Unregenerate Conservatives After the Rapture and in the Day of the Lord!

IFB ^ | 6/11/20

[The Ignorant Fisherman]

The Conservative movement in America - much like those who fought valiantly at the Alamo - will shortly be overrun and butchered at the hand of an EXPONENTIALLY godless and lawless nation and the world after the Rapture of the Church (Matt. 24:12, Gal. 1:4; Eph. 6:12, Rev. 13). One might say, "How can that come to be for America in light of Donald Trump's great conservative victories in many parts of the conservative spectrum? My friend, have they been great victories or have we just been holding back the multi fractured dam of lawlessness and getting back very very little of which the American left has raped from of our people, culture, and nation these last seventy-five years? My friend, these things will come to be, not because I think so, but because Almighty God said it would be (Matt. 24; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 5:1-3; 2 Thess. 2:3-12; Rev. 6-19)! Do you believe what the Lord Jesus said, or have you dismissed Him and His Word as this godless world has (John 11:25-26, Heb. 11:6)?

Dear friends, these things will come to pass when the restraining presence of the abiding Holy Spirit in believers and their restraining power is removed from America and this world at the Rapture (John 14:3; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 5:1-3, 2 Thess. 2:3-12; Rev. 3:10)! Even now we must step back and see the REALITY of our day; that we are in EXPONENTIAL days of lawlessness, with seventy years of the horrific tsunami effects of EXPONENTIAL lawlessness! When the restraining POWER of the Holy Spirit in believer's lives is finally removed from our growing EXPONENTIAL high-tech and LAWLESS world at the Rapture; what then for the unregenerate conservative and the conservative movement? The unregenerate conservative in America and in the world at that time will be absolutely no match for the EXPONENTIAL HORRIFIC effects of the Four Horsemen, the Seal Judgments, Trumpet Judgments, the Anti- Christ, 666, every POWERFUL demon and Bowls Judgments of Almighty God (Matt. 24; Rev. 6-19)!! Oh, my dear friends! That Day will be HORRIFICALLY EXPONENTIALLY EXPONENTIAL in every facet of the world (Joel 1:15; Matt. 24:21; Rev. 6-19)! Don't believe me? Check out the Bible verse links and BELIEVE!

I love what President Trump is doing for our nation and people, but it is EXPONENTIALLY not enough to save this nation and stop the coming Day of the Lord (Rev. 6-19)! Remember my dear friends, there is NO MENTION of the USA in the Bible by name or in any prophecy; especially during the Last Days!

Tragically, these sobering realities are too much for the majority of American conservatives to think on and understandably so; they do not want to retain this reality in their thoughts because they are outside of a saving relationship to Jesus Christ in SPIRIT a TRUTH (Matt. 13:15; 15:3-12; John 3:19-21; 8:24; Rom. 10:2-4). These unregenerate individuals have put ALL of their trust in this sound and crucial ideology for fallen humanity; and rightly so! True conservatism is key for a healthy society and beneficial for obtaining human freedoms and liberties in a fallen world ruled by the oppressive and lawless. The ETERNAL fatal error of the unregenerate conservative is in their rejection and willful stupidity of the RIGHTEOUS requirements demanded by Almighty God (John 3:16-17, Rom. 3:23, 6:23, 10:4). As we see our nation EXPONENTIALLY deteriorating right before our eyes and moral relativism, lawlessness and corruption SUPER ABOUNDING, we see the absolute panic in the political realm! Panic and fear to save our nation have caused sound judgment to fall by the wayside and error and confusion to reign as king (Proverbs 1:20-33).

What also is tragic is that multitudes of conservatives are oblivious to or have very little understanding of what Almighty God’s Word has to say about events transpiring in the Last Days of godless mankind (Matt. 24; 2 Tim. 3:1-7; Jude 1:18; Rev. 6 - 19). These have turned to the optimistic unregenerate conservative talking heads of our day for their pep talk and spider web hope. Thank God for them, but they offer zero ETERNAL hope and insight into the ETERNAL matters of Almighty God! If these truly had faith in Almighty God and believed His Word, they would fully comprehend the magnitude of our godless day in which we are living in and let all know that Jesus ALONE is AMERICA's ONLY hope (Acts 4:12, Gal. 2:20)! These would no longer invest in the temporal moments of this little world called "time" but would choose rather to preach the saving grace of the glorious GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST instead of virtues of conservatism (1 Cor. 2:2, 9:16). I truly understand that these have a valuable place in our nation; especially today, but they do so as false prophets of temporal optimism. My friend, what will these have to say and offer after the Rapture of the Church?

