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

Prelude To: Did We Do This?

Where do I even begin?

Several months ago, the question occured to me "I wonder if earthquakes can be created?". Of course, I was thinking along the lines of underground nuclear explosions, etc. Well, I found a lot more than I bargained for. Granted, a lot of it sounds far-fetched to the average person, but I do have a college degree in science and I think I have learned enough to at least rule out the utterly ridiculous. Of course, I am not an expert, and can not say with absolute certainty that any of what I've learned is true--but based on what I know, and my intuition, and prayers for God to guide me, I believe that it is.

The amount of 'stuff' that is going on behind the scenes is incredible! I have never ruled out conspiracy theories simply because they were theories of conspiracies. (Some people seem to think conspiracies can't possibly be true.) As far as I understand, a conspiracy is a plan, between two or more people, to do something that is wrong. How can that be impossible?--we see it happen every day!! So, I weigh any conspiracy theory on its own merits. (Even so, there are some that seem so far-fetched that I dread looking into them!)

A few years back, the Lord pulled the blinders off my eyes. Up until that time, I had always looked for the best in everyone, believed whatever I was told, and given everyone the benefit of the doubt. However, I learned that no one can be completely trusted, mankind is not inherently good and, in fact, some people are just plain evil! In spite of all the corruption that has been revealed, in our leaders, in the last couple of years, some of you have not yet had that revelation--you will probably not believe the things that I will be sharing with you.

One other thing you should know about me--I have never been one to follow the crowd. A lot of what I write about is probably not news to some of you--but others of you may think I'm just one more person in some kind of community of wackos, where all of us are just saying the same thing. (In fact, I have that opinion, true or not, of some of the people who are sharing the information I'm learning from! And I don't agree with everything everyone says--I measure it against my knowledge of God's word, what I already know, etc.)

However, the only communication I have with anyone else who shares any of these beliefs, is through several comments I've received through this site and my responses to them, which are posted on this site. I am a virtual hermit. I have a few friends I see on rare occasion, and I have some family. To the best of my knowledge, of these people, only one friend reads my blogs. My family and friends are either not interested in, or are too distressed by the things I am learning, to discuss them with me. The only sites I visit regularly are posted as links, in the right column of this page--and I watch Glenn Beck, although I disagree with a little bit of what he says.

In fact, my 'education' in all of what is going on, began about a year and a half ago with him. I had been watching Fox News regularly, but grew VERY tired of all the political commentary and speculation. Feeling like I wasn't getting the real news of what was going on in the world, I started looking elsewhere and discovered Glenn Beck on CNN. I remember being surprised, because I was of the opinion that CNN was not a conservative news source, and yet he shared most of my opinions! He was also revealing things that I was learning about elsewhere.

The other main source of learning for me comes from Steven Collins' website (to which I have a link in the right column). I was asleep one morning when suddenly Fox News came on my computer (I have no idea how. I had watched it the night before online, and the browser page was still open, but the video connection had been shut off). Anyhow--the news came on and woke me, with the commentator saying something that caused me to jump out of bed. To the best of my recollection, it was about 2 countries that were conducting joint military exercises. I had to 'google' the names of these 2 countries, along with the word 'prophecy', because I had a feeling it was something that I had heard before, regarding events prophesied to happen in the 'end times'. I had no idea of the journey I was about to embark upon.

When the Google search results came back, I realized I had a potential problem--how could I know which site(s) would actually have accurate information? I prayed for God to lead me, and chose Stephen Collins' site. Neverthless, I didn't throw out my discernment.

In subsequent days, I read and learned a lot, but I was still skeptical. He apparently believes that the US is descended from the 'lost' 10 tribes of Israel. This is something I had learned about (and believed) as a teenager--before I ever found Christ--by reading Herbert W. Armstrong materials (The Worldwide Church of God). My mother told me it was a cult. I don't know if that is true or not, but at the time I believed her and threw the things away.

