Issued: 01/18/25

“…the ways of this world and of the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience…”

Ephesians 2:2

PLEASE NOTE:  Because Bible versions sometimes differ from each other in crucial ways, the version quoted here will be the one that best clarifies the point being made.  For a quick comparison between versions, please go to: www.biblehub.com.

   All bracketed material may be authorial comments, attempts at proper syntax, or minimal rewordings of Scripture for the sake of clarity and continuity.  These emendations will not be italicized.

   The “/” will be used to signify “and/or.”  The symbol “↔” is used to connect verses corroborating each other and so establishing doctrinal truths (Matthew 18:16↔2Corinthians 13:1).

   In differentiating between Yahweh Son [Jesus] and Yahweh Father [the Most High God], lower case letters have been used when discussing the former; upper case letters are reserved for the Only Sovereign Deity.  Since Jesus was at pains to differentiate himself from Father, we have followed his lead here.

   The term neo-Christians will be used to differentiate between false Christians and Jesus’ true followers.

Old Testament Evidence

   In order to understand the Scriptural significance of the 2024 US Presidential election—to be discussed in Part III—and its role in end times’ prophecy, we need to review the dynamics between Satan and mortal powers that be; in other words people, as opposed to fallen angels, who ‘channel’ Satan’s nature, ways, and objectives.  Granting that Father has a dim view of human nature in general (Genesis 6:5↔Ecclesiastes 7:29, 8:11, 9:3 / Psalms 14:1-3, 53:2-3↔Romans 3:10-18 / Jeremiah 4:22, 5:31, 6:13), the ‘syncing’ between Satan and his ‘channelers’ is a matter of personal choice:  Satan may push but cannot force anyone to do anything he/she does not wish (Luke 4:12-13; 1Corinthians 10:13; James 1:13-15, 4:7; 1Peter 5:8-9).  Simply put, Satan’s ‘channelers’ either choose to imitate him or are innately like him [↔John 8:44].

   Jesus’ Christianity is a singular religion in that no truly faithful is expected to exercise any type of control over others—neither religious [no popes, priests, rabbis, pastors, televangelists and the like] nor secular [royalty, politicians, etc].  Jesus made the first quite clear in Matthew 23:8, “You are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher [him↔John 15:26, 16:13; 1John  2:27], and you are all brothers” [i.e., equals].  And the second just as clearly in Matthew 20:25-26:  “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles¹ lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  It shall not be so among you.”

   The implication in either case was that whoever held/attempted to hold sway over others by disobeying Jesus’ directives was by default against him and rejected (Luke 10:16; John 15:6↔Revelation 3:15; 2Corinthians 6:15; 1John 3:8↔John 14:30).  To push the point further, Jesus eschewed political involvement (John 6:15); for the simple reasons that if the world was under Satan’s partial control (Luke 4:5-6; 1John 5:19), and Jesus’ co-citizens were not of this world (John 18:36↔Revelation 5:9-10), there were no nations in Satan’s domain Jesus could or would align with [↔John 14:30].² 

   In summary, the tragic reality of our world is this:  Father has placed the entire planet under Satan’s partial control [Luke 4:5-6↔Matthew 28:18, Revelation 3:18]; consequently, Satan handpicks/stacks positions of power with people—oftentimes under guise of truthfulness and piety [↔2Corinthians 11:13-14; Titus 1:15-16] ‘channeling’ divisive/self-serving agendas in opposition to Father’s.  Biblical statistics, such as they are, tell us that the unrighteous consistently outnumber the righteous (Exodus 12:37; Numbers 14:29-30; 1Kings 19:10,18↔Romans 11:3-6; Matthew 7:13-14, 22:14); a state of affairs extending up to end-times (Matthew 24:12,22↔Psalms 125:3; Revelation 7:1-4, 14:4-5).³ Prospects are grim and will get exponentially grimmer.

