Did God Forsake Jesus On The Cross

The age-old question! If God did forsake his beloved son; then why wouldn’t God forsake you a SINER?? It all hinges on Can God Look On Sin?

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Did God Forsake Jesus On The Cross

Published 20200826 -:- Revised 20251017P

I am dyslexic so please bear with me. Scripture references are from Modern King James (MKJV) unless noted otherwise.

Introduction

How many times have you heard a comment like this, “God can’t look on sin so that’s why He forsook Jesus on the Cross”. Do you really think God would forsake His own son, in his greatest hour of need?

I would like you to come with me through the scriptures to check if that comment above is valid, and if so what are the consequences.

Aim

1. Can God look on sin or not?
2. Did God forsake Jesus or not?
3. If God did forsake Jesus, His own son, then what’s to stop God from forsaking you if He can’t look on your sins?

Question 1: Can God look on sin or not?
I have covered this in more detail in a previous talk entitled ‘Can God Look On Sin?’ I sifted through hundreds of passages where the Lord was speaking, to find passages where God is clearly aware of, and can see the sins of men. Using various key words I found some interesting scriptures. A brief of that talk is as follows: -

When Jehovah, was speaking to Abraham about Sodom and Gomorrah and He said in Gen 18:21 “I will go down now and see”? Would God really need to go down to SEE for himself? Perhaps God said that for Abraham’s sake, in order to keep him ‘in the loop’. After all God did say, "Shall I conceal from Abraham what I am going to do? Yet we see in Ezekiel chapter 8, God takes Ezekiel on a whirlwind tour of ALL the abominations going on in the Temple. It’s quite clear that there is no iniquity hidden from Gods sight. Then we have in Jeremiah 16:17 ‘For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes.’ After reading this, how can you still think God can’t look on sin?

Conclusion:

God Himself is saying, “nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes.” So God CAN look on sin! 

Question 2: Did God forsake Jesus On The Cross?

Let's get to the main subject. Now where do you think this idea comes from? Well try this next time your in church, just ask that question above, ‘Did God forsake Jesus On The Cross?’ And you can bet your bottom dollar that most ‘church goers' will refer to the crucifixion and quote the passages from Mathew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 “..Jesus cried…My God, My God, why did You forsake Me?” Or they might miss quote Isaiah 53:4, and say, ‘but He was stricken by God’. Then they would ‘gift wrap’ the sales pitch with this idea. ‘And because Jesus was covered with our sins when He was on the Cross, and God cannot look on sin, then that’s why God forsook Jesus on the Cross!’ But what do the scriptures actually say? First let's look at how many times did Jesus' quote scripture.

To do this I did a search using the catchword, “written”, as in, ‘it is written’. I found quite a few, then I sifted through to find the verses in which it was Jesus quoting scripture or makes reference to it. I have listed them below, and where the same passage is in two or more of the gospels, I have referred to each. Then I have reduced them to one line to save space. Except for the passage in Luke 4:17-21, but you will see why it is listed here in full. And I admit it is quite long winded, but PLEASE skim through just to get a feel of how often Jesus referred back to scripture. And you can also do a study to see how often the disciples quoted scripture, and it was most often from the Septuagint. Enough said...

Old Testament Scriptures Quoted By Jesus

Written

Mat 4:4 & Luk 4:4 But He answered and said, It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, ….

Mat 4:7 Jesus said to him, It is written again, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God."

Mat 4:10 & Luk 4:8 ..Jesus said to him, Go, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God..

Mat 11:10 & Luk 7:27 For…it is written, "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, …

Mat 21:13, Mar 11:17 & Luk 19:46 ..He said.., It is written, "My house shall be called the house of prayer”…

Mat 26:24 & Mar 14:21 The Son of Man goes, as it has been written of Him, but woe to that man by whom…

Mat 26:31 & Mar 14:27 …For it is written, "I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock…

Mar 7:6 ...as it is written, "This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

Mar 9:12 ..Elijah..does come first…been written of the Son of Man…should suffer many things and be despised?

Mar 9:13 …Elijah has indeed come, and they have done to him whatever they desired, as it is written of him.

Luk 4:17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And unrolling the book, He found the place where it was written, :18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on Me; because of this He has anointed Me to proclaim the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and new sight to the blind, to set at liberty those having been crushed, :19 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." :20 And rolling up the book, returning it to the attendant, He sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on Him. :21 …He began to say to them, Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your ears. 

Luk 10:26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?’

Luk 18:31 ..we go up to Jerusalem and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man..

Luk 20:17 … this which is written, "The Stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the Head of the corner?

Luk 21:22 For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

Luk 22:37 that this which is written must yet be accomplished in Me, "And he was reckoned among the transgressors"..

Luk 24:44 ..all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses ...the Prophets and in the Psalms about Me.

Luk 24:46 …“So it is written, and so it behoved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,

Joh 6:45 It is written in the Prophets, "And they shall all be taught of God." …

Joh 8:17 It is also written in your Law that the testimony of two men is true.

Joh 10:34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, "I said, You are gods?"

Joh 15:25 But that the Word might be fulfilled that is written in their Law, "They hated Me without a cause."

Then one night at 4am, listening to the bible, the Lord got my attention with this phrase, “Have you not read”. And I found a few more, so I have listed them below and have also reduced them to one line.

Have You Not Read

Mat 12:3 But He said to them, Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him, 

Mat 12:5 Or have you not read in the Law that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath …

Mat 19:4 He…said to them, Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning "made them male and female", 

Mat 21:16 …Yes, have you never read, "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings You have perfected praise?" 

Mat 21:42 Did you never read in the Scriptures, "The stone which the builders rejected, this One has become the head…

Mat 22:31 But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying, 

Mar 2:25 …Have you never read what David did, when he had need and was hungry, he, and those with him? 

Mar 12:10 And have you not read this scripture "The Stone which the builders rejected has become the Head of the corner: 

Mar 12:26 …have you not read in the book of Moses…God spoke…in the Bush, saying, "I am the God of Abraham…

Luk 6:3 …Have you not read this, what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him; 

 

Other Quotations by Jesus
To get these I hunted through E-Sword in their Reference Library. I found the “Companion Bible Appendix, by E.W. Bullinger.” In which I found these two chapters. Appendix 80 ‘Isaiah, Quotations And Allusions In The New Testament’, and Appendix 107 - Quotations from Old Testament. Then I just ran the curser over each verse ‘link’ reference, to see what lit up in red, to see if it was Jesus speaking and what was He saying. I found about 60; less those that I already have used in the above key words and duplicates. It left me with about 42. But I don’t want to bore you with more to read, so I’ll just give you the scripture reference.

