God has a throne whose foundation is righteousness and judgment which stands for the law (Psalms 97:2). In the sanctuary the mercy seat represented the throne of God which sat upon the ark which contained the law, foundation of God’s throne. The law of God is the very expression of God’s character. Salvation is legal matter.

Pastor Randy Skeet is conducting a week of prayer at the Chula Vista SDA Church, California from 6/9/2012 to 6/16/2012. It’s All Law – Full: This is the second sermon given on the Sabbath of 6/9/2012 during the divine service. The theme of the week of prayer is IT’S ALL LEGAL. The sermon is entitled “IT IS ALL LEGAL”. Pharaoh set Joseph over all the land of Egypt and told him “..only in the throne will I be greater than thou”. Gen 42:41,40. The throne is the highest position.  Salvation is legal matter. Damnation is a legal matter. It all revolves around the law. It requires that disobedience is punishable by death. Jesus died for us to pay the price for the sinners to fulfill the requirement of the law. When all of our life is covered by the life of Christ then we have fulfilled the requirement of the law and do not have to die. Jesus has the right to save everyone who repents and gives his life to Him. It is illegal for Jesus to save the life of someone who did not surrender his life to Jesus. It is a legal matter. ‘ We don’t need the law’ is a satanic teaching. To conquer God’s kingdom and overthrow Him, Satan needs to overthrow the law of God. We need to come to the place where we shall say “I love the law of God”.

View more from Pastor Randy Skeete at http://randyskeete.com/

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Bad Religion – Many Christians Endorse Heretical Beliefs Without Realizing It

Read more at http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=752#pFKWkzuRTdV6xXh3.99

• More than half went on to indicate that Jesus is “the first and greatest being created by God,” a heresy known as Arianism, which the Council of Nicaea condemned in 325 A.D.
• Seventy percent of participants–who ranged across socioeconomic and racial backgrounds–agreed there’s only one true God. Yet sixty-four percent also thought this God accepts the worship of all religions, including those that believe in many gods.
• Two-thirds admitted that everyone sins a little bit, but still insisted that most people are good by nature, which directly contradicts scripture (“All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” and “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Romans 3:23; Jeremiah 17:9).
• Over half said it’s fair for God to exercise His wrath against sin, but seemed to waffle about which sins deserved wrath (not theirs!). Seventy-four percent said the “smallest sins” don’t warrant eternal damnation, in contrast to Jesus’ half-brother, who when writing at the Holy Spirit’s inspiration taught that even one infraction of God’s law is enough to sink someone.
• A full 60 percent agreed that “everyone eventually goes to Heaven,” but half of those surveyed also checked the box saying that “only those who believe in Jesus will be saved.”

• Seven in ten evangelicals–more than the population at large–said that Jesus was the first being God created.
• Fifty-six percent agreed that “the Holy Spirit is a divine force but not a personal being.”
• A huge increase in evangelicals (28 percent, up from 9 percent) indicated that the Third Person of the Trinity is not equal with God the Father or Jesus, a direct contradiction of orthodox Christianity.
• By definition, evangelicals in this survey believed that “only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.” Yet nearly half agreed that “God accepts the worship of all religions including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.”
• Two-thirds of evangelicals–more than Americans in general–said Heaven is a place where all people will ultimately be reunited with their loved ones. Many of these folks evidently see no contradiction between their casual universalism and the evangelical creed that salvation comes through faith in Christ alone.
• Two out of five evangelicals say “worshipping alone or with family is a valid replacement for regularly attending church”.

The post Christian Dunces first appeared on The Balanced Life: Bible Study and Christian Bible Discussion.

This image is of the life sized replica of Noah’s Ark in the Netherlands. Visit http://arkofnoah.org/

Noah And The Ark

I love the story about Noah and the amazing story of how God changed the world.  It is a story of God’s love, Noah’s faith and the importance of obedience.

The world that Noah lived in was in many ways not like our world.  What we know of the antediluvian world from the Bible is that people lived for hundreds of years.  Adam lived to be 930 years old (Genesis 5:5) and Methuselah, the oldest human, lived 969 years (verse 27).  There was no rain on the earth, But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. (Genesis 2:6).  It also seems that there was a water canopy or blanket that covered the whole earth (Genesis 1:7).  This most likely created a warm, even tropical climate across the entire planet.  Also, people were more perfect in mind and body.  Even though the effects of sin were seen in the degradation of Godliness as described in Genesis 6:1-7.

In Genesis 6, God starts by describing the condition of morality on this planet that just 5 chapters before was a perfect planet with perfect creation and perfect people.  Now we see that even the very men of God were being drawn away by worldly women, and the thoughts of people were evil continually.  But Noah and his family found grace in the sight of the Lord, (Genesis 6:8).

I often imagine that over the time it took to build the Ark, people must have thought Noah and his family mad.  They did not realize that they were living in the time of the end for them.  Yet for 120 years this preacher of righteousness, Noah,  pleaded with them (2 Pet. 2:5).  Some may have even visited them every day as they worked on the ark.  Others may have even helped build the Ark.  I also think that some from time-to-time believed that they would make the choice to be on the ark when they were ready.

But the day came upon them as a thief.  There was no build-up.  There was no climax or warnings in the environment.  It was a day like any other day That Noah and his family went into the ark.

God declared in Genesis 6:3 that he was giving mankind 120 years until the end of all people and land animals and all foul of the air.

The War

When children hear the story of the Ark, they are not shown the loving character of God and the amazing power of faith.  The relationship that God desires with His people and the gentle care He has for us is amazing.   But many when they read the story of Noah, they suspend the reality that we are all part of a cosmic war.  Satan was cast out from Heaven and now goes about this earth seeing who he can destroy.  Revelation 12:12, “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”  Revelation 12 ends with the target of Satan’s anger, “…and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

Satan’s goal is to destroy our obedience to God, thus destroying us.

Sin only exists on this planet.  God created us perfect, in a perfect environment.  We were separated from God because of Sin.  God asks us to to allow Him to repair the breach.  The world in Noah’s day chose a side that has no future.  But God sent Noah to preach and plead with everyone and offer them a way.  But they did not believe.

Matthew 24:37-39, “ But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

In the days of Noah, the rest of the world were so out of touch with their Creator that they could no longer hear the call of the Spirit of God, nor could they receive wisdom from God.  And as they observed miraculously the animals entering the ark they could not see the signs of the times they were living.  Isaiah 6:9, “And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.”

The God spoke with Noah and said it is time.  Noah and his family entered the ark not knowing what to expect.  They knew that then end of everything and everyone they knew was at hand.  Was there any doubt?  What was the mood on the ark after days had gone by?  It took a full seven days before the rains started.  Was there faith strengthened?

For those outside, they were unaware that the judgement hour had passed.  Probation for them was closed.  But the Bible says that even though Noah built this extraordinary boat in the middle of dry land, that they were all still eating and drinking, and marrying and giving in marriage.. just like every other day.  Their expectation was an unending string of days, just like all the previous days.  But the waters came and carried them all away.

Crowded Boat 

We often see illustrations of the ark as being like a tug boat with giraffe’s long necks sticking out the windows, monkeys on the deck and other animals with their heads looking through the portholes.  But was it a crowded place?  We know that the animals were brought according to their kind.  Genesis 7:2-3, “Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.” (also see Genesis 6:19-20).

Consider that they did not need 2 of every breed of dog.  2 dogs would have sufficed.  2 of each kind or Family would have the genetic information to perpetuate other dog species.  So two after their kind.  Except for the clean animals and the birds of the air, as they were to bring in seven of each after their kind.

The miraculous saving power of God is the awesome lesson of this story.  God is awesome and this story is serious.  We are facing a similar time in our world today.  The Bible tells us that people will be scoffing at the notion that God will return.

2 Peter 3:3-9, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.  For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

When Noah and his family exited the ark, the world was a different place.  The sky would have been one of the first signs that things had changed.  The air would have been cooler.  They were alone on this vast planet where a year and a half ago there were many people.