   One must always stress that Satan’s ability to act, regardless of Hollywood/Satanist propaganda to the contrary, is predicated upon Father’s and Son’s permission to deceive/mislead men [↔2Chronicles 18:21; 2Thessalonians 2:11-13].  Satan has always been under the control  both of Father (Ezekiel 21:3-15,19,25-27↔Isaiah 14:4-20; Revelation 6:8, 20:2-3,7) and the Son Father appointed to rule in His stead—His proxy ruler, so to speak (Genesis 41:40,55↔Luke 9:35; John 5:30; Hebrews 1:2-4: Revelation 2:26-27)—whether as  Yahweh Son Angel God (Exodus 12:23; 1Chronicles 21:15; Job 1:12, 2:6) or as Jesus of Nazareth post-resurrection.⁴

   In these and related Scriptures [↔2Thessalonians 2:11-13; Revelation 9:1,11], we see that a higher authority allowed Satan to act (1Kings 22:22; Job 1:13-19, 2:7); most notably in Luke 22:31 wherein Satan asked for permission to torment Peter.  And since Jesus was attesting to that ‘permission’ while on earth, it follows that it was not Jesus who allowed Peter’s ordeal, but presumably Father from Heaven, since no angels have been given the plenipotentiary powers over humankind that Father bestows exclusively on Son (Hebrews 1:2-9,14, 2:5-9; Revelation 5:3-10).

   Thus if we read Ephesians 2:2 as we should, the “prince/spirit” referred to is Satan himself; “prince” in terms of ruling over a global empire of death (Isaiah 14:20; 2Corinthians 4:4; Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 6:8),⁵ and “spirit” in regards to his angelic nature, because it is as such that he wages war through human beings against Jesus’ true followers (Revelation 12:17).  In Ephesians 6:12 the Holy Spirit speaking through Paul [↔2Peter 1:20-21] states that Christian ‘soldiers’ [↔2Timothy 2:4] “are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies [mortals], but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world [channeling] evil spirits in the heavenly places”—for which reasons Christian ‘ordnance’ is moral and spiritual in nature (Ephesians 6:13-17↔Isaiah 49:2; Zechariah 4:6; Matthew 10:34; Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 1:16) rather than weapons of destruction (Genesis 9:6; Exodus 20:13,21:12; Matthew 26:52↔Revelation 13:10).

   Daniel 10:20 amplifies the synergy between Satan and human armies:  “Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come.”  Who is speaking?  Yahweh Son/Jesus or how Scripture oftentimes calls him, “Yahweh of hosts,” ⁶ the Commander-in-Chief of Father’s angelic and human armies (Zechariah 14:1-9,12-13; Revelation 19:11-19).  In typical Scriptural ‘hodgepodge’, several narratives are presented in one continuous prophecy, so let us examine each individually.

   One would jump to the conclusion that “prince of Persia” refers to Darius; and that “prince of Greece” refers to Alexander the Great.  Not necessarily, for whenever Scripture wants to identify a particular historical ruler, it does so by naming him [e.g., Nebuchadnezzar in Jeremiah 43:10] or unequivocally signifying him [e.g., Alexander in Daniel 8:21].  But when Scripture teaches about the supernatural power behind the human ruler, Satan is implied [Isaiah 14:4-20 = king of Babylon; Ezekiel 28:12-19 = king of Tyre; Ezekiel 29:3↔Revelation 20:2 = Pharaoh, king of Egypt].  This leads us to conjecture that the Persian and Greek “princes” in Daniel 10:20 refer to Satan acting through all rulers of those empires; and what settles the argument is that Yahweh of hosts’ battles against them were waged with the help of the Archangel Michael, implying a spiritual rather than a physical battle.

   Secondly, the Zechariah verses address future events; whether by defining the future dimensions of the battlefield where Armageddon will be waged below a hovering Heavenly Jerusalem [↔Jeremiah 7:30-34; Joel 3:2-15, Zechariah 14:3-4↔Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3; Revelation 14:15-20, 20:9];⁷ or by prophesying the disappearance of the cosmos marking Jesus’ second coming (Zechariah 14:7↔Amos 5:18, 8:9; Matthew 24:29-30: Revelation 6:12-17, 20:11); or by graphically depicting the burning of sinners at Armageddon [Zechariah 14:12↔Proverbs 5:11-13; Revelation 20:9,15].  And most significantly in Zechariah 14:13, which is a replay of similar battles—without His nation being engaged in the struggle—where Father willed enemy forces to fight amongst and kill themselves (Judges 7:22; 1Samuel 14:20; 2Chronicles 20:22-23).