Mat 8:20, Mat 26:64, Mar 2:10, Mar 4:12, Mar 10:7, Mar 10:45, Mar 12:10, Mar 12:11, Mar 12:26, Mar 12:29, Mar 12:30, Mar 12:31, Mar 12:36, Mar 13:20, Mar 13:26, Mar 14:62, Luk 4:12, Luk 4:18, Luk 4:19, Luk 4:20, Luk 4:21, Luk 8:10, Luk 9:22, Luk 9:56, Luk 10:20, Luk 11:30, Luk 17:24, Luk 17:26, Luk 19:10, Luk 20:37, Luk 20:42, Luk 21:27, Luk 22:22, Luk 22:48, Joh 3:13, Joh 3:14, Luk 5:24, Joh 5:25, Joh 6:27, Joh 8:58, Joh 12:23, Joh 13:31,

This is obviously not a complete list of all the occasions that Jesus quoted the O.T. The point I am trying to bring out is that Jesus quite often quoted scripture.

So What If Jesus Quotes Scripture?

We know Jesus quoted scripture; it is a well-known fact that He did that! But what’s the significance of that? Well consider this, with His dying breath what scripture do you think Jesus would quote? Or more to the point what were the last things Jesus said on the Cross? Well we have four accounts of the crucifixion in the gospels.

Lets look firstly at Luke 23:34 “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” etc. And to the thief crucified beside Him in verse :43 ...“Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Then in verse :46 “Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” Having said this, he breathed his last.”

And in John chapter 19 Jesus looked down at his mother and one of the disciples vs:26 ..“Woman, behold, your son!” Then looking at the disciple..vs:27 “Behold, your mother!” then vs:28 “I am thirsty.” in vs:30 “Jesus...said, “It is finished.” and he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit.” To my knowledge there is no quotation of scripture in these passages from Luke and John. But lets look at Matthew and Mark.

‘My God, my God’

But in Matthew and Mark they are almost a mirror image of each other, word for word. Lets look at. Mark 15:34 “At the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is, being interpreted, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Then vs :37 Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and gave up the spirit.”

Now for those who believe that God forsook Jesus on the Cross, this is the classic verse to which they refer. But it is also a quote from Psalm 22. Lets go through the Psalm. Note that I have highlighted the various parts of the verses that directly refer to the actions happening at the time of the crucifixion. Just imagine if they had allowed Jesus to continue speaking this Psalm?

Why Have You Forsaken Me?

Psa 22:1 “To the Chief Musician, on the deer of the dawn. A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me, and are far from my deliverance, and from the words of my groaning? :2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not answer; and in the night, and am not silent. :3 But You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. :4 Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them. :5 They cried to You, and were delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed. :6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people. :7 All who see Me mock me; they shoot out the lip; they shake the head, saying, :8 He trusted on Jehovah; let Him deliver Him; let Him rescue Him, since He delights in Him! :9 For You are He who took Me out of the womb, causing Me to trust while on My mother's breasts. :10 I was cast on You from the womb; You are My God from My mother's belly. :11 Be not far from Me; for trouble is near, for there is none to help. :12 Many bulls have circled around Me; strong bulls Of Bashan have surrounded Me. :13 They opened wide their mouths on Me, like a ripping and a roaring lion. :14 I am poured out like water, and all My bones are spread apart; My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of My bowels. :15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; :16 and You have brought Me into the dust of death. For dogs have circled around Me; the band of spoilers have hemmed Me in, piercers of My hands and My feet. :17 I can count all My bones; they look and stare at Me. :18 They divide My garments among them and cast lots for My clothing. :19 But You, O Jehovah, be not far from Me; O My strength, hurry to help Me! :20 Deliver My soul from the sword, My only one from the dog's hand. :21 Save Me from the lion's mouth; from the wild oxen's horns.

Then there is a change in the tone of the Psalm from misery to praise!

You have answered Me. :22 I will declare Your name to My brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise You. :23 You who fear Jehovah, praise Him; all of you, the seed of Jacob, glorify Him; and fear Him all the seed of Israel. :24 For He has not despised nor hated the affliction of the afflicted; and He has not hidden His face from him, but when he cried to Him, He heard. :25 My praise shall be of You in the great congregation; I will pay My vows before the ones who fear Him. :26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek Jehovah shall praise Him; your heart shall live forever. :27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to Jehovah; and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. :28 For the kingdom is Jehovah's; and He is the ruler among the nations. :29 All the fat ones on the earth shall eat and worship; all those who go down to the dust shall bow before Him; and none can keep alive his own soul. :30 A seed shall serve Him; it shall be spoken of Jehovah to the coming generation. :31 They shall come, and shall declare His righteousness to a people that shall yet be born, that He has done this.” 

Have you thought about what could have happened if Jesus had been left alone to resight this Psalm from the lofty heights of the Cross, if He had the strength to do so? Jesus could have well said to them… “Have you never read that Psalm?” It would have caused an uproar, ‘more blasphemy!’, ‘shut him up!’ A friend once brought to my attention what happened next with the vinegar. I always thought, yes it’s a drink, odd that its vinegar, so what? Lets read.. Mat 27:48 “Immediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him a drink.” My friend said, ‘Well you try it, fill a sponge with vinegar then cover your nose and mouth with it, and try to speak!’ So I did, its awful, it takes your breath away! So were they trying to silence Jesus? It would appear so, if we look at the very next verse. Mat 27:49 “The rest said, “Let him be. Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.” They were virtual saying ‘take the sponge away and let Him spout off more blasphemy.’

So it would appear that the ‘Temple entourage’, standing at the foot of the Cross, knew exactly what Jesus was quoting from the Psalms. And when we read the praise half of that Psalm, verses 22 to 31 it is quite obvious that Jesus was not under the impression that He had been forsaken. Remember after Jesus was raised from the dead, refer to Luke 24:44 “And He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms about Me.” So lets hunt through the Prophets and some other scriptures to see what we can find.

Psa 91:14 “Because He has set His love on Me, therefore I will deliver Him; I will set Him on high, because He has known My name. :15 He shall call on Me, and I will answer Him; I will be with Him in trouble; I will deliver Him, and honor Him.” Be with Him, deliver Him and honour Him! That is God speaking of the Messiah, Christ. Does that sound like God will abandon or forsake Christ on the Cross. Defiantly not!  

Go to Isaiah chapter 53 and Acts chapter 8. This was the passage that the Holy Spirit led Philip to explain to the Ethiopian eunuch in his chariot. Act 8:35 “Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same Scripture and preached the gospel of Jesus to him.” Now lets look at Isaiah.

Isa 53:1 Who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm of Jehovah revealed? :2 For He comes up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground; He has no form nor majesty that we should see Him, nor an appearance that we should desire Him. :3 He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as it were a hiding of faces from Him, He being despised, and we esteemed Him not. :4 Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” NOTE it says WE esteemed Him, Not He was stricken of God. This is often misquoted!

Continue with verse 5 “But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was on Him; and with His stripes we ourselves are healed. :6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, each one to his own way; and Jehovah has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. :7 He was oppressed, and He was afflicted; yet He opened not His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before its shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. :8 He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare His generation? For He was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of My people He was stricken. :9 And He put His grave with the wicked, and with a rich one in His death; although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. :10 Yet it pleased Jehovah to crush Him; to grieve Him; that He should put forth His soul as a guilt-offering. He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the will of Jehovah shall prosper in His hand. :11 He shall see the fruit of the travail of His soul. He shall be fully satisfied. By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify for many; and He shall bear their iniquities. :12 Therefore I will divide to Him with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He has poured out His soul to death; and He was counted among the transgressors; and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for transgressors.”

