Tag Archives: Elect

Zechariah

Zechariah 4

Chapter 4 of Zechariah takes place during the second half of the Great Tribulation, while satan is on earth posing as antichrist, the false messiah. This chapter runs parallel to Revelation 11, which teaches about the two witnesses and their role in the last days.

(Zec 4:1) And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,

Zechariah is being awoken from his sleep, but this sleep is a spiritual slumber that keeps us from understanding God’s deeper truths. Since he is no longer asleep, his eyes are being opened to another spiritual lesson that he is to share with us in the last generation.

(Rom 11:7-10) What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.

(Zec 4:2) And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:

(Zec 4:3) And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

(Zec 4:4) So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?

(Zec 4:5) Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.

The angel will be explaining this vision shortly.

(Zec 4:6) Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Zerubbabel is word #H2216 in the Hebrew  section of the Strong’s Concordance.

H2216
זרבּבל
zerûbbâbel
zer-oob-baw-bel’
From H2215 and H894; descended of (that is, from) Babylon, that is, born there; Zerubbabel, an Israelite: – Zerubbabel.

The word, Zerubbabel, comes from words H2215 and H894, in the Hebrew.

H2215
זרב
zârab
zaw-rab’
A primitive root; to flow away: – wax warm.

H894
בּבל
bâbel
baw-bel’
From H1101; confusion; Babel (that is, Babylon), including Babylonia and the Babylonian empire: – Babel, Babylon.

Therefore, when we look at the name Zerubbabel closely, it is Hebrew for, “Coming out of confusion.” This is what you do when you begin to understand the deeper lessons God has for you in the Bible. This is what happens when you begin to receive your spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear.

This verse is telling Zechariah to speak to those whose spiritual eyes and ears are open to understanding the knowledge of God. This understanding comes from God through His Holy Spirit, and no matter how intelligent you think you are, or how smart you are by man’s standards, if you are given the spirit of slumber, you’re just not going to get it. Do you have eyes to see and ears to hear?

(Zec 4:7) Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

In biblical symbology, a mountain is a nation, so this is a great nation. In the end times, the great nation is the one world government system. However great it may be, when Jesus returns, He is going to destroy the whole entire thing and anything else He doesn’t like. He will slay the first and second beasts of the tribulation, and He’ll bury them. Satan will be able to operate in the last days only under the authority of God, and when God says his time is up, it’ll end in the blink of an eye.

(Zec 4:8) Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

(Zec 4:9) The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.

In the book of Ezra, Zerubbabel was one of the men who help lay the foundation of the second temple in Jerusalem, at the House of God, Bethel, when some of the Israelites were allowed to return there.

(Ezr 3:1-10) And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening. They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required; And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the LORD. From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid. They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia. Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the LORD. Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites. And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.

The original Zerubbabel began building this temple, and with the help of those who have come out of confusion in this last generation, who have or will receive the Seal of God, Jesus’ Millennial temple will be built as well (read Ezekiel 40-48). And, once Jesus Christ has returned and rules from earth in His new temple, the entire world will know who He is and will bow to Him.

(Zec 4:10) For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

God’s elect may be individual people, but with God’s support, anything can be accomplished. The elect will rejoice when they see this temple built, and they will be the ones who help to make it upright and keep it righteous. The plummet is a tool known today as a plumb bob, and it is used to make sure that what you are constructing is perfectly vertical, and that is a symbol for doing things God’s way. These elect watchmen, the eyes of the Lord, are the same eyes in the last chapter when we were told about the stone with seven eyes. Jesus is the stone and the seven eyes are His 7000 predestinated elect, who are people placed all over the earth that know and understand God’s plan, and who see that it comes to pass the way it was written.

A few of you reading this may be God’s watchmen.

(Zec 4:11) Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?

Now back to the first part of the vision. These two olive trees are the same two men we read about in Revelation 11, the two witnesses. They stand by the body of Christ, the true Christians on earth, represented here by a golden candle stick. Gold, in the Bible, represents the pure truth of God, by which the body of Christ lives.

(Zec 4:12) And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?

Each of these olive trees had a branch, from which the golden [olive] oil, representing the Holy Spirit carrying God’s truth and knowledge, flows to God’s elect, which themselves are represented in this vision by the seven lamps on top of the golden candlestick, and in-turn shine their light through the darkness of the tribulation.

For more information on this golden oil, check out this article: The Parable of the Ten Virgins.

(Zec 4:13) And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.

(Zec 4:14) Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

The two witnesses are two of God’s most trusted servants, who, since the time of satan’s rebellion (and ever before), have been completely faithful to Him.

How about you? Do you feel God can count on you to help carry out his plan? Well, prove it to Him! He can’t use you unless you understand His plan. And how do you learn His plan? You must study His Word in the Bible deeply. Otherwise you will receive the spirit of slumber and strong delusion, and there will be a long road ahead for you.

God bless!

Zechariah

Zechariah 3

1 Comment

In the first two chapters of Zechariah, we have learned about the last generation, and we’ve learned about the beginning of the Millennium. In this chapter, let’s look at what else Zechariah has to say about the end times.

(Zec 3:1) And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.

The story of Joshua, in the history of the Israelites, was intended by God to be a parallel to what Jesus would do here on earth after the tribulation. Just as Joshua led God’s people into the Holy Land, Jesus will lead God’s people, after antichrist is defeated, into the Holy Land as well.

The name, Joshua, is actually the Anglicization of Jesus’ name in Hebrew. Joshua, in Hebrew, is Yeshua, as the Hebrew letter, yod, is often given a hard J sound when transliterated to English. The name, Yeshua, in Greek is Iesous–the Y, in Yeshua, is changed to an I, as that has the same sound in Greek, and Greek names generally end in as, es, or us. So, the ua ending, in Yeshua, is changed to ous. Thus, we have Yeshua changing to Iesous, when going from Hebrew to Greek. When the Greek name, Iesous, is changed to English, the I sound is also changed to a hard J, and the ous ending is changed simply to a us ending, and thus, we get the name Jesus.

You may hear lots of stories about how the name Jesus came about, but truly, the names were changed in each language because they didn’t have the ability either to pronounce the name or spell the name in the other languages (because the alphabets are different in each language), and therefore, they had to change, or be transliterated, to accommodate the speakers of different languages.

So, the story of Joshua was actually prophecy of Jesus Christ Himself, and He is our High Priest, after the order of Melchizedek, and He is standing in front of the angel of the Lord (which is the Lord Himself) to remind us of this parallel. And satan, as he always does, is opposing Him.

(Zec 3:2) And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

God is chastising satan and, as we know, He chose Jerusalem as His city surrounding His favorite place on earth. This is mentioned just in case there is any question which God we are reading about here–it is the one and only true God.

Joshua is being referred to as a brand plucked out of the fire, which means he is one of God’s elect, as His elect are persecuted on earth, and they withstand the fire of this persecution and the tribulation itself, just to prod satan in the process.

(Zec 3:3) Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.

These filthy garments used to clothe Joshua in this vision represent the sins of true Christians, which Jesus willingly bears. As He bears our sins, we are clothed in white linen robes that are washed clean with His blood. He will be wearing white linen robes too but, for the purposes of this vision, the fact that He bears our sins is being pointed out.

(Zec 3:4) And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

Now just as we have our sins taken from us, as Christians, and are given pure white robes, this is happening to Joshua, but also, Jesus will be wearing gleaming white clothing. So this sin, or iniquity, is being taken away as if it had never happened.

(Zec 3:5) And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by.

A mitre is a head dress. In the Gospel Armor, given to us in Ephesians 6, the helmet is salvation through Jesus Christ. Salvation is not only represented by a helmet, but hair, or any other headwear. In this verse, it is called a mitre. So, Joshua receives this head dress or crown of salvation, and his pure white linens washed clean of sin.

