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THE WAY IT WAS.

THE WAY IT IS.

THE WAY IT WILL BE?

Preface:

The Bible has been widely accepted by most Christians as the authoritative Word of God. There are well over 30,000

Christian denominations worldwide that use the Bible as their primary source for the doctrines that they follow. Most

denominations share similar beliefs/doctrines with other Christian denominations, but they usually have at least one

doctrine that they follow that can be considered as unique.

The Bible can be compared to a jigsaw puzzle with many individual pieces that can be placed together in such a fashion

as to form a picture. Most Christian denominations have taken parts/pieces of scripture and placed them together to

form a picture of what they consider to be Truth. Again, some pictures of Truth that are being presented share some

similarities with other denominations(i.e. Who is God?, Who is Jesus?, What is the Gospel?, What information does the

Bible provide concerning the future? etc.), but each completed Biblical picture presented can be considered as unique

when compared with other Biblical pictures.

This presents a special challenge to the sincere seeker of Truth. Which of these Biblical perspectives/pictures of truth

can in actuality be Truth? Is it possible that all perspectives are True? Is it possible that none of these perspectives is

True? How is the seeker to know what is True and what is False?

The following document is another Biblical picture of what the author believes to be Truth. It is hoped that the sincere

seeker of truth will read through this presentation and carefully consider each point presented. Some points may be

familiar while others will be new. Either way it is hoped that the picture that is being presented will be seen in a way

that is understandable and within logical reason.

But the primary question remains….How is one to know whether what is being read is actually Truth or not? That

question can only be answered if the reader has an ongoing relationship with the God of Truth who willingly imparts

understanding to all who desire it. If the reader has a two-way communication link with God, then His Holy Spirit, will

provide the verification as to the Truth or Fallacy of what is being read.

With that said, let us start at the beginning…….

CHAPTER 1 --- In the beginning…

“In the beginning was God”……and only God. He is the great “I AM”. He has always existed, with no beginning or end.

He is the “Alpha and Omega” He is the Supreme Being of this universe.

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He is the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists. He is capable of creating “something from nothing” with just a

“Spoken Word”. Everything that He creates is good and perfect. He is the “Source of All Life”. No living thing can exist

unless He alone gives it life. He is “Omnipotent”.

God is a “Spirit Being” bound by no physical limitations. This makes it possible for Him to be everywhere, all the time.

He has given His created beings the ability to “sense” His presence. He is “Omnipresent”.

God is the “Source of All Knowledge”. Since everything was created by Him, He alone, knows everything about

everything in the minutest detail. He alone knows how the future will unfold, because He alone fully understands

“cause and effect”. He is “Omniscient”.

An illustration of God’s Omniscient power can be demonstrated in the creation of a computer. The designer/builder of a

computer understands how every component of the computer is made and how it is supposed to function. He

understands how the computer is capable of receiving information, computing/processing this information and then

displaying information. He fully foreknows how the computer will react to certain information/stimuli because he alone

has designed/built this computer.

God is good and everything that He creates is perfect and good.

The Bible tells us that a certain “evil” was introduced into God’s perfect universe. The originator of this “evil” was

Lucifer/Satan. Lucifer was the greatest of all the created beings that God had made. Lucifer was perfect. He was the

closest to God of all of the other created beings.

As Lucifer observed firsthand the many wonderful attributes of God, he began to reason within his own mind as to

whether it would ever be possible to acquire those same attributes for him-self. He marveled at God’s ability to create

“something from nothing” and he wondered how it was possible for God to have such great power and if he could ever

attain such power for himself. He observed how all of God’s creation respected and worshipped their Creator and He

imagined himself as being the recipient of such worship from something that he had created.

Lucifer reminisced about his own personal existence and how he had grown and developed into the being that he was.

He pondered as to whether it was possible for him to become even greater than he was. He wondered if given the time

and effort, he could someday become “like the Most High/God”.

There is nothing inherently wrong with desiring to become “like God”. In fact, God is honored when His Creation shows

the desire to become “like Him”. This is a demonstration of the highest regard that a “created being” can show towards

its “Creator”. What parent has not felt the greatest pride whenever one of their children has stated, “I want to be just

like you”.

There is one impediment, though, that a created being is faced with when desiring to be “like God”. The problem is that

it is impossible for a “created being “to become exactly like its “Creator”. A created being may be created in the “image

of God”, but there are certain limitations as to how far the created being can ascend in its development.

There is one simple “Fact of Life” that exists in God’s universe. This fact states that “God cannot create another God”.

God is the Supreme Creator and not a “created being”. All of His creatures are “created” and therefore will eternally

remain as “created beings”.

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There is another simple “Fact of Life” that exists in God’s universe. God is an “independent being” which means that He

is not reliant upon any other being for His very existence. All of God’s creation is eternally reliant upon Him for their

existence and sustenance. There is a power that comes from God alone, called the Breath of Life, which provides His

created beings with the ability to “live”.

These two “Facts of Life” are irrevocable and can never change.

As Lucifer reasoned within his own mind, he began to believe that it was perhaps possible to ascend to a level of

“Godlikeness”. He greatly desired this level of existence. God made every attempt to reason with Lucifer that what he

desired was impossible to attain. No “created/dependent being” could ever ascend to a level of

“Godlikeness/Independent Being”.

There is a third “Fact of Life” that exists in God’s universe. This fact states that if God removes the “Breath of Life” from

any of His “created beings” they immediately experience a state of “non-existence” or Death.

A simple illustration of this fact is that of the light bulb. A light bulb contains all of the essential elements for producing

“light”, but it requires one element, outside of itself, that will give it the ability to produce “light”. This element is

electricity that comes from an outside source that must be introduced into the light bulb so that it can produce “light”.

Lucifer convinced him-self that he could ascend to a level of “Godlikeness” and become an independent being. He

refused to accept God’s reasoning that this was impossible. He then began to act upon this belief by attempting to

separate him-self from God. Not only was he convinced that he alone was capable of ascending to this level of

“Godlikeness” but that it was possible for all of God’s “created beings” to ascend to such a level of existence.

This attempt to exist “independently of God” violated the third fact of life that stated that it is impossible to live

“independently of God”. By desiring and acting upon this desire to live independently of God, Lucifer was unknowingly,

signing his own death warrant. Lucifer did not fully comprehend the ramifications of his actions, nor would he accept

God’s pleadings to stop in his attempt to become an “independent being”.

When Lucifer acted upon his belief that he could become an “independent being” he should have immediately

experience the “natural consequence” of that action. God would have been fully justified if He had removed the “Breath

of Life” from Lucifer and Lucifer would have immediately experienced death.

At this point in time, no form of death had ever been experienced by any of God’s creation. It was a entity that none of

God’s creation had any comprehension. God could attempt to explain how death could be experienced by his creation,

but His created beings could not fully understand something that they had never seen or experienced for themselves.

They could only accept/believe His Word that death is the natural consequence of separation from God.

Lucifer refused to accept God’s warning that independence from God results in Death. He believed that He could

somehow generate “life” from within him-self. This act of independence became known as “evil/sin”.

It was at this point in time that “Grace” came into existence. God would have been fully justified if He had allowed

Lucifer to suffer the natural consequence of his decision to attempt to become an independent being. God refused to

allow Lucifer to suffer this consequence. He realized that Lucifer was acting in ignorance of what the consequence of his

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actions would be. Even though Lucifer desired independence from God, God refused to give it to him. If He had, it would

have immediately resulted in the death of Lucifer. This act of God in refusing to give His creation the “independence”

that it desired and therefore suffer its ultimate natural consequence is called “Grace”.

Lucifer, being fully convinced that it was possible to ascend to a level of independence, also believed that God’s other

“created beings” could successfully ascend to such a level of existence. He began to share this belief with the other

angels in Heaven and was able to convince one-third of them to follow after him.

It must be understood that Lucifer did not demonstrate any feelings of hatred or animosity towards God at this time. He

was envious of the powers that God exhibited, but this caused no ill feelings within Lucifer. There was no “war in

heaven” as a result of Lucifer’s attempt to separate him-self from God. Instead, there was a lively debate that took

place within heaven as each side to this issue of “independence” set about to prove the righteousness of their position.

CHAPTER 2 --- Creation and Fall of Man

Approximately 6000 years ago, God created the earth, heavens and all that is in it within a six-day period. His crowning

creation was man/woman, who was created in His image. Adam and Eve were the first human beings that existed upon

this earth. As was true in all acts of God’s creation, everything on this earth was perfect/good. God placed Adam and

Eve within a beautiful garden that provided them with everything needed for their sustenance and happiness.

A “Tree of Life” was placed within the garden that bore edible fruit which provided Adam and Eve with a nutritional

resource for good physical health, healing and eternal life.

God created the first humans, as He did all of His other created beings, with the “Power of Choice”. This ability allowed

Adam and Eve to choose to do whatever they wanted to do. To give them an opportunity to exercise this power, God

placed another special tree within the garden. This tree was called “The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil”. God

placed a restriction on this tree that Adam and Eve were not to eat of any of the fruit that grew upon this tree. They

were told that if they disobeyed God’s command that they would experience death as a result.

