It is possible that the first four seals have been opened, and we are about to experience death of 1/4 of the earth by war, scarcity, famine, diseases, plagues, etc. At the opening of the fifth seal, the persecution of Christians will intensify. The Lord tells us that, at the opening of the sixth seal, the earth will experience cosmic disturbances in the following forms: a great earthquake, sun turns black, moon turns blood red, stars fall to earth, sky rolls up like a scroll, and every mountain and island moves out of its place. This will be followed by 1/2 hour of silence in heaven before the seventh seal is opened.
The seventh seal in the Book of Revelation reveals itself as the seven trumpets, described as "the wrath of the Lamb." The first four trumpets will bring destruction upon the earth: 1/3 of the trees will be burned up and all the green grass will be burned (hail and fire mingled with blood); 1/3 of the sea will turn to blood, 1/3 of the sea creatures will die and 1/3 of the ships will be destroyed (great mountain burning with fire cast into the sea); 1/3 of the waters will be poisoned (great star falls from heaven); and 1/3 of the sun and moon and stars will be darkened.
At the sounding of the fifth trumpet, Satan will be released from the bottomless pit to rule over his one-world religion and government. Standing in the holy place, Jerusalem, he will claim to be God and will deceive many with his signs and wonders. During this five-month period, "then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."
The deception of the devil must work out till the bitter end. Shortly before the end of this world, this final deception of the nations shall take place. The heathen nations shall be civilized and they shall become conscious of their power, and they shall, for a time, join forces with the beast and the false prophet to form one great world empire. Nevertheless, they shall remain pagan in every respect, and though they give their power to the beast for "one hour," for "a little season," this cannot possibly last. The heathen nations and the anti-Christian civilization will ultimately gather as separate forces for the last war, the battle of Armageddon.
This is the period of the sixth trumpet, when the heathen nations will join forces to form a 200-million-man army and kill 1/3 part of men. Once the second woe (the sixth trumpet) is past, the third woe (the seventh trumpet and the return of Christ) will come quickly. It will be upon this scene, when the heathen nations are gathered in battle and surrounding Jerusalem, that Christ will return to deliver up His people and to destroy by fire the devil's kingdom on earth.
"And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord,
Two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.
And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined,
And will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them:
I will say, 'It is my people:' and they shall say, 'The Lord is my God'."
(Zechariah 13:8-9)
The Day of the Lord will be a cloudy and dark day, and there will be a great earthquake and voices from heaven, and the temple of God will be opened in heaven; and there will be lightning, voices, thunder and great hail; the sun and moon will be darkened, the stars will fall from heaven, and heaven and earth will be shaken. The just will be resurrected for eternal life; the unjust will be resurrected for eternal damnation. God will pour out the seven vials of His wrath upon the earth; the last enemy to be destroyed will be Death, the great dragon, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan. And the Lord will create a new heaven and a new earth, and He will bring New Jerusalem down from heaven to earth, and He will reign with His people forever and ever.
Jesus says the Father only knows the day and hour when the Son will return in the clouds of heaven. Yet Jesus gives us the signs to look for when the end of the age is approaching, and He tells us that the generation to see these signs shall not pass till all these things be done. It is possible that the last generation (70 years being a generation - Psalms 90:10) began in 1948 when Israel once again become a nation. On May 19, 2011, Obama jolted Israel by embracing the Palestinians' terms for drawing the borders between the two states, saying "a lasting peace that ends the conflict and resolves all claims is more urgent than ever." This peace agreement could mark the beginning of the final seven years before Christ returns, which means we could expect Him to return in 2018.
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Solar Storm Could Be What Causes the Cosmic Disturbances at the Opening of the Sixth Seal, Which May Not Be until Midway or Later into the 7-Year Tribulation Period
Like most experts in the field, Solar physicist David Hathaway of the National Space Science & Technology Center has confidence in the conveyor belt model and agrees with Dikpati that the next solar maximum should be a doozy. But he disagrees with one point. Mausumi Dikpati of the National Center for Atmospheric Research forecast puts Solar Max at 2012. Hathaway believes it will arrive sooner, in 2010 or 2011. Who's right? Time will tell. Either way, a storm is coming. - NASA, Solar Storm Warning, March 10, 2006
THE FIRST 4 SEALS: Death [the Devil or Satan] Takes 1/4 of the Earth by War, Scarcity, Famine, Diseases, Plagues, Etc.
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, And I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; And a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: And power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, And that they should kill one another: And there was given unto him a great sword. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; And see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold apale horse: And his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, To kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, And with the beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:1-8)
A mysterious, pale green figure seen in televised news coverage of the Egyptian riots has prompted some viewers to ask, "Could this be the Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse?"
The footage, provided by Euronews and subsequently seen on MSNBC, CNN and uploaded over a dozen times to the popular video sharing site YouTube, captures the fiery, violent protests in Cairo this past week … and something else.
Between the crowds of protesters and barricades, the video shows a flowing, pale green image that resembles an erect rider atop a horse in Medieval-like barding. The ethereal figure remains for a few moments before floating over protesters' heads and off the screen.
The last of the biblical Book of Revelation's Four Horseman of the Apocalyse, the "pale rider" is said to be the bringer of death and the forerunner of "hell" on earth.
The Book of Revelation refers to a time when "the Lamb" — usually understood to be the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ — opens the seven seals of a scroll of judgment. Each of the first four seals is accompanied by a horseman of a different color, each bringing a separate calamity. When the fourth seal is opened, Revelation 6:8 records,
"And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."
