It is appointed unto man once to die; is that true? Hebrews 9:27.

It was early in 2022 that I came to learn of Lee Brainard. He maintains a YouTube website called Soothkeep, where you can find many of his teachings should you want to check them out.

Mr. Brainard comes across as intelligent and worthy of a listen, but here it is November of 2022, several months later, and I tried to listen to him try to explain who the two witnesses would be (Just as a side note, because the two witnesses, like a few other things in scripture, are not so cleanly detailed I will use words like might be instead of “will be”, as Lee Brainard conveyed.)

He opened the talk by saying it could be Elijah and Enoch, and he explained how many people feel strongly about that choice; however, Mr. Brainard noted that he did not think it would be them and that he chose Moses and Elijah.

He proceeded to explain why it would not be Enoch because we never saw Enoch perform any signs, nor did he call down fire from heaven as Elijah did. 

Let's be honest; we know little about Enoch. Fortunately, scripture in the New Testament books of Hebrews and Jude references Enoch as a man who did something no nobody else has done - he worshiped God on a regular basis, and one day, he was transported off the earth, and not by death. That alone moves Enoch into an untouchable category, but I digress.

In Hebrews 11:5, we are told that

“By faith, Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”

Translated? Now there's a familiar word. Philip, the evangelist, was translated, and so was Elijah.

Jude, a disciple who introduced himself as “a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James.” A logical assumption is that James is the half-brother of Jesus, an author of a book by the same name, and, therefore, a half-brother of Jesus as well. Both of these “brothers” rejected Jesus during His life on earth but eventually came around. Jude wrote to alert us to false teachers, a bit of information that will play into this piece of writing shortly.

Jude, in verses 14-16, tells us

“...Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,  15  to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."  16  These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage.”

Things of note in this short paragraph.

• He has pointed out Enoch's lineage and that he, too, was untainted by the fallen angels having their way with the women folk.

• When he says, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,” he projected, prophetically, well over 2,000 years into the future, how Jesus will come as the warring messiah and the saints will be alongside.

• While we seem to delight in the possibility that Jesus/God will kill and eliminate all those who are not Christians, nothing could be more wrong or distorted. Verse 15, in the ESV, states that He comes “to execute judgment on all...” Jude's own words speak of “their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way...” So many of these marked for judgment seem to be religious, and many commentaries define them as false teachers.

I will tell you that one of those two cannot be Moses and here is why.

Deuteronomy 34:5-6 NKJV  So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.  6  And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day.

Moses died. It would be cruel and unusual punishment to bring him back and kill him again.

Mr. Brainard apparently refused to use the commonsense approach that Enoch and Elijah did not die but interjected how death was NOT necessary to fulfill this prophetic word.

Until Revelation tells us that the two witnesses are placed upon the earth, there is nothing that defines how and why they will arrive here. Sure, there are scriptures such as Numbers 35:30, and Deuteronomy 19:15, that tell us that there must be at least two witnesses to uphold a criminal complaint, but we do not see these two as those being judged but the ones bringing judgment and the testimony against Israel. In our introduction, we are merely told that they will prophesy.

If these two witnesses were to be deemed competent based on previous demonstrations of God's power, then where did Moses obtain the experience to do what he did?

He learned on the job. So I do not understand the logic of Lee Brainard's assertion that Enoch is any less qualified.

Within a few minutes, Mr. Brainard had us looking at Hebrews 9:27, which says, "it is appointed unto men to once die." Although not to my satisfaction, he attempted to explain that this was not a literal death and, therefore, allows us to bypass Enoch.

Allow me a moment to express myself here. 

These two witnesses are not given identities for a reason, which means the reason God has picked them is either NOT for us to know, or it does not apply to the church and is irrelevant. It is, however, relevant to those still left in Israel when that time comes. So these two are meant to be highly significant evangelists to the Jewish community, and what is vitally important is what they say and what they do, but we never focus on that because, again, it is something that we can only speculate about.

Most of my Bible study ideas come from conversations where someone, like a Bible teacher, has made an assertion, attempted to defend their position, and would not back down even when shown from the Word of God how improper their teaching is. I doubt this rebuttal to Lee Brainard's teaching would ever make it to him, so I do it here for you to see.

