THE GREAT PLAN OF ALMIGHTY GOD

From the earliest time, he set out to plant his agent to corrupt others. Cain became his agent, and belonged to him: 1John 3:11-14 "This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like CAIN, WHO BELONGED TO THE EVIL ONE and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if THE WORLD hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him." (Incidentally, the word ‘canine’ is derived from the name of Cain and means ‘dog’.) There are plenty of dogs around, and John refers to them as ‘THE WORLD’. And all these dogs in THE WORLD hate God’s saints. Cain was a dog! He was like all those who belong to Satan. Interestingly enough, Cain wanted to serve God – but not according to God’s rules. He wanted to be in the scene, but didn’t want God ruling over him. He was openly hostile to God and contemptuous of being questioned about his murdered brother’s whereabouts and lied. And like all dogs, Cain was a liar and a murderer – just like his father Satan (John 8:44) – to whom he belonged.

But God’s far-seeing view of things was to use these people to set up a lesson for the House of Israel. God intends for the whole House of Israel to experience the harrowing time of Satan’s brood when they reach their full measure or full number for His purpose. Paul spoke of this, and so did God when He gave a message to Abraham concerning the time of the end. And not surprisingly, Jesus also spoke of it! Jacob prophesied of it and predicted that the nations of Israel would be swamped with gentiles when Ephraim reached greatness and would become a nation of Gentiles when the full number of gentiles came in. Paul knew what he was talking about, but unfortunately, Satan’s self-appointed ‘little helpers’ don’t understand anything. This is what Paul wrote: Rom 11:25 "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until THE FULL NUMBER OF GENTILES has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my Covenant with them when I take away their sins." Paul mentions that this is a mystery – and so it is! Part of this mystery is about whom God is referring. Jacob made it very clear who this is: Gen 48:19 "But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother (Ephraim) will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations". A group of nations? That’s not what he said at all! Almost every English translation of the Bible has a footnote saying the Hebrew for group is ‘fulness’ (Heb: melo) meaning full measure or full number. Why then didn’t they translated it ‘fulness’? And the word ‘nations’? This is a rather cute name for the Hebrew ‘goyim’ meaning Gentiles in the plural. So their translation ‘faux pas’ resulted in a ‘group of nations’ rather than ‘the full number of Gentiles’. I recall how this phrase was used to prove – erroneously – that Great Britain is Ephraim. Fortunately, God did not leave us without an arbitrator of this mystery. The Apostle Paul spoke Hebrew fluently and knew and taught what it meant!

Paul spoke about Israel concerning THE FULL NUMBER OF GENTILES. Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, was speaking about EPHRAIM. So whom does God call Israel in the latter days? Well God provided a whole Book about Ephraim – it’s called the Book of Hosea. Hos 11:1 "When Israel was a child I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more I called Israel, the further they went from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them." V5 "Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent? Swords will flash in their cities, will destroy the bars of their gates and put an end to their plans." V8 "How can I give you up, EPHRAIM? How can I hand you over, ISRAEL?" And in V12 "EPHRAIM has surrounded me with lies, the HOUSE OF ISRAEL with deceit. And Judah is unruly against God, even against the faithful Holy One."

Then Jacob continued by saying, in Gen 48:21 "Then Israel said to Joseph, "I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers. And to you, as one who is over his brothers, I will give the ridge of land I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow." The NIV margin offers an alternate meaning here and suggests: ‘And to you I give one portion more than to you brothers – the portion I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow." This gives an idea of how fouled up some of the thousands of early translations have become, and how obscured the real meaning is now. According to the many copied manuscripts, either could apply; it depends on which manuscript has the most credibility. Deceivers like to decide for themselves which of the many manuscripts is right, but never do they arrive at their conclusions from Bible evidence! God foresaw that deceivers would arise, and so He made sure that this is clarified. In the Book of Revelation, which God authored and handed to His Son Jesus (Rev 1:1), God lists 12 Tribes of Israel (Rev 7:5). He speaks of Manasseh (Joseph’s son and Ephraim’s older brother), but Ephraim is mentioned as Joseph. Ephraim is given the stature of Joseph – that is, he is superior or greater than Manasseh. But more importantly, Joseph is given a double portion – one more portion than his brothers. As it happens, the Tribe of Dan is omitted. In this, God Himself arbitrates the faulty translation and the error is corrected. What God was doing was confirming what Israel (Jacob) actually said! That it conflicts with what the translators thought it meant is irrelevant.

And to complete the explanation of the interdependent use of the names Israel – and Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, Israel (Jacob) said this: Gen 48:16 "The angel who has delivered me from all harm – may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly upon the earth." So Joseph sons were collectively called ‘Israel’. Of course, deceivers don’t want anyone to know that the reference to Isaac was fulfilled in the Germanic Saxons who migrated to England, and was a shortened form of ‘Isaac’s sons’. The Saxons dwelt closely to the Tribe of Simeon – the Germans. Simeon always liked to stay close to the power-base – but that’s another story.

Concerning the full number of the Gentiles, the question becomes ‘Who is right?’ Is it Paul, or the text-proofing infidels whose only desire is to corrupt Truth? Did Paul foul up when he spoke of the full number of the Gentiles coming in, in fulfillment of what Israel (Jacob) said? Wasn’t Paul speaking of all Israel being saved in this mystery? And didn’t he mention that the DELIVERER will come from Zion? Deliverer from what? Paul is speaking of being delivered or rescued from destruction. Israel (Jacob) confirmed that God would be with them and would bring them back to their allotments in the Holy Land – where Joseph would have a double portion. Everyone knows that Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) are not going to return to the Holy Land of their own accord! Why would they? They have no regard for what God plans. This is why Paul says they have ‘experienced a hardening in part’ (Rom 11:25). God says of them, Isa 29:13-14 "The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of the rules taught by men. Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish." Woe to them who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think, "Who sees us? Who will know? You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!" Jesus quoted these same verses in Matt 15:7-9 and called them hypocrites! And in Hos 12:8 "Ephraim boasts, "I am very rich, I have become wealthy. With all my wealth they will not find in me and iniquity or sin."

Those whose brains have become curdled like to see Gen 49:19 translated ‘group of nations’ because it fits in with their lying and deceitful views on the House of Israel. They offer no compelling reason why, nor do they explain what they hope it means. They only insist that it is not referring to Gentiles. What else would Paul be writing about? Had he begun to invent his own phraseology? Or was he reading and teaching from the Scriptures?

