Woe to the Bloody City

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ABLE OF CONENS

aper : e ook as een pened ................................................

aper : e oman ....................................................................... 0

aper 3: e Grea ore ...............................................................

aper 4: Spiriual abylon ............................................................... 36

aper 5: e loody iy ................................................................ 45

aper 6: Sand Upon y Fee ......................................................... 56

aper 7: e egenerae Plan ......................................................... 6

aper 8: oe o e Pasors ............................................................. 77

aper 9: e aske o augy Figs ............................................... 85

aper 0: ising arly and Speaking ................................................. 89

aper : as em u ................................................................ 00

aper : rise and Go ................................................................... 04

aper 3: eeping and Gnasing o ee ...................................... 0

aper 4: e nly egoen Son ................................................... 3

aper 5: a Sall e e Sign? .................................................. 9

aper 6: e ay rawe ig ................................................... 39

aper 7: Pride Sall ring im ow ............................................. 49

aper 8: For ou r i e .................................................... 53



THE-LATTER-RAIN.COM WOE TO THE BLOODY CITY 1

is book is as a ollow-up o Te Book Has Been Opened , wic is available or ree download rom

e-aer-ain.com. as been prepared in order o presen addiional suppor rom e ible ore conclusions se or in Te Book Has Been Opened .

e ible as a lo o say abou e end imes and in is book we are going o examine wolecapers o e ible, verse by verse, o gain addiional insig ino ese maers. any o esepassages are speaking o e same evens and so ere is going o be a noiceable amoun o repeiionas we go roug ese passages. God does no repea imsel unnecessarily. For example, God gaveParoa wo dieren dreams a illusraed e same eacing in order o indicae a ose ings would indeed come o pass:

And or that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established

by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. (Genesis 41:32)

en we read roug e books o aew, ark, uke, and Jon we nd a lo o e same eacings

being reieraed. ikewise, God as given us a number o passages a give us e same eacingsregarding e end imes in order o empasize cerain rus. Jus as wen we read roug aew,ark, uke, and Jon, we sill learn someing new as we examine eac o ese end-imes passages.

n ese capers we are going o come across unpleasan language. s umans, we end o look aings roug rose-colored glasses, bu God does no. e are going o read saemens a wouldeasily oend mos o us i suc blun commens were made abou us by someone else. Since esepassages are speaking abou our day we need o ace em onesly and wi a willingness o lisen, nomaer ow muc ey may boer us. is is no e ime o dance around ese issues and sugarcoaGod’s ord. e mus declare e wole counsel o God:

For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel o God. (Acts 20:27)

a includes being aiul o God’s ord as we presen i. a is wy e decision was made o ileis book Woe o Te Bloody City . is an aemp o se e one or e kind o passages we will belooking a wiin i. Gloomy as i may be, i is a saemen a comes direcly rom God’s ord:

Woe to the bloody city! it is all ull o lies and robbery; the prey departeth not (Nahum 3:1)

The Book Has Been Opened

An Introduction and Recap

P




Whereore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is

therein, and whose scum is not gone out o it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot all upon

it. (Ezekiel 24:6)

Tereore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile or re

great. (Ezekiel 24:9)

n is book we are going o primarily ocus our sudy on wa God as o say abou e siuaion aexiss wiin e curces oday. oug we will be looking a a lo o “doom and gloom” passages, wesould keep mind a is is also a wonderul period o salvaion during wic God is saving peoplea rae iger an ever beore.

eore we begin, le’s briey summarize wa we discussed in Te Book Has Been Opened because we will be reerencing ose conclusions rougou is book. o see ow ey are developed rom eible please read Te Book Has Been Opened .