The Bible provides us with the story of the account whereby Eve is tempted to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree. She

enters into a conversation with a beautiful serpent that attempts to convince her that by eating the forbidden fruit she

could ascend to a level of “God-likeness”.

A seed of doubt was planted within Eve’s mind. She wondered if God was really telling her the truth that death would

be a direct result of eating of the forbidden fruit. She, along with all of God’s creation, had no comprehension

whatsoever what death really was like.

On the other hand, she is now conversing with a serpent that before then did not have the ability to speak, but now was

telling her that she could become something greater than what she currently was.

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She carefully weighed the evidence presented to her. The desire to become someone greater, perhaps even “like God”

became more and more tempting. She somehow determined that the fruit on the tree was edible and then she made

her choice. She took of the fruit and ate it. She then gave some of the fruit to Adam and he ate it too.

This begs the question that remains unanswered to this day. The Bible clearly states that Adam was with her during this

time, but why did he remain silent? Why do we not read that he attempted to intervene between the serpent and Eve

in an effort to discourage her from eating of the fruit? The Bible also remains silent as to why Adam chose to eat of the

fruit.

Mankind had made a conscious choice to disobey God’s command. They had instead chosen to believe the serpent’s

temptation that they could ascend to a higher level of existence. Ironically, God stated, “Man has become like Us in that

he now has knowledge of good and evil”. Mankind had become “Godlike” but not in a way that he had intended. Man

had made an attempt to act independently of his Creator and now he must bear its consequence. This act of

independence or evil should have resulted in the natural consequence of immediate and eternal death to Adam and Eve,

but once again, God demonstrated “Grace” towards them and prevented them from suffering this consequence.

God did pronounce a curse upon Adam and Eve as a result of their sin. Eve was told that she would experience great

pain/labor whenever she would give birth to a child, while Adam was told that he would have to work very hard in order

to sustain himself and his family. These curses were not a natural consequence of man’s sin. The natural consequence

of their sin should have resulted in their immediate deaths. Instead, God had pronounced these sins upon Adam and

Eve in order to demonstrate to them, in a limited extent, how they could never attain equality with God. God did not

experience any pain during the creation of Adam or Eve. He spoke and it was done. God never “broke a sweat” as a

result of the works of creation that He had performed. Again, He spoke and it was done. This is a power that no created

being can ever acquire.

(It is of interest to note how mankind, through the ages, has attempted to overcome the consequences of these Divine

curses. Through the increase of knowledge in science, medicine, agriculture and industrial technologies, mankind has

discovered ways to alleviate the pain of childbirth and to minimize the efforts needed to produce those things necessary

for livelihood. It would appear that the human race refuses to accept the fact that they can never “be like God”.)

In His foreknowledge, God realized the impact that “evil” would have upon the human species as a result of their choice

to attempt “independence” from Him. It was therefore His decision to ban them from the Garden of Eden, and

subsequently, access to the “Tree of Life”. He realized that this would eventually result in their deaths because of their

inability to receive the life-giving sustenance for their physical bodies inherent within the fruit of this tree.

(It is at this point that we must make a distinction between the two types of deaths that mankind can suffer. The first

death that was experienced by mankind came as a direct result of their being denied access to the “Tree of Life”. Their

physical bodies began to deteriorate as a result of sickness, injury or old age to the point that it could no longer sustain

“life”. Physical death is the natural result. The second form of death occurs when the “Breath of Life” is removed from a

perfectly healthy body that is still capable of sustaining life. This death is a direct result of an “act of God”.)

In an attempt to bring understanding to mankind as to the consequence of their choice to seek independence from God,

a requirement was placed upon them that involved the sacrifice of a young lamb upon an altar. God Himself had

introduced a form of Death into His universe. One can only imagine the traumatic effect this had upon Adam and Eve

when they killed the first lamb and offered it as a sacrifice.

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This sacrifice had a two-fold objective. First, God wanted Adam and Eve to gain a limited understanding of what Death

was. Secondly, God wanted them to be given a sense of hope that a “Messiah” would someday come to act as their

substitute so that they would not have to experience “eternal death”, which is the natural consequence of “evil/sin”.

As time progressed, another “consequence of evil/sin” became evident.

Mankind was created with six senses which allowed him to receive and assimilate information from the environment in

which he lived. He was endowed with the sense of sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch and spirituality. The sense of

spirituality made it possible for mankind to be aware of God’s presence and it allowed him to communicate,

spiritually/telepathically, with his Creator. It was God’s intent that mankind form a spiritual bond with his Creator that

would result in a symbiotic relationship between the two. Mankind would receive counsel/wisdom/life from his God

and God would receive the obedience, adoration/love from His creation.

As mankind began to “act independently” of his Creator the “spiritual sense” was under-developed to the point that

man would largely ignore any communications coming directly from God. As mankind made repeated attempts to “act

independently” of God certain misbehaviors became evident. Some of these “misbehaviors” are demonstrated in the

story of Cain and Abel.

Cain and Abel were the first two sons of Adam and Eve. As they grew into adulthood, they became interested in two

different careers. Cain was a farmer, while Abel became a herdsman. Both men were introduced to the sacrificial

requirement God had place upon mankind that a lamb be killed and offered upon an altar for God’s approval.

For reasons not given, Cain made the conscious choice to offer the fruit of the field as an offering instead of the required

lamb. His offering was not accepted by God, which caused Cain to become angry. God attempted to reason with him as

to the importance of explicit obedience to God’s instruction. It would appear that Cain resisted God’s counsel, because

sometime later, Cain became angry with Abel and killed him. It can be reasoned that this was a result of Cain’s

continued disobedience to God’s command which resulted in the animosity of Cain towards his brother who had

continued to obey God.

The murder of Cain must have had a horrific impact upon God’s created beings who witnessed this event. No more so

than Lucifer/Satan. He did not expect mankind to react in such a manner. This form of behavior was not “God-like”. To

kill another created being ran counter to his objective in ascending to a higher state of existence. He began to wonder

as to why these human beings would act in such a way.

God attempted to give understanding to His creation that Cain’s killing of Abel was a direct result of Cain’s attempt to

act independently of God. Because Cain had refused to accept God’s influence in his life, the result had been that Cain

had allowed his emotions to control his actions, resulting in the murder of his brother. Satan began to wonder if

perhaps the human beings that God had created were defective in some way. This is the accusation that he began to

portray to the universe. God had created “imperfect” beings incapable of ascending to a level of “God-likeness”. He

refused to accept God’s reasoning that these misbehaviors were a direct result of mankind’s attempt to seek

independence from God.

Through each progressive generation, mankind began to demonstrate many varied behaviors that ran counter to God’s

ideal for His creation. There were acts of stealing, killing, covetousness, disrespect towards God and other humans, etc.

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The condition of the human race began to degenerate to such an extent that the Bible states that their every thought

was that of “evil continually”. After only fifteen hundred years since the entrance of sin into this world, God regretted

that He had created mankind.

The human species had degenerated so much so that God realized that they would eventually “self-destruct” resulting in

the complete annihilation of the human species. He then decided to bring about a world-wide flood that would result in

the total destruction of the world, save for a few select individuals and animals. God realized that His universe had not

gained a full comprehension of the “true consequences” of “evil/sin” so it was His decision to allow mankind’s existence

to continue in hopes that His creation could gain a better understanding of the impact that “sin” has upon the human

species and subsequently the entire universe.

One can only imagine how the heavenly beings must have reacted as they witnessed God’s destruction of His creation.

This act must have created more questions in their mind as to why God would act in such a way. Satan him-self, must

have also wondered why God would demonstrate such “un-godlike” behavior. Confusion reigned in God’s universe.

Still, God’s un-fallen beings chose to remain faithful to Him despite the unanswered questions that remained in their

minds.

(One question that remains unanswered is: “Why didn’t God send Jesus as the Messiah prior to the flood?” If the

Messiah had come prior to this event then mankind could have had a demonstration of what it means to remain

“dependent upon God” which could have possibly converted many and made the flood unnecessary.)

The post-Flood human beings still demonstrated a reluctance to accept total dependence upon their Creator. Due to a

change in their diet, where meat-eating was introduced, the longevity of life that mankind had previously experienced

was greatly reduced. God made many attempts to draw mankind back to Him so that they could once again reveal to

the universe how God and man could enjoy a productive symbiotic relationship. With few exceptions, mankind

responded to God’s entreaties with indifference. Mankind’s understanding of who God truly is was greatly diminished.

CHAPTER 3 --- God Raises Up a People

God decided to demonstrate one more time to the world and the universe how it was possible for the human race to

flourish while in a dependent relationship with Him. Beginning with Abraham, God chose a select people to become

known as “God’s People”. The descendants of Abraham became known as the Israelites. God delivered these people

out of slavery in Egypt and brought them to Mount Sinai, where He introduced Himself to them and verbally provided

them with a set of guidelines (Moral , Social and Economic Laws) whereby they could become more aware of how He

expected them to live in harmony with His ideal for them. The Israelites initially accepted God as their god and

voluntarily chose to abide by His commands. As a reward for their continued dependence upon Him, God promised to

bring them to a “land of plenty” were they could settle and prosper under His care.

This form of government is called a Theocracy.