Israel (Jacob) went on, in the next verse (Gen 49:1) to prophesy about what would happen to his sons in days to come – or the last days – as some translations put it. It’s these last days that both Israel (Jacob) and the Apostle Paul were both speaking. It’s written in Gen 49:22 "Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over the wall. With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility (margin: ‘Archers will attack…will shoot…will remain…will stay)." The fledgling nation of Ephraim faced plenty of hostility from archers. These were the Indians who attacked, and stayed to become a thorn in their side. And these archers are still present in North and South America, and these represent a considerable portion of the Amorites mentioned by Abraham, Israel (Jacob), and about whom Paul was referencing with the full number of the Gentiles. Obviously, Paul knew the meaning of the Scriptures, but did not live to see the fulfillment which would unfold in the last days.

When God spoke to Abraham in a dream, He spoke of bringing Abraham’s descendants back to the Holy Land and said: Gen 15:16 "In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." God’s revelation to Abraham focuses on a divided heifer (V9-10) and was given in answer to Abraham inquiring about when he would receive his inheritance, and also when his offspring would number like the stars of the sky (V5-7). A fuller explanation of these verses is given later in this article.

Concerning Paul, he was explaining what was to happen when the full number of Gentiles had come in. He spoke of deliverance, but he also spoke of their Christian duties in this regard in the next chapter: Rom 12:1 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – which is your spiritual worship." ‘offer your bodies as living sacrifices’? This sounds very much like what the Saviour did – the Deliverer of Israel – when His physical body became a sacrifice! Surely Paul wasn’t suggesting they follow Jesus! Well, this is exactly what he was suggesting! For what other purpose would the Church be described as the Body of Christ? So to whom are they to offer their bodies as living sacrifices? It’s the Gentiles when they rise up like a flood and sweep over the country! Are they to run off into the night and hide? Or are they to emulate their Saviour and go as sheep to the slaughter? Paul’s advice is solid!

In Rom 11, Paul began by telling the Gentiles who were in the Church not to get too uppity. He explained that if they have been grafted into the branch, then they should not be arrogant, but afraid. And then he says, "For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you either." (Rom 11:21).

There is really no excuse for any Christian to be denying the meaning of ‘the full number of Gentiles’. This is what Jesus said concerning it: Luke 21:22 "For this is the TIME OF PUNISHMENT in FULFILLMENT OF ALL THAT IS WRITTEN. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles UNTIL the TIMES OF THE GENTILES ARE FULFILLED." Would anyone like to try to explain these words from their own imagination? If this is speaking about the FULFILLMENT OF ALL THAT IS WRITTEN, then clearly, all that the Patriarchs and prophets wrote concerning this same period will be fulfilled at the TIME OF PUNISHMENT. You need to burn the phrase ‘FULFILLMENT OF ALL THAT IS WRITTEN’ into your minds so that you never forget it! There are many things written in the Bible and we have yet to begin on some of the most important issues.

One of the prophets who wrote of the TIME OF PUNISHMENT was Hosea. Since EVERYTHING MUST BE FULFILLED THAT IS WRITTEN, Christ was speaking of this same TIME OF PUNISHMENT. Hos 9:7-9 "The DAYS OF PUNISHMENT are coming, the days of reckoning are at hand. Let Israel know this. Because your sins are so many and your hostility so great, the prophet is considered a fool, the inspired man a maniac. The prophet, along with my God, is the watchman over Ephraim, yet snares await him in all his paths, and hostility in the house of his God. They have sunk deep into corruption, as in the days of Gibeah. God will remember their wickedness and PUNISH them for their sins."

So did Paul and Jesus, and all the prophets, know what they were talking about, or is it your local preacher or self-proclaimed Biblical ‘expert’ who should decide what Truth is? The problem is that these ‘experts’ have no Light of Dawn. They don’t speak according to the Law and the Testimony, they don’t search out the Truth in the Scriptures, they proof-text everything to conform to their views, and seem to place themselves above Isa 8:20 which apparently applies to everyone but themselves! God speaks of testing the spirits (V19) and this is what Isa 8:20 is speaking of. He says, ‘If they don’t speak according to the Law and the Testimony – they have no Light of Dawn." And if they don’t speak according to the Testimony – which is the Spirit of Prophecy, then they are not speaking according to God’s Truth. You will find that these spirits are constantly speaking against the Testimony and have no idea of what prophecy is about. You don’t see them speaking according to the Testimony because they don’t understand prophecy and have no Light of Dawn. If they are constantly speaking against the Testimony of Jesus, then what sort of spirit do they have? They whisper and mutter about things they don’t understand; they offer no enlightenment about anything, but constantly refute everything concerning the Light of Dawn. God makes it very clear what their punishment will be (V21-22), so why would anyone want to share in their punishment by listening to them? And what would you learn from all the flaky stories they make up?

One of the most complex of all issues is the issue of the seventy ‘weeks’ spoken of by Daniel. His reference was to something spoken of by Jeremiah (Jer 25:11-12, 29:10) concerning the captivity of the Jewish people and the desecration of Jerusalem and the Temple for a period of seventy years.

Daniel’s primary concern was concerning the seventy years spoken of by Jeremiah: Dan 9:2 "…I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the LORD and pleaded with Him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes." Daniel’s petition to God was to have mercy on the Holy City of Jerusalem and its people, and to forgive them for their sins, and to turn and help them once more. His petition is recorded in Dan 9:4-19. V4-11 "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with all who love Him and obey His commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and Laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your Name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame – the men of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. O LORD, we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. The LORD our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him; we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the Laws He gave us through His servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your Law and turned away, refusing to obey you. Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you."

Daniel was addressing the sins of the men of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where they had been scattered. His petition was for God to redeem them once more. He concludes by saying this in V17-19 "Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favour on your desolate Sanctuary. Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the City that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your CITY and YOUR PEOPLE bear your Name." Yes, even during times of separation from the Holy City, God’s people bear His Name. Wherever they are, that’s where God’s Name is. This applies even to the Church of God just as Jesus Christ confirmed in Matt 18:20 "For where two or three come together in my Name, there am I with them." Daniel, of course, was referring to the House of Israel and the House of Judah, both near and far, in all the countries where they have been scattered because of their unfaithfulness (V7).

We learn that while Daniel was still speaking and praying and confessing his sin and the sin of his people, Gabriel came in swift flight to speak to him: V20 "While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the LORD my God for His Holy Hill – while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, "Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding."" Gabriel told Daniel that as soon as he began to pray, an answer was given, and he, Gabriel had been sent to deliver it: V23 "As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore consider the message and understand the vision."