The Revealing of Truth

Guidelines for Bible Study e need o approac e ible wi e proper aiude in order o allow God o eac us rom is ord. e mus rs acknowledge a e ible is e accurae ord o God. very single word ine original auograps was careully seleced by God, and God as ensured a rougou imee copies a were made o ose auograps mainained e accuracy o e originals. e musapproac e ible wi an open ear and be willing o accep a wa we’ve been aug by ouramily, riends, or pasors may ave been wrong. e ave o be careul no o inerpre e ible in ligo wa we eel is rig or logical. God inenionally wroe e ible so a i is complicaed in ordero ide cerain inormaion rom unbelievers. iscovering ru wiin God’s ord oen requires agrea deal o paience, diligence, and prayer. e ave o compare Scripure wi Scripure because Goddoesn’ always use words e same way we do. s we do is, we mus keep in mind a e enire

ible is applicable o us, no jus e ew esamen. Passages in Scripure do no expire as e world’sculure canges. is rue a cerain laws in e ible no longer apply o us oday, bu a is becauseelsewere in e ible God modied ose laws. e ave o be careul a we don’ assume pars o eible can become obsolee. asly, and is is especially rue oday, we mus remember a consensus isnever a basis or ru. Jus because a paricular docrine is widely regarded as being biblically accurae,a doesn’ mean i is.

God Speaks in Parables e ible ells us a ris spoke in parables and “wiou a parable spake e no” (aew 3:34).ris is e ord o God in es and so we sould expec e enire ord o God o be lled wiparables. Someimes ese parables are cional sories suc as ose Jesus old. ers are accounso rue isoric evens, accurae in every deail, bu ey are placed in e ible because ey conainspiriual eacings a need o be searced or. os curces insruc eir members o no look orspiriual meaning beyond e surace o a sory. en ey read abou lisa rowing a sick in e

Jordan iver and pulling ou e axe in Second Kings 6:-7, all ey see is e sory. owever, wen wecareully examine a passage we see a i is an illusraion o ris being rown ino e wrao God so a e believers, represened by e axe, can be rescued rom i. en we reuse o look beyond e surace eacing o a passage we are empying e ible o muc o is conen.




God’s Use of Numbers in the Bible Jus as e does wi non-numerical words in e ible, God uses numbers o convey spiriual ru. s we sudy God’s use o numbers in is ord we learn a we can dene eir spiriual signicance asollows:

ose responsible or bringing e Gospel3 God’s purpose4 ll-encompassing or worldwide5 Salvaion and/or judgmen6 ork 7 Perecion0 ompleeness Fullness3 e end o e world7 God’s Kingdom3 Judgmen37 Judgmen

40 esing

ere is also biblical suppor or aking larger numbers and looking or spiriual signicance in eiracors. For example, ere are 53 s menioned in Jon : and ey represen e rue believers.e number 53 breaks down ino 7 x 3 x 3, and wen we ink o e salvaion o e believers wecan immediaely see ow a idenies wi God’s Kingdom (7) and is purpose (3). God also usese numbers involved in spans o ime o convey spiriual signicance. For example, e ory years esraelies were in e wilderness was a period o esing.

Te Opening of the Book e nd a number o passages in e ible a inorm us a God as sealed up inormaion in e

ible, paricularly in relaion o e end-imes propecies. is means a no maer ow diligenly aeologian o e pas may ave sudied e ible, ere was cerain inormaion a e would neverave discovered because God ad concealed i. is in our day, because we are rig near e end, aGod as removed e seals rom e ible and is allowing a grea deal o previously idden inormaiono pour ou o i. owever, i we do no approac e ible wi e rig aiude, en i will coninueo be a sealed book o us.

Correcting Wrong Doctrines

e curc organizaion oday is liered wi wrong docrines, many o wic are exremely common.evelaion capers and 3 eac us a e curc organizaion began esablising wrong docrines jus a ew years aer is beginning. e ollowing are docrines we examined in Te Book Has BeenOpened .

