Understanding Revelation

When I started studying Revelation, I was sure that it could be unraveled logically. I have learned a lot since then, and my whole perspective has changed. What I'm going to say isn't a copout--believe me, because I don't give up easily (and that's an understatement)!--but it's what I feel God has taught me.

Here's what I know now:

• We each need to read Revelation for ourself, and pray that God will teach us what He wants us to know.
• If we want to understand Revelation, we need to read it a lot and know it well (not the same as understanding--more like memorization). You may read it and learn it this Spring, and it may not be until next Fall that God chooses to reveal something to you. He will bring the Scripture to your remembrance--but you can't remember what you never knew.
  
• Don't be discouraged. Be content with knowing, but not understanding. When the time is right, you'll understand.
  
• Do pray and ask God to teach you, and guide you, as you study.
  
• Revelation is given on a 'need to know' basis.
  
• Revelation is just that--something that God will reveal to each of us, in His own time and His own way.
  
• You may study for hours, yet walk away with just one little nugget of understanding--but this is good!
  
• The book is purposely complicated, to make it impossible to interpret merely using logic. The only way to understand Revelation, is by the Holy Spirit revealing it to us. The Holy Spirit will only reveal it to Christians.
  
• The awesomeness of that is that it doesn't depend on our intelligence! I'm fairly smart and there are things I have tried for years to understand, but can't--but then, in an instant, God has opened my eyes to something that was right there all the time, and suddenly I understand! Contrary to what some churches have taught-you don't have to be a priest to read and understand Scripture. God reveals things in a way that any of us can understand, no matter how smart we are--or aren't. We're all on a level playing field here!

These are my general opinions:

• It seems the people who claim to understand Revelation the most, are actually the ones that understand it the least.
  
• The prophecy 'experts' make certain assumptions, upon which they base the rest of their interpretation. Very few of them seem to question these assumptions, and the 'rules' they have set up for how to interpret prophecy. If these assumptions or ways of interpreting are wrong, then the foundation of their interpreting is wrong, and they may end up misunderstanding much, or most, of the prophecies.
  
• In reality, right now there is no way we can know for sure how it will all play out. Only God knows the specifics, and although He is revealing things a little at a time, He has not yet made it all clear to us.
  
• He may not give us the full interpretation before it is fulfilled. There may be things we only see later, in hindsight, as having been the fulfillment of prophecy.
  
• It is tempting to latch onto the first interpretation that fits but, in studying with a completely open mind, I have found that each portion of prophecy in Revelation could potentially be fulfilled in many different ways.
  
• I believe the reason God has not revealed it all, is because there are many possible outcomes, depending on what choices we make (our generation, the Church, America, etc.).
  
• I believe if God revealed what would happen, it would cause it to turn out that way, violating our free will to some degree. I believe He wants us to do all that we can, until we breathe our last breath. MUCH of the ending has not yet been written!
  
• A lot of people have a fatalistic attitude--that we really have little to do with the outcome, that it is predestined; some people even go so far as to say that God will make things happen a certain way, no matter what we do. But I believe that the time, and the way, the prophecies will be fulfilled, is completely dependent upon the choices of mankind.
  
• God always prefers to show mercy and, if we repent in time, He may turn aside His wrath. These things could all come to pass in the next few years (that's the road we're on right now)--or, if we repent, God may intervene and 'pause the clock' by tens or even hundreds of years.
  
• Because it is Satan that is behind the events in Revelation, and because his overall battle plan has not changed, we will see the same sort of events happen again and again, until he finally gains control of a global government.

These are my specific opinions:

• I am not convinced that all of these events will be confined to a 7 year period.
  
• Things do not necessarily happen in the order in which they are written. Yes, there is an overall chronology to the events--but there are a lot of 'flashbacks' (as in the movies), that go back to an earlier time and show the events that happened to bring you back to the 'present', in order to understand things that were just mentioned.
  
• The same event may be explained from several different perspectives--rather than those being separate events.
  
• I am not convinced that the bowl judgments follow the trumpet judgments, and they follow the seven seals. I strongly suspect that there is overlap here-that things are happening simultaneously, or even that what are commonly believed to be separate events, are actually the same event.
  