Note in verse10, “..Yet it pleased Jehovah to crush Him; to grieve Him..” It is Gods plan for all of the horrors of the crucifixion to take place, and everything is going according to plan. These verses above clearly show that God is praising and honouring the suffering of Christ. So try to imagine God with His eyes shut or His face turned away and then reread that passage above. It is not logical! Go back to Gen 22:10 “And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. :11 And the Angel of Jehovah called to him from the heavens and said, Abraham! Abraham! And he said, Here am I. :12 And He said, Do not lay your hand on the lad, nor do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only one, from Me.” Do you think God could expect Abraham to sacrifice his ‘only begotten son', but God cannot do the same thing with His ‘only begotten son' ?  

The Ministry of Reconciliation

2Co 5:18 “And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; :19  whereas God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and putting the word of reconciliation in us.” God was in Christ, on the Cross. Are you forgetting that Christ is God. They are one, the Godhead. Refer John 10:30 “I and the Father are one!” or John 14:10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me?”

Conclusion:

At what point in time did God and Christ separate at the crucifixion? Luke 23:46 “…Jesus said, Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit. And when He had said this, He breathed out the spirit.” Christ had to die, at which time he was separated from God, so that He could go down to preach to the souls in hell. Then He created absolute havoc down there and came back with “the keys”. But that’s ‘a can of worms’ that discussion. The point is that when Christ was on the Cross, scriptures clearly show that God could not have ‘turned His back on Christ’, ‘shut His eyes’ or forsake Christ on the Cross! 

The last question mentioned at the start: If God did forsake Jesus, His own son, then what’s to stop God from forsaking you, if He can’t look on your sins? The answer is: -

 

(ESV) Hebrews 13:5   “…for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 

Or (Weymouth) "I WILL NEVER, NEVER LET GO YOUR HAND: I WILL NEVER NEVER FORSAKE YOU."

Hope you have found this brings more light on that subject. If you were still convinced that God forsook Jesus on the Cross, then I would dearly love to hear from you, with the scriptures to back your line of thought.

GBY (God Bless Ya!)

Yours Adrian

Some other subjects I have covered are listed below: -

British Israel - 1.01 [For Beginners]

When Did Jesus Become The Messiah

Iniquity Of The Fathers Upon The Sons To The Third And Fourth Generation

The ‘Futurist Interpretation’ Automobile

Can God Look On Sin?

Jer 16:17 ‘My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes.’ He sure CAN!!!

Can God Look On Sin?

Published 20200717 -:- Revised 20251014P

I am dyslexic so please bear with me. Scripture references are from Modern King James (MKJV) unless noted other wise.

Introduction

How many times have you heard a comment like this, “God can’t look on sin so that’s why He forsook Jesus on the cross”. Do you really think God would forsake His own son, in his greatest hour of need? Lets first look at, Can God Look On Sin?

Can God Look On Sin?

It is often said. ‘God is so pure, so that’s why God couldn’t look on Jesus when He was on the cross’. It is stated as though it is a known fact, yet when you look into it, you will find the scriptures do not support the idea. I did a search for various words like, ‘sin, corruption, evil’ etc. There were over 1800 matches for the word ‘sin’ alone. I then sifted through them all to find passages where it appeared that the Lord was speaking; or He was speaking through a prophet. I found the following passages in which God is clearly aware of, and can see the sins of men. Lets just go through a few of them.

Gen 4:7 ‘If you do well, shall you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at the door; and its desire is for you, and you shall rule over it.’ Then Cain killed Abel, and God spoke again, vs:10 ‘And He said, What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries to Me from the ground.’ So God knew, He just wanted to show Cain He knew.

Gen 18:20 ‘And Jehovah said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, :21 I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which has come to Me. And if not, I will know.’ Why would God go down to SEE for himself, if He can’t look on sin?

Exo 32:7 ‘And Jehovah said to Moses, Go! Get down, for your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, are corrupted. :8 …They have made them a molten calf, and have worshiped it, and have sacrificed to it, and said, These are your gods, O Israel, who have brought you up out of the land of Egypt….:21 And Moses said to Aaron, What did this people do to you, that you have brought so great a sin upon them?’ God obviously knew what was going on in the camp!

Deu 9, Moses was pleading with God; v:26 ‘I prayed therefore to Jehovah and said, O, Lord God, do not destroy Your people and Your inheritance which You have redeemed through Your greatness, which You have brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand. :27 Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Do not look to the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin,’. Moses knew God well enough to know that God could look on sin.

Jos 7, Joshua had sent a small army out to take the city of Ai. But the army was driven back, and Joshua was on his face pleading with God. v:10 ‘And Jehovah said to Joshua, Get up! Why do you lie on your face this way? :11 Israel has sinned, and they have also broken My covenant which I commanded them, and have even taken of the cursed things, and have also stolen and pretended falsely. And they have even put it among their own stuff.’ Do you really think God cannot see the sins WE commit?

1Ki 16:1 ‘And the Word of Jehovah came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, :2 Since I exalted you out of the dust, and made you ruler over My people Israel, and since you have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and have made My people Israel to sin, to provoke Me to anger with their sins,’ Again God obviously sees what’s going on!

Jer 16:10 ‘And it shall be, when you declare to this people all these words, and they shall say to you, Why has Jehovah pronounced all this great evil against us? Or what is our iniquity, or what is our sin that we have committed against Jehovah our God? :11 Then you shall say to them, Because your fathers have forsaken Me, says Jehovah, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshiped them, and have forsaken Me, and have not kept My Law. :12 And you have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, you walk each one after the stubbornness of his evil heart, without listening to Me;’…Jer 16:17 ‘For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes.’ After reading this, how can you still think God can’t look on sin?

Jer 19:3 ‘And say, Hear the Word of Jehovah, O kings of Judah, and people of Jerusalem. So says Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring evil on this place, which shall cause the ears of him who hears it to tingle. :4 Because they have forsaken Me, and have made this place famous and have burned incense in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents. :5 They have also built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I never commanded nor spoke, nor did it come into My mind.’ …Do you still think God can’t look on sin?

Jer 32:34 ‘But they set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. :35 And they built the high places of Baal, in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech; which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.’ Again do you still think God can’t look on sin?

 

Evil In The Sight Of Jehovah

Here is another phrase that you can look for, it appears 44 times throughout the Old Testament, see the scripture reference to each of them here listed below. The phrase is something like; He or they did “evil in the sight of Jehovah”. So it’s again quite obvious that the Old Testament scribes and writers knew that Jehovah was well aware of the actions of man whether they were good or evil.

