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The Signs and The Figtree: Part 1
Today, I’m going to begin the topic of the ‘signs’ that Jesus gave us to
watch for in the endtime, and then the ‘parable of the fig tree’ that Jesus
Himself commanded all Christians to learn in Matthew 24:32 and Mark 13:28. It is
specifically this parable that gives God’s people the season of the last generation,
which is also the generation that Jesus Christ appears back on earth, in person. It is
correct that no man knows the day or hour of His coming , but that excludes the season. We
can know the season, which is to say, the last generation. It is given in
God’s Word, not man’s. We ask a Word of Wisdom from our Father in Christ's Name,
Amen.
What are the signs of Christ's coming;
can we know the season?
Mark
13:28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her
branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:
This verse was spoken by Jesus after He had given His Apostles, in private, the seven
events or signs leading up to His return on earth, which are also the seven seals of
Revelation. Notice here, in this verse that He says to ‘learn’ the
parable of the fig tree. He didn’t say maybe, He said learn it! That is equal to a
direct command from Jesus. Let’s continue.
Mark
13:29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come
to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.
30:
Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things
be done.
What generation is Jesus talking about? The generation that will experience ‘these
things’, or the seven signs of Matthew 23, Mark 13, and Luke 21, that’s who.
Well, you might wonder why He threw in "...learn a parable of the fig tree" between
the verses covering the seven events or signs of the endtime, and the verse about ‘this
generation’. (This is very important. Check me out on this.) Jesus could not have
been talking about the generation living when He walked on the earth during His first
Advent. Why? Because that generation has already passed, and not all of the events, or
these seven signs which He foretold are passed, and He has not returned yet. So what
generation is He referring to? The generation of the ‘fig tree’. Jesus gave a
lot of information in these three verses, and once properly understood, it becomes very
simple.
First, let’s go to the 13th Chapter of the Book
of Mark and study about those seven signs that Jesus gave us, then we'll get into an
understanding of the ‘parable of the fig tree’, and you will be given
proof from God’s Word, (not this man’s, or any other man’s word), that the
seven events are unfolding right before us, documenting that we are in that last
generation today.
Mark
13:1 And as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples saith unto Him,
"Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!"
This disciple is commenting on the great stones making the building of the Temple in
Jerusalem. Some of these stones were 20 to 40 feet long , and over 100 tons in weight. It
must have been a great sight to behold in that day, being made with man’s hands in a
land that was mostly desert.
Mark
13:2 And Jesus answering said unto him, "Seest thou these great
buildings? There shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown
down."
This has not happened yet to this day. This does not refer to the Roman general named
Titus in 70 AD that destroyed the temple, for even the Western Wall of the Temple stands
today. When Jesus says that "There shall not be left one stone upon
another...", He’s talking about His return on the seventh or last trump,
when all the ‘rudiments’, which are the works by man’s hands, will
be destroyed or consumed by fire, God’s fire, for God is a ‘consuming fire’
(Heb.12:29). That is when all are changed into that spiritual body spoken of by Paul in I
Cor.15, which ushers in the beginning of the thousand year Millennium reign of Christ on
earth.
Mark
13:3 And as He sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and
James and John and Andrew asked Him privately,
Here four disciples gather around Jesus and ask Him privately, about the signs of
the endtime. Privately means that the following teaching was not taught by Jesus to the
masses there at the mount of Olives, but to the ‘elect’ only. This is not
a public teaching! It is this example of the way that Jesus taught, documenting from
God’s Word, that there is a group that are ‘called’ and ‘chosen’,
separate from the masses. (See also Mark 4:34; Luke 8:9-10, 12:41; Matt.13:9-17). Sorry
friend, but this is not my opinion, but God’s Word. Not all that call out to God are
‘called’ and ‘chosen’, or of the ‘elect’, which the parable
of the Ten Virgins should give you also this clue. God does the choosing , not man. Sweet
preaching and fly away doctrines are not signs of being chosen. The great measuring stick
is whether or not it is God’s teaching from His Word, instead of man’s
babelings. Before He will choose us, we have to know His Word, and not a bunch of
traditions of men taught by those who are deceived. Are you being deceived by men’s
traditions? I hope not. Better to check it out for yourself if you’re not sure.
