Personality and Characteristic of the Little Horn

Personality and Characteristic of the Little Horn Referred to The Anti-Christ

The character traits of the anti-Christ that will deceive the whole world are not new in the history of humankind. There are two well-known individuals that come to mind, Bonaparte and Hitler. Both have similarities in historical background, such as political leadership and accomplishment.   The characteristic of both combines leaders might reveal the character of the “abomination of desolation to come, spoken of by Daniel the prophet before he stands in the holy place.”  It will astonish you.

Similarities between Bonaparte and Hitler, they both:

·        Came from the middle class - no monarchy bloodline

·        Enlisted young in the military

·        Rebuilt a nation in chaos and prospered

·        Subdued internal revolts

·        Abolished the established government, created new institutions that favoured their aspiration to reign over all Europe

·        Name themselves Emperor (Chancellor) as Caesar - god-like above the population, Supreme Commander

·        Signed an agreement with a pope, a concordat

·        Warred against Britain and Russia and lost

·        Became arrogant and self-confident refusing consultations from their generals

“The Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli (the future Pope Pius XII), and Germany's vice chancellor, Franz von Papen, formally signed a concordat between the Holy See and the German Reich on July 20, 1933. This event ended negotiations that began after Adolf Hitler became Germany's chancellor on Jan. 30, 1933. Among the witnesses to this event were Msgr. Giovanni Battista Montini (the future Pope Paul VI) and Msgr. Ludwig Kaas, the leader of Germany's Catholic Center Party. Neither Pope Pius XI nor Hitler attended the meeting; both had already approved of the concordat. The pope ratified the agreement two months later on Sept. 10. The Concordat of 1933 specified the church's rights in the Third Reich.”  http://isurvived.org/4Debates/vaticans_concordat-HITLER.html

In 1801 Bonaparte signed an agreement with the pope, the concordat making Catholicism the dominant but not exclusive religion of French. He had no personal use for religion but understood its political value.

"If I govern a nation of Jews," he said, "I shall restore the temple of Salomon." Religion is excellent stuff to keep common people quiet.

Bonaparte rules with a carrot and a stick. He had no patience with those who demand liberty. He rules with an iron hand, crushing anyone who dares speak out against him, making a sham parliament and bogus free elections.

"I have been nourish by reflecting on liberty," said Bonaparte, "but I thrust aside when it obstructed my path."

All he lacks was a crown. He wishes to be a king, king of an empire, therefore he made himself Emperor by a Senate proclamation, a Senate that he established a mirror of the Roman senate, no power but give the impression to the common people that they have a say in the politic of France.

Sanctify by the pope that he brought in to participate to make everything a sacred heir. He slowly laid His own crown on his head. He made himself appointed by God; therefore have authority over all man. "He looks like a Caesar on a golden coin," one observed. He dominated France, now he looks for the conquest of Europe. He made himself the modern Caesar of his time.

"I am the instrument of Providence," Napoleons said, "she will use me as long that I accomplish her design, then she will break me like a glass."

It is my belief that both Bonaparte and Hitler were men influenced by a spiritual entity. Bonaparte's god was providence. She was the Goddess of Destiny Seyella or Necessitas, goddess of destiny, the Roman equivalent of Ananke. In Greek mythology, the god is better known as the Moirai, which watches over the fate assigned to every being by eternal laws so that it might take its course without obstruction. Bonaparte was an intellect and a philosopher. He practised what he preached. He did not believe in religious institutions but used them. He was an advocate of freedom of religion to appease the mass population. Napoleon emancipated Jews, as well as Protestants in Catholic countries and Catholics in Protestant countries, from laws, which restricted them to live in ghettos, and he expanded their rights to property, worship, and careers. He did not despise the Jews as Hitler did. He was his own god. He loved France and his son, therefore he chose to abdicate rather than to fight to the last resources. Suicidal, he never was.

As for Adolph Hitler

Hitler had a secret dark side. He became a member of the Thule Society; sun worship, which is better known as Satan worship, which is enough to change somebody personality, even to the point to hate Jews who are God's Chosen People. Satan is real and the Jews are still God's chosen people with a destiny, which is to prove to the whole world that God is God of all nations and Jesus will rule among His people and over all nations. Satan attempted to derail God's plan by trying to exterminate all Jews. Now you know what prophecy is all about. It is about God's will to be fulfilled despite all Satan obstruction. Hitler brought his country to total destruction and committed suicide.

As Daniel was explaining a dream to the king Nebuchadnezzar, he mentioned:

"As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay," Daniel 2:43.

