain. John says, "I heard the second living creature saying, come." at this command, john has been invited to look into the future. What an honor and horror at the same time.

What do we see next?

"and another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him." Revelation 6:4 NASB

End of page one.

Revelation 6:4 is the second seal, and we now have another horse - a red one, and its rider was given permission to take peace from the earth. Isn't that odd that the first rider seems to bring peace?

A side note.

I was listening to my Pastor Jack Hibbs as he spoke with Jan Markell of https://olivetreeviews.org/. They were talking about prophetic end-time events, which included some questions from the audience, one of which asked which seal we were under right now. The short answer, from Jan Markell, was, the church will never experience the wrath involved with the seals. The conversation continued as Pastor Jack tried to make a point about Revelation 6:2, the rider on the white horse. Jack said, he will bring about a flourishing economy and peace for all, for three and one-half years.

Here is my take on Pastor Jack's assertion.

Revelation 6:2 speaks of this rider with a crown. What it does not tell you, unless you dig a bit, is that this crown is of the type that someone would receive for winning an athletic competition. So none are quite sure where this comes from, and who is giving it to him. Secondly, there is a huge assumption being made, and that is that the white horse rider is the good guy. Again, there is nothing to substantiate that assertion, unless you pull your information about him from Daniel's prophetic writings. There we learn that this rider institutes a seven-year peace treaty; ah, but with whom? That is not spelled out, nor are we told why?

Look at the description of the man from Revelation 6:2, and you will see that he has a bow but NO arrows. We can understand this to be a feigned peace, but there is an underlying violence. And, the other keywords are, he goes out conquering and to conquer. If there was financial peace and security in this package, it would only be for the global elite, and only temporarily.

If you are a student of scripture, then you know that the Revelation tells us, that the harlot that rides the beast (the Babylon system of global control,) gets destroyed in an hour. So, NO, I would have never told you that the antichrist will bring about 1260 days of wealth. The entirety of the seven years is God's wrath coming down upon the earth.

Here we are, in some cases, struggling to breathe with these "mandatory" masks, hoping that some form of normalcy will return. We think being able to act and move as we were is normal and peaceful. Peace only comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ. This rider on the red horse will cause any illusions of peace to be removed from the earth.

Something is obviously not right.

Most religious folk who have read my comments about how the antichrist could be a Muslim have almost violently opposed such statements. Responses like we see in Revelation 6, where peace is removed from the earth, should prompt us to at least look at what the tenets of Islam convey as the Muslims will come out of the woodwork, and will flood across the planet as the atmosphere on the street changes. You understand what I am saying because almost every one of you has witnessed the rioting, the rise of BLM, Antifa's influence, and how Islamic followers have gained positions of power in every nation they exist.

You need to know something about Islam.

In terms of Islam, we have been dealing with an atmosphere that is trying to make you think the adherents of the Qu'ran are peaceful. The Qu'ran tells its devotees to spill the blood of infidels in Jihad. An infidel is anyone outside of Islam. If you have been watching the news since 9/11, you have seen Islam at some of its lowest moments, in acts such as the beheading of infidels, raping the women in captured cities, and generally killing off any who oppose them.

End of page two.

Who gave this rider of Revelation 6:3 permission to remove peace?

Consider what Isaiah says; "there is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked." Isaiah 57:21 NASB

Perhaps some will say, Isaiah 57:21 doesn't tell us who gives this rider the free pass to remove peace. I'm afraid I have to disagree, but I can play along. In Zechariah chapter one, we see a comparable red horse (although the purpose of the red horse is not given). The thing I want you to see is "these are those whom the lord has sent to patrol the earth."

Zechariah 1:8-10 NASB "I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel and white horses behind him. (9) then I said, "my lord, what are these?" And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, "I will show you what these are." (10) and the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered and said, "these are those whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth."

It is becoming evident that everything we see in the Revelation is judgment and wrath sent by God. We can find another piece of evidence for this judgment in Ezekiel.

The Lord said: Ezekiel, son of man, the people of Israel are complaining that the punishment for their sins is more than they can stand. They have lost all hope for survival, and they blame me. Tell them that as surely as I am the living lord god, I don't like to see wicked people die. I enjoy seeing them turn from their sins and live. So if the Israelites want to live, they must stop sinning and turn back to me. (Ezekiel 33:10-11 cev)

What do I learn from Ezekiel's prophecy?

I learn that a portion of this judgment is explicitly directed at Israel.