Noah built an alter to the Lord and sacrificed on it of the clean animals that were taken on the ark.

Genesis 8:21, “And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.”  God then makes a promise to never again destroy every living thing as he has done with the flood.

The post Noah and the Ark first appeared on The Balanced Life: Bible Study and Christian Bible Discussion.

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life“, John 8:12.

There was a time when we walked in darkness.  Jesus says “I am the Light of the world,”  and if we follow Him we will not walk in darkness.   What a life that would be.  What a change that would be on our lives and our future trajectory.

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers
of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”  1 Corinthians 6:9-11.  There is something about following Jesus that is life changing.  What we used to be and the sinful habits we used to have we can  no longer have.  The victory is ours through Jesus if we accept it.  The transforming power of the Spirit of God creates in us new people.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17.  “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippeans 1:6.

There is something about living to serve God.  All that are living have life, but the Bible speaks about abundant life, a life that most of us cannot even understand.  “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly,” John 10:10.

Consider the following:

Proverbs 14:27 – “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.”

Philippeans 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Mark 9:23 –  “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Proverbs 16:9 – “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.”

Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Matthey 6:33 – “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Romans 12:1  – “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

There is a work for us to do.  Have humility, have faith, love God, allow God to direct our steps, seek the kingdom of God and be obedient.

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14.

In this time, two thousand years after the resurrection of Jesus, is it still necessary to avoid sin?  Are we expected to be holy?  Is this even possible?  When we look at 1 Peter 2:9, is this meant for Israel and the Jewish people?   ^“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.”  Paul explains that Gentiles are grafted in to the vine of Israel in Romans 11:17.  Consider also the following verses on obedience.  Is it obedience that makes us peculiar?

1 John 5:3, – “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”

1 Peter 1:16 – “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

Hebrews 12:14, – “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”

Revelation 14:12, – “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

Matthew 7:21 – “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

James 1:22 – “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

James 2:24 – “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”

John 14:21 – “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

Jesus came to transform a people that lost their way in understanding the love of God.  His commandments are not a burden but demonstrate His loving character.  He wants us to have this character also.

“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 2:3-5.  (See also: John 15:9-11, Colossians 3:13, Ephesians 4:32 1John 2:6, 2 Corinthians 3:18)

Jesus came to  be the Lamb of God that would take away the sins of the world.  He did away with the need for the Mosaic Law which was against the people by fulfilling its requirement (Colossians 2:14) ultimately becoming the sacrificial lamb.  This He did perfectly, but also came to take the legalism and the abuse out of God’s Holy Law, and by doing so correct the wrong understanding of the Character of God.  So Jesus gave examples from the Law to build better understanding of the principles of the Law.   “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery.”  This is a cold letter of the law.   This does not represent the principle of love.  God is Love and asks us to ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,’ and to ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’.  Matthew 22:36-40.

So Jesus explained the principle perfectly in saying, “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Matthew 5:28.  Similarly, expanding on the Commandment, Thou shall not kill; Jesus again explains the principle of love.  “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.  Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;  Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” Matthew 5:22-24.

Jesus came to set the minds of the people right.  In fact concerning righteousness, he looked to the Scribes and Pharisees who are known for seeking righteousness (to the point of legalism), said “..That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

The principles that Jesus teaches us through the apostles are to transform us to a life of liberty and love.  He wants us to have life and to have it more abundantly.  Our minds must have the peace that passes all understanding.  This is peace that cannot come from our natural tendencies in a life of darkness.  “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.“

Ephesians 4:17-22, “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,  Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:  Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

But ye have not so learned Christ;  If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.  Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.

The post Life first appeared on The Balanced Life: Bible Study and Christian Bible Discussion.

I recently finished reading the book of Revelations in the Bible.  It was the third time reading this awesome book.  It to me is a book of clarity, insight, love and hope.  But it is also a book of warning written for the last-day people.  What I found the most interesting about this book was the personal nature of the appeal that is obvious from the first chapter to the last.

Although the whole Bible is really the story of God, through Jesus.   We understand that Jesus was the creator with God,   (John 1:1-14), “and that All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made.”  And we learn the story of Jesus through the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and the first chapter of Acts.  But Revelation is Jesus speaking through John to those that will come after John and down to the end of the world.

So I am surprised how few people read the book of Revelation.   In fact recently, I met with two Christian friends and was speaking about some interesting things in Revelation 1,  and they both indicated that they have never read it. Never!  And this is not the only time I have heard this from church folk.

It surprises me because as Christians, we all love Jesus and speak about our love for Jesus and the love of Jesus toward us.  Yet the book that starts with “The Revelation of Jesus Christ…” is the very book that few Christians read?

Revelation 1:1-3, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”

Most importantly, the Book of Revelations gives us history of the conflict between God and Satan and gives a warning to all mankind about the climax of the conflict.  It is a warning that is to be preached to the whole world.  This is a loving God that gives an outline of things to come so that those who love Him and read His word are not caught unawares.  It is no surprise then that Satan wants to have God’s people not read this book.

For this reason I am encouraging everyone to read the book of Revelation.  Understand that Revelation has several verses that are found elsewhere in the Bible.  Consider the beast on Revelation 13 and look at Daniel 7 and see the beast explained.  Over the next month, I will attempt to research and present the Book of Revelation, chapter by chapter.  However, I urge readers to study the book prayerfully for yourselves also.

The post Revelations – An Invitation first appeared on The Balanced Life: Bible Study and Christian Bible Discussion.

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Biblical success principles based on God’s Character.

The post How To Succeed Without Being A Genius first appeared on The Balanced Life: Bible Study and Christian Bible Discussion.

What happens when a person dies?  This is a question that has puzzled people all through the ages.  And today we have many theories.  Some say the dead go straight to heaven, while others say they go to hell or purgatory, and still others say the dead sleep in their grave until the resurrection.  There are still those that believe in reincarnation while others believe that the spirit of the dead roam the earth affecting the living either for good or for bad.

However, we want to know what the Bible says, for none of us has died and come back – except Jesus.  In Revelation 1:18, Jesus states that He alone has the answer to this important subject.  “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive forever more, Amen, and have the keys of hell and of death.”

In the beginning, since the garden of Eden, Satan has sought to confuse people about death.  In Genesis 3:1 the devil questioned Eve.  “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”  Eve was quick to defend God in Genesis:2-3,  “And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”

Then came the first recorded lie in the Bible, verse 4, “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.”

How cunning.  The devil admits you are going to die, but not surely.  And that lie has come down through the ages so that the majority of people in the world believe that people are dead, but not “surely dead.”  This is why the majority of people in the world would not take a walk in a dark graveyard at midnight for anything.  Sure they believe those folks are dead, but not surely dead.

Again, for everyone of God’s truths, Satan has a counterfeit.  He said you will not surely die, and he was a liar.  John 8:44, speaking of the devil, says he is the father of lies.

Let’s go then to the Word and see the truth. Going back to the beginning of life in Genesis 2:7, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” God formed man of the dust (earth). In fact, a few years ago someone analyzed how much the average man was worth: the iron, iodine, zinc, et cetera. The found the average man was worth about 160 dollars!

Here we have two elements: a clay body and God’s breath of life. Through the union of these, man became a living soul. It’s important to note that man was not given a “soul” as something separate from the body, but became a soul through the union of body and God’s breath. Body + Breath = Soul. Soul – Breath = Death. Let’s see this procedure in reverse in Psalms 104:29, “Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.” Take away the breath, it equals death. Verse 30 puts it again in forward, “Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.” You send forth “spirit” or breath and they are created.

Now let’s discuss the teaching some of us are acquainted with regarding the “never dying soul” or “immortal soul.” You will often hear people say when a man dies his “soul” goes on to heaven or hell. Now I want to shock you. There are over 1,700 references to the word “soul” in the Bible, and not even once is it mentioned as immortal or undying. That ought to shock you! There is only one text in the Bible that even uses the word immortal. 1 Timothy 1:17, “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Only God is immortal. You say what about the “immortal soul?” It’s not taught in the Bible! The word “immortality” is used only five times in the Bible and it never speaks of the “immortal soul.”

