WHY BIBLE PROPHECY IS IMPORTANT

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Bible prophecy is one of the most ignored topics in churches today and pastors avoid it like a plague. They usually assert that it is either too controversial or too difficult to understand. Some even claim it has no relevance to Christian’s living today. The result is that almost one-fourth of God’s Word has been put on the shelf, and the average Christian ends up living with no anticipation or even yearning for the Lords’ soon return.

There are two areas of God’s Word that have been terribly ignored and abused in the history of the Church. They are the opening and the conclusion of the Bible — the books of Genesis and Revelation. They spiritualize the Bible by claiming that it doesn’t really mean what it says. But, the abuses of Bible prophecy apply to more than just the book of Revelation. It applies to all of God’s prophetic word, and that is a shame, because the study of Bible prophecy is very important for many reasons.

There are eight key reasons why all Christians should be interested in studying God’s Prophetic Word. This should be done without adding to or taking away from it (Revelation 22:18-19).

1. QUANTITY

As mentioned, approximately one-fourth of the Bible is prophetic in nature. In the Old Testament, you have the major prophecy books like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and all the Minor Prophets. Plus, you have the Psalms. Many of the Psalms are also prophetic in nature.

Then in the New Testament and you have entire books like 1 and 2 Thessalonians, the book of Revelation, and huge passages like Matthew 24 and Luke 21.

What we are told in 2 Timothy 3 is that all Scripture, including prophecy, is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be adequate equipped for every good work. Don’t take one-fourth to one-third of God’s Word and put it on the shelf. Study it. It will bless you (Revelation 1:3 and 22:14)..

2. UNIQUENESS

Fulfilled prophecy is a unique characteristic of the Bible. There is no other religion or book in the world that contains fulfilled prophecies. Did you know for example there’s not one fulfilled prophecy in any of the sayings of Confucius or Buddha? There is not one fulfilled prophecy in the Koran, the Hindu Vedras or in the book of Mormon. Only the Bible contains fulfilled prophecy.

Isaiah 41:22-23 challenges other religions and their gods, “‘Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.”

3. VALIDATES SCRIPTURE

Scripture. Prophecy attests to the supernatural origin of the Bible. Prophecy proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Bible is God’s revelation to man.

In Isaiah 13, as an example, he prophesied that Babylon will fall to the Medes and the Persians. When Isaiah wrote this prophecy, Babylon wasn’t even a world empire. The world empire was the Assyrians. Or, consider Micah 3:12 where it was prophesied that Jerusalem would become a heap of ruins and that the Temple Mount would be plowed. That was written 100 years before Jerusalem was destroyed and the Temple Mount was plowed by the Babylonians.

Jesus also was a prophet. It was 40 years later in 70 AD that Jerusalem and the Temple fell, just as Jesus prophesied.

There are many prophesies about the return of the Jews to their land and after approximately 2000 years, Israel became a nation again on 14 May 1948.

4. VALIDATES JESUS

Bible prophecy validates Jesus as who He said He was, that He was God in the flesh.
Look, for example, at Micah 5:2. This is probably one of the best known prophecies about the First Coming of the Messiah. It says that the Messiah will be born in the town of Bethlehem. This was written 500 years before Jesus was born.

Psalm 22 is about the Crucifixion. Verse 16 says the Messiah will die by having His hands and His feet pierced. That was written 1,000 years before Jesus Or, look at the book of Zechariah.

There are approximately 330 prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures concerning the First Coming of the Messiah, but if you take out all the repetitive prophecies, it leaves you with 109 separate and distinct prophecies.

5. TOOL FOR EVANGELISM

Bible prophecy is a tremendous tool of evangelism. The very first Gospel sermon ever preached is found in Acts 2, where Peter preaches. All he did in that sermon was saying, “The prophets said the Messiah would do this.” That is all Peter’s sermon is — one prophecy after another. Suddenly the people interrupted him and asked, “What must we do to be saved?” They were convicted by the teaching of Bible prophecy and him showing them that Jesus had fulfilled prophecy.

Or, consider Philip and the Eunuch. Philip is given a horizontal rapture. He is taken over to another road. He sees this Ethiopian eunuch coming down the road reading a big scroll. He stops and they start talking. The Eunuch asks, “What is this scroll?” He quotes from it. What’s the passage? It’s Isaiah 53. Philip asks, “Do you understand it?” The Eunuch replies, “I don’t understand it.” Philip said, “Let me explain it.” He explains how Yeshua (Jesus) was the fulfillment of Isaiah 53. The man is baptized and then goes on his way rejoicing.

6. STIMULUS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Prophecy is a great stimulus for spiritual growth in two areas. First, Bible prophecy provides hope. The average Christian has very little hope. In terms of trying to define hope, just ask the average Christian, “What is your hope?” And they’ll say, “My hope is to go to Heaven.” You then ask, “Okay, what is Heaven?” Suddenly they become very inarticulate. Are you going to have a body? Going to have a name? Going to be recognizable? Are you going to eat? You going to work? You going to create things? Where are you going to be? Are you going to be on a cloud playing a harp? Are you going to be on the ground? Are you going to be in the New Jerusalem in the ground, or the New Jerusalem out in space? Thhe Bible answers every one of these questions asked.

The more you know about Bible prophecy the greater your hope will be. Promise after promise after promise after promise is made to us as overcomers, and we need to know those promises and live in the hope and expectation of those promises.

Second, Bible prophecy motivates holiness. Almost every passage in the New Testament that talks about prophecy says, for example in 1 John, to focus your life upon the return of Jesus Christ. Think about the return of Jesus Christ, because as you think about the return of Jesus Christ you will purify yourselves.

7. UNDERSTANDING OF CURRENT EVENTS

Bible prophecy provides an understanding of current events. There is no way you can understand why there is so much decay in society today unless you know what the Bible says about that. Jesus prophesied that before He returns, it would be as in the days of Noah. We are seeing that happening before our very eyes.

Consider this apostasy in the Church. Who would ever dream just 20 years ago that we would live in an age when denominations would be endorsing homosexuals as bishops of their churches, and even advocating marriage between homosexuals? Some self-proclaimed Christians now even question the virgin birth, the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ. Just think about the Emergent Church Movement who are just taking the Word of God and throwing it out claiming, “There’s not really any truth. We just have got to be touchy-feely about doctrine. We mustn’t be judgmental. We mustn’t be intolerant.” Truth is going out the window! Paul said it would be a perilous time, where many would have a form of godliness but would reject the power thereof.

