We just finished up Revelation chapter
thirteen in my quest to visualize a chronological timeline of the
book. The difficulty lies in the things revealed, for when
things seem to fit and I think I got a good feel for the sequence of
things, we have had three history lessons inserted into the story
that, in the case of a fallen star – Satan, who has the keys to the
Abyss throws us back in time. In my mind this throw back takes us back to the
creation of the earth, as it demonstrates the reasons why all this is
happening, for God is bringing this all to a “legal” closure.
I
slipped that term legal in on you because the transaction between the
Serpent and Adam was a legal contract between the person who had
dominion of the earth and the one who wanted that dominion. If Satan,
in his act of gaining control, knew full well that his end would
come, then there had to be another motive. The Revelation is all
about Jesus, but there is something underlying, and that is the final
judgment and putting away of the deceiver of this world.
Knowing
this allows me to comprehend the background information and history
that is inserted. As some would say, I have read the end of the book
and I know how it turns. Praise God, because it is the reason for the
hope that I have, a heavenly home with Abba, and a mind that finally
works clearly. As my pastor recently said, “God, I appreciate that
you gave me a new heart, but why couldn't you also give me a new
mind?”
In
Revelation 13 we saw,
The dragon standing on the
sea shore.
I
wonder why John saw this. Perhaps it is a lead in to the power and
authority that the dragon was about to start passing out. “And
the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.”
John then sees a beast
coming up out of the sea.
The
beast has been explained in Daniel's prophecies to be empires or
kingdoms; and it has four heads. To make it worse the entities look
like a leopard, and his feet were like those
of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.
“I
saw
one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was
healed.;”
Do
something most people won't do, pay
attention to the words.
It says, I
saw one of his heads as if it had been slain. It
is not dead, although the world. for many years, thought so. In
spite of the appropriate information that the scripture gives us,
some quack will tell you that we are looking for a man to have an
assassination attempt made upon him. We use the word attempt,
because with their next breath they tell you that this man who gets
shot in the head, rises to life once again. When I was a child,
John Kennedy, the President of the United States at the time, was
shot in the head and a large portion of his head was destroyed.
Many thought, this is the guy! Well, that did not happen. The
problem is that this is not the head of a man, it is an empire.
The message I repeat frequently is that the
Ottoman empire fits the description nicely,
as this is exactly what happened when the British crushed the
Ottoman in 1924. Why is this information significant? Because
another empire of Muslims has taken its place and is very alive
today; they just can't settle on a name.
And
the whole earth was amazed and
followed
after the beast because it came back to life.
So
now we have many, around the world worshiping the dragon, even
though they don't know it; I seriously doubt that they realize that
Satan gave his authority to
the beast, which we will quickly see migrates into a man – a
spokesman.
I also pointed out how many, after the United States handed
Afghanistan to the Taliban, worshiped Allah, saying, Who is like
him, and who is able to wage war with him? Wait a minute, are they
worshiping Allah, or are they worshiping the Taliban, especially
since they are little more than armed bullies, and the nation of
Afghanistan of was handed to them by our inept, American President
Biden.
This
man, who in all likelihood is a Muslim,
(I say this because one of his names is the Assyrian,) wages
war upon the Christians.
As
of this date, 09/29/21,
I have watched Amir Tsarfati teaching on the last Jihad. In this
teaching he insists that it cannot be a Muslim because they cannot
get along among other things. While I appreciate Amir for many
reasons, I wholeheartedly disagree with him on this. Amir even says
that in one passage that many use to substantiate the idea that we
are looking for an Assyrian was most likely fulfilled by
Sennacherib. Well let's see.
Therefore
thus says the Lord GOD of hosts, "O My people who dwell in
Zion, do not fear the Assyrian who strikes you with the rod and
lifts up his staff against you, the way Egypt did. (Isaiah
10:24 NASB)
The
antichrist will strike Israel with rod, no doubt, so this could
easily work. The next verse has a context and places it in the end
times; and, that makes it work.
For
in that day every man will cast away his silver idols and his gold
idols, which your sinful hands have made for you as a sin. And the
Assyrian will fall by a sword not of man, And a sword not of man
will devour him. So he will not escape the sword, And his young
men will become forced laborers. (Isaiah 31:7-8
NASB)
Here,
Isaiah uses the Hebrew word that represents the fighting
equipment of the day. We, in this case, do not have to take
this literally. It goes on to say that he falls by the sword but
not of man. There is only one way that can happen, and that would
be because Jesus throws him into the lake of fire. So, he dies at
the hand of Jesus.
Micah
5:5 is the verse that Amir uses to disprove the idea that the
antichrist could be an Assyrian. So let's analyze it.
