NO

MORE
Delay

Scriptural references, unless indicated, are taken from the
HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION,
Copyright 1973-2011 by International Bible Society and
published by Zondervan Corporation.

Larry W. Wilson
Copyright © 2018
Wake Up America Seminars, Inc.
P.O. Box 273, Bellbrook, Ohio 45305
(800) 475-0876
ISBN 978-0-9668099-7-8

First edition, June 2018

All rights reserved.
The Second Coming is Overdue!
• World War III is inevitable and this war will
be unlike all previous wars. There will be a
sequence of nuclear exchanges and millions of
innocent people will be wiped out in a single
day! A world-wide panic will follow. People will
be crying for “peace and safety.” Nuclear bombs
can turn a huge metropolitan city into no-man’s
land within minutes. Worse, many who survive
the bombs will die later from nuclear conse-
quences. Nuclear war requires a simple mind-
set: Annihilate the enemy or be annihilated.

• Bible prophecy indicates Jesus will suddenly

bring World War III to an end with a display
of divine wrath that dwarfs the destructive
capabilities of mankind. Revelation 8 indicates
God’s wrath will include a global earthquake
that will ruin the infrastructures of Earth, fol-
lowed by a fiery hailstorm which will burn one-
third of Earth, and then a large asteroid will
impact an ocean. The resulting tsunami will
destroy thousands of coastal cities. After these
global disasters, a second asteroid will impact
a wicked continent and underground aquifers
will become contaminated. Millions of people
will die from drinking poisoned water. Finally,
there will come a devastating chain of volcano
eruptions. Soot and ash will fill the atmosphere
and darkness will cover the middle third of
Earth (the breadbasket of our planet). Global
famine and great tribulation will begin.
• As terrible as World War III will be, the coming
wrath of God is exponentially worse. While we
are waiting for the onset of the next World War
and the arrival of God’s overwhelming wrath,
now is a good time to become acquainted with
God’s plans for Earth (foretold in the books of
Daniel and Revelation). Soon, the four angels
stationed at the four corners of Earth (Revela-
tion 7) will be permitted to sound their trum-
pets and the devastation of Earth foretold in
Revelation 8 will occur. The angels are ready
to harm Earth. They are waiting for Jesus to
say: “There will be no more delay!” (Revela-
tion 10:6)
 Acknowledgments
This book is dedicated to all who are eager for Jesus to appear
in clouds of glory. Bible prophecy declares that Jesus will soon
return to Earth as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
(Revelation 19:11-16) To some He will say, “Come, you who
are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the
kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the
world.” (Matthew 25:34) and to the rest He will say, “I never
knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:23)
This book has been made possible through the sacrificial
generosity of donors who understand and love a unique gospel
that includes several startling revelations about Jesus Christ.
The Bible indicates the fullness and sovereign deity of Jesus
Christ will be revealed throughout the whole world during
the Great Tribulation. These revelations will be so powerful
and convincing that they will overcome many cultural and
religious paradigms. Even though most of the people who read
this book will never know the identity of the benefactors who
made it possible, Jesus knows what has been done and He will
reward them accordingly when He returns. Meanwhile, special
appreciation is due to Dian, Jane, Eunice, Velma, Enwelu,
Rex, Paul, Marty, and many others for their help with editing,
proofreading, and valuable suggestions. I am also indebted
to a group of enthusiastic volunteers and a growing number
of wonderful people worldwide who understand the unique
message presented in this book and faithfully support this
ministry.
Wake Up America Seminars, Inc. (WUAS) is a non-profit
501(c)(3) organization. WUAS is not affiliated with any church
or endorsed by any religious body. We do not have members
or offer membership. Our mission is to proclaim the gift of
salvation, which the Father has provided through His Son and
to herald the imminent return of the Creator, Jesus Christ,
through whatever means possible. We believe the time is near
when Jesus’ promise will be fulfilled. He said, “In my Father’s
house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have
told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back
and take you to be with me that you also may be where I
am.” (John 14:2,3)
 No More Delay
Table of Contents

To the Reader 9
Chapter 1. God Is Angry with Us 15
Chapter 2. Full Cup Principle 27
Chapter 3. 144,000 “New Testament Jews” 37
Chapter 4. Seven-Headed Beast 49
Chapter 5. Coming War Over Worship 69
Chapter 6. Babylon’s Blasphemy 85
Chapter 7. Antichrist & Mark of the Beast 103
Chapter 8. Seven Bowls 117
Chapter 9. The Ark of His Covenant 121
Appendix Sunday Is Not Sacred 143
List of Supplemental Bible Study Helps 174

 To the Reader
Please take a moment to consider five topics before reading this
book:

First, depending on your religious beliefs and background,
you may find certain concepts in this book to be disturbing,
crazy, or even inflammatory. Be assured, I have no desire to
offend or insult anyone. Jesus had no desire to offend or insult
anyone when He was on Earth, but He offended many people
by revealing new concepts the Father wanted revealed. Bible
truth is progressive. The Bible is a gold mine full of treasure.
When a new truth is found, it requires rethinking everything
previously understood! Every Bible student faces a challenge
to move forward with the Holy Spirit as He guides us into all
truth (John 6:13).
The truth about God and His plan for our redemption is ever
unfolding. (Ephesians 3:8-10) God releases information about
Himself and His plans through His Word when the time
arrives! For example, God sealed the book of Daniel until the
time of the end. (Daniel 12:9) This forward moving process
makes the Bible exciting. Some people are happy with what
they know and are unwilling to receive new light. Others
eagerly search the Scriptures because they know there is an
endless supply of new things to learn. I was imprisoned by
my inherited religious paradigms for many years, basically,
studying the Bible to prove what I already believed. However,
as the years went by, I began to find cracks in my own theology.
Eventually this led to an awakening when several “puzzle
pieces” snapped together. I was overjoyed to find answers
to my question and at the same time, stymied by the social
consequences. I have been blessed by the fact that Bible truth
is progressive. I now believe and understand Bible teachings I
did not know or believe previously. My growth in God’s Word
and my love and admiration for God continues to expand,
because more than anything, I want to know God! The best way
Page 10 To the Reader

to know God is to allow His Word to speak for itself. Resolving

each apparent conflict is exciting. For more than forty-five
years my prayer has been, “Lord, I do not care what the truth
is, what it costs, or where it leads. I just want to know truth!”
No one should expect to find and embrace greater truth if he is
unwilling to let go of faulty assumptions and presuppositions.
God’s Word is full of wonderful treasures! If we will take what
it says to heart, it will constantly challenge, change, and shape
our lives and knowledge of God. This concept irritates those
who insist that religious beliefs should never be challenged or
changed. As you read this book, you need to be aware that my
understanding of the Bible is “a work in progress.” If you have
read any of my previous works, you may notice minor changes
because I continue to search for truth. Conclusions are proven
true by the harmony that comes from the sum of its parts.
Because the Bible is God’s Word, consider looking up each
Bible reference as you read along so that you can confirm what
the Bible says for yourself.
Second, I am writing this book because I want to share a short
summary of coming events and in the process, I hope to show
that Jesus’ behavior is justified for what He is about to do. I
also hope that after reading this book, you will be inspired to
study deeper into the many diverse topics that are involved
with apocalyptic prophecy. Because this book is deliberately
brief, it may create more questions than answers in some
areas. If you want more information about topics presented
in this book, there are hundreds of articles and many hours of
video covering various issues on our website. You may freely
download them or view them at www.wake-up.org.
Third, if you have to stop reading because you find the
information in this book is too “troubling,” please do not throw
it away! Place this book in your bookcase and let it serve as
a time capsule. Then, after World War III begins and several
million people have been killed by nuclear exchange, find this
book and give it another try. Time will tell if its story is true.
To the Reader Page 11

You are reading this book because you are interested in Bible
prophecy, so keep it around and compare it with the facts as
they unfold.
Fourth, if a math teacher tells a student that 3 + 3 = 6, would
his answer be an opinion or the result created by the laws of
addition? Of course, if you know the laws of addition, you would
conclude the math teacher is presenting the result. However,
put yourself in the student’s shoes. If the student does not
know the laws of addition, he cannot tell the difference between
a result and an opinion. This is a critical point! Much of the
story you are about to read is not my opinion. It is the result
that four rules of interpretation produce. I believe four self-
evident rules were sealed in the book of Daniel until the time of
the end. (Daniel 12:4,9) These rules produce a result I wish was
much different. There is only one way for apocalyptic prophecy
to teach what we do not want to believe, and this is through
the use of valid rules of interpretation. These self-evident rules
may be difficult to appreciate and understand at first, but they
are crucial to reaching the intended meaning of apocalyptic
prophecy. Like the laws of mathematics, they must be properly
applied to produce legitimate results.
The Four Rules
1. Each apocalyptic prophecy has a beginning and ending
point in time, and the events within each prophecy must
occur in the order God has provided. (God has declared the
chronological order of the elements within each prophecy
so that events are not subject to human speculation. If God
has not declared the order of events in each prophecy, who
has the authority to declare God’s intent?)
2. A fulfillment of apocalyptic prophecy occurs when all
of the specifications, within a prophecy, are met; this
includes the order of events outlined in the prophecy. (God
has declared the specifications for each element within a
prophecy. Therefore, when all of the specifications are met,
the prediction is fulfilled. A prophetic element within a
Page 12 To the Reader

prophecy cannot have more than one fulfillment because no

one (a) has the authority to break the chronological order
given and (b) no one can declare the number of times that a
particular element will be fulfilled.)
3. Apocalyptic language can be literal, symbolic, or analogous.
To reach the intended meaning of a prophecy, the student
must consider the context, the use of parallel language in
the Bible, and relevant statements in the Bible defining
that symbol if an element is thought to be symbolic. (Many
people claim something in apocalyptic prophecy is symbolic
without producing a relevant statement from Scripture
that defines the symbol! When God uses a symbol, He
defines the symbol. When God uses literal language, He
means what He says. When God uses analogous language,
He offers a metaphor to help us understand His thoughts.
When apocalyptic language is treated properly, God’s
intended meaning is not ruined.)
4. God uses time in apocalyptic prophecy in two ways: a
day for a year and literal time. The presence or absence
of the Jubilee calendar determines how time is defined.
(The 70 weeks in Daniel 9 amounts to 490 years because
the 70 weeks occurred during the operation of the Jubilee
Calendar, which ended in 1994 (1437 B.C. to 1994).
However, the 1,290 and 1,335 days of Daniel 12 and 1,260
days granted to the Two Witnesses in Revelation 11 are in
the future. These time periods are in literal days because
they occur after 1994.)
Because millions of Christians have different views on Bible
prophecy, unbelievers scoff at our diversity. They claim the
Bible can be made to say anything that people want it to say,
and point to the endless confusion among Christians as proof!
The only way to turn this sentiment around, especially with
apocalyptic prophecy, is to use valid rules of interpretation.
Faulty rules of interpretation will always produce faulty
results. The evidence behind the four rules of interpretation is
To the Reader Page 13

not included in this book because it only presents the results

of applying them. If the four rules I use are valid and if I
have properly applied them, the result will be the story that
you are about to read. To learn more about the four rules and
how they are applied, please go to wake-up.org and look for
a short article about the rules of interpretation at wake-up.
org/?p=7801 You can also freely download my 600+ page
book, “Jesus’ Final Victory” (wake-up.org/?p=2706#ref7) for a
comprehensive study showing why the rules are self-evident
in the book of Daniel, and how they are applied to Daniel and
Revelation.
Fifth, if separated from the larger context of this book, the first
chapter could give an impression that God is very cruel and
unfairly harsh, so please do not stop reading until you have
completed Chapter 2. The devil delights in distorting God’s
character and love, causing people to falsely think that God
is either a tyrant or a divine Santa Claus. The same God who
drowned men, women, and children in Noah’s day (Genesis 6,7)
also sent His Son to die on the cross for us because of our sins.
(John 3:16) God loves people. He is a great king, changeless,
generous, fair, and reasonable. (Malachi 1:14, 3:6; Exodus
15:11-13; Psalm 11:7; Isaiah 1:18)
God’s love for human beings is balanced in three ways. First,
He understands the curse of sin and how it affects everyone on
Earth. Second, He knows what is best for individuals short and
long term. Finally, He knows what is best and most beneficial
today for future generations. God has sustained life on Earth
for thousands of years, and manages the human race according
to policies that are righteous and necessary. He has no evil
intent or selfishness. Instead, He acts with love and infinite
wisdom. The Bible says the foundations of God’s throne are
righteousness and justice. (Psalm 89:14) He is long suffering
and patient, “not wanting anyone to perish.” (2 Peter 3:9) He
generously extends mercy to sinners day after day, year after
year, until a day comes when He determines that extended
mercy will have no redeeming effect. When this point is
Page 14 To the Reader

reached, God responds to man’s wickedness. He destroys defiant

and degenerate generations so future generations will be free of
their ancestor’s perverted values and poisonous attitudes and
ways. If we could see everything going on in the world today as
God sees it, I am sure we would agree that God has to act very
soon or, as I heard Billy Graham once say, “He will owe Sodom
and Gomorrah an apology.”

Larry Wilson
June 2018
 Chapter 1
God is Angry with Us
The title for this book is derived from a declaration that
Jesus will soon speak from Heaven’s temple. When he says,
“There will be no more delay!” (Revelation 10:6) life on
Earth will radically change. His declaration will be marked by
supernatural signs which will engulf the whole world; then, a
Great Tribulation of 1,335 days will begin. (Daniel 12:11,12)
At the end of the Tribulation, the Father and Jesus will appear
together with clouds of glory. (Matthew 26:64)
God is angry with the world because of violence and wicked-
ness. Bible prophecy teaches that His wrath is overdue! John
wrote, “And I saw the seven angels who stand before
God, and to them were given seven trumpets.” (Revelation
8:2) I believe this event occurred in Heaven several years ago;
and we know from Revelation 8 and 9 that when each angel
sounds his trumpet, a horrible judgment follows that produces
unimaginable destruction on Earth.
A delay occurs after the seven angels are given the seven
trumpets. John wrote, “I saw four angels standing at the
four corners of the Earth, holding back the four winds of
the Earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land
or on the sea or on any tree. Then I saw another angel
coming up from the east, having the seal of the living
God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who
had been given power to harm the land and the sea: ‘Do
not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a
seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.’ Then
I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000
from all the tribes of Israel.” (Revelation 7:1-4, italics mine)
The Bible does not explicitly say that the four angels in
Revelation 7 are the first four of the seven angels who received
Page 16 Chapter 1

the seven trumpets, but this conclusion is easy to deduce.

Revelation 7:2 says the four angels “had been given power” to
harm the land, sea and trees; Revelation 8:7-9 indicates that
when the first two angels sound their trumpets a third of the
land will be “burned up,” a third of the sea will be turned to
blood, and a third of the trees will be destroyed. The harmony
found between Revelation 7:2 and Revelation 8:7-9 is obvious.
Revelation 7:3 indicates the four angels were told to hold back
their destruction of Earth until the 144,000 are selected and
sealed. This delay is mentioned in the book of Revelation so
students of apocalyptic prophecy can know that Jesus will
seal 144,000 “servants” before He releases God’s wrath on
the world. These 144,000 will be God’s prophets during the
Great Tribulation. Jesus will actually speak through His
144,000 servant/prophets and everybody will hear in their own
language “the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 12:17; 19:10)
After Jesus seals and empowers the 144,000 for their mission, He
will declare, “There will be no more delay!” (Revelation 10:6)
and the four angels presently holding back the four winds will
sound their trumpets. (Revelation 8) The physical damage caused
by the four angels will be so great that Earth will never recover.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ
The last book in the Bible is called the “Revelation of Jesus
Christ” because it contains an awesome story that centers on
Jesus. There is much about Jesus the world has not heard and
does not know, but the truth about Jesus and His sovereign
authority over Earth will be told! As the revelation of Jesus
unfolds, He will become the centerpiece of a great controversy
in every nation. He will demand certain things that will divide
the people of Earth into two opposing camps. One group will
cling to their religious traditions, the other will embrace “the
testimony of Jesus” spoken by the 144,000. This coming conflict
will be most interesting!
Currently, billions of people have not heard about Jesus. Part
of the problem is that of the 6,900 languages spoken in 2017,
Chapter 1 Page 17

the Bible has only been translated into 670 of them. The
New Testament has been translated into an additional 1,521
languages, but this still leaves over 5,000 language groups
without a complete Bible! Additionally, billions of people have
heard about Jesus, but what they have heard is false. Finally,
I would guess that half of Christianity today is Christian in
name only. Knowing about Jesus is altogether different from
loving, being disciplined by, and obeying Jesus as Lord and
Master.
When Jesus was on Earth, He claimed to be the promised
Messiah (Matthew 26:63,64), but Jewish leaders hated Him
because He condemned their self-righteousness and worthless
traditions. (John 11:50, Matthew 15:9) He also exposed their
hypocrisy and challenged their religious control over the
people. If Jesus were to come to Earth as a baby and grow up
as a Christian, today many Christians would hate Him! This
point is mentioned because you need to understand that when
the revelation of Jesus occurs, there will be a great conflict
among Christians as well as non-Christians.
Before Earth was created, the Father foresaw our generation
. . . the final generation. He foresaw our great wickedness,
religious gridlock, and cultural diversity. Knowing that most
of the world would not properly know Jesus, the Father
predetermined that during the Great Tribulation everyone
should hear about and thoughtfully consider the salvation
which Jesus paid for by His death. (Matthew 24:14) The Father
designed an elaborate plan, which includes the revelation that
Jesus is deity, a co-eternal, distinct, separate God that lived
with the Father for all eternity past. (John 1:1-14) According
to infinite wisdom, the Father predetermined the best way
to level the playing field was by breaking down the powers of
religion and culture through four divine judgments (the first
four trumpets). God’s coming wrath is not only justifiable, but
He will also use it to save as many people as possible! After
this planet is damaged beyond any hope of recovery, many
survivors will realize their need for a Savior and be more
inclined to listen to a gospel they would otherwise reject. Think
Page 18 Chapter 1

about it: The first four trumpets will open the ears of many
people to hear Jesus. He will speak through the 144,000 and
the world will hear Him declare the terms and conditions for
eternal life. Much of the world will think, at first, the words
they hear coming from the 144,000 are of human origin, spoken
by “fanatics,” but this will not be the case. The revelation of
Jesus will occur in the same way “the revelation of the Father”
took place when Jesus was on Earth! Jesus told the Jews,
“For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father
who sent me commanded me what to say and how to
say it. I know that His command leads to eternal life.
So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to
say.” (John 12:49,50)
The Seven First Plagues
According to His foreknowledge, the Father designed fourteen
judgments that will reveal the fullness of Jesus during the
Great Tribulation. These judgments are both justified and
purposeful because God’s wrath is always fair and righteous.
He designed the seven trumpets so the largest number of
people could be saved. He designed the seven bowls so the
universe could witness the nature and properties of divine
vengeance. These coming judgments will not be freak
manifestations of “mother nature,” and they will not occur
in random order or in random places. The book of Revelation
describes the seven first plagues as “seven trumpets” because
they parallel the purpose for the “Feast of Trumpets” in the
Old Testament. In Bible times, before the Day of Atonement
arrived each year, trumpets sounded in Israel for nine days.
They warned the nation that God’s mercy was about to end and
all sins must be confessed and restitution made. Likewise, the
seven trumpets in Revelation will warn the world that God’s
offer of salvation is about to end and all sins must be confessed
and made right before God closes the door to salvation.
(Revelation 14:14-20)
Jesus will speak through the 144,000 and the Holy Spirit will
give weight to their words. This message will undermine the
Chapter 1 Page 19

traditions and teachings of the religious systems of the world.

Here are three topics that will be included in “the revelation of
Jesus Christ,” which will be very difficult for Atheists, Pagans,
Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Catholics and Protestants to embrace:
1. Jesus is an Almighty God like the Father. Jesus is a
separate, distinct, co-eternal member of the Godhead.
The Father found Jesus worthy in 1798 to receive the
Book of Life, a book sealed with seven seals. At that time,
the Father recused Himself and gave Jesus His throne.
(Revelation 5:6-14; Daniel 7:13,14; Ephesians 1:9,10) For
over two hundred years, Jesus, not the Father, has ruled
in Heaven and over Earth as “King of Kings and Lord of
Lords.” The Father commands everyone to worship Jesus
as they would worship Him. (Revelation 14:7; Hebrews 1:6;
John 5:22,23)
2. Jesus is the Creative Agent of the Godhead. (Hebrews 1:2)
and Creator of everything that exists. (Colossians 1:15,16)
He is. Jesus was with the Father before anything existed.
(John 1:1-14)
3. At the end of the 1,335 days allotted for the Great Tribula-
tion (Daniel 12:11,12), Jesus and the Father will appear to-
gether, descending toward Earth in brilliant clouds of glory.
(Matthew 26:64) Because Jesus is the judge of mankind,
He will personally determine who will be permitted to enter
into His eternal kingdom. (John 5:22,23; 2 Corinthians 5:10;
Ecclesiastes 12:13,14) During the Great Tribulation, He
will save everyone who keeps His commands (spoken by the
144,000), puts their faith in Him, and obeys His gospel. (1
Peter 4:1,17; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8; Revelation 12:17) Jesus
will kill everyone, except the saints, at the Second Coming
with a command, represented in the book of Revelation as
a sword that comes out of His mouth. (Revelation 19:19-21)
The saints will meet the Father and Jesus in the air at the
Second Coming. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17) Jesus will take
the saints to Heaven for 1,000 years (John 14:2,3) where the
saints will reign with Jesus as judges. (Revelation 20:6) The
Page 20 Chapter 1

saints will review the records of the wicked, and with Jesus,
they will determine the amount of restitution (suffering) each
wicked person must “pay back” in Hell. (1 Corinthians 6:2)
The Seven Last Plagues
I believe the seven last plagues will occur during the final 70
days of the Great Tribulation, with ten days allotted to each
plague. These judgments are described in Revelation 16 as
seven bowls (or vials, KJV) and have a twofold purpose:
First, the seven plagues will confirm that Jesus is
Sovereign over the Earth. This is important because the
Antichrist will be ruling over Earth at that time claiming
to be Almighty God, but he will be powerless to prevent
the plagues. Prior to the seven bowls, during the seven first
plagues (the seven trumpets), the 144,000 will proclaim
the sovereign authority of Jesus over Earth, and those who
willfully refuse to obey His demands will be marked (by the
mark of the beast) as “rebels deserving death.”
Second, the seven bowls represent seven merciless doses
of God’s wrath which all rebels will be forced to drink. The
idea behind drinking God’s wrath from a bowl (or a vial,
KJV) indicates that nothing can prevent a person’s death
once he has swallowed the poison. The seven bowls are
horrible. They will impose a torturous death on the wicked
for defying the King of kings, and for the specific torture
and harm they inflicted on His saints.
The Father thoughtfully and deliberately designed the seven
first and seven last plagues before the world was created
because He wants certain facts known and numerous goals
achieved. This is why Jesus will swear an oath to the Father
just before He says, “There will be no more delay!”
(Revelation 10:5-7) Jesus will promise to faithfully carry out
the Father’s plans (horrible as they may seem) because He also
wants the maximum number of people saved and the character
and conduct of a righteous Father fully vindicated. It is ironic,
but encouraging, to know that a numberless multitude will
Chapter 1 Page 21

be saved during the first phase of God’s wrath, the seven

trumpets! (Revelation 7:9-14)
What Will Be The Signs of The Great Tribulation?
Shortly before the Great Tribulation begins, two events will
occur.
First, World War III will break out. I believe nations will
attack one another with nuclear weapons and millions of
innocent people will perish. When this annihilation occurs,
people around the world will immediately cry out for “peace
and safety” (1 Thessalonians 5:3) and God’s saints will
intensely pray for divine intervention. (Revelation 8:3,4)
While the mayhem on Earth is unfolding, Jesus will select
144,000 people to serve as His prophets and He will speak
through them after He stops World War III.
Second, while the people of Earth are crying out for “peace
and safety” and the 144,000 are prepared for service, Jesus
will respond to the saints’ prayers by declaring, “There
will be no more delay!” (Revelation 10:6) When Jesus
makes this declaration, the “priestly angel” serving at the
Altar of Incense in Heaven’s temple will throw down a
golden censer (Revelation 8:5) and a sequence of powerful
events will unfold.
For 6,000 years, an Altar of Incense has been functioning in
Heaven’s temple. The Father established this altar on the
day that Adam and Eve sinned because it was needed for
intercession. The law of God is changeless, requiring a person
who sins be immediately executed. In keeping with this law,
the Father would have slain Adam and Eve on the day they ate
the fruit (Genesis 2:17), but He knew that Adam and Eve had
not defiantly sinned. He stayed their execution because Jesus
offered to intercede on their behalf. The Father not only stayed
the execution of Adam and Eve, He also graciously offered
redemption through Jesus to all of their offspring who would
listen for and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit; living by faith
means obeying the Spirit of God. (Romans 8:14)
Page 22 Chapter 1

When Jesus says, “There will be no more delay!” the angel

at the Altar of Incense will throw his censer down (Revelation
8:5) to indicate corporate intercession is over. Then, God’s
wrath against the whole world (corporately speaking) will
begin. However, there is good news: Intercession for individuals
will continue! Even though Earth is doomed, everyone who will
listen to and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit will be saved.
Those who live by faith and hold to the testimony of Jesus will
face persecution and very difficult circumstances, but they will
be saved!
Because we cannot see or hear events transpiring in Heaven,
God has linked certain events in Heaven with specific events
on Earth so Bible students can discover their chronological
position within His plans. When the angel at the Altar of
Incense throws the censer down, the people on Earth will
immediately see astonishing signs and wonders. The Bible
says, “And there came peals of thunder, rumblings
[mysterious voices will be heard], flashes of lightning and
an earthquake.” (Revelation 8:5) Jesus begins the Great
Tribulation with a display of divine authority in the heavens
and in the Earth. The first four trumpets will follow these
signs; the destruction will be so horrific that they will dwarf
the nuclear madness that is escalating on Earth. The first
four trumpets will occur in chronological order and in quick
succession. World War III will be forgotten, because a much
bigger problem will appear! World leaders and all of the
survivors will cower in silence and fear.
Revelation Uses Inclusive Language
Before we proceed, understand that the language in the book
of Revelation is inclusive. This means Revelation treats the
world as one unit, because the story will be the same for
everyone on Earth. For example, when the mark of the beast
is implemented in Paris, it will be identical to the mark of
the beast in Beijing and Muleshoe, Texas. When the peals of
thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and the earthquake
Chapter 1 Page 23

described in Revelation 8:5 occur, every nation and everyone

on Earth will experience the same phenomena. These events
will be global and intimidating. Simultaneously, everyone will
consider the possibility that Almighty God is a living reality,
and He is very unhappy with mankind!
The global earthquake mentioned in Revelation 8:5 marks the
beginning of the 1,335 days allotted for the Great Tribulation.
This earthquake is interesting because geologists theorized
that a “global earthquake” was physically impossible until
the early 1990’s. More recently, physical evidence has proven
that Earth’s tectonic plates go much deeper into the core of
Earth than previously thought and this discovery caused
geoscientists to change their thinking. In fact, they now say
that the Indian Ocean earthquake which occurred off the coast
of Sumatra, Indonesia (December 2004) shook the whole world.
Locally, it registered 9.1 to 9.3 on the Richter scale and the
resulting tsunami killed over 240,000 people. This earthquake
is a “prophetic sample” of the coming earthquake described in
Revelation 8:5. Imagine the consequences of the entire world
shaking violently at 9+ on the Richter scale!
The book of Revelation predicts there will be three global
earthquakes during the Great Tribulation. (Revelation
8:5; 11:19; 16:18) Each earthquake will be more powerful
and violent than the preceding one, ripping up the surface
of the world and tearing down its infrastructures. Travel,
communication, banking, shipping, and manufacturing will
stop. These coming earthquakes will demolish dams, highway
overpasses, bridges, runways, and power grids. They have no
equal in past history. The third one will be so violent that the
Bible says “all” of the mountains and islands will be moved
from out of their places! (Revelation 16:20; 6:14)
The First Four Plagues (First Four Trumpets)
Shortly after the signs in the Heavens and the first global
earthquake, the four angels will sound their trumpets and
God’s wrath will begin:
Page 24 Chapter 1

Trumpet #1. The first angel will sound his trumpet and a
meteoric firestorm will consume the world. Billions of
white-hot sulfur stones will rain down from Heaven and,
interestingly, they will burn up notably wicked places all
over Earth. The Bible indicates this is how God destroyed
the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and it says
those cities serve as an example of what is coming upon
the ungodly! (Genesis 19:24; 2 Peter 2:6) When the
survivors realize that notably wicked places were targets
of destruction, this will profoundly impact the thinking
of many people. They will conclude that God has seen our
decadence and He is angry and offended by our degenerate
and immoral behavior, and this is why He destroyed places
known for sinful conduct!
The destruction caused by the first plague will be mind-
boggling. The Bible says one-third of the Earth will be de-
stroyed by fire. (Revelation 8:7) This would be an area about
31 million square miles: the size of Russia, China, the United
States, and Antarctica combined. Imagine the physical con-
sequences to this planet while 31 million square miles are
being reduced to charcoal. Hurricane force winds will fuel
fires of all sizes and fill the atmosphere with smoke. Violent
weather will follow. Floods and tornados will be common.
People will fear for their lives.
Trumpet #2. A few days after the first angel decimates the
Earth, a second angel will sound his trumpet. I believe
God’s servant/prophets, the 144,000, will announce each
judgment before it occurs so that people can observe who
speaks for God. The second judgment will be a civilization
threatening asteroid impact. A giant asteroid (maybe two or
three miles in diameter) traveling several thousand miles
per second will smash into an ocean. (Revelation 8:8,9)
This impact will produce a tidal wave that will rise several
hundred feet high. A circular wall of water will quickly
radiate outward in all directions from the impact zone. This
wall of water will destroy thousands of coastal cities located
around the perimeter of the ocean. Seaports, well known for
Chapter 1 Page 25

their decadent and immoral behavior, will be washed away.

