Issued: 01/22/22  Revised: 2/3/24

“And leading him up to a high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  He told Jesus, ‘I will give you all this authority, along with their glory, because it has been given to me, and I give it to anyone I please.’”

Luke 4:5-6

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.

 The expression “the devil is in the details” is particularly applicable to Luke 4:5-6.  As is always the case with Scripture, cumulative details point to the truth; and there are lots of significant details in these verses.

   We begin with the unanswerable ones.  Where is this “high mountain” Satan took Jesus to?  How could all kingdoms past, present and future be “seen” from there?  How could they all be displayed “in a moment of time”? Here we have intimations of a reality different from the one men perceive, and obviously not constrained by the laws/theories of physics.  Time, for example, theoretically moves from present to future; but Satan was giving Jesus an overview of human history from bygone eras to end times.¹

   Simply put Armageddon is the equivalent of WWIII:  The end of things as we know them not by nuclear warfare but by divine fire (Ezekiel 38:1,8,16-17,22-23; Revelation 20:9).  All nations will melt in the ensuing holocaust; prior to this, their capital cities will have fallen due to an earthquake beyond Richter scale measurements (Revelation 16:18-19); and the superimposed illusion we experience as reality will have been “removed” (2Samuel 22:16; Psalm 18:12-15; Isaiah 25:7↔Isaiah 34:4; Hebrews 12:26-27; Revelation 6:14-17).

   What are we being told?  First that none of our beloved motherlands will endure; so that we had better apply for citizenship in Father’s Kingdom or opt for immolation alongside worldly things.  Ever since Abraham left Ur, the way of the faithful towards Father has been a homeless pilgrimage (Leviticus 25:23↔Hebrews 11:13); for which reason Abraham, the father of faith, chose not to put down roots in an impermanent world.  Paul said it best:  “By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he went.  By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise, because he was waiting for the city with permanent foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:8-10).

   Now this City is the Heavenly Jerusalem, which will come down to earth—post Armageddon—in a new world under a new cosmos (Isaiah 30:26, 66:22; Matthew 24:35; 2Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 21:1-2,23).  By then there will be no homelands to go back to and perhaps not even memories of them (Ecclesiastes 1:11; Isaiah 65:17; Revelation 21:4); which poses the question: What roles do nationalism and politics play in Father’s grand scheme?  The simple answer:  None.

 Once more, we defer to Paul:  “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.  For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.  If indeed they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had enough time to return.  But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:13-16).

   Did any of the Patriarchs return to their birthplaces?  No.  Even those who went into Egypt [in prophecy oftentimes a symbol for the world at large (Ezekiel 29:3-6↔Psalm 104:25-26; Jeremiah 7:33, 25:31-33; Revelation 19:17-18, 20:2)], like Jacob and Joseph, left instructions for their bones to be taken back to Canaan, the promised land  that is shadow to the substance of Father’s Kingdom (Genesis 47:30, 50:25; Exodus 13:19; Joshua 24:32; Hebrews 11:22).  They understood that there was no looking back to origins or possessions, or any sense in shifting focus from Father to worldly distractions—exactly what Lot’s wife (Genesis 19:17,26) and Peter (Matthew 14:27-31) became emblematic of.  Moreover Patriarchal concern for their bones tells us they knew of the resurrection of the righteous, so that this symbolic gesture gave witness to their aspirations for another bodily life in a new order of things [↔Job 19:26-27; Isaiah 26:19; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Daniel 12:2).²

Pre-emptying Nationalism

   If Jesus is the only way to Father (John 14:6) and men must walk as he walked (1John 2:6), he left record of his political un-involvement (John 6:15) and lack of nationalistic tendencies; for he never identified himself as a Jew like the Apostles (Acts 2:14,22, 10:28) and Paul did (Philippians 3:5).  Through Joseph, Jesus technically belonged to the tribe of Judah (Luke 2:4; Hebrews 7:14); but whatever his genetic make-up consisted of (Luke 1:31-35), he did not carry a single nucleotide from Joseph, Mary or any Semitic stock.  He could not, readers, embodying as he did Father‘s all inclusive utopia where national origin and ethnicity were non-issues (John 7:16; Acts 10:34-35; Galatians 3:28-29).

