The American Wisdom Series

In chapter one we learned that John was taken (in spirit) to the Lord's Day, which is yet future from now, and shown "visually" many marvelous and wondrous truths, to provide us in these last days with concrete PICTURES of the way it is and the way it is going to be. We learned that the graphics and symbols used in the descriptions are easily understood because they are either defined right in the Book Revelation itself, or we have read of them before in the Incredible Edible Book (The Bible).

For instance, we now know that the Sword of the Lord is symbolic of the Word of God, that stars are symbolic of angels, i.e. us/we the sons of God, that horses and horns are symbolic of power, and that snakes, scorpions, locusts, etc. are all symbolic of our enemies.

In chapters 2 and 3 we saw Christ address the 7 Churches present at the time of the end. He admonished all but two of them, for He found no fault with the churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia, who both taught concerning those who claim to be of Judah, but are liars and of the synagogue of Satan himself.

We saw gathered at that great assembly the 24 Elders, i.e. the 12 Patriarchs and 12 Apostles, all those who have lived and died in Christ including our loved ones who have passed away, and all those who were slain for the Word of God, i.e. martyred.

The Lamb of God then unsealed the Scroll giving us in Picture Format the signs of the end time even as that same Lamb outlined them in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. To fully understand these seals is to have the seal of God in your forehead whereby the scorpions and locusts cannot harm you.

Then, having been given the complete intelligence report with all the necessary signs to look for, with all the enemy's methods of operation disclosed, the amount of briefing of the saints which must take place before the final battle, and what to do and say if and when captured by the enemy and brought to trial, John is then shown the 7 Angels with the 7 Trumps sound their trumpets.

The Trumpets are sounded in order announcing the events that are to transpire and describing the details using symbolic, understandable, graphic imagery. The last three trumps are called "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth Trumps" and culminate with the appearance of the two Messiahs.         The first Messiah, Satan, the false one,  appears at the 6th Trump            and         The true Messiah, Jesus Christ returns at the 7th Trump.

John then saw the very Temple of God opened in heaven and therein was the Ark of the Covenant. And there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail, all of which we understood.

Let's begin.

Rev. 12:1
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:

Can you SEE the PICTURE. She is a very beautiful woman.

The word "wonder" means "sign" and so John saw a great sign in heaven, and wondrous it was. Would you like see one? Go outside on any clear night and look up at the stars, and wondrous it will be. And if you are familiar with the uncorrupted Zodiac the plan of God will appear, for it is the Bible in the stars. Did not God say in Genesis 1:14 that the lights in the firmament of the heaven are to be for SIGNS, and for seasons, and for days, and years? Yes He did. And He numbered and named them ALL.

And so you can begin with "The prophecy of the promised seed", Virgo, the virgin, who brings forth the man child and travel through the redeemer's conflict, etc., to Leo and destruction of the old serpent. It was declared in the "beginning of time" and repeated in Matthew 1:23 "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." (You must read appendix 12 in the Companion Bible or and/or obtain the book "The Glory of the Stars" by E. Raymond Capt.)

So what about this woman in verse one who is clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars? She symbolizes mother Israel (which would be the Christian nations of today's 21st century) and her 12 Royal sons, stars (we/us, their descendants, many who are living today in these animal bodies), chosen before the foundation of this earth age, through whom would come Messiah. Do you remember the dream (Genesis 37:9) that one of those stars had in this earth age while in the flesh? His name was Joseph, son of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel.

Genesis 37:9
And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.

Eleven "stars", sons, made obeisance to the twelfth, Joseph.

Rev. 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

Note: But, here in verse two God uses analogy, of what will actually take place in this second earth age, because of what happens in verse four during the first earth age.

This "child" to be delivered is the Messiah, and the woman delivering the child is the symbolic of "Israel" (that's why we see it here during the first earth age account), however, in the physical sense this child is to be born in this second earth age, to a daughter of Israel, "the virgin Mary". It is Satan's sole purpose to destroy this child. This woman (Israel) symbolically, is the wife and the child is the son of Almighty God, and God wants us to feel and understand the events that occur. What happens to them affects Him, exactly as it would you or me in a similar case.

Notice that since verse two is a symbolic representation of Israel in the first earth age, the woman, (the virgin Mary), hasn't given birth yet, to the Messiah, and in fact would not until this second, flesh and blood earth age, for which she is symbolically travailing, i.e. sorrowing. The time just before the "birth of a new age" is always liken to the labor pangs, the travailing of a woman. As Christ would say regarding the signs just before the end of this age, "these are the beginnings of sorrows" (look up "sorrows", it means "travail", labor pangs) Mark 13:8. Also see Romans 8:22 and 1 Thes. 5:3.

John now SEES the second wonder, the bad guy, the one who rebelled and fell in the "world that then was".

[3] 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.

Can you SEE the PICTURE? He is described as a very ugly beast, in contrast to the very beautiful woman!

And when we get to the next chapter, chapter 13, we'll see this creep, Satan the beast, with almost exactly the same power structure he had in first earth age of which we just read. The difference is he has handed out three promotions and elevated them to royal, priestly status, i.e. he has three more crowns.

Rev. 13:1
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

One last thought on Rev. 12:3. He, Satan,  is called the "Red" dragon. Look up "red" in Strong's Concordance and your see that it is "purrhos" from "pur" meaning "fire" or "literal or figurative, specially lightning". And so Jesus Christ would say regarding this fire breathing dragon in Luke 10:18 "And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven."

