A Look at Some Christian Riddles of The Bible

Today we will discuss a rather unusual phenomenon in the Bible: the mention of riddles. Riddles are well known from ancient times, and as an example I will use the riddle that the sphinx poses to Eudiphus: "What walks on 4 in the mornings, on 2 in the afternoon and on 3 in the evening?" Wise Eudiphus was the first to solve this riddle, realizing that it was a general statement about mankind – babies crawl on 4, people in their prime walk on 2, and older people who are supported by a cane walk on 3.



In the Bible, we hear both of riddles presented by the protagonists, as well as riddles being posed to them as a challenge. A famous riddle, and in fact the only one presented in the Bible of which we have the actual phrasing of, is one presented by Samson to 30 celebrating Philistines at his wedding feast (Samson married a Philistine woman). The riddle is based on his own personal experience: Samson had recently slain a lion, and when passing by it later on, saw that a swarm of bees were upon the carcass and had scraped off the honey. He therefore asks them to interpret the riddle:

"Out of the eater came forth food, and out of the strong came forth sweetness" (Judges 14:14).


The Philistines try for three days to solve the riddle, to no avail, and eventually, after a week, threaten Samson's newly wedded wife so as to have her find out the answer. She does, and they solve the riddle – saying "what is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?" (Judges 14:18). Samson immediately understands that his wife was the one to pass on the information, thus indicating that his riddle was not one that could be solved without previous information about his experiences.


In contrast to the Philistines, the wisest of all men, King Solomon, knew quite well how to solve riddles. As part of the international admiration of his wisdom described in the Book of Kings, many riddles were put forth to him by the famous Queen of Sheba. She was, of course, overwhelmed by Solomon's great wisdom. Unfortunately, the Bible does not tell us what her riddles were and how he solved them. Jewish tradition expanded on the biblical tradition, revealing one such riddle: Solomon was asked to identify between two flowers which was real and which was fake. According to this tradition, Solomon differentiated between the two with the help of a bee: the bee was likely to be tempted by the real flower only. This wise system for finding the solution was successful, and Solomon correctly identified the real flower.


In the Book of Psalms, the riddle is twice mentioned in parallelism together with the parable, another form of ancient wisdom (Psalms 49:5 and Psalms 78:2). It is interesting to note that in both cases the parable appears first in the parallelism, thus indicating, according to the rules of parallelism, that the parable was more common a word that the riddle, and probably therefore also a more commonly used type of wisdom.
Last, we will mention the greatness of Moses, God's closest servant, When Aaron and Miriam speak badly of Moses, God makes it very clear that Moses is his chosen prophet, declaring, among other things, that "with him I speak mouth to mouth, manifestly and not in riddles" (Numbers 11:8). This plain and direct speech of God with Moses is one of a kind in what is described to us in the Bible.

Have a Great Week!

Bible Prophecy Yet to Be Revealed In The Church

With the vivid realization that we are living in the age just prior to the second coming of Christ in the cloud, I pray the Lord will impress you with the shortness of time available before the fate of every living person is decided, and may His Spirit give you the discernment and wisdom needed to understand this short piece on Bible Prophecy Yet to Be Revealed.

Bible prophecies serve a double purpose - to impress on our minds the existence of God who is in control of all events and to warn us of grave up-coming danger. For example, God warned Noah of the coming flood and He also warned Abraham and Lot of the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Additionally, God revealed the unique features of four powerful kingdoms that would rise to power and fall before the end of the world, and the main characteristic of each government (See Daniel 7 and 8). Enough details were given that a candid student of history and the Bible cannot but concede that there is a God in heaven who rules over our world.

The first Empire symbolised by a lion represents the kingdom of Babylon; the second, symbolised by a bear represents the Persian Empire; the third, symbolised by a leopard, represents the great Greek Empire; while the fourth Empire or kingdom which was very different from the others, apparently represents the Roman Empire. God revealed that Rome would be split into ten territories and that in the time of these territories the end will come (Daniel 7:23-27).

History has proven the accuracy of God's word. The Roman Empire, also known as Rome, was established in the 5th c. B.C. Rome grew as a group of villages on seven hills on the east bank of the Tiber. Rome was ruled by seven kings until 510 B.C., when it was made a republic. For nearly half a century (27 BC to 446 AD), after the fall of the Greek Empire, the empire was the most dominant ruling authority on earth. By 476 AD, Rome was divided into ten nations from which present day Europe has emerged. These events were recorded to teach us that whatever God foretold happened exactly as He said. Hence, we cannot afford to ignore the most solemn prophecy of the Bible yet to be fulfilled.

In fact, the most solemn prophetic warning yet to be fulfilled today is important for us to understand because events are taking place in rapid succession indicating its imminent fulfillment. This is very important as it is not by happenstance that the "great whore who sitteth upon the scarlet beast" was seen in the wilderness in Revelation 17. Note that the Bible invariably uses wilderness to describe harsh conditions; a woman is often used to symbolise the Church, and a whore describes the level of corruption and pollution.

Now we come to the most important part of this whole article. God has prophesied that a time will come when satan will use an earthly instrument -the church to persecute all followers of Jesus Christ and cause everyone both small and great to worship the image of the beast, otherwise they will be put to death (Revelation 13:15).

"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus" (Revelation 14: 9-12.)

This Bible prophecy, yet to be fully fulfilled, describes two groups of people: The first group is warned against worshiping the beast and his image, which leads them to receive the mark of the beast; while the second group is viewed positively as keeping the commandments of God, thus inheriting eternal life with Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, the description of the second coming of Christ directly follows this warning.

"Then I looked, and behold a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, 'Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for you to reap for the harvest of the earth is ripe.' So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped" (Revelations 14: 14-15)

Therefore, the purpose of this Bible prophecy that is yet to be fulfilled is to warn us not to worship the image of the beast, as anyone who does this will surely be tormented in hell fire as we were told above. We know that this is the last warning given before the second coming of Christ.

...Prophecy, according to the simplest dictionary definition, is divine knowledge of the future or a prediction uttered under divine inspiration. Anyone can Understand Bible Prophecy, however not all prophecies can be understood UNTIL "the time of the end" According to the bible book of Daniel 12:4. To understand any bible prophecy at any given time one has to be delivered from spiritual powers operating from the kingdom of darkness. Remember, Daniel could not expressly understand most of the prophecies which he say because he was in captivity, together with many thousands of his Jewish brethren, in Babylon!

Notice that Daniel's prophecies were to be shut Up, CLOSED. But for how long? Were they to be closed so that no human being could ever understand them? No! They were to be shut up and sealed "even to the time of the end"! several verses from Matthew 24 reveal to us that we are living in that “time of the end" written in Daniel 12:6-10.

students of Bible prophecy have proven down through many centuries that the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation are both interrelated. It is as if Bible prophecy were like one of the picture-type puzzles one may buy in a game store. In order to fill in the complete picture, you must have, not only the book of Daniel, but the book of Revelation, together with many other prophecies, not the least of which is Christ's Olivet prophecy, to complete the picture!

The book of Revelation was written to show God’s SERVANTS those things which are to happen(Revelation 1:1) In Amos 3:7, God says His true servants on this earth WILL understand Bible prophecies! Throughout the history of the church, God has equipped some prophets, with the prophetic gift of the Holy Spirit of God and that of understanding. He plainly says that He will give those gift of prophetic understanding, uniquely, to a certain few of His true ministers! All may not necessarily understand all bible prophecies, but it is imperative that all Christians have a vivid understanding of specific end time prophetic events; both those that have already occured and those that are soon about to occur. The gift of understanding prophecy, is  a PART of the very true Church of God!

The prophecies of Isaiah contain many indictments against the national SINS of Israel! Isaiah 3:12 more specifically relate to the modern nations of the United States, Great Britain, some of the democratic nations of Northwestern Europe. Today, this prophecy of Isaiah has special poignancy in America. Isaiah said he was a man of "unclean lips" (Isaiah 6:5), but God, through a vision, caused Isaiah to see a vision of heaven. In all cases, God's prophets had to be made ready and willing prophecy. The most outstanding example of this is the prophet Jonah as he attempted to flee from the responsibility God was imposing upon him. Jonah became shipwrecked and was swallowed by a specially-prepared giant fish that vomited him up onto the shore. Jonah was willingly humble after the ordeal.

Prophets are a part of the very foundation of the New Testament CHURCH OF GOD! Prophecy can be either literal or Dual or both (literal fulfillment and a final, latter-day fulfillment). It is obvious to serious students of the Bible and Spirit-filled believers that Jesus' Olivet prophecy was DUAL. It had a previous "typical" fulfillment in the sack and destruction of Jerusalem by the armies of Titus of Rome in A.D. 70-71. Shockingly, there is to be a yet future destruction of the city of Jerusalem - yes, the modern city - according to Bible prophecy!

Bible prophecies can also be typical in terms of understanding. The plagues that fell upon ancient Egypt at the time of the Exodus are typical of the great trumpet plagues to be poured upon the beast power; the release of the Israelites from captivity is typical of a yet future regathering of God's people at the Second Coming of Christ .

Bible prophecies can be symbolic in nature. For example the sign of baptism, is symbolic of the overcoming life of a converted Christian. The crossing of' the river Jordan into the "promised land" is a symbolism of the Christian inheritance of the Kingdom of God; and the forty years' wandering (forty is a number symbolizing trial or testing in the Bible) symbolic of the life of trials and tribulation confronting each newly-begotten Christian (John 16:33).

Most bible prophecies also contain Poetic Illustrations. Remember that a good deal of the Bible contains poetry. many biblical books such as oetic books such Psalms, the Song of Solomon, proverbs, ecclesiastics, etc,   and many passages in some of the major prophets are poetry. The bible also contains a great deal of symbols. Often, the Bible uses symbols to express thoughts and ideas. The Holy Spirit is likened unto some of the physical manifestations of power. Examples include water (a life-giving substance which is essential to life); fire (a consuming force which both purges and cleanses); and wind (which is also essential to life). (Acts 2:3; 1 Peter 1:7; Revelation 3:18; etc.), and wind (John 3:8; Acts 2:2; etc.).

Water, the life-giving substance which is essential to life; , wind, or air which is also essential to life; and fire, which both purges and cleanses (in the case of metals, eing tc.), or is capable of destroying, are thus used typically of the powerful SPIRIT Of God!

Also, "light" from the sun and the stars is likewise used. Perhaps, had the Bible been written during our day, God would have used nuclear energy and lasers as typical of His awesome power and might.
Notice a few more Biblical symbols: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Eternal's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Eternal, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the Word of the Eternal from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and 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 any more" (Isaiah 2:2-4).

Here, as in many other prophecies, it is obvious that the "mountain" is symbolic of God's government. It is probably both literal and figurative, in that the Bible predicts that God's temple, His headquarters on earth, will be on the "Mount of Olives," which will actually cleave in two during the great final earthquake (Zechariah 14:4-9).

When it says the Eternal's house will be established "in the top of the mountains" it means above all of the so-called "great powers" or great nations, and "exalted above the hills" means exalted above all the lesser nations!

Stars are used as symbols for angels (Revelation 9: 1). In the vision of Jesus Christ which John saw (Revelation 1) there were "in His right hand seven stars..." (Revelation 1: 16). Here is an example of how the Bible interprets the Bible. By merely reading on through the description of all that John saw, you come to verse 20 which says, "The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the churches..." (Revelation 1:20).

Jesus Christ is referred to as "the bright and morning star" (Revelation 22:16, Revelation 2:28).
A BEAST, or wild, ravenous creature is usually used to connote a Gentile government, or kingdom. In Daniel's seventh chapter, for example, are pictured four great beasts. Notice the description:

"The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. [This refers to Nebuchadnezzar's insanity and cure.] And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

"After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

"I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire" (Daniel 7:4-9).