As the great American experiment is coming to a horrific conclusion, what hope is there for any American in this present evil world? Our Founding Fathers warned us of what would be when EXPONENTIAL immorality and godlessness would reign in America's last days. May the unregenerate American conservative look objectivity outside of this world’s limited confines to a place of absolute security and assurance, that place is none other than the ETERNAL Heavenly Throne Room of Almighty God for ALL their answers (Rev. 4, 5). Access is ONLY granted by a saving relationship to Almighty God through His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16-17, Gal. 1:4, Eph. 2:8-9). When one places their trust in Almighty God’s saving solution and remedy in Spirit and TRUTH (John 4:24), Almighty God will save (deliver) that one from the limited, temporal confines of this fallen world (Rom. 5:12-19, Gal. 1:4). (SEE CHART)

As the lawlessness of man reaches its EXPONENTIAL pinnacle in the seven-year tribulation period which is coming up very shortly (Isa. 24, Rev. 6-19), for us who know the Lord, may we rejoice that the GLORIOUS KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is at hand; in which Christ will reign for a thousand years in ABSOLUTE RIGHTEOUSNESS! It will be so my friend, after His glorious return to earth, that He will destroy Satan and ALL his lawless host and FOREVERMORE reign as the ETERNAL RIGHTEOUS King (Isa.11, Zech. 14, Matt. 7:21-23, 25:41,46, 2 Thess. 2:8, Rev. 19:11-21).

My friend conservative friend, do you know the Lord Jesus as the Bible so clearly, teaches; and do you have His PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS to stand before Him in that Day? The ETERNAL Son of Almighty God has come to set men free from the prison hold of UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, and to deliver them in RIGHTEOUSNESS, to enjoy Him in RIGHTEOUSNESS FOREVERMORE (John 3:16-17, 1 Cor. 2:9; Rev. 21;22:1-5). I do not know how to say anything more wonderful than that! That is what this life is all about! May it be so for you today! You will NEVER be the same!

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

[Pollster1]

Shortly? Perhaps. Perhaps not. It's also entirely possible that God put this in our hands for us to deal with on our own, and the great tribulation will come later, perhaps even much later.

Matthew 24:36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only."

[Big Red Badger]

Should I read the
Entire post to comment
On “the Rapture?”

[HighSierra5]

We may not know the exact time of the end of the age of man but things are looking pretty evil right now. My wife and I have been in prayer and discussion that our only deliverance from these wicked times is Jesus. Man is incapable of fighting these demonic forces.

[The Ignorant Fisherman]

Yeah.. perhaps.. perhaps EXPONENTIALLY later? You don’t know... Hey, I think we are up to 120 genders now... yeah, we might have another million years till the Lord comes.... by then we’ll be up to a billion different genders... you never know bro... you never know... It’s all good here in America... Peace and Saftey bro

Well if we got all this time... we better be getting out the wonderful Gospel of Jesus Christ! : )

Hey, check out my verse... this sounds like you...

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

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

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

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

1 Thes. 5:1-4

It’s all good, you have your opinion and mine. In all sincerity thanks for your reply!

[The Ignorant Fisherman]

lol... well.... you might get something out of it... Hey... love it or hate it, believe it or don’t believe it; it will be!

Maranatha bro!

[Pollster1]

This is not the first time we have faced large-scale evil. Just look at the past century. With God’s help, we defeated the massive evil of national socialists in 1945 and the equally massive evil of soviet socialists in 1991. We cannot prevail on our own, but we don’t have to. The frightening thing would be if the power of the United States was in the hands of today’s socialists. It’s hard to imagine the forces of good prevailing against that as easily as in our last two battles against socialism.