There is no way you could even begin to understand what is going on the Middle East today unless you know something about the history of Israel from the Word of God and His promises to Israel. The fact that Israel has an everlasting covenant for that land God has never taken it away. The deed to that land belongs to them. You can’t begin to understand all the conflict that is going on there today unless you get into Bible prophecy.

8. REVEALS THE SEASON OF THE LORD’S RETURN

Finally we need to study Bible prophecy because it reveals the season of the Lord’s return. Nobody can know the date or the hour, but beyond a shadow of a doubt we can know the season.

1 Thessalonians 5 says. “Now as to the signs and the seasons, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you for you yourselves know full well that the Day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.” Unfortunately, most pastors and self-proclaimed Christians stop there. If you read on, it says, “But you, brethren, you believers, are not in darkness that the day should overtake you like a thief. For you are sons of light, and sons of day. We are not of night or darkness, so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.” Because we have the Holy Spirit residing inside of us, we can understand things from the Word of God that others cannot understand, like the season we are living in. For those who know Bible prophecy, He is not coming like a thief in the night.

Look at Hebrew 10:25: “Do not forsake the assembling together as is the habit of some. But encourage one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” It is the Day of Judgment. In verse 27 it is saying that there is something we can see. There is something that can be perceived, and of course those are the signs of the times.

Or, consider what Jesus said in Matthew 24:33, “Even so, when you see all these things…recognize that He’s near right at the door.”

(Main source used: The Christ in prophecy journal A Lamb & Lion Ministries Blog)

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF JERUSALEM

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The important revelations to humankind through events in JERUSALEM will be resumed at the Second Coming of Christ.

JERUSALEM, WHERE GOD PUT HIS NAME ON

Almost a thousand years before Christ, king David conquered JERUSALEM from the Jebusites, moved to the new city from Hebron and declared it the capital of Israel. Three names were used for the city, i.e. ‘JERUSALEM’, ‘Zion’ and ‘the City of David’. ‘JERUSALEM’ means ‘Founded Peacefully’. God has chosen JERUSALEM as the city where He has put His name on forever.

David wanted to build a house for the Lord’s name in JERUSALEM, but God said that David’s son would do that (2 Samuel 7:12-13). After having built the temple, God said to Solomon: “And the LORD said to him: “I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built to put My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.” (1 Kings 9:3).

In 1 Kings 11:36 God once again said, “And to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may always have a lamp before Me in JERUSALEM, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My name there.” that JERUSALEM is “the city which I have chosen Me to put My name there.” Psalm 48:2 calls it “the city of the great King.”

HISTORY AFTER THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON

Solomon built the first temple there and the glory of God entered it. God was worshipped in the temple and He revealed Himself to Israel through the service of the priests and prophets. As long as the people served God and obeyed His commandments, JERUSALEM would be a safe fortress.

However, times of spiritual decay set in, leading to the neglect of the temple service in JERUSALEM. A few God-fearing kings restored the temple service during their reign, after which decline only once again sets in. Due to the persistent apostasy of the nation and their leaders, the glory of God eventually departed from the temple and He surrendered them to their enemies. During the Babylonian siege in the 6th century BC, the city and the temple were plundered and destroyed and many of the Jews taken captive to Babylonia.

These events did not terminate God’s eternal commitment to JERUSALEM. After seventy years of captivity Israel was restored to their land, they rebuilt the temple and re-instituted the temple service. Then once again, apostasy set in, leading to the departure of the glory of the Lord. After Malachi, there was a four hundred year long ‘prophetic silence’ in Israel as God sent no prophets during this time. Relying only on their own strength, Israel could not prevail against their enemies. The temple became completely dilapidated and fell into ruins while spiritual darkness prevailed in Israel.

Since about 40 BC, Herod the Great ruled as king over Judea. To win the favour of the Jews, while also intending to suppress their messianic expectation, Herod built a new temple in JERUSALEM. This temple was known as the second temple and temple service was again instituted.

JERUSALEM AND THE FIRST COMING OF THE MESSIAH

By far the most significant revelation of God to Israel and the whole world was the birth of His Son, Jesus, from Jewish parents. In JERUSALEM Christ proclaimed the message of eternal life and taught in the temple. However, the majority of the leaders and inhabitants of the city rejected Christ. In doing so, they brought great sorrows and peril over themselves.

During the triumphal entry of Jesus into JERUSALEM, He was moved to tears because of the dire consequences of Israel’s spiritual blindness:
“Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:41-44)

In a planned betrayal of Jesus He was falsely accused, arrested, tried and convicted innocently in JERUSALEM. The Jewish leaders insisted upon His crucifixion so strongly that the Roman governor, Pilate, conceded to their request for the sake of popularity among the Jews.

Christ was crucified just outside JERUSALEM in the stone-quarry of Solomon. Here He made atonement for our sins by paying the price for the transgressions of a lost humanity to God. He was buried outside the gates of JERUSALEM but rose from the dead three days later. On the Sunday of His resurrection He preached in JERUSALEM in what can be describes as the first service of the dispensation of the Christian church. A week later the second sermon was delivered (John 20:19-29). Just prior to His ascension from the Mount of Olives forty days after His resurrection, He gave the Great Commission to His disciples.

That ministry would only commence after something very important happened in JERUSALEM. Jesus said to them:
“ Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at JERUSALEM. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of JERUSALEM until you are endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:46-49).

That was the promise of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit: “ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in JERUSALEM, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out over the disciples, the process of world evangelism began. On that day, three thousand souls were saved and became members of the church of Christ in JERUSALEM.

From that day onwards, the gospel of salvation would be preached in JERUSALEM and beyond, even to the uttermost ends of the earth.

THE CONTINUED ROLE OF JERUSALEM

Many people, especially those who follow Covenant theology (just another form of Replacement theology) argue that the divine purpose of JERUSALEM expired with the moving out of the disciples to preach the gospel in the rest of the world. They conveniently forget about God’s decision that His name would forever dwell in JERUSALEM. The long-term future of JERUSALEM was always, still is, and always will be securely fixed in the divine counsel and purposes of God.

To clarify this issue, we only need to study the Olivet discourse of Christ where He discussed the first and last generations of the present dispensation of grace between His first and second coming. Both these generations are identified in terms of events that have occurred (or will in future occur) in and around JERUSALEM.

The first generation started when the inhabitants of JERUSALEM rejected Jesus as their Messiah. It ended with the destruction of JERUSALEM by the Romans in 70 AD. After that, Israel was dispersed among the nations (the Diaspora).