So, when I read these assertions on his site, I was skeptical and I worried about his credibility, and possible connection to the WWCoG. (I decided to get more info about Herbert W. Armstrong, and I have to say that I would still be skeptical of any of his teachings. However, Mr. Collins, as far as I can tell, is not a follower of Mr. Armstrong. Because of what I've read of his writings, and additional information I have found, I am about 98% convinced that the 10 'lost' tribes of Israel are not really lost at all, and that the US represents the tribe of Manasseh.)

I continued to read his articles and posts, with caution. Eventually I became convinced (although I am not absolutely sure of everything he proposes) that his site is probably 'safe', and I have learned a lot there. As with any site, if you decide to check it out, use your own discretion and prayer. Mainly he keeps up with current happenings, that you may not get news of elsewhere--and correlates these events with prophecy.

So, I've said all that to illustrate that I don't have an agenda, and I am not just parroting the beliefs of some cult or bunch of wackos. I have felt, from the beginning, that it has been God leading me to what I am learning, because of the way that it started--and has continued. There is not one single website where I have gone and learned all of this. It has been a journey, with God taking me from one site to another, teaching me the right things at the right time.

In fact--some of what I have learned is from movies I watched, for entertainment sake, that ended up confirming things I had learned or leading me to the next thing. One of those movies--a story of two illusionists, introduced me to Nikola Tesla. When I found reference to him, a little further along in my journey, I already had knowledge of him and his work. When God is leading you, you know it--not by where you arrive, but by how He leads you along the way.

I feel I need to make that clear, because it looks to me, like a lot of the things I'll be talking about in the future would be easy to dismiss out of hand. Of course you need to pray and use your discernment regarding the truth of what I'm saying, and how it all fits together, but I hope I have explained myself enough that you will at least be willing to listen to what I have to say.

It was never my intention to start a blog--I just had to vent. The more I learned about things that were happening, the more upset I became. So, I started blogging. I have always enjoyed teaching about things that interest me, so I have continued with this. I know there are only about fifteen (at most) of you reading this, but that's fine. (Jesus said there would be 'few' that actually find the way, that 'many' travel the broad path to destruction, so I don't underestimate the value of reaching only a few.) I also know that He leads people to what He wants to teach them, so I trust that if you are here, He has led you. You may only visit my site to learn one thing, or He may park you here for awhile.

I don't claim to be a prophet--a watchman perhaps. I have just seen, throughout my life, that in many things I happen to be a step ahead of the crowd. I am not saying I should be followed. I'm not saying I'm special at all. I'm just saying I tend to become aware of things a little bit sooner than most people--and right now, time is of the essence. So, I'll share what I am learning with you, and trust that you will use prayer and discretion to decide for yourself.

The last couple of days I have looked into a lot of things, and I've learned a lot. So much in fact, that yesterday I had to just shut everything off and have silence for a few hours--because I was so overwhelmed with what I had learned. I just couldn't absorb anymore. I don't think I've ever felt that way before. There were several things I wanted to write posts about, but I just couldn't. I had no idea where to begin.

Today I received an e-newsletter from Chuck Baldwin. It ties in with some of what I have just learned, so I'm going to write another post and link this one to it. It concerns earthquakes, Indonesia, Venezuela and more--I won't know for sure until I write it!! Please check it out:

Did We Do This? (Haiti Earthquake, part 1)

Truly, ignorance IS bliss. However, the hour is late, so--may your eyes be opened to the truth, and may the truth set you free!

What Does The Devil Look Like?

I recently praised a little girl for taking the time to thank God for her food.  I added that some people don't think about God very much.  Her response shocked me: 'Because they think they are Him?' she asked.  Kids can say some really profound things!


A child recently asked me 'What Does the Devil look like?'  I interpreted that to mean: 'How can I know it's the Devil if I see him?'  A very good question.


As I was explaining that nobody knows what he looks like, and mostly you know if it's the Devil by how you feel in your heart, I was asked if he was white.  I had to chuckle.  'Some people would say so',  I responded.   I added that others would say he was black and some would say he is red.   Then I explained that he might look like a shining star, or like a dragon, or a snake.


It's not something we can pin down.  The Scriptures say that he can 'even appear' as an angel of light, from which it can be inferred that isn't how he usually looks.