Speaking in ongues ore and more curces are allowing, or even encouraging, eir members o speak in ongues. iis also comes an ineres in supernaural visions and dreams. owever, God is no longer bringingnew revelaion o mankind roug supernaural means suc as ongues, visions, and dreams. en




e compleed e ible e permanenly closed ose avenues. e gi was no insiued o providebelievers wi spiriual nourismen, bu raer o bring e Gospel o unbelievers. n order o ge eiraenion, God inenionally designed e gi o ongues o appeal o mankind’s ineres in specacularings and exciing experiences. e gi’s brie exisence is menioned in e ible in order o esablis aesing program or oday’s curces: will ey delig in e ible alone or will ey look or addiionalrevelaion rom oer sources a appeal o mankind’s ineres in wonders? Supernaural aciviies sucas ongues, visions, and dreams are reerred o as miracles in e ible. ris used miracles o provee genuineness o is Gospel, bu once e ible was compleed God sopped is use o miracles.

i e compleed ible, we no longer need miracles because many miracles are already recorded ine ible isel o prove e power o e Gospel. owever, Saan imiaes God and is bringing ongues,dreams, and visions in order o deceive people ino ollowing is gospels. Saan is e maser deceiver.e doesn’ come wi orns and a picork. e comes looking like ris, bringing gospels a are soclose o e rue Gospel a e is able o ool mos people ino inking ey are e rue Gospel.

Eternal orment in Hell early all o us ave gone roug our lives believing a e unsaved will spend eerniy beingormened in a place called ell. ow a God’s period o esing is coming o an end e ime as

come or im o unlock a lo o new ru or believers, and one o ose new rus is e ac aell is no a place o eernal ormen; i is e condiion o being under e wra o God. ankind wascreaed as a pysical body like an animal, bu unlike an animal God gave im a spiri essence. en

dam and ve sinned, eir spiri essence died, and a eec was passed on o e enire umanrace. en someone becomes saved, is spiri is given lie again. owever, wen an unsaved persondies e en is compleely dead, bo in body and soul, because is soul was already dead rougouis pysical lie. e will never again come o conscious exisence. e ible equaes e dea o anunsaved individual wi a o an animal because, like an animal, once an unsaved person dies ais e end o exisence or a person. is pysical remains will be desroyed along wi is world,aer wic e will cease o exis in any way. God says a e believers are ealed roug ris’ssripes ( Peer :4), a is, roug is paymen or our sins. n eueronomy 5:3, God placed a

limi on ow many sripes a person can receive, ereby placing a limi on ow muc a person can bepunised or sin. is proves a e mercy o God is exended even o e unsaved. God were oallow someone o remain under is wra and be ormened (or “beaen wi sripes”) or eerniy e

would be in violaion o is own law, wic is no ow God operaes.

Te Free-Will Salvation Planos o us ave been aug a ris paid or e sins o every individual and all we ave o dois “accep ris” (and peraps be bapized) in order o be saved. owever, a’s no wa e ibleeaces. eore ime began God eleced cerain people o become saved, regardless o eir uureacions. en e ime comes or God o save one o is elec, e brings a person’s soul o lie.

person’s soul is e par a idenies wi God, and wen i is alive a person as an ongoing desireo obey God so a e begins o urn rom is sins. e ible ells us a one way we can know i we’ve become saved is i we keep God’s commandmens. ur ai is no wa causes us o suddenly ave an ineres in God and urn o im. nsead, our ai is a resul o aving become saved. isbecause e as saved us a suddenly we nd ourselves urning rom our sins and seeking im. wedon’ ave a proper undersanding o salvaion, en we mig misinerpre our beavior as e cause o our salvaion wen i is acually e resul o aving been saved. e do-i-yoursel salvaion plans ecurces eac oday compleely conradic is.




Divorce for Adultery e curc organizaion as a wole as become increasingly oleran o divorce and remarriage. eible eaces a ere is no o be divorce or any reason, bu e curces ave creaed eir own lisso valid excuses or divorce. Furermore, ey ave also become increasingly oleran o remarriage,

wic is always a violaion o God’s law so long as e ormer spouse is sill living.

Female Pastors e ible also eaces a women are no o ave spiriual auoriy over men. ey are no o eaca group in wic men are presen. ey may eac cildren or a group o women, bu wen menare presen ey are no o eac. e breaking o is law on e grand scale is a relaively recenoccurrence. ere is now a signican number o curces a permi women o be pasors. God asesablised a spiriual cain o command, bu curces everywere are accusing God o being unair soey ave ignored is law. ncidenally, is law only applies o spiriual leadersip. does no meana women canno old posiions o economic or poliical leadersip, suc as e o a company or e Presiden o e Unied Saes.

