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PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 239

September 2, 2005

IF? HOW? WHEN? Those are the Questions? Part 1

What is Your Attitude Concerning Biblical Prophecy?

Is the Bible Inspired? Determines Prophetic Viewpoint!

The attitude that men and women hold worldwide is at least strongly influenced by whether or not they believe the Bible is the inspired Word of the living God, who sent Christ to earth as his only begotten Son. To those who believe it is, the question is never IF a prophesied event will occur, but rather HOW and WHEN it will occur. It is the HOW and WHEN that causes believers to disagree, not IF an event will occur. To believers IT will happen, but HOW and WHEN is open to a wide variance of interpretation, opinion, and speculation. In Luke 21:5,6 Jesus spoke these prophetic words to his first New Testament Church.

Luke 21:5,6 – And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, [6] As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Some 40 years later his prophetic words were fulfilled as recorded in the first part of Luke 21:24, when Titus overran the Temple Mount in 70 AD. (See Prophecy Archive Update Whole Numbers 106 to 111)

Luke 21:24 – And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

I believe the second half of Jesus’ prophetic utterance was fulfilled in 1967 when Israel, for the first time in almost 1900 years recovered the ancient Temple Mount from non-Jews. (See Archive Prophecy Updates 121A, 126A, & 126C)

Jesus also told what would happen on this earth before his Second Advent. Is the Bible inspired? Will it really happen? To the believer it is not a question of IF, but rather HOW and When! Do you believe the following is really going to happen?

Luke 21:25,26 – And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; [26] Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. (See Archive Prophecy Updates

So the question in my mind is not IF it will happen, but HOW and WHEN? And, in all cases, the only way to be prepared for it is to do what Jesus said in Luke 21:33-35. And as you read it, please remember that the only ones present to hear it were the members of the first New Testament church. Church members today would be wise to heed his words that “shall not pass away.”

Luke 21:33-35 – Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. [34] And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. [35] For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

Are you a believer? Then the following Scriptures are not IF they will be fulfilled, but HOW and WHEN the events will come to pass.

Isaiah 29:6 – Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.

Matthew 24:21,22 – For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. [22] And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

The question in a believer’s mind is not IF these events will occur, but HOW and WHEN they will occur. The massive movement of the world’s tectonic plates, which begins on the opening of the sixth seal, and ends after the pouring of the seventh vial, I am certain is HOW the Lord will fulfill the following two Scriptures. (Please see Archive Prophecy Update 180B)

Revelation 6:12 – And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

Revelation 16:17,18 – And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. [18] And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

I have been describing the HOW I believe God, who made the earth, will use it to fulfill his own prophecies. (See Archive Prophecy Update 180B)

God settled the issue of IF they will occur in my heart by his Spirit some 61 years ago. And I am convinced it was by his Spirit the issue of HOW was settled some 30 years ago. If you want to accuse me of having a closed mind on the IF and HOW, feel free to go do, because I am guilty.

But what about the WHEN – I certainly DO NOT have a closed mind on that subject! I have an OPINION on the subject, but cannot be certain if I am correct on the timing until the following actually begins.

I firmly believe that his event will begin on the opening of the sixth seal.

Revelation 6:12-15 – And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; [13] And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. [14] And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. [15] And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; (See Prophecy Archive Updates

So WHEN will the world leaders attain to the attitude they no longer want any public acknowledge of God? Is that happening today? What do you think? How many world leaders pay any attention to God’s desires rather than their own personal interest? They are either at, or rapidly approaching, the level when God will say that is enough, and that IS WHEN the last three and one half years of the tribulation period will begin.

Psalm 2:1-6 – Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? [2] The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, [3] Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. [4] He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. [5] Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. [6] Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

Zechariah 14:9 – And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.

I assure you that Zechariah 14:9 is not in the far distant future, and that the events in the verses preceding it are much closer than many believers realize.

Zecharich 13:8 to 14:9 – And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. [9] And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God. (1) Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. [2] For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. [3] Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. [4] And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. [5] And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. [6] And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: [7] But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. [8] And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. [9] And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.

Psalm 2:6-12 – Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. [7] I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. [8] Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. [9] Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. [10] Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. [11] Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. [12] Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

John 5:40,41 – And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. [41] I receive not honour from men.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 239A

August 4, 2005

No Massive Relief Efforts When the Tribulation Begins!

World Disaster Victims will not Experience any Relief!

The horrifically devastating tsunami that originated off the coast of Sumatra was followed by a massive relief effort to get things restored to a minimal existence for those who lived through it. The devastation left in the wake of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and most of the southernmost sections of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, has staggered the people of the United States. Although it will take a long time, massive relief efforts, now being carried out, will eventually restore a reduced and different lifestyle to those who came through it.

This will not be the case during the coming tribulation period. The only relief available must be supplied by God – It is the relief of knowing Christ as Savior. For some 29 years I have desperately tried to warn people that the two following Scriptures are going to come on this earth that God made long ago, and recently I have advised in Prophecy Updates that is not something that is going to happen in the far distant future, but an event that “is at our doors.”

Isaiah 29:6 – Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest and the flame of devouring fire.

The destruction during this period will begin suddenly and abruptly in the Jordan River when the sixth seal is opened. The interconnections of the world’s tectonic plates will allow this initial great earthquake to be the straw that broke the camel’s back, and it will induce a massive movement of the plates across the entire earth. A series of disasters will be generated along the tectonic plate boundaries which will produce constant surges of tsunami and hurricanes week after week, even in some areas that have never experienced them. (See Archive Prophecy Updates 205, 205A, 205B & 207)

I knew when I wrote my first book, “Tectonic Chaos,” that few would believe it, and that I would be portrayed as an alarmist, like an old white headed man walking up and down the street with a sign board hung over his shoulders that read on the front and back, “THE END IS NEAR.” I wrote it in the 1970’s because I really expected the benefits from it would not be based on whether people believed it when I wrote it, but that when chaos finally did come on the earth they would not be as terrified as if they had never read it. Many who do not believe it have at least read it. Human fear is always heightened by our inability to understand something yet unseen. When we were children, one of the reasons we feared a dark room was our inability to see the unknown imagined to be in the darkness. Fear of the unknown is often the basis of uncontrolled panic and massive confusion. As a pastor, geologist, and meteorologist, I can visualize the fantastic horror that is coming on the earth. Because I know Christ as my Savior I do not fear it, but rather look forward to its beginning. Because I am a believer, and accept the Word of God as being inspired, I have little choice but to believe that Isaiah 29:6 and Matthew 24:21,22 will be fulfilled, as well as the Scriptures which follow.

Luke 21:26-29 – Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. [27] And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. [28] And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

God’s massive relief effort for some 2000 years has been the preaching of the Gospel. Human relief efforts of food, clothing, and shelter will not be available for the thousands of worldwide disasters that will be occurring because of the magnitude of the problem, and public officials will be scrambling for their own survival. Only Christ can provide relief to the human soul for the three and one-half year period of worldwide disaster. It will begin on the opening of the sixth seal and end on the pouring out of the seventh vial.