This, by the way, is not meant to promote the bashing of a particular brother in Christ but to learn to be sensible, like the Bereans that Paul spoke of, who, after hearing what Paul said, went, studied, and validated his words against the only scrolls available – the Torah. This is what I have done with Mr. Brainard's comments. But, remember, no one is above the law, even me. So I urge you to search the scriptures to see if what I say is true.

Another noticeable thing is happening here; while the passage that conveys that every one of us must be subject to death is found in Hebrews 9:27, I have initiated this "study" with Hebrews 9:11 as I wanted you to get a feel for the context. Mr. Brainard apparently sees the context differently.

So then, Christ had to be subject to death. The reasons for this had to do with Lucifer's rebellion and expulsion and Adam's eating of the fruit. The timing and beginnings of God's plan to rid the world of sin and Satan were put together before the world began and the creation of mankind. It is all these things put together that evoked the need for Christ to enter into the holy tabernacle in heaven.

"But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;" (Hebrews 9:11 NASB)

My Thursday morning men's group has watched several weeks of Dr. Derwin Gray on Right Now Videos. He is the Lead Pastor at Transformation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. What is unique about his teaching style is that as he reads a passage that speaks to the topic, he frequently says, "now let's pause here a moment." I want to do that now.

When Christ appeared after his death, where did he appear? 

As I think about what I just asked, it is a trick question, although that was not my intent, as few of you will acknowledge that He went into the heavenly tabernacle, and fewer even realize that this act of forgiveness actually happened. Still, if you read your Bible, you will know that Jesus appeared to over 400 between his resurrection and ascension into heaven. However, the most important thing He did after subjecting Himself to the cross and death was that He appeared in the heavenlies, a more perfect tabernacle. This is the heavenly tabernacle and the pattern for the one on earth.

“and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:12-14 NASB)

Once again, let's pause here. 

Jesus entered the heavenly tabernacle and obtained eternal redemption for us, with and through His own blood. Christ, we are told, offered Himself and subjected Himself to death.

"For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives."
(Hebrews 9:15-17 NASB)

Pause!

Because He died, subjected Himself to the cross, and poured His blood out, just as they did with the animal sacrifices, for His benefit and ours, this makes Him the mediator of a new covenant.

Under no circumstance is the covenant valid until the death of the mediator. Jesus' death fulfilled the first and the last covenant, and yet, He was raised from the dead and now lives as our mediator, making Him a greater mediator.

"Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, "THIS IS THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT WHICH GOD COMMANDED YOU." And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." (Hebrews 9:18-22 NASB)

Again a pause.

Every covenant is inaugurated with blood.

The first covenant was fulfilled with blood, and so was the second.

We are told that without blood, there is no forgiveness; thank God, blood was shed for our forgiveness. 

"Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;"
(Hebrews 9:23-24 NASB)

Another pause.

Why did Jesus have to cleanse the heavenly things? 

Because Satan tore the place up and brought abomination to the heavenly tabernacle. Jesus did this for us.

“nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”
(Hebrews 9:25-26 NASB)

Will the pauses ever end?

He is NEVER to offer Himself again. Why?

Because His sacrifice, as the unblemished lamb, was enough. He did not use any other blood: He used His own. He sacrificed Himself, and you don't do this without dying and rising again.

“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”
(Hebrews 9:27-28 NASB)

Let's focus on verse 27 for a moment.

Appointed - apokeimai - to be reserved; figuratively to await: - be appointed, (be) laid up.

Men are the Greek word anthrōpos = human beings.

Once, the Greek word is hapax and means one (or a single) time, once.

Die is the Greek word apothnēskō and carries meanings of to die off (literally or figuratively): - be dead, death, die, lie a-dying, be slain (X with).

Judgment, this is the Greek word krisis and means (Subjectively or objectively, for or against); by extension, a tribunal; by implication, justice (specifically divine law): - accusation, condemnation, damnation, judgment.

I have led you into Hebrews 9:27, where it says it is appointed for human beings to die once. The manner in which you die varies from old age, disease, or some form of violence. Hebrews 9:11-27 speaks to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yes, Christ died.

We, on the other hand, do not have to die merely because sin demanded it, as Jesus became the sacrifice for us. But there is still a problem as we are born into the world physically damaged in a way that propels us to sin, and God will not tolerate that impairment in the Holy City or Heaven if you rather, and that is why we will be changed.

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.”
(1 Corinthians 15:52-54 NASB)

So what do I see here?

