For further
study on the topic of
Michael/Jesus, please see
Chapters 1-3 in my book,
Jesus: The Alpha and The
Omega.
For further
discussion on the fall of the
Roman Empire and the identity
of the ten horns on the
fourth beast in Daniel 7,
please see Chapter 3 in my
book, Daniel: unlocked for
the Final Generation.
Even though
ancient Babylon was a great
empire (605-538 B.C.), one
can factually argue that
ancient Babylon (and
Medo-Persia, Grecia, and
Rome) did not rule over the whole
world. However, ancient
Babylon did rule over that
part of the world where
God’s people lived and
using this point of
reference, one can say that
Babylon was a world empire.
Starting with ancient
Babylon, each succeeding
empire became geographically
larger and larger until
finally, during the time
period of the feet, the whole
world is represented as
“a divided kingdom”
made up of many nations that
are both strong and weak.
(Daniel 2:41) At the end, ten
kings will rule the whole
world during the final days
of Earth’s history.
Compare Daniel 2:42 with
Revelation 17:12-14.
Although Islam
today is often associated
with the sixth century A.D.
influence of Mohammed, the
title, Islam, as used here,
includes the ancient Arabic
faith from which Mohammedism
grew. Even though many
Christians believe Mohammed
was the founder of Islam, it
must be emphasized that
Mohammed did not invent the
Islamic faith. Rather, he
united, organized, clarified,
and expanded the beliefs of
the nomadic Arabians. Moslems
believe in forced
conversions, so Islam spread
through the Middle East as a
result of the Ottoman
conquests. Mohammed is
considered by Moslems to be
the last, and
therefore the greatest of
God’s messengers.
Moslems trace the origin of
their faith back to Abraham,
Ishmael, and his twelve sons.
Moslems regard Abraham as the
father of their faith, not
Mohammed. (See Genesis 21:13
and Genesis 25:16.)
The Greek word
for Earth is ge and it
is translated
“land” about fifty
times in the New Testament
For a
discussion on the importance
of “the north,”
please see Chapter 4 in my
book, Daniel:Unlocked
for the Final Generation.
The Bible does
not indicate the length of
time that the Godhead spent
trying to resolve
Lucifer’s feelings and
behavior. I am speculating
that it was thousands of
years because the Godhead has
spent thousands of years
resolving the sin problem
with human beings. I am sure
that God loves angels as much
as He loves us; therefore He
gave them every opportunity
to repent.
Rule Three of
Apocalyptic Prophecy indicates there
are three types of language in
apocalyptic prophecy: analogous,
literal, and symbolic. If an element
is thought to be symbolic, the Bible
will interpret the symbol with a relevant
text. In other words, if
something is to be treated as a
symbol, the Bible will define the
symbol so that everyone who reads the
Bible will have the same conclusion.
The bible is its own interpreter. For
example, the woman who wears a crown
of twelve stars. The twelve stars are
not symbols of twelve angels. Look at
the text: “In his right hand
he held seven stars, and out of his
mouth came a sharp double-edged
sword….” (Revelation
1:16) Then Revelation 1:20 says, “….
The seven stars are the angels of the
seven churches….” We
see here that the seven stars in
Revelation 1:16 are the seven angels
because Revelation 1:20 defines the
symbol. In other words, Revelation
1:20 is relevant to Revelation
1:16. Now, look at this text: “I
watched as he opened the sixth seal.
There was a great earthquake. The sun
turned black like sackcloth made of
goat hair, the whole moon turned
blood red, and the stars in the sky
fell to earth, as late figs drop from
a fig tree when shaken by a strong
wind.” (Revelation 6:12,13)
Are the sun, moon, and stars in this
passage literal or symbolic? The
answer is literal because there is no
relevant text that defines
them as symbols. In summary, the
Bible must speak for itself. When it
does not define a symbol with a
relevant text, no one has the
authority to make the element
symbolic.)
Please read
Chapters 7 and 8 in my book, Jesus:
The Alpha and The Omega,
for a discussion on who
constitutes Israel in the
book of Revelation.
The 144,000
will begin their ministry
proclaiming, “Fear
God and give him glory,
because the hour of his
judgment has come. Worship
him who made the
heavens, the earth, the sea
and the springs of
water.” (Revelation
14:7, italics mine) True
worship is prompted by the
Holy Spirit and is the
natural response of loving
obedience. Jesus said, “If
you love me, you will obey
what I command.” (John
14:15) “Do not be
like Cain [who was
offended because God showed
no respect for his offerings],
who belonged to the evil one
and murdered his brother [because
of jealousy]. And why did
he murder him? Because his
won actions were evil [he
presumed to worship God by
offering fruit instead of a
sacrificial lamb] and his
brother’s [actions] were
righteous [because he did
as God commanded].”
(1 John 3:12, insertions
mine) Even though laws
regarding the sacredness of
the seventh day will be
implemented in Israel, the
Jewish dilemma will be the
worship of Jesus Christ. The
144,000 will proclaim,
“Worship Jesus Christ on
His Sabbath Day! Worship the
Creator, the One who made the
heavens, the earth, the sea,
and everything that
exists.”
(Colossians 1:16)
God’s people will not worship
the Sabbath. They will worship Jesus
Christ on His Sabbath. Remember, the
Ten Commandments define how love is
to be expressed. There is no
commandment to worship the law of
God. The first angel’s message
will be a demand to worship our
Creator who is twice entitled to our
love and worship – once through
creation and once through redemption.
