Celebration in the Midst of Darkness

If I understand Bible prophecy right, there is a fantastic event coming, even in the midst of the darkest hour the world has ever, or will ever, endure.  No, it’s not the Rapture . . . it will happen before that.  It is an event that no one talks about, that I believe has been hidden from our understanding–hidden in plain sight, for all the prophets talk of it.  That event is the revealing of the identities of those who are descended from the ‘missing’ ten tribes of Israel.

‘Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, [that] in the place where it was said unto them, Ye [are] not my people, [there] it shall be said unto them, [Ye are] the sons of the living God.  Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great [shall be] the day of Jezreel.‘  (Hosea 1:10-11)

Long ago, God divorced the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom, also known as ‘Israel’ (the Southern Kingdom was known as Judah–today’s ‘Jews’).  The prophecies of Hosea tell of the day when God forgives Israel and brings her back to Himself.

‘For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and [without] teraphim:  Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.’  (Hosea 3:4-5)

Prior to that day (and on the horizon now) is the day that the eyes of the Jews will be opened:

‘And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for [his] only [son], and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for [his] firstborn.’  (Zech. 12:9-10)

‘In that day’ is referring to the time of the Psalms 83 war, when the enemies of the modern day nation of ‘Israel’ will make war against her and take her land.  Although they will at first prevail against her, God is going to somehow, supernaturally, intervene and turn things around.

‘Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah [and] against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.‘  (Zech. 12:2-4)

‘But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.‘  (Hosea 1:7)

Then ‘Israel’ will actually have her borders enlarged!

‘In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, [even] in Jerusalem.’  (Zech. 12:6)

All this is in preparation for the day of ‘Jezreel’.  This will be an event of momentous importance–so much so that God named a place in the Promised Land, in anticipation of that future day . . .a day that many of us will live to see, and some may even be a part of!

‘Jezreel’ means ‘God sows’.  What does God sow?

‘ . . . and they shall hear Jezreel.  And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to [them which were] not my people, Thou [art] my people; and they shall say, [Thou art] my God.’  (Hosea 2:22-23)

First Israel, where she lives now, will be punished, purged, and cleansed.  Then the remnant will be returned to the Promised Land.  ‘Jezreel’ will be a day of great rejoicing!  It is the day of forgiveness and restoration . . . of the remarriage of Israel to Jehovah God!!

‘And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.’  (Hosea 2:19-20)

‘For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all  countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them]. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.‘ (Ezek. 36:24-28)

I believe this complete, reunited Israel is the ‘woman’ spoken of in Revelation 12:6 and 14 . . .

‘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. . . And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.’

”Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. . .

 And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and [with] the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.’* (Hosea 2:14-16, 18) 

*Compare this to Ezekiel 34:25 and 28 . . .

‘And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods . . . And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make [them] afraid.’

Read the following passages for context, to confirm that they’re related and that this understanding is correct: Hosea 1-3, Ezekiel 34 (and 36-37), and Jeremiah 23:1-8.  They all foretell this grand event! I’ve only hit the highlights of what’s contained in these passages.

Let us stop living in fear of what The Antichrist is going to try to do to us, and know that God has a wonderful plan in store!  Even in a time of gross darkness, there will be light and rejoicing, provision and protection for His children.

‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.’ (Psalm 23:4-5)

‘And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.  And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.  And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.’  (Rev. 12:14-16)

Let us live with abandon, and put our faith completely in Him.

‘And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.‘  (Rev. 12:11)

‘If it be [so], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver [us] out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.’  (Daniel 3:17-18)

Faith is the oil for your lamp.  If you hope to be one of the ‘wise virgins’, you must build your faith NOW, by reading His Word.

‘So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’  (Romans 10:17)

I cannot impart my faith to you–not now, not later.  Only the Holy Spirit can fill you with faith, and that comes by prayer and reading His Word.  Don’t neglect these things now, while you still have time.

It is also through the Word that we are taught how to walk in righteousness, and our minds are cleansed and renewed.  You cannot walk in the Spirit without prayer and reading your Bible.  If you are not walking in the Spirit, then you are walking in the flesh.  When you walk in the flesh, you don’t grow spiritually or bear spiritual fruit.  You are also choosing a very dangerous path–especially in these days of great deception.

