Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
of
Prophecy
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Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is
none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the
end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that
are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do
all my pleasure: Isaiah 46:911
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Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Beginning and Ending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
The Ages Appointed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Adam: The Patriarch of the First Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Isaac: The Patriarch of the Second Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Jesus: The Patriarch of the Third Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Emmanuel: The Patriarch of the Fourth Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
The Authority Paradigm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
The Garden of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
The People of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
The Son of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
The Kingdom of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Christians and the Law of Moses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Parallels of the Ages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
The Change of Venue Parallel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
The Age-End Witness Parallel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
The Divine Selection Parallel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
The Cross Parallel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
The End Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
The End Times of the First Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
The End Times of the Second Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
The End Times of the Third Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
The End Times of the Fourth Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
The Kingdom Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Beyond the Kingdom Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
Bibliography and Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
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Introduction
1
Beginning and Ending
3
The Ages Appointed
AXIOM
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom
the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which
believe not 2 Corinthians 4:3-5 Luke 8:10
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The garden of God being placed in the midst of four lands
where four rivers had their headwaters.
Adam given dominion over four categories of sentient creatures.
The chosen people commanded to put fringes on the four corners
of their garments.
Jacobs four wives.
Christs garment divided into four parts by the soldiers.
One notable example exists in the pattern of prophecy. I
must have read the book of Revelation dozens of times, not
realizing why the vision in the hereafter section begins with a
description of the throne of God. Its presented first because it
contains the key to unlocking the vision and prophecy that follows.
That key, of course, is the pattern of four surrounding the divine.
AXIOM
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou
shalt be condemned. Matthew 12:37
AXIOM
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey,
his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death,
or of obedience unto righteousness? Romans 6:16
This was the day the Ekklesia was brought forth upon the
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earth. These born from above through the anointing of the Holy
Spirit of God in the upper room in Jerusalem are the original
initiates of the second people divided by Jesus who is the head of
this body.
I will frequently refer to the ekklesia in these pages? Ekklesia
is a Koin Greek word formed by adding a prepositional prefix to a
common Greek root. Kaleo, meaning call is the Greek root word
onto which ek, a prepositional prefix meaning out, out of or out
from is affixed. Though this word is almost always translated
church, but it is better understood as a reference to those who
have been called out to be born from above (or born again,)
and who shall be called out at the last trump. This word
specifically refers to all those who share with the disciples in the
upper room the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the initiation into the
body of Christ over whom Christ is the head.
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Emmanuel: The Patriarch of the Fourth Age
As of this writing in the year of our Lord 2012, the fourth age
has not yet begun, so the patriarch of the final age appointed to this
earth must be extrapolated through exegesis1 of scripture. As with
his three predecessors, the patriarch of the Kingdom Age will meet
the same four criterion:
PROPHECY
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son,
and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted
is, God with us. Matthew 1:23
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the
first begotten of the dead (Revelation 1:5).
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Jesus paid the price of death to purchase everything Adam lost
as a result of his sin. Included in the package is the office of
firstborn, and the primogeniture2 status of rulership over the house
(descendants) of Adam. You may remember the incident
mentioned in this section wherein Jacob paid the price of
something red to purchase the office of the firstborn (birthright)
from his brother who was then re-named Adam (Edom KJV). This
is one of many parallels written by God upon the pages of history
with the ink of mens lives.
When messiah returns after the end of this age as Matt 25:31
describes, the sheep and goat nations consist solely of those of the
house of Adam upon the earth. Faithful Jews and Christians are
not included in this number. Christians are in heaven at this point
in time, having been resurrected at the last trump and, according
to Numbers 23:9b, (Israel) shall not be reckoned among the
nations. Another reason Jacob (Israel) is not included in the
sheep/goat division is that the treatment of Christs brethren is the
basis for the sheep & goat nations judgment. More on this in the
end times section.
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Discussion Exercises
(Note: these questions are meant as topics for discussion, not as a
quiz. No answers are found in the preceding chapter, as a matter
of fact, sometimes they dont have a correct answer, rather, they
are exercises for developing the mind.)
1. Adam, the patriarch of the first age, was placed in the Garden
of God; in the center of a four-parted earth. Jacob, the son of
the patriarch of the second age, was husband to four wives. In
what way is Jesus, the patriarch of the third age, ]in the midst
of four? (Since this first question is a tuffy, Ill endnote you
the answer in case you give up3)
2. Cain, the firstborn divided from Adam, dispatched his
brother Abel from among the living. Is there a parallel to the
goat nations divided by the patriarch of the Kingdom
Age? Compare/contrast the parallel. Discuss divine
retribution.
3. Is there a connection between the prostituted Aaronic
priesthood pimped to Rome by the high priest at Jesus trial
and the harlot seen on the beast in Revelation 17?
4. Does the re-venued Aaronic priesthood still need a
descendant of Aaron serving as high priest to act as mediator
between the people and their new sovereign, Pontifix
Maximus?
a. Discuss anti-Semitism in light of the implications of this
topic4.
2. Second Timothy 3:7 speaks of those who are Ever learning,
and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. In John
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18:38, Pontius Pilate, the representative of Rome, asked Jesus
the question, What is truth? but he didnt wait to receive an
answer from Jesus.
a. Had Jesus answered the question, would he have repeated
his previously stated position as found in John 14:6?
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
b. Did Pilate ask because he didnt know, because he didnt
want to know, or did he ask the question rhetorically
(with no intention of receiving an answer)?
c. Is the purpose of a criminal trail to discover the truth?
d. Why did Pilate declare Jesus to be The King of the
Jews?
i. Is this judicial finding a cornerstone of, or a
stumbling block for, the Roman religious order?
ii. Does the resurrection of Jesus create a conflict of
authority for Pontifix Maximus?
iii. Does this declaration justify, or does it condemn, the
Roman orders treatment of Jews and true Christians
throughout this age?
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The Authority Paradigm
T his chapters title may seem dry, dusty, and dull; but if you
genuinely want to understand the Bible, this is where the rubber
meets the road, so to speak.
The most frequently quoted scripture in the entire Bible is
John 3:16. Who hasnt heard this verse? You can probably quote it
verbatim, as could most believers and unbelievers alike. Do you
know what it means? Most assume John is conveying the idea that
God loves people. Please dont misunderstand me; God does love
people. Any number of verses elsewhere in the Bible firmly
establish that God loves people. In John 3:16, however, what John
is attempting to communicate is something altogether different.
What John wrote is that God so loved the world. It doesnt
say God loves the world, it says he loved the world. The word
loved is in the past tense. Specifically, the word loved is in the
aorist tense, meaning there was a well-defined period in time past
when God loved the world. A case could be made that he no longer
loves the world today!
You shouldnt find this surprising in light of 1 John 2:15.
Since we are admonished not to love the world in 1 John 2:15,
wouldnt it be a bad example to us if God loves the world?
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IMPERATIVE
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any
man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1st John 2:15
Just like the first man who deviated from the path intended for
him by God, and as Cain who disobeyed the command of God with
respect to the sacrifice he offered, these descendants of Adam had
united behind an effort derived from their imagination, not one in
obedience to Gods purpose, plan, and order.
This tower to reach unto the heavens is conceptually
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opposite from Gods order. God created Adam as the vessel
through whom He would pour forth his power to replenish and
subdue the earth.
The river that flowed from the Garden of God is an allegory to
the authority paradigm God so loved in that it brought the water of
life from this single central place of Adams dominion outward to
the four corners of the earth. Nimrods tower to reach unto the
heavens is man stagnating together in a centralized effort striving
to build upward toward the heavens in direct contrast to the order
God established.
The singularity of mankind in this endeavor converse to the
purposes of God reflects the distinguishing characteristic of Adam
and Eve who violated the terms of their dominion.
Mankind brands itself at this juncture with the sin of Adam
and receives a fitting judgment. Any endeavor outside the
established order of the creator is confusion. Gods judgment is
perfect; their language is confused to show that they had all chosen
to deviate from Gods order. This is the authority paradigm that
replaced the one God so loved that he gave his only begotten son.
The authority paradigm in the days of Nimrod is one God
judged. The world of our day is a world God will also judge, an
authority paradigm we are warned not to love.
In the final age, God will restore a pure language, he will
restore His order, and the earth will once again be refreshed with
the pure living water of God flowing through the patriarch of that
final age.
31
PROPHECY
For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may
all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one
consent. Zeph 3:9
Luke 8:10
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The People of God
The Authority Paradigm of the Second Age
Following the judgment on Babel in the last days or end
times of the first age, God raised up Abram. Abram was born
1,948 years after the creation of Adam. Abrams wife Sarai was
barren.
God prophesied to Abram that his barren wife Sarai would
bear a son. It came to pass that when Abraham was one hundred
years old and Sarah was ninety that she did indeed bear a son.
Abraham is the father of Isaac, the patriarch of the second age.
Isaac is the father of Esau and Jacob. Esau was later renamed
Edom, and Jacob was later named Israel. Because Hebrew has no
vowels, Edom is spelled identically to Adam, while Israel
literally means he will rule as god. God is preparing to
reestablish the authority paradigm He so loved.
I find it fascinating that God changed the name of Jacob to
Israel, which means he will rule as god. The fact that Israel had
four wives brings the pattern of Gods throne to mind. Having four
wives isnt significant in any other way other than it mirrors the
pattern of the throne of God and the Garden of God created in its
image.
Jacob didnt intend to have four wives; his uncle pulled a fast
one to pass off his unattractive older daughter on Jacob. Following
the successful con to pass off Leah onto Jacob, he married Rachel
also. The rivalry between the two wives and the competition to
bear children resulted in Jacob marrying their handmaidens as
well. From these four wives were born Jacobs twelve sons, which
comprise the twelve tribes of Israel.
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Its important for the student of the Bible to note that Jacob
only had twelve sons, but there are thirteen actual tribes and
fourteen tribe names. Heres a brief summary of Genesis 48
explaining how this came about: Upon meeting his two grandsons
by his son Joseph in Egypt, Jacob adopted them as his own. So
their two names are included among the twelve sons of Jacob.
These additional two added to the original 12 makes fourteen tribe
names. Because Ephraim and Manasseh are the sons of Jacobs
11th son Joseph, these two tribes combined comprise the tribe of
Joseph, so with the other eleven tribes, they bring the number of
actual tribes to thirteen.
Only twelve tribes are ever listed, so two tribe names are
always missing. Sometimes Joseph is missing or substituted for
Manasseh or Ephraim or both. Levi is sometimes excluded since
the priestly tribe of Levi didnt inherit an equal portion of the land
or go to war, and Dan is missing in one listing for reasons well
discuss in the end times section.
As Adam was placed in the Garden of God in the midst of
the four lands where the four rivers had their common head, so
God chose the younger son of Isaac, Jacob, a man with four wives,
as His instrument as He begins to reestablish the authority
paradigm He so loved.
The twelve tribes of Israel (which you now know is actually
thirteen) became enslaved in Egypt for four hundred years. When
the time appointed arrived, God raised up Moses. Adopted by
Pharaohs daughter and schooled in the learning and wisdom of the
Egyptians, Moses undoubtedly enjoyed access to the most ancient
manuscripts of Egypt, which may have included texts dating back
to writings authored by Adam. The events of the exodus from
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Egypt involving Moses occurred a mere 1,600 years after Adams
death. We have writings 1,600 years old today; its not altogether
inconceivable Moses may have read the very words penned by the
first man, Adam.
It might occur to you that everything was destroyed in the
worldwide flood in the days of Noah. The Bible tells us that Noah
was perfect in his generations. Among other things, this may
infer that he was the patriarch of record, so to speak. As such, he
probably had access to or may have even been the very one
entrusted as steward of the genealogical, historical, and technical
records of the family descended from Adam.