[Pollster1]

We might also restore sanity during President Trump’s second term, God willing. The other side would immediately repackage their totalitarian message and try again, but that could hold off the final conflict for at least another generation.

[Bob434]

[[This is not the first time we have faced large-scale evil.]]

No- but one of these times, very shortly, we will not be able to defeat it- The man of lawlessness will be unleashed, the Restrainer will be removed from this world, and Satan will be unleashed and not have anyone like the church to oppose Him any longer- That is when the tribulation will happen- All hell will break loose-

It’s true massive evil has been present in times past- just look at what early Christians had to endure at the hands of the godless Romans- boiled alive in arenas, eaten by wild animals for sport, burned at the stake, skinned alive- etc- Look to the Jews- Millions died brutal brutal deaths-

Yes, these were all eventually defeated- however, there will come a time when evil is not defeated- and the tribulation will start-

We need to enjoy what freedoms we now enjoy while it lasts- keep fighting for it, but eventually, like said, the lawless one will come on the scene- and that is when God says to run to the hills, hoping it’s not in winter- and that women aren’t pregnant when it comes-

[[We might also restore sanity during President Trump’s second term, God willing.]]

Yes, God willing- but it appears that God is ‘sending a strong delusion’ that is sweeping the world really- ie Mental illness is celebrated, even rewarded, while morality is increasingly attacked- ‘man-caused climate change’ lie that has swept the world, Gay marriage being forced worldwide- pandemics that ‘need complete government control over the people in order to subdue’, numerous genders now supposedly, defying all science- ‘Rampant Racial act by police’ (which is easily disproved by facts, but which facts are ignored by the left, and indeed the world because it doesn’t support the communist agenda for the world)

You look at these things, and many like them, and you wonder how any rational reasonable person could believe those lies when so much evidence disproves them- but sadly much of the whole world is falling for it- You have black folks all over the world rioting over a fictional claim that there is ‘rampant systemic and deadly racism throughout the police force’-

Will God Will that Sanity be returned? Or Is He allowing a strong delusion to blanket the earth so that the end times can come upon the world as the bible has prophesied it will? There are signs lining up- Are we close? Don’t know- it seems it might be-

[Just mythoughts]

Christ never preached a rapture..He is returning Described as a thief (In the night), because the masses are already worshiping the instead-of-Jesus.

Why would Paul quote IKings 19:18 about bending a knee to Baal?

[LukeL]

I truly wonder if the strong delusion is upon us. It seems even those who call themselves Christians are falling for the lies.

[Cronos]

The Rapture is 19th century non-sense created by someone trying to sell his small cult.

The fact is that the book of the Apocalypse talks of the destruction of the 2nd temple in 69 AD.

The 1000 year reign is from David to Jesus with Jesus opening the gates of Sheol and the righteous dead arising to heaven

[Cronos]

Apocalypse 13:16-18 is based on Ezekiel 8 and 9. The "mark" symbolized the spiritual condition of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The ones with the "mark" were in allegiance with God. However, in Apocalypse, the mark is reversed. That is to say, the mark was on those who were against God and had allegiance to the "beast."

John wrote that the number "is the number of a man's name; and his number is 666." This tells us that those who received the "mark" were actually in allegiance with a "man," an actually person of the first century. So, who was he? Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus! Better known as Nero Caesar.

John used a puzzle called gematria in which numbers are used to represent certain letters. John used this puzzle to reveal Nero without actually writing down his name. Remember, the early churches were being persecuted during this time—not only from the Jews, but also from the Romans. The numerical values of the Hebrew letters in Neron Kesar (Nero Caesar) are:

Nero Caesar fits the gematria code number "666." Using this code, his name would be rendered as "NRWN QSR." (NRWN QSR). The number values are:

N = 50
R = 200
W = 6
N = 50
Q = 100
S = 60
R = 200

which, when added together, equals 666. The fact that Nero fits the description of the "beast" is well documented. According to Suetonius, he murdered his parents, wife, brother, aunt, and many others close to him and of high station in Rome. He was a torturer, a homosexual rapist, and a sodomite. He even married two young boys and paraded them around as his wives. One of the boys, whose name was Sporus, was castrated by Nero. He was truly bestial in his character, depravity, and actions. He devised a kind of game: covered with the skin of some wild animal, he was let loose from a cage and attacked the private parts of men and women, who were bound at stakes. He also initiated the war against the Jews which led to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD..