(Zec 3:6) And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying,

(Zec 3:7) Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.

We know the Lord sits on the Great White Throne of Judgment, at the end of the Millennium, but His elect are also given the role of judges during the Millennium, and they will live with Him in His inner sanctuary.

For more information, check out Ezekiel 44.

(Zec 3:8) Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.

The world will be in awe over Jesus and His elect, during the Millennium, but that is what Jesus intended to provoke everyone else to be jealous and want to correct their ways. Those who are true and faithful to Him will be branches on His olive tree, so to speak, and those who have not been faithful will either be broken off, or will have never been branches at all (Romans 11).

(Zec 3:9) For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

The stone with seven eyes, before Joshua, represents Jesus’ 7000 watchmen, who are here on earth during the last generation, through the tribulation. And when Jesus returns, He will consume all sin and all that offends Him, immediately, with His consuming fire. It will all be burned up (2 Peter 3).

(Zec 3:10) In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.

On the Day of the Lord, we will be entering a new age, and everyone will be either in the presence of the Lord, with Him as His closest confidants, or they will be striving to earn that place for a thousand years. There will be one main purpose on earth and everyone will be living for the Lord, or they will perish in the lake of fire after the Great White Throne Judgment.

Do you want to be a good fig or a bad fig? Anyone can be a branch on Jesus’ olive tree, but you better make that choice very soon.

God bless!

Reference Notes

Rebellion of Satan

5 Comments

At one time, during the First Earth Age, when we were all spiritual beings that most people call angels, and all was peaceful (Job 38:7), Satan was the most beautiful and powerful of God’s angels; he was created to be the cherub that guarded the Mercy Seat. However, due to the fact that God created all of His children with free will, Satan developed pride and arrogance, and decided he was worthy of being worshiped, and not only that, but he decided that he was more powerful than God. So, because of this self-exaltation, he decided to lead a rebellion against God, and set up a hierarchy (Rev 12:3) similar to the one he will influence during the Tribulation, and take as many of God’s children away from Him as he could (Isa 14:12-14, Eze 28:14-17, Rev 12:3-4).

When this rebellion began, some of God’s children immediately took a stand for God and against Satan (Rom 8:26-39, 11:2-5, Eph 1:4-5). Then there were some who took a direct stand against God and for Satan (Rev 12:4). Aside from those two groups, we can deduce (because those who followed God He made His elect who cannot possibly stray from God, and those who immediately followed Satan were his most loyal who willingly became fallen angels who are sentenced to be destroyed, as they have chosen their destiny) that there was a third part who were lukewarm and could not decide who was worthy of their allegiance, but because of their indecision, were mostly deceived by Satan. This third group were essentially on the fence, and for the most part still are to this day until they care enough to decide to get off the fence and take a stand, either for God, or Satan.

As a result of this rebellion, God split eternity, eternity past from eternity future, and cleared off the earth and recreated it to insert the age we currently occupy, the Second Earth Age, and He mandated that each of us be born once in the flesh, through the womb of a mother (Heb 9:26-27). We would be born without memory of the world that was in the First Earth Age (2Pet 3:4-5), and this would be a test to each of us, in this controlled scenario, whether we would choose to follow God, or Satan by default (or even by choice) (Gen 1:2-31, Psa 104:5-14, Jer 4:22-27, 2Pet 3:5-9).

Because of the free will, which God gave each of us, there were some who chose not to be born through the womb, but instead continue to rebel against God’s will (Gen 6:1-4, Jud 1:4-6) and follow the same path that Satan took during this age. Of course, God also had His most loyal followers whom He chose from the time of the rebellion, and to these God would give a very important role while on earth in the flesh (Jer 1:5, Rom 8:28-30, 9:9-21, 11:2-5).

Our whole existence here on earth in these flesh bodies is a direct result of the Rebellion of Satan, and all of what we see and read in the Bible has a very specific part in God’s plan, which will ultimately end in an ideal Kingdom of Heaven led by God in His full glory after the Millennium.

 

Revelation

Revelation 7

Now we have arrived at the final sealing of God’s elect. In the previous chapter, we were given the first 6 seals on the book given to the Lamb to open sequentially. Each of these seals was a bit of knowledge that the servants of our God are to possess before the arrival of Antichrist. Though the 7000 predestinated elect would be born in this final generation to receive and teach this knowledge, the 144,000, about whom we will read in this chapter, have also shown themselves faithful enough, in the flesh, to be given this understanding and make a stand against Antichrist, during the Tribulation. After this Seal of God is placed in God’s elect, they are protected from receiving the Mark of the Beast because they will not be able to be deceived into worshiping Antichrist. Aside from the 144,000, who belong to the tribes of Israel all over the earth, there are also elect that God has put into the other races of the world, called kings of the ethnos. Anyone who has not been sealed will worship Antichrist and the beast system, and they will receive the Mark of the Beast.

(Rev 7:1) And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

These four angels holding back the four winds are the four archangels, who are basically the generals of God’s army of His elect in Heaven. They are holding back the four winds (or spirits), the chief angels of satan, about which we will read in Revelation 9:14-15.

On another level, on the flip side, this verse may additionally be telling us that, by the time Antichrist arrives, all of the souls in Heaven will have been born in the flesh. The wind here often represents the breath of life, while the sea represents the people of the earth, and trees represent people as well. Each soul receives one chance to live and die on earth, as we are told in Hebrews 9:27 (including those who have died in the womb), and this chance is to see what that person will do with their flesh life, choose God or satan, by default.

The hypothesis is that, because when Antichrist is on earth, the world will expect a dawning of a new age because they will think that the Messiah has returned, and so they will not think it strange for there to be no more pregnancies. And for most of those of us who know better, it would make sense that all souls would be born by then because those who are not sealed by the time Antichrist arrives are too late to be sealed anyway, and therefore, they would not have a chance to be sealed or to hear the Gospel in their lives. In the second half of the Tribulation, the half in which Antichrist is here, there will be a famine for hearing the Word of God, according to Amos 8–the world shall seek it, but not be able to find it and be fed this Bread of Life.

(Rev 7:2) And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

(Rev 7:3) Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

These four chief demons of satan are told to wait until God’s servants are sealed for protection before they torment those on earth. They are allowed only to torment those who have the Mark of the Beast, as we are told in Revelation 9.

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

At this point, since these four winds are being held back, the sealing will now take place. And as far as the sealing of the 144,000, there will be an equal share of those from each tribe, 12,000. However, you will notice that there is no mention of Dan because they were removed from this inheritance, in this earth age, due to idolatry. In Dan’s place, Joseph’s inheritance was split in two with his sons Manasseh and Ephraim. In these verses, Ephraim is listed as Joseph, while Manasseh was listed separately. Dan will once again be returned to its position and blessing during the Millennium, as we read in Ezekiel 48.

(Rev 7:5) Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

(Rev 7:6) Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.

(Rev 7:7) Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.

(Rev 7:8) Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

This was the sealing of the 12 tribes of Israel who have been scattered all over the earth and, along with the 7000, are the most faithful Christians on earth.

(Rev 7:9) 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;

After the sealing, John saw a vision, that took place after the Tribulation, in which there was a great magnitude of people surrounding the throne of Christ, and they were all wearing white robes and had palms in their hands. The white robes of these saints are made up of the righteous works of each person (Revelation 19:7-8), while the palms are fronds from the date palm tree, or phoinix in the Greek. The date palm represents eternal life, as these trees can be used for a great multitude of life-sustaining purposes, and are very important throughout the Bible.