What happened next is remarkable in that the explanation has been grossly distorted to fulfill man-made prophecies. In the following verses, ‘the anointed one’ has been translated from meshiyach in the Hebrew, to Messiah in English in some translations. How could they get it so wrong? After all, what was Daniel asking in his petition? And didn’t he receive an answer to that petition? Was he asking for the Holy City and the Sanctuary to be destroyed – or was he asking for God to have mercy on them? If we assume the anointed one to be the Messiah – the Christ, then why would His people come and destroy the City and the Sanctuary (V26)? According to the mindless nonsense Christians put out today, the suggestion is that God wants Christianity to destroy the Holy City Jerusalem. This is certainly the intent if they insist that the anointed one is Christ the Messiah!

The people of Judah and the City of Jerusalem had been slaughtered according to the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses (V11), and the City and the Holy Hill (the sanctuary) were in grave jeopardy. If you stripped away the man-made embellishments of God’s Holy Hill, what would you see? You would see the very Rock where Abraham was sent to sacrifice his only son Isaac.

Daniel was pleading for an end of the killing and destruction, and was asking God to intervene. And this was the answer Daniel received through Gabriel: Dan 9:24 "Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your Holy City to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Holy Place (margin). Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the anointed one, the ruler, comes there will be seven ‘sevens’, and sixty two ‘sevens’. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty two ‘sevens’, the anointed one will be cut off and will have no-one (margin). The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the City and the Sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will be continue to the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven’, but in the middle of that ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And one who causes desolation will place abominations on a wing of the Temple until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."

To complicate matters even further, IN SPEAKING OF A FUTURE TIME, Christ spoke of the abomination that causes desolation standing in the Holy Place (Matt 24:15) in a clear reference to what Daniel wrote in Dan 9:27, 11:31, 12:11. So the meaning of this still has significance for a time even further in the future. When Jesus spoke of this abomination and the desolation, He was speaking of events that would unfold at the end of the age. So if you think what Daniel wrote was fulfilled in his time, or any time between his time and Christ’s time, then you would be wrong. Yet clearly, his request concerning the seventy years was answered, and Gabriel delivered this answer immediately upon Daniel’s request. Gabriel prefaced the answer with ‘Know and understand this’; Jesus put it in these terms: ‘Let the reader understand’. So obviously what Gabriel said was not going to be clearly understood unless you are a reader – a reader of the Scriptures. Forget about Antioches Ephiphanes (you won’t read about him in the Scriptures) and the fanciful conjurations of liars. Jesus was speaking of the end of the age when He drew attention to what Daniel said, and confirmed it is still in the future! When someone suggests to you that Antioches Ephiphanes fulfilled this a couple of hundred years before Christ spoke of this as a future prophecy then you know that this person is either a complete idiot or a brazen, lying deceiver! When such people start muttering this type of lying deceit, then you really do need to test the spirits (Isa 8:19-20). You know Christ spoke of it, so did Paul (2Thess 2:4); but the Father also declared it as a future event (Rev 13:11-18). The readers of the Scriptures must be aware of this type of deception!

It was in the first year of Darius the Mede, who was made ruler over Babylon that Daniel understood what Jeremiah had said about the seventy years (Dan 9:1). If God’s answer came in answer to Daniel’s petition (and it did!) then why did God speak of ‘seventy weeks’ rather than seventy years? Well, seventy weeks can be seventy years if we are referring to the ‘Feast of Weeks’. Seventy of these are seventy years. The readers of the Scriptures would understand this. The Feast of Weeks is also called the Feast of the Firstfruits. The Firstfruits are described by God as the Tribe of Levi: Num 8:13 "Make the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering to the LORD. In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine. After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to come to do their work at the Tent of Meeting. They are the Israelites who are given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place of the firstborn, the first male offspring from every Israelite woman. Every firstborn male in Israel, whether man or animal, is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself. And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel." The wave offering is presented on the Feast of Weeks as two loaves baked with yeast (Lev 23:17), and represents the early harvest. The wave offering is the Levites! So here we see that the firstborn and the firstfruits are one and the same. God chose the firstborn/firstfruits/wave offering at the time when He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt. This was the time when God first began to steer the whole House of Israel on a pathway to righteousness. This is when they began to learn God’s Way and God’s Laws. And it all began with the Passover.

It should be pointed out that the Church of God is ‘a kind of firstfruits’ (James 1:18) in that they are the offspring of the Levites (Rev 12:17). But let’s not kid ourselves! Christ is the ultimate Firstfruits (1Cor 15:23), and the Levites are here to prepare the way for Him (Mal 3:1). And while the Levites will always be the firstborn/firstfruits/wave offering, they will be joined to Christ and be His treasured possession (Mal 3:16-18) along with those who are a kind of firstfruits. Each of the firstfruits must be offered to God and the Lamb by a Levite priest, and God makes this clear in Rev 14:4 "These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless." Only a true Levite can make this offering! The reference to ‘not defiling themselves with women’ becomes clearer further in the article. Obviously, it has nothing to do with having sexual intercourse with women, otherwise how would any offspring be born. There would be no firstborn in Israel (it’s speaking of Satan’s offspring – his harlots).

Daniel was facing the completion of seventy years of hardship for his people, yet the prophet Zechariah was able to view it in retrospect as a past event: Zech 7:5 "Ask all the people of the land and the priests, "When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?" Two things to notice here: Firstly, the seventy years had passed when Zechariah wrote this. Secondly, those who were supposed to be repentant of their former actions were not feasting to the glory of God but only for themselves. Thirdly, Zechariah’s message concerns what happens after the seventy years. Just bear this in mind – we’ll get back to it.

Christ’s servant Jude made a clear reference to this type of behaviour among Church members concerning feasting. He prefaced his remarks by a reference to Balaam’s error (Jude 1:11), a reference that is also made in Rev 2:14 as a severe problem in the Churches of God. Jude then launched into a scathing attack on these Balaamites who were in the Church and claiming to be shepherds: Jude 1:12 "These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm – shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted – twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever." Jude left nothing out! Such men are already condemned to the blackest darkness forever! He goes on to say in V19 "These are the men who will divide you, who follow mere natural instincts, and do not have the Spirit." These men are like brute beasts with mere natural instinct, who only want to lord it over others who do have the Holy Spirit of God. They feed only their own egos and bear no fruit. Perhaps you saw plenty of this in the Churches (by their fruits you shall know them – Matt 7:18-20). Because they follow mere natural instincts, they lack the intelligence that comes from the Wisdom of God. They are destructive and divisive and only want to destroy anyone who might outshine them. If this fails, they leave and start their own church. There’s been plenty of this in the past. There seems to be hundreds of them now – all teaching the same trashy nonsense based on mere natural instincts.