There will be no time or way to escape and overwhelming
loss of life will be the result. Even people who do not
live close to an ocean will be frightened and distressed,
because the oceans will violently slosh back and forth
with deadly results. (Luke 21:25) Ships will not be able to
cross the ocean, international trade will stop, and men will
be powerless to respond. Many survivors will notice that
God has cleansed the Earth with fire and water! They will
wonder what they should do and what God will do next.
Trumpet #3. After God’s 144,000 servants announce the
third plague, the third angel will sound his trumpet. This
judgment will come in the form of a great star (another
asteroid impact), but this giant impact will be directed at a
wicked continent. Millions of people who live far from the
impact zone will perish because ground waves caused by
the impact will fracture Earth’s strata hundreds of miles in
every direction. Sewage, deadly bacteria, toxic chemicals,
and other waste buried within the Earth will seep into
underground aquifers. Underground rivers will carry
poisoned water in all directions, and millions of people who
survived the impact because of distance from the impact
zone will die from drinking contaminated water. Many
survivors will lament that Almighty God is angry and if we
do not change our ways, He will kill us all!
Trumpet #4. A few days after the third plague, the 144,000
will announce a fourth judgment. The fourth angel will
sound his trumpet and a deep rumbling will begin within
the Earth. This sound, along with a terrible trembling,
will crescendo into a deafening roar. Hundreds of powerful
volcanoes will erupt simultaneously. Currently, there
are over 1,500 active volcanoes on Earth. The volcanoes
will bury millions of people with lava, ash, and rock, but
the worst is yet to come. The jet stream will distribute
megatons of ejecta, and black clouds will encircle the middle
third of Earth. This is where most of Earth’s inhabitants
live and food crops are grown. (Revelation 8:12) Millions
Page 26 Chapter 1

of people will die from respiratory failure. Crops will fail

because sunlight cannot penetrate the soot. Nuclear winter
will set in and global famine will commence.
Two Billion Dead People!
The first four trumpets will cause indescribable death,
devastation, and anxiety. These coming plagues will terrify
the survivors and inflict a fatal blow to the ecosystems of this
planet. Our feeble efforts to protect the planet from ozone
and climate change will seem foolish. The Father designed
it this way so His planet cannot recover from the plagues.
The survivors will be left in a miserable state of existence.
According to Revelation 6:8, twenty-five percent of Earth’s
population will perish during these four judgments. Currently,
Earth’s population is nearing eight billion people and everyone
is unaware that two billion people are about to die! How can
this be?
Four Desperate Questions
When the world has experienced the shock and awe of God’s
wrath and realizes His fierce anger with man’s degeneracy,
many survivors will ask: “What does God want?”, “Why is God
so angry?”, and “What is coming next?” They will also direct a
fourth question to their clergy: “Why didn’t you tell us?”
The gospel of Jesus is best told when people have questions.
Jesus knows this and He will speak through the 144,000 so
that everyone can hear the “testimony of Jesus.” The world will
hear a powerful and transforming gospel on that day, which
most of the world would not consider today.
 Chapter 2
Full Cup Principle

For thousands of years, nations have come and gone. Histori-

ans may explain certain events that caused a nation to rise or
fall, but many people do not realize that a sovereign God sets
up nations and takes them down. God does not do this arbi-
trarily; instead, He does this as circumstances warrant. (Daniel
2:21; 4:17,35; 5:22-30) Consider a recurring problem that God
has faced throughout history: Suppose the first generation of a
new nation knows everything about God’s ways and will, and
they are able to pass along 80% of what they know to their
children (I am being generous). Then, each succeeding genera-
tion also passes along 80% of what they know to their children.
In just five generations, the nation will only know one-third as
much about God as their original ancestors! This rapid decline
in spiritual knowledge and accountability to God explains, in
part, why religious interest and church attendance drops with
each passing generation. The irony in this illustration is that
the fifth generation is unaware of its spiritual darkness. Each
generation thinks that it knows God well enough and this is
how every nation, from God’s point of view, descends into apos-
tasy. This declining process is universal and inevitable, always
resulting in greater violence, decadence, and degeneracy. Be-
cause God knows man’s degeneration is inevitable, He has a
wise and changeless solution, a policy that deals with nations
so mired in the curse of sin that there is no way out.
The Full Cup Principle
God loves this world and He watches over it at all times.
(Proverbs 15:3) Because this planet is cursed by the power
of sin, people and nations have natural enmity toward each
other. Somewhere on Earth, nations are always at war. God
does what He has to do to keep the nations from killing one
Page 28 Chapter 2

other. When God acts, He does what He has to do to benefit all

mankind. So, when the fullness of time is right, God destroys
a wicked nation for the sake of oncoming generations. (Ezekiel
14:12-21) God loves future generations the same as He loves
the present generation. In fact, He already knows the name
of each person who will be in a future generation. (Jeremiah
1:5; Psalm 139:16) Subsequently, His love for forthcoming
generations creates a management problem. When a current
generation becomes so evil that corporate repentance and
reformation is impossible, God has to annihilate the offending
generation so that the next generation will have a fresh start.
(Nehemiah 9:16-33; 1 Thessalonians 2:16)
I call God’s policy for dealing with wicked nations the “Full Cup
Principle.” I created this phrase to associate God’s patience
with the idea of a measuring cup. Suppose each new nation is
given a measuring cup (a probationary period of grace). Over
time, as generations pass and people begin to forget about
God and accountability to Him dims, the cup fills with guilt as
people slide deeper and deeper into apostasy. When God sees
the nation’s cup is full, He releases His righteous wrath and
destroys it because they will not repent of their apostasy. Once
that nation disappears, God gives the land to a new people and
the process starts over. Here are a few examples:
The Full Cup Principle in the Days of Noah
The whole world filled its cup in Noah’s day: “The Lord saw
how great man’s wickedness on the Earth had become,
and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart
was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he
had made man on the Earth, and His heart was filled
with pain. So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe mankind, whom
I have created, from the face of the Earth - men and
animals, and creatures that move along the ground,
and birds of the air - for I am grieved that I have made
them.’ ” (Genesis 6:5-7) Some people foolishly argue that a
God of love does not kill people, because God Himself says
“Thou shalt not kill.” (Exodus 20:13, KJV) Murder is an act
Chapter 2 Page 29

born out of hatred or predatory behavior. (1 John 3:15; Psalm

11:5-7; Numbers 35) God does not consider carrying out the
death penalty murder or an act of hatred. In fact, God says
that putting murderers to death is necessary to achieve justice.
(Genesis 9:5,6; Numbers 35:31)
The Lord said to Noah, “I will wipe mankind, whom I
have created, from the face of the Earth.” Therefore, the
argument that God does not kill people is a false claim because
it makes God appear to lie. God told Noah to warn the world
of the coming flood and Noah did, both in word and action.
(Hebrews 11:7; 2 Peter 2:5) When 120 years of grace expired
(Genesis 6:3), God fulfilled His promise. He destroyed the men,
women, and children who refused to get into the ark. Then,
God put His rainbow in the clouds after the flood as a sign that
He would never again destroy the world with a flood! (Genesis
9:11-13) When God sees that extended mercy will not produce
corporate repentance and reformation, He must annihilate the
current offending generation because of His love for oncoming
generations.
The Amorites and the Full Cup Principle
When the Lord made the following promise to Abraham, the
Amorites had not yet filled up their cup: “Then the Lord
said to him (Abraham), ‘Know for certain that your
descendants will be strangers in a country not their
own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four
hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve
as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great
possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in
peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth
generation your descendants will come back here,
for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full
measure.’ ” (Genesis 15:13-16)
Notice the last sentence in this passage. God promised to give
Canaan to Abraham’s offspring after the sins of the Amorites
had reached their full measure! Earlier, God had given the
land of Canaan to the Amorites, but each nation comes with
Page 30 Chapter 2

a measuring cup. Keep in mind that Israel was to possess

Canaan on the same terms and conditions that applied to
the Amorites. (Leviticus 18:24-25; 25:23) Contrary to what a
lot of people think today, God gave ancient Israel the land of
Canaan on a conditional basis. Moses warned Israel of this:
“But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one
who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He
will destroy them; He will subdue them before you. And
you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, .
. . After the Lord your God has driven them out before
you, do not say to yourself, ‘The Lord has brought me
here to take possession of this land because of my
righteousness.’ No, it is on account of the wickedness of
these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out
before you. It is not because of your righteousness or
your integrity that you are going in to take possession
of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these
nations.” (Deuteronomy 9:3-5) God destroyed the Canaanites
when they filled their measuring cup of wickedness! (Leviticus
18:24-25) Likewise, God destroyed Israel twice, the first in 605
B.C. (Daniel 9:12-14) and then in A.D. 70.
Why Was Israel Given a Second Chance?
Just before God sent Israel to Babylon (605 B.C.), He spoke
through the prophet Jeremiah explaining why He was
punishing Israel: “But you did not listen to me . . . and you
have provoked me with what your hands have made,
and you have brought harm to yourselves. . . . Because
you have not listened to my words, I will summon all the
peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon, . . . and I will bring them against this
land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding
nations. I will completely destroy them and make them
an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. .
. . This whole country will become a desolate wasteland,
and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy
years. But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will
punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of
Chapter 2 Page 31

the Babylonians, for their guilt, . . . and will make it

desolate forever.” (Jeremiah 25:7-12)
God caused Israel to be destroyed in 605 B.C. for provoking
Him to anger. It is also interesting to note that God also
declared through Jeremiah that He would destroy Babylon
for the same reasons that He destroyed Israel! This indicates
that God deals consistently and fairly with all nations.
(Ezekiel 14:12-21) Jesus gave the underlying basis of the full
cup principle when He said, “But the one who does not
know and does things deserving punishment will be
beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been
given much, much will be demanded; and from the one
who has been entrusted with much, much more will be
asked.” (Luke 12:48)
God gives each nation a measuring cup when it forms, and
when its cup is filled, God’s wrath breaks out because of
defiance. Historians may explain the sequence of events
describing how a nation fell, but the Bible explains why it fell.
Civilizations rise and fall by divine decree. When Babylon’s
measuring cup was filled, God destroyed it and gave the land to
the Medes and Persians. When the Medes and Persians filled
their measuring cup, God destroyed the empire and gave the
land to the Grecians. The process goes on and on because of the
curse of sin.
God gave ancient Israel a second opportunity to fulfill His
plans, so we can say He gave Israel two measuring cups. God
did this because Abraham’s faith impressed Him and He
wanted a whole nation of Abrahams as His representatives on
Earth. Therefore, God made a promise to Abraham that his
descendants would someday be as numerous as the stars. Also,
God wanted Abraham’s descendants to serve as the trustees
of His gospel. God wanted to bless the whole world through
a nation of priests; a people who would know, understand,
and share the love of God. God wanted His gospel of salvation
spread to every corner of Earth! Therefore, God entered into
a covenant with Israel and He graciously promised from the
Page 32 Chapter 2

beginning that He would give the nation a second chance if

they happened to go astray. Notice these two passages:
The Lord said, “ ‘But if they [my people] will confess their
sins and the sins of their fathers [when they are exiled
in the land of their enemies, if they will confess] -- their
treachery against me and their hostility toward me,
which made me hostile toward them so that I sent
them into the land of their enemies -- then when their
uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for
their sin, I will remember my covenant with Jacob and
my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham,
and I will remember the land. . . They will pay for their
sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my
decrees. Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land
of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so
as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant
with them. I am the Lord their God. But for their sake I
will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom
I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be
their God. I am the Lord.’ ” (Leviticus 26:40-45, insertions
mine)
Solomon referred to the Lord’s promise of a “second chance” in
his prayer when He dedicated the temple to God in Jerusalem:
“When they [your people, Israel] sin against you -- for
there is no one who does not sin -- and you become
angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who
takes them captive to his own land, far away or near;
and if they have a change of heart in the land where
they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in
the land of their conquerors and say, ‘We have sinned,
we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly’; and if
they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the
land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray
to you toward the land you gave their fathers, toward
the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for
your Name; then from Heaven, your dwelling place, hear
their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.
Chapter 2 Page 33

And forgive your people, who have sinned against you;

forgive all the offenses they have committed against
you, and cause their conquerors to show them mercy;
for they are your people and your inheritance, whom
you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting
furnace. ‘May your eyes be open to your servant’s plea
and to the plea of your people Israel, and may you listen
to them whenever they cry out to you.’ ” (1 Kings 8:46-52,
insertion mine)
God kept His word and He did as He promised. He gave Israel
a second chance (measuring cup) lasting 70 weeks (490 years -
from 457 B.C. to A.D. 34). Unfortunately, Israel did not learn
from its mistakes.
You may recall that God also gave the city of Nineveh a second
measuring cup, but the succeeding generations in Nineveh
did not learn from the mistakes of their forefathers either.
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Nineveh about 160 years after
the city repented in the days of Jonah. Like Nineveh, Israel
turned away from God a second time and went into such deep
apostasy that when the Son of God came to Earth and spoke
the truth, they accused Him of blasphemy and crucified Him.
At that point, the Father could do nothing further with ancient
Israel, so He established a new Israel. God destroyed the city
of Jerusalem and the nation of Israel in A.D. 70. God gave the
land to the Arabs; and later, Muslims put a mosque on Temple
Mount. God brought this about to keep the Jews from ever
rebuilding a temple there.
Israel Filled Up Its Cup
Shortly before Jesus returned to Heaven, He announced the
end of His covenant with the nation of Israel saying, “ ‘O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and
stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to
gather your children together, as a hen gathers her
chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look,
your house [your nation, religion and temple] is left to you
desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again [I will
Page 34 Chapter 2

have nothing more to do with your religion or temple] until

you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the
Lord.” ’ Jesus left the temple and was walking away
when His disciples came up to Him to call His attention
to its buildings. ‘Do you see all these things?’ He asked.
‘I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on
another; every one will be thrown down.’ ” (Matthew
23:37-24:2) History reveals that God would rather have a
mosque on the Temple Mount than a Jewish temple.
Shortly before Jesus’ death, He used the idea of a measuring
cup in His final discourse with the Pharisees. After Jesus
pronounced seven curses on the Jewish leaders for their
religious bigotry and hypocrisy, He said, “Fill up, then,
the measure of the [cup of] sin of your forefathers! You
snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being
condemned to hell?” (Matthew 23:32,33, insertion mine)
When the Jews rejected Jesus, they filled their cup, and
God destroyed them in A.D. 70. Remember, God’s patience
has a limit. This principle is easy to understand. The law of
love will not permit a hopelessly evil generation to destroy
forthcoming generations. This is the only way to be fair to the
next generation. When God threw Lucifer out of Heaven, he did
it because His patience with rebellion has a limit. Remember,
when a nation reaches the limit of divine forbearance, God’s
wrath breaks out. In A.D. 70, God sent the Romans to Judea
to destroy ancient Israel. Contrary to what is often said today,
modern Israel is not an extension or rebirth of ancient Israel.
Zionism is altogether a different subject and matter.
New Testament Examples of the Full Cup Principle
The New Testament confirms the full cup principle. Paul
warned the sexually immoral Romans, “You are storing up
wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when
His righteous judgment will be revealed. God will give
to each person according to what he has done. But for
those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth
and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” (Romans
Chapter 2 Page 35

2:5,6,8) The Roman Empire, beginning in 168 B.C. filled its cup
and God destroyed it in A.D. 476.
About A.D. 55, Paul encouraged the suffering believers in
Thessalonica to be patient until the enemies of Christ had
filled their cup. “You suffered from your own countrymen
the same things those churches [in Judea] suffered from
the Jews, who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets
and also drove us out. They [the Jews] displease God
and are hostile to all men in their effort to keep us from
speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In
this way they always heap up their sins to the limit.
The wrath of God has come upon them at last.” (1
Thessalonians 2:14-16, insertions mine) When Paul wrote this
epistle, he knew the Jewish nation had filled its cup of sin and
soon, God would send the Romans to destroy Jerusalem. (Luke
21:20-22)
The Great Tribulation
If you have read this far, you should see a strong parallel
developing. The Full Cup Principle and the fourteen plagues
mentioned in Chapter 1 are inseparable. God’s coming
wrath will be global, because the world is at the same level
of apostasy today as the world was in Noah’s day. God has
unsealed the book of Daniel so that we can use its four rules
to understand His plans. The time has almost arrived. All
that remains is for Jesus to declare, “There will be no more
delay!” During World War III, while men are struggling
against one another with nuclear exchanges in a contest of
wills, Jesus will act decisively. He will suddenly send signs
and wonders, which people will see in the sky and hear
in the Earth. A Sovereign Jesus will step into the affairs
of mankind with a display of divine power that will dwarf
nuclear power. A global earthquake will destroy many of the
world’s infrastructures (e.g., communication, travel, banking,
power grids, etc.) and then four horrifying judgments will
follow. (Revelation 8:5-12) At the end of 1,335 days, Jesus will
appear, the Great Tribulation will be over and the 1,000 years
Page 36 Chapter 2

mentioned in Revelation 20 will begin. When the 1,000 years

have ended, Jesus will purify this planet with fire. Then, He
will create a new Heaven and Earth. The saints will inhabit
the new Earth and enjoy it eternally! Their cup will be full, but
overflowing with happiness. “You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with
oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will
follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the
house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:5,6)
 Chapter 3
144,000 “New Testament” Jews

The 144,000 Will Speak the “Testimony of Jesus”

Before we consider the mission of the 144,000, we need to
consider how Jesus selects this group. During the Great
Tribulation, there will be several surprising and disturbing
developments. One of the biggest surprises will be who
constitutes the 144,000. Jesus will bypass most pastors,
priests, rabbis, imams, religious experts and scholars. Instead,
He will select 144,000 ordinary people, both men and women,
from all over the world (Joel 2:28-30) who will serve as His
spokespersons. If we assume the population of the world is
reduced to about six billion people after the first four trumpets
occur, and if we assume the 144,000 are evenly distributed
around the world – because God loves everyone the same –
one of God’s prophets will serve approximately 42,000 people.
This is how the “testimony of Jesus” will be delivered to every
nation, kindred, tongue and people. (Matthew 24:14; Revelation
12:17; 19:10) Many Christians are aware that the 144,000 will
be chosen from the twelve tribes of Israel (Revelation 7:4), but
there is a big surprise coming. The twelve tribes today are not
the twelve tribes described in the Old Testament! The Father
replaced “Old Testament Jews” with “New Testament Jews”
when Jesus was on Earth. The old covenant was abolished and
a new covenant was established at that time.
A “New Testament Jew” is a person who has been born again
through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Millions of “New
Testament Jews” are living on Earth today. Such a person is
eager to know truth, has an honest heart, loves God with all
his heart, mind, and soul, and his neighbor as himself. Jesus
assigns a person to one of the twelve “New Testament” tribes
when he is born again. Therefore, only God knows the tribe
Page 38 Chapter 3

to which each “New Testament Jew” belongs. When the time

comes for Jesus to select the 144,000, He will have many people
from which to make His selection because there are over 12,000
members within each tribe. Notice how the Bible indicates that
in the last days, each tribe is larger than 12,000: “From the
tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed.” (Revelation 7:5)
The 144,000 will serve as God’s prophets during the Great
Tribulation. While they will be few in number compared to
the population of the world, they will be like Gideon’s tiny
army of 300 who delivered Israel from the oppression of a
huge Midianite army. (Judges 7:7; 6:5) God used Gideon and
his tiny army so Israel would know that the Lord Himself had
provided the victory. During the time of the seven trumpets,
God will use another tiny army to spread His gospel all over
the world. They will achieve a result that Christians have not
accomplished during the past 2,000 years! Jesus will evangelize
six billion survivors through the 144,000 in a mere 1,260 days!
When Jesus selects the 144,000, He will appear to them in a
vision. Like Ezekiel, Jesus will give them a book to eat (His
words to speak). (Compare Ezekiel 3:1-4 with Revelation 10:8-
11.)
Many Christians have not considered the distinctions between
“New Testament” and “Old Testament” Jews. Please consider
these:
1. New Testament Jews have a high priest from the tribe of
Judah. (Hebrews 7:12-21) Old Testament Jews had a priest
from the tribe of Levi. (Hebrews 7:11,12)
2. Jesus is the high priest for New Testament Jews. He serves
in the “true temple” which is located in Heaven. (Hebrews
8:1,2) Old Testament Jews do not have a temple, because
the Romans destroyed it in A.D. 70.
3. New Testament Jews consider their capital city to be
New Jerusalem. (Revelation 3:12; Revelation 21:2) Even
Abraham anticipated God would someday construct this
Chapter 3 Page 39

city. (Hebrews 11:8-10; John 14:2,3) Old Testament Jews

consider Jerusalem to be their capital city.
4. New Testament Jews have nothing to do with Zionism or
modern Israel. The kingdom they expect to inherit is not
located in the Middle East. Instead, it will be in the Earth
made new. (John 18:36, 37; Matthew 5:5)
5. New Testament Jews live according to a new covenant
that Jesus initiated. (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 12:22-24) Old
Testament Jews cannot accomplish the requirements of the
old covenant because they have no temple. (Deuteronomy 12)
6. Paul says New Testament Jews have a much better set
of promises and prophecies than those God gave to Old
Testament Jews. (Hebrews 8:6)
7. Paul described a “New Testament” Jew saying, “A man is
not a Jew if he is only one outwardly [as the result of
the circumcision of the flesh], nor is circumcision merely
outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one
inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the
heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a
man’s praise is not from men, but from God.” (Romans
2:28,29, insertion mine, compare with Deuteronomy 30:6)
8. New Testament Jews believe God regards them as the
seed of Abraham and heirs of the promises given to him.
(Galatians 3:28,29) Old Testament Jews also believe they
are the seed of Abraham, but they have to assume their
lineage because there are no records proving their ancestry.
The Roman army destroyed all Jewish genealogical records
in A.D. 70.
There are other parallels between “Old Testament Jews” and
“New Testament Jews” worth considering:
1. Jesus delivered Old Testament Jews from Egyptian slavery.
(Exodus 12:29; Judges 2:1-6) Jesus delivers New Testament
Jews from slavery to sin through His indwelling power.
(Romans 6:20-22; 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 6:15)
Page 40 Chapter 3

2. After Old Testament Jews went through the Red Sea, they
were no longer Pharaoh’s slaves. After New Testament
Jews are born again and go through the watery grave of
baptism, they are no longer Lucifer’s slaves. (Romans 6:3-
5,14-18)
3. God did not permit the first generation of Old Testament
Jews to enter Canaan because they had no faith in Him.
Even after they crossed the Red Sea and God fed them
manna from Heaven for two years, they would not believe
that He could tear down the great walls of the cities in
Canaan. God became angry with their unbelief and the first
generation of Old Testament Jews died in the wilderness
because of their lack of faith. (Psalm 95:10,11; Hebrews
3:19) New Testament Jews understand that they will not
enter the Promised Land and New Jerusalem unless they
maintain a non-negotiable faith in God. (Hebrews 11:6) A
non-negotiable faith in God means obeying God without
regard for the consequences, trusting that He will make all
things work together for good. (Romans 8:28)
4. God kept His promise. He took Abraham’s descendants
into the land which He had promised, but Old Testament
Jews could not stay there because of apostasy. Thus far,
New Testament Jews have not received the land which
God promised to give Abraham, but they believe they will
inherit the Earth which includes everything promised to
Abraham’s descendants!
5. God miraculously sustained Old Testament Jews for 1,500
years (1437 B.C. to A.D. 70). He has miraculously sustained
New Testament Jews for the past 2,000 years (A.D. 30 to
present).
6. Old Testament Jews anticipated (and still anticipate) a
Messiah that would be an ordinary mortal. Old Testament
Jews were monotheists. They believed there is one God
and God could not possibly come to Earth as the Messiah.
New Testament Jews believe in three Gods: the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19,20) Some New
Chapter 3 Page 41

Testament Jews believe that Jesus is a co-eternal, distinct,

separate member of deity along with the Father and the
Holy Spirit. New Testament Jews anticipate that two Gods
will gloriously return, the Father and the Messiah who
will sit at the Father’s right hand at the Second Coming.
(Matthew 26:64; Revelation 6:16,17) The Holy Spirit will
also be present at the Second Coming living within every
saint! (2 Corinthians 1:21,22; 1 Peter 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:14)
7. Old Testament Jews believed the way to eternal life was
through self-righteousness, (Matthew 19:16-26) that
is, sinners achieved salvation through rigid conformity
to the laws of Moses and the Ten Commandments. If a
righteous man had any deficiency before God, Abraham’s
righteousness would make up for it. (Matthew 23:15;
Genesis 15:6; Luke 3:8) New Testament Jews believe the
Levitical laws were temporary from the beginning. They
were a shadow (representative) of events to come. Jesus
abolished the Levitical code, initiated a new covenant, and
died on the cross. (Luke 22:20; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Colossians
2:9-3:1) In addition to this, some New Testament Jews
believe that Jesus did not abolish the Ten Commandments
at the cross because they function as a covenant, or
promise. They believe the Ten Commandments describe a
person’s natural behavior when his sinful nature is removed
and God’s laws are written in his heart and mind. (Hebrews
8:10-12)
8. If you are a New Testament Jew (you have been born
again), you understand that for as long as the sinful nature
remains within you, you must live in a state of humility.
(Matthew 5:5; Proverbs 6:16-19) Sooner or later, some
sin will trip you up. The sinful nature will not allow a
born again person to live in perfect conformity with God’s
will very long. (1 John 2:1,2; 5:16) However, if we sin and
genuinely regret it, and if we are willing to make restitution
(if needed) to make it right, Jesus is willing to forgive our
sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
Through faith in God and the indwelling power of the Holy
Page 42 Chapter 3

Spirit, New Testament Jews know that victory over any sin
is possible and the fruits of the Spirit are promised to all
overcomers. (Galatians 5:22,23)
9. Old Testament Jews anticipated (and they still anticipate)
that God will establish His kingdom on Earth. New
Testament Jews anticipate that God will establish His
kingdom on Earth, but only after He has destroyed the
wicked and purified the Earth of sin by fire. (Revelation
21:1-4)
The New Covenant
Many Christians have heard about “the new covenant” Jesus
implemented, but few understand its ramifications. While
on Earth, Jesus terminated the original covenant made
with Abraham’s descendants (Exodus 19:4-6; Leviticus 26;
Deuteronomy 28) by initiating a new covenant. (Luke 22:20)
It is important to understand that Jesus did not hastily or
arbitrarily make up a new covenant. God promised a new
covenant 600 years earlier when He sent Israel to Babylon!
(See Jeremiah 31:31; Hebrews 8:8,9; 9:15.) The Father
planned to implement a new covenant all along because from
the beginning, He intended to unite Jews and Gentiles who
believed in Jesus into one body of believing people! (Ephesians
3:4-12) The Father planned before the world was created that
salvation would be based on the ministry, life, and death of
Jesus. This is why the old covenant had a sunset provision
from the beginning. (Colossians 2:9-3:1)
Progressive Revelation
The Father reveals Himself and His plans in small steps over
time. We know much more today about God’s ways and plans
than Moses or David did. Before Jesus created the world, the
Father planned to abolish His covenant with Israel so that
a new covenant could be established in its place. Paul said:
“Surely you have heard about the administration of
God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the
mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have
Chapter 3 Page 43

already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will

be able to understand my insight into the mystery of
Christ, which was not made known to men in other
generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit
to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is
that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together
with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers
together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 3:2-6,
italics mine)
From the beginning, the Father has loved the whole world
and He designed that “whosoever will” could be a member of
“the kingdom of God.” God chose the descendants of Abraham
to teach the world about His love and coming kingdom, but
Israel failed. After Jesus came to Earth and established the
new covenant, God no longer needed the biological descendants
of Abraham. Instead, God created a new Israel made up of
“whosoever will.” Paul explained the Father’s plans to Gentile
converts in Ephesus saying, “But now in Christ Jesus you
[Gentiles] who once were far away [from the Father] have
been brought near [to the Father] through the blood of
Christ. For He Himself [Jesus] is our peace, [He] who has
made the two [kingdoms, Jews and Gentiles] one [kingdom]
and has destroyed the barrier [the old covenant], the
dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in His flesh the
[Levitical] law with its commandments and regulations.
His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out
of the two [nations], thus making peace, and in this one
body [of people] to reconcile both of them to God through
the cross, by which He put to death their [religious]
hostility. He [Jesus] came and preached peace to you
who were far away [Gentiles] and peace to those who
were near [the Jews]. For through Him we both [Jews
and Gentiles] have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you [Gentiles] are no longer foreigners
and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people [New
Testament Jews] and members of God’s household,
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Page 44 Chapter 3

with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone.”

(Ephesians 2:13-20, insertions and italics mine)
The new covenant terminated the sacrifices and offerings
of the old covenant. It also terminated the importance of
being a biological descendant of Abraham. Of course, Old
Testament Jews considered (and today, still consider) the
new covenant blasphemous. They attempted to kill Paul for
making inflammatory statements against the old covenant.
(Acts 23:20,21) However, Paul could not have described the
new covenant more clearly when he wrote: “There is neither
Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you
are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then
you are Abraham’s seed [Greek: sperma, English: sperm],
and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:28,29)
The new covenant created a new Israel, a self-selecting body of
“whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.” (John 3:16 KJV; See also Revelation 22:17.)
Because Jesus abolished the old covenant and implemented
the new covenant with His blood, “whosoever will” can now be
an heir of Abraham through faith in Jesus. Abraham’s heirs
are not people born of the flesh but of the Spirit! (John 1:12,13;
Romans 8:14; Romans 9:8) Salvation comes through faith
in God, not through biological heritage. (Hebrews 11:6) God
promised Abraham: “As for me, this is my covenant with
you: You will be the father of many nations [including
many nations other than Israel]. . . . I will make your
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will
give them all these lands, and through your offspring
all nations on Earth will be blessed, . . . The whole land
of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as
an everlasting possession to you and your descendants
after you; and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:4; 26:4;
17:8, italics and insertion mine) This covenant has not been
realized. Yet, looking into the future, God showed John the
fulfillment of His promise to Abraham. John wrote, “After this
I looked and there before me was a great multitude that
no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and
Chapter 3 Page 45

language, standing before the throne and in front of the

Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding
palm branches in their hands.” (Revelation 7:9, italics
mine) During the Great Tribulation, a numberless crowd of
believers in Jesus will come from many nations and be counted
as the faithful descendants of Abraham!
God’s original promise to Abraham included Gentiles (the
people from “many nations”). The new covenant makes this
possible because Jesus abolished the wall that separated Jews
and Gentiles. Now, all who live by faith are counted as God’s
children. (Ephesians 2:14) This is what Paul meant when he
wrote, “all Israel will be saved.” (Romans 11:26)
Finally, twenty-five years after Jesus ascended, the apostle
James (the president of the church at that time) understood
the twelve tribes of the old covenant had been replaced by
twelve tribes belonging to the new covenant. He addressed his
epistle to “New Testament Jews” saying, “James, a servant
of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes
scattered among the nations [because of persecution by
Jews and Romans]: Greetings. Consider it pure joy, my
brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, . . . My
brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ,
don’t show favoritism.” (James 1:1; 2:1, insertion and italics
mine)
144,000 Distributed by Population
During the Great Tribulation, Jesus will speak through the
144,000 and the entire world will hear the “testimony of Jesus.”
If we assume the 144,000 will be evenly distributed throughout
a population of about six billion people (those surviving the
first four trumpets), there will be a ratio of about one prophet
per 42,000 people. To put this ratio into a perspective, suppose
the population of the United States after the fourth trumpet is
250 million. The U.S. would have about 6,000 of the 144,000,
and India, with one billion survivors, would have about 24,000
of the 144,000!
Page 46 Chapter 3

To confirm their divine appointment, Jesus will give the

144,000 an infusion of Holy Spirit power never seen before.
They will do all kinds of miracles at will, even holding back
the rain (as did Elijah! James 5:17): “These have power
to shut Heaven, that it rain not in the days of their
prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them
to blood, and to smite the Earth with all plagues, as
often as they will.” (Revelation 11:6, KJV) It is important to
understand that before the 144,000 receive divine power and
begin their ministry, God will first remove their sinful natures
and seal their hearts so they will not use this amazing power
inappropriately.
God Will Seal the 144,000
The 144,000 will be given pure hearts before they begin their
work. This will happen when Jesus removes their sinful
natures. (Revelation 7:3) The 144,000 will be dedicated to the
glory of God, their motives will be pure, and their actions will
be selfless, just like Jesus when He was on Earth. According to
Paul, when a person is born again, he receives the seal of God.
This seal of ownership is not visible to the world, but the world
will notice a life transformed by divine power because there
is a change in his words and conduct. “Now it is God who
makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed
us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in
our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
(2 Corinthians 1:21,22, italics mine) Every born again believer
receives a deposit of Holy Spirit power when he surrenders
himself to obey Jesus. This deposit of power transforms
(sanctifies) the sinner. When Jesus seals the 144,000, their
deposit will be fully filled, that is, Jesus will remove their sinful
nature and they will be wholly sanctified. The 144,000 will be
free of sin’s tempting power like Adam and Eve before they fell.
Once a person has his sinful nature removed, he will not live
in a state where his sinful and spiritual natures are in conflict.
(Romans 7:5-8:11) A person without a sinful nature will
naturally do God’s will at all times and in all circumstances;
Chapter 3 Page 47

this is entirely different from the current human experience.

(Romans 7:20,21) After Jesus removes their sinful natures, He
will fulfill this covenant with them: “This is the covenant
I will make with the house of Israel after that time,
declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and
write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they
will be my people.” (Hebrews 8:10) John calls the 144,000
“first fruits” (Revelation 14:5) because they will be the first to
experience this covenant! The 144,000 will be the first to be
set free from their sinful nature. The really good news is that
Jesus promises to set everyone free! “Whosoever will” can enjoy
His covenant if he is willing to live by faith. (Revelation 13:10;
1 John 5:4) Prostitutes, addicts, murderers, swindlers, and
predators will be sealed just like the 144,000 after they show
Jesus they are willing to live by faith and obey His gospel. I do
not know of an amnesty that offers more!
Intense Conflict
Most of the clergy will despise the 144,000 because Jesus will
say things through them that make the clergy furious. The
same thing happened when Jesus was on Earth. The Father
spoke through Jesus’ mouth and the clergy of Israel were so
incensed, they plotted to kill Him. (Acts 3;15; John 12:49,50)
The 144,000 will respond to every charge and accusation
with words that cannot be defeated because Jesus will do the
speaking. The whole world will hear “the testimony of Jesus”
with clarity and authority. (Revelation 1:9; 12:17; 19:10) The
144,000 will exalt Jesus in the same way that Jesus exalted
the Father. They will present Bible truths. Bible truth will
cause a firestorm of controversy because the 144,000 will use
it to expose and confront every false doctrine. The testimony
of Jesus and Bible truth will infuriate almost everyone, but
honest hearted people within each religious system will
eventually wake up and embrace it. The enabling power of
the Holy Spirit will cause many to recognize Jesus’ voice
speaking to them through the 144,000, (John 10:27) who will
be attacked, persecuted, punished, and accused of blasphemy.
Page 48 Chapter 3

Eventually, most, if not all of them, will be killed. Remember

that Jesus, John the Baptist, nine of the twelve apostles and
most of God’s prophets were killed for speaking the words God
gave them to speak. (Matthew 23:37)
After the first four trumpet judgments occur and the survivors
are in a state of shock, religious leaders will loudly proclaim
God’s wrath has fallen because of man’s wickedness. They will
falsely claim that more judgments are coming unless the whole
world immediately changes its behavior. The 144,000 will
boldly refute these religious leaders, declaring that no more
judgments are coming for the next two and a half years;* and
when the fifth trumpet does occur, it will not be a judgment
producing global destruction! People will be confused. People
will question who is telling the truth. This controversy will lead
honest hearted people to search the Bible, because the Bible is
the only sacred writing on Earth that reveals the truth about
God, His character, ways, and plans.

