NB: Quotations from old references might be in ‘Ye old English’. For example History of The Christian Church was published in 1882. And Matthew Henry’s commentaries go back to 1708. So quotations from the ‘old’ references might be in somewhat unfamiliar phraseology! But by quoting them verbatim, you can use various phrases, particularly those I have underlined, copy the phrase, then past the phrases into the search option in e-Sword or the website. Then search for the exact phrases. The search should take you to the reference I have given you. For the same reason, I have even left the spelling mistakes, or ‘old’ spelling, as they were, rather than change the wording!

References in ‘e-Sword’, I have used the following method of abbreviation. For example to find a map I have given the reference in the following way; [Ref e-Sword/Graphics View/Historical/ 34. The Germanic Kingdoms and the East Roman Empire in 486]. Which is short for saying: - Go to e-Sword/ Open the Graphics Viewer window which has a symbol of a small mountain with the sun above it, in the top of the page/ Then choose the Historical maps section/ Then on the right of the page, use the dropdown box to find map 34; which is called, “The Germanic Kingdoms and the East Roman Empire in 486”.

NB: I strongly suggest you download e-Sword to make full use of the references I have given you. The download link is shown below in the Abbreviations table.

General Abbreviations, References & Equipment

ACCH -Adams Synchronized Chronological Chart of History, by Sebastian Adams.

AOTJ -Antiquities Of The Jews By Flavius Josephus

CN -Commentary Notes via e-Sword. Given as: - ‘Name on Bible Ref Book CH: Vrs’ e.g. [Ref CN Clark on Dan 7:7].

Britanica -Encyclopædia Britannica via the Internet, or my hard copy 1999 Edition CD-Rom

e-Sword -The FREE Bible on line. e-Sword downloads

FoxBM -Foxe’s Book of Martyrs – all references via e-Sword.

HCC -History of The Christian Church (by Philip Schaff), via e-Sword. [Phrases underlined for easy reference.]

HYY -History Year by Year (by Dorling Kindersley Ltd)

JUssher -The Annals of the World by James Ussher

LXX -The Septuagint with Apocrypha by Sir Lancelot C.L. Brenton (2016 Edition). Also via e-Sword

Slide# -Television/Projector for presentations, e.g. “Slide#No, etc”

Wiki -Wikipedia ref, example: “Ref Wiki link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint”

PAPAL Abbreviations, References & Links

NAdvent -New Advent Catholic Encyclopaedia, with reference link, e.g. [Ref NAdvent link Popes, List of]

No.666 -A web site entitled ‘666, The Number of the Beast’ by Michael Scheifler from Bible Light.

PClaims -A web link entitled ‘Papal Claims to Authority’ by Michael Scheifler from Bible Light.

Pope-L -A web link entitled ‘List of Popes’, a hand chronology that is also available within ‘NAdvent’.

AT-Pope -A web link entitled ‘About the Pope’ from ‘The True Church of GOD Website’, with historical records.

Ferris: Abbreviations, References & Links

AJFerris -The Book of Revelation by A. J. Ferris. – Publisher, “The Clarendon” (3^rd Edition 1941)

AJF-D11 - From My Copy FROM The Second Advent - How: When: Where? Daniel Chapter 11 - By A.J.Ferris

AJF-Rv2 - The Book of Revelation Pt 2 Ferris

The Search For The One World Government In Scripture

Introduction

How would you like a dollar for every time you’ve heard that phrase, “One World Government”? It’s so often mentioned amongst Christian groups, and it’s also a common subject in the secular world. So if everyone were so sure that a One World Government is inevitable, then surely God would have given us a ‘heads-up’ with appropriate scriptures! But what does the bible actually say about it?

Aim

I would like you to join me in a lengthy study of the scriptures, to verify the validity of this argument, that, “a One World Government is about to come into existence!” This is going to take some time to unfold the various scriptures etc. so please bear with me, (bring a cut lunch).

Different Interpretations

If we know anything about the bible and eschatology, (the study of end time stuff), we all know that there are numerous different interpretations. For a concise description regarding this I suggest you refer to the following, [Ref ‘e-Sword/ Reference Library/ HCC Vol. 1, Ch. 12, Par101], under the heading, ‘Interpretation’. Here is a very brief coverage of Philip Schaff’s description of the three main interpretations.

[I believe there should be a correction in Part 3 below, a 'typo', the “31 times, I think should read 3½ times]

“The different interpretations are reduced by English writers to three systems according as the fulfilment of the prophecy is found in the past, present, or future.

1. The Preterist system applies the Revelation to the destruction of Jerusalem and heathen Rome.

2. The Continuous (or Historical) system: The Apocalypse is a prophetic compend of church history and covers all Christian centuries to the final consummation. It speaks of things past, present, and future; some of its prophecies are fulfilled, some are now being fulfilled, and others await fulfillment in the yet unknown future. Here belong the great majority of orthodox Protestant commentators and polemics who apply the beast and the mystic Babylon and the mother of harlots drunken with the blood of saints to the church of Rome, either exclusively or chiefly. But they differ widely among themselves in chronology and the application of details. Luther, Bullinger, Collado, Pareus, Brightman, Mede, Robert Fleming, Whiston, Vitringa, Bengel, Isaac Newton, Bishop Newton, Faber, Woodhouse, Elliott, Birks, Gaussen, Auberlen, Hengstenberg, Alford, Wordsworth, Lee.

3. The Futurist system: The events of the Apocalypse from Rev 4:1-11 to the close lie beyond the second advent of Christ. This scheme usually adopts a literal interpretation of Israel, the Temple, and the numbers (the 31 times, 42 months, 1260 days, 3 1/2 years). so Ribera (a Jesuit, 1592), Lacunza (another Jesuit, who wrote under the name of Ben-Ezra “On the coming of Messiah in glory and majesty,” and taught the premillennial advent, the literal restoration of the ancient Zion, and the future apostasy of the clergy of the Roman church to the camp of Antichrist), S. R. Maitland, De Burgh, Todd, Isaac Williams, W. Kelly….

…Another important division of historical interpreters is into Post-Millennarians and Pre-Millennarians”

“lie beyond the second advent of Christ”? This sounds wrong! If you consider the Second Advent is the physical return of Christ. But it makes sense if Schaff is referring to the Rapture as the Second Advent.

With this in mind in the first part of this talk I will try to explain each passage from the Futurist viewpoint, using commentaries mostly from Futurist believers. Some you can readily obtain via “e-Sword’’. They are David Guzik, John Darby, Chuck Smith, C.I. Scofield, and E.W. Bullinger, who although he is listed above by Schaff as an Historical believer, he is more inclined towards the Futurist line of thinking. I will try to present the possible future on the bases of a logical, literal and realistic interpretation of the prophecies. Then in the second part of this talk I will explain each passage from the Historical viewpoint, using commentaries mostly from historical believers. But I won’t be looking into The Preterist System; you can use this link to check that out yourself.

The Futurist Interpretation Viewpoint

A Brief On The Futurist View

In a ‘nutshell’ what do most Futurists believe? Let’s put it down in a bullet point format, so that you can come back to this page every so often to take a breather and get your bearings again so to speak. The Futurists believe the following: -

1. World powers already control ‘world government, religion and currency’

2. Next thing to happen must be the Rapture! The church is taken up to heaven

3. Some say the Holy Spirit is take out of the world at the same time.

4. The Old Roman Empire will be revived, forming the “One World Government”.

5. A charismatic antichrist will come to power.

6. He ‘makes a covenant with many’, namely the Jews!

7. The temple in Jerusalem must be rebuilt.

8. The Jews restart Blood sacrifices in the temple!

9. Then The Mark of The Beast is brought in!

10. The antichrist sets himself up as God in the temple

11. After 3½ years the antichrist breaks his covenant with the Jews.

12. The 3½ years of The Great Tribulation starts

13. Antichrist will ‘wear out the saints for ‘3 ½ years’

14. The two witnesses will be dead 3½ days then rise to life.

15. Antichrist ruthlessly controls the whole planet for 3½ years

16. Then the Lord returns and destroys the antichrist!

A One-World Government In Scriptures

Now whether you believe the Futurist interpretation or not, I believe you must use that interpretation in order to produce the idea of a coming One-World Government. The scriptures that are mainly used for this are found in Daniel and Revelation. There is often the reference to “Ten toes, ten horns or ten kings”. Also if you are a Futurist believer there are these following ideas put forward:

· The ‘Ten kings’ are still in our modern day future. That is they are yet to appear in history.

· Following them comes ‘The Antichrist’, also called ‘the little horn’, ‘the man of sin’ or ‘the son of perdition’ etc.

So, let’s briefly look at the meaning of a ‘horn’ in scripture. Then later we can look at the meaning of ‘the little horn’.

Horns In Scripture

A horn is a symbol of strength or a dynasty. Take for example Psalms 132:17 “There I will make the horn of David to bud…”, which is speaking of Christ ‘the bud’ from David’s royal line or his dynasty, [Ref CN by Albert Barnes or John Gill on Psa. 132:17]. Or in Job 16:15 “I have sewed sackcloth on my skin and thrust my horn in the dust.” Where Job is really having a ‘bad day’; all his sons are dead and buried in the dust. You can also [Ref CN by Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Dan 8:3], which we will cover in this next paragraph

The Little Horn In Dan Chapter 8

Just to explain the difference. Daniel chapter 8 verses 3 to 25 refer to the rise of the Greek Empire and the fall of the Media-Persia Empire, and a different ‘little horn’ is mentioned. The interpretation is given in verses 20 to 25. Basically Daniels sees a ‘ram’ with two horns, representing the kingdoms of Media and Persia. Then he sees a ‘he-goat’ with “one outstanding horn”, representing Alexander The Great of the Greek Empire. The ‘he-goat’ attacks and defeats the ‘ram’. We know all this from history, and the fact that Alexander died young and his kingdom was divided into four, (four horns), as seen in the vision, Dan 8:8 “ ..the great horn was broken. And in its place came up four outstanding ones”. In verse 9 Daniel sees a little horn rise from one of the four horns. The key point is this little horn stems from the Greek Empire. Where as “the little horn” in Daniel chapter 7 stems from the Roman Empire. You may like to refer to some commentaries notes to get some ideas from the scholars. Some of them mention that the ‘little horn' in Dan 8 is a ‘type and shadow’ of the coming Antichrist. [Ref CN on Daniel 8:9 by John Gill; Albert Barnes; David Guzik; John Wesley; C.I. Scofield and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown.]

The Ten Toes, Horns Or Kings

Just to give you a brief list of references to the ‘ten toes, horns or kings’. Most of them prophetically represent the Ten Kings that all ‘stem from the Roman Empire’. [If you’re a Futurist, they are yet to appear]. They can be found in the following scriptures: -

Dan 2:41 ..the feet and toes, part of potters' clay and part of iron

Dan 2:42 ..as the toes ..were part of iron and part of clay ..the kingdom shall be part strong and part brittle

Dan 2:43-44 ..they shall not cling to one another ..in the days of these kings, the God ..shall set up a kingdom

Dan 7:7 ..a fourth beast, frightening and terrifying, and very strong. ..had great iron teeth; ..and it had ten horns

Dan 7:8 ..thinking about the horns ..came up ..another little horn ..three ..horns ..uprooted ..this horn had eyes

Dan 7:20 ..the ten horns ..in his head, and ..of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth speaking very great things

Dan 7:24 ..the ten horns ..of this kingdom are ten kings ..another (horn) shall arise ..he shall humble three kings

Rev 12:3 ..behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads!

Rev 13:1 ..a beast coming up out of the sea, having seven heads ..ten horns. ..on its horns were ten crowns

Rev 17:3 ..I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-coloured beast …having seven heads and ten horns

Rev 17:7 ..I will tell you the mystery of the woman ..the beast that carries her, ..has ..seven heads and ten horns

Rev 17:12 ..ten horns ..are ten kings ..received no kingdom yet, but will receive authority ..one hour with the beast

Rev 17:16 ..the ten horns ..will hate the harlot ..will make her desolate ..naked, ..will eat her flesh and burn her

God’s ‘Time-Line’ Dan 2

Daniel chapter 2 is very useful for understanding God’s ‘time line’ and the fulfilment of many prophecies. If we read and condense the whole chapter, we find Daniel was explaining to Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, the unfolding of future events. Daniel said there would be four Gentile kingdoms or ‘Empires’. And history proves Daniel’s prophecy. Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of a great statue; Daniel explained it to the king as follows. Dan 2:32 “…head was of fine gold; his breast and his arms were of silver; his belly and his thighs were of bronze .. :33 his legs were of iron; his feet were part of iron and part of clay.” History has shown us that these Empires were Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece then Rome. Media-Persia was a composite kingdom hence the two arms. We see this also in Dan 7:5 with the bear up on one side, meaning one side was stronger than the other, [Ref CN John Wesley on Dan 7:5]. And again in Dan 8 above we saw ‘a ram with two horns’. As to was Greece the bronze composite kingdom. Refer Dan 7:6 “a leopard ..four wings ..four heads”; Greece divided into four kingdoms. [Ref CN by John Wesley on Daniel 7:6]. And the two thighs represented Ptolemy of Egypt, and Seleucus of Syria, the strongest two kingdoms of the four. Rome also became a composite kingdom, the two legs of iron representing the Eastern and Western Roman Empire

Then the Roman Empire divided into ten kingdoms Dan 2:41-42. “feet and toes, part of potters' clay and part of iron”. Partly Iron! So they stem from the ‘legs of iron’, which represented Rome. ‘Ten Toes, Horns or Kings’! All still in the future. [Ref CN by David Guzik on Dan2:1-49 par 3,d,i] “Since Roman history provides no fulfillment of this federation of kings (which seems to number ten, because of the number of toes, and passages like Dan 7:24 and Rev 17:12) this prophecy must still be future.” So these ‘Ten’ play an important part in the understanding of a coming ‘One world Government’. Therefore if the ‘Ten’ kings are in the future, then every thing that happens to them in prophecy is still in the future and is very useful for understanding the end times.

The ‘Ten Toes', part of ‘potters clay’ and part iron? I have been thinking this over for months, wondering if God is showing me something here? And it’s just a thought I could be wrong! Daniel sees into our future, present day, and these ‘ten toes’ are in our future, consisting of iron & clay? How would Daniel describe concrete? If the ‘potters clay’ is concrete, then iron and concrete is exactly what we use to build our modern-day fortifications. also some commentaries speak of the change from Gold through to Iron as representing a change of the quality or characteristics of the gentile empires, or even the fighting metals used. Iron defeats bronze! But these days we use concrete barriers to defeat Iron tanks. Who knows? I did say it was just a thought.

So, what happens to these ‘Ten’ kings in the future? Daniel then told the King, Dan 2:34-35 “You watched until a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image upon its feet which were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces. ³⁵ Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken to pieces together. And they became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors. And the wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” Daniel then gives the interpretation…etc. till Dan 2:44 “And in the days of these kings, the God of Heaven shall set up a kingdom.. ⁴⁵And the dream is certain, and its meaning is sure.” Many futurists and some Historic believers see the stone representing Christ, who on His return shall destroy the antichrist and the ‘Ten kings'.

So, there we have God’s ‘Time-Line’ for the past 2600 years. But up to this point in prophecy, apart from Isaiah 14:12-14 with Lucifers’ five “I wills”, God has not revealed any information about a future coming antichrist.

Points

So, for the futurist what have we discovered from Daniel chapter 2 about the ‘Ten’ kings

1. God gives us a Time Line for the past 2600 years

2. The Roman Empire or Roman world must still be in existence!

3. The ‘Ten’ kings must arise from the Old Roman world.

4. The ‘Ten’ kings are still yet to arrive in world history!

5. Some time after these kings appear, Christ, ‘The Stone’, returns to destroy them and set up His kingdom.

The Ten Horns: Dan 7

Daniel chapters 7 to 12 and Revelation chapters 12, 13, 17, 18 and 19 then give us a better understanding of the future Roman period of history. When we look into these chapters we find Daniel and Revelation go together like ‘hand in glove’. Both books refer to a “dreadful beast and/or dragon, with seven heads and ten horns” etc. Let’s look at each chapter and examine the references and character of the ‘Ten Horns or Kings’ in order to piece together the jigsaw of these ‘Ten’.

Let’s first look at the Ten Horns and what this chapter tells us about them. Dan 7:7, Daniel sees the beast, it is frightening and terrifying, it subdues all the other empires. But in Daniel 7:20 you will find that this beast has only one head, Why? Our futurist commentators accept this beast as representing the revived Roman Empire, and it had ten horns. As in Daniel chapter 2 this clearly shows us that the Ten Horns stem from the Roman Empire. Back in Dan 7:16, Daniel asked one of the angels standing by, for an explanation of the vision and he was told in Dan 7: 23-26. “..The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all kingdoms and shall devour the whole earth, and shall trample it and crush it. ²⁴And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise.” We know these ten kings are yet to appear. so this would mean we are still in the fourth kingdom period, subdued somewhat, but we are still in the ‘Roman world’. For many futurists, any passage speaking of ‘The Whole Earth’ is interpreted as the modern-day whole planet earth. By believing this, the ‘ten kings’, are often expected to arise from many parts of today’s modern world, rather than solely from the European Roman world. Possible but I will just stay with the concept that they rise from the European or Roman World.

As we read on in Daniel 7, we find more information. Daniel sees in Dan 7:8 “..there came up among them another little horn, …three of the first horns were uprooted… ^9..thrones were set in place …the Ancient of Days … etc.” so the ‘Little Horn’, (Also, referred to as the man of sin or the son of perdition, refer 2Th 2:3), he comes up after, but amongst, the ‘Ten’ horns. so he must also ‘come up’ out of the Roman world. He then destroys three kingdoms. [Ref CN by C.I. Scofield on Dan7: 8] “who subdues three of the ten kings so completely that the separate identity of their kingdoms is destroyed.”. This is also repeated in the angel’s explanation in Dan 7:24 “And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise. And another shall arise after them. And he shall be different from the first, and he shall humble three kings.” We will cover this ‘Little Horn’ in more detail later.

Points

So, what else have we discovered from Daniel chapter 7 about the ‘Ten’ kings.

6. Refer Dan 7:20 the beast has only one head, Why? Maybe it was all Daniel needed to know at the time?

7. The ‘Ten kings’ shall rise from the Roman world, and presumedly take over the modern-day Roman Europe.

8. Very soon after the ‘Ten’ kings arrive in history, another king shall appear amongst the ‘Ten Kings’ of Europe.

9. He shall be different. Many think this is a reference that ‘he’ will be charismatic, appealing to all.

10. This 11^th King ‘shall humble, or uproot three kings’. Obliterate them! (Maybe by nuclear strike?)

Revelation

Rev 1:1 “A Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him to declare to His servants things which must shortly come to pass. And He signified it by sending His angel to His servant John.” John received the Revelation some 650 years after the time of Daniel. They were in different worlds. Daniel was given enough information so that people in John’s day could understand where they were in God’s ‘Time Line’. For example, because of Daniels’ prophecy of ‘the seventy weeks’ and other prophecies, people at the time of Christ realised those prophecies should have been fulfilled and therefore were expecting the Messiah to appear! John was given more detailed information so that we can understand God’s plan for our time and the end of the age. But first refer back to Philip Schaff’s description above. [HCC Vol. 1, Ch. 12, Par101] “The different interpretations are reduced.. The Futurist system: The events of the Apocalypse from Rev 4:1-11 to the close lie beyond the second advent of Christ.”

So what does this mean? Well Revelation consists of; Chap. 1, the introduction; Chap 2 & 3, letters to the churches; and Chap. 4, John sees the throne in heaven. But chapter 4 starts with this; Rev 4:1 “After these things I looked, and behold, a door was opened in Heaven. And the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you what must occur after these things.”

For the Futurist this ‘door in heaven’ is a symbol of the ‘Rapture’, and John represents the church ‘caught-up’ to heaven. Then John, from the position of heaven, sees the rest of the Revelation unfold. You can find this in some commentaries: -

[Ref CH by C.I. Scofield on Rev 4:1] “Come up hither. This call seems clearly to indicate the fulfilment of 1Th 4:14-17. The word "church" does not again occur in the Revelation till all is fulfilled”.

[Ref CN by Chuck Smith on Rev4:1] “So, I believe that the church is to be raptured. And I believe that the point of the rapture in the book of Revelation is in here in chapter Rev 4:1”.

Also, [Ref CN by John Darby Rev 4:1]

It could be said that John was also transported in time to a point after the Rapture. Then that from heaven John sees the ‘Great Tribulation’. That is interpreted as meaning; the church is up in heaven so she is ‘not in the ‘Great Tribulation’. And since we have not been caught-up in the Rapture as yet, that would mean everything from Revelation chapter 6:1 onward, is still in the future. This puts a completely different view between the Futurist and the Historical interpretation of Revelation. Therefore the Futurist sees Revelation from chapter 6 onward, briefly in the following sequence of events. And we can call this, Daniels’ Seventieth Week, it is a literal 7 years under the antichrist’s domination. It is a more detailed version of the earlier list, ‘A Brief On The Futurist View’. [Ref CN by C.I. Scofield on Dan 9:24, then CN by David Guzik, John Darby, Chuck Smith and E.W. Bullinger on Dan 9:27].

I will explain Daniels’ Seventieth Week in more detail later when we come to study ‘The Little Horn’.

Daniels’ Seventieth Week

· The world runs as normal. Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall be the coming of the son of Man.

· The Rapture. 1Th 5:2 Lord comes like a thief in ..night. 1Th 4:17 we ..alive ..caught up ..meet the Lord in the air.

· The Church is taken out of the world! One will be taken, and the other left. Mat 24:40-41 & Luk 17:34-36

· Some say the Holy Spirit is take out of the world. 2Th 2:7 ..he is now holding back until it comes out of the midst.

· Daniel’s 70^th week starts. Antichrist makes covenant ..one week ‘with many’! Maybe Jews and Muslims. Dan 9:27

· The temple in Jerusalem must by this time be rebuilt. Rumours are that it is already in a prefab state ready to go.

· The antichrist will charismatically reveal himself, 2Thes 2:3 the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition

· Mark of The Beast! Rev 13:16-17 all …receive a mark on ..right hand ..foreheads Rev 14:9-11; 16:2 & 19:20

· The antichrist exalts himself above ..God …sits as God in ..temple of God, setting himself forth …he is God. 2Th 2:4

· Then in the midst of Daniels 70^th week the antichrist breaks the covenant. Dan 9:27

· The whole world enters the Three and a half year Great Tribulation. Refer to the following: -

· Dan 7:25 he ..speak words against the Most High ..wear out the saints for 3 ½ times ..change times and laws.

· Rev 11:3 …My two witnesses …they will prophesy 1260 days, clothed in sackcloth.

· Rev 13:5 ..a mouth speaking great things…and blasphemies. And authority was given to it to continue 42 months.

· Then The Lord returns 2 Pe 3:10 heavens ..pass away ..noise ..elements ..melt ..heat. And the earth ..will be burned up.

But through all that we know that God is in charge! If we now keep that sequence in mind, let’s now look at Revelation chapters 12, 13, 17 and 18 to see what else happens to the ‘Ten’ kings during the 7 years of the tribulation.

The Red Dragon With Ten Horns: Rev 12

Refer Revelation Chapter 12:3 “And another sign was seen in the heavens. And behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads!” [Ref CN by David Guzik on Rev 12:1-17 under B. The Dragon, par B.i.] “From the similar description given in 13:1 and the parallel references in Dan 7:7-8; Dan 7:2, it is clear that the revived Roman Empire is in view . . . The seven heads and ten horns refer to the original ten kingdoms of which three were subdued by the little horn of Dan 7:8, who is to be identified with the world ruler of the great tribulation who reigns over the revived Roman Empire. (Walvoord)”

From Rev 12:9 we see that the dragon represents Satan and he is directly managing the resurrection of the Roman Emperor. so this revived Roman Empire, must rise again in our modern day future. It has regal power denoted by the ‘seven crowns on his heads’. Yet at this point in time, the ‘Ten’ horns or kings do not have crowns. S this must indicate the states-quo of the antichrists rulership at the very start of the 7 years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week. Currently the EEC, (European Economic Community), is the closest thing to a revived Roman Empire at present. It would seem that after the rapture there would have to be seven major leaders, or ‘heads’ that would rise from the EEC in order to regain world stability after the chaos caused by the rapture.

But consider the following. I asked Google, “How many Christians are there in the world?” As of 2021 I found the following answer in wiki/Christianity by country, ‘As of the year 2015, Christianity had approximately 2.4 billion adherents out of a worldwide population of about 7.5 billion people.’

That’s almost one third of the world’s population. Imagine if only half, 1.2 billion, Christians of the world were worthy of being ‘caught-up’ in the Rapture? Let’s presume say 1 billion Christians, mainly from Europe and the USA were to vanish! This could leave a huge void in the leadership and administration throughout the Christian world. Newly elected “heads” of world powers would try to restore order in a panicked world. Is it possible that this passage is a reference to ‘seven heads’ that would come to power in Europe immediately after the Rapture? NB: these ‘heads’ stem from the dragon, and it represents the Roman world. so as we saw in Daniel chapters 2 and 7, these leaders or heads must rise from within the Roman or European world.

The ‘Ten horns’? Well there are numerous references to them as being ‘Ten’ kings’. But let’s be realistic, between the time of Napoleon and WWII nearly all the monarchies of Europe have been killed or permanently displaced. so it is highly unlikely that Europe would revert back to ‘Ten’ monarchies. The ‘Ten Horns or Kings’ could be a reference to ‘Ten’ military leaders appointed, and given marshal law, to restore world order. For example if we go back to Dan 8 above, when Alexander The Great died, ‘4 horns’ rose up. These horns represented the four generals of Alexander’s army. so ‘Seven’ new political European leaders, ‘heads’, and emergence powers given to ‘Ten’ generals, is a plausible scenario!

This all seems harmless enough, a world trying to recover from the Rapture. But if you study Rev 12, start to finish, there are some other interesting things happening. You see in verses 1-6, a woman births a man-child; the dragon tries to kill him. The child is caught-up to God. Then verses 13-17 "the dragon turns on the woman; she is then protected. You can check various commentaries about these, all very interesting. But that has very little to do with the ‘Ten kings’ that we are studying at the moment. The key point is, starting in verses 7 “there was war in heaven. ..:9 And the great dragon was cast out, the old serpent called Devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. .:12 …Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and in the sea! For the Devil came down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a little time.” Satan is now stuck on earth, he’s infuriated, time is short and he can no longer stand face to face with God in heaven, accusing the brethren. This happens some time immediately after the Rapture. some say that at this point Satan will be roaming the earth seeking someone to possess, and this person would become the antichrist, the Little Horn, the leader of the ‘Ten kings’.

Points

So, what else have we discovered from Revelation chapter 12 about the ‘Ten’ kings.

11. The ‘great red dragon’ representing the revived Roman Empire rises up presumably in Europe.

12. There are ‘seven crowned heads’, presumably political leaders with regal power from the Old Roman Europe.

13. There are ‘ten horns’ maybe military leaders with NO regal power, appointed to restore control in Europe.

14. There was War in Heaven’; Satan will be expelled from heaven.

15. Immediately after the Rapture Satan will be roaming earth to possess someone, to become the ‘Little Horn’.

The Beast With Ten Horns: Rev 13

This passage gives us more information about the antichrist, this time known as the ‘healed head’ and/or the beast itself. It also introduces the ‘Two Horned’ beast. But we will group together all the info about them later. Let’s first look at Rev 13:1-2 “And I stood on the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns. And on its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads was the name of blasphemy. ² And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and its feet like ..a bear, and its mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him its power and its seat and great authority.”

· [Ref CN by John Darby on Rev 13:1-18] “In Chapter 13 we have the clear and full development of Satan's instruments of evil. They are two — the ten-horned and the two-horned beasts. To the first the dragon, who swept with his tail a third part of the stars to earth, Satan under the form of the Roman Empire, gave his throne and much authority. [15] The second not only wielded the first power administratively before him, but was the active power of evil to lead men to recognize the first, and therein the dragon. The beast is the original Roman Empire, but largely modified and in a new character. It has perfect completeness in its forms of government or heads but is composed of ten kingdoms.”

· [Ref CN by C.I. Scofield on Rev 13:1] “Daniel’s fourth beast, (See Scofield on Dan 7:26), The "ten horns" are explained in Dan 7:24; Rev 17:12 to be ten kings, and the whole vision is of the last form of Gentile world-power, a confederated ten-kingdom empire covering the sphere of authority of ancient Rome. Rev 13:1-3 refers to the ten-kingdom empire; vs. Rev 13:4-10 to the emperor, who is emphatically "the Beast."

This new beast came up out of the sea. Refer Rev 17:15 “..The waters which you saw ..are peoples and multitudes and nations.” I think this beast represents a broader coverage of the antichrists power over the modern-day populous of the whole planet. It is a composite of the leopard the bear and the lion. If you refer back to Dan 7:3-6 we find the same animals representing the empires of Greece, Media-Persia and Babylon. so it stands to reason that after the shock of the Rapture the New World order, (the beast), which starts in Europe, would have to then encompass a greater coverage of planet earth if it wishes to maintain control. You can also refer to the rest of the commentaries above, [Ref CN by C.I. Scofield and John Darby on Rev13] and [Ref CN by David Guzik on Rev13: 1-18]. They all make reference to the leopard, bear and lion, as being an indication of a change of the characteristics of the beast. Very interesting should you care to read them. Equally it’s also logical that the beast should change in character to incorporate other nations. Then verse 2 continues, ‘the dragon gave the beast his power and his seat and great authority’. Now Satan appears to be controlling more of the earthly governments, but still seated in Rom

But consider this, when God uses animals to represent nations, He uses animals that are recognised at the time the prophecy is to be revealed. For example in Daniel 7 He used a leopard to represent Greece, which indicated the speed at which Greece would conquer the world. But in the very next chapter, Daniel 8 God uses the ‘he-goat’ to represent Greece, why? [Ref CN by

Adam Clarke on Rev 12:3] “God has represented the kingdom of the Greeks by a he-goat, for no other apparent reason than this, that it was the national military standard of the Grecian monarchy.” so if the Revelation is meant to be understood in our generation, what would we understand the ‘leopard the bear and the lion’ to represent now? Referà[Slide#1] Here is an old ‘Punch’ cartoon, in reference to the Crimean War. In 1854 Russia, (the Bear) was harassing Turkey, so Britain, (the Lion) came to her aid. In these days we understand the Lion is the British Commonwealth, the Bear is Russia or the USSR. But what could the Leopard represent? It could be interpreted today as the African continent. Also we know from Rev 13:8 “And all dwelling on the earth will worship “the beast”. What better way could represent the spread of the beasts’ power, than using that kind of analogy in the prophecy, to indicate the beast has covered a much greater area than the Old Roman World.

Remember in Rev 13: 1 “And on its ‘Ten horns’ there were Ten crowns!” This is a distinct change for the ‘Ten’, because they now have regal power. Earlier I did talk about the possible reinstatement of ‘ten’ of the old monarchies as unlikely. But do you remember Napoleon, ‘corporal Napoleon’; he eventually crowned himself as Emperor of Europe. so who’s to say that as I suggested, ‘Ten’ military generals, appointed by the antichrist, are not later crowned as kings. Or it could also mean they are appointed as military dictators. What ever you choose to believe these ‘Ten’ are now much more powerful. Then the antichrist uses them to ‘reap the whirlwind’ during the last three and a half years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week. This period of time is often referred to as the 1260 days or 42 months or 3½ times etc. as in: - Rev 13:5 “..And authority was given to it, (the antichrist), to continue forty-two months.” And Rev 13:7 “And it was given to it to war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given to it over every tribe and tongue and nation.” Also in Dan 7:25 “..shall wear out the saints ..they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and one-half time.” We will cover how the antichrist can achieve this under the heading, “The Little Horn”.

Points

So, what else have we discovered from Revelation chapter 13 about the ‘Ten’ kings.

16. A different beast having ‘seven heads’. Possibly a restructured Old Rome, still has seven political leaders.

17. The dragon (Satan) ‘gave the (new) beast his power and his seat and great authority’.

18. It has ‘ten horns’. And ‘ten crowns’. Regal power is now bestowed in the ten ‘military’ leaders.

19. The new beast has characteristics of a ‘leopard, bear, and lion’. also maybe meaning greater world coverage

20. And all dwelling on the earth will worship the beast.

21. ‘Authority was given to it over every tribe and tongue and nation’.

22. The ‘Ten kings’ ‘will give their power and authority to the beast’ Rev 13:5.

23. Authority ‘was given to it, (the New beast), to war with the saints and to overcome them’.

The Great Prostitute Riding The Beast Rev 17

This chapter is virtually the culmination of Daniel’s Seventieth Week. so where do the ‘Ten Kings’ fit in? Briefly in Rev 17:1-6 the angel takes Daniel to, ‘see behind the curtains’, so to speak, as to what the ‘religious harlot’ is doing, riding on a beast and what will happen to her at the end of the Seventieth Week. Rev 17:1 “And one of the seven angels…talked with me, saying ..Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot sitting on many waters, ² with whom the (Ten) kings of the earth committed fornication, and became drunk with the wine of her fornication, those inhabiting the earth.” Firstly who is the harlot? Often in bible studies you will hear or read, “a woman in prophecy represents a church”. In this case it is the antichrist’s church of which the antichrist is the head of the false religious church. Committed Fornication? [Ref CN by David Guzik on Rev 17], “The idea of fornication often has strong associations throughout the Bible with idolatry”. Ref also to John Darby, John Wesley and others. The (Ten) kings and those inhabiting the earth have committed fornication with her! This is clearly saying that the whole world will be swept up into an idolatrous one-world religion. Remember from above regarding the Futurist System; “Ribera …taught…the future apostasy of the clergy of the Roman church to the camp of Antichrist”. Now [Ref CN by John Darby on Rev 17] “a character plain enough to mark the Roman or Papal system… a woman, a religious system, sitting on an imperial beast full of names of blasphemy, having the form which marked it Roman.” so after the rapture the Church of Rome becomes an apostate system with the antichrist as its head, supported by the ‘Ten Kings’.

That means that a future union of church and state would eventuate. Now [Ref CN by E.W. Bullinger on Rev 17:5], please read his whole commentary for that verse. But note; Bullinger died in 1913 just before WWI. He speaks of the ‘League of Nations’, which was the forerunner of the UN. Bullinger said, “The "Reunion of the Churches" of Christendom and the "League of Nations" are two of the most arresting signs of the times. Now we have the EEC. And if we liken the UN to ‘a school playground’, then the EEC could end up being like, “the biggest bully in the playground”. To the right, Referà [Slide#2]. Now [Ref CN by David Guzik on Rev 17:12-15] “There is little doubt of the credentials of the EEC to claim itself a successor to the ancient Roman Empire. The EEC started in 1957, when six European nations met to talk about combining their nuclear, coal, and economic resources. They met together in Rome, and signed the treaty of Rome - the beginnings of the present EEC. In many places in Europe, the EEC flag is just as prominent as any national flag. In the spiritual dynamic of things, it’s no accident that on the back of the Eurodollar coin is a woman riding a multi-headed beast”. This is the closest ‘Euro coin I could find via the ‘net’. [Ref link 1st Anniversary of the Signing of the 4th REICH COIN],

Then in Rev 17:7 “And the angel said to me, Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, that has the seven heads and ten horns.” Most of this chapter we will talk about under the heading, ‘The Little Horn’. But as for the ‘Ten Horns’ we will cover them now. The key scriptures that support the ‘One World Government’ theory are usually found in this chapter. Let’s consolidate the various passages we need regarding the ‘Ten’.

Rev 17:12-17 “And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have received no kingdom yet, but will receive authority as kings one hour with the beast. ¹³These, (the ten kings), have one mind, ..they will give their power and authority to the beast. ¹⁴These, (the ten kings), will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them .. ¹⁶ and the ten horns…will hate the harlot ..make her desolate ..naked…they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. .¹⁷For God gave into their hearts to do His mind, and to act with one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast until the Words of God will be fulfilled.”

The ‘Ten’ kings have 'received no kingdom as yet'! This point is usually interpreted as, we are reading the prophecy now, and as of now they have not received their kingdoms yet. Of course that makes sense, because the ‘Ten’ kings are still in the future! Then when the antichrist, (the beast), comes to power then the kings will receive their authority. The tricky bit is the phrase “one hour with the beast”. If we go to some commentary notes it might shed some light on that, and I’ll give you quite a few of them.

[Ref CN by John Darby, Chuck Smith, John Gill, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Albert Barnes, Joseph Benson and Adam Clarke on Rev 17:12]. some of their comments are briefly listed here as: - “one hour; namely, that at one and the same hour or season he came to his supreme authority”, “short duration”, “cannot be taken literally…meaning a brief…time” or “at the same time, or for the same length of time”; “with the beast”; “receive the same kind of a power as a king”.

We can also look at the word numbers and their meanings from Strong’s or Thayer’s, “oneG3391 hourG5610 with the beast.” Let’s first look at the word, “oneG3391”. It can also mean, “a (certain), + agree, first”. Now refer to verse 17 as above, “to act with one mind, and to give their kingdom”, then cross-reference to KJV it reads, ‘to agree,G4160 G3391 G1106 and give their kingdom.’ so instead of the word “oneG3391”, we could also use the word, ‘agree’. Now let’s look at the word, “hourG5610”. From Strong’s it can be interpreted as, “day, hour, instant, season, X short, [even-] tide, (high) time.” so for the phrase, ‘one hour with the beast’, we could rephrase it to read, “agree for a time with the beast. That’s much the same as the commentaries above.

Verse 13 “These have one mind, ..they will give their power and authority to the beast. ¹⁴ These will make war with the Lamb” The Lamb is Christ the head of the Church, therefore the ‘Ten kings’ are fighting against the true Church, this is much the same as above in Rev 13:7 “And it was given to it to war with the saints and to overcome them.” [Ref CN in Popular New Testament on Rev 17:14] “ ..the last half of the verse is not that of the Authorised Version, that the Lamb shall overcome because they that are with Him are called and chosen and faithful, but that they that are with him, called, and chosen, and faithful, shall be partakers of the victory.”

It is the most horrid time under the antichrist rule. Satan knows ‘his time is short’, and in his vengeance for being exiled from heaven he is trying to destroy God’s creation on earth. But hallelujah there is a massive change. Rev 17:16 “and the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked. And they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. :17 For God gave into their hearts to do His mind, and to act with one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast until the Words of God will be fulfilled.”

It would appear the ‘Ten’ kings submit to the antichrist’s rule. Then in the middle of ‘the week’ as in point 9 above the antichrist as described in, 2Th 2:4 “ ..exalts himself above ..God, ..he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself forth ..he is God..” He then ramps up the bloodshed and slaughter. As in verse 14 “These, (the Ten with the antichrist), will make war with the Lamb,” Then right at the end of Daniels’ Seventieth Week, the ‘Ten kings’, as above in verse 17 “For God gave into their hearts to do His mind”. It is a capital ‘H’, His, Gods’ mind! God has put into the hearts and minds of the ‘Ten’ kings to submit to the antichrist’s rule until it seems they can no longer stand the degradation they have come to. They rebel!

They turn against the ‘harlot’. [Ref CN by C.I. Scofield on Rev 18:2] “Two "Babylons" are to be distinguished in the Revelation: ecclesiastical Babylon, which is apostate Christendom, headed up under the Papacy; and political Babylon, which is the Beast’s confederated empire, the last form of Gentile world-dominion. Ecclesiastical Babylon is "the great whore" Rev 17:1 and is destroyed by political Babylon”. They “make her desolate and naked”, in other words strip her of all her accumulated wealth. Then ‘eat her flesh and burn her with fire’. This is an interesting Old Testament parallel. [Ref CN by John Gill on Rev 17:16] “(4) Shall burn her utterly with fire. The language is most probably taken from the Old Testament, in which to be so burned is the punishment of fornication on the part of a priest’s daughter (Lev 21:9). The whole is a picture of complete destruction.” You should also Refer CN on Rev 17 from Summarized Bible, Robertson Word Picture, John Darby and others. They are all quite interesting.