(Since the Fall, mankind had attempted to form groups/societies that could co-exist harmoniously. In most societies a

monarchy was established whereby a king/queen was chosen from amongst the people to become the sovereign leader

of the group. This individual was usually given overall authority over the people in the establishment/enforcement of

laws(social/economic). In some societies the monarch was considered as divine and received worship from his/her

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subjects. Their monarchy was also passed on through their descendents. These societies also created their own religions

that were largely disassociated from the True God. Their religious practices usually centered around the ritualistic

worship of images/idols that represented the gods that they perceived were in control of the world/universe.)

The Jewish nation continued to exist for a period of 1300 years until 70 years after the birth of Christ. When they

remained faithful/dependent towards God, they were blessed and prospered. When they attempted to act

independently, God allowed them to suffer severe consequences; such has famine, pestilence, and captivity. History

demonstrates to us the “roller-coaster” relationship that the Jews had with their God.

God also provided the Israelites with a set of ritualistic practices centered around a Sanctuary and its sacrificial services.

By giving the Israelites these Sanctuary Services, God was attempting to demonstrate to mankind the Plan of Salvation

that had been set into motion when man chose to sin against his Creator.

The Sanctuary that was constructed consisted of an outer courtyard which contained the altar of burnt offerings and a

laver/basin. The altar of burnt offerings was the site where all offerings to God were to be sacrificed. The laver

contained water and was used for ceremonial washings.

The Sanctuary proper or Tabernacle was a fully enclose structure which contained two compartments, The Holy Place

and The Holy of Holies. The Holy Place contained three articles of furniture: The seven candlesticks, the Table of

Shewbread and the Altar of Incense. The Holy of Holies contained the “Ark of the Covenant” where the Shekinah Glory

of God was present. These two compartments were separated by a large veil.

The entire structure of the Tabernacle and its furniture were meant to provide important illustrations to the Israelites as

to how God had set about to save mankind from suffering the ultimate consequence of his sin and also how God and

man could once again enter into a relationship of “oneness”.

Every evening and morning the priests of the sanctuary were required to offer a sacrifice of a lamb upon the Altar of

Burnt Offerings. They were commanded that the fire on this altar was to burn continually.

Upon the commission of a known sin, an Israelite was required to bring an unblemished animal sacrifice to the

Tabernacle. The sacrifice was brought before the priest at the Altar of Burnt Offerings. The individual then placed their

hands upon the animal, confessed their sin and then killed the animal. The blood of the animal was then sprinkled upon

the horns of the Altar of Burnt Offerings(in special instances(i.e. sin of a priest or ruler) the blood of the sacrifice was

brought into the Holy Place and sprinkled before the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies) thus

signifying that the individual had confessed his/her sin and had accepted God’s forgiveness. These ceremonies

continued on a day-by-day basis as the Israelites followed God’s directive.

Once a year, a special ceremony, called the Day of Atonement was held in the Sanctuary. The High Priest was required

to perform ceremonial preparations prior to his participation in this special service. He was required to offer a bullock

as a sacrifice for his and his family’s sin(s) of the previous year. He was then required to bring the blood of this sacrifice

into the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood upon the Ark of the Covenant.

Two young goats were then brought to the Sanctuary and lots were casts upon them to determine which goat would be

the “Lord’s Goat” and which would be the “Scape-Goat”. The Lord’s Goat was killed and the High Priest brought its

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blood into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled it upon the Ark of the Covenant. The High Priest then returned to the

Courtyard and sprinkled the blood upon the Altar of Burnt Offerings.

The High Priest then took the “Scape-goat” and placing his hands upon the goat, confessed all of the sins of Israel upon

this animal. This goat was then led out into the wilderness by a fit man and turned loose.

Upon the completion of this ceremony, the sanctuary was pronounced “cleansed” and the sins of the people had been

completely “atoned”.

The Israelites failed to fully comprehend the lessons of these services, though they continued to follow God’s directive

for many years. To this day, a complete understanding of what God was demonstrating through these sacrifices remains

obscure.

The evening/morning sacrifice of a lamb was meant as a simple reminder to the Israelites that the consequence of sin is

“death”. The command that the fire on the altar was to remain continually burning, provided the people with a constant

reminder of this fact. God’s primary objective in commanding this daily service was meant to encourage His people to

remain faithfully obedient to Him. “To obey is better than sacrifice.” As long as the people remained obedient to God,

they were not required to offer a sacrifice for sin(s).

The required “sin offering” service that each Israelite was commanded to provide upon the commission of a sin was a

demonstration of how God recorded each sin in Heaven. In the Heavenly Records there are two books that are being

constantly updated. The “Book of Deeds” contains a record of every act, good or bad, of every human being that has

lived upon this earth. The “Book of Life” contains the names of those individuals that were eligible to receive eternal

life.

If an individual committed a sin, this act was dutifully recorded in the Book of Deeds. If that individual’s name was

contained within the “Book of Life” the name was immediately removed which indicated that this particular individual

was no longer eligible for eternal life, but instead, was sentenced to Death.

When a sinful Israelite confessed/repented of their sin through the sacrifice of an animal at the Altar of Burnt Offerings,

and the blood of the animal was sprinkled upon the horns of this altar, the “Book of Deeds” in Heaven was amended. A

notation was made next to the record of the wrongful act, indicating that this act had been confessed and a sacrifice had

been offered. The name of the repentant individual was then entered into the “Book of Life” indicating that they were

eligible for eternal life, “pending the literal sacrifice of the Lamb of God”.

The Day of Atonement service was a demonstration of how God would ultimately redeem mankind from the

consequence of his sins. Jesus Christ was the Son of God sent to this world to be the Messiah who would save the world

from experiencing the ultimate consequence of its sins. Jesus lived His life in full dependence upon His Father which

meant that He did not commit any sin. This qualified Him to become the “unblemished Lamb of God”. Through the

voluntary sacrifice of His life, Jesus made it possible for God to accept His Death as a “substitution” for the death of

those individuals who had confessed their sins and had returned to a “dependent relationship” with their God. Jesus’

death was an “Atoning Death” which meant that the symbiotic relationship between God and man could be restored

with no fear of a future separation as a result of any past committed sin(s). God and man would become “One” again

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When Christ provided the Atoning Sacrifice for mankind it became possible for the Heavenly Books of Deeds/Life to be

amended. All confessed sins recorded in the Book of Deeds were “blotted out/erased” and the notation beside the

name of the repentant sinner written in the “Book of Life” is deleted. The individual is considered as fully atoned to God

and there is no longer any fear of a future separation due to past sins. The symbiotic relationship between God and man

is restored. Those individuals of Old Testament times who had chosen to place their faith in the promise of a future

Messiah were vindicated.

Those individuals who would live after Christ’s Sacrificial Death would no longer need to perform the “sacrificial acts”

required in the Old Testament. Upon the commission of a known/pre-meditated sin their names are deleted from the

“Book of Life” and their sinful acts are recorded in the “Book of Deeds. (The commission of a “known sins” is indicative

of an individual’s desire to become “independent” of God.) When these individuals confessed/repented of their sin(s)

and accepted Christ’s Atoning Sacrifice on their behalf, their recorded sins are deleted from the “Book of Deeds” and

their names are once again restored to the “Book of Life”. Their relationship of “oneness/dependence” with their

Creator is once again restored. The individual than allows the Holy Spirit from God to become the primary influence in

their lives.

Salvation is just that simple.

The confession of the sins of Israel upon the “Scapegoat” symbolized the final placement of responsibility for the

origination of sin upon Satan. The literal fulfillment took place shortly after the ascension of Christ to heaven. For well

over 4000 years the debate had raged in Heaven as to who was right, God or Satan, as to whether it was possible for a

created/dependent being to ascend to a level of “God-likeness/Independence”. The heavenly beings had witnessed

firsthand the horrific impact that sin had upon the human race and all of God’s earthly creation. They had seen how

mankind had seriously degenerated from God’s ideal as they attempted to exist independently of their Creator/God.

Satan had refused to accept responsibility for the fall of mankind. Instead he had attempted to place the responsibility

squarely upon God, stating that God had created an inferior being incapable of ascending to a level of God-likeness.

It was not until the heavenly beings witnessed the death of the “Son of God” at the hands of mankind that the questions

in their minds were finally resolved. Satan had stated that all “God-wannabes” could exist as co-equals with God and

that there would be continued peace and harmony in God’s universe. Mankind proved that argument to be false.

It was at this time that war broke out in Heaven. Michael, the leader of the angelic host, defeated Satan and his angels

resulting in the banishment of Satan and his angels from Heaven to this earth. Satan realized that he was wrong, but

was unrepentant. Instead, he became angry with those human beings who chose to remain dependent upon their God,

and he set about to destroy them.

Chapter 4 --- JESUS THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD

After 4000 years of the evolution of sin and its resultant effects upon God’s creation, God sent a Savior into the world.

There have been many theories presented as to how Jesus came into being. The one simple fact that appears to be

overlooked is this: God is the Creator of all that exists and nothing is impossible with Him.