It’s worth noting that Zechariah was sent to give details of the endtime events that would unfold, culminating with the reign of Christ in Jerusalem (after a final pitched-battle), and the requirement to keep the Feast of Tabernacles hardwired into the knowledge of all nations (Zech 14:16-17). So feasting for God’s glory is to continue forever. At that time the LORD Almighty – the Father – will be dwelling in Jerusalem (same verse), just as He said His dwelling would be among men in Rev 21:3-5. This will be after Christ has put down all rebellion and destroyed the rulers of the heavenly realms, and after He has handed the Kingdom to the Father (1Cor 15:24-25).

So there are some obvious links between the seventy years referenced by Daniel, which were prophesied to culminate with the return to Jerusalem and the beginning of a whole new day or era. But why specifically seventy years? What is the significance of this? Through the prophet David we learn that seventy years is the life of a man: Ps 90:3-10 "You turn men back to dust, saying, "Return to dust, O sons of men. For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by (also referenced by Peter to the Church in 2Pet 3:8-9), or like a watch in the night. You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning – though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered (see Isa 40:6-8, 24). We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan. The length of our days are seventy years – or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away (or blow away – see Isa 40:24 again). Who knows the power of your anger? For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due to you. Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." V15 "Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendour to their children. May the favour of the LORD our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands."

In order to understand the theme of what has been recorded here, we need to continue with the very next verse in Psalm 91:1. This whole Psalm deals with salvation – the same type of salvation – and the only type of salvation that God ever speaks of, and which He confirms in Luke 1:68-78 – salvation from our enemies so that all who are saved can live a life of peace.

Psalm 91:1 "He who dwells in the shadow of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge (a reference to Rev 12:14); His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you (See the Song of Moses – Deut 32:30). You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you make the Most High your dwelling – even the LORD who is my refuge – then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."

This last sentence is the one quoted by Satan the devil (Matt 4:6) when he was trying to tempt Jesus into being his agent. It demonstrates the appalling ignorance of Satan that he couldn’t understand the meaning of it – and misquoted it! It’s not a reference to Christ, but a reference to those who are in the refuge of the eagle (V4). If it were a reference to Christ then He would have fulfilled it as He was required to do (Luke 24:44), but shortly after this, He was about to be thrown off a cliff by an angry mob (Luke 4:28-30) and He passed invisibly through the mob and went on His way. Satan and his agents are famous for misquoting Scripture because they are just plain ignorant. The reference in Ps 91:8 to ‘the punishment of the wicked’ is a reference to all those who act as Satan’s agents to subvert God’s Truth and vilify those who uphold it.

There are, of course, several layers of the wicked with different layers of wickedness. There are the fanatical liars and killers that make up Islam today who want to see the destruction of the whole House of Israel at any cost. These have no regard whatsoever for the Great Creator or His teachings, but have chosen to worship Allah the oak – Satan the devil! These scream ‘Allahu Akbar’ (Allah is great) as they gun down or blow up innocent men, women and children. At the other end of the pendulum are those who follow mere natural instincts like brute beasts, and try to get others to follow them. They lie and pervert everything in order to gain an advantage over others. These are the ones who pose as angels of light (just like Satan – while posing as Christ’s representatives – in other words – Christians: 2Cor 11:13 "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve."

Though Islam and false Christianity seem worlds apart, the fact is that both serve Satan the devil and are powerful agents in his hands. Both will get what they deserve, and their punishment is designed to be a deterrent to all who would follow them. All who survive will be thrown into the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Paul’s use of the words ‘deceitful workmen’ is a pointer to Moses’ reference to the alternative: to ‘bless the work of our hands’ in Ps 90:17. (David recorded Psalm 90 as a prayer of Moses.) There are plenty of deceitful workmen around today! And God makes sure they understand that their fate is permanent (Ps 92:5-7).

And just to conclude the rest of Ps 91:13 "You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent." This is a reference to Satan’s agents and Satan himself. Satan is like a roaring lion – a great lion – seeking whom he can devour (1Pet 5:8). He is also the ancient serpent – that great dragon (Rev 12:9), which makes him a considerably more potent that a small lion or a cobra – Satan’s agents. And he never lets them forget it! And it’s the intoxicating wine of Satan’s agents that the House of Israel has been listening to. In the Song of Moses, we find this reference: Deut 32:32 "Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras." Continuing in Psalm 91:14-16 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my Name (a reference to Mal 3:16) He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my SALVATION."

And what Name does God like to be acknowledged by? I can’t let it pass without making a few comments about this! There are a whole lot of fake Jews who strain over this subject. God says this in Mal 1:6 "A son honours his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the respect due to me?" And this is what God also says in the Book of Jeremiah: Jer 3:19-20 "I Myself said, "How gladly would I treat you like sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation. I THOUGHT YOU WOULD CALL ME ‘FATHER’ and not turn away from following me. But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you have been unfaithful to me, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL," declares the LORD." Anyone who doesn’t acknowledge the Name of the Father and call Him ‘Father’ is not His son! Jesus surely made this plain enough in Matt 6:9. Jesus made it very clear that we must pray to the Father! It’s permissible to refer to the Father as ‘LORD Eloihim’ (anglicized and pronounced as El-o-eem) or even as ‘Eloi’, as Christ did, and which means ‘my God’ (Matt 27:46). If the Father is Jesus’ God, then why are people calling Him ‘Yahweh’ – the Christ? The problem is that many people are becoming deluded into praying exclusively to Yahweh – the Christ! (or even worse: referring to Him as Jehovah). And against the Christ’s express instructions! The Father is no longer a father to them! In order to call Eloi ‘Father’ they need to start behaving like sons!

Back to Psalm 91 again. Are you beginning to understand what SALVATION is? It’s a little different from the ‘white lies’ your preacher has been speaking about, isn’t it? Your local preacher would probably put a wholly different spin on it. He wouldn’t agree with Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, now would he? Deceitful workers never do! The difference between these deceitful workers and Zechariah is, that Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit when he said these things (Luke 1:67). Deceitful workers don’t even know what the Holy Spirit is! So salvation is..…what? According to God’s Holy Spirit, of which deceitful workers have no knowledge, it means ‘salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us’ (Luke 1:71), and again in V74 ‘to rescue us from the hand of our enemies’, and in V79 ‘to shine on those living in darkness and in the SHADOW OF DEATH, to guide our feet into the path of peace.’