But the antichrist must still have a ‘trump card’ up his sleave, because he continues to exist until the return of Christ. 2Th 2:8 “And then the lawless one, (the antichrist), will be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the breath of His mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming:G3952 ”, From Strong’s, “G3918 ..advent ..return; specifically of Christ to punish Jerusalem, or finally the wicked”. so Christ destroys the antichrist, not when He comes at the rapture, but at the Second Advent. But as I have said we will talk about that when we get to ‘The Little Horn’, we’re nearly there.

Rebuilding The Temple

Just a quick ‘side note’: Remember above under the heading, Daniel’s Seventieth Week, I mentioned in point 6 ‘The temple in Jerusalem must by this time be rebuilt’. Well I recently found an article on the net entitled, Misunderstandings About Jerusalem's Temple Mount – 2011, “While it has not been widely published, it assuredly has been known for more than 40 years that the 45-acre, well-fortified place that has been mistakenly called the “Temple Mount” was really the Roman fortress—the Antonia—that Herod built. .. The area is called the Haram Al-Sharif in Arabic.” I saw this originally on ‘You-Tube’. And YES there are a lot of critics that will try to pull this theory apart. But if it is correct it would appear that the actual site of the temple mount is in an area, about 200m south and completely separate of ‘The Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque’. So if the Jewish world could ultimately be convinced of this, then the Temple could be rebuilt. It would be completely separate of the Muslim sacred site and theoretically nobody would be offended.

Why wouldn’t it be possible that after all these centuries we have had the location of the temple in the wrong spot? Consider this, if you go to the back of nearly every bible these days to find a map showing Mt Sinai, you will find it somewhere in the middle of the Sinai peninsular! Where as Paul tells you in Gal 4:25 “For Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia”. so why do we keep looking for Mt Sinai in the peninsular, instead of looking for it in Saudi Arabia? You can look for Mt Sinai yourself, but try looking for it as the Saudi’s call it, Jebel el Lawz. Roughly in English that is, ‘Mount of the Laws’. Another thing to consider about the temple is Jesus said, in Mat 24:2 and Mar 13:2 “There shall not be one stone left on another that shall not be thrown down”. so how come the foundation wall of the temple is supposedly still intact? It should have bee pulled down as well! It just doesn’t add up! Mt Sinai is not in the right spot, and I believe nor is the temple mount.

Points

So, what key points have we picked up from Revelation 17 regarding the ‘Ten kings’, and the Temple?

24. A ‘religious harlot’, an idolatrous one-world religion will develop, most likely with the antichrist at its head.

25. The ‘ten kings, have received no kingdom yet’, presumably this is the transfer of regal power to the ‘Ten kings’

26. ‘The (Ten) kings of the earth committed fornication’ with the (religious harlot), the idolatrous one-world religion

27. The ‘Ten kings’ ‘will give their power and authority to the beast’

28. The Temple could easily be rebuilt any day now presumably without disturbing the fragile peace in Jerusalem

29. The ‘Ten kings’ will turn against the false religious system, plunder it then utterly destroy it

30. But through all of this the antichrist will survive to live another day, until Christ returns and destroys him

The Little Horn Dan 7

We now get to that long awaited subject and Dan 7 is the first time we hear of ‘The Little Horn’. In this chapter Daniel virtually explains the vision three times over. so each time we gain a bit more information. Let’s now pick out the key verses about ‘The Little Horn’. Dan 7:8 “I was thinking about the horns, and behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom three of the first horns were uprooted. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.” Throughout the bible this evil character has had numerous names or titles. Now out of the 32 commentaries I could find in e-Sword, Bullinger has the most concise list of these other names.

[Ref CN by E.W. Bullinger on Dan 7:8] “little horn = a horn of small beginnings. This identifies this vision with those of Ch. Dan 8:9, Dan 8:11, Dan 8:12. See App-90. The first of twelve titles given to the power commonly known as "the Antichrist": it is used again in Dan 8:9. Compare Dan 11:21-30. Note the other titles: "the king of Babylon" (Isa 14:4); "the Assyrian" (Isa 14:25); "Lucifer, son of the morning", in opposition to "the bright and morning star" (Isa 14:12); "the Prince that shall come" (Dan 9:26); "the king of fierce countenance" (Dan 8:23); "the vile person" (Dan 11:21); "the wilful king" (Dan 11:36); "the man of sin" (2Th 2:3); "the son of perdition" (2Th 2:3); "that wicked (or lawless) one" (2Th 2:8. Rev 13:18); "the beast with ten horns" (Rev 13:1).”

No doubt there must be a few other names you can recall. I can think of a few, “the King of Tyre” in Ezekiel. God says of him, in Ezek 28:13 “You have been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, etc. ¹⁴ You were the anointed cherub that covers,…¹⁵..until iniquity was found in you.” This is no mere human this is ‘Lucifer, son of the morning’ from Isaiah 14:12. also in Genesis 3:1 there is “the serpent”, that was also Lucifer in disguise. And Lucifer has been working for thousands of years through these many characters and titles to disrupt and frustrate God’s plans if possible. And ‘The Little Horn’ is one of the last characters he uses in history. so let’s backtrack through Daniel and Revelation to see what we can find out about him in the last days. We can also draw more information from the writings of Paul, Peter and others. We can skip Daniel chapter 2 because we know it only speaks of the ‘Ten toes’, which are the ten post Rapture kings and in Dan 2 there is no mention of ‘The Little Horn’ in any form. We can look for each characteristic as we continue.

Daniels’ Vision of the Four Beasts Dan 7

We know from above this fourth beast is Rome but in Daniel 7:20 you will find that this beast has only one head. But let’s start at Dan 7:7 ‘..it had ten horns.’ Then after them in verse: 8 “..there came up among them another little horn, before whom three of the first horns were uprooted”. This is interesting because this is only passage that says three horns will be uprooted. In Revelation there is always ten horns, but none of the futurist commentaries shed any light on any reason why that is so. I would love to hear from you if you can answer that for me, on the bases of the futurist interpretation that is. But it is obvious that the antichrist rises up after the ‘Ten’! He would then destroy three kings, and then perhaps raise three new kings who will obey him, so that the total is again ‘Ten’. Maybe!

Continuing in verse: 8 “And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man”. Numerous commentaries speak of this as indicating that the antichrist will have the following attributes. [Ref CN by Keil & Delitzsch on Dan 7:8] ‘insight, circumspection, prudence, wisdom’. [Ref CN by Joseph Benson on Dan 7:8] ‘perspicacity, foresight, and cunning of this power’. [Ref CN by Albert Barnes on Dan 7:8] ‘The wheel rims full of eyes Eze 1:18, as symbolic of intelligence’. But nearly all these traits can be attributed to any human king. But consider these. [Ref CN by Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Dan 7:8] “Eyes…So, (Gen 3:5) the serpent’s promise was, man’s “eyes should be opened,” if he would but rebel against God.” Antichrist shall consummate the self-apotheosis, begun at the fall, high intellectual culture, independent of God.’ And then we have this about the Lamb of God in Rev 5:6 “a Lamb ..slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God.” Is ‘the little horn’ with eyes likely to signify some kind of evil spiritual insight? Perhaps Satanic possession?

Continuing in verse: 8, then we have, ‘a mouth speaking great things’. ‘Great things’, means what? God gave Paul a marvellous insight in to this. 2Th 2: “Now we beseech you, my brothers, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him …3 Let not anyone deceive you by any means. For that Day shall not come unless there first comes a falling away, and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition, :4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself forth, that he is God.” This clearly is blasphemy. [Ref CN by Albert Barnes on Dan 7:8] “The mouth: “and a mouth speaking great things.” A mouth indicating pride and arrogance. This is explained in Dan 7:25, as meaning that he to whom it refers would “speak great words against the Most High;” that is, would be guilty of blasphemy. There would be such arrogance, and such claims set up, and such a spirit evinced, that it would be in fact a speaking against God. We naturally look for the fulfilment of this to some haughty and blaspheming power; some power that would really blaspheme religion, and that would be opposed to its progress and prosperity in the world.” Numerous other commentaries speak the same regarding the antichrist’s blasphemous mouth.

Paul gives us quite a lot of information here, “For that Day shall not come”. What day? He is speaking of, “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him”. He is telling us that before the Lord comes, in verse 3 “there first comes a falling away, and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition”. so here we have our first ‘heads up’ glimpse of information. something to look for that happens before the Rapture. There ‘first comes a falling away’. What is “a falling awayG646”? From Strong’s we get: - G646 “apostasia ap-os-tas-ee'-ah. Feminine of the same as G647; defection from truth (properly the state), (“apostasy”): - falling away, forsake.”

Apostasy?

So what is an apostasy these days you might ask? Well the falling away is not a drifting away from the church as most people think. It means the truth is not preached in the pulpit! It could mean that the church numbers are growing astronomically, simple because the people love the “happy feel good preaching”, the great band, the black stage and the disco-tech lights. And the worship is so good; you can’t even hear the person next to you “praising the Lord”. Anyway they don’t sing, (worship), cause they just come to listen to the band! Also the sound desk team will gladly handout earplugs, so that you won’t get an earache or headache. And if you ask the pastor for a list of what s/he preaches, you might get this answer: “We don’t talk about repentance, forgiveness or sin, people leave the church if we preach on those topics!” Do you know a church like that? so is Paul correct, have we, the church, already “fallen away” into the Apostasy? so the next thing to look for would have to be The Rapture, which is on the lips of every Christian these days. When that happens, then there is the coming of “the man of sin”! And when he comes what do the scriptures say he will do?

Now back to Daniel 7:20…‘that horn ..whose appearance was greater than his fellows’. [Ref CN by Albert Barnes on Dan 7:20] ‘Whose look was more stout than his fellows - …This would clearly denote that the kingdom or the authority referred to by this eleventh horn would be more distinct and prominent than either of the others - would become so conspicuous and important as in fact to concentrate and embody all the power of the beast.’ So he will appear as the most famous person throughout the whole world! Dan 7:21 ‘that horn made war with the saints and overcame them’. So when the antichrist comes to his full power, in the ‘midst of the week’, he will declare “open season” on the saints of God. We find in Revelation these persecuted people are the ones who refuse to take ‘The Mark Of The Beast’. Dan 7:25 “And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High”, as above it will be war against the saints.

Change Times And Laws

Continuing with verse 25, the antichrist will, ‘plot to change times and laws’. [Ref CN by David Guzik on Dan 7, par 4, e] ‘Shall intend to change times and law: This “little horn” will intend to change times and law perhaps as at the French Revolution, where radicals wanted to institute a ten-day work week, and declared 1792 (the year of the Revolution) as “year 1.” ‘Seventh-Day Adventists have historically taught that it was the Papacy which “changed the times and law” by moving the Lord’s Day from Saturday to Sunday. Many Seventh-Day Adventists therefore regard Sunday worship as the sign of the Antichrist.’ Years ago my dad told me about the ten-day working week. He used to read a lot of biblical history, and he had a great memory for dates. He recalled the French dropped the ten-day week because everyone was getting sick? Was it an act of God maybe? Or [Ref CN by Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Daniel 7:25] ‘change times — the prerogative of God alone (Dan 2:21); blasphemously assumed by Antichrist. The “times and laws” here meant are those of religious ordinance; stated times of feasts [Maurer]. Perhaps there are included the times assigned by God to the duration of kingdoms. He shall set Himself above all that is called God (2Th 2:4), putting his own “will” above God’s times and laws (Dan 11:36, Dan 11:37). But the “times” of His willfulness are limited for the elect’s sake (Mat 24:22)’.

Time, Times And One-Half Time

Continuing with verse 25, ‘And they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and one-half time’. I have covered this in another talk entitled, The Day For A Year Conundrum, under the heading, “Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, Seasons, Time And Times” you will find in my work: - “TIME and TIMES. The phrase ‘Times’ in Hebrew plural means twice Time. Also [Ref CN John Gill on Dan 7:25 para 5]. “by "a time" is meant a year, the longest part of time; by "times", two years; and "the dividing of time", half a year; in all three years and a half, which is the same with 1260 days, or forty two months”. Then comes the best part, its like going to the end of the book to see ‘who dun it’! Dan 7:9 “I watched until the thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days sat ..:10 ..The judgment was set, and the books were opened. :11 because of ..the great words which the horn spoke. I watched ..the beast was slain, ..his body was destroyed and given to the burning flame.” The Ancient of Days, which is God, passes judgement on the antichrist, who is also the beast; refer to E.W. Bullinger above, also called "the beast with ten horns" of (Rev 13:1). He was then, as in Revelation 20:10 “And the Devil who deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet were. And he will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Praise The LORD, the beast, the antichrist, man of sin or what ever you want to call him; he is finally dune away with.

Points

So, what are the key points we have picked up from Daniel 7 and Thessalonians regarding the ‘Antichrist’?

31. Daniel chapter 7 is the first occasion we hear of ‘The Little Horn’

32. Bullinger and others tell us of more than a dozen other names, which ‘The Little Horn’ has had in the past

33. The Apostasy. The very first thing to look for is the church will go into an apostasy, if we aren’t already there!

34. The Rapture happens, “The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him”, 2Th 2:1-3 above

35. Immediately after the Rapture one ‘Little Horn’ rises with ‘Ten kings’, (or military leaders), to assist him

36. The ‘Ten kings’ establish themselves to control the panicked world

37. The Antichrist, ‘shall humble, or uproot three kings’. In modern terms obliterate them! (Maybe by nuclear strike?)

38. He will be more ‘stout’ more prominent or more publicly acclaimed throughout the whole world. Charismatic!

39. The little horn will have eyes, is this likely to signify some kind of evil spiritual insight? Satanic possession?

40. Will have a ‘mouth speaking great things’ ‘opposes ..exalts himself above all that is God, or that is worshiped’

41. He will sit as God in the temple of God, setting himself forth, that he is God. Blatant Blasphemy

42. For this to happen the Temple must be rebuilt, as mentioned above

43. He will plot to change times and laws! We can only assume they are God’s ordinances he tries to change

44. He will make war with the saints and overcame them

45. For 3 ½ years he will have control over the saints. Scriptures refer to this as 1260 days or 42 months etc

46. End of Antichrist, ‘the beast slain, his body destroyed and given to flames’. This happens at the Second Advent

The King Of Fierce Countenance Daniel 8

I know earlier I said that ‘the little horn’ of Dan 8 represented a king that rose up from the Grecian Empire, namely Antiochus Epiphanes. And most scholars agree on that. But there are aspects of ‘this little horn’ of Dan 8, that are as we could say a ‘type and shadow’ of the other “little horn” of Dan 7 who we recognise as the antichrist. Just to show there are some differences of opinion amongst the Futurist scholars, you can look at commentaries from David Guzik, John Darby, E.W. Bullinger and Cambridge Bible. But I will leave you with these two commentaries to ponder over.

[Ref CN by Chuck Smith on Daniel 8:1-27] “And the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressions are come to a full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty (Dan 8:23-24),’ And this, of course, is referring now to the antichrist. but not by his own power (Dan 8:24): We read in Rev 13:1-18 that this beast that rises out of the sea that Satan gives unto him his authority and his power. …All of the power of Satan will be given unto man, this man. "His power will be mighty, but not by his own power.”

[Ref CN by C.I. Scofield on Daniel 8:9] “The "little horn" here is a prophecy fulfilled in Antiochus Epiphanes, B.C. 175, who profaned the temple and terribly persecuted the Jews. He is not to be confounded with the "little horn" of Daniel 7… concerning "The Beast" .. But Antiochus is a remarkable type of the Beast, the terrible "little horn" of the last days. Dan 8:24-25 go beyond Antiochus and evidently refer to the "little horn" of Daniel 7.”

There is also in Dan 8:13 two angels speaking about, “Until when shall the vision last, concerning the daily sacrifice”. And the answer was in Dan 8:14, “And he said to me, For two thousand, three hundred evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be vindicated.” So these 2300 days must have some significance, and there are numerous scholars to which you can refer, try these commentaries for a start. Joseph Benson, John Darby, David Guzik and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown. They all have slightly different ideas and they are all quite interesting.

Seventy Weeks Daniel 9

In Dan 9: 1-3 we find out why Daniel has come before the Lord, “with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes”. He ‘understood’ from Jeremiah’s writings that God would “accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem”. So Daniel wants to know what is God’s next big plan? And this is where we get the ‘Seventy WeeksH7620’ prophecy, and the info about the last week, the ‘Seventieth Week’ of Daniel chapter 9. Remember above in my talk entitled, The Day For A Year Conundrum. In that talk I also mentioned ‘a Week’ in prophecy. Lets look at Strong’s and Brown-Driver-Briggs for word H7620.

Strong’s H7620 “shâbûa‛/ shâbûa‛/ shebû‛âh. shaw-boo'-ah, shaw-boo'-ah, sheb-oo-aw'. Properly passive participle of H7650 as a denominative of H7651; literally sevened, that is, a week (specifically of years): - seven, week.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Definition: 1) seven, period of seven (days or years), heptad, week ..1a) period of seven days, a week ..1a1) Feast of Weeks ..1b) heptad, seven (of years).”

Therefore using the definition of a week is ‘seven years’ you can basically apply the rule of, “a-day-for-a-year”. Therefore ‘a Week’ in prophecy is ‘7 prophetic days’, at ‘a-day-for-a-year’, that equals, 7 literal years. So the ‘Seventy Weeks’ prophecy equals 70 x 7 prophetic days = 490 prophetic days, which = 490 literal years. And using the same method, the 69 weeks = 69 x 7 prophetic days, which equals 483 prophetic days, which is therefore 483 literal years. I have tried to spell it out for you step by step so that you can see that’s how the scholars work out the time span from Daniel to Christ. And when you think about it, it probably wasn’t meant to be too hard work out because at the time of the birth of Christ many people seem to be expecting the Messiah to appear.

Verses 20 to 27 Gabriel arrives and tells Daniel, Dan 9:24 “Seventy weeks are decreed as to your people and as to your holy city…” Gabriel continues with all the glorious things Messiah will do and the restoration planed for Jerusalem. Dan 9:25 “Know ..that from ..the command to restore ..Jerusalem, to Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks”. Gabriel means a total of 69 weeks, (it’s a Gabriel thing). Dan 9:26 “And after sixty-two weeks, (in other words the total of 69 weeks is finished, 483 literal years), Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself.” That brings us to the crucifixion of Christ, the ‘Messiah shall be cut off’! That ends the 69 weeks, (483 years), of Daniels’ prophecy in chapter 9.

With the 69 weeks finished that means the Futurist believes the Seventieth Week, ( a period of 7 literal years), is still all in the future! Now Gabriel continues with the Seventieth Week, and the additional bits of info for our day regarding, “the Prince that shall come” (Dan 9:26). Now the rest of verse 26, “And the people of the ruler who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary…” The KJV says “the prince that shall come” The Futurist interprets this ‘prince’ as referring to the antichrist, ‘who shall come’. The next verse tells you what he will do. Dan 9:27 “And he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease, and on a corner of the altar desolating abominations, even until the end. And that which was decreed shall be poured on the desolator.”

· [Ref CN by E.W. Bullinger on Daniel 9:27] “he shall confirm the covenant = make a firm covenant: i.e. the little horn will do this at the beginning of the last seven years. See note below on "one week". It may even be the beginning of the 2,300 days of Dan 8:14. Compare Dan 11:21-24”.

· [Ref CN by John Darby on Daniel 9:1-27] “The prince that shall come confirms a covenant with the mass of the Jews. This is the first thing that characterises the week; the Jews form an alliance with the head, at that day, of the people who had formerly overthrown their city and their sanctuary. They form an alliance with the head of the Roman Empire”.

· [Ref CN by C.I. Scofield on Daniel 9:27] “abominations (Cf) Mat 24:15. The expression occurs three times in Daniel. In; Dan 9:27; Dan 12:11 the reference is to the "Beast," "man of sin"; 2Th 2:3; 2Th 2:4 and is identical with Mat 24:15”.

· [Ref CN by David Guzik on Daniel 9:1-27] “Yet the events promised in the first 69 weeks are fulfilled, indicated that there is a lengthy “pause” in the 70 Weeks, between the 69th week and the 70th week. The 70th week will begin when the coming prince shall confirm a covenant with the Jewish people”.

Points

So, what are the key points we have picked up from Daniel chapter 8 and 9 regarding the ‘Antichrist’?

47. We looked at the king of fierce countenance of Dan 8:23 representing a ‘type and shadow’ of the antichrist

48. We learnt about the ‘Seventieth Week’ of Daniel 9, (7 literal years in the future), and what will happen, such as:

49. The antichrist, ‘he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week’, make a covenant with the Jews

50. In the ‘midst of the week he shall’ deceitfully change his mind, break the covenant he made with the Jews

51. He ‘shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease’. He shall put a stop to the Jewish worship

52. He will set up a desolating abomination in the temple. Idolatry; in that ‘he seats himself as God in the temple’?

The Vile Person Dan 11:21

Daniel chapters 10, 11 and 12 are one long confusing read. It starts with a time mark. “In the third year of Cyrus”. Then in mid chapter 10 this massive angel arrived, many presume it was Gabriel. Bullinger tells us Daniel is 89 years young! So it’s quite a shock for the old boy. After introductions the angel says in Dan 10:14 “Now I have come to make you understand what shall happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is yet for many days”. Daniel is still ‘shaken but not stirred’. The angel then leads into chapter 11 then continues into chapter 12, and very briefly covers the rise and fall of various kingdoms. It’s a great story, kings of North and south, skulduggery, intrigue etc. You can look at numerous commentaries; they all generally see them as past history, but not necessarily agreeing on who's who. The two characters that are of interest to us are, "the vile person" (Dan 11:21 KJV) and "the wilful king" (Dan 11:36 KJV).

Many tend to agree that the ‘vile person’ was Antiochus who is a ‘type and shadow’ of the antichrist. The various things that he did in relation to the Jews and Jerusalem are believed to be a foreshadowing of the future coming antichrist. But here is an example of the differences of opinion between the scholars?

[Ref CN by E.W. Bullinger on Daniel 11:21] “a vile person. One of the twelve titles given to the antichrist. See note on Dan 7:8. The prophecy concerning him is continuous to the end of the chapter. It is parallel with Dan 7:8, &c.; Dan 8:9, &c.; and Dan 9:26, Dan 9:27. He is not another successional king of the north, but a totally different and unique personage, still future. He comes in by "flatteries", and in Dan 11:40 he is attacked by both a "king of the south" and a "king of the north".” Bullinger said, ‘Continuous to the end of the chapter’! So Bullinger sees "the vile person" and "the wilful king", as the same physical person in the future and he will be the antichrist.

Where as David Guzik interprets the, “the vile person”, simply as Antiochus. [Ref CN by David Guzik on (Dan 11:21) “The vile person comes to power. And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue. b. This was fulfilled in the successor of Seleucis III, who was named Antiochus IV.”

Then on the other hand you have others who see “the vile person” fulfilling both the historical character and the forerunner of the future antichrist. [Ref CN in Preacher's Homiletical on Daniel 11:21-35] “HOMILETICS, SECTION XXXIX.—ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES; OR, THE VILE PERSON. (Chaps. Dan 11:21-35.) The next part of the prophecy is occupied with a person who has been already the subject of divine revelation as the Little Horn of the Third or Grecian Empire (chap. Dan 8:9-12; Dan 8:23-25). This is Antiochus, surnamed Epiphanes, or the Illustrious. The present prediction concerning him is a considerable enlargement of the former one. The prominence given to this Syrian king arises in the first instance from his being the great enemy and persecutor of the Jewish people; and secondly, from his being made the type of another persecuting power to arise under the New Testament dispensation, and to continue in one form or other to the time of the end. [309] The prophecy regarding him would seem to make way for and to melt into predictions concerning that other power or powers of which he was to be the forerunner and type.”

Antichrist or Antiochus?

To work through this could seem quite daunting! If we take Bullinger’s point of view, ‘the vile person and the wilful king’, are one and the same person, a “unique personage, still future”, then the rest of Daniel chapter 11 is theoretically talking about the antichrist. So let’s look at the prophecy starting from Dan 11:21 to see what those verses could possibly suggest the antichrist could feasibly get up to in the future? I am going to ‘skim’ through the verses and just pick the ‘main points’. I will add short ‘hints’ at times, show like this à [Hints in square bracket bold], to give some clear reference as to what the verse is possibly indicating regarding the antichrist’s future activity. I will base my hints mainly on Bullinger’s commentary notes. So can you please get your own bible out and ready to go. Then first read the verse that I have reduced in size. Then read ‘[the hints that I suggest the verse could mean in the future]’

Dan 11:21 “ ..a despised one, (the vile person in KJV), shall stand up ..and seize the kingdom .. :22 ..Also, the ruler of a covenant”. [he will seize the Jewish leader?] :23 “ ..after they join him, he will practice deceit ..” [the Jews will join him, possibly refers to Dan 9:27 ‘And he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week.’] :24 “ ..He shall plunder, ..and scatter goods among them. :25 ..he shall stir ..his heart against the king of the south” [a major world Conflict?] :26 “ ..many shall fall ..:27 ..both ..kings' ..shall ..speak lies at one table. :28 ..his ..shall be against the holy covenant.” [he will turn against the Jews] :29 “ ..he shall return ..against the south. :30 ..ships of Kittim shall come against him.” [Bullinger says ‘Chittim = Cyprus, or some European power.’] “ ..he shall ..have fury against the holy covenant. ..he shall ..give heed to those who forsake the holy covenant.” [he will break the covenant and support those who hate the Jews] :31 “ ..forces ..stand from him, and they will profane the sanctuary, ..and shall remove the daily sacrifice, ..place the desolating abomination.” [a reference to 2Thes 2:3-4, he will stop Jewish worship and set himself up as God in the temple]. :32 “ ..he will ruin by flattery those who do evil against the covenant.” [promote those who hat the Jews]. But “ ..people who know their God will be strong :33 ..those who understand ..shall teach many;” [true believers will survive] “yet ..shall fall by ..sword, ..flame ..exile, ..spoil,” [many true believers will be persecution] :34 “..many will join them, with hypocrisy. :35 ..many ..shall stumble, to refine ..purge ..make white, to ..the end …” [many will pretend to join the true believers, this could refer to the start of the Tribulation, the last 3 ½ years of the seventieth week].

Dan 11:36 “ (the wilful king KJV) ..shall do according to his will ..he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper” [a clear reference 2 Thes 2:4] ..:37 “ ..He will not regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god. For he shall magnify himself above all.” ……Have a break here; this is too big to be called a ‘hint’! The two phrases above, ‘not regard the God of his fathers’ and ‘nor the desire of women’, [Ref CN by David Guzik on Dan 11] “2. (Dan 11:37-39) The character and authority of the “willful king.” a. Based on this, some Bible scholars believe that the Antichrist will be of Jewish descent, and perhaps will also be a homosexual”.

Dan 11:38 “ ..he shall honour the god of forces; ..a god ..his fathers did not know, he shall honour with gold ..silver, ..precious stones ..desirable things.” [he is superstitious, though in public he exalts himself above all gods.] ..:39 “ ..he shall act ..with a strange god, ..He shall multiply in glory, ..rule over many ..divide the land for a price.” [he will reward those who worship him] :40 “ ..at the end-time,” [then Conflict with kings of North and south again]

Dan 11:41 “ ..He shall ..enter ..the glorious land, ..many shall ..stumbled”, [a battle to take Jerusalem] “ ..these shall escape ..Edom ..Moab ..Ammon. :42 ..Egypt shall not escape. :43 ..he shall have power over ..the treasures ..gold ..silver ..precious things of Egypt…Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.”, [he will control and tax those countries] :44 “But news out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him.” [There was no word for northeast in Hebrew, so this could mean northeast of Jerusalem which is from Russia; shall trouble him]. “Then he will go out ..to destroy, and ..many to destruction.”, [a major battle] :45 “ ..he shall plant his palace tents between the seas.”, [between Mediterranean and Dead Sea], “in the glorious holy mountain.”, [Jerusalem] “Yet he shall come to his end,” (Continues with the start of Chapter 12).

I did say it was one long confusing read! And because of that not many people would bother to try to ‘plough’ through all that. Thanks very much for your perseverance. You can see that it actual gives more in depth detail than many other passages. And I hope it has shown you where some of the other characteristics of the antichrist can be found.

The Willful King Dan 11:36

We now come to ‘the wilful king’, which is interpreted by many as the antichrist. In the passage above from verse 36 onward we have already covered the self-exaltations and skulduggery of the antichrist according to E.W. Bullinger. Here below is David Guzik’s commentary about him. We can then continue with Daniel chapter 12 for the conclusion of the prophecy. We also find there are some interesting periods of days!

[Ref CN by David Guzik on Daniel 11] “The Antichrist: the “last days Antiochus Epiphanes.” (Dan 11:36) “The willful king”: a shift to a future fulfillment. ‘Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done’…Here we shift from what was fulfilled in the Ptolemies and the Selucids to what will be fulfilled in the Antichrist, the final world dictator. Daniel was told that this revelation pertained to the latter days (Dan 10:14), and Dan 11:36 begins to look more towards this final world dictator, who is sort of a “last days Antiochus Epiphanes.”…We know that everything about this prophecy was not fulfilled during the career of Antiochus Epiphanes. Jesus specifically said the real abomination of desolation was still in the future (Mat 24:15). The Apostle Paul paraphrased Dan 11:36 in reference to the coming Antichrist: Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God, (2Th 2:3-4)”.

The Time of the End

Daniel 12 verses 1 to 4 give the conclusion of the prophecy, which started at Dan 11:1. It is a brief coverage of what could be referring to Armageddon, the resurrection, who’s in the book of life and the end of the world. Again, I am going to ‘skim’ through the verses and just pick the ‘main points’. Again, I will give short ‘[Hints in bold]’ at times to give some clearer possible meaning. As before, I will base my hints mainly on E.W. Bullinger’s commentary notes. You can read the rest that I have left out. Let’s start with the last verse of Dan 11.

Dan 11:45 “ ..he shall plant his palace tents between the seas in the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end,” Dan 12:1 ..“at that time Michael shall stand up,” [what time? When the antichrist “shall come to his end”], “there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation; until that time,” [maybe the end of the Tribulation or Maybe a reference to Eze chapters 38-39] “ ..at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. :2 ..those who sleep in the dust ..shall awake ..Some to everlasting life ..Some to shame..” [the Great White Throne judgement, the final resurrection] :3 “ ..those who are wise shall shine ..as the stars forever and ever.” [the reward for the righteous] :4 “ ..But you, ..Daniel, ..seal the book, even to the time of the end.” [the book of Daniel will not be fully understood until these days]. “Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”

In reference to, ‘run to and fro’, [Ref CN by David Guzik on Dan 12:1-13] “has more the idea of searching after knowledge than rapid transportation” “ii. “The idea is that people would run about trying to find answers to important questions, especially in reference to future events.” (Wood). iii. “The correct sense is that ‘many shall search it through and through,’ and that as a consequence ‘knowledge of the book itself shall be increased.’” (Newell)”.

I tend to see it this way; If Daniel could see into the future and see a final world war in this day and age, what would he see? Jet aircraft, aircraft carries, tanks rushing across the battlefield, men with jet-backpacks, hovercraft, parachutes, rocket launchers, intercontinental ballistic missiles, ballistic satellite stations and computer technology. Defiantly he would be saying, ‘Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.’

In the rest of Daniel chapter 12 he hears a dialogue between three angels one on each side of the river and one standing ON the river. (Whom do we know who can stand on water?) One asks the angel on the water, Dan 12:6 “Until when shall be the end of these wonders?” the angel standing on the water answers; Dan 12:7 “ ..it shall be for a time, times, and a half ..when they have made an end of scattering the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.” This is the famous time span in prophecy, ‘time, times, and a half’. Or ‘time, times, and the dividing of time’. All equal to (1260 days) or 42 months, which is a clear reference to the last 3½ years of the antichrist’s rule. But then we are given these numbers.

Then Daniel joins in and says; Dan 12:8 “ ..I don’t understand ..Lord, what shall be the end of these things?” The angel tells him, Dan 12:9 “ ..Go, Daniel! ..the words are closed up and sealed until the end-time. :10 Many shall be ..made white ..tried…none of the wicked shall understand ..the wise shall understand.” Then Daniel hears these marvellous verses. Dan 12:11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the desolating abomination set up, a thousand two hundred and ninety days shall occur.” (1290 days) :12 “Blessed is he who waits and comes to the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.” (1335 days) :13 “But you go on to the end, for you shall rest and stand in your lot at the end of the days.” So what do these different sets or groups of days mean? Let’s go to David Guzik’s commentary.

[Ref CN by David Guzik on Daniel 12:1-13] “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days: This is an amazingly specific prophecy. Daniel says that from the time of the abomination of desolation, you can simply start marking off your calendar to the final consummation of all things, 1,290 days later. This is why Jesus pointed to Daniel’s prophecy of the abomination of desolation as the sign that would mark the immediacy of His return (Mat 24:15). Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days: What is the relation between three and one-half years (1,260 days, mentioned specifically in Rev 11:3 and Rev 12:6), the 1,290 days mentioned here, and the 1,335 days mentioned here? It is difficult to be certain. We could say that at the end of the 1,260 days Jesus returns. At the end of the 1,290 days, Jesus’ government is officially installed. At the end of the 1,335 days the nations are judged (Mat 25:31-46).”

Points

So, what are the key points we have picked up from Daniel chapters 10 to 12 regarding the ‘Antichrist’? Well I got this list from Guzik. [Ref CN by David Guzik on Daniel 12:1-13], regarding the prophecy we have just covered. I think we can just add them into our list of points.

53. A world ruler, utterly opposed to God

54. A world religion, based on the abomination of desolation

55. A world war, which defeats the ruler

56. A time of great tribulation for Israel lasting three and one-half years

57. Deliverance for the people of God after the tribulation

58. Resurrection and judgment

59. The reward of the righteous

The Red Dragon Rev 12

We have covered a lot of this chapter before when we studied the ‘Ten Horns’. Remember from Rev 12 earlier. [Ref CN by David Guzik on Rev 12:1-17 under B. The Dragon, par B.i.] “it is clear that the revived Roman Empire is in view . . .” (Walvoord)” .. Now let’s focus on ‘The Little Horn’, but in actual fact there is no mention of any ‘Little Horn’ in this chapter. There is the familiar structure of the revived Roman Empire in the form of a beast. Rev 12:3 “ ..red dragon, seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads!” The dragon is the symbol of Rome. The seven heads are most probably political leaders, with ‘crowns’, or presidential power. The ten horns, not crowned, a symbol of ten subordinate rulers, probably military leaders. As I said earlier this is probably the status-quo of the revived Roman Empire immediately after the rapture. But there is NO ‘Little Horn’ as yet? Stay with me.

Remember when we were studying the ‘Ten Horns’, what happened during Rev 12:7-13? Let’s ‘skim’ through it again verse 7 “ ..war in Heaven. Michael. defeats the dragon ..:9 the dragon ..cast out to earth, and his angels ..”. Verses 10 to 12 is rejoicing in heaven etc. Verse :12 “ ..Woe to the inhabitants of the earth ..Devil came down ..having great wrath, knowing ..he has ..little time.:13 And ..he persecuted the woman ..” This woman represents the ‘true’ church; the devil is then confined to earth with evil plans to persecute the ‘true’ church. How does he do it? By possessing one of the seven heads? That sounds logical and it will make sense later when we get to Revelation 13.

So, at this point, immediately after the rapture, ‘The Little Horn’ has presumably not been revealed. 2Th 2:3 “ ..there first comes a falling away, and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition”. Once he has been revealed then follows this passage. 2Th 2:4 “who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself forth, that he is God.” So imagine the world after the rapture, people would be in a panic, there is most likely to be mass looting and disorder. That happens now in a world disaster, and people are not likely to change! So they are not likely to flock to some charismatic leader unless he appears to have something miraculous about him! So let’s see what happens next chapter.

The Ten Horned Beast Rev 13

Rev 13:1 “ ..I saw a beast coming up out of the sea,” [a restructuring of the beast of Rev 12], “having seven heads and ten horns ..on its horns were ten crowns ..:2 ..the beast ..was like a leopard ..a bear .. a lion ..the dragon gave him its power and its seat and great authority.” And we discussed the apparent restructuring of the beast to encompass greater world coverage. And there are now crowns on each of the ‘Ten Horns’. But this next verse is amazing. Rev 13:3 “And I saw one of its heads as having been slain to death, and its deadly wound was healed. And all the earth marvelled after the beast”. If one of the heads would be representing a key political leader of the revived Roman Empire, and they are assassinated, then consider the following story. (Although verse 15 says, he was wounded by a sword, what follows is still a great story).

‘Its head had a deadly wound which was healed!’ Well I remember seeing this real life police chase story, live on the TV news the day it happened. You can find it on this link: - The-Real-Story-Behind-Tim-Atahan-One-Of-Australias-Most-Successful-Bank-Robbers. The story reads roughly as follows. “Tim Atahan had robed numerous banks around Sydney NSW. ‘On a stinking hot January 31, 1984’ after robbing two banks, he had escaped in a vehicle and surrounded himself with hostages. The police had blocked his movement near the Spit Bridge. Detective Senior Constable Steve Canellis got close enough to the car to stick his head in the window and talk to Tim. Steve was then ‘shot point blank between the eyes’. Perhaps the luckiest man in the world, Steve survived and recounts the drama to Murder Lies & Alibis.” I remember that Constable Steve was in the news for the next few weeks or so: Hailed the Hero! And the medical report on him showed the travel path of the bullet. It entered between the eyes on the upper bridge of his nose. It passed under the brain and ricocheted off the inside of his skull. Then it travelled down through his throat and lodged in his upper chest! I remember seeing his fist news interview, he calmly said something like, “all I remember is I woke up with a real bad sore throat”. I am sure you could find dozens of other miraculous survival stories.

But put that event in the context of that scripture, Rev 13:3. Just imagine if one of the ‘political heads’ of the beast is starting to make a name for himself, becoming popular and striving to unit the world after the rapture. Then he is assassinated with a bullet in the forehead, live on CNN worldwide. Everyone would think, ‘Oh crumbs he’s dead!’ But he’s alive! A miracle! And then he comes back to the political arena only days later. How do you think the world would react to that miraculous person? The world would think he could do no wrong! It would be exactly the same as Hitler’s reaction, after the long list of assassination attempts on him. [Ref link List Of Assassination Attempts On Adolf Hitler]. The last and 22^nd attempt was at the Wolf's Lair, 1944 July 20. In Hitler’s mind he thought he had ‘a lucky star’, he could not be killed because he believed he had a divine destiny! And the populous of Germany from 1933 to the 40’s, followed him whole-heartedly! Just like this next verse, Rev 13:4 “And they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with it?” Satan could possess that political leader, ‘head’, and then Satan would have just the tool he needs to do his dirty work to fulfil the position of the antichrist. Satan would be the one who engineers the deadly wound, and for him to survive.

The antichrist could then sweep the world off its feet easily fulfilling these following passages. Rev 13:5 “And a mouth speaking great things ..and blasphemies. And authority was given to it to continue forty-two months.” This authority to continue 42 months? That is the famous 3½ years. But consider this, for most democratic world leaders their term of office is usually 4 years. So if the leader was already elected, then assassinated six months into his term, but miraculous survives! Of cause they would continue another 3½ years. Then in verse :6 “ ..it opened its mouth in blasphemy toward God ..blaspheme His name ..His tabernacle, and those dwelling in Heaven”. This is now treading on very shaky ground! And only the saints of God would see the error in those blasphemous speeches, and the saints would speak out against him! They would exclaim, “He’s the antichrist!” so what would the antichrist do then? Verse :7 “ ..it was given to it to war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given to it over every tribe and tongue and nation. :8 And all dwelling on the earth will worship it, those whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain, from the foundation of the world”. It is not difficult to see how the antichrist could rise to power, to have power over every tribe tongue and nation. The other ‘6 heads’ are either scared stiff of the blasphemous leader, and/or they are completely in alliance with him. It’s the same as Hitler after the last attempt to assassinate him. All his top generals had to swear allegiance to him face-to-face. If not? The next two verses 9 and 10 are a reassurance to the believers ‘Here is the patience and the faith of the saints’.

Antichrist Meaning?