• It is important to differentiate between what John saw in the spirit realm, and what he saw in the physical realm. In other words, when an angel sounds his trumpet and 'hail and fire mixed with blood' is hurled down upon the Earth--that is probably how it appears in the spirit realm. It may not literally be hail and fire mixed with blood when seen in the physical realm. The result: 'A third of the Earth was burned up . . . ' is what we would actually see. So, we should not necessarily expect to see or hear, in the physical realm, everything that is described in Revelation.
  
• I believe it is possible for God to have mercy on us, at any point, if we repent. Therefore, I believe it may be possible that the 'clock' could be paused at almost any point.
  
• Although I believe the clock could be paused, there are certain things that cannot be undone. I believe this explains the significance of the three 'woes'. The fifth, sixth, and seventh trumpet judgments involve releasing demonic entities that have been bound and prevented from interacting with mankind. I believe that once they are released, they cannot again be bound. These woes are:
     * the angel of the abyss, and hordes of spirits that physically torment people (for 5 months)
     * four angels, with 200,000,000 troops that have the authority to kill 1/3 of mankind
     * satan and his followers are hurled to Earth
  
• If you understand that once these spirits are unleashed, we are stuck with them from then on (even if we repent and God pauses the clock), then it becomes even more apparent why these events would be called 'woes'.
  
• There is no 'Rapture' per se. Jesus will return (as warrior, judge and king) near the very end of the Tribulation. There will be a great earthquake, the dead in Christ will be raised, the 'two witnesses' will be taken up to heaven, any remaining believers will be taken up, and we will meet Him in the clouds.

So, again, I think the best way to understand the Bible, is to read the Bible. We are promised that the Holy Spirit will teach us what the Scriptures mean. Some of that teaching happens on a subconscious level. God-inspired writings are much deeper and carry much more information than when people write.

The more you read the Bible, the more you learn the many ways that God conveys truth to us. You learn His 'voice', His style, how He uses patterns and foreshadowing, how much meaning a passage can carry on many different levels, etc., etc. There is so much deception these days, I think it is far better that we ask God to teach us, than men.

(In God's kingdom, no one is 'better than' anyone else. How much you understand will depend on how much you read the Bible, spend time contemplating God's word, and pray.)


And one more thing:
"Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near."
Rev. 1:3

Enduring What Is Coming--Mental Preparation

I believe, over a year ago, that the United States experienced a large influx of demonic spirits.  I can't prove that, or explain why that might be--I can only tell you that I feel it.

Something has radically changed in America.  There is a spiritual darkness present here now, as the darkness that envelopes the land before a great storm.  I don't know whether or  not you have sensed it too.

I'm sharing a list of suggestions, to help you protect yourself from things that are to come: deception and spiritual forces of evil (in whatever form they may manifest in our physical world).

Scripture tells us that a people without understanding (of God's ways) will come to ruin.  Jesus says that we are as sheep among wolves, yet we should be as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves. 

• There is another dimension-an unseen spiritual world-that is intricately tied in with everything that happens in our world   That world is eternal, ours is bound by time.  From that world, all dimensions are seen.  In our world, much that happens is not visible to us.  Our world is secondary to that world.  In that world, the story began--the story that never ends.  This world, as we know it, is coming to an end.  A new heavens and a new Earth will take its place, by the grace of God, because this one has been irreparably corrupted (no, I don't mean global warming).
• Everything really does boil down to the battle between good and evil   That is the whole reason 'our world' was even created.  It was chosen to be the theater for the great battle between good and evil.
• Don't be so sure that you know what is going on--nothing is as it seems  Many deceiving spirits are among us.  Theories abound.  Conspiracies abound.  A lot is going on, and a lot is being revealed.  God will show you what you need to know.  Be careful you don't get caught up in the confusion and start defining people as 'friends' or 'enemies' by whether or not they share your current beliefs about what is going on--they may just know more (or less) about it, than you.
• There is one force of good--spiritual forces of evil are attacking from many sides   There is only one force for good, and it is far more powerful than the force of evil.  However, the force of evil is desperate, and is attacking from every side.  Stand firm and wait for God's deliverance (no, not the 'Rapture') when you are besieged.  Have faith.  Resist evil and it will retreat.
• Get back to the basics   Don't let yourself be taken on a tangent by new and intriguing teachings. There is much deception swirling around us.  Go back to the basics that God teaches us in the Bible, and hold on tight.
• Search your heart often   Our hearts our desperately wicked, yet if we would judge ourselves, we'd all see ourselves as innocent.  God judges the intent of our hearts.  It is your heart that decides toward what direction to point your will.  It is your heart that falls into sin first.  None of us is righteous.  Our greatest enemy lies within us, and we are blind to its true condition, and to its power to lead us astray.
• Read your Bible & pray for understanding   The Bible is God's message to us, and is for God's people only--no one else can understand it.  But, the Holy Spirit must teach you what it means.  Equip yourself for the days ahead, by learning it now.
  
