A critique of a post entitled, How the end will come, By Pete Garcia.

This essay was, in a sense, a critique of a short post from Pete Garcia. You can view his page, education, and background on the Telegram app as REV310. 

Part two of at least three.

The numbered points are things that you may have heard in church, however, they are rarely clarified or understood. I happen to think that most of these items need definition, especially when it comes to the Revelation.

We pick this up a 2a.)

2a.) Bema Judgment of the raptured Church in heaven. (1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10)

I have heard this for most of my life and it came across a lot like this, “You lousy sinners are going to stand before the throne of an angry God and get the punishment you finally deserve.” It turns out God did not say that, the speaker did, and they were probably expressing a tremendous amount of angst over some childhood abuse; I know I do.

Let's start with 2 Corinthians 5:10 because that is where we find a direct reference to the judgment seat of Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 has NO direct statements about the Bema seat, but, if you are willing to do the work, you will notice that the passage has everything to do with this nondescript and undefined time frame. If you think about the number of people going up in the rapture, and we all, allegedly, have to stand before Jesus in individual judgment, then how long should that take? In human terms, oh, say a thousand years. Well, the reality is that Jesus, just moments after the rapture has to begin opening the seven seals that begin the judgment and wrath of God. So, He is just a little busy.

Doesn't seem feasible that this “judgment” happens to all of us at the same; and that all of us going through this transformation understand immediately that He has just stripped away all of the earthly things that we thought made us important? Allow me to enforce what I just said with a scripture passage or two. Don't panic over what these passages include, just pay attention to the idea that the things of this earth, like status and money, will pass away.

2 Peter 3:10 NASB But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

Everything burns with God's fire, including your ego. But on the positive side, I am speaking to Believers, who have their hope based on heaven and a life of acceptance and peace in Jesus.

James 4:4 CJB  You unfaithful wives! Don't you know that loving the world is hating God? Whoever chooses to be the world's friend makes himself God's enemy!

Some translations open with “You adulteresses.” I hope you realize that adultery happens in both sexes, so don't go getting haughty with your wife. We, are the bride of Christ, whether you like that idea is of no consequence, it is, however, something you need to work out in your head and spirit.

Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, explains adulterous in this manner:

“...in Israel the breach of their relationship with God through their idolatry, was described as "adultery" or "harlotry" so believers who cultivate friendship with the world, thus breaking their spiritual union with Christ, are spiritual "adulteresses," having been spiritually united to Him as wife to husband.”

Keep in mind that we are still talking about the Bema seat of Christ.

Were you aware that all judgment has been given to Jesus, the Son?

In the gospel of John, we find this.

John 5:22 ERV  "Also, the Father judges no one. He has given the Son power to do all the judging.

I immediately heard these words inside my head.

“Why then, have I heard church leaders talk as though God is angry and judging me now, leaving me little hope of a confident future in heaven?”

I recently attempted to have this conversation with a friend of mine, but he can be judgmental at times and did not wish to understand the question.

I will tell you why people will throw such manipulative condemnation at you; it is because they do not trust themselves to wholeheartedly follow after Christ. Therefore, whether consciously or unconsciously, they feel the need to control you by pushing you toward a sin driven mentality that constantly has you repenting before God, as though He was incapable of forgiving your sins, even though Jesus, took them on Himself, on the cross.

One last shot at the Bema and then we can move on.

In 2 Corinthians 5, where we see the Bema seat of judgment, the Greek word implies that is primarily a raised place mounted by steps. The verse continues but you rarely this next part, “so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

Recompensed is the Greek word kolumbaō and means to care for, take care of, provide for, and to carry away – as if we had been in some danger. To receive, the promised blessing.

Many have equated this to the platform at the Olympics, where the victors stand to receive their rewards for accomplishments. Even if you do not see an allusion to the Olympics, the idea is certainly there once we look at the meanings behind the Recompensed.

There is a moral to this story and it is NEVER take simple words for granted.

3. Seven year tribulation (Daniel 9:24-27; Matthew 24:5-28, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12; Revelation 6-18)

   Mr. Garcia makes no mention of an interesting fact that Jesus informs us of. That our life, in this world, will always have tribulations associated with it.

   "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 NASB)

   So our thinking, about the things that will transpire during the seven-years, should be such that you understand that the first half will be brutal and bloody, beyond your imagination, and yet the second half gets worse.

   Daniel 9 does not use the word tribulation, but the majority of the translations refer to a prince that is coming. Why does Pete Garcia mention that? That prince, acknowledged here as “he,” makes a seven-year covenant with many; it is this time frame that defines the “tribulation” as far as the length of time. We know from Jesus' explanation that the second half of this period will be worse than the first.