He is also referred to as a dragon, in Revelation, and a serpent, in Genesis, which seduced Eve to sin (and resulted in all serpents being cursed to crawl on their belly).   That would infer, prior to that curse he had legs.  A 'serpent' /snake with legs could be describing a dragon here too.  And, there are other places in Scripture that translate the word 'serpent' or 'dragon', depending on the version of translation.


Satan, the Dragon, was thrown down to Earth, from Heaven, when he rebelled against God.  He is referred to, in some places, as 'Leviathan' and is said to live in the sea'.  Chapter 41, in the book of Job, is completely devoted to the description of a dragon. I don't know if this is describing Satan, or just any generic dragon that lived on Earth at the time.


Children don't have any problem believing this, but most adults probably see it as pretty far-fetched.  We are used to seeing angels portrayed as little, naked toddlers with wings, or as women with blond hair, arrayed in white silk, with wings on their backs and halos on their heads. How in the world did we settle on these images? 


Unless I'm forgetting something, the angels that Scripture describes are mature, masculine beings--or 'living creatures' that look like amalgamations of different animal and human parts, with wings, and many eyes all over their bodies!


Jesus also, in Revelation, appears as a lamb that looked as if it had been slain.  Apparently 'shape shifting' is the norm in the spiritual realm.


Which brings me to the reason I took the time to write this post: some of the things that we see in the years ahead may seem to be straight from a science fiction novel!


I suspect this for several reasons:

1. In studying the book of Revelation, it is clear to me that the demon spirit that either is (or will possess the man who is) the Antichrist, is not Satan.  Rather, it is a spirit whose name is Apollyon.
2. Shape shifting is part of the tradition of sorcery.
3. I sense that Satan is using Hollywood to desensitize us to horrendous looking beasts and shape shifters.

So what does Apollyon have to do with it?  Maybe nothing.  But I have a hunch that he is a demon with a nonhuman appearance, and that he is included in ancient folklore. 


Apollyon is the 'Beast out of the Sea' in Revelation 13, and is the same beast we are speaking about when we say 'The Mark Of The Beast'.  We also refer to him as 'The Antichrist'.


Although his description is similar to the description of Satan/The Dragon in Rev. 12, they are not the same.  He is however, the same beast that is described in Rev. 17, upon which the Whore of Babylon rides. 


Here it is explained that he 'once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction.  The inhabitants of the earth . . . (who aren't Christians) . . . will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come.' (emphasis mine)  'The beast who once was, and  now is not, is an eighth king.'  (This refers to a vision involving 7 kings that come before him.  He is the eighth, and final king to rise from that kingdom--the Antichrist.)


Anyhow, my interpretation of the verses above gives me the idea that he may have a nonhuman appearance and be found in the writings of ancient man.  I don't think my other two reasons need explanation.


Ultimately though, if we are walking with the Lord, we will recognize him by the response of our spirit.  Will Christians that aren't walking with the Lord recognize him?  I don't know.  I wouldn't want to be in their shoes.  Will nonChristians recognize him?  Definitely not.  (Although perhaps those that are involved in the occult will--but that's a whole different story.  They may know he is a demon, but who know what twisted beliefs they have regarding what that means.)


Here is how I know for sure than nonChristians won't recognize him:

• '. . . but the fatal wound had been healed.  The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.' (emphasis mine)
• 'All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.'
• 'Because of the signs he (the second beast/false prophet) was given power to do on behalf of the first beast (Antichrist), he deceived the inhabitants of the earth.'
• 'For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible.'
• 'The coming of the lawless one (Antichrist) will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing.  They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.  For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.'

I don't like to devote a lot of my time to speculation, but I thought it worthwhile to post this--in the hope that you will keep an open mind, and be willing to 'think outside the box' when it comes to prophecies. Most of all, I'd hate to see you have your mind so firmly made up about how things will happen that you fail to realize when they do.


We don't know for sure how the fulfillment of prophecies will 'look', but I expect in a lot of cases it will be so mundane that it would be easy to miss--or so unbelievable and astonishing that we will be caught off guard!


