Spring Anticipation

 

“Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, in the spring, and Sarah shall have a son."  Genesis 18:14  RSV

Do you have a favorite season?  I somehow manage to enjoy all of them for one reason or another, but if I had to pick one for my favorite, it would be the spring.  Just now, I can see a little bit of snow left on the mountain tops, my tulips are blooming, and quail, songbirds, robins and doves are eating out of my feeder. I like to call spring the time of new beginnings, because so much happens in so short of a time. I can watch buds appearing on my apple tree, the robins have returned from wherever it is they go in the winter, the ground is turning green, and of course, it’s about time to start mowing the lawn again.

As I have studied over the years, I have found that God ordained many events to occur in the spring as well. It is especially interesting to see how many of those events could be identified with the idea of a new beginning. In the passage above, God has visited Abraham and Sarah and told them that Sarah was to have a son. He also tells them that He will return to see them when that happens, and even tells them that it will be in the spring! If you look closely at the Hebrew you will find that in this particular case, the RSV translates it best, because if you take the two words mowed and chay together in the same phrase, you understand spring is identified as the season this event will occur.

mow`ed : 1) appointed place, appointed time, meeting

chay : 1) living, alive, a) green (of vegetation), b) flowing, fresh (of water), c) lively, active (of man), d) reviving (of the springtime)

Since Abraham is told he would become the father of the nation of Israel, the birth of Isaac began the fulfillment of that prophecy and as we see, it began in the spring. We also find in the book of Exodus that the deliverance of the nation of Israel from bondage in Egypt occurred in the spring. The first three feasts of Israel, Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits all occur in the first month on the Jewish calendar which normally begins around the end of March or the beginning of April on our calendar, and is called Nisan or Abib.

“And Moses said to the people: "Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. "On this day you are going out, in the month Abib.”    Exodus 13:3-4   NKJV

Of course, of greater interest to us as believers is the fact that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ occurred at the time of these three feasts as well. If you recall, Jesus celebrated Passover with His disciples, was then arrested, crucified and rose again on the third day which was the Feast of Firstfruits.

 “Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."   Matthew 26:1-2     NKJV

“Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.”   Matthew 28:1-2    NKJV

Now you talk about the idea of spring being a time of new beginnings, how important could the fact be that our deliverance occurred in the spring? Do you really think so many events happening in this particular season are just coincidence? Do you begin to see what I mean about the spring being the most interesting season? The Bible is full of “new beginning” type events which occur in the spring. Is it possible then that the rapture of the church could occur in the spring season? If it did, it would certainly fit in with the idea of a new beginning type event happening the same time as so many others have. 

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.”     1 Corinthians 15:22-23   NKJV

What is the possibility that Jesus could rapture the Church and present it to God on the Feast of Firstfruits?  I think it’s very plausible, but again, there are other days to consider as well.  Let’s return to the story of the Exodus for a moment. The thought occurred to me that we are told of deliverance along with a new beginning in the story of the children of Israel and their escape from Egypt. Not only were they delivered out of bondage in the spring, notice if you will when they entered the Promised Land.

“And it came to pass, when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD had come from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet touched the dry land, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks as before. Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.”    Joshua 4:18-19   NKJV

Here we are again, back to the first month, the spring, the time of new beginnings. God delivered the children of Israel into the Promised Land on the tenth day of the first month. Is it possible this is also a picture of when the Church will enter her “promised land”? Could spring be the season of the rapture?  Although I believe our deliverance could occur at any time, considering the fact that so many events have happened in the spring certainly makes me wonder if we as believers should be especially watchful in the spring.  All of which brings us to this next passage which might be the most compelling argument of all.

“Woe is me!  For I am like those who gather summer fruits, Like those who glean vintage grapes; There is no cluster to eat Of the first-ripe fruit which my soul desires. The faithful man has perished from the earth, And there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; Every man hunts his brother with a net.”      Micah 7:1-2   NKJV

This passage from the prophet Micah describes the period of time we call the Tribulation.  Notice he tells us that all the faithful have disappeared from the earth, every man is against each other, and looking for upright faithful people is like looking for the first grapes of the harvest and finding none.  So when does the grape harvest begin in Israel?  The first ripe fruit is gathered at the beginning of summer.  My thought is that if all the faithful are gone at the beginning of summer, they must have disappeared in the spring.

