Issued 3/30/24

“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.”

John 9:4

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: http://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 and Most High God.  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.

   In the Bible prophecy is primarily directed at Judeo-Christians of any era. Peter’s comment in 1Peter 1:12 bears witness to this fact; notable examples being Isaiah 53:1-12 and Daniel 9:24-27 regarding Jesus’ Messiahship, and the succession of governments from Babylon to end-times impacting Jews and Christians (Daniel 2:31-45, 8:16-25↔Daniel 7:17-18,26; Revelation 13:7, 17:12,17, 20:7-10). Except for Judaism, as well as Christianity exported worldwide from Western European countries,¹ Scripture does not involve other nations or their systems of belief—however popular, inspiring or moral on their own right.

   Buddhism, for example, denies the existence of an immortal soul created by a God, the basic argument being that if eternal, such a soul cannot rise or fall; yet Scripture portrays the soul as the God-given “breath” giving bodies life both mortal [which “fall” in terms of sin] and immortal [which “rise” in terms of righteousness] (Genesis 2:7; Ecclesiastes 12:7; John 6:63↔1Kings 17:22; Luke 8:54-55; 1Thessalonians 4:13-14; Revelation 6:9). Ditto any religious belief based on polytheism (Deuteronomy 32:39↔Hebrews 6:13; Isaiah 45:7); notions of reincarnation (Hebrews 9:27↔Ecclesiastes 9:5-6); worship/sacrifice of animals (Romans 1:23; 1Corinthians 10:20); idolatry (Exodus 20:4-5; Ezequiel 5:11, 14:4, 37:23; 1John 5:21; Revelation 21:8); divination/sorcery/spiritualism/astrology/fortune telling in any shape or form (Deuteronomy 4:19; 18:10-12; Revelation 21:8)—all of which endure to this day though dismissed as shown by associated Scriptures.

   Jesus gave us the reason why non Judeo-Christian religions do not matter: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6↔1Timothy 2:5); meaning that for the Christian faithful at least Father cannot be found through/in any other belief systems—hence the dangers posed by interfaith dialogues. The same applies to their highest exponents/proponents as expressed in Proverbs 146:3: “Don’t put your trust in princes [both secular and religious], or in a son of man in whom there is no help.” Since both Yahweh Son [the preexistent Jesus↔Genesis 1:3; Colossians 1:15; Revelation 3:14] and the human Jesus [↔Luke 1:34-35] were created by Father, only Jesus meets the criterion of not having been born of man.² Every other prophet and spiritual guru of whatever ethnic origin/nationality, no matter tributes or attributes accorded them by their followers, had mortal parents—in short, not to be regarded as agents for spiritual transcendence/salvation.

   That being said, every person is free to believe what he/she will, with the proviso that if not rooted in Scripture, each is headed for the proverbial hole (Matthew 15:14↔Isaiah 8:20; Ezekiel 3:18-21). Towards this end Father, though oftentimes depicted as a browbeating bully, offers choices to either toe His line (Deuteronomy 30:15,19; Ezekiel 33:11)—after all it is His Creation, His show being run as He sees fit irrespective of human considerations [↔Job 41:11; Daniel 4:35; 1Corinthians 10:22], or else (1Samuel 2:30; Proverbs 8:17; John 9:31; 2Thessalonians 2:11-13). That “else” may sound despotic but not really: Because there is no reasoning with destructive pests, injurious weeds, or cancerous tumors, houses are tented, fields burned, and growths nuked; so that Armageddon is Father‘s drastic measure to eradicate incorrigible transgressors for a greater good (Revelation 20:7-10, 21:4↔Jeremiah 29:11).

Short Review of Prophecy Fulfilled and Unfolding

   In terms of Jesus’ earthly ministry, prophecies like Isaiah 7:14, 52:6, 53:7-10 and Ezekiel 34:11, amongst others, have come to pass. Some like Judgment Day (Ezekiel 34:17↔Matthew 25:32-33), the two resurrections (Daniel 12:2; Acts 24:15; Revelation 20:5-6), and the disappearance of the cosmos (Isaiah 65:17↔Matthew 24:35; 2Peter 3:10,12; Revelation 21:1 / Isaiah 34:14↔Mark 13:25; Revelation 6:13-14), are still to come. Due to worldwide apostasy [↔Matthew 24:11-12; Luke 21:17; 1Timothy 4:1-2; 2Timothy 3:1-5, 4:3-4; 2Peter 2:12-15; 1John 2:19], however, other prophecies are specific to end-times: The historically unprecedented Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21; the Final Plagues (Revelation 9 and 16); and the devastation of Babylon the Great (Revelation 17:16,18, 18:5-10). The ones that concern us here will be discussed below and in Part IV.