What then is a soul? Remember in Genesis 2:7 the body and breath equals a soul. You are a soul. A soul is not a little person inside you who upon your death goes flying out! The Bible teaches the exact opposite. Notice Ezekiel 18:4, “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Souls die because souls are living beings like a father, or son. Let’s look back a few other verses to see what a soul really is. You will find in every case it means a man or animal, any creature with the union of a body and breath. Acts 2:41, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” The Old Testament says the same in Genesis 46:27, “And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.” Acts 27:37, “And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.” Man is not the only thing that is a soul. Notice Revelation 16:3, “And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man; and every living soul died in the sea.” All souls in the sea died. So the Bible is abundantly clear on this matter.

Our next question, What does happen when a man dies? Ecclesiastes 12:7 answers simply, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Now that word spirit is the Hebrew word “ruwach” [Strong’s H7307]. It is translated 117 times as “wind” and 33 times as “breath.” This word “spirit” in any concordance or dictionary means “breath.” That’s why it returns to God who gave it. Notice the many other Scriptures where spirit simply means the breath of life. Job 27:3, “All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils.” Now what did God put in man’s nostrils? Genesis 2:7, The breath of life. Let’s look at Jesus on the cross. Luke 23:46, “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.” “Into thy hands I commend My spirit” or breath of life. Jesus didn’t go to paradise until the following Sunday, three days later. After His death He simply died and His breath or spirit returned to God.

James 2:26. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” So when a man dies, his breath or spirit returns back to God, and the body returns to dust. The same happens with animals. The Bible clearly teaches this. Ecclesiastes 3:19- 20, “For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.”

Next question, What happens in the grave? Where are the dead? Are they in heaven or hell? Let’s see what the apostles said in Acts 2:29, “Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. … For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand.” David is not in heaven. Let’s see what Jesus said, and here we come to a very important key. John 11:11- 14, “These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.”

Death is referred to as a sleep 66 times in the Bible. Notice these references:

• Deuteronomy 31:16, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; …”
• 2 Samuel 7:12, “And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou (David) shalt sleep with thy fathers, …”
• 1 Kings 1:21, “Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, …” 1 Kings 2:10, “So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.”
• 1 Kings 11:21, “And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, … ”
• 1 Kings 14:20, “And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, …”
• 1 Kings 14:31, “And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David.” …
• 1 Kings 15:8, “And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David:” …
• 1 Kings 15:24, “And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David …”
• 1 Kings 16:6, “So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah:” …
• 1 Kings 16:28, “So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria:” …
• 1 Kings 22:40, “So Ahab slept with his fathers; …”
• 1 Kings 22:50, “And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David …”
• 2 Kings 8:24, “And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: …”
• 2 Kings 10:35, “And Jehu slept with his fathers: and they buried him in Samaria. …”
• 2 Kings 13:9, “And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: …” Job 3:13, “For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,”
• Job 7:21, “… for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.”
• Psalms 76:5, “The stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep: …”
• Jeremiah 51:39, “… I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the LORD.”
• Daniel 12:2, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, …”
• Matthew 9:24, “He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth.”John 11:11, “These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; …”
• 1 Corinthians 15:6, “… but some are fallen asleep.”
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, …”
• 2 Peter 3:4, “… for since the fathers fell asleep, …”

“Sleep” is clearly the biblical term for death. Look up the rest of the texts which refer to death as “sleep,” they are: (2 Kings 13:13; 2 Kings 14:16, 22, 29; 15:7, 22, 38; 16:20; 20:21; 21:18; 24:6; 2 Chronicles 9:31; 12:16; 14:1; 16:13; 21:1; 26:2, 23; 27:9; 28:27; 32:33; 33:20; Job 14:12; Psalm 13:3, 76:6; 90:5; Jeremiah 51:57; Matthew 27:52; Mark 5:39; Luke 8:52; Acts 7:60; 13:36; 1 Corinthians 11:30; 15:18, 20; 1 Thessalonians 4:14, 15).

Clearly, then, in both Old and New Testaments this is the term the Bible writers used to describe death. To them it was a sleep in Jesus. Sleep is a beautiful illustration of death. It is like going to bed at night, when we are tired, with assurance of waking in the morning. This takes fear out of death for the Christian. They lie down to sleep, with the quiet assurance that Jesus will awaken them in the morning of the resurrection at His second coming.

We are to regard death as a sound, dreamless sleep. A person may have been in the tomb 1,000 years, but when raised at the resurrection it will seem to him that he merely dozed off for a moment. When angels meet God’s resurrected saints at their grave side, it will be like a loving mother greeting her child after a brief nap. Matthew 24:31, “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Man is not immortal. He is subject to death. But God’s people do, indeed, have eternal life now. Eternal life is that miraculous, new, Jesus-filled life, which begins at conversion and will be continued in heaven. God’s promise is that His faithful people, who now have eternal life, will not suffer the second death. Revelation 2:11, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.” From this death there is no resurrection. The first death, which all men must die, does not remove the gift of eternal life. It only interrupts it while the saints sleep briefly. It continues in heaven after the resurrection.

Think of it for a moment. If your mother died and was in heaven, would she be happy? How could she be seeing you struggle and seeing war, poverty, problems, and hardship? No! God’s plan is much better! Our loved ones are peacefully sleeping. Let’s go on now and see what the Bible says. Ecclesiastes 9:5- 6, “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.” The “dead know not anything, no love, have no hate or envy,” et cetera.

Here, however, we run into a real question. If the dead sleep in Jesus, and they know not anything, then what about all we read and hear about dead people who seem to return and appear to others? What about the spirits of the dead that communicates with the living, and these spirit beings that channel messages? What about those who actively communicate with various loved ones who have died? If this is really our deceased loved ones and truly the dead who have come back, then the Bible is a lie. Make no mistake about it, the devil can work miracles too. Revelation 16:14, “For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9, “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.”

The devil take advantage of grieving hearts and knows people would do anything to see their loved ones, and he can impersonate them to make people believe his lie, that “you shall not surely die.” All the spiritualism, the New Age, and witchcraft is based on this teaching. Satan can deceive us unless we know the truth. The Bible makes it clear. Job 7:8- 10, “The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not. As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him anymore.” Job 16:22, “When a few years are come, then I shall go the way whence I shall not return.”

In Ecclesiastes 9:10, God says “there is no work, device, or knowledge in the grave.  “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”

There is a story of a young boy, going to his first funeral. There in an open casket lay a deceased gentleman, Mr. Jones. As the service went on the minister said, “I can just see Mr. Jones up in heaven, walking on streets of gold, in the company of angels.” The young lad was thinking, “That’s funny, I am looking at Mr. Jones and he’s right here in the casket!” It became more complicated though when he got to the grave site where the casket was lowered. Here the same minister then spoke of how we didn’t have to grieve because on the resurrection day Mr. Jones would rise from the grave and be caught up to heaven! The young boy was confused! He saw Mr. Jones in the casket, then the preacher said he was in heaven, and now he said he’s in the grave waiting for the resurrection? Something’s wrong! Where is He? Let’s make it simple. First do the dead praise the Lord? Psalms 115:17, “The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.”

Let’s put it all together.

Job makes it so simple. Job 14:12- 14, “So man lies down, and rises not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. O that thou would hide me in the grave, that thou would keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou would appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.”

Three points. Man is in the grave until:

• “The heavens be no more.” 2 Peter 3:10, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”
• “Till thy wrath is past.” Revelation 15:1, “And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.”
• “Till my change comes.” When will the dead be changed? At the second coming! 1 Corinthians 15:51- 54, “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”

Notice all three passages refer to the second coming of Jesus. It just makes sense! If you really didn’t die, then why would you need a resurrection? Our eternal life will begin at the second coming! Mark 10:29- 30, “And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” So when we die, we wait to be resurrected, and while we wait for the resurrection, we sleep in the grave. Job 17:13, “If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.”