There are two accepted interpretations by students of prophecy. One is that the kingdoms will not be united as one people, a fragile political agreement among nations, and the second interpretation is that all man in a position of leadership will be influenced by spirituals hosts such as demons. Satan will possess the man that will play the role of the Anti-Christ.

Now, by using these character traits of both Bonaparte and Hitler, you might be able to observe who in the political arena have those characteristics to fulfill the role of the Little Horn in the coming prophetic event of One World in dis-Order, the ten toes. Yet that would be futile since the Bible explicitly explained that the man of sin will not be revealed until the Church is removed through an event called the rapture, (1 Thess 4:16-17, 2 Thess 2:6-7)

This article is an excerpt from a commentary titled, “United States Of America and Russia In Bible Prophecy.”  by Andre Delage

https://www.simplicityinthegospel.com/2013/09/united-states-of-america-and-russia-in.html

Related topic: "The Promised One of All Ages” - "The Coming Of The Lawless One”

 https://www.simplicityinthegospel.com/2017/03/the-promised-one-of-all-ages-coming-of.html

andre@simplicityinthegospel.com

WOMAN CLOTHED IN THE SUN

By Mike Taylor

 “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:” (Revelation 12:1)

Many people have read Revelation chapters and are very confused by all the symbolism represented in its passages. We read about the seven churches in the first three chapters, and then a sudden shift in focus to the throne room of God and 24 elders sitting on thrones with crowns on their heads in chapter 4. Jesus then takes the seven sealed scroll from God the Father’s hand in chapter 5 and upon opening each seal, a progression of sudden destruction is unleashed on this earth. As seal after seal is broken, a new sign appears that is designed for one thing: and that is the cleansing of this earth of all rebellion and the reclaiming of God’s creation by His Son, Jesus Christ. The beginning of this reclaiming of the earth for the Kingdom of God and the beginning of God’s wrath begins in Chapter 6.

Let us take note the symmetry of the chapters of this book, as given to John by revelation by our Savior and soon coming King, Jesus Christ. I believe that the book is divided near evenly from the first part, which deals with the church in its phases down through the ages, then the church being in heaven at the beginning of chapter 4, and then in chapter 5, as Jesus takes the land deed to earth in the form of a seven sealed scroll. Note also, that the church is not mentioned again until chapter 19. God’s people are thus called “saints”, not the Church.

THE BEGINNING OF THE TRIBULATION AND GOD’S WRATH?

Thus begins a series of 6 chapters that chronicle the successive pains and purging of the first part of the Tribulation, from chapters 6 through chapter 11. I will not focus on the details of these chapters as the beginning wave of destruction comes upon the earth, but my focus is on chapter 12 and identifying the two characters of this book past chapter 5. Chapter 12 to some, just drops down in the middle of this book and to many it seems out of place, but is it? What is God trying to convey to us? He gave us hints in the preceding 6 chapters, but here God identifies the major players in this drama of the coming of the Kingdom of God and a possible division in Daniel’s 70th week of years as promised to Israel. But the clock stopped when Jesus was crucified nearly 2000 years ago, after 69 week of years had been completed. Let us take a quick look at those hints in the preceding 6 chapters up to the start of chapter 12.

Hint #1:

 “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” (Revelation 6:9-11)

We are introduced to martyrs for the testimony of Jesus Christ and the Word of God. They are placed under the altar of God and are given white robes, because of their sacrifice in blood. Who are they?

Hint #2:

 “Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” (Revelation 7:3-4)

Here it is revealed that God calls 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel. They preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all who will listen and pay a heavy price for their ministry, in blood. As noted in the following verses:

Hint #3

 “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;” (Revelation 7:9)

As I have preached before, palm fronds in their hands is a sign of Israel. The hints get stronger and stronger as we progress to the 12th chapter coming up. Then there is this verse in Revelation:

 “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:13-14)

They are those who have been killed during this first part of the tribulation and have paid the ultimate price, only to receive white robes and stand before Almighty God and the picture becomes more clear that there is a distinct difference in what is happening to the world at large, (the Gentile nations), and the nation of Israel. If you think this is bad, you haven’t seen anything yet, but let us first look at chapter 12 and the symbolism that identifies one of the main focuses of the coming 7 year tribulation.

WOMAN CLOTHED WITH THE SUN….ISRAEL!

“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:

And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.” (Revelation 12:1-2)

In Genesis, Jacob clearly understood that he was the sun, his wife was the moon, and his twelve children were the stars. This is the root of the nation of Israel. In Revelation, these symbols are used for two reasons. One is to signify the root of the woman portrayed there, that she is Israel: the sun, moon, & stars—Jacob, Rachel, and the twelve sons. But the sun, moon, and stars also have a secondary meaning: to indicate glory. She is a glorious woman—one that can be associated with the glorious things in the heaven—the sun, moon, and stars.