Noah was warned of the flood long beforehand and had ample
time to make preparations to preserve documents recording the
historic works of God prior to the flood. Its also very likely Noah
took the steps necessary to protect records of various technologies
so they could be utilized when civilization was reestablished after
the flood. The technology enjoyed by ancient Egypt may be the
result of those records preserved by Noah. This technology may
have even included discoveries and inventions made by the
descendants of Cain, the first son of Adam.
In Genesis 4, following the murder of Abel by Cain, God put a
curse upon Cain. One part of the curse may provide an interesting
insight into these events. Here is the passage in Genesis 4:12 for
your review:
When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee
her strength. Genesis 4:12
Just like Gods judgment on Adam, Gods curse upon Cain
may have been the heritage passed down upon all his descendants.
The occupational pursuits of Cains progeny are given in scripture,
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and none were in agriculture because the ground shall not yield
unto thee her strength. Accordingly, the descendants of Cain took
up alternative occupations. Here is the passage in Genesis 4
recording their various pursuits:
And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he
builded a city, Jabal was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of
such as have cattle. And his brothers name was Jubal: he was the
father of all such as handle the harp and organ. And Zillah, she also
bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron.
Genesis 4:17 and 20b22a
Access to pre-flood technology might explain why Egypt was
the dominant culture of the day, Egypt being a Hamitic nation
(descended from Ham, the eldest son of Noah and thus the son
likely to be in possession of the records). Not only are the
structures of Egypt unparalleled throughout the earth, but Egypt
may have enjoyed other advanced technology as well. Because its
not relevant to our purposes here, you may wish to research this
extra-biblical subject independently.
The Chosen People were delivered from slavery through
events triggered by seven pronouncements made before pharaoh by
Moses bringing ten plagues upon the Egyptians. Those unfaithful
over the age of accountability, though delivered from slavery in
Egypt, died while wandering for 40 years in the wilderness after
shrinking back from the call to enter the land of promise to
dispossess the usurpers.
After leaving Egypt, Moses dispatched twelve spies into the
Promised Land to bring back a report about its inhabitants. After
forty days, Joshua and Caleb returned exuberant and exclaimed:
We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth
with milk and honey;
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And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at
once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it
The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good
land.
If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give
it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the
land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them,
and the Lord is with us: fear them not.
Numbers 13:27b, 30, and 14:7b9
Unfortunately, the other ten spies delivered a less confident
assessment:
But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against
the people; for they are stronger than we. Numbers 13:31
The Temple
EVENT
Then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the
LORD;
So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the
cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.
2 Chronicles 5:13-14
AXIOM
And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt
offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the
fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22
AXIOM
For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should
take away sins. Hebrews 10:4
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The Son of God
The Authority Paradigm of the Third Age
As previously noted, James Ussher in his work The Annals of
the World, places the birth of Jesus four thousand years after the
creation of Adam. Each of the first three ages appointed to this
creation have spanned two thousand years; the final Kingdom
age will be one thousand years, a creation week of millennia.
Adam disobeyed the command of God under penalty of death.
Two millennia later, when Abraham took his son to Mt. Moriah to
sacrifice him as God had instructed him, his son Isaac asked him,
Where is the lamb for a burnt offering? Abraham replied, My
son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.
Its not entirely clear what Abraham understood, but his reply
is poignant. The lamb was merely a symbol of the sacrifice
required to take away sin. The lamb is a shadow of things to come,
a parallel, a representation of the actual sacrifice, not the actual
sacrifice itself. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of
goats should take away sins.
Both the tabernacle and the temple symbolically depicted the
authority paradigm that would be established when the prophecy to
Isaac is fulfilled that God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt
offering.
AXIOM
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and
sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10
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Isaac is Adams equivalent in that he is the patriarch of an age,
but his death would not have paid the price Adam incurred due to
the original sin because Isaac was a descendant of Adam and
inherited the predicament of the debt originated by Adam.
FACT
Adam, which was the son of God. Luke 3:38c
AXIOM
For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
Hebrews 13:14
AXIOM
But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part
shall be done away. 1 Corinthians 13:10
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Christ Is the Fulfillment of the Showbread
The tables of showbread remind us of Christs claim in John
6:33, For the bread of God is he which cometh down from
heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Now that you know that
world means authority paradigm, you can appreciate this verse
so much more! The authority paradigm of the second age is
symbolic, but he which came down from heaven gives it life
because he fulfills the symbolism!
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AXIOM
Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an
high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Hebrews 6:20
Melchizedek
Jesus didnt assume a position in the prostituted Aaronic
priesthood; he became High Priest after the order of
Melchizedek. Melchizedek was Priest of Salem at the time of
Abraham. The title Melchizedek literally means King of
Righteousness, so it is a title and not a name. This is the man to
whom Abraham gave tithes following the conquest of the five
kings (see Genesis 14 for more on this event).
We have already looked at the scriptural evidence that Salem
(later called Jerusalem) is the geologic location of the Garden of
God. Shem outlived Abraham by a few decades, and though it
cannot be demonstrated from scripture, it is thought by some that
Melchizedek was Shem, the son of Noah. Shem was the eldest
patriarch living at the time, so it is reasonable that he would have
the honor and respect due him and would explain why Abraham
gave him a tithe of the spoils of battle. But equally reasonable is
that Abraham gave him tithes simply due to his position as Priest
of The Most High God. Shem is a descendant of Enos in whose
days men began to call upon the name of the Lord. Is it possible
that Shem is the culminating witness, parallel to Adam the
patriarch of the first age who exercised his dominion from the
same location? If that is the case, then the blessing upon Abraham
is the cusp of the age, the very moment when the Adamic age ends
and the epoch pertaining to the chosen people begins.
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AXIOM
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or
one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Matthew 5:18
AXIOM
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not
eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely
die. Genesis 2:17
AXIOM
The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and
the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them. Psalm 89:11
Luke 8:10
EVENT
And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his
name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.
Genesis 4:26
Luke 8:10
When men began to call upon the name of the Lord in the days
of Enos, what form did their worship take? They knew from the
Cain and Abel story that animal sacrifice is accepted. They also
knew that Gods original intention for Adam was to exercise his
dominion from the garden God planted in Eden. They also knew
that rebellion from the command of God resulted in expulsion from
the garden.
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EVENT
So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of
Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to
keep the way of the tree of life. Genesis 3:24
Luke 8:10
AXIOM
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet
hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the
Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? John 14:9
Luke 8:10
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AXIOM
I and my Father are one. John 10:30
Luke 8:10
60
The Kingdom of God
The Authority Paradigm of the Fourth Age
The third age appointed to this creation ends at the sounding
of the last trump in Revelation 11:15; here it is for your review:
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.
Why didnt Christ take possession of the kingdoms of this
world when he paid the price of death? The answer is that there is
an order to everything God does. There is an appointed time for
every event, a pattern constituting Gods seal and signature upon
their fulfillment. As we have seen there are recurring themes and
parallels in each appointed age. In 1 Corinthians 15:45, Christ is
referred to as the last Adam. The last Adams birth followed the
first Adams birth by precisely four thousand years comprising the
first two ages appointed.
I am of the opinion that the day the kingdoms of this world
become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ will be exactly
two thousand years after the resurrection of Christ. A few verses
later in 1 Corinthians 15:52, Paul writes that we will be raised at
the last trump. The book of Revelation presents seven trumpets; at
the last trump the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of
Christ. Here are the passages that follow; pay particularly close
attention to the phrases in bold:
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in
15
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.
61
16And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their
seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
17Saying, 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.
18And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the
time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou
shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to
the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and
shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
19And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was
seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were
lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and
great hail. Revelation 11:18
This is the appointed time to give reward unto thy servants
the prophets and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small
and great, and that appointed time follows the sounding of the
seventh and last trump. Jesus elaborated on these events:
He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the
world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the
tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed
them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age; and the
reapers are the angels.
As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so
shall it be in the end of this age. The Son of man shall send forth
his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things
that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them
into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of
teeth.
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Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of
their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Matthew 13:37b43
Christs life may be parenthetical. In other words, the thirty-
three years Christ walked the earth isnt the final thirty-three years
of the second age, nor is it the first thirty-three years of the third
age; it follows the pattern of Genesis 1:1 and stands as the divine
in the midst of the four appointed ages.
Christs resurrection on the third day may begin the third age,
and the rapture or resurrection of the just, may be the event that
marks the end of this age. This is why I believe the last trump will
sound exactly two thousand years after Christs resurrection from
the dead. Please search the scriptures to establish your own belief
upon the sound foundation of the Word of God. It could just as
easily be the anniversary of the day the Holy Spirit was poured out
upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost, or on the day of the
feast of trumpets. Gods Word says, No man knows the day or the
hour, but it also says that day will not take us unaware.
The authority paradigm of the fourth age begins after the
seven vials of wrath, (more on this in the end-times chapter). It is
at that time the return of Christ in power and great glory occurs. He
divides the sheep from the goats and dispatches the goats from
among the living. He establishes his kingdom and rules with a rod
of iron. He will order his Kingdom according to the pattern of the
Holy of Holies in the temple, his authority issuing forth from his
position upon the mercy seat established upon the foundation of
the law within the ark of the covenant written by the finger of God
upon the tables of stone brought down by Moses from Mt. Sinai.
To the final age is appointed only one thousand years, and
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then the end as Satan is released from his chains to fulfill the
parallel of Nimrod, Herod, the men of sin of our age and the
antichrist who all sought to supplant the authority paradigm God so
loved with a paradigm of rebellion. But as these are appointed to
destruction, so also, at the end of the Kingdom Age, Satan himself
is cast into the lake of fire. Death and hell are also cast into the
lake of fire, but the true King and his Kingdom cannot be
destroyed, they continue into the new heavens and new earth in
which dwelleth righteousness.
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Discussion Exercises
1. Considering the four lands surrounding the Garden of God in the
early earth and the ages appointed to this creation, what can we
learn from the positioning of the four principle tribes relative to the
tabernacle in the wilderness?
a. Is there an allegorical reason Reuben is south?
b. Is there an allegorical reason Ephraim is west?
c. Is there an allegorical reason Dan is north?
d. Is there an allegorical reason Judah is east?
2. The high priests garment is comprised of four colors; red, blue,
purple and gold. If the color red is associated with Adam and the
first age (the Hebrew name Adam means red), and the color blue
is associated with the ribband of blue worn by Israelites in the
second age, of what significance is the purple and the gold?
3. Christ delivered a parable about a sower that went forth to sow.
The seed fell upon four different types of soil. Having greater
insight into the pattern of Gods throne, the four patriarchs and the
four ages appointed to this creation, does this parable make more
sense now?
4. Have you noticed any other parallels to Gods throne in your
daily reading of his Word?
5. In the Holy of Holies, cherubim flank the mercy seat, but only
on two sides, not four. To be a parallel of the throne of God, four
cherubim would be in view. If Christ supplants Adam, the man,
having paid the price to purchase his office of God of this world
and if Christ is himself the fulfillment of the symbol of the Lion of
the tribe of Judah, in that the son of man is of both the house (by
adoption) and lineage (by birth) of David, the tribe of Kings, then
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the one sitting upon the throne in the position of God is himself the
representation of those two living creatures. So do the remaining
two cherubim flanking the mercy seat bear the images of the ox
and the eagle corresponding to Israel and the Ekklesia (church)?
(Any answer resides in the arena of speculation as no answer can
be extracted from scripture and the ark is not available for public
examination.)
6. Who are the two men of sin of our age? These both parallel
Nimrod of the first age and Herod the Great of the second age.
Hint #1: Both of these men sought to eclipse the authority
paradigm God so loved and substitute a paradigm of rebellion.
Nimrod introduced goddess worship (Semiramis) and Herod (an
Edomite) sought to murder the Messiah when he was a young
child. Hint #2: Just as there are two witnesses at the end of this
third age, so are there two men of sin. This question does not
involve the antichrist who is yet future. One of these men is a
very prominent recent historical figure, the other is still alive at the
time of this writing. Re-visit this question after finishing this book
and see if your insights have changed.