Num 32:13, Deu 4:25, Deu 17:2, Deu 31:29, Jdg 2:11, Jdg 3:7, Jdg 3:12, Jdg 4:1, Jdg 6:1, 1Sa 15:19, 1Ki 11:6, 1Ki 14:22, 1Ki 15:26, 1Ki 15:34, 1Ki 16:19, 1Ki 16:30, 1Ki 21:20, 1Ki 22:52, 2Ki 3:2, 2Ki 8:18, 2Ki 8:27, 2Ki 13:2, 2Ki 13:11, 2Ki 14:24, 2Ki 15:9, 2Ki 15:18, 2Ki 15:24, 2Ki 15:28, 2Ki 17:2, 2Ki 17:17, 2Ki 21:2, 2Ki 21:16, 2Ki 21:20, 2Ki 23:32, 2Ki 23:37, 2Ki 24:9, 2Ki 24:19, 1Ch 2:3, 2Ch 22:4, 2Ch 33:2, 2Ch 33:6, 2Ch 36:5, 2Ch 36:9 and 2Ch 36:12.

Abominations in the Temple

Now for all the ‘die-hards’ that still believe, “God can’t look on sin!”…This passage should convince them that God can see every disgusting detail of our sins. The first two verses describe the glory of Ezekiel’s vision of Jehovah. The next four sets of verses, 3 to 6; then 7 to 13; then 14 to 15 and finally 16 to 18 are an escalating series of horrors. In short Jehovah is saying to Ezekiel.. ‘If you think that’s bad then look at this!’

Eze 8:1 ‘And it was in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth of the month, I was sitting in my house, and the elders of Judah were sitting before me. And the hand of the Lord Jehovah fell on me there. :2 And I looked, and behold! A likeness as the appearance of fire; from the appearance of His loins and downward, like fire. And from His loins and upward as the appearance of brightness, like the color of polished bronze.

Verse :3 And He put out the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my head. And the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heavens, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the opening of the inner gate facing north, where there was a seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy. :4 And, behold! The glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain. :5 And He said to me, Son of man, lift up your eyes now to the way of the north. So I lifted up my eyes the way toward the north, and behold, northward at the gate of the altar the image of jealousy was at the entrance. :6 And He said to me, Son of man, do you see what they do; even the great abominations which the house of Israel is doing here, that I should go far off from My sanctuary? But turn again, and you shall see greater abominations. 

Verse :7 And He brought me to the opening of the court; and I looked, and behold, a hole in the wall. :8 And He said to me, Son of man, dig in the wall now. And I dug in the wall, and, behold, an opening. :9 And he said to me. Go in and see the evil abominations that they do here. :10 And I went in and saw. And behold, every kind of creeping thing, and hateful beast, and all the idols of the house of Israel, were carved on the wall all around. :11 And seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, standing among them, these were before them, and each man with his censor in his hand. And the odor of the cloud of incense was rising. :12 And He said to me, Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, each man in his image room? For they are saying, Jehovah does not see us; Jehovah has forsaken the earth. :13 He also said to me, You turn again, and you shall see greater evils that they are doing.

Veres :14 And He brought me to the opening of the gate of Jehovah's house, toward the north. And behold, women were sitting there, weeping for Tammuz. :15 And He said to me, Have you seen, O son of man? Turn yet again, and you shall see greater evils than these. 

Veres :16 And He brought me into the inner court of Jehovah's house, and behold, at the opening of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of Jehovah and their faces toward the east; and they bowed themselves eastward to the sun. :17 And He said to me, Have you seen, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they do the hateful things which they do here? For they have filled the land with violence and have turned to provoke Me to anger. And lo, they put the branch to their nose. 18 And I will also deal with fury; My eye shall not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them. 

Conclusion:

When Jehovah, was speaking to Abraham about Sodom and Gomorrah and He said in Gen 18:21 “I will go down now and see”? Would God really need to go down to SEE for himself? Perhaps God said that for Abraham’s sake. Yet we see in Ezekiel chapter 8, it is quite clear that there is no iniquity hidden from Gods sight. Then we have in Jeremiah 16:17 ‘For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes.’ After reading this, how can you still think God can’t look on sin?

GBY (God Bless Ya)
Yours Adrian

Here are some of my other talks that you might find interesting: -

Did God Forsake Jesus On The Cross

A Thief In The Night - English

The Wordless Bible

The “ORIGAMI” Cross

True or Not? The Origami or paper cross really needs no frills added for it alone can amazingly tell the story of the Cross of Calvary

The “ORIGAMI” Cross

Published 20190528 -:- Revised 20251010P

I heard this story some 40 or 50 years ago. I have no idea whether it is based on fact! And yes I have embellished it with some descriptive work in order to make it an entertaining story. But the ‘Origami’ or paper cross really needs no frills added, for it alone can amazingly tells the story of the Cross of Calvary!

The STORY
There was a missionary minister in China and during one of the rebellions his parish was in the path of the on coming rebel forces. The couriers had rushed through the land with the message, “ALL un-wanted foreigners will be butchered!” The Europeans in that village, like the French Doctor and others, hastily organised an aircraft to evacuate them all to safety. But the minister simply smiled at them and said, “A shepherd does not leave his flock, the Lord will watch over me, I am staying”. So he prayed for their safety and bid them fare well as the plane took off. Then he went back to the village square and waited to great the rebel commander.

Very soon the village was crammed with the minister and his ‘flock’. They were petrified but hoping and trusting in the calm confidence displayed by their minister. They were all very quickly rounded up and bound, and presented to the self-proclaimed, ‘General Chunk Kov Muck’, who immediately approached the minister. With lightning precision he drew his sword and brought it swiftly to the ministers’ neck and stopped with his blade on the white collar. Then with a quick flick he cut the collar and it dropped to the ground, with out drawing a drop of blood. The General pointed to the collar and one of his men instantly picked it up, and kneeling before the General, precented it. The General inspected the handmade paper collar. The ministers’ original collars had seen better days, so he had resorted to making them himself out of paper. Then the General, through his interpreter, yelled, “Religion is the opiate of the people! - Your preach Jesus! - He foolish man! - He die on cross!” The General was still intrigued with the collar made from a folded piece of paper. Then again through his interpreter, said, “If you can make a cross with one straight cut of the paper, then I might believe your Jesus is not foolish man!” So, they threw the minister into a bamboo cage in the river.

Through the night, neck deep in the river, the minister prayed. “Lord you say. ‘Do good to those who persecute you’- ‘If your enemy is thirsty give him a drink’. Please help me reach this man! In the same way you helped Daniel reach Nebuchadnezzar.” Before dawn the next morning, that still small voice said to him, “can you make a paper plane?” Suddenly the image was in his mind and he was eager to show the General. Then the voice said again, “Show him how the other pieces of paper tell him about Calvary. Then show him the decision he MUST make for salvation!”

