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Bro. Ostis Wilson Jr.'s Commentary |
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Revelation |
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Questions Concerning . . . |
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(Click on a heading to read
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Battle of Armageddon
Question: What is the Battle of Armageddon? What is its
nature, its beginning and its ending?
Answer: Let us first consider the term "Armageddon" and
its significance. In the dictionary Armageddon is defined as:
"1. The scene of a final battle between the forces of good and
evil, prophesied in the Bible to occur at the end of the
world. Revelation 16:16. 2. Any decisive conflict. It is taken
from the Hebrew word "har megiddon" referring to the mountain
region of Megiddo, site of several great battles in the Old
Testament."-- Taken from the American Heritage Dictionary
then the Zondervan Pictoral Bible Dictionary in its article on
Armageddon says the Greek is "Armageddon" but the Hebrew is "Har
Magedon" (Mount Megiddo), a word found only in Revelation
16:16 for the final battleground between the forces of good
and evil. It says further, "The valley of Jezreel and the
Plain of Esdraelon at the foot of Mount Megiddo were the scene
of many decisive battles in the history of Israel." It was
here that Israel completely annihilated the armies of Sisera
to the last man. (Judges 4:16 and 5:19-20.) Here Gideon
defeated the hosts of the Midianites. (Judges 6:33 and the
entire 7th chapter of Judges.)
We will here insert the text of Revelation 16:16 which is the
only place in the New Testament where the word is found. "And
he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew
tongue Armageddon." The New Testament in this place gives the
Greek rendering of the word "Armageddon." The fact that it is
mentioned, "Which is called in the Hebrew tongue," indicates
that Jesus wished here to connect up what He is saying with
the Hebrew "Har magedon" (Mount Megiddo) in the history of
Israel.
Israel after the flesh (natural Israel) was a type of Israel
after the spirit (spiritual Israel). In Romans 2:28-29, Paul
says, "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is
that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: But he is a
Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the
heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is
not of men, but of God." Here is the comparison of literal
Israel and spiritual Israel. Therefore we conclude that
"Armageddon" in the New Testament has the significance for the
Church of God, the people of God in this gospel age of time,
or spiritual Israel, as Mount Megiddo had for literal Israel
in Old Testament times a place of very great and decisive
battles.
This is described as the "Battle of that great day of God
Almighty." I surely recognize that there has been a continual
battle or warfare between good and evil, light and darkness,
truth and error throughout this dispensation of time. This
passage in Revelation 16:13-16 seems to be focusing right down
on these closing days of this dispensation in which we are now
living and to the final climactic battle which will terminate
in "That great day of God Almighty" the judgment day
Revelation 16:14.
Neither would we suppose this great battle to be confined to
Mount Megiddo, or Israel, or Turkey, or Russia, or any
particular geographical location because it is said in
Revelation 16:14 that they went "...forth unto the kings of
the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the
battle..." Again in Revelation 20:9 it says, "...They went up
on the breadth of the whole earth, and compassed the camp of
the saints about,..." This features it as a general,
worldwide, world-encompassing thing.
The kind of weapons and armor provided for the saints as
described in Scripture and the general tenor of the Scriptures
covering the whole scope of this subject precludes the idea of
this being a carnal warfare or a battle fought with swords,
spears, shot, shell and bombs. The very nature of the Kingdom
of God as described in the Holy Scriptures throughout preclude
this idea also. Let us look at it a little.
In I Timothy 1:18-19, we read, "This charge I commit unto
thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went
before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;
Holding faith and a good conscience,..." Here Timothy's
warfare was to be carried on by faith and a good conscience.
These were his weapons of warfare. I Timothy 6:12 says, "Fight
the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,..." In II
Timothy 4:7 Paul said concerning himself, "I have fought a
good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."
We have no record that Paul ever used physical violence or
carnal weapons against any person in his whole Christian life.
This was not the kind of fight he fought and that is not the
kind of fight Christians fight today, nor will it ever be. He
spells it out specifically in Ephesians 6:12 that "...we
wrestle not against flesh and blood,..." Again in II
Corinthians 10:3b he spells it out, "We do not war after the
flesh." There is no indication in Scripture anywhere in the
New Testament that this has ever changed or ever will.
It says in II Corinthians 10:4-5, "For the weapons of our
warfare are NOT carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling
down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every
high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God,
and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of
Christ." This text plainly states that our weapons are not
carnal, and who would assume that carnal weapons could bring
about what our weapons are described here as doing casting
down imaginations, bringing our thoughts into captivity and
controlling our minds? The weapons which accomplish this are
faith, love and the power of the Holy Spirit, and this is what
we fight our warfare with. Again Ephesians 6:12 says, "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." The same weapons outlined above accomplish this
warfare and there is no place in the New Testament Scriptures
which indicates this has ever changed.
Revelation 12:11 says that the saints overcome by the blood of
the Lamb, and the word of their testimony. The weapons here
are described as faith in the all-atoning blood of Jesus and
an open confession or witness of that.
In Matthew 26:51-52 it says, "And, behold, one of them which
were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword,
and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his
ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his
place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the
sword." Peter told Jesus in John 13:37 that he would lay down
his life for His sake and now he demonstrates his willingness
to do that by drawing his sword and starting a fight. But
Jesus quickly made it clear that was not what He wanted and
rebuked Peter for using His sword and told him to put it up
because those who used it would perish with it. It was perhaps
in the mind of Jesus to lay the foundation for this
declaration of His will for His people when He instructed His
apostles in Luke 22:36 to provide themselves with swords and
they told Him in verse 38 that they had two swords and He told
them that was enough. He probably knew that if they had a
sword handy when trouble started someone would use it and He
would have an opening then to pronounce His denunciation of
the use of carnal weapons by His disciples.