When it’s all set and done, ‘anti’ as in antichrist, does not necessarily mean against Christ! It can also means ‘in place of’ Christ. Refer KJV 2Jn 1:7 “ ..This is a deceiverG4108 and an antichrist.G500”. From Strong we find, “G4108 ..that is, (by implication) an impostor or misleader: - deceiver, seducing.” Then we have G500 = “From G473 and G5547; etc.” But word G473, = “anti; an-tee'; A primary particle; opposite, that is, instead or because of (rarely in addition to): - for, in the room of. Often used in composition to denote contrast, requital, substitution, correspondence, etc.” Then word number G5547 = ‘From G5548; anointed, that is, the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus: - Christ”. So antichristG500 is in effect the combination of the two words, G473 ‘is instead of, or substitute for’ and G5547, ‘the Messiah, Christ’! In other word a ‘substitute for Christ’, an antichrist! So the antichrist is setting himself up in place of Christ. Exactly the meaning of, 2Th 2:4 “ ..exalts himself above all that is called God ..” For another example of the use of the word ‘anti’, as ‘instead of’, if you attend a royal function, you and the rest of the guests would assemble in an anteroom, also spelt, “anti-room”. Then when the dignitaries arrive you would all then move into the main function room.

The Two Horned Beast Rev. 13

Then we have, Rev 13:11 “And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. And it had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke like a dragon.” This in most commentaries and in other scriptures is recognized as ‘the false prophet’. This brings into effect what is known as the ‘anti-trinity’. [Ref CN by David Guzik on Rev 13:11] “With the dragon, the beast rising from the sea, and the beast rising from the land we have an unholy trinity. The dragon is the anti-Father, the beast rising from the sea is the anti-Christ, and the beast rising from the land is the anti-Holy Spirit.” Numerous similar references can be found in: - CN in Pulpit on Rev 14:1-20 “the trinity of enemies”; CN in Biblical Illustrator on Rev 13:11 “infernal trinity”; and Rev 13:18 “a trinity of evil”; CN in Expositor's Bible on Rev 19:1-21 “realm of evil a personal trinity”. Again Satan tries to mimic God by forming an ‘anti-trinity’.

All sounds very good but what could this new beast physically be in the future? A beast in prophecy has often represented an empire or kings. Refer Dan 7:17 “These four great beasts are four kings”. And two horns represent dominions or leaders. Consider this, Hitler came to power only because of his secret police, the ‘Gestapo’ and the ‘SS’! His proper gander minister Joseph Goebbels spouted off all the Nasi policies! And Hitler’s ‘Two Horned’ secret police, (the ‘Gestapo’ and the ‘SS’), enforced the policies. Could this ‘beast with two horns like a lamb’ be any different? Rev 13:12 “And it exercises all the authority of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and those dwelling in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.” That sounds like a proper gander minister and his secret police force to me. And with Satan as the driving force behind it, what could possibly stop it? Also in this verse is this phrase, ‘the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed’. So the assassinated head is now referred to as ‘the first beast’, that explains why there was no mention of him as a ’little horn’, he has now taken over the total control of the multi-headed beast.

Then we hear more of what the ‘Two Horned Beast’, (the false prophet), gets up to. And your imagination can run wild with all the futuristic scientific features already available in the world now, which could be implemented to fulfil this prophecy. Rev 13:13 “And it does great wonders, so that it makes fire come down from the heaven onto the earth in the sight of men .. ¹⁴ And it deceives those dwelling on the earth, because of the miracles which were given to it to do before the beast.” Some commentaries suggest this is Satan’s effort to copy the miracles of the two witnesses in Rev 11:5 “And if anyone will hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies.” By this stage of Satan’s game of world domination, anything God can do, Satan will also try to do. Go back to Exodus 7:10 Moses rod became a snake and Pharaoh’s sorcerers, “did the same with their secret arts”. But in a practical world of modern technology, who’s to say what this fire from heaven could actually be? It could well be beams of lazar light fired down from a satellite in space. Sighting, pinpointing, then destroying the hiding places of the saints of God.

Continuing Rev 13:14 “ ..saying to those dwelling on the earth that they should make an image to the beast who had the wound by a sword and lived.” Does that sound like cloning to you? Or could it be as we’ve seen in ‘Star Wars’ a hologram? Have you seen the hologram like the whale? Or alternatively could this ‘image of the beast’ be a cyborg? Perhaps something like the Terminator, in the identical image of the assassinated, miraculous leader. Or they make thousands of them! Now that fits the next verse. Rev 13:15 “And there was given to it to give a spirit to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might both speak, and might cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.” To give it a spirit! It lives and speaks and interacts with people! If you let you futuristic imagination go wild, that verse could very well mean an army of clones or cyborgs, made in the exact ‘image of the assassinated leader’, looking identical to him and roaming the world. Each with the primary objective to kill anyone who doesn’t worship it! Remember the verse does say ‘worship the image’. So if one of the images, a clone of the beast walks up to you, you would have to bow down to it, or it would kill you on the spot! A frighting thought!

But what happens to the saints, those who don’t want to worship the beast or its image? Rev 13:16 “ ..it causes all ..small ..great, rich ..poor, free ..bond, to receive a mark on their right hand, or in their foreheads, ¹⁷ ..that not any might buy or sell except those having the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of its name.” For years we have had our beloved pets ‘chipped’ with a silicon ID chip for identification. So when your dog gets up to mischief, then the pound tracks you down and you get the fine. So imagine the whole world could be convinced to receive a silicon ID chip, in your right hand or your forehead, ‘for security reasons’ they would say.

Or as we already hear of now, and you can find it on Facebook etc., that the latest VACCINE may have a DNA tracking aspect about it. Do your own research and you will find hundreds of websites ‘debunking’ that idea! But remember; “Where There’s Smoke There’s FIRE!” CHECK THIS WEBSITE BEFORE IT GETS REMOVED!!

https://www.bitchute.com/video/HORRIFIC FINDINGS IN THE BLOOD OF THE VACCINATED. Have a look at that link at the ‘6.20 minute’ mark. It speaks of “blood clotting”, people being “magnetic”, and graphene-oxide, (which is a poison), being introduced into you blood if you take the vaccine.

And if a tracking device could be implemented in the future, (if not already), then your movements could be tracked all over the world. Rev 13:18 “Here is the wisdom. Let him having reason count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. And its number is six hundred and sixty-six”. 666, The Number of the Beast. There is so much speculation about this subject that I won’t go into it in this talk. May I suggest you go to the commentary notes in e-Sword, or the ‘link’ shown above and ponder over that subject at your leisure? I know some of the ideas I have put forward seem a bit far-fetched or too much like science fiction. But the technology is already here, and as you can see a lot of what I have said is plausible. As I said at the start, ‘I will try to present the possible future on the bases of a logical and realistic interpretation of the prophecy’

Points

So, what are the key points we have picked up from Revelation chapters 12 & 13 regarding the ‘Antichrist’?

60. The ‘Little Horn’ does not seem to immediately appear

61. He appears only as one of the world’s seven heads. Possibly as a president

62. Satan is cast out of heaven with plans to persecute the church

63. To achieve this Satan needs to possess one of the seven heads

64. Revelation 13 shows a restructuring of the beast of Rev 12, possibly a greater spread over the world

65. One of the political heads had a deadly wound which was healed, a miraculous sign so all will follow him

66. Satan possesses one of the seven heads, the one that was healed

67. The masses worshiped the dragon and the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast?’ so the beast wins over the masses

68. The beast was given authority to continue 42 months. That is also known as 3 ½ years or 1260 days

69. It opened its mouth in blasphemy toward God, His name, His tabernacle, and those in Heaven!

70. The saints of God would see the error in those blasphemous speeches, and would speak out against the antichrist.

71. It makes war with the saints in order to overcome them.

72. It gains authority over every tribe and tongue and nation of the whole planet

73. And all dwelling on the earth will worship it, except those whose names are in the Book of Life (i.e. the saved).

74. Another beast appears with 'Two Horns’, possibly two forces to assist in implementing the first beast’s policies

75. This forms the ‘anti-trinity’ or the unholy trinity, which is a counterfeit of God’s Holy Trinity

76. It does great wonders, makes fire come down from heaven, and it deceives all on earth.

77. They make an image of the beast that had the wound, possibly a human, speaking, clone, or make thousands of them!

78. All have to worship the image or be killed

79. Everyone must receive a mark on their right hand, or their forehead, without it you can not buy or sell.

80. The mark has some significance with the number 666! And the study of that has been given to you as ‘home work’

The Great Prostitute Rev 17

We have already looked at the ‘Ten Horns’ in this passage, now let’s look for ‘The Little Horn’. But there is no mention of the antichrist by that name in this chapter either. When studying Daniel 7 E.W. Bullinger gave us twelve other names for the antichrist, some are: - “the man of sin" (2Th 2:3); "the son of perdition" (2Th 2:3); "that wicked (or lawless) one" (2Th 2:8. Rev 13:18); "the beast with ten horns" (Rev 13:1).” So he has already told us ‘the beast’ is the antichrist. So if we do a bit of cross-referencing we should find the character of the antichrist or ‘The Little Horn’ in this passage somewhere. I will give you a hint; he is still to be found amongst the heads. First let’s look at the structure of the beast; and the changes that happened from Revelation 12, 13 to now, presumably through the seven years of antichrist’s rule. The structure is basically the same, seven heads and ten horns. The crowns go from the heads to the ten horns to finally in this chapter, no crowns?

Rev 17:1 “ ..one of the ..angels ..came ..saying to me, Come ..I will show you the judgment of the great harlot”. The harlot represents the idolatrous religion, so the religious system is not the antichrist. But we do know this from 2Th 2:3 “the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition, :4 ..he sits as God in the temple of God ..that he is God”. Therefore the antichrist is the head of the idolatrous religious system. Verse 3 “ ..And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored beast, filled with names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns”. Take note, it is a scarlet beast, gone back in colour similar to the red dragon. Does this mean that Satan is fully in charge again? We know that the antichrist rises up as an additional horn amongst the ‘ten’. So the ‘Ten Horns’ are not the antichrist! He then sets himself up in the temple as God, as in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.

And Revelation 17 verses 1 to 7 are all basically a description of the harlot. Rev 17:1 “ ..the great harlot sitting on many waters, :2 ..the kings ..drunk with ..wine of her fornication .. :3 ..a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored beast, .with names of blasphemy .. :4 ..woman ..arrayed in purple ..scarlet ..gold ..precious stones ..pearls ..golden cup ..of abominations ..filthiness of her fornication. :5 ..on her forehead ..Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Of The Abominations Of The Earth. 7:6 ..woman drunk with ..blood of ..saints and ..martyrs of Jesus”. Not the kind of girl you would choose to take home to introduce to mum.

I said the antichrist had something to do with the heads! Remember this in, Rev 13:3 “And I saw one of its heads as having been slain to death, and its deadly wound was healed. And all the earth marveled after the beast :4 And they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with it?” Why does the whole world transfer their enthusiasm from a ‘miraculously healed head’ to worshiping the beast? It’s because the ‘miraculously healed head’, the antichrist, is now the controlling head of the beast! And he has Satan’s authority past on from the dragon. This all falls into place in the next few verses.

The angel says to John In verse 7, “I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, that has the seven heads and ten horns”, and the angel continues through to verse 18. By the end of this John should be able to understand the mystery of it all! And so should we! Why? Because the angel is going to explain it to him and in turn, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, to us! But the various commentaries I have looked through regarding this passage have either not covered these verses, or they are so vague with completely different interpretations it’s bewildering; here is an example.

[Ref CN by John Darby on Rev 17:1-18] says nothing about the heads.

[Ref CN by Cambridge Bible on Rev 17:10] this commentary seems to be OFF track, but check it out yourself.

[Ref CN by E.W. Bullinger on Rev 17:10], he scarcely makes any comment.

[Ref CN in Expositor's Bible on Rev 17] he says, “chapters ..17^th and 18^th ..one of the most difficult, portions of his book”.

[Ref CN by David Guzik on Rev 17:10] he says, “This is one of the more difficult passages in the Book of Revelation”.

But I will give you Chuck Smith commentary in full; he seems to do it well. I am not sure what bible version he uses but it’s pretty close to the MKJV, and I’ve moved his reference to the start of each verse, the way I do it.

[Ref CN by Chuck Smith on Rev 17] “(Rev 17:8-9) ‘The beast that you saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit [or abusSo, in the Greek], and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. Now here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits’. Or the city of Rome, the city of seven hills. (Rev 17:10): ‘And there are seven kings’. Seven emperors that have reigned over the Roman Empire. (continuing verse:10), ‘five are fallen’, Or are already dead at the time that John is writing. ‘one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue for a short space. (Rev 17: 11) And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven’.”

[Continuing with Chuck Smith’s commentary], “So,, the beast is according to this, is one of the five previous Roman emperors prior to the writing of the book of Revelation by John. At the time that John was writing, he was no longer alive. He was in the abusSo,. He ascends out of the abusSo,. But the world will wonder at this man who once lived and was dead and is now alive again. Of the seven of the major Roman emperors, and of course the one that comes closest to fitting the description is none other than Caesar Nero whose name numerically in Hebrew totals to six hundred and sixty-six”.

“Caesar Nero was called by the early church the beast. That was the common name, because he wrecked so much havoc among the church. Quite apparent that he was possessed by demonic spirits. The things that he did could only be done by a mind perverted by Satan. The horrible atrocities that this man brought against the Christian church could only be done by a mind that was totally deranged by demonic forces. (Rev 17:11) “And so the beast that was and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and he is heading towards perdition [Gehenna]”. End of Chuck Smith’s commentary.

Remember at the start under the heading, “Interpretations”, I mentioned ‘The Preterist System’. In that theory “Most interpretations identify Nero as the Beast”, or the antichrist. And “the Olivet discourse had come to pass by AD 70” [Ref Wiki link The Preterist System].

Verses 12 to 17 we have covered these verses under the heading ‘The Ten Horns’, just a quick ‘skim’. Rev 17:12 “ ..the ten horns ..are ten kings ..received no kingdom yet. :13 These ..give their power ..to the beast .. :14 These ..war with the Lamb ..Lamb overcome them. :15 ..The waters ..where the harlot sits are peoples ..multitudes ..nations and tongues, :16 ..the ten horns ..hate the harlot ..and burn her with fire. :17 For God gave into their hearts to do His mind, until the Words of God will be fulfilled.” So the ‘harlot’, the antichrist’s church, gets torn to pieces by the ‘Ten Kings’.

Rev 17:18 “And the woman whom you saw is the great city which has a kingdom over the kings of the earth”. As above in Chuck Smith’s notes on Rev 17:8-9 ‘this is Rome of Old’. And in the Tribulation it will be the revived Roman Empire’s capital. [Ref CN by David Guzik on Rev 17:18] “That great city: In John’s day, there was no doubt which city reigns over the kings of the earth. Rome was the political, economic, and religious centre of the world in John’s day”.

Points

So, what are the key points we have picked up from Revelation chapters 17 regarding the ‘Antichrist’?

81. We see a harlot riding or controlling a scarlet beast with seven heads, ten horns but no crowns.

82. She represents the future idolatrous religion headed by the antichrist

83. The antichrist has taken over the beast to such an extent that the antichrist and the beast are one

84. She sits on ‘many waters’ representing ‘peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues’

85. She is arrayed in purple, scarlet, gold, precious stones and pearls etc.

86. She has a golden cup of abominations and filthiness of her fornication'

87. She is drunk with the wine of her fornications and on her forehead is her name

88. Her name is Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Of The Abominations Of The Earth

89. She is drunk with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus

90. The head of the beast was, is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition. Means: -

91. Seven kings; five fallen, one is, the other not yet come. And when he comes, he continue a short time, totalling 7

92. In the future one of the 7 dead emperors ascends out of the pit becomes the eighth and goes into perdition

93. The one likely to rise from the dead is Caesar Nero who’s name numerically in Hebrew totals to 666

94. We recapped activity of the ‘Ten Horns’; they received kingdoms, fight the Lamb then turn against the harlot

95. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. A symbol of Rome

96. The woman you saw is the great city, which has a kingdom over the kings of the earth. A symbol of Rome

The Fall of Babylon Rev 18

If you do a word search for ‘Babylon’ in your bible you will get some 261 references, with a mix of literal and allegorical or prophetic meanings. Some of the prophets and the psalms prophetically speak of the demise of Babylon in 338BC. But all the references in Revelation, because they are future, most Futurist commentators believe they are all prophetically Rome. So we will stick with that idea for this study. Now let’s ‘skim’ through the rest of Revelation chapters 18 and 19 to see how God’s wrath is poured out on the ‘anti-trinity’. We can also try to construct a feasible picture of what happens to the ‘One World Government’ in the final innings.

Revelation 18:1-11 “ ..after ..I saw another angel ..the earth was lighted up from his glory. :2 ..he cried ..Babylon the great has fallen, has fallen! ..has become the dwelling-place of demons etc. :3 because of ..her fornication which ..the nations have drunk. And the kings of the earth ..committed fornication with her. ..the merchants of the earth became rich from ..her .. :4 ..another voice ..saying, Come out of her, My people, ..that you may not receive of her plagues. :5 For ..God has remembered her unjust deeds. :6 Reward her as she has rewarded you, ..In the cup which she mixed, mix double to her. :7 ..For she says ..I sit as a queen, ..I am not a widow .. :8 ..her plagues will come in one day, death ..mourning ..famine. ..consumed with fire, ..:9 ..the kings of the earth ..will weep for her ..when they see the smoke of her burning; :10 standing afar off for fear ..saying, Woe! Woe to the great city, Babylon, ..in one hour your judgment came. :11 ..merchants ..weep ..for no one buys their cargo any more”.

This is prophetic ‘Babylon’; it’s Rome at the end of the Seventieth Week and the capitol of the ‘One World Government’. And it sounds very much like a volcanic eruption, ‘the hand of God’ perhaps because they ‘standing afar off for fear’. In verse 1 we have, “another angel ..the earth was lighted up from his glory”. It would seem this is a reference to Christ. Then we have in verse 4 “..another voice ..saying, Come out of her, My people”. It’s a separate voice? Perhaps the voice of God from heaven, the same as what happened at the baptism of Christ? Refer Mat 3:17, Mat 17:5. Mar 9:7 and Luk 9:35 “ ..This is My Son, the Beloved, hear Him.”

Then verses 12-14 speak of the merchants and there is a great list of all the goods they sold to ‘Babylon’, which made them rich. Gold, silver, stones, pearls, silk, ivory, wood, bronze, iron, marble, and the list goes on. But the key commodity is the one at the end of verse 13, ‘the souls of men’. here are a few commentaries for you to ponder over. [Ref CN by David Guzik on Rev 18:13] “This idea has many applications, none less so than today’s widespread prostitution and pornography”. [Ref CN by MHCC on Rev 18:9-19] “The spiritual merchandise is here alluded to”. [Ref CN by Popular New Testament on Rev 18] “it meant a spiritual traffic”. [Ref CN by Chuck Smith on Rev 17] “And the false religious system, which traps the souls of men”. Then verses 15-16 are a repeat of verses 8-10. Then we see what the ship captains think.

Rev 18:17 “ ..every ship-pilot ..stood afar off. :18 ..they cried ..seeing the smoke of her burning .. :19 ..saying, Woe! Woe to the great city, ..which all who had ships ..were rich out of her costliness! ..in one hour she was ruined. :20 Rejoice over her, Heaven, ..since God judged your judgment on her. :21 And one strong angel took ..like a great millstone ..threw it into the sea, saying, ..the great city, Babylon, will be thrown down and not ..found any more. :22 ..voice of harpers, ..musicians. ..flutists, .trumpeters ..craftsman ..Sound of a mill .. :23 ..light of a lamp ..voice of the bridegroom ..bride will never more be heard at all in you. ..your merchants were the great ones of the earth; for by your sorceries all nations were deceived. :24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, ..saints, and ..all ..who were slain on the earth”. Take note in verse 21 the ‘strong angle’ said, “Babylon, will be thrown down”. Future tense!

Points

So, what are the key points we have picked up from Revelation chapters 18 regarding the ‘Fall of Babylon’?

97. ‘Babylon ..has fallen’ is like a prelude because in verse 21 it says the great city, Babylon, will be thrown down.

98. Again ‘kings of the earth committed fornication with her and the merchants of the earth became rich from her’.

99. A voice saying, ‘Come out of her, My people’, so the saints are not in her when the wrath of God is poured out

100. ‘In one day/hour your judgment came, she will be thrown down and not found any more’. Sounds permanent!

101. ‘Consumed with fire, they stand far off for fear’. sound like a volcanic eruption, but the next verse says;

102. Verse 23 ‘never be heard in you’, sounds more like Chernobyl or Hiroshima, could indicate a radioactive issue.

103. She is guilty of trafficking in ‘the souls of men’, maybe prostitution, but I think selling souls is the false religion.

End of the ‘One World Government’ Rev 19

It seems that by the end of chapter 18 Christ still has not put an end to the antichrist or the ‘Ten Kings’ nor the ‘One World Government’. And Christ has not appeared as yet. That happens next in chapter 19 were we will see the end of the harlot the beast and the false prophet. Rev 19:2 “He has judged the great harlot.. :3 ..And her smoke rose up forever and ever”. But consider this scenario. This phrase in Rev 18:23 ‘never be heard in you any more’, is now beginning to sound more like the long lasting effects of a nuclear blast. Could it be that the ‘Ten’ kings are so feed up with the antichrist and any form of religion that they decide to end it all with a nuclear bomb on the antichrist and his capital? If that is the case, then we know that the antichrist must still escape! Because he can only be destroyed by Christ! 2Th 2:8 “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the breath of His mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming”! So hear is a blood curdling thought for you. The ‘Ten’ kings drop a nuclear bomb on the antichrist, ‘DIRECT HIT!’ But out of the radioactive carnage the antichrist, fully possessed by Satan simply walks out! He is revealed! And it’s live on CNN worldwide. This is not just a man who’s survived a deadly wound. This is defiantly satanic and the whole world will know it. And they can’t get rid of him!

Then imagine what happens if Christ returns at the advent and destroys him? Then you would see the fulfilment of Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:10-11 “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of heavenly ones, and of earthly ones, and of ones under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Then in chapter 20 we see Satan bound for a thousand years and cast into the abyss. Then in Rev 20:5 we see ‘the first resurrection’, and the start of the thousand years reign of Christ on earth. It is the end of Satan’s One World Government, and the start of the “New One World Government”, a Theocracy under Christ. By all means read chapters 19 to 22, it’s a great read! Like I said before, go to the end of the book, this time to see who wins!

Gathering Points From The Futurist View Study

If we now just scan through and summarise the ‘points’ we have discovered in the scriptures, we should be able to get a reasonable picture of the issues that will develop into the One World Government.

Summing Up Points

So, from this study and the 103 points above, we have discovered we now know the following: -

1. First and foremost the church goes into an, ‘Apostasy’, in which there is a vast spread of false teaching.

2. This all happens before, 2Th 2:1 “..the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering ..to Him”. That’s The Rapture!

3. Then ‘the man of sin shall be revealed’; the antichrist must appear immediately after the Rapture.

4. In the post Rapture chaos the EEC would be the only likely candidate to establish some form of world order.

5. It would seem that seven leaders (heads) would become the controlling members of the EEC.

6. It’s likely Satan is already subtly using the EEC to build a network of laws ready for a new ‘One World Government’.

7. From David Guzik’s CN the EEC has already minted a Eurodollar coin with a woman riding a multi-headed beast

8. The seven leaders appoint ‘10 Horns’, military marshals or generals from the EEC to maintain order in the chaos.

9. One of the leaders is wounded to death in the head! But miraculously comes back to life, possibly with satanic help.

10. It’s Satan’s chance to raise one of the old Roman emperors from the dead. “the beast was, is not, and now is”

11. This miraculous leader charismatically wins over both Jews and Muslims in some 7-year agreement, (covenant).

12. He or the Jews rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem and restate blood sacrifice and drink offerings to God.

13. There seems to be constant chaos, three generals are annihilated, maybe others reinstated but control is fragile.

14. Consequently there is a restructuring of the world order, finally into a ‘One World Government’

15. The whole world, ‘every tribe tongue and nation’ is swept up and whole-heartedly follow the charismatic leader.

16. Satan eventually possesses the charismatic leader; he becomes the antichrist with Satan’s power and authority.

17. The 10 generals are given regal or dictatorship power.

18. Antichrist exalts himself above God, sits in the temple setting himself forth, that he is God, demanding worship!

19. The Jews and the saints see the blasphemy and rebel, so antichrist brakes the convenient after only 3½ years.

20. He’ll cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease and then try to change times and laws.

21. He will introduce the Mark on the right hand or the forehead; it is a number and is referred to as 666!

22. He will make war with the saints and overcame them.

23. Antichrist will raise a ‘Two Horned’ beast, a false prophet to enforce his authority.

24. The false prophet will order an image of the beast, (the antichrist), to be made, who will also demand worship.

25. For 3½ years he will have control over the saints. Scriptures refer to this as 1260 days or 42 months etc.

26. The one world religion, the harlot represents the future idolatrous religion headed by the antichrist

27. The harlot gathers world wealth through trade, slavery, prostitution and ‘the souls of men’

28. The ‘Ten kings’ will turn against the false religious system, plunder it then utterly destroy it.

29. It appears to be massive world chaos the harlot is drunk with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus

30. God says, ‘Come out of her, My people’, so that the saints are not in Rome when His wrath is poured out upon it.

31. In one day/hour judgment falls on Rome with destruction so permanent it’s like a nuclear reactor disaster.

32. So permanent is the destruction that people ‘stand far off for fear’.

33. Then Christ returns to set up his millennial kingdom.

Conclusion From The Futurist Point Of View

I hope that hasn’t been too daunting. I have tried to present the fulfilment of the scriptures with some form of a plausible future outcome, which could appear in the near future. But if the Rapture is still not in our near future, then the world situation could obviously change over a mere few years. And this would perhaps put a slightly different interpretation on some of the scriptures. But I think you could agree with me that the apostasy of church is already here! Therefore which one of the EEC members is a possible candidate for the antichrist?

Now we can have a look at the alternative view.

The Historical View - One World Government

A little gem of wisdom for you before we start: [Ref CN by Joseph Benson on Daniel 7:25] “But, as Irenæus says in a like case, it is surer and safer to wait for the completion of the prophecy than to conjecture and divine about it. When the end shall come, then we shall know better whence to date the beginning.” — Bishop Newton”

Introduction

Please stay with me,

First and foremost we will be trying to find anything in the Historical interpretation, which indicates any possible formation of a ‘One World Government’. If you’re a Futurist believer I’m not trying to change your beliefs! I would just like to show you an alternative view. So could you please stay with me for the rest of this talk? I promise to show you some very interesting biblical interpretations of historical events. I propose to tackle this later half in a different way. There’s no need to chew through the same scriptures again in such detail. Both the Historical and Futurist believers accept that Daniel and Revelation describe the rise of nations through to the early Roman Empire. It’s after that point in history they differ. So we can brief through the passages, pick out the key issues, examine them, and look at the Historical points of view.

The Historical commentaries I will be referring to from ‘e-Sword’ are: -

Albert Barnes, Joseph Benson, Adam Clarke, John Gill, Robert Hawker, Matthew Henry, B.W. Johnson, Alexander MacLaren, F.B. Meyer, Robertson Word Picture, John Wesley, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Keil & Delitzsch, Biblical Illustrator, Cambridge Bible, Expositor's Bible, Great Texts, Geneva, Popular New Testament, Preacher's Homiletical, Pulpit Commentary, Sermon Bible, Summarized Bible, Treasury of David, TSK Cross References and Vincent's Word Studies

Aim

In this latter half of the talk I will study ALL the same passages that were covered in the Futurist View section. But this time around we will look at them from the Historical point of view. By covering all the same passages, I will not be able to pick and choose only the convenient verses.

Abbreviations, References & Equipment

These have all been listed at the start of the Futurist View Section.

Let’s Begin

We now do a complete turn around and look at the Apocalypse as Historically fulfilled. Let’s recap what Philip Schaff said about the Historical System. “The Apocalypse is a prophetic compend of church history and covers all Christian centuries to the final consummation. It speaks of things past, present, and future”. But the Futurist Systems accepts; “The events of the Apocalypse from Rev 4:1-11 to the close lie beyond the Second Advent, with a literal 3½ years etc”. In short, the Futurist thinks everything from Rev 4 onward happens in one future 7-year period. But the Historicist thinks the Revelation has been unfolding over the past 2000 years and is still continuing to reveal God's plan. With this in mind, in the second part of this talk I will try to explain each passage using commentaries mostly from those listed above. As I said you can obtain them via “e-Sword’’. Plus another I particularly like is A. J. Ferris who wrote from 1933 to 56, you could readily download his books and commentaries via ‘Trove’.

A Brief On The Historicist View

In a ‘nutshell’ what do most Historicists believe? Let’s put it down in a bullet point format, so that you can come back to this page every so often to get your bearings again so to speak. The Historicists believe the following: -

· There is No pre tribulation Rapture, when Christ returns next, it will be at the Second Advent.

· The Revelation has been revealing its prophetic events over the past 2000 years and is still doing so.

· Prophetic time periods aren’t literal. 1260 days equals 1260 literal years, based on, ‘A-Day-for-A-Year’.

· Daniel’s seventy weeks has been fully completed, all 490 years are now finished.

· The Seven Times Punishment of Lev. 26, is also based on, ‘A-Day-for-A-Year’, so it is a literal 2520 years

· The antichrist is not a single individual; he is an ongoing principality.

· The phrase ‘whole earth’ does not necessarily mean the whole planet.

· ‘He sits as God in the temple of God’, does not refer to a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.

Why Do Historicists Thinks That Way?

Well let’s work through these points above and see how the Historical believers come to their conclusions.

There is no Rapture!

Christ’s next return will be at His Second Advent. There is no gathering up of the church prior to some presumed seven-year great tribulation. To prove this for yourself, download e-Sword to your PC, or download MySword to your mobile phone. For your PC you need to download the “KJV+”, (King James Version with Strong’s Numbers). For your phone, the same thing is simply called “KJV”. Then you can do a search for the words, ‘come or coming’, in relation to the Lords return, and check the Strong’s or Thayer’s definitions. You will most often find that each word has one of these respective meanings, from Thayer Definition: -

ComeG2064, ἔρχομαι, erchomai,

1) to come

1a) of persons

1a1) to come from one place to another, and used both of persons arriving

1a2) to appear, make one’s appearance, come before the public

2) metaphorically

2a) to come into being, arise, come forth, show itself, find place or influence

2b) be established, become known, to come (fall) into or unto

3) to go, to follow one

ComingG3952, παρουσία, parousia.

1) presence

2) the coming, arrival, advent

2a) the future visible return from heaven of Jesus, to raise the dead, hold the last judgment, and set up formally and gloriously the kingdom of God

Now you can do a search yourself for all the well-known passages. Like, 1Co 4:5 “..until the Lord comes G2064”. Or 1Co 11:26 “the Lord's death until He shall come G2064”. Or 1Thes 4:15 “..we who are alive and remain until the coming G3952 of the Lord..” and 2Th 2:1 “..with regard to the coming G3952 of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him”. And you will find they all refer to the second advent of Christ! Try this mix of KJV and MKJV of Rev 22:20 “He who testifies these things says, Surely I comeG2064 quickly. Amen. Even so, come,G2064 Lord Jesus”. If there is a Rapture, why would the Lord use the word, comeG2064, as in a ‘physical appearance’? So the words that the writers used have a clear meaning, and that is that Christ will next return physically and appear for all to see. So there is NO Rapture! (But if you can find any passages that clearly tell you that there is a pre-tribulation rapture, then by all means sent me an email.)

If you are still not convinced, try to think this through. What is a good scripture we have about the Rapture? 1Thes 4:16 “ ..And the dead in Christ shall rise first. :17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord..” So that is the FIRST Resurrection of the dead and us all caught up with them to meet the Lord, correct? Then have a look at these two verses and try to work why the Rapture doesn’t fit in. Rev 20:4 “ ..And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast nor his image, nor had received his mark on their foreheads, nor in their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Now these people must have missed out on the First Resurrection and where ‘left behind’ and they went through the Great Tribulation. Some were beheaded and some had to resist the Mark of the beast, correct? Now read the very next verse. Rev 20:5 “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” How can they possibly be in the First Resurrection? The only answer to this is that there is No Rapture! Therefore 1Thess 4: 16-17 can only be speaking of the Second Advent! So THERE IS NO RAPTURE!

The Revelation Has Already Started!

REALY? Let’s go to Rev. chapters 1 and 22. Rev 1:1 “A Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him to declare to His servants things which must shortlyG1722 G5034 come to passG1096. And He signified it by sending His angel to His servant John…:3 Blessed is the one who reads and hears the Words of this prophecy, and the ones keeping the things written in it, for the time is near, (KJV at hand.G1451 )” Then Rev 22:6 “And he said to me, These sayings are faithful and true. And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show to His servants the things which must shortly G1722 G5034 be done G1096.” Rev 22:10 “And he said to me, Do not seal the Words of the prophecy of this Book; for the time is at hand G1451”.

The key to understanding the Historicist view of Revelation, is the interpretation of the meaning of these words shown above.

Strong Definition: G5034 ..a brief space (of time), …(with G1722 prefixed) in haste: - quickly, shortly, speedily.

Thayer Definition: G1096, 1) to become, to come into existence, begin to be, receive being, 2) to become, i.e. to come to pass, happen, 2a) of events, 3) to arise, appear in history, come upon the stage, 3a) of men appearing in public, …

Thayer Definition: at hand ‘G1451, 2) of time, 2a) of times imminent and soon to come pass’

So putting them together we have the phrase; “the things which must, (quickly, shortly, speedily), (come into existence, to arise, appear in history).” And what about the timing as to when this is to happen? It is ‘imminent and soon to come pass’. [Ref CN by John Wesley Rev 22:6] “Here begins the conclusion of the book, exactly agreeing with the introduction, (particularly Rev 22:6-7, Rev 22:10, with Rev 1:1, Rev 1:3,) The things which must be done shortly - Which will begin to be performed immediately”. Go to the commentaries listed above and do a search regarding those verses, or using this phrase, ‘shortly come to pass’, and you will get much the same as what John Wesley said. That’s how the Historicists interpret those passages. But the Futurists commentaries seem to say VERY LITTLE on any of these verses. Most Futurists interpret it this way; ‘when it happens it will happen in a short space of time!’ That’s not the same as saying; in a short space of time it’s going to start to happen. The Futurist thinks John is telling the reader of Revelation the following: - ‘It will happen in some 2000 years from John’s time, after the Rapture, in the last 7 years before Christ returns!’ It is almost like this analogy. ‘You go to a five-star restaurant, the waiter escorts you to your table, then presents you with the menu and says, “I will be back SHORTLY to take you order”. Does that mean the waiter will come back some 20 hours later, and you have 7 seconds to place you order!’ Of cause not, that would be a ridiculous interpretation of what the waiter said. So why interpret Revelation that way? I have also covered this subject in more detail in one of my talks entitled The-Book-Of-Revelation-Started-2000-Years-Ago.

Can I leave you with these two commentaries?

[Ref CN from Popular New Testament on Rev 1] “is at hand (comp. Rev 1:1). And it was at hand, though 1800 years have passed since the words were spoken. We shall see, as we proceed, that the book deals with principles which have been exhibiting themselves throughout the whole period of the Church’s history. Thus the things written in it were ‘at hand’ in the days of the Apostle; they have always been ‘at hand’ to cheer the saints of God in the midst of their pilgrimage and warfare; they are ‘at hand’ now; for the words have never ceased to be fulfilled, ‘Lo, I am with you alway;’ ‘In the world ye have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.’”

[Ref CN by Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Rev] “The Futurist school is open to this great objection: it would leave the Church of Christ unprovided with prophetical guidance or support under her fiery trials for 1700 or 1800 years. Now God has said, “Surely He will do nothing, but He revealeth His secrets unto His servants the prophets” (Amo 3:7). The Jews had a succession of prophets who guided them with the light of prophecy: what their prophets were to them, that the apocalyptic Scriptures have been, and are, to us.”

Prophetic Time Periods Aren’t Literal

The next thing the Historicists see differently is the prophetic periods of time. For example the old favourite time period that everyone knows, ‘Time, Times Half A Time’ is equal to 1260 prophetic days. But what is a prophetic day you might ask? Well consider these two passages. Num 14:34 “According to the number of the days in which you searched the land, forty days, each day for a year you shall bear your iniquities, forty years;…”. Then the other one is in Eze 4:4 “Also lie on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel on it; according to the number of days that you shall lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. :5 For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days. ..:6 “And when you have fulfilled them, lie again on your right side, and you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days; a day for a year; a day for a year, I have set for you”.

So God has quite clearly explained His ‘system of accounting’ to Moses and again to Ezekiel. Does He need to explain it to use every single time? Of cause not, His ‘system’ is ‘a-day-for-a-year’, and I have covered this topic in one of my previous talks entitled, ‘The Day For A Year Conundrum’. So the 1260 prophetic days is equal to 1260 literal years. There are numerous prophecies where God uses periods of time in which we need to apply His ‘system’. And if we don’t we can get some very weird short prophecies, some we’ll talk about later. He uses terms like, hours, days, weeks, months and seasons. The gist of it is, you reduce the prophecies to the total number of prophetic days, and then apply ‘a-day-for-a-year’. So the total number of days becomes the literal number of years of time to be fulfilled.

That means you could replace the word ‘days’ with the word “years”, so the prophecies automatically then tells use the literal number of years to be fulfilled. Therefore some of the old favourites would read as follows: -

Dan 12:11 “..from ..the daily sacrifice ..taken away ..1290 days H3117 shall occur. - - - - - - - - - - - -Equals 1290 years

Dan 12:12 Blessed is he who waits and comes to 1335 days H3117. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Equals 1335 years

Rev 11:3 ..My two witnesses, and they will prophesy 1260 days G2250. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Equals 1260 years

Rev 11:9 many ..will see (two witnesses) dead bodies three daysG2250 and a half. - - - - - - - - - - - -Equals 3 ½ years

Rev 12:6 ..the woman fled into wilderness, where ..God ..nourish her 1260 days G2250. - - - - - - - - - - -Equals 1260 years

Dan 8:14 Is a funny one? Of the 36 translations I have vie e-Sword, half of them use the phrase ‘evenings and mornings’, but others use ‘days'. But in the, ‘Apostolic Bible Polyglot with Strong’, and I got this interpretation, and I got the word number.

Dan 8:14 “ ..he said ..Unto evening and morning [3daysG2250 1two thousand 2three hundred]..”. - - - - - - - Equals 2300 years

Also if we check the meaning of the words, ‘days’ H3117. and ‘days’ G2250, we get the following meanings: -

· Strong H3117, יוֹם, yôm, yome, [there’s a lengthy list but right at the end, one of them is], “(full)..........year”!

· Or go to, Brown-Driver-Briggs H3117, יום, yôm, 1) “day, time, year, …1d) time, period (general),..........year”!

· Strong G2250, ἡμέρα, hēmera, hay-mer'-ah, [again a lengthy list of meanings but the last one is],.........“years”!

So in all those passages above in which the word, ‘days’ is used, you could legitimately substitute the word ‘years’?

Daniel’s Seventy Weeks

If you do a search in the KJV Old Testament for the word, “weeks”, you will find 13 references. All with the same word number, “weeks H7620”, meaning a literal 7 days”? So with 52 weeks in one year, 70 weeks comes to 16 months and 10 days. Yet in the ‘Seventy Weeks H7620’ prophecy of Daniel 9, as everyone knows we must use the alternative meaning, which we can get from Brown-Driver-Briggs, “seven, period of seven (days or years), heptad, week”. Which is still using God’s system of, ‘a-day-for-a-year’ as explained by Matthew Henry below. So what’s the trick to understanding it all? It is simply this; you interpret the words according to the context. If you read the whole of Daniel chapter 9, in particular the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple, which would take ‘years’, you would know it Can Not be taken as literal weeks! But again according to the context, if a prophecy is spoken regarding an individual person, then the period of time is generally literal, because it has to fit into their life span! As in 2 Samuel, where David had sinned by numbering Israel, and God gave him a choice of three punishments. 2Sa 24:13 “And Gad came to David, and told him, and said to him, Shall seven yearsH8141 of famine come upon you and on your land? Or will you flee three months H2320 before your enemies while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' H3117 plague in your land? And advise, and see what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.”