During the times of the Gentiles (of unspecified duration) JERUSALEM is trodden down by the Gentiles while the gospel message is preached to all the nations on earth.

The last generation started with the restoration of Israel as a nation in 1948 and when Israel captured the Old City of JERUSALEM from Jordan during the Six-Day war in 1967. It will end when the Christ comes back to the Mount of Olives in JERUSALEM and the remnant of Israel accepts Him as their Messiah.

Regarding His rejection by the spiritually blinded Jewish leaders during the first generation of the dispensation of grace, Jesus said the following to them:
“Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.… that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. “O JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’” (Matthew 23:32, 35-39).

The generation referred to by Christ includes the people who were alive when He made this pronouncement. Within the life-span of most of them, the prophecies about the destruction of JERUSALEM were fulfilled. Luke described the destruction of JERUSALEM and the dispersion of Israel as follows:
“But when you see JERUSALEM surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And JERUSALEM will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:20-24).
The first generation began with the rejection and crucifixion of Israel’s Messiah in JERUSALEM, and was terminated by the destruction of JERUSALEM. That was followed by the long Diaspora of Israel, during which time JERUSALEM was trodden down by the Gentiles. At the end of the time of world evangelism, when the gentiles had the opportunity to enter the kingdom of heaven, Israel, their land and their city JERUSALEM will again be restored. Physical restoration has already started in 1948 and spiritual restoration will take place during Daniel’s 70th week, also known as the time of Jacob’s trouble.

Paul wrote, For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” (Romans 11:25-26).

Before their national spiritual revival will occur, a time of severe testing and affliction awaits the restored Israel in their land, and particularly also in the city of JERUSALEM:
“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Because you have all become dross, therefore behold, I will gather you into the midst of JERUSALEM. As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of a furnace, to blow fire on it, to melt it; so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there and melt you.” (Ezekiel 22:19-20).

The time of Jacob’s trouble, which is aimed at the spiritual revival of a remnant in Israel, form part of the events of the last generation of the present dispensation, at the end of which the Messiah will come back. This will be the time of Israel’s testing. Jeremiah says: “Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it” (Jeremiah 30:7).

THE 70TH YEAR-WEEK

The last seven years of the last generation are described as the 70th year-week of Daniel (Daniel 9:24-27). That will be the tribulation period under the reign of the false messiah (Antichrist). Shortly after his revelation he will authorise the building of the third temple in JERUSALEM. In the middle of the seven year period he will declare himself to be God in the rebuilt temple, defile the sanctuary by having an image of himself placed there, and command all people to worship the image (Daniel 9:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:14-15). Israel will be severely shocked and disillusioned when they realise that they accepted and worshipped a false messiah. They will break their covenant with him and flee to the wilderness. The ensuing 3½ years are described as the great tribulation (Matthew 14:15-22). God says: “…in their affliction they will seek Me early” (Hosea 5:15).

The Antichrist will be aware of the fact that the true Messiah will return to JERUSALEM at the end of the tribulation period of seven years, and for that reason he will deploy a multi-national military force in Israel to fight against Him. The Antichrist and his forces will be utterly defeated and destroyed on that day (Revelation 19:19-21).

JERUSALEM AND THE SECOND COMING OF THE MESSIAH

All nations will be gathered against JERUSALEM on the day of the Second Coming.
“Behold, I will make JERUSALEM a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and JERUSALEM. And it shall happen in that day that I will make JERUSALEM a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. In that day,” says the LORD, “I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of JERUSALEM are my strength in the LORD of hosts, their God.’” (Zechariah 12:2-5)

The remnant of Israel will also know from biblical prophecies that the Messiah will come to JERUSALEM to save them. During the siege of JERUSALEM they will go the Mount of Olives at the risk of their lives to await the arrival of Messiah:
“And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before JERUSALEM on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal: Yes, ye shall flee as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with Thee… And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from JERUSALEM; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder seas; in summer and in winter shall it be. And the LORD shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and His Name one…. And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against JERUSALEM shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:4-5, 8-9, 16).

Daniel says there will come a time for the people of Israel and the city of JERUSALEM “to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy” (Daniel 9:24). That time is fast approaching and will dawn at the end of the 70th year-week. Then the whole remnant of Israel will be reconciled with the Messiah and all of them will serve Him wholeheartedly:
“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31:33-34).

There will be a moving reunion between Israel and their Messiah when they say to Him: “Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord.” That will only happen after the Holy Spirit has been poured out over the people of Israel who humbled themselves before the Lord:
“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of JERUSALEM, the Spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn… In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of JERUSALEM for sin and for uncleanness… 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 12:10, 13:1, 9).

After Israel has been reconciled with Christ, He will also restore the throne of David in JERUSALEM. Then, the promise will be fulfilled which the angel made to Mary before the birth of Jesus: “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.” (Luke 1:32). Jesus never ruled from the throne of David, but after His Second Coming this promise will be fulfilled:
“After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof; and I will set it up: that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my Name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things” (Acts 15:16-17; compare Amos 9:11-12 and Isaiah 16:5).

JERUSALEM AS WORLD CAPITAL

JERUSALEM will be made capital of the whole world. The Lord Jesus will be the King of kings and lasting peace will prevail everywhere:
“Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from JERUSALEM. He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:3-4).

“At that time JERUSALEM shall be called The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the LORD, to JERUSALEM. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts.” (Jeremiah 3:17).

Satan will be bound during the millennial reign of Christ and consequently be unable to deceive the nations into hating and fighting one another (Revelation 20:2-3). They will seek the favour of the Lord in JERUSALEM and also honour His people, Israel:
“Yes, many peoples and strong nations Shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in JERUSALEM, And to pray before the LORD.’ “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” (Zechariah 8:22-23).

In the coming dispensation, JERUSALEM will be a city of brilliance and glory. Every child of God should earnestly look forward to this time of divine harmony and peace on earth when JERUSALEM will rise from the ashes of shame and deprivation:
“Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O JERUSALEM, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you.” (Isaiah 52:1).

“Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see JERUSALEM a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. But there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams… For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; He will save us” (Isaiah 33:20-22).

“And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and the kings to the brightness of thy rising… thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. For the nation and the kingdom that will not serve thee shall persih; yea those nations shall be utterly wasted… The sons of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel… Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise” (Isaiah 60:3, 11-12, 14, 18).