In John 18:36, Jesus told Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this
world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my
servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews:
but now is my kingdom not from hence." We read in Isaiah
9:5-7, "For every battle of the warrior is with confused
noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with
burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a child is born, unto us
a son is given: and the government shall be upon His
shoulder:... Of the increase of His government and peace there
shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his
kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and
with justice from henceforth even for ever...." We see here
that the kingdom of God is not established and maintained on
the battlefield as other kingdoms of this world are. This was
to be established by the giving of a Son, Jesus Christ, who
was to assume the reins of government in His kingdom and the
means of its establishment were to be burning and fuel of
fire.
Accordingly, we have this only begotten Son of God, Jesus,
appearing on the scene to set up and establish His kingdom,
and John the Baptist bore witness of Him in Matthew 3:11-12
saying, "...He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with
fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge
his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will
burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Here we have the
burning and fuel of fire spoken of in Isaiah 9:5. This was the
operation of the Holy Ghost, and Paul said in Romans 14:17,
"The kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness,
and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." It is declared here
that the kingdom of God is not meat and drink (not literal and
material; not of this world as Jesus stated in John 18:36),
but consists in the elements of the Holy Ghost. Consequently,
on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Ghost came in the form
of "cloven tongues like as of fire" (again we have here the
burning and fuel of fire spoken of in Isaiah 9:5) on all the
disciples of Christ (about 120 at that time), the kingdom of
God was established and set in operation right then and has
continued in operation until now, and is declared to be
forever in Isaiah 9:7. Then the very spiritual nature of the
kingdom of God precludes any carnal warfare to establish it or
to defend and maintain it.
The armor provided for soldiers of Jesus Christ also precludes
any idea of carnal warfare. There is not one piece of it that
would in any way be usable in carnal warfare. Let us look at
it. Ephesians 6:11 says, "Put on the whole armour of God, that
ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." We
see here that the armor which God provides for His army equips
us to stand against the war with the devil, not man.
Ephesians 6:13-18 describes this armor piece by piece.
"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may
be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to
stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with
truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and
your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be
able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the
helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the
word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication
in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance
and supplication for all saints." There is not one thing
mentioned here that would have any value at all in warring
after the flesh, and note that the only offensive weapon
supplied here is "The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word
of God."
I Thessalonians 5:8 says, "But let us, who are of the day, be
sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for
an helmet, the hope of salvation." Nothing here for carnal
warfare but contrariwise, "the breastplate of faith and love"
would forever eliminate fighting carnally with men and seeking
to destroy them. Romans 13:12 says, "The night is far spent,
the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of
darkness, and let us put on the armour of light." Where would
an armor of light have any place in a carnal warfare? But it
is highly important in "wrestling against principalities and
powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual
wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12. In II Corinthians
6:7 Paul speaks of "...The armour of righteousness on the
right hand and on the left."
Now these Scriptures sum up in all of its entirety the armor
provided for the soldiers of Jesus Christ and it is nowhere
intimated in the entire New Testament that this has ever
changed or ever will. This is still the armor for saints today
and will ever be.
I will now come to the point of considering the specifics of
the Battle of Armageddon. All that has been said up to now has
dealt with what it is not. We turn now to what it is. In
Revelation 16:13-14 and 16 we read, "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. And he gathered them together into a
place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." Note: the
principal agents in this operation are three unclean spirits
which are called in verse 14, "The spirits of devils." Verse
16 says "he" gathered them together etc. "He" in this case is
the devil himself marshaling his unclean forces for battle
under the generalship of these three unclean spirits. This
would identify this whole operation as a spiritual operation.
We wrestle against the rulers of the darkness of this world
(Ephesians 6:12.). In John 14:30 Jesus referred to the devil
as "The prince of this world." In II Corinthians 4:4 Paul
refers to him as the "God of this world." In Ephesians 2:2
Paul spoke of him as "The prince of the power of the air, the
spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." He
is the one spoken of as "The ruler of the darkness of this
world" in Ephesians 6:12. Also it is said in Ephesians 6:12
that we wrestle against "spiritual wickedness in high places."
The marginal reading is "heavenly places." It is evident on
the face of it that "spiritual wickedness" would be connected
with the spiritual realm. Heavenly (high) places here refers
to the ecclesiastical, spiritual, religious or church heavens.
Therefore it is entirely clear that a spiritual operation and
battle are under consideration here. We read in the history of
carnal warfare of any number of religious wars between
different nations and kingdoms of men, but we have never read
of one that could be classed as a spiritual war. That is just
not the way that spiritual warfare is carried on. This warfare
is in the spiritual realm.
In Revelation 20:7-8 we read, "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." Note: This
power was to deceive the nations which are in the four
quarters of the earth. This corresponds with what was said in
Revelation 16:14 of the three unclean spirits like frogs which
went forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world.
Yes, it is the same power in both texts marshaling its forces
for the same purpose to do battle. It also names the principal
agents in this operation as Gog and Magog and says their
numbers are as the sand of the sea. Gog, the land of Magog, is
mentioned in Ezekiel 38:2 as the enemies of ancient Israel
(read the entire chapter), and in verse nine it says, "Thou
shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud
to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people
with thee." Here the enemies of Israel had "many people" with
them. Their modern counterparts in Revelation 20:8 had numbers
"as the sand of the sea" with them. As has already been
observed, ancient, literal Israel was a type of spiritual
Israel. Just as Gog and Magog were the enemies of ancient
Israel; so here the same names are used to identify the entire
combine of the enemies of the people of God and of His truth.