The other difference with the Historicist view of ‘the seventy weeks’ is they see it as the whole prophecy is now completed. There is NO ‘Seventieth Week’ still awaiting fulfilment in the future! [Ref CN by John Wesley on Daniel 9:27] “He shall confirm - Christ confirmed the new covenant, By the testimony of angels, of John Baptist, of the wise men, of the saints then living, of Moses and Elias. By his preaching. By signs and wonders. By his holy life. By his resurrection and ascension. By his death and blood shedding. Shall cause the sacrifice to cease - All the Jewish rites, and Levitical worship. By his death he abrogated, and put an end to this laborious service, for ever”. The Futurist interprets that verse as; the antichrist will confirm the covenant for one week! Which is some, ‘week of years’, in a future 7-year period. So the Futurist thinks there has to be one week of the prophecy remaining, still off in the future.

[Ref CN by Matthew Henry on Daniel 9:20-27] “We have, in Dan 9:24-27, one of the most remarkable prophecies of Christ, of his coming and his salvation. It shows that the Jews are guilty of most obstinate unbelief, in expecting another Messiah, so long after the time expressly fixed for his coming. The seventy weeks mean a day for a year, or 490 years. About the end of this period a sacrifice would be offered, making full atonement for sin, and bringing in everlasting righteousness for the complete justification of every believer. ..He must confirm the covenant with many. He shall introduce a new covenant between God and man, a covenant of grace, since it had become impossible for us to be saved by a covenant of innocence. This covenant he shall confirm by his doctrine and miracles, by his death and resurrection, by the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper, which are the seals of the New Testament, assuring us that God is willing to accept us upon gospel-terms. …He confirmed it to the many, to the common people; the poor were evangelized, when the rulers and Pharisees believed not on him. Or, he confirmed it with many, with the Gentile world. The New Testament was not (like the Old) confined to the Jewish church, but was committed to all nations”.

The Seven Times Punishment

Also in Dan 4:16 “Let his heart be changed from man's, and let the heart of an animal be given to him. And let sevenH7655 timesH5732 pass over him”. And we all know what happened to Nebuchadnezzar, he went ‘mad’ for 7 literal years and ate grass. But if the prophecy is in regards to a nation, then generally a longer period is meant, as in the “Seven timesH7651” punishment in Lev 26:18-28. It’s a different word. From Strong’s, H7651, ‘by implication a week; by extension an indefinite number’. So the seven times punishment means that Israel would be cast out of her land for a period seven times. So a “Time” = 360 prophetic days. Therefore 360 x 7 =2520 prophetic days = 2520 literal years. [Ref CN by Pulpit on Leviticus 26:1-46] “(2) The longer term of "seven times" thrice repeated (verses 21, 24, 28) is also notable. These are the "times of the Gentiles," during which Jerusalem is to be trodden down of them (Luk 21:24).” Let’s go to that passage to see what Jesus said. Luke 21:24 “And they shall fall by the sword's edge. And shall be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the nations until the times of the nations is fulfilled.”

So the seven times punishment is a set period of time! God made a promise to, “Abraham and his seed” to give his descendants the land forever! God cannot break His promise! Nor simply cast Israel out of the land forever! But He has punished the nation for a protracted period, and then He will restore them. And we have seen that over many years bible scholars have calculated from prophecies that the Jews should be starting to return to their ‘promised land’. How do they ‘fudge-up’ those calculations? By using this prophecy and ‘a-day-for-a-year’. Therefore in most long prophetic periods of time, the Historicist usually applies ‘a-day-for-a-year’. Please refer to my talk The Day For A Year Conundrum, it will also explain a lot regarding literal time used in prophecies.

The Antichrist Is Not A Single Individual

This passage in Daniel 7 will give you something to think about! If you apply the Futurist view, one part of the prophecy makes no senses. But if you apply the Historicist view it does fit well in both verses. Daniel sees in verse 3, ‘..four great beasts came up from the sea,’ a Lion, bear, and a leopard, then a frightening beast ..and it has ten horns. Then the little horn rises up and we hear of him in verse 25. Dan 7:25 “And he shall ..wear out the saints ..And they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and one-half time”. The famous 3½ years! The Futurist would say that this prophetic 3½ years is a literal 3½ years. But in the same chapter, if you go back to Dan 7:12 you will find this obscure often-neglected passage. Dan 7:12 “And the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away. Yet their lives were made longer for a season and time”. Like I said often-neglected, because few people know how to interpret it. Because for the Futurist, a season and time, is 90 days plus 360 days which equals 450 literal days, which works out to be only 21 literal months? Why on earth would God bother to tell Daniel that these three other empires would only continue to exist for a mere 21 months? That does not compute! But if you apply ‘a day for a year’ to this verse you get the following interpretation. 90 days plus 360 days, totalling 450 prophetic days, at ‘a day for a year’ this comes to 450 literal years!

[Ref CN by John Gill on Daniel 7:12] “these monarchies did not at once become extinct, as the fourth beast or monarchy will, but by degrees; and the kingdoms of which they consisted are still in being, though in another form of government, and in different hands”. [Ref CN by Cambridge Bible on Daniel 7:12] “the Gentile powers, represented by the beasts, were to survive for a while as nations, though deprived of empire”. Also refer to a booklet by A. J. Ferris: - From My Copy “FROM The Second Advent - How: When: Where? Daniel Chapter 11 - By A.J.Ferris”, from page 59, second paragraph, “The fall of the Imperial Roman Empire also allowed the nations of the Near East to rise into power once again. As foretold in Dan 7-12, ‘their lives were prolonged for a season and a time’. Thus Dan 11-40 to 45, describe during the period of Papal dominion, the rise again of the two Gentile Empires corresponding to the Kings of the North and south of pre-Roman days”.

So what happened in these three regions of the old Babylon, Media-Persian and Grecian empires? They didn’t just cease to exist or become completely devoid of people after 21 months! The Greek region rose again under Constantine and it became the Eastern Roman Empire also called the Byzantine Empire. Then the Media-Persian region rose again and became the Saracen Empire. Later the Babylon region rose again and became the Turkish Empire. Neither of them gained world ‘dominion’ as the prophecy said. But they squabbled amongst each other for the next 450 plus years, as the prophecy said. Now logically you cannot apply ‘a day for a year’ to one part of the prophecy, then try to apply a literal interpretation to the other part in Dan 7:25 “And he shall ..wear out the saints ..until a time and times and one-half time”? What does this mean then? Verse 25 should then also be interpreted on the bases of, ‘a day for a year’. So the ‘Little Horn’ will have authority to ‘wear out the saints’ for 1260 literal years! That means the antichrist will not rise up for a mere 7-year ‘flash-in-the-pan’. Therefore he couldn’t possible be a single individual. And there are other scriptures I will show you later that prove the antichrist is not a single individual.

Who Is The Antichrist?

The other issue we need to clear up is that the Historicist believes the antichrist is already here! And if they think the antichrist exists for some 1260 plus years, then who or what is he? To answer this we need to go to some of the verses from Jesus, John and Paul. Jesus said in Mat 24:24 “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders; so much so that, if it were possible, they would deceive even the elect”. A false Christ is a pretender of Christ, an antichrist. Remember what I said earlier about the meaning of, ‘Anti-christ’. And Jesus said, ‘Christs’, (plural), so there’s going to be many of them, and if it were possible, they, (plural), would deceive even the elect. John’s letters says the same thing that there will be many antichrists.

Now lets look at John’s letters, which some say were written after 70 AD. Which puts a slight influence on the meaning of the phrase ‘The last time’. 1Jn 2:18 “Little children, it is the last time. And just as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have risen up, from which we know that it is the last hour. :19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they were of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out so that it might be revealed that they were not all of us”. The last time or hour is a reference to Isaiah 2:2 “And it shall be, in the last days…” But John goes on to say ‘many antichrists have risen’, and ‘They went out from us’. So there were in John’s day many antichrists, and from this we can see that the antichrist is NOT a NON Christian, because he has come from within the church. Therefore the antichrist will be like a Christian, ‘gone rouge’ so to speak. That puts a stop to the idea that the antichrist will be an infidel.

Then in 1Jn 4:1 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but try the spirits to see if they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. :2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God; :3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is theG3588 antichrist you heard is coming, and even now is already in the world”. From Thayer Definition: “G3588, ho/ hē/ to, the definite article, “the”. This passage is telling us that “the antichrist”, the same character Paul talks about in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, is already in the world at the time John is writing this letter. So why didn’t the antichrist prominently appear in history at the time of John? Well Paul tells us why in this following passage. But remember the antichrist is not a single individual, but a regime that was starting to set itself up in opposition to the preaching of the apostles. Paul speaks about that in some of his letters. Philippians 1: 16, Galatians 1: 6-9 and below in 2Thess 2: 7.

What Was Stopping The Antichrist?

2Th 2:1 “Now we beseech.. :2 ..you should not be ..troubled ..as if the Day of Christ is at hand. :3 ..that Day shall not come unless ..first ..a falling away, and the man of sin shall be revealed.. 2Th 2:4 who ..exalts himself …in the temple of God, .. :5 Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you?” So there was something Paul told them, (in privet), in a previous visit. 2Th 2:6 “And now you know what holds back, for him to be revealed in his own time”. But this is the key verse, 2Th 2:7 “For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only he is now holding back until it comes out of the midst. :8 And then the lawless one will be revealed…” So Paul is also telling us that the antichrist is there and active at the time of his writing! But for some reason the antichrist is held back from becoming a predominant character in world history.

From Paul’s letter we pick up so much more about the fact that the antichrist is already in existence in many characters. But there is some ‘entity’ holding back the antichrist. It is referred to in 2Th 2:7 as he and it! So it must be a person and a power! B.W. Johnson gives us a simple explanation on this. [Ref CN by B.W. Johnson on 2 Thes2: 6-10] “Only he who now letteth. He that hindereth must first be taken out of the way. There was no room for an arrogant spiritual power in Rome as long as imperial Rome continued to persecute the church. A persecuted church cannot be a haughty church. Two things were needful before the papal power could be developed; viz., the overthrow of paganism, and the removal of the capital of the Empire from Rome. When these things were done, it, (the antichrist power), was free to seize the old Roman sceptre”. In short, the removal of the Emperor, which was, the ‘he’; and the removal of the Empire or the pagan religion and it’s capital which was the ‘it’.

Let’s Do The Maths About The Antichrist!

· So the antichrist is in existence at the time of John and Paul’s letters! Let’s say roughly around 70 to 90 AD.

· Then from 2 Thes 2, the antichrist is withheld until the Empire and Emperor are removed! That was in 476 AD.

· That’s about 400 years! That means the antichrist CAN NOT BE a single individual.

· So the antichrist must come to power after 476 AD and continue 1260 years until some time after 1736?

· Finally, ‘Who Is The Antichrist?’ Refer to the commentaries; he is the papal power, not the individual pope.

Ask Matthew Henry 1662 – 1714 and John Wesley 1703 –1791; two well-respected scholars.

[Ref CN by Matthew Henry on 2 Thes 2:3-12] “(2.) As God, he sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. As God was in the temple of old, and worshipped there, and is in and with his church now, so the antichrist here mentioned is some usurper of God's authority in the Christian church, who claims divine honours; and to whom can this better apply than to the bishops of Rome, to whom the most blasphemous titles have been given, as Dominus Deus noster papa - Our Lord God the pope; Deus alter in terrâ - Another God on earth; Idem est dominium Dei et papae - The dominion of God and the pope is the same? 3. His rise is mentioned, 2Th 2:6, 2Th 2:7. Concerning this we are to observe two things: - (1.) There was something that hindered or withheld, or let, until it was taken away. This is supposed to be the power of the Roman empire, which the apostle did not think fit to mention more plainly at that time; and it is notorious that, while this power continued, it prevented the advances of the bishops of Rome to that height of tyranny to which soon afterwards they arrived”.

[Ref CN by John Wesley on 2 Thes 2:7] “He will surely be revealed; for the mystery - The deep, secret power of iniquity, just opposite to the power of godliness, already worketh. It began with the love of honour, and the desire of power; and is completed in the entire subversion of the gospel of Christ. This mystery of iniquity is not wholly confined to the Romish church, but extends itself to others also. It seems to consist of, Human inventions added to the written word. Mere outside performances put in the room of faith and love. Other mediators besides the man Christ Jesus. The two last branches, together with idolatry and bloodshed, are the direct consequences of the former; namely, the adding to the word of God. Already worketh - In the church. Only he that restraineth - That is, the potentate who successively has Rome in his power. The emperors, heathen or Christian; the kings, Goths or Lombards; the Carolingian or German emperors”.

The Whole Earth?

Dan 7:23 ‘and shall devour the whole earth’! Can we just clear up this ‘whole earth’ issue. You could go to numerous commentaries and get an endless list of different arguments, and you would still be bamboozled. But the scriptures give us enough information to clear this up. Sometimes it is a prophecy about what God will do in “the whole earth”. In that case, yes it must be the whole planet, as in the flood etc. But in other passages, the context clearly tells you it means, “the then known world”! For example these passages are clearly not talking about the whole planet! Jer 50:23 ‘How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder’. Jer 51:41 ‘..how is the praise of the whole earth surprised!’ and Luk 2:1 ‘..a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed’. I very much doubt that Caesar Augustus was getting taxes from the American Indians, the Chines, the Japanese or the Zulu's? So the Roman beast will, “devour the whole earth”, means the ‘then known world’, the region of the world under Roman domination. Or as in earlier passages, the 'then know world’ at the time of the then reigning Empire.

Here is a list of some other verses that speak of, ‘the world’. And from the context you can see that they couldn’t be referring to the whole planet, also some could not be the case at the time it was written. Look them up at your leisure.

· Act 11:28 “the ..great famine over the world (which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar)”.

· Act 19:27 “the great goddess Artemis will be counted for nothing, whom all Asia and the world worships”.

· Rom 10:18 “Yes indeed, their voice went out into all the earth, and their words to the end of the world”.

· 1Co 7:33 “But the one who is married cares for the things of the world, how to please his wife”.

· 1Co 7:34 “But she who is married cares for the things of the world, how she may please her husband”.

· 1Ti 3:16 “God was manifested in the flesh, justified ..seen ..preached .. believed on in the world.”.

· 1Jn 4:1 “because many false prophets have gone out into the world”.

· 1Jn 4:3 “And this is the antichrist you heard is coming, and even now is already in the world”.

He Sits In The Temple Of God

2Th 2:4 “he sits as God in the temple of God,” This is a curly one for a futurist believer. They automatically think the temple in Jerusalem has to first be rebuilt, so that this scripture can eventually be fulfilled. Here is an example from Chuck Smith, and bear in mind he is a futurist believer! [Ref CN by Chuck Smith on 2 Thess 2:1-17] “But here is the anti-christ doing the same thing, exalting himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he as God will sit in the temple of God showing himself that he is God. In other words, after three and a half years, after the temple has been rebuilt, he will return to Jerusalem, he will sit in the Holy of Holies of the rebuilt temple and declare, "I am God," and will demand to be worshiped as God.”

Now I have covered this in another talk entitled, “Rebuilding The Temple Of Jerusalem”. And I look at the question, ‘would God really want the temple rebuilt?’ And let’s think logically here. It is God speaking in 2Th 2:4! The Holy Spirit is dictating to Paul, and God refers to it as, “the templeG3485 of God”! And the futurists all say either the antichrist or the Jews will rebuild the temple. But for what purpose? To restart blood sacrifice? REALLY! Would God want that, and He surly wouldn’t want anything to do with a temple built for that purpose! It would be like spitting in the face of Christ and His once-and-for-all sacrifice on the Cross! So why on earth would God refer to that building as His temple? The Futurist is basically saying that the antichrist will build the temple and then God happily calls it, His temple! That is obviously the wrong interpretation! I’ll give you a hint, who wrote Thessalonians? It was Paul, and how many times did he refer to the body of believers as “the TempleG3485”? There are five other passages where he speaks that way. So isn’t it reasonable that Paul is speaking the same way in 2 Thessalonians. He is saying, ‘the antichrist will stand up in the body of believers’, and declaring himself to be God! That is exactly what Matthew Henry said above. And the pope has well and truly fulfilled that, ‘job description’ of the antichrist!

You can also refer to commentaries by John Gill, Albert Barnes, Joseph Benson and Adam Clarke, they all support Matthew Henry and John Wesley’s appraisal.

Points

What are the key points that the Historicists believe that are different to the Futurist?

1. The Revelation has been an ongoing continuous prophecy of world and church events.

2. Prophetic times are not literal, but are estimated on the basis of, ‘A Day For A Year’ , as in Num 14:34 and Eze 4:6

3. The Seventy Weeks prophecy is finished, all 490 years. There is NO ‘Seventieth Week’ still to come!

4. The Seven Times Punishment is a literal 2520 years

5. The Antichrist has already been in the world as of the time of John and Paul’s writings.

6. The Antichrist was restrained from coming into public view until after the Empire was removed! Post 476 AD

7. The Antichrist is NOT the individual pope, but the papal power, the blasphemous seat of Peter!

8. The phrase ‘the whole earth’ can also mean the ‘then known world’

9. In the passage, ‘He sits in the temple if God’, the temple is interpreted as the body of believers, the body of Christ.

Wow! We’re in new territory and a new way of thinking! Now we have ‘a handle’ on how the Historicist thinks! So let’s go back through those key prophecies of Daniel and Revelation to see how the Historicist interprets those passages.

Historical View- The “Ten, Toes, Horns, Kings”

When we first looked at the ‘Ten’ Toes, do you remember this comment? [Ref CN by David Guzik on Dan2:1-49 par 3,d,i] “Since Roman history provides no fulfillment of this federation of kings (which seems to number ten, because of the number of toes, and passages like Dan 7:24 and Rev 17:12) this prophecy must still be future.” I hate to say this, but that is a ridiculous statement! Any kid in junior high school who has studied the Roman Empire or Early European history would know that was not true. In 476 AD the Western Roman Empire collapsed, and ‘Ten’ kingdoms rose up in Europe to replace Roman Imperial rule. These days we can search the web for literally thousands of maps, informative articles and movies like, ‘The Fall of the Roman Empire’, and all sorts of information on the ‘internet’ about the rise of Medieval Europe. Come with me and we will now look at the, “Ten, Toes, Horns and Kings” again. And we will find that they were actually fulfilled by the “Ten” kingdoms of medieval Europe

Surly you would have heard of secular books like this on Roman history. Referà[Slide#3]

‘The Fall of the Roman Empire:’ A New History of Rome and the Barbarians by Peter Heather. “A leading authority on the late Roman Empire and on the barbarians, Heather relates the extraordinary story of how Europe's barbarians, transformed by centuries of contact with Rome on every possible level, eventually pulled the empire apart. He shows first how the Huns overturned the existing strategic balance of power on Rome's European frontiers to force the Goths and others to seek refuge inside the empire. This prompted two generations of struggle, during which new barbarian coalitions, formed in response to Roman hostility, brought the Roman west to its knees. The Goths first destroyed a Roman army at the battle of Hadrianople in 378 and went on to sack Rome in 410. The Vandals spread devastation in Gaul and Spain before conquering North Africa, the breadbasket of the western empire, in 439. We then meet Attila the Hun, whose reign of terror swept from Constantinople to Paris, but whose death in 453 ironically precipitated a final desperate phase of Roman collapse, culminating in the Vandals' defeat of the massive Byzantine Armada, the west's last change for survival. Peter Heather convincingly argues that the Roman Empire was not on the brink of social or moral collapse. What brought it to an end were the barbarians.” [And there are numerous other books under similar titles].

Please read through these two commentaries by Albert Barnes. The second is quite lengthy, but he makes reference to numerous others scholars. [Ref CN by Albert Barnes on Daniel 2:42] “It has been commonly supposed (comp. Newton “on the Prophecies”), that the ten toes on the feet refer to the ten kingdoms into which the Roman empire was ultimately broken up, corresponding with the ten horns seen in the vision of Daniel, in Dan 7:7. In regard to the fact that the Roman empire was ultimately broken up into ten such kingdoms, see the extended notes at Dan 7:24”.

[Ref CN by Albert Barnes on Daniel 7:28] “To see that there is no difficulty in making out the number ten, or that some such distribution and breaking up of the one power is naturally suggested, I cast my eye on the historical chart of Lyman, and found the following kingdoms or sovereignties specified as occupying the same territory which was possessed by the Roman empire, and springing from that - namely, the Vandals, Alans, Suevi, Heruli, Franks, Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Burgundians, Lombards, Britains. The Roman empire as such had ceased, and the power was distributed into a large number of comparatively petty sovereignties - well represented at this period by the ten horns on the head of the beast. Even the Romanists themselves admit that the Roman empire was, by means of the incursions of the northern nations, dismembered into ten kingdoms (Calmet on Rev 13:1; and he refers likewise to Berengaud, Bossuet, and Dupin. See Newton, p. 209); and Machiaveli (Hist. of Flor. 1. i.), with no design of furnishing an illustration of this prophecy, and probably with no recollection of it, has mentioned these names: Refer below à[Slide#4]

“Compare also Duffield on the Prophecies, pp. 279, 280. For other arrangements constituting the number ten, as embracing the ancient power of the Roman empire, see Newton on the Prophecies, pp. 209, 210. There is some slight variation in the arrangements proposed by Mr. Mede, Bishop Lloyd, and Sir Isaac Newton ; but still it is remarkable that it is easy to make out that number with so good a degree of certainty, and particularly so that it should have been suggested by a Romanist himself. Even if it is not practicable to make out the number with strict exactness, or if all writers do not agree in regard to the dynasties constituting the number ten, we should bear in remembrance the fact that these powers arose in the midst of great confusion; that one kingdom arose and another fell in rapid succession; and that there was not that entire certainty of location and boundary which there is in old and established states. One thing is certain, that there never has been a case in which an empire of vast power has been broken up into small sovereignties, to which this description would so well apply as to the rise of the numerous dynasties in the breaking up of the vast Roman power; and another thing is equally certain, that if we were now to seek an appropriate symbol of the mighty Roman power - of its conquests, and of the extent of its dominion, and of the condition of that empire, about the time that the Papacy arose, we could not find a more striking or appropriate symbol than that of the terrible fourth beast with iron teeth and brazen claws - stamping the earth beneath his feet, and with ten horns springing out of his head”.

Can I leave you with these two maps, showing the situation in Western Europe from 476 to 486 AD? The first map can be obtained via the link shown. The second can be obtained from e-Sword via the reference shown. Each map shows us roughly the same ten territories, ‘Ten Toes, Horns Kings’, that rose up after the fall of Rome. The date, ‘476 AD’, gives you a starting point from which to Google back, to find the height of the Western Roman Empire and the territory she covered.

Europe At The Fall Of The Western Roman Empire In 476 AD Referà[Slide#5]

[Ref eSword/Graphics View/Historical/ 34. The Germanic Kingdoms and the East Roman Empire in 486] Referà[Slide#6]

Like I said it was ridiculous of Guzik to say, [Ref CN by David Guzik on Dan2] “Roman history provides no fulfillment of this federation of kings …this prophecy must still be future”. Because it is quite clear from history that the Western Roman Empire was divided into ‘Ten’ kingdoms some time after 476 AD. Matthew Henry says that when Rome was in its glory before 476AD it already consisted of ‘Ten kingdoms’ under her rule. [Ref CN by Matthew Henry on Dan 7:7] “The learned are not agreed concerning this anonymous beast; some make it to be the Roman empire, which, when it was in its glory, comprehended ten kingdoms, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Britain, Sarmatia, Pannonia, Asia, Greece, and Egypt;”

Horns And Dynasties

Remember at the start I talked about what a horn represents in scripture. [Ref CN from Treasury of David on Psa 132:17] “There will I make the horn of David to bud.” In Zion David's dynasty shall develop power and glory”. This passage is speaking of Christ ‘the bud’ from David’s horn, in other words from his royal line or his dynasty. This verse clearly shows that a horn does not necessarily represent a single person. Remember in Daniel chapter 8 ‘the he-goat rushed at the ram, defeated it, then the great horn broke off, in its place came up four notable horns’. These horns represented the four generals of Alexander’s army, who divided the Greek empire into four parts. And their dynasties continued from 323BC to as late as 30 BC, some 293 years. [Ref ACCH, under the heading, “Egypt under the 13 Ptolemies”], so each of the four horns represented an ongoing dynasty.

[Ref CN by Albert Barnes on Daniel 8:8] “The author of the books of Maccabees (1 Macc. 1:7-9) says: “So Alexander reigned twelve years, and then died. And his servants bare rule every one in his place. And after his death, they all put crowns upon themselves; so did their sons after them many years; and evils were multiplied in the earth.” Alexander died 323 b.c.; Antipater succeeded Perdiccas, 321 b.c.; Ptolemy Lagus the same year took possession of Egypt; Cassander assumed the government of Macedon, 317 b.c.; Seleucus Nicator took possession of Syria, 311 b.c.; in 305 b.c. the successors of Alexander took the title of kings, and in 301 b.c. there occurred the battle of Ipsus, in which Antigonus, who reigned in Asia Minor, was killed, and then followed in that year a formal division of Alexander’s empire between the four victorious princes, Ptolemy, Seleucus, Cassander, and Lysimachus”. The point being is that in the prophecy of Dan 8 they were represented as “four single horns”, which rose out of the head of the he-goat. Thus proving that a horn does not necessarily represent a single individual.

We have the same issue with this verse, Dan 7:17 “These four great beasts are four kings,H4430 they shall arise out of the earth”. But we know that each of these beasts represented an empire. And each empire had a dynasty of several kings. So the Historicist sees that a horn in most cases, (but not all), represents a succession of kings, and the context and history should show us this. This is the case with the ‘Ten’ horns; they are not ten individual kings who are yet to appear in the future. And as for the ‘little horn’, we have already talked about the fact that he’s been around for some hundreds of years. So the antichrist is not a single individual in the future. Nor are the ‘Ten’ kings single individuals in the future.

Mingling With The Seed Of Men

Remember this passage Dan 2:41 “…you saw: the feet and toes, part ..clay ..part ..iron; the kingdom shall be divided”. Then Daniel says this in Dan 2:43 “And as you saw iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mix themselves with the seed of men. But they shall not cling to one another, even as iron is not mixed with clay”. What do you think this verse is referring to? The kings are trying to make a union for strength? And in the years from say AD 500 to 1900, what was a common way to make an alliance with a neighbouring kingdom? Inter marriage of cause! Crikey it’s in all the fairy-tails! So in this verse, the phrase ‘they shall mix themselves with the seed of men’ is a clear reference to inter marriage between kingdoms. ‘But they shall not cling to one another’; and we know from history that what ever alliance’s where made between kingdoms in medieval Europe, they often fell apart after a generation or two.

Now when I was studying this from the Futurist point of view, I tried to find some reference to the phrase, ‘mingling with the seed of men’. I checked the five commentaries from, Darby, Bullinger, Guzik, Scofield and Chuck Smith. Not one of them made reference to it! Why? (And if you can find something about, ‘mingling with seeds of men’, in their commentaries, please send me an email! I would love to hear your comment.) So I wondered why they would say nothing about it! The logical answer is the Futurist thinks the ‘Ten’ kings rise up in a short 7-year period, after the rapture. So inter marriage between the ‘Ten’ kingdoms in a short 7-year span wouldn’t make any sense. The Futurist would then have to admit, the ‘Ten’ kings would have to be in existence for far more than 7 years. And that wouldn’t fit their theory! These commentaries below each speak of inter marriage. But each of them has a slightly different viewpoint, or they add some additional interesting insight.

[Ref CN by Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Daniel 2:41-43] “Newton, who understands the Roman empire to be parted into the ten kingdoms already (whereas Tregelles makes them future), explains the “clay” mixture as the blending of barbarous nations with Rome by intermarriages and alliances, in which there was no stable amalgamation, though the ten kingdoms retained much of Rome’s strength. The “mingling with the seed of men” (Dan 2:44) seems to refer to Gen 6:2, where the marriages of the seed of godly Seth with the daughters of ungodly Cain are described in similar words. The reference, therefore, seems to be to the blending of the Christianized Roman empire with the pagan nations, a deterioration being the result. Efforts have been often made to reunite the parts into one great empire, as by Charlemagne and Napoleon, but in vain. Christ alone shall effect that”.

[Ref CN by Albert Barnes on Daniel 2:43] “Prof. Stuart interprets this of matrimonial alliances, and supposes that the idea expressed is, that, “while the object of such alliances was union, or at least a design to bring about a peaceable state of things, that object was, in a peculiar manner, defeated.” The word rendered “men” (אנשׁא 'ănâshâ') is employed in Hebrew and in Chaldee to denote men of an inferior class - the lower orders, the common herd - in contradistinction from the more elevated and noble classes, represented by the word אישׁ 'ı̂ysh. See Isa 2:9; Isa 5:15; Pro 8:4”.

[Ref CN by Joseph Benson on Daniel 2:40-43] “As Tacitus observes, “Dominandi cupido cunctis affectibus flagrantior erit:” The lust of ruling will be more powerful than all the affections. “It is especially observable,” says Wintle, “that in the declining state of the Roman empire, intermarriages with the barbarians were frequent and distinguished, as may be learned from the histories of the times; but yet the cement would not hold so as to form any great kingdom, or even to prevent the impending fate of the empire.”

[Ref CN by Adam Clarke on Daniel 2:45] “Thus, as the Lagidae and Seleucidae arose out of the wreck of the Grecian empire; so the Roman empire arose out of their ruin. But the empire became weakened by its conquests; and although, by mingling themselves with the seed of men, that is, by strong leagues, and matrimonial alliances, as mentioned above they endeavoured to secure a perpetual sovereignty, yet they did not cleave to each other, and they also were swallowed up by the barbarous northern nations; and thus terminated those four most powerful monarchies”.

[Ref CN by John Gill on Daniel 2:43] “they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men’; the Romans shall mix with people of other and many nations that shall come in among them, and unite in setting up kingdoms; or these kingdoms set up shall intermarry with each other, in order to strengthen their alliances, and support their interests: thus France, Spain, Portugal, and other nations; those of the royal families marry with each other, with such views”.

[Ref CN by Keil & Delitzsch on Dan 2:42-43] “If, then, the “mixing themselves with the seed of men” points to marriages, it is only of the mixing of different tribes brought together by external force in the kingdom by marriages as a means of amalgamating the diversified nationalities. But the expression is not to be limited to this, although הִתְעָרֵב, Ezr 9:2, occurs of the mixing of the holy nation with the heathen by marriage”.

[Ref CN by Alexander MacLaren on Daniel 2:36-49] “The fact to which it points is the artificial unity into which the great conquering empires of old crushed their unfortunate subject peoples, who were hammered, not fused, together. ‘They shall mingle themselves with the seed of men’ (Dan 2:43), may either refer to the attempts to bring about unity by marriages among different races, or to other vain efforts to the same end. To obliterate nationalities has always been the conquering despot’s effort, from Nebuchadnezzar to the Czar of Russia, and it always fails.”

The Kingdom Shall Be Divided!

Quoting from above that’s from Dan 2:41 “…part ..clay ..part ..iron; the kingdom shall be divided”. Then in Dan 2:43 “…But they shall not cling to one another,”. What is this passage telling us? Clearly God is saying that the ‘Ten’ kings, “WILL NOT UNIT INTO A ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT!” Yet this very chapter of Daniel is one of the key scriptures the Futurists use for the ‘One World Government’ theory, along with the corresponding chapters, which speak of ‘Ten Horns’ in Daniel and Revelation. So how on earth do they come up with that idea? All I can think of is they do not read the whole passage, they only pick and chose the odd verses that fit their theory. In other words don’t take verses out of context. With this in mind, when we get to looking at other passages in Daniel and Revelation we should also find some indication that the ‘Ten’ kings don’t work together as one.

Historical View - The Stone Cut Out Without Hand - Dan 2

God’s ‘Time-Line’ Dan 2

This is the Key to understanding the chronology of the kingdoms of the world right through to the end of the age! And it’s right here at your fingertips in Daniel chapter 2. It can’t be that hard to understand because Daniel explained it to King Nebuchadnezzar who knew nothing of the history of the dreams and interpretations of the people of Israel. We have talked about it in the Futurist View but the Historical View sees it a bit differently towards the end of the prophecy. The kingdoms are still the same, with the same aspects of being composite kingdoms etc. right up to the Roman Empire. But the Futurist believes we are still in the Roman Empire? Also the Futurist cannot seem to see that the ‘Ten Toes’ have already arrived in history as explained above. What I have not yet talked about is ‘The Stone Cut Out Without Hand’.

It is an extremely convoluted subject so I will just teas you with some ideas. I will give you my opinion them you can go to the commentaries and pull my ideas apart. Lets check the scriptures: -

Dan 2:34 “You watched until a stone was cut out without hands, ..struck the image upon its feet ..and broke them to pieces. :35 Then the iron ..clay ..bronze ..silver, and ..gold were broken to pieces ..they became like ..chaff ..And the wind carried them away ..And the stone ..became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. :36 This is the dream. And we will tell its meaning.” (You can read verses 37-42, then Daniel continues). Dan 2:43 “ ..as you saw iron mixed with ..clay, they shall mix themselves with the seed of men. But they shall not cling to one another.. :44 And in the days of these kings, ..God ..shall set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. And the kingdom shall not be left to other peoples, but it shall crush and destroy all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. :45 ..the great God has made known to the king what shall occur after this.”

Now let’s focus in the ‘Stone’: -

· 1/- The ‘Stone’ first struck the image upon its feet, so it must act against the ‘Ten Kings’ first. Refer verse 34

· 2/- When did it appear? “in the days of these kings, God ..shall set up a kingdom!” Verse 44

· 3/- Again confirming The Stone Kingdom appears at about the same time as the ‘Ten Kings’ are in existence.

· 4/- It is a kingdom not a person! Refer verse 44. Some commentaries say because of this must be the church

· 5/- It won’t be destroyed and won’t be left to other people, because it will stand forever. Refer verse 44.

· 6/- It will became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. Verse 44.

· 7/- But the best bit of all; it shall crush and destroy all these other kingdoms!

Now what is this ‘Stone’? Most people think it is Christ, “the stone the builders rejected” etc. etc. But that cannot fit and I’ll tell you why! Firstly the stone acted on the feet first, and Christ appeared in the time of the Romans, which were the legs of iron. Secondly God said in Psalms 110:1 “..Jehovah said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand until I place Your enemies as Your footstool.” It’s quoted again in Mat 22:44, Mar 12:36, Luk 20:42, Act 2:34 and Heb 1:13. So it’s out of character for Christ to have to appear and do ‘all this crushing and grinding of all the kingdoms’? Then is the ‘Stone Kingdom’ found in the church? But I think not because again the church started in the time of the Romans, which was before the time of the ‘Ten Kings’. Again I think not because the Catholic Church has been a militant church for centuries and it has dune more worse than good. So it isn’t Christ; and it isn’t the Church or a Church; but it must be a kingdom that God can use and it ultimately becomes a great Mountain Kingdom? But it doesn’t really start till the ‘Ten kingdoms’ start?

So who will God use to do all this crushing and grinding to dust? I believe it is ‘Jacob’ who will ultimately stand up to that roll. And Jacob is another name God uses to refer to the House of Israel, also known as the Northern Kingdom or the Lost Ten Tribes. Remember above I talked about the ‘Seven Times Punishment’, consisting of 2520 years. Well Israel, the ‘Northern Kingdom’, were taken captive to, “the cities of the Medes”, 2Ki 17:6 & 2Ki 18:11. They were taken in various waves until the last lot were carried away between the years 745-721BC. If you add 2520 years to those dates, all Israel should finally come out of their time of punishment, by the years 1776 to 1800. So starting from the year 1776 to 1800 there would have to be a ‘Kingdom’, which started to fight the ‘Ten’ kingdoms and start the grinding. Does 1776 ring a bell for you Americans?

(KJV) Jer 51:19 “The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the LORD of hosts is his name. :20 Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms; :21 And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider; 22 With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid; :23 I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.”

NB: This is an Unconditional Promise! God is saying He will use ‘Jacob’ regardless of whether he is righteous or not.

I’m not the only one who believes this Stone Kingdom has already started: - [Ref CN by Preacher's Homiletical On Daniel 2:31-35] “SECT. VIII.—THE DREAM (Chap. Dan 2:31-35) “..That stone should itself become an empire, and as such should fill the whole earth. A fifth monarchy, totally unlike its predecessors, should take their place, and last for ever. Thus the history of the world to the end of time was summarily comprehended in that dream. It is accordingly receiving its fulfilment at the present moment. Most of it has already been accomplished. The image has long ago been smitten, though not entirely destroyed. A little while and the whole shall be fulfilled. The stone is enlarging and will soon fill the earth. The time not distant when the predicted cry shall be heard in heaven, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ” (Rev 11:15).”

You can go to e-Sword, using Dan 2 v:34-35 and v:44-45, then do a search through the ‘Preacher's Homiletical and Biblical Illustrator, using the word ‘stone’. And you will find short quotes from numerous writers like: - E. Irving, Birks, Calvin, Dr. Pusey, Sir Isaac Newton and others, each with an interesting interpretation. You can also refer to commentaries by Alexander MacLaren, Pulpit, Albert Barnes and Matthew Henry.

Throughout the rest of this talk I will try to clarify the identity of this ‘Stone Kingdom’. Always remember this that God said He would cast Israel out for a ‘Seven Times Punishment’. And once the punishment has finished, doesn’t God say He will restore them and bless them?

Points

How does the Historicist believer interpret the ‘Ten’ Toes and ‘The Stone’ of Daniel chapter 2?

10. After 476AD the Western Roman Empire divided into ‘Ten’ kingdoms, represented as ‘Ten Toes’.

11. Historical maps and history clearly show us that the Western Roman Empire definitely divided into Ten kingdoms.

12. The ‘Ten’ horns and the ‘little horn’ do not represent single individual kings.

13. Mingling with the seed of men’, denotes inter marriage between kingdoms for alliances.

14. The kingdom, under the ‘Ten” kings, shall be divided! So there cannot form a ‘One World Government’!

15. The ‘Stone Kingdom’ appears amongst the ‘Ten Kings’ some time after 500AD

16. Therefore the Stone Kingdom cannot be Christ, as He appeared in 33AD.

17. This ‘Stone Kingdom’ begins the serious destruction of all the gentile kingdoms presumably by late 1700’s

Historical View- The Beast Of Daniel 7

You must know it off by heart by now! Daniel sees four beasts, the forth being Rome, Dan 7:7, the beast is “frightening and terrifying”, it subdues the other three ‘beasts’, (empires), and in Dan 7:20 it has only one head, and ten horns. One head? I still don’t know why as yet. Maybe it was all Daniel needed to know? Consider this, in Daniel 7:6 he, “saw …a leopard, which …had four heads; and rulership was given to it”. And we know that represented the Greek Empire, which divided into four, ‘heads’, four separate governments, each a part of the original Greek Empire. My thought is, the beast is the Roman Empire and the single head represents the ruling seat of power, which was undivided and based in Rome, (hence one head)?

Question: ‘Did the ‘Ten’ horns rise up out of the head of the beast of Daniel 7, or were they already there in the head?’ This is of interest because the prophecies of Daniel 7 and Revelation 12,13 and 17 etc. all talk about ‘the beast’ with ‘one head’ or ‘seven heads’, then ‘ten horns’, and sometimes three removed. And there are no crowns mentioned, then there are crowns and they move from the heads to the horns. Then we have the “little horn”, or no little horn etc. it’s a mix? The simple reason is each prophecy is talking about a different period of time in the history of the Roman Empire. Daniel was shown enough in prophecy for the people at the time of Christ to recognize that the ‘Beast with ten horns’ represented Rome. And why was that so easy to recognize you might ask?