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Christians and the Law of Moses
AXIOM
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man
should boast. Eph 2:8-9
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Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in
love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us
an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.
But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not
be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither
filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not
convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor
covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the
kingdom of Christ and of God.
Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these
things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of
disobedience. (Ephesians 4:17-5:6)
These laws that reflect the nature and character of Christ are
the foundations of a healthy society, a society free from the
oppression, injustice, and desolation that result from unbridled sin.
Any culture or nation that honors Yahweh in their daily lives will
have security, justice, wealth, and peace as the natural result.
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Discussion Exercise
1. The writers of the Declaration of Independence held certain
truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal and are
endowed by our creator with certain, inalienable rights.
Three of these God-given rights are stated within the
document:
Life
Liberty
The pursuit of happiness
The fact that all men are restrained from murder by the
command of creator God (who alone is sovereign over all
men) establishes the right to not be murdered, or to state it in
positive terms, the right to life. What other rights are
established by those other commands of God that reflect
Gods nature or character?
2. Since God-given rights are established by the laws of God,
can a wrong (adultery, theft, murder, homosexuality,
covetousness, etc.) ever become a God-given right?
3. Can a wrong become a human right (granted by men, not
by God)?
4. Is mans sovereign creator obligated to obey or regard rules or
rights granted by his creation?
5. Every government is established upon one of two foundations:
a. the commands of mans sovereign creator,
b. rebellion against the commands of mans sovereign
creator.
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To which was Paul referring in Romans 13:13? Here is the
text for your review:
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no
power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance
of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves
damnation.
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil.
Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good,
and thou shalt have praise of the same.
6. There are three basis for governmental authority:
a. the commandments of mans sovereign creator,
b. the consent of the governed,
c. a ruling class exploiting a consolidation of arms against a
disarmed populace.
To which was Paul referring in Romans 13:13?
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7. Most people have a dualistic outlook: left/right, up/down,
on/off, top/bottom, good/bad, saved/lost, back/forth, etc. The
political spectrum, as a two-dimensional plane, fails to take
into account the degree to which a government acknowledges
the authority of mans sovereign creator. Adding this
additional dimension removes all pretense, revealing the
motivation of those who seek to rule over others.
The political spectrum below depicts a graph rather than a
plane. Place a few governments youre familiar with on the grid
then revisit this page after you have finished this book to see if
your opinion has changed.
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Parallels of the Ages
AXIOM
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for
our learning Romans 15:4
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The Third Age Change of Venue Parallel
The crossing of the river Jordan at Gilgal under Joshua has its
parallel in Christ at his baptism at the hand of John. Lets review
the baptism of Christ in Matthew 3:
13Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be
baptized of him.
14But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of
thee, and comest thou to me?
15And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for
thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered
him.
16And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of
the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he
saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon
him:
17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:1317
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AXIOM
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus
Christ were baptized into his death? Romans 6:3
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The Age-End Witness Parallel
Each age culminates with an individual or individuals who
share characteristics with the patriarch of the age.
The term witness is being used in this section for lack of a
better term and to be consistent with the identification of the two
witnesses in the book of Revelation. I adopted the term from that
source and applied it to the culminating individuals of the other
three epochs. I must, therefore, caution the reader that the content
herein is observational on my part and not a rendering of any
scripture nor expanded from any teaching found in the pages of the
Bible. I recently completed a YouTube presentation where I
referred to these individuals as bookends of the initiating
patriarchs of the four ages due to the fact they mirror their
distinguishing characteristics.
The First Age
Adam, the first man, was ordained to dominion but was
dislodged from that position by God due to his rebellion. At the
end of the age, Nimrod usurped dominion but was dislodged from
that position by God due to his rebellion.
The Second Age
Isaac was born to Sarah, a barren woman well beyond
childbearing age. John the Baptist was born to Elisabeth, a barren
woman well beyond child-bearing age.
The second living creature before the throne of God is the ox,
or yearling calf, the only animal of sacrifice too powerful to be
forced to the altar, it had to be faithful unto death. A
characteristic of both Isaac who carried the wood up the mount for
his own sacrifice, and John the Baptist who maintained his
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righteous witness and endured imprisonment and death for it.
The Third Age
The living creature symbolizing the third age is the eagle. The
nature of the eagle, a creature able to traverse the heavens, is
exhibited by both the patriarch and the witnesses of the third age.
Jesus, the patriarch of the third age, was killed in Jerusalem,
rose after three days, and ascended into heaven. In Revelation 11,
the two witnesses are killed in Jerusalem, rise after three days, and
ascend into heaven.
Some maintain that the two witnesses at the end of the third
age are Moses and Elijah, others favor Enoch and Elijah. The
former opinion asserts that Moses and Elijah represent the law and
the prophets respectivelyMoses, the witness representing Israel,
and Elijah representing the ekklesia, or church.
I myself neither agree nor disagree. I am not a prophet, and
where the Bible is unclear or silent, I often take a pan-
apocalyptic position as it pertains to future prophecy. What is the
pan-apocalyptic viewpoint? It is to simply wait and see how the
apocalypse pans out.
In my opinion, this is the best and easiest eschatological (end-
times) position to take because its never wrong. I can maintain
that I firmly believe prophecy will be fulfilled, but I am never
wrong about the specifics of how prophecy is fulfilled because,
consistent with my pan-apocalyptic viewpoint, Im not dogmatic
about my predictions!
Those who favor the view that the two end-times witness will
be Moses and Elijah note that the gifts of the spirit exhibited by
these two end-times witnesses resemble those exhibited by Moses
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and Elijah. This coupled with the fact that the bodies of both
Moses and Elijah were never located for burial make this position
tenable. We are told in Jude that Michael the archangel disputed
with Satan concerning the body of Moses, which nobody could
find. Elijah was simply transported to heaven, he never did taste
death, neither did Enoch. Since it is appointed unto men once to
die, these two must keep their appointment.
Why are there two witnesses at the end of the third age and not
just one? Short answer: Israel remains distinct from gentile
believers. This little introduction to the Bible isnt intended as an
in-depth doctrinal treatise, but heres a down and dirty
summation: In this third age, all who enter into salvation do so
through faith in Christ, as there is only one name under heaven
whereby men must be saved (Acts 4:12). Jewish believers dont
stop being Jews to be saved, they simply embrace the Messiah
anticipated in prophecy. Jewish believers are known as completed
Jews or Messianic Jews.
Gentile believers, on the other hand, are grafted in as a wild
olive branch onto a cultivated olive tree (Romans 11). Though
grafted in, they remain distinct from the tree that bears them, a
separate branch bearing different fruit.
Many promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, particularly
those regarding the land of Israel, do not fall to gentile believers in
Christ. The ancestors of gentile believers werent slaves in Egypt
for four hundred years, werent delivered from slavery by divine
miracles, didnt wander in the wilderness, didnt conquer the land
of promise under Joshua, had no part in the hardship or triumph of
the kingdom of David or the glory of the kingdom of Solomon,
didnt endure the bondage of exile in Babylon, and didnt suffer
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under the four empires defining the end of the second age. In short,
the land of promise is not the heritage or destiny of gentile
believers.
Having been grafted in, gentile believers are in every sense
washed clean through the blood of the lamb and enter in to the
heritage of the Son of God who is at the right hand of Yahweh in
heaven, but they do not take part in the continuing saga remaining
to the Chosen People descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Israel
yet to unfold upon the earth.
One witness, therefore, is associated with Israel, and one
witness is associated with gentile believers, but both take place in
the resurrection from the dead. So the end times appointed to this
age involve both Israel and the church, and both have their
respective distinct roles to play, so two witnesses appear in
Revelation 11.
Are Jewish believers raptured, resurrected at the last trump?
The resurrection of both witnesses suggests as much. But God isnt
finished with the Jews in the land of promise.
The Fourth Age
To recap; as the age-end witness of the first age, Nimrod
exhibited defining characteristics of Adam, the founding patriarch
of the first age.
As the age-end witness of the second age, John the Baptist
exhibited defining characteristics of Isaac, the founding patriarch
of the second age.
The age-end witnesses of the third age exhibit a defining
characteristic of Yahushua (Jesus), the founding patriarch of the
third age.
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Consistent with the fourth living creature before the throne of
God, the defining characteristic of the patriarch of the Kingdom
Age reflects the nature of a lion. The patriarch of the Kingdom
Age arrives in Revelation 19:11, And I saw heaven opened, and
behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful
and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. This,
then, is the defining characteristic of the Lion of the Tribe of
Judah, at his triumphant return, that in righteousness he doth
judge and make war.
This defining characteristic is first manifested in Revelation
19:2021: The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet
that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them
that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped
his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning
with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him
that sat upon the horse.
The passage then continues in Revelation 20:2 an angel
laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and
Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the
bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he
should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should
be fulfilled.
We see this defining characteristic again exhibited at the end
of the Kingdom Age in Revelation 20 :
7When the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out
of his prison,
8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four
quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together
to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
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9And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed
the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came
down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire
and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and
shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
It sounds like the age-end witness is God, doesnt it? He does,
after all, bear the distinguishing characteristics of Emmanuel (God
with us), the founding patriarch of the Kingdom Age!
AXIOM
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain
deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the
world, and not after Christ.
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality
and power: Colossians 2:8-10
AXIOM
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all
things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which
did put all things under him.
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the
Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under
him, that God may be all in all. 1 Cor 15:25-28
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The Divine Selection Parallel
The Divine Selection Event of the First Age
The worldwide flood in the days of Noah occurred in the final
quarter of the first age, specifically 1,656 years after the creation of
Adam. Were told Noah was perfect in his generations and that
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
God breathed the breath of life into Adam and took it again
from all those who drowned in the flood. All those descended
from Cain died in the flood. The nephalim, the progeny of the
sons of God who sired offspring by the daughters of men, also
died in the flood.
This is the process by which God selectively cleansed the
earth of all but Noahs family in the first age.
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The Cross Parallel
The First Age
The river that watered the Garden of God and from there
divided into four heads. This river flowed into four regions as
noted in a previous section. The Gihon flowed into Ethiopia, the
Perath into Eden, the Pison into Havilah, and the Hiddikel
eastward into Assyria. Conceptually this watercourse arrangement
forms a cross. More importantly, at the center of this cross is
something divine, i.e., Adams position of dominion in the Garden
of God.
The Second Age
The children of Israel were commanded to make thee fringes
upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest
thyself (Deuteronomy 22:12). Moses elaborates on the
instructions in Numbers:
Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make
them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their
generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a
ribband of blue:
And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it,
and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them;
and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes,
after which ye use to go a whoring: Numbers 15: 3839
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AXIOM
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in
the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the
bright and morning star. Revelation 22:16
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The End Times
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The practice of replacing the authority paradigm God so
loved with the exaltation of a woman spread from Babel
throughout the entire world. The various names in the various
regions and cultures include :
Babel: Semiramis and Tammuz.
Greece: Aphrodite and Adonis.
Anatolia: Hecate, mother goddess.
Canaan: Ashtoreth/Astarte and Molech/Baal.
Germany: Hertha with the child in her arms.
Scandinavia: Disa pictured with her child.
Egypt: Isis with the infant Osiris or Horus seated on her lap.
India: Devaki and Krishna, the mother and child were called.
Isi and Iswara as they are worshiped to this day.
Kali benevolent mother-goddess.
Asia: Cybele and Deoius.
Sumer: Inanna the goddess of sexual love, fertility, and
warfare.
Norse: Freya goddess of love, fertility, and family.
Rome: Fortuna and Jupiter-Puer, or the boy Jupiter.