Adam Clarke in his commentary on Revelation 20:8 under Gog and
Magog says, "Under these names the enemies of God's truth are
generally intended." The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary
says in its article of Magog, "Gog and Magog (Revelation 20:8)
means all the ungodly nations of the earth who oppose the
people of God." F. G. Smith in his book, The Revelation
Explained, is more specific in identifying them and says, "The
original signification of the terms Gog and Magog is difficult
to ascertain, as all known accounts are conflicting. The terms
occur in Ezekiel 38 and 39. In the Revelation, however, it is
clear that these terms are applied to Romanism and
Protestantism, and under the special leadership of this spirit
of antichrist they are gathered together to battle against the
saints of the most High."
This great combine of antichrist consists of the dragon, the
beast, and the false prophet. According to Revelation 12:3-4
the dragon was the first formidable foe of Christianity. He
was in existence when Jesus Christ appeared on the scene and
viciously opposed the Christian religion throughout the
morning time of the Christian era. This was Pagan Rome,
heathenism, idolatrous worship which was the prevailing
religion throughout the world at that time. Through the power
of the Word of God and the bright shining light of the gospel,
the saints of the most High were finally able to expose his
deceptiveness and overcome him and cast him down and bind him.
(Revelation 12:8-9 and Revelation 20:1-3.)
Then following the dragon came the beast of Revelation 13
which had the same identifying marks as the dragon before him,
"seven heads and ten horns." He occupied the same territory
and possessed the same power as the dragon the Roman Empire.
The universal religion that followed paganism was papalism;
Roman Catholicism. This was the second great opposer and
persecutor of true Christianity. This was a false, apostate
institution.
Then in Revelation 13:11 there is a second beast introduced
and he had all of the power of the first beast before him
(verse 12), and he caused his followers to make an image to
the first beast (verse 14), etc. It was a universal religious
system like the beast before it (Catholicism), and was a human
system with human headship, human organization, etc., just
like the first beast and in this was made an image to the
beast. This was the third religious system which opposed the
truth and the true people of God. They set up human creeds and
disciplines instead of accepting the whole word of God as the
true people of God do. This was Protestantism.
These three major universal systems of false religions have
been on the scene, one at a time, throughout the history of
the church of God in this Christian era. As we approach the
time of the end and the final conflict and stage of action at
the same time and forming one great combine, the number of
which is as the sand of the sea, to go up on the breadth of
the earth and compass the camp of the saints, and the beloved
city (Revelation 20:9) "...The city of the living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem,...the...church of the firstborn which are
written in heaven,..." Hebrews 12:22-23.
There is a world-wide ecumenical movement gathering momentum
in the world today and it is making great strides toward
combining all the world's religions, including so-called
Christianity with its multiplicity of churches and movements,
into a general world church Gog and Magog. Much could be said
on this, but space will not permit here. I will make this
observation here. When the first world's Parliament of
Religions met in Chicago in 1893, including all the heathen
religions of the world and Catholics and Protestants in all
their varied forms, creeds and denominations, the President of
this Parliament said in his opening address, "For when the
religious faiths of the world recognize each other as
brothers, children of one Father, whom all profess to love and
serve, then, and not until then, will the nations of the earth
yield to the spirit of concord and learn war no more. We meet
on the mountain of absolute respect for the religious
conviction of each other. This day the sun of a new era of
religious peace and progress arises over the world, dispelling
the dark clouds of sectarian strife. It is the brotherhood of
religions." The dragon, the beast, and the false prophet had
met in "mutual confidence and respect, a brotherhood of
religions." Other similar congresses have been held since that
time, and in recent years there have been different ecumenical
councils held which are all beating the march right on down
the same road gathering Gog and Magog and an innumerable
company with them to the battle of that great day of God
Almighty.
While this is all going on, Christ is also marshaling His
forces (army) and maneuvering them into position for this
gigantic and climactic conflict which is to terminate the
great day of God Almighty. We read in Revelation 19:11-16,
"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. His eyes were as a
flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a
name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was
clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called
The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed
him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he
should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of
iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and
wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his
thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
The rider on this white horse could not possibly be identified
as any other than the Lord Jesus Himself. No one in all Holy
Writ has borne the names mentioned here but He Himself. And
let us note that He had only one weapon, which was a "sharp
sword," which came out of his mouth. Surely, we would all
recognize that men of war (carnal) do not carry their swords
in their mouths. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful,
and sharper than any twoedged sword,..." Hebrews 4:12. It is
by the Word of God and the power of the Spirit that Jesus
carried on His warfare. The Word of God is called "the sword
of the Spirit" in Ephesians 6:17. It is by the Word of God
that sin is exposed and people are convicted of sin and
through obedience to the Word they are saved; and those who
fail to obey the Word are destroyed (slain). (Revelation
19:21.) This same Jesus appeared riding on a white horse in
the beginning of this gospel age of time. (Revelation 6:2.) In
that case He had a bow which was equivalent of the rainbow God
placed in the sky to confirm His promise of mercy to humankind
in Noah's time. The bow in this case is significant of God's
promise of mercy and salvation to the human family in Jesus
Christ. Now He appears again in the closing out of the age on
the same white horse and riding at the head of a great army.
This army is composed of an innumerable multitude out of every
nation, kindred, tongue, and people. (Revelation 7:9),
representing the redeemed of the gospel era. They followed Him
on white horses and they were clothed in fine linen, white and
clean. This fine linen is declared to be the "righteousness of
saints" in Revelation 19:8. The innumerable company of
Revelation 7:9 are said to be clothed in "white robes" (verse
13), and verse 14 says they had "...washed their robes, and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb." The armies that
followed Him, then, are the blood washed throng who have been
redeemed through faith in the all atoning blood of the Lamb.
Note in this case that instead of having a bow representing
His promise of mercy, pardon, and redemption, He has a sharp
sword in this instance, signifying that He is on a mission of
judgment and vengeance against sinful men and false and
apostate religions this time.