Jesus was conceived when God created a perfect sperm that was placed within the fertile egg located within the

womb of the virgin, Mary. Jesus was 100% human because He had been conceived in the reproductive method that

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God had instituted when He created man and woman. The only difference being that there was no sexual act

involved in this conception. As a result, Jesus’ biological father was God and His biological mother was Mary. Jesus

was the “only begotten Son of God”….. but, He was not divine.

Mary was informed that Jesus was the Messiah that God had promised to Adam and Eve when sin entered into this

world. Jesus’ mission on this earth was to “save” mankind from having to suffer the ultimate consequence of their “sin

of independence” against God. Mary did not fully understand what Jesus was to do. She did not fully realize that He

was to give up His life so that the world could have hope of eternal life.

Jesus spent the first 30 years of His life with His parents, where He was nurtured through their caring instruction and

guidance. He was continually reminded by His parents that He was the “Son of God” which made Him a very unique

individual. It was not until He was 12 years old that He began to understand what His mission in life truly was. His

parents had brought Him to the temple in Jerusalem where He witnessed the sacrificial/priestly services that took place

there. It was then that He began to comprehend who He truly was. Even at such a young age, Jesus sensed God’s Holy

Spirit within His being and was able to demonstrate to the priests/teachers of the temple a wisdom that far exceeded

their own. They marveled at His understanding of spiritual things.

When Jesus was 30 years old, He entered into His ministry to reveal to mankind what it meant to live a life in total

dependence upon God. He was baptized by John the Baptist who proclaimed Jesus as the “Lamb of God which takes

away the sins of the world”. The baptism of Jesus also fulfilled the ritualistic bathing of the High Priest prior to his

participation in the Day of Atonement service.

After His baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness where he remained for 40 days. It was during this time that He was

met with three separate temptations.

In the first temptation Jesus is tempted to turn ordinary stones into bread, so that He can have something to eat. Satan

words the temptation by first stating “If you are the Son of God…..” This specific wording questions whether Jesus,

being the Son of God, is also the “Divine Son of God” which implies that He has the same “God-like” attributes as His

Father. God has the power to turn stones into bread, so should not His Son have the same power?

Satan was tempting Jesus to act as an “independent being”. Jesus was 100% human and no part of Him was Divine. If

He had made any attempt to turn the stones to bread, He would have failed. More importantly, He would have acted

“independently” of His Father, which would have been sin.

Jesus responded to this temptation by acknowledging His dependence upon His Father, God.

In the second temptation Jesus is taken to the top of the temple in Jerusalem. Satan once again uses the preface “If you

are the Son of God……” in tempting Jesus to cast Himself down from the top of the temple. Satan quotes scripture

stating that God will protect Jesus from suffering any harm. Jesus responds by saying “You should not tempt God.”

In this temptation we are shown how a created being who has accepted their dependence upon God can go to another

extreme by being “presumptuous” towards God. The created being feels that it does not matter what they may choose

to do, God will always care for them. They then take unrealistic risks with their lives. They also may feel that it matters

not what sin they may commit, because God is always willing to forgive. This is also evil/sin when a dependent created

being takes God for granted.

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The third and final temptation of Jesus took place on top of a great mountain. Satan showed Jesus all of the kingdoms of

the world and informed Jesus that if He would worship Satan that He would be given all of these kingdoms as a result.

Satan fully realized the mission that Jesus had been sent to accomplish. He knew that Jesus was to give up His own life

in hopes of saving the world from suffering the consequence/death for their own sins. Satan was offering Jesus a way

out from having to sacrifice His own life for the world. If Jesus acknowledged Satan’s supremacy, Satan would relinquish

all claims to this world. (Mankind had been a great disappointment to him anyway.) Jesus would not have to die.

Jesus quickly realized Satan’s scheme and reprimanded him for such a temptation. God is the only being worthy of

worship. Not only that, Satan may have claimed the world as his own, but in reality, this was a falsehood. Even though

the world had chosen to follow after Satan, he could not claim ownership of the world. God alone had the right to claim

the world as His own. God was still the Creator and Sustainer even though the world had turned its back on Him. This

was a fact that could never be changed.

Jesus began His ministry by choosing twelve men to become His disciples. For 3 ½ years, these men were by his side as

he traveled throughout Judaea. Jesus shared many truths with them about what it meant to be totally dependent upon

God and what results take place when God and man are involved in a personal one-to-one relationship. Jesus

performed many miracles, but this was not a result of any power that He had within Himself. Instead, these miracles

were a result of God’s willingness to do whatever Jesus asked of Him, because of the relationship of “oneness” that they

shared.

The life and teachings that Jesus presented came into direct conflict with the established Jewish spiritual leaders of His

day. The Jewish leaders proclaimed that the only way to be accepted by God was through strict conformity to His laws.

They believed that God was inaccessible to man and that man’s sinful nature was an impediment to a successful

relationship with his Creator. As a result, many different laws and guidelines had been created by the Jews that strictly

regulated how they were supposed to live their lives. By conforming to these laws the Jews felt that they could become

more “God-like”.

Jesus set out to demonstrate how an individual could enter into a relationship with his God in such a way that their lives

would automatically change into conformity to what God’s ideal for them truly was. He proved, over and again that God

and man could enjoy a personal relationship whereby man could communicate with God and therefore know with

certainty what God’s will was for that individual.

Because of their preconceived ideas/beliefs, it was somewhat difficult for Jesus’ followers to understand the truths that

He revealed to them as to what it meant to be atoned to God. They also had a misconception of who the Messiah was

to be, so that they could not fully understand what Christ’s mission was. They expected Him to establish an earthly

kingdom whereby the Jewish nation would once more be restored to a prominent position on the world stage. When

Jesus attempted to share with them that He came to give His life for the world, they became disconsolate.

We can only imagine the dilemma that Christ was faced with as the time of His death approached. He fully realized that

He did not deserve to suffer the eternal death that was the consequence of sin. He also realized that His death would

not be fully accepted, or even understood, by most of the inhabitants of this earth. He must have wrestled constantly

with the thought as to whether it was truly worth it all to sacrifice His own life so that a sinful world could have the hope

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of eternal life for them-selves. He must have discussed this issue with His Father God on many occasions as to how His

death would make it possible for others to be saved.

It was the Jewish Passover week and the time of the sacrifice of the Savior of the world drew near. Jesus and His

disciples celebrated the Passover supper together in the upper room. Once again, He attempted to explain to them how

He was about to give up His own life so that the world could be saved. Once again, they failed to understand. After the

supper was complete, Jesus and the disciples retired to the Garden of Gethsemane. This was the place where Jesus

endured the greatest personal turmoil and anguish in preparation for His death. As a human being the burden that He

bore must have been overwhelming. He sensed that God’s presence was being withdrawn from Him. He pled with God

that another way, other than His own death, be made possible so that man could be saved. He fully realized that there

was no other way. The hour of His decision had arrived as to whether He would voluntarily give up His life. He

experienced every possible emotion and mental torment that a human being could experience at such a time. He made

His choice. He would willingly give up His life.

It is at this time that we must come aside and discuss how Jesus’ death was necessary for the salvation of mankind. The

question can be asked: “Why didn’t God just forgive man of their sin of independence and allow that to be sufficient for

mankind to be saved?” “If mankind confessed and repented of their sins, would that not be all that was needed in order

for the relationship between man and God to be restored?” Why was the death of Jesus required in order for the

salvation of man to be accomplished?

In order to understand the answers to these questions it is necessary for us to regress. Earlier we had discussed the

three different facts of life that exist in God’s universe. One of those facts states that all created life forms are eternally

dependent upon their Creator for their very life sustenance. When sin was introduced into God’s universe His created

beings attempted to become independent of their Creator God. This act of independence should have resulted in the

natural consequence of death to any created being who attempted to become independent. It was the act of Grace that

God demonstrated His unwillingness to allow His creation to suffer this consequence. Through this demonstration of

Grace to His rebellious creation God was circumventing the natural laws that governed His universe.

There had to be some-way that God could demonstrate to the universe what the actual consequence is when a created

being is separated from its Creator God. At the same time, the universe needed to gain a clearer understanding of how

terrible sin is and its true impact upon God’s creation. God realized that if His Creation could understand these things

that they would be faced with a choice with eternal consequences. One choice would be to return to a dependent

relationship with their Creator resulting in life eternal. The other choice would be to reject any form of dependence

upon God resulting in death eternal.

Jesus’ death would achieve two objectives. It would provide mankind with a “substitute” who would suffer the actual

consequence of sin thereby allowing mankind to receive life eternal. It would also demonstrate to God’s universe

how sin had impacted His creation in such a terrible way. It had taken God’s perfect creation and turned it into an

abhorrent abomination. God would then be totally vindicated before the eyes of His creation as they would witness

the affect of sin’s consequence upon His Perfect Only Begotten Son. (It must be re-emphasized that Jesus voluntarily

gave up His life.)

The Jews of Jesus day had made an attempt to return to God through the obedience of their many laws that they had

created. They had refused to acknowledge their dependence upon God by entering into a relationship with Him. When

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Jesus demonstrated to them how God had intended for them to remain in a dependant relationship with Him, they

responded with great animosity towards Him.