* Note: I believe the Bible indicates the amount of time

between the fourth and fifth trumpet to be about 2.5
years. Of course, time will tell.
 Chapter 4
Seven-Headed Beast

The Seven Religious Systems of the World

The book of Revelation divides the people of the world into
seven general religious systems: Atheism (including agnostics,
deists, etc.), Heathenism (tribal religions, occult groups
such as Wiccan, etc.), Judaism (Orthodox, Reformed, etc.),
Islam (Sunni, Shiite, etc.), Eastern Mysticism (Hinduism,
Buddhism, etc.), Catholicism (Orthodox, Greek, Anglican,
etc.) and Protestantism (Baptists, Pentecostals, etc.). The
Bible considers Atheism to be a religion because it is a faith-
based belief system, that is, atheists believe there is no God.
The seven heads on the seven-headed beast in Revelation 13:1
represent the seven religious systems of the world.* Everyone
on Earth belongs to one of the seven religious systems and this
will prove surprisingly important as the revelation of Jesus
unfolds. When Jesus speaks through the 144,000, He will prove
every religious system is blasphemous and false! He has to do
this because the people within each system are convinced that
their religious beliefs are true.
The seven religions of the world are antagonistic toward one
another because they actually worship seven different Gods,
and each God requires something different for salvation. Jesus
foreknew this outcome when He separated mankind at the
Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) and He intends to use the
diversity of mankind to demonstrate a profound point. In every
religious system, there are honest hearted people who sincerely
love and honor the God they know. All of these individuals
have one thing in common: they recognize the voice of the Holy
Spirit. (John 10:16)

* Note: For information, see wake-up.org/?p=4631

Page 50 Chapter 4

When the time comes for Jesus to select the 144,000, most of
them will not have a Christian background. Some Christians
will have a hard time accepting this concept, but they should
not. The apostle Paul was not a Christian when Jesus selected
him, Paul (Saul) was a devout Pharisee. Jesus saw that he had
a wonderful heart, but his head was misguided by his religious
heritage and convictions. Like John in Revelation 10, each
of the 144,000 will personally meet with Jesus and once He
clears a few things up, they will immediately recognize and
worship the Creator! The 144,000 will stand firm in their faith
because they are honest hearted and listen to the voice of the
Holy Spirit. Jesus will choose these servants, both men and
women (Joel 2:29), from every tongue, culture, and religious
background. He does this so the 144,000 will be effective
working among their own people. Jesus wants to save as many
people as possible so He will use people that can speak to their
own brothers and sisters. God understands man’s religious
biases, cultural prejudices, and racial emotions. Currently, a
Muslim cannot tell a Protestant that his religion is false and
expect a good outcome. Likewise, a Catholic cannot tell a Jew
that his religion is false and expect a good outcome. However,
Catholics can speak to Catholics, Muslims can speak to
Muslims, Jews can speak to Jews, and Protestants can speak to
Protestants (maybe)!
Three Convenient Lies
The devastation caused by the first four trumpets will cause
the religious and political leaders of the world to assemble
and discuss God’s wrath. The infrastructures of the nations
will be in ruins and two billion people will be missing, dead, or
dying. World leaders will be moved by fear and circumstances
to set aside petty differences. Fearing more divine wrath is
imminent, the leaders will humbly discuss many otherwise
inflammatory issues behind closed doors. In an effort to
determine which god is angry. Is it the Muslim god, “Allah,”
the Jewish god, “Jehovah,” the Christian God called, ‘God
the Father’ ” or the Hindu god of destruction, “Shiva” who is
responsible for the disastrous events. Of course, no one will be
Chapter 4 Page 51

able to provide conclusive evidence and this will produce the

following question: “Does mankind worship one God having
different titles or many different gods?” This question will be
inflammatory because Jews worship the God of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob, but Muslims worship the God of Abraham, Ishmael,
and Mohammed. If Jews and Muslims worship the same God,
why is the “will of God” for Jews different from the teachings
of Mohammed? The Old Testament exalts Jacob’s descendants,
not Ishmael’s descendants. (Genesis 17:18-21) At the other end
of the table, Catholics and Protestants will have conflict. Both
religious systems believe in “God the Father, God the Son, and
God the Holy Ghost” but they are far apart on the properties
of salvation. Catholics believe that church sacraments are
necessary for salvation and Protestants oppose this. Instead,
Protestants believe that salvation comes through faith in
Christ (there is diversity on what faith actually means). To
make matters even more complicated, the gods of the Muslims,
Jews, and Hindus do not have a Son called “Jesus” and these
religious systems will strenuously oppose the idea that Jesus is
a member of deity.
The leaders will also discuss the prickly matter regarding
worship. Catholic traditions do not agree with Protestant
traditions, and Islamic traditions do not agree with Hindu or
Jewish traditions. Even though everyone agrees there is an
angry God, how does a religiously and politically diverse world
go about appeasing whichever god has devastated the world
and killed two billion people?
The religious leaders of the world are a diverse group and
they will be unable to resolve these questions. The survivors
in each religious system will be looking to their experts for
answers, so the clergy will recognize that as a group, they must
promptly do something. A baffling and confusing compromise
will be hammered out and agreed upon. Given the extremity
of the moment and the compelling belief that more judgments
are forthcoming, each religious leader will be forced by
circumstances to compromise his fundamental beliefs so the
group can appear united as one voice for appeasing God’s
Page 52 Chapter 4

wrath. Given the horrific destruction caused by the first four

trumpets, the group will create three lies and justify them as
necessary steps to save the world from further manifestations
of God’s wrath.
The First Lie
The first lie will be “Everyone on Earth worships the same
God, even though we worship Him in different ways and call
Him by different names and titles.” People around the world
will accept this lie because most of them do not know enough
about other religions to know the truth. Since it is politically
and religiously inflammatory to declare any God a false god,
this inclusive lie will be a convenient way to get around prickly
questions about which god is angry. Furthermore, the survivors
will be so traumatized that most of them will go along with
whatever the experts say. Since most of the leaders will be
advocating the same argument, the lie will make sense to many
people. This will reveal an interesting irony. As the 144,000
give the testimony of Jesus Christ, Jesus Himself will condemn
the different gods of the world. Speaking through the 144,000,
He will tell the world that He alone is God, there is no other.
(Isaiah 45:5,6) He will tell the survivors that He sent the first
four trumpet judgments. He will inform the world that He
is returning soon to save those who obey His gospel and to
destroy everyone else. Of course, in the early days of the Great
Tribulation, most people will not realize that Jesus is speaking
through the 144,000. The world will think the 144,000 are
crazy.
A Second Lie
Religious leaders will then advocate another lie: “We have
all observed that God’s wrath fell on notably wicked places in
every nation. This clearly indicates that we are accountable to
God for our actions and He is deeply offended by the sinful and
decadent ways of all mankind. Therefore, we can only appease
God’s wrath and restore His favor if we repent and change
our ways. We cannot continue doing things that are offensive
Chapter 4 Page 53

to Him.” Think about their claim for a moment: “Therefore,

we can only appease God’s wrath and restore His favor, if . . .”
This assertion is completely false, but the religious leaders
will not know that they are wrong and neither will most of the
survivors!
If the religious leaders of the world properly understood the
books of Daniel and Revelation, they would know God’s plans.
They would know that mankind cannot stop God’s wrath once
it is activated and after the fourth trumpet judgment, no more
judgments would be imminently forthcoming! As I calculate
it, the fifth trumpet will occur about two and one-half years
after the fourth trumpet. Because religious leaders were
caught off guard by the first four trumpets, they will think
more judgments are imminent and they can do something
to stop them! This will be the motive for creating the seven-
headed beast mentioned in Revelation 13:1. The seven-headed
beast will be a crisis government that religious leaders from
the seven religious systems of the world will direct. Their goal
will be the appeasement of God’s wrath so that His judgments
will end. However, they will be insulting God. Revelation 13:1
highlights this irony by indicating that a blasphemous name is
written on each of the beast’s seven heads.
Even though the religious systems of the world are different,
they are alike in many ways. Each system is self-assured
and convinced that it knows God and His will better than the
other systems. Each religious system has its own experts in
matters pertaining to God, so the world will be closely watching
the clergy when God’s wrath becomes an issue of paramount
importance. Each religious system will look to their clergy for
explanation, guidance, and comfort. Unfortunately, the result
will be “the blind leading the blind.” (Matthew 15:14) This is
why the Bible says the world will follow after the beast as it
leads the way into blasphemy! (Revelation 13:3)
If you are reading this book during the Great Tribulation,
you should know that once the angel casts down the censer in
Heaven’s temple (Revelation 8:5), corporate intercession for
Page 54 Chapter 4

mankind ends and Jesus will never resume this intercession.

This means that once God’s wrath begins, it cannot be stopped.
God’s wrath will follow an unconditional course ending when
the world is destroyed at the Second Coming. Once the 1,335
days allotted for the seven trumpets and seven bowls begin,
praying and repentance will have no effect on staying or
changing the remaining plagues. There will be no turning back.
To put this matter in perspective, we can be sure there was
a lot of praying and repentance in Noah’s day when the rain
started to fall. However, the crying, praying, and repentance
did not stop the flood. There will be no more mercy for the
world (corporately speaking) once God’s wrath begins even
though there will be mercy for individuals! For the first 1,260
days of the Great Tribulation, Jesus will speak through the
144,000 offering salvation to everyone willing to accept His
terms and conditions.
The Third Lie
The leaders of the seven-headed beast will create a third lie
to justify their extreme solution for dealing with God’s wrath.
Even if they cannot resolve their theological differences,
they will reason that if they eliminate behaviors that God
deems offensive, His wrath will end! The clergy will also
conclude that a global reformation can only happen if all of
the political leaders of the world will give them unfettered
authority to accomplish this objective. They will think they
can dictate the needed changes and the political leaders can
implement their demands. The devil will jump into the mix to
make their suggestion and ambition appear doable. He will
give miracle-working powers to some of the clergy. (Matthew
7:21,22; Revelation 13:2) These astonishing miracles will
convince the political leaders of the world that God is calling
for a dramatic change. Jesus warned, “For false Christs
and false prophets will appear and perform great signs
and miracles to deceive even the elect -- if that were
possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.” (Matthew
24:24,25)
Chapter 4 Page 55

In Catholic and Protestant countries, priests and pastors will

make the following argument: “Ever since time began, God has
chosen and given authority to certain people to teach and lead
others in spiritual matters. Before Noah’s flood, there were
the patriarchs. After the Exodus, God selected the Levites to
serve as His priests and teachers. After God established the
Christian church, He chose certain people to serve as priests,
pastors, teachers, and evangelists. Every religious system on
Earth has similarly appointed spiritual leaders. Therefore,
after consulting with the religious and political leaders of the
world, we have all agreed on a solution that will appease God’s
wrath. We have created a new government that will appease
God’s wrath in each nation. This new government will provide
direction through its laws and the political leaders of the world
will enforce them. Repentance and reformation is mandatory if
we want the favor and blessings of Almighty God.”
The Clergy Will Use Martial Law
During the first four trumpets and before the seven-headed
beast takes control, the world’s political leaders will declare
martial law. Governmental leaders declare martial law
in times of crisis when issues require instant decisions.
Hundreds of legislators or members of parliament cannot
meet, deliberate, and make decisions, because the situation is
just too fluid. Martial law is important to this story because
without martial law the political leaders of the world would not
be able to single-handedly surrender their respective nations
to the authority of the crisis government (the seven-headed
beast), which the clergy will create. With martial law in place,
political leaders can do this without the consent or deliberation
normally used by legislators, parliaments, or congresses!
The freedoms and inalienable rights guaranteed by charters
and constitutions are set aside so that presidents, prime
ministers, and governors can govern without impediment. Dire
circumstances and fear of more coming judgments will cause
the political leaders of the world to surrender to the directives
of the seven-headed beast. This beast, that comes up out of the
sea in Revelation 13:1, will be man’s united response to God’s
Page 56 Chapter 4

wrath and this is how it will spring to life. Through martial

law, the beast will be given (gifted with) authority over “every
tribe, people, language and nation.” (Revelation 13:7)
Unfortunately, history proves that church/state governments
are horrible forms of government. Typically, they are far more
intolerant and cruel than the worst secular governments.
When religion dictates the laws of a nation, the misery of its
citizens always increases. The environment will become hostile
and intolerable, especially for those who love God and His
Word. Those who cherish the right to worship God according
to the dictates of their own conscience have nowhere to go in
a religiously dominated state. There is no personal freedom
to worship God in a church/state unless your religion is the
dictating religion. Even then, when a church/state determines
God’s will for its subjects, this does not mean everyone within
that religious body will agree on what God’s will is. Nothing is
more grinding and insufferable than one man cramming his
religious views down the throat of another man, even if the two
belong to the same religious system.
In recent years, the world has witnessed the inhumane and
gruesome behaviors of the Taliban in Afghanistan and ISIS
in Iraq and Syria. God has placed both of these governments
on display to show the world the atrocities of a church/state
theocracy. They are prophetic samples of the seven-headed
beast! This revelation is not new. Consider the destruction
caused during the Russian Civil War (1917-1922 - 9.5 million
deaths), by Nazi Germany (1935-1945 - 7 million), and by
Mao Zedong’s regime (1949-1975 - 45 million)! When civil
power rests in the hands of a few hardline religious or political
leaders who are determined to control their subjects’ behavior
and thoughts, history reveals that dissenters receive deadly
consequences.
Europe has had a well-documented history with church/state
governments. For 1,260 years (from emperor Justinian to
Napoleon - A.D. 538-1798), Europe’s political leaders were
subservient to the clergy of the Catholic Church. Many millions
Chapter 4 Page 57

of Protestants who resisted the teachings of the Church during

the middle ages were killed, tortured, and imprisoned. This is
a historical fact that many Europeans seem to have forgotten.
Since World War II, the Jews have attempted to maintain the
awareness that six million of them died during the Holocaust.
However, Protestants today have largely forgotten the cruelty
of the Dark Ages. During the past 200 years, Protestants have
allowed the long struggle for religious freedom and the price
paid for religious freedom to be subverted by a false gospel; a
gospel that many martyrs of the reformation would consider
heresy today.
The Powers of a Pope
When the seven-headed beast forms, Revelation 13 indicates
the religious and/or political leaders will elect the pope to lead
the new government. The pope will not serve as a great king
ruling over a united kingdom; instead, he will be “primus
inter pares,” a Latin phrase meaning “first among equals.”
An illustration of the idea of “first among equals” is the Gulf
War. In the 1990’s, the United States and 31 nations formed
a coalition to engage Iraq and Afghanistan in a war on terror.
After considering the price paid in lost lives and the monetary
value of the assets involved, one can say of the Gulf War that
the U.S. was “first among equals” relative to the other nations.
Although the pope will be “first among equals,” the seven-
headed beast will have seven heads. Each head will represent
a large block of people (such as Islam or Protestantism) and, of
course, the pope will represent his religious system.
Several Catholic scholars anticipate a day is coming when a
pope will lead the world in a unified religious reformation! For
example, the late Dr. Malachi Martin (1921-1999), a Jesuit
scholar and author of over fifteen books, wrote that a prophecy
received by a child would be fulfilled during the days when
Pope John Paul II was alive. Here is the story: On April 4,
1919, the Virgin Mary is alleged to have appeared to three
children in Fatima, Portugal. Supposedly, the Virgin Mary gave
each child a secret message concerning the Catholic Church.
Page 58 Chapter 4

The third secret message was not published during his lifetime,
but Dr. Martin reported that Pope John Paul II read the
message. Dr. Martin believed the third message covered three
main topics. He wrote, “A physical chastisement of the nations,
involving catastrophes, man-made or natural, on land, on water
and in the atmosphere of the globe [is coming upon the world].
A spiritual chastisement, far more frightening and distressing
– especially for Roman Catholics – than physical hardship,
since it would consist of the disappearance of religious belief, a
period of widespread unfaith in many countries. . . [However,
he adds], the physical and spiritual chastisements, according
to Lucia’s letter [one of the three children alleged to see the
Virgin Mary], are to be gridded on a fateful timetable in which
Russia is the ratchet.” (Martin, Malachi (1990) The Keys of
This Blood, NY: Simon and Schuster, pp. 630-631, insertions
in brackets mine) Dr. Martin believed the third secret message
required whoever was pope in 1960 (actually Pope John XXIII)
to publish the text of the “Third Secret” for the whole world
to read and know. Then, the Pope, with all his bishops acting
collegially, should consecrate Russia to Mary. “If these requests
[the two conditions, publishing the third letter in 1960 and
consecrating Russia to Mary] were denied, the chastisements
would then follow as surely as night follows day.” (Martin, p. 631,
insertion in brackets mine) Since neither condition was fulfilled,
Dr. Martin was convinced the two chastisements would occur
during the reign of Pope John Paul II, who was aware of the
third secret message.
Dr. Martin continues, “He [Pope John Paul II] is waiting,
rather, for an event that will fission human history, splitting
the immediate past from the oncoming future. It will be an
event on public view in the skies, in the oceans, and on the
continental landmasses of this planet. It will particularly
involve our human sun, which every day lights up and shines
upon the valleys, the mountains and the plains of this earth
for our eyes. . . Fissioning it will be as an event, in John
Paul’s conviction of faith, for it will immediately nullify all the
grand designs the nations are now forming and will introduce
Chapter 4 Page 59

the Grand Design of man’s Maker. John Paul’s waiting and

watching time will then be over. His ministry as the Servant of
the Grand Design will then begin. His strength of will to hold
on and continue, and then, when the fissioning event occurs,
to assume that ministry, derives directly from the Petrine
authority entrusted solely to him the day he became Pope, in
October of 1978. That authority, that strength, is symbolized in
the Keys of Peter, washed in the human blood of the God-Man,
Jesus Christ. John Paul is and will be the sole possessor of the
Key of this Blood on that day.” (Martin, p. 639, insertion in
brackets mine)
Even though Dr. Martin’s expectations have not been
fulfilled and the basis for his prophetic views are suspect,
his anticipation of a “fissioning event” is not as far out as
one might think. Revelation 7 describes four angels holding
back God’s wrath until the 144,000 are selected and sealed.
Revelation 8 describes four horrific judgments that will occur,
and Revelation 13 describes the rise of a seven-headed beast
designed by the religious leaders of the world to appease God’s
wrath. These are circumstances that will catapult the Roman
Catholic Church into a leading role. Revelation 13:3 says that
one of the seven heads seemed to have had a deadly wound,
“but the fatal wound had been healed.” This specification
points backward to a time when the papacy ruled over the
kings of Europe and forward to a time when the papacy will
rule over the seven heads as “first among equals.” A little
background explanation may be helpful.
For over 1,000 years, the pope and clergy of the Catholic
Church crowned the kings and queens of Europe. The
Church wielded enormous influence over Europe. However,
the Catholic Church received a deadly wound in 1798 when
Napoleon refused to recognize the pope’s civil (political) powers
and the pope refused to give them up. Napoleon’s forces
confiscated the Vatican in February 1798, arrested Pope Pius
VI, and sent him to France where he died six weeks later.
On the surface, the fall of the papacy in 1798 seems to be a
Page 60 Chapter 4

forgotten footnote in the history of the Catholic Church. Today,

we know that when Napoleon captured the Vatican and exiled
the pope, the papacy’s church/state powers over Europe and
elsewhere quickly waned. For example, the Latin American
Inquisitions (inquiries to determine who was a loyal Catholic)
ended between 1813 and 1825; the Portuguese Inquisition
ended in 1821; the Spanish Inquisition ended in 1834; and in
Italy, the Papal States Inquisition ended in the well-publicized
Mortara Affair (1858-1870). (wake-up.org/?p=7481)
Since 1929, the Catholic Church has risen to global
prominence. Its recovery began when Mussolini restored
Vatican City to the Church in the Lateran Accords (February
1929). Today, the Catholic Church claims more than 1.5
billion members and its popes often meet with heads of state
around the world. If you think it through, the pope’s coming
advancement as “first among equals” is not hard to anticipate.
No other religious system on Earth is globally organized and
politically recognized like the Catholic Church. The Roman
Catholic Church is unique among the religious systems of the
world in that it currently has diplomatic relations with 179
countries. (wake-up.org/?p=7483) Its well-established network
will be a tremendous asset during the worldwide crisis caused
by the first four trumpets. The one religious organization that
can facilitate and coordinate matters around the world will
make the sitting pope (whoever he is), “first among equals.”
Church vs. State
During Old Testament times, God established a system of
government in which Israel’s kings sat on the throne and
a high priest served in the temple. God did not permit any
one person to have authority over church and state. When
arrogant king Uzziah attempted to cross the line and officiate
at the altar, God struck him with leprosy. (2 Chronicles 26:16-
21) Judaism and Protestantism have historically advocated
for a line of separation between church and state, but the
Catholic Church, Islam, and other religious systems do not. For
example, Muslims often prefer Sharia law and prior to 1798,
Chapter 4 Page 61

Catholics preferred Church law. Of course, when a church/

state is impossible because of monarchies, democracies, and
dictatorships, religious systems settle for whatever influence
and advantages they may find.
The religious leaders of the Catholic Church dominated the
nations of Europe for 1,260 years. The root of this domination
began centuries earlier when Rome destroyed Jerusalem in
A.D. 70 and wiped out the headquarters of Christianity. Since
the Christian Church had no central authority or hierarchy,
it flourished in different locations and under different leaders.
As time passed, groups of Christians began to have theological
differences. For example, early Christians in Alexandria,
Antioch, and Rome came to different conclusions about the
deity of Jesus. They also differed on matters of Christian
conduct and orthodoxy necessary for salvation. This diversity
became controversial and during the third century A.D., the
church in Rome began to hold councils to codify the beliefs
and practices of Christians. The church in Rome also assumed
authority over the formation of a creed which constituted
Christian doctrine. Some of the early churches within the
empire went along with the church at Rome, but others
rebelled. This caused a growing need to stem heresy and to
better consolidate the Christian faith into one cohesive body of
knowledge.
To justify its assumed authority, the church in Rome was the
first to advocate the idea that God had given one man authority
over the Catholic Church. The word catholic, as used here,
means universal, as in the universal Christian church. They
claimed this authority through a conversation that Jesus
had with His disciples. “When Jesus came to the region
of Caesarea Philippi, He asked his disciples, ‘Who do
people say the Son of Man is?’ They replied, ‘Some say
John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others,
Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But what about you?’
He asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter answered,
‘You [singular] are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’
Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for
Page 62 Chapter 4

this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father

in Heaven.’ ” (Matthew 16:13-17, insertion and italics mine)
On this occasion, Jesus had an important reason for confronting
the disciples with His identity. When Jesus asked the question,
the Father through the Holy Spirit instantly put words in
Peter’s mouth, causing Peter to plainly state to the other
disciples that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the living
God. These words were shocking for the disciples because
the Jews believed a son was the equal of his father. (John
5:18) Therefore, when Peter declared Jesus to be the equal of
Almighty God, the disciples were stunned!
This event occurred just before Jesus announced that He was
establishing a new religious system called “the church.” The
Father made sure that Jesus was properly identified before
Jesus made the announcement. This is why the Father spoke
through Peter. The Father also designed that Peter’s bold
declaration would help Jews to abandon their synagogues later
on.
Jesus replied to Peter using his formal name, “Simon son of
Jonah.” Jesus then proceeded to use two Greek words, “petros”
and “petra,” to disclose a divine truth. Turning to Peter, Jesus
said, “And I tell you that you are Peter [Greek: petros,
a piece of a rock or a small stone], and [then declaring of
Himself, He said, but] on this rock [Greek: petra, a massive
rock, actually the Rock (the Petra) of Israel] I will build my
church, and the gates of Hades [even the grave] will not
overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18, insertions mine)
Jesus used the words, petros and petra, only after Peter
divulged His identity, because the Jews were well acquainted
with the idea and the phrase, “The Petra of Israel.” (Genesis
49:24; Deuteronomy 32:18; 2 Samuel 23:3; Psalm 18:31;
1 Corinthians 10:4) The disciples grew up believing in
monotheism (e.g., one God exists and His name is Jehovah).
They did not realize until this moment there was more than
one God. Suddenly, they learned that Jesus, the Son of God,
Chapter 4 Page 63

the Petra of Israel, was the God of the Old Testament! Can
you imagine their surprise? Standing before them and in their
presence was the Rock of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob! Jesus continued speaking to His disciples, “I will
give you [and to all who believe in Me] the keys of the
kingdom of Heaven; whatever you bind on Earth will be
bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth will
be loosed in Heaven.” (Matthew 16:19, insertion mine)
Centuries later, church leaders in Rome interpreted Matthew
16:18 to mean that Jesus gave one disciple and presumably
his successors “all authority” over matters on Earth. This is
why, through the ages, popes have been called “The Vicar
[substitute] of Christ.” Catholics believe Jesus has given the
popes sovereign power to bind or loosen anything on Earth. Dr.
Malachi Martin affirmed this belief. Naturally, after the church
made the claim, it has tenaciously defended this idea and the
assumed power that goes with it. A superficial reader of the
Bible might easily reach the same conclusion after reading
Matthew 16:18,19. Therefore, it is no surprise that today
many sincere Catholics believe that Jesus gave Peter and his
successors “all authority” over matters on Earth.
What Did Jesus Mean with Peter and the Rock?
The Bible tells a different story than Catholic theology
presents. There is no evidence in the Bible showing the
disciples understood that Jesus gave Peter any special
authority on that occasion. In fact, after Peter declared that
Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the living God, he went on
to deny Jesus three times. Then, years later, Paul reprimanded
Peter for treating Gentile believers as if they were not
members of Jesus’ church. (Galatians 2:14)
Peter is not mentioned as the president or leader of the
Christian faith in the New Testament, and the latest books
in the New Testament were written after Peter’s death.
Furthermore, the first president of the Christian church was
James, not Peter. (Galatians 2:9-12; Acts 15:13) In fact, if one
Page 64 Chapter 4

disciple stands out above the others in the New Testament as

Jesus’ favorite, it would have to be John. The Bible identifies
John as “the disciple that Jesus loved” four times.
Looking outside the Bible, early church history indicates
Christians did not understand or use Matthew 16 to promote
the authority of one man until the fourth century. Christian
leaders in other countries were dismayed when the church in
Rome began using this argument in its effort to consolidate
control over doctrine and to establish its authority over
everything called “Christian.” When Justinian (A.D. 482-565)
took the throne of what was left of the Roman Empire, he, not
the pope, created the “Holy Roman Empire.” In A.D. 476, the
ancient Roman Empire was destroyed and fractured into ten
kingdoms. In a bid to rebuild and unite the ancient Roman
Empire, Justinian, in A.D. 533, gave Pope Silverius the power
to determine who was an orthodox Christian and who was a
heretic. A few years later, Justinian forced Pope Silverius out
of office and installed someone he could trust, Pope Vigilius.
Little did Justinian realize that in giving the pope the task
of deciding who was an orthodox believer, he gave away the
throne of the Holy Roman Empire. A succession of popes
became the ultimate authority over monarchs and queens for
more than a thousand years.
About 1450, Gutenberg invented the printing press which
enabled him to publish the first mass-produced book, a 1,202
page edition of the Christian Bible. Bibles were distributed
among Catholic laymen and after studying the New Testament
for themselves, they began to demand reformation within the
Church. They discovered the church had deviated significantly
from the gospel of Jesus. The Bible exposed many church
errors and lies. In 1517, Martin Luther highlighted many
church errors when he nailed his 95 theses to the church door
of Wittenberg Castle. The church tried to capture him and
put him to death for heresy, but powerful people protected
Luther. If the church could not arrest him and put him to
death, it could at least keep him from receiving eternal life by
Chapter 4 Page 65

denying him access to the sacraments (rituals). Although this

bit of background history on the pope’s authority may seem
unimportant, it has been included because the Catholic Church
and its pope will use the words of Jesus improperly. The
pope will be selected as the “first among equals” because the
Catholic Church is the only religious system having diplomatic
relations with most nations. His appointment and authority
will be immediately respected by 1.5 billion Catholics because
of the historical way Catholics interpret Matthew 16.
When Jesus said to His disciples, “I will give you [, not
meaning Peter alone, but to all of my disciples] the keys
of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:19, insertion
mine), Jesus had an important purpose for doing so. Jesus
meant that in His absence, His followers, the members of
His church, would have authority for self-direction and self-
determination. (John 16:12-15) Jesus also promised the Holy
Spirit would sustain and guide the church to ensure that His
church would endure until His return. Through the ministry
of the Spirit, Jesus would lead His followers into greater
truth. The church of Jesus was not founded on petros, a small
stone; Jesus founded His church upon Himself, petra, The
Eternal Rock of Ages. He has the power over life and death
(Hades, the grave). (Revelation 1:18) Jesus decentralized the
authority of His church so that no man could have authority
over everyone else! (Acts 15:1-6; 1 Timothy 5:17) Most religious
systems in the world today are decentralized when it comes to
spiritual authority. For example, Muslims have many imams,
even Grand Mufti’s, but no one imam has authority over all
Muslims. The same is also true for Jews, Hindus, Buddhists,
and Protestants.
Nagging Question of How to Appease God
We have considered some background information on the
origin of the Christian Church, the wounding of the papacy in
1798, and the forthcoming selection of a pope as the leader of
the seven-headed beast. Now, consider this: After the seven-
Page 66 Chapter 4

headed beast comes to power and no further judgments will

occur for two and a half years, the clergy leading the seven-
headed beast will soon take credit for having appeased God’s
wrath and saving the world! They will boast that their solution
was the right solution because no more judgments have fallen.
However, their solution will do nothing but insult God and hurt
His saints! “He [the seven-headed beast] was given power
to make war against the saints and to conquer them.”
(Revelation 13:7)
Of course, there will be some need for coordination, cooperation,
and compromise among the seven religious systems of the
world, but there will also be endless confusion and disturbing
conflicts. For example, Muslim representatives will direct
Muslim nations on how to best appease God’s wrath. Catholic
and Protestant representatives will direct those nations
that have Catholic or Protestant majorities. Jewish, Hindu,
Buddhist, and Atheist leaders will do the same for their
nations. The seven-headed beast will exercise great power
over the nations and many people will foolishly believe that
God has ordained the crisis government. Religious leaders and
false prophets will perform counterfeit signs and miracles,
and their lies will be convincing. However, the clergy of the
seven religious systems will not be able to answer one nagging
question: If there is one angry God, how can He be appeased
in seven different ways? Remember, the first of the three great
lies is “There is only one God having different titles.” Logic
suggests there must be only one way to appease one God.
The Abuse of Law
The primary work of the seven-headed beast will be that of
crafting “sin-less” laws; e.g., laws forbidding conduct that God
deems offensive. The political leaders of the nations will direct
their law enforcement agencies to impose and enforce these
laws, street by street, block by block. In effect, police with
a religious mandate will patrol the whole world, a practice
exercised in some Muslim countries today. The Muslim
enforcers are known as moral or religious police. There will be
Chapter 4 Page 67

no due process for those arrested. Congresses and parliaments

will have no authority. Martial law puts absolute authority in
the hands of a very small number of people. Just a few religious
and political leaders will control the whole world and the devil
will control these leaders. (Revelation 13:2) The result will be
the abuse of law, and a war against those who honor the law of
God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. (Revelation 12:17)
Summary
First, World War III will occur. There will be nuclear
exchanges and millions of people will perish. Then, during the
mayhem of this war, Jesus will select and seal 144,000 people
to serve as His prophets. Then, Jesus will say, “There will
be no more delay!” Signs in the Heavens and the Earth will
follow and there will be a global earthquake. World War III will
end abruptly when God’s wrath begins. The first four angels
will sound their trumpets and four devastating judgments
will occur. One-third of Earth will be annihilated, then two
civilization-threatening asteroids will impact our planet, and
finally, hundreds of volcanoes will erupt. These events will
create trauma and panic among the survivors. Many people
will tremble at the power and majesty of God; they will literally
fear God!
Martial law will be quickly imposed throughout the nations
of the world as each political leader scrambles to manage his
crisis. Realizing that God has fatally harmed the whole world
and that two billion people are either missing, dead, or dying,
world leaders will create a crisis government (the seven-
headed beast) to appease God’s wrath. Believing that more
judgments are imminently coming, the political leaders of the
world will agree to implement the demands of a united clergy.
The clergy will claim the only way to appease the Almighty
is to eliminate all immoral and offensive behavior. Jesus will
speak through the 144,000 who will stand in opposition to the
efforts and declarations of the seven-headed beast. There will
be great confusion and conflict. The seven-headed beast will
dictate many silly laws to appease God’s wrath and in turn,
Page 68 Chapter 4

the political leaders will work through their civil authorities to

enforce these laws. Everyone will obey the laws of the seven-
headed beast or be punished. Bible prophecy presents this
scenario in the clearest of terms: “He [the seven-headed beast]
was given power to make war against the saints and to
conquer them. And he was given authority over every
tribe, people, language and nation.” (Revelation 13:7,
insertion mine)
The Father carefully designed this scenario thousands of years
ago to force our diverse world together to appease a God that
most of the world does not even know, respect, or worship. The
irony is that during this upheaval the world will learn that the
God who has devastated the world, ruined the nations, and
killed two billion people is, Jesus Christ, our Creator. He made
us, He owns us, and He deserves our worship. The 144,000
will tell the world that Jesus Christ is Sovereign God and the
Savior of mankind! (Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2; Revelation
14:7) This will be an extremely difficult fact for people in many
quadrants of Earth to accept.
 Chapter 5
Coming War over Worship