   How did Jesus further dismiss nationalism?  By divorcing himself from everything associated with Satan.  If Satan had been given stewardship over earthly governments (Isaiah 22:15-19,25), Jesus drew the line between his and Satan’s respective spheres of influence.  “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36), telling us that secular and religious neo-Christian institutions could not be part of it.  Since Satan had nothing in Jesus, Jesus would have nothing in common with nations under Satan’s rule.  “I will no more speak much with you, for the prince of the world comes, and he has nothing in me…If you were of the world, the world would love its own.  But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you…If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you…because they don’t know Him who sent me” (John 14:30, 15:19-21).

   Nationalism, therefore, is another death blow to Judeo-Christianity, since it breeds, feeds and gluts on mindsets justifying in name of country every act of man’s inhumanity to man.  Whether it be bloodshed (Exodus 20:13), xenophobia (Exodus 22:21; Leviticus 19:33-34), discrimination (Deuteronomy 10:17), hatred (1John 4:20), religious persecution (2Timothy 3:12), divisiveness (Matthew 12:25), moral corruption amongst rulers and cronies (Proverbs 29:12), or what have you, these are all in opposition to Father’s agenda; and consequently Satanic ploys maximizing human transgressions alienating men from Him.

Spiritual Wars

“For ours is not a conflict with mere flesh and blood, but with the despotisms, the empires, the forces that control and govern this dark world–the spiritual hosts of evil arrayed against us in the heavenly warfare.”

Ephesians 6:12

   Thus the concept of a ‘Christian’ nation in this order of things is an oxymoron:  No such place can possibly exist since Jesus’ realm is not of this world (John 18:36).  If the entire world is Satan’s domain (Hebrews 2:14; 1John 5:19) and his seat of power is in Babylon the Great (Revelation 2:13, 18:2), it follows that human institutions are controlled and governed by unrighteous minions, led “by the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2)­.  Jesus does not endorse any of these entities.

   Father of lies that he is (John 8:44), Satan told Jesus a half-truth about his earthly sovereignty (Luke 4:6). Because men default on Father‘s covenants, He gave Satan conditional dominion over the nations of the world; so that Satan does not—cannot—give them to whomever he pleases. Since only Father is “sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone He wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people” (Daniel 4:17), Satan packs the seats of power with people in sync with his own goals and agendas. But there is a limit to Satan’s power, since on its own mankind has no chance to stand against him. This is why as Father‘s proxy Interim God, Jesus—the Yahweh Son proxy God of the Old Testament—currently is Satan’s controller (Job 1:12, 2:6-7; Matthew 28:18; Revelation 1:18); and Satan is the “iron rod” with whom Jesus rules/breaks the nations that despoil creation (Psalm 2:8-9; Revelation 2:27). 

 The protracted warfare between Jesus and Satan’s nationalistic hordes is evident from Daniel 10:20-21:  “Now I will return to fight with the prince of Persia. When I go forth, behold, the prince of Greece shall come… And there is no one who contends with me against them except Michael, your prince.”³  Yahweh Son is telling Daniel about his struggles with human rulers bent on world dominion—the quintessential aphrodisiac that drives all of Satan’s children (Isaiah 14:13-14; John 8:44) and which runs contrary to the Christian prohibition of not trying to lord it over anyone (Matthew 20:25-27).

 A further example of that struggle is evident from the confrontation between Pharaoh and Moses.  Scripture does not mention the historical ruler’s name, which is standard procedure when identifying the power behind the throne vis-à-vis who sits on it.  Isaiah 14:4-20 and Ezekiel 28:12-19, both dissertations on Satan, are good examples of this:  In neither Babylon’s nor Tyre’s case, the “king” being denounced is given a historical name.  We know from Ezekiel 29:3 that “Pharaoh king of Egypt” is Satan, the great dragon in the sea of humanity [↔Revelation 20:2]; and Exodus 7:1-2 tells us that Moses was Yahweh Son Angel God’s proxy with respect to Pharaoh.  So that when Moses asked not the ruler on the throne but the power behind him to let Father’s people go, one more battle between Jesus and Satan was being waged.