The dead in Christ will be raised, but the perishable will now be imperishable because they have already physically died, and God has been able to purge that drive for lust that was a part of their bodies.

But the passage goes on to say, "and we will be changed."

What changes?

One our location, as we will lift off from this earth and meet Jesus in the air. The other thing that changes seems to be this body. The body carries the drive to sin, and it appears as though our bodies must die. This transition may be part of the Bema seat, and as I think about it, I see freedom.

“in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”
(1 Corinthians 15:52 NASB)

Changed is the Greek word allássō, and though the Bible translators simply used the word changed, it implies that you are changed into another form or the nature of the thing is changed.

Since I am, as you are, a spirit that cannot die, then death is merely a painless transition. The oddity is that we all have an unwarranted fear of death.

The next question is why?

As a child, we were made to say a prayer before bed. Where this prayer came from, I am not sure, but the theme was one that continued in the church. The prayer goes like this Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. There was no confidence, no understanding, and fear was laced throughout the prayer.' That, along with the things I was told continually in the church, filled my life with fear about God and death. Church merely backed up these prayers by implying that every little sin (like the paper clip I took) would send a person to hell if they did not repent of those sins. I reckon they forgot that Jesus covered all sins and made atonement for them through the cross, pouring His own blood upon the altar in heaven.

I now realize that all this imposed guilt was meant to control the body of Christ because we are all representative of that sheep that has a tendency to stray and must be stopped. But, since breaking our legs would be illegal, and it does little to stop the thoughts that come into your head, all that is left for church leadership is manipulation. No, it does not show up in every leader or every church, but it is there, and Satan saw to it that we were all taught deathly thoughts and fear.
Consider Adam and Eve; in the garden, God spelled out that their sin of eating that fruit initiated the two of them and all their offspring, of which I am one, into warfare. Satan is a master at psychological warfare.

In case you haven't figured it out, I am an unswerving believer in Hebrews 9:27, which says it is appointed unto humanity, once to die, and after this comes the judgment.

For the believers, this judgment is the Bema seat of Christ, where you will be rewarded according to the acts that made you look like Jesus to someone, and most of those acts you were probably unaware of. So judgment, for us, is nothing to fear. I am being sarcastic as I say if you idolize your Gucci underwear, then perhaps you should switch to Fruit of the Loom or Hanes, as it appears that all human idolatry and adultery will get burned up at the Bema seat right before you get that sparkling white robe.

This is, for the most part, not a life-changing argument, but when a notable speaker says that God did NOT mean what He said has the potential for huge problems, especially if you do not spend any time in God's Word. If that is true - God did NOT mean what He said, then God is a liar. If you have read the Word for yourself, then you know that God cannot lie and that He is incapable of lying, and you would know that what Lee Brainard is NOT true, making him a false teacher.

Scriptural proof to substantiate that God cannot lie can be found in 1 Samuel 15:29.

“He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind." (1 Samuel 15:29 NIV)

Since we are to make our judgments based upon two witnesses, try this.

“I, the LORD, have spoken! The time has come, and I won’t hold back. I will not change my mind, and I will have no pity on you. You will be judged on the basis of all your wicked actions, says the Sovereign LORD.” Ezekiel 24:14 NLT

The context of Ezekiel 24 is a judgment upon the Jews. Many, still to this day, refuse to see Yeshua as the Messiah, and yet, they, too, were covered by Jesus' blood shed on that cross. So, here in verse 14, they, along with the nations and anyone else who pushed Jesus aside, will be judged on the basis of all their actions.

Are their actions all wicked?

Matthew 25:31-46 speaks of the judgment of the sheep and the goats. If you pay attention, you can see that this is a parallel to the great white throne that most fear. Here though, the goats are separated from the sheep, and the sheep gain entrance into the eternal kingdom. Shocked, they ask, what did we do to deserve such favor? The answer has everything to do with their actions. These actions are the very things that God commanded us to do when He gave us the Ten Commandments – simply put, Love on People. You cannot do that unless there is a moral fiber from God running through your body.

So if you were to challenge me about the nature and character of God, I would have to say, Nope, sorry, I believe God and His Word, and I will not change my thinking on this one.

Revelation 20 does not answer this question, what became of the fallen angels?

 Before we move on, I need to talk about something that is bothering me. What became of the fallen angels?

