Revelation Chapter 16 - Seven Bowls of Wrath

Right after the saints are caught up to meet Jesus in the air, seven angels will come forth and they will pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God.  The saints(believers) will no longer be on the earth.  The apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans, in the 5th Chapter, verses 8 and 9;

              (8)"But God demonstrates His own love for us, in while we were yet sinners,
              Christ died for us. (9) Much more then, having now been justified by His blood,
              we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him."

Paul again writes in his first letter to the Thessalonians, in Chapter 1, verse 10 and Chapter 5, verse 9:

              (1:10)"and to wait for His Son from the heavens, whom He raised from the dead,
              that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come."

               (5:9)" For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through
               our Lord Jesus Christ."

There are a few reasons that we know why the wrath of God will come.  We know that one of the reasons is revealed in the Book of Revelation, Chapter 11, verse 18;

               "And the nations were enraged, and Thy wrath came, and the time came for the
               dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to Thy bond-servants the
               prophets and to the saints and to those who fear Thy name, the small and the
               great, and to destroy those who are detroying the earth."

The wrath of God is coming to destroy those who are destroying the earth.  For three and a half years after Satan is cast out of heaven and down to the earth, Satan will go on a campaign of destruction such has never been.  That is why Paul refered to Satan as the 'son of destruction', in his second letter to the Thessalonians, Chapter 2, verse 3.  Jesus stated in the 24th Chapter of Matthew in Chapter24, verse 22;

               "And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved;
               but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short."

The people who are still on the earth when the wrath comes, are those who would not receive the truth of salvation as to be saved.  Paul wrote this in his 2nd letter to the Thessalonians, Chapter 2, verse 12;

               "in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the the truth, but took
               pleasure in wickedness."

Again Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, in Chapter 1, verse 18;

               "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
               unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness."

In the 2nd letter by Paul to the Thessalonians, in the 2nd Chapter, verse10, Paul writes;

                "and with all deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they
                did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved."

People will be left on earth to have to go through the wrath of God, only because they did not want to receive Jesus' free gift of eternal life.  Instead they chose to be stubborn and refuse Jesus' offer and therefore suffer the consciquence of doing so.  Again, I can not quote this passage enough because it shows the heart and desire of God.  It is what Peter wrote in his 2nd letter, Chapter 3, verse 9;

                "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some may count slowness, but is
                patient toward you, not wishing for any to pershish but for all to come to
                repentance."

May Jesus' peace and grace be with you.

Revelation Chapter 15 Pre Wrath Prep

John sees a scene in heaven of what is taking place right before the seven bowls of wrath are poured out on the earth.  Destroying the worlds armies in the Valley of Har- Magedon is not the wrath of God, it occurs right before the seven bowls of God's wrath are poured out that complete the wrath of God.  The battle in the Valley was to preserve the remnant of Israel that Jesus had just brought back to Jerusalem.  This is what John saw taking place just prior to the pouring out of the seven bowls of wrath in verses 1 and 2 ;

              (1)"And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had
              seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God in finished."
              (2) And I saw, as it were, a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had come
              victorious from the beast and from his image and from the number of his name,
              standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God."

This is how those who were victorious over the beast won their victory.  In Chapter 14, verse 12, it says ;

              "Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the comandments of God and
               their faith (trust) in Jesus."

Also in Chapter 12, verse 11, it says;

                "And they overcame the him (Satan) because of the blood of the Lamb and because
                because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death."

In other words, it was more important for the saints to maintain confessing what they knew to be true, then to deny it to save their lives.  They knew what real life was and though they loose this outer man to death, they gain life that is really life.  Life that is eternal.  And because of this John saw this in Chapter 15, verses 3 and 4;

               (3)" And they sang the song of Moses the bond-servant of God and the song of
               the Lamb, saying;
                              
                             Great and marvelous are Thy works, O Lord God, the Almighty;
                             Righteous and true are Your ways, Thou King of the nations.
                             (4) Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name?  For Thou
                             alone are Holy; For all the nations will come and worship before
                             Thee, For Thy righteous acts have been revealed."

Here we are seeing what the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Phillipians in the 2nd Chapter, verses 1-11.  Here it desribes what Jesus's righteous act or acts were.  This is one of the most revealing passages of scripture descibing the whole plan of salvation and why God came to earth, in the person of Jesus, when it says;

                "If therefore there is any encouragement  in Christ, if there is any consolation of love,
                if there is any fellowship in the spirit, if any affection or compassion, make my joy
                complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit,
                intent on one purpose.  Do nothing out of selfishness or emptie deceit, but with
                humility of mind let each of you reguard one another as more important than himself;
                do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but also for the interest of
                others.  Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

                              who, although He existed in the form of God, did not requard
                              equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself,
                              taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness
                              of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, humbled
                              Himself by coming obedient to the point of death, even death on
                              a cross.  Therefore God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on
                              Him the the name above every name, that at the name of Jesus
                              every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on the
                              earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess
                              that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

This is what we see taken place in Revelation Chapter 15, verse 4.  There is going to come a day when everyone, whether a person came to believe or not, will bow to to Jesus and confess that He is Lord.  God earn that right for Himself, when He came to earth and bore on Himself all the sins of the world and putting them to death on the cross by shedding His holy and and blameless blood for the forgiveness of them.  When Jesus was here He stated that, "he who would be the least among you, would be the greatest in the kingdom of God."  In coming to the earth and become the least, Jesus earned the name above all names, the greaest in the kingdom of God, worthy of being worshiped.  His righteous act lead to the creation of many who would receive eternal life through His shed blood and resurrection.  This is why He came, to offer the gift of eternal life and create a new creation.

John finishes Chapter 15 with this in verses 5-8;

                  "After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony
                  in heaven was opened, and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came
                  out of the temple, clcothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their
                  breasts with golden girdles.  and one of the four living creatures gave to the
                  seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever
                  and ever.  And the temple was filled with smoke from the Glory of God and
                  from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues
                  of the seven angels were finished."