Rev. 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven (we/us), and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon (Satan) stood before the woman (Mother Israel, i.e. who today are the Christian nations of western Europe and the Americas) which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

Our Father then held the first judgment of one of His sons, Lucifer/Satan. And He sentenced him to "perish", to die the 2nd Death in the lake of fire. So you can see there was a price to pay for sin even in the "world that then was".

That price is death!

TO BE NO MORE! 

Satan's sentence is so recorded in Ezekiel 28:

Ezekiel 28:18-19
Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

[19] All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

"And never shalt thou be any more" is exactly what "perish" means! Satan is even called the son of perdition, the son who will perish. He's as good as dead which is why he is also called "death", to whom some of you will be delivered up to.

But our loving Father did not judge the rest of His children, because the penalty for those found guilty would also be death! Sentencing your children to die is not something anyone would want to do. So He postponed that judgment until after the Millennium, after His plan to salvage His children, His plan of salvation, is fulfilled.

He would make man, His sons, to dwell in flesh/animal bodies fashioned after the very likeness of themselves, and yet be born innocent, which is WITHOUT knowledge of the world that then was. That way they could be free from interference to chose whether to love God or once again follow Satan's tail.

But the penalty for sin would still be death and so our Father, in His infinite love for us, His children, decided to pay the price Himself, to DIE FOR US, in our stead, that we might be redeemed to Him and love Him as He so wants His children to do. 

Those of you who have children know full well that you cannot order or command or decree by law that your children love you. It must come from their hearts. And so it is with our Father and we His children. 

The price has been paid. We can live eternally with Him, if we'll turn to Him and love Him, for He first loved us and He still does.

We've seen the two great signs in heaven. 

One was a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. The sun "solar" represents the "sun of righteousness", Jesus Christ, and the moon "lunar, having no light of it's own" represents the "lunatic", Satan. 

So you could say that the woman, mother Israel, was clothed or covered, even protected by the LORD, wrapped in His arms. And of course the moon is under her feet where the footstool belongs.   

In 745-721 B.C. after being taken captive and relocated below the Black and Caspian Seas, the tribes of the House of Israel plus tens of thousands of Jews (from the House of Judah) were used by their Assyrian conquerors as a buffer state to ward off any advances by the Medes.

Soon, groups of Israelites started moving out to east, and north. The main body of people remained in the area for about a hundred years, during which time they fought as mercenaries for just about everyone.

Their unique triangular arrow points were even found in the ruins of one of the burned gates of Jerusalem; meaning that some of them were in on the conquering of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzor!

Soon after the power of the Assyrians was broken, vast numbers of the Israelites began several migrations, with the main two groups moving west under the Black Sea, and north through the Dariel pass of the Caucasas mountains into the steppes of south Russia.

A large group also moved east. These were called Sakka (Saka) and Iskuza by the Medes and Persians. The Japanese name Sakai is but a step away from Saka. There are many strange customs of unknown origin in Japan that can only be explained by recognizing that some from the east Jordan tribes of Manasseh, Reuben and Gad, 

Manasseh being pre-eminant, made their way to that far eastern Island, while their cousins headed west to populate northwest Europe and the far western island of Britain.

Some of these migrations were undertaken all the way into the 17th century when,  in the final migration, some from the tribe of Manasseh sailed the north Atlantic to Plymouth to fulfill Isaiah 49:20, which was prophesied to the hegemony of the House of Israel, Ephraim (England).

You see, the crux of the whole subject is that the names we want to look for to trace the Israelites are not the names that historical accounts and archeological finds give those same folks.

To more confuse the issue, large groups of Israelites called themselves by different names. Some of them called themselves the House of Isaac, which is pronounced e-sahk with the emphasis on the last syllable. How natural for the Persians to call them the Sakka (Sacae in Greek), while the Assyrians called others, the House of Omri, after the sixth king of Israel. This name sounded like Khumri, and was variously pronounced Ghumri, Gimri, Gimira, Gammer, all of which turned into the Greek Kimmeroii, our English word Cimmerians.

The Israelites weren't lost, their name got lost.
That fact coupled with the erroneous search for the Jews' fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesies has held the Lost Tribes teaching in virtual obscurity these millenia since 500 BC.

As Israel left the Caucasus Mountains and migrated into Europe, and to North America, they became known as Caucasians.

Though they basically comprise the Christian nations of the world, in their ignorance they call themselves gentiles.

If you are a Caucasian you are also an Israelite, according to Noah Webster and the Holy Bible.
The Webster Encyclopedia of Dictionaries (Copyright 1958, Literary Press, p.64) says "Caucasian" pertains to the white race originating from the Caucasus Mountains near the Black Sea.

The Holy Bible states that the House of Israel would be scattered north of the river Euphrates (I Kings 14:15).

This promise was fulfilled when, from 745-721 B.C., all ten tribes were taken captive and driven by the Assyrians into the Caucasus region between the Black and Caspian Seas

The Bible story of the ancestry and the modern prophetic identity of the British peoples, other Northwest Europeans and of the United States is the most amazing, yes astounding, the most fascinating and interesting story ever told. It is really the story thread of the Bible itself, from Genesis to Revelation.

Although the birthright has come to the British Commonwealth and the United States, yet there are other tribes who share in the blessings. For example Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway, along with Canada and Germany.

THE NAME'S THE GAME The following is an incomplete list of names for various groups of Israelites as they migrated.