End-Times Prophecies

God speaks o ree seasons o spiriual rain: e igeous ain, arly ain, and aer ain. eigeous ain was e ime wen God was using e naion o srael as e early represenaion o is Kingdom. is began in 09 wen braam enered e Promised and. e rui o arain’s arves was ris imsel and so is coming marked e end o e igeous ain. e iblespeaks o a as aking place wen ris began is minisry in 9 .

e igeous ain was ollowed by a ree-and-a-al-year period o spiriual amine during wicrelaively ew people became saved. is period o amine was immediaely ollowed by e arly ain,

wic began in 33 . is was e period during wic God was using e curc organizaion ospread e Gospel around e world. e rui o e arly ain’s arves was e rue believers wobecame saved during a ime. e ible speaks o em as e rsruis and idenies em as e

44,000 in evelaion. is likely a we are o undersand is number guraively; e acual numbero people wo became saved during e arly ain likely surpassed 44,000. en we examine eime inormaion God as given us we learn a e arly ain ended in ay o 988.

e arly ain was en ollowed by anoer period o spiriual amine during wic very ewpeople became saved, and e ible again idenies is amine wi a period o ree and a al years.owever, is ime e ree and a al years was no a lieral span o ime; i is a guraive label aGod used in order o ide end-imes ru. n acualiy, is period o spiriual amine ran rom 988o 994.

en in Sepember o 994 e aer ain began, and is is e period we are living in now. is aime wen God is saving a grea muliude. is also e second par o e wo-par Grea ribulaiona began in 988. e diagram on e ollowing page illusraes is inormaion regarding e reeperiods o rain:




e curc organizaion began a e beginning o e arly ain in 33 . Saan los access oeaven a year and was bound o is ear wi is decepive abiliies grealy limied. e aveevidence a even jus a ew years aer is beginning e curc organizaion began alling away romru. e ible speaks o e curces beginning o old wrong docrines, even oug ey sillconinued o be rue curces o God wi e oly Spiri acive wiin em. God commanded emo urn rom eir wrong docrines and say aiul o e ru. e warned a i ey did no, e

would remove e oly Spiri rom em. ver e nex ,900 years e curc organizaion as a woleell urer and urer away rom e ru as i adoped addiional alse docrines o saisy is owndesires and logic.

Finally, in 988, God began o prepare e curc organizaion or judgmen because o is aposasy.God loosed Saan and allowed im o begin ruling wiin e curces. God also removed e oly Spiri rom e curces and began sending a srong delusion among e congregaions so a ey

would coninue o believe e lies ey ad esablised in eir alse docrines. e abominaion o desolaion ad begun o sand in e oly place. is ru brings grea sadness and difculy o elives o e believers.

s believers recognize e realiy o e siuaion in e curces ey are commanded by God oabandon e curc organizaion. ose wo do no leave eir curces on eir own are being asked

o leave because ey quesion e curces’ docrines. e ible speaks o is removal o e believersas a killing. e believers aren’ lierally being killed, bu eir removal is equaed in e ible wimurder. eore e apure occurs God as declared a e wea mus be separaed rom e ares;a is, e believers mus all be removed rom e curces. is process is sill aking place and willconinue unil e apure. summary o e ew esamen era is represened in e diagram on enex page:




God as now revealed a e apure will occur on ay , 0. er e apure is world will be a abiaion o only unsaved individuals. e 53 days a ollow e apure will be e nal53 days o is world’s exisence. is e period o ime during wic God’s nal judgmen will bepoured ou on is world. en on cober , 0, is world will be desroyed by re. summary o e Grea ribulaion imeline is as ollows:

e ave all been aug a ris’s coming will be like a ie in e nig and a no one canknow wen e will reurn. is is wa God waned us o ink rougou e arly ain so a we

would no be sideracked rom our primary objecive: go ino all e world wi e Gospel. owever,

now a we are rig near e end e ime as come or God o reveal is imeline o e believers soa ey can warn e world. ow we can see a e ible eaces a e believers will know eiming o e end, bu or e vas majoriy o e world ris’s coming will sill be like a ie in enig.