Mark
13:4 "Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign
when all these things shall be fulfilled?"
In
Matthew 24 is another version of this question that makes the subject very clear:
Matthew 24:3
And as He sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately,
saying, "Tell us, when shall these things be and what shall be the sign of Thy
coming, and of the end of the world?"
Then the ‘signs’ of the next verses in Matt. 24 continue as in Mark 13 and Luke
21. Now, back to Mark 13.
The First and Second
Seals of Revelation
Mark
13:5 And Jesus answering them began to say, "Take heed lest any man
deceive you:
This ‘deception’ is the main thing Christians are facing today. It is the
‘territory’ that the whole battle is about. In order to win in this
‘spiritual battle’ of ‘deception’, we must understand how we can be
deceived. That’s why some man standing up claiming to teach God’s Word can be
the biggest deceiver. If we don’t understand God’s Word for ourselves, how are
we going to know if we are being lied to or not? That’s why I am against such slogans
as "Just believe and you’ll be saved", or "All you’ve got to do
is believe", and "once saved, always saved." And then they would teach that
you don't really need to understand the Book of Revelation, and that The Old Testament was
all history, and it's not necessary anymore. Who will these be saved by and from what, I
ask? The first messiah that returns back to this earth? I hope not, because it is well
documented in God’s Word that the first messiah that returns is Satan himself,
playing in the role of Jesus, the position he has always coveted (Ezek.28; 2 Thess.2;
Isaiah 14). The True Christ returns after the first tribulation of Satan (II Thess.2;
Matt.24; Mark 13).
Believing on Jesus as the only Begotten Son of God Who died on
the cross for our salvation, Who also resurrected the third day, and being baptized in His
Name is only one of the steps necessary in receiving God’s Truth to keep from
being deceived. Notice I said, "to keep from being deceived." Am I
saying you won't be saved if you believe on Christ as Savior? No. But by not knowing
our Lord's teaching for us during these latter days, you may very well be deceived into
worshipping the 'false messiah' who comes first. That is what the 'great
apostacy', or 'a falling away' from the true worship of God through His Savior
Jesus Christ means (II Thess.2; 1 Timothy 4; 2 Timothy 4). Satan does some of his best
work in some Churches (2 Cor.11; 2 Peter 2; Gal.1 & 2). Do you go to a Church where
all they do is play religion, never getting around to teaching the Word of God chapter by
chapter and verse by verse? A Church system can not save anyone, but God’s
Word is the only Salvation! The deception is exceptionally strong and powerful,
especially at this day and time. I implore you to check out the following verses for
yourself if you don’t believe this can happen in the Churches today: II Cor.11:3-15.
The subject of deception Jesus is teaching about here in Mark
13:5 is also the first ‘seal’ of Revelation 6. These events of the endtime here
in Mark 13 parallel the seven seals. Let’s go to Revelation Chapter 6.
Rev.6:1
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of
thunder, one of the four beasts saying, "Come and see."
Rev.6:2
And I saw, and behold, a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was
given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
This is the opening of the ‘first seal’. These four beasts are ‘zoon’
in the Greek, meaning ‘living beings’, or the living creatures that guard
the Throne of God (Strong's no.2226). This one on the ‘white horse’
wearing a ‘bow’, which is toxon in the Greek (Strong's no.5115),
means a ‘bow of a simple fabric’ or cheap fabric, and a ‘crown’
which is stephanos in the Greek (Strong's no.4735), meaning ‘a crown
of twine or wreathe’; is Satan. He will attempt to return in the same way as
Jesus, on a ‘white horse’ described in Rev.19. However, the crown
that Jesus wears in Rev.19:12 is ‘diadema’ in the Greek (Strong's
no.1238), meaning ‘a kingly ornament’, similar to what the Persian kings
wore. This one (Lucifer) wearing the clothing of ‘cheap fabric’ and a 'crown'
of ‘twine’ is given power to rule, and to go ‘forth’
and conquer. How? By deception. He’s going to deceive many into believing that he is
the Messiah, when he is nothing more than a ‘man’ (See Ezekiel 28)
parading around in a crown of twine in cheap clothing ; but he is going to be coming to
‘rapture’ those deceived away!