Greece: Ceres, the great mother with babe at her breast.
Irene the goddess of peace, with the boy Plutus in her arms.
China: Shing Moo portrayed with a halo with a child in her
arms. Quan Yin goddess of mercy and compassion
Ephesus: Diana the pagan fertility goddess.
Syria: Atargatis.
Tibet: Tara.
Japan: Marisha-Ten queen of heaven, goddess of light, of sun
and moon.
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Too often, we as Christians forget that the thrust of Christs
ministry was the establishment of the kingdom. Here are some
reminders:
And Jesus went aboutpreaching the gospel of the kingdom
(Matthew 4:23).
And Jesus went aboutpreaching the gospel of the kingdom
(Matthew 9:35).
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).
Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of
God (Mark 1:14).
He went throughout every city and village, preaching and
shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve
were with him (Luke 8:1).
The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the
kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it
(Luke 16:16).
Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou
and preach the kingdom of God (Luke 9:60).
And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he
received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and
healed them that had need of healing (Luke 9:11).
And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the
sick (Luke 9:2).
And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to
other cities also: for therefore am I sent (Luke 4:43).
But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning
the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were
baptized, both men and women (Acts 8:12).
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And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone
preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more (Acts
20:25).
One hundred and fifty references to the kingdom occur in the
New Testament. Just as the center of the temple is the pinnacle, so
the first coming of Christ to establish the Kingdom of God is the
pinnacle of the ages and occurs in the midst of the four ages
appointed to this creation.
It was no mistake that Christs ministry ended with him being
found guilty of being the King of the Jews.
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The End Times of the Third Age
Because the views contained in this tome are somewhat
alternative in relation to established orthodoxy, it isnt relevant to
embark on a complex analysis or comparison of the myriad
standardized end-times belief systems. Rather, consistent with our
methodology thus far, we will simply present the end times in light
of the pattern of the throne of God.
AXIOM
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they
received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the
scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Acts 17:11
A Word of Caution
Just as scientists are expected to objectively test hypothesis
through the process of controlled experimentation on carefully
calibrated instruments using substances of tested and verified
molecular values in order to establish scientific fact, so are we
called to test spiritual things by the Word of the living God in
order to prove what is true. In Acts 17:11, we are encouraged to
follow the example of the Bereans. The Bereans were
commended by Luke for being responsible regarding what they
accepted as truth. For this reason, please dont blindly accept any
end-times paradigm, including what follows. You personally are
responsible before the Lord for what you believe and why you
believe it.
As I stated previously, I do not subscribe to any of the pre-
packaged eschatological (end times) viewpoints. Im not pre this,
post-that, or a-whatever. I comically refer to myself as a pan-
eschatologist,
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I plan to simply wait and see how things pan-out before I take
a firm position. Consistent with this methodology, numerous
events in recent history appear to be a fulfillment of prophecy.
What follows are my own personal observations and
interpretations of both scripture and recent history as they relate to
end-times prophetic events. In the final analysis, thats all anybody
has to offer.
Though I intend to be straightforward in the presentation of
the Word of God, the student should take prudent caution
inasmuch as both crack-scholars and crack-pots throughout this
age have interpreted the events of their day as being fulfillments of
prophecy. I believe Im right, but so did they. I believe my basis is
sound, but so did they. The only difference between my views and
their views is that mine havent been disproven by the passing of
timeyet.
I must repeat the warning that you are personally responsible
before the Lord for what you believe and why you believe it. With
that understood, lets take a closer look at the book of Revelation.
The word revelation is a very good translation of the Koin
Greek word apocalypse, (the title of the final book of the Bible),
because it reveals that which was previously unknown. In English,
a solar eclipse is when the sun is hidden by the moon. The Koin
Greek word apo is a prepositional prefix meaning from, out
from, or away from; Apocalypse, therefore, means to emerge
from hiding or for previously unknown facts/events/circumstances
to be revealed. Verse 1 tells us that the Revelation was given to
Jesus Christ by God to reveal to his servants what would begin to
come to pass shortly following its writing:
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew
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unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent
and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record
of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all
things that he saw.
Revelation 1:12
Verse 3 contains a unique blessing upon those who read and hear
the prophecy and keep the things written therein:
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this
prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the
time is at hand. Revelation 1:3
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The Fifth Seal
1948 Ad2018 Ad
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 6:911
What follows is a minority view. Ive carefully
considered the various popular end-times belief systems,
and though all have compelling elements, I dont think its
prudent to embrace any of them exclusively. Nonetheless,
remember, you are responsible for what you believe.
I believe the fifth seal depicts a seventy-year period
following 1948 when Israel became a nation. Why 1948?
Because Abraham was born 1,948 years after Adam, more
on this in the following section. Why seventy years?
Because the nation of Israel was bereaved of seventy years in
the land of promise during the time of the Babylonian
captivity.
I am of the opinion that God has re-gathered Jews from
around the world, most of whom dont believe in Jesus, to
restore to them their due deprived them in the seventy years
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lost in that captivity. They were taken captive because of
their disobedience, and seventy years is restored to them at
the appointed time in the latter years at the end of this age.
In the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is
brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many
people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been
always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations,
and they shall dwell safely all of them. Ezekiel 38:8
I find it fascinating that the Ezekiel 38 prophecy uses the
phrase brought back from the sword, the sword being
associated with Islam. The region of modern Israel today had
been brought back from the Islamic Ottoman empire
following World War I.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall
set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant
of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from
Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam,
and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands
of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations,
and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather
together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of
the earth. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the
adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not
envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
Isaiah 11:1113
I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and
they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and
they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof;
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they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no
more be pulled up out of their land which I have given
them, saith the Lord thy God. Amos 9:1415
The fifth seal opens with a scene in heaven. John sees
the souls of those slain for the word of God, and for the
testimony which they held. If this minority view is correct,
John is viewing all those slain in the Nazi holocaust in
Europe and the atrocities committed by the Japanese, both of
which ended in 1945. These souls are calling for immediate
vengeance, but they are told to wait until their fellowservants
also and their brethren are murdered as they were. And this
killing yet to take place is referred to as a fulfillment! A
fulfillment of what? A fulfillment of Christs prophecy in
John 16:33 that in the world ye shall have tribulation. I am
of the view that the atrocities of World War II, including the
holocaust perpetrated by the Nazis, were the fulfillment of
a period the Bible refers to as the Great Tribulation.
You should know that the prevailing eschatological
dogmas of our day are at variance with this opinion. The
interpretation of prophetic events always involves opinion.
Just because a majority holds a particular view doesnt make
it correct, but a minority view is always suspect as well. I
hold this particular minority view simply because of its
chronology, continuity, and consistency.
In defense of this view, Christ in Matthew 24:22 said
that except those days should be shortened, there should no
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flesh be saved: but for the elects sake those days shall be
shortened.
God appointed Israel to be restored as a nation in 1948
Ad, four thousand years after Abraham was born, yet the
holocaust, or in my view, the great tribulation, ended in
1945. It ended short by three years! Hitler was developing
high-tech weapons that may have ended all life on earth and
he was sharing them with Japan.
Lets look at what might be considered the beginning of
the Nazi Holocaust: In the first half of 1938 under Adolf
Hitler in Germany, numerous laws were passed restricting
Jewish economic activity and occupational opportunities. In
July 1938, a law was passed requiring all Jews to carry
identification cards. On the nights of November 9 and 10,
rampaging mobs throughout Germany and the newly
acquired territories of Austria and Sudetenland freely
attacked Jews in the street, in their homes, and at their places
of work and worship. This pogrom has come to be called
Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. At least 96 Jews
were killed and hundreds more injured; more than 1,000
synagogues were burned (and possibly as many as 2,000);
almost 7,500 Jewish businesses were destroyed; cemeteries
and schools were vandalized; and 30,000 Jews were arrested
and sent to concentration camps.15 Counting from 1938, it
will be seven years before the war in Europe ends, and with
it the Holocaust.
I also find it interesting that Americas involvement in
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WWII began on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese
attacked Pearl Harbor. Adolf Hitler declared war against
America within days.
Germany surrendered three and a half years later on May
7, 1945. Sure Hitlers assaults against Europe started a few
years earlier, and yes, Japan didnt surrender until August
14, 1945, but the routine mass gassings of Jews first began
December 8, 1941 at Kulmhof, Germany, and continued
throughout Nazi-occupied Europe until the conquest of
Germany by the allies put an end to them. This three and a
half year period is referred to as the holocaust, but a skunk
by any other name would smell as foul, and the words great
tribulation are equally apropos as in the history of the world
there has never been its equal.
PROPHECY
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 24:21
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Genesis 49 Fulfillments
Its necessary to delve into this highly cryptic prophecy to
gain a firmer grasp of the seventy years following Israel becoming
a nation.
The opening verse of this passage records Jacob speaking to
his twelve sons saying, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell
you that which shall befall you in the last days. These prophecies,
therefore, pertain to the last days, which, in my view, is the
period beginning with the re-gathering of the nation Israel into the
land in 1948 Ad.
You will recall that the four principal tribes of Israel are
Reuben, Ephraim, Dan, and Judah. The images on their standards
are the man, the ox, the eagle, and the lion, respectively. The four
ages appointed to this creation follow the same pattern and
character, Adam is represented by the man, Isaac the ox, Yahushua
the eagle, and Emmanuel the lion. An elaboration of this was
stated in a previous section, so well dispense with a redundant
explanation here.
Jacobs very cryptic prophecy is made clearer once one
realizes the symbolic nature of the language and the applicability
of each prophecy by way of the son its addressed to. The
prophecy over Reuben, the firstborn whose standard depicted a
man, is applicable to the progeny of Adam. Ephraim (Joseph is the
name used for Ephraim here) whose standard depicted the ox
represents the Chosen People of Israel. Dans standard bore the
image of an eagle and a serpent and pertains to the gentile ekklesia
(church).
Jacobs prophecy over is son Joseph should reflect events and
circumstances in the re-gathered nation Israel since 1948. Heres
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the passage in Genesis 49:2226 for your review:
22. Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well;
whose branches run over the wall:
23. The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him,
24. But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands
were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob;
(from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
25. Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by
the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven
above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the
breasts, and of the womb:
26. The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the
blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the
everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the
crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
Genesis 49:2226
Verse 22: Since its founding, modern Israel has became an agricultural
powerhouse and an exporter of agricultural product.
Verse 23: Continually attacked by rockets, Israel is the focus of the
Arab worlds vitriol.
Verse 24: Israel has remained militarily viable as a blessing from the
mighty God of Jacob.
Verse 25: Certainly Yahweh has blessed Israel, else they would have
fallen to their numerically superior adversaries the many times they
sought to annihilate them in 1948, 1959, 1967, 1973, etc.
It fascinates me that the verbiage of the text says blessings of
the deep that lieth under as oil was recently discovered off Israels
coast under the deep! As far as blessings of the breast and
womb, the Israeli birthrate now exceeds that of any other
demographic in the nation.
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Verse 26: Reveals the reason the name Joseph replaced Ephraim, the
name means increase and Josephs peculiar heritage is that he
increased in status and position until he was second only to Pharaoh in
Egypt. This is one of over one hundred ways Joseph is a parallel to
Christ.
As youll see in the following section, the dry bones
prophecy of Ezekiel 37 has been fulfilled in this seventy-year
period since becoming a nation in 1948.
Now lets take a look at Dan, whose ensign is an eagle as
representing the gentile ekklesia. Here is the entire prophecy over
Dan:
Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan
shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the
horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. I have waited
for thy salvation, O Lord. Gen 49:1618
This prophecy anticipates that the last days would
symbolically involve horses with riders. The book of Revelation
presents the end times as symbolically involving four horses with
riders.
Now lets consider events in a gentile Christian nation whose
national symbol is an eagle and see if the four horses
characterizing the last days have been bitten in the heels so that
his rider shall fall backward.