A Couple of Key Points

n addiion o e conclusions already covered in is caper, i is criical a we keep a couple o




oer key poins in mind. s wi e oer conclusions presened in is caper, wo o ese weredeveloped in Te Book Has Been Opened bu are being reviewed ere as a quick reminder.

Te Book of Jeremiah oug in conex i is dealing wi Juda, e book o Jeremia is primarily ocused on e siuaion o our day. is a book lled wi saemens a poin o e ac a e curc organizaion as comeunder God’s judgmen. e will requenly look a verses rom Jeremia in is book so i is imporana we undersand is ac. we reuse o look beyond e surace meaning o is isoric parable,en e book o Jeremia will coninue o be noing more an a isory lesson or us. God ad o

wrie e ible in a complicaed way in order o ide inormaion abou e end imes and is is paro ow e did a.

Israel = Judah = Jerusalem = God’s People God oen uses e erms “srael,” “Juda,” and “Jerusalem” inercangeably. ey are all erms Goduses in reerence o is people. Someimes ey can be a reerence o jus e rue believers and oerimes ey are a reerence o e early represenaion o is Kingdom made up o all o ose wo callemselves risians. e ave o examine e conex o know wic is in view.

Te Book of Ezekiel ike e book o Jeremia, e book o zekiel is primarily ocused on e ime in wic we are livingoday. is was no covered in Te Book Has Been Opened so we will examine a couple o quick proosere.

n evelaion caper 0 we read abou a book being eaen a is as swee as oney in e mou:

And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me,

ake it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet

as honey. And I took the little book out o the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my

mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. (Revelation 10:9-

10)

e nd e same parable in zekiel:

And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll o a book was therein;

And he spread it beore me; and it was written within and without: and there was written

therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe. Moreover he said unto me, Son o man, eat

that thou ndest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house o Israel. So I opened my mouth,

and he caused me to eat that roll. And he said unto me, Son o man, cause thy belly to eat,

and ll thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Ten did I eat it; and it was in my mouth

as honey or sweetness. (Ezekiel 2:9-3:3)

e will examine zekiel caper laer in is book and discover a is parabolic language is alkingabou our day wen God as removed e seals rom is ord so a we are learning ings a werepreviously kep secre.

e will also examine aum caper 3 and see i is a passage a is clearly speaking abou e endimes. opens wi e saemen, “oe o e bloody ciy”:




Woe to the bloody city! it is all ull o lies and robbery; the prey departeth not (Nahum 3:1)

e ebrew prase ranslaed “bloody ciy” is only ound ree oer imes in e ible, all o wicare in zekiel:

Whereore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is

therein, and whose scum is not gone out o it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot all upon

it. (Ezekiel 24:6)

Tereore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile or re

great. (Ezekiel 24:9)

Now, thou son o man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew

her all her abominations. (Ezekiel 22:2)

s wi e book o Jeremia, we will be reerencing a number o passages in zekiel so i is imporano undersand a e book o zekiel is largely speaking o e end imes.

Te Collective Development of ruth s menioned in Te Book Has Been Opened , e eacings se or in is book are no e work o a single individual. ere are many believers around e world careully sudying ese maers andsaring eir ndings wi oers. is enables believers o ceck eac oer’s work or possible errorsand use aiul work o elp urer eir own sudies. God is revealing a grea deal o previously idden rus in ese las days; ese rus are complicaed and difcul o grasp. n op o a,God as o ge is inormaion o a lo o people in a relaively sor period o ime. believe God asallowed mankind o make advancemens in ecnology in order o prepare or is period o aerain wen a lo o inormaion mus quickly ge ou o e world. e maerial presened in is book is a represenaion o e developmen o ru a is aking place in our day as God reveals previously

idden ru o believers around e world.




evelaion caper conains a parable abou a woman wo we will discover ypies e early represenaion o God’s people. e nd is conclusion in e book o Jeremia as well:

I have likened the daughter o Zion to a comely and delicate woman. (Jeremiah 6:2)

n e ld esamen e early represenaion o God’s people was e naion o srael, and en aere cross God sied a role o e curc organizaion. e are going o examine evelaion .