Unexpected developments affecting the entire world are coming

and the survivors will not understand them. One surprise is
a coming war over worship. I call this war, World War IV,
because it will begin after World War III has ended and will
involve every person on Earth. Currently, we cannot imagine a
war like this. Most people would say it is impossible. However,
the totality of the destruction that the first four trumpets
cause is also unimaginable. Most people would consider the
prediction of a coming worldwide government directed by seven
religious heads to be pure fantasy. Like it or not, believe it
or not, the Bible predicts a new world order is coming. This
unexpected surprise will be caused by man’s response to God’s
wrath, which is also unexpected.
After God’s wrath begins, many people will think the best
step mankind can take is establish the seven-headed beast
government. Ironically, as the leaders of the world implement
their plans to appease God, they will persecute those who
are doing their best to please Him! The saints believe that
God’s laws have higher authority than man’s laws (Acts 5:29)
and God should be worshiped according to the dictates of
conscience. (Revelation 22:17; John 3:16) The seven heads
of the beast will arrogantly presume to know God’s will and
everyone who resists their laws will be punished. If there is
any good news regarding this coming war, it is the war over
worship will end after forty-two months (shortly before the
Second Coming). (Revelation 13:5)
Consider the following passage from Revelation 13: “The
whole world was astonished [by the sudden creation of
the seven-headed beast] and [at first, most of the survivors]
followed [along with] the [purpose of the seven-headed]
beast. [However, in obeying the laws of the seven-headed
Page 70 Chapter 5

beast,] Men worshiped the [great red] dragon [who is that

ancient serpent, the devil] because he had given authority
to the [seven-headed] beast, and they also worshiped the
[seven-headed] beast and asked, ‘Who is like the [seven-
headed] beast? [Who can resist its sweeping authority and
succeed?] Who can make war against him [without being
killed or severely punished]?’ The [seven-headed] beast was
given a mouth to utter proud words [to the world, the
leaders presumed to speak for God, they spoke with boasting]
and blasphemies [declarations that are insulting to God]
and [the beast was allowed] to exercise his authority for
forty-two months. . . He [the seven-headed beast] was given
power to make war against the saints and to conquer
them. And he was given authority over every tribe,
people, language and nation [including the United States,
China, Russia and Europe]. All inhabitants of the Earth
will [eventually] worship the [seven-headed] beast [if they
want to live] - all whose names have not been written
in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb that was
slain from the creation of the world.” (Revelation 13:3-8,
insertions and italics mine) John writes several declarations in
this passage that are hard to believe, and the devil knows they
are especially difficult to accept if we do not, first, understand
the devastation caused by the first four trumpets! So, he keeps
the world in blissful ignorance concerning God’s coming wrath,
especially the seven trumpets.
Now that you have read Revelation 13:3-8, remember that
man’s purpose for the seven-headed beast is to appease God
so that His wrath will end. The devil’s purpose will be to
persecute God’s people, and God’s purpose will be to separate
the sheep from the goats! It is amazing how well the seven-
headed beast meets the purpose of these three separate
entities!
The Bible says, “All inhabitants of the Earth will worship
the [seven-headed] beast.” (Revelation 13:8) The Greek
word used for worship in verse 8 [proskuneo] means to kiss,
surrender, or render submission. Proskuneo is important
Chapter 5 Page 71

within this context because it describes the ancient practice of

showing honor and submission to people who held power over
life and death by bowing and kissing the ring of a king, queen,
or pope. The prediction in Revelation 13:8 is uncomfortable
because it also states: “All inhabitants of the Earth will
worship the [seven-headed] beast -- all whose names have
not been written in the Book of Life belonging to the
Lamb”
In spite of all the good the seven-headed beast intends to do, it
will quickly and unexpectedly morph into a harsh government
which the devil controls. The seven-headed beast will be the
devil’s hand puppet so he can make war on the saints. “Then
the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to
make war against the rest [the last] of her offspring –
those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the
testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 12:17, insertion mine) The
devil will give many false prophets miracle working power
in exchange for control of the seven-headed beast. Jesus will
give 144,000 prophets miracle-working powers so that people
will not be led astray. The contest between true and false
prophets will be intense. God allows the devil and his false
prophets to mislead people (if possible) so that people will
have a choice. The coming war over worship will be a testing
time to separate those who will believe falsehoods and those
who will believe the Bible and testimony of Jesus. People
who love and seek truth are not convinced by miracles alone,
counterfeit or genuine. God does use miracles at times to affirm
that something is important, but a miracle in itself does not
prove a statement is true; even Pharaoh’s magicians produced
miracles! (Exodus 7:11-22) God’s Word is proven true by the
harmony that comes from the sum of its parts and from Holy
Spirit conviction! Honest hearted people will have their eyes
opened to see and understand the contest occurring, but the
wicked will not be aware of the devil’s deceptive efforts. False
prophets will perform counterfeit miracles to deceive the elect,
if that is possible. (Matthew 24:24) “None of the wicked will
understand, but those who are wise will understand.”
(Daniel 12:10)
Page 72 Chapter 5

Why Does God Allow the Saints to Suffer?

Ever since sin’s curse began, God has permitted the devil’s
followers to kill and persecute His followers. After the curse
of sin tainted Heaven, God cast the devil and his followers
out because all sinners will become predators given enough
time and opportunity. Lucifer became the first predator. He
lied to the angels and then lied to Eve. When Adam fell into
temptation because of his love for Eve, sin’s curse was passed
to their offspring. God has wisely allowed the curse of sin –
along with its fruits: pain, sorrow, illness, and death – to exist
for a few millennia so that once the curse of sin is destroyed,
it will never again be tolerated. This means that when God
creates new worlds with new people, a billion years from now,
the recorded drama that occurred on Earth will be available
for study. Therefore, if anyone develops a problem with God’s
rules and thinks about sinning, He will do everything possible
to dissuade His child from it. God will send, if need be, a
billion ex-sinners to testify on his behalf; He will replay clips
of Earth’s ancient, painful history, showing what sin does.
However, if that person persists and chooses to sin, God will
execute that sinner on the very day he sins. The universe,
having the knowledge of good and evil, will declare that God is
just and righteous for doing so. Therefore, God wisely allowed
the curse of sin to develop in Heaven and contaminate Earth to
prevent a third instance of sin’s curse from occurring again.
Many people do not understand that God has self-imposed
limitations. For example, the greatest gift God gives to His
children is free will and the power of choice. This gift is so
important, wonderful, and precious that God Himself will not
violate it! If a person wants to lie, he can do so; Lucifer lied to
the angels and to Eve. If a person wants to kill another person;
he can do so. Cain chose to kill Abel; the Jews chose to kill
Jesus. This is free will! However, with free will and the power
of choice comes accountability. Each person is accountable to
God for his choices and actions. Therefore, in God’s economy, if
a person chooses to hurt another person, he sins against God
(who has said “Love your neighbor”) and commits an injustice
Chapter 5 Page 73

against his neighbor. Unless the sinner repents, God will

legitimately put all predators to death at the appointed time,
because the penalty for sin is death. If a predator willfully
hurts another person, God will ensure that he suffers in hell
according to suffering he caused – an eye for an eye and a life
for a life.
The sinful nature is self-centered and predatory, and this
curse is hereditary. Cain inherited his parent’s fallen nature
and, unfortunately, his sinful nature mastered him. Until God
eliminates the curse of sin, its seeds (sorrow, suffering and
death) will remain on Earth. When the time comes for justice
to be served and the Earth is purified with fire, the curse of sin
will disappear from the universe.
Jesus will permit the devil to kill a predetermined number
of saints during the Great Tribulation. (Revelation 6:9-11)
This may seem harsh, but Jesus does not see death as we do.
Instead, He sees it as a temporary state like sleeping. (John
11:11-13) He has the power of life within Himself and He has
the keys to the grave, so the first death (the consequence of sin)
is not final. (Revelation 21:3-6) However, the penalty for sin
(the second death) is final. (Revelation 21:8)
When circumstances are right, the blood of martyrs is the
strongest testimony that human beings can give for the gospel
of Jesus. Believers in Jesus are not suicide bombers, and they
do not harm innocent people while shouting “God is Great.”
Martyrs for Jesus are amazing people who can say, as Jesus
did, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what
they are doing!” (Luke 23:34) Martyrs for Jesus are compas-
sionate people who love God and seek His righteousness with
all of their heart, mind, and soul, and they love their neigh-
bors as themselves. Martyrs for Jesus are a living testimony
to those who observe their deaths. When a wicked person sees
a truly innocent victim willing to suffer prison or even death
because of their loyalty to God, the victim’s testimony can be
transforming. (Revelation 12:11) The saints will reveal amaz-
ing endurance and strength during the Great Tribulation
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because Jesus will give them grace and strength to overcome

the world. Their testimony will shock the wicked! “When ca-
lamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in
death the righteous have a refuge.” (Proverbs 14:32)
All who die in the Lord during the Great Tribulation will
simply “sleep” through the remainder. (Revelation 14:13)
At the Second Coming, the Lord will resurrect “the dead in
Christ” to see Jesus appear in clouds of glory. (1 Thessalonians
4:16,17) In many ways, death during the Great Tribulation will
be a blessed relief!
Controlling the Seven-Headed Beast
“The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne
and great authority.” (Revelation 13:2) The devil will gain
control of the seven-headed beast by giving it his power to
deceive. The devil will give the seven-headed beast his throne
and great authority over Earth which is more far reaching
than people can conceive. Jesus called the devil “the prince of
this world” (John 12:31) because the devil controls or influences
everything. The devil is highly intelligent, clever, a master
strategist, and far more capable than humans imagine. People
controlled by the sinful nature rarely detect his activities, but
people born of the Holy Spirit can clearly identify his presence
and handiwork. The devil knows this! He gained control over
the world in Noah’s day by leading people deeper into the
excitement and pleasures of sin. Lucifer uses gratification to
his advantage because it is so alluring to the sinful nature. The
devil has ruined every government God set up since Noah’s
flood; he ruined the nation of Israel, the Christian Church,
and Protestantism. He controls every religious system on
Earth through people who are his hand puppets. This is why
a blasphemous name is written on each of the seven heads.
(Revelation 13:1; 17:3) Given the devil’s amazing skills and
lengthy experience with sinners, he will easily and swiftly take
control of the seven-headed beast to persecute God’s people. In
fact, I believe the devil is preparing, right now, the very people
who will soon serve as leaders of the seven-headed beast!
Chapter 5 Page 75

King Herod
The devil uses sophisticated techniques to bring people under
his control. He gained control of King Herod when, as a young
man, the king chose wrong doing. Early on, King Herod was
known for his ruthless brutality. Whenever a person willfully
does wrong and violates his conscience, God requires the
Holy Spirit to temporarily leave that person so that demons
can assail him. God permits demons to insert their depraved
thoughts into a sinners’ mind the same way He permits the
Holy Spirit to insert holy and good thoughts into the mind
of a saint. When a person regularly chooses to do wrong, he
gradually slips into a lifestyle of sin and there are physical,
mental, and spiritual consequences. Demons understand the
process very well and this is how they lead their victim deeper
into wrong doing. After a while, the demons know their victim
will have no sense of guilt, remorse, or right and wrong. The
sinner becomes “dead” (or numb) to his life of sin. (Ephesians
2:1) When a person is separated from God, the Holy Spirit
cannot speak to him. When the Holy Spirit stops speaking,
demons take over.
When King Herod learned that wise men from the East had
arrived and a child had been born in Bethlehem who would
someday rule the nations with a scepter of iron, he became
afraid that he could lose his throne. Herod panicked. Wicked
people often become hypersensitive to any threat, real or
imaginary. King Herod had power over life and death, and
as sovereign, he moved to protect his authority. He had
previously killed his second wife Mariamne I and their two
sons. Therefore, he did what the demons suggested he must
do to protect His throne. He commanded that all baby boys
in Bethlehem who were less than two years old, be killed.
What a horrific deed! Lucifer and Herod both contributed to
Herod’s actions. The devil wanted Baby Jesus dead and Herod
wanted to protect his throne. Lucifer did not hesitate to move
on Herod’s heart to commit one of the most horrible crimes
possible. Conversely, consider how the Lord moved on Cyrus’
heart when the time came to release the Jews from Babylon
Page 76 Chapter 5

after seventy years: “In the first year of Cyrus king of

Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken
by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of
Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm
and to put it in writing.” (2 Chronicles 36:22, italics mine)
The devil did not anticipate the Father would send an angel to
Joseph, telling him to flee to Egypt with Mary and Baby Jesus.
Historians may recount Herod’s despicable crime, but there is
far more to the story than is revealed in the book of Matthew.
Revelation 12 lifts the veil so that we can actually see Lucifer’s
predatory role. Lucifer was the Master of Ceremonies and
Herod was his agent of death on the night that all the baby
boys in Bethlehem were killed. Similarly, Lucifer will become
the Master of Ceremonies after the seven-headed beast is
created. The world’s religious and political leaders will become
his agents for punishment and death, just like Herod.
The devil understands Bible prophecy better than any human.
Therefore, he has garbled apocalyptic prophecy with erroneous
ideas so that no one will believe what the Bible actually says.
The devil hates truth because it exposes his lies. He does
not want people to know God’s love, wonderful character, or
redemptive plans. By keeping everyone in the dark, the devil
knows that he can, literally, get away with murder. A window
of opportunity lasting 42 months is coming (the creation of the
seven-headed beast), so the devil is secretly working today on
the religious and political leaders of the world. (2 Thessalonians
2:7) After the seven-headed beast appears, it will only take a
few days for the devil to transform man’s efforts to appease God
into a hand-puppet to destroy the saints. Be on the lookout!
The devil is keenly focused on making war against the saints!
Many wicked people will be punished and put to death in the
process, but the devil will regard their loss as collateral damage.
“He [the seven-headed beast] was given power to make war
against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given
authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.”
(Revelation 13:7, insertion mine)
Chapter 5 Page 77

The First Message of the 144,000 – Fear God, Worship

the Creator!
The 144,000 will deliver four profound messages during the
Great Tribulation. Try and place yourself in this experience:
The world’s infrastructures have been destroyed by the first
four trumpets and almost two billion people are dead or
dying. Survivors are trembling, anticipating more judgments.
The seven-headed beast is present and you are facing the
enforcement of a number of its laws. You know that rebellion
will bring severe punishment. This will be the context for the
first message given by the 144,000. (Revelation 14:6,7)
The first message given by the 144,000 will be a simple, non-
negotiable demand. It will be offensive and inflammatory
for almost everyone, especially Babylon’s leaders. The first
message is so unusual that if given before the first four
trumpets occur, most of the world’s population would not
receive it. For the past 2,000 years, Revelation 14:6,7 has had
no relevance for non-Christians and very little relevance among
Christians. This will abruptly change. The Holy Spirit will give
the message impressive authority. The 144,000 will announce:
“Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of
His judgment has come. Worship Him who made the
Heavens, the Earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
(Revelation 14:7)
The phrase, “Fear God,” uses the Greek word, phobeo. Our
English equivalent is the word, “phobia,” which indicates
fearfulness or a state of remaining afraid. The 144,000 will
begin their ministry declaring that the survivors should be
afraid of God at a time when most people surely will! However,
the fear the 144,000 will announce means properly fearing
God and recognizing His sovereign authority. Jesus said, “But
I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who,
after the killing of the body, has power [to resurrect you
and] to throw you into Hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him.”
(Luke 12:5, insertion mine) God’s laws are higher than man’s
laws and we should honor Him first. God is not bound by
Page 78 Chapter 5

man’s laws, religions, or cultures. A sovereign God determines

right and wrong. This is why the Bible says, “The fear of the
Lord is the beginning of knowledge [it is the first thing
every person should learn], but fools despise wisdom and
discipline.” (Proverbs 1:7, insertion mine)
The first message the 144,000 prophets give will insult
and infuriate the clergy who direct the seven-headed beast
(Babylon). The survivors will struggle with two divergent
messages. Many people will oppose the demands of the seven-
headed beast, many will oppose the message given by the
144,000, and others will reject both messages! As a result,
three groups of people will emerge. The first group will be
those who agree with the leadership of the seven-headed beast.
Several billion people will play “follow the leader,” thinking
at first, the experts are right. These people believe the beast’s
purpose and mission is appropriate and timely. The second
group will be those who join the 144,000 who will openly oppose
the seven-headed beast’s efforts. This group of people would
rather be persecuted than dishonor the higher authority of the
Creator. Finally, there will be many people who oppose both
the laws of the seven-headed beast and the testimony of Jesus,
spoken by the 144,000. These people will have no inclination
toward obeying religious laws. Each of the three groups will
advocate totally different behaviors.
The Nature of War
No one takes kindly to being told to change his behavior or
else. Our sinful nature naturally rebels against uninvited and
unwelcomed authority. Human beings have free will and power
of choice, so it is aggravating when one person attempts to force
his religious beliefs on another. Babylon’s seven leaders will
anticipate widespread rebellion. Therefore, to maintain control
of the situation, they will immediately impose severe penalties
for disobedience. They will demand that people comply with
their laws because, in their thinking, everyone must participate
in their effort to appease God. Like the high priest, Caiaphas,
Chapter 5 Page 79

they will argue, “God may destroy the whole world if a few
rebels refuse to repent.” (John 11:50)
The 144,000 will respond with, “Fear God and give Him
glory.” This means “Don’t be afraid of the leaders of the seven-
headed beast, be afraid of God. Obey Him. Fear Him who can
destroy both body and soul in Hell.” (Luke 12:5) The 144,000
will tell the world that the seven-headed beast is insulting God
and that repentance and reformation will not appease God’s
wrath. They also will contradict the seven-headed beast who
says more judgments are coming!
The 144,000 will explain that if a person wants to give God
glory, he must recognize God’s laws are higher than any
earthly authority. When we put God first and do what is
right and honorable in His sight, we are giving glory to our
Creator. Obeying the laws of the seven-headed beast will
not give God glory. In fact, obeying the seven-headed beast
means worshiping the devil! “[When obeying the seven-headed
beast] Men worshiped the dragon because he had given
authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the
beast and asked, ‘Who is like the [seven-headed] beast?
Who can make war against him [who can rebel without
being severely punished]?’ ” (Revelation 13:4, insertions mine)
The first message given by the 144,000 also includes this
declaration: “The hour of His judgment has come.” This
phrase means “Judgment Day” has begun. God will now judge
the living according to their choices and actions. Jesus will save
all who worship Him as God and give Him glory by obeying
His laws. This will take a lot of courage and faith because
of the beast’s persecution. When He appears at the Second
Coming, Jesus will destroy those who refused to obey Him
and live by faith. Many religious people think they are good
people and salvation comes through human goodness, but the
Bible teaches that people, good and bad, are saved through
faith alone! “By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she
welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were
disobedient.” (Hebrews 11:31)
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Finally, the 144,000 will declare: “Worship Him who made

the Heavens, the Earth, the sea and the springs of
water.” This segment of the first message will create a global
uproar because the 144,000 will declare that Jesus Christ
is the Creator! Since most of the world does not recognize
Jesus as deity or the Creator, this message will distress many
people. Nevertheless, the 144,000 will boldly declare to every
nation, kindred, tongue, and people that the Father commands
everyone to worship Jesus Christ because He is the Creator
of everything that exists! “He [Jesus Christ] was in the
world, and though the world was made through Him,
the world did not recognize Him. . . Through Him all
things were made; without Him nothing was made that
has been made. . . For by Him all things were created:
things in Heaven and on Earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all
things were created by Him and for Him.” (John 1:10; 1:3;
Colossians 1:16, insertion mine)
Can you imagine the anger and hostility Muslims, Jews,
Hindus, Atheists and heathens will have towards the
144,000’s first message? When the 144,000 tell these ancient
religious systems to worship Jesus Christ, the demand will
be contrary to everything previously believed about God! The
revelation that Jesus Christ is the deity, the Almighty God,
the Sovereign Creator of Earth who has just destroyed “the
Heavens, the Earth, the sea and the springs of water”
will be an unexpected surprise. The announcement will be so
inflammatory that if Jesus did not protect the 144,000, they
would be killed within a few hours. The revelation of Jesus
Christ, the revealing of all that Jesus really is, will crush the
cherished beliefs of religious people around the world because
it will require them to embrace a whole new God; a God
previously scorned or even unknown. Billions of people will
have to recognize that their lifelong religion is a false religion.
The first four trumpets will affect “the Heavens, the Earth,
the sea and the springs of water.” One-third of the Earth
Chapter 5 Page 81

will burn in the first trumpet, an asteroid will impact the sea in
the second trumpet, the springs of water will be contaminated
in the third trumpet, and the Heavens will turn dark during
the fourth trumpet. These signs and the first message given
by the 144,000 will start a great controversy about which
God is the Creator and who has sovereign power over Earth.
Remember the falsity that mankind worships the same God, we
just call Him by different names. The 144,000 will direct people
to the Bible to confirm that Jesus Christ is Earth’s Creator.
The Holy Spirit will speak convincingly to the honest in heart,
convicting them that the 144,000’s message is true.
Because Catholics and Protestants already believe in Jesus
Christ, their confrontation with worshiping the Creator will
be just as intense, but in a different way. The 144,000 will
declare the seventh day of the week, Saturday, is the Sabbath
of the Creator, and that Jesus requires all mankind to rest
on His holy Sabbath day. Catholics and Protestants will have
the same anger and rejection that Hindus, Muslims and Jews
experience when the 144,000 tell them they must worship
Jesus Christ on His holy day! When it comes to God’s laws,
human nature is the same regardless of religion. “The sinful
mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law,
nor can it do so.” (Romans 8:7)
Worship the Creator
The requirement to worship the Creator may seem to be
easy but it is not, because only God can define true worship.
Notice what happens in the story of Cain and Abel. Abel
was a shepherd. (Genesis 4:2) He loved sheep. His wealth
and livelihood depended on raising and caring for them. It
was painful and expensive for him to sacrifice a perfect lamb
on his altar. Yet, he put his emotions aside and did as God
commanded: He built an altar periodically, confessed his sins
over the head of the lamb, and then killed it. Abel worshiped
God because he did as God required.
Page 82 Chapter 5

Cain, on the other hand, was a farmer, and it did not seem
fair that he should have to purchase and offer an animal as
a sacrifice. He worked in his fields tirelessly to produce the
highest quality fruit possible. So, he too periodically built an
altar and placed the fruits of his labor on it. Cain confessed
his sins over his fruit, but in His presumption He insulted
God. Cain put what he valued above God by deciding how God
should be worshiped. This is why God refused to send fire to
burn up his offering! Cain was humiliated in front of his family
when God sent fire from Heaven and burned up his younger
brother’s offering. How could God ignore the offering of the
firstborn of the human race? Later, a jealous and bitter Cain
quarreled with Abel. When Abel told Cain that God would
respect his offering if he did as God commanded, Cain became
furious that his younger sibling would chide him, so Cain killed
Abel for disrespecting him. The first death on Earth was the
result of a war over worship.
The War over Worship Is Coming
The war over worship began before Jesus created Earth. The
devil came to hate Jesus because he wanted to be worshiped
as Jesus was worshiped. Eventually, Lucifer and his followers
refused to worship Jesus, and the Father cast them out of
Heaven because He will not allow anyone to live in Heaven
who refuses to worship Jesus as Almighty God! After the
devil led Eve and Adam into sin, he became the prince of this
world and made it a point to reject, denounce, and belittle the
importance of Jesus for 6,000 years. The devil has infiltrated
every religious system of the world and each one is in for
a rude awakening: That Jesus Christ is Almighty God, the
Creator of Heaven and Earth, the very God who sent the first
four trumpets, the same God whom the seven-headed beast
is actually trying to appease, will be a very difficult truth for
billions of people to accept!
The Father has mandated that everyone, including the angels,
must worship Jesus. (Hebrews 1:6-12) He has also defined how
Chapter 5 Page 83

and when Jesus is to be worshiped. If we follow Cain’s example

and worship God in a way we think best, Jesus will refuse our
worship because we have defied the Father’s authority. If you
will recall, the definitions for the Greek word worship means
to kiss, an act of submission, or yielding obedience. Therefore,
those who obey the Father’s command to worship Jesus will
give Him glory through obedient faith. Any other worship than
what the Father has declared may seem like worship but, do
not be fooled, the story of Cain and Abel proves that Jesus will
see the difference.
A war over worship is coming. I call it World War IV, because
it will occur after World War III. The seven-headed beast
will demand that God be worshiped according to men’s laws,
and the 144,000 will declare that God must be worshiped
according to the fourth commandment. Because billions of
people will oppose both demands, Jesus will use the fifth and
sixth trumpets to force people to choose which god they will
worship. The Bible teaches that before the forty-two months of
persecution end, all the inhabitants of Earth will worship the
seven-head beast (and the devil), except those people whose
names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Page 84 Chapter 5
 Chapter 6
Babylon’s Blasphemy
The Seven-Head Beast Is Also Called Babylon
Shortly after the horrific destruction caused by the first four
trumpets, the religious and political leaders of the world
will create a crisis government to appease God’s wrath. This
government is the seven-headed beast of Revelation 13:1.
Among other names, the book of Revelation calls the beast
“Babylon” for good reasons. Any attempt by mankind to
appease “one God” will cause endless confusion, because this
planet is religiously opposed and politically diverse.
Modern day Babylon will parallel the ancient story in the book
of Genesis about the Tower of Babel. Remember, its builders
had to quit because of confusion. They got off to a great start
when, “the whole world had one language and a common
speech [but they defied the Lord after He had promised that
never again would He send a flood to destroy the Earth by
building a city with a tall tower] . . . So the Lord [came down
from Heaven and confused their language so that they could
not understand each other. Then He] scattered them from
there over all the Earth, and they stopped building the
city. That is why it was called Babel – because there the
Lord confused the language of the whole world.” (Genesis
11:1,8,9, insertions mine)
There is another reason for calling the seven-headed beast,
“Babylon.” Several situations during the Great Tribulation
will parallel events which occurred in ancient Babylon. For
example, the king of ancient Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar)
commanded everyone to bow down and worship his golden
image or be put to death. (Daniel 3:6) During the sixth
trumpet, the king of modern Babylon (Lucifer) will also
command everyone to worship the image he has set up or be
put to death. (Revelation 13:14,15)
Page 86 Chapter 6

The Religion of Babylon

The ancient Babylonians were deeply religious. Their religion
was a mixture of superstition, astrology, Chaldean traditions,
the occult, and revelations from their gods. Magicians,
enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers conveniently “cooked
up” these revelations when they were needed. (Daniel 2:2;
Jeremiah 50:2) The Babylonians believed their god, Marduk
(also called Bel), was the most-high god, superior to all the gods
whom other nations worshiped. The notion that Marduk was
superior was derived from Nebuchadnezzar’s amazing wealth
and prosperity. His capital city, Babylon, had no equal in the
ancient world and his military was believed to be unbeatable.
In ancient times, military prowess was more than a matter
of ego. The ancients believed that repeated military victories
proved that the god (or gods) of the victor was greater than the
god (or gods) of the defeated. From its beginning as a nation,
Israel believed this concept. Moses told Israel, “When you go
to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots
and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of
them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up
out of Egypt, will be with you. . . . For the Lord your God
is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your
enemies to give you victory.” (Deuteronomy 20:1,4, italics
mine)
About 600 B.C., Jesus gave the king of Babylon a disturbing
vision. Nebuchadnezzar saw the image of a metal man. The
image had a head of gold, chest of silver, thighs of bronze, legs
of iron, and feet of iron and clay. As the king gazed at the metal
man, a stone came from the sky and destroyed it. When the
king awoke he was disturbed because He sensed the dream
was important but he could not recall it. Nebuchadnezzar was
certain that Marduk had given him an important prophetic
message.
Nebuchadnezzar summoned the experts: his magicians,
enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers. He had a simple
request, “tell me the dream and its meaning.” The experts were
Chapter 6 Page 87

alarmed by the king’s demand and he was infuriated by their

response. They had to admit that his request was impossible.
For years, King Nebuchadnezzar had relied on these men. They
claimed to be intimately connected to Marduk, the great god of
the Babylonians, and convinced Nebuchadnezzar that Marduk
had revealed unknown things to them. Nebuchadnezzar had
won many victories, just as they predicted, so He believed these
“experts.” However, their problem now was more complicated.
They had to reveal what the dream was! They had to confess
that they (and by extension, Marduk) could not reveal what
was dreamed. The disillusioned king felt betrayed and bitter.
Angrily, he ordered that all of Marduk’s priests and prophets
be put to death if they could not tell him the vision and its
meaning.
After the king’s confidence in Marduk and his religious
experts had been shattered, Jesus revealed the vision of
“the metal man” to a young Jewish captive. (Daniel 2:23)
Daniel was about 20 years old when he was brought before
King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel told the king there was a
God in Heaven who reveals mysteries. Daniel did not speak
disparagingly of Marduk or Babylon’s clergy. Instead, he told
the king “the Most High God” had revealed the dream so that
the king could understand some of the plans of “the Most High
God.” The metal man represented six kingdoms that would
follow in succession. Daniel explained that when the time came
for the seventh kingdom, the God of Heaven would destroy
everything that remained of the man-made kingdoms to
establish His own eternal Empire.
Nebuchadnezzar was deeply moved because Daniel revealed
every detail the king saw. The king stepped down from his
throne and bowed before Daniel, a Jewish captive, because the
king knew without doubt that Daniel’s God was genuine. He
was the Most High God! In his joy, the king did something that
exasperated everyone in the king’s administration; He elevated
Daniel over the whole province of Babylon! If you understand
the Babylonians despised the Jews, and Daniel was barely 20
years old, you can appreciate that the clergy of Marduk were
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greatly incensed with Daniel’s promotion. For them, to bow to a

Jew (or the God of the Jews) and obey Daniel’s future directives
was outrageous.
During the months that followed Daniel’s exaltation, the
clergy of Babylon connived to eliminate him from his position.
Since everyone in Babylon wanted to know why the king had
promoted a “Jew,” of all people, to the highest position over the
province of Babylon, and everyone wanted to know about the
king’s dream, the clergy were delighted to repeat the vision
and its meaning. They thought that if everyone knew about the
dream it would motivate Nebuchadnezzar to remove Daniel
from office. However, the clergy’s efforts backfired.
The clergy knew that a monarchy can only exist for as long
as people are loyal to the king. In ancient times, maintaining
loyalty to a weak king was a recipe for death because arising
kings typically destroyed everyone who reserved the slightest
loyalty to the former king. Before long, Nebuchadnezzar’s
satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges,
magistrates, and all of the other provincial officials, learned
about the vision and its meaning. They did not know what
they should do or to whom they should direct their loyalty.
When Nebuchadnezzar learned of this vulnerability spreading
throughout his empire, he had to move quickly to cover up the
truth. He could not allow his subjects and administrators to
think that Babylon would fall to another king!
A Golden Image Setup
Nebuchadnezzar was clever. Since the contents of his dream
had been widely told, the best thing he could do was to
obfuscate the truth. In his dream, the metal man’s head was
made of gold, the chest silver, the thighs bronze, the legs iron,
and the feet and toes of iron and clay; each metal represented
succeeding empires. The king chose to change one detail hoping
to convince his subjects to remain loyal. The king made a
metal man entirely of gold! One golden man meant one golden
empire, enduring forever!
Chapter 6 Page 89