   "For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. "Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short. (Matthew 24:21-22 NASB)

   Note: The passages of Daniel 9, say NOTHING about Israel being included in this covenant, a fact that tends to change the dynamics of the covenant as most think that the peace is being made with Israel.

   Daniel 9:27 NASB "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."

   The Hebrew word from which they decided should be prince is nâgı̂yd or nâgid, in either case, it means a commander, whether it be civil, military, or religious; it can also mean a governor, a leader, a noble, prince, or (chief) ruler.

   The terminology supports a wide variety of characters, but the thing that demands our attention is those seven years.

   Matthew 24:5-28 is where you find the phrase a great tribulation. I find it interesting how the phrase great tribulation is a single Greek word thlipsis. The Strong's concordance tells us that this word has a primary meaning of pressure. Pressure can be an everyday event for many of us. The word carries additional meaning such as afflicted, (-tion), anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble.

   2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 does not directly address a great tribulation. It does, however, use a verse, that if read in a proper translation, tells you that the church must depart from this earth before the antichrist (he, the prince, the Assyrian, the insolent king, the beast,) will come; and yes, he has many names.

   The passages also help to define who the antichrist is, and inform us that we, the church, are the primary thing that is restraining this character from emerging on the scene, as yet.

   Again, while none of this speaks with precision to the great tribulation, it does help to define the events are contained within that time period.

   The last collection of passages that Mr. Garcia uses is Revelation chapters 6-18.

   I will say this, for the vast body we call the church, this is overwhelming as this is where God's wrath is defined and poured out upon the earth.

   First, you need to know that God's wrath was never meant for the church. Why? Because Jesus took all of the Father's wrath upon himself. He became the perfect and spotless, sacrificial lamb on our behalf. This is one of the reasons that we follow Him.

   Secondly, people will fight with you if you say that this is God's wrath. I did not say it, God did, so get over it. While the Revelation does mention tribulation, the word is never used to define what is coming during those seven-years. Alternate words might be judgment and punishment.

   Thirdly, you never see the church mentioned during any of the chapters addressed; this is only a problem as many within the church believe we are already in the time of God's wrath. Sure, what is going on is bad, but the bloody butchering that is coming will cause today's problems to take the back seat when it shows up

4.  Second Coming (Zechariah 14:1-4; Matt 24:27-31, 26:64; Rev 1:7, 19:11-21)

Whenever this conversation comes up you have to determine if the speaker is talking about Jesus coming to gather His bride, or He is coming to finish the judgment. The finality of judgment is what we see in Revelation 19:11-21. However, the final judgment takes place 1000 years later at the great white throne. 

  Paul, writing to the church in Thessalonica, reassured them that they had not missed the catching away of the church.

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 KJV)

As I read this I am aware of the amount of celebratory noise as Jesus announces, it is time.

And where do we go?

To meet Him in the clouds.

Did I miss something?

Not really, but notice that He, in this case, did not come riding triumphantly in on a white horse, prepared for a decisive battle, with all the saints following Him, He came in the clouds.

Scripture tells us, that when He comes in this manner, the battle is quite likely over in seconds. He will stand upon the Mount of Olives and then the ground will split open and crack the old Jerusalem in two. This is the only place in the Bible where Jesus will physically come back to earth.

Does Zechariah 14:1-4 speak to the second coming? Let's see.

This is one of the specific places that it speaks about His feet touching the ground, which does NOT happen when He comes back for His church.

Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. (Zechariah 14:1-4 KJV)

One of the things you rarely hear about is the events that happening almost simultaneously, and leading up to Jesus' physical return.

"It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it. (Zechariah 12:3 NASB)

So as Jesus lands on the Mount, the nations will be represented there, most likely involved in an onslaught against Israel/Jerusalem. This speaks to a frequent question, how many wars will the world see between the catching away of the church and Christ's return?

• A massive one is Ezekiel 38-39, where Gog is killed upon the hills of Israel. The arguments lean toward both sides of the rapture of the church. So, be ready.

• Some feel strongly that Psalm 89 is indicative of another war, but when? Perhaps this is what we see in Zechariah 12:3.

Just know this, Israel, after the rapture, will be in constant turmoil.

Pete Garcia references Matt 24:27-31 as something that may speak to the second coming.

"For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. "Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Matthew 24:27-31 NASB)

A scroll, sealed with seven seals. Rev 5: 1-6

 We previously covered Revelation chapter four, which opened with “after these things.” The terminology is understood by many to mean after the church age, and chapter four ends by describing the 24 elders. Having covered the clues as to who the 24 elders are in the previous study, it is evident that they, at minimum, represent the church.

Now we move into Revelation chapter five. After our journey into chapter four, one might think that the focus would remain with the church, or perhaps the elders and some role they might continue to play, but that does not happen because the focus of this book is that it is a revelation of Jesus Christ. We learn of this fact in the opening statement of the Revelation. With that in mind, we continue.