• "so if the Israelites want to live, they must stop sinning and turn back to me."

Isaiah 14 informs us that God's wrath/judgment will be applied to Assyria, the whole earth, and all the nations; to remove the yoke of the Assyrian from Israel's shoulders.

"The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, "surely, just as I have intended, so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand, to break Assyria in my land, and I will trample him on my mountains. Then his yoke will be removed from them and his burden removed from their shoulder. "This is the plan devised against the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out against all the nations. "For the lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?" (Isaiah 14:24-27 NASB)

With all this judgment – the removal of peace, God is still looking for ways to show his mercy.

"Suppose I warn wicked people that they will die because of their sins, and they stop sinning and start doing right. for example, they need to return anything they have taken as security for a loan and anything they have stolen. Then if they stop doing evil and start obeying my law, they will live. their past sins will be forgiven, and they will live because they have done right." (Ezekiel 33:14-16 CEV)

Let's refocus.

The rider on the red horse removes peace from the earth. If you have been living anywhere near these riotous areas of the united states, you might think peace has been removed already.

End of page three.

"And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him." Revelation 6:4 NASB

Notice how the verse says, "and that men would slay one another."

It is not merely the rider removing peace, but those willing to follow this course of action. There is one more "deadly" clue, as a great sword was given to him." This rider is given a great sword.

I need to remind you of something.

It only took one angel to kill all the firstborn of those who were not covered by the blood of the lamb that night in Egypt; so don't think for a second that one angel cannot remove peace from the earth.

When he broke the third seal

Revelation 6:5-6 NASB "when he broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "come." I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. (6), and I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "a quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine."

The general idea is that there will be a highly significant shortage of food; that or the United States will get hit with hyper-inflation much like Venezuela, and you will not afford food. But, there is another side of this: the World Economic Forum members are using this human-made pandemic to pull off this "great reset," which includes an intentional hyper-inflation.

In Deuteronomy 28, we can find the blessings and the cursings promised to Israel. Blessings if you follow after the lord, and cursings if you don't.

Deuteronomy 28:15 NASB "but it shall come about, if you do not obey the lord your God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:"

Well, they did not obey, and neither have we as a nation.

Deuteronomy 28:48 NASB "therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things; and he will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you."

The fourth seal is broken.

Revelation 6:7-8 NASB "when the lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "come." (8) I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name death; and hades was following with him. authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth."

The next two riders come under one seal: an ashen horse and its rider named death, and another undescribed horse with a rider named hades.

Note that authority was given to them.

Even if it's to carry out God's wrath, there is no authority without the Lord.

"... over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, pestilence, and by the wild beasts of the earth."

End page four.

Hardly anyone kills by the sword anymore, as guns are quicker and less personal. And yet, death by sword may be precisely the point, as blades tend to be associated with our worst fears.

Pestilence? I looked the word up in the dictionary, and this may ring a bell. "A fatal epidemic disease, especially bubonic plague."

Here in this blog, I have mentioned the Covid, and yet it in itself should not be deemed a fatal epidemic disease, especially not with a 99% recovery rate. I say this because all we have heard is propaganda. What seems to be the killer is this counterfeit vaccine, and maybe this is part of the problem when it comes to pestilence. Sure, every nasty disease, that we thought was under control, has raised its ugly head again and may also be adding to the death rate, so don't be surprised by what you hear.

Wild beasts? The troubling aspect of this is that so many wild animals have been "domesticated," and then intentionally or otherwise released into the bushes. There are some things I would not trust, such as lions, tigers, bears, vipers, spiders, crocodiles, alligators, hyenas, and packs of wild dogs, to name a few. I want so badly to put humanity under this category.

Our current population is 7,874,965,825. which is almost 8 billion people. To kill a fourth, even by various means, is to kill approximately 2 billion people, and the verse does not give us a time frame in which this will happen.

The souls of those martyred

Revelation 6:9-11 NASB "when the lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of god, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; (10) and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "how long, o Lord, holy and true, will you refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" (11) And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also."

Approximately 2 billion people will have been killed. Can we assume that many have also died because of drought, famine, economic disaster, and hyperinflation which may have prevented many from being able to buy food. Then, there are the fatal epidemic diseases, most of which seem exclusive to third-world nations (By the way, did you notice how virtually every country is being turned into a third-world nation?) How many of these 2 billion are now counted among the martyred saints?