And God will not forget you. He has guardian angels that follows you through life, death and the funeral. (Psalm 91:11, Psalm 34:7, Hebrews 1:14) When the Lord comes He will tell the angels to “gather my elect from the four corners of the earth.” (Matthew 24:31) Jesus shall say to the north “give up” and to the south, “keep not back” bring my sons and daughters from afar.  (Isaiah 43:6)

There will be two groups of people when Jesus comes. The righteous and the wicked. Both will come up at the resurrection. And both are in the grave until then. None of the dead are in purgatory or in heaven, all are waiting until Jesus comes. 1 Thessalonians 4:13- 18, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” That’s beautiful! The dead shall rise! When will they rise? When Jesus comes! Then we all go together. The Lord will raise our loved ones who have been sleeping! All are going together, getting excited together, and are changed together! Then this mortal becomes immortal and this corruptible puts on incorruption. Jesus said in John 14:1- 3, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

When Jesus comes, the wicked will be slain by the brightness of His coming. 2 Thessalonians 2:8, “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.” They will not live again until after the 1,000 years. Revelation 20:5, “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” In verse 6, God says blessed are the ones in the first resurrection! Therefore we can look forward to that glorious day as did Paul! 2 Timothy 4:6- 8, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” Paul knew he would receive his reward on that day – Christ’s appearing.

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

And because He lives, we too shall live! For death will be the last enemy destroyed. Revelation 21:4, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

Let’s determine that whether we live to see Jesus come, or if we die and sleep until the resurrection day, we will be ready at each moment to meet our Lord.

BIBLE PASSAGES ABOUT DEATH EXPLAINED.

Question: Didn’t Jesus tell the thief “Today you will be with me in paradise?”

The text in question is Luke 23:42- 43, “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

From reading this it appears that Jesus did promise the thief he would go to paradise that day. However if that’s true we are faced with three problems.

1. The thief did not ask to go that day. He had his theology straight, and asked to be

remembered when Jesus comes in His kingdom.

2. Jesus did not go that day. Three days after He told Mary not to touch Him, for He

had not ascended to the Father (John 20:17).

3. The thief could not have gone that day! John 19:30- 34 records how the thieves

legs were broken as the sabbath began. This was because the Jews did not want crosses up on the sabbath, so they would take them down and break the legs of those on the cross to hasten death and prevent escape. The thieves lived on after Jesus died.

The simple answer to this is in the Greek text. Greek does not have punctuation as we know it. This is supplied by scholars as they translated into English. However in Luke 23:43 the scholars simply misplaced a comma that changed the entire meaning of the verse. They put the comma before the word today. Change it, and the text is in perfect harmony with all the other Bible verses. It now reads “Verily I say unto thee today, thou shalt be with me in paradise.” Jesus gave the thief the assurance of salvation that day, and will remember him just when he asked to be, when Jesus comes in His kingdom.  (There are other examples of this, one such is Acts 19:12.)

Question: Doesn’t Paul teach “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord?”

This text has been misquoted for so long, people assume that’s what it says. It doesn’t. Let’s read it – 2 Corinthians 5:8, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

The question here is when will this take place? Paul would rather be absent from the body and present with the Lord. So would all of us!

Notice this is Second Corinthians or the second letter Paul wrote the Corinthians. In the first letter I Corinthians 15 Paul had already told them when he would be absent from the body and with the Lord. Verses 51- 55, “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” Also in His closing testimony Paul again affirmed when. 2 Tim 4:6- 8, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

All Paul is saying here quite literally is that he would rather be absent from the body and not just absent from the body; and to be present with the Lord.

Our next study, we will study the topic of Hell and Hellfire.  How does the topic of Hell and hellfire square with God’s love and mercy.

The post Prophecy 11 – Death first appeared on The Balanced Life: Bible Study and Christian Bible Discussion.

Let’s review the ten identifiers that the Bible gives us to identify the Beast power of Daniel 7 and Revelation 13.

Before we do, we need to look again at the point of 1260 days. Now here’s another key of prophecy. Remember in prophecy we are dealing with symbolisms. A “day” is also symbolic. It is symbolic of a year (Ezekiel 4:6, Number 14:34). Whenever God spoke prophetically as in these texts, the day for a year principle was followed. This is ONLY in prophetic Scripture. So this power will rule 1260 days or years.

Now you can probably guess what power it is already. The fact is that there is one and only one power that meets these ten requirements. God is precise.
Can you guess what the power is that the Bible is referring to?
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God also wants us to realize He is talking about a system, a kingdom, not sincere people who may be a part of the system. Truth is not against sincere people. Truth is against error. God does not intend to hurt anyone. He loves us and gives these ten points so we will not be deceived. It is indisputably clear that these points apply to one power only in the history of the world, and that is the Holy Roman Empire, the Vatican and the Papacy. Now notice God is not speaking of the Catholic Church in a derogatory way. There are many priests, nuns, and Catholic people, who love the Lord with all their hearts, and have dedicated their lives in service to humanity. There are good sincere people in all churches. God simply identifies the political kingdom of the Papacy because like all nations it had a very influential past history with the Christian church. Before we go into that though, let’s take a closer look at the ten points to be sure.

REVIEW OF IDENTIFYING POINTS

1, 2. Daniel 7:8, It “came up among” the other 10 horns or kingdoms, after 476 A.D. There is only one “little” kingdom that fits this description and that’s the Vatican City and the Holy Roman empire.
3. Daniel 7:8, It’s still to this day a “little kingdom.” The Vatican is only 109 acres in size, but it is a powerful kingdom and the wealthiest kingdom in the world. No other power fits this description.
4. Daniel 7:8, It “uproots three kingdoms.” Clearly documented in history is the eradication of the Heruli, Vandals, and Ostrogoths by the armies of Papal Rome. The last to go were the Ostrogoths in 538 A. D. The same year, Roman Emperor Justinian gave the Bishop of Rome authority over the kingdom.
5. Daniel 7:8 (last part), There would be “A man at its head.” To this day the Vatican City is the only kingdom that has always had a visible man at its head, the Pope.

6. Daniel 7: 24, “It would be different.” All the preceding kingdoms had been simple governments set up in normal political manners. Papal Rome, however, was and still is unique and different because it is a CHURCH that rules. Policies are dictated by the Bishops and Popes.

7. Daniel 7: 25, It “speaks great words and blasphemy.” The Bible definition of blasphemy is composed of two things. 1. A man claiming to be God. 2. A man claiming to have power to forgive sins. There is only one power today that fits that description. The papal power. Let’s get documented proof of this from the pages of Catholic books. FERRARIS’S ECCLESIASTICAL DICTIONARY under THE POPE says:

“The Pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a man, but as it were, God, and the Vicar of God. The Pope is called “Most Holy” because he is rightfully presumed to be such. The Pope alone is deservedly called by the name “Most Holy” because he alone is the Vicar of Christ, who is the fountain and source and fullness of all holiness. He is likewise the divine Monarch and supreme Emperor, and King of Kings. Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of heaven and of earth and of the lower regions. Moreover the superiority, and the power of the Roman Pontiff, but by no means pertain only to heavenly things, to earthly things, and to things under the earth, but are even over angels, of whom he is greater. So that if it were possible that angels might err in faith, or might think contrary to the faith, they could be judged and excommunicated by the Pope. The Pope is as it were God on earth, sole sovereign of the faithful of Christ, chief kings of kings, having plenitude of power.”

From the CATHOLIC NATIONAL, July of 1895: “The Pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ, Himself, hidden under the veil of flesh.”

What about the forgiveness of sins? JOSEPH DEHARBE’S CATECHISM says, on page 279: “The priest does really and truly forgive sins in virtue of the power given to him by Christ.” Another from THE CATHOLIC PRIEST, pages 78, 79: “Seek where you will, through heaven and earth, and you will find but one created being who can forgive the sinner, who can free him from the chains of hell, that extraordinary being is the priest, the (Roman) Catholic priest. Yes, beloved brethren, the priest is not only declares that the sinner is forgiven, but he really forgives him. The priest raises his hand, he pronounces the word of absolution, and in an instant, quick as a flash of light the chains of hell are burst asunder, and the sinner becomes a child of God. So great is the power of the priest that the judgments of heaven itself are subject to his decision.” Truly no other power on earth can fulfill this.