In the morning the General was grandly seated in a large armchair set in the square. He had all the villagers’ parade in the square. His purpose being, that they would see the minister as a crying wreck of a man. And by beheading him show that his religion was false! The minister was dragged before him and handed a piece of paper. With which he calmly started to fold the paper as the Lord had shown him that night. Holding the folded paper on the bench in front of the General, he said, “Honourable Sir, you cut along this line”. Instantly in one stroke, the General drew his sword and cut the paper. Taking a deep breath the minister checked to see that he still had all his fingers. Then he opened out the paper and presented ‘the Cross’. The General paused with his mouth open, took a breath, then asked in English, “Your Jesus show you this?” The minister smiled and said,  “Yes Sir, but He also said I must show you the very important message the other pieces of paper tell you.

The minister then placed the Cross on the table so that it was facing the General. He then told the story of Calvary. “Yes Jesus willingly died nailed to the Cross at Calvary, but he was without sin, so his Cross is represented as one piece. But there were also two other men who were nailed to crosses each side of him. They were criminals, so their crosses are represented as broken crosses. So he formed the two crosses with four ‘L’ shaped pieces of paper. He said the Romans placed a sign on the Cross, above Jesus, which read in three languages, “The King of The Jews”. So, the minister placed a small rectangular piece of paper at the top of the Cross. He then said the Roman guards threw dice at the foot of the Cross, to see who would win Jesus' cloak. So, the minister placed two small square pieces of paper at the foot of the Cross. He had one piece of paper left. A rectangular piece with one corner folded. So, he placed it at the side of the Cross and said, Jesus died quicker than expected, so the Romans drove a spear into his side to check that Jesus was dead. And all of this was prophesied in the bible in Psalms 22 and Isaiah 53 hundreds of years before it happened.

The General slowly shaking his head asked, “Why would he do this?” So, the minister left the Cross on the table, and he rearrange the rest of the pieces of paper. Then pointing to the Cross he said, “Sir, the bible says, ‘we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God’. So, God sent His son Jesus to die and go to hell. By doing that Jesus has paid the death penalty we all deserve. But because Jesus was without sin God raised Jesus from the grave three days later. Now Jesus sits beside God and waits for us to acknowledge He died for each of us. Then Jesus pleads before God to accept you into the kingdom of heaven to live forever with God.

Then with the other pieces of paper he could spell out the word HELL. Then pointing to the word ‘HELL’, he said, “But if you choose to reject Jesus and say, ‘he was just a foolish man’, then you will go to hell and be separated from God and Jesus, where it is said, ‘there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’. Sir this is the very important message that my Jesus said I must show you.” Then on his knees the minister bowed low before the General.

How To MAKE The CROSS 

Did you like that? Well here is a set of photos to show you, firstly how to make the Cross, then secondly how to tell the story. I have drawn a black edge on the paper so that you can understand how to fold it, then I have marked the side in fifths to show the last fold and cut line.

It is quite simple; most of us have made a toy paper aeroplane, or you have watched mum, dad or a friend make one. I have used a piece of plain photocopy paper, A4 size. Even the old ‘foolscap’ will do.  You can use a larger size for say a public showing, so long as the paper is in the same proportion. For example, A3, A2 etc.

1) Start with a piece of plain paper. Note the ‘black’ edge on the top and two sides. This makes the photos clearer to se the folds.

2) The two middle photos show that you fold and open, both left and right, to establish two fold lines.

3) The photo to the right shows the next step using the fold lines.

Below

4) Left photo.        Fold the paper as show, the black edges can be either inside or out side, makes no difference.

5) Centre photo.   Mark the side in fifths. This will show you on which line to make the last fold, which is at the 6cm dash.

6) Right photo.     Fold along the 6cm dash. Then on the 4cm dash, mark the dotted line for the cut.

Dividing into fifths will also ensure that after the cut, all the pieces of paper are about the same width.

                  

The End Product!

  

      

I hope you liked that little story.
Here are some other topics I have published, some quite controversial, but I do hope you find them interesting. 

British Israel - 1.01 [For Beginners]
The Lies In The Bible
A Thief In The Night - English
The-Book-Of-Revelation-Started-2000-Years-Ago

GBY (God Bless Ya)

Yours Adrian

The Book Of Revelation Started 2000 Years Ago

Revelation chapter 1: vs1&3 and chapter 22: vs6&10 are the key to understanding why the Revelation MUST have started as of 96AD!!

The Book Of Revelation Started 2000 Years Ago

“Come to Pass – Time is At Hand”

Published 20190502 -:- Revised 20251002P

I am dyslexic so please bear with me. Scripture references are from Modern King James (MKJV) unless noted other wise.

References & Equipment

AJFerris -The Second Advent by A. J. Ferris. – Publisher, “The Clarendon” Blackheath London S.E.3 (3^rd Edition July 1940)

CN          -Commentary Notes via e-Sword. By “NAME” on Bible Ref “BOOK CH: Vrs” e.g. [ref CN Clark on Dan 7:7].

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

HCC        -History of The Christian Church (by Philip Schaff) 1882 Edition. via e-Sword. [Phrases underlined for easy reference.]

NA          -New Advent. Catholic Encyclopaedia with reference word to be used, e.g. [ref NA i.e. Jesuits, The]

Wiki        -Wikipedia ref, egample: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicarius_Filii_Dei

AIM

To work from scripture and answer the age-old question, ‘When does the Revelation start?’

Why does it have these two passages saying, "shortly come to pass...for the time is near or at hand”

Rev 1:1 “A Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him to declare…things which must shortly come to pass;G1096.”

Rev 1:3 “…who reads and hears the Words of this prophecy, and the ones keeping the things written in it, for the time is near.” 

Rev 22:6 “…And the Lord God…sent His angel to show to His servants the things which must shortly 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.”

Word No. G1096    γίνομαι   ginomai Thayer Definition:

1) to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being

2) to become, i.e. to come to pass, happen

3) to arise, appear in history, come upon the stage…etc.

So “shortly come to pass” or “shortly be done”; have the same meaning.

Therefore John is telling the world in 96AD, that the Revelation is, ‘Shortly going to begin for the time is near or at hand!'

This raises some interesting questions, the likes of: -

1. What scriptures show that the Revelation has started?
2. What about the antichrist? Is He already here?
3. Is there a Rapture? Yes or No?
4. What About The Time, Times And Half Time?
5. Who is the antichrist?

QUESTION….1   What scriptures show that the Revelation has started?

Let’s consider Rev 12 “The Woman” (Israel); Rev 12:5 “And she bore a son, a male, who is going to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” That is obviously Christ, but NOT a physical birth! But.. consider…

Col 1:18 “And He is the Head of the body, the church, who is the Beginning, the First-born from the dead, ….”

Rev 1:5 “even from Jesus Christ the faithful Witness, the First-born from the dead and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. …”

So Rev 12:5 ‘the woman' etc is an event nearly 2000 years ago in 33AD. And the verses and chapters that follow are sequential events, following on from one to the other; the symbolism can be identified with events in our history over the past 2000 years.

How do we explain that in the previous chapter 11 verses 15 onward it is speaking of the 'End of The Age'? Things the likes of: -

Verse :15  ‘The Seventh Trumpet…kingdoms…become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ…reign forever’ :17  ‘...You took Your great power...reigned.’ :18 ‘..judging..the dead…reward..Your servants…destroy those destroying the earth.’ v:19  ‘…temple of God was opened in Heaven,…the ark of His covenant,..lightnings..thunders..earthquake,.hail.’