I give you the Complete Jewish Bible version, as it specifically refers to the document as a scroll and NOT a book.

Revelation 5:1 CJB Next I saw in the right hand of the One sitting on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals;

The CJB chooses to show respect for Jehovah by referring to Him as the One. The NASB uses what I have come to see as a standardized capitalization of Him, but insisted on referring to the document as a book.

Revelation 5:1 NASB I (John) saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.

Using the term “book” is a modern and logical direction as it gives us Gentiles an easy way to visualize this scene. If you felt the need to seal the “book,” why would you need to put seven seals upon it. Merely breaking one seal should give someone access to all aspects, whether you wanted them in there or not. To some degree, a bound book protects the words inside, but NOT on the outside; because of this, the mental imagery doesn't work as this is a scroll, sealed and secured for a specific time and a specific person to open it, by breaking the “wax” seals marked with an official stamp.

The problem with the modern terminology became immediately apparent as I began looking for the term “a book” as a comparative so that I might understand what this book in God's hand, was associated with. (My initial thoughts went to the Great White Throne.)

Revelation 20:12 CJB “And I saw the dead, both great and small, standing in front of the throne. Books were opened; and another book was opened, the Book of Life; and the dead were judged from what was written in the books, according to what they had done.”

We have nothing in Revelation 20:12 to tie this scroll to what we see in Revelation 5:1, but there is a correlation to Ezekiel 2:9-10.

Ezekiel 2:9-10 NASB Then I looked, and behold, a hand was extended to me; and lo, a scroll was in it. When He spread it out before me, it was written on the front and back, and written on it were lamentations, mourning, and woe.

Woes can also be parallelled to Revelation 8:13, which does not speak of a book, however, the information is the same and the result of a seal being opened.

Revelation 8:13 NASB Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in mid-heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

We are continuing with chapter five and a question, who is worthy?

Page one.

Revelation 5:2 CJB and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”

• A mighty angel?

This is not a foreign statement to the Jewish community, as they are very familiar with the concept of angels and their power. Daniel, in an explanation from an angel, hears this.

Daniel 10:13 NIrV But the prince of Persia opposed me for 21 days. Then Michael came to help me. He is one of the leaders of the angels. He helped me win the battle over the king of Persia.

The Dake’s Bible, in his side note commentary, states that,

“[the prince of the kingdom of Persia] ...is the satanic prince or ruler of the kingdom of Persia (a fallen angel,) one ruling the kingdom of Persia for Satan who is recognized in Scripture as being the god and ruler of this world, having usurped man’s dominion.”

Dake refers to many passages, but one of the first is Matthew 4:8-9.

Matthew 4:8-9 NLT “Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. (9) “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”

The devil/Lucifer is a fallen angel. He was the prince/ruler of all the angels.

What you need to ask is, how did Satan obtain authority and ownership of the earth?

The answers are out there if you are willing to find them but I am not going into that here. Since an angel, with a simple touch, disabled Jacob, we should never try to exert power over an entity like this without the backing of the Holy Spirit.

• “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”

John Gill’s commentary says this is “suggesting, that if there was any such person, that he was desired to come, and do it.”

This is like a teacher asking if anyone has the answer to a question, and NO ONE raises their hand. As I read this, I think it would be only the arrogant who would dare to approach the scrolls. Having been involved in the faith movement, I can picture a few who think their faith would give them the prestige to step forward; however, scripture proves that is NOT the case, as there is only ONE who is worthy, and that is Jesus because of the cross.

Here again, this should evoke other questions in your mind, such as, why is He the only one?

I am not going to into the why’s of Him being worthy, as that would be another six-page study; so suffice it to say that you should look at the events that include and surround the cross. Continuing on.

Revelation 5:3-4 NASB And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. (4) Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it;

This is an intriguing plot. If we have been raptured, then our status, in Him, would perhaps be seen as worthy, but that does not happen. I suppose the practical reasons for not being able to open the seals that go back to a time before time. Jesus’ authority, responsibility, and right to open the seals may well have been established before time began.

Page two.

Dake refers to this statement “no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth” as “Men Conscious in Three Realms.”

The realms then are:

• In heaven.
• On the earth.
• Or under the earth.

According to scripture, is what Dake says a valid assessment?

Those under the earth are those that have died without Christ.

Psalms 9:17 NLT The wicked will go down to the grave. This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.

Wicked is the Hebrew word râshâ‘ and conveys the meaning of wicked, criminal, hostile to God, or guilty of sin.

Since we don’t know why they did not go up in the rapture, we must leave it to God to sort out what He will do with them, and He does; but for the moment, we understand that they are in Sheol.