   In Jesus’ own case, Satan was able to strike back at him after Judas chose to betray Jesus, whereupon Judas became Satan’s slave and Jesus’ co-executioner (Matthew 26:14-16; Luke 22:3↔2Peter 2:19).  Once Judas’ mind was made up (Matthew 26:14-16), he forfeited his free will and Father disowned him:  He could only act as Satan compelled him to (John 13:2).  In Luke 22:3 we are told Satan physically possessed Judas—not in the Hollywood mold of revolving heads and disgorging torrents of pea-green vomit.  Judas composedly led Jesus’ captors and even had the gall to kiss him while sealing his fate (Luke 22:47-48).  Once Satan left Judas, whatever remained of Judas’ moral compass kicked in:  Guilt-ridden, he returned his blood money, after which he hanged himself (Matthew 27:3-5).  His priestly co-conspirators diligently consulted religious protocol and piously invested the money on a burial ground for non-kosher bodies (Matthew 27:6-7)—a behavior often seen in rulers getting rid of those no longer of use to them.

   Men’s brief moment of free will, such as men define it, comes at the nexus between obedience to Father or to Satan’s minions; or as Paul put it, “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, whether of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness” (Romans 6:16)? 

The Challenge of Unconditional Obedience to Father

“We must obey God rather than men!”

Acts 5:29

   In the original protocol, as with Joshua, Gideon, Saul and David, Yahweh chose Israel’s leaders (Deuteronomy 31:3-8; Judges 6:14-16; 1Samuel 9:16, 16:12).  Overtime, while assassinations, bribes, partisanship and charisma became rites of passage in the quest for power (Judges 9:1-6; 2Samuel 14:25-26, 15:1-12, 20:1-2), the truly Christian left choices of succession up to Father (Acts 1:23-26).

   After giving men the lowdown on what to expect from human rulers (1Samuel 8:11-18), Yahweh established systems of government to enforce His sense of justice and morality; as such, the Apostles argued, they had to be obeyed and submitted to (Romans 13:1-4; 1Peter 2:13-14).  This was the ideal goal; as history has amply shown, Father certainly knew men would corrupt everything entrusted to them, so that divine expectations provided their own caveats.  Whatever leaders demanded contrary to Father’s will was to be disobeyed—as the Apostles argued in Acts 5:28-40.

 But there were attendant consequences. For speaking truth to power, John the Baptist was beheaded (Matthew 14:3-12); Stephen was stoned to death (Acts 7:54-58); and faithful Christians of all ages may expect persecution (Matthew 10:22; 2Timothy 3:12).  Let none of us be foolish enough to believe that facing our extermination will be like tip-toeing through the tulips.  Jesus himself, having been with Father and seen Him—harboring none of the doubts any of us may entertain in the absence of such conclusive proof—feared martyrdom (Luke 22:42-44).  Peter was warned of what Satan had in store for him (Luke 22:31); and whatever his end was, he was given a spiritual assist in the nick of time (John 21:18-19)—Paul’s notion of “help when needed most” (Hebrews 4:16).  Still, there remains the consolation promised us:  That no one would be tempted beyond their capabilities to resist and endure (1Corinthians 10:13).

   Defaulting rulers, technically in power by divine permission, are not necessarily invested with divine rights.  Royalty traditionally believe and behave as superior to their underlings. Politicians claim to serve their constituents; but the privileges, status, and respect they demand for themselves are not equally shared with or extended to the latter.  When Jesus, King of Kings, said “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve,” and warned his followers not to lord it over others lest they were demoted from equality to submission (Matthew 20:25-28; Luke 22:25-27), he was rebuffing such claims.  If men willingly defer to royalty and politicians in violation of Father’s norms, they do so by choice, caving in to peer pressure, mindless partisanship, or not to buck the system, but never ever by divine command.