Revelation 20 does NOT answer the question, although some think it does.

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.”
(Revelation 20:1-3 NASB)

A thousand years later.

“When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 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.”
(Revelation 20:7-8 NASB)

Pastor Don Stewart refers to Rev 20:10 when he says, “The lake of fire has been prepared for the devil and his evil angels.” The problem is, I see no reference to the fallen angels, unless you are foolish enough to think that the word “they” includes more than what is listed in the passage.

Just what exactly does verse 10 tell us?

And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
(Revelation 20:10 NASB)

It tells us that only three persons are indicated, the devil, the beast (which is the antichrist,) and the false prophet. To go beyond that without substantiating evidence is pure conjecture. 

So, where then are the fallen angels?

The short book of Jude tells us in verse six.

“that those that did not keep their domain have been kept in eternal bonds under darkness, where they await judgment of the great day.”

There is only one great day, and that is the day on which the white throne judgment takes place. Unfortunately, many of us believe this verse only applies to those angels who somehow had sex with the women and produced the Nephalim.

Also, I have nothing to suggest that this indicates all the angels, and the word domain seems to cry out for definition.

If the statement applied to all the angels, what demon horde has been carrying out Satan's orders and manipulating the world since then?

Satan, being a solitary unit could not possibly torture everyone at the same time, only God can do that.

In the book of Job, chapter four tells us that God charges them with error.

“He puts no trust even in His servants; And against His angels He charges error. 'How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before the moth!” (Job 4:18-19 NASB)

Why would God charge the angels with an error unless an error was committed? 

He wouldn't. We don't expect an angel to “sin.”

The apostle Peter validates what Jude conveys.

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;
(2 Peter 2:4 NASB)

Again, this does not tell us that ALL of the fallen have been condemned to hell, and since Satan has been dancing upon the heads of believers all over the earth, we know that there are still an uncountable number of angels following Satan’s lead.
In Matthew chapter eight, there is an encounter with demons – fallen angels who had possessed a man. The demons spoke to Jesus and said, “Have You come here to torment us before the time?”

When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. And they cried out, saying, "What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?" (Matthew 8:28-29 NASB)

Torment is the Gk word basanizō and means torture, torment, to vex with grievous pains (of body or mind.)

Obviously, they were aware that their time was coming. The phrase, “the time?” is the Greek word kairos. It means a fixed and definite time, the time when things are brought to crisis, or the decisive epoch waited for.

These demons knew that there was an appointed time and were content to wait for it. One of the most significant issues we, as believers, face is when this appointed time will come. As I watch, not only are events unfolding, but I am hearing the globalists tell us that the time has come for their great reset and how they will make it happen.

If I wanted to do an adequate search for angels, I might have to expand my vocabulary because the phrase “the sons of God” also references angels. One of the prominent places we find this is in Genesis 6 where the chapter conveys the idea of angels breeding with humans. (There is much controversy over this, but maybe it is time for you to get over the shock.)

that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. (Genesis 6:2 NASB)

Beautiful is the Hebrew word tob. It means pleasant, agreeable, good, and beneficial. Webster’s dictionary defines beneficial as: Advantageous; useful; profitable; contributing to a valuable end. 

Ah, but what was that end?

The creation of a race of Hybrid humans that would destroy the gene pool and end God's plan of redemption through mankind.

Why do you think God had to have this conversation with us?

These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. (Genesis 6:9 KJV)

It sounds so benign and innocent, but it is not.

We are told that they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.

Took is the Hebrew word lâqach and means to fetch, lay hold of, seize, acquire, snatch, and take away.

There was no love, no romance, and these women were merely taken and used to propagate this new, corrupted breed. When you examine the words used to define Noah, you get,

Perfect. The mind conjures up images of Jesus, who never sinned, even when He intentionally made a whip and drove the sellers and money changers out of the temple courts. No other man stands up to Jesus' image. The truth is, we know little about Noah. He followed God's lead and built the ark, having no concept of rain and knowing that this vessel was much too far to move to the ocean. We have two things that are telling about the man, and that is the fact that he preached righteousness to those who would listen; no one received his message, and we are shown that he knew how to make a sacrifice to the Lord when the floodwaters receded.

In most translations, the Hebrew word used here and defined as perfect is tâmı̂ym.  It conveys the idea that the generations of Noah were whole, sound, and unimpaired.