   The latter takes us back to 2Chronicles 20:22-23, when King Jehoshaphat and citizens of Jerusalem stood above “the Valley of Slaughter” ⁸ watching the routing of their enemies from a high vantage point—seamlessly corresponding with King Jesus and his priestly nation (Revelation 5:9-10↔1Peter 2:9) witnessing the destruction of their enemies from the ramparts of the Holy City [↔Psalms 58:10-11, 68:2-3].  A similar scenario takes place in Luke 16:23-26, where Abraham and Lazarus witness the torment of the rich man below them across an impassable chasm.  Abraham may be considered the father of faith (Galatians 3:6), but since Jesus is the Author of faith (Hebrews 12:2), it is reasonable to regard Abraham as a stand-in for Jesus and Lazarus embodying all the redeemed.

New Testament Evidence

   Revelation 13:1-7 and 17:16-18 are extensions of Daniel 7:3-8,11-12,19-25, 8:23-25.  Daniel 7:2, “the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea,” is referencing the destructive angels of Revelation 9:14-19 empowered “to kill a third of mankind” at some pre-determined hour, day, month and year known only to Father [↔Acts 1:7]; the timeline “hour, day, month and year” suggesting the specific point in time when unprecedented mortality/upheavals will begin—in short, the Great Tribulation at end times (Matthew 24:21; Revelation 8:7-12 [note emphasis on ‘thirds’], 16:17-21).⁹  Mind you, it is not Satan who releases them, for even he must be handed the “key” in Jesus’ possession (Revelation 1:8) to release his imprisoned, angelic host (Revelation 9:1,11↔2Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6).¹⁰  “The great sea” is a symbol for humankind/the world at large; please refer to the many Scriptures which depict Satan as an ‘sea monster’ playing havoc amongst nations (Job 41; Psalms 74:13-14, 104:25-26)—particularly as Pharaoh King of Egypt [unnamed] ‘swimming on land’ (Ezekiel 29:3-4↔Revelation 20:2 / Ezekiel 32:2-6↔Job 41:14,31, Daniel 7:7,19).

   Satan endowed the beast of Revelation 13:1 with “his power and his throne and great authority”; so that while it waged war against the saints and conquered them (Revelation 13:7, 12:17↔Daniel 7:8,21, 8:24), it was allowed to do so by Father [↔Job 12:16-25; Isaiah 45:5-7; Daniel 4:35, 5:21; John 19:11]—proof once more that Satan and his minions are under Father’s thumb.  Even here we find another Scriptural ‘jump’ from past to end times:  Revelation 17:16-17, wherein “ten horns” will destroy Babylon the Great because Father “has put into their hearts to accomplish His purpose”—a destruction which has not yet come to pass (Revelation 18:8,20-21).¹¹

   The end times “horns” predicted rulers who at the time Revelation was given to John had not yet “received” kingdoms, but who at some future time, as did happen during the Holy Roman Empire (HRE), would be jointly empowered with the beast (Revelation 17:12).  But it is also true that from those rulers’ domains emerged modern European nations; therefore using Paul’s ‘potentiality’ argument [↔Hebrews 7:9-10], the ten end times “horns” were potentially present in the ten original “horns” so that Scripture does not differentiate between them—which is the notion implied by the ten toes in the statue of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream being destroyed and replaced by the “stone” symbolizing Father’s Kingdom (Daniel 2:34-35,42-44; Hebrews 12:27; Revelation 21:3,10,27↔Psalms 48:1-2, Isaiah 2:2, Joel 3:17, Micah 4:1, Zechariah 8:3).  Therefore these enduring “horns” must play a role—directly or indirectly—in the resurgence of the beast at end times [↔Revelation 13:8,11-17].

   There is a plethora of ‘scholarly’/contrived explanations trying to make sense of these Scriptures; yet we forget that it is not human consensus on the most suitable candidates but who Father, through His Holy Spirit, will inwardly make us ‘discern’ the answer (Deuteronomy 29:29; Jeremiah 33:3↔Luke 11:13; James 1:5-6; Mark 4:11-12; 1Corinthians 2:7,10-14); so that is not so much a matter of establishing incontrovertible identities as the inner certainty of our God-given understanding.   Since Father cannot trust anyone in Satan’s domain to be His spokesperson (Psalms 146:3-5; Zephaniah 3:3-4; Zechariah 10:2-3; Malachi 2:7), He designated Jesus (1Timothy 2:5) as the Holy Spirit’s “anointer” (John 15:16, 16:13), eliminating the need for popes, rabbis, gurus, lamas, pastors, televangelists, etc. (1John 2:27), or any mortal self-appointed, spiritual guide violating Matthew 20:25-26, 23:8. They were never chosen to be repositories of the Holy Spirit given to the obedient; and since they are in violation of Jesus’ instructions, they must be ‘channeling’ you know who.