OK Consider the following; in chapter 5 John saw, “a bookG975 written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals…” Word Number G975 also means ‘scroll’, so the scroll was written on BOTH sides, and Sealed.  From chapter 6 to 8, we see each of the seals being opened. Rev 6:1 “…the Lamb opened one of the seals, :3…opened the second seal, :5…third seal,  :7…fourth seal, :9…fifth seal, :12…sixth seal,  Rev 8:1…seventh seal,” So there are no more seals being broken. But we haven’t reached 'End of The Age'! Incidentally Rev 6:1-8, ‘The Four Horsemen’, when compared to history is a very concise symbolic coverage of the decline of the Roman Empire. [Ref. CN by Barnes, Bullinger, Robertson, Johnson, Wesley, and Ferris on Rev 6:2]

We then convert to Trumpets, which lead us up to chapter 11 and the 'End of The Age'. For example: -

Rev 8:7...first angel sounded, :8…second angel sounded, :10…third angel sounded, :12…fourth angel sounded, Rev 9:1…fifth angel sounded, :13…sixth angel sounded, Rev 11:15…seventh angel sounded.” Which brings us to the 'End of The Age'. Each of the seals and trumpets symbolically reveal events that have happened over the past 2000 years leading up to the 'End of The Age'.

Then we see chapter 12 starts with the resurrection of Christ and continues through to Revelation chapter 20, which speaks of the 1000-year reign of Christ. Rev 20:2 “And he laid hold on..Satan, and bound him a thousand years.” How come the Revelation jumps back and forward? Remember the ‘Scroll’ was written on BOTH sides! It was customary in the time of Christ to read one side of the scroll then turn it over to read the second side. So the first side, with the seals and trumpets, revealed chapters 6 to 11, through to the 'End of The Age'. Turning the scroll over reveals chapters 12 onward. So the scroll gave us two separate accounts of the past 2000 years.

Remember this; Deu 17:6,  Deu 19:15,  Mat 18: 2 & Co 13:1 “In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.”

Christ has revealed to us three prophesies, each giving us an accurate account of the past 2000 years to our present time. They are: -

1. The letters to the Churches. Each church representing an era of the church over the past 2000 years.
2. Chapter 6 ‘The Four Horsemen’ to chapter 11, which speaks of the 'End of The Age'.
3. Chapter 12 ‘The Resurrection of Christ’ to chapter 20 which speaks of the ‘The Start of The Millennium’.

QUESTION…2   What about the antichrist? Is He already here?

Trust me; let’s go through this step-by-step.

Consider the following. We now know that the Revelation is talking about historic events in our past. It talks about the rise and fall of kingdoms. We can also refer to Daniel's visions and see how they should match up with our history and the Revelation.  

Dan 2:40-43, he saw “the legs of iron followed by the Ten toes", also partly iron.

Dan 7:23-24, he saw “Ten Horned Beast", “And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise"

It is important to note from which empire the Ten 'toes and horns' stem from. They both stem from the iron kingdom, which represented the Rome Empire. Also there has only ever been ONE set of TEN kingdoms prophesied; Daniel chapter 2 clearly shows us that. 

Dan 7:8 “…and there came up among them another little horn,…” Dan 7:24-25  “…and he shall humble three kings..” 

Dan 7:25 “And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,..."

We know this ‘Little Horn’ to be the antichrist. He rose to power soon after and amongst the Ten kingdoms. Imperial Rome fell in 476AD. History shows us that Ten kingdoms in Europe soon followed. You can Google some historical maps of Europe from the years 480 to 500AD. Alternatively there is an excellent map, freely available which shows the Ten Kingdoms. [Ref e-Sword/ Graphics Viewer/ Historical/ Map 34. ‘The Germanic Kingdoms and The Eastern Roman Empire in 486’].

Lets not go into who is the antichrist! But we now know when he should have appeared! Lets say some time from 480 to 600AD.

Lets look at 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2. This passage will also show you that the antichrist must appear before Christ appears!

2Th 2:1 “Now we beseech you, my brothers, with regard to the comingG3952 of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, :2  that you should not be soon shaken in mind or troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word or letter, as through us, as if the Day of Christ is at hand. :3  Let not anyone deceive you by any means. For that Day shall not come unless there first comes a falling awayG646, and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition,… :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 comingG3952,”

Word No. G3952  παρουσία   parousia Thayer Definition:

1) presence

2) the coming, arrival, advent

2a) the future visible return from heaven of Jesus, to raise the dead, hold the last judgment, …etc.

Word No. G646   ἀποστασία  apostasia Thayer Definition:

1) a falling away, defection, apostasy

So it’s quite clear the antichrist must have appeared some time in the middle ages! Finally Christ will destroy him at The Advent!

QUESTION….3   Is there a Rapture? Yes or No?

In the above passage 2 Th 2, why does Paul talk about the Advent and skips the Rapture? Lets look at “One Taken One Left”

Mat 24:37 “But as the days of Noah were, so shall be the comingG3952 of the Son of Man. :38  For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark. :39  And they did not know until the flood came and took them all away. So also will be the coming G3952 of the Son of Man. 40  Then two shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. :41  Two shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” Who was taken in the time of Noah? Who gets taken at the comingG3952 of the Son of Man? In this context word G3952 means, ‘advent’.

Luke 17:26 “And as it was in the days of Noah, so it also shall be in the days of the Son of Man. :27  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark; and the flood came and destroyed them all. :28  So also as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; :29  but the day Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from the heaven and destroyed them all. :30  Even so it shall be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.…. :34  I tell you, in that night there shall be two in one bed, the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. :35  Two shall be grinding together, one will be taken, and the other left. :36  Two shall be in the field, one will be taken, and the other left. :37  And they answered and said to Him, Where, Lord? And He said to them, Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”

The disciples are not asking where are they going to be left! They are asking where are they to be taken? And Jesus answers with a statement that alludes to, Ezekiel 39:17 “…So says the Lord Jehovah. Speak to the bird of every wing, and to every beast of the field.…gather yourselves from all around to My sacrifice that I sacrifice for you, a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, so that you may eat flesh and drink blood.” At the comingG3952 of the Son of Man those that are taken will be destroyed, killed and eaten by the wild beasts! Those “left behind” will see the glory of the Lord at the Second Advent.

So there is NO Pre-Tribulation Rapture!

QUESTION…4   What About The Time, Times And Half Time?

Lets look at Daniel 7:25, and he is speaking of the Little Horn, (the antichrist), and what he will do to the saints! We have often been told it is a literal 3 ½ years. Dan 7:25 “…and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” We know this to be 1260 days or 42 months etc. Why have we always accepted that this supposedly means a literal 3 ½ years? We do not apply a literal 70 weeks to Dan 9:24! We apply the principal of “a day for a year”, so 70 weeks equals 70x7 days = 490 prophetic days = 490 literal years of fulfilled prophecy. A lot of the ‘Old’ scholars apply this rule to many prophecies, referring to Num 14:34 and Eze 4:6.