Sheol is “the OT designation for the abode of the dead.” (BDB)

Because of Revelation 5:3-5, we know that there is NO ONE in Sheol worthy to break open the seals.

Alright then, what about those on the earth?

Scripture tells us,

“The path of life leads upward for the wise That he may keep away from Sheol below.” Proverbs 15:24 NASB

Pay attention to the wording in Proverbs 15:24. It is the wise who walk the path leading upward; and the wording, "that the wise MAY keep away from Sheol below. I am going to put it this way, even if you are wise, you may potentially get yourself caught in a trap. Some traps will kill you. Many teach, once saved always saved, but doesn't that apply to God's attitude toward us? We are still liable and responsible for the poor choices that we make here on earth.

This response "who rescues us from the wrath to come" is froth with arguments, as some cannot see the church in heaven until the end of the time of wrath (the Great T. This argument commits the church to endure God’s wrath, which is what these seven years are designated. The problem with that presumption is that those who argue for it ignore the fact that Jesus took all of God’s wrath upon Himself.

1 Thessalonians 1:10 NASB (10) and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.

This same Jesus bought us out of the slavery and bondage that we were due, thereby, once again escaping God’s wrath.

Ephesians 1:7 NASB In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

Here in Ephesians 1:7, the word redemption is the Greek word apolutrōsis and means a ransom paid in full. In other words, we were freed from the bondage that was our fate. None of this, however, gives us an escape from the tribulations that are a part of our daily lives as followers of Jesus Christ. Since we know that the number of those who accept Jesus Christ after the rapture will be innumerable, we could conclude that there are still Christians here on earth.

Why not draw from one of these?

Page three.

(I can guarantee that some of you are pointing out that there is a simplistic answer, and there is, but it does not explain the reasons why Jesus is the only answer. Allow patience to work as the answer is provided and will soon be seen.)

We seem to set aside the fact that the age of grace has been removed from the earth along with the church; this removal has nothing to do with the action of the Holy Spirit, as He continues to draw all humanity to God. With grace being gone, all those acknowledging Jesus Christ will have to prove their loyalty through their death. When you think about this process, it makes sense why there is NO ONE worthy, on earth, to open the seals.

So then, the last option is to look for someone in heaven, and apparently, they do, but what an odd statement since we know that Jesus is in heaven, seated on a throne, next to the Father, ever making intercession for us. You have to believe that they looked around and see no one with their hand raised, saying, pick me.

What happens next?

Revelation 5:4-5 NASB Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; (5) and one of the elders *said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”

More so than anyone else, John would be the one who knew Jesus was already here in heaven. Jesus was John’s best friend. In the last hours of Jesus’ life, we find John with his head lying on Jesus’ chest. Try to imagine the significant loss he felt when He saw Jesus die, and the shock he felt, when, upon running to the tomb on the third day, found it open and Jesus was gone. You might think that John would expect to see Jesus strutting out on stage, dressed as a Messianic warrior, declaring that He would open the seals, but that did not happen.

One of the elders consoles John and says, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”

Even with this noble description, what does John see?

A lamb, as if it had been slain.

Revelation 5:6 NASB And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.

On a side note. As a city kid, I never saw horns on a lamb. All that changed one recent year at the county fair, walking around with my grandchildren. We saw a lamb that had massive horns. It was then I remembered a friend, who managed the small farm for his parents, and he told me they cut the horns off when the sheep are young.

A lamb as if had been slain?

I cannot detach myself from the imagery portrayed in the Mel Gibson movie, The Passion, and yet, I believe the brutality was worse than the film depicted. Now we have a lamb as if slain. To slaughter an animal for dinner is a different process than one to be sacrificed, as the throat is slit, and the animal is then hung up and left to bleed out. Indeed, in this case, the lamb is covered in its blood, so much so that there would be no reason to understand how this animal could be standing, but there He is triumphant.

Page four.

Seven horns and seven eyes?

Initially, I wanted to back away from this section as it is bizarre and confusing. The Holy Spirit said to me, those people you lead are looking for answers, so give them an answer. I put aside the doubt and fears, and this is what I heard. 

We are told they are seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. When Jesus left the earth, He said, He would send the comforter – the Holy Spirit. That Spirit of God went into all the earth.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee tells us,

“the Seven horns denote complete power. A horn speaks of power (see Dan. 7-8). He is omnipotent. Seven eyes denote complete knowledge. Christ is omniscient. He is the omnipotent and omniscient God. He moves in the fullness of the Spirit, who is the Spirit of wisdom and understanding.”

To be honest, it is a freakish image, but if that completeness of power and knowledge is all that they mean, it would be enough, for certainly Christ was and is all of those things that Dr. McGee says.

Paul stated that by proclaiming Christ, they sought to present every man to Christ, complete.

Colossians 1:28 NASB We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.