Mark
13:6 For many shall come in My name, saying, ‘I am Christ; and
shall deceive many.
These ‘many’ who teach in the Name of Christ are those false teachers
that deceive those people who don’t have the ‘seal of God in their
foreheads’ (Rev.9:4), because they don’t study God’s Word and
can’t tell the difference between the false messiah (Satan) when he appears on earth
first, in person, verses the True Christ when He returns on the last trump of I Cor.15, or
seventh trumpet of Revelation. These people would rather listen to ‘traditions’,
and to those teachers who command awe by their credentials from certain organizations and
systems set up by men and not God. (That doesn’t include all teachers, only the ones
that would rather teach man’s word, instead of God’s Truth.) Jesus gave us
the ‘signs’, and The Word warns us about these false teachers claiming to teach
the True Word of God. The first and second seals of Revelation cover this idea of
deception.
These teachings must be understood through the Spirit, and not by
hanging on any physical interpretation of the events. There of course are, physical events
associated with the signs, but this particular teaching given by Jesus here in Mark 13 is
general in nature, and covers a lot of territory, as far as everything that will happen on
earth during the last generation. Understand that when Jesus returns, He will have a
‘two-edged sword’, which is The Word of God, as stated in Hebrews 4:12. This
‘sword’ of Christ is His Truth that ‘cuts both ways’.
Satan has a ‘sword’ also in contrast to the ‘Sword’
of Christ, but Satan's false 'sword' is made up of ‘lies’ which causes this
deception, and in this manner the ‘son of perdition’ will go forth
‘conquering’, through his workers here on earth. It’s happening today
friend! It will become much worse when he (Lucifer) finally appears on earth, in
person, for the deceived will stop taking Holy Communion, thinking Satan is the True
Messiah that has returned. (See Daniel 9:27)
Rev.6:3
And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, "Come and
see."
Rev.6:4
And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon
to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given
unto him a great sword.
This ‘horse that was red’ is a war horse, whether physically and or
spiritually, for God’s people are in a spiritual war against Satan. Again, the ‘great
sword’ is a sword of lies, masquerading as peace. This seal is similar to the
first seal, in that Satan has control over this symbolic rider of the red horse. Both of
these first two seals are about the power and control Satan has been given over the earth
(See Luke 4:5-8). Satan need not be here physically on earth to rule the world, for he has
power to rule spiritually. However, he will come to earth in person, as we shall read from
a later seal. Here's the parallel of this second seal given by Christ to His Apostles in
Mark 13:
Mark
13:7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled:
for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.
What is the opposite of war? Peace, of course. So when you hear ‘peace’ being
proclaimed by the world leaders, know that Christ's return is very close. Well, what have
we been hearing today? The ‘new peace’ of the ‘New World Order’, which
is the ‘beast’ world political system of Revelation 13 & 17. Take a
look around in the world friend. All nations are aligning themselves to join the ‘New
World Order’, which is nothing more than one world government. Most of our State
Department, and those of most countries are indirectly under the control of United Nation
agencies. If someone truly interested in the latest uprisings around the planet, got to
digging , they would probably find the United Nations at the forefront or at the tail end
of it all. Every war the United States has been involved in since World War Two have been
a type of U.N. Police Action, regardless of what the mass media calls it. The ‘New
World Order’ is being set up for the ‘New World Leader’, who
is Satan himself (not just the ‘spirit’ of antichrist, but The Antichrist). The
second seal covers Mark 13:7 pretty well also.
The Third Seal
Rev.6:5
And when He had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, "Come and
see." And I beheld, and lo, a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of
balances in his hand.