Khumri, Cimmerians, Sakkas, Sacasene, Sacasune, Schythians, Cimbri, Thraco-Cimmerians, Celt, Galatians, Germans, Saxons, Normans, Danes, Gimira, Kimmeroii, Iskuza, Gauls, Angles, Picts, Iberes, Scots, Basques, Bretons, Goths, Vandals, Lombards, Franks, Burgundians, Ostrogoths, Daci,   Belgae, Massagetae

Had enough?

Sorry for the long side trip, but it is important that you know, when mother Israel is talked about, that If you are a Caucasian descended from Northwest European and  United States ancestry you most likely are an Israelite.

Now back to Revelation chapter 12:

Then we saw a great red dragon with seven crowned heads and ten horns. This is Satan and his power structure in the "world that then was" (2 Pet. 3:6), before this flesh age, where his tail drew, i.e. dragged down, a third of God's children to rebel against our Father and follow after him.

And we saw the dragon, Satan, standing before the woman, which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was to be born. It was to be born at the appointed time, at the first advent in this earth age. 

So we now jump ahead to that time,

to this earth age.

Rev. 12:5 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.

This brings us to Mary, who gave actual birth to Christ, but as you know, to get to this point and bring forth the promised Messiah (Gen. 3:15) from mother Eve on, was no small task as that great red dragon, that old serpent, tried to devour the "seed" from the beginning.

And this "man child" was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, which didn't happen when He walked this earth and hasn't happened yet. He was born an innocent babe and died to pay the price for our sins. It is when Christ returns, at His second advent, that He takes command of all nations with the rod of iron.

Rev. 19:15
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

What a day the sounding of that 7th Trump, announcing the Day of the Lord, that Day of Vengeance, will be. Meanwhile "her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne" where He now sits at the right hand of the Father, and He will remain there until all His enemies are His footstool.

Hebrews 10:12-13
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; [13] From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

Neither Jesus nor Satan are present on earth, in person, at this time. And we have documented time and again that they both are returning, in person, soon. Satan comes at the 6th Trump and Christ comes at the 7th Trump. Let no man deceive or confuse you by any means. Of course, both the Holy Spirit and Satan's evil spirit, as the prince and power of the air, are present now.

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

From the parting of the Red Sea and the earthquake that split the ground asunder and swallowed all those who followed Korah, throughout the Bible, we can read how God has used nature and natural forces to protect His own and even defeat their enemies. It then should seem no great thing if the woman is protected by our Father, and she will be. We already read in Rev. 9 that Satan cannot harm in any way those with the seal of God in their foreheads.

But the wilderness is our place among the people, prepared of God, where He wants us to be. It is not a physical place in the desert, like Petra, where we fly in a 747 Jumbo Jet to save our hides from some blood and guts battle espoused by Biblically illiterate preachers. We're foot soldiers of the Most High, and we can always be found on the front lines.

You may remember that John the Baptist was a voice crying in the wilderness, and common sense tells you he wasn't preaching to the animals.

Matthew 3:3
For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

This was a direct quote from the prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 40:3
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

And remember what will the two witnesses be doing during those same 1260 days? Rev. 11:3 "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth." They will be prophesying, teaching. They will continue to pump oil into the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

One thing is for sure, the woman is certainly not "hidden" somewhere for she will be persecuted when Satan gets here as we will see in verse 13. So much for the flying to Petra theory.

So get ready. War in heaven is about to take place in the next verse, and woe to the inhabiters of the earth.

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

"But I thought everything was peaceful and serene there with harps of gold and people sitting on fluffy clouds saying holy, holy, holy! War in heaven?"

Welcome to reality. Heaven is where Satan and his angels are right now, and wherever he is there's trouble. Yes, he's been here on earth in person before. He was in the garden and he was here when he tempted Christ.

But don't worry, he's no match for Michael and the rest of the Christian Army there.

[8] And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

See what I mean? He's a loser. And it's time this whole bunch of losers, Satan and his angels, get kicked out of heaven, to the earth. Woe! So when the war is finished on that battle front, it resumes here on earth. Got your gospel armour on (Eph. 6)?

"So that's OK Michael, send them down, we'll take it from here. Jesus has given us power over all our enemies. And believe us, we're thankful and give praise to Him because our names are written in the Book of Life."

Luke 10:19-20
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. [20] Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Let's see now. When Michael stands up and fights against the dragon, it will be "woe" time, Woe Trump time, to the inhabiters of the earth (vs. 12), i.e. big trouble here. Hmmmm. That's exactly what Daniel said concerning the end time.

Daniel 12:1
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

Again, if your name is written in the book, that would be the Book of Life, then Satan is ordered to leave you alone.

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

Let there be no doubt about who the great red dragon is. He is the Devil, Satan himself, that old serpent who was in the garden of Eden and seduced mother Eve.

What is the most dangerous doctrine/belief in Christianity today? Did you know there is one? It is so dangerous that it could cause you to lose your very soul!

It is the "any moment Rapture theory"! Why? Because if a person believes that Jesus Christ can return at any moment, then when the supernatural archangel, Satan, and his angelic entourage are cast out of heaven to this earth (Rev. 12:9), disguised as Christ and His "angels of light", that person will think Jesus Christ has returned to this earth. And they will worship him as Jesus! Yuck! Just wait until the real Jesus returns at the 7th Trump and they discover they've been worshipping Satan. How ashamed they will be!