Because JERUSALEM will be a blessing to the whole world after the Second Coming of Christ and the setting up of His millennial reign, we should join Isaiah in exclaiming: “For Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace, and for JERUSALEM’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth” (Isaiah 62:1).

PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM

In these dark days of hostility and attacks against the City of God, we should constantly remind the Lord of His promises to bless JERUSALEM. He commanded us to intercede for JERUSALEM:
“I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O JERUSALEM, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, and give Him no rest, till He establish, and till He make JERUSALEM a praise in the earth” (Isaiah 62:6-7).

We should never forget JERUSALEM as a place of divine revelation – not its past, neither its wonderful future. David said: “Pray for the peace of JERUSALEM: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6). The struggle for the control of JERUSALEM is a struggle between light and darkness. The Lord Jesus will return to JERUSALEM and rule the world from this city. That is why the kingdom of darkness does everything in its power to conquer JERUSALEM or to estrange it from Israel with a view to converting it into a heathen city.

Let us pray for the peace of JERUSALEM in the words and in the deep longing of the Jewish captives at the rivers of Babylon: “If I forget thee, O JERUSALEM, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not JERUSALEM above my chief joy” (Psalm 137:5-6).

With inhabitants such as these during the coming millennium, ruled by the Messiah Himself, JERUSALEM will indeed be a blessing to the whole world.

THE NEW JERUSALEM

In the future creation of God there will be a new JERUSALEM in which all the saved ones will dwell. The apostle John said:
“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New JERUSALEM, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” (Revelation 21:1-5).
Be sure that you are born again and by virtue of that a member of the bride of Jesus Christ and a future resident of the new JERUSALEM. You will then share in the eternal glory and joys of the kingdom of God. The great deeds of God’s salvation that were done and revealed in earthly JERUSALEM should be proclaimed in the whole world as that is the only doorway to heavenly JERUSALEM.

(MAIN SOURCE: Johan Malan, University of the North, South Africa)

UNDERSTANDING REVELATION 12

HEAVENLY REMNANT MINISTRIES2 Comments

As from early 2017, many Christians and especially scholars and watchmen of end time prophecies, were very excited about an arrangement of celestial bodies that was going to occur on 23 September 2017. Many even took their excitement as far as predicting that the rapture of the Church would have taken place on that date. According to various Internet sources, the heavens themselves would have been a tableau of Revelation 12:1-2. What very few actually knew, was the fact that this very same sky scene has also been seen at 4 other occasion during the past 1 000 years, in 1827, 1483, 1293, and 1056.

“Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.”

On 23 September 2017 the sun was in the zodiac constellation Virgo — “a woman clothed with the sun.” The moon was at the feet of Virgo — “with the moon under her feet.” The ‘nine’ stars of the zodiac constellation Leo, plus three planets (Mercury, Venus, and Mars), were at the head of Virgo — “on her head a crown of 12 stars”. The planet Jupiter was in the center of Virgo, and, as the weeks pass after September 23, Jupiter would have exited Virgo to the east, past her feet, so to speak.

The simplest way to understand Revelation 12-14 is to see them built around the six main characters. There are a woman, a dragon, a male child, the archangel Michael, the beast from the sea and the beast from the earth. The saved remnant may be considered as a seventh.

The first four of these characters are described in Revelation 12 and the latter two in Revelation 13-14.

The first fall of Lucifer

As a name for the devil, the more common meaning in English, “Lucifer” is the rendering of the Hebrew word הֵילֵל in Isaiah 14:12 given in the King James Version. This Bible version took the word from the Latin Vulgate, which translated הֵילֵל by the Latin word lucifer (uncapitilized), meaning “the morning star,” “the planet Venus”, or, as an adjective, “light-bringing”.

The story of Lucifer’s first fall is described in two key Old Testament chapters, namely Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14.

The first ten verses of Ezekiel 28 deals with the prince of Tyre (who was condemned for claiming to be a god though he was just a man). The historic ruler, or prince of Tyre was probably a tool of Satan, and even indwelt by him.

Then the discussion moves from the prince to the king of Tyre, starting in verse 11 and on through verse 19. Lucifer now becomes the focus of discussion.

Ezekiel 28:12b-15 describes Lucifer before the fall.
“You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.”

It tells us that he was a created being and left the creative hand of God in a perfect state. He remained perfect in his ways until iniquity was found in him.

In Ezekiel 28:17 we see how the sin of self-generated pride corrupted him and contributed to his fall, “Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.” Lucifer apparently became so impressed with his own beauty, intelligence, power, and position that he began to desire for himself the honour and glory that belonged to God alone.

Apparently, this represents the actual beginning of sin in the universe, preceding the fall of the human Adam by an indeterminate time. Sin originated in the free will of Lucifer in which he chose to rebel against the Creator.

He was rightfully judged by God, “I threw you to the earth” (Ezekiel 28:18). However, other Scripture clearly indicate that Satan maintained this access even after his fall (Job 1:6-12 and Zechariah 3:1-2). But, Ezekiel 28:18 indicates that Satan was absolutely and completely cast out of God’s heavenly government and his place of authority (Luke 10:18).

Isaiah 14:12-17 is another Old Testament passage that may refer to the fall of Lucifer, although some scholars see no reference whatsoever to Lucifer in this passage. It is argued that the being mentioned in this verse is referred to as a man (Isaiah 14:16) and compared with other kings on the earth (Isaiah 14:18).

Isaiah 14:12 nevertheless says, “How you have fallen from heaven.” The description of this being is also beyond humanness and hence, could not refer to a mere mortal man.

There is a third view that seems preferable to both these views. This view sees Isaiah 14:12-17 as having a dual reference. It may be that Isaiah 14:4-11 deals with an actual king of Babylon. Then, in Isaiah 14:12-17, we find a dual reference that includes not only the king of Babylon but a typological description of Lucifer as well.

The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon

“And a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and a moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars. And she was with child and she cried out being in labor and in pain to give birth. And another sign appeared in heaven and behold a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God so that there she might be nourished for one thousand, two hundred and sixty days.” (Revelation 12:1-6)

Since the fall of Lucifer, the “son of the morning,” he became Satan the devil and the archenemy of God. There has been a constant war going on throughout the universe between Satan and his demons and God and His angels. The earth has become the featured center for most of the battles.

When Satan fell, he dragged a third of the angels into the warfare with him and he deceived Adam and Eve, dragging the human race into the war as well. This war against God will finally culminate in the end of time when Jesus Christ defeats him and his demons once and for all and casts them in to the pit.

