Revelation Unlocked #229 B.

The Kings of the North and South combined with Revelation 13, 14 and 17.

Remember this is a message of hope, not fear. Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ, and it is important to read the story to its end and not get weighed down or traumatised on the detail of events leading up to our deliverance! The curtain will be drawn and the world will rush to its own self destruction. Just as the prediction of hard times is reliable, so is the promise of deliverance! Don’t dwell on the hard things or the trying times ahead, that will lead you to a fear-based faith. Instead focus on the promised resolution of the story. God does show us the consequences of human rebellion and the need for us to stay away from it. But He always holds out hope. We will see this when we get to the conclusion in the final three chapters.

The book of Revelation can be read from beginning to end in a few hours.  What happens in those few reading hours is 2 millennia of history crammed into our minds – some of it in confusing imagery!  But some is not so confusing.  It is not uncommon for some Christian readers of Revelation to be left with fear for the future.  If there was ever a time when we needed to focus on the Jesus of Revelation, it is now. Momentous things are unfolding before us that could herald us into the last act of the drama of sin.

This an opportunity for fellow believers to support and encourage each other as we see prophecy fulfilling before our eyes.  This is God’s counsel:

               Hebrews 10:23-25. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

The best support and encouragement a fellow Christian can give to a fearful believer is NOT to deny prophecy, or say Revelation cannot be understood, but to help a fellow believer understand it and to keep their eyes on Jesus.

Another word of caution: some of the events of Revelation 17 and Daniel 11:40-45 are still future, though looking immanent, and we should not think that we have it all worked out, because things could take a turn as we travel the last bit of the road. Jesus said “watch” and “be ready,” and that’s all we need to do, “keeping our eyes on Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith,” Hebrews 12: 2

Jesus gave a clear principle to His disciples re the prophecies regarding the climax of His earthly ministry when He told the disciples:

               John 13:19. “Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He.”

The disciples had a premonition that something bad was about to happen.  They should have known because He had told them bluntly before.  What happened was a fearful experience for His disciples.  The bottom of their world had fallen out, and their expectations were crushed.  Then Jesus is resurrected – they see Him again and meet with Him.  What a reunion!

And that is an allegory for the last days.  Jesus has told us beforehand – i.e. Revelation.  In reality we do not know how all of this will play out.  Revelation is clear as to who the key players are and the key issue.  But our frail minds run ahead and we visualise or create our own future trials, then start sinking in fear!  The unfolding events of the future have the capacity to powerfully strengthen our trust in Jesus.

When these last things of Revelation begin to play out before us, a strong assurance of faith whelms up within us.  We expected this!  Praise God.  And our faith in Him takes a stronger grip – because he who told us these things would happen also said “I will never leave you or forsake you” and “lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”  Matthew 28:20. Those were Jesus last words – just for us!

And get this:  Jesus knew His disciples were unprepared for what was about to happen, and He prayed for them:

               John 17:9 “I pray for them (the disciples.). I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.”

And He finished His prayer like this:

               John 17:20 “I do not pray for these (the disciples) alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;”  – And that is us!  You and me.

What a Saviour!  Nothing will happen to us that does not first get His permission.  He is our security.  He will see us through.  Having the “faith of Jesus” (Revelation 12:17) simply means trusting our Father just as Jesus did.

When Jesus commissioned His disciples and sent them out as missionaries, He did not sugar-coat the future.  And Peter lived to experience it, and warned the church in his pastoral letter:

               1 peter 4:12-13. “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;  but rejoice  . . . .”

Only rejoice!  I believe that when the final events begin to play out, believers who have suffered under repressive regimes, will sense a ray of hope, that will finally burst into a glorious day.  We in the west, living under liberal democracies, have it easy.  We are not used to standing up for our faith to the point of death!  We fear!

We need each other.  We need Revelation.  We need Jesus.

Another danger on this matter is to not get drawn into the endless plethora of conspiracy theories that are often just rabbit burrows. Stick with what the Bible alone reveals and resist the urge to interpret apocalyptic prophecy by current world events. The curtain of this world’s history will be drawn, and the end will come!