Rev.6:6
And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, "A measure of wheat for a
penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil
and the wine."
The
‘balances’ are the balances of commerce. The ‘oil’ and
‘wine’ are symbolic of God’s elect, having the ‘Oil' of God's
Truth (The Word) sealed in their minds and hearts, and the ‘wine’
being the ‘Blood of Christ’ (Remember Rev.9:4). The ‘measure of wheat’
and ‘three measures of barley’ for ‘a penny’ was a scale
of daily wage, and meant basically you would have to work all day long for a loaf of
bread. So the main subject of this third ‘seal’ is famine. But this
‘famine’ is not a physical 'famine', but is symbolical for something
else. Turn to Amos 8:
Amos
8:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I
will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:
Amos
8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine
in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of
the LORD:
12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to
the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find
it..
13
In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.
For
those who think this message from The Lord was just for the time of Amos the prophet, I
ask you to explain Amos 8:9, as it refers to the sun going down at noon, and the earth
being darkened. These verses are about the latter days. As stated, the famine in the
endtime is a ‘famine’ for hearing and understanding the True Word of God,
instead of a bunch ‘traditions’ with subtle idol worship built into it. The 'fair
virgins' relate to the 'five foolish virgins' who fell asleep waiting for the
Bridegroom (Christ) and they allowed their lamps to burn out of 'Oil'. Now
let’s go back to Mark 13 and see if this third seal of Revelation has a parallel.
Mark
13:8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and
there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles:
these are the beginnings of sorrows.
This word ‘sorrows’ is ‘odin’ in the Greek, meaning
‘birth-pangs’ (Strong's no.5604). It is with these events of the third
seal, that the ‘birth pains’ of the coming Millennium age start, signaling the
birth of a new world age, God's reign on the earth (God's Millennium, not man's). So Mark
13:8 is covered by the third seal, and also partially the fourth seal of Revelation with
the 'beginnings of sorrows'.
The Fourth Seal
Rev.6:7 And
when He had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, "Come
and see."
Rev.
6:8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was
Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of
the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger,
and with death, and with the beasts of the
earth.
This ‘pale horse’ represents ‘Death’, and the spiritual
name of Satan’s organization on earth is ‘Death’, for that is another name
for Satan. (Remember, Satan is given rule over this earth age even from his present
abode.) The ‘beasts’ here is not ‘zoon’ this time,
but ‘therion’ in the Greek, meaning a ‘(venomous, wild),
beast’ (Strong's no.2342). Also in this verse, the statement, "...power
was given unto them...", refers to the same overall group of people and their
‘four dynasty’ system controlling the nations and the earth. These people are
the Kenites (‘Qayin’ which is ‘Cain’, making
‘Kenite’ a ‘son of Cain’). Their system is the ‘beast’
system of Revelation 13 and Daniel 7, and this is also where the ‘mark of the
beast’ originates from, i.e., Cain. If you don’t understand this idea of
the bloodline of Satan, then part of the ‘mystery of iniquity’ that Paul wrote
about will not open up to you, and for that matter, much of God's Word will remain a
mystery (see 2 Thess.2). Here are what these powers to slay, mean today. Below is the four
system dynasty that Satan is using to control the world in our time, the last generation:
The ‘sword’ of
lies = World educational systems, Satan’s lies, a 'sword of lies' in
contrast to The Sword of Christ, Which is The Word of God (see Eph.6).
'hunger'= Economical
controls. Remember, they are told to not hurt the 'oil' or 'wine' of God's election.
This is the U.N. economic global monetary system which they wish for an eventual one world
currency. GATT and NAFTA really opened this up in the United States in order to transfer
our wealth overseas.
The beasts’ =
Political system; or the Kenites and their ‘world government’ apparatus,
not hungry wild animals attacking humans in the flesh. The idea of the 'mark' God put upon
Cain in Gen.4 should reveal this to you. That 'mark' was the start of the 'mark of the beast'.
The Kenites are a race descended from Cain, the first murderer.