You must walk IN THE SPIRIT for the promise of ‘no condemnation’ to apply to you:

‘[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’  (Romans 8:1)

If we hope to be part of the remnant, then we must ‘walk worthy’ NOW.

‘For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of [them] whose heart [is] perfect toward him. . . ‘  (2 Chronicles 16:9)

‘Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.’  (Luke 21:36)

The exodus from Israel was a foreshadowing of what is soon to happen.  There is a great and exciting event on the horizon!  Let the hope of this day encourage you through the trials, testings, and persecution that are to come.  Never give up hope.

‘Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.  In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this [is] his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;  But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.’  (Jeremiah 23:5-8)

(What I’ve learned and shared with you today is further confirmation, for me, of what I wrote some time ago: Worthy to Escape

Scriptures Concerning ‘The Antichrist’

Lately, I have been hearing another interpretation of 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4:

‘Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.’

The theory goes, that there is not ONE Antichrist, but many . . . that the temple is one’s body . . . and that ‘man’ and ‘son’ signify a multitude of people.  1 John 2:18 is used to support this theory:

‘Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.’

While I don’t deny the plain meaning of 1 John 2:18 . . . and even the potential alternate interpretation of 2 Thess. 2:3-4, I still hold to the traditional interpretation, that there will arise a global leader who is THE consummate Antichrist.  I believe there is plenty of Scripture to support that understanding.

Here this person is described in Daniel and Revelation. Notice how close the descriptions are.

Daniel describes this king as a ‘little horn’.

‘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.‘ (DANIEL 7:24)

‘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 [were] EYES LIKE THE EYES OF MAN, AND A MOUTH SPEAKING GREAT THINGS.’ (DANIEL 7:8)

‘And the ten HORNS which thou sawest are ten KINGS, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.’ (REVELATION 17:12)

He ‘speaks great things’.  He will reign for three and a half years (forty two months).

‘And there was given unto him A MOUTH SPEAKING GREAT THINGS AND BLASPHEMIES; and power was given unto him to continue FORTY [AND] TWO MONTHS. And he opened his mouth in BLASPHEMY AGAINST GOD, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.’ (REVELATION 13:5)

”And he shall SPEAK [GREAT] WORDS AGAINST THE MOST HIGH, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until A TIME AND TIMES AND THE DIVIDING OF TIME.’ (DANIEL 7:25)

‘And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall SPEAK MARVELOUS THINGS AGAINST THE GOD OF GODS, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.’ (DANIEL 11:36)

He is given permission to make war with the saints, and to overcome them.

And IT WAS GIVEN UNTO HIM TO MAKE WAR WITH THE SAINTS, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth SHALL WORSHIP HIM, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.’ (REVELATION 13:6-8)

‘I beheld, and the SAME HORN MADE WAR WITH THE SAINTS, and prevailed against them‘ (DANIEL 7:21)

He will be responsible for the desecration of the sanctuary/holy place.

‘And arms shall stand ON HIS PART, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily [sacrifice], and they shall place the ABOMINATION THAT MAKETH DESOLATE.’ (DANIEL 11:31)

‘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’ (MATTHEW 24:15-16)

‘And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he* had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that THEY SHOULD MAKE AN IMAGE to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not WORSHIP the image of the beast should be killed.

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads . . . ‘ (REVELATION 13:14-16)

* The second Beast

(It would seem apparent that this image of the beast is the abomination of desolation that Daniel spoke of.)

And now for the traditional view of the ‘son of perdition’ . . .

‘Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the SON OF PERDITION Who opposeth and EXALTETH HIMSELF ABOVE ALL THAT IS CALLED GOD, or that is worshipped*; so that he as God SITTETH IN THE TEMPLE OF GOD, shewing himself that he is God.’ (2 Thess. 2:3-4)

Compare this description with the descriptions of ‘The Antichrist’ above, and below . . .

