Revelation 12:17 - And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
And the dragon was wroth (very angry) with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, and that would be the believing Jews, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
So, there's 144,000 Jews who are sealed on their foreheads. And they will be protected. But there will be other Jews on the earth who will receive the testimony, especially from the two witnesses who are in the streets of Jerusalem.
And as we will see soon when we get into the number of the beast, 666, which I'm sure you're excited for that, but the number of the beast is not what you might think it is. It has nothing to do with credit cards, or most of the things you might hear people say. As a matter of fact, the number itself is not six-hundred and sixty-six. It is six three times. It is 666. And I will share how that works soon in the next chapter.
But there will be people on the earth. And we'll see that there will even be an angel flying in heaven warning the people not to take the mark of the beast, but to believe in God. But their lives will be taken. If you do not receive the number, you'll be killed. You will not be allowed to live because you've rejected the system. And you'll be killed with the sword.
I'm sharing all this ahead of time so you can see how all this fits together. In order to participate in the economic, political, and religious system of the world, to buy food, and to participate, you have to worship the image. If you worship the image, then you get the mark of the beast. And that mark gives you the authority to function in the economic and political system.
So, there's not going to be someone sitting standing on a street corner saying "Hey, you want your mark? Come on over, I'll give you your mark." You can't get that mark unless you join his religious system and worship the image.
If you refuse to do that, you'll be killed. If you accept that presentation, and you take the mark of the beast, you can no longer be saved! So, he had power to give breath unto the image of the beast, and it comes alive, even though it's not living.
Some people think that it's some kind of a computer that possibly talks and moves. It has life to it, but it is not living. That the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast, that they should be killed.
Revelation 13:15 - And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast. Now the word "life" isn't the word life. It's the word PNEUMA which means breath. It is also used for spirit and wind. Satan can't give life. He gave breath to the image of the beast.
Remember, the false prophet is saying "You need to make an image of him. That's what we need to do." So, they made an image. In fact, in Daniel 9:27, it tells us that right in the middle of the Tribulation Period, because remember that the Tribulation Period is seven years, but the last half of the Tribulation Period is called the "Great Tribulation." That's where the judgments of God are really poured out upon the earth.
Well, for the first half of the Tribulation Period, the antichrist and his prophet are unifying the economic, political, and religious systems of the world. In fact, he will covenant with the nation Israel to rebuild their temple. And they will start sacrificing again in their temple. And one day, the antichrist comes in with the false prophet, and he puts his image in the Holy of holies, and demands that everyone worship the image of the beast.
I understand that many interpret a 7-year tribulation based on Daniel 9:27. In Revelation 12, when Satan is cast out of heaven onto earth, Revelation 12:12 says, "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth." He is filled with great wrath. Satan makes war, not peace. Revelation 13:1-5 explains that Satan gives the beast his power, his seat, and great authority. This beast is only given 42 months to reign. The book of Revelation does not mention seven years anywhere; instead, this beast is only granted 42 months from the time he rises.
Daniel 9: Daniel realized the 70 years of captivity were ending and prayed for himself and Israel, asking God for mercy so they could return to their homeland. Gabriel appeared to show Daniel a vision of his people, the house of Israel, and the holy city, Jerusalem. This prophecy foretold when the Messiah would come.
Seventy weeks are determined upon Daniel's people and the holy city. I will keep this short; to cover all this would take many posts. The 7 years are taken from Daniel 9:27, attributing he as being the antichrist, the beast in Revelation.
The entire prophecy is about the coming Messiah; 490 years are given to fulfill the 6 things listed in verse 24, with the judgment for their abominations and the rejection and killing of the Messiah that will be carried out on the city in verse 26.
In verse 26, it says that after 62 weeks, the Messiah will be cut off/crucified. The first 7 weeks must be added, totaling 69 weeks; this would make it during the 70th week. The 70th week has been fulfilled, and due to their rejection of the Messiah/Jesus, the city and temple were destroyed because they overspread abominations. Jesus was the he who confirmed the covenant.
Matthew 23Matthew 23:38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
Jesus caused the sacrifice and oblation to cease because it pointed to Him. Matthew 27:51, the veil of the temple rent, and Hebrews 10.