8. Daniel 7:25, “He would war against God’s people and persecute them.” Although this is now past, all people of the earth are aware of the millions of martyrs put to death during the Dark Ages by the Papal armies. The most conservative estimates are 50 million men and women who were put to death. One only needs to read the pages of hundreds of history books available to document this, Pope Innocent 111, 1198-1216 was responsible for thousands of martyrs. The Spanish Inquisition, the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, and the history of the
Waldenses are a few examples. We do not cite this for the purpose of casting reflection, these things are past, however, we must discuss them to see the fulfillment of prophecy.
9. Daniel 7:25, “He would think to change times and laws.” In a future lesson we will deal with the “TIMES,” but what about “LAWS”? Again let’s quote from the Catholic Dictionary article under THE POPE:

“The Pope is of so great authority and power that he can modify, change, or interpret even divine laws. The Pope can modify divine law, since his power is not of man, but of God, and he acts as vicegerent of God upon earth with most ample power of binding and loosing his sheep.”

In the CONVERTS CATECHISM OF CATHOLIC DOCTRINE, page 49, we find that God’s law has been changed. Exodus 20 contains God’s laws. However, the CONVERT’S CATECHISM law has omitted the SECOND COMMANDMENT and split the tenth in two. No other power on earth has done this.

10. Daniel 7: 25, It would rule 1260 years. This is a most dramatic prophecy! Beginning in 538 A.D. Papal Rome finally destroyed the Ostrogoths. Emperor Justinian gave the kingdom over to the Bishop of Rome that year. Add 1260 years to that and you come to 1798. The year of the French Revolution. In 1798 Napoleon’s armies overthrew the Papal power, confiscated all the property of the kingdom, declared a republic, and took the Pope off the throne where in France he died in exile. Exactly 1260 years as prophesied!

Now that the Bible has clearly established this, let’s go back to the beast kingdom of Revelation 13 and notice the comparisons. The little horn kingdom of Daniel 7 and the beast of Revelation 13 are one and the same. In Revelation 13, the beast who speaks great words and blasphemy, also rules 42 months, which equals 1260 days. In Revelation 13: 7, it also makes war with God’s people.  Revelation 13: 3 says it receives a deadly wound. Comparing the little horn and the beast, we see the same power. And it is this power God says not to worship, nor worship his image, nor receive his mark.

Notice something else now. The beast of Revelation 13 is made up of the four beasts of Daniel 7. It has the body of the LEOPARD, feet of the BEAR, mouth of the LION, and the 10 horns of the FOURTH BEAST.

Why does God represent this Papal kingdom as being made up of these four pagan kingdoms? And furthermore, notice Revelation 13:2, “And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” Who is the dragon? And what about Revelation 13: 18, Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred three score and six.” What does 666 mean? Who is this man?

God says in Revelation 13:3, 8 that ALL the world is worshiping the beast. God loves us and doesn’t want us to be deceived in these last days. That’s why he has given the warning of Revelation 14:9, 10, “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.”

Interesting Historical notes.
• Feb 10th, 1798 – Louis Alexandre Berthier invaded Rome, on February 15 proclaimed a Roman Republic and then on February 20 take Pope Pius VI as a prisoner.
• Feb 20th, 1798 – Louis Alexandre Berthier removes Pope Pius VI from power.
• Mar 7th, 1798 – The French army enters Rome: the birth of the Roman Republic.
• May 24, 1814 – with the fall of Napoleon, Pope Pius VII returned to Rome
• The Papal states were taken by force in 1870, with the Vatican left without recognized status until the Lateran Treaty of 1929.
• April 18, 1929 – The Lateran Treaty was signed. The Catholic Advocate, “… and a crowd, tense with excitement, is here to witness the passage of these two men whose pens will heal the wound of 59 years. http://www.biblelight.net/lateran3.gif
• Feb 12, 1929 – San Francisco Chronicle, “In affixing the autographs to the memorable document, healing the wound which has festered since 1870, extreme cordiality was displayed on both sides.”
How did this happen?
Revelation 12:7-9, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great DRAGON was cast out, that old SERPENT, CALLED THE DEVIL, AND SATAN, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” The dragon is none other than the Devil and Satan himself! How can this be?

Let’s get a broader picture. Verse 9 says, “The Devil and Satan which DECEIVED THE WHOLE WORLD.” When did the Devil deceive the whole world? It was in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. Let’s back up a bit to understand this. Verses 7-9 spoke of a war in heaven between God and Satan. Satan began to rebel against God. He desired to be like God, and sit on His throne Isaiah 14:12-14, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the side of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”
Also in Ezekiel 28: 14 we find that even though he was next to the throne occupying one of the highest positions in heaven he was not content. “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.” Verse 17 says his heart was lifted up because of his beauty. Pride and covetousness got the best of him and he began to spread his rebellion throughout heaven. “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou has corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.”

As it came to a conflict, God had to expel Satan and the angels that followed him down to this earth. Second Peter 2:4, “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.” Since the devil had challenged God, and influenced so many angels, God in His wisdom decided to let evil run its course. As Satan was cast down to this earth, it was perfect, sinless, and untainted. God basically said, “Okay Satan, here is a perfect world. You run your program here, I’ll run mine up in heaven, and when it’s over we will let the people decide!” One only has to look at this present world of sickness, death, pain, war, crime, immorality, and heartache to see the devil’s plan is hell on earth!

When the devil deceived Adam and Eve we find that God placed a curse on him, and then in Genesis 3:15 He gave a powerful prophecy. “And I will put enmity between THEE and the WOMAN, and between THY SEED and HER SEED; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Notice the differences. There is Satan, and the woman. Satan will bring forth a seed, so will the woman. Satan’s seed will get a death blow. The woman’s seed will get a temporary wound. When God speaks prophetically, a woman always represents the church, or God’s faithful people. Jeremiah 6:2, “I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.” Jesus is the Bridegroom, His church is His Bride (Matthew 25:1-13, Isaiah 62: 5). So God is saying, “Devil, from now on there are only two sides!” Everyone is on one side or the other.

These two sides were immediately apparent in the first two children born, Cain and Abel. Abel obeyed God’s word, Cain substituted or used a counterfeit of God’s word. This has always been the trademark of the devil’s side, to counterfeit the word of God. After Cain murdered his brother Abel, his descendants began to corrupt the earth until there was an estimated seven billion people on this planet. The devil tried hard to destroy all of God’s followers, for if he was successful then the prophecy of the “seed of the woman” would never come. He almost succeeded! There were only eight people left on earth who were true to God: Noah and his family. So God had to intervene and preserve Noah’s family by having them build the ark. After destroying the earth and all its wicked people with a flood, we see the two sides emerge again. The wicked began to build the tower of Babel and then the great city of Babylon which we have already studied much about. Here in Babylon, Satan began a new plan for destroying the knowledge of God in the world.

He began a new system of worship, revolving around the planetary gods of the sun, moon, and stars. Here astrology was born. Idolatry began. The occult, pagan philosophies, and false teachings were created in Babylon, all for one purpose. To lead the world away from the truth of the Bible and the knowledge of God. This system of falsehood began to spread rapidly. The
next world ruling kingdom, Medo-Persia continued its spread, then Greece, and finally Rome ruled the world. By this time the devil had been so successful in spreading Babylon’s false teachings we find even God’s chosen people, the Jews, were greatly influenced by the pagan teachings and practices of Babylon. It was a dark hour, Satan was triumphant for he seemed to have the entire world in his control. It was then, at this dark hour, that God again intervened.

The prophecy of Genesis 3:15 was imminent. The seed of the woman was to come. Let’s see it happen.

Revelation 12:1-5, “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: Ana she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.”