   Remember 1Samuel 15:22-23, Isaiah 66:2 and John 9:31:  Unconditional obedience is paramount to get anything from Father (1Samuel 2:30; Isaiah 66:2; John 9:31); and for good measure, be warned:  “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin” (John 15:22↔Hebrews 12:25).

   So, on the written evidence of however little we have, can we determine the geographical domains of these “horns”?  Yes, on the basis that the Bible does not deal with non-Western cultures other than the Old Testament’s near-Eastern ones interacting with Israel.  Yes, in terms of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue, charting the evolution of empires from Babylon, through Media-Persia, Greece, Rome, to European nations emerging from the fall of the Roman Empire and lasting until end times (Daniel 2:35,44-45), when their destruction is to be followed by the Kingdom of God.  And most definitely yes post-resurrection, Father having given Jesus a mandate to integrate Gentiles with Jews into one nation [Matthew 24:14; Acts 1:8, 9:15, 10:34-35↔Ezekiel 37:17-22; Romans 11:1-29; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 1:9-10].  In Father’s plan, Scripture’s focus had to shift towards European nations that in time would export Christianity throughout the world (Acts 1:8).¹²

      Which brings us to the second beast in Revelation 13:11:  One body, two horns, and speaking “like a dragon”—Scripture’s standard symbol for Satan himself (Ezekiel 29:3; Revelation 12:3-4,9,15-17).  What are we being told?  That this second beast is ‘channeling’ Satan and forcing peoples to bow, through might (Revelation 13:13-14) and some sort of external but far-reaching control (Revelation 13:16-17), to the very ‘beast’ whose worship ensures damnation (Revelation 13:8,14-15)—both of which suggest computerized technologies particular to end times.  One has a pretty good idea what these might be given modern capabilities, but time will tell.

   What concerns us here is that the second beast is not part of the other one; it rises “out of the earth” (Revelation 13:11) rather than from “the great sea”; and its two horns are distinct from the latter’s ten.  We can only compare it to Daniel 8:3,20’s two-horned ram, comprising a smaller horn (Media) and another which in time became larger (Persia).  In the sense that these empires were the superpowers of their time, the horns of the Revelation 13:11 suggest two superpowers at end times, though not necessarily one more powerful than the other since no comparisons are made as to the heights of their horns.  But it is clear they share a common body [cultural heritage?], suggesting a commonality of purpose on the Western hemisphere—the focus of the New Testament.  As of this writing, only two candidates are evident:  the United States and Russia; each ‘empire’ represented by its respective ‘horn=ruler’, “speaking like the dragon” [i.e., ‘channeling’ Satan], and relying on might and technology in pursuit of dominance.  Both “horns” figure prominently in daily newscasts.

   We will continue with this in Part III.

Follow the Misleader:  Scriptural Basics on Power Grabs

   In order to understand political realities, we must examine the dynamics of Satan’s own putsch to grab power.  Like all angelic beings, Satan was created not by Father but by His proxy Creator, Yahweh Son (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2-3)—the being who incarnated as Jesus of Nazareth:  This is the glory the 30-year-old Jesus (Luke3:23↔Numbers 4:30) alluded to before the world was (John 17:5). Although the Old Testament many times indirectly identified Son as the interactive God of the Jews [as Judge of all Flesh = Genesis 18:25↔John 5:22 / Angel proxy God = Genesis 48:15-16↔Acts 27:23; Exodus 3:2-6,14↔Judges 13:11,22, John 18:5-6 / Husband of Judeo-Christians = Isaiah 54:5↔Matthew 9:15 / Heavenly Advocate = Isaiah 51:22↔1John 2:1], only in John 20:28 was Jesus formally recognized as such.