Revelation 6:12-14 – And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; [13] And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. [14] And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

Revelation 16:16-18 – And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. [17] And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. [18] And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

The lasting relief from the disaster will only occur when Jesus, the Sun of righteousness, returns to the earth to provide it. He is the only one who can provide eternal relief under his protective wings as we grow up as his children, fed by his living word.

Malachi 4:1-3 – For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. [2] But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. [3] And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. (See Archive Prophecy Updates 180B, 181A, 182A, and 182B).

Following high school, the first Institution of Higher Learning course I attended trained me to be a weather observer, and I graduated from the course in 1952. After serving as a weather observer in the Holy Land and French Morocco, I returned in 1953 to attend a course in Meteorological Forecasting, from which I graduated in 1954, and was certified as a meteorologist shortly after graduation. I returned in 1957 for another IHL course, called Advanced Forecasting, from which I graduated in 1958. Oceanography & Tropical Weather Forecasting, received in Advanced Forecasting, have been invaluable to me in being able to see how the earth will be used by the God, who created it, to fulfill his own prophecies by his own power. I have worked in tropical forecasting for the South China Sea zone.

I have already covered the genesis of tsunami in all my books and updates on this web site, but I have not been very prolific in the role of hurricanes in the tribulation period. Since the great disaster produced by hurricane Katrina, this would seem to be an appropriate time to do so.

What we call hurricanes in North and South America, Europe, and Africa, they call typhoons in the Pacific Theater, and tropical cyclones along the shores of the Indian Ocean. Regardless of the different names for the rotating masses of air, they do all have the same basic elements that are both favorable and unfavorable for their initial formation and their continued grown. They begin as a low pressure tropical disturbance. If the winds rotating around the center reach sustained wind speeds of 23 to 38 MPH, it is upgraded to a tropical depression. Once the winds pass into the 39 to 73 MPH zone it is labeled a tropical storm, and once they reach sustained winds speeds of 74 MPH, it is classified as a hurricane.

Of all the ingredients that go into the development and the intensity of hurricanes, none can compare with the water temperature where it forms and the temperature of the water over which it moves. The temperature of the water needs to be at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit. So as that temperature value increases the formation and intensification of hurricanes rises steadily. During the tribulation period, as I have used many Scriptures to validate my case, the magma will be coming up through the faults between the tectonic plates. Two-thirds of the faults are on the ocean and sea floors of the world. This magma will be 1200 to 1600 degrees Centigrade (2200 to 2900 degrees Fahrenheit). The magma will dramatically increase the temperature of the oceans and seas of the world and the increase in the number and intensity of hurricanes will be astronomical. Primarily because of the coriolis force, trade winds, and water temperatures, hurricane formation zones lie between 5 and 25 degrees latitude north in the northern hemisphere, and between 5 and 25 degrees south in the southern hemisphere. But, due to rising ocean and sea temperatures at higher latitudes, hurricanes may generate 10 degrees further north and south in both hemispheres. The heavens of the earth, the water surface of the earth, and the dry land of the earth are all three in for a time of horror like mankind has never seen before. The mass outbreak of volcanic eruptions along the plate boundaries will send fantastic amounts of volcanic clouds of smoke into the stratosphere. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on dry land will drive inhabitants of the earth into the dens and caves of the mountains. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes on the ocean and sea floors will create gigantic tsunamis and hurricanes. It sounds too horrific to be true, doesn’t it? How acutely aware I am of that opinion! More than 99 percent of the world’s six billion plus population would consider it religious fanaticism at its peak. But the things in the Scriptures which follow are going to occur, whether the world population likes it or not!

Luke 21:25 – And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

Haggai 2:6 – For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;

Ezekiel 38:19,20 – For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; [20] So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

And what does the Scripture say God will be doing as all this happens to a godless world population of more that six billion, who have rejected the only true God, and substituted a massive number of different men and material idols for him and for his anointed Son?

Psalm 2:1-5 – Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? [2] The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, [3] Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. [4] He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. [5] Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

What will Christ do when he returns to end the terror?

Psalm 2:6-8 – Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. [7] I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. [8] Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Zechariah 14:9 – And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 239B

September 7, 2005

Armageddon – Not in the Far Distant Future – Part 3

An Exposition of Revelation 16:13 to 18:24

Revelation 16:16 – And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

I am inserting the words of James Henry Thornwell as the preamble of “An Exposition of Revelation 16:13 to 18:24.”

BEGIN QUOTE: “To employ soft words and honeyed phrases in discussing questions of eternal importance; to deal with errors that strike at the foundations of all human hope as if they were harmless and venial mistakes; to bless where God disapproves, and to make apologies where God calls us to stand up like men and assert, though it may be the aptest method of securing popular applause in a sophistical age, is cruelty to man and treachery to Heaven. Those who on such subjects attach more importance to the rules of courtesy than they do to the measures of truth do not defend the citadel, but betray it into the hands of its enemies. Love for Christ, and for the souls for whom he died, will be the exact measure of our zeal in exposing the dangers by which men’s souls are ensnared.” END QUOTE.

James Henry Thornwell was a Presbyterian Minister, and even though I do not agree with many of the views expressed in his writings, I definitely agree with what he had to say in the preceding quote. The quote was timely for me, because I was having reservations about doing the exposition of this particular series when I received it. It reminded me of an obligation God advised Ezekiel to consider as a watchman who sounds to warn those in danger.

Ezekiel 33:3-6 – If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; [4] Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. [5] He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. [6] But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.

The primary Scripture, among those on which I will be expositing in this series, specifically warns those setting under false teachings to break away from the religious “her” that is teaching them today.

Revelation 18:4 – And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

This Scripture lets me know there are saved men and women who are in the “her” of this verse, because it calls them “my people.” The primary purpose of this series is to specifically identify the “her” and to implore those “in her” to come “out of her,” and to warn those “not in her” to stay “out of her.”

Now, I shall continue expositing from where we left off in Part 2.

REVELATION 17:1 – And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

The great whore is the “her” of Revelation 18:4 from 17:1 to 18:24 identified as “the woman,” and is clearly stated to be the great city of Rome in 17:18.

Revelation 17:18 – And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Rome ruled the known world when John was writing the Book of Revelation in exile on the Isle of Patmos. The city boundaries sat on the seven small physical hills of Rome, and spiritually on the foundations of six evil governments of men that preceded the seventh head, which is the government of antichrist. Chronologically, the first six heads represent the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Macedonian, and Roman Empires.

Revelation 17:9 – And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. (Mountains are occasionally used to represent governments in the Scriptures)

REVELATION 17:2 – 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.

Fornication was often used to designate an act of sexual union between two unwed physical personages, which was not acceptable to God. This type of sexual union he considered an unholy physical action that produced an unholy wedding.

II Corinthuians 6:14-18 – Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? [15] And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? [16] And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. [17] Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, [18] And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Revelation 18:4 – And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

The first ungodly wedding of church and state occurred in 313 AD when a grouping of irregular churches united with Rome under Emperor Constantine. It was an act of fornication against God, an unholy union of local churches with the governments of men to gain power to supposedly assist the Spirit of God. The woman of Revelation 17 and 18 is the Catholic Church. Since that time many groups have come out of her, and have, at one time or another, also have been designated as state religions by countries across the globe. Many that broke away from her carried some of the leaven of her false teaching with them, and have become almost as corrupt as she is today.