Now, notice how the Bible interprets the Bible in revealing the meaning of these various creatures. Continuing to read through the same chapter, we come to verse 17:

"These great beasts. which are four, ARE FOUR KINGS, which shall arise out of the earth."
That a king stands for his kingdom is absolutely conclusive by reading the second chapter of Daniel. Here, we see the vision of Nebuchadnezzar, and the great image described in Daniel 2:32-35.
Daniel, through a miracle, was given the interpretation of the dream and revealed it to Nebuchadnezzar. He said, "Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.

"And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdoms shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." (Daniel 2:37-44).

Can anything be plainer? The head of the image stood for Nebuchadnezzar, but it is obvious that king and KINGDOM are completely interchangeable, and mean the same thing. It says, "And after THEE shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee and another third kingdom of brass..." (Daniel 2:39).

Biblical scholars and historians are universal in their acceptance of the obvious succession of the four world-ruling Gentile kingdoms of the Babylonian, Medo/Persian, Greco/Macedonian, and the Roman Empire.
What many have missed in these obvious prophecies is the fact that both the great image of Daniel's second chapter and the fourth beast of Daniel's seventh chapter culminate in the Second Coming of Christ.

Therefore, it is obvious that the fourth beast, which is the Roman Empire with its many revivals and resurrections down through history, will be extant at the final moments before the Second Coming of Christ!
It is "in the days of these kings " (Daniel 2:44) that Jesus Christ returns! In this case "these kings" refer to the ten toes of the great image of Daniel 2.

Notice the Biblical corroboration: "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful" (Revelation 17:12-14).

That there will be ten nations united together in a super-dictatorship in Central Europe, probably called a "United States of Europe" by the time of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, there can be no doubt.
"Horns" on the creatures are symbols of the leaders of the state, either civil or religious. It is obvious that the "little horn" of Daniel 7 refers to the papacy which overthrew various governments during the Middle Ages.
Physical Israel (including both the House of Israel and the House of Judah) is always pictured as a woman. Actually, Almighty God pictured Israel as the bride, and God as the suitor in proposing the Old Covenant. God "proposed" by giving Israel His laws and promising to become Israel's protector, sustainer, and provider. When Israel accepted the terms and conditions of God's law, it constituted a COVENANT or an agreement, between them.

God used the analogy of a "marriage agreement" and said "I was an husband to them" (Jeremiah 31:31-32).
When Israel broke the terms and conditions of the covenant, God called it whoredom, or harlotry. Read the entire chapter of Ezekiel 16, where God depicts Israel as a young, beautiful woman whom He found as an abandoned child, caused her to "multiply as the bud of the field" (Ezekiel 16:7), but who forsook Him and "did trust in your own beauty, and played the harlot..." (Ezekiel 16:15). Ezekiel 23 is another important chapter, where the House of Israel (the northern ten tribes) is called "Aholah" and Jerusalem, symbolic of the House of Judah, "Aholibah." This chapter again depicts their harlotry in forsaking their covenant with God and having concourse with Gentile nations.

The church is depicted as a woman "clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars" (in this case, symbolic of the twelve apostles, Revelation 12:1). One must be cautious, in reading some of the prophecies of the Old Testament, for the description of a female called "the daughter of Zion" or "the daughters of Zion" does not always mean the church.

An example is found in Isaiah 3:1: "Moreover the Eternal saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go..." This obviously refers to the women of the physical nation of Israel!

God also uses the symbol of a harlot, or a fallen woman to depict the great false, universal church! Notice it:
"Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, the lady of kingdoms. I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke. And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it.

"Therefore hear now this, thou that are given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children: But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments. For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me" (Isaiah 47:5-10). See also Revelation 17:5.

Understanding Time Sequences

God gives certain, specific keys to understanding Biblical time sequences. Notice: "And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcasses be wasted in the wilderness. After the number of days in the which you searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years... " (Numbers 14:33, 34).

God plainly tells us that the number of days in which the advance scouts of the nation of Israel searched out the promised land would represent the number of years in which they would wander in the land of Sinai.
Now, notice Ezekiel's fourth chapter. Ezekiel is told to portray a map of the city of Jerusalem on a tile, as a "sign to the House of Israel." He was to depict, like a child playing in the sand, a walled fortified city, depict armies advancing against it, with all of the siege mechanisms of the day, and then to lie first on one side and then on the other to depict the number of years Israel would bear their iniquity.

"For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the House of Israel. And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the House of Judah forty days: I HAVE APPOINTED THEE EACH DAY FOR A YEAR" (Ezekiel 4:4-6).

To see a practical application of this important key in understanding Bible prophecy, turn to Revelation 12 and 13. Here, you see the woman (which you have learned stands for God's true church) given "two wings of a great eagle" (a symbol of God's protection—Exodus 19:4), that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times and half a time, from the face of the serpent (Revelation 12:14).

Later in the thirteenth chapter, we read that the duration of this persecution under the false prophet and the beast is "forty and two months" (Revelation 13:5). Yet, in Revelation 12:6, the same period of time is called a thousand two hundred and threescore days. Simple arithmetic shows us, using the key that a day stands for a year in fulfillment, that there was, in fact, a period of one thousand two hundred and sixty years during the Middle Ages when God's true church experienced terrible persecution; and it tells us, further, that a prophetic year consists of three hundred and sixty days of thirty-day months!

Thus, for prophetic purposes, we can come to understand the meaning of the Biblical "time." A time is a year in Bible prophecy. Thus, "time, times and half a time" means exactly three and one-half years. Three and one-half years consists of forty-two months of thirty days each. Thus, we have twelve hundred and sixty days, forty-two months, or three and one-half years.

Apparently, the great tribulation, heavenly signs and Day of the Lord will fit into this three and one-half years
CAUTION: Do not attempt to "set dates" in Biblical prophecy! Many have learned, sometimes to their bitter disappointment, that it is a grave error to think you have worked out some specific key or other; some table of figures, numerical values to Greek, Hebrew or English letters, etc., and then arrive at a specific date for the fulfillment of some great prophecy!

Biblical Prophecy Deals in the Overview

The prophecies of Jesus Christ on Mount Olivet are the most important for us, during this time! It is these prophecies (Matthew 24, Mark 13. Luke 2 1) which interpret the time Sequence of events outlined in the book of Revelation, specifically beginning with chapter 6 and 7, and following the general theme of tribulation, heavenly signs and day of the Lord as it is developed through the remainder of the book of Revelation.

Notice another major key to understanding the sequence of these great events. Read Joel 2:31, compare it carefully with Matthew 24:29, and then read the sixth and seventh chapters of Revelation.
By this brief study, you will see that the great tribulation (Matthew 24:21, 22), or the time of Jacob’s trouble, comes BEFORE the heavenly signs. You see that the heavenly signs come AFTER the tribulation. You see that the Day of the Lord Comes AFTER the heavenly signs!

By this simple understanding, you can come to understand that those who preach a "secret rapture" where the church is allegedly taken away from the earth prior to the "great tribulation" is a complete error.
Rapturists generally confuse the tribulation and Day of the Lord, making them the same thing. A suggested simple study you might do on your own to aid you in what you have learned is to read the brief description of the great events to befall this earth given by Jesus Christ in the first half of Matthew 24.

As you do so, read Revelation 6 and 7. Notice that the first thing Christ predicted was there would be "false Christs and false prophets." Now, notice the first of the "four horsemen of the Apocalypse" (Revelation 6) is a being who appears Christ-like, but who, instead of carrying a "sharp two-edged sword" carries a bow. He goes out conquering and to conquer. Many are CONFUSED about this prophecy. Does it mean Christ? Let Jesus Christ Himself do the interpreting! Remember, 'No prophecy is of any private interpretation.'
Notice the next of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, the red horse which connotes war. And what did Jesus say would be the second of the great events? "There shall be wars and rumors of wars!"


Once you have established the sequence of events, you can come to understand the meaning of each of the "four horsemen" of Revelation 6:

1. False Christs and false prophets;
2. Wars and rumors of wars;
3. Famine;
4. Death and destruction.

The fifth seal symbolizes the tribulation, the sixth seal the heavenly signs, and the seventh seal is comprised of seven trumpet plagues. Notice carefully that the 144,000 and the "great innumerable multitude" (Revelation 7) are not to be sealed of God in their foreheads until during or after the great tribulation (Revelation 7:14). Therefore, they are still on this earth during that time!

Do a sample study of Revelation 17 and ask yourself which church sits upon a city of seven famous hills? Which church has ruled over many of the great Gentile kingdoms, including the many revivals of the "Holy Roman Empire"? Which church has become "drunken with the blood of the saints"?
Think about it.

Believe it or not, careful study of just this one chapter in your Bible, Revelation 17, will give you a much greater understanding than is possessed by many, including some who have authored books about Bible prophecy!

We need to allow the Bible to interpret its own symbols. We should expect that God, for our benefit, revealed within the Bible the meaning of these symbols. Therefore, what we need is some diligence in study to find their interpretation in the Bible. By such a method, we avoid all human conjecture and speculation.

The Bible actually condemns human conjecture and speculation because "no prophecy... is of any private interpretation" 2 Peter 1:20. The Bible defines its own symbols. For example, the book of Revelation contains 404 verses. Out of these 404 verses, 278 are found almost word for word in other books in the Bible, where their meaning is expounded.

Therefore, we encourage you to do as the Bible Bereans (see Acts 17:10, 11) and bring every teaching to the test of the Scripture. As, whoever will prayerfully study the Bible, desiring to know the truth, that he may obey it, will understand the Scriptures. "If any man will do His will, he shall know...whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. "John 7:17.

Which symbols do we need to unlock to identify the beast and his mark?

There are many symbols for the beast: nevertheless, we will suffice ourselves with those necessary to identify the beast. These symbols are 'beast', 'dragon', 'sea', 'forty-two months', and 'blasphemy'.

Beast: In Bible prophecy, a beast is a symbol of a king or kingdom. "These great beasts , which are four, are four kings ... the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom ..." Daniel 7:17, 23. With this beast, we are studying a unique kingdom for it is not only a political power but a religious one as well, because people "worshipped the beast" Rev. 13:4.

Dragon:According to the Bible, the dragon is another name for Satan, the father of lies and deceptions, "the great dragon ...called the Devil , and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world."This would mean that when Satan gave"his power, and his seat, and great authority"to the beast, we can expect the beast to behave in the same deceptively evil ways of Satan. Thus, a great deal of deception will be found in the affairs of the beast. Rev. 12:9; 13:2

Sea:In Bible prophecy, sea is symbol of a multitude of many different people."...The waters ...are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues"Rev. 17:15. Accordingly, this unique kingdom or power rose out of the sea, signifying that it came out of a location in the world that was densely populated with different nationalities of people.

Forty-two months:This period is equivalent to three and half years (42 divided by 12 months). And the Bible was written based on the Jewish calendar where every Jewish year is 360 days (30 days for each month). So, three and half years and forty-two months are both equal to 1260 days. The reason why we are changing the months to their equivalent in days is that when God gave time prophecies, He often equated a day for a year "...even forty days , each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years..." "I have appointed thee each day for a year "Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6.

Therefore, the forty-two prophetic months imply a period of 1260 years during which the beast was given, a "mouth speaking great things and blasphemies"and would"make war with the saints and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations"Rev. 13:5, 7.. Meaning that during this period the beast would blaspheme, persecute Christians, and have great authority.

Blasphemy:In the Bible, blasphemy is defined in two ways. The first is when a person claims to be God or His representative. "...for a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God "John 10:33So the beast, this religio-political power and kingdom, has blasphemed God by pretending to be in the place of God on earth. The second way of committing blasphemy is by granting absolutions (claiming the power to forgive the sins of others). "Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies ? Who can forgive sins but God only?"Mark 2:7.

The beast, this religio-political power and kingdom, has blasphemed God not only by taking His place on earth, but also by claiming the rite of absolution. No wonder the beast has the "name of blasphemy" and speaks "blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name"; this is because the beast claims powers that are the sole prerogative of God. Rev. 13:1, 6..