Note this allusion to glory because, as God is looking at Israel at this time—that is, in the prophetic sense, in the time within the prophecies—Israel is glorious. Israel's beginning was glorious—glorious as the heavenly bodies. Israel’s end will be just as glorious, because of the promise made to the fathers of Israel, not because of anything they have done, but because of God’s Holy Name and His promises to Israel. God fulfills His Word.

Then notice the adversary that has wanted nothing better than to destroy Israel and the lineage of the coming Seed, Jesus Christ to prevent His birth.

“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.” (Revelation 12:3-5)

Satan is pictured as a great red dragon who has tirelessly waged war against the children of Israel in an effort to usurp the plan of God and prevent the fulfillment of the prophecy at the Garden of Eden:

“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.” (Genesis 3:15)

Here the prophecy of the coming Messiah was proclaimed by God, and Satan has attempted to thwart God’s plan from the very beginning. He hates mankind as they were made in the glory and image of God and given dominion over the earth, instead of giving it to Satan, (Lucifer in the beginning) and his pride just could not stand it.

As we continue in chapter 12 of Revelation, we see the woman fleeing from the dragon, or Satan, as written by John and prophesied by Jesus when He spoke to the disciples in the Olivet Discourse:

“And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” (Revelation 12:6) which mirrors what Jesus said in Matthew:

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand :)

Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house:

Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

And woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days!

But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day:

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:15-21)

What follows in the next few verse of Revelation chapter 12, speaks of the war in heaven between the angels of God, lead by Michael the arch-angel, casting Satan and his demon hordes from anywhere in the heavens, being cast to the earth. Satan now knows his time is very short and is desperate to destroy the remnants of Israel, to make God a liar, but God helps the woman, (Israel) to escape the evil of this great dragon, Satan, the devil.

The chapter ends with this verse of Satan not being able to touch those who God has removed to a place of safety, but a “remnant” remains that Satan takes out his vengeance upon:

“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.” (Revelation 12:17)

THE GREAT TRIBULATION?

This begins what is the most graphic of all the passages in Revelation from chapters 13 though chapter 18 of Divine wrath, that is poured out without measure upon this earth. Preceding our brief study on chapter 12, God tells us this in chapter 11:

 “The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.” (Revelation 11:14).

More is to come, and it starts in chapter 13 after identifying the major player that only had been hinted at, and briefly named. At some point, as identified by Jesus and Daniel the prophet, the abomination that causeth desolation is revealed, but not mentioned here, but in other parts of the Bible. The point of the Tribulation, as a major focus is Israel. The other player are the Gentile nations that experience God’s wrath, because they have taken the mark of the beast and not repented of their sins. Even though God has given them ample signs prior, they have embraced their lawlessness. But notice what Paul wrote and it confirms once again the other major player in this drama of the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation:

“And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (II Thessalonians 2:10-12)

John, all through Revelation, switches back and forth between the focus of these chapters since chapter 6.  The “actors in this drama” of the end time years of Tribulation have been identified.

Paul gives in our previous scripture verses noted above in II Thessalonians 2:10-12 and the end verse revealed the condemnation and the inability to be saved. That group of people mentioned are the Gentile nations apart from Israel experiencing strong delusions of the beast power and the false prophet.

But out of the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation, God redeems His chosen people for Himself, as He promised their forefathers, and they dwell with Him forevermore.

“These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb.

And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.” (Revelation 14:4-5)

But note the next two verses just right after the quote above?

“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Revelation 14:6-7)

Now why an angel would be preaching the Gospel? Are we not entrusted with spreading the Good News of the Gospel to all generations? That is the churches job, as the commission given by Jesus to preach unto all the world. Why is an angel messenger doing it?  Because the church is not on earth to preach anything. We have been removed prior to this Revelation drama and the Revelation focuses on four objectives.

1.The removal of the Bride of Jesus Christ in chapter 4, as noted by the 24 elders sitting on throne with crowns on their heads, as overcomers to rule.

2. To purge this planet whom God the Son has purchased with His own blood, His creation stolen by Satan at the Garden of Eden. God will destroy all rebellion through divine wrath and the wars constructed by evil men.

3. God will refine His chosen people, Israel, as silver is refined in a white hot furnace to remove all impurities from her and bring her to the knowledge of her Messiah, at long last.

4. To restore the Kingdom lost when sin entered into the world on toward eternity, and defeat Satan and his demonic horde.