Nero’s persecution, which was initiated in A.D.64, was the first ever Roman assault on Christianity. Roman historian Tacitus (A.D. 56-117) spoke of Nero's "cruel nature" that "put to death so many innocent men." He records the scene in Rome when the persecution of Christians broke out: "And their death was aggravated with mockeries, insomuch that, wrapped in the hides of wild beasts, they were torn to pieces by dogs, or fastened to crosses to be set on fire, that when the darkness fell they might be burned to illuminate the night." Christians were crucified, beheaded, burnt alive, and used as torches to light the palace gardens. Historically, Nero is the one that persecuted Christians beyond all comparison. St. John’s banishment to Patmos (where he wrote the book of Apocalypse) was itself a result of the great persecution of Nero. The apostle Paul was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. The apostle Peter, who was crucified upside down, was another victim of Nero, .

As Church father Eusebius notes: "Nero was the first of the emperors who showed himself an enemy of the divine religion." Sulpicius Severus concurs: "He first attempted to abolish the name of Christian." In his Annals, Roman historian Tacitus points to those who were persecuted as "those who . . . were vulgarly called Christians." Roman historian Suetonius concurs, for in a list of the few "positive" contributions of Nero as emperor, he includes the fact that Nero persecuted Christians: "During his reign many abuses were severely punished and put down, and no fewer new laws were made:. . . . Punishment was inflicted on the Christians, a class of men given to a new and mischievous superstition."

Noted church historian J. L. von Mosheim wrote of Nero's persecution: "Foremost in the rank of those emperors, on whom the church looks back with horror as her persecutors, stands Nero, a prince whose conduct towards the Christians admits of no palliation, but was to the last degree unprincipled and inhuman. The dreadful persecution which took place by order of this tyrant, commenced at Rome about the middle of November, in the year of our Lord 64. . . . This dreadful persecution ceased but with the death of Nero. The empire, it is well known, was not delivered from the tyranny of this monster until the year 68, when he put an end to his own life." (L. von Mosheim, Historical Commentaries, I:138,139).

His bestial cruelty is evidenced in the writings of the Roman historian Suetonius (A.D. 70-160), who speaks of Nero's "cruelty of disposition" evidencing itself at an early age. He documents Nero's evil and states: "neither discrimination or moderation [were employed] in putting to death whosoever he pleased on any pretext whatever." Suetonius notes that Nero "compelled four hundred senators and six hundred Roman knights, some of whom were well to do and of unblemished reputation, to fight in the arena."

Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder (A.D. 23-79) described Nero as "the destroyer of the human race" and "the poison of the world." Roman satirist Juvenal (A.D. 60-140) speaks of "Nero's cruel and bloody tyranny." Elsewhere, he calls Nero a "cruel tyrant."

Nero so affected the imagination that the pagan writer Apollinius of Tyana, a contemporary of Nero, specifically mentions that Nero was called a "beast": "In my travels, which have been wider than ever man yet accomplished, I have seen many, many wild beasts of Arabia and India; but this beast, that is commonly called a Tyrant, I know not how many heads it has, nor if it be crooked of claw, and armed with horrible fangs. . . . And of wild beasts you cannot say that they were ever known to eat their own mother, but Nero has gorged himself on this diet."

How Nero fulfills Prophesy

In Apocalypse 13:7, the Beast is said to "make war with the saints and to overcome them." Apocalypse 13:5 says that the beast would conduct such blasphemous warfare for a specific period of time: 42 months. The Neronic persecution was instituted in 64 AD and lasted until his death in June 68 AD, which is three and a half years, or 42 months! Nero fits the bill for the role of the beast!