(Rev 7:10) And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

(Rev 7:11) And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

(Rev 7:12) Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

These most faithful saints are completely content in praising the Lord by the seven spirits, blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power and might, about which we learned in Revelation 5.

(Rev 7:13) And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

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

This angel told John that these 144,000, along with the rest of the saints, are those who went through the Great Tribulation, and by the blood of Christ, they washed their robes, or righteous acts clean.

(Rev 7:15) Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

(Rev 7:16) They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

They will never be hungry for the Lord, the Word of God, because, from the beginning of the Millennium on, they will serve Him personally serve Him in His temple, and they will never suffer any trials or tribulation again.

(Rev 7:17) For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

They will receive eternal spiritual, incorruptible bodies at the time Jesus returns, after the Tribulation, and they will drink from the Living Water that flows from Jesus, which ensures they will never suffer again.

How badly would you like to be in this position of the 144,000? Well, no matter who you are, if you are counted among His most faithful, and are this sealed by God, you will receive these blessings and be with Jesus from the time He returns and forever.

God bless.

Revelation

Revelation 6

1 Comment

In chapter 6 of Revelation, we are entering the more prophetic portion of the book. In the last two chapters, 4 & 5, we were told by John of those in heaven who are waiting in anticipation to see these things finally come to pass, and found that the only One Who was perfect enough to be allowed to open the seals of the scroll is the Lamb, Jesus Christ Who was sacrificed once and for all times to cover our sins. Let’s see what will happen as each of the seals is opened and what they mean to us.

(Rev 6:1) And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

Christ wants John to observe what things He will show him next. These are things that He wants John to write and share with everyone; it isn’t meant to be a mystery tossed aside and forgotten about due to lack of interest. These seals are meant to be understood to prepare us for the Tribulation, so that we will know what is going on and will not be deceived by the convincing deception of satan.

(Rev 6:2) And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

As He opens the first seal, we see a white horse, and this horse represents the Hidden Dynasty of Religion. The rider of the this white horse is satan, coming in the role of Antichrist; and he is trying to impersonate Jesus, and bring in the one world religion. The bow that he is carrying, although it is often thought to be a bow and arrow, in the Greek, is toxon, which is a cheap imitation of the rainbow of glorious light that will surround Jesus Christ when He returns. Antichrist will be coming to conquer the world as a false messiah, that all but God’s elect will be deceived into worshiping, and he will be bringing a false world peace that the whole world will accept because they believe that the Savior of the world has returned.

The one world religion will take advantage of the governmental structure of the one world political system, but will put all power under satan, as Antichrist, for its de facto leader, with his fallen angels serving under him as his lieutenants.

(Rev 6:3) And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

(Rev 6:4) And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

This second seal unleashes a red horse, and this horse represents the Hidden Dynasty of Politics; its rider is the raiser of taxes which will head the first beast one world government, and he will do so in the power of the dragon, satan. This first beast will pretend to bring world peace, but it is really an enforced world peace that will actually be preparing the world to be killed in a spiritual sense once they accept and worship Antichrist, later on. Those people who have been deceived all along as far as world religions will also be perpetuating the deception themselves through the false Sword, the many deceptions of satan, as they truly have no understanding of the Word of God, so they will be helping to cause the spiritual deaths of those they believe they are leading to God.

The nations, over the centuries, have been moving closer and closer to a political system that  brings the nations together into and under one legislative, judicial and executive body. In 1945, these efforts came to fruition with the United Nations, but this is not the ultimate iteration of the one world government. It was however a major step in the direction of satan’s plan for world domination.

(Rev 6:5) And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

The third seal is the black horse, which represents the Hidden Dynasty of Economy. The dynasty of the economy brings in the world economy that backs the exploits of the one world government financially, and puts the people of the world into bondage financially through taxes and inflation, credit and wealth redistribution, which all ultimately fund the one world government through its own taxes and wealth redistribution.

(Rev 6:6) And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

(Amo 8:4) Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,

(Amo 8:5) Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?

(Amo 8:6) That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?

The balances that the rider of the black horse are falsified balances that are putting a financial burden and strain on the citizens of the world through the economic dynasty. The above verses of Amos are referring to inflation, and offering of the poorest quality of products for sale, to make the most prophet, which is all orchestrated by this dynasty.

(Rev 6:7) And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

(Rev 6:8) And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

The fourth seal is the pale horse, which represent the Hidden Dynasty of Education. This dynasty of education is the least obvious dynasty of them all, to most people and that is the whole goal of the dynasty. It more-or-less brainwashes the citizens of the world into accepting the lies of the other dynasties so they will not be noticed until it is too late. Of course, the rider of this horse is satan, as he is the one behind all deception and miseducation in the world because it makes him happy when God’s children are led astray form Him.

This brainwashing is accomplished through the school and university systems, as well as through the media: news, the music industry, the movie and television industries. People are reeducated into accepting the lower standards of ideals and morals that the education dynasty wants to promote to its unwitting consumers. It also distracts the world and redirects its attention from the issues and events of real importance, so that the other dynasties can take hold and accomplish their goals without detection.

(Amo 8:11) Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

(Amo 8:12) And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.

The reeducation, or uneducation, depending on how you look at it, will lead to the spiritual deaths of those who are brainwashed by it because they will accept the one world system and Antichrist, in the end, and thus receive the mark of the beast. By the time Antichrist is here, no one will be able to hear or understand the truth in God’s Word because the sealing of God’s servants will have already been accomplished, and this is to protect them from being deceived to accepting Antichrist and receiving the mark of the beast. People will not be able to consume the Word of God or drink from the Water of life.

(Hos 4:6) My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

(Hos 4:7) As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.

As a result of their lack of biblical study, the people of the world will be led away from God and are, for the most part, spiritually dead.

(Dan 7:6) After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

This beast mentioned in Daniel, the four-headed leopard, is a beast that blends into the people of the world, and goes undetected throughout history, though it has been gaining momentum for thousands of years, from the times of the kings of Israel, and to today. The four heads represent the Four Hidden Dynasties established by a group of people called the kenites, or keniyem, in the Hebrew.

(Deu 32:5) They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.

These are the false jews mentioned in Rev 2:9 and 3:9, and they are called kenites. These false jews worked their way into the temple early on in Israelite history as nethinim, servants in the temple, and then became scribes, and later became the priests themselves, who established the priestly orders of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and conceived and wrote the Talmud. They were believed to be Levitical priests of the southern kingdom of Judah, later known as the land of Judea, and thus called Jews. This is part of a greater plan of deception that has been in the works and will culminate with the one world government, or First Beast of the Tribulation.

These Four Hidden Dynasties began when the kenites entered into temple service thousands of years ago, and thus the religious dynasty was the earliest to have begun. Next was the political dynasty hundreds of years ago, which has been working toward a unification of political power in the world. After this, the economic dynasty was begun to aide in the establishment of the political dynasty. And finally, the educational dynasty was started to help to deceive the world into accepting these established powers as they each gnaw away at the collective freedoms and intellect of the people of the world.

The four dynasties, however, will be finalized in reverse order, with the education dynasty being all but finished at this present time. Then the world economic dynasty is the next to be finalized through the World Bank and other financial and economic systems. Thirdly, the political dynasty will be fully established once the one world government is completely in control, only to be threatened by the deadly head wound. And lastly, the final dynasty to be solidified is the religious dynasty, under the one world religion led by Antichrist, which combines all world religions, that have been gradually merged into the belief that all religions are basically the same and unified under the same messiah–which is not true of course because there is only one Jesus Christ, and all other messiahs are false. All other messiahs have led to Antichrist, as well as has the misunderstood conception of Jesus Christ pushed by milky churches who do not truly understand who Jesus Christ is.

(Zec 1:18) Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns.