‘And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall EXALT HIMSELF, and MAGNIFY HIMSELF ABOVE EVERY GOD, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.’ (Daniel 11:36)

Although Daniel 11:36 doesn’t specifically say he will sit in the temple, the verse is clearly parallel to the passage from 2 Thessalonians 2.  Daniel makes it clear that he will pollute the ‘sanctuary of strength’ and be responsible for placing the ‘abomination that maketh desolate’ there, so he definitely can be connected with the temple:

‘And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily [sacrifice], and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.’ (Daniel 11:31)

And we know that he will be present in the holy land . . .

‘He shall enter also into the glorious land . . . ‘ (Daniel 11:41)

‘And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain . . . ‘ (Daniel 11:45)

Because of the other strong correlations between his description in Daniel and Revelation (outlined earlier in this note), we make the assumption that he (‘The Antichrist’) seats himself in the temple of God, as part of his campaign of blasphemy.

Now understand, the term ‘the son of perdition’ is used one other time in Scripture: to describe Judas Iscariot.

‘While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the SON OF PERDITION; that the scripture might be fulfilled.’ (John 17:12)

What else does the Scripture tell us about Judas?

‘And after the sop SATAN ENTERED INTO HIM. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.’ (John 13:27)

‘Then ENTERED SATAN into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.’ (Luke 22:3)

Because this unusual term (‘son of perdition’) is used only twice, we wonder if there is a parallel. The situations are very similar, thus we make some assumptions . . . Judas was referred to as ‘the son of perdition’ AFTER Satan had entered into him. In parallel, we suppose that The Antichrist will be a man whom Satan (or another evil spirit) enters into.

Now we go to Revelation, where we find out just who that spirit is.

‘And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.  And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power . . . And they had a king over them, [which is] the angel of the BOTTOMLESS PIT, whose name in the Hebrew tongue [is] Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath [his] name Apollyon.’ (Revelation 9:1-3,11)

(Revelation 9:11–the release of the spirit of The Antichrist from the bottomless pit–is the reason why the numbers 9-11 have significance for the occultist elite.)

Why do we assume this spirit is the one that indwells The Antichrist? Because Revelation 11:7 . . .

‘And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the BOTTOMLESS PIT shall MAKE WAR AGAINST THEM, AND SHALL OVERCOME THEM, and kill them.’ (Revelation 11:7)

repeats the wording of Revelation 13:7 . . .

‘And it was given unto him to MAKE WAR WITH THE SAINTS, AND TO OVERCOME THEM . . . ‘ (Revelation 13:7)

which echoes the wording of Daniel 7:21 . . .

‘I beheld, and the same horn MADE WAR WITH THE SAINTS, and PREVAILED AGAINST THEM‘ (Daniel 7:21)

I hope this helps you understand the traditional view, and see the Scriptural support for this soon-coming global leader: a man possessed of the angel that has been imprisoned in the bottomless pit.  A man whom we often refer to as: ‘The Antichrist’.

The Beginning of Sorrows

The beginning of sorrows includes the first four seals.  Afterwards begins the time of great tribulation.  The first four seals:

‘And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals [the first], and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse [that was] red: and [power] was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and [see] thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.’

Compare with Jesus’ words:

‘And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

and there shall be famines,

and pestilences,

and earthquakes, in divers places.

All these [are] the beginning of sorrows.’

(Jesus, Matthew 24:4-8)

We are already having the earthquakes, and hearing of wars and rumors of wars.  The white horse appears to have gone forth.  Revolutions are happening, and nations are preparing for war against one another.  The red horse appears to have gone forth.  We are experiencing a serious drought, and grain prices have gone up.  Soon the price of many foods will rise.  Because of shortages of food and/or the inability to afford food, famine will spread further.  We can see the third horse now.

The fourth horse will bring pestilence and death.  According to Jesus’ words, and John’s vision (in Revelation), it will be coming next. After it will come great tribulation . . . severe persecution.

‘Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.‘  (Jesus, Matthew 24:9-13)

‘But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten. . . Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against [their] parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.  And ye shall be hated of all [men] for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.‘  (Jesus, Mark 13:9-10, 12-13)

‘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 fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they [were], should be fulfilled.’  (Revelation 6:9-11)

For most of us, this comes as terrible news.  We worry and wonder how we will be able to endure.  But we need to understand that God has a purpose for this persecution.