The Importance of Prophecy in Every Human Transformation

Every prophetic scripture carries a prophetic promise. The word that carries God’s blessings are called prophetic promises. No word of God is empty. Prophecy plays a very importance role in human transformation. For every prophetic promise, there is a prophetic blessing. And for every prophetic blessing, there is a prophetic picture. You must have a prophetic picture before you can possess the prophetic blessing attached.

A prophetic promise that has a prophetic blessing is given to Abraham in Genesis 12: 2. “I will make you a great nation, I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing”


The word of God spoken by God, or the word of God spoken by angels, or the word of God spoken by you, remains the word of God. The word of God cannot change. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb. 13: 8). Whatever God speaks, He performs.

We are built and designed by God for a specific purposes. We are the mouth piece that God wants to use to bring about every purpose of His will on earth. God has provided everything that pertains to life and Godliness in His word (2 Pet. 1: 2-3). No wonder the Psalmist says: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” Paul says: The Lord shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory” (Phil. 4:19).

If you can imagine it, the Lord has already supplied it. Revelation leads to restoration. God wants to bring about a transformational breakthrough at your point of need. The greatest gift of the Holy Spirit is the gift of prophecy. Prophecy plays a vital role in every human transformation. Without prophecy, there is no development. From the days of the sons of the prophets until now, the scriptures shows the importance of prophecy in bringing to past the expectations of the saints. (2 Kings 4: 38-44)

As long as you believe what God says and confess it with your mouth, it is bound to translate in your life. Speaking the word of God forms a picture in your heart. And with the picture, you can prophesy according to your faith, to have results. And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written “I believed, and therefore I spoke”, we also believe and therefore speak. (2 Corinthians 4: 13)


Faith is the principal requirement you need to translate prophetic scriptures into prophetic blessings (Luke 1: 45). The spirit of faith is the ability to prophecy. Faith was never intended to solve problems, faith creates solutions. Make a choice to speak the word of God whenever you need a breakthrough at the Gilgal of your life.

The purpose of prophecy is to warn us about future crises. For example, God warned Noah of the coming flood, Abraham and Lot of the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and He told Moses of the plagues of Egypt. They all had to obey the warning in faith. These events were recorded to teach us that whatever God foretold happened exactly as He said. Hence, we cannot afford to ignore any of His yet to be fulfilled prophecies as they serve as warnings that, if we obey, will protect us from crises.

Therefore, Bible prophecies serve a double purpose - to impress on our minds the existence of God who is in control of all events and, to warn us of a grave situation.


In the book of Daniel, chapter 2, God outlined in a dream to the Babylonian king that from his time until the end of time, the world would witness only four world empires. History has proved what God foretold. (Note: God, in the Bible, numbers and foretells only those empires which in a specific way impact God’s people.) The four world empires were: Babylon (605 BC-538 BC), Medo-Persia (538 BC-331 BC), Greece (331 BC-168 BC), and Rome (168 BC-476 AD).

Additionally, in Daniel 7 and 8, God revealed the unique features of each empire, such as the manner in which they would rise to power and fall, and the main characteristic of each government. Enough details were given that a candid student of history and the Bible cannot but concede there is a God in heaven who rules over our world.


Examples of Fulfilled Bible Prophecies.


The first Empire symbolised by a lion represents the kingdom of Babylon; the second, symbolised by a bear represents the Persian Empire; the third, symbolised by a leopard, represents the great Greek Empire; while the fourth Empire or kingdom which was very different from the others, apparently represents the Roman Empire. God revealed that Rome would be split into ten territories and that in the time of these territories the end will come. History has proven the accuracy of God's word.

The Roman Empire, also known as Rome, was established in the 5th c. B.C. and emerged as a group of villages on seven hills on the east bank of the Tiber. Rome was ruled by seven kings until 510 B.C., when it was made a republic. From 27 BC to 446 AD, after the fall of the Greek Empire, Rome was the most dominant ruling authority on earth. By 476 AD, Rome was divided into ten nations from which present day Europe has emerged. These events were recorded to teach us that whatever God foretells happens exactly as He says it. Hence, we cannot afford to ignore the role of prophecy in the final transformation of the world at this end time. All the yet to be fulfilled Bible  prophecies in the book of Revelation will surely come to pass.

BABYLON “THE GREAT” – REJUVENATED ROMAN EMPIRE 

Through the study of Revelation chapter 17, the Lord has led us to a most startling truth, confirming that we are nearer to the end of all things than ever imagined. We are prompted by our loving God to share this prophecy, that none need be ensnared by the global events soon to transpire which will engulf the world in the grandest deception yet contrived by Satan.

1. “And there came one of the seven angels… saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2. With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. 3. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 5. And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 7. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. 8. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. 9. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 10. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. 11. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. 12. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. 13. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. 14. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. 15. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 16. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 17. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. 18. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17:1-18.)


Summary of Revelations 17

Briefly, John is shown the final judgment of the great whore due to her own course of action. This great whore, referred to as Babylon the great, was shown to John in the wilderness (v. 3). This is an important setting, as will be seen later.

The description of the whore is parallel to the first beast of Revelation 13 that also has seven heads and ten horns (v. 7) indicating that both symbols represent the same entity – that being the Roman Catholic papal system. Furthermore, the whore is described as sitting on seven mountains (v. 9). Rome has frequently been identified as the City of Seven Hills, from classical times down to contemporary time, which we will also study.

Whereas in Revelation 13 the union of church and state was blended in one symbol, in Revelation 17 God has pictured them separately. A woman always symbolizes a church in the Bible, in this case the whore – an impure church. And a beast has al-ways signified a kingdom or state that persecutes God’s people. So we have an impure woman sitting on (i.e. controlling) a scarlet-colored (a bloody) beast (state). This again reinforces the reality of the Catholic system being the only system that is a church and an earthly kingdom at the same time. This whore is described as being eminently rich, proud, and more importantly, very corrupt (v. 4, 5). Indeed, it represents Satan’s final supreme instrument of deception.

The following verses are key verses: “And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.” Revelation 17:10, 11.

God elaborates on the seven heads of the beast, which are identified as seven kings. Significantly, the vision was viewed during the reign of the sixth king. He was to be followed by the seventh king, who will rule for a short time. However, the eighth king is going to be one of the previous seven kings, but that when he appears from the bottomless pit (v. 8), he will not only merely be a king (ruling power) but a beast (a persecuting power); finally, he will then go into perdition.

When one of the seven kings reappears from the bottomless pit as the eighth king but in the form of a beast, the ten kings of the earth (v. 12) (ten is an all-inclusive, universal number indicating that this includes all earthly rulers; cf. parable of ten virgins) will be greatly awed by the beast, and will willingly surrender their power to the beast for a short time (v. 12, 13). Both the beast and the ten kings will rule for a short time, and war against Christ in the end of his rule but Christ will overcome him (v. 14).

Just before the end of all things, the ten kings will discover that they have been ensnared and deceived by the beast (the eighth king from the bottomless pit) and they will turn with vengeance against the beast system, and destroy it (v. 16). For they will this time, though belatedly, be doing God’s will (v. 17).

Important End Time Prophecy Yet to be Fulfilled In The Church 

With the vivid realization that we are living in the age just prior to the second coming of Christ in the cloud, I pray the Lord will impress you with the shortness of time available before the fate of every living person is decided, and may His Spirit give you the discernment and wisdom needed to understand this short article.

Bible prophecies serve a double purpose - to impress on our minds the existence of God who is in control of all events and to warn us of grave up-coming danger. For example, God warned Noah of the coming flood and He also warned Abraham and Lot of the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Additionally, God revealed the unique features of four powerful kingdoms that would rise to power and fall before the end of the world, and the main characteristic of each government (See Daniel 7 and 8).

In fact, the most solemn prophetic warning yet to be fulfilled today is important for us to understand because events are taking place in rapid succession indicating its imminent fulfillment. This is very important as it is not by happenstance that the “great whore who sitteth upon the scarlet beast” was seen in the wilderness in Revelation 17. Note that the Bible invariably uses wilderness to describe harsh conditions; a woman is often used to symbolise the Church, and a whore describes the level of corruption and pollution.

Now we come to the most important part of this whole article. God has prophesied that a time will come when satan will use an earthly instrument –a church -to persecute all followers of Jesus Christ and cause everyone both small and great to worship the image of the beast, otherwise they will be put to death (Revelation 13:15).

"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus" (Revelation 14: 9-12.)

This Bible prophecy, yet to be fully fulfilled, describes two groups of people: The first group is warned against worshiping the beast and his image, which leads them to receive the mark of the beast; while the second group is viewed positively as keeping the commandments of God, thus inheriting eternal life with Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, the description of the second coming of Christ directly follows this warning.
“Then I looked, and behold a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, ‘Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for you to reap for the harvest of the earth is ripe.’ So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped” (Revelations 14: 14-15)

Therefore, the purpose of this Bible prophecy that is yet to be fulfilled is to warn us not to worship the image of the beast, as anyone who does this will surely be tormented in hell fire as we were told above. We know that this is the last warning given before the second coming of Christ.

Sequence Of Events That Will Immediately Precede the End of the World as Revealed to the Church

Recently, Calls have been made for a predictions registry, a means by which we might hold modern-day prognosticators accountable for their predictions. This is a great idea, and if we are objective in setting up our predictions registry, the source which ranks as the #1 most reliable repository of information concerning the future is clear. That source is the Bible.

More than 25% of the Bible is prophecy. And every prophecy except those concerning the "last days" and the millennial kingdom of Christ that will follow have been precisely fulfilled with 100% accuracy.
Some of these prophecies, such as Jeremiah's claim that Israel would be taken into captivity for a period of 70 years by the Babylonians, were written decades before fulfillment. Others, such as Ezekiel's forecast of the exact year in which Israel would be re-established as a nation, were written 2,500 years before fulfillment.

The Sequence Of Events That Will Immediately Precede the End of the World are:

1) General Signs of the Times
2) The Re-establishment of Israel as an Independent Nation
3) The War of Gog/Magog
4) The Rapture
5) Revival of the Roman Empire
6) The Rise of a Global Dictator
7) The Revival of Babylon as a Great City
8) The Appearance of Two Supernatural Witnesses
9) A Great Rebellion Against God

The most credible source of information on future events, the Bible, somehow explains in sequence the key events to look before the final battle between the armies of God, and that of satan. This battle is tagged by most theologians as the battle of Armageddon. Yet despite the millions of people who attend church and synagogue every week and the existence of countless books on the subject, most people are simply unaware how this battle will eventually shape up in the end time.
It's my hope that this site will raise awareness of the existence of Bible prophecy so that others may investigate the evidence for themselves.
The Bible clearly tells us what will happen in the end times.

In so doing, the Bible clearly tells us what will happen in your future.
The exact dates on which they will be fulfilled are not yet known, but given the Bible's track record, it's reasonable to assume each and every prophecy will be fulfilled to the letter.
This is a good thing, because when Christ returns, all the evils of this world will melt away in his presence.

So if you see the aforementioned events taking place, remember this invitation from Jesus,the invitation he extends to all, when he says, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near." Luke 21:28

REVELATION OF THE BEAST AND THE ANTI-CHRIST TO THE CHURCH

God has prophesied that there will be only seven kings: “And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.” Revelation 17:10.

From this verse the following facts can be gleaned:

1. Seven kings in total.

2. John was taken in vision to the time of the sixth king: “five are fallen, and one is.” He comes after the first five have fallen. Again, it is not coincidental that when taken in vision, John was taken to the time of the sixth king. It is a divine hint by which God is guiding us to focus our attention on this particular king, as he will play a very important role in the end-time events.

3. The seventh king “must continue a short space.”
So who are the seven kings/popes? Pius XI was the first Roman Catholic pope (from February 6, 1922) who became king as well on February 11, 1929. He along with Mussolini, engineered the Lateran Treaty.
“And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.” Revelation 17:11.