I have to agree with you that many interpret a 7-year tribulation based on Daniel 9:27 because I am one of the many. In fact, it is my understanding that all prophecies concerning the last days are based upon Daniel 9:24-27, which presents the 70th week of Daniel.
I agree that the beast is only given 42 months (3-1/2 years), not 7-years. This will be the last 3-1/2 years of the 7-year tribulation period. I do not agree that 70th week of Daniel has already been fulfilled as you probably have figured out from my previous posts over the years.
My understanding is that the antichrist is the one who confirms this covenant with Israel, not Jesus. In Daniel 9:24-27, we see the word prince twice. The first time is in Verse 25. This is Jesus. He is called Messiah the Prince. Please notice that the word Prince is in CAPS. But then in Verse 26, He is cut off (crucified).
In Verse 26 we see the word prince again. This time, in lower case because this is not Jesus but the antichrist. In Verse 27, it says he, this prince (antichrist) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week.
This one week is 7-years. We don't know the time frame, but as soon as the church is removed, as soon as the tribulation period begins, there will be seven years, that is, one week, 1 seven in Jewish literature. There will be seven years of tribulation.
I don't agree that the "he" in Daniel 9:27 is Jesus. It is the prince that shall come after Jesus is crucified. Again, notice the word prince used twice in Verses 24-27. Prince has a capital "P" which refers to Jesus in Verse 25. This prince that confirms the covenant with the Jews is the antichrist.
This would make sense as to why Jesus would say in John 5:43, "I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive."
Revelation 13:10 - He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Now He's saying he that leads into captivity shall go into captivity: and he that kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. He's actually telling His people that if you fight back, however you fight back is how you're going to be killed.
Here is the patience, literally the endurance, the remaining under our circumstances (HUPOMONE), and the faith of the saints. So, He's telling them to endure, and to trust. Don't fight because whatever way you try to fight, you'll be put to death.
Revelation 13:11 - And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Lambs don't have horns. He had the appearance of a lamb, but basically, he's a goat. And his speech comes from the dragon.
Revelation 13:12 - And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
You see, now you have another. This is what is called the false prophet in Chapter 16. He is a religious leader, while the antichrist is a political leader. The false prophet comes and he performs miracles, and he points people to the antichrist, just like the Holy Spirit brings people to Jesus.
Do you see the setup here?
Satan is just shadowing the things of God, only from an evil standpoint.
Revelation 13:13 - And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
And he does great wonders. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 tells us about this. He does great wonders, so that he makes fire to come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, just like the two witnesses did!
Revelation 13:5 - And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
And there was given to him, by the dragon, a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies;
Great things is a term that means he was eloquent. He's very eloquent, and blasphemous, not towards God, but towards God's version of God. He presents himself as god. And power was given unto him to continue for forty and two months, the last part of the Tribulation.
Revelation 13:8 - And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain from the foundation of the world.
Remember earlier, I told you that there was more than one book. Deuteronomy tells us about the books of God. And there is a book that is called the book of the life of the lamb. All of God's people are in the book of the life of the lamb.
These people who are worshipping the beast during the Tribulation Period, their names are not in the book of the life of the lamb. They're in the book of life, meaning they were born. They exist, and existed.
But none of God's people are caught up in this. They don't worship the beast. For reference, you can read John Chapter 10 where Jesus said that those sheep that belong to Him will not listen to a stranger. That's a factual statement. It didn't say should not. It said will not. And they will follow Him (Jesus) wherever He goes.
And that will fulfill this group that is underneath the altar when God says to avenge your blood is not yet, there's still more coming, more people who have to die during the Tribulation Period that will be taken up under the altar of God.
And the believing Jews that will be here on the earth, after Satan sees that he can't get to these 144,000 that are sent up to what many believe is the Rock City of Petra, which is already stacked and stored with food, and many believe that will be the place.
But there will be other Jews and Gentiles here on the earth that basically will believe in Jesus Christ as Messiah and Savior. They will lose their lives. But after Satan sees that his efforts to chase the nation into the wilderness fail, he'll go after the remnants seed.