• Live by Biblical principles:  even if you don't understand them--they protect you   God's rules form a hedge around you--not a hedge to keep you in, but a hedge to keep evil out.
• Don't follow the crowd   Jesus told us that the path to destruction is wide and many people will go that way and, conversely, the way that leads to life is narrow, and few will find it.
• Don't be distracted by the trivial  God, and his people, are being attacked from every side.   Stay focused, there are many important issues right now--don't let the enemy distract you.
• Be very suspicious of 'miracles' and supernatural displays   Jesus promised that false messiahs and workers of miracles would abound in the latter days.  Don't be surprised, and don't be taken in, no matter how elaborate a 'miracle' may seem.  A lot can be done with money, technology, and demonic power.
• Deceptions come in all sizes  Don't think something is too big and powerful, or too little and unimportant, to be fake.
• Turn off your TV!   More than anything else, this is the tool that Satan uses to unify people in their beliefs and actions.  It's not about what shows you watch--it's the whole paradigm for life, the whole package of values and beliefs, that is presented over and over and over and over . . . molding you without you even being aware.
• Trust no one 100%   Sadly, unfortunately, we have come to this point.
• Be skeptical, think critically   Don't believe everything you see and hear, no matter  how often you see and hear it.  Don't believe everything you are told--no matter who tells you.
• Blindly follow no one   Think for yourself.  It is largely your choices that will determine the course of your life.  Everyone has an agenda.  As times get tougher, people will become more self protective, deceptive and manipulative--in a word: less trustworthy.
• Be responsible for yourself and your children   Start taking on the responsibilities God gave you, because soon you will have to fight tooth and nail for them.  Everyone's children will soon be taken away--because parental authority will be usurped by international treaty.  The irony is, you'll still have the expense and responsibility for raising them, they'll still live with you, but you will not have the freedom to choose what is in their best interest, or how you will raise or teach them.  (What do you think your family life will be like when your teenager realizes you have no legal authority over them?  Who will be running the show then?)
• Protect what is important to you   You are standing on the verge of losing everything that matters to you--and you don't even see it.  Trust me--you'd better wake up and stand up to protect what is important to you now, while you still can.  After that, you're going to have to decide which of your values and freedoms you are willing to die to hold onto, and which you'll learn to live without.
• Diligently protect your children!   The real battle is for the hearts and minds of your children.  If you don't believe me, look to history, look to other countries and their kidnapped child-soldiers, look to how our mandatory, liberal/progressive-run educational system is turning children against their parents.  'There is nothing new under the sun'--history repeats itself.  To see the future, examine the past.  Fight now, before it's too late!
• Teach your children   Equip your children now, to face the deceptions ahead of them.  Your window of opportunity is closing.  Not only will you not be legally able (your parental authority will be gone),  your children will be turned against you in the schools where they are spending 30 or more hours a week under intense pressure from people whose values are in direct opposition to your own--people who have already begun a revolution, against the values we represent.
• Think long and hard before surrendering your freedom for security  An enemy will say anything to get you to surrender--it's much easier on them than having to fight you!  They will even create a crisis, to convince you to surrender your freedom to them, in trade for the promise of peace and safety.
• Remember that what you agree to do voluntarily, will later become mandatory  Seems to be a basic principle in life.
• Remember that if you don't use self control, you will end up under someone else's control  Another seemingly basic principle in life.
• Don't be proud and arrogant  Pride comes before a fall.  It's pride and arrogance that got America into this mess.  It's pride and arrogance that God hates.
• Don't be sucked in by flattery  Oldest trick in the book.  It works most effectively on those with low self esteem, excessive pride and arrogance, or narcissism.