The “many waters” on which the “whore” sits are identified as “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” This great religious prostitute from the truth is identified and geographically located in Revelation 17:18 as “that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” And in John’s day that city was Rome. Today, the most widespread religious organization in the world has its tentacles spread across the earth from its headquarters in Rome.

The kings of all the earth have had continuous dealings with the great Vatican government of Rome down through the ages. The history of the Catholic Church has long been one of political involvement in the affairs of nations and kings. Many nations and kings have been intoxicated with her religious wine that dulls the conscience of lost souls.

REVELATION 17:3 – 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.

The “wilderness” as used here refers to a world filled with spiritual darkness. The woman claims to be filled with spiritual light, and to be able to see, to understand, the kingdom of God. But like the Pharisees of old, who claimed to be full of light, the light that is in her is the same spiritual darkness, and it is an ever greater degree of darkness because she actually thinks she sees light.

John 3:3 – Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot SEE the kingdom of God.

Matthew 6:23 – But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

In verse 17:3 John sees the “woman” setting on the back of a “scarlet colored beast.” This is the same beast described in previous chapters as having “seven heads and ten horns” – But here it represents the supposedly resurrected Antichrist. And here, in Chapter 18, he has a new color – he is “scarlet colored.” Why has he changed colors between Revelation 13 and 17? Because, when we saw the first beast in Revelation 13:1, he had one head that had been “wounded to death” – but he was still alive – he was still a non-resurrected man. But now, in Revelation 17:3 we see him as counterfeiting Christ in shedding his blood. He claims his wound by a sword was the shedding of his blood for his religious world followers, but that he had now risen from the dead to be their eternal king. He is the blood colored Lamb of Satan. Satan is going to counterfeit the real Christ so well that only those who really know the truth will recognize his counterfeit. I worship the blood stained Lamb of God – They will worship the scarlet colored beast of Satan.

REVELATION 17:4,5 – 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.

The Protestant Reformation was a great thing, because many believers could no longer stand the level of heresy to which the Catholic Church had ascended. It is very unfortunate that the breakaways carried some of the earliest heresies of the second to the fourth century with them when they came out, allowing Catholicism to be labeled as “the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.”

Verses four and five are perfect illustrations of all the wealth, pomp, power, ritual, and ceremony associated with the Catholic Church and world religion today.

REVELATION 17:6 – 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.

Verse six requires little comment – hundreds of volumes have been amassed by countless writers attesting to horrible killing and torture of true believers by the Catholic Church before and during the Reformation. One day she will answer for all long trail of blood of the saints.

The “woman” represents the great apostasy from worship in spirit and in truth. She rides on the Antichrist because he will support her after she confirms his phony resurrection as genuine. When he makes his claim to have returned from the dead, the leader of the apostate church, who will be the false prophet pope of Rome, will recognize his resurrection as a true miracle, and the followers of this apostate church will believe it. The world religious leader will be the false prophet of Revelation 13. After this all of the great world religious leaders of the known world of John’s day will fall into line one by one.

If the idea of a fake resurrected Islamic antichrist being followed by the disciples of Islam seems strange, please consider the rest of this Update.

During my 20 plus years in military service, from time to time I went to school with the followers of Islam, and trained one in meteorological severe weather prediction at the Federal Office building in Kansas City, Missouri. The information which follows is about a traditional teaching involving the arrival of an Islamic Imam Mahdi (al-Imam al-Mahdi) at the end of this last age before the resurrection. The word Imam means “to walk before,” and carries the title of Caliph, and the word “Mahdi” means “a leader, and a spiritual guide and director.” The Muslims expect this leader and prophet to appear on the earth before the world ends, and he is expected to be the Islamic Messiah. The belief is based on thousands of traditions that claim to go all the way back to the Koran, but I have never been able to find a legitimate reference in the Koran without twisting its context. Of course, I do not believe Islamic tradition or the Koran, but what I believe is beside the point. The point is that most Muslims do believe it. So when a man does arise among them they can label as an Imam Mahdi, then I believe he will be the antichrist of which the Bible teaches, which I do believe, and it will make it much easier for some 700 million Muslims, most of which live in the Middle East, to follow him in a great and united Jihad against Israel. The al-Imam al-Mahdi will carry the title “The Just Leader of Humanity.”

Even though it cannot be found in the Koran, there are a large number of learned Muslims who claim the belief in Mahdi was widespread during Muhammad’s lifetime among them. Many say on more than one occasion he had announced the future coming of the Mahdi, and that at times he would inform the people about Mahdi’s wonderful government, plus the signs preceding his rise among the people. Ancient Islamic documents do quote the Prophet as saying: “The world will not come to an end until a man from my family line, who will be called al-Mahdi, emerges to rule my community.” A couple of other quotes from Islamic documents are also valuable in understand Muslim beliefs on this subject; one makes a statement that is quoted as having been uttered by the Prophet three times: “Listen to the good news about the Mahdi! He will rise at the time when the people will be faced with severe conflict and the earth will be hit by a violent quake. He will fill the earth with justice and equality as it is filled with injustice and tyranny. He will fill the hearts of his followers with devotion and will spread justice everywhere (Mihal, Vol. 1, p .256: Firaq, p. 62).” And, in Milal, Vol. 1, pp. 273, 278 and Firaq, pp. 67, 80, 83, the Prophet has declared: “The day of Resurrection will not take place until the True Qa’im rises. This will happen when God permits him to do so. Anyone who follows him will be saved, and anyone who opposes him will perish. O servants of God, keep God in your mind and go towards him even if it happens to be on the ice, for indeed he is the Caliph of God, the Exalted and Glorified, and my successor.”

Shiites revere 12 Imams historically, the last of whom is believed to be currently in hiding, but will make himself known to Islam as the al-Mahdi in the last days of this age. There is also a traditional teaching that he will rise from the dead before the end of time.