Revelation 12:17 - And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
And the dragon was wroth (very angry) with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, and that would be the believing Jews, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
So, there's 144,000 Jews who are sealed on their foreheads. And they will be protected. But there will be other Jews on the earth who will receive the testimony, especially from the two witnesses who are in the streets of Jerusalem.
And as we will see soon when we get into the number of the beast, 666, which I'm sure you're excited for that, but the number of the beast is not what you might think it is. It has nothing to do with credit cards, or most of the things you might hear people say. As a matter of fact, the number itself is not six-hundred and sixty-six. It is six three times. It is 666. And I will share how that works soon in the next chapter.
But there will be people on the earth. And we'll see that there will even be an angel flying in heaven warning the people not to take the mark of the beast, but to believe in God. But their lives will be taken. If you do not receive the number, you'll be killed. You will not be allowed to live because you've rejected the system. And you'll be killed with the sword.
Revelation 13:15 Continued
I'm sharing all this ahead of time so you can see how all this fits together. In order to participate in the economic, political, and religious system of the world, to buy food, and to participate, you have to worship the image. If you worship the image, then you get the mark of the beast. And that mark gives you the authority to function in the economic and political system.
So, there's not going to be someone sitting standing on a street corner saying "Hey, you want your mark? Come on over, I'll give you your mark." You can't get that mark unless you join his religious system and worship the image.
If you refuse to do that, you'll be killed. If you accept that presentation, and you take the mark of the beast, you can no longer be saved! So, he had power to give breath unto the image of the beast, and it comes alive, even though it's not living.
Some people think that it's some kind of a computer that possibly talks and moves. It has life to it, but it is not living. That the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast, that they should be killed.
Revelation 13:15 - And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast. Now the word "life" isn't the word life. It's the word PNEUMA which means breath. It is also used for spirit and wind. Satan can't give life. He gave breath to the image of the beast.
Remember, the false prophet is saying "You need to make an image of him. That's what we need to do." So, they made an image. In fact, in Daniel 9:27, it tells us that right in the middle of the Tribulation Period, because remember that the Tribulation Period is seven years, but the last half of the Tribulation Period is called the "Great Tribulation." That's where the judgments of God are really poured out upon the earth.
Well, for the first half of the Tribulation Period, the antichrist and his prophet are unifying the economic, political, and religious systems of the world. In fact, he will covenant with the nation Israel to rebuild their temple. And they will start sacrificing again in their temple. And one day, the antichrist comes in with the false prophet, and he puts his image in the Holy of holies, and demands that everyone worship the image of the beast.
I understand that many interpret a 7-year tribulation based on Daniel 9:27. In Revelation 12, when Satan is cast out of heaven onto earth, Revelation 12:12 says, "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth." He is filled with great wrath. Satan makes war, not peace. Revelation 13:1-5 explains that Satan gives the beast his power, his seat, and great authority. This beast is only given 42 months to reign. The book of Revelation does not mention seven years anywhere; instead, this beast is only granted 42 months from the time he rises.
Daniel 9: Daniel realized the 70 years of captivity were ending and prayed for himself and Israel, asking God for mercy so they could return to their homeland. Gabriel appeared to show Daniel a vision of his people, the house of Israel, and the holy city, Jerusalem. This prophecy foretold when the Messiah would come.
Seventy weeks are determined upon Daniel's people and the holy city. I will keep this short; to cover all this would take many posts. The 7 years are taken from Daniel 9:27, attributing he as being the antichrist, the beast in Revelation.
The entire prophecy is about the coming Messiah; 490 years are given to fulfill the 6 things listed in verse 24, with the judgment for their abominations and the rejection and killing of the Messiah that will be carried out on the city in verse 26.
In verse 26, it says that after 62 weeks, the Messiah will be cut off/crucified. The first 7 weeks must be added, totaling 69 weeks; this would make it during the 70th week. The 70th week has been fulfilled, and due to their rejection of the Messiah/Jesus, the city and temple were destroyed because they overspread abominations. Jesus was the he who confirmed the covenant.
Matthew 23 Matthew 23:38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
Jesus caused the sacrifice and oblation to cease because it pointed to Him. Matthew 27:51, the veil of the temple rent, and Hebrews 10.