Apocalypse 13:10 and 14 says the Beast not only slays by the sword, but ultimately is to die of a sword wound. Do you know how Nero died? According to Suetonius, he "drove a dagger into his throat, aided by Epaphroditus, his private secretary" (ch.49). Nero killed with the sword and was killed by the sword. That Nero did, in fact, kill by the sword is a well-attested fact. Paul, for example, is said to have died under Nero by decapitation by means of the sword. Tertullian credits "Nero's cruel sword" as providing the martyr's blood as seed for the church. He urges his Roman readers to "Consult your histories; you will there find that Nero was the first who assailed with the imperial sword the Christian sect."

Nero died in the middle of the war on June 8th, 68 AD, and Vespasian went back to Rome to fight to become the new emperor. During this time the Christians fled Jerusalem because they heeded the warning of Matthew 24:16; the Jews thought the respite was a sign from God of victory and they gathered in Jerusalem in great numbers. The Romans came back and destroyed the city.

Apocalypse 17:3 tells us that the beast is red. The red color may be indicative of the bloodshed caused by the beast. But Suetonius writes of the legend associated with Nero's ancestral parentage, which explains why he had a red beard, which was very unusual in those times.

Apocalypse 17:10 says, "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." The five "kings" were not ruling at the same time, for the text stated "five are fallen," meaning that five of those kings had come and gone. Then "one is," meaning the "king" who was ruling at the time Apocalypse was written. Here, in this verse, we have one of the clearest proofs for Nero being the beast. If we simply examine the list of Roman Emperors, we will be able to determine who the sixth king was. Flavius Josephus clearly points out that Julius Caesar was the first emperor of Rome, followed by Augustus; Tiberius; Caius (Caligula); Claudius; and the sixth emperor was…Nero (Antiquities, books 18 and 19), who assumed imperial power upon the death of the fifth emperor, Claudius, in October, A.D. 54. The matter is confirmed just a little later in the writings of Roman historians: Suetonius (Lives of the Twelve Caesars and Dio Cassius, Roman History 5). Nero reigned from 54AD to June of 68AD. John informs us that the seventh king was "not yet come." That would be Galba, who assumed power upon Nero's death in June, A.D. 68. But he was only to continue a "short space." As a matter of historical fact, his reign lasted but six months until January 15, A.D. 69.

What about the Beast's death-wound and his subsequent resurrection? Let us now consider John's revelation of the Beast arising from the dead (Apocalypse 13:3-4). At this point we need to reflect upon a most significant series of historical events of the A.D. 60s. First, with the death of Nero, the Roman Empire's founding family vanished from rule. Following the death of Nero was the extinction of the Julian line. Immediately, the Roman Empire was hurled into civil wars of horrible ferocity and dramatic proportions. These civil wars would strike everyone as being the very death throes of Rome, the Beast generically considered. Before the world's startled eyes, the seven-headed Beast (Rome) was toppling to its death as its sixth head (Nero) was mortally wounded with the sword.

Tacitus's detailed account of the ruin wreaked upon Rome almost equals in psychological horror, cultural devastation, and human carnage that which befell Jerusalem during the Jewish War, as recorded by Josephus and Tactius. The Roman civil wars were the first fruits of Nero's death. Josephus records that the destruction was so horrible, that the general Vespasian, "was not able to apply himself further in other wars when his native country was laid waste." Josephus agrees that during this time Rome was brought near to utter "ruin." He notes that "about this time it was that heavy calamities came about Rome on all sides." According to 4 Ezra 12:16-19, written around A.D. 100, the Empire was "in danger of falling": "In the midst of the time of that kingdom great struggles shall arise, and it shall be in danger of falling; nevertheless it shall not fall then, but shall regain its former power."

But what eventually occurred at the end of these death throes? Suetonius informs us that: "The empire, which for a long time had been unsettled and, as it were, drifting through the usurpation and violent death of three emperors, was at last taken in hand given stability by the Flavian family." Josephus sets forth this view of things when he writes: "So upon this confirmation of Vespasian's entire government, which was now settled, and upon the unexpected deliverance of the public affairs of the Romans from ruin, Vespasian turned his thoughts to what remained unsubdued in Judea." Thus, after a time of grievous civil wars, the Empire was revived by the ascending of Vespasian to the purple.