The subject of Imams is what led to the great split in the Islamic ranks between the Sunni, the largest party, and the Shiite, the second largest party. But the Kurds and other splinter groups also have their religious Imams, which is one of the major reasons there can never be a democracy in Iraq, because of the bitter enmity between the Islamic divisions. However, if a strong leader, with great religious charisma, should arise out of hiding to unite them all in the belief he was the Imam Mahdi of Islamic tradition with the power of Allah, the fanaticism of the Muslims would create much more than just an occasional suicide bomber – It would generate a massive flood of millions charging across the northern border of Israel unafraid of death. Of course, I do not believe the Koran or the traditional teachings of Islam. I decided long ago, from Micah 5:1-9, that the antichrist would be of Assyrian lineage, and would come out of the area that included Lebanon, extreme southern Turkey, Syria, northern Iraq, or the extreme tip of northwestern Iran (See Prophecy Updates 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, and 69 in our Prophecy Archives). And I am confident he will be of the Islamic faith (See Prophecy Updates 160B and 161C in our Prophecy Archives). If you really want your eyes opened to what was taught prophetically before 1740, then check out the following Prophecy Updates in our archives: 73D, 74A, 78, 82A, 114A, 117B, 56, 57, 58, 123B and 123D. It may be you will discover that what is going on now in the Middle East fits what pre-1740 prophetic teachings indicated would be happening, in the last days, more accurately than the twentieth century popular teachings of end time events. As I stated earlier, I do not believe the Koran or Islamic traditional teaching, but it is ironic that they are primed to receive the one we call the antichrist from their own writings, which identify him as their Messiah. Before too much longer I expect a man from within the area I previously identified, probably Syria, to be manifested as someone behind which all Muslims can unite to meet their goal of driving Israel out of the land from Dan to Beersheba, and with a view toward overcoming all the infidels in the name of Allah.

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 240

September 9, 2005

IF? HOW? WHEN? Those are the Questions? Part 2

Matthew 24:35 – Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Isaiah 55:11 – So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

What is Your Attitude Concerning Biblical Prophecy?

Is the Bible Inspired? It Determines Prophetic Viewpoint!

The attitude that men and women hold worldwide is at least strongly influenced by whether or not they believe the Bible is the inspired Word of the living God, who sent Christ to earth as his only begotten Son. To those who believe it is, the question is never IF a prophesied event will occur, but rather HOW and WHEN it will occur. It is the HOW and WHEN that causes believers to disagree, not IF an event will occur. To believers IT will happen, but HOW and WHEN is open to a wide variance of interpretation, opinion, and speculation. In Luke 17:26-29 Jesus spoke these prophetic words to his first New Testament Church. Do you believe them?

Luke 17:26-29 – And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. [27] They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until THE DAY that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. [28] Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; [29] But THE SAME DAY that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

Do you believe the word of God? Do you really believe it is inspired? If you do, you will believe Luke 21:26-29. And, quite simply, if you don’t, you won’t? It has been almost two thousand years since these Jesus uttered the words you just read, and it has not yet happened. Does that mean it will never happen? The following verse did keep me on the lecture trail for some 30 years. It has helped me stand against adversity and criticism since I received my call into the ministry of the Word.

I have lectured in more than 800 MB churches, some 21 seminaries, colleges and universities, and many public schools. This activity, along with the three books I have written, has been sprinkled around the globe. I never really expected it to be accepted, but Isaiah 55:11 has kept me going. No, it isn’t my time for a pity party, and please don’t send me any. I was in my forties when all this began in the seventies, and I knew full well exactly what I was getting into before I started this race. I knew it would cost me friends in the ministry and, at times, criticism and ridicule, but I have always been willing to wait for the judgment seat of Christ to sort all that out. I also knew it would cause me problems in the circle of my immediate family and relatives, and indeed it has, but I cannot say I was not warned. It has caused me great sadness to see some of my own relations fail to realize that God’s judgment has, is, and will soon come upon this earth. And, when his judgment begins in earnest it will be worldwide, and its scope and intensity will be beyond imagination. My choice has caused me to decide between which I love the MOST, my relationships or God.

Matthew 10:34-38 – Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. [35] For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. [36] And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. [37] He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. [38] And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

I never really expected very many people to believe what I have written and taught for some 31 years, not even those of my own kin, but if a man is convinced he is doing what God meant for him to do with the life lived by his saved soul, and fails to do so, he has lost that life he could have lived for Christ. In spite of what the last 31 years have cost me, it has certainly been more than worth it all.

Matthew 10:39 – He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

What was it like in the days when man reached a state of such unbelievable degradation that God deemed it necessary to destroy mankind, and start a new world?

Genesis 6:5-8 – And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. [6] And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. [7] And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. [8] But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

God used his own creation to flood the earth and the first places to be submerged under water were the low lying coastal cities of the world. Only God’s grace is going to spare those when he begins his full blown time of judgment on it. How would you describe the world of today? Would you say the following description of mankind’s condition just before the flood matched how it is today?

Genesis 6:12,13 – And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. [13] And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I WILL DESTROY THEM WITH THE EARTH.

Did mankind believe God’s message of warning he had Noah preach to them?

II Peter 2:5 – And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

Romans 4:3 – For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Could God find ten righteous men in Sodom that would heed his warning of judgment?

Does mankind believe God’s warning of his judgment on the earth, or are they just so caught up in their every day lives that they are making no effort to worship God in Spirit and in truth? Will both the saved and the lost be suddenly caught in a snare, because they are sure that all this is in the distant future? Was it like that before the flood and Sodom and Gomorrah? Were the people worshipping God in Spirit and in truth, or were they just going about in their routine lifestyles with no thought of God’s will for their lives? Was it just a typical day in their everyday life that suddenly found them in a state of shock and terror?

Luke 17:26-29 – And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. [27] They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, UNTIL the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood CAME, and destroyed them all. [28] Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; [29] But the SAME DAY that Lot went out of Sodom IT rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

Will God’s judgment upon mankind, when it actually begins, be as sudden and abrupt as it was in the days of Noah and Lot? I have long taught that the earthquake, found in Revelation 6:12, which is the first earthquake in the book, marks the beginning of God’s worldwide judgment upon mankind in a degree never experienced.

All the coastal cities of the world were the first to be submerged by the flood of Noah’s day, and the coastal cities of Sodom and Gomorrah sank beneath the waters of the Dead Sea after their fire and brimstone episode.

The horrendous destruction that resulted from tectonic plate activity in Sumatra in 2004, and now by Katrina, produced a tremendous impact on the world. But how long will the terrifying picture cause mankind to even consider that events like this are going to be affecting the entire world by the hundreds for some three and one-half years in the tribulation period. Most men and women do not believe the prophecies of the Bible, and many of those who do, dismiss it by blocking it out as something that will happen, but not in their lifetimes. They will not make time to worship God while they still have physical life.

I thank God for the survivors of the Sumatra and Gulf Coast disasters and for the efforts at all levels that are being made to provide help to them. I would ask you to please bear something in mind as we join together in an effort to meet their need. There were only eight persons that survived God’s judgment on the earth during the days of Noah, and only three that survived Sodom and Gomorrah. There will be no massive relief efforts to help the survivors of the tribulation period. Yes, most assuredly, I am concerned about helping the survivors of the Gulf Coast disaster, but I am also concerned that millions of men and women will perish without Christ during the sudden onslaught of the tribulation period.

So, what effect do I believe this Update will have on the souls of the world’s six billion plus population? Very little! But if I preached or taught God’s word for the results to be immediate, I would have ceased to do so long ago. The Gulf Coast disaster will remain in the public’s mind for some time. After all the immediate actions to provide relief have finished, and all the praise has been heaped on those who provided it, then the real problems will surface. The joy of relief will eventually be turned into finger pointing as to who should have done what, where, when, and why? Sides will be taken pro and con? Preachers will be accusing one another of what they should have done and did not, and debating if this disaster was from God. PLEASE LEAVE ME OUT OF ALL THIS ACCUSING WHO SHOULD HAVE DONE WHAT, OR DEBATING WHETHER SUMATRA AND THE GULF COAST WERE GOD’S JUDGMENTS! I believe we should help the survivors now! And while we are helping them, we should remind one another there is coming a time when God alone will be the only help during the tribulation period.