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under

her eet, and upon her head a crown o twelve stars:

e read ere abou a crowned woman cloed wi e sun. e sun signies ris:

Ten spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light o the world: he that olloweth me

shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light o lie. (John 8:12)

ereore, e woman cloed wi e sun idenies wi ose wo are cloed wi ris. ris ise robe o rigeousness:

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyul in my God; or he hath clothed

me with the garments o salvation, he hath covered me with the robe o righteousness, as a

bridegroom decketh himsel with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth hersel with her jewels.

(Isaiah 61:10)

er crown poins o e ac a e believers are kings:

And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion

or ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:6)

n e ible e moon poins o e law o God. e moon being under er ee is a reminder a ebelievers are no under e law:

The Woman

A Look at Revelation 12

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But i ye be led o the Spirit, ye are not under the law. (Galatians 5:18)

is is language o indicae a ey are no longer condemned by e law. does no mean a ebelievers no longer need o be concerned wi obeying i.

And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

e cild being spoken o ere is widely and correcly undersood o be ris. e poin in imeis verse is reerencing, e ad no ye been born and is coming was sill anicipaed. Prior o givingbir, e woman in is caper represens e naion o srael.

3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven

heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

e dragon is Saan:

And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound

him a thousand years (Revelation 20:2)

en we examine evelaion caper 7 in e nex caper we will discover a e seven eads wiseven crowns poin o Saan’s rule over is world rougou ime:

Now is the judgment o this world: now shall the prince o this world be cast out. (John

12:31)

4 And his tail drew the third part o the stars o heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the

dragon stood beore the woman which was ready to be delivered, or to devour her child as soon

as it was born.

e sars o eaven represen e believers. Since believers are indwel by ris is aribue o beinge ig o e orld becomes a par o em:

Ye are the light o the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. (Matthew 5:14)

And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness o the rmament; and they that turn

many to righteousness as the stars or ever and ever. (Daniel 12:3)

e examined e racion 1 in Te Book Has Been Opened and discovered a i idenies wi God’s

people. Jus as is e case wi e words “srael” and “Jerusalem,” i can eier be a reerence o eeernal body o rue believers or e early body o ose wo claim o be God’s people. e ave oexamine e conex o know wic is in view. n is case, e conex indicaes i is a reerence o erue believers.

oice e cild (ris) is sill no ye born a e ime o wic is verse is speaking. e picurebeing pained ere is a e dragon (Saan) ad e abiliy o ave a large negaive impac on eGospel beore ris wen o e cross. emember, i was a e cross a Saan was bound and los a




grea deal o is abiliy o deceive e naions.e ac a i was is ail a drew e ird par o e sars is a reminder o Saan’s decepive

abiliies:

Te ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

(Isaiah 9:15)

is is no indicaing a Saan’s deceiul work was overcoming e rue believers, bu e wars againsGod’s Kingdom and one way e does a is roug deceiving e unbelievers so a ey do nolisen o e ru as e believers bring e Gospel. Saan is e aer o lies:

Ye are o your ather the devil, and the lusts o your ather ye will do. He was a murderer

rom the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he

speaketh a lie, he speaketh o his own: or he is a liar, and the ather o it. (John 8:44)

is is illusraed or us in e parable o e sower wo wen ou o sow. Some seed ell by e wayside and e birds plucked i up. e are old a is poins o Saan wo snaces e ord ou

o e ears o men as e believers bring i o e world:

When any one heareth the word o the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the

wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. Tis is he which received

seed by the way side. (Matthew 13:19)

5 And she brought orth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod o iron: and her child

was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

is verse brings us o e poin wen ris as been born. e know e cild is ris because is verse says a e cild will rule wi a rod o iron, and a is a picure o ris:

And out o his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he

shall rule them with a rod o iron: and he treadeth the winepress o the erceness and wrath

o Almighty God. (Revelation 19:15)

e saemen a e cild (ris) was caug up o God and o is rone poins o ris’sascension ino eaven aer is resurrecion o si a e rig and o God:

So then ater the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the

right hand o God. (Mark 16:19)