Here, we learn the following:


1. The Roman Catholic Church was once a beast (up to 1798), but now is not (as she has been in the wilderness experience since 1798); however, she will regain the beast status (meaning she will come out of her wilderness experience) after the fall of the seventh king, Benedict XVI.
2. The next one to come after Benedict XVI will be one of the other seven kings. But he will no longer be considered a mere king, but will be a beast as well; for with him the Roman Catholic Church will regain her former power to persecute her enemies.
3. The eighth, when he comes, will be the last; for he “goeth into perdition.”


The purpose of This Bible prophecies

The purpose of this prophecy is to warn us about future crises. For example, God warned Noah of the coming flood, Abraham and Lot of the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and He told Moses of the plagues of Egypt. They all had to obey the warning in faith. These events were recorded to teach us that whatever God foretold happened exactly as He said. Hence, we cannot afford to ignore any of His yet to be fulfilled prophecies as they serve as warnings that, if we obey, will protect us from crises.

Therefore, Bible prophecies serve a double purpose - to impress on our minds the existence of God who is in control of all events and, to warn us of a grave situation.

So How can I avoid worshipping the beast and his image and receiving his mark? Good question. In order to answer it we need to identify the beast, the image of the beast , and the mark of the beast. It is only logical to assume that God would not warn us about such dangerous entities without helping us to identify them in a conclusive way. Our loving God would not subject us to guesswork, when our eternal destiny is at stake. Not surprisingly then, we find a description of the beast and his image in the previous chapter where many keys are given to unlock their identity.

Identifying the Beast

The only motivation that goads us to share this soul-saving message is God’s love. We hereby state, in the hope of removing prejudices, that all entities spoken of in this article, are referred to as systems, and definitely not the genuine truth-seekers currently part of such systems. We pray that this message is accepted by all readers as heart-felt appeal to study the prophecies in the Bible, because God’s Word is our only guide and safe-guard against deception.

"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns tens crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who [is] like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemi es; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world... 16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the bea st: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six" Revelation 13: 1-8, 16-18.


We need to allow the Bible to interpret its own symbols. We should expect that God, for our benefit, revealed within the Bible the meaning of these symbols. Therefore, what we need is some diligence in study to find their interpretation in the Bible. By such a method, we avoid all human conjecture and speculation.

The Bible actually condemns human conjecture and speculation because "no prophecy... is of any private interpretation" 2 Peter 1:20. The Bible defines its own symbols. For example, the book of Revelation contains 404 verses. Out of these 404 verses, 278 are found almost word for word in other books in the Bible, where their meaning is expounded.

Therefore, we encourage you to do as the Bible Bereans (see Acts 17:10, 11) and bring every teaching to the test of the Scripture. As, whoever will prayerfully study the Bible, desiring to know the truth, that he may obey it, will understand the Scriptures. "If any man will do His will, he shall know...whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. "John 7:17.

There are many symbols for the beast: nevertheless, we will suffice ourselves with those necessary to identify the beast. These symbols are 'beast', 'dragon', 'sea', 'forty-two months', and 'blasphemy'.

Beast: In Bible prophecy, a beast is a symbol of a king or kingdom. "These great beasts , which are four, are four kings ... the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom ..." Daniel 7:17, 23. With this beast, we are studying a unique kingdom for it is not only a political power but a religious one as well, because people "worshipped the beast" Rev. 13:4.

Dragon: According to the Bible, the dragon is another name for Satan, the father of lies and deceptions, "the great dragon ...called the Devil , and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world."This would mean that when Satan gave"his power, and his seat, and great authority"to the beast, we can expect the beast to behave in the same deceptively evil ways of Satan. Thus, a great deal of deception will be found in the affairs of the beast. Rev. 12:9; 13:2

Sea: In Bible prophecy, sea is symbol of a multitude of many different people."...The waters ...are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues"Rev. 17:15. Accordingly, this unique kingdom or power rose out of the sea, signifying that it came out of a location in the world that was densely populated with different nationalities of people.

Forty-two months: This period is equivalent to three and half years (42 divided by 12 months). And the Bible was written based on the Jewish calendar where every Jewish year is 360 days (30 days for each month). So, three and half years and forty-two months are both equal to 1260 days. The reason why we are changing the months to their equivalent in days is that when God gave time prophecies, He often equated a day for a year "...even forty days , each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years..." "I have appointed thee each day for a year "Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6.

Therefore, the forty-two prophetic months imply a period of 1260 years during which the beast was given, a "mouth speaking great things and blasphemies"and would"make war with the saints and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations"Rev. 13:5, 7.. Meaning that during this period the beast would blaspheme, persecute Christians, and have great authority.

Blasphemy: In the Bible, blasphemy is defined in two ways. The first is when a person claims to be God or His representative. "...for a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God "John 10:33So the beast, this religio-political power and kingdom, has blasphemed God by pretending to be in the place of God on earth. The second way of committing blasphemy is by granting absolutions (claiming the power to forgive the sins of others). "Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies ? Who can forgive sins but God only?"Mark 2:7.

The beast, this religio-political power and kingdom, has blasphemed God not only by taking His place on earth, but also by claiming the rite of absolution. No wonder the beast has the "name of blasphemy" and speaks "blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name"; this is because the beast claims powers that are the sole prerogative of God. (Rev. 13:1,6.)

Nine Key Marks

Having allowed the Bible to unlock the meaning of its own symbols we can now highlight the nine major identifying marks of the beast to determine which power in history fulfills these features. These are not the only identifiers: there are many more in the Bible. We hope this compilation of identifying keys will lead you to search the Bible to find out more.

(1) The beast combines religious and political power simultaneously, "they worshipped the beast ..." Rev. 13:4.

(2) The beast came to power in a densely populated area of the world,"I...saw a beast rise up out of the sea" Rev. 13:1.

(3) The beast obtained its power and authority from Satan, thus we would expect its history to contain a great deal of deception,"the dragon gave him [the beast] his power, and his seat, and great authority" Rev. 13:2.

(4) The beast ruled ruthlessly possessing absolute hegemony (domination) for 1260 years. This period must have a clear starting point and end with the 'deadly wound'."Power was given unto him to continue forty and two months." "And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death." "And power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations" Rev. 13:5, 3, 7.

(5) The beast persecuted Christians during the 1260 years."And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them" Rev. 13:7.

(6) The beast has a mysterious 666 that identifies his office and name,"count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six" Rev. 13:18.

(7) The beast will fully recover from its 'deadly wound' and the world will marvel after it,"and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast" Rev. 13:3.

(8) The beast blasphemes by claiming to be God and granting absolutions (the power to forgive sins of others).

(9) The beast made other blasphemous claims, undertaking actions that are God's exclusive prerogative."And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies" Rev. 13:5.

The Antichrist and The Woman Riding On A Beast

The attention of almost all Christians these days is focused on the coming Antichrist. Many are also keen to know which character is described in Revelation 17. A woman who rides a beast is another mystery at the heart of prophecy. Who is this woman? The woman riding on a beast represents a universal church that will play a well-defined and powerful role in the Antichrist's future kingdom.

A woman always symbolizes a church in the Bible, in this - an impure church. And a beast has always signifies a kingdom or state that persecutes God's people. So we have an impure church sitting on (i.e. controlling) beast (state). This again reinforces the reality of the Catholic system being the only system that is a church and an earthly kingdom at the same time. This whore is described as being eminently rich, proud, and more importantly, very corrupt.

The Roman Empire was established on seven hills by Augustus in 27 BC and divided in AD 395 into the Western Roman Empire and the eastern or Byzantine Empire. The empire got its divine powers by the name of Holy Roman Empire with the papal coronation of Otto I as the first Holy Roman Emperor in 962. This lasted until 1806 when the empire was dissolved by Napoleon, and it was literally driven into the wilderness.

This is important as it is not by happenstance that the "woman who sitteth upon the beast" was seen in the wilderness. God is indicating the time-period that the Roman Catholic Church will come out of her wilderness experience.

The following verses are key verses: "And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition." Revelation 17:10, 11.

God elaborates on the seven heads of the beast, which are identified as seven kings. Significantly, the vision was viewed during the reign of the sixth king. He was to be followed by the seventh king, who will rule for a short time. However, the eighth king is going to be one of the previous seven kings, but that when he appears from the bottomless pit (v. 8), he will not only merely be a king (pope) but the Antichrist (a persecuting power); finally, he will then go into perdition.

So who is the antichrist? Pius XI was the first Roman Catholic pope (from February 6, 1922) who became king as well on February 11, 1929. He along with Benito Mussolini (Former Italian President) engineered the Lateran Treaty. Pope Benedict XVI is the seventh king/pope since the Lateran Treaty.

In conclusion: The Roman Catholic Church is a beast (church and kingdom), however she is in the wilderness now and she will regain her beast status after the fall of the seventh king, Benedict XVI. The next pope to come after Benedict XVI will be one of the other seven popes, very likely the sixth pope. But he will no longer be considered a mere pope, but will be a called a king, the ruler of the world, and through him the Roman Catholic Church will regain her former power to persecute her enemies. The eighth, when he comes, will be one of the seven popes and he will be the last; for he "goeth into perdition." In the end of time, the Antichrist and his corrupt kingdom on earth will be destroyed at the second coming of Christ at God's final judgment of the world.

REPENT: JESUS IS COMING SOON

The Faithful Church Of God

Exactly what happens immediately after the resurrection of the dead? The answer is staggering. But first, to answer this question, we must redefine exactly who and what the members of the Church are. Return to Romans 8 and now read verse 9: “But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.”


To be a true Christian, one must have the Spirit of God. It is that simple. Recall that I Corinthians 12:13 revealed that all members of the Church are “baptized into one body.” Baptized means ‘immersed, put into’. Therefore, a Christian becomes a member of God’s Church by receiving the Holy Spirit. This Spirit makes him a begotten son.


Those without God’s Spirit, regardless of their church affiliation or denomination, are “none of His.” We have seen that all of the Spirit-begotten become “heirs” of salvation (Rom. 8:17). But there is more important knowledge to understand. This is tied directly to God’s purpose for human marriage and family. The way a husband loves, works with and leads his wife is intended to be a reflection of Christ’s leadership over His Church.


The New Testament actually identifies the Church as Christ’s betrothed Bride. The eternal purpose of God for the Church is for her to be His Bride, forming a magnificent building in the holy city of Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God (Revelations 21: 10 - 13). Many verses reveal this. First, notice the following parallel between Christ and His Church, and human husbands and their wives:


“For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church…That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:23, 27).


The Bible reveals that the husband’s relationship with his wife is a parallel of Christ’s relationship to the Church! Christ works with His Church the way husbands are to work with their wives. He intends to “present the Church to God,” in a marriage ceremony, with all spots, wrinkles and blemishes gone. But this wedding is only attainable for those learning the lessons of this life—those who gain experience through suffering and building character now!


After Christ returns and re-establishes the government of God (Rev. 19:11-16), He becomes Ruler and Governor over all nations on earth forever and ever, with His Church. Notice: “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever”’ (Rev. 11:15).       


But this is not all. Immediately, upon His Return, here is what Christ does: “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude… saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And He says unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb…” (Rev.19:6-9). Of course, the Lamb of God has always been Jesus Christ (John 1:29, 36; Rev. 5:6).


Now fully comprehend this awesome knowledge: Christ is God. He is of the “God kind.” Just as God and Christ could not reproduce outside their kind (Gen. 1:24-26), anymore than any animal could reproduce with any other kind, Christ could not marry outside the God kind either.