Please note these fulfillments occur in a three score and ten
pattern (a score is twenty). Its not that this was specifically
stated in scripture, but if the time apportioned to Israel in the land
is payback (so to speak) for the seventy-year Babylonian captivity,
it seems God has arranged for the events of these parallel
prophecies to be apportioned according to this pattern so they
could be recognized and appreciated as a fulfillment of the Genesis
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49 prophecy taking place during the fifth seal of Revelation.
White Horse: Ideologywhite supremacy.
1968: President Johnson signs the final of the four Civil Rights
Acts outlawing discrimination based on race.
Time periodone score of years or twenty years after Israel became
a nation.
Red Horse: Ideologyred communism.
1988: President Reagans cold-war strategy set events in motion
resulting in the breakup of the Soviet Union and the toppling of the
Berlin wall.
Time periodtwo scores of years or forty years after Israel became
a nation.
Black Horse: Ideologycorruption-based corporate/government/
banking alliance.
2008: President Bush oversaw the near collapse of the corruption-
based corporate/government/banking alliance.
Time periodthree scores of years or sixty years after Israel
became a nation.
Did President Bush personally have something to do with it?
President Bushs many detractors grant him full credit for this
fulfillment, so who am I to argue with such an august body of
sagacious elites [sic]. (I sent former President George W. Bush a
letter to open a dialogue in order to ask, but neither he nor his staff
replied to the inquiry.)
Green Horse : Ideologythe false religion of Islam.
2018: Ill leave some blank space so you can fill this in when it
takes place a few years from now, three score and ten years, or
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seventy years after Israel became a nation.
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Also interesting is that the purposes of Satan cannot succeed
because they are in rebellion against the one who is the way the
truth and the life. Their failure stands in stark contrast to the
purposes of Yahweh which succeed in their wake.
AXIOM
But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto
good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
Genesis 50:20
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Yahwehs Purpose for the Red Horse
Jews have not been welcomed with open arms anywhere
theyve settled following their expulsion from the land in 70 Ad.
Anti-Semitic persecutions in Europe in the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries forced many Jews to emigrate eastward into
Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, and the surrounding regions. The czars of
Russia used anti-Semitism as a tool of political control, initiating
numerous pogroms to persecute Jews. Though the official policy
of communism under both Lenin and Stalin was that of equality for
all nationalities, the reality was somewhat different.
The resistance of the Soviet government to allow emigration
fell apart after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, resulting in some
one million Jews abandoning the communist paradise to make
their home in Israel, increasing the countrys population by 25
percent. The largest concentration of Russian Jews in the world
now reside in Israel.
Yahweh used the events initiated by the murderous rider of the
Red Horse to arrange for those He intended to fulfill Ezekiel 37 to
bring them back to populate the land of promise, and at the
appointed time!
Thus saith the Lord YHVH; Behold, I will take the children of
Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will
gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains
of Israel; Ezekiel 37:2122
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The Sixth Seal
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AXIOM
When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of
iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:
Psalm 92:7
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The seven trumpets.
The Seven Trumpets
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Now would be an excellent time for you to open up your Bible
to review Revelation 8 through 11 as it is too lengthy to reprint
here.
As we have seen in the seals, those who invest themselves in
Adams rebellion against the righteousness of Yahwehs
commands have been given the earths stage to perpetrate their
idea of a world order in complete disregard for the commands of
Yahweh, mans rightful sovereign, and His written word.
When the times of the gentiles end and the trumpets begin, the
tables are turned as the vengeance from Yahweh is brought to bear
against those who oppose or oppress the people of the living God.
In verse 2 of Revelation 8 an angel was given much incense
to offer with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar before
the throne. Do you remember what the early arrivals of these
saints prayed when they were first seen in the fifth seal? Heres a
little reminder: 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?
AXIOM
God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth,
and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries,
and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. Nahum 1:2
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AXIOM
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like
unto him.
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own
conceit. Proverbs 26:4-6
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AXIOM
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and
the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall
we ever be with the Lord. 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17
Ive made my view clear that the rapture wont occur until
the seventh and last trumpet. Yet it sounds like verse 20 of
Revelation 8 is saying that all the rest of the men on earth at this
point are unrepentant. Logic might lead one to the (incorrect)
conclusion that there arent any believers left on earth at this point.
AXIOM
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings
is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2
And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four
horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the
sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which
are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were
loosedfor to slay the third part of men. 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.
Revelation 9:13-15 and 18
Revelation 9:13-21 records the final two third part
references in the trumpets. In this sixth trumpet one third of the
earths population is killed.
When the seventh and last trump sounds, both Jew and
gentile believers are resurrected and the present age will end. The
third age ends in 2034, two thousand years from the ascension of
Christ after his crucifixion and resurrection. After the rapture there
will no longer remain any of Gods people who are called, chosen,
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and faithful from either of the two ages of Isaac or Jesus upon the
earth. Gentiles remaining on the earth will be entirely of the house
of Adam since the faithful in Christ are resurrected at the last
trump. When the trumpets end, all Jews remaining upon the earth
must choose between the house of Adam or the Kingdom of the
Lion of the tribe of Judah.
Salvation is still available after the rapture. The redemption of
Christ flows to whosoever will of all ages. Even throughout the
final seven vials of Gods wrath people lay hold on salvation. We
see these people later in Revelation 20:4:
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was
given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded
for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had
not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received
his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived
and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Revelation 20:4
Please remember, Im a pan-eschatologist, so if any part of
this model is wrong, Ill be changing my view as the passing of
time exposes more facts into evidence. If you embrace my
sophomoric attempts to interpret prophecy I hope you will also
know when to jump ship as well. As for the present, this view
aligns with both recent and not-so-recent history, owes its basis to
a reasoned Biblical exegesis and constitutes a cohesive, consistent
conceptual framework.
Please bear in mind that the further into the future we
speculate, the less reliable any end-times model becomes. Theres
no way to anticipate future socio/political realities or technology
that will exist in the future. This is why its not good to be
unyielding in any end-times belief.
Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be broken.Chuck Smith
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The Seven Thunders
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PROPHECY
The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of
heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the
ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and
exalt the horn of his anointed. 1 Samuel 2:10
This mighty angel comes down from heaven where Gods will
is done and sets his feet upon the earth where Lucifer, son of the
morning didst weaken the nations (Isaiah 14:12). He cries in a
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loud voice as a lion roaring. Not only does the imagery express
that he speaks with the authority of God himself, but he sware by
God as well:
And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth
lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for
ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein
are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea,
and the things which are therein, that there should be time no
longer:
But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall
begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he
hath declared to his servants the prophets. Revelation 10:5-7
Since he came down from heaven and sware by God, his
authority is obviously that of Yahweh himself whose will is done
in heaven. Soon the prayer taught to the disciples by Christ will be
fulfilled at the sounding of the last trump when the kingdoms of
this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ;
and he shall reign for ever and ever in fulfillment of vs. 7 above
which refers to the mystery of God. Could the mystery of God
be a reference to this being a fulfillment of the exodus from Egypt?
I believe it is that and much more. Moses seven pronouncements
before Pharaoh resulted in ten plagues upon the Egyptians. Is there
any indication the seven pronouncements of the thunders result in
plagues?
This mighty angel has in his hand a little book open. Is it
possible that this book is similar to the roll of a book recorded in
Ezekiel?
And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will
hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.
But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou
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rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat
that I give thee.
And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a
roll of a book was therein;
And he spread it before me; and it was written within and
without: and there was written therein lamentations, and
mourning, and woe. Ezekiel 2:7-10
The two have parallel situations. In both a book is involved in
dealing with those in rebellion. The prophets in both cases are told
to eat the book. In Revelation, were given no clue as to the books
contents, but in Ezekiel within the book is written lamentations,
mourning and woe. Does the little book in the mighty angels
hand also contain lamentations, mourning and woe?
You might ask, But wasnt Gods vengeance for the atrocities
against those who were murdered for their testimony already
dished out in the trumpets? Yes, it was; it was cast out upon the
perpetrators on the earth. The ekklesia, however, is born from
above, and our adversary is not flesh and blood as Paul explains
in his letter to the Ephesians:
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.
Ephesians 6:12
I am of the opinion that the thunders accomplish upon our
spiritual adversaries in high places what the trumpets
accomplished upon our worldly adversaries on earth; that being
Gods vengeance on behalf of all his people against that faction in
heaven who owe obedience to their sovereign creator, but choose
rebellion instead.
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Matthew 24:29 (below) describes the opening volleys of the
sixth seal immediately following the tribulation and describes the
same events studied previously, the asteroid shower, the solar
eclipse, the blood moon, etc. The passage then skips directly to the
events of the last trump.
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:
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.
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet
tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is
near, even at the doors.
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all
these things be fulfilled.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass
away.
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of
heaven, but my Father only. Matthew 24:29-36
Verse 34 says, This generation shall not pas, till all these
things be fulfilled. The word this is a pronoun known as a near
demonstrative. It refers to something close at hand, often
something in the text immediately preceding it. In this case, it is
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referring specifically to the generation experiencing the events
described in the preceding verses. The events being described are
last days or end times events, so this generation refers to those
alive from 1948 Ad when Israel was re-gathered as a nation to the
end of the generation. But how long is a generation?
Fortunately we are told in Genesis 15 how long a generation
is:
And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be
a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and
they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation,
whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they
come out with great substance.
And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in
a good old age.
But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the
iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. Genesis 15:13-16
God speaking to Abram told him his seed would be afflicted
four hundred years and later, referring to the same period of time,
called it four generations. If four generations is four hundred years,
one generation is simply one hundred years. God puts the cookies
on the bottom shelf, we just have to keep our eyes open.
Just as Isaac was born to Abraham 2,048 years after Adam
when Abraham was one hundred years old, so the second coming
of Christ in power and great glory may take place in the year of our
Lord 2048 Ad; one hundred years after modern Israel became a
nation in 1948 Ad. The Second Coming, therefore, may take place
four thousand years after Isaac was born to Abraham.
AXIOM
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I
am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you,
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Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise
pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Matthew 5:17-19
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As the firstborn of creation Adam also enjoyed the rank of
primogeniture. As mankinds eldest patriarch he was the highest in
authority over all his descendants. At the time appointed, at the last
trump, having paid the price of death owed by Adam, Jesus, our
kinsman redeemer, takes to himself this position of dominion
and authority.
Adam had hearkened unto the voice of his wife rather than
remain faithful and true to the command of his sovereign creator.
Because he was no longer faithful and true, he fell from his
position of dominion. The dominion defaulted to that one to whom
Adam yielded himself a servant to obey. The woman had yielded
to the serpent, rather than submitting to Adam whose dominion
was granted by God. The serpent had submitted to the anointed
cherub that covereth, Lucifer, who hast been in Eden the garden
of God, the one who was perfect in his ways from the day that he
was created, till iniquity was found in him (Ezekiel 28).
As the only begotten of God the father, Jesus also enjoys a
heavenly heritage as well. Jesus said as much in Matthew 28:18:21
AXIOM
When Jesus came near, he spoke to them. He said, "All authority
in heaven and on earth has been given to me."
Matthew 28:18 GODS WORD Translation
This is why Jesus has the authority to lead the exodus of those
who are called, chosen, and faithful from the earth into heaven.
The dominion of Adam includes the entire earth, but also
authority over all those descended from him. This includes all
those who have died in their sins. This transfer of all that pertained
to Adam, therefore, gives Christ the authority to judge the quick
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and the dead.
And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify
that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick
and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his
name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of
sins. Acts 10:42-43
The angels feet stood upon both land and sea, suggesting that
even those souls in the sea are included in this transaction.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and
hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were
judged every man according to their works. Revelation 20:13
This brings us to a fundamental point. Adam was given
dominion over this earth and no other. He wasnt given dominion
over the moon or the sun or Mars or any other planet in this or any
solar system anywhere else. The earth is the sole locale of Adams
dominion.