Is the image from Egypt a fulfillment of Revelation's prophecy?
Comments from the tens of thousands of viewers who have watched the video on YouTube express a wide array of opinion.
Some claim the video's "pale rider" is a sign and the greenish tint is somehow symbolic of Islam, while others insist the image has been added to the footage by editing technology. Still others point to three, trailing points of light in the footage that move away from the crowds at the same time and speed as the "horseman," indicating that both the "rider" and the lights are merely smudges or reflections cast on the lens of a moving camera.
One comment, from a viewer calling himself TheRhythmhawk, also tried to explain the "pale rider" and the trailing lights as simply lens reflections, but eventually concluded,
"The image of the horseman leaves more questions than answers."
Our next observation in regard to the symbolism of these four seals concerns the color of each horse, and in harmony with their respective colors the other details of description.
The color of the first horse is white, which is symbolic of victory. Repeatedly this color appears as such in Scripture. Those who are faithful and overcome shall ultimately appear in white robes. In Chapter 19:11 ff., where we have a final description of the battle of Armageddon, the Lord Jesus appears as the victor, seated upon a white horse, in all the glory of His power and victory.
Thus it was also customary in the Roman army that the victors should return riding on white horses. Hence, it may be deemed rather evident that the white horse is symbol of a victorious power. In harmony with this color of the horse are the other features pictured in the text. First of all, we are told that the rider has a bow, which is symbolic of righteous and victorious warfare. In Psalm 45:5 we read of the king who is typical of Christ:
"Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee."
In the second place, the rider receives a crown: not the royal diadem in this case, but the garland, the wreath of victory. And finally, this idea of victory is definitely expressed in the last clause, that the rider goes forth "conquering and to conquer," which by its peculiar repetition assures us of the certainty of the victory this rider will win. Therefore, we have in the first seal the picture of an armed warrior, going forth to battle, whose victory is assured him beforehand.
The color of the second horse is red, or, as the original indicates, a color glowing like fire. It is the color of wrath and anger, of heated passion and violent emotion, such as causes a man's blood to rush to his countenance, of lust and gain, of envy and revenge, of blood and war.
The man that cometh from Bozrah, with sprinkled garments, who has trodden the winepress of Jehovah's anger alone, is red in his apparel. And when the Lord is described in all the holy zeal of His heated anger, He is pictured in Scripture as a consuming fire.
This horse bears the color of a glowing fire, of heated passion and revenge and bloodshed and war, of which it is also symbolic. Again, the other details mentioned of this second horse and its rider serve to corroborate and enforce this idea. For, in the first place, we read that he receives a great sword, symbolic of war and death and destruction. And, in the second place, the definite information is given us that this horse receives the power to take peace from the earth.
In general, therefore, the second horse and his rider are the picture of heated passion and wrath going forth to do its work in the earth.
The third horse is black. Occurring in the Word of God, this color is the symbol of scarcity and famine. In referring to a drought in the land of Judah in his own time, the prophet Jeremiah writes:
"Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up," (Jeremiah 14:2).
And in his Lamentations (5: 10) we hear the same prophet complain:
"Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine."
Black, then, is the color of scarcity and want, of drought and famine. The rest of the description of this horse is again in harmony with this idea of the black color, although at the same time we should not fail to notice that by it the idea of famine is somewhat modified and mitigated.
The rider is pictured as one who holds a balance and who does some careful weighing. And as he weighs, the voice is heard:
"A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny."
A measure of wheat (about one and one-half pints of our measure) constitutes the equivalent of one man's subsistence for one day. And the same is true of three measures of barley. If in connection with this we also bear in mind that a penny, or shilling, constituted just about a day's wages of the common laborer, we come to the conclusion that this third rider represents scarcity and death, rather than downright famine.The relation between the wages of the common people and the cost of the necessities of life is such that the latter devour the former every day.
But this is not all. The voice continues, and says,
"And see thou hurt not the oil and the wine."
Oil and wine are symbols of plenty and luxury, of merriment and feasting.These may not be hurt, but must continue to exist. And, hence, the complete portraiture of this third horse and its rider presents aremarkable contrast: a contrast between poverty and riches, between a bare subsistence and luxurious living.
The fourth and last horse is of a pale green, such as is the color of death. Here we cannot be left in doubt as to the meaning of this fourth horseman. The horse represents the color of a corpse, of death itself. And in harmony with the color of the animal is the name of its rider, which is Death, while Hades, the abode of the dead, follows him, ready to receive the victims killed by this terrible horseman.
The definite commission which this fourth horseman receives is to kill and destroy one fourth part of the earth's inhabitants with the sword, with pestilence, with the wild beasts of the earth, and with death in general.
If four is generally the number representing the completeness of the world, one-fourth represents such a fraction as is in harmony with the present existence in the world throughout this present dispensation. The symbolism of the last horse and its rider makes us think of death in all its various forms.
June 21, 2011
Outline of the Book of Revelation
The following is a chapter-by-chapter outline of the book of Revelation based on the King James Bible (chapter numbers are in parentheses). Scripture is enclosed in quotation marks; other text not in quotes is commentary from the book "Behold He Cometh" by Herman Hoeksema, copyright 1969.
NOTE: The book of Revelation repeatedly follows the development of the world to its very end from a certain point of view in order, and it then resumes the drawing of the same picture from a different viewpoint (note the "interludes").