Today we find ourselves in the spring season, and many are looking at the condition of the world around us and asking the question why are we still here? My question to you today is this.  Just how close do you believe the rapture of the Church is on God’s calendar?  If you believe like many others, it could be right around the corner. That nearness, however, also prompts me to ask you this question. If you have come to this point in your life and not made a decision to accept the free gift of salvation offered to you by our Savior Jesus Christ, don't you think it would be a good idea to do it now?

Keep watching.

 

Who is Gog?

 

“Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, “and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.”  Ezekiel 38:1-3  NKJV

Considering the current situation in Europe and the war of aggression being waged by Russia against the Ukraine, many questions have arisen about Vladimir Putin and the possibility that he is the Gog mentioned in this passage by Ezekiel.  There have been numerous articles and commentaries written in the past couple of weeks concerning this question, and considering how close we believers feel we are to the rapture, the speculation surrounding Putin is well founded.  So for what it is worth, I thought today I would add my two cents to the conversation in the hope that the muddied waters might become a little clearer.

Is Vladimir Putin Gog? No. Why not you ask?  I tend to disagree, agreeably, due to something I noticed while studying this passage. If you look at the description we are given you find that Gog is referred to as the “prince” of Magog, as well as Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.  Notice he is not the King, but a prince.  Although the NKJV translates this phrase as "prince", in the Hebrew as well as in many other translations the title is “chief prince”.  Also while being the leader of Rosh, Putin is not the leader of Meshech or Tubal. The word used here for prince is found somewhere else in scripture which is what also caught my attention.  Look at what we are told in the book of Daniel about Michael the archangel trying to come to speak with Daniel.

“Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.”  Daniel 10:13-14  NKJV

Most scholars agree that what is being described here is a struggle between the angelic forces of God and the demonic forces of Satan.  The fact that the title of chief prince is used of Michael, and that the word prince is used to describe the forces behind countries leads me to believe that Gog is simply the name of the satanic force behind Magog, inciting the desire of the leader of Rosh to come up with an excuse to invade Israel.  Another fact which seems to support this hypothesis is what we are told later in this narrative by Daniel concerning yet another prince, the prince of Greece.

“Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come. “But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince.”  Daniel 10:20-21  NKJV

If at first this idea seems hard to believe, we would do well to be reminded who has the authority to delegate power on the earth.  Look closely at what Satan had to say to Jesus when he appeared and tempted Him in the desert.

“Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.”  Luke 4:5-6  NKJV

Looking at it this way, it’s certainly not farfetched to believe that Satan has appointed demons as “chief princes” to influence the decisions of worldly leaders in order to advance his plan to rule this world.  I have always remembered a quote from one of my teachers which went something like, "there are two worlds surrounding us; the one we see and the one we don’t."  I believe that statement is a logical conclusion from what Daniel tells us about the battle for this world, which we do not see.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  Ephesians 6:12  NKJV

So, Is Vladimir Putin Gog?  Possibly.  Now I’m not trying to confuse you here but after identifying Gog as a demon angel, we would do well to acknowledge the one simple fact that demons can possess an unbeliever.  The Bible gives us many examples of this and as most of us know, Satan himself will possess the antichrist at the midpoint of the tribulation.  I have read numerous articles since the war in the Ukraine broke out which question Putin’s mental state, with many offering the observation that lately his personality has seemed to change considerably.  Several actually described him as “being a different person”. 

One of the reasons this might well be true revolves around the prevailing opinion that what Putin is after is not necessarily the territory as much as it is about the resources of the Ukraine.  If that is an accurate assessment, it occurred to me that it seems all too familiar if we remember what Ezekiel tells us the motive behind Gog’s evil plan for Israel is.

“Thus says the Lord GOD: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: “You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’—“to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land.”  Ezekiel 38:10-12  NKJV

Russia’s economy is heavily dependent on oil and gas production and export to provide the income for their economy.  Estimates run between 40 and 60 percent of their budget depend on this income, which is staggering considering the volatility of oil and gas prices.  Simply consider that if the price of oil drops 50%, you immediately lose half of your income.  The result is dramatic inflation, a loss of buying power, and a very angry population wanting to know just what the government is going to do about it.  Of course, it follows that the volatility of the oil market occurs because too many countries produce the oil at different rates which affect the supply available at any given time.  Consider however, the power one government would hold over the world if it controlled the majority of the oil available at any given time?