On the part of Paul and his missionary buddies, this goal was never fully accomplished and still goes on today. So, how could Paul then say, "... you have been made complete in Him." Well, it does not say precisely that; it says that “in Him, you have been made complete.”

Colossians 2:9-10 NASB For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, (10) and in Him, you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;

So being in Him is a mandatory aspect of our completeness.

Dake’s commentary indicates that there are 27 references to lambs in the Revelation. While that is fascinating information, they are not all of Jesus, and here is one that conveys an opposing and deceiving image.

Revelation 13:11 NASB “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.”

What is newsworthy is how Satan has mimicked God at every turn. God marks those who are His own and Satan, will make it mandatory for people to take a mark to buy or sell anything at some point.

God has the 144,000 sealed with a mark on their foreheads; and what does Satan do? Enforces the mark on the right hand or the forehead.

Revelation 9:4 NASB “They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”

The point in time, where buying food is restricted to those who have a seal in their right hand or forehead, is three and one-half years into the time of wrath; and is associated with the Antichrist. On the other hand, we live in a period that, as they used to say on Star Trek, is moving at warp speed, and it feels as though taking a mark through a “harmless” vaccine may happen within months.

For the sake of brevity, I want to end here; however, I am not done.

Because of Jesus' willingness to be beaten, go to the cross, and endure the taunts of Satan as he went down to Sheol, He can stand there, the Lamb as it had been slain, worthy to open the seals.

What is our proof that this happened?

Psalms 16:10 NLT For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.

Page five.

Let's end on this.

Ephesians 2:13-21 NLT

But now you have been united with Christ Jesus.

Once, you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

For Christ, himself has brought peace to us.

He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.

He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations.

He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.

Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near.

Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.

Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.

We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.

And those who had conquered the beast. Revelation 15:2-4

The Apostle John described what he saw – good news mixed with bad; bad only in the regard that those on the earth at this time will have to endure more tortuous wrath.

Question: What do you believe? If you are “non-religious” - meaning you refuse to take part in any religion, as you are a religion unto yourself, then you either have no idea what to believe; or, you merely refuse anything that conflicts with you personal moral standard. You noted that I said you are a religion unto yourself, that is because you have a moral standard upon which your personal religious system is based. To prove you have a moral standard consider a few examples and ask yourself how you would honestly react:

• To someone raping your wife or little daughter?
• If someone stole your drugs or personal belongings?
• To someone trying to kill you?

Why would it matter to you? It matters because you have a moral standard and there are some things that are just not right, even to you.

The next, and obvious question is, upon whom or what do you base your moral standard, because all standards have some baseline of good. Think about a particular food you like to eat; have you had some that causes you to think back on it with fondness? Of course you have. It then becomes the standard upon which you decide if something called by the same name is good or not, because you have a baseline upon which you judge something.

Since you have a moral standard, then do you declare that standard to others? If you contrived your own standard for living, it may sound something like this, touch my stuff and I will kill you. Admittedly, there is no attractive draw to your religion, but it is a common mantra among those who also include the idea that what is yours is mine, and not surprisingly, you are found in scripture:

2 Timothy 3:1-5 ESV But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. (2) For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, (3) heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, (4) treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, (5) having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. ..”

(I wanted to sound like Norm Geisler: normangeisler.net, or Ravi Zacharias: RZIM.org, giving you a clear, profound definition, but I did not have time, nor do I have the enthusiasm to do so. I kept thinking about man left to his own inclinations, because that seems to the theme without God. Most believe that they are making the decision to be or do good on their own, however scripture does not tells us that.)

Gen 6:5-7 LITV And Jehovah saw that the evil of man was great on the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the day long. (6) And Jehovah repented that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved to His heart. (7) And Jehovah said, I will wipe off man whom I have created from the face of the earth, from man to beast, to the creeping thing and to the birds of the heavens; for I repent that I made them.

Genesis chapter 6 describes man making his own decisions, and it was not good. Sure there were exceptions, like Methuselah, Enoch, and Noah's family. But do you realize that the entire time Noah worked on that ark he was telling people about the character of God and what was coming. They all had the option of joining him. How many followed Noah and God? NONE.

The obvious point I am making here, is that God is the moral standard, and if you were honest, you would admit that you know that. I know you know that because an aspect of the original sin was to know good and evil. Since God is good, then you do know Him and are going to be held responsible for that knowledge. Doesn't that just suck!

God did an amazing thing for the people who walk upon this earth; since they choose to ignore his moral standard, something he knew they would do, he sent his own son to die in our place, on a cross, at the hands of the Jewish high priest, just as prophecy said he would. God had to do that because Adam, the first man, chose to flex his own moral standard and apparently tweaked our DNA in the process. From that moment forward we have all had a preference toward doing our own thing, some just take it farther than the others and in time they are killed or caught.