INTRODUCTION: JOHN, THE APOSTLE, IS TAKEN IN SPIRIT AND SHOWN VISIONS (1) "I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, 'I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last:' and, 'What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches... I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter'."
THE SEVEN LETTERS TO THE CHURCHES (2,3) The seven churches represent the Church as it exists in any period of this dispensation, so that at any time these seven types may be observed; nevertheless, these seven types are not always equally prominent in every period of Church history. Always, the features presented by the seven churches in Asia are observable in the Church, yet so that now one and then another of these features appears on the foreground. These seven churches [which are mentioned in geographical order] are representative of the whole Church as she is in the world at any period of history; therefore, we reject the view that each of them represents a limited period in the history of the Church of the new dispensation. However, we believe that the order in which these seven churches are addressed does indicate, in a general way, the trend in which the Church develops, with the Church presenting the likeness of the church of Laodicea at the end of this dispensation.
GOD'S THRONE IN HEAVEN(4) "After this I [John] looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I [John] heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, 'Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.' And immediately I [John] was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne... The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 'Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created'."
"God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands." (Acts 17:24)
"And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament." (Revelation 11:19)
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God'... And He that sat upon the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." (Revelation 21:1-3, 5, 22)
Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence." (John 18:36)
THE LITTLE BOOK & THE 7 SEALS (5,6) The Victorious Progress of the Kingdom of God as the Gospel Is Preached Throughout the Nations [Witnessing], with a View to the Completion of the Kingdom of God, Symbolized by 1,260 Days, When the Woman [the Church] is Fed the Word of God Before the "Lamb's Wrath"
THE FIRST 4 SEALS (6):Death [the Devil or Satan] Takes 1/4 of the Earth by War, Scarcity, Famine, Diseases, Plagues, Etc.
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." (Hebrews 2:14)
THE 5th SEAL (6):Souls in Heaven Ask: "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" They Are Told: "Rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled."
THE 6th SEAL (6): Great Earthquake, Sun Turns Black, Moon Turns Blood Red, Stars Fall to Earth, Sky Folds Up Like a Scroll, Every Mountain and Island Moved Out of Their Places
INTERLUDE: THE 144,000 SEALED & THE GREAT MULTITUDE STANDING BEFORE GOD'S THRONE IN HEAVEN (7) [12 (the Prophets of the Old Dispensation) x 12 (the Apostles of the New Dispensation) x 1000 (the "thousand years," i.e., the "fulness of times," described in chapter 20) = 144,000]
THE 7th SEAL REVEALS ITSELF AS THE 7 TRUMPETS [THE LAMB'S WRATH] (8,9) "The Wrath of the Lamb," Symbolized by 42 Months, When Satan Makes War With the Remnant of the Woman's Seed [the Church, the Body of Christ, the Temple of God, the Spiritual Israel of the New Testament]
"And I [John] saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God:and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying,'Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we havesealed the servants of our Godin their foreheads'."
THE FIRST 4 TRUMPETS (8): The first four trumpets will bring destruction upon the earth: 1/3 of the trees will be burned up and all the green grass will be burned (hail and fire mingled with blood); 1/3 of the sea will turn to blood, 1/3 of the sea creatures will die and 1/3 of the ships will be destroyed (great mountain burning with fire cast into the sea); 1/3 of the waters will be poisoned (great star falls from heaven); and 1/3 of the sun and moon and stars will be darkened.
"And I [John] saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to Him was given the key of the bottomless pit.And He opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle... they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter" [the sixth and seventh trumpets].
"I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." (Revelation 1:18)
In the great river Euphrates, "The four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails
were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands... neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts."
The first four seals in the Book of Revelation describe death of 1/4 of the earth by war, scarcity, famine, diseases, plagues, etc. At the opening of the fifth seal, the souls in heaven ask: "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" They are told: "Rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled."
Following the cosmic disturbances of the sixth seal (great earthquake, sun turns black, moon turns blood red, stars fall to earth, sky rolls up like a scroll, every mountain and island moves), there is silence in heaven about 1/2 hour before the seventh seal is opened.
The seventh seal in the Book of Revelation reveals itself as the seven trumpets, described as "the wrath of the Lamb." The first four trumpets will bring destruction upon the earth (1/3 of trees burned up, all green grass burned, 1/3 of sea turns to blood, 1/3 of sea creatures die, 1/3 of ships destroyed, 1/3 of waters poisoned, 1/3 of sun and moon and stars darkened).
When the fifth trumpet is sounded, Satan will be released from the bottomless pit to rule over his earthly kingdom (his one-world government and religion). He will stand in the holy place, showing himself that he is God, and he will promise peace and security to a world in desperate need of grand solutions to profound problems. Satan, deceiving many with his signs and wonders, will reign as king over this earth for five months, during which time (sixth trumpet) 1/3 part of man will be killed (most likely Christians and others who refuse to worship "the beast" and to receive his "mark" in their right hand or forehead).
"And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, Two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, And will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, 'It is my people:' and they shall say, 'The Lord is my God'." (Zechariah 13:8-9)
THE RETURN OF CHRIST AT THE SOUNDING OF THE 7th TRUMPET:HE COMETH WITH CLOUDS AND EVERY EYE SHALL SEE HIM, AND THEY ALSO WHICH PIERCED HIM (10,11) The Victorious Battle by the Glorious Kingdom of Our Lord Jesus Christ over the Satanic Kingdom of Darkness. This is the Ultimate Outcome of the Entire Plan of God, Which is the Displacement of the Old and Sinful Order by the New and Perfect One.