(Zec 1:19) And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

Once Zechariah lifted up his eyes, meaning that he awakened spiritually and opened up his spiritual eyes too understand the deeper things that God wants him to understand, he saw these horns, the Four Hidden Dynasties, that caused the tribes of Israel to be scattered and confused as to their true identities.

(Rev 6:9) 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:

These souls who were slain for the Word of God are martyrs and so they are said to be under the altar, as they are a type of sacrifice because they held the Gospel to a higher value than their own lives, and did not flinch to sacrifice their lives for it.

(Rev 6:10) 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?

They are seeing all these things taking place on the earth throughout the ages and are praying that God will allow it to come to an end soon. However, it cannot end until all the souls in Heaven have had a chance to be born in the flesh. God wants His justice to be done, but He is patient so that all the souls have a chance, in His plan, to come to salvation through Jesus Christ.

(Rev 6:11) 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.

These souls wear robes made of white linens, white representing truth and purity, that are made up of their righteous acts, and washed clean in the blood of Christ through His grace. They are resting and preparing to return with Jesus Christ as His army, after the Tribulation, to wipe out satan’s army on earth in the battle of Armageddon.

(Jud 1:14) And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

(Jud 1:15) To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

(Rev 6:12) And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

The sixth seal is the understanding of who Antichrist is and what his plan is at its entirety. It is understanding of how he will enter in and the tricks he will pull and the flood of lies he will bring with him.

(Rev 13:12) And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

(Rev 13:13) And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

(Rev 13:14) And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

Antichrist will be given miraculous power by God to deceive the world, while he is here, that he is the Messiah as also told in 2 Thessalonians.

(Rev 12:14) And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

(Rev 12:15) And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

(Rev 6:13) And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

Satan will be cast to earth with his fallen angels, and the unripe figs, that would have been good figs, the Christians who want to be faithful to Christ, will allow themselves to be harvested early by Antichrist because they think that Jesus has returned.

(Rev 12:6) And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

This 1230 days represents the first half of the Tribulation, that was known to be three and a half years before it had been officially shortened by Jesus for the sake of His elect.

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

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

(Rev 12:9) And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

(Rev 12:10) 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.

During the first half of the Tribulation, after satan released his fallen angels from the bottomless pit, they fought God and His angles in Heaven once again, but satan lost this battle and was cast down to earth with his angels, at which time he would take control of the world as Antichrist.

(Rev 6:14) And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

When Antichrist arrives, there will be a grand entrance, that will be nothing when compared with Jesus’ arrival, but will be great enough to deceive everyone in the world except God’s elect. The world powers, the seven heads of the beast or mountains, of the one world government will be shaken as he will assume de facto power of the world with his one world religious system.

(Rev 6:15) And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

The leaders of the world in the one world government will believe that the Messiah has returned and they will hide in shame because of the evils they have done and the lack of faith they have had in his return, though of course he will not be the true Messiah.

(Rev 6:16) And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

(Rev 6:17) For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

They will expect great wrath from this false messiah, but as we see in Daniel 11:21 to the end, he will enter peaceably and prosperously.

There is still one seal left, the 7th seal. We will learn in the next chapter a little more about this 6th seal, and then in chapter 8, we will learn just what the 7th seal is.

How about you? Do you know what to expect in the end times? Are you sealed? Would you like to be before Antichrist arrives? Well there is still time, but don’t get lazy, and procrastinate.

God bless.

Revelation

Revelation 5

1 Comment

In Chapter 5, John is about to be revealed the 7 seals, which are knowledge that we are to understand, before entering the Tribulation, that will keep us from being deceived by the flood of lies issued by Antichrist. All of God’s faithful servants are to be sealed by the Holy Spirit with this understanding, this will be complete just before Antichrist arrives. Those who are not sealed with this knowledge by that point, will not be protected from receiving the mark of the beast. Each time a seal is broken, new understanding is revealed to those on earth to whom the Holy Spirit will reveal this knowledge. But first, we will need to find out who has the power to open the seals of the book from which this knowledge will come. Whom do you think has the power to open these seals and give this knowledge to the servants of God?

(Rev 5:1) And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

John was observing the One Who was sitting on the throne, which is God, Whom he was seeing in the last chapter. This is just a continuation of what we read in chapter 4. God had this book in His right hand, which signifies power and action. God is a God of action–He doesn’t just sit back and watch. He has a hand in all the events of the world to ensure His plan comes to pass just as He has told us. At the right hand of the Godhead is Christ, the Son, which performs the actions of God (the right hand represents power and action), because He is God.

(Rev 5:2) And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

This angel is searching Heaven at its entirety to find anyone that is able to open these seals of understanding. He who has the power to open these seals has the power to give this understanding to God’s servants on earth, His elect.

(Rev 5:3) And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

(Rev 5:4) And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

In all his searching, the angel could not find even one man in heaven, or anywhere that was able to give this understanding to the servants of God. This troubled John greatly.

(Rev 5:5) And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

(Rev 5:6) And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

John was reassured by one of the 24 elders that there was in fact One who was perfect enough to be able to open these seven seals, and it was Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was sacrificed once and for all times for our sins. He lived a perfect life while here in on earth in the flesh, yet He allowed Himself to be punished for all our sins if we accept Him as our Lord and Savior.

The seven eyes represent His 7000 watchmen, or elect, who are on the earth currently in this final generation. They are the same as the seven eyes on the stone, in Zechariah 3, which also represents Christ and His 7000 predestinated servants, about which we learned in Romans 11.

The seven spirits of God, as we learned in the last chapter’s discussion, are power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing.

(Rev 5:7) And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

(Rev 5:8) And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

The Lamb, Christ, the Son, took the book out of the right hand of the Father because He had the power and authority to open these seals. The four beasts, the zoa called cherubim, and the 24 elders had harps, presumably for praise of God, and golden vials (golden construction representing God’s pure truth), which held the prayers of the saints, God’s elect. The saints are those who have never strayed from God, not during satan’s rebellion, not throughout their life on earth, and not even during the Tribulation when Antichrist will spew out his flood of lies. These prayer, God never forgets, and His answers to these prayers are in our best interest, whether they are yes answers or no answers.

(Rev 5:9) And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

(Rev 5:10) And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

The zoa and 24 elders then began praising Jesus Christ for what He has done for all of us on earth.

(Rev 5:11) And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

(Rev 5:12) Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

These angels are those who had lived and died on earth in Christ. They have been redeemed and given salvation. These are the saints who will be returning with Jesus, in His second coming, as His army, and they are also praising Christ along with the zoa and the 24 elders.

(Rev 5:13) And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 

Christ will be on this throne forever and ever, as there is no who is more worthy and satan will have completely failed in his rebellion to take over heaven. Once we enter the Eternal Kingdom of Heaven, in the third earth age, there will be no evil left and we will never have to worry about another rebellion.

(Rev 5:14) And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

And everyone said “Amen.”

There is never anything to worry about because God is always on the throne, from the beginning, and now, and forever. Once you truly understand that, then no one can cause you fear or worry. Do you understand that?

God bless.

Reference Notes

Godhead

5 Comments

The Godhead (as it is called in the Bible, Romans 1:18-21, Colossians 2:9), or Trinity (as many Christians refer to it), is our one and only God (Exodus 20:1-3, Deuteronomy 5:6-7, 6:4-5), but He has three forms that He takes depending on the situation, and He always is in all three forms simultaneously. For example, take H2O: H2O can take the form of ice, water and steam, and it can take all three forms at the same time, in different places. They are all H2O, and they can even change from one form to another in any given place, but all three have their own unique properties. The same is true with the Godhead.