God has made it pretty plain that the book of Revelation begins with the justified Church through His blood, and ends with the Church redeemed and glorified.

“And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. (emphasis mine)

And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.”(Revelation 19:8-9) and further:

When Jesus comes back with all His saints, the Bride of Jesus Christ, we will be with Him, to finish what He has  begun, the removal of rebellion from this earth:

“And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” (Revelation 19:14, emphasis mine) Note the underlined portion that we go for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and come back clothed in the same linen, white and clean being the armies of heaven.

Notice the symmetry of the chapters of this book? The first three chapters deal with the church down through the ages. The last three chapters deal with the church back on earth, and the Millennial Kingdom, leading into eternity. Between that we have 6 chapters that could be called the Tribulation, (chapters 6-11) then the 12th chapter identifying Israel as one of the main characters of the Book and then 6 more chapters from 13-18 that could only be described as the culmination of the Great Tribulation, or God’s Divine Wrath in its full strength from the cup of His indignation poured upon the earth inhabitants. Why do I say that there are only two characters in this drama of the end times from chapters 6-18? It is because of God’s wrath and its focus. Note what the Bible says and it’s sprinkled here a little, there a little. Let’s note the verses and I ask you to take the time to read them prayerfully and I’ll not do it here for brevity sake (Isaiah 26:19-21; John 14:2-4; I Thes

salonians 4:15-18; I Corinthians 5:50-56; I Thessalonians 5:9-10; Revelation 3:10), just to name a few.

Since the chapters in Revelation deal with three sets of people as noted above, where will you fall during this time of Tribulation that will come upon the whole earth? If you feel that the Bride of Christ, the Church must endure the coming holocaust of the destruction of mankind, and believe that somehow, Jesus did not quite get the job done by shedding His blood on Calvary, then you join the millions that think that we must endure an end time purgatory, as many Catholics believe and are deceived. If you are not counted in the first group that Jesus removes from this earth, which some mock is “our escape hatch” from the coming tribulation, but do not realize it not so much as an “escape hatch”, but Jesus Christ’s and His victory over sin in our lives, as we have been found in His righteousness and blameless before God. We have been purified by His blood, by His sacrifice and to allow the “purging” of our sins by Tribulation and enduring God’s wrath makes a mockery of His shed blood and broken body for His bride, the Church.

So my friend that leaves two other characters in the drama. If you’re not Jewish by birth, then you must be counted in the Gentile nations that God will send a strong delusion to blind you. You will, most undoubtedly, take a mark of loyalty, known as the Mark of the Beast, to your own spiritual destruction. If you have not believed on the name, the only Name of the only Begotten Son of God, through faith, then your fate may be sealed when the Church is lifted out of here by our Blessed Hope. You may not get a second chance as some so foolishly think that when they see things get really bad, then they will get serious about the Man, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. Will you make that mistake? Will you continue in your unrighteous behavior and neglect so great a salvation?

“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?” (Hebrews 2:3-4

If you neglect His call, the moving of the Holy Spirit in your life, you may lose all chance of being counted among those who live with God  for eternity and receive the payment for your rejection, which is separation from God for all eternity…Don’t make that mistake. Today is the day of salvation:

“For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (II Corinthians 6:2)

This is Pastor Mike Taylor, praying for your acceptance by faith of the only payment for your sins, my sins, Jesus Christ. If you have a need, like prayer, counselings, or just a listening ear.

Email me at realteam1999@sbcglobal.net or visit me online at www.churchofgod-usa.org. God bless you, till we meet at Jesus feet.

IS SATAN THE DEVIL REAL?

By Mike Taylor

Isaiah 14:12  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!

14:13  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 sides of the north:

14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

The bible speaks of a powerful angelic being that was called, in the beginning, Lucifer. The bible describes him as a most beautiful and powerful being that God had ever created. He was covered with the most precious of stones and his brightness was called “son of the morning.”

Ezekiel 28:12-13 "Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre,(Satan) and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord God: "You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created."

Ezekiel 28:14 "You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. v. 15, You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you."

v.16  By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

Lucifer was one of the main cherubs and was a powerful member of the Ark Angels, Gabriel and Michel being the other two mentioned in the Bible. He was an angel with great authority and possibly the most powerful of the three that served in the Temple of God.  It was, until Lucifer became consumed with his own beauty and pride entered into his heart. Lucifer was as we are agents of free moral choice. Lucifer was the ruler of this earth, before our creation. His world was the one we now live on. What this earth was like before creation of Genesis 1, is not known, but the fossil records show that there was a world in times before our time, that was much different that what we experience now.