This corresponds with Relelation Chapter 8, verse 1, when the seventh seal is broken there was silence in heaven for about an hour and a half before the the first of seven trumpets would sound that call bring forth events that would corresponds with the seven bowls of wrath.  There is silence because there is possibly no one in heaven because they are all participating in the wrath of God.  After the wrath is finished everyone who has ever lived will be gathered together were all of them will bow and confess that Jesus is Lord.  Since all of those who would not believe are not allowed in the temple, this would have to take place outside the temple.

 This event was even foretold as far back as the prophet Isaiah, where God speaks this in the 45th Chapter, verses 21-23;

                   "And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior, there
                   is none except me.  Turn to me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I
                   am God, and there is no other.  I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone forth
                   from My mouth in righeousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee
                   will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance."

Jesus (Yeshua) means, The Lord Our Salvation
                  


May Jesus peace be with you.

            



 

         

Revelation Chapter 14 (Part 4) The Two Harvests

Chapter 14 concludes with two harvests being reaped.  The first one is the reaping of the saints and the second is the reaping of those who refused to believe the truth of Jesus as to be saved and participate in the first reaping.  Verse 14 says this;

              "And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like
              the son of man, having a golden crown on His head, and a sharp sickle in His hand."

We know that the one who is sitting on the white cloud is Jesus because His is capitalized, which always makes reference to God.  Verse 15 says this;

               "And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to
               Him who sat on the cloud.  'Put in your sickle and reap, because the hour to
               reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.' And He who sat on the
               cloud swung His sickle over the earth; and the earth was reaped."

What we see taking place here is the resurrection of all who have made Jesus their Lord by receiving what Jesus did for them on the cross, shedding His Blood for the forgiveness of their sins.  When they invited Jesus to come into their soul and make them born of above, they received eternal life.  They became a New Creation, waiting for the resurrection, that would allow them to be caught up to meet Jesus in the air, receiving their new glorified heavenly bodies.  Jesus told of this in Matthew's 24th Chapter, verses 29-31;

               "But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened,
               and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the
               powers of the heavens will be shaken, and then the sign of the Son of Man will
               appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will
               see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
               And he will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather
               together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other."

Paul writes of this event in his first letter to the Thessalonians in the 4th Chapter, verses 16 and 17;

               "'For the Lord Himself will desend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
               of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise
               first.  Then those who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them
               in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord."

Jesus spoke of this in the gospel of John Chapter 14, verses 1-3:

                "Let not your heart be trouble: believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My
                Fathers house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you;
                for I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will
                come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, you might be also."

Then in Revelation verse 17, we see this;

                "And another angel came out of the temple that is in heaven, and he also had
                a sharp sickle."

The difference we see between the two sickle holders, is that Jesus was the first sickle holder who did the reaping of His believers and the second sickle holder is an angel who will do the reaping of those who remain.  Jesus will gather His havest of the saints unto Himself.  The angel will gather his haverst into the wine press of the wrath of God.  For it says this in verse 18-20;

                  "And another angel, the one who has the power over fire, came out from the
                  altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying,
                  'Put in your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth,
                  because her grapes are ripe.'  And the angel swung his sickle to the earth, and
                  gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and through them into the great
                  wine press of the wrath of God.  And the wine press was trodden outside the city,
                  and blood came up to the horses bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles."

We are going to see, in Chapter 16, that this wine press will be in a valley in Israel, called Har-Magedon, known more as Armageddon.  This is a valley north of Jerusalem, that is 200 miles long.  In Chapter 16, verses 13-16;

                  "And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon(Satan) and out of the mouth            
                  of beast(anti-christ) and out of the mouth of the false prophet(the religious leader
                  that has people worship the beast), three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are
                  spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world,
                  to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty."

This is what is know as, The Day of The Lord.  John is descibing what he is seeing and he says that the demons that come out of the three look like frogs.  Remember, Satan and his demons will be cast down to the earth in the middle of the seven year covenant that the anti-christ will break.  We know that Satan and his demons have access now to the earth, but they also have access to the spiritual realm.  With  3 1/2 years to go before the Day of The Lord, they will be kicked out of heaven and down to the earth.  Like I have said before, I am not sure what kind of manifestation this will be.  If it is phisical, then you have to consider what John is seeing when he says, "like frog".  Satan knows that this is going to occur, he can't say that he is Satan and the others are demons, so he has to prepare mankind for this event.  All I can say is look at all the disciptions that have been given by people who have seen extraterestrials..Although they have people believing that they are from other planets, could they be from another realm.  Could it be that Satan's deception is that he will say that he and his demons are from somewhere in space.  Or possible, since he is going to claim to be God, could he say that the demons are his angels.  We will have to see.

When the angel puts in his sickle to gather the clusters of the earth to the wine press of God, these three will get the kings of the the earth to gather all the armies of the world to this valley.  They will arrogantly try to war against the Almighty God who will look at them and laugh.

John continues in Chapter 16 verse 15;

                  ("Behold I am coming like a thief.  Blessed is the one who stays awake and
                  keeps his garments, lest he walk about naked and men see his shame.")

Jesus is saying that prior to this event in Armageddon, He will put in His sickle and call His faithul ones to Himself.  Those who persevere until the end.

John concludes in Chapter 15 verse 16;

                  "And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called
                   Har-Magedon."

In this valley the blood of the slain there will be so much that it will be as high as the horses bridle.

Jesus grace and peace be with you.

        

                
              
      

Revelation Chapter 14 (Part 3) Consequence of Worshiping the Beast

When we left off in Chapter 14, we saw an angel flying in midheaven throughout the whole earth proclaiming the gospel. This is the last of many efforts by Jesus to get people to come to Him, so that they can receive eternal life and be spared from the wrath that will shortly be coming.  I can not repeat this scripture enough by Peter in his second letter Chapter 3, verse 9;

               "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient
               toward you, not wishing that any should perish but for all to come to repentance."