The point is not that Nero’s name is the primary identification of 666. The point is, instead, what the number meant to the seven churches. St. John’s Biblically informed readers will have already recognized many clear indications of the Beast’s identity. Nero arrived on the scene as the first great persecutor of the Church, the embodiment of the "666-ness" of the Empire, and – Lo and behold! – his very name spells out 666! It is significant that "all the earliest Christian writers on the Apocalypse, from Irenaeus down to Victorious of Pettau and Commodian in the fourth, and Andreas in the fifth, and St. Beatus in the eighth century, connect Nero, or some Roman emperor, with the Apocalyptic Beast ." There should be no reasonable doubt about this identification. St. John was writing to first-century Christians, warning them of things that were "shortly" to take place. They were engaged in the most crucial battle of history, against the Dragon and the evil Empire which he possessed. The purpose of the Apocalypse was to comfort the Church with the assurance that God was in control, so that even the awesome might of the Dragon and the Beast would not stand before the armies of Jesus Christ. Christ was wounded in His heel on Friday, the sixth day, the Day of the Beast – yet that is the day He crushed the Dragon’s head. At his most powerful, St. John says, the Beast is just a six, or a series of sixes; never a seven.

It is charged by some that Neron Kesar is merely a convenient "misspelling" of Nero’s name in Hebrew. This objection overlooks the fact that before the modern introduction of dictionaries the world was simply not as concerned as we are about uniformity in the spelling of names. Alternate spellings were common (e.g. "Joram" and "Jehoram" in the Old Testament), especially in the transliteration of words into a foreign tongue. But the allegation of misspelling is wholly wrong anyway. The form Neron Kesar is the linguistically "correct" Hebrew form, is the form found in the Talmud and other rabbinical writings, and was used by Hebrews in the first century, as archaeological evidence has shown. As F. W. Farrar observed, "the Jewish Christian would have tried the name as he thought of the name-that is in Hebrew letters. And the moment he did this the secret stood revealed. No Jew ever thought of Nero except as ‘Neron Kesar,’ and this gives at once . . . 666" (The Early Days of Christianity, Chicago and New York: Belford, Clarke& Co., 1882, p. 540). Of some related interest is the fact that if Nero’s name is written without the final "n" (i.e., the way it would occur to a Gentile to spell it in Hebrew), it yields the number 616 — which is exactly the variant reading in a few New Testament manuscripts. The most reasonable explanation for this variant is that it arose from the confusion over the final "n".

It may now be pointed out that in an Aramaic document from Murabba’at, dated to the "second year of the emperor Nero," the name is spelled ‘rsq nwrn’ as required by the theory (i.e., that 666 signifies Nero). The last two consonants of ‘rsq’ are damaged, but enough is preserved to show that no vowel-letter was written between the ‘q’ and ‘s’ (Apocalypse 13:18 and a Scroll from Murabba’at). The evidence can be seen by consulting the French work edited by P, Benoit, J. T. Milik, and R. DeVaux, Discoveries in the Judean Desert of Jordan II (Oxford, 1961), page 18, plate 29.

The Christians of the first century were under the military authority of Rome, a nation which openly proclaimed its rulers, the Caesars, to be divine. All those under the jurisdiction of Rome were required by law to publicly proclaim their allegiance to Caesar by burning a pinch of incense and declaring, "Caesar is Lord". Upon compliance with this law, the people were given a papyrus document called a "libellus", which they were required to present when either stopped by the Roman police or attempting to engage in commerce in the Roman marketplace, increasing the difficulty of "buying or selling" without this mark. This is the

essence of Scripture’s warnings to the early Christians against taking upon themselves the "mark of the beast".

[Cronos]

The beast was Nero who persecuted Christians, executed Peter and Paul. Many were the martyrs who died for not adoring the beast.