And which ‘SHADOW OF DEATH’ would this be talking about? Most Bible students know that David wrote of it in Psalm 23. Most Christians would know it by heart: Ps 23:4 "Even though I walk through the valley of the SHADOW OF DEATH, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." It’s not speaking of some obscure cemetery somewhere where a lot of dead are buried, it’s speaking about a creature that ruled from Adam to Moses: Rom 5:14 "Nevertheless, Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the One to come." This is the Scripture that has tied people in knots arguing over the meaning. If it were speaking of the death (or dying) that is common to us all when we return to dust, why did it stop at Moses? Did Moses introduce immortality so that no-one dies anymore? No, he didn’t! Paul was making the point that by one man’s transgression, sin entered the world and Death reigned. The ‘man’ who sinned was in fact the woman! And Paul confirms this in 1Tim 2:14 "And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner." And in 2Cor 11:3 "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ." And neither was Paul ignorant that all men must die: 1Cor 15:22 "For as in Adam all die, so [all in Christ] will be made alive." So dying didn’t stop with Moses. In fact, right at the outset, God said ‘Dust you are and to dust you will return’ (Gen 3:19). Lying deceivers disagree! Muslims and mainstream Christianity teach that when you die you go straight to heaven and have a form of immortality dwelling in you. The Truth is, that only God the Father has immortality dwelling in Him (1Tim 6:16), even though He can impart it to anyone He wishes. Of all the human beings who have ever lived, only Christ’s body did not see decay (Ps 16:8-11, Acts 2:29-31) because He was raised from the dead to become immortal. All others have returned to dust just as God has said. Paul was speaking of a future resurrection when he said, ‘So all in Christ will be made alive’. Just bear in mind who the human body of Christ is today!

It’s obvious to me that Rom 5:14 got a bit of doctoring along the way. To be consistent with the Scriptures it should read: ‘…even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as was the case with Adam, who was a pattern of One to come.’ As Paul said, ‘Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman – and she became a sinner.’ Both male and female are called the man kind, just as the animal kind was created male and female. People get so glandular and argumentative about Adam’s status, that they often become unhinged and start ridiculing the Scriptures. This is certainly true of a well-known book of Bible commentary. Since Adam was the son of God (Luke 3:38), it stands to reason that he is a pattern of One to come – the last Adam. As Paul said: 1Cor 15:45 "As it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit."

As for in whom Death reigned – it was Eve, the woman! It was Eve who was deceived by the serpent’s cunning and became a sinner (1Tim 2:14). Rom 5:17 "For if, by the trespass of the one man, Death reigned through that one man (who was the woman Eve), how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through one man, Jesus Christ." This is where it gets a little murky for those who insist that Paul was speaking about dying. If it was ‘dying’ that reigned through that one man (who was Eve), then surely only Eve was destined to die. But the Scriptures themselves remove all ambiguity, and Death is set to reign again and he is mentioned by name in Rev 6:8 (note the capital letter in Death). So it was the agent of the serpent – Satan the devil – who reigned through mankind and specifically through Eve. So the original mankind – male and female – were ruled over by Death through a woman.

It’s come to Satan’s attention that God is planning to use a ‘woman’ through whom to reign (just as Death reigned through Eve) to directly oppose that Great Harlot – Satan the devil! This ‘woman’ is the advance guard who will precede the True Messenger of the Covenant and prepare the way for Him (Mal 3:1). The ‘woman’ is mentioned in Rev 12:14, and is destined to establish the Throne of David (Zech 6:12-14) and the House of David (Zech 12:7-14), and they will do it by force. And like Eve, this ‘woman’ will have offspring – who, unlike Eve, do obey God’s commands (Rev 12:17). Death will not reign over this ‘woman’, and neither will this ‘woman’ be deceived by the Great Harlot – Satan and the City of Babylon – nor any of his agents! Instead, this ‘woman’ will directly challenge Satan and his agents, and engage them in battle just like the last Adam – the Christ – for whom they prepare the way (just bear in mind that God gave the first Adam rulership over the woman Eve – who was, in fact, Death in the flesh.) The ‘woman’ is to be trained in Godly warfare, and will fight for the Great King and His City Jerusalem. When Judah sees how strong the sons of Jerusalem are, they will join them (Zech 12:5-6) because they will know that the LORD Almighty is their God (same verses).

No-one rules on this earth without God’s approval! Not even Satan! Dan 4:17 "The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is Sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men." Satan is careful to plead his cause and hope that the decision and the verdict go his way. Because Satan wants the most vicious and cruel of rulers – the lowliest of men – he argues strenuously for his own choice of rulers, and considers it a victory when he gets the decision favourable to him. (Remember how Satan wanted Peter as his agent – but was refused – Luke 22:31). His agent Death began his rule through Eve, and continued through generations of her progeny – until Moses. These generations ruled over even those who favoured obedience to God – like Noah, who was a preacher of righteousness (2Pet 2:5). When Paul was speaking of the reign of Death (Rom 5:17), he spoke of ‘God’s abundant provision of grace’ (which is linked to the gift of righteousness in the same verse), and as the Book of Genesis says: Gen 6:8 "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." (NKJV). And in Heb 11:7 "By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith." Without this type of faith it is impossible to please God (V6). The type of faith that God is looking for is to believe God and everything He has said. Noah’s faith was exemplified by building an ark when there was no sign of a flood. In holy fear he set about doing exactly what God told him to do, because he believed God! He suffered the sneering and the jeers of the evil generation and condemned them. And sure enough, these brainless fools got exactly what they deserved when they were taken away by the flood. It so happens that Jesus mentioned this very thing in Matt 24:37 "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking (feasting, partying and all the debauchery that goes with it), marrying and giving in marriage (even same-sex marriages), up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. THIS IS HOW IT WILL BE AT THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN."

The flood will take them away all right! But not the same kind of flood! God promised never to bring another flood like Noah’s flood again. But He will bring a flood – but not of water! God is planning a human tide, a flood of war – just as Daniel wrote, "The end will come like a flood: War will be continue to the end" (Dan 9:26). This flood will overtake them all – all those who failed to listen to God’s warning – just as Christ has confirmed!

Those who don’t like to serve God want to make sure that no-one else does either. What typifies them is their penchant for straining at a gnat and then swallowing a camel – to use Christ’s own analogy. In the days of Noah, they were feasting away, and enjoying their peace and freedom to do so, then came sudden destruction. And as Christ has said, "This is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." Paul also confirmed this: 1Thess 5:1-3 "Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety’, destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape." Deceivers like to argue against these things, because they want to convince everyone that they alone have all the answers. When they preach ‘peace and safety’ they expect good outcomes rather than the prophesied destruction that will come suddenly. Paul mentions prophecy in relation to these matters in V19 "Do not put out the Spirit’s fire (a reference to keeping your lamps burning with olive oil), do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything (from the Bible – not the opinions of men). Hold on to that which is good. Avoid every kind of evil (including the type of evil where men try to rationalize away God’s Truth!)"