‘ . . . and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. And the gospel must first be published among all nations.’  (Mark 13:9)

God will give us power, for what He calls us to do:

‘But when they shall lead [you], and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.’  (Mark 13:11)

‘But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.‘  (Acts 1:8)

We have to trust, that as well as giving us the words to speak, the empowerment by the Holy Spirit will enable us to endure to the end, through whatever we may suffer at that time.  And indeed, MANY are called to be His witnesses, and will endure to the end:

‘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; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

And all the angels stood round about the throne, and [about] the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,  Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, [be] unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

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. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.‘  (Revelation 7:9-17)

Trust in Him.  He will not abandon you in your darkest hour.

‘ . . . and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.’  (Matthew 28:20)

‘ . . . Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called [thee] by thy name; thou [art] mine. When thou passest through the waters, I [will be] with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.  For I [am] the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour . . . ‘  (Isaiah 43:1-3)

‘ . . . Thou [art] my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’  (Isaiah 41:9-10)

If you look at where this verse is placed . . .

‘And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.’  (Matthew 24:14)

. . . in the midst of Jesus answering His disciples about the end of the world, you will see that this verse is referring to the witness that Christian martyrs will give to the world, at the end of the age.   ‘ . . . And then shall the end come’, Jesus explained.  And, sure enough, following the fifth seal are the signs in the heavens, and on the Earth, that Jesus said would precede His return:

‘And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;  And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.  And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.’  (Revelation 6:12-14)

‘And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.  And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.‘  (Jesus, Luke 21:25-28)

This has been God’s plan from the beginning.  This is not a mistake, or a sign that the enemy is prevailing.  It is God’s plan.  As much as it was a mystery that the Messiah should come to die on a cross, it is a mystery that multitudes of His people should suffer and die to overcome Satan.

‘I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment [was] white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne [was like] the fiery flame, [and] his wheels [as] burning fire.  A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened . . . and, behold, [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.   And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed . . . I beheld, and the same horn* made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.‘  (Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14, 21-22)

‘And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.‘  (Revelation 12:10-11)

*  the horn = ‘The Antichrist’:

‘And he shall speak [great] words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.’  (Daniel 7:25)

‘And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty [and] two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.’  (Revelation 13:5-8)

I Will Never Be a Widow!

It always seemed to me that the slogan ‘God Bless America’ was very arrogant.  Are we indeed demanding that God bless us, or an I misinterpreting that in some way?  How about we change it a bit and start saying ‘America Bless God’ instead?  If we bless Him, His blessing upon us will likely follow.

This arrogant attitude, and self-delusion is also seen in the assertion that we are ‘a Christian nation’.  Oh really?  Please explain your position, because I don’t see any evidence of it when I ‘inspect the fruit’ of America over the last decade or so.

We seem to believe that we are entitled to some unconditional, eternal blessing of God . . . because many of our early settlers were Christians . . . ?  We seem to have the belief that God is wedded to us, until death do us part.  Well . . . that day is fast approaching.

Scripture tells us of a nation, with a similar attitude–and of her demise in the latter days:

‘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. . .

How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong [is] the Lord God who judgeth her.’   (Revelation 18:2-3, 7-8)

 

”Therefore hear now this, [thou that art] given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I [am], and none else beside me; I shall not sit [as] a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:  But these two [things] shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, [and] for the great abundance of thine enchantments.

For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I [am], and none else beside me.

Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, [which] thou shalt not know.’  (Isaiah 47:8-11)

 

The hoofbeats of judgment are approaching.

Deeper Meaning

People today are running to and fro in search of knowledge, gathering to themselves teachers that say what their itching ears want to hear.  It wouldn’t surprise me if nearly all of us are doing that–after all, we ARE curious.  It seems that even those who, with all their hearts want to serve God, seem to think they are lacking some revelation that will make it all come together for them.  And, of course, most of us are interested in understanding the interpretations of end-times prophecies.  Nowadays there is no shortage of people who are speaking with authority, claiming to share their expertise in understanding the deeper things of God, and the revelations they have received.  When all of these factors converge . . . we have the conditions necessary for many to be led away from the faith.