   Satan was “Darkness” to Son’s “Light” (Genesis 1:3-4↔John 1:7-11, 8:12); Scripture makes a point of calling the latter “good” whereas “Darkness,” unlike the rest of Creation (Genesis 1:10,12,18,21,25,31), was not qualified as such.  That omission is the proverbial red flag, drawing attention to the fact that although conceived as the seal of perfection (Ezekiel 28:12-14), Satan was foreknown to embrace wickedness at some point in time (Ezekiel 28:15); thus becoming the antithesis of everything that was ‘good.’

   What was this “wickedness”?  His lust for power (Isaiah 14:13-14): “I will ascend to Heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars [i.e., angels] of God [co-ruling Son?]…I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High [definitely Father].”  Now Son was Father’s appointed proxy God; and while Satan could not attempt anything against Father, he could ‘monkey-wrenching’ the hierarchy in place to wrest some power from Son.  To Satan that idea was not inconceivable.  If Son was an Archangel [↔1Thessalonians 4:16] and Satan a Cherub, it remained true that both classes were endowed with tremendous powers, knowledge, and belonged to a higher order of angels.  Colloquially put,  what was good for the goose should be good for the gander.

   Given a grandeur “envied” by angels in Eden (Ezekiel 31:8-9,18),¹³ one gets the impression that Satan’s attributes were viewed as qualities for leadership; but other than Job 4:18,  “God [Father] does not trust his own angels and has charged his messengers with foolishness,” Scripture does not tell us what arguments Satan used to win over angelic supporters; yet they made up the power base needed and willing to attempt regime change—which set the standard for cronyism amongst power grabs.  If we use Revelation 12:4,9 as a metric, a third of the angelic host cast their lot with Satan. 

   Next Satan moved onto humans, zeroing on the weakest link in an exclusively male chain of command:  Woman.  Though not yet named so, let us call her Eve.  Whatever dos and don’ts were operational in Eden had been told her by Adam (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:1-3), the mediator between proxy God Son and man, just as Jesus, the “last Adam” (1Corinthians 15:45-47), was the mediator between Father and mankind (1Timothy 2:5)—which by the way was ‘potentially’ present in Adam’s loins [↔Hebrews 7:9-10]. Though there is a “hidden wisdom” in all of this, let us concentrate on the ‘political’ subtext.

   Satan’s objective was to undermine Son’s rule; so he seduced Eve with an argument that insinuated Son was a liar while challenged Son’s sovereignty:  You will not die as Son has said, but fears that by gaining knowledge, you may become independent of him (Genesis 3:4-5).  So much for Jesus calling Satan a liar from the beginning; though in the sense that Eve would be the “mother of mankind,” one can argue that Satan, preying on Eve’s lack of judgment, tripped her by assuring Eve that her mortal life was not in danger—which was true, while jeopardizing the immortal life¹⁴ which in Eden Adam and Eve had by eating from the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:22↔Revelation 22:2).  Thus by undermining divine norms, Satan ‘murdered’—“from the beginning”—Adam, Eve, plus all unborn human beings who were potentially present in them [↔Romans 5:12; 1Corinthians 15:21].

   A second aspect of the power-grabbing template had been set:  Lie about everything while promising the unachievable, entrap the gullible and damn them in the process.  Now Eden was a place where angels walked amongst Adam and Even; so that when Satan—symbolically depicted in Scripture as a “serpent” without having assumed that animal’s shape (Genesis 3:1↔Revelation 20:2)—manipulated Eve, she had no reason to doubt a member of the elite entrusted with her safekeeping [↔Ezekiel 28:14]. But after the eviction from Eden, on the basis of Genesis 4:26 and 6:5, one surmises that Satan had so successfully alienated men from Father and Son that only Noah found grace in their eyes (Genesis 6:8).  Then came the Flood where humankind was reduced to eight survivors (2Peter 2:5); followed by the repopulation of the world through Noah’s sons (Genesis 10), mighty leaders (Genesis 10:8), territorial disputes (Genesis 10:25), technological advances challenging heavenly rule (Genesis 11:3-4↔a variation on the ‘independence’ promised Eve), and nationalities/languages (Genesis 11:8) defining the world as we know it.  With these, Satan scored further victories.