The apostle Paul made it perfectly clear in 2 Thes. 2 that we WILL NOT gather back to Jesus Christ until AFTER the son of perdition, Satan, stands in the holy place showing the world that he is God, i.e. Jesus. Until that happens Christ isn't returning, so don't expect Him today or tomorrow!

And what of Satan's angels? Yes, we read his angels are cast out with him (Rev. 12:9)! Remember those 7,000 who were measured in the temple (Rev. 11:1) and are destroyed by Christ at His return (Rev. 11:13). They were here on earth before when they seduced women, the daughters of Adam. (the reason for Noah's flood) You can read of them in Genesis chapter 6 where they are called the sons of God. They were giving and taking in marriage and giants were born as a result of their "hanky panky".

But you don't have to take anyone's word for it that these angels are coming. Jesus Christ Himself documented that they are coming again when He gave the signs of what it will be like just before He returns.

Matthew 24:37
But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Noe is Greek for Noah. What was going on then?

[38] For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

Who was marrying and giving in marriage? Those before the flood, the fallen angels and the daughters of Adam.  Jesus told us that it is going to be just like it was in those days before the flood. They, those seducing fallen angels, are coming again to marry and give in marriage (only it will be flood of lies this time, NOT A FLOOD OF WATER)! That is also why Paul says in 1 Cor. 11:10 that a woman should have power, the veil of Christ, on her head, i.e. be subject to Him. The reason? Read it yourself: "For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels." Because of the angels who will be coming to seduce them.

Satan and his angelic host will deceive the whole world (Seduce both men and women with lies), except for those who are aboard the ark of the covenant of these last days, i.e. have the seal of God in their foreheads.  All others will drown in the flood of Satan's lies. But, it won't be physically this time!
It will be with lies about Satan being God!

[39] And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

[40] Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

The woman, or man, taken in the field is taken by whom? By Satan and his angels, swept away in their flood of lies,  just like those swept away in the flood of Noah days!

[41] Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Let's return to Revelation where John is speaking.

Rev. 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Satan's a big "tattle tale"! Every time you do something wrong he runs to your Father and tells on you and tries to get you in trouble! Read about the conversation this "smart aleck" had with our Father concerning Job in Job 1:6-12.

But what about those who have the seal of God in their foreheads, whom Satan accuses day and night, i.e. relentlessly?

[11] 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
.

They overcame Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by kicking that old dragon in the teeth with their testimony, WITHOUT FEAR of harm or death, knowing that they have the victory!

[12] 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.

Rejoice ye that dwell in the heavens? Oh yeah, sure! You kicked him out! It's easy to sing Hallelujah now, isn't it? Didn't we read back a few chapters that "there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour" (Rev. 8:1)?  Nice and peaceful!

"But Woe to us poor suckers, the inhabiters of the earth and the sea. Thanks a lot! You not only sent Satan down here in person, but now he's really PO'd because he knows he only has 5 months and he thought he had 3 1/2 years."

[13] And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

Now there's a surprise! He comes after those rascally children of God! He'll be sorry.

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

Again, these two wings aren't found attached to the fuselage of a jet owned by Eagle Airlines. Our Father is liken to this great eagle in  Deut. 32:9-11. This 32nd chapter of Deuteronomy is the very "Song of Moses" that the overcomers are singing in Rev. 15. It is therefore a part of the Book of Revelation. Notice that God's people are found in the "wilderness" and protected by "wings" of the great eagle, our loving Father.

Deut. 32:9-11
For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. [10] He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. [11] As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:

And so the woman (the true Christian church) is given the two wings of this great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness of the world, fully protected and nourished during the great tribulation. Of course, the great eagle is our loving Father.

OK, now get ready, cause here comes the flood!

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

He's trying to drown the woman in the field and take her, isn't he?

[16] And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

Our feet don't even get wet from this dragon's flood of lies! (remember the two witnesses) he doesn't have a prayer of a chance! With God and mother nature on our side.

[17] And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Them's fight'n words! But you know, to Christian soldiers there's nothing funnier than an angry, out of control, flailing dragon, puffing smoke! After kicking him around awhile to show others he's a loser just take the sharp two-edge sword and go for the head!

And he makes war with the remnant of her seed. We know that this old serpent has been after the "seed" of the woman from the very beginning. At the beginning of this chapter we saw the picture of him standing there in the first earth age waiting with "baited breath" for the chance to devour. And when this flesh age began and God placed Adam and Eve, though whom the "man child" would eventually come, in the garden, then lo and behold, there Satan was just chomping at the bit! Here is what our Father had to say to him:

Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Yes, there sure is enmity, isn't there? But you see, "the losers", Satan and his offspring, the Kenites, only bruised the heel of the "man child". This happened when the stake was driven through His feet at Calvary. But "the winners", the seed of woman, the real bruisers, take the head off that old serpent, the dragon, the devil, Satan.

We have the victory!

Next in Chapter 13 of the Book of Revelation, which is to many folks, one of the scariest and most misunderstood chapters in all the Bible. Why? Well, the main reason is that people (including preachers and ministers) who are unfamiliar with the Word of God and the plan of God try to interpret what it says. Since they are completely unfamiliar with the symbology used to create a PICTURE to make things clearer and illustrate what's happening, they must make up stories out of their own imaginations to try and explain that which completely baffles them. And that's really scary, for that which one who claims to be a teacher or preacher says to God's children, affects their very lives and even their souls. It is a serious matter.

But for those who do have eyes to see and ears to hear, who are familiar with God's Word, and even for those who have followed along with us in this Book of the Revealing from the beginning, this chapter is easy, as you will see, because we have seen and read of it all before.