Let, see what this is. The dragon is Satan. The woman is the church. Notice though, the dragon has seven heads. What do these seven heads represent?  Revelation 17:9, “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.”  These heads represent seven mountains. The seven mountains of Rome. So we have Satan (the dragon) working through Rome, to kill the seed of the woman when He is born. The seed of the woman is obviously Jesus Christ. And true to the prophecy, a Roman authority named Herod did try to kill Jesus at His birth. However, Jesus was protected, He lived and then died on the cross of Calvary. This was the temporary wound or “bruised heel,” for on the third day Jesus rose from the tomb and ascended to heaven. Now the tables were turned. Jesus Christ had restored the truth long hidden by Babylon’s false teaching. Christianity began to spread rapidly and the knowledge of God and His Word was quickly carried to the world. The devil’s plan had again been thwarted, and he was angry. He had almost succeeded, but now that the seed of the woman (Jesus Christ) had come, all the devil’s efforts had failed. He tried to stop God’s truth by persecution, force, paganism, and idolatry. It all failed. Now what was he to do?
Well, he said, “If you can’t fight them, JOIN THEM!” Satan then began his MASTER PLAN.

If he could develop a universal church, based on old Babylon’s teachings, and disguise it with the cloak of Christianity, he could lead the whole world astray, all in the name of the Lord!
And thus the devil was forced to bring forth his seed. The seed of the woman was Jesus Christ. The seed of the dragon is the Antichrist Beast power! This is why verse 2 says “the dragon gave him his power, seat, and authority.”

Satan craftily combined both pagan and Christian ideas, and came up with a counterfeit system. This is why the beast of Revelation 13 is pictured as being made up of the four beast of Daniel 7, with the body of the leopard, feet of the bear, heads of the lion, and ten horns from the fourth beast. For, when it was formed, it drew part of its doctrines, beliefs, practices and teachings, from these four beasts or pagan kingdoms, not only from the Bible.

Now we see the big picture. God is simply pointing out the beast power was a vehicle used to bring in the errors of Babylon. During the 1260 years the beast ruled, it spread the same false teachings and practices to all the world, only under the guise of Christianity to be more deceiving. It is this that God warns us about in Revelation.

Let’s get a few examples to illustrate how a teaching from Babylon can walk into our homes and churches and we don’t even realize it. We’ll select two examples everyone can be comfortable with.
What about Easter? Did you ever wonder how the whole Christian world began to celebrate Easter as the resurrection of Jesus? We know it cannot be the day of His resurrection because Easter is seldom on the same DATE. Easter always comes the first Sunday after the first full moon, after the equinox.

Long before Christianity, Babylon had a goddess named “Ishtar,” the goddess of reproduction. In the spring she was honored as the giver of all new life. Eggs, a symbol of fertility, were worshipped, and rabbits, prolific reproducers, were also worshipped. That’s where we get Easter rabbits and Easter eggs! Ishtar’s day was always celebrated the first Sunday, after the first full moon, after the equinox. As we progress through history, we come to Rome around 300 A.D. Constantine, the ruler, claimed he had become a Christian. He simply took Ishtar’s day and transferred it to honor JESUS CHRIST the giver of life, on EASTER. Papal Rome continued this, and during the following 1260 years spread it to the whole world. That’s why all Christians celebrate Easter. Now nothing is wrong with a celebration of the Lord’s resurrection, this is just one illustration of how a pagan teaching can easily come into the church, and no one even questions it!
What about Christmas on December 25? It too comes from Babylon. In Babylon the SUN was worshipped as the supreme god. This sun worship had even come into God’s church. As the year progressed and the days grew shorter the people feared the sun was leaving them. On December 22 the shortest day of the year, they began conducting long rituals and sacrifices to the sun god, appealing for it to return for another year. On December 25 they could determine the day was getting longer again and on this day they held a great celebration rejoicing in the re-birth of the sun! This was practiced right from Babylon up to Rome. Constantine did the same thing here. He substituted the birth of the sun in the sky for the birth of the Son of God – Jesus Christ. Papal Rome continued it, spread it to all the world, and that’s why many Christians celebrate December 25! Again, there’s nothing wrong with celebrating the birth of Christ, however, it should raise our conscious level to ask the question, “If these things slipped in so easily, could there be other things too? Teachings and practices that DO contradict the Word of God?

Yes! There is much more than you might ever imagine! God warns the world of it in these words of Revelation 18:2-3, “And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” God says the whole world is drunk with the wine of Babylon and its false teachings.

And through this drunken stupor God’s Word shines giving the invitation of Revelation 18:4, “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Come out of her MY people. That’s very beautiful. God says HIS people are in Babylon, and He invites them to come out and worship in spirit and TRUTH. In the next lessons, we will learn more and more about what is truth so we can step by step come out of darkness into light.

Finally, let’s have one last mark of identification. Revelation 13:18, “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six” – 666. Bible prophecy has told us the Antichrist beast has a man at its head. That man is the one who speaks for it – the Pope. The Bible says his number is 666. The Latin alphabet is used by the Church and Rome. Roman letters have numerical value. Every person’s name also had a number because of the Roman alphabet having numerical value. God is simply telling us it is the number of a man, and his number adds up to 666.

In the official Roman Catholic weekly magazine, OUR SUNDAY VISITOR, April 18, 1915, this question was asked in the question and answer column: “What are the letters inscribed in the Pope’s crown, and what do they signify if anything.” Here’s the answer given according to the Catholic magazine itself: “The letters inscribed in the Pope’s miter are these: VICARIUS FILII DEI which is the Latin for Vicar of the Son of God.”

VICARIUS FILII DEI is one of the most exalted titles of the Roman pontiff and is the official name of the Pope. Computing the value of the Roman Numerals, we discover an amazing fact:
V = 5
I = 1
C = 100
A = no value
R = no value
I = 1
U = 5
S = no value
112
F = no value
I = 1
L = 50
I = 1
I = 1
————–
53
D = 500
E = no value
I = 1
————-
501
If you add up the numerical value, you’ll find out Vicarius = 112, Filii = 53, Dei = 501 – and it equals the number 666. He has four morenames in Latin – official titles given in Catholic literature – every one of them adds up to 666; he has three names in Greek, two names in Hebrew, all adding up to 666. Here in Greek and Hebrew transliterations are other names or titles of the Pope.
LATEINOS in Greek means Latin man or Church.
L = 30 lambda
A = 1 alpha
T = 300 tau
E = 5 epsilon
I = 10 iota
N = 50 nu
O = 70 omicron
S = 200 sigma
————
666
ROMIITH in Hebrew means Roman Kingdom.
R = 200 resh
O = 6 waw (vav)
M = 40 mem
I = 10 yod
I = 10 yod
TH = 400 taw
————–
666
The Greek HE LATINE BASILEIA, means the Latin Kingdom.
H = 0 (transliterated)
E = 8 eta
L = 30 lambda
A = 1 alpha
T = 300 tau
I = 10 iota
N = 50 nu
E = 8 eta
B = 2 beta
A = 1 alpha
S = 200 sigma
I = 10 iota
L = 30 lambda
E = 5 epsilon
I = 10 iota
A = 1 alpha
————
666
Here is the Papal Church in Greek with its numeral values. ITALIKA
EKKLESIA, which means Italian Church.
I = 10 iota
T = 300 tau
A = 1 alpha
L = 30 lambda
I = 10 iota
K = 20 kappa
A = 1 alpha
E = 5 epsilon
K = 20 kappa
K = 20 kappa
L = 30 lambda
E = 8 eta
S = 200 sigma
I = 10 iota
A = 1 alpha
————-
666
One of the early names for the Pope was PONTIFEX MAXIMUS. This in Latin means Supreme Pontifex. The Pope has had a number of titles down through the centuries. Here are two in Latin with their meanings:
DUX CLERI – Captain of the Clergy.
LUDO VICUS – Chief Vicar of the Court of Rome.
Here are the titles of the Pope with numerical values for the Roman numerals:
D = 500
U = 5
X = 10
C = 100
L = 50
E = no value
R = no value
I = 1
——————–
666
L = 50
U = 5
D = 500
O = no value
V = 5
I = 1
C = 100
U = 5
S = no value
——————–
666
Now friends, God’s Word is clear! As the Word has exposed error and shown the light we see how important it is to KNOW the truth and not follow a counterfeit. We’ve just begun to scratch the surface. Jesus appeals to us in Matthew 15:9, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men,”
Let’s not worship in vain. God has revealed that the devil has brought in HIS counterfeit system to change God’s truth and has mixed truth with error. God’s question to us is, “Are you following
the Word, or baptized paganism?” As we continue on, we’re going deeper. Don’t miss a link in the chain as we lead up to the chapter on the Mark of the Beast, it’s so important! Revelation 14: 9-10, “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.”
In closing I invite you to read Proverbs 4:18, “But the path of the just is as a shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” God wants our path to grow brighter and brighter as we go on. Thank God for truth, and for His mercy.