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:29-30)
"Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen." (Revelation 1:7)
INTERLUDE: THE MYSTERY OF GOD TO BE FINISHED AT THE SOUNDING OF THE 7th TRUMPET (10,11)
"And I [John] saw another Mighty Angel come down from heaven,clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon His head, and His face was as it were the sun, and His feet as pillars of fire. And He had in His hand a little book open: and He set His right foot upon the sea, and His left foot on the earth, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when He had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, 'Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.' And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up His hand to heaven, and sware by Him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as He hath declared to His servants the prophets."
"And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth... And when they shall have finished their testimony,the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, 'Come up hither.' And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.And the same hour was there a great earthquake and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly" [the seventh trumpet and the return of Christ].
"For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall He send His angels, and shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven." (Mark 13:22-27)
"That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him." (Ephesians 1:10)
"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18)
"And Jesus said, 'I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds ofheaven'." (Mark 14:62)
"When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left." (Matthew 25:31-33)
"And the seventh angel sounded;and there were great voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.' And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, 'We give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast reigned.And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead,that they should be judged,and that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.'And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament:and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail."
INTERLUDE: CHRIST, THE LAMB, VERSUS SATAN, THE DRAGON (12,13) Satan, the 'prince of this world,' is the 'king of the bottomless pit,' which is his current abode. We know this to be true based on the following Bible verses:
"And the angel said unto her, 'Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David. And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end'." (Luke 1:30-33)
Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence." (John 18:36)
"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!" (Isaiah 14:12)
Jesus said, "I saw Satan falling like a lightningfrom heaven." (Luke 10:18)
Jesus said: "'Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.' This He said, signifying what death He should die." (John 12:31-22)
Jesus said, "Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me." (John 14:30)
Jesus said, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
Jesus said, "Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged." (John 16:11)
Peter said, "God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." (2 Peter 2:4)
John said [when describing the vision of the birth of Christ while Michael is battling Satan over the saints in heaven], "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." (Revelation 12:9)
Later John said, "And I saw an Angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in His hand; and He laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season." (Revelation 20:1-3)
Immediately after the vision described above [when Christ, who has the keys of hell and of death (Revelation 1:18), binds Satan for 'a thousand years'] John sees a vision of the resurrected saints in heaven, who "lived and reigned with Christ 'a thousand years'." (Revelation 20:4)
"The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is." (Revelation 17:8)
"And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth... And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them." (Revelation 11:3,7)
Jesus said: "Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" [Satan]. (1 Corinthians 15:24-26)
Revelation chapter 12 describes the battle in heaven between Michael and Satan for the saints of the old dispensation, which occurred at the same time the "women clothed with the sun, being with child, brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron."
"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: and she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth:and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne.And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 'Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ:for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.'And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child."
Satan roamed freely upon the earth before the birth of Christ (Job 2) and during the time that Jesus dwelt among us (Matthew 4). It was Satan himself who personally sought to tempt Jesus to sin when He fasted forty days and forty nights in the wilderness. However, Jesus (He that is in you) overcame Satan (Death) when He was resurrected and exalted to His heavenly throne where He sits on the right hand of God. Through Christ's victory on the cross, Satan was bound in the abyss (the bottomless pit) and restrained from preventing the spreading of the gospel throughout the nations. This period of restraint (which is partial only, for the devil's spirit is in the world and has been in the world throughout this dispensation) is designated as "the thousand years." Near the end of this dispensation, the devil, Satan, shall be loosed out of the bottomless pit to rule over his earthly kingdom for 'a little season,' so that he will stand in the holy place, showing himself that he is God, and he will deceive many with his signs and wonders. This is the other king which is 'not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space' (Revelation 17:10).
This anti-Christian 'beast,' this kingdom of man under Satan, shall be a kingdom which has sway over all the universe, over all men, over all the powers of creation. It shall be a kingdom in which man worships his own work and in which the devil is lord supreme. This world power to come shall lay down the rules for religious life in particular: it shall tell all men how they must worship and what they must worship. It shall be a new system of thought and religion, with a new creed, universal in its scope and, at the same time, with a new god. That new god will be the devil incarnate, the great world power, whom all shall admire and worship and for whom all shall erect an image in order that they may worship the same. All things shall be under the control of this great and universal world power: the very necessities of life shall be in its power. It can surely allow or prevent buying and selling according to its good pleasure. The saints of Christ who do not worship the image, and who refuse to receive the mark of the beast, shall not be able to do business; they shall not be able to buy or to sell. They shall not be able to live along with this great society. They shall not be able to buy the necessities of life. They shall be outcasts, mocked at, held in derision, thrust aside, ousted from society, and killed.
"And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many:he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand." (Daniel 8:23-25)
"And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that is determined shall be done." (Daniel 11:36)
"The day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first,and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." (2 Thessalonians 2:2-4)
The deception of the devil must work out till the bitter end. The devil, to whom the kingdoms of the world belong, shall succeed in combining all his kingdoms under one head and inspiring them all with the same principle. Although man has fallen away from Him, God nevertheless allows man to exercise dominion over the earthly creation and to bring to light all the hidden powers and talents of creation to their fullest degree. In this kingdom we have the anti-Christian beasts described in Revelation chapter 13, which represent the highest development of the sovereignty of man apart from God, and under the devil they shall develop all the powers of creation without God. However, the dragon's power and authority itself is limited: it is well that we bear this in mind, for it is to our comfort; it assures us from the outset that the power and authority of this anti-Christian kingdom, however great, is not unlimited and that Christ, who has all power, is mightier than antichrist.