   As argued many times before, given the premise that past is prologue to the future (Genesis 6:5↔Ecclesiastes 1:9-10, 7:29, 9:3), Scripture oftentimes combine into a single narrative events pertinent to past times and to future ones. Thus we have a literal Exodus from Egypt to Canaan and a figurative Exodus from Egypt symbolizing Satan’s worldwide domain (Ezekiel 29:3↔Luke 4:5-6; 1John 5:19); both led by men who were counterparts of each other (Deuteronomy 18:15) and symbolically treated as one: Non-priestly Moses referred to in the person of High Priest Jesus (Zechariah 3:1↔Jude 1:9; Hebrews 7:14-17). Furthermore by no stretch of the imagination can we describe earthly Israel as “a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands” (Ezekiel 20:6). It is obvious that Ezekiel [or rather, the Holy Spirit through him] was linking the entry into Canaan under Joshua with the entry into Father‘s Kingdom under Jesus; in order to make that clear, warrior-deliverer Joshua’s name [Hebrew, Yehoshu’a] was changed from Hoshea (Numbers 13:16) to match his namesake’s, Warrior-Deliverer Jesus [i.e., Iesus, the Greek equivalent to its Arameic short form, Yeshu’a↔Joshua 5:14-15; Isaiah 59:20; Daniel 9:25; Revelation 19:11-16).

   A different approach, but with the same objectives, occurs in Ezekiel 31 and 32, were Pharaoh king of Egypt and Assyrians are stand-ins for Satan and his angelic minions, depicted here as trees in the Garden of Eden [↔Ezekiel 28:13] where there were no humans except Adam and Eve. Ezekiel 32 especially is peppered with future events: The bodies of Satan’s human minions littering the world (Ezekiel 32:35↔Jeremiah 25:33); celestial upheavals (Ezekiel 32:7↔Isaiah 13:10; Amos 8:9; Zechariah 14:7; Matthew 24:29); even the realization by Satan’s human minions that he had become as powerless as them (Ezekiel 33:21↔Isaiah 14:10). And finally, Jewish Israel symbolizing Father‘s true nation, not in terms of ethnicity but peoples sharing the same Judeo-Christian faith chosen from all the nations of the world (Romans 2:29↔Jeremiah 4:4; Acts 10:34-35; Galatians 3:7,28-29; Ephesians 1:10, 4:4-6)—the priestly nation alluded to in 1Peter 2:9 and Revelation 5:9-11↔Genesis 15:5; Isaiah 53:8. Again by no stretch of the imagination can we say that all Jews of any age have lived up to Father‘s ideal standards; or that the “Jacob/Israel” (Genesis 32:38) alluded to in Isaiah 59:20, Romans 11:25-26 and Revelation 7:4-8 consists only of ethnic Jews.

   The prophecies that we have previously examined, Daniel 8, 9 and Revelation 13, follow the same format: Timelines mixing past events and future ones. Daniel 8:24-25, for example, cover Vatican Rome’s doings during the Holy Roman Empire—which is now past history to us—to her future comeuppance “not by human hand” [i.e., willed and allowed by Father↔Daniel 8:25↔Revelation 17:17, 18:5-8,20], an event yet to come. Daniel 7:7-14 covers the same period, but extends to future events like Jesus’ second coming (Daniel 7:13-14) the Last Judgement (Daniel 7:10), and the destruction of all earthly governments along with their empowering “god,” Satan/Bel (Jeremiah 51:44↔Revelation 16:13-14; 2Corinthians 4:4], at Armageddon (Revelation 20:7-10).