Do not trust my understanding alone – but watch and be ready! This essay is my attempt to pull it all together in my own mind, having had over 50 years of experience studying the two books of Daniel and Revelation, and the vortex it creates with the entirety of revealed truth in the Bible (including allusions and stories etc.)

Revelation 13: 1-3 is dependent of our understanding of Daniel 7. The same Animals, that represented the march, rise, and fall of nations are used to describe the Papal Beast that emerges from the Roman Empire (Daniel calls it the Little Horn.) There are over 80 ways of identifying this power. Revelations 13: 11-13 shows the emergence of the land beast, which is clearly identified as America (SMS studies #’s 156 – 65 – you can go back on your phone links and revisit this identification.)

Revelation 13: 13-15 draws heavily on the story of Daniel 3 and the enforced worship of the golden statute, indicating clearly that worship will be enforced in the last days with a similar death decree as was found on the plane of Dura in Daniel 3. The word worship is the key word in Revelation 13-14 occurring 8 times, of which only one refers to the correct worship of the creator. (Revelation 13:4 (2x’s), 8, 12, 15 14:7, 9, and 8)

In the battle between truth and error all of the commandments are violated in Revelation 13 by the trinity of evil, especially the first four: The first commandment (Exodus 20:3) says we are to have no other Gods before Yahweh, in Revelation 13:4 the counterfeit says that humanity will worship the dragon and the beast. The second commandment (Exodus 20: 4-6). says that we are not to bow down to graven images. The Lamb like beast makes an image to the first beast and forces people to worship it on pain of death (Revelation 13: 11 – 15). The third commandment says we are not to take the name of the Lord in vain (Exodus 20:7). Revelation 13:5-6 says that the beast blasphemes His name.  The fourth commandment tells us God created the world in six days (Exodus 20:8-11). We are told elsewhere that this commandment is a seal or sealor sign on God’s law. (Exodus 31:17, Ezekiel 20:19-20).

 In signing a decree kings show that they are the one who demanded obedience and had the right to expect it. A seal acted in the same way as the king’s signature and kings were required to ratify decrees or commands with the royal seal (1 Kings 21:8). A royal seal typically had the name of the lawmaker, his position or title, and the jurisdiction over which he ruled. The seal gave authority to laws written in the king’s name. As a seal on His Law, the Sabbath has God’s name, his title, the territory over which He rules, and the basis of worship. This is counterfeited in Revelation 13:15 – 17 with a ‘mark’ of authority that enforces false worship. Ironically, the one who changed the Sabbath (apostate Christianity from the 4th century onwards) is also the one who enforces its change. (With the assistance in the last days of the land beast that speaks like a dragon. Rev 13:11-17) Other violations of the law in chapter 13 are: the usurping of the father son relationship in the trinity, the lies, deceit, spiritual adultery, murder, theft of faith, and the covetousness of buying and selling, all add up to this attack on God’s law.

How significant that the final message to all the world given by God’s people (Revelation 14:6-12) includes a call to true worship that quotes the Sabbath commandment word for word. (c.f. Exodus 20:11 with Revelation 14:7)

We know who the last day players are, they are clearly identified. However, there are events yet to fall into place and how they do so should not be a matter of speculation. We know the Lamb-like beast (USA) will be responsible for returning the world to the worship of the first beast (Catholicism). We know there will be an image to the beast (The union of church and state as per the Middle Ages.) We know worship will be enforced, and a death decree enacted for those who do not comply. We know there will be economic control, with no buying and selling for God’s faithful.

We know that the King of the North will be attacked by the King of the South. First geopolitically (Israel of the flesh) and then globally as the geopolitical crisis goes worldwide and the attack spreads to spiritual Israel. We know Islam’s charter (for radicals like Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas) is the extermination of Israel and their end time charter is to exterminate pigs (Jews) and dogs (Christians) and to rule the world from Jerusalem. BUT how all this plays out in reality is future. The covid crisis gave us an insight into how this forced control (for the good of humanity) could be enacted – as if it were a dry run. BUT in the end, we need to stick with what we know. We need to resist stepping outside what is revealed in the Word. As Jesus said “watch and wait” “be ready.”