The pagan Romans had established a global empire that Satan hoped would demonstrate how human beings could

become “God-like” independently of God. With some exceptions, they had formed their own society with moral/civil

laws that closely resembled that of the God-given laws. They demonstrated great tolerance towards other cultures and

their religions. Satan had hoped that this generation of human beings would finally succeed in demonstrating to the

universe that it was possible for mankind to ascend in their development without being dependent upon God. He also

hoped that they would demonstrate to the world/universe how it was possible for all independent human beings to co-

exist in peace and harmony. He was to be sadly disappointed. Unfortunately, when the Romans were confronted with

Jesus, The Son of God, they failed miserably by allowing Jesus to be crucified as a criminal even though they could find

no reason for pronouncing such a punishment upon Him.

This voluntary act by Jesus in sacrificing His life for salvation of the world demonstrated, once and for all, to the heavenly

beings that God had been right all along and that Satan had been terribly wrong. This was the final piece of evidence

that was needed to convince them that what Satan had attempted to demonstrate to the universe was not possible. No

created being could ever continue to exist independently of its Creator, nor could it ascend to a higher level of “being”

without an ongoing relationship with God.

Jesus was crucified by the Romans at the behest of the Jews. This was a most cruel form of punishment that He

experienced. Normally, a crucified victim would suffer great physical agony while hanging on the cross, but usually, the

death of the victim did not take place for several days. Jesus died several hours after being placed upon the cross. This

confused the people, because they expected Him to remain alive for an extended period of time.

Jesus died as a result of God removing the “Breath of Life” from Jesus’ physical being. Death was instantaneous. Jesus’

death was an “act of God”. This is the form of death that the wicked will suffer at the “end of time”. This death is the

natural consequence that occurs as a result of sin/evil. This death is a state of eternal non-existence.

But………….

Jesus’ death only lasted for three days. Why?

Question: If Jesus suffered the eternal death that is the result of evil/sin, then why was He resurrected to life again?

It would appear that God, once again, circumvented the natural laws that He had established when He began His

creation.

It is at this point that we must accept another “Fact of Life”. God is God. He alone is the Supreme Being of this universe.

Even though He may do something that is beyond our comprehension, we can rest assured that He has done it for the

right reason. This requires an act of faith on our part. We finite created beings cannot fully understand the mind of

God.

One thing is for certain. God said that the death of His Son, Jesus, was sufficient for the salvation of the world. It was

God’s decision to resurrect Jesus to life again, and we can take that as assurance that even though we may experience

death in the life that we live today, there will be a resurrection again to eternal life someday in the future.

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When Christ ascended to Heaven immediately after His resurrection, He was welcomed as the “Redeemer of the

World”. God’s faithful heavenly beings had all of the evidence that they needed to prove to them that God had been

right all along and that Satan had been wrong. Shortly afterwards, “War in Heaven” broke out between God’s faithful

angels and Satan and his angels. Satan and his angels were then cast out of heaven and banished to this earth. It was at

this time that Satan demonstrated great wrath towards those inhabitants of this earth that followed after Christ. He set

about to destroy them.

The issue of sin had been resolved in heaven, once and for all. God then decided to allow the inhabitants of this earth to

be given an extended period of time in order for them to see for themselves the true consequences of sin. The good

news of salvation made possible through Jesus’ sacrifice was to be shared throughout the world so that all mankind

could be given the choice as to whether they would accept God’s forgiveness/redemption…or not. This choice would

also determine whether they would return to a relationship of dependence(atonement) upon God…or not.

After Christ’s ascension his followers began to proclaim the “good news/gospel” throughout the region/world that God

had provided salvation from death through the voluntary sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus. Thousands were converted

and entered into an atoning relationship with their God. The Christian church, as the followers of Christ came to be

known, experienced phenomenal growth throughout the Roman Empire and today is the largest religion in the world.

CHAPTER 5 -- THE REVELATION

Prologue: Before we begin with the presentation of the prophecies of Revelation, it is imperative that a very important

principle be stated. When Jesus was sharing with His disciples, the future events that were to take place, He made a

very significant statement. “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I

am He.”

This is an essential principle that must be applied when attempting to gain an understanding of the meaning of any

prophecy of future events given by God. These prophecies are not meant to provide us with a definitive “road-map” as

to how the future is to unfold. Instead the sincere seeker of truth will always compare the prophecies to past and

present historical events in order to gain a better understanding of how God is exactly who He says He is……The

Omniscient One who knows all.

Many students of the Bible have taken the book of Revelation, along with other Biblical books of prophecy, and

attempted to interpret the prophecies so that they can better understand what will happen in the future. This in turn,

has created certain expectations as to what they believe will take place in the future. The Jews of Jesus’ day had done

the same thing with the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament, in that they expected a Messiah to come that

would establish an earthly kingdom and restore the Jewish nation to its rightful place on the world stage. They were

sorely disappointed.

The student of the Bible that takes the prophecies presented within its pages and attempts to gain an understanding of

what will happen in the future takes the same risk of developing certain expectations of future events that can be wrong

and totally unrealistic.

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The central principle that should always be applied when interpreting Biblical prophecy is that past and present

historical events should be constantly compared to prophetic depictions to see if there has been any fulfillment of the

foretold event. When a revelation is made regarding the past/present fulfillment of these prophecies then one’s faith in

the “All-knowing God” is affirmed.

The apostle John was nearing the end of his life on this earth. He had been banished to the isle of Patmos by the Roman

authorities. He had been a faithful witness for his Savior and God.

While on the isle of Patmos, John received numerous visions which revealed to him how the future was to unfold,

leading up to the end of this world. These visions were given in a specific order.

This brings us to another important principle that must be applied when attempting to understand these prophetic

visions. The events depicted were presented in a specific order and their fulfillment must follow this historical

sequence.

John’s visions were given in three distinct presentations:

1. The Messages to the Seven Churches: Revelation 2,3

2. The Seven Seals: Revelation 5-11

a. The Seven Trumpets

3. A general overview of events extending from the First Advent of Christ to the restoration of the earth:

Revelation 12-22

HEAVEN: Revelation 1

In the first visions, John sees Jesus in Heaven. The last time that John had seen Jesus was when Jesus had ascended into

the clouds and then disappeared. This must have been of the greatest encouragement to this disciple to know that his

Friend and Savior was with God. John then began to see the conditions that would exist in this world as time would

progress towards its inevitable end. The prophetic visions were given in three distinct depictions of historical

significance.

In the first presentation John sees seven angels deliver seven distinct messages to seven Christian churches that existed

in John’s day.

FIRST PRESENTATION

MESSAGES TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES: Revelation 2,3

Ephesus

Smyrna

Pergamos

Thyatira

Sardis

Philadelphia

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Laodicea

The messages to these seven churches can be interpreted to mean seven distinct conditions that would exist in the

Christian church during different times of its history for the past 2000+ years. Those Christians that lived during these

times could compare these messages to the condition of the Christian church(s) of their day and gain an understanding

of the time period in which they lived.

The important thing to realize is the last message given to the Laodicean church. The condition of this church is that of

complacency and comfort. This church feels no need or want. They feel as if they have it all. Perhaps they feel that

they have all the truth that is needed. Perhaps they are enriched with worldly goods/success. This can lead to a sense of

less dependency upon God. It is this condition that exists within the Christian church of today.

THE THRONE OF GOD: Revelation 4

It is of interest to note the description given by John of the Throne of God closely resembles that of Ezekial 1.

SECOND PRESENTATION

THE BOOK WITH SEVEN SEALS: Revelation 5-11

John is shown in vision the throne of God. In God’s hand is a scroll sealed with seven seals. Jesus, the Lamb of God, is

found worthy to open the seals of this scroll so that its contents may be revealed.

(When it is revealed that Jesus is eligible to open the book the twenty-four elders sitting around the throne begin to

praise Him singing: “You alone are worthy to open the book, because you have redeemed us from the earth.” This is

evidence that there are a significant number of human beings already in Heaven.) There will be more discussion

pertaining to this group later in this chapter.

The First Seal—Rider on a White Horse

This is a depiction of the Gospel message being proclaimed throughout the entire world from the time of the Early

Christian Church to the Present Day.

The Second Seal – Rider on a Red Horse

This is a depiction of the turmoil/tribulation that would continue to prevail throughout the world as a result of violence

and wars.

The Third Seal – Rider on a Black Horse

This is a depiction of a “cash-based economy” replacing the former “barter system(exchange of goods/services)” that

would develop throughout the world.

The Fourth Seal – Rider on a Pale Horse

This is a depiction of Death that would continue to prevail throughout the earth as a result of wars, disease, and

violence.

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The Fifth Seal – Martyrs

This scene is a depiction of the many martyrs who have given up their lives, throughout this world’s history, on account

of their faith in God. They wonder how much longer this earth will last before God redeems His own.

The Sixth Seal – The Second Coming of Christ

This scene depicts the great natural disasters that will be taking place at the Second Coming of Christ. The wicked will

attempt to hide themselves as they see Jesus returning to rescue His saints.