While we might want to brag about some descendant who signed a founding document or saved hundreds from invaders, these words don’t tell us that; they tell us his generations had no disability – they were not impaired. Ah, but by what?

The Word Study Dictionary tells us the word is “an adjective meaning blameless, complete; and, in over half of its occurrences, it describes an animal to be sacrificed to the Lord,”

Why would God use a word that describes a lamb that was to be intensely scrutinized for any flaw? Flaws, by the way, would EXCLUDE that lamb from being used as a sacrifice.

Was Noah sacrificed?

No, but his lineage was scrutinized by God to find out if these fallen angels had polluted Noah’s genetics or their wives. But, of course, the sad part of this conversation is the religious zealots who are screaming right now about how foolish my assertions are.

Really, what is the context of Genesis chapter six?

The context has everything to do with fallen angels and the arrival of the Nephalim through the rape of women.

The story's details in Genesis six tell us that almost every genetic line became infiltrated and polluted, except for Noah’s family and the families of these young ladies that Noah’s sons chose.

Genesis six also tells us that the attempt to corrupt the human lineage continued after the flood. That can mean only one thing, that the fallen angels were unaffected by the flood and that they tried it again with Noah’s descendants.

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:4 NASB)

According to the Word Study Dictionary, the word came reads in this manner. It is used with the preposition ’el and means to have intercourse. There are two examples of this, and Genesis 6:4 is one of them.

After what?

The flood wiped out all air-breathing land mammals on earth, except for Noah’s extended family. With no place to land, birds would have died from exhaustion.

So, what did I manage to determine about angels and the fate of the fallen?

With statements from the demons like this. “have you come here to torment us before the time,” I can ascertain that,

• They already know their fate.

  There is no book of life for them. The angels were created to be messengers for God and the followers of Christ. To break rank and do their own thing or follow after Satan was unthinkable. I can only assume these boundaries were set up when this relationship was initiated.

• The NASB, like many others, used the term torment.

  In actuality it leans toward torture or to vex with grievous pains; and they knew it was coming.

• The Revelation does not tell us anything about the fate of the fallen angels.

  It should not be that much trouble to include them in the narrative about being thrown into hell alongside Satan. Since the demons brought up the subject and demonstrated their knowledge and acceptance of said torment, then, as I said above, we can ascertain that the angels will stand before that same white throne, be judged, and cast into eternal torment. Consider that I have pointed out how Matthew 25 demonstrates mercy being given to some. The fact that the “demons” understand their fate tells us that NO mercy is available to them.

• God will hold the fallen angels guilty for their foolish choices.

  The religious assumption is that angels are merely robots that only do what God tells them. The problem with that thinking is; that first, you seem to forget that Lucifer is an angel and led a rebellion against God and His throne. Secondly, Lucifer/Satan was able to deceive one-third of the angels into following his madness. It is this, above all else, that tells us that angels have free will to serve with loyalty or not.

  “... And against His angels He charges error.” (Job 4:18 NASB)

  Jude tells us that those who participated in the Genesis 6 orgy are locked away,

  “And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,” (Jude 1:6 NASB)

  Maybe it is not so much that an angel could turn their back on God, but more in how they committed such an act. Think about what they did, they seized humans, made in God's image, with the sole purpose of destroying those beings, all of them, and it almost worked.

If you are perplexed why I included the Nephalim narrative of Genesis 6, this is one of the worst and most apparent indiscretions that we are aware of when it comes to fallen angels – or demons, if you wish. Genesis 6:4 indicates that their efforts to destroy anything that looked like God continued after the flood. So, whether they are invading your physical human space or tormenting your life otherwise, they are real and active. If they don't control you, I can guarantee you that they control that other person who walks around without the protection of the Holy Spirit that lives inside of the believer. I am telling you, you need Jesus.

God's people and the beloved city, are surrounded. Revelation 20:9-15.

 The defeat of Satan.

I would guess that many of you thought this would never happen; well, it will. Our confidence concerning this comes from the scriptures, all of which have proven that God is faithful to His word; and we happen to be looking at an aspect of that Word.

For the followers of Christ - those actively waiting for Him, the catching away of the church will happen any day now; at that point in time, Satan will no longer be an issue. That fallen angel, with his annoying ways, will no longer give those of us in Christ any more trouble.