And
He will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the LORD,
In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will
remain, Because at that time He will be great To the ends of the
earth. This One will be our peace. When the Assyrian invades our
land, When he tramples on our citadels, Then we will raise against
him Seven shepherds and eight leaders of men. They will shepherd
the land of Assyria with the sword, The land of Nimrod at its
entrances; And He will deliver us from the Assyrian When he
attacks our land And when he tramples our territory. (Micah
5:4-6 NASB)
Notice
how this starts, and yes, I took a couple extra verses in order to
establish context.
“He
will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the LORD, In
the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will
remain,” Who is Micah talking about? Jesus.
Still
speaking about Jesus, we get this, “Because at that time He
will be great To the ends of the earth. This One will be our
peace.” Now, it is definitely Jesus.
Next
it says – not if, when. “When the Assyrian invades our land.”
To be honest, the Assyrian invaded the land on many occasions,
and, to the best of my knowledge, Nebuchadnezzar was the first.
Some will argue, he was Babylonian, however, if you do your
homework, you will find that they were all, in God's eyes,
Assyrians, all the way down to the toes of Nebuchadnezzar's
statue that Daniel interpreted. If I wanted to operate on the
basis of the this Assyrian issues being fulfilled by Sennacherib,
then I have to consider that the word tells us that the temple
will be destroyed. But that also happened twice, the last time in
70 A. D. under the Roman General Titus. Obviously, it will happen
once again. Because of that, we can know that the Assyrian will
be coming once again.
In
the religious understanding, the people in the 7 year period
probably should not be called Christians. So then, why do the
Muslims label them in this manner? Because they see all
Americans as the people of the bible and, therefore, Christians.
God will sort them out at the end, so for now give them the benefit
of the doubt.
We
also learned that all the earth will worship him.
But
God himself tells us that this not true as it is spelled out how
that those whose names are written in the book of life will NOT
worship the antichrist.
What
do you suppose it is that motivates and directs them, for many will
tell you that the Holy Spirit is removed with the church in the
rapture? The removal of the Holy Spirit seems logical since the
Holy Spirit is assumed to live exclusively in the spirit of
believers. That logic works until you realize that people continue
to be drawn to God's love; and, it is the work of Holy Spirit of
God that does that.
"But
when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all
the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but
whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what
is to come. (John 16:13 NASB)
The
number of people that worships the antichrist will be close to
uncountable.
And
finally, the false prophet shows up.
This
occurs at the three and one half year mark. He performs great
signs, deceives many of the elect, and operates in the power of the
antichrist. He also becomes the enforcer of Sharia law, which means
he continues the killing of “Christians.”
So
much for the chronological attempts at understanding the Revelation,
let's just try to understand what we read and perhaps the timeline
will fall into place.
Revelation
14:1 NASB Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on
Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having
His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.
When
did we first see the 144,000 Jewish, male, virgins?
And
I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and
forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
(Revelation 7:4 NASB)
I
pointed that out that they were male, Jewish, virgins, because the
Jehovah's Witness believe that they have the 144,000 as their elders.
What they won't tell you is that they may well be dead by now, and
since the positions are already filled, there is not much hope left
for you but works, which looks a lot like mandatory, Saturday mission
work. In following Christ, He did all the work to gain our salvation.
We do need to make an effort and believe, that and this idea of
taking His yoke upon ourselves. If that seems ominous to you, then
you need to consider that we who follow Him have given ourselves to
Him. Paul said, I am a slave of Jesus Christ.
“I
looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with
Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the
name of His Father written on their foreheads.”
The
lamb, and these young men, are standing on Mount Zion. Mount Zion,
according to Hebrews 12:22, is the “the
city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” I say all this to
ask a rhetorical question,
Where
are we in the timeline of end times events?
John
saw the Lamb, with the 144,000, standing upon Mt. Zion; this
does not happen until after
the seven-years of wrath; after, Christ has come back as the warring
Messiah, and the battle is over.
One of the major problems we have is how long it takes to make all
these governmental type events happen.
Notice
what I did there?
I
just applied broken human thinking to God's plan; a plan that does
not have to operate according to our earthly timing or understanding.
If He spoke the universe into existence, then He can speak order over
this transition into an eternal existence as well.
You
might rightly assume that the Lamb, standing upon Mt Zion, with the
144,000 would be a celebratory and victorious time. You might also
assume that God is holding these untainted men out before us.
Why
speculate over why He might do that?
Because
we the church have bought into the
lies of the enemy and the world,
that tell us that purity and focus is impossible.
One
more thing. Notice that these men have the name of the Father written
on their foreheads.
This
evokes a question. Has
Satan created anything?
I
think not. I do not believe that he invented concept of mutiny or
treason either, but he sure put it into practice when he deceived Eve
in the Garden. He does, however, mimic, or imitate the things of God.