The problem of peoples evacuated out of New Orleans is going to remind us for some time, because it will stir up even more controversy between mindsets of divergent opinion among the many facets of society. The real push and shove, active grumbling and complaining, and general consternation, will come when those evacuated begin to be merged into the societies where they have been temporarily quartered. I intend to financially help the evacuees, and to warn those who make up the rest of the world’s population that a much greater series of disasters is looming in the future of this generation. But as to what you intend to do, that is not my business, it is yours!

Every time there is a disaster there are several different viewpoints that ripple through the American mindset.

(1) How could God allow this to happen?

(2) There is no God, because if there were he would never have allowed this to happen.

(3) God did this because of all the evil that was occurring in the area the disaster occurred.

(4) This is a judgment by God on all mankind in general.

(5) How dare you say there was evil where the disaster occurred?

There are many other variations of the five viewpoints just expressed, and some that are quite different. Please allow me to express mine. I try not to have a viewpoint about individual disasters! Why? It only causes controversy and hatred between the groups that hold differing viewpoints, but I am concerned about a future judgment that is coming on all mankind of an unbelievable magnitude, which the Bible presents in graphic detail. When it occurs there will be very little room for the expression or debate of individual viewpoints. It will be by God and should settle two questions, “Is there a God?,” and “Is this his personal judgment on the evil of mankind?” I am concerned about six billion plus humans on this earth, the vast majority of which do not believe the warnings of God in his word concerning this coming worldwide horrific outbreak of disasters that will go on for three and one-half years. The only reason I use individual disasters, such as the Sumatra and Gulf Coast Disasters, is to remind mankind that events like them will be occurring across the earth by the hundreds during the tribulation period and, if you don’t have your faith in Christ to save you from damnation in hell, then you need to do so, because the odds of your dying in the tribulation period are almost a sure bet. And, if you do know Christ as your savior, then you need to start worshipping him in Spirit and in truth. I am convinced that whatever you intend to do, you had better do it soon. Please consider the following Scriptures.

Acts 20:21 – Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

John 5:40 – And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

Matthew 11:28-30 – Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

John 4:23,24 – But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. [24] God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Acts 2:41,42 – Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. [42] And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 240A

September 10, 2005

Armageddon – Not in the Far Distant Future – Part 4

An Exposition of Revelation 16:13 to 18:24

Revelation 16:16 – And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

Revelation 18:4 – And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

This Scripture lets me know there are saved men and women who are in the “her” of this verse, because it calls them “my people.” The primary purpose of this series is to specifically identify the “her” and to implore those “in her” to come “out of her”, and to warn those “not in her” to stay “out of her.”

Now, I shall continue expositing from where we left off in Part 3.

REVELATION 17:6 – 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.

The “woman” represents the great apostasy from worship in spirit and in truth. She rides on the Antichrist because he will support her after she confirms his phony resurrection as genuine. When he makes his claim to have returned from the dead, the leader of the apostate church, who will be the false prophet pope of Rome, will recognize his resurrection as a true miracle, and the followers of this apostate church will believe it. The world religious leader will be the false prophet of Revelation 13. After this event, all of the great world religious leaders, living in the known world of John’s day, will fall into line one by one.

REVELATION 17:7-14 – 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.

The best way to explain Revelation 17:7-14 is to exposit on Revelation 13:3,4.

Revelation 13:3 – 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.

The seven heads of the beast represent seven evil empires that that have, or shall, persecute the nation of Israel. They are, from the first to the seventh – The Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, Roman, and the soon coming seventh empire of the antichrist, which is the wounded head on John’s beast, but represents the little horn that arises from the midst of the ten horns on the fourth beast of Daniel.

Daniel 7:8,21 – 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. [21] I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

John symbolizes antichrist as a bleeding head on his first beast, while Daniel pictures him as the eleventh horn on his fourth beast.

Revelation 13:3 – 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.

The word “deadly” is “thanatos.” It is an adjective used as a noun. It simply means “death.” A deadly wound is a wound that renders someone dead. A deadly wound, unless miraculously healed, is a wound from which the recipient dies stone, cold, dead. Some say that this represents the fourth beast of Daniel, which would be the sixth beast of John, but this same bleeding head on John’s first beast later becomes a non-bleeding head on John’s second beast.

Apparently, the antichrist, who is represented as being the king of the seventh head, suffers a wound from a weapon of war that would kill an ordinary man, but he miraculously recovers. This would explain the last two sentences in the next verse.

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

The world, as a whole, has never been privy to a confirmed, visual, return of a man from the spiritual world. We accept the resurrection of Christ by faith. The world has long sought for absolute proof of the resurrection of a stone cold dead human. They may finally receive it in the return to life of antichrist from a wound that would kill any other man. Who on this earth could be said to be “like unto” such a man? And how would one be able to win a war against someone who could keep coming back from the dead? In Revelation 13:12 he is again referred to as “the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed,” and in 13:14 as “the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” When John wrote the Book of Revelation the first five kings, which pictured the “mountain” empires of Assyria, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, and Greece, had already fallen, and he was writing during the “one is” Roman Empire, which was the sixth. He indicated that one was yet to come, which will be the seventh empire of antichrist. But if the antichrist, as the king of the seventh empire dies from a deadly wound, and then returns as a resurrected man indwelt totally by the spirit of the dragon, he would, in reality, have been the king of both the seventh and eighth empires. He would be the king of an Islamic Empire that would last for three and one-half years.

Revelation 17:10-14 – 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.

“That was” means the beast was previously alive. “And is not” means the beast died. “Even he is” means he came back to life to be the eighth. It is difficult to follow the personification changes of the antichrist from his rise to power to his fall. At times he is represented as a dying head on the first beast that comes back to life on the second beast. Sometimes he is a part of the beast, and sometimes he is the beast. However, in most of the cases in Revelation 13, 17, and 18, he is identified as the entire beast.

Revelation 19:19-21 – And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. [20] And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. [21] And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

Daniel 7:11-14 – I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. [12] As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. [13] I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. [14] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 240B

September 13, 2005

Armageddon – Not in the Far Distant Future – Part 5

An Exposition of Revelation 16:13 to 18:24

Revelation 16:16-19 – And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. [17] And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. [18] And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. [19] And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

Revelation 18:4 – And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

This Scripture lets me know there are saved men and women who are in the “her” of this verse, because it calls them “my people.” The primary purpose of this series is to specifically identify the “her” and to implore those in “her” to come “out of her, and to warn those “not in her” to stay “out of her.”

Now, I shall continue expositing from where we left off in Part 4.

REVELATION 17:15-17 – 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.

The ten horns are ten Arab kings who will soon come against Israel led by the Antichrist, who is the eleventh horn on Daniel’s fourth beast.