If This Is True, We'd Better Not Yield To The Temptation

I have heard that the National Health Care plan is to be set up in such a way that results in young people paying more than older people. The reasoning? Not sure about that, but I can see one benefit to those who are pushing the bill: many older, less healthy people may breathe a sigh of relief because they can't afford higher payments, and will be less likely to oppose the bill. We'd better look farther though, and not yield to that temptation.
Most young people enjoy good health but have low income. Why should they pay more? They should not inherit our problems. Ultimately, we failed to provide for our own old age, before these young adults were ever born!
The Bible tells us to discipline our children, but warns against provoking them to wrath! What provokes children to wrath? Injustice!
I will mince no words. If we approve of binding such an unjust burden upon the young people of America--we will ultimately reap what we sow: euthanasia.
Do any of you who wonder: Why would Obama turn on the young people who, overwhelmingly, voted for him?
Here is my opinion. He knows he has their unquestioning adoration, and they see him as a peer. The blame will not fall on him, it will fall on 'the opposition' (whoever opposes Obama and his agenda), and upon those who will benefit from this unjust system: the sick and the elderly.
This president and his cabinet, czars, etc. have caused more division in America than anything, or anyone, that I have seen in my lifetime, or can remember from history! He knows exactly how to play into the entitlement mentality of today's young people to win them over. Once their loyalty is won, he and his people add their own discontent and rebellion to the discontent, anger, and fear of the young. They provoke and magnifying the discontent of the young, to help accomplish their revolution.
I don't think it is an oversight that the National Health Care system was set up in this manner. The whole thing is a HUGE Trojan horse, full of provisions to ensure the complete overthrow of America as we have known it. This is why Obama is so adamant that it must be passed! This embodies his agenda. (See my prevous post: Will America's New Health Care ID Card Eventually Morph Into 'The Mark Of The Beast'?)
When this man took his seat in the White House, America began to crack and divide: Democrat against Republican, Liberal against Conservative, Black against White, Son against Father, Poor against Rich.
A nation divided against itself cannot stand! This administration is getting its inspiration and direction straight from Hell! We know that it is Satan's nature to steal, kill and destroy, so it is obvious he's behind this.
We need to be wise, strategic, and HONORABLE. Don't let fear and greed tempt you to betray the young in order to effect your own security! Yes, we need health care reform, but don't rob someone else to get it!!


Abortion, Are You SURE You Have The Right?
Homosexuality, What's The Big Deal?

The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail Against Us

Jesus promised that the gates of Hell would not prevail against the Church (BORN AGAIN BELIEVERS, NOT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH*).  Do the 'gates of Hell' represent the front line of Satan's war on the Church?  Does it mean that although Satan attacks the Church and backs it into a corner, he won't win. NO!!!  It means that as the Church attacks the gates of Hell--we will prevail!

But, I have to ask, for the last 50 or so years, who has been battering the gates of whom?  Who has retreated and retreated until, soon, they will be hunkered down behind their gates, trembling at the onslaught?

Tolerance and political correctness are just new terms for 'surrender'!  Was Jesus politically correct?  Was he tolerant of evil?

 A few years ago it was all the rage to ask 'what would Jesus do'.  When He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and vendors in the temple, that was a clue!  It was also a foreshadowing of the system we are facing today (Babylon the Great), a corrupt alliance of businesses, bankers & politicians, upon whom God's wrath and judgment will be poured out during the Tribulation.  I am not advocating violence.  I AM advocating boldness!

Jesus left us with the task of sharing the gospel with everyone, and fighting evil. We were to continue doing the work that Jesus had begun and demonstrate the good that God intended for mankind when He placed us here on Earth.

We were to be the salt that protected the world from becoming a place of depravity!  But the 'salt has lost its saltiness'!  We were to be the light, to keep the world safe because 'whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open', yet we have 'covered our lamp with a bowl'!  The whole world has slid into corruption and gangrenous decay, and we have retreated to a dimly lit corner!!

We have done pretty well at sowing the gospel, but, over time, we have neglected the fight against evil within our own borders.  We have become complacent and choked by the cares of this world.