‘death’ = False
Religion; or Satan’s spiritual system of false teachings and idol worship,
which causes deception, and hence ‘spiritual death’. A Word of caution:
this includes many, but not all of the Churches claiming to teach the Word. Understand
that Satan perverted God’s Word from the outset in the Garden of God, against Eve,
and he influenced five of the seven Churches in Asia (see Revelation 1-4). This a pointer
to the deceived Churches and religious systems who claim to teach and follow Christ, but
do traditions outside of The Word instead: 'MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF
HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH' (see Rev.17).
The
fourth seal of Revelation covers Mark 13:8 very well. Now let’s go to the fifth seal
in Revelation 6, and make the parallel in Mark 13:9-13.
The Fifth Seal
Rev.6:9
And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that
were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which
they held:
Rev.6:10
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou
not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"
Rev.6:11
And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they
should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren,
that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
It
is very difficult for someone steeped in the "secret
rapture" tradition, who believe we
are asleep in the ground until Christ returns, to explain away these verses. These souls
were slain for the ‘testimony’ of God, and they were once upon the earth,
making them our ‘brethren’ and ‘fellowservants’. Yet
they are now at the ‘altar’ in God’s presence, and not in some hole
in the ground. The ‘revenge’ they cry out for, comes at the return of
Jesus Christ. The key message of these verses is ‘testimony’ for
God. This is why they were killed here on earth in the flesh. These must wait for their
‘brethren’ still on the earth, likewise who will have the ‘testimony’
for God, and will also be ‘slain’. Now let’s turn back to Mark
13:9 and discover the parallel of this fifth seal:
Mark
13:9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils;
and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings
for My sake, for a testimony against them.
Some of God’s elect will be delivered up to testify against Satan and his ‘New
World Order’. The ‘delivering up’, in this case, hasn’t happened yet.
Why? Because Satan is not here on earth, in person, yet. The false teachers will represent
Satan at ‘councils’ and in many Churches (i.e.‘synagogues’),
so this will be an event that will happen in every country. There’s more coming up to
document this:
Mark
13:10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
The
word ‘published’ in this verse, is ‘kerusso’ in
the Greek, meaning ‘to herald, as a public crier’ (Strong's no.2784). I
realize that it is taught as meaning to actually ‘publish’ The Word in every
country, but what is the subject of these verses? It is the ‘brethren’ and
‘fellowservants’ who have the ‘testimony’ for
Christ, and who will also speak out with the Holy Spirit against Satan and his ‘one
world government’ system when he appears on earth masquerading as Messiah. This
should become more clear as we continue in Mark 13:
Mark
13:11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought
beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given
you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
This is the ‘tongue’ spoken on Pentecost day documented in Acts 2, when everyone
present understood in their own language, in their own dialect from where they
were born. Peter would quote the prophet Joel in Acts 2:
Acts
2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
Acts
2:17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days,’
saith God, ‘ I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall
dream dreams:
Acts
2:18 And on My servants and on My handmaindens I will pour out in those days
of My Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
This is not the ‘unknown tongue’ Paul talked about in I Cor. 14,
for Paul makes it very clear that an ‘unknown tongue’ is only understood by God
and one given the gift of interpretation. (By the way, the word ‘unknown’
is not there in the original manuscripts, for it is Strong’s no. 9999, which means an
inserted word. There is no such thing as an ‘unknown tongue’ that only a few can
understand in God’s Word. Therefore, the word ‘tongue’ in the
Gospel deals with the idea of languages, and that is exactly what the Apostles were
speaking there on Pentecost Day). This ‘tongue’ spoken of by Peter and
Joel is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on that day when God’s elect are delivered
up to the synagogues of Satan, giving a ‘testimony’ for God. This
is the evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit with God speaking through His elect,
not man speaking. Everyone that hears this ‘tongue’ will hear in their
own language over the whole world, and many shall wake out of their spiritual slumber and
worship the One True Lord.