Daniel 7:24-28 – And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. [25] And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

The ten Arab kings will accept the Antichrist as their leader “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.” The Prophet Mohammad loudly proclaimed he was God’s prophet, and he was supposedly called by the angel Gabriel. Today some 400 million followers of Allah are scattered across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and southeastern Europe, and they believe that Allah is God. Allah is a word compounded of the article “al” and the word “ilah,” which means “the God.” I believe the Catholic faith will accept the Antichrist as the “O Theos” (the God), and the Islamic faith will accept him as Allah (the God). Most of the many faiths would love to have a flesh and blood man to lead them, one who had returned from the dead. Many different faiths across the earth have multiple gods – some sects in India have hundreds of gods – but each sect always has one god who is more powerful than all the others. All the religions, both small and great, will believe that the beast is that one most powerful god in their worship system.

Unfortunately for the “woman,” the Arabs have always hated religious Christianity, and near the end of the tribulation period they will vent their full religious zeal on the religious woman of Rome. John attests to the woman’s final destruction by the sons of Allah in verse sixteen – “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.”

REVELATION 17:18 – And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

The woman identified as “The Whore of Babylon” sits in Rome with her tentacles extended across the earth to influence the world with her false teachings. I believe it will be in Rome that the false prophet of Revelation 13 will arise and, for a while Rome will ride high on the beast as a supporter of its cause against Israel, but after Israel is driven into the Negev the beast will turn on the Catholic churches in Islamic churches with a vengeance.

The false prophet of Revelation will play a major role in end time events and I believe will relate quite well with what I call “leader worship,” which both Catholic and Islam practice when it comes to idolizing statues of men.

Revelation 13:14 – And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

For an exposition of “them that dwell on the earth” consult our Archives for Prophecy Updates 77, 77A, 77B, and 77C. It is used as a hyperbole, and means the “known” world when John wrote the book of Revelation. For an exposition of “had the wound by a sword, and did live,” consult previous updates in this series.

“THAT THEY SHOULD MAKE AN IMAGE TO THE BEAST”

My AWS and NSA career carried me to assignments in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. During these assignments I became familiar with the religious beliefs of many different areas across the earth. I can assure you that the knowledge of the information contained in the areas of biblical prophecy writings from Genesis to Revelation is not known by 99.9 percent of those who make up the Islamic faith. But their dictatorial leaders down through the centuries have established a definite pattern of self-aggrandizement by the creation of massive images of themselves in public places. When one goes to Syria, Iraq, Jordan, or Egypt, he or she is met by a constant series of statues, huge pictures or banners of the current leader, along with musical voices on loud speakers sounding out his praises. I can also assure you that the creation of images, statues, and other visible artifacts is found to abound in catholic worship across the surface of the planet. I will also assure you that an actual knowledge of prophetic teachings is not obtained by private study of the scriptures by individual Catholics in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. What pitifully little they do obtain is taught by the priests, and very, very little is taught from the book of Revelation. I will guarantee that the average parish attendee of catholic services in these areas knows nothing about the book of Revelation. So it would be child’s play to get both Catholics and Muslims to worship the image of a man whom the false prophet said had been resurrected from the dead. There would only be an extremely small minority in these areas that would refuse to do so, and they would be among those who worship Christ only as the total sacrifice for their sins. They would be killed for failing to worship the image.

Revelation 13:15 – And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

This may be an absolute miracle where a statue does seem to come to life and speak. However, it is more likely it is the image of the beast on a worldwide television screen, or a voice from a recording inside a statue, which calls them to worship him, similarly to the call to worship that now occurs across the Islamic world several times a day from Muslim towers, when they bow down toward Mecca in answer to the call. The daily call to fall down and worship toward where the image was located would not be difficult to obtain from either Muslim or Catholic beliefs. But in the U.S. and most countries of the post-Columbus New World it would be most unlikely to be accepted. Please review Prophecy Update Numbers 77, 77A, 77B, and 77C for an exposition on the size of the Antichrist’s final empire and where he is in absolute control. This will also help to better understand the “all” to which John refers in the next verse. It refers to the “known” world of John’s day.

Revelation 13:16 – 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:

I believe the mark of the beast will only be forced on the peoples of what is often referred to as “the old world.”

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 241

September 15, 2005

IF? HOW? WHEN? Those are the Questions? Part 3

Luke 21:35 – For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

I am very much afraid that this Scripture is going to be fulfilled in the not too distant future for both believers and unbelievers – unbelievers because they don’t accept Jesus as the coming Messiah, and for believers because many of them believe the rapture theories that came out of the great evangelical movement after 1740. Believers also hold to the very popular teaching that antichrist will arise in the northern half of what was once the great Roman Empire, and they are waiting to see him come on the scene in the European Union. Additionally, most reject the pre-1740 teaching that the three “he’s” in Daniel 9:27 refer to Christ, and not the antichrist, and think it ridiculous to believe that the prophecies of Daniel, Ezekiel, Revelation, etc. may all be fulfilled in the area of the known world when they were written, and not in the entire earth as we know it today. In the first edition of my first book, “Tectonic Chaos,” I began to warn those who would listen of the tectonic chaos the Bible said would come on this earth. Also, in the same edition, which I wrote in 1975, on page 78, I warned of the antichrist coming out of Syria, and that the 10 horns in Daniel and Revelation, plus the 10 toes of Daniel, were Arab nations. Please consider the following quote from 1975, which seemed insane to many at that time, but the possibility of it being correct doesn’t seem too farfetched today.

QUOTE – FIRST EDITION “TECTONIC CHAOS”

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

The seven heads of the beast in Revelation 13:1 represent six great world governments of the past in which Satan has been actively involved. The seventh government is rising at the present time around Israel, and will produce the antichrist. Prior to God separating from his wife, the nation of Israel, six great world governments utilized the power of Satan to affect her. These six great world empires that existed before, and at, the time of the cross are, in chronological order, are (1) The Egyptian, (2) The Assyrian, (3) The Babylonian, (4) The Medo-Persian, (5) The Grecian, and (6) the Roman.

The seventh kingdom (head) will incorporate all the cunning and skill in the arts and sciences that have been handed down from the six previous empires. Man has come a long way since the days of the cruel Egyptian Pharaoh of the Exodus, but all that modern man has learned is based on the root contributions of these six empires – and soon all the knowledge and expertise of sinful mankind will be centered in the seventh kingdom.

The ten horns of Revelation 13:1 are ten Arab nations that will form the nucleus of the seventh kingdom, and the ten crowns are the kings that will rule them. For years we have pictured the typical Arab as a scrawny little fellow on a camel in the desert with a comic smile on his face. This viewpoint is quickly changing. Oil is slowly replacing the dollar in international importance – and soon ten Arab nations will have gained economic control of much of the earth’s wealth.”

END QUOTE FROM 1975 “TECTONIC CHAOS”

What is Your Attitude Concerning Biblical Prophecy? Is the Bible Inspired? It Determines Your Prophetic Viewpoint!