(It is of interest to note the various Hollywood movie productions that have been recently shown to the public that

portray, in vivid detail, what it would be like if this earth were invaded by alien beings. It is very possible that when

Jesus returns, the wicked will not recognize it for what it truly is. Instead, they will believe that this is a real alien

invasion that is coming to destroy the earth and that they are powerless to stop it from happening. They will be stricken

with great fear and will attempt to hide themselves. Conversely, God’s living saints, who will recognize this event as the

promised return of their Savior, will joyfully await their translation.)

REVELATION 7 – The Saved

Immediately after the opening of the “Sixth Seal”, which depicts the Second Coming of Christ, John is shown a scene in

heaven which reveals to him two distinct groups of people who have been taken to heaven.

The first group number 144,000 which are a special group of individuals redeemed from the twelve tribes of

Israel(12,000 from each tribe). More will be said about this group later.

The second group of individuals is called the “Multitude” which represents those saints redeemed from all corners of

this earth. This includes those individuals, both living and dead, who have been redeemed from this earth at the Second

Coming of Christ.

REVELATION 8-11 – The Seventh Seal

Note: The opening of the Seventh Seal/Seven Trumpets follows the opening of the Sixth Seal(Second Coming of Christ)

so therefore it can be concluded that these prophetic events will be fulfilled after the Second Coming of Christ.

At the opening of the Seventh Seal, there is silence in Heaven. The possible reason for this is the saints and all of the

angels become silent as they await the terrible consequences that are to be meted out upon the wicked, remaining

upon the earth. This must have a traumatic effect upon the redeemed saints who were living on this earth at the time of

the Second Coming. As they gaze upon the earth they observe their loved ones who have been left behind and realize

that they are lost forever and are about to suffer the terrible effects of the tribulations about to be pour out upon the

earth.

THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

The First Trumpet: Hail/Fire

The hail and fire that is rained down upon the earth destroy a large portion of the earth’s vegetation

The Second Trumpet: Burning Mountain in the Sea

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A great volcano arises out of the ocean and destroys a large portion of the living creatures/ships in/on the ocean. The

water of the ocean becomes blood red.

The Third Trumpet: The asteroid

A great asteroid impacts on the earth and affects the waters so that it becomes unusable for human consumption.

The Fourth Trumpet: Darkening of Sun, Moon and Stars

The light emanating from the Sun/Moon/Stars is effected in such a way that a large portion of the earth receives no

light. This could possibly be caused by the smoke/ash that enters into the atmosphere as a result of the volcano and

asteroid from the previous catastrophic events.

The Fifth Trumpet: Locusts

A great hoard of locusts arise out of a bottomless pit on this earth and torment the wicked. The description given of

these locusts greatly resembles that of military helicopters fully arrayed with different forms of weaponry. There is a

king of this “bottomless pit” that has control of these “locusts/helicopters” which cause mankind great affliction, but no

death.

The Sixth Trumpet: A Great Army

A great army is released upon the earth to torment the wicked. They are equipped with weaponry that is capable of

killing many people.

An angel appears and proclaims that the “end of time” is close. It is a bittersweet experience for John as he realizes that

the wicked are about to be destroyed and eternity is about to begin.

Two witnesses are sent to this earth to proclaim a special message to its inhabitants. (These same two

witnesses/lampstands/olive branches/trees) are seen in a vision given to Zechariah Chapter 4.) They prophesy for 1260

days and demonstrate great powers. The beast from the Abyss kills them, but God resurrects them after 3 ½ days. They

are then taken to heaven.

The Seventh Trumpet: Christ Begins His Eternal Reign Upon this Earth.

Christ, with His Saints, returns to this earth to pronounce final judgment upon the Wicked and to establish His eternal

Kingdom.

THIRD PRESENTATION

REVELATION 12: The Woman, The Dragon, The Man-Child and The Remnant

In this vision John is shown a woman, representing the Jewish nation, giving birth to a man-child, representing Christ,

The Messiah. The Dragon, representing Satan, makes an attempt to kill the Man-Child shortly after His birth. The Man-

Child/Christ ascends to Heaven and stands before God. His faithful followers, the early Christian Jews, are lightly

persecuted by the Jews, but largely ignored by the Romans for a period of 1260 days/3 ½ years. During this time the

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Gospel was being shared in large part to the Jews only. The early Christian church experiences phenomenal growth

during this period.

After Christ’s ascension to Heaven there is a War in Heaven. The faithful angels in heaven have seen all the evidence

that they need in order to resolve the questions in their minds regarding Satan’s preposition that it is possible to

become “independent from God”. They have witnessed, firsthand, the effects that evil/sin has had upon the human

race and this world and they make the final conclusion that Satan was wrong. The Archangel Michael and the other

faithful angels fight against Satan and his angels. Satan and his angels are defeated and banished from Heaven to this

earth. Satan is angered and seeks to destroy the Christians as they continue to spread the Gospel Message throughout

the world.

REVELATION 13 – The Two Beasts

It is here that we must take pause in order to come to a better understanding of what was presented to John in the form

of the two beasts of this chapter.

The First Beast

It is of interest to note the description of this beast and how it closely resembles the description given of the dragon of

chapter 12. It also closely resembles the description given of the fourth beast of Daniel 7. This beast is comprised of the

former empires of Greece(leopard), Medo-Persia(bear) and Babylon(lion). From a historical perspective it is quite logical

to conclude that this beast represents the Roman Monarchy/Republic/Empire.

It is of importance that we understand the historical prominence that the Roman Empire has played upon the world

stage. Following the introduction of evil/sin into this world, mankind had attempted to establish a form of government

that would rule over him. A monarchy had been the primary institution that had been formed, whereby a king/queen

was selected to rule over the populace. This monarch would have supreme authority over the people by establishing

the laws of the land and enforcing them. In most cases the monarch established forms of religion and were often

worshipped by the people who considered them to be divine. For several thousand years this was the sole form of

government that existed within the many cultures of the human race.

During the rise of the early Greek empire a new form of government was tried within some of its “city-states”. This form

of government was established by the people whereby the leaders were elected by the people and ruled over the

people as long as the people allowed. Most laws were also established by the will of the people. This form of

government was called a Democracy.

It was not until the rise of the Roman Empire that Democracy was established as the primary form of government to rule

over the people. Individuals were elected from each of the republics of this empire as the representatives of the people.

These individuals then formed a Senate that resided in Rome. This Senate was given the responsibility of establishing

the laws that were to govern the empire of Rome. In certain cases, the Senate would select from their group an

individual who would become known as the Caesar of Rome. This individual would be considered the “Head of State”,

but could only act within the confines allowed by the Senate. Any individual, i.e. Julius Caesar, that wished to expand

upon their powers and become king/dictator, were usually disposed of.

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Satan must have been delighted to observe mankind form this type of government. This form of government was in

total agreement with the preposition that he had presented to the universe that it was possible for created beings to

live harmoniously as “independent beings”. The Roman government had established laws that had high moral value. It

was illegal to steal, kill, commit adultery, etc which closely resemble the moral laws given by God. The Romans consider

all of mankind to have certain rights and attempted to introduce these principles to the varied cultures that they

conquered. They were tolerant of most religious views of other nations. From Satan’s perspective, mankind was finally

evolving into a higher state of being, so perhaps there was hope for mankind after-all. He was in for a major

disappointment.

It was during the height of the Roman Empire’s existence that Jesus, the only-begotten Son of God, was born. Jesus

demonstrated to the world and the universe what it meant to live a human’s life in total dependence upon His Creator

God. His wisdom and character far exceeded that of His fellow humans. Whatever He asked of God was given to Him in

that He performed many miracles of healing the sick, raising the dead and feeding the hungry.

Jesus was a Jew, but the Jews did not receive Him as the Messiah. They completely misunderstood His mission to save

the world. Instead they expected Him to establish an earthly kingdom and to free them from the rule of the Roman

Empire. When Jesus failed to fulfill their expectations they attempted to kill Him.

When the Jews brought Jesus before Pilate a golden opportunity was given to the Roman Empire to demonstrate to the

world/universe that their Democratic form of government was fair, just, and “God-like”. Pilate could find no fault in

Jesus that would warrant the form of punishment that the Jews were demanding. Jesus had broken no Roman law(The

Romans were known to deal harshly with law-breakers.). Pilate succumbed to the pressure of the Jews and offered

Jesus up to be crucified.

This decision by Pilate to allow Jesus to be crucified sealed Satan’s fate. It demonstrated to the universe that even

though mankind had created a self government that practiced certain moral values, they would still choose to be un-just

in their dealings with their fellow man. Mankind confirmed to the universe how evil/sin would lead a created being(s) to

the unjustified killing of another created being that had remained faithful to its Creator/God. Independent creatures

attempting to be “like God” and living in peaceful harmony was a fallacy.

A comparison of the Jews and the Romans must be made at this time.

The Jews acknowledged the existence/sovereignty of God. They believed that His laws must be obeyed to such an

extreme that they added new and varied conditions that must be met in order to be considered a law-keeper.

Perfection of character or to become “God-like” was the primary objective. One thing was missing, though. They

refrained from entering into a personal relationship with their God. They felt that God was unapproachable and that He

would refuse to accept His sinful created beings as they were. This mindset so affected them in such a negative way that

when the very Son of God/Jesus walked in their midst and demonstrated to them how God wished to reconcile with

them, they rejected Him and had Him killed. They were extremely offended/threatened by Christ’s example of how a

human being could live when involved in a one-to-one relationship with his Creator.