In Revelation 18:1-2 & 4, we read, "And after these things I
saw another angel come down form heaven, having great power;
and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried
mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is
fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and
the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and
hateful bird. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying,
Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her
sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."
The angel coming down from heaven and lighting the earth with
this glory seems to me to be the symbol of the "Evening Light"
Ministry which restored the full light of the gospel which had
not shown in its fullness since the time of the apostasy of
the morning church about 270 A.D. Ministers are referred to as
angels sometimes in God's Word. In the 2nd and 3rd chapters of
Revelation, we find recorded the messages of Jesus Christ to
the seven churches in Asia; the minister in charge or overseer
of each church is addressed as "the angel of the church which
is at," etc. Here an angel represents a body of ministers
rather than just an individual minister.
The fall of Babylon is mentioned in connection with the
preaching of the "Evening Light" Ministry. This last
particular phase of Babylon (Protestantism denominationalism)
had not always been fallen. In its time it was much used of
God, and God worked mightily with them producing great
revivals in which multitudes of souls were saved. Now the time
had come that God wanted to restore the Body of Christ as a
visible, unified, operating body in the earth as it was in the
morning time of this gospel era, free from human rule and
government, with Christ as its Head and it being operated
through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This was the message
of the "Evening Light" Reformation the unity of God's people
and the one true church divine. It was by rejecting this
message and holding on to their human institutions and creeds
that the Protestantism phase of Babylon fell and went into
darkness.
Then followed the call to God's people in verse four, "...Come
out of her, my people,..." and they came. In John 10:27, Jesus
said, "My sheep hear my voice,...and they follow me." In John
10:16 He said, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this
fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice;
and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." Those who were
truly saved and knew God in sectism, when the "Evening Light"
Message began to sound forth under the anointing of the Holy
Spirit, heard the voice of the true Shepherd and recognized it
and followed it, forsaking the human sects and creeds they
were in and coming to the one true Body of Christ. Thus,
Christ has been gathering together in one the true people of
God and maneuvering them into position for the great and final
conflict. The gathering began when the "Evening Light"
Reformation broke in 1880 and has continued on and will
continue until the final end of time. So we see that just as
Gog and Magog, consisting of the dragon, the beast, and false
prophet, are all being gathered together under the spirit of
antichrist; so the true people of God are being called out and
gathered together under the Spirit of God to the battle of
that great day of God Almighty.
The Battle of Armageddon is going on now and has been
throughout this gospel dispensation, but more particularly in
this period incorporated in the "Evening Light" Reformation
time when the gathering of forces on both sides is going on in
dead earnest, but it will wax hotter and hotter as we approach
nearer to the end, and the forces and kinds of deception
multiply and abound more and more. The Bible says, "Evil men
and seducers will wax worse and worse, deceiving and being
deceived." II Timothy 3:13.
Dear brethren, this is not a time to play around. We are in
this time right now and the powers of deception are increasing
and the kinds of deception are multiplying and many are being
deceived who once knew God and enjoyed His blessings in their
lives, and the love of many is waxing cold today who were once
fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. Let us all fight the good
fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life and follow the
Captain of the Lord's host into the battle wherever He may
lead.
I want to discuss one more thing as we come to the close. In
Revelation 14:18-20 we have described the harvest of the world
which could cover the same period of time I have been
discussing, only by different symbols. In verse twenty it
says, "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." A
tremendous thing is described here and it would be a gruesome
thing indeed to think of it in literal terms. It could not
possibly refer to anything literal because all of the four
billion plus people that are in the world today do not have
that much blood in their bodies. Then what does it mean?
In Ezekiel 33:1-6 we have set forth the matter of an enemy
coming against the land of Israel and the duties of the
watchman who has been set by the people. He was to sound the
trumpet and warn the people. It is said that if he sounded the
warning and they failed to take heed and perished, their blood
would be upon themselves. Also, if he failed to sound the
warning and the enemy came upon them and destroyed them, their
blood would be required at the watchman's hand. Then in verses
7-9 this same thing is carried over and applied to God-called,
God-sent ministers and overseers in this gospel age. Hebrews
13:17, speaking of overseers of congregations, says, "...For
they watch for your souls, as they that must give account,..."
This also would apply in a way to any minister of God who
deals with the souls of men. Paul said in Acts 20:26-27,
"Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from
the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto
you all the counsel of God."
Now what this all sums up to is the situation we are face to
face with today. On the one hand, we have many ministers in
Christendom today who are so compromising and fail to tell the
people the consequences of the things they are doing and
excusing things in people's lives which are destroying their
souls and are failing to declare the full counsel of God to
the people so that the blood of many souls is on their hands.
On the other hand, we are in a time which is characterized by
free thinking and everybody thinking for themselves, and when
ministers of God are faithful to declare the full counsel of
God and deal pointedly with souls about the things they are
doing which will destroy their souls; many times they just
pass it off and say, "I don't see it that way. I have my way
the same as he has his, and I have just as much right to see
it my way as he does to see it his way." So they just go on
their merry way, failing to give heed and to measure up and be
doers of the Word, and become deceived. Their blood is on
their own hands because they were faithfully warned by the
minister God had given them.
But in either case, whether it is on the people's part or the
minister's part, there is a great failing today and the blood
of souls is running real deep right now. We are in the vortex
of the Battle of Armageddon and much soul blood is being shed
right before our eyes. This Scripture in Revelation 14:20
gives us an idea of how tremendous this thing is now and it's
getting worse. So, let us fear God and keep His commandments
and walk humbly before Him, lest our soul blood be mingled
with the soul blood of the multitudes who are failing of the
grace of God. Let us be assured that this great conflict is
going to end in "victory for him to whom all triumph belongs"
and if we continue faithful unto death we shall be saved
eternally. |
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The Mark of the Beast
Question: Please comment on the "mark of the beast."