Prior to Christ paying Adams debt of death, the eternal souls
of all of Adams descendants remained bound to the earth even in
death. The place of the dead was known as Hades, and its location
was the bottomless pit, or simply the pit. Considering that the
earth is a sphere and the nature of gravity, the only place on this
earth where a bottomless pit could possibly exist is at the heart of
the earth.
Christ made an interesting assertion in Revelation 1:18: I am
he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore,
Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
The keys of hell and death is a metaphor for this authority
over the dead in Hades awaiting judgment.
Because were on the topic, and since this is an introduction to
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the Bible, I would be remiss if I failed to touch on another aspect
of eternal punishment before moving onthat is the unpardonable
sin.
Of the many controversial doctrines of Christianity,
soteriology (salvation) may be the most divisive, so I once again
forewarn you to be diligent to base your own belief on the sound
foundation of Gods Word.
Speaking of Christ, John 1:9 says, That was the true Light,
which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. The use of
the word every is central to the implication of this verse. Its not
some men or most men that are enlightened by the true light,
but every man that comes in to the world. In other words, nobody
leaves this life without having been enlightened by the true light at
some point.
AXIOM
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even
his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Romans 1:20
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present
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themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.
Job 1:6
Obviously Satan himself is the red dragon in Revelation 12. It
may not occur to him that his presence in heaven is threatened
when the man child is caught up unto God and to his throne and
brings with him the ekklesia! What Satan forgot is that all
authority in heaven and on earth had been earned by, and
transferred to Jesus at the sounding of the last trump. Jesus brings
the ekklesia into heaven and the Satan crowd finds they have a war
on their hands:
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And
prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the
Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast
out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
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.
Revelation 12:7-10
With Satan cast out of heaven, the final event pertaining to the
last trump ends.
Satan was never appointed dominion over the earth. Satan has
always been a usurper. Nothing has to be negotiated with one who
usurped what was never appointed to him to begin with. Thats
why there was war in heaven, not a summit of sovereigns. Why is
the woman left upon the earth? Revelation 12: 6 says, And the
woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of
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God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and
threescore days.
Answer: Two pillars, two peoples, two destinies, one Lord.
The promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) pertain to the
Promised Land and a destiny upon the earth. Gentiles grafted in
to the cultivated olive tree of Israel have a different heritage and a
different destiny. One isnt better than the other. Each is
appointed by the wisdom of the Lord who, quite simply, doesnt
make mistakes.
You might ask, Hold on a second, didnt you say messianic
Jews would be raptured? Doesnt this contradict your view here?
No, there is no contradiction. Not all messianic Jews have made
aliyah18 to become part of the nation of Israel. The deliberative
process of the faithful in Israel, culminating in the sounding of the
last trump, will transform the nation into a kingdom with
Yahushua HMashiyach as King and head of those destined to rule
upon the earth. Messianic Jews not in the land of promise are part
of the ekklesia, for in this age there is neither Greek nor Jew,
circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor
free, all who are saved by grace through faith will be called out at
the last trump, but Jews in the land of promise have a part to play
in events yet to unfold upon the earth. Parallel to the three tribes
who received their inheritance on the wilderness side of the Jordan
River, so Jews in the land of promise receive their inheritance upon
the earth rather than being resurrected with Christians and
Messianic Jews outside the promised land.
For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the
manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made
subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath
subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall
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be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious
liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole
creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And
not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of
the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for
the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Romans 8:19-23
Until the sounding of the last trump, the manifestation of the
sons of God could not come to pass. At the sounding of the last
trump, believers destined to heaven manifest the mystery of God in
heaven, and those destined to fulfill the promises pertaining to the
Kingdom Age in the Land of Promise upon the earth will manifest
the mystery of God upon the earth.
The fact that the woman fled into the wilderness, where she
hath a place prepared of God explains why the basis of the sheep
and goat judgment at the triumphant return is the treatment of
Christs brethren. These now become the resistance force loyal
to the king while awaiting his return. Those sympathetic to the
rightful king offer them safe haven and compassion, those
remaining in rebellion against the rightful king offer them none.
By the way, did you notice that the time period that the
woman is in the place prepared for her is a thousand two hundred
and threescore days? In case you didnt do the math, this is three
and a half years using 360-day years. This is exactly the period of
time the two witnesses remain upon the earth before they are
murdered, remain dead three days, rise from the dead and ascend
into heaven. The conquests accomplished during the period of the
trumpets are maintained as long as these witnesses remain alive
upon the earth. At their deaths 2 beasts rise to power, one from the
sea and one from the land. Both are empowered by Satan.
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Some ancient calendars have 360-day years. The bible is
silent about the entire subject, though this passage hints just
enough that I muse upon it an wonder about it. Could it be that the
celestial cataclysm resulting in the flood somehow resulted in a
longer year? This obscure allusion seems to suggest that the orbit
of the earth around the sun will be shorted by five days during the
cataclysm of the sixth seal events restoring the earth to a 360 day
year. Its not a strong enough inference that I have a firm opinion
on it. As a pan-eschatologist I simply believe it may be a
possibility, and Im looking forward to understanding it more when
the sixth seal events come to pass.
As discussed in the previous section, the reason for the
timeframe of 2034 is simply because it is two thousand years from
the year Christ ascended into heaven. Is it right? No it is not right.
How do I know? Matthew 24:44 infers nobodys going to get it
right:
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not
the Son of man cometh. Matthew 24:44
Since 2034 seems like a reasonable guess as the year the
rapture will take place, we can be certain it will take place some
other time. But since were sure it wont take place in 2034,
perhaps it will! All we really know for sure is that it will take
place. This entire chapter is nothing more than an exercise in
understanding the logic and order of end-times events. It can be
nothing more.
The assigned dates are just to keep things interesting and to
get you thinking.
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The Seven Golden Vials
2034 Ad2048 Ad
Up until this time, the inhabitants of the earth have been given
every incentive and opportunity to repent and avail themselves of
redemption through the free gift of grace by faith. During the time
of the seals, they had the opportunity to repent upon seeing the
bankruptcy of the lie and the devastation and desolation it wrought.
From the sixth seal onward, through the trumpets, they were made
aware of Gods jealousy for his people and the vengeance upon
those who would persecute them. They saw the outcome of the
thunders demonstrating that the power of Yahweh and authority of
Yahushua (Jesus) is greater than any other in heaven or on earth.
Many do repent and lay hold on salvation during these events,
but as we move into the most oppressive period in all of human
history, those who have remained in the sin inherited from Adam
will have one final opportunity to turn from their sin and become
part of the family in heaven before the final outpouring of Gods
wrath upon the earth.
AXIOM
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count
slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
Satan may believe that because all men alive worship the
image of the beast it legitimizes his defacto status as god of this
world. The truth is that while we were yet in our sins, Christ died
for us, and its not his will that any should perish. Satan, however,
doesnt deal in truth, for he is a liar, and the father of lies.
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye
will do. 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.
John 8:44
The earth is the sole place of Adams dominion. Those not
born from above have no other refuge; they cant just take their
ball and go home. In ruthlessly consolidating the fealty of those
remaining upon the earth, Satan is making his last stand, hes in the
same boat as earths remaining inhabitants in that he also has no
other place to go. The difference, however, is that Satan knows he
hath but a short time. Beyond that, its unclear just what his
strategy is. Does he think he can run a gambit that will result in the
game going into overtime? If he does, hes not too smart. As we
have seen, everything God does is according to an appointed time.
The very fact of prophecy makes it clear that God has
anticipated every contingency; every possible move on the board,
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so to speak.
God is the one who knows the end from the beginning:
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is
none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the
end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that
are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do
all my pleasure: Isaiah 46:9-11
As we discussed previously, the appointed time is one
generation:
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all
these things be fulfilled. Matthew 24:34
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till
all be fulfilled. Luke 21:32
The inhabitants of the earth still have free will at this point.
They may either align themselves with the enemy of our souls,
gaining a scant few years in rebellion against the rightful king
before being dispatched to the lake of fire for eternity, or enter the
millennial sabbath rest by aligning themselves with the rightful
King of Heaven and earth but lose their physical life in exchange
for pleasures for evermore.
My flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul
in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of
joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Psalm 16:9b-11
It says in verse 13 of Revelation 14 (in its context below),
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea,
saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their
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works do follow them. Its uncanny how succinct scripture is. Do
you recall in a previous section when we discussed the sabbath
millennium that began at the sounding of the last trump? The
sabbath involves resting from the first six days of the week
wherein men labor. This verse in Revelation talks about those who
die in the Lord during this period that they may rest from their
labours. In other words, after the beginning of the millennial
sabbath, it is said of those who are put to death because they repent
and align with God that they then rest from their labours! This is
one of many verses that confirms to me that the Bible is of divine
origin. I have such a blessed time praising God when I stumble
across evidences like this!
This begs the question, what is the house of Adam up to that
they are in violation of the millennial sabbath? Weve seen
numerous parallels occurring in the four appointed ages. Is it
possible the descendants of Adam under the domination of the two
beasts empowered by Satan will again pursue a common goal as in
the days of Nimrod? Doubtless following the flood it didnt escape
their notice that lifespans were greatly reduced. They may have
concluded the earth was broken since the river of life wasnt
bringing its mineral-laden water from inside the earth to replenish
the soil anymore. The ice canopy19 had collapsed and no longer
prevented the bombardment of harmful solar radiation from the
sun. These facts may have led them to deduce that the earths
capacity to support life couldnt continue very much longer.
This global warming style panic may explain why the text
says they were building a tower, whose top may reach unto
heaven. Today theres a lot of talk about building a space
elevator.20 With the judgments of God being poured out during the
time of Satans last stand, will he organize the descendants of
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Adam in a unified effort to build another tower whose top may
reach unto heaven in order to escape the judgments of God against
the inhabitants of the earth?
Satan operates by deception, so this rationale would no doubt
be solely for public consumption; boob bait for bubbas to steal a
dysphemism from a former president. Satans real agenda is to
expand the realm of his usurped dominion beyond the confines of a
single planet being decimated by the judgments of God. It would
be an extraordinary parallel to Nimrod and the tower of that first
age, and a violation of the millennial sabbath rest, but at this point,
as interesting as it may be, its nothing more than speculation
inasmuch as prophecy is entirely silent on the subject.
AXIOM
Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure
in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way
and live Ezekiel 33:11
Because its not Gods will that any should perish, He sends
three angels to preach to the unrepentant descendants of the house
of Adam upon the earth;
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.
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is
fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the
wine of the wrath of her fornication.
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If
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any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark
in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine
of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into
the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire
and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the
presence of the Lamb:
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever:
and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and
his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed
are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith
the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works
do follow them.
And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one
sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown,
and in his hand a sharp sickle.
And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud
voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap:
for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth
is ripe.
And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and
the earth was reaped.
And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he
also having a sharp sickle.
And another angel came out from the altar, which had power
over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp
sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters
of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the
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vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath
of God.
And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came
out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of
a thousand and six hundred furlongs. Revelation 14:6-20
In verses 7 to 12, three angels tell people what they should do,
why they should do it, and what will befall those who dont.
Throughout scripture, Babel or Babylon (same Hebrew word,
different English renderings) epitomizes rebellion central. In
verse 8 the angel notifies mankind that Babylon is fallen. The war
is over, Jesus is victorious over Satans rebellion, and his capital
city has fallen. Its not clear if Babylon is a metaphor for Satans
stronghold of deception, or a literal city in contrasting
juxtaposition to the events of the sixth seal when the literal city of
Jerusalem falls after the seventy years are fulfilled (Zechariah
14:2). Because Satan is in a body of flesh, and his occupation of
the earth is corporeal, I lean toward a literal city of Babylon, but if
it is a literal city, then it is not just the structure and infrastructure
in view, but the entirety of the authority paradigm of rebellion as
well.