   Which does not mean disrespecting people in authority, even if these be secular or religious enemies, as David (1Samuel 24:6-19) and Paul (Acts 23:2-5) exemplified.  The name-calling and gratuitous insults so prevalent in politics today was frowned upon by Jesus (Matthew 5:22); and if they have any value at all, it is in profiling for us the spiritual bankruptcy of those who engage in them (Luke 6:45)—which in our apostate days, instead of accruing contempt, are seen as indicators of uncompromising leadership.

   Through peaceful opposition, Father forces us to do the talk (1Corinthians 9:16) and walk the walk (1John 2:6) even unto death (Proverb 10:5; 2Thessalonians 3:10; Hebrews 11:39-40, 12:8; Revelation 3:16).  It may be that, as in Jeremiah’s (Jeremiah 38:2-4) and Jesus’ (John 11:49-52, 19:12-15) cases, speakers of the truth to power may be accused of treason or sedition and summarily dealt with.  Damn if you do; damn if you don’t.  Like Solomon said, “there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a person may be weighed down by misery“ (Ecclesiastes 8:6)

Helping Our Gravediggers

“Sensible people foresee trouble and hide [from it], but gullible people go ahead and suffer [the consequences].”

Proverbs 22:3

 Satan’s greatest and most perverse achievement is presenting himself as someone he is not in order to hoodwink the unenlightened (2Corinthians 11:13-15); and his empowered minions follow suit. Enablers and abettors of those anti-Christian vectors, duped and exploited for political gain, help dig their own and their loved ones’ graves.

 Without question the fate of the world is a done deal brought about by politicians everywhere.  Responses to pandemics are both socially destabilizing and lethal.  Policy-making deniers of climate change contribute to the erosion of nature and world endangerment as they claw their way to power.  Tyrants deploy state-of-the-art technology to control people and launch weapons of mass destruction into space to zap resisters below if need be.  Political alliances are struck to perpetuate repressive regimes grinding populations into the dirt.  While no one leader on his own could accomplish the destruction he wreaks, billions of enablers and abettors from all walks of life help his global counterparts bring destruction upon everybody’s heads—whether this be done through unrestrained gun control, disease proliferation, climate-related catastrophes, environmental pollution, or military aggression.

Things to Come

   Because all of the above are capable of exacting the greatest human toll, they are Satan’s choicest means to turn the world into the cemetery it is (Isaiah 14:6, 16-17).  In the Old Testament, he ravaged lands through the Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans, whose principal leaders exemplified Satan’s lust for world-dominion and absolute power.  With the advent of Christianity [if only in name], European nations fought amongst themselves for territorial gains, or sailed overseas to engage in pillage and genocide in name of winning souls for Jesus; in the process forcing populations into cheap labor and exploiting natural resources.  While by-gone empires can be ‘excused’ for ignorance of Father and Son, what awaits post-Jesus nations is too horrible to contemplate.  They not only trampled on everything Father and Son stand for, but conscripted both to rationalize and justify Satanic aims.⁴

   Revelations’ monsters, which we discussed in Part V of this series, are representations of western nations responsible for the mayhem.  And we stipulate ‘western’ because far eastern nations do not play a role in Scripture; though as some Asian countries exemplify, they too are Satanic enclaves.  The beast of Revelation 13:1-2, which was a consortium of nations sharing a common body, was empowered by “the dragon”—not by Father, Jesus, or any heavenly being, but by Satan (Revelation 20:2).  No Christian entity would wield weapons capable of drawing human blood, a violation of the Fifth Commandment (Exodus 20:13) and Father’s spiritual ordnance:  The shield of faith, the sword of the Holy Spirit which is Father’s word (Ephesians 6:16-17).

   As had been decreed:  “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says Yahweh of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).  And who is Yahweh of hosts?  Jesus; who told Peter what?  “Put your sword back into its place, for all those who take the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52).  And the killing sword Jesus was talking about was not like the metal weapon Peter was wielding, but the sword of the Holy Spirit with which the souls of Satan’s minions will be slain.  The point being made was that no entity, nation or church that spilt human blood for whatever patriotic or faux-pious reasons could be aligned with Jesus, but with Satan.  Which is why the unrighteous Cain, foreshadowing church and state, channeled Satan’s homicidal instincts by killing the righteous Abel,  the first act of bloodshed in Judeo-Christian history compelled by the prototypical homicide (John 8:44).