Answer: To intelligently discuss the "mark of the
beast" it will be necessary to understand what the beast is.
In the 13th chapter of Revelation there are two beasts brought
to view. Also, in the 12th chapter "a great red dragon" is
introduced. This dragon and the two beasts are symbols of the
three major systems of false religion which the world has
known through the ages of time which have stood diametrically
opposed to the true religion of God and the true gospel of
Jesus Christ. The dragon was the first one and was on the
stage of action at the time Jesus Christ appeared here to
introduce His soul-saving gospel and to set up the kingdom of
God. Jesus met him head on and the conflict was severe, bloody
and deadly. But the followers of the "Lamb of God" eventually
overcame him and cast him down and the truth of the true
kingdom of God was firmly established. It was Jesus who said
that the violent take the kingdom of heaven by force (Matthew
11:12), and we can see a clear picture of this truth through
the 12th chapter of Revelation. This dragon was a symbol of
paganism (idolatry, plurality of gods) and was called "the
devil and satan" (verse 9) because it was a religion of the
devil and actuated by his spirit.
The first beast introduced in the 13th chapter was a symbol of
the next major system of false religion which followed
paganism after it went down and it symbolized the apostate,
corrupt system of Roman Catholicism (the Papacy). He received
his power and authority from the dragon (verses 2 and 4) and
worshiped the dragon (verse 4) which makes it clear that the
same spirit of the devil permeated this system as did the
dragon system.
Then in verse 11 another beast rose up out of the earth (it
was of the earth and "manmade" a human system) and did not
come down from heaven as Jesus and His true gospel did. This
beast was a symbol of the third major system of false
religion, "Protestantism," which is a world system of religion
today. He exercised all the power of the first beast before
him (verse 12). He also caused all of his devotees to worship
the first beast (verse 12). This makes it clear that the same
satanic spirit that permeated the Papal system also activated
the system of Protestantism. In fact, all three of these major
systems of false religion can be traced merging each one into
the other and all actuated by the same spirit of the devil and
satan. Strong efforts are being put forth now through the
ecumenical councils being held periodically to bring all of
these systems (paganism, Catholicism, and Protestantism) into
one world church, and that is the way I understand what I read
in the book of Revelation. I believe there will be a vast
combining of the three major systems of false religions (the
dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, which was the name
given to the second beast, Protestantism) under one head and
dominated by the spirit of the dragon which is called in
Revelation 12:9 "the devil, and Satan." This combining is what
is called "Gog and Magog" in Revelation 20:8 and is said to
encompass the four quarters of the earth.
Well, I have said more about these beasts than I intended to
when I started, so I will now proceed to discuss the "mark of
the beast." I will kind of come in the back way on it by
discussing first how God seals (marks) His people. In II
Timothy 2:19 we read, "...The foundation of God standeth sure,
having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his...." God
has each one of His people clearly marked. In Ezekiel 9:4 we
see God had a special concern for all the people who were
grieved and burdened over the abominations being done in
Jerusalem and sent a man through the city to set a mark upon
their foreheads so they would be protected from the judgments
which were to come upon that city. In Revelation 7:1 we see
four angels standing on the four corners (quarters) of the
earth having the four winds of the earth in their hands. In
verse 2 is another angel having the seal of the living God. In
verse three this angel is commanding those angels to not
release their winds which were to hurt the earth until he had
sealed (marked) the servants of God in their foreheads. In the
following verses, through verse 8, we see there were 12,000
out of each of the 12 tribes of Israel that were sealed. This
was 12x12 making a total of 144,000 which was the number given
in verse 4. These figures are all symbolic. Scripturally and
prophetically twelve is a number denoting fullness or
completeness. This then would represent the Church of God, the
body of Christ in its fullness and completeness, every member
in it marked with the seal of God in their foreheads. What we
have in this 7th chapter of Revelation is a picture of God
holding in check all the turbulent, devastating storms and
winds of false doctrines and deceptions which were ready to
sweep over the earth until His people became sufficiently
confirmed and established in His true doctrine to not be swept
away by it.
Now the glorious part: After the narrative of the Revelation
has brought us through the severe and bloody conflict with
paganism in chapter 12, and through the dark ages with more,
much more, violence and bloodshed under Papalism, and then
through the dark and cloudy time of Protestantism, then it
comes out in chapter 14, verse 1 with 144,000 (the complete
and entire Church) standing on Mt. Zion with the Lamb of God
and all having the name of the Father in their foreheads. The
gates of hell had not prevailed against the Church Jesus had
built. The term "forehead" in all these texts is a symbol of
the mind, intellect and intelligence. Thus God's Word says in
Hebrews 10:16 concerning His New Covenant, "...I will put my
laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them."
God's mark upon His saints, then, is God's laws written in
their hearts and minds and sealed there by the Holy Spirit.
Then it begins to come clear, by way of comparison and in
contradistinction with God's seal or mark upon His true
people, what the "mark of the beast" is. It is exactly the
same as God's mark on His people, but the doctrine they are
marked with is a false doctrine instead of the true doctrine
of God and it is sealed into their hearts and minds by a false
spirit instead of God's Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, it is so
sealed in them that it will take a strong manifestation of
God's Spirit upon them to ever get them out of it into the
truth. Also it is said in Revelation 13:17 that no man could
buy or sell if he did not have the "mark of the beast." Buying
and selling would represent just the regular, ordinary
pursuits of life giving, receiving, exchanging, communicating
with society. If one is not marked with their doctrine and not
possessed of their spirit, he cannot go into their services
and give his testimony and have freedom there. He is looked
upon as a foreigner and ostracized from their society,
spiritually speaking. He cannot do as true Christians do or
are expected to do. It makes no difference what part of the
beast religion; whether the first beast (Roman Catholicism) or
the second beast (Protestantism) with all its multiplied
fragments, denominations, sects and creeds, the "mark of the
beast" is always the same and its effects are forever the
same: to seal its people in darkness, deception and error.