Consider this, Rome was founded in 753 BC, but between 167 BC and 30 BC, (just before Christ appeared in history), Rome started to gather in other nation by conquest. [Ref ACCH] and [Ref JUssher], between those two dates, James Ussher’s work would verify the conquests of Rome through that period. It just so happened that during that period there were ‘Ten’ nations gathered in by Rome. [Ref CN by Matthew Henry on Dan 7:7] “The learned are not agreed concerning this anonymous beast; some make it to be the Roman empire, which, when it was in its glory, comprehended ten kingdoms, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Britain, Sarmatia, Pannonia, Asia, Greece, and Egypt; and then the little horn which rose by the fall of three of the other horns (Dan 7:8)”. ‘When it was in its glory’, that means before its fall in 476AD.

In my humble opinion the Ten Horns of Daniel 7 represented those ten kingdoms gathered in by Rome between 167 BC and 30 BC. Why? As the Horns did not have crowns they to did not have regal power, the power was within the head of the Beast. (Although the head didn’t have a crown, but nor did the heads of the other beasts of Daniel 7). When Rome conquered a nation, she would, where possible, set up the conquered king as a puppet king, subject to Rome, as was Herod a puppet king over Judah. I believe these ten horns represent those ten conquered kingdoms. As I said above the ‘Ten’ kings “stem” from the Roman Empire, and it was the nature of the Roman Empire to MAKE the world Roman! These ‘Ten’ horns (kings) had been absorbed into Rome. So the ‘Ten’ horns were effectively part of Rome. As I said, each prophecy is talking about a different period of time in the history of the Roman Empire. And as I said, at the time of Christ there was enough info in Dan 7 to show it represented Rome, the beast, and the ‘Ten’ horns as subordinate kingdoms subject to Rome.

The prophecy of Daniel 7 starts with the kingdoms of Babylon, Media-Persia and Greece then overlaps the prophecies of Revelation. Dan 7 shows the end of the Roman Empire, (the forth beast), culminates with Dan 7:27 “And the kingdom and rulership, and the greatness of the kingdom under all the heavens, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. And all kingdoms shall serve and obey Him.” Which brings us to the beginning of the rise of the everlasting kingdom under Christ. What an amassing gift of God to give Daniel such a far-reaching vision into the future. In just 10 verses, from when the angel starts in verse 17, “These four great beasts..” through to verse 27, Daniel views from 600BC through more than 2600 years of our history. When we get to the Revelation we find it is a far more detailed step-by-step view through the latter half of Daniel’s vision.

Points

How does the Historicist believer interpret The Beast of Daniel 7?

18. ‘The one head’ represents the singular ruling seat of Rome under the one Emperor.

19. Ten horns pre 476AD are, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Britain, Sarmatia, Pannonia, Asia, Greece, and Egypt.

20. These ‘Ten Horns’, were ‘Ten’ puppet kings ruling as governors subject to the Roman Emperor.

21. Daniel ultimately sees the everlasting kingdom given to the people of the saints of the Most High

Historical View- [9] Characteristics of The Little Horn Daniel 7

As we read on in Daniel 7, we find more information. Daniel sees in Dan 7:8 “..there came up among them another little horn, …three of the first horns were uprooted. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.” So the ‘Little Horn’, (Also referred to as the man of sin or the son of perdition, refer 2Th 2:3), he comes up after, but amongst, the ‘Ten’ horns, from within the Roman world. He then destroys three kingdoms. [Ref CN by C.I. Scofield on Dan7: 8] “who subdues three of the ten kings so completely that the separate identity of their kingdoms is destroyed.”. This is also repeated in the angel’s explanation in Dan 7:24 “…And another shall arise after them. And he shall be different from the first, and he shall humble three kings.” Continuing in the next verse, Dan 7:25 “And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and plot to change times and laws. And they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and one-half time”. Let’s examine the development of the little horn step by step. Here you have underlined, [9] characteristics about the ‘Little Horn’, which can help you identify the little horn and show you quite clearly who he is today! Let’s study these [9] key characteristics. Each section is quite detailed; it’s going to take a while, maybe you should get a cuppa?

1: - There Came Up Among Them Another Little Horn

In which period of history did the Little Horn rise up? The historicists believe the ‘little horn’, also known as the antichrist, is the pope. If he is the pope, then how did he come to power? He couldn’t have risen to power before 476AD, because the Western Roman Emperor was still ‘top dog’ in charge seated in Rome. We have also seen from the historical maps that after 476, ‘Ten’ kingdoms rose up to take control of Europe. So if the ‘little horn’ rises up after the ‘Ten’ kings, he would have to have ‘come up’ after 476AD. So from 476 onward there must have been some significant change in the ecclesiastical power of the ‘humble’ bishop of Rome, for him to become the all powerful pope and head of ALL the churches. To answer this we need to look through some history books. Can I refer you to one of my earlier talks entitled, CHURCH HISTORY Part 1 -:- [From Christ to The Pope]. In that talk I have extensively referred to, ‘HCC’ i.e. “History of The Christian Church by Philip Schaff”, to build up a very brief history of the church. I’ll give you a quick brief of what I discovered along with some additional references I have found. Let’s now look at the major event dates. Key phrases are underlined to help you find the reference.

313 [Ref HCC vol.2 ch.2 p.025] “The Edicts of Toleration. a.d. 311-313”. “Constantine met at Milan with his co-regent and brother-in-law, Licinius, and issued a new edict of toleration (313), to which Maximin also shortly before his suicide (313), was compelled to give his consent at Nicomedia. The second edict went beyond the first of 311; it was a decisive step from hostile neutrality to friendly neutrality and protection, and prepared the way for the legal recognition of Christianity, as the religion of the empire.”

380 [Ref Wiki De fide catholica] “The edict "De fide catholica" (Edictum de fide catholica issued by Emperor Theodosius on 27 February 380, establishing Catholic Christianity as the official religion of the empire”.

The following is a lengthy quote of the ‘strong handed’ ruling. [Ref HCC vol.3 ch.3 p.027] “At last Theodosius the Great, the first emperor who was baptized in the Nicene faith, put an end to the Arian interregnum, proclaimed the exclusive authority of the Nicene creed, and at the same time enacted the first rigid penalties not only against the pagan idolatry, the practice of which was thenceforth a capital crime in the empire, but also against all Christian heresies and sects. The ruling principle of his public life was the unity of the empire and of the orthodox church. Soon after his baptism, in 380, he issued, in connection with his weak coëmperors, Gratian and Valentinian II., to the inhabitants of Constantinople, then the chief seat of Arianism, the following edict: “We, the three emperors, will, that all our subjects steadfastly adhere to the religion which was taught by St. Peter to the Romans, which has been faithfully preserved by tradition, and which is now professed by the Pontiff Damasus, of Rome, and Peter, bishop of Alexandria, a man of apostolic holiness. According to the institution of the apostles and the doctrine of the gospel, let us believe in the one Godhead of the Father, the son, and the Holy Ghost, of equal majesty in the holy Trinity. We order that the adherents of this faith be called Catholic Christians; we brand all the senseless followers of other religions with the infamous name of heretics, and forbid their conventicles assuming the name of churches. Besides the condemnation of divine justice, they must expect the heavy penalties which our authority, guided by heavenly wisdom, shall think proper to inflict.” In the course of fifteen years this emperor issued at least fifteen penal laws against heretics, by which he gradually deprived them of all right to the exercise of their religion, excluded them from all civil offices, and threatened them with fines, confiscation, banishment, and in some cases, as the Manichaeans, the Audians, and even the Quartodecimanians, with death”.

NB: The pope could use these penal laws against the reformers because they were also called heretics!

496 [ref HCC vol.3 ch.5 p.064] “Gelasius I. (492-496) clearly announced the principle, that the priestly power is above the kingly and the imperial, and that from the decisions of the chair of Peter there is no appeal.”

529 [Ref HCC vol.2 ch.12 p.137] “At this second council the Emperor “Theodosius the Great enforced uniformity of belief by legal penalties in fifteen edicts between 381 and 394. Honorius (408), Arcadius, the younger Theodosius, and Justinian (529) followed in the same path. By these imperial enactments heretics, i.e. open dissenters from the imperial state-religion,” (Orthodox Christianity), “were deprived of all public offices, of the right of public worship, of receiving or bequeathing properly, of making binding contracts; they were subjected to fines, banishment, corporeal punishment, and even death.” This is starting to sound like you “Cant Not Buy Or Sell”!

533 The Decrees of Justinian. [Ref Wiki link] The Decrees of Justinian Declaring John, Bishop of Rome to be Chief Bishop of All the Churches [AD 533]. A short extract from the last lines of the article is shown below: -

“Smith quotes the following from Justinian's Code in the edicts of the "Novellae;" in the preamble of the ninth it states:

"that the elder Rome was the founder of the laws; so was it not to be questioned that in her was the supremacy of the pontificate." In the 131st; chap. II, on the ecclesiastical titles and privileges it states: "We therefore decree that the most holy Pope of the elder Rome is the first of all the priesthood, and that the most blessed Archbishop of Constantinople, the new Rome, shall hold the second rank after the holy Apostolic chair of the elder Rome."5”

538 [Ref Wiki Papal Selection Before 1059]. It gives you an interesting brief account of how the bishop of Rome was elected through to the year 537. Also when he was first called ‘pope’. The clergy and the laity generally decided the election of the pope. But in 537-538 the pope was placed on the seat of Peter by the sole authority of the Eastern Roman Emperor! [Ref HCC vol.3 ch.5 p.064] “Vigilius, a pliant creature of Theodora, ascended the papal chair under the military protection of Belisarius” (538-554) “Pope Silverius … was deposed … and banished to the island of Pandataria and in 540 he died”. So in the year 538 we now have the bishop of Rome politically NOT secularly appointed. He is now called Pontiff, and he has risen to considerable power amongst the ‘Ten’ kingdoms of Europe, fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel chapter 7 :8.

606 “Universal Bishop” [Ref Wiki Link Apostate church organization: 588 - 606 AD:], a short extract is shown below: -

“606 AD Sabinian, the bishop of Rome dies and is replaced by Boniface III. Phocas writes to the new bishop of Rome, Boniface III and through imperial decree of the Roman government, proclaims Boniface III, as the "Head of all the Churches" and "Universal Bishop". Phocas transfers the title from Constantinople to Rome. Boniface III, Bishop of Rome takes title: "universal Bishop": Catholicism is formally born in its final evolved form but the east never accepts Rome's claims and finally split fellowship with Rome in 1054 AD.” [Also Ref HCC, use “Universal Bishop” in vols. 2,3,4,5 & 7 to find other references]. 606 AD is the second conformation that the bishop of Rome is the ‘Head of all the Churches’ and his power is now absolute, (Universal)! So ‘there came up among them another little horn’, now you can see how the pope achieved it.

2: - Three Of The First Horns Were Uprooted

Antichrist Shall Humble Three Kings. Some say this was the action of the bishop of Rome! He rose up to seize the sceptre of Rome and ultimately gained regal power, to become the pope, ‘a living God on earth’. Some say this gave him the power and authority to uproot or subdue three kings? When did the antichrist do this? And this is one reason why the Futurists don’t accept the pope is the antichrist. I suppose the simple reason is that most Futurists don’t study history! So they have no knowledge of the destruction of the three kingdoms!

Now if we go to the KJV and find the two relevant verses you can see there are two completely different meanings!

KJV Dan 7:8 .. before whom ..were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots H6132

KJV Dan 7:24 ..and another shall rise ..he shall subdue H8214 three kings.

You can do your own study on the two words but the difference is quite obvious. Verse 8 ‘by the roots H6132’ infers complete and utter destruction, as pointed out by C.I. Scofield above. But verse 24, says, ‘he shall subdue H8214 or humble three kings’. It doesn’t say the little horn destroyed the three kingdoms? Let’s look at each phrase.

2b: -Before Whom Or He Shall

These are two interesting phrases. ‘Before whom’, seems to indicate that the little horn had nothing personally to do with, plucking them up by the roots! Where as ‘he shall subdue three kings’, is a clear indication that the little horn is involved in the humbling or the subduing of the three kingdoms. So we need to look at some history books for some details on this. The reason I suggest this double issue is because the historians also look at this from two different opinions. I suggest that both opinions are acceptable.

First opinion: - Four of the ‘Ten’ kingdoms that rose up after the fall of Rome adopted an Arian form of Christianity. [Ref HCC Vol4 ch.2 p.021] “Arianism spread with great rapidity among the Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Burgundians, and Vandals”. The Burgundians were converted to Catholicism. The other three did not convert, and so they were completely destroyed by other kingdoms at the behest of various powers, such as the Arabs and Moors and the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Emperors. Which seems to comply with the concept that the pope had nothing to do with the destruction of the three kingdoms; “before whom ..were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots”. In other word ‘before the little horn came onto the seen’, the three kingdoms were already plucked up by other world powers. Some suggest names of the kingdoms that were destroyed are the Heruli, Vandals, Lombards or the Ostrogoths. [Ref CN by Albert Barnes on Daniel 7:28] “the three kings or kingdoms here referred to were the Heruli, the Ostrogoths, and the Lombards.” Or [Ref CN by Preacher's Homiletical on Daniel 7 :8] “According to Mr. Birks, the three horns were the kingdom of the Heruli under Odoacer, that of the Ostrogoths under Theodoric, who at the instigation of the Pope overthrew the former, and took possession of that part of Italy forming the Exarchate of Ravenna, which again, at the Pope’s instance, was overthrown by Belisarius and Narses, lieutenants of the Emperor Justinian; the third power overthrown being that of the Lombards.”

Others suggest the following: -

The Vandals: [Ref HCC Vol4 ch02 par021] “The Vandals …Their kingdom was destroyed under Justinian (534)”

The Ostrogoths: [Ref HYY page 103] “The Later Part Of Justinian’s Reign …In Italy the Ostrogoths made rapid advances after the departure of Belisarius”, (there were numerus other wars mentioned until), “Justinian sent two huge armies under Artabanes and Narses to finish off the Goths,”

The Visigoths: [Ref HYY page 112] “In 710 The Visigothic Kingdom Of Spain had descended into civil war ..in 711 an Islamic army crossed the Straits of Gibraltar then the Arabs and Moors achieved the conquest of Spain”. Also [Ref HCC Vol4 ch02 par021] “The Visigoths in Spain, through their king, Reccared the Catholic, subscribed an orthodox creed at the third Council of Toledo, a.d. 589, but the last of the Gothic kings, Roderic, was conquered by the Saracens, breaking into Spain from Africa, in the bloody battle of Xeres de la Frontera, a.d. 711”. [Ref HCC Vol4 ch02 par022] “St. Remigius even advised the war of conquest against the Visigoths, because they were Arians”.

Second opinion: - [Ref CN by John Gill on Daniel 7:8] “before whom, there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots; before whom three kings or kingdoms fell, and were subdued as in Dan 7:20 which, according to Mr. Mede (m), were the kingdoms of the Greeks, of the Longobards, and of the Franks; but, according to Sir Isaac Newton (n), they were the Exarchate of Ravenna, the kingdom of the Lombards, and the senate and dukedom of Rome; or, according to the present bishop of Clogher (o), the Campagnia of Rome the exarchate of Ravenna, and the region of Pentapolis, which were plucked up by Pipin and Charlemagne, kings of France, and given to the pope; and were confirmed to him by their successor Lewis the pious, and is what is called the Patrimony of Saint Peter; in memory of which a piece of Mosaic work was made and put up in the pope's palace, representing St. Peter with three keys in his lap; signifying the three keys of the three parts of his patrimony; and to show his sovereignty over them, the pope to this day wears a triple crown”. When these three kingdoms were given to pope this made him a temporal power. He was now a sovereign over most of Italy!

So there are numerous arguments as to who were the three kingdoms that were destroyed. But remember this comment from above; [Ref CN by Albert Barnes on Daniel 7:28] “Even if it is not practicable to make out the number, with strict exactness, or if all writers do not agree in regard to the dynasties constituting the number ten, we should bear in remembrance the fact that these powers arose in the midst of great confusion; that one kingdom arose and another fell in rapid succession;” As I said above, ‘before whom or he shall’, and was the pope directly involved or not. And the scriptures could be taken both ways that three kingdoms were destroyed before the pope came onto the seen, and also three kingdoms were humbled because he was involved.

3: - Eyes Like The Eyes Of Man

I have covered this before in the ‘Futurist View’, heres a recap: - “the antichrist will have the following attributes. [Ref CN by Keil & Delitzsch on Dan 7:8] ‘insight, circumspection, prudence, wisdom’. [Ref CN by Joseph Benson on Dan 7:8] ‘perspicacity, foresight, and cunning of this power’. [Ref CN by Albert Barnes on Dan 7:8] ‘The wheel rims full of eyes Eze 1:18, as symbolic of intelligence’. But nearly all these traits can be attributed to any human king. But consider these. [Ref CN by Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Dan 7:8] ‘eyes of a man…so (Gen 3:5) the serpent’s promise was, man’s “eyes should be opened,” if he would but rebel against God. Antichrist shall consummate the self-apotheosis, begun at the fall, high intellectual culture, independent of God.’ And then we have this about the Lamb of God in Rev 5:6 “a Lamb ..slain, ..having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God.” Is ‘the little horn’ with eyes likely to signify some kind of evil spiritual insight? Satanic possession? But consider this, a king usually inherited his throne so he didn’t necessarily need an extensive education. But it would be handy in order to govern his kingdom well. But the pope is usually always elected. So he would have to have shrewd political skills in order to lobby the support to be elected by the clergy. This I think is an additional aspect in reference to the ‘eyes of a man’.

4: - A Mouth Speaking Great Things

Most of this aspect is covered under the next heading, ‘speaking words against the most high’. That section speaks of papal blasphemies. But some of the things the popes have said in the past are not just blasphemies, but just outrageous statements and political manipulation. [Ref CN by Adam Clarke on Daniel 7:8] “And a mouth speaking great things - Full of boasting; pretending to unlimited jurisdiction; binding and loosing at pleasure; promising to absolve from all sins, present, past, and future; and threatening to send to everlasting destruction all kings, kingdoms, and individuals, who would dare to dispute his power and authority.” Also [Ref CN by Albert Barnes on Daniel 7:28] “This is properly the beginning of that mighty domination which the Pope wielded over Europe - a beginning, which, however small at first, ultimately became so powerful and so arrogant as to claim jurisdiction over all the kingdoms of the earth, and the right to absolve subjects from their allegiance, to lay kingdoms under interdict, to dispose of crowns, to order the succession of princes, to tax all people, and to dispose of all newly-discovered countries.” An example of such an outlandish claim is, [Ref HYY page 176] “In 1494 Pope Alexander drew a line north to south down the map of the Americas, gave the west to Spain and the east to Portugal.”

5: - Different From The First

We can now see the fulfilment of the prophecy of Dan 7:8, “..there came up among them another little horn”, and Dan 7:24 “…And another shall arise after them. And he shall be different from the first.” The pope did rise to power amongst the other ‘Ten’ kings of Europe. He came to power after the ‘Ten’ kings were established. We find out later that he was also the sovereign of a large estate, a kingdom. So he was different, because he was both a religious and a secular ‘king’.

[Ref CN from Preacher's Homiletical on Daniel 7:19-25] “THE LITTLE HORN. III. Its identification. ..The question is, has such a power already appeared, or are we still to look for it? The latter unlikely, as the fourth beast, from which it springs, has confessedly appeared two thousand years ago, and the ten kingdoms, among and behind which it was to rise, have probably been in existence about fourteen centuries. Has, then, any power appeared during that period to which the description is at all applicable, and to which it has been applied? There is a well-known power to which the description has appeared so applicable, that for more than three hundred years the description has been actually and unhesitatingly applied to it by almost all who have studied this passage, with the exception, of course, of those who are in any way connected with the power itself; although it is probable that the horn may not even yet have fully developed itself [167]. That power is the Papacy, with the Bishop of Rome as its head and representative [168]; for nearly thirteen centuries a temporal power, like the other horns, though now no longer such [169]; but so diverse from them as to be at the same time a spiritual power, while the rest were only secular ones.”

6: - Speak Words Against The Most High

I have covered this in much more detail in another talk entitled, “He Shall Speak Words Against The Most High”. That talk is a collection of blasphemous papal claim from multiple sources. As I have said this is a very delicate issue! And I’ve no wish to upset anyone’s faith or beliefs, so I’ve used quotations to verify the papal claims. The claims STILL exist! And because the pope is Infallible, and always has been, he can’t rescind the dozens of blasphemous claims on public record from previous “infallible” popes. But what is Blaspheme? Jesus was accused of blaspheme. Refer Mat 26:63-65, the high priest challenged Jesus, and in verse 65 ..the high priest ..saying, He has spoken blasphemy!” also in John 10:36. Jesus said, “I am the son of God”! But He is the Son of God! So He is not guilty of blasphemy right? But what if someone else says they are God, or they are equal to God, or they claim the prerogatives of God? They would be guilty of blasphemy, correct?

So Blasphemy is a key characteristic by which we MUST defiantly be able recognise the antichrist! Most of the characteristic blasphemies of the ‘Little Horn’ are listed in these scriptures. We have Rev 13:5- “a mouth speaking great things ..and blasphemies ..blasphemy toward God ..blaspheme His name ..His tabernacle ..those dwelling in Heaven”. Also we have in 2Th 2:4 “ ..who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God ..that is worshiped ..he sits as God in the temple of God ..setting himself forth, that he is God”. This gives us a list of 10 distinct forms of blasphemy we can look for in history. See if you can find them in the outrageous claims below. Any of the references I’ve given you, may I suggest you read them through completely. They are mind-boggling to say the least! I have tried to show, ‘the date’, ‘the reference’ and ‘the claim’. I have underlined key phrases, which you can copy, then paste into the link to easily find the claims. Let’s start with the multiple claims. If I couldn’t find the date, then I tried to find the pope who made the claim, and his term of office.

1073 [Ref HCC vol.5 ch.2 p.011] Hildebrand known as pope St. Gregory VII “Hildebrand was convinced that, however unworthy personally, he was, in his official character, the successor of Peter, and as such the vicar of Christ in the militant Church. He entirely identified himself with Peter as the head of the apostolic college, and the keeper of the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; …He constantly appealed to the famous words of Christ, Mat 16:18, Mat 16:19, as if they were said to himself. The pope inherits the lofty position of Peter. He is the Rock of the Church. He is the universal bishop, a title against which the first Gregory protested as an anti-Christian presumption. He is intrusted with the care of all Christendom (including the Greek Church, which never acknowledged him). He has absolute and final jurisdiction, and is responsible only to God, and to no earthly tribunal. He alone can depose and reinstate bishops, and his legates take precedence of all bishops. He is the supreme arbiter in questions of right and wrong in the whole Christian world. He is above all earthly sovereigns. He can wear the imperial insignia. He can depose kings and emperors, and absolve subjects from their oath of allegiance to unworthy sovereigns.”

1198+ [Ref link AT-Pope] “Those whom the Pope of Rome doth separate, it is not a man that separates them but God. For the Pope holdeth place on earth, not simply of a man but of the true God...dissolves, not by human but rather by divine authority...I am in all and above all, so that God Himself and I, the vicar of God, hath both one consistory, and I am able to do almost all that God can do..wherefore, if those things that I do be said not to be done of man, but of God, what do you make of me but God? Again, if prelates of the Church be called of Constantine for gods, I then being above all prelates, seem by this reason to be above all gods." Decretales Domini Gregori ix Translatione Episcoporum, (on the Transference of Bishops), title 7, chapter 3; Corpus Juris Canonice (2nd Leipzig ed., 1881), col. 99; (Paris, 1612), tom. 2, Decretales, col. 205 (while Innocent III was Pope).

1858? [Ref link AT-Pope] "The Pope alone is called most holy..

"The pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were God, and the vicar of God..

"Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of heaven and of earth and of hell.

"Moreover the superiority and the power of the Roman Pontiff by no means pertains only to heavenly things, but also earthly things, and to things under the earth, and even over the angels, whom he his greater than.

"So that if it were possible that the angels might err in the faith, or might think contrary to the faith, they could be judged and excommunicated by the Pope... (NB: ‘whom he his greater than’; is actually a ‘typo’ in the original)

1303? [Ref HCC vol.6 ch.10] The most extravagant claims of the papacy still had defenders. Augustus Triumphus and Alvarus Pelayo declared there could be no appeal from the pope to God, because the pope and God were in agreement. He who looks upon the pope with intent and trusting eye, looks upon Christ, and wherever the pope is, there is the Church. Yea, the pope is above canon law. [Ref link Alvarus Pelayo 1530+] [Ref also “ there is the Church in AT-Pope]

249+ [Ref HCC vol.2 ch.4 p.053] “The Scriptural principle “Out of Christ there is no salvation,” was contracted and restricted to the Cyprianic principle: “Out of the (visible) church there is no salvation;” and from this there was only one step to the fundamental error of Romanism: “Out of the Roman Church there is no salvation.” [Ref Wiki Cyprian]

1895 [Ref link AT-Pope] “The Pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, he is Jesus Christ himself, hidden under the veil of flesh.” Catholic National, July, 1895.

???? [Ref link AT-Pope] “The Pope takes the place of Jesus Christ on earth ..by divine right the Pope has supreme and full power in faith, in morals over each and every pastor and his flock. He is the true vicar, the head of the entire church, the father and teacher of all Christians. He is the infallible ruler, the founder of dogmas, the author of and the judge of councils; the universal ruler of truth, the arbiter of the world, the supreme judge of heaven and earth, the judge of all, being judged by no one, God himself on earth." Quoted in the New York Catechism.

And the most resent one is…

1994 [Ref to PClaims] “Pope John Paul II claims to take the place of Jesus Christ on Earth. From "Crossing The Threshold of Hope", by Pope John Paul II, published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., copyright 1994 by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, ISBN 0-679-76561-1, First Chapter, "The Pope": A Scandal and a Mystery:

The Pope is considered the man on earth who represents the Son of God, who "takes the place" of the Second Person of the omnipotent God of the Trinity. [pg. 3]. The Pope is not the only one who holds this title. With regard to the Church entrusted to him, each bishop is Vicarius Christi. [pg. 13]”

QUESTION: How many blasphemous claims did you find in that very short list?

7: - Wear Out The Saints Of The Most High

It is not hard to find information about the papal persecutions of protestant Christians, (the saints of the Most High). You can go to the library, or Google Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. Or you can find ‘Foxe’s Book of Martyrs’ book via e-Sword, [Ref e-Sword/Reference Library/Foxe’s Book of Martyrs]. Then just search for phrases or words such as “burnt stake”, “antichrist” or “inquisition”. That will give you hundreds of references that will open your eyes about the papal persecutions. You can also go to, “History of The Christian Church (by Philip Schaff)”. The Spanish Inquisition started in 1478, but the persecution started well before that. Remember above where I talked about how the pope came to power, under the heading, “1/:- There Came Up Among Them Another Little Horn”. In 380AD “Emperor Theodosius establishing Catholic Christianity as the official religion of the Empire.” And do you remember the harsh penalties that followed? Then in 533 AD The Decrees of Justinian gave the pope the headship over the whole catholic world. So keep those thoughts in mind when you read the following articles.

1010 [Ref HCC vol.5 ch.10 p.079] “From Pope Gregory the Great about 590 to nearly 1010AD “For nearly five hundred years heresy had been unknown in Western Europe. When Gregory the Great converted the Arians of Spain and Lombardy in the latter part of the sixth century, it was supposed that the last sparks of heresy were extinguished. In the second half of the eleventh century here and there, …little flames of heresy shot forth; but they were quickly put out and the Church went on its way again in peace.” And you can imagine what was meant by the phrases, “sparks of heresy were extinguished or but they were quickly put out”. If you go to that reference and have a good read, is speaks of the rise of the dozens of different ‘anti catholic’ sects. Here are some highlights from around that reference.

1163 The Albigensian Crusade: [ref HCC vol.5 ch.10 p.058-086] “The synod of Tours, 1163 ..forbid ..Catholics from mingling with the Albigenses and from having commercial dealings with them ..Princes ..instructed to imprison ..and confiscate their goods. The Third Lateran, 1179, extended the punishments to the defenders of heretics and their friends. It gave permission ..to reduce heretics to slavery and shortened ..penance by two years for those taking up arms against them.” “In 1244, ..Montségur was taken, the last refuge of the Albigenses. Two hundred of the Perfect were burned.”

Did you pick up on that one? from having commercial dealings with them. Question if you were an Albigensian; how could you buy or sell anything from someone other than an Albigensian? …YOU CAN NOT BUY OR SELL!

1179 The Third Lateran Council – 1179 A.D. [Ref link Papalencyclicals.Net/Councils/Ecum11.htm]. Go down to the 27^th article, at about the fifth line, speaking of how to handle heretics. “we declare that they and their defenders and those who receive them are under anathema, and we forbid under pain of anathema that anyone should keep or support them in their houses or lands or should trade with them.” …YOU CAN NOT BUY OR SELL!

1238 [Ref HCC vol.5 ch.10 p.079] “The most elaborate list is given in the code of Frederick II. 1238, and enumerates nineteen different sects, among which the most familiar are Cathari, Patarenes, Beguines, Arnoldists, and Waldenses. …And in fact the list is not exhaustive, for it does not include the respectable group of Northern Italy known as the Humiliati, or the Ortlibenses of Strassburg, or the Apostolicals of Belgium. One document speaks of no less …one hundred and thirty different sects. The council of Verona, 1183, condemned, ..the Cathari and Patarenes ..Also the Passagini, Josephini, and Arnoldists, whom we put under perpetual Anathema.” ..these names, some of which were taken from localities or towns and did not indicate any differences of belief or practice from other sectaries. ..Innocent pronounced the number of heretics in southern France innumerable. ..Neumeister, a heretical bishop who was burnt, the number of Waldensian heretics in Austria about 1300 was eighty thousand. The writer, ..about 1315, said there was scarcely a land in which the Waldenses had not spread. The Cathari in southern France mustered large armies and were massacred by the thousands. Of all these sects, the only one which has survived is the very honourable body, still known as the Waldenses.”

1572 Here is a lengthy quote but it speaks of a few well-known massacres. [Ref HCC vol.7 ch.1 p.011] “Thomas Aquinas, ..proved, to the satisfaction of the Middle Ages, that the rites of idolaters, Jews, and infidels ought not to be tolerated, and that heretics or corruptors of the Christian faith, being worse criminals than debasers of money, ought (after due admonition) not only to be excommunicated by the church, but also be put to death by the state. …The persecution of heretics reached its height in the papal crusades against the Albigenses under Innocent III., one of the best of popes; in the dark deeds of the Spanish Inquisition; and in the unspeakable atrocities of the Duke of Alva against the Protestants in the Netherlands during his short reign (1567-1573). The horrible massacre of St. Bartholomew (Aug. 24, 1572) was sanctioned by Pope Gregory XIII., who celebrated it by public thanksgivings, and with a medal bearing his image, an avenging angel and the inscription, Ugonottorum strages.” Shown to the right Referà[Slide#7]

1655 [Ref HCC vol.7 ch.1 p.011] “The most cruel of the many persecutions of the innocent Waldenses in the valleys of Piedmont took place in 1655, and shocked by its boundless violence the whole Protestant world, calling forth the vigorous protest of Cromwell and inspiring the famous sonnet of Milton, his foreign secretary: ..The Roman church has never repented of her complicity with these unchristian acts. On the contrary, she still holds the principle of persecution in connection with her doctrine that there is no salvation outside of her bosom. ..Leo XIII., a great admirer of the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas, in his Encyclical of Nov. 1, 1885, “concerning the Christian constitution of states,” wisely moderates, but reaffirms, in substance, the political principles of his predecessor. A revocation would be fatal to the Vatican dogma of papal infallibility. The practice of persecution is a question of power and expediency; and although isolated cases still occur from time to time, the revival of mediaeval intolerance is an impossibility, and would be condemned by intelligent and liberal Roman Catholics as a folly and a crime.”

1873 I’ll just give you some final dates as to when the Inquisition seems to come to an end in various countries. Which would also be ‘the end of the wearing Out The Saints’. We have the following reference: [Ref HCC vol.4 ch.6 p.80] “80. The Torture ..I. “The whole system of the Inquisition,” says Lea (p. 331), “was such as to render the resort to torture inevitable. Its proceedings were secret; the prisoner was carefully kept in ignorance of the exact charges against him, and of the evidence upon which they were based. He was presumed to be guilty, and his judges bent all their energies to force him to confess. To accomplish this, no means were too base or too cruel. ..The torture was abolished in England after 1640, in Prussia 1740, in Tuscany 1786, in France 1789, in Russia 1801, in various German states partly earlier, partly later (between 1740 and 1831), in Japan 1873…Exceptional cases of judicial torture occurred in the nineteenth century in Naples, Palermo, Roumania (1868), and Zug (1869)”

8: - Plot To Change Times And Laws

I will give you a few commentaries to think over, but most of them infer or give reference to the prerogatives of God, as given in Dan 2:21 “And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings.” etc. But there are other aspects that the antichrist thinks he has the right to change. Such as celibacy, abstinence from meats and setting up additional holy days etc. they are best summed up by Bishop Newton. [Ref CN by Joseph Benson on Daniel 7:25] “He shall think to change times and laws - Appointing fasts and feasts, canonizing saints, granting pardons and indulgences for sins, instituting new modes of worship, imposing new articles of faith, enjoining new rules of practice, and reversing at pleasure the laws of God and man.” - Bishop Newton.”

[Ref CN by John Gill on Daniel 7:25] “And think to change times and laws: to alter the forms and constitutions of kingdoms, and the customs and usages of them; yea, to set up and pull down kings at pleasure; see Dan 2:21, or to change the use of times and seasons, by setting apart days as holy for canonized saints; and appointing such days in a week, and such a season in the year, for abstinence from meats; and even to change the laws of God and man, by dispensing with both, and making new ones of his own:”

[Ref CN by Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Daniel 7:25] “change times - the prerogative of God alone (Dan 2:21); blasphemously assumed by Antichrist. The “times and laws” here meant are those of religious ordinance; stated times of feasts [Maurer]. Perhaps there are included the times assigned by God to the duration of kingdoms. He shall set Himself above all that is called God (2Th 2:4), putting his own “will” above God’s times and laws (Dan 11:36, Dan 11:37). But the “times” of His wilfulness are limited for the elect’s sake (Mat 24:22).”

[Ref CN by Keil & Delitzsch on Daniel 7:15-28] “The sin of the king in placing himself with God, therefore, as Kliefoth rightly remarks, “consists in this, that in these ordinances he does not regard the fundamental conditions given by God, but so changes the laws of human life that he puts his own pleasure in the place of the divine arrangements.” Thus shall he do with the ordinances of life, not only of God's people, but of all men. “But it is to be confessed that the people of God are most affected thereby, because they hold their ordinances of life most according to the divine plan; and therefore the otherwise general passage stands between two expressions affecting the conduct of the horn in its relation to the people of God.”

[Ref CN from Preacher's Homiletical on Daniel 7:19-25] “[178] A decretal of Callixtus II. says, “We entirely interdict priests, deacons, sub-deacons, and monks from contracting marriages; we decide also that, according to the sacred canons, the marriages contracted by persons of this kind be dissolved, and the persons brought to penance.” This Pope, as well as Pope Agatho, writes that the decretal epistles of the Roman Pontiff are to be received among the Scriptures, though they are not embodied in the code of canons, just as the Old and New Testaments are so received, “because a judgment of holy Pope Innocent seems to be published” for doing so. [179] In regard to the use of the cup, Pope Gregory VII. thus wrote to Wratislaus, king of Bohemia, “What your people ignorantly require can in no wise be conceded to them; and we now forbid it by the power of God and His holy Apostle Peter.” [180] Gregory III. convened an assembly of 93 bishops in 732, and with their assent published a general excommunication against all who were opposed to the worship of images. The same Pope wrote to the Emperor Leo, “Do you cease to persecute images and all will be quiet.”

9: - They Shall Be Given Into His Hand Until A Time Times -Half Time

We need to look into this carefully, because it definitely does not mean that the saints are given over to total destruction at the hands of the antichrist all the way through to the Second Advent. That is a misconception from the Futurist theory. Let’s work through it. Most of Dan 7:21-27 is talking about the “saints of the Most High” verses 21, 21, 25 & 27. Also referring to them as, ‘they’, and their interaction with the red dragon beast; which is also an indirect reference to the antichrist. So verse 25, “they” are those who are given into the hand of the antichrist until a time and times and one-half time. That is also known as 1260 “prophetic days”, at ‘a-day-for-a-year’ that is 1260 calendar years. But verse 26, ‘they’ are also those who shall take away his rulership, to cut off and to destroy until the end. And ‘the end’ is in reference to the return of Christ. So to destroy the antichrist until the end indicates that the saints of the Most High ultimately topple the rule of the antichrist starting sometime before Christ returns.

There are two things to look into her. The second point is the saints shall take away, or topple the antichrists’ rulership, and we will cover that later. But the First point is the antichrist has a time limit of 1260 years, we will cover that now. I’ll give you this lengthy section from A. J. Ferris. Remember we have talked about the years 533 and 606, they were the years the pope was given the title of “head of all the churches”. Also the year 538; [Ref HCC Vol. 3, Ch. 05, p.064] “Vigilius, a pliant creature of Theodora, “ascended the papal chair” under the military protection of Belisarius (538-554)”. And 1260 years later the pope was “removed from the papal chair” by the French military general Berthier in 1798.

[Ref wiki Berthier] “Berthier accompanied Napoleon throughout the campaign of 1796, and was left in charge of the army after the Treaty of Campo Formio. He was in this post in 1798 when he entered Italy, invaded the Vatican, organized the Roman Republic, and took Pope Pius VI prisoner. Berthier supervised the Pope’s relocation to Valence, where, after a tortuous journey, Pius died. The death of the Pope dealt a major blow to the Vatican's political power which, however, did not prove as ephemeral as that of the First French Empire.” So 1798 less 538 = 1260 years! Wow how about that!

[Ref CN by A. J. Ferris from “The Second Advent How: When: Where?” page 14] He first quotes scriptures from KJV. “Dan 7:25 ..And the saints shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. :26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.”

Dan 7:9-11 “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit ..the judgment was set ..I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body was destroyed and given to the burning flame.”

“If we date the rise of the Papacy from 533-606 A.D., then we should expect to see its loss of political dominion 1260 years later, in 1793-1866. As to the actual dates the year 1793 was the central year of the French Revolution when France, who had been the eldest son of the church for 1000 years, threw off the yoke of the Papacy. The revolutionaries turned 40000 churches into stables, massacred 24,000 Priests, exiled another 40000, and guillotined thousands of Roman Catholics, including their Roman Catholic Royal family. In the next twenty years revolution and war overtured the thrones of the Roman Catholic world and drenched the Latin nations in blood and fire. In 1798 the Pope was dethroned and led away captive by Napoleon’s soldiers; the Papal States and Rome were conquered; the Vatican Palaces and Convents were robbed and despoiled of their fabulous wealth; and a blow given to the Papacy from which it never recovered.”

“One hundred years before, in 1701, a Robert Fleming had published a book entitled ‘The Rise and fall of the Papacy’, in which he foretold from Dan 7 the fall of Papal power in 1794, 1848 and 1866. The extraordinary fulfilment of his forecast on these very dates caused special re-editions of his book to appear. Fleming arrived at the date 1848 by Counting 1260 calendar years (each of 360 days) from 606 AD. It is remarkable that as soon as the year 1848 dawned all Roman Catholic Europe suddenly burst into violent revolution. Roman catholic dynasties were smitten and fell like trees before a tornado. On November 24th the Pope lost his kingdom and fled from Rome to an asylum in Gaeta. Italy proclaimed itself a republic.”

[Ref CN from TSK Cross References on Daniel 7:25] “a time: That is, three years and a half, or, reckoning thirty days to a month, 1,260 days, equal to the same number of years in prophetic language; which, dated from the decree of Phocas constituting him the supreme head of the church, A.D. 606, terminated in 1866. Dan 4:25, Dan 4:32, Dan 12:7, Dan 12:11-12; Rev 11:2-3, Rev 12:6, Rev 12:14, Rev 13:5, Rev 13:7.”