At His Return, in one of the most awesome events in all history –The Marriage Supper of the Lamb – Christ will marry His Church! This is the plain truth from God’s Word—and you have just heard it! God calls His Church, His future Bride, “a building” that is “fitly framed together” (Eph. 2:21). Christ is literally “building a temple” consisting of Spirit filled believers or “living stones” (I Pet. 2:5). Christ is continuing His building of the Church today, and you have come in contact with it. We saw that the true Church is depicted as a type of Jerusalem and as the Mother of all the brethren in the Church (Gal. 4:26; Heb. 12:22-23).


Like any Mother, she cares for and feeds her children. We have seen that the true Church is also pictured as a Bride prophesied to marry Jesus Christ at His Return (Rev. 19:7-9). She is described as, at that time, having “made herself ready” for this wonderful and glorious event! Will you be among those who strive to “make yourself ready”?


Finally, we have already addressed the actual meaning of the Greek word translated “Church” in the New Testament. This needs no further clarification. Most have supposed it means a building or an organization, when it means neither. The word “church” is ekklesia, meaning Christians are indeed “called out” of this world—its ways—its customs—its practices— its traditions—its false knowledge—and into the true Church, and fellowship with God and Christ (I John 1:3). Take time to savour this marvellous understanding!


God thunders this message to all people everywhere: “Therefore come out from among them, and be you separate…and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor. 6:17-18). May God help you to come out of the Babylon of this world (Rev. 18:4), that you may qualify to rule with the all-powerful, living Christ in the wonderful, utopian new heaven and earth that lies ahead! Some few are choosing to come out of the world. They are willing to seek God with all their hearts. These are those called of God at this time. Let’s understand! The Bible does plainly speak of those who have been called by God. Notice what Paul said to the Thessalonian brethren: “Faithful is He that calls you...” (I Thes. 5:24).


As a warning to the Galatian congregation, who were losing sight of the true gospel, he said this: “I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel” (1:6), and later added, “This persuasion comes not of Him that calls you” (5:7-8). To the Corinthian congregation he wrote, “For you see your calling brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called” (I Cor. 1:26).


When you read or hear things like these in books such as this one, do they have meaning to you? Are you grasping them? Are they plain to your understanding? Do you see them as special knowledge others do not have? Do you feel tempted to pinch yourself in disbelief that you could be shown things of which the masses have no idea? If the answers to these questions are “yes,” then God is calling you! The mysteries of the kingdom of God are being given to you!


Remember, satan is a master deceiver. He has forged many forms of false religion all over the earth. He counterfeits the truth in endless ways, and God’s calling process is no exception. Be certain of whether you are being called at this time. “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble” (2 Pet. 1:10). You must decide whether you grasp the truths of this book—whether you are being given your opportunity for salvation now!


Having known all these things, what manner of Christians should we be? Should we remain in the ‘valley of decision’ knowing that even if we find ourselves walking in the valley of the shadow of death, we should fear no evil? Should we be under the sway of the devil, when the Spirit of Jesus Christ that is in us is greater than the antichrist spirit that is in the world? Should we allow the works of the flesh restrict us from keeping the commandments of God? Is worldly persecution or religious obscurity enough excuse for not saving the lost sheep of Israel?


I beseech you brethren, by the grace of God: “Even if we die, let us not die like fowls; if we must die, let us die like soldiers of Christ. If we must live, let us “fight the good fight of faith”. And if we live, let us live for Christ.”

There is an evil which I have seen on the earth. Those who say publicly that they know Christ have not even been known by Him (In other words, Jesus Christ does not know them); but those who are known by Christ are often afraid to profess their faith in Him.  I have not written to you because you don’t know Him, but that you know Him and you must confess Him even unto death.


“All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. GO and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matt. 28:18-20)


“Behold I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19).

Laodicea: Warning to Repent

The last city on the route was Laodicea, 45 miles southeast of Philadelphia. With three main roads crossing it, the city was one of the richest commercial centers in the world. The Laodiceans were famous for producing shiny, black wool clothing and boasted of an outstanding medical center that specialized in eye ointments. With its wealth amassed, it had also become the banking centre of the region. For all its wealth, the city of Laodicea had a water proble.


One nearby town had fabulous hot springs and another had cold, clear water. The water either came from the nearby hot springs and was cooled to lukewarm or came from a cooler source and warmed up in the aqueduct on the way. Laodicea, however, was stuck in-between lukewarm mineral-laden water that tested like sulphur. Not hot, not cold. Christ says to this church: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot” (verses 15-16).



Given these facts, the words of Jesus to the Laodicean brethren must have stung. Christ uses the Laodiceans’ lukewarm and distasteful water to point out that their poor spiritual state is equally offensive to Him. In addition, when He thought of them, He felt like vomiting –like the effect of their water. What was their problem? Was it the sin of indifference about good or evil; or whether or not to stick to their self-sufficiency and fleshly indulgence, that had satiated their desire for the gospel?


He warns them that, if they do not rapidly improve their spiritual condition, He will reject them. He detests the Laodicean attitude of compromising with God’s laws. By contrast, He later describes those who are faithful to Him as “those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).


Further, even if their clothing were world renowned, Christ tells them their “spiritual garments” were in pitiful condition. “…you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed… (Vs. 17-18)


He recommends that they focus on buying from Him the spiritual clothing of true righteousness that He later describes as “fine linen, clean and bright. For the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints” (Revelation 19:8). Jesus next tells these brethren, who are blind to their true spiritual condition that, the “Phrygian powder” concocted in their medical centre as an eye ointment was useless.


Instead, He advised them to use His true spiritual eye salve so they can clearly see and repent of their compromising attitudes. Lastly, Christ warns them not to put their trust in their physical wealth but in Him, who can develop the true gold that comes from overcoming trials and building righteous spiritual character.


The Laodicean Church represents the final state of the church preceding the Great Tribulation. The mainstream churches of these days are slowly but steadily gliding into the Laodicean. However, in the time of the end, at the unvailing of the seven final seven seal, the people on earth would not heed to this advice to repent of their sins. The whole of humanity would be afraid of God because of His wraths that are being unleashed on the earth and its inhabitants; but they would also be afraid of the dragon who gave his power to the beast (Rev. 9: 20-21). They would be indifferent –lukewarm- about who to obey God or satan, being neither hot nor cold, and as such bring upon themselves great destruction.

 


 “But the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hand, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders, or their sorceries, or their sexual immorality, or their thefts.” (Revelation 9: 20-21)



Therefore Christ wraps up the prophecy: “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last” (Revelation 22: 11-13)


I want to believe that your heart has been enlightened and loosened by the amazing and true words that you have read thus far. The purpose of being a Christian or being born again is to submit to the will of God and allow Christ to guide you in the path that leads to everlasting life. From Genesis to Revelations, the commandments of God are evident to all believers. A true servant of God will do everything within his/her power to obey the commandments of God to escape the wrath of God. “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building… Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” (1 Cor. 3:9; 16-17).

Philadelphia: The Faithful Chruch

About 25 miles southeast of Sardis lay the city of Philadelphia, newest of the seven cities. An imperial road passed through it from Rome to the east, so it became known as “the gateway to the East.” Christ says to this Church: “These things says He who is holy, He who is true . . . Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more” (Revelation 3:7, 11-12). 


Christ emphasizes His loyalty to His true followers and reminds them to be equally faithful to Him. If they persevere in His Word, He will give them a crown that they may rule with Him in His Kingdom. We find a definite theme of brotherly fidelity in this section. The Philadelphian brethren could well identify with this admonition.


Philadelphia means “brotherly love.” The city was named after the love the king who founded the city held for his brother. The city was established by Attalus II (159-138 B.C.), who was called Philadelphus (brother lover), in honour of his loyal affection toward his brother, King Eumenes II of Pergamos.


During his brother’s lifetime Attalus II was his most loyal assistant. He successfully commanded his brother’s forces in several wars and later became the trusted ambassador to their ally, Rome. There he won respect and admiration from the Romans for his brotherly fidelity. The New Bible Dictionary comments: “As Philadelphus was renowned for his loyalty to his brother, so the Church, the true Philadelphia, inherits and fulfils his character by its steadfast loyalty to Christ” (“Philadelphia” 1982, p. 926).


Men have their own differing ideas of where the Church actually is, but only the Bible’s view—God’s word—matters. Read it for yourself. Paul wrote to Timothy the evangelist, “…that you may know how you ought to behave yourself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (I Tim. 3:15). Many New Testament verses show that the Church that Christ built is unified—with all its members and congregations walking together in complete agreement with each other, and with the word of God. Another important scripture, demonstrating that the true Church is unified and teaches the truth emerges from Christ’s prayer in John 17, on the night of His betrayal.


He prayed: “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth…That they all may be one; as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that You have sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one: I in them, and You in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them, as You have loved Me” (vs. 19, 21-23). God’s Church is a unified body and teaches “the truth.” In the end, no other view devised by men is acceptable.


These are powerful statements! Christ intended that His Church be unified—“one”—no less than were He and His Father! There is no room for disagreement in a Church that is this unified. These verses describe a perfect oneness through the truth—the same kind of oneness that the Father and Christ enjoy. It is only the word of God that can keep the Church completely unified. It is this kind of unity that allows true Christians to be “in” Them—be in Christ and the Father (vs. 21).


We read that Christ promised that when false leaders, whom He refers to in John 10 as “thieves and robbers,” have been able to get into the Church, “the sheep hear His (Christ’s) VOICE: and He calls His own sheep by name, and leads them out.” His voice is plainly defined in Scripture as “the truth” (John 18:37).


He went on in John 10 to add, “He goes before them, and the sheep follow Him: for they know His VOICE. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers” (vs. 3-5). Christ continues by describing certain ministers: “The hireling flees, because he is an hireling, and cares not for the sheep” (vs. 13). This remarkable promise shows that Christ will never abandon His sheep and will always protect those who hear His voice and willingly follow Him when they are in danger of false doctrines! God wants His sons to understand His purpose.


God has given us basic comparisons that are easy to grasp. He compares His love for the Church in Ephesians 5: 25-27 as the love a Husband has for His wife. God concludes in Genesis 2:24 that “a man Shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” —to make ONE human body. “For as the BODY IS ONE, and has many members, and all the members of that ONE BODY, being many, are ONE BODY: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into ONE BODY...” (I Cor. 12:12-13).


Colossians 1:18 and Ephesians 1:22-23 revealed that “one body” means the Church. There is only one Church with many “little flocks” and like the human body, all the flocks are connected by the truth. Notice, 1 Corinthians 6:19 adds, “… your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit” and in chapter 12:27 “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually”. The Church is an organized, structured and combined body of individuals, put together by Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit —it has Jesus Christ as the Head of its government! This solid unity of purpose (becoming the future bride of Christ), is of lasting value to the entirety of the true Church at any time in its history.

Sardis: The Church in Apostasy

Prepare yourself for the shocking revelations, and facts, as we look at the Church in Apostasy –Sardis. Thereafter, we shall take a look at the true Church which Christ built, and He will establish it on the earth —at the coming of the KINGDOM OF GOD — “the Philadelphian Church”. 


Poised above the rich Hermus Valley, Sardis was 30 miles south of Thyatira. The city appeared as a gigantic watch-tower and was considered impregnable. Five roads converged below it and contributed to Sardis’s status as a great commercial centre. The wealth of the city—which had been the capital of the Lydian Empire under the opulent King Croesus—was legendary.


Christ exhorts this church, “…I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die…” (Revelation 3: 1-2). The Sardian brethren could readily identify with a warning to be watchful. The only two times Sardis had been conquered were when its citizens had become overconfident and failed to watch. Once, when King Cyrus of Persia besieged the city, the Sardians, nestled in their fortress high above, paid little attention to the invader.


Sometime later a vigilant Persian soldier spied a defender who had accidentally dropped his helmet from above. The careless soldier climbed down a secret pathway to retrieve it, and that night the Persians led their troops up the same pathway and to the top. To their surprise, the site was completely unguarded. The watchmen had gone home to sleep, thinking there was no need to keep guard at night—and so Sardis fell.