The bible speaks of a war breaking out in heaven as Lucifer convinced 1/3 of the heavenly host under his charge to rebel against God the Father, the Ancient of days with a deception that God wasn’t fair, or we deserve better, or some other lie that we can only theorize, but many angels followed him in war. Revelation speaks of this war:

12:7  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

12:8  And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

12:9  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.

"Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time." Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. (Jesus Christ)

Unfortunately, Lucifer now renamed Satan the Devil, has been cast down to earth, his former abode and it is the same home that we reside in. Some people don’t believe he really does exist and it is one of Satan’s master strokes of deception, that he doesn’t exist. Some blame him for everything, or the “devil made me do it” as Flip Wilson used to say as “Geraldine’, or in the other extreme, they totally ignore him as any consequence in their lives. The bible gives ample proof that he is more than an adversary for the typical human being that is outside the protection of God the Father, through Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit as protectors. Satan is a destroyer of men’s souls.

It appears that the more carnally educated a person is, the less Satan is regarded as real, and vice versa, the less educated a person is, the more the devil is blamed for everything. In reality, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. Satan is called our “adversary.” Who is this angel that the masses fail to recognize as their adversary and the corrupter of their souls?

RULER OF THIS PRESENT AGE

I’m going to lay a foundation from the scriptures so that we will understand more of what we are dealing with.

Revelation 12:3-4, 9 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars [notice stars] of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. . . So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan [there he is identified], who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Stars are used in this passage and is a word used for angels. This was a major battle in heaven and the rebelling angels lost it and were cast out of heaven.

II Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment…..

Here we continue on our explanation of what has occurred on this earth long before us. Another step is clarified in regard to the positions that the angels (or demons, if we want to call them that) are holding at this time. There is some debate over the word used in Greek here that Peter describes as “chains”, but might be interpreted as a pit, or silo which we know is a long cylinder dug in the ground in ancient time, or above the ground to store grain in modern times, but is used here to denote a place of darkness, restraint, or prison. The word "Hell" here in the English versions comes from the Greek 'tataroo' and it means "a place of restraint."

Jude 6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.

So, this horde of demon angels who has as their chief commander, Lucifer, Satan the Devil leading them , but many of them were cast into a pit called Tarturos which was a place lower than Hades or the grave, and chained until judgment is brought upon them. How many demonic spirits does Satan have to do his bidding? The Bible speaks of thousands upon thousands administering to Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand standing before Him in a vision given to Daniel chapter 7 of the throne room of God. Of the 1/3 of all angelic host that fell to the earth, it would be millions of demonic forces that attack mankind daily to tempt them to do evil, or come against them physically or spiritually. God gave each of these angels led by Lucifer dominion over this earth, and the responsibility to tend to the earth, as their domain, but they left it and rebelled, so God chained them to the earth in utter darkness, meaning no light of the Word of God, or the Father’s presence that brought them life. They were totally and forever separated from the love of God because of their rejection of His authority and His righteousness.

Jesus said Satan was a murderer and the father of lies….John 8:44 ….He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

In summary up to this point, it’s clear how all of this fits together now, especially with those verses that we saw in Peter and in Jude; how clear it becomes when putting this together with Revelation 12, that what occurred was that God assigned the angels to the earth, that they were under their commander, Lucifer, who was the sum total of all that God could create by fiat and cram into a created being; that he was perfect in his ways until iniquity was found in him. We see a picture of a being of awesome beauty, of awesome power, of tremendous intelligence, also though a creature of free moral agency.

We are not given a full description of what Satan looked like as Lucifer, if he was human looking, or what his shape was, but he was a created being of incredible beauty and brightness. But what was totally perfect, evolved by his own mind and actions into something totally perverse, totally wicked, and committed to destroying God’s creation of mankind, as they were given the promise of being the Son’s of God and entering into God’s Family.

Can you picture in your mind, what might have been the reaction that Satan took when he realized God’s plan to make God in His own image? I’m only thinking out loud, as I have no idea what went through this angelic beings thought process, but it would explain why and how he felt that God was not fair, that God was putting these frail humans before Lucifer and his host of angelic beings. He was not satisfied with his station in the plan of God. He wanted more, more power, more authority, and rejected being submissive to any other power other than his. He wanted to be God.

What are we up against?

I think that it's necessary for us to deal with the reality of one aspect of the situation. I don't think that God wants us to hide from these things. Once you begin to see what is arrayed against us, you are going to know that it is by grace that we are saved. If we had to fight Satan and his demons without God being on our side, we would lose in the blink of an eye. It would be that one-sided.