My thoughts suddenly went toward the idea that the word sword may be an all-inclusive word; it is not, as it does not speak to nuclear arms and the intentional release of some deadly disease. It is the Greek word rhomphaia, meaning a large, broad sword.

Once again, my mind goes back to Islam, as the sword is the preferred method of death.

Here in Revelation 6:9-11, the martyred are crying out, how long will you refrain from judging those who dwell on the earth. The response, "rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed, even as they had been, would be completed."

Revelation 6:9 is the first occurrence in which john sees the martyred in heaven; the second occurs in Revelation 7:9-12; the difference is that the second time it is made clear that the number of the slain was uncountable. The number of those under the altar is not previously mentioned.

Over the years, I have pondered the religious zeal of these martyred saints; but, I must admit that I have put a Gentile, religious spin on what I read.

Let me explain; and yes, I am going to make a point.

End page five.

When you think about the crucifixion, do you see three crosses?

If you said yes, and they were all occupied, that would be the correct answer.

Now, when you picture the other two persons hanging there that day, were they both thieves?

Once again, yes would be the appropriate answer. But how did you know that?

The regular source for our answer typically comes from the King James version. But when you look up the word that the KJV translated as a thief, you get the word brigand. A brigand is a lawless fellow who lives by plunder, and that covers a variety of crimes. Some translated this word as revolutionaries, while others used the term criminals. The truth is, we are not sure.

One last question. Were the thieves both Jews?

We assume that the two hanging with Jesus that day were Jews; after all, they were in Jerusalem. You seem to forget that Israel was under a modified form of martial law, enforced by conscript troops from the adjoining conquered lands, under the Roman flag. So no, you don't have a direct scriptural answer to the question.

Let me confuse you a bit more. This hanging took place in Jerusalem, and yet only a short time later, Peter, on the day of Pentecost, preached under the Holy Spirit's influence to thousands from a wide variety of nationalities.

We can ascertain that the thieves were Jews based upon the responses of one of them, directed at the other. Matthew's account tells us is that initially, they both chimed in against Jesus, but something changed, which we see in Luke 23:36-39.

(36)"The soldiers also mocked him, coming up to him, offering him sour wine, (37) and saying, "if you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!" (38) now there was also an inscription above him, "this is the king of the Jews."

As you can see, the roman soldiers were yelling out to Jesus to save himself, but then, one of the criminals joined them. And it would be foolish to think that one or the other was willing to take the time, or had the ability to read the plaque that the Romans made.

(39)" one of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at him, saying, "are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" Luke 23:36-39 NASB

At this, the second criminal responds to the first,

"But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?" Luke 23:40 NASB

In saying, do you not even fear God, there is an acknowledgment that this man has been taught and that one hurling the insults should know and understand the law and the prophets. Perhaps without realizing it, the second thief has just acknowledged that Jesus is God. So, by this strained conversation, we can tell that both men have an understanding of God – and are therefore Jewish.

The second thief, painfully aware of the bad situation that he is in, says something remarkable,

"and we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." Luke 23:41 NASB

How did he know Jesus had done nothing wrong?

That response could only come through the Holy Spirit, or a cloaked, personal pursuit, because we have no indication that these two thieves knew of Jesus.

End of page 6.

That second thief then asks Jesus to do something extraordinary.

And he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
(Luke 23:42 MKJV)

This thief was no different from Jesus's disciples. For they too did not understand how this kingdom thing was going to work, but that did not impede Jesus' ability to understand what this thief was asking him; he was asking for life in that kingdom. And Jesus gave it to him.

This thief did not go through the significant religious hoops and jumps that we, brought up in the religious world, expect.

So what does an admission of God's lordship look like to someone from the Middle East, without a Gentile religious background, and you are being told to worship Allah or die?

Is it possible that it sounds like this Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

Revelation 13:1-18. The Antichrist.

 

In looking at Revelation chapter six, I only made it to verse two, so far. 

Here we see a white horse with a rider carrying a bow but no arrows. This character goes out to conquer, and it would appear that he is successful.

If I were foolish enough to say that this is Jesus Christ the Messiah, then I would have to ask if what we see is a description of Jesus.

Since a conviction can only be made based upon two or three witnesses testimony, this same rule of law applies where a prophetic word is concerned. Since that is the case, then there should be other passages that validate a claim, no matter who is making a claim; the problem is, there are not any. There are, however, passages that demonstrate that this is the antichrist, and that is why we are now looking, for a moment, at Revelation 13:1-18 using the NASB.

Verse (1) 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.