These trials and ‘councils’ will be
public over the whole ‘New World Order’ system, trials of those delivered up to
‘councils’, and to Satan’s ‘synagogue’ or religious
system. That time is not yet, but in our near future, and happens in 'the last days',
meaning during the 'tribulation' period. Never heard this? Let’s turn to Revelation
2:8 to document that Satan has his Church system, that teaches The Word.
Rev.2:8
And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; ‘These things saith the First and
the Last, Which was dead, and is alive;
Rev.2:9
I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty (but thou art rich), and I know the
blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue
of Satan.
Only two of the seven Churches in Revelation taught who these false ones of the ‘synagogue
of Satan’ were; Smyrna and Philadelphia. These false teachers who called
themselves Jews, had crept into the Church and were perverting God’s Word, and
‘seducing’ God’s people with lies and traditions of men (they are not of
our brother of the tribe Judah, but call themselves such because they live in Judea, yet
have a foreign heritage. Do a study in Judges, Ezra and Nehemiah to find out why.)
Don’t kid yourself about this being past history; it’s still happening today.
The difference when Satan appears on earth, is that there will be a world wide Church
system that he will head, directly from the Temple in Jerusalem. (See II Thess. 2)
This is the message Jesus is giving to His elect disciples in
Mark 13 dealing with being ‘delivered up’ to the ‘synagogue’ of Satan,
and is but another proof that Satan is coming to earth in the near future. Continuing with
Mark 13:
Mark
13:12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the
father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause
them to be put to death.
Jesus quoted the words in bold from Micah 7:6. This verse does not literally mean everyone
killing one another. Remember that ‘Death’ is another name for Satan?
(Rev.6:8) It means that even those loved ones closest to the ‘elect’ will have
them ‘delivered up’ to ‘Death’ or Satan. Satan
will deceive many upon his appearance, for he will come in similar manner like Jesus
Christ, proclaiming to be Jesus; and the ‘whole world will wonder after him’,
thinking he is the True Messiah.
Let’s say that a father in a household is ‘sealed’
with God’s Truth in his mind, and he knows that this 'another Jesus' of 2 Cor.11 who
comes is Satan disguising himself as Jesus, and this father has a son. Also, this son has
been going to a different Church down the street which teaches traditions of men, instead
of teaching the True Word of God, and the son is fooled into believing that this 'another
Jesus' is the True Lord Jesus Christ. The son, etc., will go to this fake Jesus and say
something like, "My father is a good and loving man and studies your Word daily, but
he just doesn’t believe that you’re Jesus. Please take him and see if you can
help him Lord, because I know you can." (See also Luke 21:12-19)
Don’t believe this can happen? Remember why Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego were delivered up to Nebuchadnezzer, the king of Babylon, and put in
the fiery furnace heated seven times hotter (spiritual completion) than necessary? They
refused to worship the ‘golden image’ set up by Nebuchadnezzer. He is but a type
of the Antichrist, and a symbol for the Babylonian captivity of the last ‘world
government’, that is nearly upon us. The main difference is that it is Satan as king
of Babylon this time. Also, Satan will not repent as Nebuchadnezzer did. (See Daniel 3 to
find out what happened to Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego.)
Mark
13:13 And ye shall be hated of all men for My name’s sake: but he that
shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
People like the father in the previous example, will be hated because they won’t
accept the false Messiah, and worship his image, as the Book of Daniel was an example.
Ever been in a group where you were the only one that disagreed, with good reason, but
everyone ‘sneered’ at you, and ‘brow beat’ you, trying to make you
change your mind? The elect will withstand the ‘fiery darts of Satan’, putting
on the ‘Gospel Armour’ and will worship the True Christ, Who comes after
Satan (see Ephesians 6).
The Sixth Seal
Moving on to the sixth seal of Revelation 6, we’ll find the parallel in Mark
13:14-16.
Mark
13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation,
spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let
him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee
to the mountains:
Mark
13:15 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither
enter therein, to take any thing out of his house:
Mark
13:16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his
garment.