So this amazing, unselfish act by God, bought us out from under the penalty of that brokenness we have within us. We no longer have to pay the penalty of death for our sins (as far as God is concerned), but we now have to make a decision, what will we do with the Son who died on our behalf. We have to either accept this Jesus, as the Son, the Sacrifice, and the Savior, OR, we reject him.

And this brings me back to my question, what do you believe?

If you believe that Jesus Christ is your salvation, that is a good thing; that makes you a follower. As a follower, we have the promise that he will come again (soon) and extract those that are his out of here before God pours out his wrath upon those that have rejected Him. The bad news is that Jesus himself said that those who choose to follow him will have tribulations in this world. There is no escape from the evil that people will commit, and much of that will be in the name of their religion. And there is little relief, for most, from the pains of scratching out an existence. Yeah, I know, there are always exceptions, but the filthy rich will have their day of judgment as well – I see them described in my bible as well.

This seven years of wrath is filled not only God's judgment being poured out on earth, but the extreme violence that man can and will perform upon their fellow-man.

In my last post I focused on verse one of Revelation 15, (NIV) “I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues--last, because with them God's wrath is completed.” I noted that this does not give the reader any precise time frame, but if we are to read chronologically, this is a continuation of the wrath, but when it is done there will be a glorious end.

Inserted into this pain and destruction are three verses that exude God's magnificence.

Reflection of fire in glass

Rev 15:2-4 ESV And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire--and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. (3) And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! (4) Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."

This sea of glass mingled with fire might be the same as Rev 4:6 AMP And in front of the throne there was also what looked like a transparent glassy sea, as if of crystal..” However, they are clearly different in description.

“and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands.”

Who do we see standing beside the sea of glass?

“Those who had conquered the beast the and its image and the number of its name”

We need to stop and ponder this a moment. What is one of the first things prominent within this sentence?

“Those who had conquered the beast”

Why should this demand any special consideration?

1. As followers of Christ, just as the disciples were, what is our method of operation? To answer that you need to consider what James and John were willing to do.

Luke 9:52-56 ESV And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. (53) But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. (54) And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" (55) KJV But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. (56) For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

(Take note: Infiltration and the watering down of something to the point that you no longer hold that belief tightly, but merely accept what you hear as truth, is subtle. An example of this just presented itself to me as I was looking at translations, trying to find one that clearly conveyed the destructive nature of James and John's question, while demonstrating the character of God that Jesus was living out in front of them. If you paid attention, you noticed in the verse above that I switched translations when I got to verse fifty-five. Why do that? Because in the ESV, which I use with frequency, it merely says: “But he turned and rebuked them. (56) And they went on to another village.” Why, it might as well tell us that they stopped to pick daisies along the way. The ESV stripped the power right out of the moment, and it eliminated your ability to see the true nature of not only God, but our mission here on earth.)

A second verse to take note of comes from Matthew's gospel.

Matthew 10:16 AMP Behold, I am sending you out like sheep in the midst of wolves; be wary and wise as serpents, and be innocent (harmless, guileless, and without falsity) as doves.

Jesus never told us to be mindless, spineless sheep. However, we do have the admonition to be wary, and strangely, wise like a serpent. Since we really only have the one serpent for an example - Satan in the garden, his actions prove that he listened and thought through some of God's reasons for the express purpose of watering them down with some twisted logic.

(The Greek word for wise, as used by Matthew, also means thoughtful, or discreet.)

How do I apply that to my life as a believer?

Paul had something to say about that.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 KJV (4) (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) (5) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

So you are to analyze what is being said. Not only what the “world” dishes out, but anything the “Church” tosses out as truth, as well. Things sometimes sound logical. As I pointed out, this twisting of the truth worked for Satan.

(Since the church is really the people who form it, then the admonition is to pay attention to everything thrown at you. Your ability to judge quickly is in proportion to your understanding of God's Word, and that only comes through your thoughtful reading of scripture.)

Look at what Paul says in his letter to the church in Corinth once again: “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God”

• Casting down – is the Greek word kathaireo, and it gives us two levels of approach “to lower (or with violence) demolish”. Some things just need to be pushed down and out-of-the-way, but some ideas and teachings need to be destroyed and demolished. (This applies to the voices in your head as well.) Keep in mind that we are using God's word as the basis for assessment, not our opinion.
• Imaginations means to reason. No one is asking you to stop thinking. Just stop thinking on things that destroy God's character and diminish his love for you, because God will never stop loving you, and you certainly can't destroy his character. You take in enough garbage and you might destroy how you think about God, and your own good will toward him.
• Every high thing – are the things man has lifted up. At least once a week I hear about a “pastor” or a collection of them, exalting some new governmental atrocity, as though God had changed His heart and we are to now accept it as normal.
• That exalts itself against the knowledge of God – This seems to imply that it is raising itself up. The Greek word also defines the word as exalt self. Any thinking person can take this two ways, and neither are good in the context of this verse.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 goes on to tell us to be “innocent (harmless, guileless, and without falsity) as doves.” Doves seem to do little else besides eat and make cooing sounds. The question really is, how do I blend all these attributes in one package: Wary; wise, and harmless in appearance? My answer to that question is, just allow God to deal with that in us. That is why we have His Word and the Holy Spirit - remember: the Holy Spirit will lead you and guide you into all truth.