As an overview, we will encounter two "beasts" in this chapter 13, the descriptions of which will give us a PICTURE of the Political and Religious systems, two of the Four Hidden Dynasties, in their full flourishing, that Satan uses to deceive the whole world. It's really just that simple! Enjoy it.

This Chapter of the Book of Revelation is to many folks one of the scariest and most misunderstood chapters in all the Bible.

Why?

Well, the main reason is that people (including preachers and ministers) who are unfamiliar with the Word of God and the plan of God try to interpret what it says. Since they are completely unfamiliar with the symbology used to create a PICTURE to make things clearer and illustrate what's happening, they must make up stories out of their own imaginations to try and explain that which completely baffles them. And that's really scary, for that which one who claims to be a teacher or preacher says to God's children, affects their very lives and even their souls. It is a serious matter.

Here's the first beast:

Rev. 13:1
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

[2] And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

Got the PICTURE? 

Then you have just seen the awesomeness of what the structure of the New World Order will look like after Satan, the dragon, is cast out of heaven and takes over. 

Now let's look at the symbolism used in the PICTUREs you just saw.

1.) Who is the dragon? We just read Rev. 12:9 so there can be no doubts or guess work as to the identity of the dragon. The Dragon is Satan.

Remember also that we saw this same description of this same power structure of the dragon in the first earth age in Rev. 12:3, except that he will have 3 more "crowns" with him this time when he gets here.

2.) And what is the sea? The sea is the people of the earth from which the political system arises.

4.) And what of these names of blasphemy?  Don't forget, just as Satan will be appearing as the Messiah, though he be the false one, his angels will be with him and appearing as, and called by the name, "Ministers of Christ". Can you be more blasphemous than that?

Rev. 9:8
And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

But there's no need to fear these attributes of Satan's political system.  Though it might appear to us as a giant beast we're not afraid of Goliaths or multi-headed beasts, or scorpions, or locusts, etc. We have power over them (Luke 10:19) . How about that David?

1 Samuel 17:36
Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.

Did the lion's mouths hurt Daniel when he was cast before them in the den? Not!

Even Paul was delivered out of the mouth of the lion by the Lord who stood with him!

2 Tim. 4:17
Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.

So much for lions and tigers and bears,
oh my!

Note: I thought I told you not to guess about God's Word. If you want to look ahead to verse 12 you will see that Satan himself, the supernatural archangel coming as Jesus Christ, heals the deadly wound. No problem for Slick Satan.

"And all the world WONDERED after the beast". Yes, it will be truly amazing, just marvelous for world peace!

The following quotation is from the World Book Encyclopedia.

"The League of Nations was an international association of countries which was created at the end of World War I. It grew out of the desire of the people throughout the world to prevent war forever.

The most important work of the League of Nations was the peaceful settlement of international quarrels. The Council of the League of Nations was set up for this purpose.

Unfortunately, the efforts of the Council were not always successful. For example, during 1935 and 1936 the Council failed to settle the dispute between Italy and Ethiopia. At that time Italy was trying to build up a great empire at the expense of the Ethiopians.

The failure of the Council to solve the Italian-Ethiopian dispute did much to weaken and finally destroy the influence of the League of Nations. No one really had the power to force nations to remain at peace." World Book Encyclopedia, 1953, vol. 10, pg. 4342.

Rev. 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

 So of course they will worship him!

My goodness, they say that now! I've heard the statement several times on talk shows: "Who is able to go against the wishes of the international community?" President Clinton even said it in his State of the Union address regarding Saddam Hussein.  How much more true it will be when Satan comes!

1 Thes. 5:1-3

But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

Should not have to tell you this!

[2] For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

That means while one is sleeping. We're not!

[3] For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

And the dragon with them! Right after the NWO takes a hit!  It's the next benchmark in Bible prophecy!

[4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

[5] Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

[6] Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

Isn't studying God's Word in these last days exciting? I mean here we are, present when these prophecies are coming to pass! Just think! The prophets like Ezekiel and Daniel and all the disciples of Christ wanted to know what it would be like in our day, in the final generation, the generation of the fig tree which was planted in 1948, the first born of whom are now senior citizens and received AARP cards in their right hands (No, it's not the mark of the beast! It's just a sign of aging and the advent of discounts. Discounts that they can well afford, because they already have prices jacked up to twice what the products are worth)! 

Do you realize how blessed we are that our Father saved you and me to be born now, at the end of the 6th day, the 6,000 years of flesh man, to witness the birth of a new age?

Earlier we learned that the old serpent, the dragon, is actually Satan himself. 

So, let's continue our study of the revelation of the "Acts of the Dragon" in Rev. 13:5.

Rev. 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

And what a BIG MOUTH he has!

This verse means that Satan was permitted or allowed to speak and have power for 42 months. Dr. Moffat translates it:

Rev. 13:5 He was allowed to utter loud and blasphemous vaunts, and allowed to exert authority for two and forty months; (Moffat)

Satan can do NOTHING except our Father allows it, though he thinks he can. This Big Mouth Dragon also suffers from a severe case of self delusion!

We also noted in chapter 12 that all prophecy pertaining to Satan and his own is given in "lunar" terminology since they are of the "night". But God's children walk not in darkness, but are children of the "day", i.e. light, and so prophecy pertaining to them is given in "solar" terminology. Here Satan, the chief "lunar-tic", is allowed 42 months (moons) to do his thing. Of course we know that Jesus overrode this time period and shortened it, else no flesh would be saved. Mark 13:20 "And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days." We learned in Rev. 9 that the shortened period is 5 months, the time of the swarming locusts.