Because thousands of administrators were involved,

Nebuchadnezzar issued an order to erect a golden image that
stood about ninety feet tall and nine feet wide! After the image
was completed, the king called his administration together on
the Plain of Dura. Thousands of men gathered. After much
boasting about Babylon’s victories, great prosperity, and
military might (something like a state of the union address
in the United States), King Nebuchadnezzar announced
that when the music sounded everyone must bow down and
worship the image to show loyalty to the king and his enduring
kingdom. This, the king assumed, would resolve any questions
about his dream and the future of Babylon. Moreover, it would
isolate anyone who was not loyal. In the Babylonian culture, if
someone showed any sign of disloyalty, people were encouraged
to tattle on them, and if the information proved true, the king
would richly reward the informer (something like corporate
whistle-blowers or confidential informants). Nebuchadnezzar
encouraged spying because every seed of rebellion had to be
detected and terminated before it could affect the empire.
Three young Jews were in the crowd that day. Bible students
believe that Nebuchadnezzar excused Daniel for obvious
reasons, but given the time necessary to build the image and
the many details involved with arranging the event, the king
overlooked the presence of Daniel’s three friends. When the
moment came for everyone to bow down and worship the golden
image, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego defied the king’s
order. Spies in the crowd hastily reported the three young
men’s defiance and the king summoned them to appear before
him. The ceremony abruptly ended as thousands watched an
even more interesting drama. The golden image was upstaged!
The faithfulness of three young men who defied the great king
of Babylon eclipsed the towering statue of the metal man.
Nebuchadnezzar was embarrassed and frustrated because he
knew these young men. He knew that, like Daniel, they were
upright and trustworthy servants. He generously offered the
three Jews another chance to save face (and their lives), but
they refused. The king of Babylon became furious, no one
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would refuse his sovereign authority in public and live. He

ordered the smelting furnace be made seven times hotter! With
the furnace roaring and every eye watching, a startling event
occurred!
First, the intense heat killed the soldiers who bound and threw
the three young men into the furnace. The soldiers’ deaths
confirmed to every onlooker that an inferno was burning in the
furnace. This fact would be needed in days ahead to keep anti-
Jewish sentiment from changing the story. Then, as everyone
watched, a fourth person suddenly appeared inside the flames
standing with Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego. When the
king saw four men walking around in the furnace, the Holy
Spirit came upon him; He realized the fourth person in the
furnace was a “Son of the gods.” In the presence of thousands
of administrators who believed that Marduk was Most High
God, the king called out, “servants of the Most High God come
out.” Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego walked out without
injury or the smell of smoke in their clothing. Everyone was
flummoxed. The God of the Jews had plainly shown Himself
to be superior to Marduk. No god had ever done such a thing!
While the golden image was supposed to be the object of awe
and adoration that day, the story carried to the far-flung
corners of the empire was the miracle inside the furnace.
Faith that Saves (Salvific Faith)
Three young men demonstrated their faith in God. Salvific
faith means obeying God, doing what is right in His sight and
leaving the consequences with Him. Meshach, Shadrach, and
Abednego believed God when He said that bowing down to idols
was wrong; and when Nebuchadnezzar commanded them to
worship the golden image, they chose to do right in God’s sight
and leave the consequences with Him. At Mt. Sinai the Lord
proclaimed: “You shall not make for yourself an idol in
the form of anything in Heaven above or on the Earth
beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down
to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am
a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the
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fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who

hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations
of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
(Exodus 20:4-6) When man’s laws conflict with God’s laws, faith
means obeying God rather than men! Centuries later, Peter
and the apostles would say to the Jewish leaders who were
persecuting them, “We must obey God rather than men!”
(Acts 5:29)
Once we understand the story of Meshach, Shadrach, and
Abednego, we can better grasp the coming war over worship.
The 144,000 will proclaim the testimony of Jesus, which is
everyone must worship the Creator, Jesus Christ, on His holy
seventh day Sabbath; the basis for this demand is found in the
Ten Commandments. Meanwhile, the seven-headed beast will
make a series of demands regarding worship and will punish
everyone who chooses to disobey. (2 Timothy 3:12; John 16:1-4)
The good news is that every saint who obeys the gospel and
suffers for Christ will be blessed by Jesus’ presence within the
furnace.
After the Antichrist appears (the devil and his angels will
physically appear at the fifth trumpet) the world will be forced
to worship an “image” which the devil will set up. All who
refuse are to be killed. “Because of the signs [and miracles]
he [the devil, the modern king of Babylon] was given power
to do on behalf of the first beast [that is, miracles done on
behalf of the seven-headed beast], he [Lucifer, the Antichrist]
deceived the inhabitants of the Earth [into thinking that
he really is Almighty God]. [When his deception is widespread]
He [the Antichrist] ordered them [the inhabitants of Earth]
to set up an image in honor of the [seven-headed] beast
who [had a head that] was wounded by the sword and yet
lived. He [the Antichrist] was given power to give breath
[life, authority, power] to the image of the first beast [the
seven-headed beast], so that it could speak [make laws] and
cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.”
(Revelation 13:14,15, insertions mine)
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At this point, we have not discussed the coming Antichrist

(modern king of Babylon) or the image of the beast which he
will set up. Even if you do not understand these matters, you
can easily gather from the text that some beastly authority will
impose a death decree upon all who refuse to worship the image
that he sets up.
Parallels between Ancient Babylon and the Babylon to
Come
The book of Revelation sometimes refers to the seven-headed
beast as “Babylon.” This title is used for several good reasons!
First, after Noah’s flood, God considered the construction of
the tower of Babel to be an act of defiance; so, He ended the
project with confusion by suddenly making the builders appear
to “babble,” that is, speak different languages. When the seven-
headed beast is formed, it will be totally confused. We are a
world of many languages, religions, cultures, and politics, and
this diversity will plague the seven-headed beast with endless
babble.
Second, because of the Babylonians amazing prosperity and
military achievements, they believed their god, Marduk, was
the Most High God, superior to all other gods. When the Great
Tribulation begins, the religious leaders of the world will be
compelled by circumstances to admit there is one angry God,
even though he is worshiped and called by different titles. This
convenient falsity will simplify the mission of the seven-headed
beast, which is to appease God’s wrath so that His judgments
will cease. This situation will play into the hands of the 144,000
who will deliver the testimony of Jesus! The “gottcha” will be
a contest over worship. Will people bow down and worship
the imaginary god of the seven-headed beast (represented as
the imaginary god, Marduk) or will they worship the God of
the 144,000 (the living God who walked in the furnace with
Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego)?
Finally, the story about the fiery furnace parallels an end-time
event. A time is coming when everyone on Earth who refuses to
worship “the image” established by the modern king of Babylon
Chapter 6 Page 93

(the Antichrist) will be killed. Because of these three parallels,

the book of Revelation sometimes refers to the seven-headed
beast as “Babylon.” For example, “A second angel followed
and said, ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great [meaning,
the seven-headed beast is advocating lies and blaspheming the
Creator with insults, there is no truth in its claims], which
made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her
adulteries.’ ” (Revelation 14;8)
Full Cup Principle
Another key parallel between ancient and modern Babylon
merits attention. While the ancient kingdom of Babylon was
in its prime, God revealed to Jeremiah that He would destroy
the empire because of its sin and guilt. (Jeremiah 25:12) About
60 years later, God’s patience ran out. During a great party
celebrating Marduk, the “Most High God of the Babylonians,”
King Belshazzar insulted the God of Heaven with insolence
and blasphemy. Belshazzar instructed his servants to retrieve
the sacred vessels Nebuchadnezzar took from God’s temple in
Jerusalem. He did this to elevate Marduk in the eyes of his
nobles. Thinking there would be no consequence, Belshazzar
wanted to show contempt for the God of the despicable Jews.
Belshazzar had a problem. Nebuchadnezzar exalted the God
of Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego when they came out of
the fiery furnace; and later, before he died, Nebuchadnezzar
again said the God of the Jews was above all other gods.
(Daniel 4:34-37) Belshazzar wanted to erase the memory of
Nebuchadnezzar’s conversion and confession. It was a matter
of national honor and religious pride. Belshazzar’s servants
delivered the golden vessels, and the king ordered the vessels
filled with alcohol and served to his guests. This was an
outrageous act of blasphemy because no alcohol was permitted
the sacred vessels. When the king, along with a thousand
nobles, lifted his hand in a toast to the great god of Babylon,
another hand was also lifted; this hand wrote a cryptic message
on a large wall so that everyone could see it, but no one could
read or explain the message. The toast was forgotten and after
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some awkward silence, Belshazzar summoned Daniel (who was

an old man) to explain the handwriting on the wall.
He said to Belshazzar, “You have set yourself up against
the Lord of Heaven. You had the goblets from His
temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your
wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You
praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood
and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand.
But you did not honor the God who holds in His hand
your life and all your ways. Therefore He sent the
hand that wrote the inscription. . . God has numbered
the days of your reign and brought it to an end. . . You
have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
. . Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes
and Persians. That very night Belshazzar, king of the
Babylonians, was slain.” (Daniel 5:23-28,30) That night, the
prophecy God gave Jeremiah sixty years earlier was fulfilled.
This story will have a parallel with modern Babylon. A day is
coming when the king of modern Babylon (Lucifer, the devil,
the Antichrist) will set himself up against the Lord of Heaven
and convince many, with his miracles and promises, that his
theocracy will last forever. For a few months it will appear
that the devil and his kingdom are invincible, but the God of
Heaven has numbered Lucifer’s days. The kingdom established
by the Antichrist will surely come to its end, but not by human
power. (Daniel 8:25) A Divine Destroyer will abolish it in a
single day.
The prophetic sequence given to Nebuchadnezzar 26 centuries
ago (the vision of the metal man) is still unfolding. A day is
coming when Jesus (the rock cut out of the mountain) will
destroy the whole world at His appointed time. Jesus is the
Rock that will destroy the kingdoms of men. His appearing
at the Second Coming will be overpowering and frightening!
Because of the bold and unflinching ministry of the 144,000
prior to the great day of the Lord, everyone will anticipate His
arrival. When they see Him, the wicked will frantically run for
Chapter 6 Page 95

cover. “Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye

will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the
peoples of the Earth will mourn because of Him. So shall
it be! Amen.” (Revelation 1:7)
The 144,000’s Second Message: Babylon Has Fallen
When Jesus steps into mankind’s affairs during World War III,
everyone on Earth will realize that something extraordinary
has occurred. There will be awesome signs in the Heavens and
all over the Earth; a global earthquake will follow which will
destroy much of the world’s infrastructures. Life on Earth will
dramatically change. The 144,000 will begin their ministry on
that day. I call this day, “Day 1” because there will be 1,334
days to follow.
I anticipate world leaders will create the seven-headed beast
30 to 60 days after the global earthquake. I believe the seven-
headed beast will begin to function during the darkness caused
by ejecta from many volcanoes during the fourth trumpet. The
seven-headed beast will move quickly to outlaw any behaviors
that religious leaders determine offensive to God. Because
the nations will be governed by martial law, law enforcement
personnel will essentially become “religious police.” They will
brutally do their jobs, enforcing Babylon’s laws and persecuting
those who do not comply.
Babylon’s leaders will require God be worshipped. Muslim
dominated countries will enforce laws regarding worship
on Friday. Israel will implement laws regarding Saturday
worship. Catholic and Protestant countries will enforce laws
regarding the sacredness of Sunday. The seven-headed beast
will dictate that businesses cannot operate on days reserved for
worship. It will force nations, which do not have a traditional
holy day each week, (Hindus, Buddhists, Communists, and
tribal nations) to set aside a day of the week to worship God. Of
course, after some of the dust settles and fear wears off, many
people will rebel against the religious demands imposed by the
seven-headed beast. When Babylon’s authority is challenged,
the furnace of persecution will be made seven times hotter. The
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leaders of Babylon will meet each challenge to its authority

with stiffer penalties.
Circumstances created by such a hostile atmosphere will
divide people into three groups. Many people will comply with
Babylon’s laws because they are sheep-like followers. Their
religious leaders and experts endorsed the formation, purpose,
laws, and mission of Babylon so the followers accept Babylon
without question. This group will avoid persecution because
they will do whatever Babylon’s leaders want. A second group
of people will resist Babylon’s laws because they refuse to be
controlled by religious laws or religious authorities. Nothing
is more galling and detestable than to have one man force his
religious views upon another. Communists and atheists will
comprise a large segment of this group. A third group of people
will also defy the laws of Babylon, but for moral and spiritual
reasons. This group of people will consist of people who love
and worship Jesus on the Sabbath and follow His testimony
which the 144,000 share.
The differences between rebels will not deter Babylon’s leaders.
Babylon will not care whether a person disobeys its laws for
religious or nonreligious reasons. Anyone who disobeys its
laws, for whatever reason, must be severely punished or “God’s
wrath will surely continue!”
When Babylon begins to persecute people for refusing to obey
its laws, the 144,000 will add a second message to their procla-
mation (“Worship the Creator”). When these two messages are
combined, the people of Earth will be further alienated and po-
larized. The 144,000 will say, “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the
Great [meaning, the seven-headed beast is advocating lies and
blaspheming the Creator with insults, there is no truth in its
claims], which made all the nations drink the maddening
wine of her adulteries.” (Revelation 14:8)
Life in Babylon
During Israel’s 70 years in Babylonian captivity, Jewish
families multiplied. Some families experienced the birth of
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three generations! Many young Jewish people intermarried

with the Babylonians and embraced the Babylonian religion.
When the 70 years of Jewish captivity ended, many Jews born
and raised in Babylon did not want to return to Jerusalem.
Babylon was their life, religion, culture, and language.
Moreover, Jerusalem was a heap of ruins and Judea was a
lawless desert overrun by warlords and squatters. Therefore,
many of the Babylon-born Jews did not want to give up the
abundance of Babylon and their jobs. For them, it made no
sense to leave home and live in deplorable conditions 700 miles
away.
Of course, God knew this situation would develop when He
placed the Jews in Babylonian exile; He gave this warning
through the prophet Jeremiah long before Babylon would fall
to the Medes and Persians: “Flee from Babylon! Run for
your lives! Do not be destroyed because of her sins. It is
time for the Lord’s vengeance; He will pay her what she
deserves. Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord’s hand;
she made the whole Earth drunk. The nations drank her
wine; therefore they have now gone mad. Babylon will
suddenly fall and be broken. Wail over her!” (Jeremiah
51:6-8)
Jeremiah’s message to the Jews in ancient Babylon has a very
interesting parallel with which the second message given by
the 144,000, requires a decision. Consider my paraphrase:
The 144,000 will say words to the effect, “Flee from modern
Babylon, separate yourself from it and run for your lives. Do
not join Babylon and be destroyed because of its sins. Babylon
is comprised of seven false religions and its mission is a false
endeavor. Babylon’s leaders have blasphemed and insulted
the Creator. Jesus will repay modern Babylon double for every
crime. (Revelation 18:6)
The seven-headed beast was a gold cup in the Lord’s hand at
one time (meaning, it was valuable and important to Him). He
brought about circumstances so that mankind would create the
seven-headed beast. The Lord did this to bring the religious
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and political leaders of the world together in one accord and

to simultaneously expose all religious systems of the world
as false. The maddening wine of Babylon is the doctrine that
mankind can appease God’s wrath so that His judgments will
end. This is a lie. God’s wrath cannot be appeased; a total of
fourteen plagues will occur! Moreover, God will not accept
forced repentance or worship. Babylon’s laws are an insult to
the Creator! The religious systems of the world are fallen and
corrupt. People who drink in Babylon’s wine cannot worship
God in spirit and truth. The leaders of Babylon do not know
God’s character, purposes, or plans. Even though Babylon will
appear to be great and powerful, God promises it will surely
fall after forty-two months. All who remain loyal to Babylon
will wail over its destruction and their own doom. Have nothing
to do with the seven-headed beast! Run for your life!”
A Painful Awakening
The Father will fulfill several objectives during the Great
Tribulation. One objective is to reveal Jesus Christ as the
Creator of everything in the Universe. Another revelation is
that Jesus is an Almighty God just like the Father. Another
revelation is that all the religions of the world are false and
corrupt. Another purpose is to separate the sheep from the
goats. The Father will meet all of these objectives through
a war over worship. Even though we cannot currently see
this development, the subject of worship will soon become an
inflammatory matter. Jesus will speak through the 144,000
and those who love truth will embrace it. Those who love
religion, family, culture, and possessions more than Jesus, will
reject the truth. “Anyone who loves his father or mother
more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his
son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and
anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not
worthy of me. Whoever finds his life [by compromise] will
lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find
it.” (Matthew 10:37-39, insertion mine) Paul wrote about the
wicked saying, “They perish because they refused to love
the truth and so be saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10)
Chapter 6 Page 99

The number of people who will abandon their cherished beliefs

about God after He has revealed His truth remains unknown.
From a human point of view, we could say that Noah did
something foolish when he built the ark because it had never
rained. We could say that Abraham did something foolish
when he left home not knowing where he was going. Again,
we could say that Abraham did something foolish when he
attempted to sacrifice Isaac on Mt. Moriah. We could say that
Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego did something foolish when
they boldly defied King Nebuchadnezzar. The list goes on
because responding to God’s voice appears foolish to those who
cannot hear it. (1 Corinthians 2:14) This simple fact will have
enormous ramifications in days to come.
During the Great Tribulation, Jesus will require each person
to abandon his religious heritage. Jesus wants Muslims to
renounce Islam; Catholics to renounce Catholicism; Hindus and
Buddhists to renounce Eastern Mysticism; and Atheists and
Protestants to renounce their religious beliefs. This is because
most people do not realize their religion is their God! This is
fascinating. . . Only those who live by faith will obey God when
He requires an action that is outside the boundaries of religion.
When Jesus calls everyone to come out of Babylon, He will
demonstrate to the universe that there are people within every
religious system who live by faith. They will respond to His call
even when it appears totally foolish to everyone else!
Remember, Jesus will begin judging the living after the first
global earthquake (Day 1). The Father has predetermined the
judgment process will follow this process: Each person will
be given an opportunity to hear the testimony of Jesus and a
period of time during which he will have to make a decision
about whether or not to obey the gospel. If the person decides
to obey, his faith will be tested by persecution. All who pass the
test of faith will be sealed (sinful nature removed). All people
who stand firm in their faith will be made heirs of the promises
God given to Abraham. Yes, all Israel will be saved! (Romans
11:26)
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The first message given by the 144,000 will be inflammatory.

Religious people will be enraged when they are told that Jesus
is the Creator and Savior of the world, and that He demands
worship on his holy seventh day Sabbath. The second message
given by the 144,000 will be appalling. Many religious people
will refuse to separate themselves from their religious systems,
even though they know their religious system is blasphemous
in God’s sight! Separating those who follow the Spirit
from those who cling to their religion is a difficult process.
Nevertheless, an innumerable host of people will receive the
gospel of Jesus and through faith, be saved! (Revelation 7:9-17)
Long ago, Jesus made an interesting statement that will
have peculiar importance during the Great Tribulation: “The
Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for
the generations to come as a lasting covenant. It will be
a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six
days the Lord made the Heavens and the Earth, and on
the seventh day He abstained from work and rested.”
(Exodus 31:16,17) The Sabbath will become a sign between
Jesus and everyone who walks by faith. Faithless people will
not be able to keep the Sabbath because they will not be able to
withstand the persecution that goes with it. The devil will do
everything possible to keep people from honoring the Creator’s
holy day. This is why Jesus said, “He who overcomes [the
sinful nature] will inherit all this [the new Earth], and I
will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly,
the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually
immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters
and all liars -- their place will be in the fiery lake of
burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (Revelation
21:7,8, insertions mine) Satan and his followers will punish
the saints who keep God’s Sabbath, but Jesus will walk in
the furnace of persecution with each of His children. “And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:20)
When the time arrives, the first two messages that the 144,000
give will be easy to understand. Each person who loves God
Chapter 6 Page 101

with all his heart knows the voice of the Holy Spirit. All who
love truth will eventually discover that the seven-headed beast
is an evil monster representing the seven false religions of the
world. They will see that Babylon’s mission and purpose is false
and the nations intoxicated with religious and political ideas
insult God. Finally, when religious and political leaders commit
adultery (form an adulterous union, getting in bed together),
millions of honest hearted people will flee Babylon and escape
its doom.
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 Chapter 7
Antichrist and Mark of the Beast

John Saw the Devil and His Demons Released

For centuries, people have speculated on the identity of the
Antichrist. The Bible reveals who the Antichrist is, but the
truth is almost unbelievable! The Antichrist is the devil. At
the fifth trumpet, God will permit the devil and his demonic
angels to appear physically all over Earth. John saw the
physical appearing of the devil: “The fifth angel [one of the
seven angels that stand before God, Revelation 8:2] sounded
his trumpet, and I [John] saw a star [a term used in the
book of Revelation to describe angels (Revelation 1:20), a
brilliant being] that [had been cast out of Heaven, he] had
fallen from the sky to the Earth. [At the appointed time]
The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss [The
ancients believed the Abyss (bottomless pit) was a mysterious
region located beneath a flat Earth. The ancients believed
a bottomless shaft (hole) went through the flat Earth to the
Abyss which was a dwelling place for demons. Volcanoes served
as chimneys for the fires that burned under the Earth. The star
that had fallen from the sky is Lucifer whom God cast out of
Heaven because of his rebellion. John saw the angel king of the
Abyss (Lucifer), given a key so that he and his demons could
escape. This language indicates that Jesus deliberately and
precisely controls the timing when the devil and his demons
can physically appear]. When he [the devil] opened the
Abyss, smoke rose from it [a great cloud of angels appeared
in the sky, the cloud was so dense that it looked] like the
smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were
darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. And out of the
smoke locusts [billions of angels with powerful wings, the
number of them was so great that at a distance, John could
only compare them to a giant swarm of locusts] came down
Page 104 Chapter 7

upon the Earth and were given power [from God to hurt
certain people, the torture they caused was] like that of
scorpions of the Earth.
They [the demons] were told not to harm the grass of the
Earth or any plant [crops] or tree [God does not permit them
to physically destroy anything], but only those people who
did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They
were not given power to kill them, but only to torture
them for five months. And the agony they suffered was
like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man.
[The torture was so great that] During those days men will
seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but
death will elude them.
The locusts [the demons from the Abyss] looked like [well-
armed] horses prepared for battle. On their heads they
[the demons] wore something like crowns of gold [showing
their authority over mankind], and their faces resembled
human faces. Their hair was [long] like women’s hair,
and their teeth were [deadly, powerful] like lions’ teeth.
They had breastplates like breastplates of iron [they
were invincible beings, human beings could not stop, injure,
or kill them], and the sound of their wings was [very loud,
they had intimidating power] like the thundering of many
horses and chariots rushing into battle. They had tails
and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had
power to torment people for five months. They had
as king over them the angel of the Abyss, [the star who
received the key] whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and
in Greek, Apollyon. [For the Jew and the Gentile, his title
means the same: The Destroyer.] The first woe [first curse
on the wicked] is past; two other woes [curses] are yet to
come [upon them].” (Revelation 9:1-12, insertions and italics
mine)
The physical appearing of the devil with billions of demons at
the fifth trumpet is a prophetic development that few people
anticipate. Jesus revealed the appearing of the Antichrist
Chapter 7 Page 105

to John using a caricature of Lucifer and his demons in the

same way that He used the caricature of a seven-headed beast
in Revelation 13:1 to represent a crisis government. If you
remember, the seven-headed beast looked like a leopard, but it
had feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion. These features are
metaphors that describe Babylon’s swift and ferocious power.
The idea is that Babylon will quickly destroy everyone who
resists its laws. This is why people will lament when the time
comes, “Who is like the [seven-headed] beast? Who can make
war against him?” (Revelation 13:4)
Lucifer and his demons will not physically look like the locusts
having scorpion tails and riding on horses. These are also
metaphors. The devil and his angels will be brilliant, glorious
beings with a human-like appearance because angels were
made in God’s image like mankind. (Genesis 1:26; Job 38:7
KJV) The demons from the Abyss will be physically larger and
much more powerful than mankind, and they will be able to
fly! Men will not be able to control, stop, or kill them. When
the fifth trumpet sounds, Jesus will release the devil and his
demons from the Abyss. They will be given power to rule over
the whole world for about fourteen months.
Jesus is very patient. He only releases the devil and his
demons from the spirit realm after the whole world has had
time to thoughtfully consider the testimony of the 144,000.
Remember, after a period of about two and a half years, three
groups of people will exist. The first group consists of the
saints who love and follow Jesus; the second group consists
of the religious wicked who obey the laws of Babylon to avoid
persecution; and finally, there is a third group that consists of
non-religious wicked who refuse to obey either God’s laws or
Babylon’s laws.
After the devil and his angels appear his demons will focus
their attention on the third group, the nonreligious group. The
demons will not attack those who are willing to worship the
devil; and God does not allow the demons to attack the saints
who have God’s seal. Therefore, the demons will search for
Page 106 Chapter 7

people who refuse to worship the devil as Almighty God. When

they find these people, they will torture them until they make
a decision. If a person surrenders to the demons, agreeing to
obey and worship the devil, his torture will end. If he chooses to
worship Jesus and receive God’s seal, his torture will also end,
but only temporarily.
Coercion is not God’s way. A God of love will not accept forced
repentance or a forced conversion; albeit, many genuine
conversions have happened in foxholes and other difficult
circumstances. Sometimes people will make a genuine and
lasting decision when they realize their desperate need for a
Savior! (Acts 16:30; Luke 23:42) Because we are created as
beings with free will, God only accepts the submission and
worship of a person who freely chooses to love Him and obey
His commandments. (John 14:15) This will sound strange until
you think it through: God allows the devil to torture “hard-
headed and hard-hearted” people who have not firmly reached
a decision about worshiping anyone so that, if possible, some
will repent of their defiance and receive salvation!
The nonreligious group will choose between two options . . .
obey and worship the devil to end the torment, OR, in faith,
obey and worship Jesus the Creator by resting on His Sabbath
day. Once a person makes his decision, his torment will end
because demons are not permitted to harm anyone who has
God’s seal! Of course, the demons will threaten those who
choose to worship Jesus, telling them that while they can
escape torture for the present, they will be dealt with later.
Most of the people in the nonreligious group will acquiesce and
worship the devil to avoid further torture. The sinful nature is
eager to avoid the consequences for doing wrong. Salvific faith,
on the other hand, is eager to do what is right in God’s sight,
trusting that God will be glorified through the consequences.
Jesus will not permit the devil to put people to death during
the fifth trumpet, but during the sixth trumpet this restriction
is removed. Jesus will allow the devil to put many saints to
death as martyrs. Most of the people who surrendered to Jesus
Chapter 7 Page 107

during the torture of the fifth trumpet will be martyred during

this time because they will refuse the mark of the beast! The
demons will surely seek them out.
Monster Size Demons
When the devil appears, masquerading as Almighty God,
each wicked person will be confronted with Lucifer’s “mighty
power and sovereign authority.” Standing about fifteen feet
tall* and deceptively cloaked in brilliant light and charming
benevolence, the devil will claim to be “Almighty God.” He
will literally call fire down out of the sky to validate his many
lies. (Revelation 13:13) The devil will declare that he has come
to establish God’s kingdom on Earth. He will “admonish”
everyone to join him so that there can be a thousand years of
peace and prosperity. Of course, everything he predicts about
the future will be a lie, and this is why the book of Revelation
calls the devil “the false prophet.”
Paul described the appearing of the devil and his demons: “The
coming of the lawless one [the devil is called “the lawless
one” because he will not show any respect for any laws other
than his own. His wishes and whims will immediately become
law and even though he will appear to be a glorious being, he
is a demon masquerading as Almighty God. His actions] will
be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all
kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in
every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing.

*Note: I speculate the devil will be fifteen feet tall because

there were giants before the flood (Genesis 6:4) and
centuries later, Goliath was over nine feet tall.
(1 Samuel 17:4) Since mankind was created as
“smaller” or “shorter” beings than angels (Psalm 8:3-
5), it is reasonable to say that Lucifer and his angels
will be taller. When the temple was built, God gave
Solomon instructions to create two “life sized” angels
for the Most Holy Place and they were fifteen feet tall.
(1 Kings 6:23-26.)
Page 108 Chapter 7

They [the wicked] perish because they refused to love the

truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them
a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and
so that all will be condemned who have not believed the
truth but have delighted in wickedness.” (2 Thessalonians
2:9-12, insertions and italics mine)
Paul said, “For this reason God sends the wicked a
powerful delusion.” The reason is “Because they refused
to love the truth and so be saved.” A person cannot refuse
to love the truth and be saved until he has first heard the
truth and had time to process its requirements! When a person
refuses to obey God’s will after the clearest evidence of God’s
will is put before him, God can do nothing further for such
a person because God will not violate a person’s free will.
Before Earth was created, God cast Lucifer and his followers
out of Heaven because they refused to obey God’s commands.
When Jesus releases the devil and his demons from the spirit
realm (the Abyss), Lucifer’s demons will seek out and confront
those people who refuse to worship any God. For five months
Lucifer’s demons will torture anyone who refuses to worship
the devil. The price for insubordination will be painful.
The 144,000 Will Proclaim a Third Message
When the fifth trumpet occurs, the 144,000 will add a third
message to their gospel: “If anyone worships the beast [the
God-like beast] and his image [the image which the devil will
set up] and receives his mark [a tattoo] 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. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the
presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.” (Revelation
14:9,10, insertions mine)
The timing, identity, and mission of the Antichrist and his
demons are explained throughout the Bible. For two thousand
years, God has hidden these details in plain sight because the
information is only applicable to the final generation. Thus far,
we have investigated the fifth trumpet. (Revelation 9:1-11)Now,
Chapter 7 Page 109

we need to investigate Revelation 13:11-18 because it reveals

more about the Antichrist!
If you remember, the seven-headed beast in Revelation 13:1
came up out of a sea. There is a second beast in Revelation
13:11, that comes up out of the Earth. These beasts are
separate and distinct. The seven-headed beast initially derives
its power from the people of Earth (the sea represents peoples,
multitudes, nations, and languages – Revelation 17:15).
However, the beast that comes up out of the Earth (Abyss) does
not need humanity to give it power! The beast coming up from
the Earth is the angel Lucifer whom God cast into the Earth
on Resurrection Sunday. (Revelation 12:9, KJV) Historically,
I have called this beast the “lamb-like beast,” but I now think
he should be called the “God-like beast.”* This new title is

*Note: Paul said the man of lawlessness “will oppose and

will exalt himself over everything that is called
God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself
up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be
God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:4) Think about this: If
the devil appears on Earth as Jesus Christ, Jews,
Muslims, and Hindus would not be inclined to receive
or worship him. However, if from the beginning of the
Great Tribulation, the religious leaders of the world
convince their followers that there is only one God
called by different titles, the stage is set for the devil’s
deception! When the devil appears on Earth claiming to
be “Almighty God,” the religious systems of the world
will be ready to receive him because he is one God,
having different titles! He does not favor any particular
religious system or theology. Notice this specification:
Paul said the devil “will oppose and exalt himself over
everything that is called God or is worshiped” and
this language has to include the Christian God, Jesus
Christ. Therefore, I have had to modify my thinking
and I now call the second beast in Revelation 13, “the
God-like beast.” This is a subtle, but important update.
Page 110 Chapter 7

more appropriate because the devil will travel about the world
masquerading as Almighty God. John does not describe the
beast coming up from the Earth other than to say that it had
two horns like the Lamb, but it spoke like the dragon. These
two clues are enough to determine who the beast actually is!
John saw Jesus represented as a Lamb in Revelation 5 and
noticed that Jesus had seven horns (representing all power)
and seven eyes (all seeing) in that scene. (Revelation 5:6) With
this in mind, consider John’s report in Revelation 13:11 and on-
ward: “Then I saw another beast, coming out of the Earth
[actually, he came up out of the Abyss where he had been
confined]. He had two horns [he will exercise authority over
religion and politics] like a [the] Lamb [John doesn’t actually
say, “like a lamb” in the Greek text. The indefinite article “a”
is supplied by translators, but they should have used the defi-
nite article “the.” The Greek language sometimes uses nouns
without an article when referring to a previously identified sub-
ject. John saw the Lamb of God in Revelation 5:6 and He had
seven horns. In Revelation 13:11 John saw a beast that had
two horns like [the] Lamb, but he spoke like a [the] dragon
[again, John did not include the indefinite article in the Greek
text. The text should read “but he spoke like the dragon.” Prior
to Revelation 13, John saw the great red dragon in chapter 12,
and the beast in Revelation 13 speaks like the dragon because
he is the great red dragon!]. . . And he [the God-like beast, an
impostor of Almighty God] performed great and miraculous
signs, even causing fire to come down from Heaven to
Earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was
given power to do on behalf of the first beast [the seven-
headed beast], he deceived the inhabitants of the Earth
[into thinking that he was indeed, Almighty God]. [After the
five months allotted to the fifth trumpet, the angel having the
sixth trumpet sounded his trumpet and the devil was given
authority to kill his adversaries.] He ordered them [his wor-
shipers] to set up an image [this image will be a one-world
church/state, a theocracy, a likeness of the chaotic church/
Chapter 7 Page 111

state created by the leaders of Babylon. The Antichrist will

claim he was doing this] in honor of the [seven-headed] beast
who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He [the
Antichrist] was given power [from God] to give breath to
the image [so that his one-world church/state exercised even
greater authority than that] of the first beast, so that it [e.g.,
the devil’s government] could speak [with absolute authority]
and cause all who refused to [obey its laws and] worship
the image to be killed.” (Revelation 13:11,13-15 insertions
mine)
When the sixth trumpet sounds, the devil will abruptly change
persona and character because God will permit him to kill
a third of mankind. Moving quickly and masquerading as
Almighty God, he will demand that a theocracy be formed.
Obviously, there can be no room for religious diversity or
multiple governments on Earth when God Himself lives among
men! Lucifer will set himself up as King of kings (Head of
State) and Lord of lords (Head of Religion) and no human can
stop him. He will demand that anyone who refuses to obey
and worship the image (his counterfeit theocracy) to be killed.
The devil will then abolish and outlaw the world’s religions
and governments to make his dominion complete and, in the
process, his forces will kill about two billion people who resist. I
estimate the death toll will be two billion people assuming the
population of the world is six billion at that time!
During the sixth trumpet, the devil will make sure there
will be one faith, one Lord, and one baptism on Earth. The
144,000 will counter this global development by announcing a
third message that will be highly inflammatory: “If anyone
worships the [God-like] beast and [obeys] his image
[his government] and receives his mark [a tattoo] on the
forehead or on the [right] hand, he, too, will drink of the
wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength
into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with
burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of
the Lamb.” (Revelation 14:9,10, insertions mine)
Page 112 Chapter 7

