Great Red Dragon Series #5 - Part 197 of Riddles, Enigmas & Esoteric Imagery of Revelation

Those who refuse to acknowledge the reality of Satan and his demonic hordes residing in the invisible spiritual realm, do so at their own peril.  Modern society is lawless, worldwide.  This means they are not subject to God's spiritual laws -- paganism and immorality rule over the masses.  Societies at large have been kidnapped by Satan who has directed their path to his home in Hell -- and eventually the Lake of Fire...Rev. 20:15.

God's kids are especially singled out for persecution on planet Earth.  Why?  Because they carry the message of the Cross.  Jesus shed His blood on a cruel bloody cross to pay for the sins of mankind  -  those who repent of their sins will be forgiven and live eternally in Heaven with Him.  Satan couldn't kill Jesus, so he viciously went after His kid's.

How can the saints of God overcome the injustice they must endure, and all the assaults hurled at them in this immoral and pagan world?  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...Rev. 12:11.  How do we overcome Satan and his relentless harassment and persecution on our earthly journey?  We tell those we meet that the blood of Jesus Christ paid the full price for our sins, (death), and He welcomes all into His heavenly kingdom, who repent of their sins and receive His free gift of salvation.  And...we must not love our lives more than the will of God, even when faced with death for our devotion (allegiance) to Him!

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds...casting down arguments, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ...II Cor. 10:4-5.  We can avoid being kidnapped by Satan by using the spiritual weapons provided by God.  With our advanced telecommunications in the 21st century, which spiritual weapon is used most abundantly?

For the answer simply turn on any mainstream media, read any mainstream newspaper, or check out Twitter or Facebook -- it is the tongue!  Have you been humiliated lately, insulted, or treated with contempt and hostility?  If so, you have experienced someone's tongue used as a weapon.  The major media across the world is using their tongues as weapons of mass destruction - WMD's.  This aught not be so, because the tongue can also be used as a blessing and encouragement to other's.

It is always our choice to be a blessing or a curse when we speak to others.  Death or life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit...Proverbs 18:21.  In other words,  if you speak life - blessings, hope, kindness & encouragement - into someone's life, those words will create the same for your life.  But, if you choose death - insults, humiliation, unkind words of contempt and  hostility - into someone's life, those words will create the same for you.  We must choose our words carefully.

Christians must daily overcome the temptations of Satan and his demonic hordes by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony, telling what Jesus has done for us.  While assaults, injustice, and vicious attacks will be experienced daily by God's kids on our earthly journey, we can only have spiritual victory, by applying the spiritual weapons of our warfare provided by God.

As we continue our study of Revelation chapter 12, we find...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...verses 13-14.

The Great Red Dragon realized that he had been unable to the kill the Christ child who now has grown up, and begun His ministry.  This text is revealing how God protected Jesus and His apostles during that specific period of time, called the wilderness, by preventing Satan from intruding until their message had been proclaimed...for a time and times, and half a time.  Remember, the term wilderness is a metaphor to describe a place of isolation and safety from outside intrusion.

The woman was nourished for a...time and times, and half a time.  What does this symbolism mean?  The woman symbolizes Israel, represented by the 12 apostles.  Jesus nourished His apostles by teaching them truths from the Law & the Prophets regarding Himself -- how He is fulfilling all Messianic prophecies.  Jesus and His apostles ministered for 3.5 years or 42 months.  Each of these figures equals 1260 days.

In Blog 3 of this series we learned that  Prophetic Calendar calculates a year to be 360 days.  Biblical historians have agreed... 

      time symbolizes                   360 days

      times symbolize                   720 days 

      half a time symbolizes        180 days

            total                               1260 days

1260 days is the amount of time that Jesus spiritually nourished (enlightened) His apostles, while they ministered publicly.    

What does the text mean when it says...the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished?  Stay tuned...

God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~

Great Red Dragon Series #4 - Part 196 of Riddles, Enigmas & Esoteric Imagery of Revelation

So far in our study of Revelation chapter 12 - Great Red Dragon - we have found out that verses 1-11 have already been fulfilled.  Verse 12 says...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.  The Great Red Dragon is the devil in this verse.  Why would Jesus allow woe upon the inhabitants of the earth & sea, since He knows that woe is an exclamation of grief?

Long ago when Lucifer, an honored angelic being in God's kingdom, tried to usurp God's throne, he lost his first estate with God -- no power or authority any longer in Heaven.  At this time Lucifer was indicted by God, but he had not received his final punishment.  Although Hell was created by God for Lucifer, now called Satan, and his angels, they were not as yet condemned there permanently.  Satan still had access to Heaven, revealed in the following text.

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, Satan also came among them...Job 1:6.  We can see that Satan still had access to Heaven, even after he wrenched dominion of the earth & its inhabitants, out of the hands of men, becoming their ruler.  Satan lost the position of honor he once enjoyed with God, but continued to present himself before God with the angelic beings who did not rebel against God. Is it possible that Satan gloated about the multitudes of human beings he had captured, and redirected to his own home in Hell?  We do know, that during this time, Satan made accusations against God's human family.  How do we know?

Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?"  So Satan answered the Lord and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing?  Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land."

"But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"  And the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person."  So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord...Job. 1:8-12.  While God didn't allow Satan to take Job's life, He permitted him to bring calamity upon Job, his family and his possessions.  In other words, woe - grief - was allowed to come upon Job to test his allegiance to God.

After the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Satan & his demonic entourage were no longer allowed in Heaven.  They were cast to the earth, having great wrath against mankind, for their time was short.  Now woe came upon all the inhabitants of the earth.  Satan became a terrorist on the earth, especially knowing his time to perpetrate death & destruction was short.  The woe that he brings upon the inhabitants of the earth is sorrow, pain and misery. Satan personifies the cliché -- all Hell broke loose, and it continues to this day!

The wrath that Satan and his rebel angels unleashed upon the earth has been ferocious and violent.  Through unconscionable acts, strategically designed, Satan has attempted to place a permanent wedge between God and His created man.  Satan's deceptive plots to entrap mankind have become more brazen and ostentatious as generations passed.  How has Satan accomplished his goal?

Satan has enlarged his arsenal of godless human beings who cooperate with him, consolidating a mighty army of vicious human assassins - religious zealots - against the saints of God.  The more human beings that he can deceive into cooperating with him, the more successful will be the malicious persecution against God's kids. Global chaos and anarchy against representatives of Jesus Christ and His Bible is Satan's goal.  Satan must work fast and furiously, because he knows that time constraints have been placed on him by God, allowing only a little more time to kidnap men from God, surreptitiously dragging them to Hell.

As the time grows closer to the return of Jesus Christ, Satan and his demon forces, who invisibly influence men and commerce on the earth, will experience greater freedom, and it will become much easier for them to kidnap and manipulate human beings.  The inhabitants of the earth will reel and groan in despair and hopelessness just prior to His return  How will it become easier for Satan to kidnap men from God?

With the arrival of the 21st century, societies worldwide have essentially rejected God and His righteous laws.  Due to paganism, the righteousness of God is disdained, unleashing a bold and torrential manifestation of evil expression, demonstrated openly and unashamedly in the public arena by dishonesty, pathological lying, immorality, sexual perversion, drunkenness, drug addiction, disgusting lewd and obscene public conduct, murder, violence and mayhem.  This open and unrestrained lasciviousness exposes the activity of Satan and his demons, who reside in the invisible spiritual realm.

How can the saints of God overcome the injustice they must endure, and all the assaults hurled at them in this immoral and pagan world?  Stay tuned...

God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~

Great Red Dragon Series #3 - Part 195 of Riddles, Enigmas & Esoteric Imagery of Revelation

Is it later than we think according to the Revelation prophecy?  Biblical historians have defined the riddles, enigmas, esoteric imagery and metaphors of the Revelation, if we take the time to research the information.  Once we define the symbolism, the message will be understood so we will be spiritually ready for the return of Jesus Christ.  Yes, it will happen just as He promised!

In this series Great Red Dragon, chapter 12 of Revelation, we have discovered that the prophetic verses 1-5 have already been fulfilled.  Looking back at fulfilled prophecy provides an accurate interpretation, because historians have recorded when, how and by whom the prophecy was fulfilled.

Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared for her by God, that they should feed her one thousand two hundred and sixty days...Rev. 12:6.  There is a lot of symbolism and information packed into this one verse.  Keep in mind that the woman symbolizes Israel - represented by the twelve tribes.  The woman, 12 tribes, fled into the wilderness.  Why did they flee and where is the wilderness?

The term wilderness as it is used in this text, is a metaphor describing a place of isolation and safety from outside intrusion.  This definition describes the relationship between Jesus and His apostles, who represented the 12 tribes of Israel.  The 12 tribes of Israel served the Old Covenant that promised a Messiah.  

During their wilderness experience, Jesus privately and exclusively, witnessed to His apostles out of the Torah - law and the prophets - which recorded prophecy that proclaimed how a New Covenant would eventually be established by the coming Messiah - confirming to them that He fulfilled these prophecies.  The apostles represented both the Old & New Covenant - two witnesses.

The apostles were not ignorant, only uneducated, who would later be anointed by God to carry the knowledge of the Kingdom of Heaven to the Gentiles.  Because of their important mission the apostles needed the personal and intense instruction of Jesus, devoid of interruption and confusion from the world and the devil -- the wilderness.  

Jesus was here only a very brief time to prove to His apostles that He fulfilled all the prophecies of the Law and the Prophets.  How long did He have to prepare them?  The text says...they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.  The apostles were spoon-fed by Jesus in the wilderness for 1260 days -- then He was crucified and rose from the dead.  Jesus then sent His apostles into all the world to preach His gospel message.