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all God (Matthew 28:18-20), and God is one, as there is only one true God, but God is such that He can be anywhere and everywhere at the same time, and perform different roles and take different forms depending on the situation.

The Godhead of God has always existed in all three parts together, since the beginning (John 1:1-14). The Father is effectively the Brains of this operation–He is the part of God that is the creative mind. We see the Son mentioned throughout the Bible, even in the Old Testament, as He is the part of God that interacts with man in a form that is able to be comprehended by man. He was in the fire with Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego in Daniel 3. He visited Ezekiel in numerous occasions. Abraham paid tithe to Him, as He was known as Melchizedek, the King of Righteousness (Genesis 14:18-20, Hebrews 7). He wrestled with Jacob before He renamed him Israel (Genesis 32:24-32). And so on. It was even this form of God, the Son, that created the world (Genesis 1, John 1:3-4, Ephesians 3:8-12). The Son sits at the right hand of the Father, and this is a euphemism meaning that the Son performs the actions of the Father–the right hand signifies power and work and completion of actions.

The part of the Godhead, called the Son, was born into the flesh as Jesus Christ (John 1:14, 2 Corinthians 4:11, 1 Colossians 2:6-12, Timothy 3:16), and went through this flesh life in order to gain first hand experience, and because He would not put us through something that He is not also willing to go through. This is the sign of the ultimate Leader. Through this experience in the flesh, He would better be able to relieve all our suffering and temptation we go through in these flesh bodies (Hebrews 2). Because of all this, Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.

The Holy Spirit is the Comforter (John 14:16-31) that Jesus sent to the world after His crucifixion, and it is this part of the Godhead that fills us when we truly accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. It is the Holy Spirit that guides us as Christians to keep us on the right path to please God. And it is the Holy Spirit that will speak through the mouths of His elect during the Tribulation to fulfill God’s plan.

Topic Discussions

Study to Show Yourself Approved

(2Ti 2:15) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

What does this mean?

You might say to yourself, “Why do I need to study in order to be approved by God? Once I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior, doesn’t that mean I am saved and guaranteed eternal life?”

And you would be correct, those who truly accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are saved, but that’s not what we are talking about here. Salvation means that you will not suffer the second death by being thrown into the Lake of Fire. However, there is a long period that precedes the Great White Throne Judgment and the possible sentence of the Lake of Fire. This time is the 1000-year period we call the Millennium.

Now, if we truly accept Jesus Christ and love Him, would we not want to spend as much time with Him as we possibly can? Sure we would, and this is why we study the Bible–it is the Word of God. And do you not know that Jesus is the Word, the Living Word?

(Joh 1:1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

(Joh 1:2) The same was in the beginning with God.

(Joh 1:3) All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

(Joh 1:4) In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

(Joh 1:5) And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

(Joh 1:6) There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

(Joh 1:7) The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

(Joh 1:8) He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

(Joh 1:9) That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

(Joh 1:10) He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

(Joh 1:11) He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

(Joh 1:12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

(Joh 1:13) Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

(Joh 1:14) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

We are told here that Jesus is the Word of God in the Flesh. And the Word is God, and always has been. So if we truly love Jesus, He expects us to spend time to get to know Him, and we do this by studying the Bible.

In the above verse from 2 Timothy 2, the word ‘study’ is translated from the Greek word ‘spoudazo’ which means to give and honest effort or to be diligent. This is what we are being told to do in reading God’s Word. If we do not put this honest effort into studying and knowing God’s Word, then we are allowing ourselves to be deceived by satan and his flood of lies because we won’t know any better. Thus, if we do not have a love for studying God’s Word, then God will send us strong delusion so that we would believe a lie–as we see below:

(2Th 2:9) Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

(2Th 2:10) And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

(2Th 2:11) And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

(2Th 2:12) That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Now, this is not a final condemnation; it is for a specific purpose. When someone is allowed to believe the lies of satan while he is here as antichrist, they will believe he is Jesus, and they will then worship him and receive the mark of the beast. These people who have gone astray from Jesus by following antichrist will have the Millennium to be taught right from wrong and to be disciplined. The shame and humiliation of having been duped by satan so seriously, and being told by Jesus to get away because He never knew them, when He returns, will jolt them awake and will suddenly sober them up to the fact that they need to take the Millennium very seriously…if they care what He thinks. This will cause them, because they truly love Jesus, to do what they need to do to be prepared to withstand the last deception of satan, which is at the end of the Millennium.

Another reason that it is necessary for us to study is that many things in God’s Word are given as deeper truths that are only able to be understood by those who have been given such understanding from God–and this is not a sign of intelligence, but rather a sign of who God feels He can trust with this understanding. With this gift of understanding comes much responsibility. This is the very reason that Jesus taught in parables.

(Mat 13:10) And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

(Mat 13:11) He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

(Mat 13:12) For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

(Mat 13:13) Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

(Mat 13:14) And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

(Mat 13:15) For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

(Mat 13:16) But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

(Mat 13:17) For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
(Luk 12:47) And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

(Luk 12:48) But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

Now there were certain people who have been selected before birth, based on what God knows of their worthiness because of how they had proven themselves already. These are the 7000 predestinated elect of the last generation and the remnant whom God placed throughout the ages. Aside from these who are predestinated, understanding may be given by God to those whom God sees have proven themselves to His standards and whom He knows will be able to handle the responsibility of having this understanding. Those who are not given this understanding have not proven themselves yet, and therefore are blinded, meaning they have no eyes to see spiritually. And, again, this is for a reason, that they will learn the proper lesson that they need to be prepared at the end of the Millennium.

(Rom 11:4) But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.

(Rom 11:5) Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

(Rom 11:6) And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

(Rom 11:7) What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded

(Rom 11:8) (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

(Rom 11:9) And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:

(Rom 11:10) Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.

(Rom 11:11) I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

(Rom 11:12) Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?

This understanding therefore, can be given to a person, any person, Israelite, or gentile, whomever is part of the Olive Tree of Israel (described in the later verses of Romans 11), if they diligently and humbly seek this understanding from God. Through this understanding, those who are blinded will be motivated to see the error of their ways and correct their path during the Millennium.

Now that we have covered the commandment we, as Christians, are given to know Jesus through the Word, we will look at the forms that the knowledge of God takes.

We saw above how Jesus taught deeper lessons to those who are able to receive them, such as to His apostles, but there is more to it than that. Below, we will look at the various levels that God’s Word is conveyed simultaneously. For this you will need to engage your eyes to see, and your ears to hear.

(Joh 21:15) So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

(Joh 21:16) He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

(Joh 21:17) He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

To the naked eye, this will look like Jesus saying the same thing three times over, but upon closer inspection, you will see this is not the case.

In the first verse, you can see that Jesus is telling Peter to feed His lambs, which are baby sheep, but in the two following He says sheep. Moreover, the first time, in which Jesus says to feed His lambs, the Greek term ‘boskow’ is used, and this word means to graze or to put out to pasture. This is a passive action of feeding. This is referring to those baby sheep, or babes in Christ, who can only handle the most basic understanding of God’s Word. This does not take a lot of effort to teach or learn these ideas.

In the second verse, the first in which Jesus says to feed His sheep, the Greek term ‘poimainow’ is used, and this word means to tend to as a shepherd–it is an active term for feeding. These sheep are those who are maturing in understanding and can now begin to handle some meat of God’s Word, just as a baby who moves on from a bottle to solid food. This takes the most effort to teach because these sheep, or young adults in Christ, are not yet self sufficient and still need plenty of guidance (we always need guidance from God by the Holy Spirit, but I mean guidance by a teacher), such as by Peter in this case.