God bless,
RLW
I have to agree with you that many interpret a 7-year tribulation based on Daniel 9:27 because I am one of the many. In fact, it is my understanding that all prophecies concerning the last days are based upon Daniel 9:24-27, which presents the 70th week of Daniel.
I agree that the beast is only given 42 months (3-1/2 years), not 7-years. This will be the last 3-1/2 years of the 7-year tribulation period. I do not agree that 70th week of Daniel has already been fulfilled as you probably have figured out from my previous posts over the years.
My understanding is that the antichrist is the one who confirms this covenant with Israel, not Jesus. In Daniel 9:24-27, we see the word prince twice. The first time is in Verse 25. This is Jesus. He is called Messiah the Prince. Please notice that the word Prince is in CAPS. But then in Verse 26, He is cut off (crucified).
In Verse 26 we see the word prince again. This time, in lower case because this is not Jesus but the antichrist. In Verse 27, it says he, this prince (antichrist) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week.
This one week is 7-years. We don't know the time frame, but as soon as the church is removed, as soon as the tribulation period begins, there will be seven years, that is, one week, 1 seven in Jewish literature. There will be seven years of tribulation.
I don't agree that the "he" in Daniel 9:27 is Jesus. It is the prince that shall come after Jesus is crucified. Again, notice the word prince used twice in Verses 24-27. Prince has a capital "P" which refers to Jesus in Verse 25. This prince that confirms the covenant with the Jews is the antichrist.
This would make sense as to why Jesus would say in John 5:43, "I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive."
Out of space, need to send a short part 2
Revelation 13:10 - He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Now He's saying he that leads into captivity shall go into captivity: and he that kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. He's actually telling His people that if you fight back, however you fight back is how you're going to be killed.
Here is the patience, literally the endurance, the remaining under our circumstances (HUPOMONE), and the faith of the saints. So, He's telling them to endure, and to trust. Don't fight because whatever way you try to fight, you'll be put to death.
Revelation 13:11 - And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Lambs don't have horns. He had the appearance of a lamb, but basically, he's a goat. And his speech comes from the dragon.
Revelation 13:12 - And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
You see, now you have another. This is what is called the false prophet in Chapter 16. He is a religious leader, while the antichrist is a political leader. The false prophet comes and he performs miracles, and he points people to the antichrist, just like the Holy Spirit brings people to Jesus.
Do you see the setup here?
Satan is just shadowing the things of God, only from an evil standpoint.
Revelation 13:13 - And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
And he does great wonders. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 tells us about this. He does great wonders, so that he makes fire to come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, just like the two witnesses did!
Revelation 13:5 - And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
And there was given to him, by the dragon, a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies;
Great things is a term that means he was eloquent. He's very eloquent, and blasphemous, not towards God, but towards God's version of God. He presents himself as god. And power was given unto him to continue for forty and two months, the last part of the Tribulation.
Revelation 13:8 - And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain from the foundation of the world.
Remember earlier, I told you that there was more than one book. Deuteronomy tells us about the books of God. And there is a book that is called the book of the life of the lamb. All of God's people are in the book of the life of the lamb.
These people who are worshipping the beast during the Tribulation Period, their names are not in the book of the life of the lamb. They're in the book of life, meaning they were born. They exist, and existed.
But none of God's people are caught up in this. They don't worship the beast. For reference, you can read John Chapter 10 where Jesus said that those sheep that belong to Him will not listen to a stranger. That's a factual statement. It didn't say should not. It said will not. And they will follow Him (Jesus) wherever He goes.
Revelation 12:17 Continued
And that will fulfill this group that is underneath the altar when God says to avenge your blood is not yet, there's still more coming, more people who have to die during the Tribulation Period that will be taken up under the altar of God.
And the believing Jews that will be here on the earth, after Satan sees that he can't get to these 144,000 that are sent up to what many believe is the Rock City of Petra, which is already stacked and stored with food, and many believe that will be the place.
But there will be other Jews and Gentiles here on the earth that basically will believe in Jesus Christ as Messiah and Savior. They will lose their lives. But after Satan sees that his efforts to chase the nation into the wilderness fail, he'll go after the remnants seed.
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