Some 40 years later his prophetic words were fulfilled as recorded in the first part of Luke 21:24, when Titus overran the Temple Mount in 70 AD. (See Prophecy Archive Update 111)

But what about the following prediction by the Spirit of Christ, concerning the state of Israel’s final generation, when once again they will be overrun before the fullness of the Gentile Age comes in some three and a half years later.

Romans 11:25 – For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

I Thessalonians 5:3,4 – For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. [4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

I believe HOW this prophecy will be fulfilled is coming into view in Israel and across the Middle East at the present time. When the disengagement process is over, the security barrier is finished, and the terror groups confined inside it then, for the first time since Titus and his army leveled the Temple Mount in 70 AD, Israel will begin to believe and say, “Now we finally have peace and safety.” (See Prophecy Update 12)

So, WHEN they come to this mindset as a people, then sudden destruction will come upon them from the north in the person of 10 Arab nations led by the antichrist. It will be a lightning surprise Jihad, and will bring sudden destruction to some two-thirds of the Israeli population. Israel will be driven into the Negev Wilderness south of Beersheba, where she will remain for three and one half years.

So WHEN will this attack occur? I can only give an opinion as to the calendar year of occurrence. And in order to put it in a way that may at least be of some use, I believe it could occur as early as 2007.

WHEN it occurs, the following prophecies will begin to be fulfilled quite rapidly concerning the antichrist and the attack.

Daniel 11:41 – He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. (See Archive Prophecy Update 46)

Zechariah 13:8 – And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. (See Archive Prophecy Update 7)

Revelation 12:6 – And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. (See Archive Birth Pang 43)

HOW will the last 1260 days of the tribulation end?

Daniel 11:45 to 12:1 –And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. [1] And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. (See Archive Prophecy Update 52)

Luke 21:11,28 – And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. [28] And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 241A

September 18, 2005

Armageddon – Not in the Far Distant Future – Part 6

An Exposition of Revelation 16:13 to 18:24

Revelation 18:4 – And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Now, I shall continue expositing from where we left off in Part 5.

Revelation 18:1,2 – And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. [2] And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

The irregular churches in the late first century, until they united with the Roman Empire under Constantine, had already introduced baptismal regeneration, which naturally caused them to start baptizing infants, and in the fifth century infant baptism was established as a law of the Catholic Church. Worship of the Virgin Mary and the sale of Indulgences began in the fifth century, and the doctrine of Purgatory was introduced in the seventh century, followed by saint and image worship in the eighth century. Infant communion was initiated in the tenth century, transubstantiation of the elements of communion in the eleventh century, and confession of sins to the priest (auricular confession) in 1215. The Bible was deemed to be forbidden for the common man in 1229, and the Catholic inquisition began in 1231. All of these unscriptural doctrines and practices finally led to the great Protestant Reformation.

The Spirit warned us in the Word by Jude that there would be a departure from “the” faith. “The” faith has the definite article preceding it because it does not refer to the doctrine of salvation alone, but to a system of the teachings of Christ that were once delivered to the first church that Jesus called out and organized, and to the chains of churches commissioned out of it. The Spirit provided the system of doctrine recorded in the New Testament. It was never necessary to add to, or take away from, those teachings recorded in the completed New Testament. The New Testament was to be the only rule of faith and of practice for all of the local churches of the Lord.

Jude 1:3,4 – Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. [4] For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

A church that denies the full efficiency of the blood of Christ to be the full atonement for all sins, has turned the grace of God into lasciviousness, and denies that the one time sacrifice was enough, having to add baptism and church sacraments to it. The men who crept into the first New Testament churches introduced the errors that caused them to become irregular churches. And those irregular churches are the ones that united in the marriage of church and state under the famous Roman Emperor Constantine. This merger of church and state is what we now identify as the Catholic Church.

These men who teach false doctrine appear outwardly to be more submitted to God at times than those who are truly committed to Christ.

II Corinthians 11:14,15 – And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. [15] Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

I Timothy 4:1-3 – Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; [2] Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; [3] Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

The Catholic Church long ago departed from “the” faith, “giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.” And this is how she became “the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit.” She is “a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.”

REVELATION 18:2 – And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

Many false teachers crept into the churches, and caused them to be irregular because of their additions to the Word. They were the tare seeds of the Devil, and in Scripture “unclean and hateful birds” are associated with “the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit.” The Devil has been planting religion’s tare seeds among God’s seed in local churches from the beginning.

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

The Lord knew the Family of God, made up of all his children, would grow to encircle the entire earth. We often show a tree with the names of our family hanging out on the branches. God’s tree consists of all believers of all the ages. Some believers exist in most churches, even if the church is irregular in belief. The Lord gave the parable of the tares and the wheat to tell believers not to physically and violently try to remove the tares, which are the Devil’s seed, from among them. It would cause some of the true believers to be rooted out which were not the Devil’s seed. He advised all believers his angels would separate the tares (Devil’s seed) from the wheat (God’s seed) at the end of this age.

Matthew 13:24-30 – Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: [25] But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. [26] But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. [27] So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? [28] He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? [29] But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. [30] Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

There will be many tares who thought they were saints, which will be shocked to hear that Jesus never knew them as his children. They will have prophesied in his name, cast out devils in his name, and performed great miracles in his name, but none of what they did was by his power.

Matthew 7:19-23 – Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. [20] Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. [21] Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? [23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

As Jesus ended the parable of the tares and the wheat, he continued on the same theme in the next parable on the great growth and branching out of his kingdom, but warned that certain types of unclean birds would find lodging places in it, while not actually receiving the sap from the tree itself. They would lodge in the tree, but they would not be a spiritual fed part of his tree.

Matthew 13:31,32 – Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: [32] Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

The birds are the evil tares of Matthew 13:24-30, and they represent the unclean and hateful birds that are caged in the Vatican City.

The Roman Catholic Church is filled with unbelievers of the truth, because they do not teach nor know the truth. They think themselves to be the temple of God, but they are a habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit. If you are a believer you need to “come out of her,” because you should not desire to remain yoked spiritually with non-spiritually fed unbelievers.

II Corinthians 6:14-18 – Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? [15] And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? [16] And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. [17] Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, [18] And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

At the beginning of this Update, I listed the doctrines the Catholic Church has added to the completed New Testament. If you are a believer in Christ as the total atonement for your sins, you need to come out of her for the following reason.

REVELATION 18:4 – And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Revelation 22:18 – For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

REVELATION 18:5 – For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Her sins have reached to heaven because they are based on her ritual of self-righteousness. They have ever been increasing in depth skyward toward heaven because they have never been taken away by faith in Christ’s righteousness alone as total atonement for all sins. She has no concept of the grace of God in Christ Jesus. She preaches it from her lips, but adds forms of works to receive it, and continued works to retain it after having supposedly received it. She has rewarded God’s plan of salvation by grace alone with her own plan of salvation by grace and works. God will reward her double for adding works to grace by judging her and finding her wanting in works performed by grace. She has glorified herself and her works, thinking she sits as God’s bride, the queen of heaven by her works of righteousness.