   With the Exodus a second attempt was made to jump-start Heaven’s rule over men, using historical characters foreshadowing Jesus’ struggles against Satan’s ‘channelers’ from resurrection until end times.  Moses stood-in for Yahweh Son Angel proxy God/Jesus demanding the release of Father’s nation from Satan’s bondage (Exodus 3:19-20, 4:15-16, 7:1, 9:1↔Psalms 110:1; Isaiah 63:1-6; Jeremiah 25:33, 46:10; Revelation 19:15-19).¹⁵  Needless to say, the unnamed Pharaoh Moses confronted in Exodus was not any historical ruler, but the true power behind him:  Satan (Ezekiel 29:3↔Revelation 20:2).  Yet this was not the only comparison with Son:  Moses mediated between Father and men (Deuteronomy 18:15↔1Timothy 2:5); judged over Israel (Exodus 18:16↔John 5:22); and was the liberator/guide of Father’s nation towards a promised land which is neither Canaan nor modern Israel.  Moses’ symbolism of Jesus even went as far as dying without entering Canaan, just as Jesus needed to die in order to assume immortal flesh compatible with spiritual realms before entering Father’s Kingdom (Deuteronomy 34:4↔1Corinthians 15:42-44,50; Colossians 1:18; 1John 3:2).

   Theocracy worked for a time until we get to Judges 2:10-13, when Solomon’s argument that the immoral condition of men, not history, repeated itself:  Men turned to Baal [i.e., Satan] and Ashtoreth [mother goddess queen of heaven]; the former identified by the link between Jeremiah 51:44 and Revelation 16:13; and the latter by Jeremiah 44:16-26, whose cult Roman Catholicism reinvented as Marian worship.  Mind you Mary, the human vessel through whom Jesus entered the world, is asleep and awaiting resurrection; and all the travesty of her ‘assumption into Heaven’, for which there is no Biblical evidence, may have been extrapolated from the experiences of male exemplars like Enoch (Genesis 5:24), Elijah (2Kings 2:11), and Moses (Zechariah 3:1-5↔Jude 1:9).¹⁶  The presence in Heaven of the last two—as living and not as unconscious souls [↔Ecclesiastes 9:5-6; Revelation 6:9-11]—was confirmed during Jesus’ transfiguration on the mount (Matthew 17:1-3).

Satan’s Playbook

   Just as Jesus outlined for Judeo-Christians Father’s ‘playbook’ (John 7:16, 13:15; Hebrews 2:10; 1John 2:6), so did Satan come up with his own in order for his ‘channelers’ to further his power-grabbing agenda.  For that, Satan needed like-minded cronies/base group to undermine Son’s rule; first by seducing angels with promises/arguments not given in Scripture; and secondly by hoodwinking mankind’s progenitors while stripping them of all the assets and privileges they had enjoyed in Eden.  With eviction, the world as we know it began, significantly different from its original conception although Scripture does not tell us how that came about.  It cannot have been a second creation; Genesis 2:19 argues against that notion, as well as Scriptures related to one of Eden’s boundaries:  the Euphrates River (Genesis 2:14↔Revelation 16:12).  In point of fact like most of Genesis 1, Genesis 2:19 contradicts the theory of evolution by stating unequivocally that terrestrial fauna did not originate in the oceans because “God [Son] formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky.”

  Consequently we must assume that Satan was given permission to alter an exclusively vegetarian, terrestrial fauna (Genesis 1:29) into the predator-eat-prey bloodbath it has always been—which is in keeping with his ‘homicidal’ instincts.  If readers balk at the idea that a loving Father would consent to this, you are missing the crucial objective:  He tests [men], “so that they may see that they themselves are like animals” (Ecclesiastes 3:18), the reason why both righteous and unrighteous are portrayed as “clean” and “unclean” animals throughout Scripture and the ‘spiritual’ meaning underlying Mosaic dietary prohibitions [↔Isaiah 59:4-5; Jeremiah 50:17; Ezekiel 2:6, 22:27; Matthew 10:16, 12:34; John 10:16; Acts 20:29-30; etc.].  Nature as it is now—on the main magnificent as it inarguably is—is the mirror Father holds to our faces that we may understand the “clean” or “unclean” nature of our actions.  Even trees (Ezekiel 17:1-10, 31) and mountains (Jeremiah 51:25, Zechariah 4:7) are indicative of power structures high and low.