 

In doing a little research I found the following figures.  Russia produces approximately 38% of the world’s natural gas, and 25% of its oil.  The Middle East produces 35% of the world’s natural gas and 45% of its oil.  Now if Russia were to control the Middle East production they would suddenly hold sway over almost 75% of the world’s natural gas and oil as well.  What kind of power do you think they would then possess over the rest of the world?  Is it possible that the presence of Russia in the Middle East is a sign of their intentions to possibly attempt to take control of these resources?  If so, where does Israel fit in?

 

Most are aware that in the past few years Israel has discovered massive fields of natural gas off of the coast of Israel which some estimates have put in the “trillions” of cubic feet.  In and of itself, there you have a very tempting “booty and spoil” for someone to consider stealing, but if that were not enough, how interesting it was to hear the announcement around the same time  that they have discovered oil in the Golan Heights?  Early estimates put that discovery in the “billions” of barrels and could possibly be even higher.  Now suddenly Israel finds itself in the position of owning two of the world’s most desirable and necessary resources, and quite possibly the motivation for an invasion by an aggressor. Will these discoveries prove to be the plunder Gog is seeking?  

 

Recent news from the Middle East might prove to be yet another excuse for this attempted invasion.  The nations of Western Europe purchase roughly a little under half of their natural gas and approximately a quarter of their oil from Russia.  This past week, as a result of their desire to sanction Putin, they reached an agreement to purchase natural gas from Israel via their pipeline to Egypt.  Not only would this put a large dent in Russia’s sales, it would also reduce Putin’s power over Europe using natural gas as blackmail by restricting the flow at his whim.  One has to wonder how this news is being received by Gog?  If Gog's plan to obtain the "spoils" of the Ukraine are somehow foiled, will he turn his attention to Israel? The scenario we read in Ezekiel 38 is becoming more and more likely at a pace few saw coming.

 

The truth for us as believers though, is none of these events should come as a surprise.  Never forget that labor pains accelerate in frequency and increase in intensity over time, and this is the example God chose to use in His Word.  Fortunately, I and many others believe the signs we are seeing are proof that our rapture to be with Him in heaven could happen at any moment. If you are reading this today and have never made the decision to allow Jesus Christ to come into your heart, and accept the free gift of eternal life He has offered you, I urge you to do so right now. You can do that by simply praying this prayer and accepting the gift of eternal life God has offered all of us by the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. Amen.

 

Keep watching.

Celebrating Purim

 

 “Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, the time came for the king’s command and his decree to be executed. On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them. The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could withstand them, because fear of them fell upon all people. And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and all those doing the king’s work, helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them. For Mordecai was great in the king’s palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces; for this man Mordecai became increasingly prominent. Thus the Jews defeated all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and destruction, and did what they pleased with those who hated them.”                Esther 9:1-5  NKJV

 

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is found in the book of Esther, which recounts the story of how God arranged for the Jewish people to be saved from annihilation.  I say arranged, because in His infinite wisdom He arranges for Esther, a Jewish girl taken in captivity in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, to somehow become the Queen of Babylon.  It is a wonderful story of palace intrigue, corruption, and ultimate justice which is worthy of a Hollywood movie.  It has always been a staple in my years of teaching and was easily one of the most favorite in the Sunday School classes I taught.

 

The plot, in a nutshell, revolves around the attempt by Haman, an official in the king’s court, to completely destroy all of the Jews because of a personal dislike of Mordecai, a Jew who had adopted Queen Esther when her parents were killed.  Of course, Haman had no idea Queen Esther was a Jew, nor her relationship with Mordecai, which placed Esther in a perfect position to foil the plot.  After Haman had tricked the King into signing a decree which called for all of the Jews to be killed, Esther revealed to the King the fact that she herself was a Jew, and exposed the entire evil plot of Haman for what it really was.

 

The King was incensed, and ordered Haman to be hung on the very gallows he had built to hang Mordecai on, and because he could not rescind his own decree, wrote another which allowed the Jews to defend themselves from their enemies and anyone who intended harm to come their way.  The annual festival of Purim is a celebration of this deliverance of the Jews from the plot by Haman to completely annihilate them. 