Here is the patience and the faith of the saints, that in all these times they remain faithful and refuse to deny the Christ and that they wait for the day of His coming.
The future combined one-world power of the nominally Christian nations and heathen nations cannot last, because ultimately the ten kings shall hate the whore and shall make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire (Revelation 17:16). Therefore, shortly before the end of this world, the devil's final deception of the nations shall take place. The heathen nations and the nominally Christian world will ultimately gather as separate forces for the last war, which will be a world war in the strictest sense of the word (the battle of Armageddon). Looking upon the nominally Christian world, which in fact will be an anti-Christian civilization, the heathen nations shall do as the nations of the old dispensation did with respect to Jerusalem; that is, they shall say: "Let us go up to Jerusalem; let Zion be defiled; let our eye look upon Zion!" And again the Lord will use the hostile spirit of the heathen nations to destroy the anti-Christian power and eat the flesh of the great whore.
It is especially Gog and Magog that look upon all Christendom, no matter how apostate, as the beloved city, even as the heathen nations in the old dispensation considered earthly Jerusalem to be the city of God no matter how apostate and wicked it had become. The nations of Gog and Magog, in compassing about and coming to battle against Christendom in its widest sense, certainly intend to destroy "the beloved city," the cause of Christ, and to make paganism supreme in the world. In this, they reveal their wickedness and become ripe for the judgment. God nevertheless uses them to inflict His judgments upon the anti-Christian world.
The final result of this anti-Christian influence will be that the heathen nations will unite their forces for war against the nominally Christian world, the last war that shall ever be fought on earth (the battle of Armageddon). However, they will never touch the camp of the saints: the people of God shall look for the coming redemption, which then shall be very near. It will be upon this final scene of confusion and iniquity that the Lord will appear in judgment to destroy His enemies and to give His saints the victory forever.
CHRIST REAPS THE EARTH'S HARVEST (14) "And I [John] heard a voice from heaven saying unto me,'Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.' And I [John] looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud One sat like unto the Son of man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him that sat on the cloud, 'Thrust in Thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for Thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.' And He that sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped."
"Let them grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, 'Gather ye together first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn'... The tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world."(Matthew 13:30,38-40)
THE AVENGING ANGEL & THE JUDGMENT OF THE GREAT WHORE: THE 7 VIALS OF GOD'S WRATH POURED OUT UPON THE UNJUST ON EARTH(15,16) Grievous Sores upon the Ungodly; Sea, Rivers and Waters Turn to Blood; Ungodly Scorched with Fire; Seat of the Beast and His Kingdom Full of Darkness: They Gnaw Their Tongues for Pain; River Euphrates Dried Up for the Kings of the East
"And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I [John] saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon."
"And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great."
THE RESURRECTION OF THE JUST AND THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB(17,18,19) Christ Delivers Up the Just to the Kingdom of Heaven for the Final and Complete Union of the Church of All Ages
"And I [John] heard another voice from heaven, saying, 'Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities... Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her."
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD." (Amos 8:11) "Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved." (Romans 9:27) "Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace." (Romans 11:5)
"Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her'...And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth... I [John] heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, 'Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God;for true and righteous are His judgments: for He hath judged the great whore'...And I [John] heard as it were the voice of a great multitude... saying, 'Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.' And He saith unto me, 'Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb'."
CHRIST AND HIS ARMY OF SAINTS PREPARE TO COME FROM HEAVEN IN GLORY FOR THE FINAL JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS GATHERED IN BATTLE (19)
"And I [John] saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon Him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war...And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.And the armies which were inheavenfollowed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean...And I [John] saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst ofheaven,'Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great'."
THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON- THE HEATHEN NATIONS, GOG AND MAGOG, APPEAR UPON THE SCENE LAST (19,20) Gog is mentioned in nine verses of the Bible, seven of which are in the book of Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39 (the other verses are in 1st Chronicles and Revelation). Magog is mentioned in five verses of the Bible, twice in Ezekiel (once in chapter 38 and once in chapter 39) and once each in Genesis, 1st Chronicles and Revelation. Gog and Magog together are mentioned in only two Bible verses: Ezekiel 38:2 and Revelation 20:8. In Revelation 20:8, Gog and Magog are mentioned in the same sentence as "the thousand years" expiring, when "Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations."