John 16:13 KJV Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

2. Again, our passage in Revelation 15:2 says, “Those who had conquered the beast the and its image and the number of its name”.
   Of the thousands in the Middle East who have been tortured and lost their lives, how many were victorious or conquered the beast? It is hard to perceive of any, unless of course standing their ground, and not denying the name of the Lord is really what we are talking about here.
   The problem is, the human mind does not perceive conquering in that way; it sees the beast as done away with and gone. Where is the problem with that? The problem in seeing this as a destruction of the beast lies in the fact that the beast is only truly dispatched when Jesus returns to earth and physically casts the beast and the false prophet into the lake of fire.
   What then does it mean to conquer?
   Since conquer is the Greek word nikaō / nik-ah'-o, and means to subdue (literally or figuratively): - conquer, overcome, prevail, get the victory.
   “they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony”
   It becomes a little easier to see that we do something to that effect when we apply some faith to our lives.
3. One last thing on Revelation 15:2. It speaks of conquering not just the beast, but the image, and the number of its name.
   The beast/Antichrist does not even present itself until the church is removed from the earth. Okay, fine, I will show you.

2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 ESV (7) For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. (8) And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

[The word restrain was also translated as let or letteth. Let is old English for hinder, prevent. In Greek it is katecho and means to hold down (fast). Much like a policeman might.]

How does one conquer what they cannot see?

Let me explain. In Revelation 13 we get a tremendous amount of information, however, it is rather cryptic, and like the decoder rings we used to get as children, you have to decipher the code by going back through scripture, comparing terminology.

By the time we get to Revelation 13:11 we have already seen a multi-headed beast arise from the sea. While this aspect of the sea throws some people, by doing our homework we can figure that it merely means a vast quantity of people spread over a wide area. Verse 11 presents us with another beast, but it rises out of the earth. Again it is coming out of a people group, but the reference to earth tells us that it is from a locale. While all these things play a role, the important aspect for people living during this time period (the seven years of God's wrath and judgment), is what it does.

Revelation 13:11-18 ESV (11) Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. (12) It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. (13) It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, (14) and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. (15) And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. (16) Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, (17) so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. (18) This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.

If I only consider the imagery of the first and second beasts I have no way of visualizing what I am looking for outside of some bizarre mythical characterization. I will give you some clues to understand this mess.

• Beast number one - Revelation 13:1-2 GNB “... Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads; on each of its horns there was a crown, and on each of its heads there was a name that was insulting to God. (2) The beast looked like a leopard, with feet like a bear's feet and a mouth like a lion's mouth. The dragon gave the beast his own power, his throne, and his vast authority.” The prophet Daniel had problems with this as well, and he asked for an explanation. What he got was that it was empires, and the Babylonian empire was the first. So, in this form, it is ruling bodies or governments. Can a Caliphate fit the description of a ruling body or government? Certainly.
• In Revelation 13:3, one of its heads sustains what the world perceives as a mortal wound. In other words the world thinks this ruling body is dead. Why would the “world” care, unless it affected their economy, or was a threat to their safety. Well there was an entity like this. It started around 640 A.D., and continued being a thorn in the world's flesh until 1924. This was the succession of Islamic caliphates; the last being the Ottoman empire.
• Out of this particular empire – No, scripture does not specifically label the empire, but we have some great clues – comes a spokesman, (a mouth.) This is the Antichrist we see in scripture. (A common description of this spokesman says that he makes a seven-year peace treaty with Israel, and we anticipate someone doing that. But that is not what scripture tells us. It says he makes a seven-year treaty with many. We just assumed that Israel would be included. The things that have alerted the Christian community is the fact that America leadership has turned its back on Israel, while making treaties with the sworn enemy of Israel – Iran. Someone is making treaties, for something we never thought we would see is Russia and China inserting themselves in Syria.) Some have speculated that the American President is the Antichrist. I do not think so, but the White House posted a picture on their twitter account showing Obama holding a crown, and there is a bow lying on the floor in front of his feet. This is symbology that we see in Revelation 6:2. Those that republished the photo say that it is Photoshop'ed but note that the White House may be trying to say something by publishing it.
• The second beast – another man who quickly represents all that the beast is and wants - rises up from the earth. If we are talking about the Muslim world, then I suspect this person will come out of one of those nations.