The conflict reaches its climax in the time of the Great Tribulation. Satan will amass his greatest efforts against God, against Christ and against believers. There will be war and tribulation all over the universe like never before, nor will ever be thereafter.

Revelation 12:1-5 take us back to the beginning, back to Eden and even before that in heaven. It contains a very brief comment on the fall of Satan and the effect thereof on man in the fall of man.

Satan hates God and does everything he possibly can to thwart God’s purposes. First, he attempted to destroy the paradise of heaven and led a mutiny against God among the angels. Then he attempted to destroy the paradise of earth and led a mutiny against God among men. One of his greatest desires is also to destroy God’s plan for the eternal rule and reign of Jesus Christ.

The woman

In Revelation 12:1 we meet a woman, “And a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars and she was with child and she cried out being in labor and in pain to give birth.”

This is the first of seven signs mentioned in the last half of the book of Revelation. A sign means something is occurring that points to something else. When we see a sign in prophetic literature, it is something symbolic of a reality. So when we see a woman appearing in heaven, the woman is not to illustrate a literal woman, but is symbolic of some other reality.

First of all, it is important to note that there are four symbolic women in Revelation.
– The first one is in Revelation 2:20. She is given the name Jezebel and she symbolizes sinful, wicked paganism. She is representative of those who teach people to commit adultery.
– The second woman is the one in the sign in heaven in Revelation 12.
– The third woman is found in Revelation 17. She is a scarlet woman, a whore or a harlot and she represents the apostate church.
– The fourth woman is called the wife of the Lamb, and she represents the church in Revelation 19:7.

This second woman in Revelation 12:1 represents Israel. Israel is frequently depicted as the wife of God throughout the Old Testament. Although she is a disloyal, unfaithful and adulterous wife, in the end God will bring her back to faithfulness.

Some have suggested that the woman here in Revelation 12 represents the church, but nowhere in the Bible is the church ever referred to as a woman of a wife, and especially not one giving birth. When the church is spoken of in feminine terms, it is always being called a bride. The church does not become a wife until the marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19. 2 Corinthians 11:2 says, the church is a bride waiting for the marriage.

The seventieth week of Daniel in Daniel 9 relates to Israel and God has made an irrevocable promise to Israel to give them a kingdom. We read about Israel’s salvation in Zechariah 12-14 and in Romans 11. God’s plans through all of redemptive history have at their very heart the nation Israel.

Satan hates Israel and the Jews most of all nations. If he could have managed to destroy Israel, he would have wiped out God’s entire plan.

The woman is clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars. Genesis 37:9 has an almost identical description. The passage deals with the life of Joseph. He was in some ways the beginning of the nation of Israel. Although the covenant was initially given to Abraham, Jacob’s name was changed to Israel and his son Joseph was one of the first real offsprings of Israel.

We read about one of Joseph’s dreams as from Genesis 37:9 , “Now he had another dream and related it to his brothers and said, `Lo, I have had still another dream and behold the sun and the moon and the eleven stars were bowing down to me.’ And he related it to his father and to his brothers and his father rebuked him and said to him, `What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?’ And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept this saying in mind.”

Later on Joseph became a leader in the land of Egypt and eventually his entire family bowed to him. The sun represents Jacob, the moon represents Rachel, and the eleven stars bowing down represent his eleven brothers.

The sign in Revelation 12 may vary a little bit but has much the same imagery. Now we see twelve stars, but the twelfth back in Genesis 37 was Joseph himself. The twelve stars now crown the head of the woman. The sun and the moon is under her feet.

The fact that the woman is clothed with the sun speaks of the glory, brilliance and dignity of a redeemed Israel that is going to be lifted up and exalted in the end. The moon under her feet could also refer to nothing more than exaltation, or could relate to Israel’s covenant relationship, since the moon was so central in the cycle of their worship. They worshiped in their yearly cycle through a series of new moons and feasts, festivals and Sabbaths were associated with them.

The crown of twelve stars on her head is a kind of garland or a crown associated with suffering and struggle. The twelve stars refer to the twelve tribes of Israel.

Israel, the woman, was prefigured in the life of Joseph. Joseph and Israel were sold to Gentiles, enslaved in captivity, buried among the nations, yet prominent, preserved, delivered, saved, given authority and given a kingdom.

Revelation 12:2 says, “Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.” Israel is now depicted as a woman about to give birth and she is in pain. This is a very familiar imagery in the Old Testament, as seen in Isaiah 26, 54 and 66, Hosea 13 and Micah 4 and 5.

The pain can be associated with Israel’s suffering for centuries and their longing for their Messiah. They long for the “Child” that would eventually come and destroy Satan and his allies and would bring the promised kingdom.

The dragon

We meet the dragon in Revelation 12:3-4, “And another sign appeared in heaven and behold a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns and on his head were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth and the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.”

Satan is not a real dragon but a fallen angel and a spirit being. He is called a dragon thirteen times in the book of Revelation. The term dragon fits into the category of the Hebrew language where you get the word Leviathan, sea monster, a massive creature more awesome than a snake or a serpent. In ancient times a dragon was associated with the sea.

His red colour represents him as fierce, cruel, vicious, and deadly, but it also speaks of bloodshed. The dragon is identified as Satan as seen in Revelation 12:9, “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan.”

The description of the dragon says he has seven heads and ten horns and on his seven heads are seven diadems or royal crowns.

We will learn more about this description, later on in Revelation 17:9 where it says, “The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, and they are seven kings, five have fallen, one is and the other has not yet come and when he comes he must remain a little while, and the beast which was and is not is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven and goes to destruction.”

In short, the seven kings represent seven worldly kingdoms, all the way to the end. Satan reigns over all of them. We also find the ten horns in Revelation 17:12, “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings.” Horns represent strength and power. Daniel 7 describes the final form of world rule in an imagery of ten kings. Daniel 7:24 says, “As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise.” Satan is thus represented as dominating the world.

Daniel 8:24 also talks about the final form Satan’s rule will take on, “Destroying to an extraordinary degree, and he will destroy mighty men and the holy people.” He has always been after God’s people. First of all Israel, and certainly in the end time the church as well.

Satan stole, killed and destroyed right from the beginning. 1 John 3:12 reminds us of Cain who killed Abel when he says, “Not as Cain who was of the evil one, and slew his brother.” In Genesis 6, he sent his demons in some bizarre cohabitation with women to produce an unredeemable race that God then had to drown in the Flood.