However, here again comes the glorious part. In Revelation
15:2 we read, "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." Thank God, there is victory and deliverance
from the beast religion and its mark for anyone who will open
his heart and humble himself before God, earnestly seeking Him
to reveal His light and truth to him. God will surely hear his
cry and reveal the truth unto him and give grace to walk in
the light. But that is the only way out for a soul who has
been marked with a beast doctrine and sealed with a beast
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Numbering Systems (A Sign of the
Mark of the Beast?)
Question: Is all this numbering system and everything and
everybody having a number and the computerizing of all
transactions, banking, etc., which seems to be coming in the
near future, the mark of the beast spoken of in the Bible?
Answer: No. To my understanding it is not and for the
following reasons. The "Mark of the beast" is referred to in
Revelation 13:16-17. In this case the mark had a religious
signification because those who received it were worshipping
the beast verse 12. Also, there were other things these people
received besides the mark of the beast: Namely, the number and
the name of the beast it was all pertaining to the system.
The first thing to do in interpreting this text is to find out
what the beast was. Also we must understand that the book of
Revelation is written in symbolic language and the
interpretation of it must be by analogy that is; each thing
mentioned is a drawn picture not of itself but of something
analogous to it.
In this 13th chapter of Revelation there are two beasts
mentioned, but it is clear that the first beast is the one
under consideration here because the second beast caused the
people to worship the first beast verse 12.
Some of the identifying marks of this beast were seven heads
and ten horns. There are others also but we use these marks
for special identity. In the 17th chapter of Revelation we
again see this same beast, having seven heads and ten horns,
and with a glamorous woman riding upon him this time. This is
important because it identifies a dual personality a
political-religious system. It is a false, apostate, corrupt
system to be sure because this woman is described in verse one
as "the great whore" and further in verse five as "MYSTERY,
BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF
THE EARTH."
But this 17th chapter of Revelation proceeds to identify this
beast religion in an unmistakable way. Verse nine says "The
seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth."
Verse ten says, "And there are seven kings:..." The seven
heads represented both the seven mountains and the seven
kings. The city of Rome corresponds to this description
because she is situated upon seven hills (mountains) and had
seven systems of government during the time of her reign as a
universal kingdom. The seven kings refer to these seven
different systems of government she had. Verse 12 says: "And
the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have
received no kingdom as yet;..." (Revelation 17:10-12) This is
a reference to the ten minor kingdoms which came out of the
Roman Empire during its decline and fall. These are historical
facts.
Rome has been the seat of two major systems of false religion
Paganism and Papalism. This is also an historical fact.
Paganism is symbolized in the Revelation by a great dragon
having seven heads and ten horns Revelation 12:3. Papalism is
symbolized by the first beast of Revelation 13:1 which also
had seven heads and ten horns which identifies it as the same
power but in a different form. It was the mark of this beast
which is referred to in Revelation 13:16-17.
An illusion is made here perhaps to the custom of marking or
branding slaves to identify them as belonging to certain
masters. Also certain cults and groups marked or branded their
members. In many instances in the Bible illusions are made to
general customs and practices of the time with which the
people were familiar to illustrate certain truths.
God also seals or marks His subjects or saints. In Revelation
7:3 it is said "...Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor
the trees, till we have SEALED [marked] the servants of our
God in their foreheads." In Revelation 14:1 we read, "And I
looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him
an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name
written in their foreheads." This company represented the
great host of triumphant, overcoming saints (the entire
company of the redeemed) because we read in Revelation 3:12,
"Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my
God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him
the name of my God,..." The votaries of this false religion
received the name of the beast. The true people of God are all
marked with His name in their foreheads.
"Forehead" is a symbol of intellect or mind and God marks all
of His true followers with His law written in their minds and
hearts Hebrews 8:10. The members of this or any false religion
are all marked with the laws, ordinances, doctrines, rituals
and creeds of their respective religions in their minds and
hearts the "Mark of the beast." God seals or marks His true
saints with His Spirit, the holy Spirit of promise" Ephesians
1:13; Ephesians 4:30; II Corinthians 1:22. The Spirit of God
with His fruits as described in Galatians 5:22-23 being
manifest in the life is the identifying mark of all true
Christians. So likewise the false and apostate religions mark
all their subjects with their spirit and the fruits of it in
their lives. God's Spirit is the Spirit of truth (John 14:7)
and guides His followers into all truth (John 16:13) and
writes the truth in their hearts (II Corinthians 3:3). The
spirit of this false system of religion is a spirit of error
and marks its subjects with error, superstition, and doctrines
of men.
There have been three major systems of false religion dealt
with in the Revelation. One is paganism or heathenism (the
dragon). The other two are Papalism and Protestantism
symbolized by the two beasts of Revelation 13. The same false
spirit runs through the whole line and it is all
God-dishonoring. In this way the second beast (Protestantism)
caused its subjects to receive the mark of the first beast (Papalism)
by injecting into them the same spirit of error, also by
copying in their man-made creeds and disciplines some of the
errors of the first beast. Also they patterned their system
after the human system of man-rule and human government.
It is said that no man could buy nor sell if he did not have
the mark of the beast. Buying and selling are symbols of the
ordinary pursuits and privileges of an ordinary citizen in
intermingling with society. To be forbidden to buy and sell
would be equivalent to being banished from society. This same
principle has been carried over into human religious systems
that one who does not fellowship their spirit and subscribe to
their creeds and doctrines of men have no rights or privileges
among them. The true ministers of God are not permitted to
give out or preach the gospel (sell) in their assemblies and
wherever the true ministers of God are preaching the truth the
votaries of these religions are warned to not go there or to
be affected by their preaching (buy). This idea has been
especially pronounced in the Papal system in so much that any
of their members who ventured to attend a church service other
than the Catholic are required to do penance for it and if
they persist in such a practice they are renounced as heretics
and excommunicated and consigned to hell and shunned by
faithful Catholics as those accursed. I understand that in
recent years the Catholic stand on this is being modified as
an ecumenical move, but up until recent times one was severely
dealt with for failure to recognize the church and its decrees
as absolute. They could not buy nor sell engage in the regular
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The Kings and Kingdoms of this
World
Question: Please explain Revelation 11:15.