The key to interpreting the book of Apocalypse is Apocalypse 17:8-14

8 “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and [g]go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come. 9 Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, 10 and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. 11 The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction. 12 The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. 13 These have one [h]purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.

the coinage with images was part of this "mark of the beast" and remember that Emperor Caligula

note the 7 heads, the 7 rulers of the empire

1. Julius Caesar
2. Augustus
3. Tiberius
4. Caligula
5. Claudius
6. Nero
7. galba

The seventh "is not yet come. But when he does, his reign will remain short" - Galba who ruled a few months

[Cronos]

Rev chapter 12 describes the birth of Christ and the war in heaven.

Rev 12 - or rather Rev 11 ends with John seeing the ark of the covenant. This is a clear indication of a created being bearing God - this is both a vision of Mary, the ark bearing God - Jesus Christ and also ZION birthing christianity.

12:1 "And a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery."

This links to Is 7:14 "There the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" This also links to Is 26:17 and Is 66.7

John is referring both to Zion, the daughter of God and Mary who personifies Isaiah's Daughter Zion. God's Chosen people, Israel, gives birth to the Messiah of the world. Salvation comes from the Jews.

The woman wears a crown, like the 24 elders referred to earlier - indicating that they and she have been faithful and received "the crown of life" as alluded in Revelations 2:10

12:3 "And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. his tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth;"

The 10 horns is a symbol of political power and the 7 crowns is about complete (7 signifies complete) power held by the chief fallen angel.

Remember that Red signifies Ruddy Edom. Herod was an Edomite (Edom = "red") who sought to destroy the infant Christ

Rev 12:5-6 She brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness where she has a place prepared by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days

1260 days = 42 months = 3.5 years = the duration of the Jewish-Roman war

Rev 12:7-9 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against hte dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world - he was thrown down to the earth , and his angels were thrown down with him.

Wis 2:24 But by the envy[a] of the devil, death entered the world, and they who are allied with him experience it.

rev12:10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuse them day and night before our God."

Just as in rev 11:2, the destruction of the temple is spoken of in the same terms as being "cast out"

Rev 12:11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death

REjoise then, o heaven and you that dwell therein! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short

This is key - the Devil had 42 months, 3.5 years during the destruction of the 2nd temple to run amok

[Cronos]

The Great Tribulation in Rev says

17:13-14 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, adn whence have they come?" I said to him "Sir, you know." And he said to me "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

The washing of the robes means those who have been delivered

The Great Tribulation talks of how NERO persecuted God's people - this sustained and vicious tribulation of the Church started when Nero, the little horn, needed a scapegoat for the great fire of Rome. This state-sponsored persecution continued for about three years, until Nero diverted attention tot he Jewish-Roman war

Jesus clearly told the Sanhedrin that they would see evidence of the coming of the Son of man as predicted in Daniel 7:13 - for you to say this will happen after 2019 is FALSE. Jesus on the eve of His crucifixion made a promise to the Sanhedrin that THEY would see evidence of the coming of the Son of Man - he wasn't wrong by 2000 years!!!

Daniel clearly talks of the destruction of the Temple as the time of the Great Tribulation.Hebrews 9:24-25 christ has entered into Heaven itself, not to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer Himself repeatedly, as the High priest enters the Holy place yearly with blood not his own; for then He would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, He has appeared once and for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself

Daniel states that the purpose of the time is to bestow 6 blessings. These blessings were bestowed as a result of the first Advent The seventy weeks are decreed 'to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy."

The day when Christ was born, eternal righteousness was revealed, and the Saint of saints was anointed, namely Christ, and the vision and prophecy were sealed and those sins were remitted... It was because the prophecy was fulfilled by His advent that the vision was confirmed by a seal; and it was called a prophecy becuase Christ himself is the seal of all the prophets

[Cronos]

the seventh trumpe

Rev 11:15-19 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there wre loud voice in heaven, saying "the kingdom of the world have become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and He shall reign for ever and ever.
16. And the 24 elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshipped God, saying "We give thanks to thee, Lord God Almighty, who are and who was, that thous hast taken thye great power and begun to reign.