Satan tried to take Israel captive and to eliminate ten tribes. Though the captives from the north never returned, representatives from all ten tribes had filtered into the south and so all twelve tribes are still intact. He tried to destroy the Jews through pagan kings and God used judges to deliver them. The dragon tried to get Saul to murder David and end all messianic hope through the line of David and he could not succeed. Haman became Satan’s tool to attempt genocide, but the nation was saved by Esther and Haman was executed on his own gallows.

His desire was always to exterminate the woman, the line of Messiah in one way or another. He was never successful but Israel went through much pain because of his efforts.

Revelation 12:4 says that his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. It symbolizes third of the angels, which amounts to millions of them. He also uses these demonic angels, as well as his earthly agents, the ungodly from the nations, against Israel.

Revelation 12:4 continues by saying, “The dragon stood before the woman just waiting, who was about to give birth so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.” He had all these efforts to try to wipe out the line, but could not succeed, so then he wanted to destroy the child, Jesus Christ.

Herod was the agent of Satan trying to wipe out the Messiah, before He could accomplish His work. In Matthew 2:13 we read, “Herod’s going to search for the child to destroy Him. So they took the child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt and there was a place there for them to remain until Herod died. When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the Magi, he became enraged and sent and slew all the male children in Bethlehem, all its environs from two years old and under according to the time which he had ascertained from the Magi.”

In modern days, the woman was and is still being attacked, even after the child is born. One of the worst events was when Hitler massacred almost six million Jews during the Holocaust. Today, Muslim Arabs would do anything to wipe the Jews from the face of the earth.

The male child

“She gave birth to a son, a male child who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” (Revelation 12:5)

This refers to the birth of the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. In Isaiah 7:14 we find a prophecy about the birth, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Jesus was a Jew, the Son of Abraham, from the tribe of Judah, and a descendant of David.

This child will rule all the nations with a rod of iron, as we also see in Psalm 2. This will come to pass in Revelation 19, when Christ returns.

In the last part of Revelation 12:5 it says, “Her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” This of course refers to the ascension of Christ. Satan could not stop Him from being born or from accomplishing redemption. Christ is therefore exalted to the right hand of the Father as our perfect Saviour. Neither would Satan be able to stop the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. Sadly, many Christians such as the Amillennials are denying this kingdom, thereby almost exalting Satan.

From eternity past to the Great Tribulation

From Revelation 12:1-5 to Revelation 12:6, we move from eternity past and the fall of Satan all the way to the end of the Tribulation. It says, “Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.”

“Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Revelation 12:13-17)

Satan will be going after the woman during the time of the Tribulation, but God is going to hide her. This is exactly what was spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24:21, “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

Many from Israel will be fleeing out of the land when the Antichrist desecrates the Holy of Holies, sets himself up as God and starts the slaughter against the Jews. The “wilderness” always used to be Moab, Ammon and Edom, just east over the Jordan River, across the Dead Sea, as indicated in Daniel 11, Isaiah 16 and Isaiah 26.

Most scholars believe that the Jews will be hiding in a place the prophet Isaiah called Sela or Petra. It is the city of the dead in Edom, that can only be entered through an opening fit for one individual at a time. Inside you find a massive city carved out of the rock walls.

God will nourish them and it is probably here where many Jews would be saved right up until the end. Revelation 12:14 says, “ But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. ”

This indicates that there might be some special flights taking them way off to where they will hide.

Satan Thrown Out of Heaven … again

“And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon and the dragon and his angels waged war. And they were not strong enough and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world, he was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, `Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death. For this reason rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has come down to you having great wrath knowing that he has only a short time.’” (Revelation 12:7-12)

Even until today, Satan has never been in hell and he is not some kind of ruler or “king” of hell as many Christians might think. Subsequent to the tribulation, Revelation 20 tells us that he will be bound in the bottomless pit for a thousand years, after which he will be released for a short while and then be thrown into the lake of fire without any judgement hearing. As a matter of fact, he is going to be the lowest being in hell and be assigned the most horrible punishment of any creature ever made.

It may come as a surprise to many Christians, but currently, Satan still spends most of his time, in heaven. Revelation 12:10 says that he is there day and night, accusing Christians before the throne of God about their unworthiness. He knows perfectly well how to interpret the Bible because he was the covering cherub, Lucifer, before his fall. He is there to tell God of our sins and failures, trying to convince God that He ought to let us go to hell. He wants to capture us for his own dominion of darkness. Ultimately, he wants to show God that he can destroy salvation and takes us out of God’s hands.

Furthermore, he and his demons are continuously waging war against Michael and the holy angels. Satan has been identified as the prince of the power of the air and the god of this world, engaged in controlling world systems of religion and government.

He wants to bring about the unification of the whole world under his rulership and prevent Christ from coming back to establish His kingdom, both millennially on the earth and eternally in the new heavens and the new earth.

This battle continues on a supernatural level between the angels and on the earth on all moral, ideological, theological, and philosophical levels. This war is going to reach its climax in the Tribulation, after the church has been raptured.

In Revelation 12:9 the great dragon and his demonic angels are thrown down from heaven to earth for a second time. The arrival of Satan and all of his fallen minions are going to cause absolute destruction the earth.

Satan is actually already a defeated foe as he was destroyed at the cross and through the resurrection of Christ. The fact of his defeat occurred at the cross, the actual execution or sentencing is yet to happen. Romans 16:20 says, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”

Even though he was defeated at the cross, he is still alive, 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to be sober and vigilant because the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 John 5:18:19 says the whole world lies in his lap.

The Archangel Michael

War in heaven is playing off in Revelation 12:7-9. “And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon and the dragon and his angels waged war and they were not strong enough and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

Revelation 12:7 happens right at the beginning of the tribulation. However, this war started with the first fall of Lucifer, it has been going on throughout the ages and still continues into the Tribulation. That is why Satan is also known as the prince of the power of the air. Ephesians 6:12 calls his demon hordes spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenlies.

Hebrews 1:14 says the angels are sent to be ministers of the people of God. Satan wants to thwart the angelic ministry. Also when God dispatched holy angels to assist Israel in the Old Testament, he interfered. We also see how the work of the angels is attacked in the modern day churches as part of Satan’s plan to develop a false one-world religion. In Matthew 13, Jesus said, “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.”

The grammar and the structure of the Greek lends to the conclusion that Satan started the event in Revelation 12:7. John MacArthur makes this very interesting point that this event might have be triggered by the Rapture of the Church. The Rapture takes place prior to the seven-year Tribulation and in Revelation, the church is represented in heaven by the twenty-four elders. They are taken from earth in the twinkling of an eye and go through the domain of the air, passing through the kingdom of darkness. Satan and his demons could just as well be aroused to hinder the believers from reaching into heaven.