 The second beast in Revelation 13:11 is equally Satan-guided:  It speaks like him; and “exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, [making] the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.  He performs great signs, even making fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the sight of people” (Revelation 13:12-13).  This particular prophecy will unfold in our times and in the not too distant future.  If the wounded head of the first beast that later healed so that “the whole world marveled and followed the beast” (Revelation 13:3) is the Roman Catholic Church, as we have discussed previously, this suggests a possible scenario.  Yet, as Sherlock Holmes said, “it is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data”; so the view presented below is not Gospel fact but speculation. 

   Let us ask ourselves, why two western superpowers would ally themselves with Roman Catholicism, or the Vatican, or the Pope, since all three are basically interchangeable?  Suppose that during the Great Tribulation, with its unprecedented worldwide calamities, the social order would collapse, individual rights rescinded, and some universal martial law imposed?  What do people do when governments fail to provide solutions to human needs?  They turn to Father or some divinity hoping for solutions and comfort; and rulers turn that to their advantage.

   In this scenario using a neo-Christian icon to keep the masses in check would be strategic:  Certainly the “Son’s vicar on earth” [Vicarius Filii Dei = 666 as per Revelation 13:8] would be the way to go.  Already, in American politics, there are advocates calling for one world religion to ‘homogenize’ the masses—i.e., keeping everyone on the same page by eradicating diversity of creeds.  And please use Jesus’ filters to profile the person floating this idea around and ascertain which spirit he may be channeling (Matthew 7:16-18; James 3:11-12; 1John 4:1,5-6).

   Why two superpowers?  Well, two horns sharing the same body, symbols clearly explained in Daniel 8:20-22.  Why superpowers?  Because of their ability to deploy fire from above, suggesting not only satellite weaponry, but the technological capability to enforce compliance via computerized means (Revelation 13:16-17).  Press one key and one’s digitalized identity is expunged from existence.  Fail to toe the line of authoritative states and be denied buying privileges, a system already used in China.

   There are precedents for the unholy alliance between church and state:  Revelation 17:16-18.  Whether this refers to the so-called Holy Roman Empire that technically ended with Napoleon’s campaigns into Italy is a possibility; but like all prophecies concerning time spans interpreted in light of hindsight, inconclusive.  Napoleon knew the value of religion to exact obedience from and control people; and while his campaign may have dealt the Vatican “the mortal wound” that later healed (Revelation 13:3) following his defeat and death, it certainly did not “eat the flesh” and “burned” Babylon the Great to the ground.

   What we have here and in Revelation 18:8-10 is Scriptural ‘hodgepodge,’ the mixing of past and future events combined to depict Babylon’s the Great comeuppance.  What is important for our discussion is the fact that the “ten horns,” representative not only of European nations (Revelation 13:1) but of their offspring nations in the New World,⁵ first empower the “harlot” but ultimately turn against her, which fits the scenario discussed above concerning the two-horned beast.  How they will “make her desolate and naked” is unclear; but two things are definite:  Father will allow Satan to command forces to make her devastation absolute (Revelation 17:17, 18:5), which is part of His revenge (Deuteronomy 32:35).

   While Heaven rejoices in a destruction that avenges the holy blood she has spilt, there will be those who will lament her fate (Revelation 18:19-20), none of whom can be defined as righteous; since the names of those who worship her are expunged from the Book of Life (Revelation 13:8).  Are all Roman Catholics adherents therefore condemned?  Not yet if they would quit her while they have the chance (Revelation 18:4).  As Romans 6:16 warns, submit to her out of loyalty and share her fate.  The enabler and abettor of an evil entity must endure the punishment slated for his/her master/mistress.