Yet only a few verses beforehand Daniel says the following in, Dan 7:12 “As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.” If we apply a literal meaning to Dan 7:12, (in the same way as a literal meaning is used to interpret Dan 27:25), then the three dominions or Empires, (namely Babylon, Media-Persia and Greece) would “have their lives prolonged”, for a meagre literal 15 months. That would be a minuscule “blip” in history, and obviously an incorrect interpretation. Yet if we apply “a day for a year”, then “a season and time” is equal to 90 days plus 360 days = 450 prophetic days, or 450 years of fulfilled prophecy. By doing this we can see from history that these regions came to power again, or “have their lives prolonged”, as the Byzantines the Arabs then the Turks for some 450 literal years. The exploits of the later two kingdoms are described very concisely in Daniel 11 as the King of the North and the King of the South.

So what happens if we apply “a day for a year” to Dan 7:25? We get the following… “and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” That equals 1260 prophetic days = 1260 years of fulfilled prophecy. That means the antichrist would have power for only 1260 literal years. We know he came to power some time between 480 and 600AD! And he ‘wears out the saints’ for 1260 literal years! Therefore his tyrannical reign must have finished somewhere between 1740 and 1860. We know from 2 Th 2:8 that the ‘Lord shall destroy the antichrist at His coming’. So the antichrist must still be here, but he no longer has power to ‘wear out the saints’. Also from pure logic, the antichrist cannot possible come to power in our present day! Why?  Because if the antichrist did come to power, ‘to wear out the saint’s’, that would mean that Chris’s Advent would still have to be 1260 years off in the future! 

The antichrists reign of, “a time, times and half a time” equals 1260 literal years and it is now FINISHED! 

QUESTION…5   Who is the antichrist?

I saved this one for last! We know his reign of power over the saints lasted for 1260 literal years. So he is not a single individual! The best description we have of the antichrist is from Paul 2Th 2:3 “…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 templeG3485 of God, setting himself forth, that he is God.” But what temple is Paul talking about, because he uses the same word for temple in the following: -

1Co 3:16 “..you are a temple G3485 of God,..” 1Co 3:17 “..the temple G3485 of God is holy, which you are.” 1Co 6:19 “..your body is a temple G3485 …” 2Co 6:16 “..you are the temple G3485 of the living God,…” Eph 2:21 (KJV) “..groweth unto an holy temple G3485..” 

So it is not necessary to have a physical templeG2411 rebuilt! The antichrist can, ‘sits as God in the templeG3485 of God, (the body of Christ), setting himself forth, that he is God’. Also John speaks of the antichrist, and he indicates that he has come from within the church. 1Jn 2:18 ‘…even now many antichrists have risen up,..:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us;’ So the antichrist could start off as a member of the ‘body of Christ’. So this rules out anything to do with Islam. Mahomet started his preaching in 610AD. This puts him at the correct time for the rise of the antichrist. But no Muslim in his right mind would ever dare declare himself to be God, and defiantly not within a Christian assembly!

What other scriptures do we have about the antichrist? Refer Daniel 7 verses 8, 20, 24 & 25. We have the following characteristics.

He rose up amongst the ten horns, started as a ‘little horn’, uprooted three of the ten horns. He ‘had eyes, (Ref. CN Clark on Dan 7:8. Eyes indicating spiritual insight that normal horns, ‘kings’, do not have). And a mouth speaking very great things,...appearance was greater than his fellows’. Dan 7:25 ‘…speak words against the Most High, …wear out the saints…plot to change times and laws…the saints given into his hand, time, times & half time.’ Which we have proven is 1260 years of fulfilled prophecy.

We have the same characteristics in Revelation 13:4-7, where he is referred to as the beast! Rev 13:4 ‘..And they worshiped the beast..:5 ..speaking great things…and blasphemies…And authority was given to it to continue forty-two months. :6 it..blasphemy toward God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, and those dwelling in Heaven. :7..to war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority…over every tribe and tongue and nation.’ The 42 months is again 1260 years of fulfilled prophecy.

The only other power or king that had a religious characteristic, that would fit this period of time 500-600AD is the Pope.

Consider the following: -

His Authority; was granted by Emperor Justinian. Refer http://www.moellerhaus.com/studies/JUS533.HTM . ‘The Decrees of Justinian Declaring John, Bishop of Rome to be Chief Bishop of All the Churches [AD 533]’ Then again his authority was confirmed. Refer http://biblelight.net/claims.htm. “Pope Boniface III (607 A.D.), a mere three years after the death of Gregory, petitioned Emperor Phocus to declare the Roman See the head of all Christian churches and that the title Universal Bishop would apply exclusively to the Bishop of Rome. This was done in an attempt to end the ambitions of the Patriarch of Constantinople.” See  Boniface III online at New Advent.

“Emperor Phocus granted the request, and a grateful Boniface III erected a gilded statue of him in Rome proclaiming his greatness.”

Limited Authority. It had a limit of 42 months; 1260 years. If we add 1260 years to 533 we get 1793. What happened that year? History tells us it was the year of the ‘French revolution’. At that time France was the Popes strongest enforcer of his edicts, so effectively the Popes reign of 1260 years, abruptly came to an end. Revolution infected the whole of Europe; the Pope was taken from prison to prison. And the colossal wealth of the Papal state confiscated by the French army. (You can do your own Google search on all that).

The next interesting date was 607, we add 1260 and we get 1867! What happened? Remember this passage. 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.” From 1793 to 1870 Europe was aflame with anti-papal revolutions. The ‘Ten Horns’ turned on the ‘antichrist harlot’. The revolutionaries tore the catholic churches to pieces, slaughtering priests, turning churches into stables and looting the wealth of Papal Rome. “On 24 Nov 1848 the Pope lost his kingdom and fled to an asylum in Gaeta. Italy proclaimed itself a republic.” Ref. A.J.Ferris.

Also [Ref. CN by TSK on Dan 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.” 1870 marked the End of the Papal States. That is a very brief look at the coincidence of the 1260 years. There are other coincidences, like what happened in 538 compared to 1798. But you can have fun looking them up yourself.

Speaking Great Things and Blasphemies

Lets look at some of “The Papal Claims Of Authority”. Remember about Feb-Mar 2019, there was an article going around the social media, something like, “The Pope is Changing The Lord’s Prayer”! You might think, He hasn’t got the Authority to do that?’ Millions of Catholics believe him! The then Pope explains why he has the Authority to do so in the following article, https://amredeemed.com/sunday-deception/vatican-declares-the-catholic-church-is-above-the-bible/. Highlighted below is the portion that is quoted in that website. But the rest of the paragraph below comes from a Booklet by A.J.Ferris entitled, ‘The Second Advent, How: When: Where?’ 3^rd Edition July 1940, page 8-9. [Ref. www.amazon.com/Second-Advent-How-When-Where/dp/B004Z9ZAJ8]

From A.J.Ferris, “[If prelates of the Church be called and counted of Constantine for gods, I then, being above all prelates, seem by this reason to be above all gods. Wherefore no marvel if it be in my power to change time and times, to alter and abrogate laws, to dispense with all things, yea, with the precepts of Christ; for where Christ biddeth Peter put up his sword and admonishes His disciples not to use any outward force in revenging themselves, do not I, Pope Nicholas, writing to the bishops of France, exhort them to draw out their material swords? (Quoted by Grattan Guinness, p. 191 “The Approaching End Of The Age.”)]”