If this is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man, then we should be listening to God’s message through the prophets and not treat prophecies with contempt. You may not be aware of this, but there was another ‘son of man’ referenced in the Bible. He was a prophet, and God repeatedly referred to him as ‘son of man’ – the same title that Christ used when referring to Himself. Interestingly, both these ‘sons of man’ were 30 years of age when they began their ministry (Eze 1:1, Luke 3:23). Lo, and behold, we also find that another Levite like Ezekiel, was 30 years of age when he began his ministry. This was John the Baptist. He began preaching from Isa 40:3-5 (this speaks of the restoration of the landmass of the earth – see V4. Now there’s an interesting coincidence! God Himself also started speaking of the landmass of the earth when He first began to address Job - Job 38:4).

This ‘son of man’ was the prophet Ezekiel and God referred to him as the ‘son of man’ 93 times. In fact, it was this ‘son of man Ezekiel’ to whom Paul referred to when he mentioned peace and sudden destruction. Ezekiel delivered a message TO THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL (Eze 7:1-2). And in V5 "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "Disaster! An unheard of disaster is coming. The end has come! The end has come! It has roused itself against you. It has come! Doom has come upon you – you who dwell in the land. The time has come, the day is near; there is panic, not joy, upon the mountains [of Israel]. I am about to pour out (like a flood) my wrath on you and spend my anger against you. I will judge according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices. I will not look upon you with pity or spare you; I will repay you in accordance with your conduct and the detestable practices among you. Then you will know that it is I, the LORD, who strikes this blow. The day is here! It has come! Doom has burst forth, the rod has budded, arrogance has blossomed! The Violent One [margin] has become a ROD to punish wickedness; none of the people will be left, none of the crowd – no wealth, nothing of value."

We can’t pass without mentioning something about the Violent One. The prophet Habakkuk mentions him: Hab 2:5 "Indeed wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as the Grave and like Death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all nations and takes captive all the peoples." You’ll recall that Death rides the fourth or pale horse of the Apocalypse (Rev 6:8) for a while, until the Violent One becomes available. Presently, he is temporarily indisposed (Rev 9:1, 11), but Death will shill for him in the meantime and prepare the way. The Violent One has all the characteristics of Death but he has one other characteristic – he’s an expert at destruction, and this is why he is called the Destroyer. By comparison, Death is a bit of a wimp, though most won’t think so when he rallies a quarter of the earth to bring the destruction of a quarter of the earth.

Continuing in Eze 7:14 "Though they blow the trumpet and get everything ready, no-one will go into battle, for my wrath is upon the whole crowd. Outside is the sword, inside are plague and famine; those in the country will die by the sword, and those in the city will be devoured by famine and plague. All who survive and escape will be in the mountains, moaning like doves of the valleys, each because of his sins."

It’s in this context that Ezekiel mentions ‘peace’ and ‘destruction’. (The NIV translates destruction as ‘terror’, while the NKJV preserves the word as ‘destruction’. Let’s not quibble. In fact, it’s both!) This is what Ezekiel wrote in this regard: V23 "Prepare chains, because the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of violence. I will bring the most wicked of nations (see Hab 1:6-7) to take possession of their houses (same verses); I will put an end to the pride of the mighty (the pride of the mighty is Ephraim’s city of Washington, set at the head of a fertile valley – Isa 28:1-3), and their sanctuaries will be desecrated. When TERROR [DESTRUCTION] comes, they will seek PEACE, but there will be none. Calamity upon calamity will come, and rumour upon rumour. They will try to get a vision from the prophet; the teaching of the Law by the priest will be lost, as will the council of the elders. (See Note 1 below) The king (See Note 2 below) will mourn, the prince will be clothed with despair, and the hands of the people of the land will tremble. I will deal with them according to their conduct, and by their own standards I will judge them. Then they will know that I am the LORD."

Note 1. Getting a vision from the prophet, or a teaching of the Law by the priest, or even advice from the council of the elders at that time will be difficult, because there will be a famine of the Word of God: Amos 8:11 "The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine throughout the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it." If you go from north to east in the land of Ephraim (U.S. today) you will arrive in the very place where God established the 12 Tribes of Israel (13 with a double portion to Joseph) in the original 13 States of America – which were depicted as 13 stars and acknowledged by the founding fathers as representing the House of Israel. This was to fulfil the prophecy of Ephraim being prince among his brothers. And it’s in these 13 original States that God has granted authority to the council of the elders. Though there are other elders scattered around the United States of America, from Washington State to California and all the way to the East Coast and down to Florida. All these things occurred so that the wise would understand where God established Ephraim as prince over his brothers.

Joseph had two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Though the youngest, Ephraim was to be greater (Gen 48:19-20). When God lists the 12 Tribes of Israel in the Book of Revelation (Rev 7:5-8), Manasseh is mentioned by name, but Ephraim is referred to by his father’s name Joseph. Just as Joseph was a mighty ruler in Egypt, so Ephraim was to be the mighty ruler above his brothers, with all the characteristics of his father Joseph. And this is made clear in Moses’ blessing of the 12 Tribes of Israel: Deut 33:13 "About Joseph he said: "May the LORD bless his land with the precious dew from heaven above and with the deep waters that lie below; with the best the sun brings forth and the finest the moon can yield; with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills; with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favour of Him who dwelt in the burning bush. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph (the head of Joseph is Ephraim), on the brow of the prince among his brothers. In majesty he is like a firstborn bull; his horns are the horns of a wild ox, with them he will gore the nations, even those at the ends of the earth. Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim; such are the thousands of Manasseh." When Ephraim goes to war to gore the nations, he is many times more powerful than Manasseh by about a ratio of ten to one.

 

Note 2. God calls Ephraim a prince among his brothers. Since Ephraim is a democracy rather than a monarchy, they don’t have recognized kings and princes. They rejected this when they rejected King George III as their ruler. Their ruler today is called the President of the United States. For the nations of the world, and to the ends of the earth, this office carries far greater majesty than any other office on earth. When Ephraim speaks, men tremble (Hos 13:1) – even today – yet they are becoming very close to being guilty of Baal (Satan) worship (same verse) as they show favour to Baal’s brood. Of Ephraim, God has said this: Hos 10:13 "But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you depended on your own strength and on your many warriors, the roar of battle will go against your people, so that all your fortresses will be devastated…". It seems that Ephraim is beginning to be thoroughly beguiled by Baal and is willing to eat the fruit of deception, and imagines that he can bring peace to Baal’s brood. And while they are speaking of peace, and thinking that Satan’s brood is listening to them, forces are amassing to bring about Ephraim’s destruction. Presently, they have a righteous king (President) who is holding the line against the liberal butt-kissers of the opposition – those who continue to cry for Saddam’s regime, and almost went out of their minds trying to protect him. They used every device known to man to prevent him from being gored by the mighty bull Ephraim. (Guess whom God is talking about when He speaks of Baal-worshippers!) These people would kiss the devil if it gained them some advantage!