He is going to send His two witnesses, Enoch and Elijah, for 3 1/2 years.  Then an angel throughout every nation, to make sure it is clear to everyone what is about to take place on the earth and give everyone a chance to escape in Him.  The angel will also let everyone know that the city of the beast has been destroyed, to let them know that it was all a deception.  This is why I stepped away from Revelation to point out what the prophet Ezekiel had written pertaining to this city and to its king being Satan.  There will be more references in the Old Testament by the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah that we will look at when we cover was is written about Babylon the Great in Chapters 17 and 18. 

What we see next in Chapter 14, verse 9 is the third angel that will come into the earth will a loud voice that will give a warning to all those who would worship the beast proclaiming this;

               "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead
               or upon his hand, he will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed
               in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and
               brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb."

A lot of people aways like to make issue with the wrath of God.  They say how can a loving God do this?  God will do this because He is a Loving God.  First, the cup of His anger is that He will come to avenge the blood of all His children that had been slain and persecuted, just because they confess Jesus as being the Lord of the universe.  Second, He coming to destroy those who are destroying the earth, as we saw in Revelation Chapter 11, verse 18.  If Jesus didn't come with His wrath, Satan would have destoyed all flesh.  Jesus said this in the 22nd Chapter of Matthew, verse 21 and 22;

               "For there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occured since the
                beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.              
                And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but
                for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short."

Jesus' wrath will cut these days short to spare the elect but to those who worship the beast will suffer the consequence of rejecting Jesus and choosing Satan.  As written in verse 11;

                "And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no
                rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever
                receives the mark of his name."

Sounds bad, but they chose it.  They had an option and refused it.  They will go with him who they worshiped.

Now for those who worship Jesus, verse 12 and 13 says this:

                "Here is where the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God
                 and their faith (trust) in Jesus.  And I heard a voice from heaven saying, 'Blessed
                 are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!' 'Yes,' says the Spirit, 'that they
                 may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them."   

Notice that for a believer, death is a blessing.  So persevering in their confession of Jesus, despite the possiblity of being killed for it, recognize, that for a believer in Jesus, death leads to real life.

Jesus grace and peace be with all of you.

King of Tyre - Used By Satan

If you have been following this blog, you may be wondering what happened to the study in Revelation.This still is the study in Revelation.  What I had to do was expand on where we had left off  in Revelation Chapter 18, verse 8, where John saw Babylon the great fall.  Later in Revelation Chapter 18, we will see more about the fall of Babyon, that John saw.  What we are doing now is looking at what was written in the old testiment by the prophets, pertaining to this city.  I am showing why I believe that this city will be built in Lebanon, in the city of Tyre and the king, or leader, of this city will be used by Satan.  In doing this now, it will help to understand why John says that this city will make those who dwell on the earth drunk with the wine of her immorality to where she has the name, "Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And The Abominations Of The Earth".

The prophet Ezekiel wrote this,in his 28th Chapter, about the leader of Tyre;

             "The word of the came to me saying, 'Son of man, say to the leader of Tyre, Thus
             says the Lord God,

This is what God Himself wants Ezekiel to relate to this leader what God is saying to this leader;

              "Because your heart is lifted up and you have said, "I am a god, I sit in the
              seat of God, in the heart of the seas", yet you are a man and not God, although
              your heart like the heart of God----Behold you are wiser than Daniel;

It is interesting here where God tells him that he is wiser than Daniel.  Daniel had the gift to interpret dreams and Daniel was also shown and was given understanding as to the events of the end times.  It sounds like this man will know what is going to take place in the end times and will insert himself into this self fullfilling prophecy. Ezekiel continues;

               "There is no secret that is a match for you.  By your wisdom and understanding
               you have acquired riches for youself, and have acquired gold and silver for your
               treasuries.  By your great wisdom and by your trade you have increased your
               riches, and your heart is lifted up because of your riches."

So here we have a man who has made himself wealthy by trading according to his wisdom, what he has come to know and understand.  In the end times there will be two ways to become wealthy by trading.  Either he makes or has something that he can sell to make income or he uses the investment markets to sell and trade commodities and equities to acquire and skim money from others who were on the opposite side of the investment.  If a person acquires enough wealth, they can manipulate these markets from both sides, earning for themselves great wealth.  If someone is able to aquire great wealth this way, it also means that he is decreasing the wealth of others.  In other words, it is not like acquiring wealth from hard work or supplying goods and services that people need.  I don't think someone who works hard and acquires wealth is going to consider himself to be God.  It is probably the latter, because he feels that he has outsmarted everyone else and therefore he is superior.  This does not rule out the possibilty that this leader may be able to attract many businesses to his city and aquire wealth that way.  It will be a global trading port uniting the east and west.  It will be a global city and many companys throughout the world will want to have their hand in it.

God goes on to say to this leader, in verse 6;

                "Therefore, thus says the Lord God, 'Because you have made your heart like
                the heart of God, therefore I will bring strangers upon you, the most ruthless of
                the nations, and they will draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom
                and defile your splendor.  They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die
                the death of those who are slain in the heart of the seas.  Will you still say, "I am
                a god, in the presence of your slayer, although you are a man and not a God, in
                in the hands of those who would wound you?" You will die the death of the
                uncircumcised by the hand of strangers, For I have spoken! declares the Lord
                God!"

Although at this time, the deceived of the world will look at this man as being God, there will be a people who will not view him as so.  In Isaiah's 13th Chapter, he has a prophecy pertaining to Babylon.  In verses 17 - 20;

                 "Behold, I am going to stir up the Medes against them, who will not value silver
                  or take pleasure in gold, and their bows will mow down the young men, they will
                  not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb, nor will their eye pity the
                  children.  And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans pride,
                  will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.  It will never be inhabited
                  or lived in from generation to generation."

The prophet Jeremiah wrote about this also in his 51st Chapter, where he was speaking on the judgement of Babylon in verse 11 saying;

                   "Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers!  The Lord has aroused the spirit of the
                    kings of the Medes, because His purpose is against Babylon to destroy it;
                    For it is the vengeance of the Lord, vengeance for His temple."