There are many different ‘roads to ruin’, but here I’d like to address a common thread that runs through a few of them.  It is the belief that Scripture contains much deeper meaning, that only a few have discovered.

Now, not all those who promote these means of interpreting Scripture are going to come right out and say ‘I am one of the elect few who knows the deep hidden meaning of Scripture’ . . . but if you listen critically, it is there between the lines.  As they speak, what’s between the lines, yet subtly and continuously reinforced, is the idea that ‘I’m wiser than you.  I understand these things.  If you want to know the truth, you must follow me.  If you don’t see these things yourself, it’s because you don’t ‘have the eyes to see’ or ‘the ears to hear’.  However, I am here to enlighten you.  Follow me.’

There are various flavors to this today.  One is the Hebrew roots movement.  Others may be movements, or simply individuals who seem to have great insight.  They are seduced by their own great wisdom (sarcasm intended).  They have trained (perverted) their minds to see past the written word, past the literal interpretation, into the deeper allegorical/metaphorical/symbolic meaning.  Before long, they are seeing hidden meaning in everything, and their minds are so thoroughly twisted that they become unable to take things at face value.  The Scripture gives us a promise:

‘These [things] have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.   (He is speaking about false teachers–intellectual seduction)

But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.’  1 John 2:26-27

God is no respecter of persons.  There is no ‘elite’ among the people of God.

‘But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.’  (Matthew 23:11)

It is God’s will that EACH of us should read and understand His Word for ourself.  It was written in plain language that is not difficult to understand.  What hinders many people, is the fact that the Scriptures cannot be understood without the help of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is a gift, from God to His people.  Each born again believer has the means to understand the Bible.  Unbelievers though, before they begin reading, must humble themselves before God and pray to Him that His Holy Spirit would help them understand it.

What follows is a passage that explains the roots of much mysticism and false teaching today:  The Kabbalah.

‘Literal Kabbalah Interpretations

 The Kabbalists, who believed themselves to be Orthodox Jews, believed that the Torah holds interpretations that are deciphered and accessible to the sages or prophets alone. The oral Torah of the sages is their esoteric interpretation of the written Torah. That interpretation relies on the Literal Kabbalah teachings, which involves the idea that every letter and space of the written Torah holds magical meanings and that there are layers of meaning within the written Torah.

“Most if not all Kabbalistic speculation and doctrine is concerned with the realm of the divine emanations or sefiroth, in which God’s creative power unfolds…two most important kinds of symbolism used by the Kabbalists to communicate their ideas. They speak of the attributes and of spheres of light ; but in the same context they speak also of divine names and the letters of which they are composed.” 22.

Kabbalists believe that unless one goes beyond the literal, or first layer of the written Torah, one has not really understood much of value.

“The word zohar means literally radiance. According to him [Hayim Vital], the radiance of the Torah’s divine light is reflected in the mysteries of this book. But when these mysteries are shrouded in the literal meaning, their light is darkened. The literal meaning is darkness, but the Kabbalistic meaning, the mystery, is the zohar that shines in every line of Scripture. This devaluation of the simple literal meaning is no invention of the later Kabbalists. It is clearly stressed in certain passages of the zohar itself.” 23.

Citing from passages of the Zohar, Nesta Webster states that once the Cabala initiates solved the magical significance of the Hebrew alphabet their students learned truths that they would never have known through the study of the written Word of God. One of these new revelations was that Noah was lamed for life.

“According to the Cabala, every letter in the scriptures contains a mystery only to be solved by the initiated.4. By means of this system of interpretation passages of the Old Testament are shown to bear meanings totally unapparent to the ordinary reader. Thus the Zohar explains that Noah was lamed for life by the bite of a lion whilst he was in the ark…5” 24.