Back to old dragon breath:

Rev. 13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

Rev. 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

Mark 13:9
But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.

Rev. 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

[9] If any man have an ear, let him hear.

We learned concerning the dragon, Satan, that "all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8)."

So the obvious question must be asked? 

Do you have ears to hear?

This is an important question because the very nature of the question itself lets us know by implication that there are those who don't have them, right?

Therefore, there are two types of people who will read the rest of this 13th chapter of Revelation. Those who have "ears to hear" and those who do not.  Those who do not, cannot "see" or "hear" past the flesh level and cannot understand that the tribulation is a battle for their soul, not their flesh.

When they read "kill with the sword" they think about their flesh, despite the fact that we are told in Rev. 1:16 that the "sword" is the Word of God.

When they read of "famine" they think about their bellies, despite the fact that Amos 8:11 tells us that the famine of the end times is for the hearing of the Word of God.

In fact they love to hear preachers. in our so-called Christian churches, tell them how they are going to "fly away" in the clouds to save what? Their souls? NO! They say you must be saved to be "raptured". What then? To save their flesh! Does the Rapture Theory have anything to do with other than saving their little old flesh hides? Think about it.  Did Paul tell us in Eph. 6 to put on the gospel armour to fly away or to take a stand? Even our Christian soldiers when they go off to war ask God to protect them on the front lines. They don't ask Him to fly them away so they can watch the battle from a remote place of safety. Arrrggg!

Is the Bible a book about saving your flesh or "your soul"? 

Should we be worried beyond that which is the instinct of natural preservation about our bodies, which are going to wither and die ANYWAY!

Here's what Jesus Christ has to say concerning the matter:

Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

I rest my case.

This next verse in Revelation continues with the "destiny" which we just read in verse 8, just prior to the "If you can understand".

Rev. 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

This verse contains a Hebraism, again showing destiny (read Jer. 15:2), which the KJV doesn't bring forth all that well.

Here's how Dr. Moffat translates it:

Rev. 13:10 Whoever is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes: whoever kills with the sword, by the sword must he be killed. This is what shows the patience and the faith of the saints. ( Moffat)

Rev. 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

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

proskuneo, pros-koo-neh'-o, Greek 4352; from Greek 4314 (pros) and a probably derivative of Greek 2965 (kuon) (meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand); to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (literal or figurative) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore) :- worship.

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

The Greek word "fire" is pur Greek 4442; a primary word; "fire" (literal or figurative, specially lightning).

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

How does he deceive the people, them that dwell on the earth? By means of those miracles, one of which we just read of in verse 13. Snap, snap. And the people will "snap to it".

[15] And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

[16] And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

Note: There is so much ignorance regarding God's Word for the lack of understanding figures of speech. I said before that if in the Book of Acts we found a verse that read "The apostle Paul got into hot water", there would be churches that would require members in good standing to get into a pool or tub of hot water. The scholars would discuss how much water they should get into and just exactly what degree of temperature crests the threshold from "warm" to "hot". They would cite Strong's concordance which would say that "water" means the wet stuff H2O as coming from a lake, river or the sea. But the figure of speech "he got into hot water" means he "got into trouble" and it has NOTHING TO DO WITH WATER! Do you have wisdom or not?

There are only two choices:

(1.) You either have the Seal of God in your forehead, in which case Satan can't touch you.

(2.) Or, you have the Seal of Satan in your forehead, in which case you'll do his bidding and worship him.

Here's something else to consider. If you don't know something then you don't know that you don't know it! 

That's a definition of deception.

In other words, if you are deceived then you are unaware that you are deceived. You believe a lie and stories to be truth. So, if you're running around looking for Satan's mark to be a tattoo or stamp or some microchip or a UPC code, then guess what? He's already got you captive. You already have the "mark of the beast" in your forehead and you don't know it! Wisdom has completely escaped you! ("That ought to make me some new friends", he said facetiously as he went to the next verse.)

Rev. 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

In other words, if you are not a member of "the party", the NWO and his Congregation, you'll have much difficulty in commerce. 

So as a physical example: How did those who were not members of the Nazi party make out in Hitler's Germany?

But, as a spiritual example and it is what's spiritual that is important throughout eternity: Read this Live Link to->> What did Jesus tell the folks from Laodicia to buy and sell?

Once Satan arrives here in person, claiming he is God, you will no longer be able to find gold "spiritual gold" (The Word of God, i.e. a accurate version of the Bible), that has been purified in the fiery furnace, much less buy it.

Do you remember how Satan altered scripture to seduce Eve in the "Garden of Eden"? Well it is already being altered and he isn't even here, in person yet!  Right now his Kenite descendants are working on his revised version of scripture with only his spiritual influence to guide them!

 Oh, you'll be able to buy and sell bibles, but the accurate "Word of God"; that will be a thing of the past!  Tell ye your children of it! Let your children tell their children! And their children another generation!

Live Link to- The famine is coming

[18] Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

And have you looked up 666 in Strong's?

chi xi stigma, khee xee stig'-ma, Greek 5516; the twenty-second, fourteenth and an obsolete letter (Greek 4742 (stigma) as a cross) of the Greek alphabet (intermediate between the fifth and sixth), used as numbers; denoting respectively six hundred, sixty and six; six hundred sixty-six as a numeral :- six hundred threescore and six.