On the other hand, if you are one of those who have to try and live through the seven years of God's wrath, “they,” will, within a short period of time, be coming for you to kill you.

I can hear some of you saying, Hey, I have sat in church on occasions and I am confident that I deserve to be called a Christian. Because of that, I am sure that I will be gathered up with the church when the rapture comes. If you don't want to believe this can happen, then look at this.

"Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. (2) "Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. (3) "For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, (4) but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. (5) "Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. (6) "But at midnight there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' (7) "Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. (8) "The foolish said to the prudent, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps, are going out.' (9) "But the prudent answered, 'No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' (10) "And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut. (11) "Later the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, lord, open up for us.' (12) "But he answered, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.' (13) "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.” Matthew 25:1-13 NASB

If you paid attention, then you would have noticed that they were all virgins, and yet 50% did not get into the party.

• As an analogy, you might think that this conveys that they were good Jewish girls and pure of heart. Apparently, that is not the case.

  The term virgins also expresses that this is a young woman who has never had sexual relations with a man, and therefore marriageable in the Jewish community. While this tells us that she obeyed her father's rules, it does not tell us about the quality of the heart.

• Verse 2 tells us that five of them were foolish. This is explained in verses three and four.

  “"For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, (4) but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.”

  Foolish is the Gk word mo-ros' and means dull or stupid.

  Prudent is the Greek word phronimos. It means to be intelligent, wise, prudent, i.e. mindful of one’s interests.

• From verse five. “...while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep.”

  God does not see this as a negative; but while five were mindful to take extra oil with them, five were lazy and did not care anymore.

• If you think they were such precious young ladies, then pay attention to what verse eight conveys from the Contemporary English Version.

  “The foolish ones said to the others, "Let us have some of your oil! Our lamps are going out."

  All of a sudden they are demanding oil, as though the world owes them something.

Who can I equate this to?

Those who, like an acquaintance of mine, was inclined to tell me, that I was wasting my time and others by saying that Jesus was coming back soon.

Many of us see the ten virgins as an analogy of the church.

If that is correct, then we are looking at fifty percent of the “so-called” church, acting like that brother in Christ who chooses to berate anybody who is a proponent for the soon coming of Christ for His bride. (This concept could be mine alone; but what if I am right? Are you looking for Jesus or are you being dull and stupid? )

My advice to you, in whatever dire strait you find yourself in, is to hold tightly to Jesus Christ for He is your faith and hope for a future with the Father.

The reality is that we are NOT going back to normal, whatever that looks like for you. Those who gather at the World Economic Forum have done their damage and created the atmosphere to bring about their openly stated New World Order. Ukraine, Lebanon, and others are already having serious food shortages. It will not be long until people will be coming after the Christians, to kill them, partially because many of us have stood against these foolish global dominance efforts. So in effect, the end, as far as your life among the heathen, will come quickly for many.

In the last post, we covered Revelation 20, verses seven and eight.

Let's pick up from there and move forward.

When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 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. (Revelation 20:7-8 NASB)

These people – the nations, will have heard and chosen to ignore, the same message that brought many of us to a relationship with Jesus Christ.

He will fool the countries of Gog and Magog, which are at the far ends of the earth, and their people will follow him into battle. They will have as many followers as there are grains of sand along the beach, (Revelation 20:8 CEV)

Immediately my mind says here are some familiar names, so what is the relationship to the Old Testament?

In looking at the children of Israel (Jacob), there is an allusion to Reuben, but the allusion ends almost as quickly as it comes, and the father of Gog, we are told, is Joel.

Suddenly, I am aware that I have never paid attention to this Joel and have no idea who he is.

Alright, who fathered Joel?

The Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary gives us this.

“Now the sons of Reuben — In proceeding to give this genealogy, the sacred historian states, in a parenthesis (1Ch_5:1, 1Ch_5:2), the reason why it was not placed first, as Reuben was the oldest son of Jacob. The birthright, which by a foul crime he had forfeited, implied not only dominion, but a double portion (Deu_21:17); and both of these were transferred to Joseph,”

"That foul crime," as JFB, side steps, was to take one of his father's concubines to bed.

What if Joel was the product of that indiscretion?

The answer lies in pure speculation, so we will leave that hanging there.