This ‘abomination of desolation’ is Satan sitting in the Temple of God,
setting himself up as God in Jerusalem (II Thess. 2). Jesus is making the Book of
Daniel part of Revelation and His Gospel. This refers to Daniel 9:27 talking about the
Holy Communion of Christ ending, because the world will think that the True Messiah is
here on earth, when it is the ‘abomination’ of the ‘desolator’,
Satan, deceiving those that are not ‘sealed’ with the Word of God (Rev.9).
Jesus is also saying to those who live in Judaea, that when they
see this ‘abomination’ sitting in the Temple in Jerusalem, get out of the
city, don’t turn back like Lot’s wife outside Gomorra; and if you’re in the
field, don’t even go back for your coat. The ‘housetop’ was used as
a reference for ‘watchmen’, in other words, don’t be deceived!
Mark
13:17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those
days!
This has nothing to do with mothers being with child in these latter days. This is to be
understood spiritually, not literally, for a woman is blessed in child bearing. (See I
Timothy 2) This is referring to those who have spiritually jumped in bed with the first
messiah who comes, the false one, the Antichrist or ‘instead of Christ’
in the Greek ('antichristos', Strong's no.500), and when the True Christ returns,
they are ‘with child’ already, for it symbolizes 'spiritual
harlotry' with Satan. This is part of the analogy about Christ being the ‘Bridegroom’
and His Church as the ‘Bride’. Woe to those who don’t present
themselves to Jesus Christ as ‘chaste virgins’, as Paul mentioned
in 2 Cor.11! Consider the following verses covering this analogy:
Isaiah 54:1 "Sing O barren, thou that
didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not
travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children
of the married wife," saith the Lord.
How
can ‘the children of the desolate’ be worth more, or have more offspring
than the children of the married wife? This really doesn’t make sense if
understood literally. But in the spiritual sense, and in this whole chapter 54 of Isaiah,
it is about God’s servants keeping themselves spiritually pure in worship of Him
only, as ‘chaste virgins’, unmarried, barren, without a child from Satan
spiritually, when Christ returns to claim His Bride, the True Church.
Isaiah
54:5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of
hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth
shall He be called.
Isaiah
54:6 For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and
grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused," saith thy
God.
How
does someone lose their spiritual virginity? The elect are ‘called’, to
be as ‘chaste virgins’ betrothed to Christ (II Cor.11:2), but are
‘forsaken’ by their own people who are deceived, and also for whom
the souls of the elect are ‘grieved’. Their people that they grief for
however and who are also deceived, will worship the Antichrist and his image. They gather
to Satan thinking he is Jesus. Those true children of God who love Him, but are deceived
because they didn't stay with God's Word instead of man's, go a ‘whoring’
after Satan, the ‘instead of Christ’, committing spiritual
adultery, and hence make up ‘MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF
HARLOTS...’ of Rev.17:5. (See also 2 Cor.11; Luke 23:29; Gal. 4:27; Jer.
30:6)
All this points that Satan comes to earth on the Sixth Trumpet,
Sixth Seal, Sixth Vial; the 666, or 'mark of the beast' signature letting those who are
'sealed' with God's Word realize the 'season' and order of events. We know by Paul in I
Cor.15 that Christ Jesus comes on the Seventh Trumpet, Seventh Seal, and Seventh Vial; the
777 of spiritual perfection ('last trump'), and that the 'son of perdition' who
is Satan must come before Christ, as written in 2 Thess.2 also by Paul the Apostle.
As the reason for all souls being born into this flesh age by
woman is for the purpose of making a 'choice' to worship God, or Satan, likewise, for
those of this last generation in the flesh, a further choice is necessary, and that means
choosing the proper Messiah, knowing when The True Messiah Christ Jesus returns. This is
why Christ gave us these signs here in The Gospel of Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, and
in the Book of Revelation. I’m going to stop here for this Message. I’ll
continue with the final sign, and the ‘parable of the fig tree’ in my next Ideas
Letter.
Peace be with you in Christ,
Dave Ramey.
Footnotes:
All references to
"Strong's nos." are from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, PC Study Bible,
Biblesoft, 1993-1996.
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