 

“And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who [were] in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor. So the Jews accepted the custom which they had begun, as Mordecai had written to them, because Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to annihilate them, and had cast Pur (that [is], the lot), to consume them and destroy them; but when [Esther] came before the king, he commanded by letter that this wicked plot which [Haman] had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. So they called these days Purim, after the name Pur. Therefore, because of all the words of this letter, what they had seen concerning this matter, and what had happened to them,”   Esther 9:20-26 NKJV

 

If you have followed my blog for any length of time, you probably understand that I find it increasingly hard to believe in coincidence in a world created by an omnipotent God.  I especially don’t believe it coincidence when major events relating to the nation of Israel occur on the anniversaries of their Holy Days and festivals, which, if you have studied at all, you know have happened with great regularity throughout history.  This brings us to the subject of Purim, which occurs this coming week and is the reason for discussing it today.
 

This celebration in Israel is one of the most joyous, lasting three days which include the giving of gifts, wearing costumes, and singing, eating, drinking, and of course reading the Book of Esther in the synagogue. The fourteenth of Adar usually occurs in our month of February or March, and this year it lands on Thursday, March 21. Although the events surrounding this festival happened thousands of years ago, it appears that it might be a good idea to consider that God’s sense of timing, along with His love and protection of the nation of Israel, could well result in this being a day to watch considering Israel is still surrounded by nations which wish it harm.

In late 2002, the United States began a building up of forces in the Middle East with the apparent intent of deposing the ruler of Iraq, Sadaam Hussein, who was pursuing the capability of weapons of mass destruction with the stated intent of using them on the nation of Israel. I had been invited to lecture on the situation in the Middle East in early 2003 and was in the process of preparing when I noticed the Festival of Purim on my calendar was just a couple of weeks away. Reminded of the story of Esther, the first thought that went through my mind was what if history was about to repeat itself with God's sense of timing thrown in for good measure? As the world was watching and waiting, I contacted a few friends in the ministry and shared my thoughts about the possibility that an attack on Iraq could occur on the very anniversary of the deliverance of Israel some 2500 years earlier. No surprise, the festival of Purim, the 14th of Adar, occurred on Wednesday March 19, 2003, the very day the first bombs dropped on Baghdad.

 

Like many, the current situation in the Ukraine raises questions of what the future holds for our world and the possibility that this is just the beginning of so much of what the Bible has to say about the end times. Obviously those who choose to study prophecy are aware that Ezekiel tells us of a future attempted invasion of Israel perpetrated by none other than Russia.  The reason given is that this aggression surrounds the taking of “spoil”.  Just this past week news from the Middle East broke that Israel has been asked to provide natural gas to Europe via its pipeline to Egypt.  A move such as that is certain to annoy the President of Russia and the resulting moves might well lead to the events Ezekiel wrote about.

 

Purim arrives this week and although I am not predicting anything, I would not be at all surprised to see something significant occur in the weeks ahead, and especially on this holiday. Something else I think we might want to consider in light of our relationship with God by virtue of the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ.   When Jesus was speaking as recounted in John chapter 6, four times (vs. 39, 40, 44, 54) He says that He will raise up His own on the "last day".  In Hosea 6:2 we are also told we will be raised up on the third day, so my thought is this; if Purim is the only feast in Israel which lasts three days, and is also the last feast of the year, is it possible the last day of this three day celebration will prove to be significant for the Church?  We can only hope and pray.

 

Of course, as the Word also commands, we all need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

 

Keep watching.

Going Down

 

“Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. “He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all.”          Daniel 11:36-37  NKJV

 

As the current conflict between Russia and the Ukraine continues, there has been much speculation concerning the mental state of Russia's leader. While I cannot form an opinion based on my lack of knowledge, the thought has occurred to me on more than one occasion that the world will see a monumental shift in the antichrist's personality when he is finally possessed by Satan at the mid-point of the tribulation.  As believers, something I believe we should never underestimate is just what Satan, along with his fallen angels, can do with and through unbelievers who do not have the Holy Spirit within to guide and protect.   

 

Have you ever found yourself in the position of wanting to see someone embarrassed or humbled because of their arrogance and pride?  I think most of us would have to admit that, like or not, we all have been there.  There is just something about seeing people with that sort of attitude of superiority which makes us all hope for their fall, and suffer for their actions as they profess their own magnificence. Fortunately as believers, we are promised that the proud will in fact get their just rewards so although we might not be witnesses to the fact; we are assured of their ultimate humility.  This conclusion is never more apparent than in the fall of the antichrist, and his eventual destiny.