Notice that it is vengeance for His, God's temple.  This is in response to the fact that the leader of Tyre will come against Israel and seat himself in the temple of God, making claims of being God.  This is the abomination of desolation that Jesus said to look for, that was written by the prophet Daniel, pertaining to the signs of the end of this age and His coming.  The apostle Paul wrote in
his 2nd letter to the Thessalonians in the 2nd Chapter, verses 3 ,4, 9 and 10;

                   (3)"Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy
                    comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed,the son of destruction, (4)
                    who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship,
                    so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
                    (9)that is, the ones whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with
                    all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness
                    for those who perish, BECAUSE THEY DID NOT RECEIVE THE LOVE OF
                    TRUTH AS TO BE SAVED."
                   
          
Ezekiel continues in verses 11-19 to reveal who this leader is, and as he descibes him you will see that he is Satan;

                   "Again the word of the Lord came to me saying, 'Son of man, take up
                    lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord God',
                    "You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.  You
                    were in Eden, the garden od God;

Remember who deceived Eve in the garden of Eden.

                    Every precious stone was your covering: the ruby, the topaz, and the
                    diamond; the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise,
                    and the emerald; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets,
                    was in you on the day that you were created they were prepared.  You were
                    the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there.  You were on the holy
                    mountain of God; you walked in the mist of the stones of fire.  You were
                    blameless in your ways from the day you were created, until unrighteousness
                    was found in you.  By the abundance of your trade you were internally filled
                    with violence, and you sinned; Therefore I cast you as profane from mountain
                    of God.  And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub.  From the mist of the
                    stones of fire.

The mountain of God is the heavenly realm were God dwells. Notice that it says that he is cast from the mountain of God.  If you read my earlier blogs, you will remember that we saw in Revelation Chapter 12, verses 7-9;

                   "And ther was a war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with
                   the dargon.  And the dragon and his angels(demons) waged war, and they
                   were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in
                   heaven.  And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpant of old who is
                   called the devil and Satan, who decives the whole world; he is thrown down
                   to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him."

If you read  my blog on Chapter 12 of revelation you will see that he is cast down to the eartth with
authority to act for 42 months, 3 1/2 years.  The leader of Tyre who will make a 7 year covenant
with the many, and will break it 3 1/2 years into it.  He will come against Israel and stop the agreed sacrifices in the temple and seat himself in the temple of God, making claims of being God.  This is right after the leader of Tyre is killed and comes back to life, at the same time Satan is cast down to the earth.  I believe that at the same time this leader is killed, Satan is cast to the earth and the leader comes back to life with the power of Satan.  This I showed in my blog when going threw Revelation Chapter 13.

Ezekiel continues in verse 12;

                   Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted you wisdom
                   by reason of your spender.  I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings,
                   that they may see you.  By the multitudes of your iniquities, in unrighteousness
                   of your trade, you profaned your sanctuaries.  Therefore I have brought fire
                   from the mist of you; it has consumed you, and I have turned you to ashes on
                   the earth in the eyes of all who see you.  All who know you among the peoples
                   are appalled at you; You have become terrified, and you will be no more."

Jesus peace be with all of you.
                     

Tyre - Babylon the Great (Part 2)

In the 27th Chapter Ezekiel, Ezekiel goes on to name all the countrys that will trade with Tyre, and what they will trade.  Starting in verse 12;

              (12)"Tarshish (Spain, possibly) was your customer because of the abundance of all kinds
              of wealth; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they paid for your ware.  (13) Javan, Tubal, and
              Meshech, (These were located in what is present Turkey) they were your traders; with the
              lives of men and vessels of bronze they paid for your merchandise."

It says that these countrys will make purchases with the lives of men.  Obviously these will be men who are sold into slavery as a commodity to purchase Tyre's merchandise.  In Revelation Chapter 17 we will see in verse 6, John seeing this, when referring to Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots;

              "And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of
              the witnesses of Jesus.  And when I saw her, I wondered greatly."

In other words, this city was getting much injoyment in the abuse of the lives of these Christians.

               (14)"Those from Beth-togarmah (Also in Turkey) gave horses and war horses and
               mules for your wares."

These can possibly be military supplies.

                (15)"The sons of Dedan (Down in the Arabian Area) were your traders.  Many
                coastlands were your market; ivory tusks and ebony they brought as your payment"

Many coastlands for Ezekiel were probably many areas of the earth that he was not even aware of.  When Ezekiel was alive the earth was not as expansive as it is now.

                (16)"Aram (Which in Syria) was your customer because of the abundants of your
                goods; they paid for your wares with emeralds, purple, embroidered work, fine
                linen, coral, and rubies." (17) Judah and the land of Israel they were your traders;
                with the wheat of Minnith, cakes, honey, oil, and balm they paid for your merchandise."

The fact that Judah and Israel will be traders with the City of Tyre, show that they are really going to believe that this peace covenant that is made by the king of Tyre, is one that can be trusted.  But we know by what Paul wrote in his 1st letter to the Thessalonians in the 5th Chapter, verse 3, that this peace is the forerunner to destruction, when Paul wrote"

                "While they are saying, 'Peace and safety!' then destruction shall be upon them
                suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."   

                 (18)"Damascus (Syria) was your customer because of the abundance of your goods,
                 because of the abundance of all kinds of wealth, because of the wine of Helbon
                 and white wool. (19) Vedan and Javan paid for your wares from Uzal (Yemen);
                 wrought iron, cassia (cinnamon), and sweet cane were among your merchandise.
                 (20) Dedan traded with you in saddlecloths for ridding.(21) Arabia and all the princes
                 of Kedar, they were your customers for lambs, rams, and goats; for these they were
                 your customers. (22) The traders of Sheba and Raamah, they traded with you; they
                 paidfor your wares with the best of all kinds of spices, and with all kinds of precious
                 stones, and gold.(23) Haran, Canneh, Eden, the traders of Sheba, Asshur, and
                 Chilmad traded with you.(24) They traded with you in choice garments, in clothes
                 of blue and embroidered work, and in carpets of many colors, and tightly wound
                 cords, which were among you merchandise.(25) The ships of Tarshish were the 
                 carriers for your merchandise. And you were filled and were very glorious in the
                 heart of the seas.(26)Your rowers have brought you into great waters.  The east wind
                 has broken you in the heart of the sea."