Incredibly, several centuries later the same sequence of events occurred when a Greek general besieged the city. After a year’s siege the Greeks appeared to lose all hope of conquering the city. Then one of the Sardian soldiers dropped a helmet and went down to retrieve it. That night the Greeks led some men up the steep cliff. When they reached the top, the place was again unguarded. Sardis’s inhabitants had forgotten their lesson, and their city fell again.


Christ uses these lessons to drive home a powerful spiritual point to His Church: “Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you” (verse 3). This pose’s as a serious warning to the Church today. Simply put, the Church is becoming more and more relax, and the sermons coming from the pulpit today are glamorous, and fail to address the vigilance needed to anticipate the dreadful Day of the Lord. Christ warned His followers in the Olivet prophecy saying: “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour the Lord is coming.” (Matthew 24:42)


But is the Church really watching and anticipating this woeful Day.  The Church seem to be passing the message that all is well so long as you are in the Church, but something tells me that all is not well with our churches. I feel that the current stream of churches is full of people who never get tired of accumulating wealth. From in-debt research and experience, I concluded long time ago that most churches of today have lost the way.


If there is any doubt about the current state of our churches today, there should be none about the crowd pulling power the churches of these days have managed to harness. Over 7,000 different professing Christian church organizations have been “built” by men. Estimates place the number of professing Christians at about 2 billion. Today, in Africa and America, it is estimated that over one church is started every single day. While church attendance seems to be increasing, it is not increasing as fast as the confusion surrounding the question of which is the right church. Recall Christ said, “But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:9).


In Mark’s parallel account of this statement, He continued, “Full well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition” (7:9). The Bible declares, “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints (this refers to all congregations of the true Church, not all organizations of men)” (I Cor. 14:33).


God’s Church (composed of many congregations of saints) was to reflect peace—not confusion. After the foremost apostles died, the great apostate universal church did come in and largely destroyed the visible Church. Because of persecution, often including threats, imprisonment, torture and death, most people gave-in and departed from the truth of God’s Way and therefore from the true Church. This period is often called “The Lost Century.” Yet, as Christ promised (Matthew 16:18), His Church has always survived. It has never completely disappeared or been destroyed—though it has certainly remained a “little flock” that has kept His Word, and the Church that has always been kept in God’s name.


Most of the mainstream denominations today have a name that is different from the name of the Church of God, by which the true Church of God can be identified. God’s true Church is simply called “the Church of God.” Though some apostate denominations have wisely adopted this name, but they always seem to add a few words to it. For example, “The church of God Ministry” is not the same as the Church of God. I think every church that has ‘a name’ apart from “The Church of God” is clearly in apostasy, and you will agree with me that all well known churches today have drifted to this respect.


Peter warned, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you” (II Pet. 2:1-3).


Thus among the converted Christians, there would be false teachers, who disown the authority of Christ –His rights over them. They will bear the name of Christ, therefore fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah: “And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, ‘we will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach”’ (Isaiah 4:1). This refers to those who are Christians by name alone. Remember Rev. 3:1, “You have A NAME that you are alive, but you are dead.” Because they were not willing to submit to the authority of Christ, as a woman is suppose to submit to her husband. The way of truth would be bought into disrepute by their means; while in fact, by their covetousness and hypocritical words, many would be led astray by them, and they would make merchandise of Christians for their private gain, and count them as mere instruments of profit.


Before his death, Paul explicitly warned the Ephesian elders to understand what would happen after he was gone. Notice: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to feed the Church of God …For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:28-30). History records that this is exactly what happened during (and after) The Lost Century.


We have discussed how this world’s churches are in confusion, divided by endless disagreement over doctrine and practice. Amos 3:3 asks, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” The answer is NO! This world’s churches do not practice the principle of “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4), exactly as it is written. Instead, because they follow the many differing traditions of men, endless disagreements separate, divide and create more and more churches of men.


They generally do not “walk together” because they do “agree”— neither with each other nor with God! No wonder in His fifth letter to the Church in Sardis, Jesus Christ said: “Therefore, if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.” (Rev. 3:3)


For some breaking news! Apostasy –chameleon

 faith –has overwhelmed the churches of this world. False prophets have taken the place of Christ on the altars, claiming to be His representatives, while they deceive followers into more miseries, instead of revealing the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Christ said to them in Matthew 23:13, “For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”


Talk of denominations, different sects of Christian religious bodies and cell groups, I have attended a handful, and the best I got out of them all was more miseries. I went in search of Christ where He could not be found. Going to a church service was like going to “a cinema in war times” or going to “seek the living among the dead” (Luke 24:5); and I was doing this until I heard the call: “Come out of her my people” (Rev. 18:4). From the day I responded, I was amazed—actually stunned—at how easy it was to find direct, clear, undeniable proofs that even the most popular traditions of the big denominations were not based on the Bible—AT ALL!


Recall once again Christ’s promise, “I will build My Church” (Matt. 16:18). No matter how men interpret it, this verse speaks of a single Church! Christ continued, “…and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” He promised that His Church would never be destroyed. The more I studied the other doctrines of the Bible, the more I learned the churches of this world were wrong—on virtually everything! One plain scripture after another contradicted each traditional “Christian” idea I had been taught.



God inspired Paul to write, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (I Thes. 5:21). While this obviously refers to scriptural matters, (not what kind of car to drive or house to buy) surely God would not exclude something of such magnitude—such vital importance—as the matter of where His true Church is found. Each time I studied a Bible doctrine—salvation, baptism, laying of hands, who and what God is, the gospel, death and hell, law and sin, grace and faith, being born again, the Christian Sabbath, the true origin of supposed “Christianity”, God’s holidays or ‘holy days’, where the modern-day tribes of ancient Israel are today, the sequence of prophetic events preceding Christ’s Return, the reward of believers, judgement of sinners, and so much more— I found that the churches of this world were almost invariably confused on all these and many other plain points of Bible teaching.


“Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His’ and ‘let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity’” (2 Tim. 2:19). On that Day, God will not judge anyone with respect to his denomination or pastor, for “we shall all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Cor. 5:10)


Since hitting the limelight in the 20th century, the Pentecostal, Protestant, and evangelical Churches have been the puppet blasting blasphemy from the pulpit of the teleprompter of the antichrist. The continually increasing doctrinal disagreements and differing traditions of the Pentecostal churches alone, have largely contributed to the ever growing number of atheists in our society today. But even these so-called atheists have got to believe that there is at least a devil somewhere that is causing all the religious confusion in the world today. Believe it or not, the devil’s deception is hitting every facet of our present world, and he has succeeded in feeding many breakaway mainstreams with his ‘satanic revelation knowledge’. However hard he tries, we (children of God) do not need to be confused about the identity of the true Church Jesus built.


Problems of the Churches in Apostasy


Apostate Christianity (departure from true biblical Christianity) in its final analysis cannot be distinguished from any other religion in the world in its quest for God. No wonder apostate Christianity will be willing to join with all the other religions of the world. These nominal Christians think they are Christian just because it is part of their culture and because they believe in a higher power. Even demons believe in a higher power. Apostate Christianity has nothing to do with a born again experience with the evidence of a Holy Spirit changed life.

Some in religious training were taught that Jesus died for their sins and that they are saved or justified, but in their lives there is no evidence by works of the Spirit. Do they really have Jesus or do they only have head knowledge about Him? Do they have “Churchianity” or Christianity?


Those that trust in their own good works to save them are self deceived and still in their sins. Those that depend on the works of the law, rather than to be saved by faith through grace are deceiving themselves. If there ever was a religion that could allow man to fellowship with God it was Judaism but the requirement was to keep all of God's law. The laws of Judaism did not achieve salvation because in man's fallen state he could never keep the whole law. Man's righteousness and good works can never bring about eternal life with God because man always falls short of the required perfection necessary to dwell in the presence of a Holy God. Yet Judaism did not fail because through the tribe of Judah a Savior from God was born.


Many of the church's traditions and practices are contrary to scripture proving that the church is far from being infallible. Satan with his wolves in sheep's clothing has infiltrated the church and corrupted it. The Church has become like the corrupted Judaism that Jesus condemned. It is largely a church of Pharisees and of blind ritual -- a church of idolatry, rote prayer, and traditions of men.


To rid most of Christianity of the church in apostasy, we first would have to go to the root of apostasy and purge out most of the doctrines that have infiltrated the most of the common church denominations.
Problems of the Roman Catholic Church

The membership of this church is more than half of all that are identified as Christianity (over one billion people) but the majority of Catholics baptized into the denomination do not even regularly practice their religion. Additionally, many Catholics know little about their own beliefs or they ignore the doctrine. Many integrate it with native pagan religions.


This denomination teaches that you are saved by grace, faith and works of merit. God's grace is something you must earn by keeping the church sacraments, traditions and rituals and by doing good works. The priests of the church are successors of the apostles and have all of Christ's authority on earth. The priests are grace dispensers and the church is infallible. If you accumulate enough merit you will go to heaven. Otherwise you will have to go through the fires of purgatory or to hell. The writings of the church fathers and the traditions of the church have equal weight with the Holy Scriptures. The members of this church are in the process of being saved by their works of merit.

The seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church are rituals for grace. The church believes that the ritual itself will dispense grace from God. It appears that the church puts the cart before the horse. No spiritual grace come from ritual, but power from the Holy Spirit is given to those who listen to God and obey Him.

    The sacrament of the baptism of infants is not scriptural or logical. The ritual of baptism is for identifying believers with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Babies do not believe. True baptism is dying with Christ and by faith being born into a new creation called the "body of Christ".
    The sacrament of the Eucharist should be a memorial and remembrance of Christ's broken body and shed blood for us. There is no place in scripture that says we are to offer Christ's body on the altar daily or that the bread and the wine actually becomes the body of Jesus, and by putting these elements in your stomach you will receive Him into your body and get grace from Him.
    The Sacrament of contrition and penance is contrary to scripture. The scriptures say that Jesus is the only intermediator. between God and man. The doctrine that you can have your sins forgiven by confession to a priest who then intermediates and gives absolution if you do the penance he dictates, abolishes what Jesus did for us on the cross for all sin. Who is sinless enough to intermediate for us with God except Jesus, and which sin did Jesus not pay for?
    This church teaches that the sacrament of confirmation is where you get the power of the Holy Spirit. The scriptures however, teach that you get the Holy Spirit when you believe and you get power to do His will when you earnestly pray for it.
    Marriage is a union between two people. There is no reason given in scripture for it to be a Church sacrament or for the ceremony to be performed by a priest or clergy -- not that the practice of getting married by the elder of any church is wrong.
    The ordination of a special priesthood is contrary to New Testament scripture. The scripture teaches that all in Christ are kings and priests.
    The sacrament of Extreme Unction indicates that the dying get some special grace by having a priest say some ritualistic prayers over them. This is a distortion of the true biblical practices of elders praying over the sick.

 The doctrine of purgatory

The doctrine of purgatory is an insult to Jesus and the finished work that He did on the cross to pay for the sins of the whole world. If we sin He is faithful to forgive us our sins if we confess them to Him. Scripture says that there is now no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus. Jesus either paid for all sins past, present, and future or He paid for none of them. Scripture teaches no other doctrine.


A few of the many other heresies:

    In much of the third world Catholicism has been integrated with pagan witchcraft and no major correction is coming from Rome. Yet the Vatican rails against those who teach true Christianity to those doing such things.
    The scapular is worn by some Catholics who believe that salvation can come from something they hang around their neck.
    Expecting power by using Holy water, medals, holy pictures and objects blessed by a priest is simply belief in the occult. It simply is witchcraft.
    Many Catholic churches allow gambling and drinking on the church premises to raise funds.
    The Pope as the vicar of Christ is not scriptural and many Popes have been anti-Christ. Peter was not the first Pope. The first real Pope was Leo 1st about 400 years later. Peter was an apostle to the Jews. Paul was the apostle to the gentiles from which most post first century Christianity descended.
    The former Pope called Moslems brothers, kissed the Koran and said that Moslems are on a path to God. He had a close friendship with the top leader of Eastern Pagan religion and said they were on the same path. He told Catholics that salvation of the earth comes through Mary.