Finally, in the third verse, Jesus says sheep, but uses the Greek term ‘boskow’ once again, which is to put out to graze. This third group of sheep are the elders in Christ. These are the sheep who have the deepest level of understanding. These sheep can work directly with the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit only, to gain the deepest understanding. This means the shepherd can put the food (the lesson in God’s Word) out there and these sheep know just what to do with it and are able to fully digest it.

One thing that we need to understand is that the beauty of God’s Word is that every verse of the Bible teaches on all these levels simultaneously. One thing can be said, and people on each of these three levels will be able to learn something new from it every time.

Below are a couple sets of verses written by Paul, one of the best teachers of these principles in the Bible.

(1Co 3:1) And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

(1Co 3:2) I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
(Heb 5:11) Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.

(Heb 5:12) For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

(Heb 5:13) For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

(Heb 5:14) But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Here we see why Paul is so good at teaching this lesson. This is what Jesus said to one of Paul’s companions the day Paul was stopped by Jesus on the road to Damascus:

(Act 9:15) But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

These three categories illustrate the three levels of teaching Paul was charged to do–the gentiles, the kings, and the children of Israel. These would equate to those of the most basic level–the gentiles (non-Christians in this case), the second level–the kings of the ethnos (those gentile Christians who will eventually be given full understanding when they are ready) and this is on the same level as young adults in Christ who do not have that deeper understanding yet, and the deepest level–the children of Israel (who are those Israelites who have been predestinated as God’s elect) and this would include any kings of the ethnos who have graduated to the toughest meat in God’s Word.

To further illustrate this point, here are some verses about Paul’s teaching on all three levels. The building in which Paul was teaching had three levels and these obviously represent the three levels of God’s teaching, and we will see what happens when one of the students falls asleep which represent a spirit of slumber just as we are told about in Romans 11.

(Act 20:7) And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

(Act 20:8) And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.

(Act 20:9) And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.

(Act 20:10) And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.

Paul is teaching literally to all three levels at the same time, but one young man (emphasizing that he was not an elder in the Word, but rather one of those on the second level) and he could not handle the length and the depth of Paul’s teaching so he fell asleep and dropped right from that third level and was feared to be dead (this is referring to the state of being spiritually dead that those who do not have the deepest understanding, the understanding of the spiritual truths, are in until the spiritually wake up). Paul went down to the young man and was relieved to find out Eutychus had not been killed, so he would still have a chance to mature further into the Word.

So what does this all mean? We are told to study God’s Word diligently to show ourselves approved to receive this deepest understanding of God, the mysteries of God. Only those who can handle the truth will receive it from God, but if you truly want it and prove to God you can handle it, He will give it to you. The first step is to actually pick up the Bible and read it, and to know there is more than meets the eye. Do you care enough to read this letter that God wrote to us?

Take the initiative, and God bless

(Hos 4:6) My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Revelation

Revelation 3

2 Comments

In the last chapter, Revelation 2, we discussed the first four churches that Jesus told John to address, and now we will look at the final three. Jesus didn’t address these seven churches for His own health, it was for our health individually, our spiritual health. Pay attention as He spells out what He is looking for in a Christian.

 

(Revelation 3:1) And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith He (Christ) that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

Jesus is not happy with these people and does not even like their works. These people are physically alive, and call themselves Christians, but are spiritually dead. If they do not make some serious changes and overcome, before Jesus Christ returns, they will be in danger of dying the second death, the death of their soul at the end of the Millennium period, the period in which Jesus will be here on earth ruling for one thousand years before the Great White Throne Judgment. They will have this Millennium period to correct their ways, but they will be on thin ice.

 

(Revelation 3:2) Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

Jesus is telling them that their works are not good in the eyes of God. He warns them to be mindful of what is written here and the rest of the Bible and to heed the words and warnings. He is telling them to strengthen what little dedication to Him they have left or else their soul will be close to death. They will face the Great White Throne Judgment at the end of the Millennium and if they fall short, they will have never even existed. This isn’t to say that not all true Christians are saved, but if someone truly accepts Christ and their acts don’t support that they are saved Christians, and Jesus determines they have fallen short, they will have to wait until the end of the Millennium to pass the last test and receive their eternal spiritual bodies.

 

(Revelation 3:3) Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

These people are Christians and they need to remember that they are Christians and they need to turn back to serving our Lord and repent for all of the things they have do and not done that offend the Lord. If these people (or anyone else) do not study the Bible and know the signs of the times, Jesus will return like a thief in the night and they will not be expecting Him. If they do watch the signs they will know what to look for and when His time draws near and they will even know 3 and a half days prior, exactly when He will return. If they do not watch, not only will Jesus come on them as a thief, but the thief himself (satan) who will have already come as antichrist will have stolen their loyalty through his deception. Pray that this does not happen. One way to ensure that this does not happen is to study the Word and know the signs to look for and not only that, but study the rest of the Bible to put on your spiritual armor to protect yourself from satan’s deception.

 

(Revelation 3:4) Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

There are a few of these people that will in fact overcome before the 7th trump and serve Christ during the Millennium. Because they have loved Jesus enough to spend time with Him by studying His Word, they will not fall to the deception of satan during the tribulation.

 

(Revelation 3:5) He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

These people who do overcome, will be justified and not be liable to die the second death. We will all be clothed in white garments made up of our righteous acts. However, if you have no righteous acts, then you will have no white garments and everyone will be able to see your shame. These white garments mean that all their sins have been wiped clean, as they will have already earned their eternal lives by the time Jesus returns.

 

(Revelation 3:6) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

If any of this makes sense to you then heed this warning.

 

(Revelation 3:7) And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

The Key of David is a key that gives understanding to all of the mysteries in the Bible that Paul speaks about. It is the key that links all of our history in the Bible together with the teachings and prophecy of Jesus. Without this key, one cannot truly understand what is written in the Bible at its deepest levels. With this key, one can never be deceived by the confusion that comes from satan or his angels. When this door to understanding is opened with the Key of David, it can never be shut. And when a door is shut and locked with the Key of David, it can never be opened. Only God opens and shuts these doors to understanding with the key of David. This is a great mystery to most and Romans 11 is a good place to start, if you want to know the reasoning behind this. One cannot have this key without first accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. (God came in the flesh to us as Jesus Christ)

 

(Revelation 3:8) I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

The Church of Philadelphia is made up of God’s elect, as well as is the Church of Smyrna. We now are in the age of grace and anyone can choose salvation through Jesus Christ because of their faith in Christ, for which we are given grace by God. However, some were chosen before birth by their works they had done before that time (Romans 9) during the rebellion of satan against God in the first earth age. The door of understanding for those who are predestinated elect are automatically opened by God with the Key to David and no man can shut it meaning that these cannot be deceived about the truth. This is emphasized in Matt 24 and Mark 13. Those of the Church of Philadelphia will never deny Christ and will always teach truth about His Word. And they will always serve and do the works of God.

 

(Revelation 3:9) Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

Jesus is very pleased with the Church of Philadelphia (as well as He is with the Church of Smyrna). These elect who always keep the truth of God, will in the Millennium Age, serve as kings, priests, teachers and judges under Christ (Ezekiel 44 and Rev 20). Those who are the deceivers that say they are Jews (that they are of the tribe of Judah) but are liars, do satan’s work and they will not be allowed access to Christ in the Millennium. They, as well as all those who have not overcome before the return of Christ, will be forced to worship Christ in front of God’s elect (the Zadok Levites) during the Millennium. They will not be allowed direct contact with Jesus Christ (Ezekiel 44) until after the Millennium if they are then granted eternal life (Revelation 20-22).

 

(Revelation 3:10) Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Because these of Philadelphia have remained faithful always, even during satan’s rebellion, they will be protected (kept) by God from the temptation that will occur during the Tribulation (the hour of temptation). The entire world will fall to the temptation, except God’s elect. This is a trial to see what everyone will do with their free will when given this temptation. God’s predestinated elect will not be tried during this time because they have already passed the test during satan’s rebellion (per Romans 8 and 11).