So all these countrys  and other countries, that Ezekiel did not know, will all participate in the function of this city.  But the glory of this city, that the world will have exausting themselves in building, will quickly come to an end. Ezekiel 27 -36 show this;

                 "Your wealth, your wares, your merchandise, your sailors and your pilots, your
                 repairers of seams, your dealers in merchandise, and all your men of war who are
                 in you, with all your company that is in your mist, Will fall into the heart of the
                 seas on the day of your overthrow.  At the sound of the cry of your pilots, the
                 pasture land will shake. And all who handle the oar,the sailors and the pilots of the
                 sea will ome down from their ships; They will stand on the land, and they will
                 make their voice be heard over you and will cry bitterly.  they will cast dust on
                 their heads, they will wallow in ashes.  Also they will make themselves bald for
                 you and gird themselves with sackcloth; And they will weep for you in bitterness
                 of soul with bitter mourning.  Moreover, in their wailing they will take up a
                 lamentation for you and lament for you:

                             "Who is like Tyre, Like her who is silent in the mist of the sea?
                              You satisfied many peoples; With the abundance of your wealth
                              and your merchandise you enriched the kings of the earth.  Now
                              that you are broken by the seas in the depths of the waters, Your
                              Your merchandise and and all your company have fallen in the
                              midst of you.  All the inhabitants of the coastlands are appalled
                              at you, and their kings are horribly afraid; They are troubled in
                              countenance.  The merchants among the peoples hiss at you; You
                              have become terrors and you will be no more."

So what we have seen, is that this City of Tyre (Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots) will be built with the cooperation of many nations.  It will be a beautiful city, built with the finest materials that the world has to offer.  But this city will corrupt the whole earth with her immorality.  This is why she will be referred to as a harlot.  Her corruption will be that she will try to put a hush to the gospel of the truth of Jesus.  I have always felt that this city will be a result of a union of nation.  Possibly a global capital of some type.  A hope of all the nations.  But it will fall as quickly as it has been built.  When we look at the king of Tyre in my next blogg, we will see why this city will fall.

Jesus peace to all of you.

                







     


                       

Tyre - Babylon the Great Has Fallen

In Revelation Chapter 14, verse 8, we see an angel proclaiming;

             "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the
             wine of the passion of her immorality."

We are going to read about the fallen Babylon in chapter 18 of Revelation.  This city will be built with the whole world participating one way or another.  Whether by financial support, transport support, construction support, goods and servives support, the whole world will benefit from the construction of this global city.  The Old testament writtings of some of the prophets describe this city, it's king, it's corruption and it's destruction.  This is what we are going to look at in this blogg.

First of all, we are going to look at what the prophet Ezekiel wrote about this city and it's king. 
Ezekiel wrote this about the City of Tyre, which is in Lebanon north of Israel, in Chapter 27:

              "Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me saying, 'And you, son of man,
               take up a lamentation over Tyre; and say to Tyre, who dwells at the entrance
               of the sea, merchant of the people to many coastlands, Thus says the Lord God,
               O Tyre, you have said, 'I am perfect in beauty.' Your borders are in the heart of
               the sea; Your builders have perfected your beauty.  They have made all your
               planks fir trees from Senir; They have taken a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast
               for you.  Of oaks from Bashan they have made your oars; with ivory they have
               inlaid your deck of boxwood from the coastland of Cyprus. Your sail was of fine
               embroidered linen from Egypt so that it became your distinguishing mark; Your
               awning was blue and purple from the coastlands of Elishah.  The inhabitants of
               Sidon and Arvad were your rowers; Your wise men, O Tyre, were aboard; they
               were your pilots.  The elders of Gebal and her wise men were with you repairing
               the seams; All the ships of the sea and their sailors were with you in order to deal
               your merchandise."

Picture the most beautiful sailing ship every built that was constructed with all of the worlds most precious and finest building materials.  This is how this City of Tyre will be built.  All the most precious and finest building materials from all around the world and all the nations, will be shipped to aid in the construction of this city.  Many will become wealthy from the material required to fulfill such an endeavor.  Many merchant ships will be required to complete this city.  Not just the completion of the city, but after it is built, all the goods and services, that are needed by the consumers of this city, will be aided by production from all the other countries.  Likewise, Tyre will be the supplier of much wares back to the the nations.

It is interesting which armies are included in the city of Tyre.  Persia (Iran), Lud (Turkey), Put(Lybia), and Arvad (Syria) will all have army presence in the City of Tyre.  I am wondering if part of the 7 year covenant, a proposal of peace, that the anti-christ will make with the many, would include a state for Palastine, since this would be a necessity for any agreement to be acceptable.  Just prior to the City of Tyre being built,  there will be a military action, from the realm of Greece, that will be the only force that will stop Persia (Iran) from their attempt to control the middle east.  This was written by the prophet Daniel, who received a vision of this event and recorded it in his 8th Chapter.  After this successful  military action from the realm of Greece, a man will come forth from among this realm, that will make this proposal for peace.  After this action, there will have to be a presence in the middle east that will be able to  maintain a stable peace.  To do this there must be an agreement that satisfies all parties involved.  Palastine must have a state.  Israel must be allowed to exisist.  The realm of Greece must have a presence in the middle east to maintain the peace.  So it is possible that to do this, the covenant would give Palastine a state.  Israel would concede to this, after being rescued by the realm of Greece, if it is agreed that in doing so, they could rebuild their Temple in Jerusalem.  The realm of Greece will agree to all of this, if they can build an inclusive city for all of them, that would be built as a peace keeping city in the middle east, and thus we have the City of Tyre in Lebanon.  The City of Trye will be a merger between the east and the west.  This is the vision that Daniel wrote about when Daniel interpreted the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar in his 2nd Chapter, verses 40 - 43;

                 "Then there will be a forth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes
                 and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break
                 all these to pieces.  And in that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potters clay
                 and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom, but it will have the toughness of
                 iron inasmuch as you saw iron mixed with common clay.  And as the toes
                 of the feet were partly iron and partly pottery, so some of the kingdom will be
                 strong and part of it will be brittle.  And in that you saw the iron mixed with
                 common clay, they will combine with one another with the seed of men; but they
                 will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery.