Matthew Poole's commentary claims that Joel was the son of Hanoch, Reuben's first-born, or Carmi. Again, we have NO scriptural evidence. It is possible that the answer lies in Jewish history, but some would call that extra-biblical information and disregard it immediately.

What is evident, is that Joel, NOT the prophet, was of the lineage through Reuben and that he was the father of Shemaiah, Gog, and Shimei.

The one that catches our attention is Gog.

Why do I point out that Gog is a descendant of Reuben? We, of a religious bent, tend to think that Jacob was a Pentecostal. I am being facetious to make a point. There were NO Jews as yet, and certainly NO organized religion that we can associate with Jacob.

In fairness, Jacob was a descendant of Abraham, a man with whom God spoke and made a covenant. And yet, no one should be able to declare that Abraham lived under the tenants of organized religion. Abraham and any of his descendants that followed in his path became aware of 'ĕlôhı̂ym, the Supreme God and the plural of 'ĕlôahh. So Abraham, and every descendant he could speak to, was introduced to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit through this plural God, ĕlôhı̂ym.

We can't call them Jews at this point in the study, as the name Jew, a derivative of Judah, did not get attributed to them until long after the exit from Egypt, and that is still to come. Since most people of this time period primarily passed along their culture and history through oral tradition, then it is safe to assume that Jacob would have known of ĕlôhı̂ym and the covenant this Supreme God made with Abraham.

What we struggle to see, is how this knowledge changed Jacob's life or anyone else's. If I based my inclinations as to how they were directed, on the family of Jacob, then his sons lose me, as they tried to kill their brother Joseph; murdered an entire community over how their king's son treated their sister, Dinah; they lied repeatedly; and, Reuben apparently chose to ignore familial boundaries and had sex with one of his father's concubine.

So, if I am considering a descendant named Gog, and trying to sort out what motivates this man's eventual actions, then how much of Abraham's moral fiber and character can still be attributed to this Gog character?

Not much and following this family's patterns demonstrate that.

Is this Gog, the son of Joel, the same Gog that we see in Revelation 20?

I want to say, get real. There is no way this is physically the same person, but the spirit may be.

One last look at Revelation 20:8.

He will go out to trick the nations in all the earth, the nations known as Gog and Magog. Satan will gather the people for battle. There will be more people than anyone can count, like sand on the seashore. (Revelation 20:8 ERV)

• “He” is Satan.

• “Will go out to trick the nations in all the earth”

  Deceive or trick, it does not matter. It is the Greek word planaō and means to roam from safety or truth. It also means to go astray, or wander in your mind.

  This statement implies that these people are at least aware of the truth. If it is true that Satan wants you to wander in your mind, then how do you fight that?

  You get your spirit firmly planted in the Word of God.

• “ the nations known as Gog and Magog.”

  We are talking about the descendants of Gog and Magog. One of the confusing things for us, in this modern age, is that we are familiar with Magog as a region. Ah, but all these nations, primarily North of Turkey, began as a person, a descendant of Noah's sons then became a people group, and, in time, enemies of Israel. (As an interesting side note, Magog sits in a region that was known as the Scythians. To describe these people makes me think of Genghis Khan or the Vikings, as they were nothing short of feared and vicious horsemen. Fortunately, God won't allow us to revert back to being brutal savages, as we are dealing with a time in which there will be peace.)

  The way science and industry are going you might think Star Trek could be a reality. That thought process quickly comes to a halt when you consider all the damage that God does to the earth during the seven-year period. Add to that the fact that the Bible indicates He will burn up the earth and the heavens with fire and start over. Since humans (let's spice this up and call them mortals,) will be living on the earth, right up to the great white throne, then this burning would toast them all and prematurely end the story; so I am not clear when that refurbishing takes place. (Just in case you think I relish the mistaken idea that everyone that stands before the great white throne goes to hell, Matthew 25 plainly indicates that some, called sheep, gain entrance into the eternal kingdom. If this is true and it is, then our sadistic theology is broken, and there is no logical reason to have such a throne, as God could merely just throw away those He seemingly hates.) What is clear to me, is that what we consider technological advancement does not fit into God's plan.

An uncountable number of people have now come against God.

Revelation 20:9 NASB And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.