Perhaps they should have listened to the former council of the elders – the founding fathers of the GOP, the Grand Old Party, while they had the chance. The founding fathers would have counselled against becoming a traitor to God and their country like Benedict Arnold. But of course, the Democrats don’t listen to reason! They burst blood vessels defending evil. Well, the time will come when they will need some counsel from the elders, but they will be too late. The prophets and elders will be gone to prepare for their rescue – and salvation from their enemies. So as the Kingdom of God forcefully advances, you will see that God has appointed intrepid men to take it by force. As the borders of the Kingdom expand, you will know that your salvation is near.

 

Only when a verdict is given and God makes his decision can any ruler begin to reign. And just to show the consistency of this protocol, the Lamb Himself will be led into God’s presence for such a decision: Dan 7:13-14 "In my vision I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds (meaning: hosts) of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. He was given authority, glory and SOVEREIGN POWER; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His Kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." Even though this is a foregone conclusion, it is necessary to uphold God’s right to make the decision officially. And the First Lord of the Universe would not have it any other way – such is His love for His Father!

The same account is given in Rev 5:11 "Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise." For this great event, the Glory – the Dwelling-place of God – is stationed directly over God’s City Jerusalem, the centre of the earth and the Capital of the Universe. This is all a part of the Song of the Lamb (V9), which will be sung by the saints, together with the Song of Moses (Rev 15:3), all of which will cause some considerable heartburn for those who reject the Law of God’s servant Moses which God has warned to remember (Mal 4:4).

And now back to Psalm 23, which we referenced concerning the ‘shadow of Death’. Do you remember what David said comforted him? He said, "Your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Which rod and which staff is this? Well, one has to do with the Lamb of God – the Mighty Christ, and the other with Moses. It was Moses’ staff that consumed Pharaoh’s viper. The rod is in Christ’s hand, and is referred to in Ps 2:8-9 "Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with a rod of iron (margin); you will dash them to pieces like pottery." See also Rev 2:27 "To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations – ‘He will rule them with a rod of [iron]; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’ – just as I have received authority from my Father." And both will offer comfort when the Song of the Lamb and the Song of Moses are sung (Rev 15:3). In the Song of Moses the realm of Death is mentioned: Deut 32:22 "For a fire has been kindled by my wrath (see Luke 12:49, Matt 25:41), one that burns to the realm of Death below. It will devour the earth and its harvests and set on fire the foundations of the mountains." (Peter spoke of this – 2Pet 3:10-11, and so did Amos: Amos 9:5). In Hebrew the reference to Death is ‘Sheol’ and can mean the Grave or the deepest hell (as the NKJV states it). The fire that is to be kindled (see Luke 12:49) is specifically for the devil and his angels (Matt 25:41). And this ‘Sheol’ is the very realm of the most evil of all Satan’s lieutenants and is called the Abyss. Death has been released from his realm below and has been appointed to begin his ride as a horseman. Grave will follow shortly afterwards when God gives His verdict.

Satan has been the adversary of all the men of God – the preachers of righteousness. They’ve had to endure his reign over them over many periods of history. Isa 26:13 "O LORD our God, other lords beside you have ruled over us, but your Name alone do we honour. They are now dead, they live no more; those departed spirits do not rise. You punished them and brought them to ruin; you wiped out all memory of them." God sets up rulers and He destroys them. Satan is the arch-rebel and adversary, but he’s not alone. He has millions of spirits who listen to him because he’s a tyrant. There have been many who have already met their deaths. And there are plenty more to go. If the number of faithful angels numbers ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands, then the one-third who defected to Satan’s camp must exceed 50 million. That’s a whole lot of treachery to unleash on planet earth. Since mankind has been made a little lower than the angels, then these rulers rule over mankind. There is as wide a breadth of diversity in their natures as there is in human beings. Some are far more wicked than others, others possess great cunning and subtlety, others are morbid and melancholy. But they all have one characteristic: they all fear and tremble before God: James 2:19 "You believe there is one God? Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder." Yes, these demons tremble and shudder and shake with fear! They know how quickly things can go wrong for them if God turns on them. One great fear they have is being transported to the Abyss. This was exemplified when Christ was on the earth: Luke 8:29 "For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man." V30 "Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged Him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss." The Abyss is not a friendly place to be! It’s ruled by an inmate who is an absolute tyrant, and is known as the Destroyer (Rev 9:11). Death is his seat-warmer, the one who prepares the way for him. The evil tyrant Death is Satan’s best option until God gives the decision for Abaddon (also called Apollyon) to rule. And then he will be let out of the Abyss. He is the last of the heads of the beast, although of the seven, he is really the eighth. He will cause astounding destruction, and all to Satan’s complete satisfaction!

As for ‘the demons that begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss’, they chose a better option: Luke 8:32 "A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and He gave permission." They begged for a lesser punishment than the dreaded Abyss! And Jesus gave a favourable judgment. They became pigs and went to their destruction.

Even David spoke of these heads of the beast long ago: Ps 74:12-14 "But you, O God, are my King from of old; you bring salvation upon the earth. It was you who split open the sea by your great power; you broke the heads of the monsters in the waters. It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathon and gave him as food for the creatures of the desert." And Isaiah: Isa 27:1 "In that day, the LORD will punish with his sword, his fierce, great and powerful sword, Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; He will slay the monster of the sea."

This is how God describes this model of perfection: Eze 28:11-12 "The Word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "You were the model of perfection, full of Wisdom and perfect in beauty." This description would certainly not apply to Satan today! But on the day he was created it was certainly true: V13 "You were in Eden, the garden of God; every stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared." Apart from God and Adam and Eve, the only other intelligent being in the Garden of Eden was the serpent. There was no sign of the king of Tyre; in fact, the city of Tyre didn’t exist at that time! But the being who later ruled through the king of Tyre was there – and this was the ancient serpent – the devil. He is no longer the model of perfection, he no longer has Wisdom, and he certainly has no beauty, in fact, he’s ugly and detestable.

Continuing in Eze 28:14 "You were anointed a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the Holy Mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you." He was anointed as a guardian-class cherub like the group of cherubs (cherubim) set to guard the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Life: Gen 3:24 "After he drove the man out, he placed in front of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the Tree of Life." It seems that being a guardian cherub wasn’t enough for him; he wanted to be a creator just like God. His idea of perfection differed from God in how all other beings should be and look. He reasoned that lesser beings deserved nothing unless they sought his favour. He wanted authority over everything and everyone – and presumably, even God.