"And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 'Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him'." (Ezekiel 38:2) "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea." (Revelation 20:7-8) "Thus saith the Lord GOD: In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, Thou, and many people with thee, All of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; It shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, That the heathen may know me, When I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. Thus saith the Lord GOD: Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, Which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them? And it shall come to pass at the same time When Gog shall come against the land of Israel, Saith the Lord GOD, That my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, And the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, And all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, And the mountains shall be thrown down, And the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, Saith the Lord GOD: Every man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; And I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, And upon the many people that are with him, An overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; And I will be known in the eyes of many nations, And they shall know that I am the LORD." (Ezekiel 38:14-23)
"And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: And they shall know that I am the LORD. So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; And I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: And the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; This is the day whereof I have spoken. And I will set my glory among the heathen, And all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, And my hand that I have laid upon them. So the house of Israel shall know That I am the LORD their God from that day and forward. And the heathen shall know that The house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: Because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, And gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions Have I done unto them, and hid my face from them. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD: Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, And have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, And will be jealous for my holy name; After that they have borne their shame, And all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, When they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid. When I have brought them again from the people, And gathered them out of their enemies' lands, And am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, Which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: But I have gathered them unto their own land, And have left none of them any more there. Neither will I hide my face any more from them: For I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD." (Ezekiel 39:6-8,21-29)
"For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel." (Romans 9:6)
"And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, 'It is done'." (Revelation 16:17)
THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON – THE BEAST AND FALSE PROPHET ARE CAST ALIVE INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE; FIRE COMES DOWN FROM GOD OUT OF HEAVEN TO SLAY THE DECEIVED WHO RECEIVED THE MARK OF THE BEAST AND WORSHIPPED HIS IMAGE [THE REST OF THE DEAD]; THE LAST ENEMY THAT SHALL BE DESTROYED IS DEATH [THAT OLD SERPENT, CALLED THE DEVIL AND SATAN] (19,20)
"And I [John] saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army.And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image.These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.And the remnant were slainwith the sword of Him that sat upon the horse,which sword proceeded out of His mouth:and all the fowls were filled with their flesh."
INTERLUDE: CHRIST BINDS SATAN AND CASTS HIM INTO THE BOTTOMLESS PIT FOR 'A THOUSAND YEARS,' AFTER WHICH HE SHALL BE LOOSED 'A LITTLE SEASON' (20) In a vision, John sees Christ, who has the keys of hell and of death, bind Satan for a thousand years and cast him into the bottomless pit. Immediately after this, John sees the resurrected saints in heaven, who lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Then John tells us that, when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle against the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours them.
"And I [John] saw an Angel come down from heaven,having the key of the bottomless pitand a great chain in His hand.And He laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season."
"And I [John] saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them:and I [John] saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands;and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.Butthe rest of the deadlived not again until the thousand years were finished.This is the first resurrection.Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."
"And when the thousand years are expired,Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle:the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city:and firecame down from God out ofheavenand devoured them."
"For a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." (Psalms 90:4)
"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." (2 Peter 3:8)
"Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?" (Ecclesiastes 6:6)
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into thelake of fire and brimstone,where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
"It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." (Hebrews 9:27)
"And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.And I [John] saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life:and the dead were judgedout of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.And the sea gave up the dead which were in it;and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them:and they were judged every man according to their works.And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire .This is the second death.And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
A NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH: THE SON WILL BE SUBJECT UNTO HIM, THAT GOD MAY BE ALL IN ALL (21,22)
"And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I [John] heard a great voice out of heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.' And He that sat upon the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new...' And He said unto me, 'It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son'... And I [John] saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it... And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life... And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him; and they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever." "But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his God, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.' In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; and I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever." (Micah 4:1-7)
The Lord's Stern Warning: "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, 'If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, And out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book'." (Revelation 22:18-19)
Editor's Note:
I only read the King James Bible. Other versions, including the New King James Version, have changed thousands of words and ruined valuable verses. And this you must know: those who translated the NKJV did not believe that God perfectly preserved His Word! The Bible today basically has been rewritten by many of the major religious bodies (be wary of the devil's deceptive influence and infiltration of the Church, especially in altering God's Word). They will live and die with their new interpretations of what the Word of God says and means.
"The major religions of today, especially Christianity, will have to be changed because they are not compatible with the changes to come. In order to do this, the Bible will be changed. It will be rewritten to fit the new religion. Gradually, key words will be replaced with new words having various shades of meaning. Then the meaning attached to the new word can be close to the old word - and as time goes on, other shades of meaning of that word can be emphasized, and then gradually that word replaced with another word. The idea is that everything in Scripture need not be rewritten, just key words replaced by other words. The variability in meaning attached to any word can be used as a tool to change the entire meaning of Scripture, and therefore make it acceptable to this new religion. Most people won't know the difference; and this was another one of the times where he said, 'The few who do notice the difference won't be enough to matter'." [The New Order of Barbarians: Changing the Bible Through Revisions of Key Words, Dr. Lawrence Dunegan, commenting on a March 20, 1969, gathering of pediatricians at a meeting of the Pittsburgh Pediatric Society where Dr. Richard Day, an insider to the NWO plans, gave a lecture]
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has created the Tony Blair Faith Foundation to unify the world’s religions.Blair is especially interested in promoting the benefits of globalization to Christian churches.
There are a number of prominent American ministers who have endorsed his Tony Blair Faith Foundation with its emphasis on globalization or global government. In Revelation we read about this coming one world religion and the False Prophet who unites the world’s religions in order to bring peace to Planet Earth under the rule of Antichrist.
It is interesting that one of the primary focuses of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation is not only to unify the different religions, but to specifically promote the benefits of globalism or global government to evangelicals. A number of well known evangelical leaders have signed on board.
Tony Blair writes in his article seeking to Understand Faith and Globalization that “at a certain point each (religion) is in communion with each other.” So one would have to ask the question what is the communion between militant Islam, Judaism and Christianity? Suicide bombers? The often stated theology from militant Islam is death to Jews and Christians. So where is the communion?
Tony Blair says:
“The global community — 'it takes a village' as someone once coined it is upon us.”