• “The dragon” is Satan.

  John Gill’s commentary tells us that the Arabic version reads expressly, “and the serpent stood.” Where else do we see a serpent? In the garden working his deception over Eve and her husband. If you don’t know this story, I suggest you read it because you will find that Adam was standing right there listening to every word and did NOTHING.

• “The sand of the seashore” represents the hordes of people deemed the nations, but more specifically, the Middle Eastern nations.

  Why would I be so directed toward the Middle East? Because the story and our Biblical influence is centered on the Middle East and oil.

• “a beast coming up out of the sea,” is an empire/kingdom.

  Once again, the Jewish audience would have had a familiarity with the terminology, as they have been made aware of this through Daniel’s prophecies, particularly chapter seven.

• “having ten horns and seven heads.” This specific empire exerts its influence for a very long time and has multiple rulers.

  One of the leading “nations” in the Biblical narrative is Persia/the Assyrians. When we think of Persia, who are we thinking about today? Iran.

  In my lifetime, I can think of four horns or heads that have led that nation. Only one ruled the country in a semi-democratic manner, and from pictures, it looked very modern, but not now. Daniel 2:41-42 tells us of the ten toes, all of which are derivatives of the legs of iron and other similar empires.

  On the Frontier Alliance app, Dalton Thomas gives a very comprehendible account of what we see in Daniel 11 (a study on the ships of Kittim.) Chapter 11 lays out who many of these ten horns and seven heads are. You can read this same report here. https://www.faimission.org/wire/special-report-ships-of-kittim

  Revelation 13:1 talks about the crowns on their heads and tells us that they have blasphemous names. Isaiah 37:23 NASB “Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? And against whom have you raised your voice And haughtily lifted up your eyes? Against the Holy One of Israel!

End page one.

This verse defines the majority of the world these days, but there is an ideology that comes to mind, and it is Islam.

I had not published this study on Revelation 13 at this point and so I ran it past a few of my friends to get their input. One quickly admitted to reading it and said he had questions. He rapidly asked the other gentleman if he had read it, and what did he think. The second man answered, yes, I read it, but he had no comment as to what he thought. I cannot imagine even those who deem themselves to be “senior” Christians to NOT have questions. I say this because few are willing to take on the Revelation and fewer can understand what it says.

The man I have known the longest, said, how do you know the dragon that stood on the sand of the seashore is representative of the hordes of people deemed the nations, but more specifically, the Middle Eastern nations?

To be painfully honest my memory is slipping away and I have been working on this piece on Revelation 13 for several weeks up to this point, so NO I could not remember where or how I got this information. Several hours have passed since the morning's discussion and I am going to answer this question now.

The first approach: Scripture defines scripture.

Look at Revelation 20:7-8

“When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, (8) and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.” NASB

Yes, I realize Revelation 20 is after the fact, but Satan, as you will see, never changes his tactics. Here, in this passage, he goes to deceive the nations, a method and plan that has never changed since the garden.

The nations and the Gentiles are one in the same.

And, you need to pay attention to the terminology when it says, the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. There is NO seashore in Revelation 20, and yet the relational terminology appears here. This alone can give me the basis of seeing the seashore and the sea as completely symbolic.

The second approach to understanding Revelation 13:1 is to find comparative passages, preferably in the Old Testament, and we have such evidence.

“In that day the LORD will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, With His fierce and great and mighty sword, Even Leviathan the twisted serpent; And He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.” Isaiah 27:1 NASB

I cannot say for a fact that Satan does not live in the sea, but I do have a biblical reference that defines where Satan's seat is, and it is Revelation 2:12,13.

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this: 'I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” ( NASB)

Writing to the church in Pergamum and then saying that this is the region where Satan dwells, tends to divert us away from the concept of Satan living in the sea; and, that the sea is representative of something else.

End page two.

Another substantiating verse comes from Daniel 7:1-3.

“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it. Daniel said, "I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. "And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.” (NASB)

The four winds of heaven, stirring up the great sea. And for great beasts were coming up from the sea. Is this real or representative? That is what Daniel also wanted to know, and we see him asking for an interpretation of this bizarre dream.

“As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. "I approached one of those who were standing by and began asking him the exact meaning of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things:”
(Daniel 7:15-16 NASB)

Here is the beginning of the answer he received.

'These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth.