Michael is always associated with war and conflict. He is not a messenger angel but a warrior. A good example is in Daniel 10, where the angel who was stuck for twenty-one days from delivering his message, is assisted by Michael to overcome the demon that controlled the prince of Persia. He assisted because he wanted to send this other angel on the way to Daniel. He was concerned about God’s people Israel of whom Daniel represents.

According to Daniel 12 Michael will be standing guard over the Jews during the time of the Tribulation. Daniel 12:1 says, “At that time Michael the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people will arise.”

In Jude 9 we read, “ Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” Now remember that Moses was never allowed to enter the promised land. He could only look at it from where he was standing in Moab, where he also died. Apparently he died alone and God then sent Michael because the devil wanted Moses’ body.

In Jude 9, Michael is called the archangel. Interesting to note that in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 it is said that during the rapture, “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice the archangel.” It is therefore not impossible that Michael would be confronting Satan and his demons if they try to thwart the Rapture. This could then trigger the war in heaven in Revelation 12. Matthew 25:41 also mentions that Satan and his angels were waging war.

Michael and the holy angels win the battle, and Satan and all of his hosts are casted out of heaven down to earth. Revelation 12:8 says, “No longer was any place found for them in heaven.” This is the end of the time of Satan as prince of the power of the air.

In Revelation 12:10 we read, “I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, `Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come for the accuser of our brethren has been cast down, who accuses them before our God day and night.”
Periodically throughout the book of Revelation heaven there is praising because of what is happening. This time they are praising because Satan is thrown out. Michael and his holy angels in the power of God are triumphant. Satan can no longer accuse the redeemed before the throne of God because he no longer has access.

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” (Revelation 12:11-12)

They do not only rejoice over what happened in heaven, but also over what is happening on earth. When Satan tries to destroy and slaughter all of the believers as well as the nation of Israel, he is defeated. They overcame Satan because of the blood of the Lamb. Their sins were covered and no accusation would stand against the suffering saints of the Great Tribulation or against any believer in any age.

Secondly, they were faithful and devoted to Christ even in a world engulfed by demons and cursed by God, and their testimony never wavered. This is the idea of an ongoing testimony.

The Tribulation saints did not love their life even to death. In Matthew 24:13 Jesus said that those that are enduring to the end will be saved.

Revelation 12:12 ends with a warning because Satan has come down with great wrath knowing that he has only a short time left to steal, kill and destroy.

THE “FINAL REVIVAL”

HEAVENLY REMNANT MINISTRIES1 Comment

As the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ, is drawing near, the love of many is waxing cold. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 is sketching the bleak picture of what we see happening in Christianity in general today.

2 Timothy 4:3-4

“3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”

PLANTING OF NEW CHURCHES

Charisma News published an article on 9 December 2015, in which they mentioned that the number of new churches were remarkably on the increase. They also gave a few reasons why newly planted churches are more successful than the older, existing churches in attracting people who previously did not attend church. One of the key reasons given is the fact that new churches offers sports leagues, social gatherings and children’s special events.

It could be assumed that many of these churches are hunting heads, rather than souls.
A quote from the article reads that “Healthy new churches have an outward focus from day one, communicating every month that the goal is to be a multiplying church,”

Makes me wonder what the condition of the flock is.

“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds.” (Proverbs 27:23)

PROTESTANT CHURCHES

In an article published by the website Patheos on 26 October 2013, these shocking facts were provided:
– Of the 250,000 Protestant churches in America, 200,000 were either stagnant (with no growth) or declining.
– 4,000 churches are closing their doors every single year.
– 3,500 people leave the church every single day.
– Since 1950, there are 1/3rd fewer churches in the U.S.

Many Protestant churches have now also become more open to a form of worldly entertainment, world music and “lighter versions” of the gospel. Mainly due to external pressures, some even became more tolerant of immoral behaviour and sin, such as marrying homosexual couples.

They do this, mainly to avoid further decline in their shrinking head counts.

According to an article, published by Pew Research Centre on 18 May 2015,
in recent years, the share of Americans who identified with mainline Protestantism has been shrinking significantly. In 2014 the headcount for adults dropped by 5 million, from 41 million in 2007 to 36 million. Pew Research Center’s 2014 Religious Landscape Study also found that only 14.7% of U.S. adults were affiliated with the mainline Protestant tradition – a sharp decline from 18.1% in 2007. Mainline Protestants have declined at a faster rate than any other major Christian group, including Catholics and evangelical Protestants.

Generational replacement appears to be playing a significant role. While older generations die out, the young Americans rising into adulthood are significantly less likely to identify with mainline denominations. For every convert to mainline Protestantism, about 1.7 people have left the mainline tradition behind. Only 37% of Millennials who were raised in the mainline tradition still identify with mainline Protestantism.

CHARISMATIC MOVEMENT AND PENTECOSTAL CHURCHES

Subsequent to one of John MacArthur’s Strange Fire conferences, The Christian Post published an article on 23 October 2013, in which the following facts about the Pentecostals / Charismatics were provided:
1. While Islam has gone from zero in 610 AD to 1.6 billion in 2013 (1,403 years), Pentecostalism were well on their way to a billion, from zero in 1906 (107 years).
2. Pentecostalism began in 1905 (although there were pre-shocks for centuries) in the multi-ethnic Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, Calif.
3. Pentecostals were the leaders in the ordination of women.
4. Most of the U.S. mainline denominations and also Roman Catholics have large Charismatic minorities.

Pentecostals says they are growing because “the Spirit is moving in a powerful way”. It makes perfect sense from a sociological perspective as they constantly emphasize spiritual practice and engagement (while deeper truths of the Bible are often neglected). That helps making it a faith of “seeing is believing” which draws many who of the unchurched.

And then, most importantly, the majority is also attracted by all the of the blessings they claim and the promises of prosperity.

A CALL FOR REVIVAL

In both the Reformed and the Pentecostal / Charismatic camps, we often hear a cry for revival.

Although nothing is impossible with God, on face value chances for another corporate Reformed revival seems slim, based on the the facts provided. For this reason, many Sheppards are shifting their focus from a corporate revival, to a revival within their own churches and in the personal lives of their flock.