It is difficult to understand how Blair would not know that the “someone,” who coined the term “global village,” was the world famous Canadian communications theorist Marshall McLuhan. Blair goes on to say:
“Examine the impacts of globalization. For a moment right and wrongs. Just look at its affects.”
Here in America we know the affects of globalization.We were told that NAFTA and GATT would bring enormous economic benefit to both Mexico and Canada.Americans lost jobs and entire industries packed up and moved out of the county. NAFTA and GATT were devastating to the Mexican worker, and the Canadians are unhappy about how it has hurt their economy.
Across the world we are in a global financial meltdown with United Nations Climate Control Treaties designed to transfer trillions of dollars in wealth from the U.S., Great Britain, France, Australia, South America and Asian nations.
The current economic crisis appears to be a planned crisis to bring in a globalized World Socialist government, which is what Tony Blair really seems to be promoting. In order to accomplish that goal, there must be massive wealth redistribution and a consolidation of economic controls by some kind of new “International Federal Reserve System” or, as the world leaders are saying (as they are reading from the same script), “a new world financial order.” The recent G20 Meetings in London were an elaborately staged productionwith world leaders posing and smiling in front of the cameras and all reading off the same page.Outside where carefully orchestrated demonstrators, financed by the same people who financed the meetings of world leaders inside the G20 Meeting.How can you say that, some people may ask? Because the exact same verbiage that was used inside the meeting was used by demonstrators outside of the meeting.The demonstrators and world leaders were both saying “capitalism is dead,” “world currency,” “a new world financial order” and so on. Even Hugo Chavez was reading from the same script when he called for a “new world order,” which was exactly what they were calling for inside the meeting.
But there is one small problem to their agenda. In order to bring in their new world financial order, new world order and global government, they have to get the churches and leaders of various religions on board. But, as Blair and his backers understand, getting “Evangelical Churches” to sign on to globalism is imperative because many of them are pro-Israel and exert a certain degree of influence over certain demographic groups.
Around 1919, when the League of Nations began to fail, the proponents of globalization recognized that one of the primary reasons they failed was that they did not get the Protestant Churches to go along with their program. The international banking interests behind the push to global government realized that they needed to sell the “Evangelical Church” on world government. So eventually they brought in a man named John Foster Dulles, whose brother was Allen Dulles, who was director of the CIA under Eisenhower and Kennedy. Allen Dulles was responsible for the highly sophisticated social engineering and “mind control programs” popularized in movies like the “Manchurian Candidate” and “The Bourne Identity.”
In 1937, John Foster Dulles strategically met with the heads of over 30 different denominations, along with prominent ministers and heads of seminaries.He had millions of dollars to finance his agenda, and his goal was to get “Evangelical Churches” on board with a world government through creating the theology of “social justice.”So whenever you hear preaching and teaching or an emphasis on the theology of “social justice,” it is important to remember that this was introduced into the Church by a non-believer whose goal was globalization.
We are on the precipice of a new world financial order, a cashless society and global government. Once again, the forces behind globalization understand that they need to recruit the churches in order to make the transition. The Tony Blair Faith Foundation, the prominent evangelical ministers, and religious leaders of other religions are part of globalization strategy. If you want to know where this all ultimately ends up, read Revelation chapter 13.
Jesus Will Return to Deliver Up His People as the Nations Gather for the Battle of Armageddon
“The common enemy of humanity is man. In searching for a new enemy to unite us, we came up with the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming, water shortages, famine and the like would fit the bill. All these dangers are caused by human intervention, and it is only through changed attitudes and behavior that they can be overcome. The real enemy then, is humanity itself." - Club of Rome
What is uniting the nations of the world? The manufactured fear of man-made global warming and a call for carbon taxes against the developed nations.
What has formed to fight this perceived global problem? The United Nations climate change conferences and climate control treaties. This 'green movement' is the new religion that will replace the monotheistic religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
What will be the cataclysmic event that ushers in the one-world government prophesied in the Bible? It will be the destruction of 1/3 of the earth.
The Lord tells us that destruction will come upon the earth in the following forms: a great earthquake, sun turns black, moon turns blood red, stars fall to earth, sky rolls up like a scroll, every mountain and island moves out of its place [the sixth seal]; 1/3 of the trees will be burned up and all the green grass will be burned [hail and fire mingled with blood]; 1/3 of the sea will turn to blood, 1/3 of the sea creatures will die, and 1/3 of the ships will be destroyed [great mountain burning with fire cast into the sea]; 1/3 of the waters will be poisoned [great star falls from heaven]; and 1/3 of the sun and moon and stars will be darkened [the first four trumpets].
When the events that destroy 1/3 of the earth occur (the first four trumpets), the world will be in utter chaos. The devastated people of the world will embrace a one-world government that promises peace and security.
"Research points in the direction that an 'alien agenda' is on the government's table as one among many other options to ring in a one-world government and a one-world dictator. They want to create an 'outside threat' a fake alien invasion, so that the countries of this world will be willing to unite as one, to fight the 'threat' from outer space. If this succeeds, the Illuminati goal is completed. This is what the mass media is preparing us for; currently they are reporting on more UFO sightings than perhaps ever before." [Wes Penre, The Secret Order of the Illuminati (A Brief History of the Shadow Government), Illuminati-News.com, November 12, 1998 (Updated September 26, 2009)] The "Iron Mountain Report" of 1963 discusses the transition from a war-time economy to a peace-time economy while keeping the masses under subjection and manufacturing a common enemy. A possible alien-threat scenario was envisioned in this report as a means to uniting the masses together against an alien invasion. Holograms and reports of 'UFO' sightings are being used to test the public's vulnerabilities and to manufacture belief in aliens. [cyrus1914, Project Bluebeam & Iron Mountain Report, truTV Message Board, October 31, 2010]
However, the children of God will refuse to worship the one-world government, the beast that rises up from the earth and the sea; therefore, the world must rid itself of them. This war against the monotheistic religions cannot occur until the devil establishes his earthly throne in Jerusalem, showing himself that he is God. This occurs at the fifth trumpet, a five-month period before the sixth trumpet is sounded, when 1/3 of mankind is killed.