(Daniel 7:17 NASB)

Didn't we just read, in Daniel 7:3, that the four beasts came up out of the sea? We did, and yet here, in the interpretation given by the angel sent from God, it is clearly stated that the four beasts arise from the earth. These beasts have changed from beasts to kingdoms and they have obviously come out of the earth, a more practical location. This, once again, proves that the sea is symbolic.

Having dealt with that, let's move on.

(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.

We already are aware that the beast is an empire and one that has outlasted most others. We also know that the empire is centered in the Middle East. The dragon, once again, is Satan. If you have a problem with this concept of Satan empowering people, then remember that it was Satan who took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, saying, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Satan was made the dictator of this world through Adam’s actions in the garden. Jeremiah 5:6 Speaks of “a leopard watching their cities,” and how that “everyone who goes out of them will be torn in pieces,” All of this, “because their transgressions are many, and their apostasies are numerous.” The writer is speaking toward Israel.

Because of the actions of Israel, Hosea 13:7-8 tells us that God, like a leopard, will lie in wait by the wayside, and He, like a bear, robbed of her cubs will tear open their chests; and He will devour them. In a short span, we see external, deadly aggression against Israel and God taking the credit for it; what knowledge do you gain from this? That God uses people and circumstance to accomplish His will.

(3) 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;

Empires, with many and varying rulers, however, for a time, one of those ruling bodies will be crushed, as if it had been slain. I have said it many times; this could easily be seen in the Ottoman Empire’s restraint in 1924. The world rejoiced in the fact that they had been quieted. How do you think we got movies like Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart? If the beast was Islam and got crushed, how and where did we see the entire world following after Islam? We didn’t unless that “world” was solely comprised of Esau and Ishmael’s descendants.

End page three.

(4) they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?”

The only way this makes any sense is if we see the beast as Islam and its leader Allah.

The presumption, then, would be that Allah has given his power to the beast. Followers of Islam are quite confident that they will rule the world in a coming time of chaos and that the infidels (anyone outside of Islam) will bow their knees in worship of Allah. So we can expect some horrific chaos to be unleashed upon the world at any moment. I am reasonably confident of this as I watched the interactions in the Middle East.

(5) There was given to him a mouth-speaking arrogant word and blasphemies and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.

If this beast is Islam, then very soon, Satan will give this ideology a spokesperson. I do not believe he will wholeheartedly adhere to Islam’s tenets because he will be looking at MONEY and GLOBAL domination, and they claim that they are Holy and thoughts like this are against Allah’s will. Scripture tells us that Sheba and Dedan will protest his actions of war. Sheba and Dedan are modern-day Saudi Arabia, and, if you have been paying attention, Saudi Arabia is now allied with Israel.

(6) And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.

“he” is the spokesperson, the antichrist. Scripture tells us that there have been and are now many antichrists in the world. If an Antichrist is merely someone in opposition, well then, you are surrounded by them. So THE antichrist will have what seems like a global persona and influence.

(7) It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.

Now, it turns ugly as this spokesperson is given the green light to make war. He makes war with: the saints; and everybody who is NOT a Muslim. Note that I, nor scripture, is calling them the church. Make no mistake, the church is in the midst of a war with antichrists, but we ARE NOT into the time of God’s wrath.

I am a pre-tribulation believer. I believe that because of passages like:

1Thessalonians 2:3, which in its origins read “unless the gathering comes first, and then the man of lawlessness is revealed.”

If you wish to cling to the idea of apostasy, I can assure you; we are about as apostate as you would want to get. This time, the seven years we love to call “The Tribulation” is God’s wrath. One brother in Christ angrily replied to me; it is NOT God’s wrath; apparently, he values the fairy tale version of the Bible.

Romans 1:18 says, “For the Wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men...”

John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

1Thessalonians 5:9, For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. God’s wrath is not for the church, those in Christ.

8. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, every one whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.

End page four.

• Pay attention to the wording as all will worship this spokesperson.

  At this point, it will be very apparent that he will be deemed the Mahdi, the awaited one of Islam. Those who worship him will be those whose names ARE NOT WRITTEN in the book of life.

  Slain, they will be caught up into heaven. Scripture, in Revelation 20:4,5, tells us, this is the first resurrection. The rest of the dead are not resurrected until the end of the thousand years. This book of life flaunts itself in the face of the judgmental religious who believe that all those who approach the great white throne are sent to hell. Since Matthew 25 also conveys imagery of that throne, where many, deemed sheep, are given life in eternity, God must have written their names in that book of life.

(9 -10) If anyone has an ear, let him hear. (10) If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword, he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.