   The statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream represents much the same: A succession of worldly regimes running the gamut from autocracies [consolidated by might↔Daniel 2:32-34] to democracies [united by human alliances↔Daniel 2:43), all of which will be replaced by Father‘s Kingdom (Daniel 2:44), represented here by the “great mountain” where Heavenly Jerusalem will stand (Daniel 2:35↔Isaiah 11:9; Ezekiel 20:40; Revelation 21:10). Thus the “toes in the feet” of this statue are thematically linked with the heads and horns of the Revelation 13:1-2 beast [↔Daniel 7:7]—i.e., emerging Western European nations and their principal founders. If we then add the ‘potentiality‘ argument [↔Hebrews 7:9-10], any modern nation shaped by European mores, religious beliefs, heritage or what have you, whether it be the Americas or former African colonies, can be said to have been ‘potentially present’ in the beast’s heads empowered by the dragon-like Satan (Ezekiel 29:3↔Revelation 12:3, 13:2, 20:2).

   History has borne witness to most of this, but not to future events now taking shape prefigured in past ones. Let us first consider Luke 21:20: “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that it will soon be destroyed.” At the shadow level, Jesus was referring to the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in 70 CE; and though Scripture is suggesting Jesus’ foreknowledge of what was to come while he was alive [died in 33 CE], Biblical scholars theorize that Luke was probably written around 80-110 CE, assuming hindsight rather than prophetic vision.³ Israel’s current war against Palestine may be the start of Luke 21:20’s unfolding, a brutal enterprise where innocent blood is being spilt regardless of myriad rationalizations, but which according to Matthew 26:52↔Revelation 13:10 bodes ill for Israel—not to mention the mounting hatred of surrounding Arab nations against Jews. All that is needed is for Israel to be deprived of the foreign superpower—the United States—it counts on for support, the type of expectation already proven to have failed when Israel counted on Egypt to ward off Babylon (Isaiah 28:15,18-19, 30:15, 36:6,9-10; Jeremiah 27:14-17; Ezekiel 30:10,24, 31:11↔Deuteronomy 28:49-50; Lamentations 2:21)—which indirectly suggests the United States will itself face crippling challenges in order to be rendered unable to assist Israel.

   Revelation 13:5-17 and Revelation 17:10-18 follow the same template. While Revelation 13:5-8 and Revelation 17:10-14 can be linked to historical events, the rest of the verses in either chapter forecast future events. Revelation 13:16-17, for example, suggests technology controlling purchasing power, the “mark” on either forehead or hand open to interpretation, but not inconceivably digitalized SSNs/numerical IDs/rankings or something akin to ration cards/buying permits. Such a system already exists in China but as a non-Western nation, she is outside Scripture’s purview—which does not preclude the possibility that Western minded-dictators, already in place or soon to gain power, may follow her lead. And Revelation 17:16-18 clearly refer to future times when Europe as well as Western nations originating from her will turn against Vatican Rome. Do not fail to notice Revelation 17:17: However ugly things get, Father is directing the show by allowing Satan to act as He sees fit [↔Deuteronomy 32:35; Ezekiel 21:3-4,11-14,19]⁴ until Satan himself is neutralized (Ezekiel 21:3-5,7,10-13; Revelation 6:8, 14:20↔1Corinthians 15:26).

   Which brings us back to Revelation 13:11-15, this time a “two-horned beast” sharing a common body [heritage/ethnicity?], just like the Medo-Persian empire was depicted in Daniel 8:20. From Daniel we take our cue that the horns represent autocratic leaders whose identities, if of Western provenance, can be guessed at. Given that the ten toes in Nebuchadnezzar’s statue represent democracies, these leaders must be democratically elected; and thus far in 2024 one likely candidate has been re-elected and another more than likely to be so. If we then consider that Daniel’s horns represent superpowers, the “two horns” in Revelation 13:11, being Western ones, narrows down the field to Russia and the United States. Please pay attention to the disclosure that the “two-horned lamb spoke like a dragon“; suggesting a concerted effort [one body] of its “two horns” to follow Satan’s playbook: Consolidate absolute power (Isaiah 14:13-14); avoid public exposure (John 3:20); rely on lies/spins/false witness to secure followers (John 8:44↔Proverbs 29:12); imprison dissenters (Isaiah 14:17); get rid of the opposition (Luke 22:2; John 16:2↔2Timothy 3:12); and destroy nations or even kill their own people if need be (Isaiah 14:16-17).