This 4th kingdom will be the last kingdom ruling the earth when Jesus will return with His wrath to stop Satan from destroying the earth, so that some life will survive.  This 4th kingdom of the earth will be last kingdom of man, that will rule over the earth, and the capital of this kingdom can possibly be the City of Tyre.

There is a lot to write on this and I don't want to overwhelm the readers, so I will do it in part so that the reader will have time digest it all.

Jesus peace to all of you.

         

Revelation Chapter 14 (Part 2) The Fall of Babylon

What John continues to see here in Chapter 14, are the events that will transpire right before the Day of the Lord.  John sees this in verse 6;

              "And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach
               to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and nation"

So right before Jesus comes to execute His wrath on those who are destroying the earth, He again will send another messenger, this time an angel, to proclaim the truth that leads to eternal life.  Remember, Jesus had already sent Enoch and Elijah to proclaim the gospel of the truth.  Now again Jesus is sending throughout the whole world the message by which people can avoid going through His wrath, by receiving what He did on the cross, to give them the gift of eternal life.  Jesus wants as many who would choose to come to Him to have the chance so that they can avoid the alternative, which is eternal death.  Remember what Peter wrote in his 2nd letter Chapter 3, verse 9;

             "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some may count slowness, but is
             patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all me to repentance."

In verse 7, the angel proclaims this with a loud voice;

              "Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come, and
              worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and see and springs of water."

The interesting thing here to note, is that the angel, at the same time he is saying that Jesus' judgment is coming, is pointing out that Jesus is the creator on the heaven and earth.  Jesus spoke all things into existence.  After He avenges the blood of the saints on those who murdered them and stops Satan and his armies from destoying the earth, He is quite capable of again speaking into existence and creating anew that which He desires.

In verse 8 a second angel follows saying this;

              "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of
              the wine of the passion of her immorallity."

Babylon the great is the city that will be built in the last days which will be like the capital of the world.  The nations of the world will all participate in the building of this city.  The merchants of the earth will become wealthy because of the supplies that will be required to build this first class modern city.  The thing to note here is that as the first angel is proclaim the gospel of salvation, the second angel is letting people know that this city has been destroyed.  This again shows the great grace of Jesus.  This will now force those on the earth to look more closely at their choice.  They have just been deceieved by Satan that he is claiming to be God, but now Satan's city has been destroyed.  So they will ask themselves, "was this man (Satan) really God or is this message by the first angel the truth?"

There are many scripture verses making references to this city and the king of this city.  I think it is important to pinpoint where this city will be.  The prophet Ezekiel reveals where this city will be built.  Daniel talks about the king of the north that will bring forth the proposal of peace.  This king is the one that makes a seven year covenant with the many.  He is also the one who becomes (IT) in the middle of that covenant.  This is Satan who is cast down to the earth, at the same time this king of the north recovers from a fatal wound.  This leader now becomes a vehicle of Satan, who will then proceed down into Israel and seat himself in the Jewish temple that will be built during the seven year peace covenant.  When Daniel says that he will be the king of the north, it is in agreement with what Ezekiel wrote in his 27th and 28th Chapters.  In Ezekiels 27th chapter, he reveals that the city will be Tyre.  In Chapter 28, Ezekiel reveals that the king of Tyre is Satan.  Tyre is in Lebanon, directly north of Israel.  This city will corrupt the whole earth.

There is a lot more to talk about pertaining to this city.  Babylon the great will be talked more about as we go through Revelation.  My next blog will be solely dedicated to decribing this city and it's king.  There is much to much to include in this blog. 

Jesus peace and grace be with all of you.

Revelation Chapter 14 (Part 1) 144,000

Chapter 14 begins talking about the 144,000 descendents of Israel, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes (sons) of Jacob.  We saw them in the 7th Chapter in verse 3 being sealed with the seal of God on their foreheads.  This seal will alllow them not to be harmed during the tribulation period.  John starts the Chapter in verse ;

               " And I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him
               one hundred and forty four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father
               written on their foreheads."

Isaiah wrote in his 10th Chapter, in verses 20 -22;

                (20)"Now it will come about in that day that a remnant of Israel, and those of the
                house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them,
                but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy one of Israel. (21) A remnant will return, the
                remnant og Jacob, to the mighty God.(22) For though your people, O Israel, may be
                like the sand of the sea, only a remnant within them will return....."

Jesus is going to preserve these 144,000 from harm during the last 3 1/2 years of the seven year tribulation period.  At the end of this period, Jesus is going to bring them back to Jerusalem.  Satan is going to be so outraged at the fact that they were spared and are now back in Israel that he is going to get the armies of the world to gather in the valley of Har- Magedon for a two fold purpose.  First, to destroy the remnant that has returned and the Second, in all futillity, he will try to stop Jesus from executing His wrath that will stop Satan from destoying the earth.

Isaiah wrote again in his 31st Chapter, in verses 4 and 5;

                (4)"......So will the Lord of hosts come down to wage war on Mount Zion and
                on its hill.(5) Like flying birds so the Lord of hosts will protect Jerusalem.  He
                will protect and deliver it; He will pass over and rescue it."

The seal on their foreheads, that protects them, is the name of the Lamb and the name of His Father.  This means that the name on their foreheads is Jesus(Yeshua).  Since Jesus and the Father are one and the same.

In John's gospel Chapter 10, verse 30, he quotes Jesus;

                 "I and the Father are one."

In verses 2 and 3 John continues;

                  (2)"And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like
                  the sound of loud thunder, and the voice that I heard was like the sound of
                  harpists playing on their harps. (3) And they sang a new song before the throne
                  and before the four living creatures and elders; and no one could learn the song
                  except the one hundred and fourty-four thousand who have been purchased
                  from the earth."