Extraterrestrials . . .
Angels, Demons & Raising The Dead

'The Mark of the Beast': Characteristics

Here is some excellent information on The Mark of the Beast. So good, in fact, that I have little to add, so I have simply cut and pasted it. I will include my own comments as well, in parentheses { }. The original document can be found here.  *

{The NIV translation of Revelation 13:16 says: "He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name."}

THE 8 CHARACTERISTICS OF “The Mark”

Revelation 13:16-18; 14:9-11; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4
EadsHome Ministries; www.eadshome.com

1) Likely a physical implant or detailed scarification.
The repetitive nature of John’s description of The Mark lends itself to the interpretation that the Mark is to be taken as literal, rather than figurative.

It has been theorized that The Mark refers symbolically to the belief in [forehead] and support of [right hand] the Antichrist, rather than to a literal mark. However, if this were the case, it would be difficult to imagine how consumers could be easily identified as not having The Mark, since John says that those without The Mark will not be able to buy or sell.

The Mark is described as something that is “received”. Faith in Antichrist and service to the Antichrist is not “received”, it is ‘appropriated’ and ‘given’. The fact that The Mark is received highlights the fact that it comes from an outside source, not from within the person.

2) This physical Mark will be on the right hand/wrist or the forehead. (Rev. 13:16)
The fact that the left hand is not mentioned as a possible site for The Mark is intriguing, and could shed some light onto the future purpose of The Mark from a practical standpoint. With large numbers of people receiving this mark in a very short period of time, the choosing of the right hand may be for convenience purposes. New military recruits often stand in line to receive their vaccinations, which are given into the same arm as the line advances. The same may be true for The Mark. The location on the right hand may also serve as a quick means of identifying a person for commercial reasons.

The option of receiving The Mark on the forehead may be for practical purposes [such as with amputees] or to identify those who cooperate with the beast on another level. Marking of the forehead would, under normal circumstances, be less desirable than marking an extremity for physical, surgical, and cosmetic reasons. Thus, those with The Mark on the forehead could serve to identify a “special” class of people who are more deeply involved with the beast’s kingdom.

3) The great majority of people on earth will receive The Mark.
The usage of the word “everyone” in Revelation 13:16, cannot mean literally everyone on planet earth will receive The Mark. We know that there will be Christians who will not receive The Mark, and they are specifically mentioned in Rev. 20:4. But, apparently all types of people will be represented as bearers of The Mark [small, great, rich, poor, free, slave].

4) It will be impossible to engage in common commerce without The Mark, but there will likely be an “underground” currency and commerce system amongst those without The Mark.
The statement that “no one” could buy or sell without The Mark is not intended to mean that literally no one on earth will be able to buy or sell from anyone else on planet earth. If that were so, then most, if not close to all, Christians would die of starvation or dehydration during the final years. Since many elect will be left until the end to be gathered to Jesus [Matt 24:29-31], these will need to find a way to survive during the final 3 ½ years of oppression [Rev. 12:17, 13:7; Daniel 7:25]. Sustenance farming and lake water purification will not be immediately available to most, so an underground commerce system will likely form. Again, the usage of “no one” in Rev. 13:17 parallels the usage of “everyone” in Rev. 13:16, detailing that the entire world common market will be governed by the beast and will necessitate having The Mark to participate in it.

{The Bible does not speak of this, but common sense would show it to be true.}

5) The Mark will consist of two types.

1. The name of the beast
2. The “number” of his name

It is important to remember that not every Mark will correlate to a number. We cannot be sure whether the majority will be related to his number or his name. The fact that even today a vast majority of people are familiar with 666 makes one wonder if the majority of “Marks” will relate to his name rather than his number as many will never imagine that they have the “dreaded Mark of the beast” because it is in no way related to a number.