Copied from the website as mentioned above. “The Pope has the power to change times, to abrogate laws, and to dispense with all things, even the precepts of Christ.” “The Pope has the authority and often exercised it, to dispense with the command of Christ.” Decretal, de Tranlatic Episcop. Cap. (The Pope can modify divine law.) Ferraris’Ecclesiastical Dictionary.”

As for the following comments, this is a very delicate issue! I have no wish to upset anyone’s faith or beliefs! I have used the Roman Catholic Encyclopaedia, New Advent to verify the existence of the claims. The claims STILL exist, on the basis of papal infallibility. You can also find these claims in “History of the Christian Church” via e-Sword, and I have underlined key phrases so that you can find them in the reference given. Also I have give other website references. Most can also be found in,  http://biblelight.net/claims.htm .

607 “Pope Gregory condemned the titles of Universal Bishop..etc.. such pomposity was satanic or antichrist in nature. ..Pope Boniface III a mere three years after the death of Gregory, petitioned Emperor Phocus to declare the Roman See the head of all Christian churches.. the title Universal Bishop would apply exclusively to the Bishop of Rome.” [ref HCC vol.4 ch.4:51,53]

858 Nicholas I "..superior papal authority and dominion is derived from the law of the Caesars." “...the appellation of God had been confirmed by Constantine on the Pope, who being God, cannot be judged by man." [Ref. below “Dictates Of Hilderbrand”]

1054 “Pope Leo IX sent a letter to Michael, Patriarch of Constantinople, in 1054, that cited a large portion of the Donation of Constantine, to include the phrase Vicarius Filii Dei..Leo provided the Greek Patriarch with the..text..to officially notify him that Emperor Constantine.. conferred a unique dignity, authority..on the See of Peter, making Constantinople subject to Rome. Leo IX assured the Patriarch that the donation was completely genuine…Little did Leo IX know that he cited and testified to the authenticity of the most stupendous fraud in European history. The Patriarch rejected the claims..and subsequently the Catholic Church was split in two in the Great Schism of 1054.” [All was based on a fraud? ‘Vicarius Filii Dei’ can be found in hundreds of documents, and it opens a can of warms regarding 666. [Ref  http://biblelight.net/claims.htm ] [Ref. HCC vol.2 ch.4:49 (4)]

1073 The Dictates Of Hilderbrand (POPE GREGORY VII)  (1073-1085)

[Ref. http://biblelight.net/claims.htm,]

1. That the Roman Church was founded by the Lord alone. 

2. That the Roman Pontiff alone is justly called universal. 

3. That he alone can depose bishops or restore them …

9. That all princes should kiss the feet of the pope alone…

12. That it is lawful for him to depose emperors …

18. That his sentence ought not to be reviewed by any one; and he alone can review [the decisions] of all. 

19. That he ought to be judged by no one …               

22. That the Roman Church never erred; nor will it, according to Scripture, ever err …

27. That he can absolve subjects from their allegiance to unrighteous [rulers].

See more from this website; [https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/g7-dictpap.asp]

1198  Pope Innocent III. Claims Divine Authority ……it is "not only as a man, but as the true God's vice governor on earth .. he dissolves not with human, but with divine authority" [Ref. http://biblelight.net/claims.htm]      

1198 Pope Innocent III Claims Authority Over Kings. “Just as the founder of the universe established two great lights in the firmament of heaven, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, so too He set two great dignities in the firmament of the universal church..., the greater one to rule the day, that is, souls, and the lesser to rule the night, that is, bodies. These dignities are the papal authority and the royal power.. just as the moon derives its light from the sun and is indeed lower than it in quantity and quality, in position and in power, so too the royal power derives the splendour of its dignity from the pontifical authority”. [ref HCC vol.5 ch.5:37]

1243 Innocent IV “Every cleric must obey the Pope, even if he commands what is wrong, for no one can judge him. The only exception was if the command involved heresy or tended to the destruction of the church.” [Ref. http://biblelight.net/claims.htm]

1243 “The pope has unrestricted power on the earth. It is so vast that even he himself cannot know fully what he is able to do. His judgment is the judgment of God. Their tribunals are one. His power of granting indulgences is so great that, if he so wished, he could empty purgatory of its denizens provided that conditions were complied with. …In spiritual matters he may err, because he remains a man, and when he holds to heresy, he ceases to be pope. Council cannot depose him nor any other human tribunal, for the pope is above all and can be judged by none…Christendom, he argues, which is but one kingdom, can have but one head, the pope. Whoever does not accept him as the head does not accept Christ. And whosoever, with pure and believing eye, sees the pope, sees Christ himself. Without communion with the pope there is no salvation.” [ref HCC vol.6 ch.1:007]

1245 “Seeing that we, unworthy as we are, hold on earth the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ,” [ref HCC vol.5 ch.6:44]

“Where Peter (or his successor) is, there is the Church." "There is No Allegiance to Christ Without Submission to the Pope").

[Ref. HCC vol.6 ch.10] [Ref. HCC vol. 6 ch.1:8] 

1320 The Decision of the Pope and the Decision of God Constitute One Decision. “Only the Pope is said to be the Vicar of God: because he alone is able to bind and loose, .. given to him by God. The decision of the Pope and the decision of God constitute one decision,…Therefore no one can appeal from the Pope to God, as no one can enter into the consistory of God without the mediation of the Pope, who is the key-bearer and the doorkeeper of the consistory of eternal life; and as no one can appeal to himself, so no one can appeal from the Pope to God, because there is one decision and one court of God, and the Pope.” [Augustinus Triumphus (1243-1328) Summa…ecclesiastica (Summary On The Power Of The Church) Internet] [Ref. HCC vol.6 ch.10]

1417 “The Roman Pontiff, successor of the blessed Peter, and the vicar of Jesus Christ, and the keeper of the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, of all regions of the world, and of all of the nations and those who dwell in them,..” (4 April 1417).[ref HCC vol.5 ch.2:11]

Please do your own research! This is just a sample. Go to the Library or Google “Papal Claims to Authority” or these useful websites.

“http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p123a9p4.htm” or “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicarius_Filii_Dei”. Or “http://biblelight.net/666.htm”. And use this site, http://biblelight.net/claims.htm, with the following key words and phrases.

“[Salvation - Universal  - Dictates of Hilderbrand  - Divine Authority - Authority Over King – ‘hold on earth the place of Jesus Christ,’ - Another God on Earth - Consistory – Infallibility]”

I hope you have found this very informative

God Bless You… Yours Adrian