Also I found this ‘1866’ newspaper article, it was like reading something that happened only last year! It was from The South Australian Weekly Chronicle [Ref link Trove.Nla.Gov.Au/Newspaper/Article/94741386], it is dated Saturday, December 29, 1866. From the article entitled, “The Temporal Power Of The Pope.’ It reads; at the bottom of this clipping; ‘It might hence appear that the downfall of the Pontifical Government must be imminent, especially as it is absolutely certain that all French troops will have left the Eternal City before the New Year dawns upon us.” Refer to the right à[Slide#8]

Are those dates just a coincidence or is it that when God says, “Time Times Half A Time”, He means exactly that!

Who Are The Saints Who Topple The Antichrist?

Remember we talked about ‘Ten Toes’ would NOT cleave one to another, indicating the ‘Ten’ kingdoms Would NOT Form A One World Government! This is another clear indication that the ‘Ten Kings’ turn against the antichrist. And you may well ask, “How do the saint of the Most High topple the antichrist rule and possess the kingdom?” Well this brings us to another subject altogether! This subject is misunderstood, misquoted, so ridiculed and laughed at, that these days nobody even bothers to look into it. But just bear with me please! I am not trying to preach on this subject! But I find it’s the only way to make sense of ‘God’s Big Picture’. It’s the study of Anglo-Saxon-Israel, also known as British Israelism, “With roots in the 16th century”. When this teaching first came out it was quite sound and scripturally correct. People will brand it with, ‘It’s Racist’, or ‘It’s A Replacement Theory!’ Which it is not! The Anglo-Saxon people DO NOT replace the Jews. Nor does the Church replace the Jews!

But try this; ask an Orthodox Rabbi, “What happened to the lost 10 tribes?” 99% of the time you’ll get a resounding, “We don’t know!” To verify this go to, [Ref link Jewish Virtual Library], which is a wonderful collection of articles by reputable Jewish scholars. Then do a search for topics like, ‘Lost 10 tribes’, ‘Northern Kingdom’ or ‘The House of Israel’, and you will get the same answers, ‘they don’t know where they are!’ So where are the Lost 10 tribes? But 99% of Christian preachers will adamantly tell you, “But ALL Israel came back after Babylon!” (How come Christians know more about Israel’s heritage that the Jews?) But the bible clearly tells us the opposite. Refer Ezra 2:1 “the children ..of the captivity .. came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city”. If all Israel came back; then they would have come back to all the other cities of the Northern Kingdom, but they didn’t! Only the Jews came back! But we do know from prophecies that God has a glorious future for the ‘House of Israel’. And God says He will bless them long before the return of Christ, ref to one of my talks entitled, British Israel - The Unconditional Promises. So if the Anglo-Saxon people are not the fulfilment of those prophesies, then who is? For a very simple eye-opener on this subject may I suggest you go to another one of my talks entitled: - British Israel - 1.01 [For Beginners].

So back to the question, ‘How did the saints of the Most High topple the antichrist rule?’ Well it’s basically this, the Anglo-Saxon people, (the Britains), where the foot hold of the reformers. Every time the antichrist launched an army against them God pushed them back. (Whether he was the ‘Little Horn’ or some other despot lead of the devil). The devil has attacked the Anglo-Saxon people over the centuries with, the Spanish Armada or the Communist French under Napoleon or The Nazi’s or the Japanese at Pearl Harbour. God has had other plans, so He has used Anglo-Saxon-Israel, (Jacob), as His battle-axe! ‘Jacob’, is another name by which God refers to the 10 Tribes.

I prefer KJV cause it sounds more gutsy! Jer 51:19 “The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the LORD of hosts is his name. :20 Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms; :21 And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider; :22 With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid; :23 I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.”

Read that passage again, it is an unconditional promise! God says nothing about Jacob has to be righteous! He simply says He is going to use Jacob to clean up the world. You can’t hope to apply this to modern day Israel. No offence meant to our Jewish cousins. But this has been fulfilled through the Anglo-Saxon people, and is still in the process. Also Jacob has on his side the power of the Holy Spirit filled believers in the body of Christ. The Christians are ‘peppered’ throughout the Anglo-Saxon people, just like the Levitical priesthood of old was spread throughout ancient Israel. And here is a project for you; Do a study of the different revivals and the ‘days of national prayer’, particularly around the times of various wars. Here is one coincidence for you. The Anglo-Zulu War at the Battle of Rorke's Drift. On Jan 1879, 4000 Zulus descended on a Welsh-British regiment of only 150 men, the Welsh regiment held! Combine that with this, [Ref wiki Welsh Revival] “Between 1859 and 1904, there were local revivals in Cwmafan (1866), Rhondda (1879), Carmarthen and Blaenau Ffestiniog (1887), Dowlais (1890) and Pontnewydd (1892).” I don’t think those dates are just a coincidence! There would be Christian families back home in Wales knowing, from what they read in the newspapers, that their men folk were facing a savage confrontation with a massive overwhelming Zulu army. What would their gut reaction be? They would be interceding before God for their men in South Africa, and God answers prayer! Eph 2:4 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us :5 (even when we were dead in sins) has made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved), :6 and has raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus,” The Anglo-Saxon Christians of the world have been in spiritual warfare for centuries praying and interceding, and in so doing “Topple The Antichrist”.

Points

How does the Historicist believer interpret The Little Horn Of Daniel 7?

22. We found [9] characteristics to identify the Little Horn.

23. He came up amongst the other ‘Ten’ kingdoms, after 476AD and gained power by edicts curtesy of the Emperors.

24. For centuries from 496AD he spouted multiple blasphemous claims and the kings of the world believed him.

25. Three kingdoms were uprooted before the pope came to power. Either by papal influence or imperial forces.

26. ‘The eyes of a man’ could refer to the pope’s diplomatic cunning and/or his spiritual darkness.

27. Speaks Great Things; the pope is so boastful claiming authority over all kingdoms among other arrogant claims.

28. Different from the first ‘Ten’ kings because the Little Horn was both a sovereign king and ecclesiastical king.

29. Speaks words against the Most High; the pope has spouted some of the most blasphemous claims against God.

30. Wear out the saints; we have seen a micro shot of horrendous persecutions launched by the pope on Christians.

31. Plot to change times and laws. Such as celibacy, abstinence from meats and setting up additional holy days etc.

32. Saints under his hand for 3½ times. We’ve seen that 1260 literal years brought the end of antichrist’s rule.

33. The saints of the Most High are the people who have and ultimately will topple the power of the antichrist.

Historical View- Daniel 8

I will be very brief on this chapter! Daniel chapter 8 has nothing to do with the One World Government. Most of the commentaries are divided along two separate lines regarding the 2300 days. Some choose the day-for-a-year reasoning, as does Adam Clarke, F.B. Meyer and others. [Ref CN by TSK Cross References on Daniel 8:14] “That is, 2,300 years, which reckoned from the time Alexander invaded Asia, B.C. 334, will be A.D. 1966.” Which is only one year before the Six-Day War so that doesn’t really quite fit with the idea that after the 2300 ‘days’, “then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” But others side with a literal 2300 days. [Ref CN By Geneva on Daniel 8:14], also [Ref CN by Matthew Henry on Daniel 8:1-14] “..2300 days make six years and three months, and about eighteen days;” Personally I usually tend to side with ‘a-day-for-a-year’ principle, but I think John Gill is correct.

John Gill calculates using 2300 literal day to come to two different significant days. Which I think would be the most appropriate for God to reassure the Jews that Antiochus’ reign of tyranny would be short lived. [Ref CN by John Gill on Daniel 8:14] “and which make six years, three months, and eighteen days; and reckoning from the fifteenth day of the month Cisleu, in the year 145 of the Selucidae, in which Antiochus set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar, to the victory obtained over Nicanor by Judas, on the thirteenth day of the month Adar, Anno 151, are just 2300 days; which day the Jews kept as an annual feast, in commemoration of that victory.” And his second option; “though Antiochus did not enter on his impieties till the following year; and, reckoning from the sixth day of the sixth month in that year, to the twenty fifth day of Cisleu in the year 148, when the Jews offered the daily sacrifice on the new altar of burnt offerings, were just six years, three months, and eighteen days: and so it follows,”

Historical View- Daniel 9

I have already talked about the 70 weeks of Daniel chapter 9. And seeing as the historical view sees the whole seventy weeks as now completed, there is no future fulfilment left in that prophecy. Also from the historical view the antichrist does not appear during those 70 weeks. Therefore Daniel 9 has nothing to do with the idea of a “one World Government”!

Historical View- Daniel 10-12

Firstly, I am not trying to do a critique on Daniel. The Historical view of Daniel chapters 10 to 12 have little or no indication of a ‘One World Government’ headed by the antichrist. It does have the famous passage in, Dan 11:31 “abomination of desolation” quoted by Jesus in Mat 24:15 and Mar 13:14. And it does speak of the antichrist in verses 36 – 40; ‘the king who will do according to his will’. I will only be speaking on those verses. So you could skip this section altogether if you wish. As we’ve seen in the Futurist view of Daniel chapter 10, Gabriel greats him with; Dan 10:14 “Now I have come to make you understand what shall happen to your people in the latterH319 days. For the vision is yet for many days. The key thing Gabriel said was, “…what shall happen to your people”. So the prophecy is pertaining to the region of the world surrounding Israel, i.e. the history of the Near East. Hence the terms ‘king of the North and king of the South’ are referring to the kingdoms or regions North and South of the land of Israel. Also the kingdoms change hands over the centuries, but they are still North or South of Israel.

I read a gem of wisdom in one of the commentators, and I wish I copied and saved it. It was along these lines, ‘prophecy is meant to both hide and to reveal Gods plans, and as we come closer to the time of fulfilment, more of the prophecy becomes revealed’. And you notice this when you study the old historicists scholars, who wrote from say the 1600’s to the early 1800’s. Some of them had an accurate interpretation up to a certain point in the prophecy. But the rest of the prophecy, which WAS future for them, they just seemed to ‘flounder’. Others who have written within the past hundred years have more history to help them with the prophetic Jig-Saw. That’s why I like A. J. Ferris who wrote between 1933-56; he has much more unfolded history, which helps prove the fulfilment of prophecy almost up to present day. But Ferris doesn’t quite get it all right. I have condensed one of his booklets, entitled [Ref CN by AJFDn11 - “From My Copy FROM The Second Advent - How: When: Where? Daniel Chapter 11 - By A.J.Ferris”]. So I would like to give you a very brief view of Daniel using Ferris and other historical believers just to show the general consensus of them all.

What are the “LatterH319 Days” that Gabriel speaks of? This is often confused with the idea this refers to a short period of time, just before Christ appears. Not so! Let’s look at Strong’s definition, H319 “From H310; the last or end, hence the future; also posterity: - etc..” Then refer Oxford, ‘Posterity meaning; all future generations of people’. Also you have this other passage in Daniel 2:28 “But there is a God ..who ..makes known ..what shall be in the latter days”. Daniel then goes on to speak of the Great statue with, ‘head of gold, feet of iron-clay etc.’ Then he interprets it as a period of history extending from Nebuchadnezzar's life to some 2600 years later, and he refers to all that long period of history as ‘the latter days’. Again we have the same issue with Peter on the day of Pentecost; he is speaking of the glorious out poring of the Holy Spirit. In Act 2:17, and he quotes Joe 2:28 “And it shall be in the last days, says God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh”. And since the day of Pentecost through to our present day the Holy Spirit is still being “poured out upon all flesh”! So the phrase, “the latter or last days”, is speaking of the time from Daniel to our present day!

Gabriel finally punctuates his delivery with, ‘For the vision is yet for many days.’ The word many is a grammatical add in, it’s in italics, meaning it was not in the original. It’s not in every translation, but it is in the LXX, The Brenton Septuagint. So the meaning seems to verify the term ‘Latter Days’, meaning that the vision will cover a long period of history, many days. And when we analyse the characters portrayed in the prophecy, that all makes sense! The prophecy starts in Dan 11:2, from four kings of Persia before Alexander The Great, about pre 425BC. Then it continues through history to about 1917 and the fall of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, the latest King of the North. So it sure is a very long period of history.

We now know what characters to look for, so let’s skim through history. You can also [Ref ACCH, look at around the ‘300BC’ mark], you will find on that chart, Alexander in a red narrow vertical band. Branching to the right of him are the two key players. “Egypt under the 13 Ptolemies”, we know as the start of the King of the South. Then “Syria under the Saleucidae”, we know as the start of the King of the North. [Ref CN AJFDn11 page 57] “Verses 6 to 30 then foretold the history of those two powers from 323 B.C. to 62 B.C., calling them by the names of the “King of the North” and the “King of the South”. Bishop Newton, the well-known writer on prophecy, stated that Daniel's forecast of the careers of those kings of Syria and Egypt was really more perfect than any history”. You can verify this with these commentaries, they all agree up to chapter 30 matching this sequence of history. [Ref CN by Albert Barnes, John Gill, John Wesley, Adam Clarke, Joseph Benson, Keil & Delitzsch, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, TSK Cross References and Pulpit]. I never knew much about Antiochus and the Greek period of history and the affect on Judah, until I have just recently read these commentaries. It would be worth your while to read through a few of them. The reason is as follows.

We now get to Dan 11:31 “And forces will stand from him, and they will profane the sanctuary, the fortress, and shall remove the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the desolating abomination.” This passage is one of the issues I wanted to learn about. It would appear that this “desolating abomination”, has happened three times in history. The following commentary by Barnes is the first occasion in 167BC. The second is when Jesus referred to this verse, and He said it was still future, and many believed He was speaking of 70AD. Also many don’t! But if you check Matt 24:2-15; then Mark 13:2-14, they both use the phrase, “abomination of desolation”. But Luke 21:6-20 is telling the exact same story about what Jesus told them, and he uses the phrase, “when you see Jerusalem compassed with armies”. So Luke is telling us that, "the abomination of desolation", IS refers to 70AD! The third fulfilment was in 638AD. [Ref CN AJFDn11 bottom of page 72] “Mohammed …In 629, he led his army from Mecca to conquer Arabia In 637, his successor the Caliph Omar attacked Palestine, and early in 638 entered Jerusalem. Gibbon tells us in his history Vol. 9, p. 473, how at that time the Christian patriarch of Jerusalem testified that the abomination of desolation (of DAN. 12-II) is in the holy place." In 643, on the very site of Solomon’s Temple, Omar commenced building a Mosque which became a physical symbol of the Mohammedan desolation of Eastern Christendom.” And if you still believe that some antichrist is yet to appear, then he will complete a forth “desolating abomination”?

Now this quote from Barnes, it is really worth reading please! [Ref CN by Albert Barnes on Daniel 11:31] “When it is said that they would “pollute the sanctuary of strength,” the reference is to what was done by Apollonius, at the command of Antiochus, to profane the temple, and to put an end to the sacrifices and worship there. Compare 1 Macc. 1:29, 37-49; Jos. “Ant.” b. xii. ch. v. Section 4. The account in the book of Maccabees is as follows:” Thus they shed innocent blood on every side of the sanctuary and defiled it, insomuch that the inhabitants of Jerusalem fled because of them, wherefore the city was made a habitation of strangers, and became strange to those who were born in her, and her own children left her. Her sanctuary was laid waste like a wilderness, and her feasts were turned into mourning, her sabbaths into reproach, her honor into contempt. As had been her glory, so was her dishonor increased, and her excellency was turned into mourning. Moreover, king Antiochus wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people, and every one should leave his laws; so all the pagan agreed, according to the commandment of the king.

Yea, many Israelites consented to his religion, and sacrificed unto idols, and profaned the Sabbath. For the king had sent letters by messengers unto Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, that they should follow the strange laws of the land, and forbid burnt-offerings, and sacrifices, and drink-offerings, in the temple; and that they should profane the sabbaths and festival days, and pollute the sanctuary and holy people; set up altars, and groves, and chapels of idols, and sacrifice swine’s flesh and unclean beasts; that they should also leave their children uncircumcised, and make their souls abominable with all manner of uncleanness and profanation, to the end they might forget the law, and change all the ordinances.”And shall take away the daily sacrifice - That is, shall forbid it, and so pollute the temple and the altar as to prevent its being offered. See the quotation above. This occurred in the month of June, 167 b.c. See Jahn, “Heb. Commonwealth,” p. 267.”

Consider: if verse 31 has double or triple fulfilment, then we also know it refers to 70AD. If so then verses 31 to 35 refer to the period of persecution of the Christian martyrs under pagan Roman. Following this we know that as of about 538AD the pope came to power and ruled supreme until 1798. The following verses fit the period from 538 to 1798 quite adequately and they speak of the blasphemous boastings of the pope. You can go to the commentary notes by some of those above. [Ref CN on Dan 11:36 by AJFDn11, Albert Barnes, John Gill and Adam Clarke]. Dan 11:36 “And the king shall ..exalt himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished.” Overlapping with this period, in the Near East, we have the rise of the Saracen Empire, which is the re-emergence of the ‘King of the South’, and the First Crusade starting in 1096. This is followed by the rise of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, which is the re-emergence of the ‘King of the North’. The person referred to as him is referring to the “the king” of verse 36, which is the pope! Dan 11:40 “And at the time of the end shall the king of the South push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.” Which brings us to the fall of Constantinople in 1453.

Verses 41 to 45 now speak of the exploits and down fall of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, the ‘King of the North’ also referred to in these verses as he. Turkey eventually found herself embroiled in ongoing conflict with Russia, which is described as “out of the east and out of the north”. As there was no word for North-East in Hebrew, that was the term Daniel used.

[Ref CN by AJFDn11 middle of page 65] Dan 11:44 “But news out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him. Then he will go out with great fury to destroy, and to devote many to destruction. :45 And he shall plant his palace tents between the seas in the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him”. [Ref CN by AJFDn11 middle of page 66] Verse 45 he (Turkey) “shall plant his palace tents, (military head quarters), between the seas in the glorious holy mountain.” That has to be speaking of Jerusalem. You can check WWI military history, the Turkish army was based in Jerusalem and in 1917 the Turks were driven out of the Holy Land. [Ref CN by John Gill, Preacher's Homiletical and Adam Clarke]. Then with the Balfour Declaration in 1917, after which the Jews started to pour into Israel, wave after wave for decades and still are. Ferris gives you an excellent assessment, from those verses of the Turkish downfall.

So as I said at the start of this, from the historical point of view, Daniel 11 has nothing to do with a future ‘One World Government’ theory! But the Historical Interpretation of the bible does give you an interesting insight into history.

The Time of the End Daniel 12

Firstly remember we are looking for anything in this chapter that may refers to a ‘One World Government’. And again we can’t find any indication of it here. So we can skim through this chapter; and it speaks of the battle of Armageddon, the end of the age, the first resurrection and the second resurrection; then some interesting numbers. Let’s check the first few verses. Dan 12:1 “And at that time Michael shall stand up, the great ruler who stands for the sons of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation; until that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” What is meant by, ‘At that time’? Well Gabriel is still talking about the historical events to come and he reaches the events describing the Fall of Turkey around 1917. So logically he means a point in time that is very close to our present day. And what’s going to happen then? Michael the great ruler of our people shall stand up for us. Now many scholars suggest Michael is Christ. But that can't be so because Michael does have a specific role in the army of God. He is ‘nicknamed’, ‘The War Angel’. Ref. Rev 12:7 “And there was war in Heaven. Michael and his angels warring against the dragon…” also you can refer to my talk entitled, Who is Jesus - Is He Michael Archangel? So when the prophecy is ready to roll, Christ will call out with the shout of the archangel, and Michael will be at the head of the army of God’s myriads of angels’ ready to carry out the commands of Christ. And thank God we haven’t reached “at that time” as yet.

The next thing is there will be, ‘a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation; until that time.’ We have a similar expression in Mat 24:21 Jesus said: - “for then shall be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world to this time; no, nor ever shall be.” I believe these passages, Dan 12:1 and Mat 24:21, are talking about two different events. In Matthew 24 Jesus is speaking of a ‘great tribulation’ as in 70AD. In Daniel it is referring to ‘a time of trouble’, which I believe is Armageddon. And I believe the key is in understanding the words, ‘until that time’. Take for example the siege of 70AD, up until that time Israel had never experienced anything like it. As we go further along in history we come to more great horrendous world event. Till right near the end of the latter days, we have had “The Great War”, the war to end all wars! And it was the worst war, until that time! Then only 21 years later we get really clever and had another war. And WWII was a far worse war, until that time! So what is Armageddon all about, well read Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. It will be a fast war, with airborne equipment and troops by the millions, with parachutes and aircraft blotting out the sun. And it will be the worse war, until that time! And we know who wins that war! I’ve read the end of the book!

Then we have the first and second resurrections described in one sentence? Verse :2 “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Which is quite strange because when we read Revelation 20:4 “..And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded ..who had not worshiped the beast ..nor had ..his mark ..And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. :5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” So there is a gap of 1000 years between the two resurrections. Gabriel then continues with the rewards for the righteous. Verse :3 “And those who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the sky; and those who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars forever and ever.” (Please Lord I want to be amongst that lot). Then Gabriel gives Daniel the wind up, ‘your job is done Daniel, seal the book and put it away’. Verse :4 “But you, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”

From this point onward Daniel hears some interesting numbers. Which we don’t need to go into in this talk, because it has nothing to do with the One World Government. I will refer you to A. J. Ferris’s work below. Dan 12:7 “..for a time, times, and a half. ..:10 none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. :11 ..from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, ..a thousand two hundred and ninety days shall occur. :12 Blessed is he who ..comes to the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. :13 But you go on to the end, for you shall rest and stand in your lot at the end of the days.” A. J. Ferris has a lengthy in-depth coverage of these numbers. I think he explains them quite well. [Ref CN AJFDn11 page 69-72], ‘find this heading’, “(6) Daniel's Time-periods of the Mohammedan Desolation..”, starting from his page 69. I believe his interpretation of the prophetic days is remarkable. Based on the day-for-a-year he shows us the fulfilment of the 3½ times, i.e. 1260 days, the 1290 days, the 1335 days and the 2520 days. He also incorporates the Mohammedan lunar calendar using those unique numbers. He gives you far more than I can fit into this paper without adding another 10 pages! It is well worth going to that brief that I produce of Ferris’s work.

Chart Showing The 1260, 1290 and 1335 Days: Dan 12

Below is a chart taken FROM The Second Advent - How: When: Where? Daniel Chapter 11 - By A.J.Ferris. Showing the amazing fulfilments of the numbers 1260, 1290 and 1335 days, by using the lunar calendar. Refer below à[Slide#9].

Also Meyer compared to Ferris, gives a relatively concise explanation. [Ref CN by F.B. Meyer on Daniel 12:1-13] “RESURRECTION AND JUDGMENT, Michael was the guardian spirit of the Jewish people. When the time of trouble has reached its climax, whether in national or individual life, help is near. The hope of resurrection, of the life beyond the darkness of their times, animated the hearts of the Chosen People. In the same way the Apostle Paul refers to it, 1Co 15:58. The national resurrection of Israel is without doubt included but the resurrection at the last, when that of the just shall precede that of the unjust by the millennium, is clearly the topic of these wonderful words. Daniel’s prophecies were to be sealed, because their entire fulfillment was not to take place for many days. Three and a half probably stands for three and a half prophetic years, which, on the year-day system, gives 1260 days or years, and is therefore equivalent to the forty-two months of Rev 11:2; Rev 13:5. This is the time of the world-power, half the perfect number seven. The supremacy of the Gentile kingdoms is 2,500 years, of which the latter half has nearly expired, and the Chosen People will not much longer be scattered. It is an interesting fact that, calculated on the lunar measure, these concluding dates have-according to the calculations of the late Dr. Grattan Guinness-just expired. Let us go our way, watch and pray, and at last stand in our lot.”

And as I said Daniel chapter 12 has nothing to do with a ‘One World Government’! Also if the prophecy of Dan 11 is as A. J. Ferris and F.B. Meyer have both said, has come into completion; and Dan 12 is speaking of Armageddon then where are we in God’s time line? The only thing I can conclude is based on the common phrase of these days: - “We are a microwave generation and God prefers to do a sloooow cook!” So the prophecy of Daniel 11 seems to have come to its end by about the 1940’s. So from then in Gods’ timing there could still be another mere 100 or 150 years before we see the start of Armageddon. Therefore it could dawn as early as 2040 to 2090. But I believe that the trigger for Armageddon will be the demand for oil. My father was a member of The Australia Institute Of Engineers. And in about the late 1970’s, he went to a lecture and the guest speaker said this. “The world knows that the USSR oil fields have only 20 years of oil reserves left!” I asked dad about that some years later in about the 1990’s, in relation to what could trigger Armageddon. He explained that during those 20 years, in the same way as the Yanks have done, the Russians have discovered more oil fields, and that could reduce their urgency for oil in the short term. But we know that the world is running out of oil, all this push for “Green Energy” is not just for a yuppie presentation. So we sit and watch the fuel tank slowly run dry, then see what happens!

Points:

How does the Historicist believer interpret Daniel chapters 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12?

34. Daniel 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12 have nothing to do with the One World Government.

35. Dan 8; the 2300 days is more likely literal and speaks of Antiochus desecration of the temple in Jerusalem.

36. Dan 9; the 70 weeks prophecy, a literal 490 years which was completed 7 years after the start of Christ’s ministry.

37. Dan 10 is Daniel’s intersession for his people and Gabriel telling him that a long protracted prophecy is coming.

38. It speaks of the kingdoms North and South of Israel, the Near East, and their rule from 323BC to about 1917.

39. Interlaced with this is the rise of the papacy, and the start of the Crusades and the fall of Constantinople.

40. Dan 12 speaks of the battle of Armageddon, the end of the age, the first resurrection and the second resurrection.

41. Daniel asks, “how long?” and he is told these prophetic numbers, 1260 days, 1290 days and 1335 days.

42. Using the Lunar calendar those prophetic days, including the 2520 days have come into completion.

43. The next BIG question is what will drive the start of Armageddon, is it the lack of oil?

Historical View- The Revelation

Have you ever noticed that the Revelation seems to be in three parts? The letters to the churches, which many commentaries will tell us, speaks of the character and history of the church, (or the body of Christ), throughout the ages. Meaning we are currently in the Laodicean church age now. But have you ever noticed chapter 11 seems like it comes to the end of the age? [Ref CN by MHCC on Revelation 11] “(Rev 11:1, Rev 11:2) The state of the church is represented under the figure of a temple measured. (Rev 11:3-6) Two witnesses prophesy is sackcloth. (Rev 11:7-13) They are slain, after which they arise and ascend to heaven. (Rev 11:14-19) Under the seventh trumpet, all antichristian powers are to be destroyed and there will be a glorious state of Christ's kingdom upon earth.” Then chapter 12 starts back at the arrival of Christ, “the man child”. Then the rest of the book continues to the conclusion of the Revelation? So it seems like it is in three parts? That’s quite correct; because the Revelation actually is three separate prophecies covering the same period of 2000 plus years. It’s a biblical principal; Refer Deu 17:6; Deu 19:15; Mat 18:16 and 2Co 13:1 “..In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.” So God is telling us in three different ways what He has planed for our future. In so doing God has given us three prophetic witnesses!

Remember I talked about the prophecies regarding the beast with one head /seven heads /ten horns /three removed etc. and that they represent different periods of time in the history of the Roman Empire. We will look into this in more detail as we work through revelation 12, 13 and 17 etc. Revelation 12 represents The Pagan Roman Empire, Revelation 13 represents the papal Roman Empire and revelation 17 onward represents the decline and fall of the papal Roman Empire. So those three chapters cover a long period of time in history. Now let’s look at each chapter to see what was prophesied and if it is an accurate account of historical events.

Below is a classic chart from A. J. Ferris and it has been taken from one of his booklets. [Ref CN by AJFerris on The Book of Revelation Pt 2 Ferris, page 19]. It shows you each Gentile Empire represented by its “beast” as described in the book of Daniel Chapter 7. It also shows the progression of each Empires, the area each empire covered and its time of appearing in history and its duration. It also gives you a good visual idea of the changing of the beast, from the seven heads and seven crowns as in Rev 12; to the ten horns with ten crowns as in Rev 13. Refer below, [Slide#10]

(The ‘squiggle notes’ are a bonus from my dad, playing with the ‘Seven Times’ or 2520 years).

Historical View- The Woman: Rev 12

This prophecy represents the period of history of the pagan Roman Empire from the time of Christ to around 476AD when the Roman Empire fell to the barbarians. Let’s first look at the woman and pick out historical marks as we go. Rev 12:1 “And there appeared a great sign in the heavens, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon was under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head,” How often have you heard this statement? ‘In the bible a woman represents a church’. Then you are told that this woman represents the Christian church? And you will find they preach that, “the ‘woman’, the church was persecuted by the Romans etc”. Let’s stop right there and get that idea out of your head! If you follow the logic of that analogy, then you will find that, the woman, the Christian church, produced Christ? But it should be the other way around! Without Christ the church could not have come into existence!

Have you ever heard of these two horrible girls, Oholah and Oholibah? Eze 23:2 “Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother. :3 And they fornicated in Egypt; they whored in their youth, .. :4 ..And their names: Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah. :5 And Oholah …lusted after her lovers, to her Assyrian neighbors, ..:9 Therefore I have given her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians on whom she lusted. :11 And her sister Oholibah saw, she was more corrupt in her lustfulness than she, and her fornications were greater than her sister's whoredom. :17 And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with fornications. And she was defiled with them, and her mind was alienated from them.” Who are these horrible women? They are Samaria and Jerusalem, capitol cities of nations, and they go a whoring after Assyria and Babylon, neighbouring nations, which had foreign gods. They do not represent churches; they represent the nations of Israel and Judah. To prove the point here is another one, 2Ki 19:21 “..The virgin, the daughter of Zion, has despised you and laughed you to scorn. The daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you.” [Ref CN by John Wesley on 2 Kings 19:21] “Virgin - so he calls Zion, or Jerusalem; because she was pure in good measure from that gross idolatry wherewith other people were defiled, which is called spiritual whoredom: and to signify, that God would defend her from the rape which Sennacherib intended to commit upon her with no less care than parents do their virgin daughters from those who seek to force and deflower them.” So women in the bible DO NOT necessarily represent a church!

So let’s rethink this woman of Rev 12:1 “She was, clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars.” Well the twelve stars should be a give away for you! Let’s go back to Genesis where Joseph had some dreams. Gen 37:9 “And he dreamed ..and told ..his brothers. ..I have dreamed another dream. ..the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me. :10 And he told ..his father ..And his father rebuked him and said ..Shall I, and your mother, and your brothers ..bow ourselves ..before you?” Jacob interpreted the dream as representing the family of Israel. Jacob the sun; Rachel the moon; and Joseph’s eleven brothers, the stars. So the woman of Revelation 12 must represent the 12-tribe nation of Israel. And Israel ‘birthed’ Christ the Messiah into the world. Now that the analogy fits! So what was the rest of it? Rev 12:2 “and having a babe in womb, ..:4 ..the dragon stood before the woman ..So that when she bears he might devour her child. :5 And she bore a son, ..who is ..to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” But it is not speaking of Christ’s physical birth! But as Paul said speaking of Jesus in Colossians 1:18 “And He is the Head of the body, the church, ..the First-born from the dead..” And again in Rev 1:5 “even from Jesus Christ the faithful Witness, the First-born from the dead..” First-born from the dead is speaking of the resurrection. So in Rev 12, ‘the child that the woman bears’, can only refer to Christ, so that is a date mark for the start of the prophecy. So the prophecy is basically starting from the resurrection of Christ.

Also this is another very clear indication that the Futurist View is really quite WRONG! Because the Futurists believe that the Revelation is still all in the future. Therefore this following passage must still be in the future. Rev 12:5 “And she bore a son, ..who is ..to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” Think about it for a moment… doesn’t that mean that in the future there will be another boy born into the world and he will also be caught up to God and to His throne and he will also rule all nations with a rod of iron? So who then would be this fourth person of the God Head? I can’t see how anyone can believe the Futurist theory and not pick up on that one. And if you’re a Futurist believer and I have interpreted that wrong, please email me.

Have you ever noticed the woman seems to be in two separate groups? We’ll call them Group-A and Group-B.

· Group-A Rev 12:6 “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, so that they might nourish her there a thousand, two hundred and sixty days.” (Then verses 7 to 12 tell us there was war in Heaven, the dragon turned on the woman etc. and we’ll talk about that later). Rev 12:13 “And ..the dragon ..persecuted the woman.. :14 And two wings of a great eagle were given to the woman, so that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the serpent's face. :15 ..the serpent cast out ..like a flood ..that he might cause her to be carried away.. :16 ..the earth helped the woman ..and swallowed up the river..” Basically the dragon or serpent tries to attack the woman and fails, so he turns his anger on the other part of the woman; group B.

· Group-B :17 "And the dragon was enraged over the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ”. Does that seem like two groups to you?

First let me show you this. Israel at the time of the captivities consisted of two separate nations. Everyone knows the Daniel stories! They were the Jews, also called, the Southern Kingdom; the House of Judah, (two tribes, consisting of Judah and Benjamin plus some Levites). They were carried off to Babylon. But some 130 years before hand, the Northern Kingdom, the House of Israel, (and the bible always called them Israel or Jacob and sometimes Ephraim), they were taken captive to, “the cities of the Medes” 2Ki 17:6 & 2Ki 18:11, in the year 721BC. Also refer 2Ki 17:23 “So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria until this day”. [Ref chart ACCH]. After Israel was taken captive, some Eight hundred years later in 70AD, Josephus was writing at about the time of Christ and also during the fall of Jerusalem. He says ALL Israel remained in Media! [Refer AOTJ (via e-Sword/ Reference Library/‘Antiquities of The Jews’, book 11 chapter 5 verse 2)]. NB: Ezra equals Esdras; ‘he had received an epistle from the King.’ And ‘Iomans’ equals Romans.

“So he read the epistle at Babylon to those Jews that were there; but he kept the epistle itself, and sent a copy of it to all those of his own nation (Jews) that were in Media. And when these Jews had understood what piety the king had towards God, and what kindness he had for Esdras, they were all greatly pleased; nay, many of them took their effects with them, and came to Babylon, as very desirous of going down to Jerusalem; but then the entire body of the people of Israel remained in that country; wherefore there are but two tribes in Asia and Europe subject to the Iomans, while the ten tribes are beyond Euphrates till now, and are an immense multitude, and not to be estimated by numbers.”

So at the time of Josephus, in 70AD, you clearly have two separate groups within the 12 tribes. And they are in two different locations! Israel the Northern Kingdom is well out of the reach of the Romans and I would call them Group-A. And Group-B is under the thumb of the Romans, 'two tribes in Asia and Europe', and we know that they were the Jews.

Group-A: have the following features: - 1/ She fled into the wilderness, (from Thayer: solitary, lonely, desolate, uninhabited) place, so it’s not a desert. 2/ She had a place prepared by God, where she has gone and it’s called “her place”. 3/ A place where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time. 4/ And she is away from the serpent's face. That sounds like God has put her safely out of reach from the serpent! Consider this, have you ever read this passage and wondered what is God talking about? 2Sa 7:10 “And I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them so that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more. Neither shall the sons of wickedness afflict them any more, as before”. Again this sounds like God has put Israel the Northern Kingdom safely well out of the reach of the Romans. As for the “time and times and half a time”? It is a period of 1260 prophetic days, equal to 1260 years of fulfilled prophecy. May I suggest you go to one of my other talks entitled: - British Israel - 1.01 [For Beginners].

Group-B: have the following features: - From Rev 12:17 “they keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” That sounds like Christians to me! But who were they? From Josephus we can tell that they were the Jews, also called the Southern Kingdom or the house of Judah, 'two tribes in Asia and Europe subject to the Romans’. They came back to Judah, as in Ezra 2:1 “the children ..of the captivity .. came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city”. So that sounds like they are those to whom the dragon “went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ". Putting all that together, that sounds like they were the Jews that converted to Christianity under the teaching of Peter and the disciples. Joining them as Paul said “grafted in’ was a new group: -

Group-C: Paul was reaching out to another group, the gentiles. So does that help explain the woman of Revelation 12?

Points:

How does the Historicist believer interpret Revelation and the Woman of Rev. 12?

44. The Revelation is three separate prophecies each covering the past 2000 years, each confirming the other.

45. Revelation 12 represents The Pagan Roman Empire.

46. Revelation 13 represents the papal Roman Empire

47. Revelation 17 onward represents the fall of the papal Roman Empire

48. The woman of Rev 12 represents the 12 tribes of Israel birthing Christ into the, ‘First born from the dead’.

49. She’s in two groups; Israel out of reach of the Romans; and Judah within the realm of the Roman persecution.

Historical View- The Red Dragon: Rev 12

Now refer Revelation 12:3 “And another sign was seen in the heavens. And behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads!” Most commentators recognize the ‘red dragon’ was a symbol of the pagan Roman Empire. [Ref CN by Adam Clarke on Rev 12:3] “But it may be asked why the Spirit of God should represent the heathen Roman empire as a dragon, …The answer is as follows; In the eighth chapter of the Prophet Daniel, God has represented the kingdom of the Greeks by a he-goat, for no other apparent reason than this, that it was the national military standard of the Grecian monarchy; we may therefore expect that the pagan Roman empire is called a Dragon on a similar account. In confirmation of this point it is very remarkable that the dragon was the principal standard of the Romans next to the eagle, in the second, third, fourth, and fifth centuries of the Christian era. Of this we have abundant evidence in the writings of both heathens and Christians. …The heathen Roman empire is called a Red dragon; and accordingly we find from the testimony of ancient writers that the dragon standards of the Romans were painted red.”

Seven Heads: Remember in Daniel 7:6 he saw, “a leopard, which ..had four heads..”, and we know this represented the structure of the Greek Empire divided into four separate regions. In the history of Rome, we can see she had seven different forms of government. [Ref CN by Adam Clarke on Rev 12:3] “Having seven heads - As the dragon is an emblem of the heathen Roman power, its heads must denote heathen forms of government. ..These were exactly seven, and are enumerated by Tacitus (Annal., lib. i., in principio). From this passage it is evident to every person well acquainted with the Roman history, that the seven forms of government in the heathen Roman world were: - 1/ The regal power; 2/ The consulate; 3/ The dictatorship; 4/ The decemvirate; 5/ The consular power of the military tribunes; 6/ The triumvirate; and, 7/ The imperial government.” It is singular that commentators in general, in their citation of this passage, have taken no notice of the triumvirate, a form of government.” Also [Ref CN by John Gill on Rev 12:3], John Gill mentions ‘seven’ forms of government but he includes ‘popes’. The analogy from Tacius makes better sense because the seven crowns were on the ‘the seven heads’, not on the ‘ten horns’, so each of the heads had regale or imperial power. But during the time of the popes, the ‘Ten Horns’ represented the ten kings of Europe, and those ‘Ten’ had the regale power

The Ten Horns: I have spoken about this earlier under the heading, “Historical View- The Beast Of Daniel 7”. “Between 167 BC and 30 BC, (just before Christ appeared), Rome gathered in other nation by conquest. ..[Ref CN by Matthew Henry on Dan 7:7] “the Roman empire, which, when it was in its glory, comprehended ten kingdoms, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Britain, Sarmatia, Pannonia, Asia, Greece, and Egypt”. ‘When it was in its glory’, that means before its fall in 476AD. So the beast of Rev 12 represents that same period up to 476AD, so the ‘Ten Horns’ represent those ten nations absorbed into the pagan Roman Empire.

Third Part Of The Stars: Rev 12:4 “And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them onto the earth.” There are four points here, they are: - ‘the stars’, ‘cast to earth’, ‘his third’ and ‘the tail’. Let’s first look at Stars and Cast; they’re obviously not the literal stars cast down to earth, if so we would be obliterated! [Ref CN by Robert Hawker on Rev 12:1-6] “stars always, when figuratively used in scripture mean, principalities and powers”. I believe that since John was observing things in the spirit realm, the stars represent the principalities and powers in the spirit realm. As Paul said in Eph 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world's rulers, of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Also you have Gabriel’s excuses for being late in, Dan 10:13 “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days..” So logically these demonic principalities, or stars, rule the nation that have been ‘given’ to them by Satan, as in Luke 4:6, the devil said to Jesus “All this power I will give you”. So if the ‘star’ falls so does the nation it managed. Hence the expression, ‘cast them onto the earth’.