Further, Pope John Paul II warned Catholics about the dangers of Christian evangelicals that teach the Bible. He welcomed non believers in Christ as brothers, but did not rescind the one hundred anathema's made by the Catholic Church against all Protestant believers. (In catholic theology the anathema's mean all Protestants will go to Hell. The anathema's came from an infallible papal decree so it can never be rescinded. Thus, the only hope of salvation for Protestants within the Catholic theology is for Protestants to return to the Catholic Church). The former pope also made pilgrim trips to Portugal to bow down and worship the stature of “our lady of Fatima” as most Catholics call the demon goddess. This is not Christian leadership, it is the type of antichrist leadership that Paul warned true Christians to beware of, and this church declares this Pope a saint.


The present Pope, Benedict XVI, apparently is no wiser about salvation theology. He seems to think that all people of good will are saved and many religions like Islam worship the same God as Christians even though Islam doctrine says that God has no Son. Some Catholics are now calling him an anti-pope because some of his views conflict with the views of other infallible popes. Oh, the Joy of blind Religion!


The Roman Catholic Church as an institution is mostly apostate. Only each individual Catholic can truly know if they are trusting in Jesus as He is define in the Bible for their salvation or if they are just trusting in a false hope of following Catholic doctrine to save them. The doctrines of the Catholic Church are convoluted and their doctrine of salvation is contrary to the clear teaching of New Testament teaching. The majority that claim to be Catholics do not even practice Catholicism.
The cult of Mary

A large sect in this church teaches that Mary is co-redeemer and that she was without sin. The scripture says that there is salvation in no other name than Christ Jesus. The scriptures also say that all have sinned including Mary. Jesus said that John the Baptist was the greatest of all born of women. Why did He not say His mother was if she was without sin? When the natural mother of Jesus and His brothers (yes, Jesus had brothers according to scripture) thought He went crazy and wanted to talk to Him, Jesus said His mother and brothers are those that do the will of His Father. Mary is not the mother of God, she is the mother of the natural body that God incarnated. Mary is not the mother of the Church. She had to believe to be saved and had to receive the Holy Spirit and become a member of the "body of Christ" like everyone else. How can Mary be the mother of a membership that includes herself?


The idea that Mary is interceding for the Christians and appearing to many and giving statements to people that are often contrary to the scriptures is an insult to Mary. The bottom line of these apparitions at the very least is a message of salvation by works which will save no one. Furthermore, many Catholics are now into witchcraft and things forbidden in the Bible because they believe in these lies. Much of what is being said by apparitions attributed to Mary parallels pagan new age teachings and doctrine of demons. Those into Marialogy like to reduce the God of the Universe to a child on Mary's breast but He is a consuming fire and the only mediator between God and man.


Saying the Rosary with its "Hail Mary's" is rote prayer to someone other than God. This is idolatry! Jesus said to pray to the Father. If He wanted people to pray to his earthly mother He would have said so. Furthermore, how in the world could anyone really believe that Mary would want to hear the same prayer over and over and over again? Do people think that she or they get power from their chanting? This is witchcraft! Even common sense should tell them that no one wants to hear the same thing over and over again. I am sure the real Mary of the Bible would tell the people who chant these prayers to please shut up.


Many times the real reasons for the rote prayer is not even addressed in the prayer service. For example, when Catholics pray "Hail Mary's" in front of abortion clinics. Their ritualistic chanting leaves the body of Christ open to much ridicule by unbelievers and all of this is a counterfeit substitution for real prayer to God about the real situation that is needing prayer. The scripture tells us not to say rote prayers as the heathen do that think they will be heard for their many words. We are told that God knows what we need before we ask. Our requests should be like a child toward his Father. Try saying the same thing fifty or more times to your earthly father or mother daily and note their response to you. Finally, most Catholics don’t even know the scriptures for themselves. All they know is some prescribed catechisms that do well to exclude the focus of the Bible. Most Catholics do not even know the second commandment because they have never come across it in any Catholic manual.


Other Apostate Believes of Major Mainstream Churches


There are about one billion others who profess that they are Christians. Most of these call themselves Protestants, although some of those labeled as Protestants are demonic cults. The majority of all non-Catholic Christians are in old mainline liberal and reformed denominations such as Protestants, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Adventists, Baptists, or they are in independent Bible churches.


The overwhelming majority of the people in the liberal Protestant denominations have never had a born again experience nor do their lives reflect that God is indwelling them. Most of them do not regularly fellowship with other believers or attend services. Many that do attend services are Sunday Christians. There is no fellowship with Jesus or each other outside the formal church service. For the most part their Christianity is cultural and the relationship they have with God is superficial. Many believe in humanism, socialism, evolution and the basic goodness of man rather than the truths the scriptures teach. Few people in the liberal denominations know the essentials of their own faith. Many believe that all religions lead to God.


A few decades ago most Charismatic Christians split into four camps. One camp stayed with true biblical Christianity, the other camp went on to experience-based belief and have gone off into a ever descending spiral of more and more error and even doctrine of demons. The third camp calls themselves "Word Churches" they have embraced "name it and claim it" theology. The forth camp is those who have bought into Kingdom now/Reconstruction/Dominion theology that does away with pre-millennial beliefs, and the literal reading of unfulfilled prophetic scripture and replaces it with the theology that the Church will rule on earth before Jesus returns. In some of these churches, the camps overlap and it gets really hard to sort them all out. Some of the following problems may not qualify as true apostasy from the faith but they deviate from the truths of true biblical Christianity because they are doctrines of men or “legalism”.

    Most believe that people are saved into the church through infant baptism, contrary to scripture
    Some believe that people are saved by the mere ritual of baptism
    Many have retained much of the heretical doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church
    Most lord the clergy over the laity
    Some do away with the inspiration and infallibility of scripture
    Some put men under the authority of women contrary to scriptures, allowing women to head the church
    Some condone abortion; all condone birth control, contrary to God’s regeneration plan.
    Many have no salvation message and preach only a social, materialistic gospel
    Many churches put a picture of a Norwegian on their wall and call him Jesus
    Many think they are Christians because they were born into a Christian background, tradition or culture
    Some do not believe that Jesus was God, but accept that He was a prophet of God
    Some Christian denominations make Jesus a lesser God (Mormons and Jehovah witnesses)
    Most do not teach the imminent return of Christ
    Some let flagrant sinners lead the flock
    Many Evangelicals place too much emphasis on self reliance instead of relying on the Holy Spirit
    Business and success seminars are held in some church premises as if they were biblical doctrines
    Many have introduced psychotherapy and its underlying psychologies in their counseling programs and replaced Godly counsel with satanic theories
    Some have little or no church discipline
    Some have occult-like inner meetings and birthing seminars
    Some compromise essentials of the Christian faith for unity among denominations
    Many pastors shop for materialistic or prestigious and divorce the flock they were called to serve
    The secondary leadership in the church too often is picked because of their position in the community or the size of their bank account
    Some worship the idol of money and care more about their building projects than evangelism of the lost
    Most large churches have a country club mentality. They have wonderful fellowship and they have many programs for those in the club but they do little about improving the community they live in either spiritually or physically
    Most have now replaced real Bible study with study of annual or quarterly magazines about Bible passages and applications for living
    Many preach that all who drink any alcoholic beverages are sinning. Some even will not allow into their membership or will remove from their membership those who profess to use alcohol. They ignore or spin the fact that the Savior was called a wine bibber because He turned water into wine and that Paul told Timothy to drink a little wine for his health. They also ignore the Old Testament scripture that says wine was given to make the heart glad. Common sense and logic indicates that the scripture would not speak of drinking wine in excess and choosing elders that do not drink too much wine if drinking fermented wine was not in the permissive will of God under moderation. Alcohol abuse is a sin but the Church needs to be truthful and credible and should not unduly put its members on guilt trips. They should not label people as sinners who in faith are generally practicing something that in moderation actually could be a benefit to their health
    Some have created lists of actions of the flesh that they say are sinful such as, smoking, dancing, watching movies or TV or even listening to certain Christian “rock” music. Some do not even allow musical instruments in church but these same churches ignore actions of the flesh like gluttony and gossip. They judge everyone as sinners who have the greater faith to believe that God does not abide by their list of man-made forbidden activities
    Many, to be all inclusive and to reach non-believers, have made their worship service on Sunday to be a time of entertainment rather than a time to feed the flock, worship God and to provide the message of the kingdom of God
    Many do not fully understand that the Christians are the temple of God. Their building is a building, not a holy sanctuary. The people who make up the Church are the holy sanctuary. There is no special grace for those who come to the front of the building to pray. This practice is fine as a testimony that one has responded to a call to be saved, to follow a church ordinance or to be prayed with by an elder, but God is not anymore present in the front of the building than He is anywhere else. God's sanctuary is in His people and He is not more present in the front of any building or near the preacher.
    Most confuse being filled with the Spirit for service, with Spirit baptism and teach people that they get the Holy Spirit in a separate experience after conversion, as if you can separate Jesus and the Spirit (there is one God)
    Some willfully take the place of God by trying to win souls for God through making fetish and satanic alter calls to those “who wants to be saved”. They so easily forget that only Jesus can save and God alone is responsible for the salvation of any soul. He is the One that adds to the Church, not man. Some have gone a step further in apostasy by making alter calls for backsliders in the faith, ignoring the scripture that says no one who puts his hand on the plough and looks back is fitting for the kingdom of God. They easily forget what happened to lot’s wife.
    Many have back rooms where by emotional effort and peer pressure try to forcefully teach members to speak in tongues. They try to give you the Holy Ghost. Very funny!
    Many say the only initial evidence of being born of the spirit is speaking in tongues and say other Christians that haven't had this experience are not born of the Spirit. By this doctrine they divide the body of Christ by saying that those faithful prophets of old who did not speak in tongues did not prophecy by the Spirit. They insult the Spirit that is obviously working through all born again believers
    In many churches there is little accountability and the leadership often gets involved in various unholy scandals.
    Many are ritualistic. Even though most of the members came out of ritualistic churches like Catholicism and Liberal Protestantism they have incorporated new rituals back into the Church like casting out demons classes, and healing appointments.
    Many have rejected the priesthood of Catholicism but then embraced a new special priesthood position that place them as God's special anointed sons; they deceive followers that were sent by God to take other sons to God, making the Father of all flesh a Grand-father.
    Some claim to be prophets and make prophetic statements, but their prophecies do not come true, yet they are still embraced as prophets by the leadership and most members, contrary to the explicit definition of a true prophet in scripture.
    Some think you can become a prophet by self-appointment and self will. They also think you can learn how to be a prophet by going to a prophetic school.
    Too many of the leaders are con television artists and clowning buffoons who amuse the sheep with absurd jokes about major Bible stories, and open the body of Christ to unnecessary ridicule
    Too many of the leaders are hypnotists or loud mouth bully control freaks that coerce the church into altered states of reality and emotionalism. Too many confessed conversions are by coercive wisdom of men, peer pressure and emotionalism. Many are pressured to do what the leaders ask and soon fall away because their confessed conversion was not genuine
    Too many of the leaders twist the meanings of scripture to support a deviant doctrine
    Some teach name it and claim it and positive confession -- "if you believe it you will receive it”, forgetting that God has the final say.
    Some teach spiritual laws that God is subject to them and thus make God someone to be manipulated by following some set formula designed by men
    Some claim healing that never happened, hoping that this confession will really bring it about. Others proclaim rumor healing from others as gospel truth
    Some deny the triune nature of God taught throughout scripture
    Some teach that the King James translation is the only inerrant version (errors and all). Many teach that the King James Bible is the only correct translation and that other honest translations of scripture are Satanic
    Many are embracing the Emergent or Emerging Church movement. This movement is redefining the Bible and leading many into mysticism.
    Many try to advertise themselves, their denomination and the Holy Spirit through the mass media. They promise what is not theirs for the giving. They promise their members healing, salvation, breakthrough, miracles, signs and wonders, and so on, playing down God’s time to do His work, thereby leaving faithful believers completely shattered and bewildered when they go to such services and come back without those things that were promised them.
    Some believe that doctrines taught by their denomination are essential for salvation and thus rule out all other Christians as even being Christian
    Some allow women to pastor their churches and to rule over men contrary to scripture
    Some Pentecostals still follow the teachings of those who claim there are hidden equal distance codes in the Bible even after this theory has been disproved. Some of these are even using their perceived “hidden codes” as a crystal ball to predict, prophecy and even calculate the future.
    Some embrace Kingdom now/Reconstruction/Dominion theology, which does away with the restoration of natural Israel and the literal reading of unfulfilled prophetic scripture and replaces it with a strange doctrine that is not taught in the Bible. They say the Church will rule on earth before Jesus can return.
    Some apply the tithe system of government for Israel to the Church. They teach that Christians are required to tithe to their church as if this is New Testament truth. It is not! There is not a word about tithing in New Testament instruction to the Church but there is teaching about cheerful free will giving. If you want to teach it as an example-fine-but what many fail to understand is that God gave individuals in the Church the gift of giving and most Christian funding is funded by such individuals. It is a well known fact that teaching on tithing does not have a long term impact on the amount of giving in the Church. This teaching unduly puts guilt and burdens on the poor that God never intended. It also tells the rich that it is in God's will for them to use 90 percent for themselves and their worldly living style when they should and could give much more. When the church in Israel needed to raise funds for the building of the tabernacle, did Moses not ask them to give from their free will, as they were moved by the Spirit? Or when the Church in Jerusalem was in poverty during the later kings, did the members tithe or did funds come from others moved by the Holy Spirit to give? When people on assistance are given exactly what they need to live on by charities or by government through the donations and taxes that comes from others, should the church then be robbing the donors and the poor by telling them to give ten percent of these funds to their church organization? Some Christians have multiple and fragmented strings of income which makes it impossible for them to pay the church stipulated percentage of their tithes without error. I can build a better case from scripture that the Church itself should be giving a tithe of its income to its needy members than the needy giving a tithe to their church. But this last point rarely happens.
    Many have now bought into the seeker-friendly church growth movement. They knowingly or unknowingly use paraphrases of the Bible that sometimes twists scripture. They do not teach the gospel truth. The leadership in general sees the Church ruling on earth before the return of Christ and they tell their people that studying future Bible prophecy is a distraction to their development
    Many churches leaders have blinded their followers into believing that Sunday is the Sabbath day of worship as opposed to Friday evening/Saturday as stated in the gospel. The followers on the other hand do not know enough history to know that Constantine “the Great deceiver” orchestrated the change of the original Sabbath day in order to favor the worship of the pagan sun god. Since God commanded that the Sabbath be kept forever, how did Sunday keeping originate? It certainly did not come from God or His Church. It pains me to see most of the activities that were originally suppose to be done on the Sabbath day, for example resting, being done on Sunday, while Saturday has become a day of much work, therefore capsizing the law of God