Co-founder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Kabbalist, S.L. McGregor Mathers explained in, Introduction to the Kabbalah, the significance of the Hebrew alphabet to the Kabbalist:

“…To Jewish mystics, every letter in the Hebrew alphabet was a channel to the life force of God and possessed of sacred meaning. Hebrew numbers were also represented by letters so that names and words had numerical values. Finding associations of words with the same value revealed a complex series of hidden meanings beneath the text of the Torah, the book of law attributed to Moses. In fact, the entire Torah can be considered to be a single long word spelling out one of the names of God. The significance of the name of God goes back to ancient Egypt where knowing the name of a god allowed one to gain power over that god.” 25.’

from:

‘To Embrace Hebrew Roots: Part VIII  Literal Kabbalah: Gematria & Numerology’

http://www.seekgod.ca/literalkab.htm

We know that the occult is forbidden by God.  It is the ‘mystery’ in the mystery religions, the false teachings that all find their place in the ‘Whore of Babylon’–the end-time world religion.

There are many words that give indication that someone may be speaking of the occult, but not wanting to come out and admit it:  hidden, shrouded, mystery, esoteric, metaphor, symbolic, profound, deep, uninitiated, Kabbalah, Cabala, revelation, decipher, unveil, gnosis, knowledge, light, radiance, understanding, wisdom, sage, mystic, enlightened, initiate, etc.

Learn these words and take notice of them when they are used.  Where many of them occur together, you are very likely dealing with a false teaching.  The deceiving spirits that accompany false teachings work through flattery.  Most people take the bait, wanting to believe they are special, chosen, wise . . .

Mike Hoggard

It’s amazing how much this guy has figured out about end-times prophecy and current events.  Don’t think America is in end-times prophecy?  Want to know what Freemasonry is all about?  Check out his videos.  Here’s a good one to start with:

Mike Hoggard- Truth behind Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck, Lincoln Memorial — a Temple of AntiChrist 

 

 

Joel’s Army, Armageddon, and The Great Day of the Lord

After having read the Word, BUT without having had time to pray about it and let it ‘simmer’ . . . here are my initial thoughts about the army described in Joel 2:

I believe that the opening of the sixth seal (Rev. 6:12-17) and the sixth trumpet (Rev. 9:14-21) are simultaneous.  It looks like Joel 2 is another perspective on the same event (and, unexpectedly, Ezekiel 38 & 39).

THE SIXTH TRUMPET: ‘SUPER SOLDIERS’ UNLEASHED?

If this is true, it may be the unleashing of what some call ‘super soldiers’ by the Antichrist’s (Daniel’s fourth beast’s) army.

Joel 2:2

“a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, [even] to the years of many generations.”

and

Joel 2:7-8

“They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and [when] they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.”

_____________________________________________________________________________

THEIR SMOKE DARKENS THE SUN, MOON, AND STARS

Notice Joel 2:10

“The earth shall quake before them*; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:”

*I interpret these things to happen AS A RESULT of them.

And Revelation 9:18

“By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.”

Again, I believe that the fire and smoke is what darkens the sun, moon and stars.

Again, Joel 2:31 says

“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.”

Matthew 24:29

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:”

I believe Revelation 6:12-17 picks up where Revelation 9:19 and Joel 2:10 leave off–because, after Joel 2:10 comes The Day of The Lord.

Rev. 6:12-17″I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

_____________________________________________________________________________

In other words, I think THE CHRONOLOGY is this (you may want to read through it with your Bible, since I have not pasted all the verses here):

• Revelation 9:14-19
• Joel 2:2-10
• Matthew 24:29, Mark 13:24-25
• Revelation 6:12-17
• Joel 2:11
• (It looks like this also correlates with Ezekiel 38:1-17)

Then, the  story continues (as explained below):

• Joel 2:12-17
• Joel 2:18, Ezekiel 38:18-23, Revelation 16:17-21
• Ezekiel 39:1-10
• Joel 2:20
• Ezekiel 39:11

also

• Revelation 10:7, Matthew 24:27-31, Mark 13:26-27
• Revelation 19:11-19

_____________________________________________________________________________

GOD’S PEOPLE REPENT

After this great army invades, the prophet Joel commands the people to repent and cry out to God (Joel 2:12-17)

______________________________________________________________________________

THE LORD WILL ARISE ON BEHALF OF HIS PEOPLE (THE DAY OF THE LORD)

“Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people.”  (Joel 2:18)

 

DAY OF THE LORD PART 1: THE RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST FOR HIS PEOPLE

At the Lord’s return, He gathers His people to Him, before pouring out His wrath.