  Numbers 24:14-23 ESV And now, behold, I am going to my people. Come, I will let you know what this people will do to your people in the latter days." (15) And he took up his discourse and said, "The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, (16) the oracle of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered: (17) I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth. (18) Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly. (19) And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of cities!" (20) Then he looked on Amalek and took up his discourse and said, "Amalek was the first among the nations, but its end is utter destruction." (21) And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his discourse and said, "Enduring is your dwelling place, and your nest is set in the rock. (22) Nevertheless, Kain shall be burned when Asshur takes you away captive." (23) And he took up his discourse and said, "Alas, who shall live when God does this?

  Moab, Edom and Sheth (people of the east). Interesting isn't it? The prophet Isaiah also mentions Moab's utter destruction.

  Isaiah 25:9-10 ESV It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation." (10) For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain, and Moab shall be trampled down in his place, as straw is trampled down in a dunghill.

  So in a sense the beast out of the earth represents someone more local for the Muslim community. Therefore I expect this man coming out of the Middle East.
• This second beast – Islam calls him Jesus, just as we do – shows up around the 1260 day mark within the time of God's wrath. Because of the signs he performs, he is believed by many, and he causes many to convert to Islam. He will also create an image of the beast. Remember how the beast is introduced to us as a seven headed monstrosity. Since these multiple empires have a common theme, that theme may be Allah. Allah was a creation of Muhammad, therefore no one knows what he looks. Nonetheless, this “beast” makes an image, animates it, and causes everyone to worship it. Those refusing to worship the beast, and the image of the beast, and take its mark, are killed. (Pay attention to this, there are three parts to it, not just the taking of an “rfid” chip.)

Jewish high priest wearing a hoshen, and Levites in ancient Judah. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So I am overcoming a beast, which I am not even sure what it looks like, and, its image and number of its name.

Because of the chronology and the known entrance of the second beast, I can guarantee that these who are portrayed as standing around the sea of glass mixed with fire, were well aware of who each of these enemies are. Since I kinda covered the image aspect in the bullet-ed overview section, I want to talk about something I noticed, and it is this phrase – the number of its name.

Our first encounter with this cryptic description is found in Revelation 13. I want you to see the typical representation first and then the Amplified because in a strange way, the Amplified may shed a little light. However I cannot explain either of these adequately, and this playing with numbers is Gematria and confusing at best.

Revelation 13:18 ESV This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.

Revelation 13:18 AMP Here is [room for] discernment [a call for the wisdom of interpretation]. Let anyone who has intelligence (penetration and insight enough) calculate the number of the beast, for it is a human number [the number of a certain man]; his number is 666.

As I pondered this phrase: “those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name,” it occurs to me that this could convey the number, in total, of those who march under the orders or name of this entity/beast. Since this verse 15:2 makes no directive to interpret “the number of its name” I felt compelled to look up the Greek words.

number - G706 – arithmos/ar-ith-mos' - From G142; a number (as reckoned up): - number.

of his name - G3686 - onoma/on'-om-ah - From a presumed derivative of the base of G1097 (compare G3685); a ?name? (literally or figuratively), (authority, character): - called, (+ sur-) name (-d).

If the central core of the multi-headed beast we see in Revelation 13 is Islam, then the name may well be Allah and the rules of engagement come from the Qur'an. The number, and as we can see from the Greek, is a calculated quantity. The implication of that is an overwhelming quantity. Is this starting to make sense to anyone? An overwhelming quantity of people, submitted to Allah, running around the world, killing anyone who does not submit.

Wow, that sounds like Islam to me.

Ask yourself why any of this is important. If, you are a believer, and not just the person who says, “I go to church”, but you have an active exuberance for Christ. That means you personally know, the one who died on the cross and rose again, fulfilling God's promises so that you might have an abundant life. It also means you have a lively hope in his return which is specifically to catch his church away. That catching away is intentional so that those who are part of that church, and still alive here on earth at that time would not have to go through the wrath that is coming.

If by some chance, the rapture has come and you are reading this, then know this – His love and arms are still extended to you. The Holy Spirit of God is in the earth drawing you to him. Accept his love for you, turn your life over to him, and you will be received into the kingdom. That's the good news. The bad news is that some crazed group of people will probably kill you for taking a stance for Christ instead of the god they are pushing. Stand your ground and shortly you will find yourself standing before the one who has loved you since the beginning of time.

Related articles

• A Perfect Inheritance
• We stand together proudly
• Jesus Christ is not REAL to most Christians
• Loving the Sinner
• Babylon the Great - the long version. Revelation 14 verse 8.