Answer: I will explain this text to the best of my
understanding, but I promise you that it will not be according
to the general interpretation of this text in most religious
circles. I do not understand this text to refer to a future
time when Jesus Christ will come back to this earth and
establish a universal kingdom which shall reign over all the
kings and kingdoms of this world.
Before going further, I will insert the text which is to be
the center of this discussion. "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." Please note
that this was a permanent, eternal, unending reign (for ever
and ever) referred to here; not just a thousand years nor any
other measured duration.
This verse of Scripture refers to the glorious triumphs of the
gospel of Christ over the entire world and in all nations.
Paul said in Romans 10:18, "But I say, Have they not heard?
Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their
words unto the ends of the world." Jesus gave the commission
in Matthew 28:19, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,..."
The commission of Jesus is recorded by Mark in Mark 16:15,
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach
the gospel to every creature." As this commission has been
executed and the gospel has been proclaimed throughout the
world and to all nations, it has had a profound effect and
influence, and there have been converts to the Christian faith
in all nations and among all people.
When John had a vision of the entire redeemed company in
Revelation 7:9, he said: "After this I beheld, and, lo, a
great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations,
and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the
throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and
palms in their hands." In I Peter 2:9 Peter referred to the
people of God as "an holy nation." The "Holy Nation" of God is
composed of the saved people out of all of the nations. In
Ephesians 2:14-15, we read, "For he is our peace, who hath
made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of
partition between us;...for to make in himself of twain one
new man, so making peace." The "both" and the "twain" here
refer to the Jews and the Gentiles, and the converts from
among both of them constituted "one body" (verse 16) and make
up the "one new man" or one holy nation, or one kingdom. In
other words, the kingdom of God spread over the whole earth
and to all nations and people through the effects of the
gospel and there being converts to the Christian faith among
all the nations.
The conversion of the Gentiles and their influx into the
Church or Kingdom of God was prophesied throughout the Old
Testament. God told Abraham in Genesis 22:18, "And in thy seed
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;..." Paul refers
to this covenant between God and Abraham in Galatians 3:16,
"Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith
not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed,
which is Christ." Therefore, it is evident that this covenant
was confirmed in Christ, and He fulfilled it and through Him
the Kingdom of God extended over all the world because He
tasted death for every man.
Isaiah 49:6 says, "And he said, It is a light thing that thou
shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and
to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for
a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto
the end of the earth." In Isaiah 42:6 God was speaking to His
Son, Jesus, and said, "I the Lord have called thee in
righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee,
and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the
Gentiles." Isaiah 60 contains a prophecy of the glories of the
Church of God in this gospel age of time, and in verses 3-5 we
read, "And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to
the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about,
and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to
thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be
nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together,
and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the
abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces
of the Gentiles shall come unto thee."
In the 2nd Psalm, all of which is a prophecy of the coming of
Jesus and the attitude of the people toward Him, and the
effects of His work, etc., verse 1 says, "Why do the heathen
rage,...?" It has been the general pattern of the heathen
throughout their history to "rage" against the true and living
God Who gave them their being, by living in open rebellion
against Him and His holy will by not honoring Him as God but
setting up their own idol gods and worshipping them instead of
the true God. By this means, they fell into the deepest
depravity and degradation possible. Paul describes the depths
of their degradation and the cause of it in Romans 1:21-32.
Please read this entire passage. Psalm 2:8 says, "Ask of me,
and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and
the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession."
When the Jews at Antioch rejected the preaching of Paul and
Barnabas concerning Christ, they turned to the Gentiles saying
(Acts 13:47), "For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I
have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou
shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth." In
Daniel 7:14, when Daniel had a vision of the kingdom of God,
he said concerning Christ, "And there was given him dominion,
and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and
languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting
dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that
which shall not be destroyed." In a prophecy concerning
Christ's kingdom in Psalm 72:8 it says, "He shall have
dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the
ends of the earth." Paul declares these prophecies to be
fulfilled in his ministry.
The Kingdom of God was set up, set in order, and established
on the Day of Pentecost, and soon afterward the gospel was
preached unto the Gentiles and there were very many converts
among them, and the Gentiles were received into the Church of
God. So, it is evident that this was all fulfilled in the
atonement of Christ and the ministry of the early Church and
the converts to the Church throughout the succeeding
generations, and that the kingdoms of this world became the
Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ through the effects and
influence of the gospel. |
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The Beast and the Kings of the
Earth (Part 1)
Question: Please explain Revelation 19:19 and
Revelation 20:9.
Answer (part 1): Revelation 19:19 reads thus: "And I
saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies,
gathered together to make war against him that sat on the
horse, and against his army."
The first point to consider in this text is the "beast" and
what it represented. There are two beasts presented in the
Revelation but the second beast is more generally referred to
as the "False Prophet" and when the reference is to "The
Beast" it always refers to the first beast. The first
identifying mark of the beast is "seven heads and ten horns."
In the 17th chapter of Revelation this same beast appears
again as "a scarlet colored beast full of names of blasphemy,
having seven heads and ten horns." In this case this beast is
referred to as "A Beast" instead of "The Beast" as is common
in referring to him but the identifying marks are the same
seven heads, ten horns, and names of blasphemy (Revelation
17:3 and Revelation 13:1) so there can be no doubt of them
being the same beast.