   There is no need to identify these “two horns” by name since they are prominently featured in currents news. Nonetheless, Scripture profiles them for us: They are in sync with Satan’s instincts (John 8:44); by their actions and words we shall know them (Matthew 7:16; Luke 6:45↔James 3:6,8-9); their consolidate power by dividing people (Proverbs 11:29; Titus 3:10-11); they will resort to ridicule and false witness to demonize opponents (1Kings 21:9-10; Matthew 5:22, 11:18-19; Mark 14:55-59); they will invoke patriotism to neutralize critics (Jeremiah 38:4; John 11:50-52); and on promises of national greatness, they will be our downfall (Mark 3:24-25; 1Thessalonians 5:3↔Jeremiah 6:14,12:12; Ezekiel 13:10-16).

   But let us be wary of our limitations [↔Acts 1:7; Romans 11:33-34]: We Judeo-Christians are notorious for misinterpreting Scripture to support pet theories; examples being the notion that Father‘s Kingdom was imminent (Luke 19:11) millennia before the prerequisite of worldwide evangelization (Matthew 24:14); that the resurrection had already taken place (2Timothy 2:18), probably on the basis of Matthew 27:52-53;⁵ and spins on Paul’s teachings (2Peter 3:16).⁶ The ever perennial golden oldies are dated predictions about the end of the world; no matter if Jesus, who sends us the Holy Spirit revealing to us what is to come (John 15:26, 16:13), does not himself know the day and hour of that event (Mark 13:12). Prophets of doom, however, upstage Jesus in this regard; and while we understand that in their pretentiousness Father had blinded them to the truth, what is the excuse for Bible-thumping Judeo-Christians to believe them? To which Father already gave us the answer: “My people are fools; they do not know Me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good…Every one of you follows his stubborn, evil will, refusing to listen to Me” (Jeremiah 4:22, 16:12).

   Though Scripture’s focus is primarily religious, it nevertheless addresses the synergy between church and state, as in 1Samuel 8 or to seal Jesus’ fate (John 18:28-31). As to the latter, note the “pious” attitude of priests—not once but twice—resorting to Mosaic Law by way of rationalizing Jesus’ betrayal (Matthew 27:3-7; John 18:31). It is not only that they felt justified, ostensibly serving their God, in having enabled and abetted the death of an innocent man; but that their complicity illustrates for us both their hypocritical mindset and what Scripture terms “hardness of heart”: The inability to realize Father Himself had allowed Satan to blind them to the truth [↔Lamentations 3:65; Romans 11:7; 2Thessalonians 2:11-12]. And this handicap is what Jesus was calling attention to when from the cross he begged Father to forgive his enemies because “they knew not what they were doing” (Luke 23:24). Of course they knew what they were doing and rejoicing in it (Matthew 27:38-43↔Psalms 22:17-18, 109:25); but what Jesus knew Father had denied them was their ability to discern right from wrong in order that they be condemned.

   1Samuel 1:8 focuses in the dynamics of securing power and its consequences. Basically Israel was tired of a morally exigent God, so that they wished to be ruled by men “such as all the other nations” were (1Samuel 8:5,19-20). Fine and dandy, replied Yahweh, you are choosing them over Me (verse 8:7); but let it be known that your children will be used to wage their wars (verses 11-12); your assets appropriated and given to cronies (verses 14-15,17); and your sons and daughters exploited to maintain privileged lifestyles (verses 13,16). In Judges 9:1-6, Abimelech had spearheaded what has become de rigueur political MO throughout the ages: The would-be dictator claiming to be one with supporters; torpedoing the notion of power-sharing in favor of sole wielder of power; payola for loyalties [note religious funds taken from a pagan temple in Satan’s/Baal’s name]; and routing out everyone standing in the way. Each of these strategies are still at play in modern national and foreign politics.

   It is interesting to see that even in Luke 23:6-12, the betrayal of Jesus and everything he stood for led to the rapport between former enemies; which may be an insight into the relationship between the Western “horns” of the Revelation 13:11 “lamb”—if these indeed represent adversaries in terms of political ideologies, yet sharing a common goal: The desire to wield absolute power while trampling down Christian precepts. That these two leaders have the ability to command superior might is intimated by Revelation 13:13: “fire from heaven” suggesting space weaponry orbiting above.