We live in a physical realm, but there is a spiritual realm that we cannot see with the human eye. It is a war that is being fought all around us, and it is for the souls of men and the defeat of God’s perfect plan.

Satan is described as a roaring lion in 1st Peter 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

A lion cares not for the prey, but to destroy the prey for food, to conquer it, to overpower the prey, to kill. So the analogy of Satan as a roaring lion gives you some idea of his intent. He cares not for you, he stalks you, he desires your destruction, and he desires to make God out a liar at your expense.

AN ARMY OF MINISTERING SPIRITS

In the book of Daniel, it gives you an idea of how powerful this force called Satan really is. Daniel had been praying for Israel for weeks, and the Messenger of the Lord came to him:

Daniel 10:10  And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.

10:11  And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.

10:12  Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

10:13  But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

This King of Persia in interpreted to mean probably Satan himself fought against this Messenger, which was most likely Gabriel and it required Michael to come to his aid as the Messenger has “wrestled” with the angel for 3 weeks in a spiritual battle to keep him from answering  Daniel’s prayer. Can we get an idea of the power that this being that withstood the Messenger of God?

There is really a great deal of encouragement that comes from this section in Daniel 10. You can understand why the Apostle Paul and also the psalmist said that the angels are ministering spirits. They are ministering to the heirs of salvation. My reader these ministering Spirits are our protectors. This happened without Daniel even knowing what was taking place to prevent an answer to his prayer. These Ministering Spirits stand between us and certain annihilation, as that is Satan’s plan, to destroy every human being that he can convince to reject God and His free offer of grace found in His only begotten Son. He wishes to destroy you physically and ultimately spiritually for all eternity. He wishes you to join him in sure destruction in a fire burning with brimstone and sulfur that was designed not for men, but the devil and his angels.

Mankind is fighting a huge army of demons that have been cast down to earth to do the bidding of their chief captain, Satan. But our army, the army of God, is much stronger than the army we fight for all who believe. When Elisha prayed for his companion to see what was with them was stronger than what was surrounding the camp, as his servant was scared to death:

II Kings 6:15  And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

6:16  And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

6:17  And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

God struck this army with blindness and the army was defeated. So our army of 2/3 of the heavenly host are on guard to protect his chosen people, the elect, the children of God. But it is not enough just to believe that there is a God, you must do more.

WHAT MUST I DO?

James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

The demons believe in a most powerful God, who is our Father, our Creator and they tremble at the very thought of Him.

They know God's awesome power and they, unlike man, tremble! Maybe the better English word would be shudder before God! They recognize His power. They are terrified at the thought of God. They are thoroughly convicted that God is!

This verse goes a long way toward helping us to understand that saving faith is not the intellectual acceptance of a theological proposition, that is, that God is, but rather a belief that expresses itself outwardly in a changed life.

Do you understand what I said? The demons believe. They tremble in fear, but they will not obey God. We, too, can believe that God is. We give intellectual assent to a theological proposition. "Yes I believe that God is." But we may not even shudder and most assuredly, most of mankind will not submit.

Satan is most assuredly very real. To deny his existence is to put yourself most vulnerable to his evil ways, his temptations, and the wiles within his power to destroy each and every one of you. His most distinct focus and deception is for you to deny he lives for if he doesn’t exist, then you erroneously believe neither does God. So why would you need the One, when the other doesn’t exist?  But the bible proves that he does exist and is called the prince and power of the air, or god of this world, but God has made a way to defeat him:

 Ephesians,

2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

2:7  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

To fight the good fight with must have the right armor, we MUST believe in the only begotten Son of God, in whom is the only Hope of defeating this most powerful adversary, Satan the devil. Don’t ever under-estimate his power.

Romans  10:9  that if thou mayest confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and mayest believe in thy heart that God did raise him out of the dead, thou shalt be saved,

10:10  for with the heart doth `one' believe to righteousness, and with the mouth is confession made to salvation;

If you realize that Satan is a real power in this earth, then how can we fight such a powerful force that shows its evidence all around our world today, in wars, famine, suffering, and men doing unspeakable things to one another?  I spoke of armor, what armor?

Ephesians 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

If  you have not believed in the the Way, the  Truth, and the Life, then you are already defeated. Satan has you exactly where he wants you. You can believe there is a power called Satan, or you can ignore him, because to him, it doesn’t matter, as long as you don’t believe in his ultimate defeat, Jesus the Messiah.