 

(Revelation 3:11) Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

Jesus is encouraging those of Philadelphia here to persist and remain steady in what they do until He returns at the 7th trumpet.

 

(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, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

If you overcome in this in this age, you will be made a pillar in the Millennium Temple of God described in Ezekiel 40-43. This means that these people will uphold this temple and the principles of God and will never be in danger of falling from this and suffering the second death. The name of Christ will be written in their minds for all eternity. And they will be guaranteed to be part of New Jerusalem when it descends to earth from heaven at the beginning of the eternity after the last day of the Millennium.

 

(Revelation 3:13) He that hat him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Anyone who understands what is written should listen to what is said here.

 

(Revelation 3:14) And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God (Jesus);

Jesus is establishing His credentials as to Who is dictating this letter.

 

(Revelation 3:15) I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

Jesus is not pleased with these people. They don’t really care one way or another about following Christ. They are not dedicated to serving God (hot), nor do they make a stand against Him (cold). They just live in the world and focus on themselves .

 

(Revelation 3:16) So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

When these people come to Jesus at His return at the 7th trump and call His name, He will tell them to get away because He never knew them, and they never really knew Him.

 

(Revelation 3:17) Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

They are focused solely on success in the world and doing what makes them feel good. Though, on the surface, they appear to have it all together, inside, their real selves are in bad shape. They have no righteous acts, which are the linens that would clothe them in the Millennium. Instead they will be naked and bear their shame in the open. They have no eyes to see the spiritual things in the world–the things of God. They are both spiritually blind and spiritually dead.

 

(Revelation 3:18) I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Jesus is telling these people to forget the gold that they strive for in the world and buy His gold which is more valuable than anything in this world. It is the truth and purity and is worth much more than its weight in earthly gold. And He is telling them to perform righteous acts so that they will be clothed in white linen that is made up of that righteousness in the Millennium, rather than being naked and shamed. He wants them to clear their eyes of the things of the world and see the things of the spirit, the things that truly matter. If you overcome before the return of Christ at the 7th trump, you will receive an inheritance from Him that will put anything else to shame. You will inherit Him and he owns everything. You will inherit eternal life from that moment.

 

(Revelation 3:19) As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

God loves all of His children and only rebukes them because He loves them and it is His wish that all would come to Him in repentance.

 

(Revelation 3:20) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Jesus is knocking on your door, and is calling your name. Will you open the door and invite Him in? Will you be part of the Supper of the Lamb?

 

(Revelation 3:21) To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Those who overcome this in the flesh age will sit with Christ in the Millennium Kingdom and will be with Him forever.

 

(Revelation 3:22) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

If you are able to understand the things said here, then heed this warning.

 

After these last two chapters of Revelation, to which church would you choose to belong? Take a good long look at what Jesus has said and think very sincerely about the path you are taking. I hope you will make the right choice and be with Jesus when He returns.

God bless

Revelation

Revelation 2

1 Comment

Last chapter, we were told what to expect in the rest of the Book of Revelation, which is the book of the last things that Jesus would reveal to us through John the apostle. In this chapter and the next chapter, we have letters that Jesus told John to write to the angels (or messengers, or pastors) of the seven churches in Asia Minor as warnings to those in those churches of the things to come for each. These messages would apply to us today depending on which Christian mindsets we fall into individually. There are only two particular churches, or mindsets, that Jesus approves of at this time, in this generation as we head into the tribulation. Which one are you? And what does Jesus have to say to you?

(Revelation 2:1) Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

This is Christ speaking, and the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the fact that they are in His right hand signifies Christ’s power over those angels.

The seven candlesticks are the seven churches, and the flame of the candles is the truth that they have access to that they are charged to shine across the world.

(Revelation 2:2) I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

Christ always first tells the things with which He is pleased for each church first. The first thing He mentions with this church is their works. These works are their good deeds. This patience is their patience to withstand the persecution of the Christian church. These members of this church are against the evil of those who are not truly Christian and are not living according to the laws and statutes of God, and they are aware of the false Christian teachers in the world, who claim to be sent by God, and know that these are not in fact sent by God at all.

(Revelation 2:3) And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

Those in Thyatira also have put up with a lot just because they are Christians. The world today is not very hospitable to Christians, yet we are to endure and not crumble under the pressure of this hostility, but continue to do good.

Those were the things that Jesus likes about this type of Christian. Now He will tell them what they need to change about their practices if they want His blessings and to overcome in the flesh, rather than failing this second test.

(Revelation 2:4) Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Their first love should be Christ [God], however, they have strayed from their love and dedication to serving Him first and foremost. They have put the things of the world before serving Him. These things of the world can become idols without someone even realizing it. It is alright to enjoy some of the things of the world but we should never put them before God. When we make them more important to us than He is, those things become idols.

(Revelation 2:5) Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first work; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Jesus is telling them to go back to their first love and serve God. If they do this, they’ll still have time for all the little things in life that are fun also, as long as they aren’t against God’s laws. This way they will remain in God’s good graces and remain blessed. However if they do not, they will pay because they aren’t living up to what a Christian is supposed to be. Whenever we fall short of what God wants, as Christians, we can sincerely repent and our sins will be forgiven and forgotten. Then we must do our best not to stray, although straying is inevitable sometimes because we are only human. That is why we have forgiveness.

(Revelation 2:6) But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

The Nicolaitans were heathens that were, and are, in the churches and they allow those who pervert the teaching of God, and live according to their own desires and do not even feel bad for it, to be part of their church. This broadly weakens the church and causes individuals to go astray who may have otherwise remained dedicated because they are exposed to these ungodly practices which are allowed by the church leaders.

(Revelation 2:7) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Jesus, here, is calling on those who have been given understanding from the Holy Spirit to listen to these words and beware. Those who are in this group, yet heed these words and correct these mistakes will receive everlasting Life through Christ, the Tree of Life, and will forever be part of the Kingdom of God, through the Millennium and into the Eternal Kingdom.

Though this church is doomed the way it is run, individuals in this church can still make the choice to overcome and get back on the right path, and even be in good standing with Christ. If this is speaking about you, repent and move forward on the right path.

(Revelation 2:8) And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

Smyrna is the name of a city and a Christian church in Asia Minor, which in the Greek language means myrrh. But Smyrna is also a type of fig, and this indicates the good figs, which alludes to the parable of the fig tree throughout the Bible.

This is one of the two churches that are to be considered by God to be good figs. This letter is dictated by the One who is considered the Firstfruit because He was resurrected into glory, and thus made eternal life possible for those who accept Him as their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

 

(Revelation 2:9) I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

These false jews are those people who claim to be jews (those who are from the tribe of Judah) and of Israel, but are not even of the line of Adam. They are called kenites and were assimilated into the tribes of Israel very early on. Some of them do so purposely and are deceptive, and some don’t even realize that they are not of Israel, but believe that they are as they are told all of their lives. However, remember that anyone, even gentiles, can be grafted into the Olive Tree of Israel  and be saved if they become true Christians.

Obviously, those of the synagogue of satan are those who are evil, and are servants to him, but often it isn’t obvious to the observer. They have been adding leaven into God’s truth for thousands of years, and turned our faith into a religion of traditions and perversion. Jesus told us to beware of these people. Anything that contradicts the Bible and what was taught to us by Jesus, but teaches a different doctrine, we are to stay away from their teachings, and we are to know the difference. Anyone can choose to be saved, even these gentiles, or any others, and become servants to God through Jesus Christ. But these of the synagogue of satan, in particular, have chosen satan over God.