Revelation 10:7

“But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”

Matthew 24:30-31

“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 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.”

Mark 13:26-27 “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.”

 

DAY OF THE LORD PART 2: HE POURS OUT HIS WRATH UPON THE NATIONS = THE GREAT SUPPER OF GOD

Matthew 24:27-28

“For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.”

Revelation 19:11-19

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”  He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great. Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army.”

Remember who is gathered, hiding from the face of God in Rev. 6:15,

” . . . the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man . . . ”

Joel 2:11

“And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp [is] very great: for [he is] strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD [is] great and very terrible; and who can abide it?”

And, this may correlate with Ezekiel 38:18-23

“And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, [that] my fury shall come up in my face For in my jealousy [and] in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that [are] upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that [are] with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I [am] the LORD.”

It certainly seems that Joel 2:20

“But I will remove far off from you the northern [army], and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.”

and Ezekiel 39:11 are talking about the same thing:

“And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the [noses] of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call [it] The valley of Hamongog.”

_____________________________________________________________________________

IT IS DONE!

Ezekiel 39:8

“Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this [is] the day whereof I have spoken.” Revelation 16:17-21

“The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.”

(This passage also seems to correlate with Ezekiel 38:18-23.)    _____________________________________________________________________________

If this interpretation is correct, then it seems that the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls must all happen simultaneously.Revelation 16:12-14  (& 16), the sixth BOWL, also seems to happen simultaneously with all of what is outlined above (the sixth SEAL and sixth TRUMPET):

“The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. Then I saw three evil  spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.”(“Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.”)

And, indeed, the next verse (Rev. 16:15) corresponds with the same outline of events:

“Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.”

Also, as we have seen above, the seventh BOWL (Rev. 16:17-21) is the wrath of God, that seems to correlate with Ezekiel 38:18-23 where the Lord returns to battle the armies of the world.  This also seems to correlate pretty well with the seventh TRUMPET in Revelation 11:15:

“The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.”

Is God In Control On Earth?

Some say that we don’t need to worry about things, because God is in control.  Is that true?  Ultimately . . . and universally . . . and EVENTUALLY here on Earth, yes.  But not presently.  The Bible itself tells us:

“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19)

Also

“The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.  And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.”  (Luke 4:5-6)

In the beginning, God gave dominion over all the Earth to Adam and Eve. (Genesis 1:26) But when they sinned, they forfeited that dominion to Satan.

It changes everything, when you understand that Satan has legal  dominion.  He has the legal authority to do as he wishes with the Earth, and everything and everyone in it . . . EXCEPT those who belong to God.  He can do no more with us, than what God allows.  God has created special rules and boundaries for us, to ensure our protection and provision, while we are ‘in enemy territory’ (on this Earth).

People blame God when bad things happen.  No!  Blame the god of this world, because it is under his dominion.

We, the people who belong to God, are rebel fighters here. We are here for a reason!  Our kingdom is not of this world!   We are participating in the ultimate coup.  We are rebelling against the rules and structure that Satan is putting in place.  We defy his authority over us.

“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.”  (Matthew 11:12 KJV)

Another translation makes it clearer:

“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”

Daniel 7 tells of the destruction of the Antichrist’s kingdom–the pinnacle of Satan’s efforts on Earth–and the initiation of the heavenly kingdom of Jesus Christ, on Earth:

“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed.”  (Daniel 7:13-14)

and again

” . . . And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom [is] an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.”  (Daniel 7:26-27)

This is also prophesied, differently, in Daniel 2:44:

“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, [but] it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”

Also in Revelation 11, at the seventh trumpet:

“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshiped God,  Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.”

(Other translations clarify the tense:

“. . . because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.” )

We have been given access to great spiritual weapons and power to use in this fight–but rather than use them, many have sought to blend in . . . to find their place here . . . to hide amongst the natives.  Others attempt to use the power for their own selfish desires.

The hour is late.  It is time for sleeping Christians to wake up, to put on the armor of God, to rise up and defeat the powers of darkness, through obedience to our Lord!

“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame [and] everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. ”  (Daniel 12:1-3)

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. ”  (Revelation 12:11)