6) The relationship of The Mark to the number of the beast will not likely be immediately apparent. Insight and wisdom will be necessary to make the connection.
Rev. 13:18 says that the correlation of The Mark to the number of the beast requires: 1) wisdom 2) insight and 3) calculation. The Bible says this despite the fact that a few words later the number 666 is given to us. For these reasons, The Mark will likely not be a large “666” tattooed on the back of the hand. We are encouraged to keep our mind and eyes open to recognizing The Mark. It may be prudent to avoid ANY marking or implantation of the right arm or head to avoid taking a device which is later transferred to the power of the beast.

It will be easier for those who have a marking or implant for innocent reasons to conform their pre-existing device to the name of a man, than it will be for first-time receivers of the marking or implantation.

{Very good points. With all the concern and mistrust for the government today, it will be hard to 'sell' people on anything resembling The Mark of The Beast.  Listen to your instincts-don't second guess yourself!

Here are my thoughts on tactics that will probably be used to get people to comply:

• Embarrass & Correct. We will probably be ridiculed for our suspicions and shown, probably by people who seem to be experts on the Bible, how what they are proposing couldn't possibly be The Mark.  Listen carefully to exactly how things are worded!  For instance, I received an email update from my state representative, presumably to show how hard he was working and to justify his (sellout) position.  Here was his argument: "The rising cost of health care is stretching family budgets and hurting American businesses. And if we do nothing, our health care system will explode our national debt."  It's hard to argue that--it's probably true.  BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT THE DEBATE IS ABOUT!  I don't think I've heard anyone suggest that we should do NOTHING!  The devil likes to play with words.
  
• Lies. We will probably be lied to.  Self explanatory, but not so easy to spot.  We have to learn to let people's actions do the talking and not put too much trust in the words they utter.  Listen to your instincts!
• Shame & Shun. Piling on the guilt.
• Downplay & Justify. Minimizing the consequences, but inflating the benefits.  Make the reasons to do it look big, and the reasons  not to do it look small, silly, unimportant, outdated, superstitious, uneducated, misinterpreted, evil, etc.
• Possibly: pleading. If the above methods aren't working.
• Threatening. If all else fails--to induce compliance based on fear.
• Punishment. To frighten others into compliance.}

7) 666: What we know about it.

1. The number is six-hundred and sixty-six, not six, six, six. Six, six, six is three separate numbers, whereas six-hundred and sixty-six is one number. The ramifications of this difference cannot be completely known at this time, but the Scriptures are clear that the number is a singular number, not three separate side-by-side numbers. Let the reader remember this important distinction.
2. 666 is “the number of his name” meaning that it is connected, though calculation, to the beast’s name. The tying of this number to the name of the beast may mean that a literal Arabic number will not be visible on The Mark.
3. 666 is also “that of a man”. The NIV translation of “man’s number” implies that mankind has a “number” which is known and can be used for our calculations. However, the structure of the Greek is properly denoted in the NASB and KJV. The number is “the number of a man”. Let no one be deceived into thinking that this name, or its number comes from heaven in anyway. This number comes from a man. And anyone who follows man instead of God [Galatians 1:10] is destined for an eternity apart from God.

Note: three interesting textual variants should be mentioned with regard to the number of the beast. We are very certain that the original Greek stated six-hundred and sixty-six, but a few documents give another number. They are:

1. 665
2. 646
3. 616

8. Those who receive The Mark will be tormented with burning sulfur without rest forever. [Rev. 14:10-11]

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{Here are a few easy things to remember, to help you have discernment in life, and to judge things by:

• God adds & multiplies; Satan subtracts & divides.
• God absolutely gives you free will; Satan seeks to control you, often through fear.
• God is in charge; Satan is trying to unite men to himself to stir up enough psychic energy to unseat God.  (It won't work).
• There is only One God, creator of all;  Satan is one god (not capitalized) that goes by many names.
• There is one way to God (Jesus Christ); many ways to Satan.
• God and Satan are not equals--God created Satan. God is superior; Satan is inferior.

*(Although I agree with what I have posted here--unless otherwise noted--I have no affiliation with the owners of said website, nor can I say whether or not I support their positions or agree with any of their other postings since I have not had adequate time to familiarize myself with their entire site.)}

A 'Sleeper Doctrine'
Just Another 'Blue Light Special'?

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