Now the Third and Tail? It would be logical to look for other passages that use the phrase ‘third’. So here are a couple of commentaries. [Ref CN by B.W. Johnson on Rev 12:3-4] “And his tail drew a third part of the stars. ..We have found under the, (Revelation), 8th and 9th chapters that the old Roman world was divided into three parts, that the term third part was used of these divisions.” also [Ref CN by John Gill On Revelation 12:4] “the subduing of the third part of the principalities, states, and kingdoms of the known world, to the Roman empire, through its great power and strength; which lay in its tail, in its train of armies which attended it, whereby such a number of nations were drawn into subjection to it, insomuch that the empire was called all the world, Luk 2:1;” John Gill speaks of its tail as a ‘train of armies’. Look at the history of the four great empires and how they managed the nations they conquered. The Assyrians, Babylon’s and the Meds &Persians all seem to conquer and move people around. Hoping the newly settled people would be grateful, and then peace would exist. The Greeks tried to expand and incorporate by intermarriage. The Romans seem to have a belligerent approach and force the conquered to become Roman. So they set up garrison forces from Rome to the frontier to police the conquered nations. Which is an apt example of a ‘tail’ stretching out behind them. Rome’s vast army eventually caused it to go bankrupt.

War In Heaven: Rev 12:7-9 “..there was war in Heaven. Michael and his angels warring against the dragon. ..the dragon and his angels warred, 8 but did not prevail. Nor was place found for them in Heaven any more. ⁹ ..the ..dragon was cast out, the old serpent called Devil, and Satan, ..cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out”.

Question: When do you think this happens, or has it already happened? Over the years I’ve heard dozens of preachers say something like, “What a glorious day when Satan eventually gets kicked out of heaven! Why in future tense? Ferris thinks it references to 476AD when Constantine kicked out the pagan powers. But think about it, we see here in scripture that Satan and his angels at some particular time get cast out of Heaven. So why didn’t God kick him out long ago at the fall, thousands of years ago? In verse 10, Satan is called the ‘accuser of our brothers’, and we see him in Job 1:6-11, bad mouthing Job, (accusing Job), in front of God. Satan is just like a District Attorney in the High Court of Heaven. He has all the evidence against us; telling the final Judge, who is God, we are as guilty as sin! Which we are! But God still loves us. Rom 5:8 “But God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us”. So why would God put up with him if He CAN ultimately cast him out? Why wait?

Here’s a simple example in real life. When you find out that one of your senior executives is up to no good, what would you do? In my father’s company, at the senior management level, the General Manager, Sir Elton Griffin, had a system called ‘the taxi treatment!’ So that there was no chance of industrial espionage, they would call a taxi. When it arrived, the GM called the culprit into his office. They were told; “You have 5 minutes to clear your office and leave the premises!” Dad told me on one occasion, a taxi arrived, and then someone was called into the Managers office. That fellow calmly walked out of the Managers office, he gave his secretary some stuff to type up, and said, “it’s a special occasion for my wife today; she’ll be here in a few minutes and I am taking her out to celebrate.” So everyone thought that it wasn’t him who was being dismissed. So the taxi just sat there! And everyone else in the office went into panic mode, wondering who’s going to get the sack! The point is you get rid of the villain ASAP.

So why did God take so long? Well, have you ever read this passage? Rom 11:29 “For the free gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” God had given Lucifer an important job. We see this in Eze 28:13-14 “You have been in Eden the garden of God; ..¹⁴ You were the anointed cherub that covers, and I had put you in the holy height of God where you were.” So God would be going against His own righteousness, to turn around and take that commission away from Satan. Then we read Rev 12:10 “ ..Now has come the salvation and power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ.” It is not until the Messiah turns up with the power and authority to defeat Satan that there was a change. So my thought is that the war in heaven happened immediately after Christ had risen from the dead. Michael and his angels, like a police force with a ‘Warrant Of Arrest’, now had the authority to state the power of the blood and the testimony of Christ, which Satan could not refute! Hence Michael and his heavies could round up Satan and his mob, and BOOT them out of heaven, down to earth! Rev 12:11 “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony.” The rest of that verse, “And they did not love their soul until death”, is in reference to the earthly Christians who can also claim the “blood and the testimony of Christ.”

Rev 12:12 "Therefore rejoice, O heavens, ..Woe to the inhabitants of the earth ..For the Devil came down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a little time.” He has but a little time? You might think if he’s been down here for nearly 2000 years, why the term, ‘but a little time? Well, I think from Satan’s perspective he must have thought he had God over a barrel. All he had to do was wait till the prophesied Messiah physically appears on earth as a mere human! Satan can then destroy Him, then things would continue as usual for eternity! Satan must have thought he knew Gods plans and he knew the prophecies. But God outwitted him! God sent His own Sinless Son to willingly die? I don’t think we can possibly imagine the shock and horror that struck Satan when he realised he now has a dead bloke down in his own back yard, BUT He is without SIN, Oh NO! I’ve got absolutely nothing against Him to hold Him down! Now He’s inside my Fortress-Hell and tearing it into tiny little pieces! Then God plays His ‘Trump-Card’, and raises The Messiah from the dead! Now The Messiah is not limited as human nature, but He is omnipresent, everywhere at the same time! So then the rest of God’s plans are running like a well-oiled machine, unstoppable! He’s been kicked out of heaven, so Satan must realise that he has, ‘but a little time!’

Let’s close with the rest of the chapter. Rev 12:13-16 “ ..he persecuted the woman.. ¹⁴ ..two wings of a great eagle were given to the woman, so that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the serpent's face. ¹⁵ ..the serpent cast out of his mouth water like a flood after the woman, ..to be carried away by the river. ¹⁶ ..the earth ..swallowed up the river.” What is this ‘two wings of a great eagle’? I have looked at a few commentaries and they always seem to try to come back to the idea that the woman represents the church, and how some symbolic wings divinely protected her during the Pagan Roman persecutions. Which is then a contradiction with verse 17 “ ..the dragon was enraged ..and went to make war with the rest of her seed." etc. These with the testimony of Jesus are obviously Christians, and above I called them Group-B. And we know enough from history about the Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, under the pagan Roman ‘Dragon’. Christians being feed to the lions, impaling them on post, then setting on fire to light the streets at night and other such horrors. Also you can find more info, [Via e-Sword, Ref CN in FoxBM On Chapter 2] “The Ten Primitive Persecutions: ‘The First Persecution, Under Nero, A.D. 67”, and Fox continues through to the, “The Tenth Persecution, Under Diocletian, A.D. 303” But what about the ‘two wings of a great eagle’?

Two Wings: Bear with me here please. I have an old book entitled, “The Post-Captivity Names Of Israel”. By Rev. WM. Pascoe Goard, published 1934. He gives ample proofs that the House of Israel migrated north between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. They were known by different names, one of which was the Scythians. He tells you how they got their different names and why, by sighting the Behistun Rock Inscription, the Rosetta Stone and the writings of Herodotus etc. Herodotus visited the region of the Scythians and he describes them as a nomadic race, living in covered wagons amongst their cattle. Please read these two commentaries then I’ll give you a short quote from Herodotus and see if it fits the analogy of, “wings of a great eagle”. [Ref CN by Joseph Benson On Rev 12:13-17] “As God said to the children of Israel, (Exo 19:4,) Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings,..” [Ref CN by Albert Barnes On Rev 12:14] “The most powerful of birds, and among the most rapid in flight. See the notes on Rev 4:7. The meaning here is, that the woman is represented as prepared for a rapid flight; so prepared as to be able to outstrip her pursuer, and to reach a place of safety”.

The quote from Herodotus: [Ref wiki Scythian Campaign Of Darius I], for information regarding dates of the campaign in 513BC. [Ref ACCH], for a visual of the history. [Ref ‘The Post-Captivity Names Of Israel’], by Pascoe Goard; starting at the bottom of page 79. Rev. Goard is quoting from Herodotus: - “Darius was unwise enough to try to overrun the Scythians. …The Scythians employed their usual tactics. They constantly outmarched, and retired before Darius and his forces, keeping ever one day’s march ahead. …At last wearied out, Darius sent messages to the King of the Scythians, demanding to know why he did not stand and fight, or make peace by surrender. The Scythian leader replied that such was not his purpose. He did not retreat because of fear, but to wear out his enemy. But he sent to him an emissary bearing a bird, a mouse, a frog, a bunch of arrows. This was interpreted to mean that unless the armies of Darius took to the air like a bird, tunnelled into the ground like a mouse, or leaped into the water like a frog, they would never escape the arrows of the Scythians. They had no cities to defend; no wealth to lose, and no obstacle to a wearing-out conflict, which would destroy the armies of Darius.”

With the Scythians being identified as the Group-A of the women Israel, can you now see the analogy by Barnes of the ‘two wings of a great eagle’, “as prepared for a rapid flight; so prepared as to be able to outstrip her pursuer.” Also verse 15 “ ..the serpent cast out of his mouth water like a flood after the woman, ..to be carried away by the river. :16 ..the earth ..swallowed up the river.” This is true in this case around 513BC, but it is also true earlier when the Romans tried to expand north and eastward. The nations between the Roman forces and the Northern Israel-Scythians seem to just swallow up the Roman forces.

As regarding the phrase, “where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the serpent's face.” You need to do a study of things like; ‘the dispensation period’, ‘the seven times punishment’ of Leviticus 26:18-28’, or ‘the times of the gentiles which is 2520 years’ [Ref CN by Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Dan 12:11] “Forty-five years more end in 1867, the end of “the times of the Gentiles.” See Lev 26:24, “seven times,” that is, 7 X 360, or 2520 years”. Or [Ref CN by Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Rev 11:2] “The world power’s times never reach the sacred fullness of seven times three hundred sixty, that is, 2520, though they approach to it in 2300 (Dan 8:14).” Or [Ref CN by Preacher's Homiletical on Daniel 7:8] “Some students of prophecy see in the term “times,” &c, the half of the period of Nebuchadnezzar’s humiliation and insanity, symbolical of the time (2520 years) during which the covenant people should be under the dominion of the Gentile monarchies as the chastisement of their unfaithfulness.”

My thought is, and you can find this in, [Ref CN by A. J. Ferris in The Book of Revelation Pt 2 Ferris page 13] 10-Tribe-Israel was migrating across northern Europe and found their way into the British Isles by about 530AD. That was about half way through their Seven-Times punishment. From that time on they were well protected from Roman and barbarian conflicts. She was then nourished for a time and times and half a time. Also [Ref ACCH], find ‘721BC’, which is the date of the last of three deportations of the Israel to Assyria. Add 2520 years brings us to 1800, which was the end of the seven times punishment, also when the nourishing time should finish. Israel should then start to ‘spread her wing’; so to speak and come into the blessings that God had promised them. In accordance with the Crossed Hand Blessing of Gen 48:14-19 “Manasseh to be a great peoples, the USA; and Ephraim's to become a multitude of nations, the British Commonwealth.”

You can do your own study as to where when you think the, ‘time of the nourishing’ fits. I believe it is the Anglo-Saxon people tucked away in Britain for centuries! Because if you refer to 2 Sam 7:10 KJV “Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime.” If you think ‘Israel’ in that passage is referring to the Jews, then God has failed dismally! They have been kicked from ‘pilar to post’ for centuries. They have never had a place of their own till very recently. And they are constantly afflicted. I don’t think you can apply that to any other location than the British Isles and the USA. But if you can come up with a better explanation by all means send me an email.

Points:

How does the Historicist believer interpret The Red Dragon: Rev 12

50. It is called the Red Dragon because the Roman Army used the painted Red Dragon as their military standard.

51. Seven Heads represented the seven forms of government over the history of the Empire.

52. Ten Horns (un-crowned) represent the 'Ten' kingdoms subject to Rome before 476AD.

53. The Near East represents the third part of the world that Rome would eventually cover.

54. The stars represent the ruling powers of those conquered regions.

55. The tail represents the trail of the Roman resupply and garrisoned forces she set up along her wake.

56. War in Heaven, I believe Satan was cast out of Heaven immediately after the resurrection.

57. We examined the Two groups of the Woman in more detail.

58. The First group escaped the dragon/serpent to a safe place for 3½ times. [They’re possibly the early Britains]

59. The Second group, obviously Christians received the anger of the serpent who persecuted them.

Historical View- The Ten Horned Beast of Rev 13

NB: The ‘One World Government’ should show up in this chapter, because we have the antichrist and the ‘Ten Kings’ all together at the same time! Revelation 13 represents the period of history from the fall of Imperial Rome, through the rise of the papal Roman Empire to its peak in 1866. How do we identify in history the start point of this scripture? Let’s look at Revelation 13:1 “And I stood on the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns. And on its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads was the name of blasphemy.” It’s a new beast, it comes up out of the sea, and some scholars say the interpretation is it has risen from amongst the ‘sea’ of people, after conflict. The clear change is the ‘crowns’, they have moved from the heads to the horns! So what does that represent in the natural world? The heads represented the various forms of the Roman government that ruled the empire over the centuries. Rome’s rulers were, kings, emperors, tribunes, dictators and so forth, but always based in Rome. But from 476AD onward, as we have seen from the historical maps the ‘Ten Kings’ of Europe grabbed and divided the rulership of the western empire. They now had the ‘crowns’ and they now had the rule. So we can agree that Rev 13 historically starts from about 476AD.

This is a different beast but a very similar structure so it must still represent the Roman World. But it is a conglomerate of three; it’s a ‘mixed beasts’? Rev 13:2 “And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and its feet like ..a bear, and its mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him its power and its seat and great authority.” [Ref CN by Popular New Testament on Rev 13:2] “..The three animals, the leopard, the bear, and the lion, some of whose parts it possessed, are the first three ‘great beasts’ of Dan 7:4-6, although they are here introduced in a different order, and are combined into one. The qualities represented are the most offensive of their kind, the swift cruel spring of the leopard, the brutish relentlessness of the bear, and the devouring power of the lion.” The beasts were also given to Daniel to represent the three powers that were to rule the world in succession, namely Babylon, Media-Persia and Greece. But also bear in mind that the Roman Empire by the year 476AD covered those same three regions, so incorporating those three beasts. I find that quite significant. Then the dragon gives the ‘mixed beasts’ his power his seat and great authority? We will get to how that was historical achieved later.

What indicates the transition from pagan to papal Rome, namely the rise of the papal power? Rev 13:3 “And I saw one of its heads as having been slain to death, and its deadly wound was healed. And all the earth marveled after the beast.” What happened in history to fulfil this verse? You can Google, “the last Roman Emperor” and you will find he was, “Romulus Augustulus”. On 4 Sep. 476 he was deposed by Odoacer and exiled from Rome. That represents the Head, “having been slain to death”; it represented the final end of the imperial Roman system in the west. The symbolism is that the governmental head was ‘Lopped off’. Immediately following this we have, ‘and its deadly wound was healed. And all the earth marveled after the beast.’ What does that represent? It just so happened only 57 years later we reach the year 533AD. Earlier we covered what happened that year under the heading, ‘1: - There Came Up Among Them Another Little Horn’. Let’s recap: - 533 The Decrees of Justinian. A short extract: - "that the elder Rome was the founder of the laws; so was it not to be questioned that in her was the supremacy of the pontificate." In the 131st; chap. II, on the ecclesiastical titles and privileges it states: "We therefore decree that the most holy Pope of the elder Rome is the first of all the priesthood.”

This act by Emperor Justinian in the East fulfilled four things. And remember the pagan Roman Empire was in two parts, the Eastern and Western Empires. The west collapsed in 476, but the Eastern, the Imperial dragon, was now Christian but still the old dragon Empire structure, it still existed under Justinian. Also remember the bit I said I would get back to; verse 2 “..And the dragon gave him its power and its seat and great authority.” The deadly wound of the beast of Rev 13 was healed! The west now had a new figurehead, ‘The POPE”, the head of all the churches. And this new head received its power, its seat and its authority directly from the old Eastern “dragon”. The power of the “New Head” of the beast, the pope, soon became so powerful that the following was inevitable! It’s no wonder as in verse 2 the western world proclaimed, “..And all the earth marvelled after the beast. :4 “And they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with it?”

Worship of the dragon and the beast means what? The dragon, the old Roman system originally worshiped false deities. So what would this passage signify as happening in the western Christian world? [Ref HCC Vol. 3. Ch. 07. p 087] “The first clear traces of the worship of relics appear in the second century in the church of Antioch, where the bones of the bishop and martyr Ignatius († 107) were preserved as a priceless treasure; and in Smyrna, where the half-burnt bones of Polycarp († 167) were considered “more precious than the richest jewels and more tried than gold.” Also [Ref HCC Vol. 4 Ch. 10 p. 96] “The Worship of Saints, handed down from the Nicene age, (which stated 325), was a Christian substitute for heathen idolatry and hero-worship, and well suited to the taste and antecedents of the barbarian races, but was equally popular among the cultivated Greeks.” Both the western and the eastern ‘Christian’ empires very quickly reverted back to false gods, using relics and saints as mediators to reach God. And we’ve seen earlier from the blasphemous claims of the pope, the western or Latin Empire soon worshiped the pope. “They indirectly worshiped the dragon! And they worshiped the beast.”

If there were a possibility of a ‘One World Government’ in the Historical interpretation, it would have to be in this period of time in history. Verse 4 “ …Who is able to make war with it, (the beast)?” The pope’s eventually had such great authority and power over the ‘Ten Kings’ of Europe that none in Europe would dear to challenge him much less think of making war against him. If you as king didn’t bow to the pope, he would simply tell the inhabitants of your realm, “don’t pay taxes to your ungodly king!” The reformers tried to stand up to him, and were horribly manicured, [Ref FoxBM]. Rev 13:5-10 are virtually a recap of what we extensively covered above in, ‘The Little Horn Dan 7’. So I will just skim through these verses so that it will jog your memory. Rev 13:5 “..mouth speaking great things ..and blasphemies ..authority ..to continue forty-two months. :6 ..blasphemy toward God ..His name ..His tabernacle ..those dwelling in Heaven. :7 ..given ..to war with the saints ..overcome them ..authority ..over every tribe ..tongue ..nation. :8 ..all ..on ..earth ..worship it, ..not ..written in the Book of Life.. Rev 13:9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. :10 He who leads into captivity will go into captivity. If anyone will kill with the sword, he must be killed by a sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” As you can see this blasphemous career of the popes was covered in Daniel chapter 7.

To Continue Forty-Two Months

How should we interpret this? I believe it comes under the category of God determines the length of time that kingdoms rule. So the antichrist or the beast, (and they seem to be one and the same now), will rule for a limited time which is forty- two months or 3½ times or 1260 prophetic days which at ‘a-day-for-a-year’ is 1260 years of fulfilled prophecy. So when did it start? We covered this earlier under the heading, “9: -They Shall Be Given Into His Hand Until A Time Times -Half Time.” In that section we looked at three dates. 533, 538 and 606. And we then looked at the commentary by A. J. Ferris. And he showed us that when you add 1260 years to each of those dates you get some coincidently unique dates! They are: -

· 533 + 1260 = 1793 was start of the French revolution and the pope lost his greatest supporter, the King of France.

· 538 + 1260 = 1798 was when the French military general Berthier took the pope into military custody.

· 606 + 1260 = 1866 was when the pope finally lost his temporal power, as seen in the Australian News Article.

So the antichrist reign is limited to 1260 literal years. After 1866 he no longer has power over the saints of God.

To War With The Saints And Overcome Them

This I will cover later when we get to Revelation 17. It is a fact of history as we can see from FoxBM, that the papal kingdoms at the behest of the popes waged war on various groups, whom the popes branded as heretics, such as the Hussites, Waldensian, Huguenots, Albigenses and a host of other poor souls.

Points:

How does the Historicist believer interpret The Ten Horned Beast of Rev 13?

60. Rev 13 represents the period of history from about 476AD to the end of the papal power in 1866.

61. This new ‘mixed beast’ incorporates the regions of the previous three Empires and their worst characters.

62. The ‘Lopped’ head and the new, shows the change from the old Imperial to the new papal head.

63. Emperor Justinian in the East gave the pope the authority the seat and the power of old Western Rome.

64. They Worshiped the dragon the beast means that both Empires quickly went back into idolatry.

65. At about this time in history, 533AD onward is when you could say there was a One World Government.

66. We found that the papal power had a limit of 24 months; which seems to have run out as of 1866.

67. The pope makes ‘War With The Saints And Overcomes Them’, FoxBM shows ample evidence of this.

Historical View- The Two Horned Beast of Rev 13

We now have a second beast to think about, this one rises from the earth, not the sea? Could be some significance, you can check the commentaries yourself if you’re interested in that. Let’s look at the scriptures. Rev 13:11 “..I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. ..it had two horns like a lamb ..he spoke like a dragon. :12 ..it exercises all the authority of the first beast ..causes the earth ..to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.” Numerous commentaries suggest this second beast of Rev 13:11 is also the pope in his ecclesiastical roll? [Ref CN by Matthew Henry on Rev 13:11-18] “those that understand the first beast of the secular power of the papacy take the second to intend its spiritual and ecclesiastical powers,” I don’t think so, remember this beast is later called the ‘false prophet’, refer Rev 16:13, Rev 20:10 and Rev 19:20 “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet doing signs before it,” so this second beast is recognized as a separate being. Refer to Adam Clarke below, it is very informative.

[Ref CN by Adam Clarke on Rev 13:11] “the beast, here called another beast, is another Latin empire. This beast is the spiritual Latin empire, or, in other words, the Romish hierarchy; ..In the time of Charlemagne the ecclesiastical power was in subjection to the civil, and it continued to be so for a long time after his death; therefore the beast, whose deadly wound was healed, ruled over the whole Latin world, both clergy and laity; these, consequently, constituted but one beast or empire. But the Latin clergy kept continually gaining more and more influence in the civil affairs of the empire, and in the tenth century their authority was greatly increased. In the subsequent centuries the power of the Romish hierarchy ascended even above that of the emperors, and led into captivity the kings of the whole Latin world, ..Thus the Romish hierarchy was at length entirely exempted from the civil power, and constituted another beast, as it became entirely independent of the secular Latin empire. And this beast ..raised their authority against that of the secular powers, and in process of time wrested the superintendence of ecclesiastical affairs from the secular princes.”

Also you can refer to A. J. Ferris and the link to his booklet entitled The Book of Revelation Pt 2 Ferris, from pages 27-32. He gives you far more detail than I can hope to present to you here. So this new beast is ‘the army’ of the catholic priesthood. Millions of them, one in every little hamlet; each gathering information via the confessional and filtering it back to ‘headquarters’. It was said that during the Cold War the intelligence network of the Catholic Church far outstripped that of the CIA. And as for the “two horns like a lamb”, [Ref CN by A. J. Ferris from the link above, page 28] “ ..since Pope Gregory (598AD) the Archbishops and Bishops of Rome on taking their vows of implicit obedience to the Papacy have been invested with a pallium made out of specially blessed lambs wool as the evidence of their authority. It is remarkable that the Bishop’s mitre used to be cleft from front to back so that it looked like “two horns” and even still has that appearance.” You could also look at the two horns of the new beast, as being two distinct militant forces within the catholic priesthood. My thought is that the ‘Jesuits’ and ‘the Inquisition priests’ represented the two horns. They were the driving force behind the will of the pope.

Wonders and Fire

We now have to figure out fact from fiction, what really happened or what these verses imply. The superstitious records of the Dark Ages are full of so called miracles achieved by the ‘false prophet’, the catholic priesthood. Rev 13:13 “..it does great wonders ..makes fire come down ..:14 ..it deceives those ..on the earth ..that they should make an image to the beast who had the wound.” [Ref The Book of Revelation Pt 2 Ferris page 28 p2] “Many faked miracles preformed by the priests ..such as winking, crying and bleeding images of Mary and numerous saints. The priests were thus looked upon with such awe and reverence that their ex-communications ..were regarded as “fire from heaven” itself.” I hunted through some commentaries for you below and they are quite enlightening.

[Ref CN by Adam Clarke on Revelation 13:13] “the fire ..the false prophet bringeth ..is the fiery indignation ..of the Latin empire upon ..those ..who rebel against his authority. All this has been fulfilled in the Romish hierarchy; the Latin clergy have denominated ..those that oppose their authority heretics, they ..instituted tribunals to try ..heresy, ..those that would not submit to their idolatry they ..condemned to ..tortures and deaths. It is said ..he bringeth fire ..upon the earth; that is to say, he will only try the cause of heresy, and pass the sentence ..he will not ..execute ..sentence..; the destroying fire ..the ..secular princes and magistrates must execute the sentence of death upon all that are capitally condemned by the spiritual power.”

[Ref CN by Albert Barnes on Revelation 13:13] “Amidst the multitudes of pretended miracles of the papacy, it would probably not be difficult to find instances in which the very thing here described was attempted, in which various devices of pyrotechnics were shown off as miracles.”

[Ref CN by Joseph Benson on Revelation 13:13-17] “Now miracles, visions, and revelations, are the mighty boast of the Church of Rome; ..Even fire is pretended to come down from heaven, as in the case of St Anthony's Fire, and other instances, cited by Brightman and other writers on the Revelation: and in solemn excommunications, which are called the thunders of the church, and are performed with the ceremony of casting down burning torches from on high, as symbols and emblems of fire from heaven. Miracles are thought so necessary, that they are reckoned among the notes of the Catholic Church. But if these miracles were all real, we learn from hence what opinion we ought to frame of them; and what then shall we say, if they are all fictions and counterfeits? They are indeed so far from being any proofs of the true church, that they are rather a proof of a false one; and, as we see, the distinguishing mark of antichrist.”

[Ref CN by John Gill on Revelation 13:13] “this may be understood mystically, of the pretensions of the Papacy ..of fire, coming down from heaven; or of their anathemas, curses, and excommunications, at which time burning torches and candles are cast up, and fall down, as emblems of divine wrath, which is called cursing men with bell, book, and candle; or else of the fire of persecution: "from heaven" ..or this may be understood literally; so they tell us, that Pope Zachary, once on a journey to Ravenna, had in the daytime a cloud to protect him from the heat, and in the night time armies of fire appeared in the clouds to go before him; and as Pope Innocent was at Mass, a golden crown was seen, ..on it a dove ..under it a smoking censer ..by them two burning firebrands: and ..reported of Pope Hildebrand, that ..he could shake his sleeves, and sparks of fire would come out .. other instances, are taken notice of by Napier, Brightman, and other writers: ..so ..this is ..done "in the sight of men" ..seemingly, in their view.”

Make An Image To The Beast

Let’s first think about what that means. Let’s look at the scripture. Rev 13:14 “ ..saying to those dwelling on the earth that they should make an image to the beast who had the wound by a sword and lived.” So he is speaking of the ‘Ten Horn’ beast of Rev 13, the one that had the wound. Some of the scholars say this image refers to the pope. Symbolically speaking the pope only represented the replacement ‘head’, not the whole beast, (maybe? ..because the pope, or the antichrist, is later referred to as the beast). The pope’s may have over the years had statues of themselves made, but none of the statues TALKED as in verse 15! Let’s get off the idea of a physical statue! But what did the beast represent? The beast was a spiritual symbol of the Roman government, which functioned around the Roman senate, with representative from all over the Roman world. You can refer to the commentaries to see the different views they have. A. J. Ferris, (Ref The Book of Revelation Pt 2 Ferris), agrees with that concept that the image represented the ecumenical councils. Albert Barnes is close to this idea. Joseph Benson claims it is the pope. Others seem to flounder.

Consider: What was the Roman Empire like before 476AD. There was a Roman senate and there were ‘Ten kingdoms’ under Roman jurisdiction as we have seen above. What happened after the fall of Rome in 476? There were ‘Ten’ independent kingdoms with no ‘Head’ to control or lead them, so it was a mass of infighting and land grabs. Once the pope steps in, as ‘Head’ of the churches there was then someone the ‘Ten’ kings could appeal to as an arbitrator. You can browse through History of The Christian Church by Philip Schaff, available in e-Sword; and you will find many incidence where the pope stepped in to ‘save the day’. The kings of those days, even if they were Arian Christians, still seem to hold the ‘bishop of Rome’ in awe! So let’s say the ecumenical or Latin councils represented the ‘image’. Then if you go to ACCH you will find the various councils are marked with a circle. There was only one recognised, as happening pre Constantine in 50AD, and it is not referred to as the ‘First’ council. After Constantine they were a common occurrence; 325, 381, 431 and 451. After the fall in 476, the councils continued, and through these councils the ‘Beast’ regained her ‘spirit’, by being given the ability to both, ‘speak and dictate laws’. The next verses tell you how.

Rev 13:15 “And there was given to it to give a spirit to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might both speak, and might cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. :16 And it causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark on their right hand, or in their foreheads, :17 even that not any might buy or sell except those having the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of its name.” What is this ‘Mark’ in the right or in the forehead? My darling wife and I had talked this over, on and off for years. Some time back she went to a ladies meeting, and that question came up. And mind you this group of ladies were all Futurist believing ladies. And she said, “Well this mark of the beast happens in Revelation 13! But before that happens, in Revelation 7:3 God puts a mark in the forehead of all the Christians! So why bother looking for the ‘mark of the beast’ now? We should wait until we see all the Christians with a mark in the forehead first?” The ladies shook their heads in disbelief, they checked the scriptures, and they all unanimously agreed, ‘well God’s mark can’t be a physical mark! So why expect the mark of the beast to be a physical mark?’

Some people think ‘the Mark’ is a physical mark, a silicon chip or a barcode. And these days with all the ‘Hoo-Har’ about,

· The ‘Covid-19’ vaccination is used as a delivery for some tracking device or,

· The vaccination changes your DNA so you are no longer ‘made in the image of God’!

And because of those and other weird reasons your pastor tells you, “DON’T TAKE THE VACCINE!” Come on now get real! If the government wants to keep track of you; then you already have a mobile phone, bankcards and maybe a passport they can use! And in China they already has a ‘public facial recognition system’ to scan and monitor the populus. Have you never watched the Jason Bourne movies? There are many ways you can be tracked. And if you could change your DNA with a simple injection, the criminal world would have found that out years ago! So please check the following from Matthew Henry.

[Ref CN by Matthew Henry on Revelation 13:11-18] “It is probable that the mark, the name, and the number of the beast, may all signify the same thing - that they make an open profession of their subjection and obedience to the papacy, which is receiving the mark in their forehead, and that they oblige themselves to use all their interest, power, and endeavour, to promote the papal authority, which is receiving the mark in their right hands. We are told that pope Martin V. in his bull, added to the council of Constance, prohibits Roman Catholics from suffering any heretics to dwell in their countries, or to make any bargains, use any trades, or bear any civil offices, which is a very clear interpretation of this prophecy.” [Pope Martin V. reigned 1417-31]. But much earlier in 1177 the Third Lateran Council passed a law, article 27, which meant for those not in the Church of Rome, You Can Not Buy Or Sell

Ref a copy of ‘The Third Lateran Council,’ article, “27. As St. Leo says, though the discipline of the church should be satisfied with the judgment of the priest and should not cause the shedding of blood, yet it is helped by the laws of catholic princes so that people often seek a salutary remedy when they fear that a corporal punishment will overtake them. For this reason, since in Gascony and the regions of Albi and Toulouse and in other places the loathsome heresy of those whom some call the Cathars, others the Patarenes, others the Publicani, and others by different names, has grown so strong that they no longer practise their wickedness in secret, as others do, but proclaim their error publicly and draw the simple and weak to join them, we declare that they and their defenders and those who receive them are under anathema, and we forbid under pain of anathema that anyone should keep or support them in their houses or lands or should trade with them.” So what does that mean to you if you don’t believe the sales pitch of the Catholic Church? In other words they call you a heretic! Therefore; “You cannot go to the town market, and You Can Not Buy Or Sell”

No.666 The Beast Number And Name

Rev 13:17 “even that not any might buy or sell except those having the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of its name :18 Here is the wisdom. Let him having reason count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. And its number is six hundred and sixty-six.” The trick is it’s not meant to be hard to work out if we ask God to help us. John 16:13 “He will guide you into all truth.” Rev 13:18 “Here is the wisdom. Let him having reason”. “Wisdom and reason” simply put is common senses; it doesn’t meant you need some spiritual insight. So were do we start? Well Jesus said in Rev 1:8 “I am the Alpha and Omega”, so He was using the Greek alphabet. Therefore maybe we should use the Greek alphabet? (But it is surprising that we can use other languages to do the calculations). Next it is a ‘mans name’ we should be looking for. John Gill goes through a list of names then finally came to this. [Ref CN by John Gill on Revelation 13:18] “but the name "Lateinos" bids as fair as any, which is mentioned by so ancient a writer as Irenaeus, who was a hearer of Polycarp, a disciple of John, the writer of this book; now the numeral value of the letters of this word makes up exactly 666, thus; λ 30. α 1. τ 300. ε 5. ι 10. ν 50. ο 70. ς 200. in all 666; and it is well known that the church of Rome is called the Latin Church and the pope of Rome the head of the Latin church, and his seat is in the Latin empire, and the service of the beast is in the Latin tongue, and the Bible is kept in that language, from the reading of the common people:” Lateinos in Greek is spelt, “ λ α τ ε ι ν ο ς” May I refer you to the link, No.666, you will find a wealth of amazing information on the subject.

You can also refer to A. J. Ferris he says much the same, [Ref The Book of Revelation Pt 2 Ferris pages 29-31] He says “..while Western Rome , for contrast, became known as the Latin World, the Latin nations, and are still so called. Then Pope Vitallian issued a decree commanding the exclusive use of Latin in all the services of the church, its prayers and sacraments etc. ..Everything was Latinised in the church so that, at the lead of the priests, every inhabitant of Western Europe as a member of the church used Latin and thus willingly received the characteristic “mark” of the “beast” or Latin world. It is also significant that Pope Vitallian’s Latinising decree was made exactly 666 years after the birth of Christ.” Ferris then goes on to talk about the Third Lateran Council as I mentioned above. Also he says, “pope Alexander III, (1184) passed a law forbidding people to exercise commerce with the Waldenses and Albigenses in “selling or buying”, and likewise at the Constance Council, 1414.”

Others have come to the same conclusion! Refer Albert Barnes, Joseph Benson, Adam Clarke and [Ref CN by B.W. Johnson on Revelation 13:18] “Let us try the latter method: 30=L, 1=a, 300-t, 5=e, 10=i, 50=n, 70=o, 200=s. 666=Lateinos. And what is this name? The number of a man; the Greek method of spelling the name of Latinus, the reputed founder of the Latin race. The Romans were a Latin race and spoke the Latin language. The Romish Church is continually officially called the Latin Church, to distinguish it from the Greek Church, the other branch of the great ancient schism; the Catholic sacred books are written in the Latin tongue; the worship is conducted in every country in the Latin alone, and when a Catholic council convenes, all its conferences are conducted in the tongue of the ancient Latins. There is, then, a Latin Church, whose official and sacred speech is the Latin language, which has for its seat the ancient Latin capital. That Church is the great Apostate Church, upon whose head the names of blasphemy have been written, which has claimed universal dominion upon the earth, and has slain the saints of the Most High. Its name is the number of the beast, and that name, Lateinos, the name or number of a man, is 666. It does not destroy the force of this that these numerals and letters can be so combined as to spell out other names. This name is one that at once points to a power which has displayed every mark which is assigned to the beast.”

Points:

How does the Historicist believer interpret The Two Horned Beast of Rev 13?

68. It would seem it is a separate beast from the Ten Horned beast, some say it is the Catholic priesthood.

69. It is said to be like a lamb with two horns, catholic priests have lamb’s wool ‘palliums’ and a two horned hat!

70. It could also be a reference to the two lethal arms of the church, the Jesuits and the Inquisition.

71. Wonders and Fire; there are many examples of false miracles, and man-made fire is often part of them.

72. An ‘image’, would be insignificant if it were a statue; it most accurately fits the form of the Latin councils.

73. The 666 must be associated with a man’s name, Lateinos in Greek fits the bill very well.

74. They must have Mark in forehead/right hand. Not a Physical mark, likely a symbolic of belief or acceptance.

75. Lateinos, or Latin is the ‘Trade Mark’ of the Latin Church, Empire, Tongue, papal seat, and everything about it!

Historical View- The Harlot Astride The Beast Rev 17

Revelation chapter 17 covers the same period as ch.13 with the extension showing the final downfall of the Latin Empire. How do we work out the start point? In Rev 17:8 John see the beast representing the Roman or Latin Empire, and this verse sets the time in John’s vision with these words. The beast that you saw ‘was’, past tense, ‘is not’, present tense, ‘is about to’, future tense. So the period of history this prophecy is talking about must start just after 476 AD. Because at that time in history, the Western Roman Empire had been in existence; then in post 476AD it is not in existence; then later it is about to come into existence as the papal or Latin Empire. Now lets find the finish date. We have in Rev 17:16 these words, which sets the time mark, which we should understand in our time and generation. Rev 17:16 “The ten kings attack the harlot and burn her”. Which we can see has happened in our resent history. The ‘Ten’ kingdoms of Europe turned against the Catholic Church and destroyed her, starting in the year 1789 Bastille Day, to as late as 1945, the end of World War II. So we are basically looking at the history of the Latin Empire through to the decline and final downfall of the Latin Empire. The angel said much the same thing to John in a very concise verse 1, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot sitting on many waters,”

We’ve covered this in the Futurist view; let’s just do a quick recap. Rev 17:3 “..I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored beast, filled with names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. :4 ..the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet. And she was gilded with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup ..full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication. :5 ..on her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. :6 ..I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with a great marveling.” In other translations it says John’s reaction was; ‘wonder, admiration, amazement, surprise, astonished, but not horrified. It’s more like; Wow what is this? He doesn’t comprehend it! So please don’t feel like you’re the only one who can’t understand it. The angel could see John’s reaction with the vision so he explains it for him (and to us). Rev 17:7 “..Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, that has the seven heads and ten horns.” So it is a Mystery! And the angel goes through it all again and explains it to him. So in turn we can work through it step by step.

The Woman Astride The Beast

First what is the symbolism in that? Remember this comment above in the Futurist View, [Ref CN by David Guzik on Rev 17:12-15] “There is little doubt of the credentials of the EEC to claim itself a successor to the ancient Roman Empire. In the spiritual dynamic of things, it’s no accident that on the back of the Eurodollar coin is a woman riding a multi-headed beast”. Did you notice that the earlier coin I found, (with all the added notes supplied by someone else), was not a “multi-headed beast”? Now I hope the rest doesn’t seem like a coin catalogue. But coins are a unique way of capturing history.

Well, I searched the Internet on and off for weeks, looking for “a Euro coin” as described by Guzik, with a woman riding a “multi-headed” beast. I couldn’t find any Euro coin of that description. (If you can find such a Euro coin please email me). What you can find is the typical, ‘woman riding a bull’. And why is that logo so typical you might ask? [Ref link Europa And The Bull], also [Ref Britannica] “Where-Does-The-Name-Europe-Come-From”, “In the best-known version of the Europa myth, Europa—the daughter either of Phoenix or of Agenor, king of Phoenicia—was abducted by Zeus, who had disguised himself as a white bull. Zeus spirited her away from Phoenicia to Crete, where she bore him three sons: Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Sarpedon. No one knows for sure the origin of Europe’s name, but it certainly stuck.” Above is the: - Greece 2 euros 2003 - Europa abducted by Zeus, Refer aboveà[Slide#11]

I also found the Italian commemorative coin the, COSTITUZIONE EUROPEA, to the right; Referà[Slide#12]. “Feature: 1st anniversary of the signing of the European Constitution. Description: The centre of the coin features Europa and the bull, with Europa holding a pen and the text of the European Constitution. To the upper left ..the mintmark ‘R’. ..initials of engraver ..‘MCC’, ..lower left edge ..The year ..top right ..the monogram of the Italian Republic, ‘RI’. The words ‘COSTITUZIONE EUROPEA’ ..twelve stars are depicted on ..the outer ring. - Issuing volume: 18 million coins -Issuing date: October 2005”. But it’s just a coin! You have to have a wild imagination to think something ominous about this design! So the image of a woman riding a bull is a well know symbol used as a mythological reference to Europe.