The Mark of the Beast

If a person wishes to properly understand the mark of the
beast, he has to understand a few prerequisites. For example,
he needs to appreciate the primitive conditions throughout
the Earth caused by the devastation of the first four trumpets
(electrical grids will be in ruins and travel, transportation,
and communication will be very limited). Then, he also needs
to understand the glorious arrival of the Antichrist with his
demons and their efforts to deceive the world into thinking that
Lucifer is Almighty God. Finally, he needs to understand the
devil’s cruel move to take control of the world. Lucifer will kill
one third of mankind and human beings will be unable to stop
him.
To set up his theocracy, the devil (the Antichrist, the God-like
beast, the beast from the abyss) will abolish the religions and
governments of the world. He will then divide the world into
ten segments and establish a “puppet” king over each segment
as a taskmaster. The devil will commission these kings with a
fake project to “build God’s kingdom on Earth.” He will demand
that everyone must work on “building up the kingdom” by
resorting to an ancient and primitive method for dealing with
large numbers of people. (Exodus 18:24-26; Numbers 31:48-54;
Deuteronomy 1:15; 1 Samuel 22:7; 1 Chronicles 27:1) He will
require the ten kings to divide their subjects into groups of one
thousand. One person will be chosen from each group to serve
as captain. Each captain will announce that the first 666 people
willing to receive a “666” tattoo on the right hand can live.
All others must be put to death. This is how and when one-
third of mankind will be killed. (Revelation 9:15) (999 people
minus 333 people equals 666 people.) This gruesome tactic will
work because it will expose and eliminate those who have the
slightest reservation about worshiping the devil and obeying
his laws. Those who rush to be included with the first 666 will
be rewarded with their lives.
The phrase “the mark of the beast” is a popular, but poor,
translation from the Greek language. The phrase should be
Chapter 7 Page 113

translated, “the engraving of the beast.” The Greek word

charagma is translated “mark” in English, but it means
an engraving, such as an engraving on a tombstone or an
engraving in the flesh. A branding or tattoo fits this definition
A tattoo is a simple, low tech, easy way to manage people in
large numbers. Hitler tattooed millions of prisoners during
the primitive conditions of World War II and the devil will
do the same. A tattoo is not subject to theft or counterfeiting
and it is not reversible or transferable. A person must display
a tattoo showing “666” on his right hand to conduct business
(what little buying and selling will be possible). Given the dire
circumstances on Earth at the time of the sixth trumpet, it is
easy to understand how the devil will be able to control people
at that time.
The devil will be delighted to kill a third of mankind because
his cruelty and ruthlessness will intimidate the survivors.
Everyone will tremble at the authority and power of the
“stern-faced king” (Daniel 8:23) when they realize that he has
absolute control over life and death. Each person who receives
the devil’s tattoo will be reminded that he can only live as long
as he worships and obeys his demonic master/monster! The
devil has no compassion and love for human beings. He thrives
on pleasure derived from torturing and destroying his subjects.
His depth of twisted evil and cruel hatred for the Father and
everything Jesus has created is impossible for humans to
comprehend.
The 144,000 Proclaim Their Fourth and Final Message
To save themselves from death, billions of wicked people will
scramble to receive the dreaded “mark of the beast,” which will
be tattooed on the right hand. Tattoos have been used since
ancient times to mark slaves, and everyone receiving the tattoo
will literally become a slave by choice. Life is precious . . . Life
is everything . . . or is it? When it comes to doing evil, can evil
be justified or is faith in God required? The book of Revelation
holds a profound lesson: When people reach a point where they
Page 114 Chapter 7

value life more than standing up for righteousness, the Creator

of life determines such people are unfit for life! To demonstrate
this lesson, Jesus will permit the devil to kill millions of His
saints during the sixth trumpet. These martyrs will choose
death rather than knowingly do evil. (Revelation 12:11) This is
the profound difference between sheep and goats.
Those who serve as captains and officials in the devil’s
theocracy will receive the 666 tattoo on their right hand, but
they will also receive a tattoo on their foreheads to show their
superior rank in the devil’s government. The tattoo on the
forehead will be a name that the devil will declare after he
physically appears (Revelation 13:17); a blatant counterfeit of
what God intends to do for His servants. The Bible says the
144,000 will wear the names of the Father and Jesus on their
foreheads after they go to Heaven. (Revelation 14:1; 22:4)
When the mark of the beast is offered, the 144,000 will
give their final message to the world and it will cost most
of them, if not all, their lives. “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon
the Great! She has become a home for demons and a
haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean
and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk
the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the
Earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants
of the Earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries. . .
Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share
in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her
plagues; for her sins are piled up to Heaven, and God
has remembered her crimes. Give back to her as she
has given; pay her back double for what she has done.
Mix her a double portion from her own cup. Give her as
much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave
herself.” (Revelation 18:2-7)
The Bible describes Lucifer’s theocracy in Revelation 17 as a
great prostitute, riding on (directing) the seven-headed beast.
This caricature indicates that everyone who goes along with the
Chapter 7 Page 115

mark of the beast is essentially a prostitute. A prostitute is a

person without morals or virtue; someone willing to exchange
his or her soul for gain even when they know doing so is wrong.
When the devil offers the mark of the beast, billions of people
who refused to love truth, who refused to trust and obey Jesus,
will knowingly and willingly sell their souls and bodies to the
devil to survive, but their survival will be short lived.
The Seventh Trumpet
The rush to be counted among the first 666 people to receive
the mark of the beast will complete the separation of the sheep
from the goats. The saints will have God’s seal and the wicked
will have the mark of the beast. After each person has made
the choice of whom he will worship, Jesus will pronounce
a solemn benediction. His gracious offer of salvation which
began the day Adam and Eve sinned will end. Jesus will say,
“Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him
who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right
continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue
to be holy.” (Revelation 22:11) Three and one-half days after
this benediction, the seventh trumpet will sound. “Then
God’s temple in Heaven was opened, and within His
temple was seen the Ark of His Covenant. And there
came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder,
an earthquake and a great hailstorm.” (Revelation 11:19)
After God’s offer of salvation has ended and the seventh
trumpet sounds, the final curse (third woe) will begin. This
curse is the seven bowls containing God’s wrath Jesus will use
to impose crushing vengeance on the wicked. As King of Kings
and Lord of Lords, He will repay the wicked for their rebellion
and for the way they mistreated His saints. An angel will say of
Jesus, “You are just in these judgments, You who are and
who were, the Holy One, because You have so judged.”
(Revelation 16:5)
Jesus Will Not Touch Earth
The Second Coming occurs during the seventh bowl. Many
Christians have not carefully considered Jesus’ words: “In my
Page 116 Chapter 7

Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would

have told you. I am going there [Heaven] to prepare a
place for you. And if I go [to Heaven] and prepare a place
for you, I will come back [to Earth] and take you to be
with me that you also may be [in Heaven] where I am
[I live now].” (John 14:2,3 insertions and italics mine) The
words of Jesus are particularly important because you need to
know that Jesus will not touch Earth at the Second Coming.
Instead, when Jesus returns, He will hover in the sky so that
every eye will see Him as Earth rotates beneath. (Revelation
1:7) Jesus will not remain here when He returns at the Second
Coming. This is why the saints will be “caught up to meet
the Lord in the air.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17) Jesus and the
saints will leave Earth and travel to Heaven where they will
live together in His Father’s house, the holy city called New
Jerusalem, for 1,000 years.
 Chapter 8
Seven Bowls
The Bible indicates the seven bowls, also called the seven last
plagues, will begin on the day following the seventh trumpet.
I anticipate the seven bowls will last for 70 days, possibly ten
days per bowl. Jesus and the Father will appear in billowing
clouds of glory and flashes of lightning during the seventh
bowl. (Matthew 26:64; Revelation 6:16,17) The armies of Earth
will attempt to destroy Jesus as He draws near to Earth, but
Jesus will speak and all of Lucifer’s government officials will be
thrown into a lake of fire. Jesus will speak a second time and
the rest of the wicked will drop dead. The book of Revelation
represents Jesus’ power to kill people through speech alone
as a sword that comes out of His mouth. (Revelation 19:15-21)
These seven last plagues are God’s vengeance on the wicked
for defiant rebellion and the cruel treatment they imposed on
His saints. (Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30) Graciously, the
righteous will be untouched. (Daniel 12:1)
Consider the punishment that comes with each bowl (Revelation 16):
Bowl 1: Jesus will make festering boils develop on everyone
having the mark of the beast. (Biblical parallel, see Exodus
9:8-11, Deuteronomy 28:35.)
Bowl 2: Jesus will turn the oceans to blood and everything in
them will die. The oceans will no longer provide seafood.
Imagine the horrific stench. Hundreds of millions of wicked
people will die from disease or starvation. (Biblical parallel,
see Exodus 7:15-21)
Bowl 3: Jesus will turn the springs and rivers to blood. Many
wicked people, especially those who participated in the
saints’ martyrdom, will suffer and die from thirst.
Bowl 4: The Sun will scorch wicked people with searing heat
and many will die.
Page 118 Chapter 8

Bowl 5: Jesus will strike all the people who work for the
devil’s government with painful blindness. Their eyes will
rot in their sockets, their tongues will rot in their mouths,
and their flesh will rot on their bones causing excruciating
pain. (Biblical parallel, see Zechariah 14:12.) Millions will
die. This plague will unmask the devil who claims to be
“Almighty God.” The wicked will realize that Lucifer is
a fake; he cannot stop the plagues or the destruction of
his government! The wicked will have to admit that the
144,000 were correct in saying that the glorious being
masquerading as the Almighty was the devil, the father
of liars, the false prophet. This bowl is very important for
the saints because it ends the forty-two months allotted for
persecution. When Satan’s government is destroyed, there
will be no one hunting or persecuting the saints.
Bowl 6: Even after his government is destroyed, the devil is
not finished with his rebellion. When the sixth bowl occurs,
the ten kings will clearly know the devil’s true identity.
Knowing this, the devil will send his three most powerful
demons to visit the kings. The demons will implore the
kings to join with the devil in waging war against Jesus
when he appears. The demons will perform great miracles
and argue that it will be the kings’ last and only chance
to save themselves from death. The Bible predicts the ten
kings will go along with the devil to save their own lives.
They will activate their armies to destroy the Creator of
Heaven and Earth when He appears!
Bowl 7: Armageddon will be a fatal war for the enemies of
Jesus. The armies of the Earth will use whatever weapons
they have to assault Jesus and the Father, but their efforts
will do nothing. As Jesus draws closer, He will speak and
the wicked will die. Afterwards, He will resurrect the
saints; and together with the living saints (a few saints
will remain alive through the Great Tribulation) they will
ascend to Heaven on Day 1,335. (Daniel 12:12,13)
The seven last plagues will not affect those having God’s seal.
The angel said to Daniel: “But at that time your people --
Chapter 8 Page 119

everyone whose name is found written in the book -- will

be delivered.” (Daniel 12:1) “A thousand may fall at your
side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not
come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and
see the punishment of the wicked.” (Psalm 91:7,8)
Armageddon - The Battle of the End
A lot of confusion exists about Armageddon. This battle will
occur during the seventh bowl (the final ten days of Earth’s
history). The word, Armageddon, comes from two Greek
words that are joined together, “har megiddon” and they are
transliterated into the word, “Armageddon.” The two words
mean “Mount Megiddo” or the “mountain of Megiddo.” When
John received the vision that makes up the book of Revelation,
the ancient city of Megiddo (located about 19 miles from
modern Haifa in northern Israel today) was well known for its
ruins. For centuries, the city had been a landmark in Israel. At
one time, Megiddo had been a proud and prosperous city sitting
on a mountain top. Because of its location it had a natural
defense. However, in 586 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar reduced it to
ruins and it was never rebuilt. It was common knowledge in
Israel that Pharaoh Neco’s forces killed King Josiah in a battle
near Mount Megiddo. The Lord told Josiah to avoid Pharaoh,
but Josiah went out to fight a battle that should not have been
fought and it cost him his life. (2 Chronicles 35)
The battle of Armageddon is neither concerned with a physical
location in the Middle East, as many people suspect, nor will it
be a mystic or spiritual battle. The battle is called Armageddon
because God wants us to learn three lessons from the ruins of
“Mount Meggido.” First, Armageddon will be a battle that should
not be fought! Earthly kings and their armies will knowingly
and willingly join forces with the devil and his demons to
foolishly make war against the King of Kings, and they will
suffer the same fate as King Josiah. Second, the battle of
Armageddon will leave the whole world in ruins the same way
that Nebuchadnezzar’s armies left Mount Meggido in total ruins.
Third, when Armageddon ends, Earth will remain desolate
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for one thousand years in the same way that Mount Meggido
remained desolate for centuries! The prophet Zephaniah wrote
about the great Day of the Lord saying, “Neither their silver
nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the
Lord’s wrath. In the fire of His jealousy the whole world
will be consumed, for He will make a sudden end of all
who live in the Earth.” (Zephaniah 1:18)
God’s Purposes for Armageddon
After the fifth bowl occurs and the kings of Earth realize that
they were duped into believing that Lucifer was Almighty God,
the ten kings will agree to join forces with the devil and his
demons to save themselves from death. If you think it farfetched
that men and angels would war against God, remember Jesus
on the cross and the war in Heaven between Lucifer and
Michael. (Revelation 12:7-9) These wars reveal that when the
sinful nature is confronted with God’s will, it would rather kill
God (if possible) than to obey and worship Him! This is what the
curse of sin does to every sinner and why the Great Tribulation
will consist of a war over worship!
Armageddon will be an interesting war between the Creator
and those He created, the very people who borrow life
from Him! When we consider this battle to destroy Jesus
and consider the cross and God’s efforts to save sinners,
Armageddon reveals why God has to completely eliminate sin
and those who love it from the universe. The curse of sin is a
predatory virus from which there is no recovery except through
the “born again” experience. If a person exercises his free will
and refuses to listen to the Holy Spirit, refuses to be born again
or worship his Creator, Jesus must protect the universe from
such people by destroying them. Earth’s history proves there
is enmity between the children of the woman and the serpent.
(Genesis 3:15) When sinners controlled by the sinful nature are
allowed to live, they always prey on the weak or the righteous.
The children of the serpent persecute the sons of God just as
Cain killed Abel. The enmity between the seed of the serpent
and the seed of the woman is endless.
 Chapter 9
Ark of His Covenant

Chapter 7 focused on the fifth and sixth trumpets (the physical

appearing of the Antichrist and the establishment of Lucifer’s
theocracy, including the mark of the beast). Chapter 8 focused
on the seven bowls ending with the battle of Armageddon and
the destruction of all of the wicked at the Second Coming. Now
that you have an overview of these topics, we need to backtrack
a little to discuss a very important development that happens
when the seventh trumpet sounds (Day 1,264).
When the seventh trumpet sounds, “Then God’s temple in
Heaven was opened [His temple in Heaven was exposed
to the people on Earth], and within His temple was seen
the Ark of His Covenant. And there came flashes of
lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake
and a great hailstorm.” (Revelation 11:19, insertions mine)
By now, you should be aware that God’s temple is located
in Heaven and the physical events (the flashes of lightning,
rumblings, peals of thunders, earthquake and hailstorm) that
occur at the seventh trumpet are the same physical phenomena
that occur at the beginning of the seven trumpets. (Revelation
8:5-7) These same physical phenomena occur again at the end
of the seven bowls! (Revelation 16:18-21) Jesus will use the
same display of divine power to start the seven trumpets, to
start the seven bowls, and to end the Great Tribulation. Each
display will come with increased ferocity. In fact, Jesus will
move every mountain and island out of its place during His
final display of sovereign authority. (Revelation 16:17-21)
When the seventh trumpet sounds, the sky will open as a scroll
and everyone will see God’s temple in Heaven! Each person will
also notice a small golden box called the “Ark of His Covenant”
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and the two groups of people viewing this scene from Earth will
have opposite reactions.
The saints will be thrilled to see the Ark of His Covenant
because its physical presence in Heaven’s temple is a token
of a promise that Jesus made long ago. When Adam and Eve
sinned, Jesus promised a day would come when He would
remove the sinful nature from His children and write His laws
in their hearts and minds. (Genesis 3:15; Deuteronomy 30:5,6;
Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 11:19,20; 36:26,27; Hebrews 8:10-
12) The importance, beauty, and value of this promise belong
to those who desperately want to overcome their sinful nature.
The curse of sin keeps us from doing the things we want to do,
and doing the things we do not want to do. (Romans 7:14-25)
When Jesus reveals the Ark of His Covenant, He will replace
the sinful nature of each saint with the seal of the living God!
Each saint will know that Jesus has fulfilled His promise!
For them, the Ark of His Covenant represents God’s enduring
faithfulness, His amazing grace, His eternal truth, and
unfathomable love.
The wicked, on the other hand, will stand in awe and tremble.
They will stare at the glorious temple in Heaven and correctly
sense this spectacular event is an omen of punishment to come;
in fact, the seven bowls will begin the following day. As the
wicked gaze on the Ark of His Covenant, they will remember
the freshly tattooed number, “666” showing on their right
hand and recall the four inflammatory messages given by
the 144,000. They will understand their guilt is on their own
heads because the 144,000 spoke often and boldly about the
importance of the Creator’s Ten Commandments. No one will
dismiss, ignore, or mock the “higher” authority of God’s law
on this day. The wicked will feel every ounce of their guilt’s
damning weight.
A Third Temple?
Paul said the man of lawlessness will “set himself up
in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” (2
Thessalonians 2:4) Many people read Paul’s words and
Chapter 9 Page 123

conclude that a third temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem before

the Second Coming, because, they reason, “God’s temple” must
exist before the Antichrist can set himself up in it. These ideas
are naïve and misguided.
There will not be a third temple. Jesus will not permit the
Jews to rebuild the temple; Jesus told the Jews before He left
Earth that their temple was left to them “desolate.” (Matthew
23:38,39) This means that Jesus (who is the God of the Old
Testament – Isaiah 44:6; Revelation 1:17,18) would never again
enter a man-made temple. He would serve in Heaven’s temple
only. (Hebrews 8:2)
To ensure that a temple honoring Jehovah would never be
rebuilt on Temple Mount, Jesus gave the site over to the
Muslims who built the Al-Aqsa Mosque and a shrine called
“The Dome of the Rock” about A.D. 700. It has been under
Muslim control since A.D. 1187. Given the importance of this
site and these buildings to 1.5 billion Muslims, there is no
possibility that a Jewish temple will be rebuilt on Temple
Mount. More importantly, even if the Jews did manage to
build a third temple on Temple Mount, it would not be God’s
temple! The Bible plainly teaches that Jesus serves in the true
temple of God which is now located in Heaven. (Hebrews 8:1-
5) This is why Jesus will show the true temple and the Ark of
His Covenant to the world at the seventh trumpet! (Revelation
11:19)
The following phrase also leads many people astray, Paul
wrote, “He [the man of lawlessness] sets himself up in
God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” This
phrase should be understood theologically, not literally,
because God’s temple is not on Earth. When the devil (the
man of lawlessness) appears, he will claim to be Almighty
God and perform amazing miracles to support his deception.
Theologically speaking, “he will set himself up in God’s temple”
by demanding and receiving worship that belongs only to God.
To gain the honor and worship that belongs only to deity, the
devil will perform awesome acts of deception for five months.
Page 124 Chapter 9

(Revelation 13:13,14; 9:5) When the five months are over, at

the sixth trumpet the devil will suddenly change character
and become a ruthless and diabolical dictator. He will abolish
the religions and governments of the world to set up a one-
world church/state. This government will serve as the devil’s
theocracy. He will rule the world with sovereign authority
as King of kings and Lord of lords. This development is the
ultimate pressure put on wicked people who still have free
will. He wants the wicked to wake up and see the devil’s true
character, observe the many harsh and impossible demands
which the devil will make, repent of their rebellion, and be
saved. Speaking through the 144,000, Jesus will tell the
wicked that a God of love does not do such things! The struggle
between Christ and Satan over souls during the sixth trumpet
will be intense. Can you imagine the demonic hilarity and
revelry that will go on when the devil meets with his demons
behind closed doors to discuss their many successes?
A Promise Is Embedded in the Ten Commandments
About three months after the Exodus, Jesus descended on
Mt. Sinai. He fashioned two tablets of stone and wrote the
Ten Commandments on them with His finger. (Exodus 31:18;
32:15,16) Jesus did not create these commandments at Mt. Si-
nai because they and the two laws upon which they are based
(Matthew 22:37-40) are from everlasting to everlasting. (Psalm
119:160) Jesus then called Moses to climb up the mountain so
He could give Moses the tablets. After spending forty days and
nights with God, Moses descended the mountain. As he neared
the camp, he heard a commotion and saw thousands of Isra-
elites dancing around a golden calf. Moses was overwhelmed,
then became furious and righteously indignant. He had just
been in God’s holy presence for forty days and Israel’s apostasy
was more than Moses could bear. How could Abraham’s descen-
dants, whom God had just delivered from centuries of slavery
with mighty miracles, do such a thing in God’s presence? In
frustration, He threw down the tablets and they shattered. It is
ironic that the Israelites broke the law with idolatry but Moses
destroyed the tablets out of righteous anger.
Chapter 9 Page 125

Later, the Lord commanded Moses to fashion two tablets of

stone and bring them up the mountain so that He could rewrite
the words that were on the first tablets. Given that Moses
was eighty years old, I imagine the weight of the tablets was
a physical reminder that God’s law is a weighty matter. Once
again, “Moses was there with the Lord forty days and
forty nights without eating bread or drinking water.
And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant
- the Ten Commandments.” (Exodus 34:28) Notice, the Ten
Commandments are called “the covenant.” Do you know why?
Jesus spoke the Ten Commandments to Adam and Eve after
they sinned. (Hosea 6:6,7; Romans 5:12) Prior to Adam and
Eve’s sin, the Ten Commandments were written in their hearts
and minds and they naturally did everything written in the
law. There was no need for the Ten Commandments to be
written in Eden. No one questioned the law in the same way no
one questions the natural law of gravity. Until Adam and Eve
sinned, they were in perfect harmony with God and His Ten
Commandments.
Years later, the Bible says that Enoch and Noah “walked
with God.” We can be sure that Jesus explained the Ten
Commandments to them because the patriarchs were
responsible for passing the knowledge of God, His laws,
statutes, and ordinances to their descendants. (Deuteronomy
4:9) Over time, subsequent generations ignored this spiritual
responsibility and the patriarchs allowed their sinful natures to
lead them “into lusting after the flesh.” (Genesis 6:1-3; Romans
8:14; 1 John 2:16,17) Within a mere ten generations, humanity
largely forgot the Ten Commandments so evil flourished.
Violence and sexual immorality became so great that Jesus
destroyed the world with a flood in Noah’s day. (Genesis 6:5)
About one thousand years after the flood, Jesus took those
same laws that had once been within Adam and Eve’s hearts
and turned them into a promise (a covenant). Many people do
not understand this promise. Jesus promised Adam and Eve
that one day He would restore them and all of their faithful
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descendants to the sinless state they once enjoyed. He promised

to restore His laws in the hearts of all who would live by
faith. Those who died without receiving the fulfillment of this
promise will receive it (the covenant) at their resurrection. For
those who live during the Great Tribulation, Jesus will fulfill
the covenant by removing the sinful nature after they pass
a test of faith. This test includes accepting and obeying the
fourth commandment and being persecuted for doing so. When
there is a price to pay for obedience, faith in God is tested.
Remember the fiery furnace test that Meshach, Shadrach, and
Abednego faced.
When God’s laws are written in our hearts and minds, we
will naturally want to do the things written in the Ten
Commandments just as Adam and Eve did before they sinned.
(Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:10-12; Romans 7 & 8) However,
for as long as the sinful nature is within us, we will do what
it wants on occasion. (Romans 7:9-25; 8:5-12) Therefore, Jesus
made the Ten Commandments a covenant, a promise that He
would fulfill near the end of the age.
The Ten Commandments were always kept out of sight,
secreted in the Most Holy Place of the temple. Other than
Moses and those people who saw him descend Mt. Sinai,
very few people have actually seen the Ten Commandments.
Normally, the High Priest was the only person who ever came
physically close to the Ten Commandments unless the Ark was
being moved. On occasion when Israel traveled, the priests
covered the Ark with the temple veil and the Ark led the way
as the nation followed about one-half mile behind it. (Joshua
3:4) Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest
entered the Most Holy Place, but even on that holy day, God
did not permit the high priest to look inside the golden Ark of
the Covenant.
God kept the Ten Commandments out of sight because He
wanted to display the Ten Commandments (which represent
His character and ways) through the lives of His people!
God wanted a nation who loved advancing truth, a nation
Chapter 9 Page 127

energized by fresh experiences in faith. God wanted a nation

who respected His laws as infallible guides to happiness
and nobility of character. God also kept the Ark and the Ten
Commandments out of sight because He did not want Israel
honoring or worshiping sacred relics or idols. In fact, the
second commandment forbids sacred pictures, images, and
statues. (Exodus 20:4-6) God did not want His people to become
legalistic and arrogant, thinking that they were superior to
other nations because they had possession of a holy relic or
special knowledge. Through the ages, God sent His prophets
to Israel to keep the nation on track, but Israel killed most of
them. The sinful nature hates divine correction! God wanted
Israel to worship and love Him with all its heart, mind, and
soul, and to love their neighbors as themselves. (Matthew
22:37-40) God wanted Israel to be a special kingdom of people
on Earth where Heaven’s rules were applied; a kingdom
where the trustees of His gospel genuinely loved God and one
another as the angels in Heaven love God and one another.
Unfortunately, Israel rejected many opportunities to be God’s
special people on Earth and God’s patience finally ran out.
The Ten Commandments Are Universal
God gave the Ten Commandments through Israel to all people
in the same way He gave Jesus through Israel for all sinners.
The Ten Commandments contain a promise to those who
will receive the Holy Spirit and a curse for those who reject
it. If we allow the Holy Spirit to awaken our spiritual nature
and show us our need of a Savior, if we allow the Spirit to
create the new birth experience within us, the Spirit will give
us a strong desire to overcome the sinful nature so that we
can live in harmony with God’s laws. If we refuse the Holy
Spirit and allow our sinful nature to rule over us, we may
enjoy sin’s pleasures for a while, but the Ten Commandments
will condemn us as sinners, and the penalty for sin is death.
(Romans 6:23) It is ironic that the Ten Commandments are a
law for some people and a promise for others. Our relationship
with the Holy Spirit determines the difference.
Page 128 Chapter 9

God knows that the devil tempts well-intentioned sinners into

thinking that living a legally righteous life leads to salvation,
but such a relationship with the Ten Commandments is toxic.
Obeying the Ten Commandments cannot produce eternal life.
Each sinner needs a Savior because no sinner can save himself.
Instead, salvation comes through faith. Salvific faith means
doing what is right in God’s sight and leaving the consequences
with Him.
Faith in God starts with a humble attitude – a willingness to
go, to be and to do all that God requires. (Proverbs 6:16-24;
Matthew 5-7) This attitude produces good fruit. (Matthew 7:17-
20; Galatians 5:22,23) At God’s appointed time, He will justify
those who live by faith! (Romans 3:28; Hebrews 11:6) Prior to
Paul’s conversion, he had a toxic relationship with God’s law.
(Philippians 3:4-6) Many Christians today suffer from the same
relationship. This may sound strange, but many Christians
actually suffer from a toxic relationship with God’s grace!
When Paul discovered the Ten Commandments were spiritual
in nature and that his sinful nature was religiously oriented
(Romans 7 & 8), his relationship with God and his perception
of God’s law dramatically changed. Paul went from pursuing
righteousness through obedience to the law, to pursuing
salvation through faith in God and loving his neighbors as
himself. His love for and faith in Jesus empowered Paul to
suffer often at the hands of Israel’s leaders. He was able to
leave legalism and Judaism behind when he learned that God
justifies those who live by faith. Many Christians do not read
enough of Paul’s writings to understand his thoughts. They
read a short passage and come to the erroneous conclusion
that Paul was opposed to obeying the Ten Commandments.
This was not the case. After Paul’s conversion, he was opposed
to obeying God’s laws as a means to salvation. Paul stressed
in his writings that a person must follow the Holy Spirit and
when the Spirit convicts a person to do something, he must
obey regardless of the price! This is the essence of living by
faith. Of course, the Spirit of God will never lead a person to
violate God’s laws. God is so generous. Millions of people have
Chapter 9 Page 129

lived and died and the Holy Spirit did not reveal or give them
any particular conviction about the first four commandments!
Therefore, these people have no guilt in God’s sight. God
winked at their ignorance. (Acts 17:30,31) However, when
the time comes for “present truth” to be proclaimed and new
light is announced from God’s Word, God will hold everyone
accountable according to his response to the Holy Spirit. There
is a world of difference between obeying God’s laws to be saved
(that is, rewarded) and obeying God’s laws because the Holy
Spirit within you has convicted you to do so (regardless of the
consequences)!
Paul discovered that faith in God means surrender to God’s
will in a spiritual sense, first, and in a physical sense, second.
If a person does not steal because the law says not to steal,
this is legalism. If a person does not steal because he loves his
neighbor as himself, the motive comes from love and this is the
intent of the law. If a person keeps the seventh day Sabbath
holy because the law demands it, this is legalism. If he keeps
the seventh day Sabbath holy (even when persecuted for his
faith) because he wants to keep the Sabbath out of love for God,
his motive is love and God is pleased. Such a person’s Sabbath
rest experience is wonderful. When situations arise and we are
tempted to disobey God to avoid embarrassment or loss, this
is when our motives reveal whether we are legalists or led by
the Spirit. Again, the Bible is clear. Keeping the law cannot
produce salvation. Obeying the Holy Spirit’s voice and doing
right in God’s sight, without regard for the consequences, is the
road to salvation and unfortunately few find it. (Matthew 7:13)
Is the Ark on Earth or in Heaven?
Some Bible scholars believe that between 605 and 586 B.C,
a group of priests at Jeremiah’s bidding hid the Ark of the
Covenant to keep it safe from the advancing Babylonians. It
is fair to say that currently, no one knows where Jeremiah hid
the Ark (the GPS coordinates have not been published). People
have made claims and written books purporting to know the
location of the Ark, but I think they are fake. I believe the
Page 130 Chapter 9

original Ark of the Covenant, built by Bezalel at the base of Mt.