God established America so that we would have a place from which to manifest His power and goodness to the nations!!  AMERICA wasn't to be God's witness to the world--America was to be the place from which the CHURCH could operate most safely and freely, and be His witness to the world!

For each of us, it's time to decide which side of the fence we are on!  Are we to continue letting evil prevail around us and in our own lives, and lay aside His name? Or will we clean up our own act (by the power of God within us), live righteously, and wage war on the kingdom of darkness? 

God will not bless a lukewarm Christianity--we do dishonor to His name!  For those who want to call themselves 'Christians',  it is time to root sin out of our own lives, and expose and fight against evil wherever we encounter it!  Be assured that He is with us--and that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against us!



*The idea that Peter was the first Pope, and that Jesus thus established the Catholic church, is based upon a fundamental misunderstanding of His meaning in Matthew 16:18.  If the verse is read in context, it is seen that the 'rock' upon which Christ will build His church is Peter's declaration that He (Jesus) is 'the Christ, the Son of the living God'.

It's Time To 'Shake The Dust Off'
You Only Die Once--Make It Count!

The Witness (Oh yes . . . Part 4)

(Continued from Part 3, 'Novus Ordo Seclorum')
What a great responsibility we have!  We are one of the few countries where the people have the power of governing themselves!  We are one of the few, and probably the best equipped, to delay and frustrate the plans of the antichrist in setting up his government!  The date he will take the throne of world government has not been set.  The American people may be the only ones who can delay it--by standing up for our rights and refusing to give up our rights to govern ourselves!  We can not stop what God has said will happen, but we don't have to allow it to happen here, now!
God has entrusted us with much and much will be required of us.  We--individual Americans--have a grave responsibility, not just for ourselves, but for freedom loving people all over the world,to resist!  How disappointed God will be--after giving us such great natural resources, inspired founding documents and direction, prosperity, freedom, and understanding--if we squander it and allow the world to be taken captive by the antichrist!
I believe America's whole foundation & existence was divinely ordained to put an obstacle in the way of Satan's plan at this very point in time!  I believe we are called to use our freedom &; constitutionally guaranteed rights to resist and expose the truth about Satan's plan to the world, at this very hour, while we still have those rights!  This is the fulfillment of Christ's words in Matthew 24:14:
'And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.'
That is us, American believers!  And each of us now has the freedom & the tools to preach the gospel to people throughout the entire world, from the comforts of home!  We can be at the forefront of this great mission!
I believe the words 'for a witness' hold special significance.  I believe this means that we, while the events spoken of in the end times prophecies are unfolding, will be explaining them to people throughout the world, and sharing the gospel message!  No one will be able to say they didn't understand what was happening, and who was its author, if we do what we have been divinely inspired to do--in this very hour!  Our message will be the 'witness' to them whereby they will later be judged as to whether they understood what they were participating in!
Don't be mistaken though, if you answer the call, you will likely give your life in the process.  You will likely be one of the 'multitude in white robes' who were martyred during the 'time of great tribulation' for spreading the word of God and the testimony/witness of the meaning of the events that are unfolding.
The first of the seven seals (written about in the book of Revelation, Holy Bible) has been opened.  The four horsemen of the apocalypse are being released (invisible spiritual beings, empowered by God to pour out His judgment upon an unrepentant world).
The rider on the white horse has been loosed upon the world, bent on conquest.  This is not a conquest of war and bloodshed, but it is a subjugation, a seizure of freedom from those that resist, and a seduction to those willing to surrender.
The other three horsemen will soon follow.  Be on the watch for the second (he causes men to kill each other-don't assume it just means in the context of war), the third (food prices will skyrocket-it will cost an average day's wages for a loaf of bread), and the fourth (death--by weapons, famine, plague & wild animal attacks).

This is a warning to you of some of the dangers America is now facing from within while, simultaneously, God's judgment is starting to be poured out on the earth. Most people are unaware that America is under siege from within, and will soon be attacked from outside as well.  We are surrounded by enemies! Our only hope is in God.  Repent and pray for His intervention and deliverance!
(Separate blogs will explain the dangers mounting against us from our enemies outside our borders, what prophecies say will happen to America, and whether there is any hope for us.)