What is a stigma? It is as Strong's defines it "(figurative) scar of service" which is precisely as Webster has it  "a mark of shame or discredit". So, do you carry his "stigma"? Are you stigmatized with the traditions of men? Do have the mark of the beast "in" your forehead where the brain resides?

One last comment. Are you familiar with the Song of Moses which we've already mentioned several times is sung by the overcomers in Rev. 15, which we will soon study. If you read Ezek. 28 you'll discover that Satan is called the king of Tyrus, which in Hebrew means "rock". How many different ways must we be told, how many vivid PICTURES must we be shown until we understand that there are two lambs, two Jesus Christs, yes there are two rocks. (The real Rock, Jesus,  and the pretend rock, Satan, who is just a little stone!)

Deut. 32:31
For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.

So the question is: If you are not familiar with the Song of Moses, then how are you going to know it to sing it? Huh? You won't, because you wouldn't know one pebble from another. So you'll be counted out! Christ will say as it is written "Get away from me, I never knew you."
Live Link to- "The Song of Moses"

In Revelation chapter 14 we get to see what is happening on earth when Jesus Christ returns. Good old John is still in heaven and once again he looks on.

Rev. 14:1

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

The qualifier in this verse, "having His and His Father's name (as the texts read) written in their foreheads", lets us know that these are the same 144,000.

Let's review from chapter 7:

Rev. 7:2
And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, [3] Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. [4] And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

Rev. 14:2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:

[3] And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

Yes, they made a joyful noise before the LORD.  (We'll document that it was the Song of Moses when we get to chapter 15.)

Please notice that these are only the 144,000, redeemed from the earth, redeemed from this earth age, singing at this time and not God's elect.  God's elect were chosen before the foundation of the world, before this earth age. Of course the 144,000 were redeemed from the earth by the Blood of the Lamb but it was His elect that help to seal them.

[4] These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

Virgins? They're virgins? Do you think there's 144,000 virgins left in this society?

Flesh, flesh, flesh, flesh. Our minds seem to always go there first, don't they? But we know this doesn't mean they never had sex. These folks were not "spiritually seduced" by Satan and his angels into believing the Great Lie! Which was what? That the one sitting in the temple was Jesus Christ as Paul so warned in 2 Thes. 2. Remember Satan deceives the whole world with his miracles and his great and prosperous "Peace on Earth" society, which means they all got screwed!

[5] And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

You can look up the word "guile" if you so desire, but this verse pretty much speaks for itself.

[6] And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

The Word of God is eternal, it is forever. And yes, there will be preaching and teaching during the Millennium. It is also documented in the closing chapters of Ezekiel. Begin with chapter 44 and read on.

[7] Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

The sand has run out of the hour glass. It is time to pay up! There will be judgment when Christ returns, both good and bad, so give glory and honor and reverence to God. We will read of some of this judgment in this chapter.

[8] And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

And if you know the history of that first great city, Babylon, founded by the "seed" (offspring  of the serpent), who was Cain sent forth into the land of Nod, who is also known as Sargon the Magnificent in secular history, then you know how perverse and idolatrous the first world empire was at the beginning. So shall it be at the end.

Do you recall in Daniel chapter 2 the image that Nebuchadnezzar saw, with Babylon as the first "one world political system", the head of gold? Well, the last "one world political system", is the "beast" we just studied in Rev. 13:1, the one with the 10 "crowns", i.e. kings, remember? It is the same as the fourth kingdom of iron in Nebuchadnezzar's image, the one with the 10 "toes" identified as "kings" in verse 44 of Dan. 2, and it is smashed by Jesus Christ at his return. Then the angel of Rev. 14:8 will say "Babylon is fallen, is fallen."

Isn't it amazing how we've seen all of this before in the Word of God?  The scripture so rings true as it is recorded in Eccles. 1:9 "... there is no new thing under the sun."  

Here's the account in Daniel:

Daniel 2:40
And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

[42] And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

[43] And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

[44] And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

[9] And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

[10] The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

Now I don't know about you, but I sometimes have difficulty with the way they spoke in 1611 England. The revisers help a little bit, but my brain isn't so formal and it has to put verses like these into words I can better relate to:

"And the 3rd angel followed the other 2 angels and said loud enough so everyone could hear him, 'If anyone participates with Satan's activities in any way shape or form, he's really going to 'get it' from our Father according to His Word, who will give it to him with the fire and brimstone paddle, right in front of everyone in total anguishing humiliation!"

Got it? Because if you want to make it more difficult than that, then you don't understand the simplicity of what is being said.

And by the way, the "cup of His indignation" is the same cup that Jesus desired could pass from Him in the garden, prior to his crucifixion. It was the cup of wrath to be poured out, not a cup of fear. Christ was never afraid to pay the price! He came for that express purpose.

11] And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Anyway, here's verse 11 with some updated figures of speech:

"The aftermath of their punishment will reach to high heaven and they are going work their butts off (during the whole period of the Millennium.)"

Rev. 20:12
And I 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 judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Judged according to their works!

IF you don't have a Companion Bible you can Download a Companion Bible free at: http://www.companionbiblecondensed.com/  When you open site click unto and download one book at a time unto your disk or hard drive.
and the appendix at: http://www.markfoster.net/rn/companion_bible_appendices.pdf

Rev. 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Rev. 14:13
And I 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.