If anyone has an ear, let him hear.” What does that mean?

Since we all have ears, [there are minor exceptions,] it has to be speaking to a willingness or ability to hear. If you have ears, then you should be able to hear unless you are losing your hearing, as I am, and yet, I can still hear things, and I choose to pay attention. Ah, but to what then are we paying attention? I refuse to pay attention to what my government tells me anymore, as they do not deserve my trust or engagement. On the other hand, the Word of God has become vital to me. I think it is because I decided to trust God that He has opened my eyes and ears. I may not be able to re-convey that information back to you, but I am trying.

During the days of the “mouth,” it will get ugly, so much so that non-compliant people, like myself, will be taken captive. This also speaks to me about trying to rise up in violent defiance.

Scripture does not tell me not to; it merely says if you live by the sword or gun, you will die by the same.

(11 -14) Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. (12) He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. (13) He performs great signs so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. (14) And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the wound of the sword and has come to life.

Another beast? This is what we Christians understand to be the false prophet. Islam calls him the enforcer of Sharia law - ‘Isa (Jesus).

Note how this beast looks like a lamb. Who is the Lamb in the Revelation? It is Jesus Christ, the lion of Judah, and the only one worthy to open the seals. Because of the directions of this false prophet, the followers of Islam will lop off the heads of infidels at an increased rate.

The passage also tells us that he will speak as a dragon, not just any dragon, the dragon, Satan.

What does that mean?

Back to the Islamic prophecies, for they believe that Isa will be of the lineage of Aaron.

End page five.

Why is that important?

Because you have to be of Aaron’s lineage to be a priest in the temple; and, that is what their prophecies and God's word prescribes.

Did you know that such a man exists and already has the appointed assignment when the temple proceeds?

Do you realize that the man who has the potential to deceive the elect of Israel is already in place?

And since Satan is the great deceiver, it will be an unimaginable event when this man joins the opposition. Simply switching teams is not considered to be the thing that convinces the elite of Israel; it is the signs and wonders; stuff they did not see coming; and, he, who has the look and feel of the Messiah - the lamb, will tell those who dwell on the earth to make an image of the beast.

Wait a minute, since the beast, as mentioned earlier, is an empire or ruling authority, how do you possibly make an image of such an intangible entity?

This opens the door to some strange possibilities doesn't it.

But what if they declare the beast to be Allah?

No one has seen Jehovah, but some have seen His Son. No one has seen Allah, especially since Allah is a creation of Satan’s deceit, and none have knowingly seen him either. Just keep in mind that this is the same beast that had the “mortal” wound come upon it. The passage makes it seem as though it appeared to have died due to the injury from a sword. All that means is that the empire was brought to its knees in warfare, which is the case with the Ottoman Empire, an Islamic caliphate.

(15) And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

So they make an image of Allah, whom no one has ever seen, and this false prophet now makes the image come to life. As a result, Allah is now talking and requiring that everyone listen.

The image demands that all those on the earth must worship his image or die.

(16-17) And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, (17) and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.

“And he” this beast that looked like a lamb, causes all, the great, and the rich and the poor, free and slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads.

[Wait a minute, I thought guys like Bill Gates and Klaus Schwab were going to be at the top of the pyramid and rule this whole mess? Sorry, as they too are merely pawns in this game, and they don’t realize it.]

Along with this “vaccine” there has been a bit of talk about a micro-needle imprint installed through a bandage-like device on the back of your hand. It will allow you to have the necessary information to live your life without ATM cards or “constraints; how convenient. They tell us you won’t even feel it as it creates a micro tattoo, installs operating instructions, and communicative devices in your body. There is already a diabetes monitoring system that uses similar technology.

Don’t be surprised to find that a European manufacturer claims it will be ready within three years from this date 03/30/21.

End page six.

Islam already utilizes a method of marking people, much like the Nazis did with the yellow star on the Jews in WW2. If that is the case, then the “vaccine” seems unnecessary and is most likely no more than a method of slowly killing millions of people.

The most dominant aspect of this conversation is the questions people have asked, such as, am I taking the beast’s mark when I get the vaccination?

The short answer is NO, as there is no beast as yet. But, you need to know that you are not getting a vaccine; you are getting gene therapy and a mild dose of Covid 19 genetically modified to do what “they” have instructed. That genetically modified organism is delicate and must be covered or spiked with Propylene glycol to ensure that the instructions survive the journey into your body and do the damage they were designed to do. And, you surely must realize that in taking the “vaccine” you have had your resistance broken to the point where you are compliant. How do you think you will resist the mark of the beast when that comes?