The post Prophecy 9-2 – Identifying AntiChrist first appeared on The Balanced Life: Bible Study and Christian Bible Discussion.

This subject is one of the most important in the Bible. Who is the Antichrist? What does it represent? Is the Antichrist and the Beast of Revelation 13 the same?  How can we be sure we are not deceived by it?

What exactly does the Bible say about the Antichrist?  The term is only found in 4 places in the entire Bible.

1 John 2:18-19 “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us.”

1 John 2:22-23 “Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.”

1 John 4:2-3 “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.”

2 John 1:7 “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.”

The Greek word from which our English word “antichrist” is translated is very simple to understand. It is a simple compound word and means “anti” + “Christ” = “antichrist”. We use the same compound-styled words every day. We have people who are “anti-smoking” or “anti-gay” or “anti-hunting” or “anti-Semitic” or “anti-abortion”. There really is no big mystery as to what the word means. “Anti-Christ” is anyone who opposes Christ.

“The “antichrist” then, has no horns or red glowing eyes. Neither is the “antichrist” some demon possessed super-intelligent human clone. Rather, the “antichrist” is that sweet elderly lady named “Mrs. Jones” living next door who openly teaches the neighborhood kids that Jesus just was a myth.” Steve Rudd. (http://www.bible.ca/D-AntiChrist.htm)

Is this too loose an understanding of what it means to be Antichrist?

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Getting a full understanding of what the Bible is talking about is important.   So let’s again go to the Bible for answers.

The most serious warning God sends to His people in the last days is found in Revelation 14:9,10, “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.” All who worship the beast, or worship its image, or receive the Mark of the Beast will be lost. We know that God loves us, and if He has sent such a serious message, He has also made it abundantly clear who and what this beast represents. It is a life and death matter.

Is the beast also Antichrist? And why?

We spoke before about the Mark of the Beast and that there are plenty of wild speculations about who the beast is, what the beast represents and what the mark of the beast will look like.  As we study, I hope to build your faith in the Bible as we let the Bible speak for itself.

In Bible prophecy we are dealing with symbols, and therefore all things must be correctly interpreted. Second Peter 1:19 tells us, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.” This is important.  A sure word of prophecy. That means if it’s Bible prophecy it will be clear, simple, and sure. No guessing, no speculating, and then verse 20, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” The Bible must be its own interpreter. With that background we can safely go into this critical subject.

Let’s go to Revelation 13 and read about this Beast power God has warned us about. Revelation 13: 1-3, “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and the great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Now this is a strange beast! Is this a literal animal? No, it’s symbolic, it represents something. The Bible tells us what it is. Let’s get the Bible interpretation of each part.

First it comes from the water or sea. What does water symbolize? In Revelation 17:15 we get the answer. “And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” The sea in prophecy always symbolizes many nations of people that speak different languages.

Now what about those other strange parts? The body of the leopard, feet of a bear, the head of a lion, and the 10 horns? We must go to the book of Daniel in the Old Testament to understand.

Daniel and Revelation explain each other. You cannot understand either book without the other. Keys are in each. So we will spend a little time in Daniel, and you will see something amazing when we go back to Revelation 13. Let’s turn to Daniel 7. Here we have another prophetic vision. Daniel 7: 2, 3, “Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.”

Then verse 3 says, “Four great beasts came up.” What do beasts represent in prophecy? The answer is in verse 17, “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.” Then verse 23 says, “Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon the earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.”

That means the first four beasts represents the first four kings and their kingdoms.

We still follow this practice today – animals representing kingdoms. There is the American eagle, the former Russian bear, the Japanese dragon etc.

God says then that four kingdoms will come up. And it’s a fact today that since the days of Babylon when Daniel penned his book there have been only four world kingdoms impacting Gods people. Let’s look closer.

FIRST KINGDOM

Daniel 7:4, “The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.” Who was this first world empire? Babylon, represented by the king of beasts. Wings, in prophecy mean speed (Habakkuk 1:8). Babylon began to rule in 606 B.C. The prophecy begins where our last chapter did, with Babylon, the kingdom Daniel is living in. In the Bible Babylon is referred to as a lion.

Compare 2 Kings 24:1, Jeremiah 51:37-38. Also as the ruins of Babylon have been excavated we see still today many winged lions carved on the walls of that ancient city.

 SECOND KINGDOM

Daniel 7:5, “And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.” Here is the second world empire of Medo-Persia, “raised on one side.” It came up as a joint empire, however, the Persians were stronger than the Medes. The three ribs no doubt symbolize the three Babylonian provinces it conquered of the then known world – Babylonia, Egypt and Lydia. Media-Persia ruled from 538-331 B.C.

THIRD KINGDOM

Daniel 7:6, “After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.” In 331 B.C. the third beast arose. It had four wings representing double speed, a fitting expression of the swiftness of Alexander the Great who quickly conquered the world, and established the empire of Greece. The four heads represent the four temporary kingdoms after Alexander’s death, divided by his four top generals. To the Northern territory went Lysimachus; to the South, Ptolemy; to the East, Seleucus;  and to the West, Cassander. Greece ruled from 331 – 168 B.C.

FOURTH KINGDOM

Daniel 7:7, “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.” The fourth beast was strange, Daniel had never seen anything like this! He knew a lion, a leopard, and bear, but this was unique! The dreadful iron kingdom was the fourth (verse 23), “Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon the earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.” It represents Rome, which ruled from 168 B.C. to 476 A.D.

What about the 10 horns on this fourth beast? Let’s see what they represent.

Daniel 7:24, “And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.” The 10 horns were 10 kings. We discovered last week, when Rome fell, it divided into 10 parts as the Barbarian tribes swept in. Those 10 tribes were Alamanni (Germany), the Visigoths (Spain), the Franks (France), the Suevi (Portugal), the Burgundians (Switzerland), the Anglo Saxons (England), and the Lombards (Italy). Three no longer exist, the Ostrogoths, Vandals and Heruli.

Ostergoths – The weakness of the Ostrogothic position in Italy now showed itself. The Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I always strove to restore as much of the Western Roman Empire as he could and certainly would not pass up the opportunity. In 535, he commissioned Belisarius to attack the Ostrogoths. Belisarius quickly captured Sicily and then crossed into Italy where he captured Naples and Rome in 536 and then marched north, taking Mediolanum (Milan) and the Ostrogoth capital of Ravenna in 540.

Vandals – Their kingdom collapsed in the Vandalic War of 533–4, in which Justinian I managed to reconquer the Africa province for the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire.

Heruli – They were defeated by the Romans in 269 AD at or near Naissus (modern Niš in present-day Serbia)

To find out why they do not exist let’s read Daniel 7:8, “I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were THREE of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn (little horn) were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.” Suddenly there comes up another “little horn” or little kingdom.

These three kingdoms were destroyed by another “little kingdom” arising. Now, who is the little horn? If you really wanted to know, you could ask your history teacher and he could probably tell you what kingdom destroyed the Ostrogoths, Vandals, and Heruli. But we’re going to discover a lot about the little horn as we go on. You will see that this little horn kingdom is the Antichrist beast power – the same as the beast power God warns us about in Revelation 13.