REVELATION 18:6 – Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. [7] How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

The Catholic Church believes she is the bride of Christ, the queen of heaven, but the beast will buck her off his back and burn her churches in his domain, and God’s plagues will come upon her in one day.

Revelation 17:1,15,16 – And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: [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.

REVELATION 18:8 – Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 241B

September 20, 2005

Armageddon – Not in the Far Distant Future – Part 7

An Exposition of Revelation 16:13 to 18:24

Revelation 18:4 – And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Now, I shall continue expositing from where we left off in Part 6.

REVELATION 18:3 – For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

Paul, when writing to the Church at Corinth, indicated that he was concerned about the way some of the things were being done in the church, one of which involved one of the ordinances of the church, namely the way the Lord’s Supper or communion was being observed. Of all the churches to whom Paul wrote epistles, none was rebuked like the Church at Corinth. Not only did the Catholic Church turn the ordinance of baptism into a sacrament necessary for salvation, but they also did the same with the ordinance of communion. In the last Update, Part 6, I listed her many heretical departures from “the” faith that was one once delivered to the first New Testament saints from the first century through the eleventh. The Catholic Church has committed what amounts to spiritual fornication toward Christ.

Paul reminded the Church at Corinth that she was only espoused to one husband, the Lord Christ Jesus, and she should remain a chaste virgin by obeying him until he came for her.

II Corinthians 11:2,3 – For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. [3] But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Churches that remain faithful in obeying the one for which they are waiting, according to the instructions in the New Testament, represent chaste virgins, but the Catholic Church represents an apostate whore for they have changed, manipulated, and mutilated “the” faith once delivered to the saints. Those irregular churches that existed in history before 313 AD, merged together in a marriage of church and state under the Emperor Constantine, and few churches have had their minds more corrupted by the devil from the simplicity that is Christ. The consciences of most of their teachers have been sealed over with a hot iron.

The union of church and state when irregular churches merged together as a body united with Constantine was her beginning. The nations and kings of this earth that have united with her will experience wrath because of it. She has become the richest religious body on this earth, even though her treasury has been somewhat affected by withdrawals from lawsuits for homosexuality. The sale of Catholic statues, jewelry, artifacts, relics, and a bevy of other associated money making practices, have made a ready market for the merchants of this world down through the ages.

Revelation 18:4 – And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

The message is very simple – If you are a part of the Catholic Church, come out of her – If you are not, stay out of her.

I had already exposited up to Revelation 18:8 in Update six, so I will now pick up at 18:8 in Update seven.

Revelation 18:8 – Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

The Catholic Church believes it is represented as the wife of God, the bride of Christ. She believes she is the apple of God’s eye. She is completely unaware that her great departure from “the” faith caused God to declare her a widow from the faith that died in her. She is also totally unaware of the great sorrow that is to come on her for adding to, manipulating, and mutating the truth of the New Testament.

Revevlation 18:8 – Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

The “plagues” consist of the judgments of God by the fire of the tribulation period. These judgments will be sudden and abrupt, and will continue in surges for some three and one-half years. I will discuss the “burned with fire” phrase in a later Update.

Revelation 18:9 – And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

The Tiber River flows through the midst of the city of Rome, separating it from Vatican City. Vatican City sits on the northwest bank and Rome proper on the southeast bank. The Tiber River flows southwest from Rome a few miles before it empties into the sea. The world’s ships of commerce will stand afar off in the Mediterranean Sea and watch Rome burn. The kings of countries dominated by Catholicism will weep and wail as they see the smoke of destruction rise from her. No other church in history has ever influenced the kings and governments of this earth more than the Catholic Church.

Revelation 18:10 – Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

God’s judgment on Rome will be sudden and abrupt on a certain day at a certain hour. The destruction of the city and its false church headquarters will be such that the land on which it stands will never again be able to support a human population. It will be destroyed much like Sodom and Gomorrah.

Luke 17:28-30 – Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; [29] But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. [30] Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE 241C

September 22, 2005

I WONDER WHY?

Isaiah 29:6 – Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.

I WONDER WHY?

Did this nation’s judicial system do the right thing when it took God out of the public school system? Were the judges and public officials vain enough to think God would be pleased with their decision? Were we right in voting for men and women who allowed them to do so?

FRANCES 2004 – DAMAGE $8.9 BILLION

I WONDER WHY?

Psalm 2:1 – Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

Did our elected rulers in their great wisdom allow the vain judicial system to direct the removal of any sort of reference to God, such as the 10 commandments, from all government buildings? As a people, did we still vote for them? Does our judicial system think it can remove God from public consideration?

IVAN 2004 – DAMAGE $14.2 BILLION

I WONDER WHY?

Psalm 2:2 – The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,

Was our judicial system right to remove any form of legal moral restraint against homosexuality? Did some judges really believe Father and Son approved of their approving same sex marriages? Were rulers and judges right in breaking any legal bands and cords that they, the Father and Son, had established in their Word for man to obey?

CHARLEY 2004 – DAMAGE $15 BILLION

I WONDER WHY?

Psalm 2:3 – Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

Do you think this country has recently been in great derision in foreign affairs, and internally along both its eastern and southern coastal sections, particularly in the last two years?

ANDREW 1992 – DAMAGE 26.5 BILLION

I WONDER WHY?

Psalm 2:4 – He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Do you think that as a nation we allowed a minority of atheists and agnostics to dictate removal of anything having to do with God from our governmental judicial system?

KATRINA 2005 – DAMAGE EST $100-200 BILLION

I WONDER WHY?

Psalm 2:5 –Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

Do you think we will repent as a nation and turn back to God, or will many blame him as an unjust God for allowing Rita to happen? Is it God or this nation that is unjust?

RITA 2005 – DAMAGE – WHO KNOWS!

I WONDER WHY?

Do you think this is the end of the matter for the nations of the world departing from the commandments of a just God?

Do you believe God’s Son is coming soon to rule over the nations of the earth?

Luke 21:27 – And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Psalm 2:6-9 – Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. [7] I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. [8] Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. [9] Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

Do you think the kings and judges of the earth would dare to believe in the judgments of God, and be wise to the extent of receiving his warning and instruction?

Psalm 2:10 – Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

I WONDER WHY NOT?

Psalm 14:1 – The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

Hurricane Rita will soon join Frances, Charley, and Hugo to make a family of four, all born within this 21st century.

From 1900 to 2003, a total of 103 years, there were seventeen 4 or 5 category hurricanes that hit the United States.

That is an average of one 4 or 5 category hurricane hitting our coasts every six years.

When Rita hits us, we will have experienced four 4 or 5 category hits on our shores in less than two years, and the 2005 season is not over. We will have averaged two category 4 or 5 hurricanes per year in 2004 & 2005 when Rita comes on land.

I do not believe we are in the tribulation period, but I do believe when it does begin, it will make the last two years seen like a Sunday school picnic.

Isaiah 29:6 – Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.

I wonder what you will do with God’s warning and his advice!

Psalm 2:11,12 – Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. [12] Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Ephesians 1:12-14 – That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. [13] In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, [14] Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Luke 21:31 – So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.