Just for the fun of it, here is a definition of Propylene glycol. Propylene glycol is a viscous, colorless liquid, which is nearly odorless but possesses a faintly sweet taste. It is compatible with a broad range of solvents, including water, acetone, and chloroform. [From Wikipedia.] And many people are highly allergic to it; that is why we have seen many die of Anaphylactic shock.

(18) Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man, and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.

The word calculate is not as overwhelming as one might think. It is the Greek word psēphizō and means to count with pebbles, to compute, calculate. The usage of pebbles was employed mainly by the Greeks and Egyptians in their calculations. The feeling for me is like looking at an Abacus, and I don’t know what to do with it.

The Number 666 speaks of man corrupted. Many think the number 666 to be purely symbolic, expressing all that is corrupt in humanity when directed by evil himself.

The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury points us to the Psalms where it says,

“Jehovah is King forever and ever; the nations have perished out of His land. Jehovah, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart, You will cause Your ear to hear, to judge the fatherless and the oppressed, so that the man of the earth may no more terrify.” (Psalms 10:16-18 MKJV)

Perhaps verse 18 is trying to give us the answer, although not the name. 

Psalms 10:18 ISV, “to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that men of the earth may cause terror no more.”

Think about the condition of the world right now. It is turning into a world of them-versus-us (those who refuse to submit to genetic modification through some bogus vaccine, and those who still put their faith in Jesus Christ.)

Let me refresh your thinking just a bit.

“The second beast forces all people—important and unimportant, rich and poor, free, and slaves—to be marked on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that no one may buy or sell unless he has the mark, which is the beast’s name or the number of its name. In this case wisdom is needed: Let the person who has understanding calculate the total number of the beast, because it is a human total number, and the sum of the number is 666.” (Revelation 13:16-18 ISV)

End page seven.

I stumbled upon a website https://bookofrevelation.org/2020/06/06/the-antichrist-has-been-identified/ The article, entitled The Antichrist Has Been Identified and Located, appears to be written by Addison Bachman. In the article, he explains that the antichrist has been identified using the Apostle John’s clues.

Mr. Bachman says the antichrist has been right in front of our eyes this whole time. He goes on to say, “Could the answer be we didn’t recognize the obvious because we have all been hoodwinked (tricked.) Mr. Bachman then refers us to 2 Timothy 4:3,4.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 AMP For the time is coming when [people] will not tolerate (endure) sound and wholesome instruction, but, having ears itching [for something pleasing and gratifying], they will gather to themselves one teacher after another to a considerable number, chosen to satisfy their own liking and to foster the errors they hold, (4) And will turn aside from hearing the truth and wander off into myths and man-made fictions.

Sound and wholesome instruction is referred to by many as sound doctrine. Doctrine is a school of thought or belief within a religious organization; and, doctrines can vary from religion to religion.

So the question is, what is sound and wholesome?

For me, it is God’s word, and that does NOT mean King James only. Look, you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you. He came in when you requested the life of Christ to dwell in you. Since Christ is sitting on a throne next to the Father, and the Holy Spirit is here on earth leading us and guiding us into all truth, then how about we listen to Him. I suppose that means you might have to learn to pay attention to His voice because it is often still and small.

What do we see when we read 2 Timothy 4:3-4?

We see people of every race and tongue choosing to do things their way. Because they will not tolerate someone pointing out, in scripture, that their actions are sinful or an abomination, they find some ‘church’ that will condone and cater to their lifestyle. Choosing to do this tends to exclude you from all other truths merely by your actions.

In other words, if you would not read and accept the word concerning you; why then will you listen to anything else God has to say? This was Israel’s problem as well.

The second beast, the false prophet, comes at the halfway point in the time of wrath. For the sheep who like to follow, this is what you call the Great Tribulation.

Mr. Bachman points out that the word “antichrist” (it is never capitalized) only shows up four times, and he challenges the reader to prove him wrong. Yes, I looked, and he is right. This Antichrist character is alluded to in many locations and many of those locations are in Daniel’s writings.

One of our first instances comes from 1 John 2:18

“Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this, we know that it is the last hour.” NASB

Antichrist is the Greek word antichristos and means the adversary of the Messiah or the opponent of the Messiah. Well, that seems easy enough to understand and could apply to many people.