If you have believed, then live a life that testifies to that fact. Embrace the Lord Jesus Christ and let Him be your protector, your shield, you buckler, your high tower, and the only true God in your life. With His grace and mercy along with multiple millions of Ministering Spirits, he can defeat the wiles of the devil that only wish to destroy you, because my friend, Satan is indeed, very real.

This is Pastor Mike Taylor, praying for God’s salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ, to be a part of your life. If I can help you in any way, pray with you, counsel you, or just lend an empathetic ear to your cares, then drop me a line to realteam1999@sbcglobal.net, or visit me online at www.churchofgod-usa.org. God bless you all, till we meet at Jesus Feet.

The War on Prophecy

By  Pete Garcia - 

http://www.omegaletter.com/articles/articles.asp?ArticleID=7786

Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. (Luke 12:37)

Ever since Hal Lindsey's The Late Great Planet Earth debuted in 1970, interest in Bible prophecy moved out into the mainstream American culture with a roar.  It spawned a whole new generation of teachers, broadcasters, pastors, and writers who would go on to carry the torch of Pre-Millennial Dispensationalism into the last decades of the 20th century.

Along with this newfound passion of the American evangelical, came a whole new host of critics citing everything from 'sensationalism' to 'Darbyism' to those who held to a literal, grammatical, historical understanding of Scriptures.

From whom and where do these critics come from, and why would they ostensibly be so opposed to a literal understanding of the Bible?  For all intents and purposes, these critics carried on a time-worn tradition of waging war against Christians who take the Bible seriously.  Well, I can assure you that the war began not just in the 1970, the 1800's, or even when the Bible was being written...it began in the Garden of Eden.

Satan moves:

 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" (Genesis 3:1 NKJV)

God counters:

So the Lord God said to the serpent:...And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."

And it has been game-on ever since.  Unfortunately for Satan though, God knows the end from the beginning, so the match has really been a mismatch.  From the fall, to Cain, to the violent and wicked days leading up to the Great Flood, to the unnecessary tower at Babel, Satan's attempt to corrupt man to the point beyond redemption, has failed at every turn.  God always has His elect.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:8)

So it has been thus far in the 6,000 years of man's history, that God would raise men up, and Satan would attempt to bring them down.  Or bring their message down.  Or corrupt their message.  Or destroy those who would spread that message.  Satan is always in damage control.

Yet roughly 2,000 years from Abraham's calling, victory was wrought that day on Calvary.  Had Satan known Christ's intent all along was to come and give Himself as a sacrifice for many, neither he nor the rulers he influenced would have crucified Him. [1 Cor. 2:7-8]

The Scarlet thread that runs through the Old Testament, was veiled in such a way, that Satan couldn't have known exactly what The Christ was coming to do even though Satan was well versed in the written text as demonstrated in His temptation in the desert.  Still, God used typology, and the prophetic text to tell His servants ahead of time, what MUST come to pass.

But since the Jews were the keepers of the Word, how come they weren't thronging the Manger to get a glimpse at their Redeemer?  How come the religious leaders of the day, didn't walk the five miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem with the Wise Men upon hearing about the birth of the One born "King of the Jews"?  Certainly, God gave them the exact time of when they should be expecting their Messiah to arrive.[Dan. 9:24-27]  Why didn't John the Baptist's message of "Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" have all the Jewish religious leaders on their knees in praise and sober reflection?

There are many reasons I could list leading up to it, but the bottom line is they quit believing.  They quit taking their Scriptures literally.  They began to place their faith in men's explanations over what the text actually said.  Some took it to the other extreme and missed the intent of the law, for the letter of the law.  The religious experts (Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes) began to explain away prophecies as irrelevant or already fulfilled, or twisted it to fit their own pre-supposed agendas of how things "should" be rather than what God said would happen.

After the victory at Calvary, after the Resurrection and the Ascension, after the birth of the Church at Pentecost, what could Satan do now?  The only thing he could do, which was halt the spread of the Gospel, and destroy Israel.  So while his fate was sealed and his doom was certain, in his rage he used the ones who killed their Messiah to first persecute the Church. And while imprisoning, beating, stoning, and killing the believers, Satan in his fury, introduced corruption in the form of half-truths and outright lies to them.  He began to mix the law into grace, of which Paul confronts in Galatians, Hebrews, and other epistles.

As the church grew and became more Gentile, Satan used the Jew's paradoxical hostility toward the Gospel of Jesus Christ against them first through legalism, then through corrupt scriptural interpretations which sought to deny the very hope we have in Christ's Second Coming.