The Romans, on the other hand, believed in “gods” but did not believe in a sovereign God. They had established their

government upon the premise that each individual human being is a god to themselves and therefore endowed with

certain inalienable rights. They had concluded that it was of importance that the individuals should create a

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representative form of government(republic) that protected the rights of the individuals and guaranteed

peace/harmony within the society. They attempted to convey these beliefs to all nations that they associated with.

The Roman Democratic Republic existed for only a short time until it evolved into an empire ruled by emperors/caesars.

Democracy had evolved into an Aristocracy. The Christian faith became the prominent religion in the empire and the

Catholic Church attempted to attain great political power over the region. The capital of the Roman Empire was moved

from Rome to Constantinople. The Catholic Church split into two separate entities, The Holy Catholic Church in Rome

and the Orthodox Church in Constantinople. The Western Roman Empire continued to decline and fragmented into

separate national entities, while the Eastern Byzantine Empire remained mostly intact until the 15th century when they

were finally conquered by the Ottoman Turks.

Here are presented two different forms of “independence” from God. Each one of them, in their own way, rejected

their True God.

The Second Beast

In the latter part of chapter 13 a second beast with two horns arises from the earth and appears to have power and

authority of the first beast. It creates an image to the first beast and causes all of mankind to worship it. It also causes

all of mankind to receive a mark upon their right hand and forehead which authorizes them to buy and sell.

This beast represents the United State’s rise to prominence upon the world stage. The two horns of this beast represent

the US history as first a colony(Brititish, Spanish, and French)during the first three hundred years of its existence and

then a Democratic Republic from the 18th century to the present.(The Roman Republic form of government was used as

a pattern in the development of the United State’s government.)

During the past century the United States has made it a priority to introduce a democratic form of government into all of

the nations of this world. Different tactics have been used, such as, diplomacy, economic sanctions, and war in its

efforts to convince some nations to allow their citizens to rule themselves. The United Nations was created with the

primary task of overseeing that basic human rights of this world’s inhabitants are protected. Again this entity, based in

the United States, encourages other nations to follow the US example in the establishment of representative forms of

government.

The United States has evolved into a great military power with technologically advanced weaponry. The US is the only

nation to have used upon another nation, an atomic bomb capable of killing hundreds of thousands of humans.

The Mark of the Beast that the United States is supposed to impose upon all mankind has yet to become evident. It

would be speculative at this time to attempt to interpret what this “Mark” actually is.

It is of importance that we must step aside at this time to better understand how a Democratic(people self-rule) form of

government comes into conflict with a Theocratic(God is sovereign and the people willingly obey) form of government.

In a Theocratic government God is sovereign. He establishes all laws and dictates how they are to be enforced. He

selects the leaders of the people and empowers them. He is responsible for and capable of sustaining those under His

dominion. The people voluntarily choose to accept Him as their God/King/Ruler and voluntarily choose to remain

obedient to Him. They accept the fact that they are incapable of existing independently of Him and remain dependent

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upon Him for their sustenance. The people worship the only True God. God imparts His will to His people through

direct communication with the people.

In a Democratic government the people are sovereign. The people establish all laws and dictate how they are to be

enforced. The people select their own leaders and empower them. They take sole responsibility for sustaining those

under their dominion. They believe in, support and protect certain accepted basic human rights(life, liberty and pursuit

of happiness). They believe that all human beings are independent beings and should not be subject to the

will/authority of another human being. They believe that all humans are endowed with the right to worship

whatever/whoever they please as long as it does not encroach upon the aforementioned rights of others.

The Democratic principles of government have infiltrated into every aspect of life on this earth to the extent that there

is no true form of Theocracy in existence in this world today.

When Christ lived on this earth 2000 years ago, He re-introduced God’s Kingdom/Theocracy to this world. For a few

years His followers accepted the Theocratic rule in their lives as the Christian religion experience exponential growth

throughout the Roman Empire. Unfortunately, Theocracy was gradually replaced by Democracy/Aristocracy as the years

progressed and the Christian religion gained prominence upon the world stage. Democracy is the predominant principle

that exists in this world’s Christian religions. Christians claim to worship the one true God but they do not allow Him to

be sovereign, nor do they accept a Theocratic form of government within their denominations. Christians attempt to

understand the “will of God” through their own unique/varied interpretations of the Bible, which they consider to be

the “Word of God”.

The Muslim religion claims to be Theocratic but it is ruled by humans(Imams) who usually impose their own will and

Koranic(Muslim Bible) interpretation upon the believers.

In many of the Far Eastern religions(Hindu, Shinto, Confucianism, Buddhism, etc.) the basic principles of human rights

and independence are honored, but the belief in a sovereign God is not taught.

Theocracy and Democracy cannot coexist harmoniously in God’s universe. The very principles upon which each form of

government is based upon creates conflict. Democracy is based upon a fallacy that all humans can exist as

“independent beings” which was first introduced by Lucifer/Satan in Heaven. Theocracy is based upon a fact that all

human beings are “dependent beings” which rely upon their Creator/God for their very life and sustenance.(This fact

can never change and is eternal.)

The one great final decision that each living being will be faced with prior to Christ’s Second Coming will be whether

they will choose to enter into a dependent relationship with their God or whether they will choose to attempt

“independence” from Him. One decision will result in life eternal. The other will result in death eternal.

REVELATION 14

The 144,000

John is shown a scene in Heaven where he sees Jesus standing on Mt Zion surrounded by 144,000 individuals who have

been redeemed from the earth. This group sings the song of the redeemed that no angel can understand or sing. They

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follow Jesus where He goes. They are the first-fruits of those to be redeemed from this earth. They are pure and

blameless.

These 144,000 are the same group that was shown to John in Revelation 7. They are individuals from the 12 tribes of

Israel(12,000 from each tribe). The Bible gives us a quick glimpse of who these individuals are and how they came to be

in Heaven.

When Jesus died on the cross a great earthquake shook the earth and many of the graves of the saints were opened.

When Jesus was resurrected these saints were also resurrected and went about the region proclaiming the resurrection

of the Savior of this world.(Matthew 27:52,53) The Bible is silent on this, but when Jesus ascended to Heaven these

saints ascended with Him as alluded to in I Corinthians 15:23.

This is a fulfillment of the Israelite tradition of presenting the “first-fruits” of their crops to God prior to the main harvest

taking place. The 144,000 are the first-fruits(the saints resurrected at the same time as Christ and redeemed from this

earth) prior to the “Great Harvest” that is to take place when Jesus returns a second time.

(Note: The 24 elders presented earlier in Revelation are possibly representatives from this group of 144,000. (i.e. 2

representatives from each tribe of 12,000)).

The Three Angel’s Messages

An angel is seen flying towards the earth with the Gospel message to be proclaimed to all of the earth’s inhabitants. The

message states: “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.”

This message encourages the earth’s inhabitants to repent of their desire for independence from God and to return to

Him and enter into a dependent relationship with Him. He alone is the Creator and sustainer of all that exists and it is

through a dependent relationship with Him that we will have eternal life filled with peace, contentment and happiness.

A second angel follows and proclaims: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the

maddening wine of her adulteries.”

This message is in reference to a great apostate entity that will arise on the earth and lead many of its inhabitants into

perdition. More will be said of this entity when we come to Revelation 17.

A third angel follows and proclaims: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead

or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of His

wrath……..”

This message is a warning to this earth’s inhabitants that they must not give allegiance to the second beast of Revelation

13 or to the image(Democracy) that it creates. They must also gain victory over the Mark that this beast places upon all

of mankind.(This Mark has not been identified yet.) Those who willingly choose to follow after the beast and its image

will suffer the “wrath of God” at the Second Coming of Christ.

The Great Harvest

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John sees the Second Coming of Christ as He descends to this earth on a cloud. The righteous saints living and

resurrected are Harvested/Redeemed from this earth and ascend to join Christ in the clouds.

Another angel than harvests the “grapes of the vine of this earth”/the Wicked and they await the outpouring of the

“wrath of God”. The wicked are not killed at this time, but remain alive on this earth, awaiting the outpouring of the

“Seven Last Plagues”.

Note: Once again, it is of importance to note at this time that we are dealing with prophetic events that have a future

fulfillment. There will be commentary on these events, but we must keep in mind that God foretold of these events

so that we would recognize them for what they are at the time of their fulfillment.

REVELATION 15

John sees the Seven Angels with the seven last plagues as they prepare to pour these devastating consequences upon

the wicked remaining upon the earth.

Prior to the outpouring of these plagues, John sees that the righteous saints are in Heaven rejoicing to God that He has

saved them.

The Seven Angels with the plagues prepare to mete out God’s wrath upon the wicked that are still alive on this earth.

REVELATION 16

The Seven Last Plagues

First Plague: Grievous sores

Second Plague: Sea turns to blood and kills all living creatures in the sea

Third Plague: Springs of water turn to blood

Fourth Plague: Sun burns hot and torments mankind

Fifth Plague: Darkness covers the domain of the Second Beast(United States)

Sixth Plague: River Euphrates is dried up preparing the way for an invasion from the East. Evil spirits proceed out of the

mouth of the dragon(Satan), the beast(United States) and the false prophet(?) as they prepare for battle against God.