Sinai, is not on Earth. The Father took the Ark to Heaven after
Jesus ascended because services in Heaven’s temple require
the Ark of His Covenant. (Hebrews 9:24)
Please consider the following thoughts concerning the location
of the Ark:
1. During the Great Tribulation, people will be unable to
travel because of badly damaged roads, dams, and bridges.
Fuel for travel will be scarce or non-existent. People will be
unable to communicate due to inoperable power grids, cell
towers, radios, television, internet, and limited electricity.
This isolation will separate people and nations into small
geographic areas. There would be no purpose to reveal the
Ark in or near Jerusalem during the Great Tribulation
when very few people would hear about it and even fewer
would get to see it. Revelation 11:19 predicts God will
deliberately show the Ark from the sky at the seventh
trumpet so that everyone on Earth will see it! A local
discovery would not fulfill such a divine objective.
2. If someone finds the Ark of the Covenant on Earth prior
to the Great Tribulation, it would be a sensational find,
gaining worldwide attention for a few days. However,
an archaeological discovery would not have the spiritual
significance that goes with the display of the Ark at the
seventh trumpet. The Ark would be considered a religious
relic which belongs to the Jews. They would take possession
and immediately hide it from view; the way it was hidden
during Bible times. Additionally, if someone finds the
Ark before the Great Tribulation begins, it would have no
moral or spiritual importance for most of the seven billion
people on Earth. This is because most of mankind does not
recognize God’s Ten Commandments as God’s will. In fact,
most Christians consider the Ten Commandments to be
part of the Jewish religion in the same way a black stone
mounted into the Kaaba’s wall in Mecca is considered part
of the Muslim religion.
Chapter 9 Page 131

3. If the Ark of the Covenant is found prior to the Great

Tribulation and no one is killed when touching it (as Uzzah
was – 1 Chronicles 13:10), this would assure everyone that
the Ark is no longer holy and God’s consuming power no
longer rests on it. Many Christians would use this outcome
to prove that the Ten Commandments were abolished at
the cross. According to 1 Kings 8:9, the only items in the
Ark at the time of Solomon were the two stone tablets. If
the Ten Commandments were abolished at the cross, God
would have no reason to show an empty box to everyone at
the seventh trumpet.
4. In Bible times, the only people permitted to touch the poles
attached to the Ark were Kohath’s descendants. Before the
Ark could be moved, the high priest had to cover it because
they were not even permitted to look at it! (Numbers 4:15;
3:31) If someone finds the Ark on Earth prior to the Great
Tribulation, who could look at it and move or handle it? If
God’s consuming power no longer defends the laws which
He wrote with His own finger, the stone tablets would be
of interest only to archaeologists. They would study the
tablets, not for what they declare, but as samples of God’s
handwriting.
5. God could have easily removed the Ark from Earth in the
same way that He removed Enoch and Elijah. There will be
a war over worship during the seven trumpets. Therefore,
God will show the Ark of His Covenant at the end of the
war to vindicate the faith of His saints; to condemn the
wicked for refusing to believe His Word; and so everyone
can see that His laws are eternal and higher than all
others. Earth indeed is His footstool. (Isaiah 66:1)
It is interesting to note that Jesus will not show the Ten
Commandments at the seventh trumpet. I believe this is
because they are spiritual laws. (Romans 7:14) God’s laws
only make sense to those led by the Spirit! (1 Corinthians
2:14) Jesus promised long ago that He will write His laws
in the minds and hearts of those led by the Holy Spirit.
Page 132 Chapter 9

(Hebrews 8:10; Romans 8:14) Jesus will complete this

process during the Great Tribulation when He removes the
sinful nature of each person after he passes his test of faith.
If, during the Great Tribulation, a person wants to see what
the Ten Commandments look like, he can study the lives
of the 144,000 and those who have been sealed! When the
wicked see the Ark of His Covenant in Heaven’s temple,
anxiety will torment them similar to the night when a hand
wrote on the wall at Belshazzar’s feast. (Daniel 5:5,6)
6. Jesus will mark the completion of the judgment of the living
and the close of salvation when He displays the temple in
Heaven. (2 Corinthians 5:10) He will also show the Ark
because it represents the covenant/law He used to judge
mankind. This is intentional because Jesus will not destroy
the wicked arbitrarily. The seven bowls that follow the
temple display in Heaven will be legitimate judgments on
the wicked because they willingly and knowingly rejected
the clearest evidences of God’s will. They defiantly refused
to obey His laws, and unjustly persecuted and deliberately
hurt His innocent saints during the Great Tribulation.
God’s wrath against the wicked is declared righteous
in Revelation 16:5 when an observing angel says, “You are
just in these judgments, You who are and who were,
the Holy One, because You have so judged.”
7. Finally, some people claim the Ark used in the Earthly
temple was a copy of the Ark used in the Heavenly temple.
I cannot accept this claim because Jesus wrote the Ten
Commandments on two tablets of stone provided by Moses.
These tablets were then placed in the Ark of the Covenant
which Bezalel made. (Deuteronomy 10:4) This means the
Ten Commandments in Bezalel’s Ark are originals, not
copies. If the original Ark with the Ten Commandments
is still hidden on Earth, revealing a different Ark of the
Covenant from Heaven during the Great Tribulation would
be far less significant and impressive. I believe the Father
took Bezalel’s Ark to Heaven after Jesus ascended because
the Ten Commandments in Bezalel’s Ark will endure as
Chapter 9 Page 133

a testimony for all eternity. This explains why the Ark of

the Covenant is called, “The Ark of the Testimony” sixteen
times in the Old Testament! (Exodus 25:16) There is one
Testimony declaring God’s laws and one set of originals.
These seven points summarize why I believe the Ark in
Heaven’s temple is the only Ark that has ever existed. If my
conviction is true, this explains, in part, why God adorned this
one article of furniture when it was on Earth with brilliant
light – His consuming Shekinah presence.
Was the Sabbath Created At Mt. Sinai?
Many Christians casually agree that the Ten Commandments
are important and we should live according to them. However,
when pushed to acknowledge the requirements of the fourth
commandment they suddenly change position saying, the Ten
Commandments were abolished at the cross. Observing God’s
seventh day Sabbath rest creates a problem because those
who keep it face all kinds of headwinds. Resting on God’s
Sabbath is out-of-step and contrary to the ways of the world.
Most Christians believe it is still a sin to steal, commit murder,
commit adultery, worship idols, and take the Lord’s name in
vain, but they will not admit that it is a sin to break the fourth
commandment. They have not studied the Sabbath issue and
are surprised to learn that God made the seventh day holy long
before He gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. Jesus did
not suddenly make the seventh day holy at Mt. Sinai; He made
it holy Creation week! “Thus the Heavens and the Earth
were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh
day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on
the seventh day He rested from all His work. And God
blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on
it He rested from all the work of creating that He had
done.” (Genesis 2:1-3)
God’s Sabbath Rest was Renewed Prior to the Exodus
Some people argue there is no record of anyone keeping the
Sabbath before Mt. Sinai, but this is false. God’s Sabbath
Page 134 Chapter 9

rest became a test of faith for Israel prior to Mt. Sinai! About
2,500 years after Creation Week, the Lord sent Moses to Egypt
with this message to Israel’s elders: If the Israelites want to be
delivered from slavery, the Lord commands the Israelites to take
a three-day trip into the desert to meet with Him. Friday will be
used for travel, Sabbath will be used for worship and rest, and
Sunday will be used for the return trip. During this festival,
the nation of Israel must corporately recognize and worship
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob on His holy Sabbath
day and offer atonement sacrifices as the Lord requires. After
this festival, the Israelites must cease working on the Lord’s
Sabbath. The Bible does not explicitly state this message, but
I believe there is sufficient evidence to uncover the details.
Consider these five passages:
1. “Afterward [after informing the elders of Israel of the
Lord’s commands and after considerable speculation
among the elders about Pharaoh’s reaction to the Lord’s
commands, and after getting their agreement to proceed]
Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, ‘This
is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: “Let my
people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in
the desert.” ’ Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the Lord, that I
should obey Him and let Israel go? I do not know the
Lord and I will not let Israel go.’ Then they said, ‘The
God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take
a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices
to the Lord our God, or He may strike us with
plagues or with the sword.’ ” (Exodus 5:1-3, insertion
mine)
2. Even though Pharaoh would not permit the Jews to take
the three-day journey, the Israelites stopped working
on God’s Sabbath. When Pharaoh learned of this, he
summoned Moses and Aaron to his court. He said, “Moses
and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from
their labor? Get back to your work! Look, the people
of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping
them from working.” (Exodus 5:4,5)
Chapter 9 Page 135

3. When the Israelites stopped working on God’s Sabbath,

they challenged Pharaoh’s sovereign authority. Slaves are
not permitted to dictate anything to their owners, including
their work days or working hours! From an economic point
of view, Pharaoh did not want to kill or lose his slaves.
Rebellion always comes with a price, both to the rulers
and the resistance. Therefore, to regain control over the
situation, Pharaoh chose to increase the use of torture.
Pain can humble rebellious people. Pharaoh continued
to purchase straw from Egyptian farmers, but he no
longer required the farmers to deliver the straw as before.
Instead, the Israelites would be forced to go into the fields
and gather straw, and Pharaoh made it perfectly clear
they would have to produce the same number of bricks as
before. “The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying,
‘Complete the work required of you for each day,
just as when you had straw.’ The Israelite foremen
appointed by Pharaoh’s slave drivers were beaten
and were asked, ‘Why didn’t you meet your quota
of bricks yesterday or today, as before?’ ” (Exodus
5:13,14)
4. Week after week, the torture went on. Some of the Israelite
foremen appealed to Pharaoh to stop the harsh treatment
saying, “ ‘Your servants are given no straw, yet we are
told, “Make bricks!” Your servants are being beaten,
but the fault is with your own people.’ Pharaoh said,
‘Lazy, that’s what you are - lazy! That is why you
keep saying, “Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.” ’ ”
(Exodus 5:16-17)
5. “The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble
when they were told, ‘You are not to reduce the num-
ber of bricks required of you for each day.’ When they
left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to
meet them, and they said, ‘May the Lord look upon you
and judge [condemn] you! You have made us a stench to
Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their
hand to kill us.’ ” (Exodus 5:19-21, insertion mine)
Page 136 Chapter 9

If you understand that Jesus is changeless (Malachi 3:6) and

that He made the seventh day holy during Creation Week
(Genesis 2:1-3), the elements in this story are easy to discern.
The Children of Israel had to honor God’s holy day by resting
from their labor. Having faith in God (doing what is right in
God’s sight without regard for the consequences) was required
for deliverance from slavery! Jesus tested the Israelites to see
if they would obey Him. When a person is willing to suffer for
what he believes is God’s will, the Bible declares that person
“lives by faith.” (Romans 1:17) God tested the faith of Meshach,
Shadrach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace because they
believed the second commandment forbade worshiping idols.
God tested the whole nation of Israel when He required them
to quit making bricks on His seventh-day Sabbath. Although
Exodus 5 does not explicitly state there was a dispute between
Pharaoh and Israel over God’s Sabbath, there is no other
logical explanation why this conflict arose.
I find it interesting how the Exodus story parallels the Great
Tribulation although the events are thousands of years apart.
1. As a condition for deliverance from the bondage of sin (the
removal of the sinful nature and receiving God’s seal),
God will require the people of Earth to keep the Lord’s
Day (Saturday, the seventh day of the week) holy during
the Great Tribulation. The 144,000 will proclaim this
condition in the first message they deliver. “The hour of
His judgment has come. Worship Him who made the
Heavens, the Earth, the sea and the springs of water
[on His seventh day Sabbath].” The seven-headed beast
will behave like Pharaoh. Its laws will be contrary to God’s
laws and its penalties will be severe. This will set up a test
of faith. The sheep will say, “We must obey God rather
than men!” (Acts 5:29)
2. Law enforcement will beat, persecute, imprison, and torture
those choosing to observe God’s Sabbath rest. Many saints
will die from their punishment. However, God will give
everyone who passes His test of faith the “seal of God” and
Chapter 9 Page 137

with this gift comes freedom from the bondage of sin that
lives within us. The sinful nature will be no more! The
saints will deem this gift more wonderful and valuable than
anything on Earth. They would rather die than miss out on
this amazing gift (and many will die).
3. When the devil physically appears, he will establish a fake
“kingdom of God” (his theocracy). Each person will be forced
to worship according to the dictate of the devil. To avoid
death, billions of people will volunteer for the tattoo, the
mark of the beast, to avoid death. Everyone who receives
this mark will be assigned a task and a task master.
Lucifer’s subjects will become slaves and the devil will
literally work millions of his worshipers to death. Slaves
were marked with tattoos in ancient times by their owners
and the devil will do the same during the Great Tribulation.
Slavery is mentioned three times in Revelation (Revelation
6:15; 13:16; 19:18) because the devil will use slavery and
punishment to control his miserable subjects.
4. Finally, when Jesus appears at the Second Coming, Lucifer
and the kings of Earth with their armies will meet the same
end as Pharaoh and his army. After the waters of the Red
Sea covered Pharaoh and his army, they were seen no more.
The Sabbath Rest Test and the Manna
Because God’s Sabbath existed before the Exodus, God tested
Israel’s faith prior to speaking the fourth commandment from
Mt. Sinai. This test is described in Exodus 16 and it indicates
Israel knew that the seventh day was to be kept holy before
Jesus spoke the Ten Commandments from Mt. Sinai. The
story begins with God miraculously feeding the Israelites with
manna from Heaven each morning. For the first five days of
the week, the Lord commanded that the people should gather
enough manna for one day. However, on the sixth day, they
should gather enough manna for two days because no manna
would fall on the seventh day Sabbath. “Then the Lord said
to Moses, ‘I will rain down bread from Heaven for you.
Page 138 Chapter 9

The people are to go out each day and gather enough

for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether
they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they
are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice
as much as they gather on the other days.’ ” (Exodus
16:4,5, italics mine)
“On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much - two
omers [about two quarts] for each person - and the leaders
of the community came and reported this to Moses.
He said to them, ‘This is what the Lord commanded:
‘Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the
Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what
you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until
morning.’ So they saved it until morning, as Moses
commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it.
‘Eat it today,’ Moses said, ‘because today is a Sabbath to
the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today.
Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day,
the Sabbath, there will not be any.’ Nevertheless, some
of the people went out on the seventh day to gather
it, but they found none. Then the Lord said to Moses,
‘How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my
instructions?’ ” (Exodus 16:22-28)
Consider four interesting points:
First, some people claim that time has been lost, so there is no
possible way to know which day of the week is God’s seventh
day. This claim has no merit because 2,500 years after Creation
Week, God identified the seventh day of the week for forty
years! No manna fell on the Lord’s Day . . . the seventh day
Sabbath.
Second, Muslims regard Friday as the sixth day of the week,
a day for sermons and prayers. Jews regard Saturday, the
seventh day of the week, as their holy day. Most Christians
regard Sunday as the first day of the week, the day Jesus
was resurrected. Given that these three ancient religious
systems are in theological conflict, it is interesting that they
Chapter 9 Page 139

unanimously agree on the sequential order of the weekly cycle.

In other words, Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the sixth,
seventh and first days of the week. This universal agreement
also contradicts the claim that time has been lost. The Jews
have been worshiping on the seventh day ever since the
Exodus. If, at the time of Christ, the Jews had been observing
the Sabbath on the wrong day of the week, the Creator would
have made a correction. Instead, He actually affirmed the
timing of the seventh day when He said, “The Sabbath was
made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son
of Man [the Creator of the Sabbath] is Lord even of the
Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27,28, insertion mine)
Third, our sinful nature is naturally hostile toward God’s
laws. This is an attitude that lurks within all mankind (even
those born again) because of sin’s curse. (Romans 7) Some
of the Israelites exhibited this hostility when they went out
to gather manna on the seventh day and the Lord rebuked
them for it. Paul describes the problem this way: “Those who
live according to the sinful nature have their minds
set on what that nature desires; but those who live in
accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what
the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but
the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the
sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s
law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful
nature cannot please God.” (Romans 8:5-8) Nothing has
changed since Adam and Eve sinned. Humanity today is no
different than in ancient times. Obeying God is still difficult
for the sinful nature. Joyfully surrendering to God requires a
rebirth, a whole new creation; (2 Corinthians 5:17) and even
then, sometimes, obeying the Holy Spirit is difficult.
Finally, the claim that the fourth commandment is “Jewish”
is totally false. Committing adultery or bearing false witness
are not Jewish, so why is the fourth commandment rejected?
The seventh day was Adam and Eve’s first full day of life. Jesus
gave them His Sabbath as a day of physical rest and spiritual
renewal, a day for coming apart from their regular activities
Page 140 Chapter 9

and work. In God’s sight, there is a great difference between

a holy day and a holiday. Man creates holidays and they are
ours to do as we please, but only God can make a day holy. God
said, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but
the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On
it you shall not do any work.” Clearly, a holy day is not a
work day. God’s holy day is the seventh day of the week and we
honor Him when we rest from our work as He did at Creation.
This is where the conflict lies. The sinful nature does not want
to give God time or money. We are naturally selfish and hostile
to God’s authority. This is why God tested Israel with His
Sabbath in Egypt and again in the wilderness before He spoke
the Ten Commandments.
Did Noah and Enoch Keep the Sabbath?
Another thought I find interesting is that the Bible says
Enoch and Noah walked with God. (Genesis 5:22; 6:9) God did
not hide His Sabbath day from them. In fact, Jesus probably
walked with them on the Sabbath! I believe this is true because
Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man.” (Mark 2:27)
It is unreasonable to think that our Creator made the Sabbath
for man and did not tell Enoch and Noah about it.
Summary
Observing God’s Sabbath will create family problems, work
problems, social problems, and even unforeseen problems. I
often say that Sabbath keeping does not benefit everyone; it
really only benefits those who are led by the Spirit to see the
importance and beauty of keeping it. Keeping the Sabbath
will not merit salvation any more than keeping the other
nine commandments. However, when God’s Sabbath becomes
a spiritual delight and the highlight of the week, we know
that we are on the right track. Jesus spoke to Israel through
Isaiah saying, “ ‘If you keep your feet from breaking the
Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day
honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own
way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
Chapter 9 Page 141

then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause
you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the
inheritance of your father Jacob.’ The mouth of the Lord
has spoken.” (Isaiah 58:13,14)
The coming war over worship will last forty-two months.
(Revelation 13:5) A great conflict will arise over God’s Sabbath
which will become a global test of faith. In some places,
the Sabbath is already a test of faith! God’s people will be
persecuted and ridiculed for no other reason than resting on
God’s Sabbath. The devil will do everything within his power
to make the seventh day an object of contempt because he does
not want anyone worshiping Jesus! When God shows the Ark
of His Covenant from Heaven’s temple, those who have passed
the test of faith will rejoice when they see the reality of what
they believed to be true. Their faith will become fact. On the
other hand, those who rebelled against the law of God will
be shocked when they see “the handwriting on the wall.” The
wicked will realize their doom and soon drink the seven bowls
of God’s wrath.
Page 142 Chapter 9
 Appendix
Sunday Is Not Sacred

To be as clear as possible, I would like to begin by defining a

term with roots in the sixteenth century which is rarely used
today: “salvific faith.” I understand that salvific faith occurs
when a person is prompted by the Holy Spirit to do something
that is right and honorable in God’s sight, even if the price
for obedience is significant. Additionally, the person is willing
to trust in God and obey the Holy Spirit’s voice, leaving the
consequences in God’s hands. For example, God commanded
Noah to build an ark and the antediluvians ridiculed and
scorned him for doing so. God commanded Abraham to leave
his home and homeland, and he left not knowing where he
was going! Nebuchadnezzar threw Meshach, Shadrach, and
Abednego into a fiery furnace because they believed the second
commandment was obligatory, and their faith caused them to
defy the king’s command to worship the golden image. These
examples show that salvific faith is far more than intellectual
assent; salvific faith involves a price for obeying God. (Hebrews 11)
I believe the Ten Commandments are obligatory and, for me,
they are a matter of salvific faith. I accept them, both in their
spiritual and physical sense, as God’s will. I have found, like
Paul, I am unable to live in perfect compliance with them
because my sinful nature rises up now and then and will not
permit it. (Romans 7 and 8) Nevertheless, the Lord’s law is
perfect and I love the covenant that the Ten Commandments
represent. I eagerly look forward to the time when Jesus will
remove my sinful nature and write His laws in my heart and
mind. Then, I will be able to live in perfect harmony with Him
and His perfect law forever! Until this transformation occurs, I
live with this anticipation.
Page 144 Appendix

Even though I have closely studied the Bible on this topic and
am intellectually settled on the matter, I have to accept by faith
and Holy Spirit conviction that the observance of the fourth
commandment is God’s will. Of course, I understand that
most Christians do not share my conviction. They often excuse
themselves from the obligation of the fourth commandment
by saying, “the Ten Commandments were abolished at the
cross,” or “it doesn’t matter which day I keep holy as long as I
worship God” or, “I worship God every day.” There is nothing in
the Bible that forbids or requires worshipping God every day.
However, there is a commandment that declares six days are
secular and the seventh day of the week is holy. The Creator
declares the seventh day is unlike the other six. The fourth
commandment requires us to honor our Creator every Saturday
by resting from work.
Consider four theological concepts which work together in
perfect harmony: law, grace, faith, and obedience. These
concepts do not cancel one another. God does not “give” with
large print and then “take away” with fine print. The first
concept in God’s government is His law. No one, including God
Himself, is above the law. This means no one can violate the
law without incurring the penalty of the law. God established
His law before grace, faith, and obedience became possible.
Actually, God’s law establishes the need for grace, faith, and
obedience.
King David understood the primacy of God’s law. He wrote,
“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The
statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the
simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy
to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.” (Psalm 19:7,8) No individual can
appreciate the depth of David’s words unless the Holy Spirit
opens that person’s eyes and heart to understand them. Paul
wrote, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the
things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are
Appendix Page 145

foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them,

because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians
2:14)
After the apostle Paul encountered Jesus on the road to
Damascus, Paul understood that no man can achieve or
produce the righteousness required for eternal life. He wrote,
“For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed,
a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as
it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’ ” (Romans
1:17) Paul also understood that salvation was only possible
through God’s amazing grace (unmerited favor), “For the
grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all
men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly
passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly
lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed
hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and
Savior, Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:11-13)
The Bible teaches that where there is no law, there is no sin.
(Romans 4:15) This is common sense because a person cannot
violate a non-existing law. The Bible says that sin is the
transgression of God’s law (1 John 3:4) and Paul says, “for all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans
3:23) Therefore, if we are sinners, God’s laws are present.
Paul says that love is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:10),
but he only realized this fact after he was born again. Prior
to his conversion, Paul thought that perfect obedience was
the fulfillment of the law. (Philippians 3:4-6) Jesus was asked
which law is the greatest. He responded, “ ‘Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest
commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your
neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets [a
phrase used to describe the Old Testament when Jesus was
on Earth] hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew
22:37-40, insertion mine)
Page 146 Appendix

God’s Law is a Covenant and a Promise

The Ten Commandments are both a law and a promise. For the
sinful nature they are law, but for the spiritual nature they are
a promise. God has promised to write His laws in our hearts
and minds at the appointed time. (Jeremiah 31:31; Hebrews
8:10,11) The Ten Commandments are called a covenant in the
Old Testament (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:13) because they
reveal what love will do. The first four commandments reveal
what love for God produces and the last six commandments
reveal what love for our neighbors produces. When God’s law
is written in our hearts and minds and the sinful nature is
replaced with the sinless nature Jesus originally gave to Adam
and Eve, our thoughts, words, and actions will be in perfect
harmony with the Ten Commandments!
The Ten Commandments are so important that Jesus Himself
spoke them from Mt. Sinai. Contrary to what many Protestants
claim, all ten of them are reiterated in the New Testament.
For example, Paul affirmed the perpetuity of the fourth
commandment about thirty years after Jesus ascended saying,
“There remains, then, a [seventh day] Sabbath-rest for
the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also
rests from his own work, just as God did from His [on the
seventh day].” (Hebrews 4:9,10, insertions mine)
When Jesus died on the cross, God abolished the Levitical laws
He gave to Israel. (Colossians 2:11-17) From the beginning,
the Levitical laws included a sunset clause. When the Lamb
of God died on the cross, the Levitical laws ended because
God no longer required animal sacrifices. Many people think
that animal sacrifices in the Old Testament actually brought
salvation, but Paul says otherwise, “it is impossible for the
blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” (Hebrews
10:4)
God required Israel to sacrifice bulls, goats, and lambs until
Jesus died so Israel could study the plan of salvation and
understand “the reality of things to come.” (Colossians 2:17)
God designed the ceremonial system, which required animal
Appendix Page 147

sacrifices, to serve as a carefully constructed “drama.” After

Jesus died, there was no further need of it. The Levitical laws
which also separated Jews from Gentiles were also abolished.
Notice the wonderful result, “But now in Christ Jesus you
[Gentiles] who once were far away [from truth and the joy
of salvation] have been brought near through [faith in]
the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who
has made the two [separate nations into] one and has
destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
by abolishing in His flesh the [Levitical] law with its
commandments and regulations.
His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out
of the two [separate nations], thus making peace, and in
this one body to reconcile both of them to God through
the cross, by which He put to death their hostility. He
came and preached peace to you [Gentiles] who were
far away and peace to those [the Jews] who were near.
For through Him we both have access to the Father by
one Spirit. Consequently, you [Gentiles] are no longer
foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s
people [all who are led by the Spirit] and members of
God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles
and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the Chief
Cornerstone.” (Ephesians 2:13-20, insertions mine)
The Ten Commandments do not speak of eternal life because
the purpose of the Ten Commandments is not salvation. God
gave them to all mankind through Israel to define immorality.
If a nation lives in harmony with the Ten Commandments,
avoiding all forms of immoral conduct, everyone lives safely
and happily! God also gave the Ten Commandments as a
mirror so that we can compare our thoughts, words, and
behavior with the intent of His laws. If we relate to God’s laws
properly, they become beneficial. We can see our shortcomings
and realize our daily need for the indwelling power of the
Holy Spirit to live better lives. (James 1:22-25) Finally, the
Ten Commandments reveal what genuine love for God and
neighbors will produce. No one who loves God will take His
Page 148 Appendix

name in vain or worship an idol, and no one who loves his

neighbor as himself will steal from him or commit murder. The
Ten Commandments are the basis for the golden rule. Jesus
said, “So in everything, do to others what you would
have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the
Prophets [the Old Testament].” (Matthew 7:12) Children
should also be taught the inverse of the Golden Rule: As you do
unto others, God shall do the same unto you. (Matthew 5:25,26;
Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30; Revelation 2:23)
A Legalist
When it comes to salvation, there are Old Testament legalists
and New Testament legalists. An Old Testament legalist
believes he will be saved through perfect obedience to God’s
law. Paul was an Old Testament legalist before his conversion.
So was the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:17-23 who
assumed he was without fault in God’s sight. New Testament
legalists believe they have been saved because they have done
everything God requires for salvation. (Romans 10:10) Both
forms of legalism are based on human effort or achievement
even though the theology, behaviors, and beliefs are poles
apart.
God’s grace does not save us. Instead, His grace makes
salvation possible. Millions of people (Revelation 20:8) will not
receive eternal life because they chose to reject God’s grace and
violate the voice of the Holy Spirit. Our response to the Holy
Spirit determines our eternal destiny. This is where salvific
faith comes into focus. If we follow the voice of the Holy Spirit,
we will suffer persecution. “In fact, everyone who wants to
live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2
Timothy 3:12) Persecution is where salvific faith is tested!
When the Father sees a king or a pauper living by faith,
He covers that person’s sins with Jesus’ righteousness (the
sinless life of Jesus) because Jesus produced the righteousness
necessary for eternal life when He was on Earth. (Romans 1:17)
If we allow the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts, we will share
King David’s desire, “I long for your salvation, O Lord,
Appendix Page 149

and your law is my delight.” (Psalm 119:174) Remember,

God’s law is a spiritual matter. (Romans 7:14) When we love
our neighbor enough that we would not steal anything that
belongs to him, the intent of the law is fulfilled. Similarly,
God’s Sabbath is not for Old or New Testament legalists. If the
Holy Spirit does not lead a person into joyfully observing God’s
seventh day Sabbath, there is no point of observing it. People
who walk with God love walking with God! The consequences of
walking with God usually end in persecution because He leads
us away from the love of this world. (1 John 2:15)
Why Worship on Sunday?
For the past 2,000 years, Christians have challenged
the importance of God’s seventh day Sabbath with seven
arguments purporting to make Sunday “the Lord’s day.”
However, if we consider each argument on its merits, we come
to the opposite conclusion. I believe the seven arguments
used to exalt Sunday sacredness actually ruin the prospect
of it! However, each person has to look at the evidence and
determine for himself whether or not the Bible actually
supports the claim that God transferred the sacredness of His
seventh day Sabbath to the first day of the week.
Argument 1. The Holy Spirit Came on Sunday
Some people maintain that according to Acts 2, the Holy Spirit
was given to the church on the Day of Pentecost, which fell on
a Sunday; and this event, they say, affirms the sacredness of
Sunday.
According to Leviticus 23, the Feast of Pentecost (feast of the
50th day) always fell on a Sunday. The countdown to Pentecost
began on the first Sunday after Passover week ended. The Jews
celebrated the 50th day after seven full weeks of 49 days had
passed. This means they observed the Feast of Pentecost on a
Sunday for more than 1,400 years before the Holy Spirit was
poured out at Pentecost in A.D. 30. Does the manifestation
of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in A.D. 30 suddenly affirm
the sacredness of Sunday? If so, why is the Creator totally
Page 150 Appendix

silent about this transition? Thousands of people attended the

Feast of Pentecost in A.D. 30 and they spoke many languages
because they came from many nations. All of them were Jews
and observed the seventh day Sabbath, so why does the Bible
say nothing about the sacredness of Sunday if Sunday suddenly
became a holy day?
Sometime after the manifestation of the Holy Spirit at the
Feast of Pentecost, God sent Peter to the home of a Gentile
named Cornelius. (Acts 10:44-47) After Cornelius heard the
gospel of Jesus, the Holy Spirit came upon him and his family
in the same way that it came upon the disciples at Pentecost.
(Acts 15:7-11) Again, the Bible says nothing in Acts 10 about
the sacredness of Sunday or that the fourth commandment had
been abolished. When Peter reported his visit to church leaders
a dozen years later, he said nothing about making Sunday a
sacred day when he described the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
at Pentecost or in the home of Cornelius. (Acts 15)
After Peter’s meeting with Cornelius, Paul met twelve men at
Ephesus who had been baptized but had not received the power
of the Holy Spirit. Paul laid hands on them and they spoke
in tongues and prophesied (Acts 19:1-7) just as the disciples
did at Pentecost. The Bible records nothing in Acts 19 about
the sacredness of Sunday or the fourth commandment being
terminated. In fact, the Bible says in the following verses (Acts
19:8-12) that Paul boldly went into the synagogue for three
months to preach on the kingdom of God, and when the Jews
would not tolerate his teaching, he moved to the lecture hall of
Tyrannus where he met “daily” with the people for two years.
Paul said nothing about Sunday being a holy day for two years!
There is only one way this is possible. Paul had no idea that
Sunday was a sacred day!
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem at Pentecost,
in the house of Cornelius, or in Ephesus did not terminate
the fourth commandment. The Ten Commandments cannot
be abolished without a plain “thus saith the Creator” and
there is no such statement in the New Testament. The fourth
Appendix Page 151

commandment cannot be separated from the other nine; they

come as a package of ten promises. They are a covenant and all
ten promises are kept in the Ark of His Covenant. Twenty-five
years after Jesus ascended to Heaven, James wrote this: “For
whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just
one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For He who said,
‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ If
you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you
have become a lawbreaker.” (James 2:10,11) James would
not have referred to two of the Ten Commandments if they had
been nailed to the cross a quarter of a century earlier. James
would not speak of the whole law if some of the commandments
were no longer obligatory.
Argument 1 does not support the sacredness of Sunday.
Argument 2. Three Thousand People were Baptized on
Sunday
The Bible indicates about three thousand people were baptized
at the Feast of Pentecost in A.D. 30. (Acts 2:41) For some
people, these baptisms affirm that Sunday was sacred. They
reason that on the day of Pentecost, the New Testament church
gave the first message (Acts 2:14), the first converts were added
to the church, and the first baptism of believers occurred. (Acts
2:37) All of these “firsts” were wonderful, but wonderful things
do not affect the fourth commandment. If God Himself declares
a specific day holy, only He can annul or change its holiness.
A baptism or a wedding on a Sunday, Tuesday, or Wednesday
does not make it a holy day. Jesus suffered and died on Friday,
but that does not make Friday a holy day. A prayer meeting
on Wednesday or an Agape Feast on Friday night do not make
those days holy. Even if John the Baptist baptized Jesus on a
Sunday, this could not make Sunday holy. As far as we can tell,
John the Baptist baptized people every day of the week! (Mark 1)
Argument 2 fails because the Creator has said nothing that
suggests or indicates that a day becomes holy because people
are baptized on it.
Page 152 Appendix