In Revelations Chapter 1, verse 15, the voice that sounds like many waters was coming from Jesus.  The interesting thing in these verses is that these 144,000 are singing before the thone.  These 144,000 are sealed to be protected from harm, which would mean from being killed.  These 144,000 will also be brought back by Jesus to Jerusalem.  There are few possibilties, either they are brought for a moment into heaven like Enoch and Elijah were, or the throne came to the place they were brought, or their song was heard before the throne, like our worship and prayers are. 

Psalm Chapter 100, verse 4

                 "We shall enter His gate with thanksgiving in our hearts, we shall enter His
                 courts with praise."

With thanksgiving we enter into the gates of heaven, His temple.  Then when we give Jesus praise, we enter His court, this is were His throne is, the Holie of Holies.

This is how these 144,000 came to be selected.  First of all, they are descendants of Jacob who came to believe in Jesus as their Messiah.  They will be believers in the gospel of Jesus who have allowed themselves to be born of above by receiving what Jesus did for them on the cross.  As the rest of the believers are resurrected, these 144,000 will remain to start the earthly rule of Jesus here on earth, while those who have been caught up to be with Jesus in the air, will help rule the earth from the heavenly Jerusalem that will reside above the skys of Israel.  So verses 4 and 5 says this of them;

                  (4)"These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept
                  themselves chaste.  These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.
                  These have been purchased from among men as first fruits of God and to the Lamb.
                  (5) And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless."

Like all other beleivers, they are purchased with the blood of Jesus and they are blameless because the blood of Jesus has covered their sins.  The only difference is that they have been selected to do a special function of Jesus kingdom here on the earth, in the earthly Capital, Jerusalem.  All other saints will help rule from the Heavenly Jerusalem.  This is when Jesus' 1,000 year rule begins while Satan is locked up.  There will be a small amount of people still left alive on earth. This is why Jesus
wrath has to come.  His wrath is to destroy those who are destoying the earth, mainly Satans destruction. In Matthews gospel, Chapter 24, verse 22, Jesus said;

                 "And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved;
                 but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short."

Jesus peace be with all of you.

Revelation Chapter 13 (Part 2) The Second Beast

The next beast that we are going to see will be different from the first one.  The first one comes up from out of the sea, the second comes up out of the earth.  The beast from the sea represented a goverment from among the nations.  The beast from the earth will represent a governing from among a religious mindset.  It will be a convergence of all religious persuasions with this beast(leader) being its chief representative.  Many different religions have been looking forward to the coming of some diety to solve the earths woes.  The anti-christ will be the perfect canidate because he will be killed and come back to life.  Little do they know that this person comes back to life in the power of Satan as Satan is kicked down to the earth.  This is why they will worship this leader.  Not only will he say he is God, but they will be told that he is, by this second beast.  John sees this in Chapter 13, verse 11;

               "And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like
                a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon."

The interesting thing here is that is says that he had two horns like a lamb.  We know that Jesus is the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world for anyone who would receive what He did.  This is why I feel that this leader is a religious leader.  He speaks like a dragon (Satan) so we know that this person is a false prophet.  Verse 12;

                 "And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence.  And he
                 makes the whole earth and those who dwell in it worship the beast(anti-christ),
                 whose fatal would was healed.

Verse 13;

                 "And he performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of
                 to the earth in the presence of men."

Jesus warned about being deceived from these signs and wonders.  Remember, in the 24th Chapter  of Matthew, Jesus was responding to the disciples questioning him as to the signs of His Coming and the end of the age.  This is were Jesus had instructed them to look to the writings of the prophet Daniel about the abomination of desolation.  This is when the anti-christ, (IT), Satan, seats himself in the temple of God, making claims of being God.  After telling the disciples that, Jesus goes on to say in Chapter 24, verses 21-25;

                   (21)"for then there will be a tribulation, such as has not occured since the beginning
                   of the world until now, nor ever shall. (22) And unless those days had been cut short,
                   no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut
                   short, (23) Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ', or 'There He is',
                   do not believe him. (24) For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show
                   great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect."(25) Behold I
                   have told you in advance."

Jesus confirms what Daniel wrote about this leader who will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it.  Jesus also warns about the false prophet who will tell people that this leader is a messiah and get them to beleive it by performing great signs and wonders in the presence of the beast.  Jesus said that if it was possible, and it's not, that these signs would be so persuasive that they
might even be able to deceive even those who know this is coming.  Even the apostle Paul told of these deceptions in his 2nd letter to the Thessalonians.  Right after Paul had just wrote about the man of lawlessness who would take his seat in the temple of God, making claims of being God, Paul writes in verses 9 and10;     

                  (9)"that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all
                  power and signs and false wonders, (10) and with all the deception of wickedness
                  for those who perish, because they did not receive the truth so as to be saved."

John continues in verse 14;

                   "And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it
                   was given to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on
                   the earth to make an image to the beast, who had the wound of the sword and
                   has come to life."

Somehow people on the earth are going to be told to worship the image of the beast.  Since not everyone can be in the physical presence of the beast 1, there must be images that are going to be replicated throughout the world that everyone will be able to see.  When I first came to believe, 35 years ago, this was not something that could seem possible.  But with todays advance technologies and computers, maybe even holograms, there may be a way for people everywhere to see, hear and worship the beast.  John continues in verse 15;

                   (15)"And there was given to him (the false prophet) to give breath to the image
                   of  the beast (IT), that the image of the beast (IT) might even speak and cause as
                   many as do not worship the image of the beast (IT) to be killed."

John goes on to descibe a new means of commerce that will be implemented during this time, when John writes this in verses 16 and 17;

                   (16) And he causes the all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor,
                   and the freemen and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on
                   their forehead, (17) and he provides that no one should be able to buy or to sell,
                   except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number
                   of his name."