Synagogue of Satan

In the Seven Letters to the Seven Churches (Revelation 2-3), only two of the seven churches receive NO condemnation from our Lord Jesus Christ, and these are Smyrna and Philadelphia.  In understanding of the four-fold application to these letters, they are:

1.Historical-these were literal churches in John's day

2.Congregational-these letters had a message to that entire church, and to all churches who were instructed to read and hear (He who has an ear, let him hear)

3.Personal-these letters also had personal applications to the individuals

4.Prophetic-the names of the churches along with the order these letters are given to us are significant.  They have borne true to their titles over the last 2,000 years of church history.

Similarities:

1.Both churches exist in a time of great persecution

2.Both churches have a condemnation within their letters, against those who say they are Jews, but aren't.

3.Both churches are told to hold fast to receive their reward: the former through death (2:10), and the latter through deliverance (3:10).

4.Neither church receives any negative criticism from our Lord Jesus.

Of interest is number two, for when else in man's short history have people pretended to be Jews?  Historically, the real Jews, were those who can trace their lineage from their forefathers back to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  But they seemingly cursed themselves when they crucified their Messiah.  Who would want part of that?

1. We know that the first group to persecute the early church (ex. 2 Cor. 11:24), were the Jewish Judaizers.  So in keeping with the context of historical chronology, Christ said to the second church Smyrna:

"I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." (Revelation 2:9)

Christ had harsh words for these who were trying to draw newly born Christians (Jew and Gentile) back under the burdensome yoke of the Law.  In fact, Christ called them blasphemous.

Ethnically, these Judaizers were Jews, but not real Jews according to Paul who would state... For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly... (Rom. 2:28-29).  These were those who although were ethnically Jewish, had rejected their Messiah and continued to be an enemy toward the Gospel. [Matthew 23; Rom. 11:28]  Their rejection of the Gospel, and their continued animosity towards it, would give fertile ground for Replacement theology to take root within an increasingly Gentile body of Christ.

2.  But here we see another group who have come along and are pretending to be Jews at the latter end of the age.  To the sixth church Philadelphia Christ says:

  

Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie-indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. (Revelation 3:7-9)

So who today, thinks they are the 'true Jews'?  Many groups outside of orthodox Christianity make the claim that they are the real or true Jews such as; Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, British Israelism, etc. But since these groups fall outside of what is considered orthodox Christianity (they deny one or more of the essentials of our faith), they will not be in heaven because they are not Christian.

But notice that it says that they will come and worship before our feet which to me signifies these would also be in heaven.  So these are those who have saving faith, but fall under the sway of one or more heretical doctrines such as; replacement theology or Supersessionism, covenant or reformed theology, Hebrew roots movement, or aberrant eschatologies such as Amillennialism, Post-Millennialism, and Preterism.

Note:  Within each of these belief systems, there is truth and scriptural teachings, but they are mingled with falsehoods and errant theology.  A little leaven, leaven's the whole lump.

But how do we know that this last group is the one Christ called a 'synagogue of Satan'?  Because in understanding the four-fold application to the seven letters, we understand the promise that immediately follows in verse Rev. 3:10, is one we would apply to the generation alive when Christ returns.

 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.  (Revelation 3:10)

They deny the distinct programs that God has for Israel and what God has for the Church.  These are those today who seek to undermine others faith in the "Blessed Hope" by confusing the Church with Israel.

As interest in Bible prophecy has reemerged over the last two centuries, Satan has flooded Christendom with a slew of false and heretical doctrines.  Satan reenergized these attempts to diminish and downplay the importance of expectant watchfulness of our Lord's soon return.

The above mentioned groups have grown aggressively in the last two decades and have made it one of their main missions to stamp out the Pre-Tribulation, Pre-Millennial, Dispensational view of many Christians.  They do this by ridiculing and scoffing at believer's who hold this view as well as blacklisting those who hold that belief from teaching and preaching in many churches and seminaries today.  If there are those today who still hold to a Pre-Tribulation, Pre-Millennial, Dispensational view of Scriptures, they are being drowned out by the many more who have come to reject it.

Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to 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 creation." For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:3-7)

Notice the key word here is that they 'willfully' forget.  To forget means they must have at one point known it.  To willingly forget something means they knew it, but then rejected it.

And just as many within Christendom returned to a literal understanding of Scripture in the 1800's, many more moved to a liberal, progressive understanding of Scripture which denied a literal Creation, Noahic flood, and prophecy.  I think it's interesting that Peter would link the two most contested issues within Scriptures together, as a marker for the last days.

And as Jesus noted to the church of Philadelphia;

I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

Our open door is the "Blessed Hope".  Our little strength was foretold.  We will never deny His name.  So what was His word?

And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"  (Mark 13:37)