In this 17th chapter of Revelation the beast has a gorgeous,
glamorous woman riding upon it. However, this woman is just as
corrupt and vile as she is gorgeous and glamorous. (Revelation
17:4-5.) Please read these verses. This beast with a woman
riding upon it would symbolize a vast political religious
combine. The kings of the earth have committed fornication
with this woman which would signify that the political rulers
and governments of the world exposed her cause, and supported
her, and accepted her corrupt and apostate system of worship
and worshiped at her shrine.
God chose a pure, chaste woman, exalted high above the world
and adorned with the rich, glorious virtues and graces of His
Son, Jesus Christ, to symbolize His true, pure Church.
(Revelation 12:1.) Here He chooses a vile, corrupt, abominable
woman decked out in all the gorgeous attire and ornaments of
the world, living a corrupt, abominable, dissolute life to
symbolize the corrupt, apostate church after which all the
world wondered. (Revelation 13:3.) This 17th chapter
identifies this false church or religious system more clearly
than the 13th chapter in which she was first introduced.
In Revelation 17:9-10 the seven heads are identified as seven
mountains on which the woman sitteth; and also seven kings of
which five are fallen, one is and one is yet to come. Verse 11
identifies "The Beast" as the 8th head but is actually of the
seventh and his end is that he goeth into perdition. Here is
described the city of Rome which actually is situated on seven
mountains and also the kingdom or empire of Rome which
actually had seven kings or forms of government during its
existence. Five of them had already fallen at the time the
Revelation was given and one was in existence then and one was
yet to come. Then verse 12 identifies the ten horns as ten
kings which had not yet received their kingdoms. This
represents the 10 minor kingdoms which grew out of the Roman
Empire during its decline and fall. Gibbon, in his history of
the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, gives the details of
all of this and the names of all the forms of government and
of the minor kingdoms which I will not insert here for the
sake of space. Then verse 13 says these all have one mind and
give their strength unto "The Beast." |
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The Beast and the Kings of the
Earth (Part 2)
Question: Please explain Revelation 19:19 and
Revelation 20:9.
Answer (part 2): It is clear that the double symbol we
have here (the beast and the woman riding on it) identifies a
political/religious system and indicates that they are
intertwined in each other. It identifies Rome as the seat of
government and the Roman Empire as the vehicle and support of
the religious system. Then the beast with its woman rider
could represent no other than the Roman Catholic Church with
its hierarchical government.
The beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies would
signify the whole combine of the Roman Catholic Hierarchy,
with the kings of the earth that gave their strength to the
beast with all the votaries of the religious system and even
the support of the military arm of the empire which was
sometimes used in enforcing the edicts of the Pope, the
supreme head of the church. These all came together to make
war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army.
In Revelation 19:11-16, we have a description of the rider on
the white horse. He was called FAITHFUL AND TRUE (verse 11).
He judged and made war in righteousness (verse 11). He had
many crowns on His head and His eyes were as a flame of fire
(verse 12). He was clothed in a vesture dipped in blood and
His name was called THE WORD OF GOD (verse 13). The name
written on Him was KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS (verse
16). It would be impossible for anyone to fulfill all this
description except the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. His army
would be the great company of the redeemed, born again,
blood-washed souls who followed the Lamb whithersoever He
went. To get an idea of the bitter conflict that raged between
the followers of Jesus Christ and this great false and
apostate system in which many millions of the saints lost
their lives in the most gruesome and hideous ways that the
devil himself could conceive of at the hands of the beast
power of Rome, read Fox's Book of Martyrs. This went on for
1260 years which was the time allotted to the beast to rule.
(Revelation 13:5.) The 42 months in this text would amount to
1260 days (30 days to the month) and according to the
prophetic rule of calculating time (a day for a year) this
would amount to 1260 years.
Revelation 20:9 says, "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." Now who are "THEY"? Verse 8 says that Gog and
Magog gathered themselves together to battle. Gog and Magog
represent the entire combine of the false religions of the
world. There have been three major systems of false religions
in the world through the Christian era Paganism, Papalism (The
Beast), and Protestantism (The Second Beast or The False
Prophet). These have succeeded one another in the order given
above. These have all been on the stage of action one at a
time. However, in the final windup we see them all coming
together in one mighty combine and all operating together at
the same time to stamp out the Church of the living God (the
beloved city) and to destroy the truth and the true saints
from the earth.
Revelation 20:10 speaks of the devil that deceived them being
cast into the lake of fire where the beast and false prophet
are. The devil in this text refers to paganism which was
represented by a great red dragon in Revelation 12 and in
Revelation 20:2 was called the devil and Satan. This godless
religion was concocted by the devil himself and permeated by
him and through it he deceived the nations of the earth.
However, this was put down by the power of the gospel of Jesus
Christ and the light of truth and is said in this verse to be
bound, but down in the time of the end he is said to be loosed
to go forth to deceive the nations again. (Revelation 20:7.)
Verse 10 tells of his end in the lake of fire with the beast
and false prophet to be tormented for ever and ever.
Both of these texts (Revelation 19:19 and Revelation 20:9) are
related and refer to the same operation but in different
stages of it. It is all contained in the battle of that great
day of God Almighty also known as the Battle of Armageddon.
This is a great spiritual conflict between the saints of God
and the votaries of every false religion in the world, between
truth and error, between light and darkness. Revelation 19:19
describes the mustering of these forces for the battle. We are
in the very vortex of it now. Revelation 20:9 describes the
battle as it comes to its roaring climax with the coming of
the Lord who appears in flaming fire to rescue His saints who
are hemmed in on every side and accomplish the complete
overthrow and eternal destruction of the entire combine of
false religions. |
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