Where Did “Sunday observance” Come From?


Remember, Sunday is commonly referred to as “the Lord’s Day.” While the true Lord’s Day of the Bible is actually the Day of the Lord—the Day of His Wrath (Joel 2:1-11; Rev. 1:10; 15:1, 7), the term “the Lord’s Day” has come to be synonymous with Sunday. But why?  Many believe  that Jesus was resurrected from the tomb on Sunday. If Sunday can be established as the day that Jesus was resurrected, it can be a means of artificially validating and “authorizing” the keeping of Sunday by the churches of the world—in place of God’s true Sabbath. Then, the pagan Easter festival and celebration, with its Sunday sunrise services, also becomes much easier to comform to.


Many pagan festivals, including Christmas (the Saturnalia), Easter (the festival of Ishtar) and worship on the day of the Sun, were observed throughout the Roman Empire long before Christ. The apostate church simply adopted them into practice, and enforced them on all citizens in the empire through the civil government. Actually, the first one to enforce Sunday worship was not a pope or a church, but was Constantine, the emperor.


Now Daniel 7. Verse 25 sheds important light on what happened in the Roman Empire. Daniel wrote, “And he [the little horn] shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High”—now get this next point and do not misunderstand—“and think to change times and laws.”


This is a remarkable statement about how the apostate church sought to alter God’s law as it had to do with time. The single most obvious way has been to change the time of God’s Sabbath to the pagan sun day. Thus altering the fourth great law of God! (More and more people today speak of Sunday as their “sabbath.”)


God has never authorized His Church or mankind to keep the pagan Sun’s day. Nor did He ever command or allow His people to keep numerous other pagan festivals and days of worship—He has always explicitly commanded against them!


When people celebrate Sunday as the “Lord’s Day,” they unwittingly celebrate the very wrath that God will pour on them for keeping this pagan custom in place of His Sabbath! Astonishing, but true.

Exodus 20:8-11 showed that Sabbath-keeping is the Fourth Commandment! The Sabbath has always been the seventh day of the week, and God never authorized Sunday, the first day of the week. God hallowed the Sabbath at Creation. Jesus kept it (Luke 4:16). So did Paul (Acts 13:42, 44; 17:2; 18:4). And so did the New Testament Church.


God has always said, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Ex. 20:8). He has never said, “Remember Sunday to keep it holy." Keeping the Sabbath as God’s command for true Christians is a big subject requiring its own large volume to explain.


In the Old Testament, Sabbath-breaking was punishable by death (Ex. 31:14 and 15). II Corinthians 3:7-8describes the Old Testament administration of a civil death penalty, which is no longer applicable, because God is now building the nation of spiritual Israel (Rom. 2:28-29; 8:9; 11:24-26; Gal. 3:29; Eph. 2:11-13, 19; I Pet. 2:5, 9).


The Sabbath was to be kept perpetually, throughout the generations of Israel. There are still generations of Israel today—and there is spiritualIsrael, which keeps the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Israel is not synonymous with Jews. The Jews, who came from Judah, represent but one of twelve tribes of Israel that descended from the patriarch Jacob. Recall that the Tribulation is “Jacob’s trouble,” not merely “Judah’s.


Take heed whether and how you will obey God. For “He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose you, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and has done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” (Heb. 10:28-29).


During the Middle Ages, the Holy Roman Empire caused people to receive a “mark.” What was this mark? Those who had it lived—those who did not, died. This mark protected all who received it.

The Roman system “set” this mark on all who obeyed and submitted to its pagan religious practices. These included observance of Sunday as the day of worship (instead of the true Sabbath), along with other pagan holidays (Christmas, Easter and others). We saw history records that tens of millions were killed for not obeying the Roman Empire in regard to Sunday observance.


Notice this revealing verse in Daniel 7: “I beheld, and the same [little] horn made war with the

saints...” (vs. 21). This “war” is referring to the period that the Roman Empire, under the false church’s direction, put to death all those who would not worship on Sunday! Let me repeat: The universal church in Rome, working with the civil government, caused everyone under the Roman system to receive this mark. Sunday became the official day of worship for all—throughout the empire. Sabbath observance was outlawed, and anyone observing it was killed! Millions lost their lives in this persecution, and God’s Word tells us that it will happen again!


We have already seen that the book of Revelation is largely one of visions and symbols. We read that the beast “causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads...” (Rev. 13:16). What does this mean?

Let’s understand. What do people do with their hands? They work! So the “right hand” referenced in Revelation is a symbol for working—making a living. What about the forehead? The forehead is a symbol for what people believe. This is referring to one’s intellect or mind.


Again, God also has a “mark,” or a sign, He puts on those who follow His laws. In Exodus 13:9, God is explaining one of His annual Sabbaths to the nation of Israel. Notice this: “It shall be for a sign unto you upon your hand [they could not work on the Sabbath], and for a memorial between your eyes, that the Lord’s law may be in your mouth.”


This could not be more plain! Let’s examine two more passages: “Now these are the commandments...and these words, which I command you this day, shall be in your heart...and you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes” (Deut. 6:1, 6, 8), and “Therefore shall you lay up these My words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes” (Deut. 11:18).


The Fourth Commandment, of God’s Sabbath, is the one command that apostate Christianity outrightly rejects! This commandment separates those who obey and worship  the Beast and those who obey God’s sign of Sabbath-keeping. It is the test command of one’s obedience to the true God.

God’s Law is not negotiable. If one breaks any of His laws, that person is guilty of sin. We saw that “sin is the transgression of the law” (I John 3:4). If you break it, you earn a penalty—death (Rom. 6:23). So both God, with His sign, and the Beast, with his mark, identify their followers. And both bring death—if disobeyed!


You must choose which mark to take. Choose correctly, because it determines where you will spend eternity.


Now notice again Exodus 31:13: “...Verily My Sabbaths you shall keep: for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that you may know that I am the Lord that does sanctify you.”

So then, in plain terms, the mark of the Beast is Sunday-keeping and the keeping of pagan festivals—in place of God’s weekly and annual Sabbaths! Those who hallow these pegan days are simply worshipping the beast.


Today, there is no governmental power to enforce a global Sunday observance, although some government authorities are already enforcing it with their subjects. However, the final revival of the rejuvenated Roman Empire, comprising of a government sponsored apostate church soon will rise, and again have POWER to enforce Sunday worship on an unsuspecting world. They will cause all mankind worship on sunday and anyone who refuses will not be able to work (the right hand) and ultimately feed themselves. Today, all nations, in one form or another  are unwittingly already following these false ways of “worship”. God warns all who will listen: “Come out of her, My people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues”!


May God help you to heed what you have learned, you can receive divine protection from the living God. Obey God, and be “accounted worthy to escape”! This also brings great reward: “And I saw thrones, and they [the faithful] sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (Rev. 20:4).

The identity of the Beast of Revelation and all the biggest questions connected to it, are now known to you. Some are looking for the Beast, but most think in other terms…


Some Commendations to Apostate Religion


+ They preserved the scriptures
+ Strong community orientation
+ Social Programs
+ Hates abortion
+ Teaches against the faithless practice of birth control
+ Strong school system that still teaches moral absolutes
+ Believes scriptures are God inspired

+ Some have Christian education
+ Many still believe in the infallibility of scripture
+ Most still confess most of the essential doctrines of the faith
+ Some support missionaries
+ Some have good youth and social programs
+ Some discipleship
+ Some evangelism
+ A good grasp on the doctrine of salvation
+ Strong missionary support
+ Mostly Bible centered services
+ Home fellowship groups
+ Charity

+ Enthusiastic worship
+ Strong desire to live out the Christian life
+ Most still expect the literal fulfillment of prophetic scriptures
+ Some still practice the doctrine of baptism by immersion

+ All believe that original scripture is without error



Who then is a Christian?


There are more than two billion people on the earth who identify themselves as Christians, but there are significantly fewer that are really part of the body of Christ. Jesus said you can not enter the kingdom of heaven unless you are converted as little children and born of the Spirit. The new birth from the Holy Spirit occurs when a person truly believes that Jesus is the son of God and trusts in the finished work of Jesus on the cross to atone for their own sins and to justify them before God.


The scriptures say you are saved by faith, not by your own works, lest anyone should boast. We cannot judge if a person who identifies with Christianity is really trusting in Christ or in their religion to save them. If they are trusting in their religion to save them they are no more part of the body of Christ than a Jew or Moslem or any other religion.


True Christianity is more than a religion. It is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This relationship does not depend on having all the correct theology but correct theology will result in more fruitful Christianity. A true Christian is one who is called out of the world, converted by the word of God—REAL CONVERSION. Christianity is not merely “professing Christ as Lord and Saviour” only to deny the faith to some self-imposed doctrine of men afterwards.