18. The nations raged, but thy wrath came, and the tiem for the dead to be judged, for rewarding thy sevants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear they name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth"

Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder, an earthquake and heavy hail

The earthquake, lightning is when Christ expired on the cross

Matthew says And the earth shook and the rocks were split; the tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many" Matthew 27:54

It is done

[Cronos]

remember The verses in the book of the Apocalypse says

Apoc 13:11 Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb’s but spoke like a dragon.

12 It wielded all the authority of the first beast in its sight and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed.

13 It performed great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of everyone.

14 It deceived the inhabitants of the earth with the signs it was allowed to perform in the sight of the first beast, telling them to make an image for the beast who had been wounded by the sword and revived.

15 It was then permitted to breathe life into the beast’s image, so that the beast’s image could speak and [could] have anyone who did not worship it put to death.

16 It forced all the people, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to be given a stamped image on their right hands or their foreheads,

17 so that no one could buy or sell except one who had the stamped image of the beast’s name or the number that stood for its name.

18 [b]Wisdom is needed here; one who understands can calculate the number of the beast, for it is a number that stands for a person. His number is six hundred and sixty-six.

This beast with two horns "like a lamb" but which "spoken like a dragon" is Satan's parody of the lamb.

A key note is the difference between where the beasts arise -- the first beast arises out of the sea - the sea indicates gentile nations.

This parody of the Lamb represents corrupt leaders within Jerusalem. This parody is later identified by John as the "false prophet" in Rev 16:13; 19:20; 20:10)

As the "false prophet" this parody sets itself up against God's prophets in the days leading to 69 AD.

The false religious leaders who led the persecution of the Christ-sect of Jews in the days leading up to the destruction of the temple in 69 AD are indicated here

The mark of the beast is again a parody of the SIGN on the believers as we read in the letter to the Philadelphians -- the SIGN or Tau being the Hebrew letter which looks like a cross - so the sign of the cross as the christians did was the sign of God

The mark of the beast is linked to the number of the beast - as "wisdom is needed here... it stands for a person..." -- to reveal the identity of the beast to the Christians while hiding it from outsiders, St john used Gematria, the rabbinic numering system for names. When the Gematrian numbers of Nero's official name in Hebrew are added together (50 + 200 + 6+50 + 100 + 60 + 200) they total 666. The Christians KNew that 666 is the number of Nero

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Remember back to the Mark of the Lamb alluded to in the 6th letter to the churches, to the Philadelphians - God's mark is mentioned specifically in the sixth seal of the initial vision (7:3). In Heaven God's faithful "servants shall worship Him; they shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads"..22:4

The mark of the beast is Satan's parody of the sign of the cross. The sign on the forehead talks of loyalty and that on the hand of what we do with the loyalty

We see the same in 14:9 "anyone who worships the beast and its image" is shown as "receiving a mark on his forehead or on his hand"

Nero is the human whose symbol is 666, who demanded worship of himself.

This is the only time in history when the Church was persecuted by both the beast (the Roman empire) and the harlot (Jerusalem authorities)

ST John twice pauses to say "here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints" (13:10, 14:12). The first time, this is following a statement about not being in armed conflict against the beast "if anyone slays with the sword, with the sword must he be slain" (13:10)

The second time is not to have the mark of the beast -- to be clear the admonition agians thte mark of the beast is "do not worship the earthly power of the roman empire - THAT is the mark of the beast

[Cronos]

"things are looking pretty evil right now"

What are you talking about? Is it more evil than the Nazis murdering 6 million Jews and 6 million non-Jews in concentration camps?

Is it worse than the 100 million that Mao's cultural revolution condemned to death?

Is it more evil than the 20 million starved to death or murdered by Stalin? And the millions living in terror for 20 years under Stalin?

Is it more evil than the Armenian genocide when Armenian Christian girls were gang-raped, then crucified by the Muslim Kurds and Turks?

[Cronos]

more evidence that the book of the Apocalypse is talking specifically about the 69 AD destruction of Jerusalem. Furthermore about the two witnesses, what do we read in Apoc 11:7-10? And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends form teh bottomless pit will make war upon them and conquer them and kill them.

8. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which is allegorically called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified"

You see that? The harlot-city is Jerusalem.