 

The seeds of his fall, as we saw last week, come from the desire of Satan to magnify himself above God, and to be worshipped accordingly.  This passage from Daniel spells out in detail exactly how arrogant this attitude of the man of sin will be as he not only claims himself to be God, but totally reject the consideration of what has been revealed by God Himself, His Son Jesus Christ, or any other of the gods man has created throughout history.  Now hopefully you noticed I referred to Jesus and wonder where that might be found in the passage above.  

 

Although we do not have the time to examine in detail an exhaustive interpretation of these two verses I encourage you to do your own research.  The phrase “the desire of women” has unfortunately been incorrectly taught by many to suggest that the antichrist has no affection for women.  In truth, in the Old Testament times the phrase “desire of women” was commonly used to refer to the longing of devoted Jewish women to be the mother of the coming Messiah.  Daniel was well aware of this and if we too understand that, the passage examined within its context concerning worshipping gods makes much more sense when we see the man of sin believes he is greater than God, His Son, or any other god.

 

Unfortunately for him, although he might see himself that way and certainly desire for all the remaining people on the earth to as well, we will find that in reality a good portion of the population of the world will eventually reject him and his claims.  It is interesting to note that while earlier in Daniel we were told that he becomes the ruler of the world, and leader of the one world government, it is after the first half of the tribulation when he claims to be god that the rebellion of his rule begins.  Is it because of his desire to be worshipped as god?  Does the world think maybe he has lost his mind, or is delusional as he begins to persecute and kill any who reject his authority?  Whatever the reasons, we are told his absolute rule begins to crumble.

 

“At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. “He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. “He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. “He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. “But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.“And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.”                 Daniel 11:40-45  NKJV

 

Did you notice the very last words of this passage from Daniel?  “And no one will help him.”  When it is all said and done, the antichrist will find himself all alone with absolutely no one to help him, much less worship him as a god.  I think it is telling that the man, who came to power as a peacemaker, ends his career as a tyrant at war with the world.  Notice too how he chooses to react to “news from the east and the north”.  What does it say about a great “peacemaker” that he reacts with “great fury to destroy and annihilate many” on the basis of just troubling news rather than an outright attack?  As we saw last week we are told that if God did not put an end to the tribulation, eventually there would be no survivors at all on the earth, so the stage is set for the intervention of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

 

"Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war."   Revelation 19:11  NKJV

 

Have you ever wondered why Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey at His first coming but rides a horse at His second coming?  It wasn’t until recently that I became aware of the fact that in ancient times, during times of peace a king always rode a donkey but in times of war he always rode a horse.  Understanding that explains the fact that at His second coming Jesus is riding a horse, and that He is coming to make war.  God has seen enough, the time of Jacob’s trouble is about to be concluded, and Jesus Christ returns to put an end to all that the man of sin, Satan, and the false prophet have tried to accomplish in the last three and one half years.

 

“Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God “that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.”   Revelation 19:17-21  NKJV

 

I hope you noticed that in these verses it appears that there is someone missing?  Although Satan chooses to indwell the antichrist at the midpoint of the tribulation, it would appear that he is quick to leave when judgment arrives.  In the Greek, the word translated capture carries within it the idea of pursuit and apprehension.  Can you just see these two running for their lives believing that somehow they can escape, only to be caught?  I can also see Satan coming out of the man of sin at that point thinking he too can keep on running while leaving the other two behind?  Not to worry though because no one escapes the judgment of God.

 

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.”   Revelation 20:1-3  NKJV

 

Nowhere to go but down.  Have you ever experienced falling in such a way as to have the time to realize you have absolutely no control over your circumstance?  Unfortunately I have experienced this several times and I can assure you it is a terrifying experience.  Did you notice Satan is thrown into a “bottomless” pit?  Can you imagine falling for a thousand years having no control at all?  This is Satan’s reward for trying to rule the world, become like God, and persecute all who choose not to worship him.  

 

My intent over the past few weeks was simply to introduce you to this man, and the circumstances surrounding his rise to power and eventual end.  I would encourage you to find a good commentary on the books of Daniel and Revelation and discover for yourself in detail the events that many, myself included, believe are set to begin at any time.  If you have never taken the step of making a decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and allow His forgiveness and sacrifice to grant you eternal life in Heaven with Him and to deliver you from this time that is coming I encourage you to do it today.  All you need to do is ask Him for forgiveness, believe that His Son Jesus Christ died for your sins, and invite Him to come into your life and help you become the person He intended you to be.

 

Keep watching.