   Our world is literally an empire of death (Isaiah 14:20; Hebrews 2:14), the only kind Satan could deliver; so much so that throughout history to this very day, mortal ‘channelers’ past and present have implemented his playbook to the letter—under Father’s and Son’s ultimate control, it is true, but reflecting Satan’s evil nature.  Every nation’s history is steeped in blood; every leader has lied by promising visions that could not endure or did not come to pass; every leader, as the result of cronyism or nepotism, has despoiled citizens while using them to wage wars that have mainly benefitted his enabling/abetting/complicit elites.  And when no longer useful, as was Judas’ case (Matthew 27:4), leaders have turned their backs on everyone foolish enough to have believed in them.

   In the following chapter, we will discuss Scriptural evidence for these assertions.

¹ By using this epithet, Jesus was differentiating between Jews and non-Jews.  However, we must remember Paul’s argument that “a man is not a Jew because he is one outwardly [ethnically], nor is circumcision only outward and physical…a man is a Jew because he is one inwardly [in faith], and circumcision a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code [Mosaic Law].  Such a man’s praise does not come from men, but from God” (Romans 2:28-29).  Thus “rulers of the Gentiles,” therefore, referred to powers that be the world over.

   As with all his arguments, Paul’s interpretations were based on Old Testament Scriptures (Acts 26:22); be them circumcision of the heart (Jeremiah 4:4), or that Father’s promise to Abraham had been made prior to his circumcision, so that ethnicity played no role in the salvation of all redeemed [↔Romans 4:9-12,16; Galatians 5:1-8].; hence Acts 10:34-35↔Romans 2:7,10-15.

² Readers need to read between the lines in Hebrews 11:13-16 to see where Father and Scripture stand on the anti-Christian and divisive ‘us vs. them’ mindsets fueling nationalism and patriotism—anti-Christian because they undermine the all-inclusive unity amongst ethnicities, nationalities, races and genders which is Father’s ultimate goal [↔Matthew 12:25; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 1:10, 4:4-6]. This has not kept ‘Christian’ nations from committing atrocities against humanity ‘in name of God and Jesus.’

³ As Jesus foretold (Luke 17:26-39, 18:8↔Revelation 9:20-21).

⁴ That there are two Yahwehs in Scripture is also incontestable:  the One True God/Father Who is King, and His Redeemer/Prince of Peace Yahweh Son (Exodus 23:20-21; Isaiah 9:6, 44:6, 54:5), who in the Biblical record was Father’s one and only personal creation (Genesis 1:3↔John 1:7-9, 8:12; Colossians 1:15-16; Revelation 3:14).

   In the matter of Jesus’ ‘Interim Godship’ between his ascension to Heaven and his abdication post-Armageddon, connect the dots:  Isaiah 22:20-24↔Revelation 3:7 / Matthew 28:18↔Revelation 1:18 / 1Corinthians 15:24-28↔Revelation 3:12).

⁵ The antithesis of Jesus, Prince of Peace and Father’s Almighty proxy God now ruling over Creation (Isaiah 9:6, 44:6↔Revelation 1:8).

⁶ Keeping in mind that all titles ascribed to Jesus are equally shared by the Father Whom Jesus himself is ‘channeling.’  Thus if Jesus is the de facto Creator of all things in Heaven and on earth (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2-3), Father is the ultimate Creator by virtue of having empowered Son to complete Creation—just as Joseph was Pharaoh’s appointed co-ruler over Egypt but subservient to him (Genesis 41:40,55).  Likewise—and remembering that Father and Son are both named “Yahweh” (Isaiah 44:6↔Exodus 23:20-21), Yahweh Son/Jesus is the appointed Commander-in-Chief of Yahweh Father’s heavenly host; hence by “Yahweh of hosts” Scripture may be referring to either Father or Son depending in the context of whatever is being proclaimed.

⁷ Events we discussed in Part V of the series entitled Roadmap to the End of Times.

⁸ Symbolizing the Hinnon Valley southeast of the Old City, referenced by Jesus as the Gehenna where Father would destroy the bodies and souls of Satan’s minions at Armageddon (Luke 12:5↔Ezekiel 11:23; Zechariah 14:3-4).

⁹ Note concordance between Revelation 16:18↔Isaiah 13:13 / Revelation 16:20↔Psalms 18:15 / Revelation 16:21↔Job 38:22-23.  