In ancient times their calendar was calculated at 360 days for a year.  It was called a Prophetic Calendar - 30 days for each month.  It took centuries to finally synchronize the seasons -- eventually accepting the 365.2422 days in a calendar year.  The Prophetic Calendar is still considered accurate for prophetic references.  1260 days divided by 360 days = 3.5 years.  This is confirmed by the 42 months figure in other references.  1260 days divided by 42 months = 3.5 years.  This is the amount of time that Jesus and His apostles ministered together, before His crucifixion. 

In my blog series Two Witnesses in April to June 2015 archives, I go into detail about this period of time, for those who want to understand what took place during the 1260 days -- the wilderness.

As we continue in the prophecy of Revelation chapter 12, we find that...war broke out in heaven:  Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought...but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer...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 angel were cast out with him...verses 7-9.

This portion of chapter 12 was fulfilled the day Jesus Christ rose from the dead.  How do I know?  Verse 10 tells us...then I heard a loud voice saying in Heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of the brethren, who accused them before God day and night, has been cast out.  Salvation, strength and the kingdom of God, and the power of His Christ has come.  Because of the victory of Jesus Christ, Satan the accuser has been cast to the earth, along with his disobedient angels.

Jesus had forewarned His followers about the coming fulfillment of this prophecy.  Jesus said...I saw Satan  fall like light lightning from heaven...behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over  all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you...Luke 10:18-19.  Once Jesus Christ rose from the dead, the power & authority of Satan & his demon angels was broken, and returned to mankind.

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...verse 11.  Now this chapter reveals that after Jesus Christ sacrificed His blood for the sins of mankind, His disciples are sent into the world to give their testimony of the power of His blood to save, heal and deliver men out of the hands of Satan -- their accuser.  So far in chapter 12, the first eleven verses have been fulfilled.

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...verse 12.  The word woe is an exclamation of grief.  Why would Jesus tell John that the inhabitants of heaven would rejoice when Satan is cast to the earth, but woe to the inhabitants of the earth who will experience his great wrath?  Stay tuned...

God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~

Great Red Dragon Series #2 - Part 194 of Riddles, Enigmas & Esoterc Imagery of Revelation

When Jesus Christ appeared to John to reveal the Revelation He said...he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations--He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels'--as I also have received from My Father...Rev. 2:26-27.  Rod symbolizes a shepherd, while iron symbolizes strength.  This text is describing Jesus Christ, yet it tells us He will give His power to overcomers, who keep His works until the end...when He returns.

In our study of Chapter 12 of Revelation we find that Israel gave birth to the promised Messiah.  She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne...verse 5,   There is only one person who is revealed to rule all nations with a rod of iron -- Jesus Christ -- a pastoral shepherd of strength. 

Satan...the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born...verse 4.  When we were last together I asked, "How did the great red dragon attempt to devour the male Child as soon as it was born?"  

Satan is the dragon, the woman symbolizes Israel, even though Mary is actually giving birth, and the Child is Jesus.  Satan, who dwells in the invisible spiritual realm, is attending the physical birth of Jesus, devising a strategy for destroying Him before He can complete His redemptive work. 

But...her Child was caught up to God and His throne...verse 5.  What does caught up mean?  The phrase means:  take to oneself.  God's spiritual protection was immediately wrapped around the baby, while Satan planned to interrupt His life.  The Child would live to fulfill His purpose and eventually be caught up to God and His throne.  Jesus died, rose from the dead and returned to His followers for a period of time.  When it was time to permanently ascend to His Father, His followers watched as...He was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight...Acts 1:9.

Only Satan could concoct a devious plan that would not only destroy his target, but destroy innocent bystanders in its destructive wake!  What did he devise?

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." Matt. 2:1-2.  Herod had no idea a divine birth had taken place, so sent the wise men to find the baby and come back & tell him where he could find the new King of the Jews.  

After the wise men offered their gifts of gold, frankincense & myrrh to the Christ child they were...divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way...Matt. 2:12.

Herod was enraged!  Not only was a king chosen to take his place, but the wise men chose to disobey his order to come back with his requested information.  Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry, and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men...Matt. 2:16.

King Herod, endowed with unlimited kingdom power and authority, his mind filled with the nefarious plans of Satan himself, slaughtered all the innocent babies born in Bethlehem and surrounding communities.  Great grief and sorrow was thrust upon countless families under his rule with apparently no remorse from him.  Herod's jealousy created this horrific and senseless event -- jealousy is always a liability!

I believe so far in our study of Revelation chapter 12, we have proven that verses 1-5 have already been fulfilled.  This is the historical viewpoint on the prophecy.  The modern viewpoint claims that none of theses verses have been fulfilled.  We owe it to ourselves to consider all viewpoints, and do some research ourselves before coming to a conclusion. 

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...Rev. 12:6.  Don't you love a good riddle?  Has this prophetic text been fulfilled?  Stay tuned...

God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~