Again, if you are not familiar with the Greek words translated "dead" in the New Testament (see appendix 139 in the Companion Bible), then just read "those" for "the dead", i.e. "Blessed are those which die in the Lord from henceforth".

Why? Yea, saith the spirit, they get to rest during the Millennium, the day of rest, instead of working their butts off day and night while awaiting the great white throne judgment and the hope of the second resurrection! So you see, your works do follow you, don't they?

It's the Day of the Lord, the first day of Millennium here on earth. Jesus Christ has returned to reap the harvest of that good seed which He has sown (Mat. 13) and to exercise judgment and pour out "the cup of wrath" on the wicked.

In the first few verses of this chapter 14 we saw the "Happy Time" of the Day of the Lord when the overcomers were singing and the heavenly orchestra was playing and the saints were with Jesus on Mount Zion.

Now, in the remaining verses of this chapter 14 we are going to SEE a very graphic PICTURE of what the "No-So-Happy Time" looks like for those who are not standing on Mount Zion. 

We continue with John's description:

Rev. 14:14
And I 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.

Jesus Christ returns with a Golden Crown upon His head, for He returns as King of kings and Lord of lords. No longer does He have a crown of thorns, a crown of humiliation on His head. And now it's harvest time and He will do the reaping and the threshing.

[15] 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.

The Father knows and determines the exact times, for no man knows precisely. Now here comes word from a messenger who was in the temple, where He sits, and the word is "The time has come", "The harvest of the earth is ripe", which simply means it's judgment time!

[16] And He that sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

[17] And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

Here comes another messenger out from the temple he also has a sharp sickle to do some reaping. But...

[18] And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.

Uh oh! Here comes an angel from the "altar" this time to give instructions to the one with the sharp sickle! You remember what comes from the altar, don't you? Fire! Remember what we read in our last study in Rev. 14:10 "The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:" Well, here it comes!

But it would seem that there's somewhat of a problem here. The problem is that you don't harvest "grapes" with a sickle! It gets real messy!

[19] And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

[20] And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

Yes, God is going to "Put the Squeeze on Them" for their wickedness is great.

What does it mean "without the city? Without or outside the city simply means the wrath of God is not poured out on His children who love Him, because do you remember where they are?  They are with Him on Mount Zion, which is where John saw Jesus standing in verse 1, which is "within in the city".

Is all this something brand new that we are reading in the Book of Revelation? Hardly. Remember we have said repeatedly that if you are familiar with the Word of God then by the time you get to the Book of the Revelation you'll have seen and read it all before?

Well, the prophet Joel told us EXACTLY the same thing about the judgment we just read of on the Day of the Lord.  Have you read it? 

Let's do it now.

Joel 3:12-15
Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.

Joel writes the words of the Lord who says "Wake Up" for I will bring Judgment to the Valley of Decision, to those heathen "round about", i.e. "without the city" as we just read in Rev. 14:20.

[13] Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

There's the same sickle of Revelation! And it's the harvest time! Thrust it in and cast those wicked grapes into the winepress!

Here's the definition of "fats" word for word from Strong's Concordance:

yeqeb, yeh'-keb, Hebrew 3342; from an unused root meaning to excavate; a trough (as dug out); specifically a wine-vat (whether the lower one, into which the juice drains; or the upper, in which the grapes are crushed) :- fats, presses, press-fat, wine (-press).

There will be so much juice draining from this press it will produce a river as high as a horse's bridle and farther than the eye can see! Squish! SEE THE PICTURE!

And when does all this occur? Joel tells us!

Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

Oh, the Day of the Lord! Is God's Word consistent and accurate from beginning to end or what?

And when the "multitudes, multitudes" are squeezed in the winepress (figuratively of course) there will be more than a few drops of blood (figuratively of course). There will be river of blood! Yeeccchhh! I think I'd rather be standing on Mount Zion.

By the way, here's the definition of "blood" used in the last verse of Revelation 14:

haima, hah'ee-mah, Greek 129; of uncertain derivative; blood, literal (of men or animals), figurative (the juice of grapes) or special (the atoning blood of Christ); by implication bloodshed, also kindred :- blood.

So here's a question. Have you ever read the Book of Joel, whose name means "Yah is God"? Has your pastor or minister ever taught it to you? All Christians should know it thoroughly. Peter knew it and because he did, he KNEW what was happening on that first Pentecost Day when he stood up and quoted directly from it. Joel describes the locusts of the locust army we read about in Revelation chapter 9. And it contains much information about the Day of the Lord and the judgment which we just read of.

As a final thought, in the next chapter of Revelation, chapter 15, we will see the overcomers singing the Song of Moses, which is the 32nd chapter of Deuteronomy (Deut. 31:30 And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.)

You see, we know who the true vine is. Jesus said in John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman." But just as their rock is not our Rock, their vine is not our Vine:

Deut. 32:32-43
For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter:

And they are going to get their grapes smashed! Ouch!

[33] Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.

Their "truth" comes from the dragon himself, that old serpent, Satan! They'll also get squashed!

[34] Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures? [35] To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.

That's right, vengeance belongs to Him! But we ask and pray "How long, O Lord, do we have to put up with this wickedness?" And we know from His Word that His answer is "Not much longer, but be patient my children and be diligent, for there is much work yet to be done to bring your brothers and sisters whom you and I also love, into my fold, during the Millennium."

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.

---

This "American Wisdom Series"
pamphlet
is
Published by:

Rhine Publishing Co.
e-mail address:americanwisdomseries@verizon.net