¹⁰ Collectively called “Hades” in Revelation 6:8.  Like the Jewish “Sheol,” Hades is not a place where demons gleefully torture sinners in pools of fire and brimstone for eternity:  Roman Catholicism and medieval artists in her hire can be faulted for those sadistic imaginings imputed to Father.  Both Sheol and the Greek Hades were joyless places where souls lived in perpetual darkness—as indeed are Satan’s imprisoned angels (2Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6).

   Satan’s human minions are depicted in symbolic fashion as “wild beasts of the earth” (Leviticus 26:22; Ezekiel 5:17, 14:21; Hosea 13:6-9).  Jeremiah 15:3 provides a vital link to the specific identity of “dogs” in Psalms 22:16,20; Proverbs 26:11; Isaiah 56:10-11; Matthew 7:6; Philippians 3:2; Revelation 22:15.

¹¹ A church/city “sitting on seven hills” (Revelation 17:5-6,9) alleged to be Satan’s headquarters on earth (Revelation 2:13, 18:2); which if we incorporate 1Peter 5:13, must be Rome, as opposed to Constantinople [Byzantium, Nova Roma] which became the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire in 330 CE.  The distinction is essential, since Constantinople also sits over seven hills.  Yet it was papal Rome, not Constantinople which persecuting the saints during the Holy Roman Empire (Daniel 7:21,23-25, 8:23-25↔Revelation 13:7, 17:6,17, 18:8,20-21); so it is not only a matter of geography but of centuries of enabled and abetted historical genocides as well.

   Rome was the capital of the Western Roman Empire; as Revelation 17:5 calls her the “mother of all harlots and [disseminator of] earthly abominations.”  Think of Protestant churches issuing in from Roman Catholicism and perpetuating Rome’s violation of Scriptural mandates—amongst others, the manufacture /worship of anything/anybody in Heaven and earth, by definition including crucifixes (Exodus 20:4-5); and Sunday worship, the first day of the week (Luke 24:1; John 20:1) and not the Seventh, which is Father’s “sign” between Him and His worshippers (Exodus 20:8-11, 31:13) to be observed for eternity in the Kingdom to come (Isaiah 66:23).

¹² This was made clear from the moment the Holy Spirit ‘detoured’ Paul, Silas and Timothy towards Europe instead of preaching in Asia; which we might conjecture was off-limits in order that Islam could flourish there to fulfill the promise made Abraham and Agar in Genesis 21:13,18.  In point of fact, Paul had planned to go to “Spain” (Romans 15:24)—more properly, Hispania, from which the name ‘Spain’ originates and in Paul’s time was part of the Western Roman Empire.

¹³ “Envied” in the sense of admiration/perceived superiority.  All angels are herein depicted as “trees in Eden,” a Scriptural symbol for living beings and not exclusively for plants [↔Isaiah 5:7, 61:3; Mark 8:24].  Assyrians were not in the Garden of Eden; Assyria did not exist then; yet angels, including Satan (Ezekiel 28:13), did and were present in Eden; so that these Ezekiel verses are yet another example of Scriptural ‘hodgepodge’ drawing comparisons between Satan’s mortal Assyrian ‘channelers’ and angelic minions.

¹⁴ The distinction Jesus stressed in Matthew 16:25 and John 12:25.

¹⁵ In Scripture Egypt is oftentimes a symbol for the world with respect to Israel, just as Babylon symbolizes the present-day world with respect to Christians.

¹⁶ Zechariah 3:1-10 is singular in that it tells us the protagonists, except Satan, are ‘symbolic men’ and not the beings we know under their true identities.  Thus the “Yahweh” in Zechariah 3:1-2 is neither Father nor Son, but the Archangel Michael (Jude 1:9), who on that occasion acted as men’s advocate in lieu of Son—proven by the fact that Michael appeals to a higher Yahweh in order to reprimand Satan.  Then Moses is dressed in fine garments and given a mitre upon his head (Zechariah 3:4-5↔Isaiah 51:22; 1John 2:1; 2Timothy 4:8; Revelation 3:5); and given an overview of Father’s future designs in terms of the coming of Jesus (v. 8), his crucifixion (v.9), and His everlasting Kingdom (v. 10).

   Moses is called Joshua the high priest (Zechariah 3:1), a position never held by Moses nor by Joshua, son of Nun; but here stressing once again Moses’ symbolic relationship with Yeshua, Jesus’ Hebrew name,  the everlasting High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 5:5-6).