Argument 3. Jesus Was Resurrected on Sunday

Some Christians claim Jesus’ resurrection on the first day of
the week makes Sunday a holy day. God would not unravel the
fourth commandment and transfer the holiness of the seventh
day to the first day without telling Sabbath keeping believers
about it! This claim has no Scriptural support.
Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene early on Sunday morning
(John 20:1). Then, He ascended to the Father (John 20:17)
and drove Lucifer out of Heaven. (Revelation 12:7-9) That
afternoon, Jesus returned to Earth and joined two disciples
as they were walking back to Emmaus. (Luke 24:13-31) After
this, He appeared to the disciples who were meeting in a secure
place, hiding from the Jews. (John 20:19) Later on, Jesus also
appeared to His disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. (John 21:1)
On one occasion after His resurrection, Jesus appeared before
a crowd of over five hundred people! (1 Corinthians 15:6) Given
the exposure that Jesus had during the 40 days He was on
Earth after His resurrection, why did He say nothing about
the sacredness of Sunday? This silence is puzzling because
we know that His followers were 99.9% Jewish. If the Ten
Commandments had been nailed to the cross when Jesus died,
surely something as dramatic as abolishing the Sabbath and
making Sunday a holy day was discussed; there is no such
discussion in the Bible.
Consider the Sunday afternoon that Jesus walked to Emmaus
with His disciples. Luke 24:13 indicates the distance between
Jerusalem and Emmaus was seven miles. According to the
Bible, they arrived in Emmaus as the day was “nearly over”
(Luke 24:29) and when they were about to eat, the disciples
discovered that it was Jesus who had walked with them.
However, before they could begin eating, Jesus disappeared.
They became so excited that they returned to Jerusalem that
same evening, arriving after dark to tell the rest of the disciples
that they had actually seen Jesus! (Luke 24:33)
Luke’s account suggests that Jesus and His disciples did not
regard Sunday as a holy day because they would not have
Appendix Page 153

walked seven miles if it were considered a holy day. According

to Acts 1:12, the Jews believed a Sabbath day’s walk could be
no more than two miles; the distance from Jerusalem to the
Mount of Olives. Moreover, Jesus did not declare “Resurrection
Sunday” would be a holy day before He was crucified, and a few
hours after His resurrection, He did not say anything about it
on the road to Emmaus. Why would there be total silence on
such a profound change if, indeed, such a change had occurred?
Can you imagine observing Sunday as a holy day all of your life
and suddenly switching to Saturday without any discussion or
questions?
On Thursday, three days before walking with His disciples to
Emmaus, Jesus and His disciples sat on the Mount of Olives.
The disciples were anxious to know about the end of the world
(Matthew 24:3) and, responding to their concerns, Jesus gave
two prophecies. The first prophecy pertained to the upcoming
destruction of Jerusalem which was about forty years away
(A.D. 70), and the second prophecy pertained to the end of the
world. Speaking about the destruction of Jerusalem, Jesus
said, “Pray that your flight will not take place in winter
or on the Sabbath.” (Matthew 24:20) If Jesus, the Creator of
the Sabbath, foreknew that its sacredness would be transferred
to Sunday in a mere three days, He would not have encouraged
His disciples to pray so that they would not have to travel forty
years later on the Sabbath.
Finally, if God declared a transition from Sabbath to Sunday
during the first century A.D., the New Testament would have
had much to say about it. We know that Jesus chose Paul,
one man speaking with one voice, to extract Christianity
from the cradle of Judaism. As a Pharisee, Paul was highly
educated in the economy of Judaism. After Paul’s conversion,
Jesus revealed many things to Paul that would otherwise
be unknown. Armed with both his earthly and heavenly
education, Paul faced an enormous amount of controversy
during the years of his ministry. His main problem with the
Jews was getting them to understand that salvation comes
through faith instead of legalism. He wrestled with Jewish
Page 154 Appendix

converts constantly over conflicts such as circumcision,

(Acts 15:1,2) eating food offered to idols, (Acts 15:20,29; 1
Corinthians 8:1-4) and the observance of feast days.
Many Christians today are confused about observing the feast
days God gave to ancient Israel. Some people advocate the idea
that Christians should observe the feasts. For example, they
will often use Paul’s comments in 1 Corinthians 5:8 to justify
observing Passover. Paul wrote, “Therefore let us keep the
Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and
wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread
of sincerity and truth.” If we interpret Paul’s comments to
mean that Christians should “keep the Festival” of Passover,
then Paul’s theology becomes internally conflicted. This would
force Paul into saying one thing in one place and then canceling
it by making a contrary statement in another place. We would
not know which of Paul’s statements to believe.
Peter wrote that Paul’s writings can be difficult to understand
and many people distort them “to their own destruction.”
(2 Peter 3:16) For us to understand Paul’s comments in
1 Corinthians 5 about keeping the Festival of Passover, we
first have to understand Paul’s attitude and behavior. He
wrote, “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make
myself a slave to everyone, to win [to Christ] as many as
possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the
Jews. To those under the law I became like one under
the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as
to win those under the law. To those not having the
law I became like one not having the law (though I am
not free from God’s law [the Ten Commandments] but am
under Christ’s law [which says, “A new command I give you:
Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one
another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples,
if you love one another.” John 13:34,35], so as to win those
not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win
the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by
all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the
Appendix Page 155

sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”

(1 Corinthians 9:19-23, insertions mine)
When he was among the Jews, Paul was willing to “go along”
with Jewish customs even though he previously was in bondage
to them (Philippians 3:4-7), but through Christ he had become
“free of them.” (Acts 21:21-40) When Paul was among Gentiles
who ate food offered to idols, he also ate food offered to idols
because he knew that an idol was nothing. (1 Corinthians 8:4-7)
His flip-flop behavior deeply offended the Jews, especially those
who wanted to diminish or abolish his gospel.
After Paul was converted, he spent three years in the desert.
(Galatians 1:17,18) While there, Jesus revealed many things
to him that could not otherwise be known. (Ephesians 3:1-6;
2 Corinthians 12:1-9) Jesus explained to Paul that the Father
had abolished the Levitical system; that is, God abolished
the drama He originally gave Israel with all of its ceremonial
services and nailed it to the cross. These revelations explain
how and why Paul could say to Jews who wanted to become
Christians, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by
what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious
festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the
reality, however, is found in Christ.” (Colossians 2:16,17,
italics mine)
It was very difficult for Jewish converts, steeped in the
intricate traditions of Judaism, to let their cherished customs
go when uniting with the church that Jesus established. The
Bible provides a good example which occurred about fifteen
years after Jesus ascended to Heaven. “When Peter came
to Antioch, I [Paul] opposed him to his face, because he
was clearly in the wrong. Before certain [leading] men
came from [Jerusalem, sent by] James [the president of the
newly formed Christian Church], he [Peter] used to eat with
the Gentiles. But when they arrived [from Jerusalem],
he began to draw back and separate himself from the
Page 156 Appendix

Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged

to the circumcision group [many early Jewish converts
insisted that all believers in Christ must be circumcised in
order to be saved - Acts 15:1,2]. The other Jews [who lived
in Antioch] joined him [Peter] in his hypocrisy, so that
by their hypocrisy even [Paul’s partner] Barnabas was
led astray. When I saw that they were not acting in line
with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of
them all, ‘You are a Jew, yet you [have freedom through
Christ to] live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it,
then, that you [suddenly] force [these] Gentiles to follow
Jewish customs? We who are Jews by birth [and proud
of it] and not [the poor lowly] ‘Gentile sinners’ [now] know
that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by
faith in Jesus Christ. So we [proud Jews], too, have [been
scolded, we must] put our faith in Christ Jesus that we
may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing
the [Levitical] law, because by observing the law [any law]
no one will be justified.” (Galatians 2:11-16, insertions mine)
Paul knew the ceremonial system: animal sacrifices, new
moon feasts, and annual feasts (Sabbaths), were shadows of
things that pointed to Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection.
After Jesus came to Earth, lived a perfect life, died on the
cross, and ascended to the Father, the Father abolished the
ceremonial system. Therefore, when Paul was among the Jews,
he went along with their religious traditions to win them to
Christ because the ceremonies no longer meant anything to
him. When Paul was among the Gentiles, he ate food offered
to idols in order to win them to Christ, because the idol is
nothing and food meant nothing. If you consider the context
in 1 Corinthians 5, Paul actually scolds the church at Corinth
for trying to remain Jewish and for keeping the Festival. His
words are often removed from their context so that he appears
to endorse the very practice he is discouraging! He said, “Your
[earlier] boasting [1 Corinthians 4:18] is not good. Don’t
you know that a little yeast [yeast was prohibited during
the Feast of Unleavened Bread because yeast represented
Appendix Page 157

sin] works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid

of the old yeast [in your hearts] that you may be a new
batch without yeast -- as you really are. For Christ, our
Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. [So what are you now
celebrating? The reason for observing the feast is behind us. It
has been fulfilled!] Therefore let us keep the [spirit of the]
Festival [alive in our hearts], not with the old yeast, the
yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without
yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.”
(1 Corinthians 5:6-8, insertions mine)
Paul used a metaphor to say, “If you insist on keeping the
Passover, it is foolish because our Passover Lamb [that is,
the Passover Lamb of believers in Jesus] has been sacrificed.
Therefore, observe and keep the true meaning of the Festival
by living a life that is pleasing and acceptable to Jesus by
eating the bread of sincerity and truth.” The Biblical truth
that eliminates the observance of the feasts post-Calvary is
simple: One cannot observe the feasts without first meeting the
specifications required for the feasts by Levitical law. After
Paul understood that the Father had appointed Jesus (from
the tribe of Judah) as the High Priest of sinners, the Levitical
law had to be abolished. “For when there is a change of
the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law.”
(Hebrews 7:12)
Contrary to what most Christian scholars say, the context of
Galatians 4:10-13, Colossians 2:16, and Romans 14:5,6, does
not concern the fourth commandment or the observance of
the seventh day Sabbath. The issue is the observance of “feast
days.” Israel’s feast days fell throughout the week and were
also called “Sabbaths” (Leviticus 16:31) because God forbade
Israel from working on them. When a feast day and the seventh
day occurred on the same day, it was called a “high Sabbath” or
a “special Sabbath.” (John 19:31)
Finally, there is no mention of any controversy concerning
the sacredness of Sunday in the New Testament. This silence
indicates there was no controversy during the first century
Page 158 Appendix

because most, if not all, of the New Testament was written in

the last half of the first century. These points add up to only
one conclusion: Jesus’ resurrection on Sunday did not change or
abolish the holiness of the seventh day.
Argument 3 does not establish the sacredness of Sunday.
Argument 4. Paul Ate at the Lord’s Table on Sunday
Some Christians appeal to Paul’s actions at Troas to support
the sacredness of Sunday. They maintain that Paul preached
and believers partook of the Lord’s Table (Lord’s Supper) on the
first day of the week. (Acts 20:7)
If I were advocating for the sacredness of Sunday, I would not
use Acts 20:7 because this argument always backfires when all
of the facts are considered. To begin, the Bible says: “On the
first day of the week we came together to break bread.
Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended
to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.
There were many lamps in the upstairs room where
we were meeting.” (Acts 20:7,8) The first day of the week
began at sundown in Bible times. (Genesis 1:5; Leviticus 23:32;
John 19:31) Therefore, Paul met with the believers in Troas
after the Sabbath had passed and as the first day of the week
began. Paul began speaking at sundown and he preached until
midnight (about six hours).
Consider three facts about this meeting:
1. Advocates for Sunday sacredness claim “the believers
partook of the Lord’s Table,” but Acts 20 does not say
anything about eating at the Lord’s Table or partaking in
the Lord’s Supper. The text says they “came together to
break bread.” Breaking bread does not necessarily mean
partaking of the Lord’s Table. “Breaking bread” is a Biblical
expression for sharing or eating a meal. (Luke 24:35; Acts
27:35) Notice this passage which describes the activities
of the apostles and church members after the Feast of
Pentecost passed. “Every day they [the apostles and
believers] continued to meet together in the temple
Appendix Page 159

courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate

together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God
and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord
added to their number daily those who were being
saved.” (Acts 2:46,47, insertion mine)
An accident at midnight interrupted Paul’s preaching in
Troas. Eutychus went to sleep sitting in a window and fell
to the ground from the third story. The fall killed Eutychus,
but the Holy Spirit brought him to life through Paul. After
this miraculous event occurred, Paul went back upstairs,
broke bread again and continued talking until daylight. At
daybreak (Sunday morning at daylight), Paul left Troas
with his traveling associates because he and his associates
did not regard Sunday as a holy day! (Acts 20:9-13)
Does partaking of “the Lord’s Table” on Sunday make
Sunday a holy day? Before you answer, do not forget
that Jesus and His disciples “broke bread” in the upper
room and ate the “Lord’s Supper” on a Thursday night.
(1 Corinthians 11:23-25) When comparing the actions of
Jesus and His disciples with Paul and his associates, whose
example is more important? Does either example make a
holy day? If so, we would have to choose Thursday as a holy
day.
2. Acts 20:7 does not describe a regular church service. The
Bible says Paul regularly worshiped on the seventh day
Sabbath. (Acts 16:13; 17:2; 18:4; 19:8) The situation in Acts
20:7 is a farewell meeting, not a holy day worship service.
The meeting was held during Paul’s final hours in Troas
because many of the believers suspected it would be the last
time they would see him.
3. Finally, is it possible that two meals and a farewell talk in
Troas could make Sunday a holy day? Does any man have
the power and authority to void any law of God? The Bible
says that Paul left Troas at daylight on Sunday morning
(Acts 20:11). How could Paul teach that Sunday was a
sacred day and then continue his journey on Sunday? The
Page 160 Appendix

evidence in Acts 20 supports one conclusion: Paul and his

traveling associates did not consider the first day of the
week to be a holy day, even fifteen years after Christ’s
ascension.
Argument 4 does not support the sacredness of Sunday.
Argument 5. Paul Encouraged Believers to Bring Their
Offerings on Sunday
Another Bible reference often used to affirm the sacredness of
Sunday is 1 Corinthians 16:2. It is claimed that Paul instructed
the believers in Corinth to bring their offerings to the Lord
on the first day of the week. Advocates for Sunday worship
maintain believers were obviously assembling on that day.
Here’s the passage: “Now about the collection for God’s
people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do.
On the first day of every week, each one of you should
set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income,
saving it up, so that when I come no collections will
have to be made. Then, when I arrive, I will give letters
of introduction to the men you approve and send them
with your gift to Jerusalem.” (1 Corinthians 16:1-3)
Paul made this request while travelling for two reasons. First,
barter was the nature and order of business in those days. Paul
could not sail to Jerusalem with donated animals, produce,
grains, and other material goods. Therefore, He asked that all
donations be converted into cash before he arrived in Corinth.
Second, Paul did not want believers in Corinth to wait until
he arrived and then rush and convert their possessions into
cash; He knew it would be time consuming and foolish because
hurriedly exchanging goods for cash means less cash. So,
Paul wisely advised that believers start on Sunday of each
week, which Paul regarded as a regular work day, to begin
the process of converting possessions into money at a good
exchange rate.
Does Paul’s request to the believers in Corinth support the
sacredness of Sunday? No...not at all. If a person wanted to
Appendix Page 161

send a gift to the suffering saints in Jerusalem, Paul advocated

taking care of business starting on Sunday, the first day of the
week, a regular workday.
Argument 5 does not support Sunday sacredness.
Argument 6. Early Christians Worshiped on “The Lord’s
Day”
Some advocates for Sunday worship will admit that political
history could have influenced a disregard for Sabbath worship
and exalted the observance of Sunday as a holy day. However,
realizing that Sunday sacredness requires divine authority,
they reject the idea that Roman Emperor Constantine could
have changed the day for worship from Sabbath to Sunday.
They also reject the idea that the Council of Laodicea (A.D.
363-365) could have changed the day of worship. These
advocates often use the argument that “early Christians
observed Sunday” because early on, they called Sunday “the
Lord’s Day.”
There is only one text in the Bible that suggests which day of
the week is “the Lord’s day.” It is the seventh day Sabbath:
“And He [Jesus] said unto them, The Sabbath was made
for man, and not man for the Sabbath: Therefore the
Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27,28,
insertion and italics mine) Jesus uttered these words after
some Pharisees condemned Him and His disciples for picking
ears of grain as they walked through a grain field on the
Sabbath. “The Pharisees said to Him, ‘Look, why are they
doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?’ ” (Mark 2:24)
Jesus condemned their legalism by putting the topic of Sabbath
observance in proper perspective. First, He forced them to
admit that long ago, King David and his companions had
eaten the consecrated bread from the temple without incurring
guilt. (Mark 2:25,26) This happened because King David’s
need for food was greater than the priest’s entitlement to it.
Using this principle, Jesus made the point that picking ears of
grain on the Sabbath while walking through the field was not
Page 162 Appendix

considered working. The Sabbath was made for man’s benefit.

He and His disciples were hungry and food was within easy
reach. Contrary to what the Pharisees thought, the Sabbath
was not created as an object of worship; instead, Jesus wants
man to worship the Creator on His Sabbath day! Then, Jesus
speaking as the Creator declared, “Therefore the Son of man
is Lord also of the Sabbath.” Jesus meant, “I not only made
the Sabbath for man’s benefit, my conduct as the Lord of the
Sabbath also shows how the Sabbath is to be observed!”
It is true that both Sabbath and Sunday were called “the
Lord’s Day” in early church history, and there is an interesting
reason for this. In A.D. 70, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem
and took the surviving Jews back to Rome to work as slaves.
The Romans intensely hated the Jews and they considered
followers of Christ to be a sect of Jews; after all, Jesus was a
Jew. Therefore, Christians sought to distance themselves from
their Jewish identity in various ways. One technique was to
call the Sabbath, “the Lord’s day.” Since a Jew would never call
the Sabbath, “the Lord’s Day,” this was a good way to maintain
distinction. About A.D. 95, when John was exiled to the island
of Patmos for his faith in Jesus, he was given a great vision on
the Sabbath and John used the phrase, “the Lord’s Day:” “On
the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind
me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: “Write on a
scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches:”
(Revelation 1:10,11, italics mine)
Meanwhile in Rome, many Romans worshiped on Sunday; it
was a weekly holiday for recognizing and celebrating Mithra, a
Roman Sun God. Romans observed Sunday in a manner unlike
the strict and legalistic way the Jews observed the Sabbath.
Over time, Christians in Rome, to avoid any association with
Judaism, began to amalgamate their beliefs with the followers
of Mithra and call Sunday “the Lord’s Day.” Their reasoning
was that Jesus came from the tomb on Sunday.
“But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common
assembly because it is the first day on which God, having
Appendix Page 163

wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world;

and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the
dead.” (Justin Martyr, Ante-Nicene Christian Library/The
First Apology of Justin Martyr, (Boston 1887) p. 187, Chap 67)
This is the first recorded instance of early Christians justifying
the sacredness of Sunday. The justification Martyr used for
holding a common assembly on Sunday is interesting. First,
he cited the separation of darkness and light on the first day
of Creation as grounds for holding a common assembly, and
then he refers to the resurrection of Jesus. Martyr offered
no Scriptural authority for assembling on Sunday, but his
remarks indicate how he justified meeting on Sunday. Justin
Martyr wrote this remark in A.D. 150 and today, millions of
Christians erroneously think that “the Lord’s Day” is Sunday.
Certainly, this is a long-held tradition, but the association of
the Lord’s Day with Sunday is based on Jewish aversion rather
than Scripture.
Argument 6 does not support the sacredness of Sunday.
Argument 7: Early Christian Believers Met on Sunday
Another argument used to affirm the sacredness of Sunday is
created from “cherry picking” the writings of early church fa-
thers such as Barnabas, Justin Martyr, Didache, Ignatius, Dio-
nysius, Clement of Alexandria, and Tertullian. This argument
maintains these writers affirmed that early Christians met on
Sunday for worship. This approach to the problem of Sunday
sacredness is a smoke screen to hide the fact that the New Tes-
tament says nothing about Sunday becoming a holy day. Every-
one knows that if certain historical facts are kept from sight,
people can twist them to create a skewed view of history and
make it be whatever they want. However, when all of the his-
torical facts are presented, they tell a very different story than
what is often represented as history.
During the first century A.D., Christianity spread throughout
the Roman Empire because of persecution. Christians were
constantly on the move to escape capture, confiscation,
punishment, and death. For a while, each Caesar seemed to
Page 164 Appendix

be more intent on destroying Jews and Christians than his

predecessor. Therefore, early Christians made theological
compromises to survive. During the second century A.D.,
Judaism’s influence over Christianity in Italy had faded
because three or four generations of Roman-born Christians
had come and gone. Jerusalem was a non-important heap of
ruins and Christians wanted their own religious identity – an
identity that had nothing to do with the Jews.
To make matters worse, many Gentiles had “joined the church”
and brought their peculiar religious baggage. Consequently,
Christianity in Rome mutated into a Romanesque version,
which was unlike Christianity in other parts of the world.
By A.D. 150, 120 years after Jesus ascended, Christians, in
Rome, had found areas where compromise was possible with
Mithraism. This led to theological ecumenism and apostasy.
Many Christian denominations are participating in a similar
process today and again, the result will be awful.
When Rome destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70, Christianity was
deprived of its headquarters and “main office.” Each church
quickly found itself alone and became its own authority in
matters of faith and doctrine. Early Church history indicates
that Christians adjusted beliefs and doctrines as needed,
depending on location and leadership. During the last part
of the second century A.D., Irenaeus, the Bishop of Lyons,
located in what is now called France, became alarmed with
the heresies that had infiltrated the Christian movement. He
was aware of how Christians in Rome had begun to meet on
Sunday and abandoned the seventh day Sabbath, and he spoke
against it. He wrote: “For He [Christ] did not make void, but
fulfilled the law [Ten Commandments].” (Irenaeus, Ante-Nicean
Christian Library/Against Heresies, Vol 1, (Boston, 1887) p.
471, insertions mine)
Tertullian, another early church father, wrote extensively
concerning Christian doctrine. He, like Irenaeus, was alarmed
at the practices of certain Christians, especially those in
Rome. In regards to the seventh day Sabbath he wrote: “Thus
Appendix Page 165

Christ did not at all rescind the Sabbath. He kept the law
[Ten Commandments] thereof . . . He restored to the Sabbath
the works for were proper for it.” (Tertullian, Ante-Nicean
Christian Library/Book IV, Chap 12, Vol 3, (Boston, 1887)
p. 362, insertion mine)
Debate over Sunday observance grew in those early years
because the church in Rome defended the practice. Bishop
Archelaus responded to bishop Manes, saying: “Again as to the
assertion that the [seventh day] Sabbath has been abolished we
deny that He [Christ] has abolished it plainly. For He Himself
was also Lord of the Sabbath.” (Archelaus, Ante-Nicean
Christian Library/The Disputation with Manes, Vol 4, (Boston,
1887) p. 217, insertions mine)
By A.D. 320, confusion and compromise had devastated many
early Christian beliefs. Christians in Alexandria, Egypt were
defending views on the deity of Jesus that opposed the church
in Rome. The Christian leaders discussed, debated, and argued
the need for centralized church authority and leadership. Many
agreed that church doctrine needed to be defined and protected
so that heresy would not destroy Christianity, but they could
not agree on a process or who would do the job best.
Poor communication, distance, differences in culture,
education, language, and social factors began to define
Christianity according to geography. It was easy to see the
result would be a highly fractured church. Both the world and
Christianity needed a strong unifying leader and Constantine
concluded he was “the chosen one!” He believed God had
divinely appointed him to rescue a crumbling Roman empire
and the universal Christian Church. When Constantine
ascended to the throne as sole ruler of the empire, about A.D.
312, he had transformed himself into a Christian for political
advantage. Constantine was clever and saw Christianity as
a means of unifying an ethnically and religiously diverse
empire. When he endorsed the version of Christianity that was
centered in Rome, he set a sequence of events in motion that
could not have been imagined.
Page 166 Appendix

To put the empire on notice that Constantine had established a

new world order, he had his army baptized into Christianity by
marching them through a river. Then, to promote a universal
day for worship, he implemented a Sunday law in March, A.D.
321 as a political compromise. Constantine patronized everyone
by declaring a weekly holy day/holiday. His Sunday law
meshed with customary Roman practice and it aligned with the
desires of the church at Rome. Even non-Christians were quite
happy with a national day of rest. “Let all judges and all city
people and all tradesmen, rest upon the venerable day of the
Sun. But let those dwelling in the country freely and with full
liberty attend to the culture of their fields; since it frequently
happens, that no other day is so fit for the sowing of grain,
or the planting of vines; hence the favorable time should not
be allowed to pass, lest the provision of heaven be lost.” (Cod.
Justin, III Tit 12, L.3., March 7, A.D. 321) Did you notice that
Constantine’s decree did not mandate worship on Sunday?
Although Christians in Rome had been meeting on Sunday
for more than a century when Constantine announced his
decree, other Christians around the Mediterranean Sea were
not overjoyed. Most of the Christians outside Rome were still
observing the seventh day Sabbath. Socrates writes near
the turn of the fourth century: “Such is the difference in the
churches on the subject of fasts. Nor is there less variation
in regard to religious assemblies. For although almost all
churches through the world celebrate the sacred mysteries on
the Sabbath of every week, yet the Christians of Rome and
Alexandria have ceased to do this.” (Socrates, Ante-Nicean
Christian Library/Ecclesiastical History, Book V, chap 22, Vol
II, (Boston, 1887) p. 132)
Constantine’s decree did not abolish the importance of the
seventh day Sabbath; something else would have to occur
before that could be accomplished. The leaders from the church
in Rome needed a doctrine that dealt directly with the “Lord’s
Day” to present a strong case before a contentious and divided
body of Christians. Eusebius, another apologist (peacemaker) of
the era, was a Christian confidant and advisor of Constantine.
Appendix Page 167

He masterminded a doctrine for Sunday observance that

remains intact for Catholics today. Carefully notice his anti-
Semitic argument for the observance of Sunday:
“Wherefore as they [the Jews] rejected it [the Sabbath law], the
Word [Christ] by the new covenant, translated and transferred
the feast of the Sabbath to the morning light, and gave us the
symbol of true rest, viz. [in other words], the saving Lord’s day,
the first [day] of light, in which the Savior of the world, after
all his labors among men, obtained the victory over death, and
passed the portals of heaven, having achieved a work superior
to the six-days creation. On this day, which is the first [day]
of light and of the true Sun, we assemble, after an interval of
six days, and celebrate holy and spiritual Sabbaths, even all
nations redeemed by Him throughout the world, and do those
things according to the spiritual law, which were decreed for
the priests to do on the Sabbath. And all things whatsoever
that it was the duty to do on the Sabbath, these we have
transferred to the Lord’s day, as more appropriately belong to
it, because it has a precedence and is first in rank, and more
honorable than the Jewish Sabbath. All things whatsoever that
it was duty to do on the Sabbath, these we have transferred to
the Lord’s Day.” (Eusebius’s Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm
92, quoted in The Literature of the Sabbath by Robert Cox, Vol I,
p. 361, italics and insertions mine)
Did you notice the last two sentences in Eusebius’ argument?
Eusebius testifies that “we” (Constantine and the leaders of
the church) “have transferred all things, whatsoever that it
was duty to do on the Sabbath” to Sunday. Eusebius offered
no Scriptural authority for this change because there is none.
Additionally, no church father or council from that time-
period challenged or affirmed Eusebius’ claims. As it turned
out, Eusebius took the thorny problem of worship in hand
and became the father of a heresy that favored the apostate
practices of the church in Rome. When a mere mortal, no
matter how well-intentioned, declares by his own authority
that the law of an eternal Almighty God is null and void, he is
both delusional and evil.
Page 168 Appendix

Centuries later, the writings of Eusebius created a huge

problem for Protestants. Catholics do not question the
sacredness of Sunday because they believe the Church has the
authority to change God’s laws. They believe Jesus gave this
authority to Peter and his successors. (Matthew 16:19) On the
other hand, Protestants have had to scramble for answers,
because they insist their faith and doctrine is based solely
on the Word of God, but there is no biblical support for their
Sunday-keeping arguments. Even though their reasoning is
different, Catholics and Protestants abolished the Sabbath and
substituted Sunday in its place. Who has higher authority – the
Creator or the created?
One man says, “Every day is holy, I worship God every day of
the week.”
Another man says, “It does not matter which day we worship
on as long as we worship God.” Such comments show no regard
for the Creator’s authority. If Jesus were on Earth today, He
would say of most Christians the same thing He said of the
Jews, “They worship me in vain; their teachings are but
rules taught by men.” (Matthew 15:9)
Argument 7 does not support the sacredness of Sunday. It does
explain how apostasy overtook Christianity.
Summary
We have examined seven common arguments used to
rationalize the sacredness of Sunday. None of these
arguments are valid. When it comes to embracing the fourth
commandment, Christians generally face three obstacles:
1. Christian Culture. Ever since the second century A.D.,
Christians in Rome have been advocating Sunday worship.
Today, nearly two billion Catholics and Protestants worship
on Sunday, regarding Sunday to be “the Lord’s day” when
there is no support for it in Scripture. Therefore, going
against mainstream Christian culture and the opinions of
“experts,” who hold advanced degrees from seminaries, is
difficult for an ordinary person. Those who insist on keeping
Appendix Page 169

the seventh day holy are often regarded as contemptible

legalists who know nothing about the Bible or God’s grace.
2. Lack of Knowledge. Because Catholics and a majority of
Protestants worship on Sunday, very few Christians have
had any reason to question or examine the root cause of
Sunday worship. Moreover, many people worshiping on
Sunday do not regard Sunday as a “sacred day.” For them,
Sunday is a day for “common assembly,” that is, going to
church; other than that, Sunday is a day for recreation,
working, or doing whatever a person wants or needs to
do. This disconnect from the sacredness of the seventh
day Sabbath has created the following justification: “The
fourth commandments does not really matter as long as we
worship God and maintain a close relationship with Him.”
I think most Christians agree that one can worship the
Lord every day of the week, but the requirement stated
in the fourth commandment is altogether another matter.
The fourth commandment demands that we cease from
our labors and rest on the seventh day that begins Friday
at sundown and ends at sundown on Sabbath. (Leviticus
23:32) The Lord commands that those who are within our
gates such as employees, servants, or anyone under our
control must also rest. The fourth commandment does not
produce a weekly holiday. It produces a holy day, a day
unlike the other six. The Sabbath is for spending time with
God, with fellow believers (Leviticus 23:3), and for hearing
the Word of God. God’s Sabbath is a day for denying the
selfish desires of the sinful nature. (Isaiah 58:13,14)
Most of us who observe the seventh day as a holy day, find
it awkward and difficult at times to deal with the ways
of the world, even when living within a Christian culture
and heritage. Those of us living in the United States have
enjoyed religious freedom for a long time, and it is sobering
to think that persecution is coming when the seven-headed
beast appears. If we add the pressures of social stigma and
the hostile consequences that can come for being a Sabbath
Page 170 Appendix

keeper, some Christians think that it is best to just leave

the Sabbath issue alone. It is easier “to go along and get
along” than to lose a job, a spouse, and perhaps become a
social outcast within your own family. However, Jesus said,
“If anyone loves Me, he will obey my teaching. My
Father will love him, and We will come to him and
make our home with him. He who does not love Me
will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are
not my own; they belong to the Father who sent Me.”
(John 14:23,24)
3. Sinful nature. The biggest hurdle for all mankind
regarding God’s seventh day Sabbath is our sinful
nature. We are naturally opposed to doing whatever God
commands. Paul wrote, “Those who live according to
the sinful nature have their minds set on what that
nature desires; but those who live in accordance with
the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit
desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the
mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the
sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to
God’s law, nor can it do so.” (Romans 8:5-7)
When these three obstacles are combined they are formidable,
but we can overcome the world through faith because Jesus
overcame the world. (John 16:33) He will give every sinner
the strength to do what is right, if we ask for it. This is where
salvific faith comes into focus. Faith in God is required for
everyone who desires salvation.
If you feel impressed by the Holy Spirit to embrace and enter
into God’s Sabbath rest, pray about it and ask Jesus for the
wisdom, strength, and courage to proceed. He rewards those
who live by faith. (Hebrews 11:6) Jesus said, “But when He,
the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all
truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only
what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.
He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is mine
and making it known to you.” (John 16:13,14)
Appendix Page 171

This study concludes with the inspiring words of Oswald

Chambers (1874-1917): “The moral law does not consider our
weaknesses as human beings; in fact, it does not take into
account our heredity or infirmities. It simply demands that
we be absolutely moral. The moral law never changes, either
for the highest of society or for the weakest in the world. It is
enduring and eternally the same. The moral law, ordained by
God, does not make itself weak to the weak by excusing our
shortcomings. It remains absolute for all time and eternity.
If we are not aware of this, it is because we are less than
alive. Once we do realize it, our life immediately becomes a
fatal tragedy. ‘I was alive once without the law, but when the
commandment came, sin revived and I died’ (Romans 7:9).
The moment we realize this, the Spirit of God convicts us of
sin. Until a person gets there and sees that there is no hope,
the Cross of Christ remains absurd to him. Conviction of sin
always brings a fearful, confining sense of the law. It makes
a person hopeless‘…sold under sin’ (Romans 7:14). I, a guilty
sinner, can never work to get right with God – it is impossible.
There is only one way by which I can get right with God, and
that is through the death of Jesus Christ. I must get rid of
the underlying idea that I can ever be right with God because
of my obedience. Who of us could ever obey God to absolute
perfection?! We only begin to realize the power of the moral
law once we see that it comes with a condition and a promise.
But God never coerces us. Sometimes we wish He would make
us be obedient, and at other times we wish He would leave us
alone. Whenever God’s will is in complete control, He removes
all pressure. And when we deliberately choose to obey Him, He
will reach to the remotest star and to the ends of the earth to
assist us with all of His almighty power.” (Oswald Chambers,
My Utmost for His Highest, The Law and The Gospel,
December 1)
For other Bible studies and information on the Sabbath and
Sabbath observance, please visit our website: www.wake-up.
org
Page 172 Appendix
 Wake Up America Seminars
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 Jesus’ Final Victory
For thousands of years, people have wondered why God has al-
lowed the devil to exist. The answer to this question is found in
apocalyptic prophecy. Apocalyptic prophecy traces many battles
between Christ and Satan until a final conflict between them
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that evil will triumph over righ-
teousness for a short time. The
good news is that Jesus is coming
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Bible Stories with

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Bible Stories with End Time Parallels
provides encouraging stories of faith
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Other Books by Larry Wilson. . .

The Lamb’s Book of Life
A Study on the Seven Trumpets, Two Witnesses, and Four Beasts
 Jesus
The Alpha and The Omega
Jesus, The Alpha and The Omega (280 pages)
provides a basic framework to understand
Bible prophecy. This framework, based on
five essential Bible doctrines, helps the se-
rious student of Bible prophecy appreciate
the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation.
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 About the Author
Larry Wilson, Director of Wake Up America Seminars, became a
born again Christian after returning from a tour of duty in Viet-
nam. His understanding of the gospel, the plan of salvation, and
the atonement of Jesus Christ has thrilled his soul ever since.
He has spent over 40 years intensely studying the prophecies of
Daniel and Revelation.
In 1988, he published the first edition of this book and since
then, has written several books (over 950,000 books in circulation
throughout the world). Along with writing books, Larry Wilson
gives seminar presentations, produces video programs which have
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About the Organization

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