But what I did find was this remarkable piece of history. There is a coin depicting “a woman riding a “multi-headed” beast”, and it is recognised in the world of ‘Numismatics’, (coin collecting), as ‘The Whore of Babylon’ Referà[Slide#13] Refer ‘Ernst of Holstein-Schaumburg 1601-1622’. I wont go into to much of the description, briefly: - “The Whore of Babylon, Triton XXI, Lot: 1056. Estimate $20000. GERMANY, Schaumburg-Pinneberg (Grafschaft). Ernst. 1601-1622. ..Struck 1618-1620. ..the Whore of Babylon seated right, holding raised chalice, on seven headed beast with one head severed, standing on city gate..etc.” “The Whore Of Babylon - religious tolerance prior to the thirty years war. Image care of ‘cionsweekly.”

[Ref link Triton XXI, Lot: 1056. GERMANY, Schaumburg-Pinneberg (Grafschaft). Ernst. 1601-1622] “The Thirty Years' War” was one of the longest and most destructive of European conflicts and involved most of the states of continental Europe. A religious war, it divided the continent between Roman Catholic and Protestant, with both sides viewing the conflict in specifically religious terms. Such views were widely represented on the coinage of the time, thereby conveying the sense of apocalypse felt by the inhabitants. These images became a convenient shorthand for villifying the opposition and, in this case, the Whore of Babylon was meant to represent the Papacy. The image on this halbtaler derives from Revelation 17:3-4, “and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication” Can you imagine fighting a war for 30 years. We seem to have conveniently forgotten the history of the share hatred between Roman Catholics and Protestants!

So the ‘Whore of Babylon’ coin is telling us quite clearly that the Protestants of the 1600’s knew exactly where they were in biblical history. Remember earlier, under the heading, ‘The Red Dragon: Rev 12’. I quoted from, [Ref CN by Adam Clarke on Rev 12:3], and he talked about, that in Daniel chapter 8, God used the he-goat, probably because it was the military standard of the Grecian monarchy. Then he says that the Red Dragon was the principal standard of the Roman Army. So what does a woman riding a beast represent in the world of mythology? It is recognised as Europe. So isn’t God clever to use an existing symbol, of a woman riding a beast, with a few added ‘tweaks’ like seven heads and ‘Ten’ horns to represent the Latin World? With which we can clearly see, it refers to Europe.

For the apparel of the whore we go to verse 4, which clearly shows you the gaudy extravagant paraphernalia associated with this whore. The woman is decked with “purple and scarlet, and gilded with gold and precious stones and pearls having a golden cup in her hand”. All of which are well know as the mark of the papacy and the upper entourage of the Catholic Church. We see the purple and scarlet robes of the clergy of Rome, the gold and precious stones used to decorate the many ornaments of the church and statues of Mary etc. But the cup is a spiritual reference. The cup was full of the abominations and filthiness of her fornication. We’ve said before that fornication is associated with idolatry. The name on her forehead is a great study but you can look into that yourself, (NB: see the note below from AJFerris). But again the name on her forehead, typifies the Church of Rome. And in reference to her atrocities committed on the true Christian reformers; “..I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” But the total number of Christians martyred under catholic persecution would be nothing short of a “wild guess”.

[Ref CN by AJFerris on The Book of Revelation Pt 2 Ferris, page 36] “It is also interesting to note that the Council of Trent (1545) required all Catholic priests to acknowledge as a profession of faith that “The Holy Catholic Apostolic Roman Church is the MOTHER and mistress of all churches” also on the same page; “What other organization does history record EXCEPT the Church of Rome that has to its shame been the direct cause of the martyrdom of 50,000,000 Christians saints because they would not conform to her idolatry and unscriptural doctrines?” NB: This number is only speaking of martyrs under the Catholic Church. I have heard figures like 50 to 150 million. And that doesn’t include the millions slaughtered under communist USSR and Chine. And the number is just going upward. If we jump to the bottom of the chapter we see more features about the woman; Rev 17:15 “ ..The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues, …:18 And the woman whom you saw is the great city which has a kingdom over the kings of the earth.” Another indication she is the Church of Rome, Rome was “the great city that ruled over the kings of the earth” and every nation and tongue.

Back to the angels description, this time he is talking about “the Beast”. Rev 17:8 “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to ascend out of the abyss and go into perdition.” We covered this at the start; the beast of Rev. 17 is the Latin Roman Empire. In the various prophecies, “the Beast or Dragon” has always appeared in a similar arrangement with seven heads and ten horns. As in Dan 7:5-23, Rev 11:7, Rev 12:3-17, Rev 13:1-18 and here in Rev 17. Also seen in Rev 14, 15, 16, 17, 19 and 20. It always represents the Roman Empire either pagan or Latin. Now John is observing this vision in about 90AD. But it seems as though the angel is speaking from the perspective of around 476AD onward? Because he says that the ‘beast’ was a powerful empire. But from the angel’s time frame, as of 476AD Rome is not a major city or power any more after the barbarian incursions, which decimated Rome and expelled the Emperor. But he is telling John, that the beast, Rome, is about to ascend and rise to power again. Then it will ultimately go into perdition G684, meaning in Strong’s, “ruin or loss (physical, spiritual or eternal):” And in the later chapters, Rome seems to be totally and physically obliterated. The rest of the verse shows the whole world will marvel at the rise of Rome to its former glory. Rev 17:8 “And those dwelling on the earth will marvel, those whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.”

Now in these verses the angel gives us a mind-teasing riddle, but he is always talking about “the Heads”. Rev 17:9 “And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. :10 And there are seven kings; five have fallen, and one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. :11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition.” The seven heads are symbolised in the following way. As we have said before the seven heads represent seven forms of the Roman government, and they were always based in Rome. Rome was know in ancient poetry etc. as “the city on seven hills” or mountains. And the seven mountains is where “the woman sits”, meaning she is seated in Rome. Five have fallen? If we go to history and the commentaries we can try to make sense of this. Some use the analogy that the five fallen refers to “Egypt, Nineveh, Babylon, Persia, and Greece”. This makes little sense because their own unique beasts, lion, bear, leopard etc. represented each of these empires. And the “Beast or Dragon” is Rome, so how can the heads represent those previous empires? Others try to find seven individual kings? That again makes little sense because the Roman Beast in all the visions, is depicted, as having seven heads over it’s whole history not seven individual kings.

There are other ideas but I think the closest analogy is from John Gill and Joseph Benson. [Ref CN by Joseph Benson on Revelation 17:8-14] “Five of these forms of government are already past; and one is — The sixth is now subsisting. The five fallen are kings, and consuls, and dictators, and decemvirs, and military tribunes with consular authority; as they are enumerated and distinguished by the two greatest Roman historians, Livy and Tacitus. The sixth is the power of the Cesars or emperors, which was subsisting at the time of the vision.” But they go off track and miss the seventh form of government. I believe A. J. Ferris has the best analogy. [Ref CN by AJFerris on The Book of Revelation Pt 2 Ferris, page 40] “It is easy to locate the seventh “head” in Roman history since in 284 A.D., DIOCLETIAN as a DESPOTIC emperor introduced an entirely new form of government in which the Senate, etc., were ignored. Also Diocletian created three other rulers who along with himself ruled over the Empire in four divisions, a unique government. Another point which proves conclusively that Diocletian and his associates from 284 to 313, constituted the seventh and last “head” of Pagan Rome, is that Diocletian was the last emperor to be deified, …We note that this seventh head thus ruled only 29 years, a “short space,” at the end of which it received a deadly wound as we saw foretold in Rev. 13-3,” This unique form of government was called a Tetrarchy or a Triumvirate, and not mentioned by Gill or Benson.

The rest of the riddle; [Ref CN by AJFerris on The Book of Revelation Pt 2 Ferris, page 40] “Thus in the fourth and fifth centuries A.D., the Roman earth became “the beast that is not.” However, the deadly wound was to be healed and the seventh head grow again to rule the ten kingdoms of the “beast” of Rev. 13. thus we read in Rev 17:11 “the beast that was, and is not, is become the EIGHTH (head), and is of the seven, and goes into perdition.” In other words the restored head of the ten-horned beast of Rev. 13 would be the eighth succeeding government over the Roman earth, or from another point of view the seventh head grown again.” Another key issue to take note is that the idolatrous Roman Empire was represented as the beast with the heads. When Constantine came to power in 313AD the empire ceased to be idolatrous, it became truly Christian for a short time. So during the time of the Christian Emperors the beast could be described as, “is not in existence” The eighth head, the eighth form of government, that rose up was the papacy, which dragged the Latin Empire back into idolatry.

The ‘Ten Horns’

Now let’s look at the ‘Ten’ European Kings. Rev 17:12 “And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have received no kingdom yet, but will receive authority as kings one hour with the beast.” Remember the time frame from which the angel is speaking! Around 476AD the ‘Ten’ kings have received no kingdom yet, because in 476AD they have not appeared in history as yet. And we have talked about they receive authority for “one hour” meaning one and the same time or during the same time with the beast. Historically we know the power the pope had over the kings of Europe. He reserved the right to depose or raise kings at his whim! Rev 17:13 “These have one mind ..they will give their power and authority to the beast. :14 These will make war with the Lamb ..Lamb will overcome them. For He is Lord of lords and King of kings. And those with Him are the called and elect and faithful ones.” History will show us that at the popes biding wars were waged for any number of reasons. The Thirty Year War mentioned above is just one example. “War with the Lamb”; the papal armies did overcome the reformers, (the Lamb), on the continent and effectively wiped out all resistance to papal authority by the year 1514. But I have cover this in another talk entitled, CHURCH HISTORY Part 3 -:- [Who Were The Reformers], under the heading, “1517 THE TWO WITNESSES”, you will find it an interesting read. In short during the Fifth Lateran Council in 1514, Rome concluded she had stoped all heresy! Only to find 3½ “days” (i.e. years), later in 1517 Martin Luther came on the seen and the Reformation fired up earnest again, and it was the turning point in history when the “lambs forces” began to overcome the papal kingdoms.

The Lamb will overcome them! This sounds great but where does it fit into history? Remember I said that Britain was the ‘safe house’ for the reformers? Britain broke away from the Church of Rome at the time of King Henry VIII, and in 1534 he was excommunicated from the Church of Rome. After his death Queen “Bloody Mary” came to power and she ruthlessly tried to drag England back to the “bosom of the Pope”. This only served to alienate the people of England from the Church of Rome. After a short reign Mary died and Elizabeth came to power. Then some political ‘checks and balances’ were slowly imbedded into the English constitution to lock in a guaranteed Protestant monarchy. This became a thorn in the side for the papacy. So throughout history the pope tried to topple the English thrown several times. We have the Spanish Armada, in which the Lord blew with His wind and dashed the armada against the coasts of Britain and pushed the fleet anticlockwise all the way around Britain and back to Spain. Then the English civil war lead by Oliver Cromwell, against Charles I, who being married to a catholic, which raised possible suspicion in relation to the pope. We also have the Anglo-Span Wars and Anglo-French Wars. Then you could say finally we have the British and French battles ending in 1815 with the Battle of Waterloo. But 1789 France was no longer listening to the pope by that time.

It is better to describe it this way; just try this idea please. Look at Daniel chapter 2 and try to think of the Stone is Anglo-Saxon-Israel, lets call them [Israel]. She went into her captivity in three waves. They came out of their 7 times punishment in waves. With Manasseh first in 1776 (America), followed by Ephraim (Britain) in 1800 when she expanded her Empire. The Stone [Israel] hit the statue on the feet first, hitting the ‘Ten Toes’, (the kingdoms of Europe), starting roughly in 1534 when Henry VIII broke away from idolatrous catholic rule. Ever since [Israel] has been fighting the ‘Ten Toes’ and the rest of the statue! She has over the last few centuries fort the Spanish and the French. Then in WWI Germany; and Italy the (legs of Iron) in WWII. She has expanded across to the east, fighting in the Sudan, (the Arms of Silver), in the late 1800’s. Until she has in the past few decades been fighting in the area of Bagdad (The Head of Gold). It fits to my way of thinking! And as I said God calls [Israel] His ‘Battle-Axe’ in Jer 51:19, and it is an unconditional promise, whether [Israel] is righteous or not. And what is God employing [Israel] to achieve? He is trying to bring in righteous governments around the world. First getting rid of dictators and terrorists, and trying to set up democratic elections in which the people of liberated countries can hopefully have a better life. And we [Israel] sometimes get it wrong. But ultimately ‘the Lamb has or is overcoming them’.

The Rise And Fall Of Gentile Kingdoms

The following chart entitled, ‘The Rise And Fall Of Gentile Kingdoms’, Refer [Slide#14], should shed some light on my theory for you. A. J. Ferris produced numerous versions of this type of chart. He often tried to extrapolate into the future, and over the years some of his work has proven to be quite fruitless. I am not trying to predict the future as he did. But when you look at Israel and Judah, it is uncanny how the 2520 years has paned out in history for them. Here is a spine chilling correlation for you. Dan 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and the fiery furnace story. In my old KJV it has a centre reference collum with the date at the top of the collum. The start of chapter 3 has the centre date of 580BC! What happens if we add 2520 years to 580BC? An easy way to workout these dates is like this. Remember there is ‘no year zero’! So when working forward, BC to AD (increasing), you add one year. Working backwards AD to BC (decreasing), you subtract one year. So BC to AD, you can add 1 to 2520 for a start. Then do the maths like so, 2521-580=1941. What happened in 1941?

This really is a strange coincident of numbers. [Ref wiki Final Solution - cite], “In 1941, wrote Raul Hilberg, in the first phase of the mass murder of Jews, the mobile killing units began to pursue their victims across occupied eastern territories". Then under the heading, ‘Historiographic debate’ you will find, “..Hilberg gives an estimate of 5.1 million as the total number of Jews killed. He breaks this figure down into three categories: Ghettoization and general privation: over 800,000; open-air shootings: over 1,300,000; extermination camps: up to 3,000,000.[26]”. Now compare that with the Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego story, “3” lads went into the ‘fiery furnace’, then add the Seven Times, that is 2520 years later we have 3,000.000. Jews incinerated! WOW!

To help you make sense of this, I have given you the chart below, also with a list of references to verify the dates.

975BC [Ref JUssher] Jeroboam took Israel into idolatry 1Ki 12:28. “In 1547 the 9 year old King Edward VI broke from catholic idolatry. ‘The Book of Common Prayer’, made English the language of the English Church” [HYY page 188]

740-722BC[Ref JUssher] & [Ref wiki Assyrian Captivity] The House of Israel, (Nth Kingdom); The captivities began in approximately 740 BCE, (1 Ch 5:26), (2 Ki 15:29). In 722 BCE, Samaria, was finally taken by Sargon II after a 3-year siege

1781 [Ref wiki American Revolution] “was between 1765 and 1783. The Americans defeated the British in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), gaining independence from the British Crown establishing the United States of America. -740+2521=1781 [Ref HYY page 270] “General Lord Cornwallis surrenders to Gorge Washington” (Manasseh) Freed

1800 [Ref Acts of Union 1800] ‘The Acts of Union 1800 create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

-722+2521=1799 [Ref HYY page 284] in 1800 the bill “The Act of Union” start of British Commonwealth (Ephraim) Freed

605-571BC [Ref Babylonian Captivity] “After the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BCE, King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, which led to another siege with exile to Babylonia of King Jeconiah, and many others; a later deportation .. dated to 597 BCE for the first, others at 587/586 BCE, and 582/581 BCE”. Also 571BC [Ref JUssher].

-605+2521=1916. 1917 was the Balfour Declaration. [Ref History of Israel], then search for the word ‘return’, to see the huge immigration numbers between 1917 and 1950.

-571+2521=1950. Then Israel passed the Law of Return in 1950 so any Jew can return to Israel.

533 & 606AD. We have already discussed the power given to the pope on those dates. And his reign of 1260 years.

533+1260=1798 [Ref Napoleon and the Catholic Church] “General Berthier marched to Rome, entered it unopposed on 10 February 1798 and, proclaiming a Roman Republic, demanded of the Pope the renunciation of his temporal power.

606+1260=1866 and we have seen the news article about the popes loss of Temporal

1917 Was also a major turning point for Islam. The Turks lost Jerusalem and continued down hill for the next 20 years. Refer above under the heading, ‘Chart Showing The 1260, 1290 and 1335 Days: Dan 12’. Refer above to [Slide#9]

The Ten Kings Hate The Harlot

Rev 17:16 “and the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked. And they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. :17 For God gave into their hearts to do His mind, and to act with one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast until the Words of God will be fulfilled.” We now come to the point in history where the Catholic kingdoms suddenly do a back flip and turn against the church. As I said at the start of this chapter, that started to happen in 1789 on Bastille Day. And it has been ongoing for over one hundred years. The catholic monarchies of Europe have been crumbling dew to bankruptcy, corruption or wars. And the Church of Rome has received a bloody nose throughout the whole affair. Have you ever heard the phrase, “A disgruntled catholic make the best communist”. For a brief coverage of the latter day destruction of the Catholic Church, [Ref CN by AJFerris on The Book of Revelation Pt 2 Ferris, pages 80-85]. And we know what Nazi Germany did to the Churches in throughout Europe during WWII, with particular note of what happened in Poland and the Netherlands etc. And that brings you to the end of Revelation chapter 17. It wasn’t that hard to follow after all was it now?

Points:

How does the Historicist believer interpret The Harlot and the Beast Rev 17?

76. We established the prophecy starts post 476AD and finishes about post 1945

77. We acknowledged the gaudy trappings of the whore are symbolic.

78. We found a real ‘Whore Of Babylon’ coin. Minted 1618+ referring to the 30 year war. So coins tell history.

79. We saw the legend of ‘Europa & The Bull’ was a close match to the ‘Whore On The Multi-Headed Beast’

80. She was drunk with the vast history of bloody persecutions of the saints

81. We discovered the number of martyrs is as high as 50,000,000, but modern figures must be much higher.

82. We studied the ‘was/is not/about to’, meaning the pope fills the position of the eighth head and is of the seven.

83. ‘The Lamb’, the true church under God has been a driving force to bring fight the ‘Ten kingdoms’

84. The Ten horns turn against the whore happened as of 1789 and continued through to present day.

Historical View- The Fall of Babylon Rev 18

Babylon is the latest name for the Church of Rome. Here is an interesting thought for you. From the historical point of view Revelation chapters 18 onward are all still basically in the future. Also the Futurist view thinks the rapture is about to take us any day now. And when it does they think the Church of Rome will go into the “Great Apostasy”. So the two views, the Futurist and the Historical views would tend to happily agree with each other’s interpretation from here onward. Simply because both views see these chapters as still in the future. But we can have a quick look at them for you anyway. Revelation 18 starts with, “And after these things I saw…”. This gives you a very rough estimate of the start date of the prophecy. It is after the ‘Ten’ kingdoms of Europe have been devouring the harlot, (the Church of Rome). So it could still be present day! In that catholic Spain in the 1930’s turned her vengeance on the Church of Rome, which could double. Currently ‘Babylon’ or Rome is still in tact, but the pope has no power in comparison to his earlier years. And he will never get that back because his prophesied reign of 42 months is finished as of 1866. John then continues with the rest.

Rev 18:1 “ ..I saw another angel come down from Heaven, having great authority ..earth was lighted ..from his glory. :2 ..he cried ..saying, Babylon the great has fallen, has fallen! ..it has become ..place of demons ..prison of every unclean spirit ..every unclean bird :3 because of the wine ..of her fornication ..all ..nations have drunk ..the kings ..committed fornication with her. ..merchants ..became rich from ..her luxury.” Did you notice the wording? ‘Has fallen’ sounds like the angel is speaking past tense, but from what perspective of time, for us in our time? We know that the later devastation described here in this chapter has not come as yet so it must still be in the future for us. Rev 18:4 “ ..I heard another voice from Heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that you may not be partakers of her sins, and that you may not receive of her plagues.” I would say this calling from God has been going on for centuries since, even before the Reformation in the 1500’s. Also with latter day revivals one after the other reaching out to those caught in the web of the Catholic Church calling them to come out of her. The pope often had to go to the old predominantly catholic nations to try to stem the rot in the Catholic Church that is happen because people are being evangelised and “coming out of her”.

Babylon’s’ Destruction

Some of this could be in our past hundred years. As I said above; “For a brief coverage of the latter day destruction of the Catholic Church, [Ref CN by AJFerris on The Book of Revelation Pt 2 Ferris, pages 80-85]” Ferris describes a lot of the destruction of the catholic nations in this same manure, “pay her double for what she has done to the reformers and the true church”. Rev 18:5 “..her sins joined together, even up to Heaven ..God ..remembered her unjust deeds. :6 Reward her as she has rewarded you ..double to her ..according to her works. In the cup which she mixed, mix double to her. :7 As much as she has glorified herself ..lived in luxury, so much torment and sorrow give her. ..she says ..I sit as a queen ..I am not a widow ..do not see mourning.. :8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day, death and mourning and famine. ..she will be consumed with fire, for the Lord God who judges her is strong.” One interesting line was, “Reward her as she has rewarded you”? Who is doing the rewarding? It sounds like the saints of God are being given a chance at payback? Which could well be interpreted as the outcome of WWII and the vast destruction of Europe. The rest sounds like instantaneous devastation, it will come in one day and she will be consumed with fire. In the Futurist view I said it sounds like an atomic blast. And in the scheme of things in the politics of Europe, if Islam is starting to progressively take holed of Europe, it could be that to put a stop to the pope and Christianity, that some Muslim extremists simply drop a bomb on the pope while he is sitting comfortably at home in the Vatican?

The Merchants Bewail

We can brief this down considerably, but you should have a read of the whole chapter to get a fuller understanding of the wealth of Babylon and her punishment. Rev 18:9 “ ..the kings of the earth who ..committed fornication ..lived in luxury with her ..weep ..and ..wail over her when they see ..her burning :10 standing afar off for fear of her torment ..For in one hour your judgment came.” Again it sounds like a possible atomic blast. Then verses 11-14 gives a long list of the good that Babylon traded in to make her rich. And she is now no more!

Rev 18:15 “The merchants of these things ..stand afar off because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning :16 ..saying, Woe! Woe ..the great city..:17 ..in one hour such great riches was desolated ..as many as work the sea, stood afar off. :18 ..they cried out.. :19 ..For in one hour she was ruined. :20 Rejoice over her, Heaven, and the holy apostles, and the prophets, since God judged your judgment on her. :21 one strong angel took up a ..great millstone ..threw it into the sea, saying ..Babylon, will be thrown down and not at all will be found any more. :22 ..no more ..not ..any more ..never more :23 ..never more ..never more .. For your merchants were the great ones of the earth; for by your sorceries all nations were deceived. :24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all those who were slain on the earth.”

Points:

How does the Historicist believer interpret The Fall of Babylon Rev 18?

85. The beast is now known by a new name Babylon, a reflection of ancient Babylon

86. The start date could be the early 1800’s or 1940’s WWII. And the finish date is still future.

87. The Length of the prophecy seems short and he angel speaks in past tense, “Has fallen”

88. A strong warning “Come out of her, My people”, a call that has been ringing out for hundreds of years!

89. The destruction is described in much detail, but it seems to happen very quickly.

90. The lost wealth and riches are described, and the merchants weep and wail over her.

91. Often a description of standing afar of from fear of getting to close. Is it nuclear or volcanic destruction?

Historical View - Heaven Rejoicing - Marriage Supper - Rider On White Horse Rev 19

This entire chapter is defiantly still in our future! It is pretty much self-explanatory. But it is of interest to see the final out come of the Beast, the false prophet and the ‘Ten’ kings. Like I said before it’s great to read the end of the book first. The chapter is in three parts, ‘Rejoicing in Heaven’, ‘The Marriage Supper of the Lamb’ and ‘The Rider on a White Horse’, who is Christ at his Second Advent coming to destroy the wicked at the battle of Armageddon.

Rejoicing in Heaven

Rev 19:1 “ ..I heard a great sound ..in Heaven ..Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and honor and the power to the Lord our God! :2 ..He has judged the great harlot who defiled the earth with her fornication, and He has avenged the blood of His servants out of her hand. :3 ..her smoke rose up forever and ever. :4 ..the twenty-four elders ..the four living creatures ..worshiped God ..saying, Amen! Hallelujah! :5 ..a voice ..saying, Praise our God, all His servants ..the small and great.”

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

Rev 19:6 “ ..I heard ..the sound ..a ..multitude ..saying, Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigns! :7 ..the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has prepared herself. :8 ..to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. For the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. :9 ..Blessed are those who have been called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. :10 ..he said to me ..Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Interesting thought for you here. Is the “wife” Israel or the church? I always thought that Israel was the ‘wife’ of Jehovah. And God eventually reinstates her as his ‘wife’. But the church is the bride of Christ! So is this a double wedding? You can look into that yourself; I think you will find it an interesting study.

The Rider on a White Horse

Rev 19:11 “ ..Heaven opened ..behold, a white horse! And He sitting on him was called Faithful and True. And in righteousness He judges and makes war. :12 ..His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head many crowns. And He had a name written, one that no one knew except Himself. :13 ..clothed in a garment dipped in blood ..His name is called The Word of God. :14 ..the armies in Heaven followed Him :15 ..He treads the winepress of the wine of the anger and of the wrath of Almighty God. :16 ..on His garment, and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. :17 ..I saw one angel ..he cried with a great voice, saying to all the birds that fly in mid-heaven, Come and gather together to the supper of the great God, :18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of commanders, and the flesh of strong ones, and the flesh of horses, and those sitting on them, and the flesh of all, both free and slave, both small and great. :19 ..I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth and their armies, being gathered to make war against Him who sat on the horse, and against His army. :20 ..the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet .. and those who had worshiped his image. The two were thrown alive into the Lake of Fire burning with brimstone. :21 ..the rest were slain by the sword of Him who sat on the horse ..And all the birds were filled from their flesh.” I have a feeling this feast for all the birds of the air, is the ‘marriage supper’. You could do a comparison with Ezekiel and Joel

Points:

How does the Historicist interpret – Rejoicing in Heaven – Supper of the Lamb - Rider On White Horse Rev 19?

92. Rejoicing in Heaven, Salvation glory honour and power to the Lord our God

93. Judgment on the harlot is final and her smoke rose up forever and ever.

94. Marriage Supper of Lamb she’s in fine linen, the righteousness of the saints? Does this represent the saints?

95. The Rider on White Horse is the Lord, who comes into the final battle

96. Gather together to the supper ..So that you may eat the flesh of kings etc.

Historical View- 1000 Years - Satan Defeated -White Throne Judgment Rev 20

Yes, of course, this is future but there are some odd points, which I believe, help to prove the Futurist view has flaws in its basic theory. This chapter is in three parts, ‘The Thousand Years’, ‘The Defeat of Satan’ and ‘The Judgment Before the Great White Throne’.

The Thousand Years

Rev 20:1 “ ..I saw an angel ..having the key of the abyss and a great chain :2 he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. :3 ..he cast him into the abyss ..shut him up ..set a seal on him, that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years should be fulfilled.”

These next two verses are very significant, read them carefully, then try to work out how can there possibly be a Rapture!

Rev 20:4 “ ..And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast nor his image, nor had received his mark on their foreheads, nor in their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” QUESTION: Who are these people? They have all been through the Great Tribulation wouldn’t you say? Because it says they have not received the MARK! But what does the next verse say? Rev 20:5 “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”

WHAT! Isn’t the Rapture the first resurrection? So how come these people have gone through the Great Tribulation BUT they are in the first resurrection? The only way you can make sense of this is that there is obviously no Rapture!

Then Rev 20:6 “Blessed ..is he ..in the first resurrection ..they ..reign with Him a thousand years.”

The Defeat of Satan

Rev 20:7 “ ..when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be loosed out of his prison. :8 ..he will go ..deceive the nations ..in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them ..to battle. The number of them is as the sand of the sea. :9 ..they ..circled around the camp of the saints, and the beloved city ..fire came down from God out of Heaven and devoured them. :10 ..the Devil ..was cast into the Lake of Fire ..where the beast and the false prophet were . And he will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Take note ‘where the beast and false prophet WERE! They are presumably not there any more, why? Maybe because they have been destroyed and exist no more! That would sound like there is no eternal punishment for the wicked once they have been cast into the lake of fire. They are destroyed then they exist no more! I have never sat happy with the idea that the souls in hell are in torment forever.

Judgment Before the Great White Throne

Rev 20:11 “ ..I saw a great white throne ..:12 ..I saw the dead ..small and the great ..before God ..books were opened ..another book ..opened ..the Book of Life ..the dead were judged out of those ..books, according to their works. :13 ..the sea gave up the dead ..hell delivered up the dead ..each ..of them was judged.. :14 ..death and hell were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death. :15 ..if anyone was not found ..in the Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire.”

Points:

How does the Historicist interpret 1000 Years - Satan Defeat - White Throne Judgment Rev 20?

97. Satan is bound for a 1000 years, he should deceive the nations no more, so is he in a sound proof pit?

98. Verse 24 “they ..reigned with Christ a 1000 years”! The ONLY True One World Government a Theocracy under Christ!

99. Verse 24 shows those who went through the tribulation! But v:25 says that they are also in the first resurrection?

100. How come? Conclusion is “There Is NO Rapture!”

101. Satan loosed he gathers an army; so after the 1000 years, there must be Millions who still won’t serve God?

102. Satan’s army gathers around the camp of the saints, and then ZAP they are gone

103. Devil cast into Lake of Fire where beast and false prophet were? Devil tormented day and night forever n ever

104. Maybe the lake of fire is a permanent destruction for all except Satan who is tormented in it forever n ever

105. The Great White Throne Judgement, if you’re not in the book, you’re in the fire

Gathering Points From The Historical View Study

If we now just scan through the ‘points’ we have discovered in the scriptures, we should be able to summarise the list, then get a reasonable picture of how the historicist views the scriptures and how they have dove tailed them into history.

Summing Up Points

1. Differences with Historical View: Revelation started 2000 years ago a prophecy of world and church events.

2. Prophetic times are not literal, we calculate them on the basis of, a day for a year, as in Num 14:34 and Eze 4:6

3. The Seventy Weeks prophecy of Dan 9 is finished, all 490 years. There is NO ‘Seventieth Week’ still to come!

4. The Seven Times Punishment is a literal 2520 years

5. Antichrist has been in the world since Paul’s writings, he’s NOT an individual but the papal power, the seat of Peter

6. Antichrist was restrained until post 476, with blasphemous and imperial decrees he gaining full power in 606AD

7. The phrase ‘the whole earth’ can also mean only the ‘then known world’

8. 2 Thes 2 ‘He sits in the temple of God’, the temple is interpreted as the body of believers, the body of Christ.

9. Dan 2 History shows in 476AD the Western Roman Empire fell to the ‘Ten’ kingdoms, (the Toes, horns and Kings).

10. The ‘Ten’ horns and the ‘little horn’ are not single individual kings. As iron & clay, they shall not cling one to another.

11. The ‘Stone Kingdom’ appears during the ‘Ten Kings’ about 500AD so it can’t be Christ who appears in 33AD

12. This ‘Stone Kingdom’ begins the serious destruction of all the gentile kingdoms by about the 1700’s

13. Dan 7 10 horns pre 476AD are, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Britain, Sarmatia, Pannonia, Asia, Greece, and Egypt.

14. These ‘Ten Horns’, were puppet kings ruling as governors subject to the ‘one head’, the Roman Emperor.

15. [9] Characteristics to identify the Little Horn. Different because he is both a sovereign king and ecclesiastical king.

16. Blasphemies against God, humbled 3 kings, eyes of diplomatic cunning, arrogant, change times and laws, celibacy etc.

17. Saints under his hand for 1260 years, he wear out the saints, saints ultimately will topple the power of the antichrist

18. Daniel 8 to 12 say nothing of the One World Government. The 2300 days is possibly literal and speaks of Antiochus

19. Dan 11 speaks of the kingdoms North and South of Israel, the Near East, and their rule from 323BC to about 1917

20. Dan 11 shows the rise of the papacy, the Crusades, the fall of Constantinople and the fall of the Turks Empire.

21. Dan 12 speaks of the battle of Armageddon, the end of the age, the first resurrection and second resurrection

22. Daniel hears the numbers, 1260, 1290 and 1335 days. [Ref AJF-D11], Ferris explains them using the Lunar calendar.

23. The Revelation is three separate prophecies each covering the same past 2000 years, each confirming the other.

24. Rev 12 represents the Pagan Roman, Rev 13 the papal Roman, Rev 17 the fall of the papal Roman Empire

25. The woman of Rev 12 represents the 12 tribes of Israel birthing Christ into the, ‘First born from the dead’.

26. She’s in two groups; Israel out of reach of the Romans; and Judah within the realm of the Roman persecution.

27. The Red Dragon, the standard of the Roman Army had Seven Heads representing the seven forms of government

28. War in Heaven must have happened immediately after the resurrection Satan was cast out of Heaven.

29. The Woman; First group escaped the dragon/serpent to ‘a safe place for 3½ times’. [Possibly the British Isles]

30. The Woman; Second group, obviously Christians received the anger of the serpent who persecuted them.

31. Rev 13 The ‘Lopped’ head and the new Head, shows the change from the old Imperial to the new papal head.

32. Emperor Justinian in the East, (the Old Dragon), gave the pope the authority, seat and power of old Western Rome

33. A One World Government could be considered from 533AD onward. Worship in bother Empires reverted to idolatry.

34. War With The Saints is when the pope overcomes them; FoxBM shows proof of this. Yet his power is limit to 24 month

35. The Two Horn Beast some say it is the Catholic priesthood. Or could be a reference to the Jesuits and the Inquisition.

36. Wonders and Fire is examples of false miracles, man-made fire is often part of them. Also a reference to papal bulls.

37. An ‘Image to the Beast’ accurately fits the form of the Latin councils, from which the pope gained power and laws.

38. The 666 Mark, associated with a man’s name is found in ‘Lateinos’ which in Greek adds up to 666, Latin a perfect fit

39. The Mark in forehead etc. Is Not a Physical mark, a symbol of belief and acceptance of Latin tongue and writing?

40. Rev 17 The Whore. Spans post 476AD to about post 1945; the gaudy trappings are symbolic of papal Rome.

41. We found the real ‘Whore Of Babylon’ coin. The ‘Europa & Bull’ legend is a close symbol to the ‘Whore On The Beast’.

42. She is Drunk With The Blood of centuries of persecution of the saints, amounting to over 50,000,000 martyrs.

43. We studied the ‘Was - Is Not - About To’, meaning the pope fills the position of the eighth head and is of the seven.

44. ‘The Lamb’, the true church of saints lead by God has been the driving force to begin to fight the ‘Ten kingdoms’

45. The Ten Horns Hate the Harlot happened as of 1789 and continued through to present day.

46. Rev 18 The start date could be 1940’s WWII, because it seems the saint, ‘pay her double’. And finish date still future.

47. Babylon, a reflection of ancient Babylon the new name for The Beast, the angel speaks in past tense, “Has fallen”?

48. Come out of her, My people, a call that has been ringing out for hundreds of years! Possible referring to the reformation.

49. The Destruction given in much detail seems to happen quickly. With much lose of wealth and riches are described

50. Merchants’ Weep and standing afar for fear. Is it volcanic destruction, or a Muslim anti-Catholic nuclear strike?

51. Rev 19 is in three parts, ‘Rejoicing in Heaven’, ‘The Marriage Supper of the Lamb’ and ‘The Rider on a White Horse’

52. Judgment on the harlot is final and her smoke rose up forever and ever.

53. Marriage Supper of Lamb, His wife in fine linen, the righteousness of the saints? Does this represent the saints?

54. The Rider on White Horse is the Lord, who comes into the final battle

55. Gather together to the supper, ‘So that you may eat the flesh of kings’ etc. this could be the meaning of the supper.

56. Rev 20, Satan is bound for a 1000 years, he should deceive the nations no more, so is he in a sound proof pit?

57. Rev 20:4 “they ..reigned with Christ a 1000 years”! The ONLY True One World Government a Theocracy under Christ!

58. There’s NO Rapture! Rev 20:4, is those who were in the tribulation! But verse 5 says they are the first resurrection?

59. Satan loosed after the 1000 years, gathers his army of millions around the saints; Fire from heaven, they’re gone!

60. Devil cast into Lake of Fire, tormented forever! Beast and false prophet were? The lake of fire is permanent destruction?

61. The Great White Throne Judgement, if you’re not in the book, you’re in the fire

Conclusion From The Historical Point Of View

I have tried to find passages that could show some possible formation of a One World Government. Yet we must bear in mind that the only time that could happen is when the antichrist and the 'Ten kingdoms' were simultaneously united. Since the antichrist, (the pope), did not come to power until after the Western Roman Empire fell; the pope could not appear in power until after 476AD. Therefore the only period in history that the One World Government could have feasibly been considered is between post 476 and the year 1789, which was the year the French began the destruction of the papal kingdom. Also we need to consider the action of the 'saints of the Most High’. They also took part in the final destruction of the papal kingdom. Dan 7:18 “But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever”. Also we have scriptures that show the, ‘Ten kings’ as iron will not mix with clay, so to the kingdoms shall be divided! So the whole idea of a One World Government, before Christ returns, is in reality non existent.

But we do have in Revelation 20:4-6 The ONLY True One World Government, a Theocracy under Christ! Rev 20:4 “And I saw ..the souls of those who had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus ..nor had received his mark ..And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. :5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. :6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. The second death has no authority over these, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him a thousand years”. I don’t think any of us contemplate reaching the ripe old age of 100 years! But can you possible imagine living for 1000 years and being an ambassador, a priest of God and of Christ. And He could send you anywhere in the world as His representative because you reign with Him!

Conclusion The Non-Compatibility Of The Futurist And Historical Views

We have seen quite clearly that the two groups of thought are really polls apart. The futurist sees it as all to be a future fulfilment. The Historicist sees it through the eyes of the Old prophets; it needs interpretation before the prophecy makes intelligent reading. For example: - Rev 12:4 “ ..his tail drew the third part of the stars, and cast them onto the earth." We all know that one third of the whole universe cannot fall to the earth? Yet both groups see various natural phenomenon’s and try to interpret those events as being foretold in the bible. So both groups fall back onto interpretation as a tool to understand the prophecies of Daniel, Revelation and others. Often the interpretation of scripture is open to personal opinion. But remember; 2Pe 1:20 “knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture came into being of its own private interpretation”. So scripture should interpret itself. Also we have the principal of ‘two or three witnesses’ to verify itself.

The Rapture is a major stumbling block! It seems everyone believes there will be a Rapture any day, and they site these verses. 2Th 2:1 “Now we beseech you ..with regard ..the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him” Yet Paul is stressing that before “THAT DAY” happens the following must happen. 2Th 2:3 ..For that Day shall not come unless there first comes a falling away, and the man of sin shall be revealed”. So regardless of what each of us believes the scripture clearly tells us; we must see: - Firstly the falling away (the Apostasy, false teaching); and Secondly The Man of Sin (the antichrist). So the next time someone tries to tell you "the Rapture is just around the corner", ask them, well who is the antichrist? Because he must appear before the Rapture happens!

Personally I believe the Historic interpretation. The more I study the Word the more I discover. Over the many years I have found it shows every generation that God truly has given them a marvellous blessing. Rev1:3 “Blessed is the one who reads and hears the Words of this prophecy, and the ones keeping the things written in it, for the time is near". If it was all meant to be future, how would it make any sense to someone hundreds of years ago? It would still be as unintelligible to them as it is to the Futurist today! By understanding the Historic view, as many did in the past, they discovered where they were in the pages of the Revelation and the assurance of what is to come.

The two groups will never come to termes with each other! There are always stumbling blocks within each view. And the supporters of each view cannot adequately explain those issues to the enthusiasts of the other view. The Historicist can’t convincingly explain to the Futurist, things like, Rev 13:13 “fire come down from heaven”. And the Futurist can't convincingly explain to the Historicist; why in Rev 20:4 “the souls of those who had not received his mark”. YET in verse :5 They are in the first resurrection”.

May I suggest that you “not try”, not try to be tolerant, but be tolerant; and hear each other through.

I hope you have enjoyed this talk

GBY ..(God Bless Ya!) Yours Adrian

Saturday, 28 August 2021

The Historical commentaries I will be referring to from ‘e-Sword’ are: -

Why Do Historicists Thinks That Way?

Chart Showing The 1260, 1290 and 1335 Days: Dan 12

No.666 The Beast Number And Name

Other Topics I Have Covered: -