Now we must be very careful and clear in identifying this little kingdom and power. And God has done just that. In the next few verses God will give us ten marks of identification as to who this power is so we won’t speculate, or guess at all.

TEN IDENTIFYING POINTS

1. Daniel 7:8. This power comes up “among them.” So now we have it located geographically. The other 10 horns, or kingdoms, were in Western Europe. So if it comes up “among them” it would have to be a little kingdom that comes up somewhere in Western Europe.

2. If it came up “among them” it had to come after the year 476 D., because the 10 kingdoms were not there till 476 A. D., after Rome, the fourth beast fell.

3. It would be a “little horn” verse 8 or a “little ” Not a big empire like the others, but a little one.

4. Daniel 7:8. “it uproots three kingdoms.” We already established that the Ostrogoths, Vandals, and Heruli were these three

5. Daniel 7:8. (last part). It has a man at its head and this man SPEAKS FOR IT. Unlike the other horns.

6. Daniel 7: It was “diverse” or different. How? He would not only be a government like the others, but different from any systems ever before.

7. Daniel 7: It would speak “great words” or “blasphemy.” Revelation 13: 5 says “great words and blasphemy.” Let’s get two Bible definitions of blasphemy. John 10:31-33 says blasphemy is when a man claims to be God. Mark 2:5-7 says blasphemy is when a man claim to have the power to forgive sins. So this “man” at the head of this kingdom would do this.

8. Daniel 7:25. He would “wear out the saints.” This power would fight against God, against God’s people, and be a persecuting God’s people would be martyred and slain by it.

9. Daniel 7:25. He would “think to change times and laws.” This power would think and try to do away with God’s holy times and That can’t be done, but this power would “think to” and try to change them.

10. Daniel 7:25 tells us how long it would rule. It would rule for a “time, times, and dividing of time.” Now that’s a prophetic The Bible tells us how long it is though. Compare Revelation 12: 14 and 12:6 and it equals 1260 days. That means Time is one year, Times is Two years and the Dividing Of Time is a Half A Year, the total is three and a half years. How many days are in three and a half years using the Bible calendar of 30 days to a month? Twelve hundred and sixty days.

Now here’s another key of prophecy. We will unpack this key in the next lesson but remember in prophecy we are dealing with symbolisms. A “day” is also symbolic. It is symbolic of a year (Ezekiel 4:6, Number 14:34). Whenever God spoke prophetically as in these texts, the day for a year principle was followed. This is only in prophetic Scripture. So this power will rule 1260 days or years.

Understanding that this power will want to be worshipped and the whole world is wondering after this beast power, it is probably easy to tell who the beast power is.  When you consider our studies over the past few lessons and the ten bible points that we have listed above, it should not be difficult.

The post Prophecy 9-1 -Identifying Antichrist first appeared on The Balanced Life: Bible Study and Christian Bible Discussion.

In our last lesson we learned about the war in heaven and the fall of Lucifer.  In heaven his name was Lucifer, but once fallen his name became Satan, or the devil or also “that old serpent”.  Isaiah 14:12, Revelation 12:7-12, Ezekiel 28:13-18.

We then learned that Satan is cast down and is angry because he knows he has a short time.  Revelation 12:12.  When Satan saw he was cast out of heaven, he began to persecute.   Rev12:13

Rev 12:17  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Our study today is about wisdom.  As we study the Bible, we cannot help but notice that there is history in there, stories of morality, prophecy and warnings, promises to us from God and miracles performed.

With so many important things included in this important book, we need wisdom and understanding .

James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

Read Proverbs 1:7. What is wisdom? What is “the fear of the Lord”?

How do these two concepts relate to each other?

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“Wisdom” here is defined as a religious experience. It is related to the fear of the Lord. This important concept of the Hebrew religion is key to Proverbs. Not only does it occur repeatedly, but it also frames

the entire book (Prov. 1:7, 31:30).  The fear of the Lord has nothing to do with the superstitious and childish fear of divine punishment.  Instead, it should be understood as the acute consciousness of God’s personal presence at all times and everywhere. The fear of the Lord had characterized the people’s reaction to God’s revelation at Sinai (Exod. 19:16, 20:20), just as it explained their commitment to be faithful and to love God in response to His covenant with them (Deut. 10:12).

Basically, to fear God means to be faithful to God and to love Him.  The phrase “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of . . . wisdom” means that wisdom originates in this “fear.” The Hebrew word for “beginning” (reshit) points to the first word introducing the Creation story (Gen. 1:1). The first lesson of wisdom, then, deals with understanding that God is our Creator, the One who gives us life and breath, and that He is always present—a God of love, and justice, and redemption (John 3:16, Ps. 89:14, Heb. 9:12).

We are told to love God and also to fear Him. How do these two concepts relate to your own experience with the Lord?

Proverbs 1:8–19. What two contrasting ways of “education” are presented in these verses? What’s the basic message here, not just for parents, but for everyone who fears the Lord?

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Education is, first of all, a family matter, and true education comes,  first and foremost, from the parents. In these verses, this education is called “instruction” and even “law.” The Hebrew word for law, torah, means “direction.” The parents are to point their children in the right direction. In contrast, the other type of “education” is not identified, not given a name. It is simply acknowledged as the voice of sinners, which leads in the wrong direction.

Also, the words “my son,” not to be taken in a gender exclusive sense, are repeated many times, emphasizing parental instruction. Each parent—“your father,” “your mother” (NKJV)—is clearly identified in the singular and is personally involved, while the other camp is an anonymous plural, “sinners.”

The best argument on behalf of family education is its results. These are the inner qualities of character, which are like ornaments on the head and around the neck. In the Middle Eastern culture, precious collars and bracelets were passed on from parents to children as a heritage of value. Education matters more, though, than material riches. The time spent with our children will be of much greater value for them than the time spent at our businesses. Also, the reference to the neck and the head, which is the individual’s face, suggests that education will shape his or her personality. In the way of fools or sinners, only the feet (Prov. 1:15) are mentioned, as if the wayward son had lost his identity.

How can we learn to resist the temptations that culture, society, friends, or even family might throw our way?

The Call of Wisdom

Read Proverbs 1:20, 21. How is wisdom presented here? What are we being told?

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While the sinners “lie in wait” and “lurk secretly” (Prov. 1:11, 18,NKJV), wisdom “calls aloud outside” (vs. 20, NKJV), “cries out in the chief concourses” (vs. 21, NKJV), and “speaks her words” (vs. 21, NKJV). Wisdom is here personified, and her offer is given to the man and the woman on the street. It is for everyone in the real business of life. Amid the noise and rancor of so many products and so many sellers, the call of wisdom must be loud; otherwise, she would not be heard against the clamor of so many other voices.

Read Proverbs 1:22–32. What is the result of rejecting wisdom?

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The reason that people reject wisdom has nothing to do with wisdom itself and everything to do with the character of those who reject her. These are described as arrogant and disdainful (Prov. 1:25; compare vs. 30), as if they know better. The implication is that wisdom is for the naive and the simple. And yet those who reject wisdom are simple and naive; they are fools who “hate knowledge” (Prov. 1:22, NKJV; compare vs. 29).

Those who reject wisdom will reap the fruit of their rejection. Having refused to choose the fear of the Lord, they will have to be content with themselves: they will be “full with their own fancies” (Prov. 1:31, NKJV). When we reject wisdom from above, we often end up with the fables and lies that we fabricate for ourselves, or the fables and lies that others fabricate for us and that we so readily accept. In this way, we replace God with idols. Ironically, those who despise religion, mocking those they judge as simple and naive, often are superstitious in their own way, placing value on the most fleeting and useless of things that, in the end, can never satisfy the most basic needs of the heart.

Read Proverbs 1:33. Given the context in what came before, what promise and hope are found here for us? How is this promise manifested in our own experience?

Next week Tuesday Study “Daily Deployment, The Armor of God.” Ephesians 6

The post Prophecy 2 – Beginning of Wisdom first appeared on The Balanced Life: Bible Study and Christian Bible Discussion.