I mentioned earlier how our introduction to the 144,000 comes in
Revelation 7:4, but shortly after that we see the antichrist
demanding that all take his mark, and it is no coincidence that it is
on the right hand or the forehead, as God had already initiated.
Revelation
14:2-5 NASB
And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and
like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like
the sound of harpists playing on their harps. (3) And they *sang a
new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and
the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred
and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. (4)
These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they
have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb
wherever He goes. These have been
purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.
(5) And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.
John's
vision of the 144,00 seems to have been interrupted with this voice,
that he describes as the sound of many waters and like the sound of
loud thunder. Picture yourself on a rocky seashore, on a stormy day,
where large waves are crashing against the rocks. The noise is
horrendous if you are close to it; and yet John tells us it is like
harpists. Out of all of this noise there is singing. It is the
144,000 doing the singing and they are singing a new song. No one
knows this song but them.
The
verses give us an interesting description, as it describes the
144,000 as having been purchased from the earth.
Haven't
we all been purchased by His blood?
The
answer is yes. Paul, in speaking to the people of Ephesus, told them
this.
“...
the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” (Acts
20:28b. NASB)
A
part of his statement is about the church of God, which He (God)
purchased with His own blood. In writing to the church in Corinth
Paul also affirmed that we were purchased.
“For
you have been bought with a price..” (1
Corinthians 6:20a. NASB)
The
passage about the 144,000 ends with, “And
no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.”
Are you aware that God chose us that we should/could be faultless and
without blame.
“just
as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that
we would be holy and blameless before Him....”
(Ephesians 1:4 NASB)
For
the Jew, in their understanding, you could not come close to this
condition without offering a sacrifice. This may be going to far, but
it was the blood that protected God's people in Egypt at the first
passover.
'For
I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike
down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and
against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments--I am the
LORD. 'The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you
live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague
will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
(Exodus 12:12-13 NASB)
In
Leviticus the blood is what made you accepted.
"Speak
to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When any man of you
brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of
animals from the herd or the flock. 'If his offering is a burnt
offering from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he
shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he
may be accepted before the LORD.
(Leviticus 1:2-3 NASB)
Little
did they know that Christ became the final, all sufficient sacrifice,
that gave us the ability to be holy and blameless. Allow me to
qualify what I just said. Christs blood was and still is sufficient,
but it requires our participation by acceptance and belief.
The
next verse is an answer to those who whine that Christ cannot come
back because NOT everyone has the gospel.
Revelation
14:6 NASB “And I saw another angel flying
in mid heaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live
on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;”
It
is clear that God's intent is to preach the gospel, beside that. Paul
tells us that the law is written upon the heart of every human.
For
when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of
the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that
they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their
conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or
else defending them, (Romans 2:14-15 NASB)
Many
will read Romans 2:14,15, and give themselves an excuse for not
acting right, as they think God does not hold you responsible unless
you believe in Him.
For
those who like me struggle to see the concise chronology of the
Revelation, there is definitely a line of events happening between
Revelation 14:6 and 7. There are no excuses allowed. An angel has
just declared the gospel of Jesus Christ, to the whole world, and now
comes the judgment.
Revelation
14:7 NASB
“and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give Him glory,
because the hour of His judgment has
come; worship Him who made the
heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.”
“Fear
God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come,”
We
have heard this before. Revelation 11:18 is one of those places,
however, verse 18 includes the time to reward the prophets, the
saints, and those who fear your name.
"And
the nations were enraged, and Your
wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged,
and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints
and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy
those who destroy the earth."
(Revelation
11:18 NASB)
Hour
is the Greek word hōra. It
can mean:
an “hour” (literally or figuratively): - a day, an instant, or a
season.
Fear
is the Greek word phobeō.
While
it includes the idea of being
frightened
the
context leans more toward awe
of,
or reverence
of
the Lord.
Judgment
(judged)
is the Greek word krinō. It
means to separate; to make a
distinction between, or to exercise judgment upon.
[In
Matthew's gospel we see all three aspects of this definition when we
read of the sheep and goat judgment. There, as in Revelation 20, the
dead are brought to the throne of judgment, however, in Matthew's
account the dead are separated, and a distinction is made as to their
fate. Here we see the sheep obtaining mercy and entrance into the
kingdom of God.
Read Matthew 25:31-46.]
Imagine
the verse remastered to read, reverence
the Lord, and give Him glory, because the season of His judgment has
come.
We are there and the events going on around us only demonstrate the
urgency of the season. I am not a good gambler and hoping that He
classifies me as a sheep, merely because I handed a guy named Richard
a sandwich is not what I call good odds.
I
gave my life to Jesus a long time ago, but to be honest, I have
turned my back to Him on several occasions. I discovered that He
never turned His back on me, and for that I love Him more. The ABC's
of salvation can give you an assurance that you are His, and I might
add, He will never let you go.