From the Pentecostal / Charismatic perspective, so-called corporate revivals are much easier to achieve. Due to their superficial doctrines, their worldliness and their “feel good” experiences, talks of corporate revival are normally welcomed and accepted with great excitement by the majority of its members.

SOME RECENT “REVIVALS”

STEVE HILL AND THE BROWNSVILLE REVIVAL

The revival began on Father’s Day when an evangelist named Steve Hill was unexpectedly invited to speak. It was somewhat unusual for a senior pastor, such as John Kilpatrick, to give up his pulpit on such a holiday.

The preacher shared a powerful encounter he had with the Lord and asked for all who wanted a fresh encounter to come forward. There were 1800 people in attendance that morning. More than half responded to the call.
Steve quickly began working his way through the crowd laying hands on all. Many fell to the ground as if a great weight was laid upon them.

John Kilpatrick had never seen such manifestations in his church. There seemed to be a strong gust of air swirling around the floor. The air moved about his legs like the water of a swift flowing river. He then heard a sound coming from somewhere in the room. It rumbled and roared like wind being blown across a microphone. It was coming from behind the stage. He was overwhelmed.

Whole groups of people began to be swept right off their feet. All day long, the sanctuary was filled with the sounds of hundreds of worshipers laughing and singing along with cries of intercessors groaning and weeping.

Steve Hill was invited back every week and this continued for five amazing years. As word of the revival spread, more and more people began to arrive from all across the nation and then the world. In all, 3.5 million people would come through the doors of the church.

If this is indeed the work of God, we have no right to question it. What I do however find interesting, is that there are no examples recorded in the Bible where God operated in such ways in the early churches.

TOGETHER 2016

This heavily marketed and Scripture-denying event was held on the National Mall in Washington, DC on Saturday, July 16. A million people gathered for the purported purpose to pray for Jesus to “reset” the country and their lives.

“Together 2016 is about laying aside what divides us to lift up Jesus who unites us,” organizer Nick Hall of PULSE told Christian News Network. “We are coming together in historic unity to pray for a reset for our nation.

They met at the obelisk [The Washington Monument]. Definitely there is a symbolic reason for that. The Ouroboros logo used also meant something. Many occult symbols are also be seen in videos of the event, such as the “all seeing eye.”

Supporters of the event include The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and American Bible Society.

The stream of celebrity evangelical “leaders,” pastors and musicians across the stage was essentially a who’s who of heresy. The real Jesus would not have bellowed out a repentance-free message of love, hope, and personal fulfillment.

Noteworthy, the grand apostate of the Tiber, Pope Francis. Francis delivered a gospel-void invitation to unite together as a means of combatting what he called youthful “restlessness.”During this ecumenical event, a false unity was created between Catholics and Christians. The one world religion is advancing.
Promotion of Pelagian empowerment wasn’t merely limited to Francis the apostate. Others gave similar appeals for listeners to prompt God to save, to reset, and to act based on their decisions.

The event was replete with appeals to a false Jesus, offered by the biggest names in evangelical Christendom, and thoroughly void of a presentation of the authentic Gospel of Jesus.

The event was scheduled to run from 9 am to 9 pm. God, however, had other plans. By about 4 pm EST, authorities brought the rally to an early end due to the frequency of heat-related illnesses incurred by those in attendance. Over 400 people had to be treated.

IT’S TIME – ANGUS BUCHAN

This ecumenical even took place in South Africa on 22 April 2017. More than a million citizens from all over the country, comprising of all Christian denominations (and Catholics), attended the event just outside of a city called Bloemfontein. A call was made by the well-known evangelist and “prophet” Angus Buchan, after he “received word from God,” instructing him so organize such a prayer meeting. Many prophecies also went out just before and on that day. One of these prophecies: “My glory will spread across South Africa, Africa, and will then continue to flow to cover the whole earth”

The billboards however gave the impression that this event was more about the man than about God. Angus insisted in a rather arrogant way that one million people would physically have be at the venue and he refused the live broadcast thereof. When some churches proposed that meetings should also be held in other cities and towns on the same day, that wasn’t good enough for Angus, whose name is often linked to his ties with the NAR movement.

In a typical Pentecostal / Charismatic manner, promises were also made before the event, that the sick and the disabled would have stand up out of their chairs being healed. To date I haven’t heard of any people who got healed, although I can’t confirm that such healings didn’t take place.

When a whirlwind came up near the end of the meeting, Angus said that it was a sign that God was present. Isn’t God omnipresent, irrespective of such an event? I guess this could have been expected as a “seeing is believing” approach is always followed where Pentecostals and Charismatics are involved.

Since these prophecies went out, gruesome farm murders continues, a few small towns were basically destroyed, South Africa was economically downgraded to “junk” status and many lives were either ruined or lost after severe wildfires spread over a beautiful part of the country. Doesn’t the Bible teach that a prophet has not been appointed by God, once a prophecy does not come to pass?

THE “FINAL” REVIVAL

Sadly, the fallen away in Christianity has even passed the fable stage mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

The Roman Catholic Pope, Francis is working very hard to bring about unity of Biblical proportion.

He has made great progress in his negotiations with denominations such as the Lutherans, the Methodists, the Anglicans, many evangelicals, and even the Russian Orthodox Church. This false unity goes beyond the ecumenical level between the various Christians denominations and Catholics. It is also aimed at an interfaith level, including religions such as Islam, Buddhism, Judaism and others.

He and the Roman Catholic Church adopted the position that all of these religions are leading to the Father and that all serves the same God, though in different ways. They have abandoned the true Gospel of Christ.

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As a Futurist also believing in Premillennialism, I am strongly convinced that Pope Francis is the false prophet in Revelation 13. He is obviously preparing the way for the Antichrist, who will be ruling the world during the 7 year tribulation (Daniel’s 70th week / Time of Jacob’s trouble).

I am further convinced that the Roman Catholic Church would serve as the foundation or platform from where the Great Harlot – Antichrist system, also called the Whore of Babylon, would emerge. This system will consist of three “pillars” namely a one world government, one world economy and a one world religion (Revelation 17 and 18). As is, the Roman Catholic Vatican and the pope have always been involved in all of these areas, worldwide.

Though I am no prophet, my prediction would be that the world would not see another great revival, other than the “Final revival” which would celebrate the coming of the false messiah – the Antichrist.

There are witness of great numbers of Muslims currently been converted to Christianity, like never before. Are we not moving much closer to the fullness of the Gentiles (Romans 11:25)?

I implore anyone who reads this article to take heed of Isaiah 55:6
“6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near”

(Author – GH Woest)