Those who are of Smyrna know how to tell who these people are from their fruits and from the Key of David, and will not fall for their deception.

 

(Revelation 2:10) Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

This is during the time  of the tribulation that God’s elect will be delivered up to testify for not falling to the deception of satan and worshipping him when he is here as antichrist. Satan wants to know why these people refuse to bow to him and to test them to find who God’s elect are.

During this time of being delivered up to testify, we are not to even contemplate what we will say because the Holy Spirit will give us what to say at that very time. The Holy Spirit will speak through us, and what It says will be very convincing to anyone who is not a gainsayer of satan. You are to not fear death even though they will use that to try to scare you into submitting. It is written that not a hair on your head will be harmed and it is also written that satan and the fallen angels are not to harm anyone with the Seal of God in them (Rev 7). If you have the Seal of God you have nothing to worry about. If you don’t know what the Seal of God is, you should find out as soon as possible if you are feeling and urge to prepare for this.

 

(Revelation 2:11) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Jesus is calling on those who have been given understanding by Him to listen and understand what is being said here.

The first death is the end of your life in the flesh, and the second death is being thrown into the Lake of Fire to be destroyed and blotted out from existence (this is the death of your soul and is permanent). Those who overcome in the flesh will not even have the chance of being found deserving of the Lake of Fire, because will have been already justified by God. Otherwise, I pray you will be allowed a chance to be taught and disciplined in the Millennium. At that time, for those people, there will be one last test at the end of the thousand years in which satan will be released to deceive anyone who will allow it, and you will have complete ability to understand the severity of all of this and make a well-informed decision of what you would like your final outcome to be. God will have made sure that those who suffer the second death will thoroughly deserve it, because He is not willing to let any perish unless they have earned it. It is better though to overcome in the flesh before the return of Jesus, which is at 7th trump and pass the test sooner than later.

Do you belong to this church? If not, would you like to? There is still time to prepare and make the right choices, if you care enough to.

 

 (Revelation 2:12) And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

The Word of God is a two-edged Sword–it cuts in both directions. It can be used for both offense and defense. Not only does Jesus have the two edge sword of God’s Word, but He is God’s Word (and He is God). Jesus is on the right hand of the Father, and this means that He is the One that performs the actions that our Father dictates. He fills the role that interacts directly with us both in the flesh and in the spirit.

 

(Revelation 2:13) I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

These people take the name of Christ and call themselves Christians and profess their belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Satan’s seat, before he arrives as antichrist, is a position of authority in Christianity in which people are told what to believe and what the scriptures mean, which comes between Christians and God, instead of people going directly to God for understanding of scripture and instead of repenting and confessing sins directly to God in the name of Jesus Christ. This throne and the person on it becomes and idol therefore. When antichrist arrives, this will be his seat as he is satan and he will deceive the entire world except God’s elect.

Though these people allow a person to sit on this throne and come between them and God, because they have been taught and deceived that this is what is right and correct, they stand by their faith in Christ and are even willing to die for their faith.

 

(Revelation 2:14) But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

Balaam was a priest of God for money and he caused many to go astray from God and commit spiritual fornication (following after pagan idols and things that come from those idols) and did so in the name of our one true God. Today there is much of paganism added right into Christianity and people have no clue why they follow these rituals and that they have nothing to do with serving God at all. Jesus warned us about the leaven (traditions of men that are added into our faith to plump it up, yet it has nothing to do with God and is an insult to Him) added into our faith. Balaam had no understanding because he was not ordained by God because his heart was not into what he was doing. He did it for gain. When a ministry teaches the truth, it will be blessed and it will not have to beg for money. The people will willingly tithe (give one tenth of income) right to the church without the church needing to beg.

 

(Revelation 2:15) So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

Some people in this church or thought process even follow the ways of the heathens. They will go to church one day and live like the world the rest of the week.

 

(Revelation 2:16) Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth (the Word of God).

Jesus is asking these people to repent and get back to serving Him (their first love) or else there will be major consequences.

 

(Revelation 2:17) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Those who overcome this teaching and thought process, while in the flesh, will receive eternal life of their soul and will belong to God and receive His inheritance. That is much better than the death of their soul. Anyone who has an ear to hear must heed this warning.

 

(Revelation 2:18) And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;

 This is what Christ told John to write to Thyatira.

 

(Revelation 2:19) I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

 The last will truly be more than the first because the first one to come claiming to be Christ is in fact antichrist at the 6th trump. Christ will be returning to end this flesh part of this earth age at the 7th (last) trump and will lead us into the Promised Land of the Millennium Kingdom just as Joshua (Yahshua–the Hebrew name for Jesus, Iesous and Joshua) led the Israelites in the Promised Land. The One who comes last claiming to be Christ, because He is Christ, is the Firstfruit, Jesus.

 

(Revelation 2:20) Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest (listen to) that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

This Jezebel of the end times that calls herself a prophetess is those who listen to people who claim to have some sort of divine knowledge, yet this knowledge is in direct contradiction to the Word of the Bible. Any divine knowledge, even if it is from an angel or God Himself, will never contradict the Bible as it was originally written. These people lead others astray, away from God, and begin to draw people even to new age thought processes sometimes. This fornication or idolatry refers to idolatry as whoredom, and is a physical representation of going after other gods or idols. God is the same now as he ever was since the beginning and ever will be in the future to come, and nothing true about God will ever be revealed in these new age followings.

 

(Revelation 2:21) And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.

 The people who listen to these false prophets and new age thinkers and listen to these “new” ideas are gradually led away from God and even when, and if, they realize how they have been led away, they do not repent to God or come back to Him. It is God’s desire that all of His children would come back to Him, and He gives them a chance to come back to Him, many chances, but He knows many will not.

 

(Revelation 2:22) Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

Because of their willingness to follow these false ideas and because these people do not love the truth enough to study it and learn it, God will send them strong delusion that they would believe a lie. He will allow them to fawn over antichrist when he arrives, thinking he is Christ, and they will not be the wiser. And unless they repent for these fornications, they will not overcome in the flesh.

 

(Revelation 2:23) And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

 Anyone who does not overcome in the flesh will be spiritually dead. This means they do not yet have an eternal soul, a living soul. Their soul is liable to die the second death unless they overcome satan’s deception at the end of the Millennium. The second death is the death of your soul when it is thrown into the Lake of Fire and your existence, and all memory of it, is blotted out. You will have never existed. It is difficult to wrap your mind around concepts like this. It is different than anything you know in the flesh. The important thing is that you would not allow this to be your fate.

 

(Revelation 2:24) But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.

 These who have not this doctrine of Thyatira, are those who have overcome in the flesh before the return Of Jesus Christ. You will not suffer the burdens that befall those who have not overcome.

 

(Revelation 2:25) But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.

 Those who stand for Christ and hold on to His name, as a Christian, continue to do so until it is He that returns. Do not fall short by mistakenly following after antichrist, but remain faithful to Jesus.

 

(Revelation 2:26) And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

 (Revelation 2:27) And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

 Those who overcome in this age will serve in the Millennium Temple. Those who have not strayed from Christ will be His kings, and priests, teachers and judges and will serve Him personally in the Temple (Ezekiel 44).

 

(Revelation 2:28) And I will give him the morning star.

 These who overcome will receive Christ as their inheritance (Ezekiel 44) and He owns it all. He is the true morning star, while satan (lucifer) is the false morning star.

 

(Revelation 2:29) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

 If you understand everything said here, then heed this warning.

 

Jesus gives us these warnings for a reason: it is written in the Bible not to be overlooked, but to be taken seriously. Will you take them seriously and learn what Jesus wants?

The next chapter will give us three more churches of which to be aware.