Take a Number

Revelation 13:1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" 5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.  …13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. 15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.   

Numbers are very useful to humans. They indicate who we are, (for social, corporate and governmental purposes,) they tell us how fast we can drive, they tell us how wealthy we are, they tell us how many friends or followers we have, and in this case – they tell us who we follow.

Of all the things counterfeited by Satan, his employment of the mark of the beast is the most sinister. If you remember, previously 144,000 witnesses of the tribes of Israel had been marked, or sealed by God. Revelation 14:1 tells us they were marked by having His (Jesus’) Father’s name written on their foreheads.

An act of the will was necessary to allow this, and this act of the will completely exposes these 144,000 witnesses to BE witnesses whether they say anything or not. It is written on their faces. One thing you cannot run from is your face.

Now along comes anti-Christ, and one of his first acts of violence is to the souls of men. He forces a ‘voluntary’ act of compliance to the name of Satan – the mark of the Beast. There is no way around this but to accept death by defiance to the mark being placed, and the only means by which this may be carried out is to, ‘not love your life to death.’ (Rev 12:11) Given man’s keen interest in his own survival, this will place following God on an altar unprecedented in the history of the world, known only by those martyrs who have preceded us in history. Never on this scale has death been required to follow Jesus.

Today is the day of salvation. Don’t let it pass. This is the day of an easy mark. Soon and very soon, the day of your salvation will be marked by death.

-Pastor Bill

Where Do You Stand?

Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time." 13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

In the case of The Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, getting there is not half the fun.

Where we are presently in the book - at the mid-point of the tribulation - is a brutal depiction of life on earth, and the worst has not yet begun - it is still to come.

How bad can it really get? (Can it get any more terrible than this?)

What those on earth face during this time, (those who have already survived 3 and one-half years of God’s wrath poured out…through cataclysmic events, the unbridled, unquenched evil of man’s nature unabated, and through the conniving emergence of the anti-Christ, who as yet has only been simmering in his evil appearance,) is about to get a whole lot worse.

Satan has now been cast out of heaven, and his access has been completely shut-off to anything other than the earth – and that becomes his terrible focus.

Now the time has come for the complete destruction of the Jewish people - God’s chosen ones. God has love for the Jews, therefore Satan has hatred.

If Satan can break the scriptures by destroying the Jewish people, (as the scripture says that Jesus will return for the JEWISH people,) than he can potentially thwart God’s plan…and in the evil depravity of his nature – to seek to have the Jews worship himself (Satan,) rather than God. He will make himself the usurper of God’s plan for anyone who will allow him to.

This is the meaning of the term ‘anti-Christ.’ It does not mean, “against Christ,” as much as it means, “instead of Christ.”

The question for each of us here today is: When will you take a stand against Satan?

Has there ever been – or will there ever be – a time in your life when you will oppose the one who opposes God? Will there ever be a time when you take God’s side – even when it hurts?

Can you not see Satan’s destructive intent, not only for you, but for the whole world?

-Pastor Bill

Spiritual Warfare

Revelation 12:1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. 5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days. 7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time." 13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The meaning of the word ‘apocalypse’ is ‘unveiling.’ (Not cataclysm, as it is so often presented.)

Thus when we speak of ‘The Revelation of Jesus Christ,’ or more properly, the ‘apocalypse’ of Jesus Christ, the unveiling we are now permitted to see is that which is taking place – and has been taking place – in the Spiritual realm from eternity past.

This is why this book has such a mysterious appearance to our finite and physically-oriented eyes and imaginations. We cannot help but seek to rationalize the temporal with the eternal, as the temporal is our only frame of reference. Eternity escapes our grasp of understanding.

This passage can be confusing, unless we think eternally, and dismiss all our thoughts of linear progression. What is ‘revealed,’ or ‘unveiled,’ here is the degree and intensity of Spiritual warfare which has been taking place behind the veil.

Never be confused about the intent of the enemy of Jesus Christ. Your destruction is his only aim. Separating you from loving relationship with Jesus Christ is his chief means of accomplishing that.  

-Pastor Bill

Measure of the Heart

Revelation11:1 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, "Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. 3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. 6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire. 7 When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. 11 Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. 13 In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly. 15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" 16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying: "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. 18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth." 19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.

The only part of who you are which God considers worthy of measure is the part which seeks after Him. Period. The rest is worthless territory slated for destruction.

Suppose God were to take the measure of the territory of your heart which is currently fixed upon Him…What percentage of your heart would be measured?

Just as the child of promise Isaac was considered by God to be Abraham’s ONLY son – and Ishmael, the child of the flesh was disregarded – so we see the only land God values is the place where He meets with you.

All else is violently opposed to God, even to celebrate the appearance of men of God being defeated. But men of God are never defeated, not even in death.

That fact is worth taking the measure of.

-Pastor Bill