Verses 14 through 20 require very careful navigation. The son
of man on the cloud has a golden crown. Obviously this is Christ
the King. His gold crown represents all authority in heaven and
earth, having conquered the last remaining bastion of rebellion. A
fourth angel comes out of the temple wherein is the law inside the
ark of the covenant beneath the mercy seat which is the throne of
the King. Keep in mind Matthew 5:17-19 I am not come to
destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and
earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law,
till all be fulfilled. Verse 15 tells us that this angel informs Christ
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that the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth
is ripe. To fulfill the law, he must reap the fruit of the earth at this
very time. The time of Gods longsuffering is over, the opportunity
to repent has passed. The appointed time has come to reap, for the
harvest of the earth is full ripe.
Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down;
for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is
great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the
day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. Joel 3:12-14
John the Baptist made an interesting comment predicting this
very event. He said, I indeed baptize you with water; but one
mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy
to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor,
and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn
with fire unquenchable.
The fourth angel came from the temple wherein is the law to
inform the King that it is time to gather the harvest of the earth.
This reaping in Rev 16 is what John was talking about when
he said Christ will gather the wheat into his garner. With the
harvest of the desired fruit completed, Gods longsuffering must
come to an end due to the requirement of the law; lets look at the
second reaping:
A fifth angel with a sickle shows up. Then a sixth angel,
which had power over fire tells him to gather the clusters of the
vine of the earth and cast the grapes into the winepress of the wrath
of God. John used different metaphors, but fire representing Gods
wrath occurs in both. Were supposed to be smart enough to
understand that the winepress of the wrath of God as a metaphor is
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equivalent to the idiom unquenchable fire used by John. The sixth
angel in verse 18 which had power over fire is a further
confirmation.
As we discussed in a previous chapter, Jerusalem is the
location of the Garden of God. In the second age it is referred to as
the City of God, wherein was located the Temple of God later
fulfilled in Christ and it will be the seat of the Kingdom of God on
the earth in the Kingdom Age.
In contrast, Babylon from its inception has been the city of
rebellion against the authority paradigm of God. Babylon was the
focal point of the end times of the first age as well as the prime-
mover of the end times events of the second age, and whether
literally or figuratively, Babylon plays an integral part in the end
times of the third age, but there is also Mystery Babylon as well.
Because this section is already saturated with my opinions,
Mystery Babylon will be left as an exercise for the student.
It is appropriate for the fall of Babylon to be alluded to here
inasmuch as at the sounding of the last trump, the kingdoms of
this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his
Christ. Babylon is the ideological polar opposite of the nature and
character of Yahweh. From this point forward the two cannot
coexist. Tolerance plays no part in the Kingdom of God.
With the fall of Babylon is the fall of the world order. In our
time we dread any talk of a new world order because we know it
is a world order in rebellion against the authority paradigm God so
loved. At this juncture in prophecy, the new world order (which is,
in reality, the old Babel order) becomes fodder for the ash-heap of
history. Because its not Gods will that any should perish, the
appointed time of the second coming is delayed until three angels
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preach to those who dwell upon the earth.
Following the gathering of the wheat into his garner these
saints are seen in heaven:
And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven
angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the
wrath of God.
And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them
that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image,
and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on
the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the
song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works,
Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of
saints.
Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou
only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee;
for thy judgments are made manifest.
And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle
of the testimony in heaven was opened:
And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven
plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts
girded with golden girdles.
And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven
golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and
ever.
And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God,
and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the
temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
Revelation 15:1-8
Revelation 15:1 tells us about the seven last plagues; for in
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them is filled up the wrath of God. You will notice that the saints
gathered by the fourth angel arrive in heaven prior to the wrath of
God being poured out upon the earth. Like us, they too are not
appointed unto wrath.
The phrase in verse 5, After that I looked, and, behold, the
temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened,
is a fascinating allusion. In the Jerusalem temple on earth the
testimony refers to the commandments within the ark of the
covenant which resides in the holy of holies. That is the final
chamber in the temple where everything was overlaid with gold.
The gold symbolizes royalty and the Kingdom Age. The fact
that this room is open and the angel who initiated these events
came out from there infers that they are taking place under the
authority of the patriarch and King of the Kingdom Age.
Ive expressed my opinion that the years Christ walked the
earth were parenthetical. That is, they were not part of the end
times events of the Second age, and they were not part of the third
either. The period between the last trump and the end of these vial
judgments will be parenthetical as well. Im referring to those few
years following Satans eviction from heaven after he is cast to the
earth.
Its almost over. With these last plagues the wrath of God
ends. The imagery and symbolism in this section is consistent with
our four-part model. This is the fourth of four sevens, as such it
corresponds to the fourth living creature before Gods throne.
The fourth living creature is the Lion, which is associated with
the King and the Kingdom Age. Four colors are used extensively
in the descriptions in the Pentateuch; red (scarlet), blue, purple,
and gold. As discussed previously, red is associated with Adam,
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blue with the Chosen People, purple (not a primary color, but a
joining of red with blue) is associated with the ekklesia and gold,
an incorruptible metal, representing the Kingdom Age. The seven
vials of wrath are specifically referred to as golden vials and the
angels that bare them came out of the fourth precinct of the temple.
They were clothed in pure and white linen, and having their
breasts girded with golden girdles. As we discussed in a previous
section, the fourth precinct of the temple, the Holy of Holies, is an
allegorical parallel to the fourth and final Kingdom Age.
How did I arrive at the dates 2034 Ad to 2048 Ad? Lets go
back and reexamine the Abraham parallel; God had promised
Abram a son, but years went by, then decades went by, finally
Sarai, Abrams wife said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath
restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it
may be that I may obtain children by her. As you have probably
guessed, Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
Here Abram is revisiting the sin of Adam, the sin of those
delivered from Egypt and the sin of all who hearken to obey any
voice other than that of our sovereign Lord God. Hagar, Sarais
maid, conceived and gave birth to a son, but the son she conceived
was not the child of promise.
In Genesis 16:12 God tells us about Ishmael, saying, He will
be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every
mans hand against him. Were told in Gen 16:16 that Abram
was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to
Abram. Thus the dates of this section, Ishmael was born 2,034
years after Adam, so the antichrist of the latter days (Satan in a
body of flesh having been cast to the earth) will be made manifest
in 2034 Ad, fourscore and six, or 86 years after Israel became a
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nation. How can we be sure? We cant. Mapping future prophecy
is all guesswork and theory; this is simply my guess and theory
(which may change tomorrow!). I hope your guesses and theories
will always remain open to the leading of the Holy Spirit in your
study of Gods Word.
Using the Abrahamic model to establish this date produces a
parallel between Ishmael and the antichrist. Shortly after the birth
of Isaac 2048 years after Adam, Sarah insisted that Abraham Cast
out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman
shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
Inheritance is the central issue. This time Abraham checked
with God and God agreed. Four thousand years later Satan is
deprived of a presence upon the earth, he is bound in the
bottomless pit for one thousand years.
Just as Ishmael was cast out in order that Isaac would be the
heir, Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of the child of promise and
patriarch of the Kingdom Age, casts out Satan and establishes his
inheritance for one thousand years as the heir, and as Romans 8:17
points out, we are joint heirs with Christ as children of the
Kingdom: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-
heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be
also glorified together.
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of
the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold
on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan,
and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the
bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he
should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years
should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little
season. Revelation 20:1-3
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When Satan is finally cast into the bottomless pit, it says the
term of his interment is one thousand years. The Kingdom Age is
also one thousand years. It seems reasonable they would be
chronologically concurrent, beginning at the moment Satan is
bound.
The Chosen People are ordained to rule with Christ upon the
earth from the beloved city as we will see as we examine the end
times of the fourth age.
The Transitional Sixth
The sixth event in each of the four sevens in Revelation arent
so much a climax to the five events that preceded them as they are
a major game changer. Each sets the stage for the following scene.
The sixth in each series is a harbinger of things to come.
1. The overt events of the sixth seal are referred to repeatedly
throughout the Bible as the tell-tale signs that herald the day of
the Lord. When these events come to pass, people are gripped
with a great fear and overwhelmed with an awareness that the
day of Gods wrath is come. Also in the sixth seal are four
angels standing on the four corners of the earth, providing a
big clue as to the purpose and personality of the trumpets that
follow.
2. When the sixth trumpet sounds the mighty angel makes his
seven pronouncements marking the transition from the final
period of Adams dominion and the transfer of the
administration of the earth to the King of kings and Lord of
lords at the sounding of the seventh and last trump.
3. We cant speak with any specificity about the sixth thunder
because John was told to seal what the thunders uttered, but as
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we discussed in a previous chapter, all indicators suggest the
pronouncements of the thunders have their fulfillment in
heaven following the sounding of the last trump. It is then that
the ekklesia is resurrected precipitating the war in heaven
culminating in Satan being cast to the earth, ending his
presence before the throne of God and thus his capacity to
perpetrate spiritual wickedness in high places. His role as
accuser of the brethren ends as well, and for two very good
reasons. The first is that he is no longer in the presence of God.
The second is that the purchased possession has changed
hands, our kinsman redeemer has received to himself the
kingdoms of this world. Satan is no longer god of this world
and the house of Adam is set free from servitude to the one
Adam yielded himself a servant to obey.
4. Finally in the sixth golden vial of Gods wrath, the battlefield
is set in array in a place called Armageddon.
Armageddon
And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river
Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of
the kings of the east might be prepared.
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth
of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the
mouth of the false prophet.
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go
forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to
gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and
keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his
shame.
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And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew
tongue Armageddon.
And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there
came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne,
saying, It is done.
And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there
was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon
the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of
the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before
God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his
wrath.
And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone
about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because
of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding
great. Revelation 16:12-21
A great many bible expositors confuse the sixth golden vial
with the sixth trumpet. In the sixth trumpet John sees an army of
two hundred million whose purpose is to slay the third part of men,
but this is not the battle of Armageddon. This isnt even the wrath
of God! This is the vengeance of God on behalf of the one third of
the worlds Jews slain in the holocaust.
The battle of Armageddon is first introduced in the sixth
golden vial. Lets answer some questions:
Question: In verse 20. where it says every island fled away, and
the mountains were not found is this the same event as Rev. 6:14
where it says every island and mountain were moved out of their
place?
Answer: No. Its much, Much, MUCH worse. In Revelation 6:14
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the tectonic plates of the earth shift a bit; it says the mountains and
islands (underwater mountains) of the earth were moved out of
their place. Dont take this as an attempt to downplay the severity
of the event. Obviously an earthquake capable of shifting every
tectonic plate on earth is a major geologic event, but in Revelation
16:20 the islands and mountains are leveled!
Question: In Revelation 6:13 theres a meteorite shower, is this the
same event as the hailstones of Revelation 16?
Answer: No. Hail is frozen water, meteorites are rock.
Question: In verse 12, why is the Euphrates dried up?
Answer: That the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
Question: Why do the kings of the east need to cross the Euphrates
River?
Answer: So they can join all the other kings being gathered at
Armageddon. The text says, the kings of the whole world are all
being gathered together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue
Armageddon.
Question: Why does the battle of that great day of God Almighty
take place at Armageddon?
Answer: Armageddon is due north of Jerusalem. This directs our
attention to Ezekiel 38:
And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou,
and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a
great company, and a mighty army: And thou shalt come up
against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall
be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that
the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O
Gog, before their eyes.