Coming is the Greek word erchomai and means to come from one place to another; to come into being, or to become known. I can see how this can apply to many things, like demons/fallen angels or people.

End page eight.

When we read 1 John 2:18, we see that the Apostle John believed he was living in the “end times,” as Mr. Bachman noted. John’s belief can be seen in this statement “it is the last hour.” Here we are, some 2000 years later, and some of us are still living on the edge of our seats, as though Jesus was coming back for His church at any second. The writer of Hebrews validates what John is saying when they state,

“in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.” (Hebrews 1:2 NASB)

If you feel like you need one more validation on this theme, I give you the Prophet Joel.

“It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. “Even on the male and female servants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” (Joel 2:28-29 NASB)

These words should be familiar to many of us, as these are the words Peter, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, declared to the large crowd on the day of Pentecost.

“but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:” (Acts 2:16 NASB)

Peter added this line, moving it into this window of time we are NOW entrenched in.

Do you NOT realize that this style of anticipation is what we have called to?

To substantiate this statement, here is a taste of what the Apostle Paul had to say.

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:4-8 NASB)

He expects us to be eagerly awaiting Him. This became rather important to me because I got criticized by a man I called a friend and a pastor as well; it seems they both believed that we would not see the Lord for at least another forty years. We, believers, won’t live that long as “they” will kill us first.

Note how 1 John 2:18 indicates that there are many antichrists already here; this statement evidences it: “even now many antichrists have appeared.” You would think they were lined up, waiting for their entrance on stage.

John informs us that the antichrist is also a spirit and isn’t simply a person.

The second time John uses the term antichrist is found in

1 John 2:22-23 NLT “And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. (23) Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

Dr. J. Vernon McGee, in a simple way, tell us,

“The language is much stronger here; it is, "Who is the liar?" In other words, all lies are summed up in the one who is the prince of liars, the Devil. There is coming a man who is Satan's man, and he is the liar. And a liar is one who does not tell the truth.”

End page nine.

Dr. McGee goes on to say,

“"Who is a liar, but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denies the Father and the Son."

Note how it says, He is antichrist; not the antichrist but merely one of many, and this person gains that title through their denial of Christ.

“This will be the embodiment of the Antichrist, but there are many antichrists.”

This is now the third instance of the word antichrist.

1 John 4:3 NASB “and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.”

It is evident that in time, someone will finally take the helm of antichrist.

We understand this from passages like Daniel 9:26,27, where this person is referred to as the prince that is to come.

“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. And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.” NASB

In verse 27, we see the antichrist referred to as “he.”

In Revelation 13:5, we are told, “there was given to him a mouth.” This statement does not make sense without the context, and so we will look there.

Revelation 13:1-6b 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. (3) 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; (4) they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” (5) There was given to him a mouth-speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. (6) And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.

John sees a beast coming up out of the sea; the sea is representative of the vast number of people included among the nations. In other words, we are not looking specifically at the Middle East; and, because this beast has seven heads, it is obviously NOT a human; these are empires, kingdoms, or, Caliphates.

End page ten.

Now, look at verse three, as one of those seven heads sustains a wound, and the world perceives this wound as fatal. In 1924 such a thing happened as the Ottoman Caliphate was forced by a treaty and weapons to surrender and submit to being dismantled. If you don’t know it, the Ottoman empire empowered the pirates of the Mediterranean and is one of the main reasons that the United States formed the Marines. The Ottoman Empire seemed to stay dead until the Islamic/Iranian revolution of 1979. Now Islamic fighters are a perpetual thorn in just about everybody’s flesh.

So the mouth speaking is merely a spokesperson for this beast empire. Most leaders with this kind of clout do not, as a rule, openly blaspheme God unless they are Islamic.

We know, at this point, that there will be a man who has power (from Satan), and, in time, he will curse God. I still don’t know who this is, but there are several who could be contenders.

The fourth instance of the word antichrist shows up in 2 John 1:7.

2 John 1:6b-7 AMP “...continue to walk in love [guided by it and following it]. (7) For many impostors (seducers, deceivers, and false leaders) have gone out into the world, men who will not acknowledge (confess, admit) the coming of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) in bodily form. Such a one is the impostor (the seducer, the deceiver, the false leader, the antagonist of Christ) and the antichrist.

I give you the NLT because it is quite clear.

I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist. (2 John 1:7 NLT)

If the Pope, Emanuel Macron, or Barak Obama, denies that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, then they too are living the life of an Antichrist.

End page eleven.