On reflection, it seems that if you give an intelligent being a little power, they are never satisfied – they want it all. And if they don’t get it, rebellion arises. Moses faced the same problem with subversives: Num 16:8 "Moses also said to Korah, "Now listen, you Levites! Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near Himself to do the work at the LORD’S Tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them? He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near Himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too. It is against the LORD that you and all your followers have banded together." Korah’s epitaph, and that of his followers, is written in V31-35.

Jude also mentions Korah: Jude 1:11 "Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain, they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion." It’s interesting that the first murder committed in the era of mankind was committed by one of Satan’s agents. Cain belonged to Satan (1John 3:12). God even tried to reason with Cain and suggested that if he changed his way then his offerings would be acceptable. But Cain was too far-gone, and had developed the mind of his father Satan. He wanted God to accept his way, but was not prepared to accept God’s Way. And so righteous Abel became the first lamb to the slaughter. This is the typical pattern of all those who belong to Satan. If they are not acceptable, then they will make sure that no one else is either.

It’s also interesting that three things are mentioned here: the way of Cain, the profit of Balaam, and Korah’s rebellion. These three things typify Satan! He wanted his own way – not God’s Way, he organized for profit, and rebelled against His Father. His profit was from his trading in commodities: Eze 28:16 "Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the Mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more." Just remember that this is a lament (Eze 28:12). A lament is a funeral dirge, and this lament will be remembered for all time as a lesson to all of what this former model of perfection became.

It’s through trade that Satan will control the nations of the earth to honour him and his city of Babylon – the seat of his power: Rev 18:11 "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her (Babylon, city of power – V10) because no-one buys their cargoes anymore….". V14 "They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendour have vanished, never to be recovered. The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified of her torment. They will weep and mourn and cry out: ‘Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin." This is Satan’s great city of Babylon – the very hub of future world trade – and the pride of Satan’s accomplishments. This is the city set on the Euphrates River and is in the process of being rebuilt. And just to reinforce that this is speaking of widespread trade, and that these merchants were the world’s great men: V23-24 "….Your merchants were the world’s great men. By your magic spell all the nations of the earth were led astray. In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth." God’s City is the Holy City of Jerusalem; Satan’s city is Babylon on the Euphrates River (and Ephraim’s city is Washington) and never the twain shall meet!

People seem to think that they can bring peace by reasoning with Satan’s brood. Throughout history, Satan’s brood has brutalized the innocent and ruled as tyrants over lesser beings. God wanted this lesson to be sheeted home for all time, and so He established the Church and instructed them to act in innocence at all times in order to gather the evidence of Satan’s outrages. God plans to turn the tables eventually (see V20), and the Church will rule with a rod of iron and shatter the nations like pottery – just as Christ will! (Rev 2:26-29). Forever into the future, God’s Family – those who bear His Name – will rule all nations with a rod of iron. As life expands to other worlds, the God Family will uphold God’s ways, and rebellion and treachery will be put down like pottery being smashed to pieces. Is it possible for decent men to be violent men? Wasn’t Jesus the most decent of all men? Isn’t He the One as the Son of God that we should all emulate? The answer is yes to all three questions. Jesus supports all who are righteous, but is an invincible force against all who do evil. And so, whenever any nation refuses to listen to sound reasoning, death and destruction will be swift, like pottery shattered to pieces.

Some have reasoned that Satan is responsible for everything, and so he is. He’s the one who led the rebellion against God and turned the heads of one-third of the angels of God. Intelligent spirit beings chose to follow him because they loved evil. (There is a big difference between intelligence and Wisdom!) There are many human beings who are this way also. As intelligent beings, they have the ability to choose their own way. There is not a lot of difference between the intelligence of human beings and that of the created spirit beings. Both have the ability to choose between good and evil. Most evil men remain quiescent as long as no ruler rallies them as in mob-rule, but it only takes one ruler to turn relatively normal men and women into rampaging animals of destruction. When the option is to join in or be killed, weak people succumb to the evil influence. God expects those who have His Holy Spirit to act in a manner that is preferential to Him. And God has set such people apart for service to Him. All God’s servants must have these characteristics, and His servants are described in Rev 12:10-11 "…For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the Word of their Testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." As the innocent Lamb of God, Jesus went quietly to the slaughter. God expects His servants to be of the same mind, and not shrink from death. Their service to God must be absolute in all circumstances, and they must complete their service to God. This is what was promised when people enter the contract of baptism – they are prepared to die for God and be resurrected by Him. In other words, they are ready to die in faith, believing that God will resurrect them just as He did His Son Jesus.

The prophet Job understood these things, and this is why God refers to him as His servant. Job said this: Job 26:5-6 "The dead are in deep anguish, those beneath the waters and all that live in them. Death is naked before God; Destruction lies uncovered." (Death is translated from ‘Sheol’, and Destruction is translated from the Hebrew name Abaddon – a pointer to Rev 9:11). What did Job mean by ‘The dead are in deep anguish’? Did he mean that the dead are actually alive? Well all flesh turns to dust and they stay dead and know nothing, and will continue to know nothing, unless they are resurrected at the appointed time. Job is referring to those who lived in the flesh – but are not flesh and blood themselves – a point made by the Apostle Paul in Eph 6:12. Job specifically names Death and Destruction as fitting into this category. Job further identifies them in the same chapter in V12 "By His power He churned up the sea; by His Wisdom He cut Rahab to pieces. By His breath the skies became fair; His hand pierced the gliding serpent. And all these are but the outer fringe of His works; how faint the whisper that we hear of Him! Who can understand the thunder of His Power?" God’s Wisdom and God’s Power are not understood by people who don’t believe Him! Those who possess them are appalled at those who don’t. Those who spend their lives trying to prove God wrong will come to a tragic end (Job even speaks of this in Job 27:11-15). Even those who challenge God’s servants are already condemned. They’ve already written themselves out of the script. God has no interest in doubters or scoffers! (2Pet 3:3, 7 and he also mentions the Great Flood in V6 and says in V7 "By this same Word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.")

As for God’s Wisdom, Job had plenty to say about it! Job 28:20 "Where then does Wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds of the air. DESTRUCTION and DEATH say, ‘Only a rumour of it has reached our ears.’ God understands the Way to it, and He alone knows where it dwells, for He views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When He measured the force of the wind, and measured out the waters, when He made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm, then He looked at Wisdom and appraised it; He confirmed and tested it. And He said to man, ‘The fear of the LORD – that is Wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding."

When God says in these verses that ‘He looked at Wisdom’, who was He looking at? The Apostle Paul explains: 1Cor 1:24 "But to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the Power of God and the Wisdom of God." 1Cor 2:6 "We do, however, speak a message of Wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God’s secret Wisdom, a Wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory." Wisdom is another name for the Mighty Christ: Proverbs 8:12 "I, Wisdom, dwell together with Prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. To fear the LORD is to hate evil