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Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in
old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied
in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
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 mans 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 Ezekiel 38
The parallel elements in these two passages include a
reference to the north (Armageddon is north of Jerusalem), a
great earthquake, hailstones, and the wrath of God. The
wrath of God is the identifier that places both these events in
the period of the golden vials of Revelation 16.
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These kings thought they would overwhelm and conquer
Jerusalem, but the end result of the battle is the final
destruction of Babylon (the great city [Rev. 16:19]) and
assumedly the destruction of those gathered against the
Chosen People of Yahweh. This is the final golden vial of
Gods wrath, and the appointed time for the city and
ideologies of rebellion to fall.
Those who chose rebellion against the righteousness of
Christ are dispatched, Satan is bound and the Kingdom Age
begins.
The End Times of the Fourth Age
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed
out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which
are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather
them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of
the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and
compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city:
and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured
them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are,
and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I
saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face
the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no
place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand
before God; and the books were opened: and another book was
opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out
of those things which were written in the books, according to
their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and
hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were
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judged every man according to their works. And death and hell
were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth:
for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and
there was no more sea.
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down
from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying,
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell
with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall
be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall
there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things
new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and
faithful.
And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the
fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall
inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and
all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire
and brimstone: which is the second death. Revelation 20:7 and 21:8
Those entering the Kingdom Age consist of two groups
of people. The first group are those who showed compassion
on Christs brethren. The second group are Christs brethren
the Chosen People.
The former didnt worship the image of the beast or take
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his mark, the latter are the woman in the vision of Revelation
12 who gave birth to the man child and were protected
upon the earth throughout the period of Satans last stand.
Man was created to have dominion. Power is a strong
lust, the temptation to take command, to subjugate, to have
authority over others, for many, is a great weakness. There is
a rightful authority where God and his word are honored in
that which we put our hand to, but more often than not in
todays world raw power is sought after and attained by
those least qualified to wield it, those acting in violation of
the tenth commandment, Thou shalt not covet. In our
world today class warfare is a political tool used to create
jealousy against the rich.
When the thousand years are over and Satan is released
out of his prison, it says he goes forth to deceive the nations.
I suspect hell use the deceit of class warfare. After all, only
the Chosen People are ordained to enter into the fulfillment
of the name God gave to Jacob. The name Israel means he
will rule as god.
Having joined themselves with Christ as their head,
Israel of that day will fulfill their God-ordained destiny; to
rule from the beloved city during the final one thousand
years appointed to this creation. The lust of those not
ordained to wield that power, but who nonetheless desire to
have it, is a powerful motivator. There will be no American
dream in Christs Kingdom, only those to whom it is
appointed will hold positions of authority, all others are there
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literally by the grace of God.
In Numbers 16, Korah (a descendant of Kohath, a son of
Aaron) along with Dathan and Abiram, (descendants of
Reuben) fell to the temptation of class warfare. These rose
up against Moses to challenge his position of leadership. The
descendants of Aaron were appointed to functions pertaining
to the temple, not as political rulers. The descendants of
Reuben, the firstborn, had no special status at all. Reuben
had fallen from his position of prominence (attained by
being born first) when he had an affair with one of his
fathers wives. (Genesis 49:4, Unstable as water, thou shalt
not excel; because thou wentest up to thy fathers bed; then
defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.) Gods judgment
against these who sought to usurp power is a parallel to those
who follow Satans insurrection at the end of the Kingdom
Age.
Heres the text from Numbers 16:
But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her
mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto
them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall
understand that these men have provoked the Lord.
And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking
all these words, the ground clave asunder that was under
them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed
them up, and their houses, and all the men that
appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all
that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and
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the earth closed upon them: and they perished from
among the congregation. Numbers 16:30-33
Satans bid to again usurp power over men and the earth
at the end of the Kingdom Age is a successful failure. The
ages appointed to this creation have run their course and the
clock has run out on the final quarter. Those who opted in to
Satans deception to rebel against the authority paradigm
ordained of God have opted themselves out of any rewards
accruing to the faithful of God.
With the demise of the earth comes the final judgment of
God over men, and Satan is dispatched to his final
destination.
The faithful live on into the ages to come in the new
heavens and new earth in which dwelleth righteousness.
This brief handling of the Apocalypse is as skinny as I
could pare it down. I attempted to keep the rabbit trails to a
minimum and resisted the temptation to indulge in a verse-
by-verse study of the woes, judgments, plagues and
outpouring of Gods wrath.
Our purpose is to provide a structural blueprint of the
Bible, a compass for navigating Biblical truth, not a verse-
by-verse exposition. This little book is a basic as I could
make it and still answer the six rogs (who, what, when,
where why and how).
Revelation is a book rich with allegory and imagery. I
would encourage you to muse upon the parallels and
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metaphors and join with the faithful described there as they
honor and praise the one who sits upon the throne in heaven.
Discussion Exercises
1. If you completed the graph in the discussion questions at
the end of chapter 4, would you change anything based
on what you know now?
2. In the KJV, Revelation 7:10 contains the phrase,
Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, but
the word to is not rendered from a preposition, it is a
translators choice in rendering the dative case. The
most common choices are to express interest, reference,
sphere, benefit, time, location, or instrumentality. The
three words most commonly used to express the dative
form are to, in, or by. Tyndale inferred attribution
when he translated the same passage as; Salvation be
ascribed to him that sitteth upon the seat of our God.
The Gods Word translation21 suggests possession;
Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne.
The Geneva Bible implies origination; Salvation cometh
of our God, that sitteth upon the throne. This occurs in
the transitional sixth seal heralding the sounding of the
seven trumpets which purge Satans rebellion from
heaven. The word salvation literally means to be made
whole. Is this a prayer anticipating the victory of the
thunders over the rebellion in heaven and the restoration
of Gods order free from the heavenly presence of the
accuser of the brethren, the father of lies, the
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murderer from the beginning? How would you have
rendered this verse?
3. Lets see how well you retained what youve read:
A. How many ages are appointed to this creation?
B. What are the names of the patriarchs of the ages?
C. What four circumstances do they share in
common? If youve viewed my YouTube
presentation entitled The Bible in an Hour, you
may know the five circumstances they share in
common.
D. What are the common elements of the last days of
each age?
E. How is the book of Revelation self-partitioned?
F. In the hereafter portion of Revelation, how
many sevens are there?
a. What are they?
G. How is the sixth of each seven alike?
H. Is your name written in the Lambs Book of Life?
a. Who else is in your genealogy?
b. Who prayed you in to the kingdom as your
spiritual parent?
c. Who have you prayed in to the Kingdom to
become your spiritual descendants?
d. How many chapters elaborate on your victory
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over sin, your endurance in persecution, your
forgiveness of your enemies, your faithfulness to
righteousness?
4. Eternity is a long time. You and I will probably become
good friends. Well have so much to discuss, and well
have unlimited time to discuss it! This will be the longest
discussion exercise by far!
First Corinthians 13:12 says that now we see through a
glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part;
but then shall I know even as also I am known. Imagine
knowing God like that! No wonder they praise Him so
much in heaven! Ill see you at the banquet, thank God
Christ is giving me something to wear! Looking forward
to meeting you!
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Bibliography and Endnotes
1 Exegesis (noun): literally to lead out, explanation,
interpretation, clarification, exposition, explication. A method of
study where the subject matter is approached without any pre-
conceptions or ulterior motives. The student draws out from the
written material what it intends to express.
2 Primogeneture pri-mo-jen-i-tur (bekhorah, from bekhor,
firstborn, from bakhar, to act early; prototokia):
The right of the firstborn to inherit the headship of the family,
carrying with it certain property rights and usually such titles as
those of the high-priesthood or kingship. The writings of the
Hebrews take for granted the recognition of a doctrine of
primogeniture from the earliest times. http:// www.bible-
history.com
3 Christ was born in the midst of the four ages appointed to this
creation.
4 Romans 10:12: For there is no difference between the Jew and
the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon
him.
5 Strongs Concordance
6 Revelation 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old
serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand
years,
7 1 Peter 3:6 Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord:
8 Jerome Prado, in his commentary upon Ezekiel (Eze. 1:1 p. 44),
gives the following detailed analysis according to rabbinical
tradition: The different leaders of the tribes had their own
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standards, with the crests of their ancestors depicted upon them. On
the east, above the tent of Naasson the firstborn of Judah, there
shone a standard of a green colour, this colour having been adopted
by him because it was in a green stone, viz., an emerald, that the
name of his forefather Judah was engraved on the breastplate of
the high priest (Ex. Ex.
25:15ff.), and on this standard there was depicted a lion, the crest
and hieroglyphic of his ancestor Judah, whom Jacob had compared
to a lion, saying, Judah is a lions whelp. Towards the south,
above the tent of Elisur the son of Reuben, there floated a red
standard, having the colour of the sardus, on which the name of his
father, viz., Reuben, was engraved upon the breastplate of the high
priest. The symbol depicted upon this standard was a human head,
because Reuben was the first-born, and head of the family. On the
west, above the tent of Elishamah the son of Ephraim, there was a
golden flag, on which the head of a calf was depicted, because it
was through the vision of the calves or oxen that his ancestor
Joseph had predicted and provided for the famine in Egypt (Gen.
Gen. 41:1); and hence Moses, when blessing the tribe of Joseph,
i.e., Ephraim (Deu. Deu. 33:17), said, his glory is that of the first-
born of a bull. The golden splendour of the standard of Ephraim
resembled that of the chrysolite, in which the name of Ephraim
was engraved upon the breastplate. Towards the north, above the
tent of Ahiezer the son of Dan, there floated a motley standard of
white and red, like the jaspis (or, as some say, a carbuncle), in
which the name of Dan was engraved upon the breastplate. The
crest upon this was an eagle, the great foe to serpents, which had
been chosen by the leader in the place of a serpent, because his
forefather Jacob had compared Dan to a serpent, saying, Dan is a
serpent in the way, an adder (cerastes, a horned snake) in the path;
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but Ahiezer substituted the eagle, the destroyer of serpents as he
shrank from carrying an adder upon his flag.
9 Excerpted from an article entitled What is Messianic Judaism?
written by Rabbi Loren of the Congregation Shema Yisrael as
based on an article by Rabbi David Chernoff, website
http://www.shema.com/messianic_judaism.php.
10 I intentionally avoided a lengthy discussion of the Jewish
mikveh and Christian baptism as its fulfillment. Many feel the
mikveh as the precursor of baptism is a rich study. If you wish to
explore this avenue, you may gain much, but the Gilgal event is
what both the mikveh and baptism signifies. I merely cut to the
chase, so to speak, by dispensing with this peripheral subject.
11 For more on this topic, the book The Gates of Hell by Alfred
Eugene, Pearl includes a more in-depth handling.
12 DEATH BY GOVERNMENT By R.J. Rummel, New
Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, 1994 (http://www.
hawaii.edu/powerkills/NOTE1.HTM)
13 The Septuagint is a Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures
translated hundreds of years before Christ.
14 Why the color green so important in the Muslim world:
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/
explainer/2009/06/islamic_greenwashing.html
15 Mitchell Bard from his book The Complete Idiots Guide to
World War II. NY: MacMillan, 1998, pp. 59-60.
16 (The Weekly Standard Jul 27, 2009, Vol. 14, No. 42)
17 Wistrich, Robert S. Whos Who in Nazi Germany, Routledge,
1997
18 Aliyah (Hebrew: Translit.: Aliyah Translated: ascent) is
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the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael). It is
one of the most basic tenets of Zionist ideology.
19 Genesis 1:6-8a And God said, Let there be a firmament in the
midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were
under the firmament from the waters which were above the
firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven.
20 http://www.space.com/14656-japanese-space-elevator-2050-
proposal.html
21 GODS WORD is a copyrighted work of Gods Word to the
Nations. Quotations are used by permission. Copyright 1995 by
Gods Word to the Nations. All rights reserved.
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