The Drunken Whore

Novus Ordo Seclorum --'A New Order of the Ages' (Oh yes . . . Part 3)

(Continued from Part 2, 'Amerika')

There WILL BE one world government, ruled by the antichrist.  I don't want to see it happen, because I've read the end of the book--I KNOW how that turns out!  While the Bible spells out much about what will take place, it doesn't say that America has to be the seat of his power!

Sure, our currency reflects the designs that the freemasons have, for a world government that begins in America--but that is not prophecy! It is a hope, a plan, a goal of some--but God has not decreed it to happen.

Don't be fooled by false 'prophecies'--a prophecy is only as infallible as the one who ordains it!  Maybe the Mayans somehow saw the future--or not.  Maybe Nostradamus saw what would happen--or not, etc., etc., etc.

The Bible makes it clear that if a prophet is speaking God's prophecies--he will never be wrong!  If he is not 100% right in his prophecies, then they did not come from God.  And if it doesn't claim to be the word of God, then it is not even a prophecy.  It is a goal, a hope, a fear, or an opinion!

If you are still not convinced that something new has settled upon our country, that there is a conspiracy unfolding, then look at the alliances Obama is making.  He is snubbing our traditional white, imperialist allies and befriending dictators!  Sure, you can say he is just trying to 'establish a dialogue' with them to bring about resolution to current conflicts--but that is just the cover!  In fact, it isn't even a cover.  All of this is happening in plain sight, yet people do not see!

We currently have several world leaders, who have recently seized power from their people--Putin, Chavez, Zelaya.  Elected democratically, they then changed the laws, enabling themselves to stay in office.  Wake up please.  It is happening in America now too!

If you don't think he sympathizes with these dictators, look at his response to the heroic efforts of the Hondurans in ousting a leader who was doing the same thing he is--usurping power and violating the people's constitutional rights!  He sided with Zelaya and insists he should be returned from exile and placed back into power over the Honduran patriots!

And consider his lack of response to the brave freedom loving people in Iran who were protesting a fraudulent election.  Silence, until he was repeatedly pushed to issue some kind of response-- and even then it was lukewarm at best!

These are the people that Obama is befriending--bold, audacious men that take what they want by force.  I believe he feels a kinship with these men because he has similar ambitions.  In fact, I believe they are all auditioning for the position of world leader.

These are the philosophical allies of our president--and he is working to establish them as his political allies as well!  Every move he makes is to court those who despise freedom and draw them into his circle of influence!

Look at his appointees-many of them are drawn from the ranks of the organizations he puts them in charge of overseeing!  Do you not see that he is throwing the door open wide and letting the fox into the henhouse?  And he welcomes people from every ideology that is opposed to America as we know it!

The status quo is under attack--and it probably should be!  But the direction in which he is taking us instead is not towards honesty, transparency, justice, and equality.  Those are his claims, but you must look at his actions!  While he may cover his real convictions with the words we want to hear, the people he surrounds himself with don't even attempt to veil their convictions!

It has struck me how he has told us, more or less, what he planned to do.  His agenda is not deeply concealed.  In fact, it is so obvious that it is hard to understand why people are not seeing what it is!  Unlike previous administrations, his ambitions and design are all happening in plain sight-this is very unusual too!  Here is why I believe that it is happening this way:

Whether or not he knows and intends that what he is putting in place in America will pave the way for the antichrist to have world dominion is not apparent at this time.  However, there are deep spiritual involvements and implications here!

Understand, for example, that a person cannot be possessed without inviting it.  There are spiritual laws that cannot be violated.  So too, it would be a violation of spiritual laws for Satan to seize control of  government on earth.  However, he is free to persuade & deceive men to grant him the power that is rightfully theirs!  So, he courts the leaders of the world's people.

So, Obama is NOT violating spiritual laws in creating a government for the antichrist to control.  He is doing this in plain sight to obtain the implied consent of the American people!  He may say one thing, but we can see, if we choose to, what he is really doing.  This protects the antichrist from being unseated on the grounds that he violated spiritual laws in obtaining his power. Therefore, if you have any objections to what is happening, you must act to oppose it now, while the power of government still belongs to the American people.


(Continued in Part 4, 'The Witness')