Again, when I first received the truth, this was hard to imagine being possible.  But again, with all the new technologies, I can see where this now is in the realm of possibility.  How could this have been monitored if everyone is still using cash? Then came bank cards, but how could this work with global commerce, if the values of currencies are different throughout the world?  Would we move towards a global currency, to where the rate of exchanges would not be an issue?  What would the mark on the right hand or forehead have to do with it? Would it be a mark of the beast, like a tattoo, that would have to be seen before you could buy or sell?  Is it a mark that actually will be used to access imformation, like a bar code or maybe even a chip that can now be used for commerce as is being done in some of the airports throughout the world, by scanning? A cashless society is a safer society, right?  The drug trade will stop.  Robberies would cease.  All transactions can be recorded.  Everyone could be located with a chip.  No more kidnapping and getting away with it.  Sounds like a great idea, but here's the problem for anyone who gets the mark of the beast, they will loose any chance of gaining eternal life.  Receiving the mark is worshiping the beast.  John completes Chapter 13, with this in verse 18;

                  " Here is the wisdom.  Let him who has understanding calculate the number
                  of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred
                  and sixty six."

Some manuscripts read 616.  It says to calculate.  I have no idea what to calculate.  All I know is that it is the number of a man.  As of right now maybe it is something that can not yet be calculated.

Jesus peace to all of you.




        

Revelation Chapter 13 (Part 1) The First Beast

In Chapter 13, we are going to see the coming of what John calls a beast from the sea and a beast from the earth.  These two beasts will be leaders who will control what will take place on the earth in the last fourty-two months of the end of this age, before Jesus returns to execute judgement to stop their destuction.  In verse 1, John said that he was standing on the sand of the seashore and saw this;

              "And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads,
              and on the horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names."

The beasts that comes up out of the sea represents the nations that will be governing the earth during the first 3 1/2 years of the tribulation period. After the realm of Greece comes againsts Persia, who was waging war to it's north, south and west, and subdues them, the realm of Greece will be divided into four different kingdoms.  At that time, one of the leaders will make the seven year covenant with the many, as Daniel wrote in his 9th Chapter, verse 27.  It will be a time of so called "peace and safety!", as Paul wrote in his first letter to the Thessalonians Chapter 5, verse 3.  In the first half of the covenant, it will appear to seem like it is.  For Israel will start back up their grain offerings and sacrifices and a capital city of the world will be built in Tyre, Lebanon.  John continues in verse 2;
    
              "And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear,
              and his mouth like the mout of a lion.  And the dragon gave him his power and his
              throne and great authority."

Daniel wrote in his 7th Chapter, verse 2 and 3, about the four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea and that four beasts(kingdom) were coming up from the sea, different from one another.  Daniel describes these beasts in verses 3-7 as one being like a lion, another like a bear and another like a leopard. Daniel describes the fourth beasts in verse 7;

               "After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast dreadful,
                terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth.  It devoured and
                crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; It will be different from
                all the other beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns."

From this fourth dreadful kingdom will come forth ten kings.  From these ten kings, one of them will subdue three of the other kings, leaving seven kings.  This king that removes the other three will be (IT) the anti-christ, the one who will cause the abomination of desolatition, when he seats himself in the temple of God, making claims of being God.  The apostle Paul wrote about this in his 2nd leter to the Thessalonians Chapter 2, verses 3 and 4:

                 (3)"Let no one in any way deceive you, for it (the day of the Lord) will not come
                 unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son
                 of destuction,(4) who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or
                 object of worship, so that his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as
                 being God."

One of the ten kings, the one who makes the 7 year covenant, will be slain and will come back to life.  When he comes back to life as (IT), he will remove three of the other kings.  When Daniel received the interpretation of the forth beast it was explained this way to him in verses 23-25;
    
                  (23) "The fourth beasts will be the fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be
                  different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and tread
                  it down and crush it.(24) as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings
                  will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the
                  previous ones and will subdue three kings.(25) And he will speak out against
                  the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend
                  to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand
                  for a time, times, and half a time.(3 1/2 years)"

Continuing Revelation Chapter 13, verses 3-8, John writes;

                  (3)"And I saw one of his heads as if it were slain, and his fatal head was healed.
                  And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;(4) and they
                  worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast; and they
                  worshiped the beast, saying, 'Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war
                  with him?'(5) And there was given him a mouth speaking arrogant words and
                  blasphemie; and authority to act for fourty-two months(3 1/2 years) was
                  given him.(6) and he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blasphemie
                  His name (Jesus) and His tabernacle, that is those who dwell in heaven.(7) And
                  it was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and
                  authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.
                  (8) And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name
                  has not been written in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain from the
                  foundation of the world."

What we see here is the leader who comes from the fourth dreadful kingdom, that devours three of this kingdoms kings, when he comes back to life, worshiped by an amazed world.  They unknowingly or knowingly worship Satan because Satan gave his authority to this leader.  Just like in Daniel, it says that this leader will have 3 1/2 years to speak out against Jesus and come against the saints (believers).  Anyone whose names are not recorded in the Lambs book of life, will worship this leader.  Those who know the truth and will not worship this leader will pay a price, knowing that their reward is at hand.  When a person is born of above, by receiving what Jesus did on the cross to give, to anyone who whould receive it, the gift of eternal life, their names are recorded in the Lambs (Jesus) book of life. Daniel refferenced this book in his last Chapter,12, first verse, when he said;

                 '.........everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.

We will finish with part one of Chapter 13 with verses 9 and 10;

                 (9) "If anyone has an ear, let him hear.

Whenever this is said, it is very important that the reader hears and understands and acts on what is about to be said;

                  (10) " If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills
                  with the sword, with the sword he must be killed.  Here is the perseverance
                  and the faith of the saints."

I always define faith as trusting Jesus.  For belivers during this time, it is important for them to recognize that their redemption is drawing near.  If they must go to prison for not worshiping
this world leader and chosing Jesus over their own lives, knowing that their real life is about to be realized, then amen, let it be.  It is good to pre-meditate what you will choose.

Jesus' peace to all of you.