"And I [John] saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to Him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And He opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle. And on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter" [the sixth and seventh trumpets]. (Revelation 9:1-12)
What event will lead to the devil standing in the holy place, showing himself that he is God?
Almost every nation is experiencing a collapse of its economy, for which there can be only a global solution. The only solution will be a world currency, which will be the final step in establishing a one-world government. The developed nations have been discussing a world currency for the past year or so, so we are fast approaching the end of sovereign nations. The establishment of a world currency will lead to a world government, which will be a socialist / communist / totalitarian / dictatorial government whose leader will be the devil incarnate.
Those who refuse to worship the beast, the one-world government and religion, most likely will be among the third part of men killed by the 200-million-man army described in the book of Revelation (the sixth trumpet).
"And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." (Revelation (9:13-21)
The union of all nations into a world government with a global currency and religion cannot possibly last. It will be only a matter of time before the heathen nations turn on the other nations under the control of the devil. Already we see military alliances between Russia and China, as well as other nations.
The following essay ("The Sixth Trumpet War of Revelation 9") presents a coalition of forces -- in particular, China, Russia, Iran, Syria and Turkey -- attacking Israel from the East at the sixth trumpet in a war before the battle of Armageddon. However, the war which begins at the sixth trumpet is the battle of Armageddon, when the heathen nations join forces to destroy Jerusalem. This coalition of forces, called Gog and Magog in the Bible, will prepare to attack the one-world government ruled from Jerusalem. It will be upon this scene, when the heathen nations are gathered in battle and surrounding Jerusalem, that Christ will return to deliver up His people.
"They shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. But there shall not an hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls." (Luke 21:12-19) "And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." (Luke 21:20-28)
Once the second woe (the sixth trumpet) is past, the third woe (the seventh trumpet and the return of Christ) comes quickly.
"And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. (Revelation 11:3-13) The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever." (Revelation 11:14-15)
It is at this point that Christ will return in the clouds of heaven to deliver up His people and to destroy by fire the devil's kingdom on earth.
"And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon His head, and His face was as it were the sun, and His feet as pillars of fire." (Revelation 10:1)
It will be a cloudy and dark day, and there will be a great earthquake and voices from heaven, and the temple of God will be opened in heaven; and there will be lightning, voices, thunder and great hail; the sun and moon will be darkened, the stars will fall from heaven, and heaven and earth will be shaken. The just will be resurrected for eternal life; the unjust will be resurrected for eternal damnation. God will pour out the seven vials of His wrath upon the earth; the last enemy to be destroyed will be death, Satan. And the Lord will create a new heaven and a new earth, and He will bring New Jerusalem down from heaven to earth, and He will reign with His people forever and ever. Read More...
To understand that Christ's "thousand-year" reign is a present reality—that is, we live and reign with Him now, whether we are here on earth or with Him in heaven: http://www.scionofzion.com/millennium.htm http://www.eternallifeministries.org/lrs_israel.htm http://whtt.org/index.php?news=2&id=2639 http://whtt.org/index.php?id=PhariseeWatch&cat= http://www.ptm.org/nd96-1900yearsRev.htm http://www.prca.org/articles/amillennialism.html http://www.the-highway.com/millennium_Riddlebarger.html http://www.wcg.org/lit/gospel/kingdom.htm http://www.wcg.org/lit/bible/Rev/millenn.htm There are nine verses in the bible which use the term "thousand years" (six of the nine verses are in chapter 20 of the book of Revelation):"For a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." (Psalms 90:4) "Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?" (Ecclesiastes 6:6) "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." (2 Peter 3:8) "And He laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea." (Revelation 20:2-8)
They are not all Israel, which are of Israel (Romans 9:6):"But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: And as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, These, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, And their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, And knowest His will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? Thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written. For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: But if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, Shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, Who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; Neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; And circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; Whose praise is not of men, but of God." (Romans 2:10-29)
In this day of rapid change, when many Christians have suddenly started using one of the many modern English translations of the Bible (NASB, NIV, NEB, NRSV, NKJV, etc.), abandoning the long-used King James Version read and loved by English-speaking people of all ages and walks of life for over ten generations, it may be appropriate to review a few of the reasons why many creationists, including this writer, still prefer to use the latter. All the fifty or more translators who developed the King James Bible were godly men who believed strongly in the inerrancy and full authority of Scripture and who, therefore, believed in the literal historicity of Genesis, with its record of six-day Creation and the worldwide flood. This has not been true of many who have been involved in producing the modern versions. The spiritual motivations and convictions of the King James translators are indicated by their fascinating preface, entitled "The Translators to the Reader."
For facts on countries around the world, including religion, go to the CIA's website (the elect of God also are gathered from the pagan nations into the Church; however, as nations they remain distinctly heathen): https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