The Defining Battle

   The one military marker of greatest significance to us is the assault against Jerusalem:  “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand” (Luke 21:20).  Though Biblical scholars would have us believe that Luke’s Gospel was written after the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in 70 CE and that Luke 21:20 refers only to that event, this is not the way Scripture operates.  Every future event is foreshadowed by a past one; whether it be the Exodus from Egypt heralding the relocation of the righteous into Heaven (1Thessalonians 4:14-17; Revelation 20:6); or the introduction into the Promised Land (Joshua 3:14-17; Isaiah 11:15; Revelation 16:12); or Golgotha on Mount Moriah, the sacrificial spot for the true seed of the promise given Abraham, who is Jesus and not Isaac (Genesis 22:2; 2Chronicles 3:1; Galatians 3:16); or Zerubbabel foreshadowing Jesus as the builder of Father’s human-bricked Temple, of which Jesus himself is the cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16; Acts 4:10-12; Ephesians 2:20-22; Hebrews 3:6; 1Peter 2:5). Luke 21:10 is just another glaring example of Scriptural ‘hodgepodge.’

    In the Bible the fall of Jerusalem was/will be the signal event heralding the fate of Judeo-Christian peoples, be it the Babylonian Captivity, the Jewish Diaspora precipitated by the Romans in 70 CE, or Christendom’s demise (Psalm 2-1:3; 2Thessalonians 2:3-10) scheduled to take place in our times.  Modern Israel is beset and surrounded by enemies everywhere; and though Jews may be confident of external assistance in face of aggression, they have not yet learned their lesson (Isaiah 28:15,18-22, 30:1-4,15-17; 1Thessalonians 5:3):  Satan may be the homicidal sword but Yahweh Father unsheathes it against them for their unwillingness to obey Him (Isaiah 63:10; Ezekiel 21:3-5,11-12).  He will do as He pleases and no one can trump Him until His wrath dissipates (Job 9:10; Psalm 33:10; Ecclesiastes 8:3-4; Isaiah 45:7, 54:7-8; Daniel 4:35; Micah 7:9).

Reality Check

   As we slide ever faster down the slippery slope of apostasy into the bonfire where the weeping and gnashing of teeth will be, we should always remember that neither Judaism nor Christianity was meant to succeed in this order of things.  Jews struck out; Christians were given a chance at the bat and they blew it, proof being Jesus’ end-times predictions (Matthew 24:21-22; Luke 18:8).  Both religions were rescue operations to be attempted within specific timeframes of grace (Isaiah 49:8; Zephaniah 2:2).  Failing to make good in the interim, Judeo-Christians are all in danger of literally becoming toast.

   However much our secular and religious leaders hoodwink us into believing things will work out for the better or that we are on the verge of a spiritual renaissance, “calamity shall come upon calamity and rumor upon rumor…on the earth anxiety of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the waves; men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Ezekiel 7:26; Luke 21:25-26). And let us not forget Paul’s definitive warning: “For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and security,’ destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape“ (1Thessalonians 5:2-3). 

 We know all human sales pitches and the divine scoop; choose at soul’s risk.  “For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it, but the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

¹ Which ceases to exist following Armageddon’s aftermath.  For the supersession of physical laws, see Part VI(c) of this series.

² Which should prompt readers to ponder on opting between cremation [less expensive but questionable] and interment [more expensive but the Scriptural way].

³ The Archangel Michael is apparently Jesus’ second-in-command of the heavenly host, which contradicts the misconception that Jesus and Michael are one and the same being.  This is easily disproved by the fact that while Michael was kicking Satan out of Heaven, Jesus was on earth witnessing the event (Luke 10:18; Revelation 12:7-9).

⁴ Characteristically, some of their kings and queens were beatified by Babylon the Great for facilitating ‘Christian’ evangelization—a perfect example of Titus 1:15: “Nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted.”

⁵ Remember Daniel 8:8-9, 20-21:  The notable horns devolve into successive kingdoms, as also Nebuchadnezzar’s statue exemplified (Daniel 2:37-44):  From head to toes, a roadmap of world governments from antiquity to modernity was outlined.