Seventh Plague: A great earthquake shakes the earth. The great city(?) splits in two. Mountains are moved and islands

disappear into the sea. Babylon(?) is to receive its ultimate reward(God’s fury).

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It is to be noted that these plagues closely resemble the calamities depicted in the sounding of the Seven Trumpets in

Revelation 8-11. They are not depicted in the same sequence, but their descriptions and impacts upon the earth are

similar.

It should also be noted that the effects of these devastating calamities do not cause the wicked to repent of their sins.

REVELATION 17, 18

The Whore(Babylon) and the Beast

John is shown a prostitute/whore riding on the back of a seven-headed/ten-horned beast. This whore commits

adulteries with the economic powers of this world. She also persecutes the saints of God.

The Whore is called Babylon(confusion) or “The Great City”.

The Beast has seven heads which represent seven mountains upon which the whore sits. Could this be representative of

Rome and the Catholic Church? Or….Could this represent the United Nation with its Security Council(5-permanent

members + 10 temporary members(one year terms)) which is located in New York City(“that great city”)? Or….Could the

seven head represent the G-7 economic powers of this world with Russian joining as the eighth?

The beast is described as a power that is…is not, and will ascend out of the abyss. In other words, it existed in John’s

day, but ceased to exist in the future, only to rise up again. What great world power has had this type of history?

Rome? Russia(The third Rome)?

Again, we are dealing with future events depicted in a cryptic manner. It may not be God’s desire for us to fully

understand what these characters are until the time of their fulfillment.

Ultimately this beast will be destroyed.

Chapter 18 begins to describe the great calamity that will befall the City of Babylon(The Whore). There will be economic

collapse, famine, and great turmoil. The other nations of this earth will bewail the worldwide effects of these calamities

as a result of their association with Babylon.

A call is made for God’s people to come out of Babylon, so that they will not suffer the same consequence.

The identity of Babylon is uncertain at this time. Some interpreters have stated that it represents the Catholic Church. It

would appear that this may be the correct interpretation. The Catholic Church is currently in a “fallen” state because of

the many scandals that it is dealing with. Also, many nations and economic powers have close associations with this

church.

Time will reveal its true identity.

Revelation 19

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The proclamation is made as to the Righteousness of God and how He is justified in judging the wicked.

Jesus, “The King of Kings and Lord of Lords” returns to this earth, a third time, to pronounce judgment upon the wicked

and to establish His eternal kingdom upon this earth.

The beast of Revelation 18, along with its false prophet, are thrown into a lake of fire. The remaining wicked are slain,

by the “sword” that proceeds from the mouth of God. In other words, the wicked receive the ultimate natural

consequence of sin. The breath of life that comes from God is taken from them and they experience immediate death.

Their dead bodies are then consumed in the “lake of fire”.

Revelation 20

This chapter gives us a depiction of what happens to Satan during the 1000 year period between the times of the Second

and Third Coming of Christ.

Satan is bound to this earth(The abyss) where he will have no one to tempt.(If all of the wicked think of evil continually,

then who is there to tempt to do evil?)

The righteous dead(participants of the first resurrection) who had been redeemed from this earth will be dwelling in

heaven for this same 1000 years where they will be given the opportunity to judge the wicked in order to determine

whether God had dealt with them fairly and justly.

At the end of the 1000 years, Satan and all of the wicked will attempt to overthrow the Holy City(See Revelation 21)

descending from heaven which contains Christ and all the saints. Satan and all of the wicked will be destroyed at this

time and their bodies will be consumed in the “lake of fire”.

A “Second Resurrection” takes place in which the wicked dead are brought back to life. They are judged by God

according to their actions recorded in the “Book of Deeds”. It is noted that their names are absent from the “Book of

Life” therefore they are destroyed(Second Death). The wicked experience eternal death when God removes the “Breath

of Life” from their physical bodies. Their dead bodies are then consumed by the “lake of fire”.

From this point onward sin and death will cease to exist. All of God’s creation will have life eternally.

Revelation 21

The earth and heavens are re-created and restored to their former beauty at the time of Creation.

The Holy City, with Jesus and all the saints, descends from heaven to the New Earth. This city will become the new

“center of the universe” and the “capital city of this earth”, where God will always dwell. It is a magnificent city that

defies description.

Revelation 22

John is shown the River of Life that proceeds from the Throne of God. The Tree of Life provides the needed

sustenance/healing for eternal life for all of God’s creation. There will no longer be a “curse” upon the land that was

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instituted by God after the fall of man. Everything will be as it was at the beginning. No more pain, suffering and death.

Only joy, peace, happiness and contentment will be experienced by all of God’s creation. Mankind will have the eternal

opportunity to discover his full potential which was God’s original ideal. All human beings will see God “face to face”

and will have continual relationship with Him.

Forever!

Conclusion:

It is my greatest hope that the reader is able to see the complete picture that has been presented in this treatise. By

starting at the very beginning and proceeding through the discourse of this earth’s history we can better understand

some very important truths.

1. There is but One God and He is the Supreme Being of this universe. He alone created all that is and He alone is

responsible for giving the “Breath of Life” to all of His created beings. He alone is responsible for the sustenance

of all that lives. He alone controls the elements in the universe that He has created and maintains everything in

its proper perspective.

2. A created being may have been “created in the image of God” but it can never attain “equality with God”. God

is an “independent being” and all of His created beings are “dependent beings”. This will remain so throughout

eternity.

3. If a created being believes, and acts upon such belief, that it is possible to “become like God”, that created being

has committed sin/evil and the natural consequence of that sin/evil is death, eternal. Fortunately, God so loved

the world that even though His creation sinned against Him, He refused to allow them to suffer this

consequence. This is Grace.

4. The desire to become “independent” from God is the virus that has infected the human race. The symptoms of

this virus are the many misbehaviors (i.e. killing, stealing, lying, covetousness, etc.) that have evolved over the

course of human history.

5. Even though mankind had chosen “independence” from their Creator, God was determined to do whatever He

could to save them from its natural consequence of death. He also wanted mankind to realize how sin had

affected God’s creation in hopes that they would choose to once again return to a relationship of “dependence”

upon Him.

6. The Sanctuary Services given to the Israelites was a demonstration of how God planned to save man from sin’s

consequence. Each element of the services provided the Jews with important spiritual lessons that would

hopefully deter them from sinning against their God, but in cases where they did sin, they would see how God

had made a way possible for them to be saved.

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7. Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, was born into this world with the objective of demonstrating to mankind

how God and man could enjoy a successful symbiotic relationship. Jesus demonstrated a perfect dependence

upon His Father God, and as a result, He was entitled to live forever with no fear of sin’s consequence of death.

Jesus voluntarily sacrificed His Own life which was acceptable by God as a death of substitution for sinful man. If

any sinner accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on their behalf they could realize the hope of life eternal to come. God said

it was so….and it is so.

8. Since the First Advent of Jesus, the good news of salvation has been continually preached throughout the known

world. At the same time, the terrible effects of sin are being realized upon this earth in a more increasing and

dramatic way. All of God’s creation on this earth is feeling the traumatic impact of sin in some form. This earth

is gradually becoming un-inhabitable.

9. The Pagan Roman Empire established its government upon Democratic principles which stated that all of

mankind has the right to a representative form of government based upon certain human rights of freedom,

justice and the pursuit of happiness. This form of government has been emulated by the United States of

America which has taken a leading role in its propagation throughout the world.

10. When a Democratic Government(of the people, by the people, for the people) is compared to a Theocratic

Government(established/ruled by a sovereign God and the people willingly obey/follow) it can be determined

that these two forms of government cannot co-exist in peace and harmony.

11. John was shown how conditions in this world would worsen leading up to the Second Coming of Christ and the

eventual “End of this World and Sin” as we know it.

12. There is still hope for those who wish to denounce their sin of “independence” and accept God’s forgiveness

demonstrated through the death of Jesus. It is still possible, and of absolute necessity, that mankind return to a

relationship of “dependence” upon their God if they are to have any hope of life eternal in paradise on the New

Earth.

As the reader contemplates these varied pieces of the Biblical puzzle it is hoped that he/she will see the overall picture

that is being presented that puts into proper perspective the relationship between God and man that was God’s ideal

when He first created this world. It is hoped that it can be clearly seen how sin has driven a terrible wedge into this

relationship but that God has made it possible for the relationship to be restored, if only the individual will accept Him as

his/her God once again.

It is understood that many of the points presented in this presentation will conflict with what is currently accepted as

Truth within this world today. Many arguments will be presented in objection to these points. The truth of what has

been presented here can only be verified if the individual has an ongoing relationship with the True God. The Holy Spirit

which leads all men into Truth will provide the individual with the needed understanding as to the veracity of what has

been shared in this document.

I would encourage every individual to seek a deep and abiding relationship of dependence and friendship with their

Creator/God. The conditions of life on this earth are in a state of rapid deterioration. The only hope of salvation for

mankind is in the God of this universe. He has promised to save us and He alone is capable of fulfilling that promise.