   In the following and final installment, we will suggest how everything discussed above is now being replicated and dragging us towards destruction.

¹ The reason why from the very onset of evangelization, apostles were steered away from Eastern regions, which were closer, towards far distant Western ones (Acts 16:6-10). To which we must consider the possibility that room had to be left open for Islam to predominate in non-Western countries, given the promise made to Agar that from Ishmael a great nation would emerge (Genesis 21:18).

The Muslim population is expected to grow twice as fast (70%) as the world population by 2060 (1.8 billion in 2015 to 3 billion by 2060) and likely to constitute roughly 26.3% of the world’s total population by 2030—much larger than any other religious group. Greatest increases are expected in the Middle East and Africa, with Pakistan surpassing Indonesia by 2030 as the country with the largest Muslim population. In Europe that increase is projected to be 8% of the total population, with Russia having the largest share. These projections are based on immigration estimates.

² Please note how Scripture reinforces Jesus’ divine provenance in Luke 3:23: He was Joseph’s “supposed son.” No one but Joseph (Matthew 1:18-20) and Mary knew Jesus was not their genetic offspring; but since they were married, the consensus was they had conceived Jesus—a notion still alive amongst those who doubt his virgin birth despite prophecy to the contrary (Isaiah 7:14↔Matthew 1:22-23).

³ The same with Daniel; not written in the 6th Century BCE during the Babylonian Captivity but in 2nd Century BCE Judea. ‘Proofs’ include incorrect sequence of kings; Persian and Greek “loan words” [empires which followed Babylon]; and the apocalyptic character of the work more in keeping with nationalistic propaganda under Seleucid persecution of 2nd Century Jews.

When it comes to scholars and interpreters of the Law, three teachings must be added to Isaiah 8:20’s golden standard: 1) “He traps the wise in their own cleverness” (Job 5:13↔1Corinthians 3:19); 2) Isaiah 29:14: “The wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden”—i.e., prevented from being understood by non-believers [↔Mark 4:11-12; 1Corinthians 1:20-21, 2:7,10,14↔Deuteronomy 29:29]; and 3) Jeremiah 8:8: “How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the Law of the LORD is with us’? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes Has made it into a lie” [↔Romans 3:4]. Readers are free to believe who they choose.

⁴ Please note that the “King of Babylon” in Ezekiel 21:19 is not identified by name, suggesting some entity other than the historical Nebuchadnezzar, who is otherwise identified in events specific to him (Jeremiah 25:9, 43:10). That leaves only Satan, the real power behind the historical ruler (Isaiah 14:4↔Luke 4:5-6), which by extension identifies Satan as the despotic ruler of our world (1John 5:19). Hence Scriptural references to Babylon [both the empire and its capital city] in prophecies referencing Satan’s present-day realm and seat of power (Jeremiah 51:44↔Revelation 16:13-14↔Revelation 20:7-10; Revelation 2:13, 17: 5, 18:2).

⁵ Matthew 24:52-53 is particularly problematic. We are told that following Jesus’ resurrection [↔Colossians 1:18], the bodies of some of the sleeping righteous became alive and were seen by many. What is not made clear is the state of the flesh on those bodies: Was it fully restored yet mortal [as for example, Lazarus’↔John 11:39], or was it made immortal like Jesus’? If the former, these people died again, for mortal flesh cannot enter spiritual realms (1Corinthians 15:50-53); but if immortal, what became of them? We know them not to be in Heaven, for only three human beings have been so privileged: Enoch (Genesis 5:24), Moses (Zechariah 3:1-4↔Jude 1:9), and Elijah (2Kings 2:11); in point of fact, Moses and Elijah were seen with Jesus during his transfiguration (Matthew 17:3). Presumably, the short answer is that these resurrected died again and that their resurrection had nothing to do with either of the two (Daniel 12:2↔John 5:29; Acts 24:15) scheduled upon Jesus’ return [that of the righteous↔1Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 20:6] and before Armageddon [that of the unrighteous↔Revelation 20:5).

⁶ Possibilities are self-flagellation based on 1Corinthians 9:27 and the notion that by sinning more one accrued divine graces (Romans 5:20; 2Corinthians 12:8-20)—practices that have shamed and continue to bring discredit upon Father and Jesus.