Image that, the camaraderie, the strange smiles of agreement, and that I really don't know why I am here kind of look. Israel fronts the sea on one side, so as best they can, they have surrounded the city of God, the city of Gold. You might think that there would be an immediate sense of futility. Then the question, is everybody here? Oh, good. And fire comes down from heaven and devours them. Devour is the Greek word katesthiō and means to eat down.

Revelation 20:10 NLT  Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

All those that attacked the city; the freshly dead, they just seem to lie there quietly with no thought. Meanwhile, Satan is grabbed without any fanfare and thrown into the lake of fire. There he joins the false prophet and the antichrist character, which is called the beast, for an eternal bath in fiery torment; and yes, it says “they” implying that Satan is also tormented, forever.

The NASB entitles this next section,

Judgment Before the Great White Throne

Revelation 20:11 NASB Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.

Hold on for a second, something just changed and I cannot remember anyone talking about this. Ignore the great white throne for a minute, because earth and heaven just fled away from the presence of Him who is sitting upon it.

• “Him who sat upon it,”

  Our immediate response, if anybody were to ask, is that it is God. That is, in part correct, but in spite of the fact that Scripture repeatedly points out that ALL judgment has been handed over to the Son, we rarely ever say IT'S JESUS.

• “from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.”

  The Moffatt translation finishes this sentence by saying, “no more to be found.”

  We assumed that this great white throne would sit on the plains of Megiddo or on some high hill so that everyone could see. Now, I think it is sitting in the sky and is large enough for everyone to see. To be honest, I can see how this should be nightmarish for some.

  But we have one more problem, and it is one that seems to solve many others, as the sky, as we know it, along with the earth, disappear.

  • Where did all the dead go?

  • Where did all the people, we thought were going to be standing before the great throne, get off to?

  • Where did He put Holy City?

  • And, how do you make the sky disappear?

I have, for some time, been trying to explain that almost everything in scripture is the polar opposite of what you were taught. Only the dead come before the throne, and so these “dead” are souls that are alive. God can do anything so having these souls stand before Him, while the earth is gone, is nothing. The quantity of dead or the era in which they died means nothing. Having been bypassed in the rapture of the church, all those years earlier, you would think there was no hope for them. But Matthew's account demonstrates that JESUS looked in those books to see if any did good works, and He found some. Bizarre as it seems, those He found all had their names written in the book of life, and they were granted life in the eternal kingdom. Were they changed, so that they don't bring their damaged life in with them? Of course, they were; and scripture tells us so.

Revelation 20:12 GW  I saw the dead, both important and unimportant people, standing in front of the throne. Books were opened, including the Book of Life. The dead were judged on the basis of what they had done, as recorded in the books.

Almost every translation says something similar, “ The dead were judged on the basis of what they had done, as recorded in the books.” This is NOT what they teach you in Sunday school.

The dead came from everywhere. We, only moments ago, talked about the uncountable number that Satan deceived, but of those, who under radio silence, had their war vessel shot out from under them during WW11. Survivors had to jump into the sea and then had to watch as the sharks picked off many of the survivors. Those sharks scattered their remains across the seafloor where the currents move their cells across thousands of miles. You should get my point, God only needs one cell to rebuild a body if He needs it.

Revelation 20:13 GW  The sea gave up its dead. Death and hell gave up their dead. People were judged based on what they had done.

Dead from everywhere are gathered, and judged based upon what they had done. Some will ask, what do I have to do? Well, Jesus explained that when He told them,

'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' (Matthew 25:35-36 NASB)

And finally, death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. What does that mean? It means that the fear of death and hades were also eliminated, quite possibly to never be spoken of again. That would be nice.

Revelation 20:14 NASB Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

What is the first death?

Perhaps this is it.

The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." (Genesis 2:16-17 NASB)

They could not see it, but it happened, and death happened all around them. It was in some ways a slow death, in other ways, like in the spirit of the couple, it was instantaneous and they knew it, as the ease of communication with the Father ended abruptly.

This last verse of Revelation 20 is almost always read with an ominous tone.

Revelation 20:15 NASB And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

No followers of Christ were there, even those who wanted to spectate. This crowd only consists of the dead. Most, and understandably so, would assume that they were the dead in spirit, not having a relationship with Jesus. The problem is we cannot see the heart, where God looks; and, there is one other thing, we constantly forget that the law of God is written upon every heart. It is that law that motivates to do good. We can label it deeds or works, but God sees the motive that we seem to miss.