6 And the woman ed into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared o God, that they should

eed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

e ,60 days is a guraive span o ime a reers o e arly ain period a began in 33 and ended a e beginning o e Grea ribulaion in 988. any eologians ave aug a ese,60 days someow relae o e end imes, bu noice ow e conex doesn’ allow a. ey’remenioned in a passage a is speaking o e period o ime surrounding ris’s ime on ar.




e place a was prepared or er was e curc organizaion. emember, e woman is eearly represenaion o God’s people and a e cross God ook a role rom naional srael andapplied i o e curces. e read a e woman was ed ere or e guraive ,60 days and apoins o e ac a e believers go eir spiriual nourismen in e curces during e arly ain.

7

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels ought against the dragon; and the dragonought and his angels,

icael is ris. is is so commonly misundersood in our day a we sould ake a brie deouror a momen and develop is ac. Jude 9 is e only verse in e ible a direcly connecs icael

wi e erm “arcangel” in our nglis ranslaion:

Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body o

Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, Te Lord rebuke thee.

e word “arcangel” comes rom e Greek word archaggelos , wic is only ound in one oer verse,

Firs essalonians 4:6, were i is clearly used in connecion wi God:

For the Lord himsel shall descend rom heaven with a shout, with the voice o the archangel,

and with the trump o God: and the dead in Christ shall rise rst

e Greek word archaggelos is a combinaion o e words archo and aggelos . e word archo is isel only ound wice in e ible. nce i is ranslaed as “o reign over” in omans 5:, and e oerime i is ranslaed as “o rule over” in ark 0:4. e word aggelos is ound 88 imes in e ibleand is always ranslaed as “messenger” wen no ranslaed as “angel.” ereore, anoer accuraeranslaion o e Greek word archaggelos is “ruling messenger” or “reigning messenger.” ased on eGreek exicon, anoer proper ranslaion is “cie messenger,” wic makes sense because a cie isone wo as auoriy. o is e ruling messenger, e reigning messenger, e cie messenger o eGospel? a is ris, o course. e is e messenger o e covenan:

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way beore me: and the LORD,

whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger o the covenant, whom

ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD o hosts. (Malachi 3:1)

ere in evelaion :7 we are reading abou icael ging agains e dragon, Saan. re we obelieve a only God’s angels led by some ead angel are ging e war agains Saan and is demons,and ris isn’ involved? a doesn’ square wi e ible. icael mus be ris imsel.

icael is reerred o as e grea prince:

And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth or the children o

thy people: and there shall be a time o trouble, such as never was since there was a nation

even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be

ound written in the book. And many o them that sleep in the dust o the earth shall awake,

some to everlasting lie, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:1-2)




e ible calls ris e Prince:

Know thereore and understand, that rom the going orth o the commandment to restore

and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore

and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. (Daniel

9:25)

ris is e Prince o Peace:

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his

shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderul, Counsellor, Te mighty God, Te

everlasting Father, Te Prince o Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

e is e Prince o ie:

And killed the Prince o lie, whom God hath raised rom the dead; whereo we are witnesses.

(Acts 3:15)

e is e Prince o Princes:

And through his policy also he shall cause crat to prosper in his hand; and he shall magniy

himsel in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the

Prince o princes; but he shall be broken without hand. (Daniel 8:25)

ese kinds o saemens eac us a only ris can be e Grea Prince. e may nd i odd a ris is being ypied by an angel wen e is called icael e rcangel,

bu we acually nd numerous reerences in e ible were angels are idenied as God. n Genesiscaper 6 we read abou agar learning a se was pregnan. n angel old er e would muliply

er seed exceedingly:

And the angel o the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall

not be numbered or multitude. (Genesis 16:10)

God is e only ne wo as power o conrol concepion and bir.n Genesis caper we read again o an angel speaking as i e were God. e angel said, “ will

make im a grea naion”:

And God heard the voice o the lad; and the angel o God called to Hagar out o heaven, and

said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? ear not; or God hath heard the voice o the lad where he is. Arise, lit up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; or I will make him a great

nation. (Genesis 21:17-18)

was God wo ullled a promise.n Genesis caper God old braam o sacrice is son, saac, as a burn oering. is was

done o es braam’s willingness o obey God. Jus as braam was abou o kill is son an angelspoke o im:




And the angel o the LORD called unto him out o heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham:

and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any

thing unto him: or now I know that thou earest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son,

thine only son rom me. (Genesis 22:11-12)

oice e angel said, “seeing ou as no wield y son, ine only son rom me.” e again, wend an angel speaking as i e was God.

n Judges caper we read o an angel a broug e sraelies ou o gyp:

And an angel o the LORD came up rom Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up

out o Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your athers; and I

said, I will never break my covenant with you. (Judges 2:1)

owever, in acualiy i was God, no an angel, wo broug e sraelies ou o gyp and esabliseda covenan wi em.

n Genesis caper 3 we read o an angel clearly ideniying imsel as God:

And the angel o God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I. And hesaid, Lit up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked,

speckled, and grisled: or I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. I am the God o Bethel,

where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee

out rom this land, and return unto the land o thy kindred. (Genesis 31:11-13)

e also know a e angel a appeared o oses in e burning bus was acually God imsel:

And when orty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness o mount Sina

an angel o the Lord in a ame o re in a bush. When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight:

and as he drew near to behold it, the voice o the LORD came unto him, Saying, I am the

God o thy athers, the God o Abraham, and the God o Isaac, and the God o Jacob. TenMoses trembled, and durst not behold. (Acts 7:30-32)

ereore, we ave pleny o biblical evidence o suppor e conclusion a a reerence o an angel canreally be a reerence o God.

Geing back o evelaion :7, is verse is speaking o e bale a ook place a e cross. was a a ime a ris deeaed Saan and bound im. is vicory was no suc a Saan wasdesroyed; i jus sealed is ae and conrmed a in e end ris would be e vicor. ris wone bale, bu e war was no over. owever, i was e kind o bale a clinced e evenual

vicory or ris.

8 And prevailed not; neither was their place ound any more in heaven.

Saan and is angels someow ad access o eaven prior o e cross. e see is in e book o Job were Saan is among wo gaerings o believers in eaven:

Now there was a day when the sons o God came to present themselves beore the LORD,

and Satan came also among them. (Job 1:6)




Again there was a day when the sons o God came to present themselves beore the LORD,

and Satan came also among them to present himsel beore the LORD. (Job 2:1)

owever, wen Saan los e bale a e cross and was bound, e and is angels were permanenly cas ou o eaven. gain, ere we are reading a passage a is dealing wi e ime wen ris wason ar. is verse is no speaking o an even aking place during e end imes.

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth

the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

e previous verse aug us a Saan and is angels were locked ou o eaven and we’ve learned acoincided wi em being placed in cains. n is verse we learn a eir being locked ou in cainscoincided wi being cas ou ino e ear. is is e even a ook place in 33 . Saan was nocompleely bound, bu is abiliy o deceive e naions ad been grealy limied so a God’s plan osend e Gospel ino all e world could begin.

0 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom

o our God, and the power o his Christ: or the accuser o our brethren is cast down, whichaccused them beore our God day and night.

Salvaion became possible wen ris demonsraed e aonemen e made or e sins o is peoplea e cross. e read ere o a loud voice announcing a salvaion as come. is parallels wenris announced a e demonsraion o is paymen or sins ad been compleed jus beore edied:

When Jesus thereore had received the vinegar, he said, It is nished: and he bowed his head,

and gave up the ghost. (John 19:30)

ris’s work on e cross was a demonsraion o wa i ook o make salvaion possible. a is wen “e accuser” was “cas down.” a is wen Saan and is angels were cas ou ino e ear,locked ou o eaven in cains wi eir decepive abiliies grealy reduced.

And they overcame him by the blood o the Lamb, and by the word o their testimony; and they

loved not their lives unto the death.

e amb is ris:

Te next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb o God, which

taketh away the sin o the world. (John 1:29)

e saemen, “ey loved no eir lives uno e dea,” is a reminder o e mindse o a believer:

He that loveth his lie shall lose it; and he that hateth his lie in this world shall keep it unto

lie eternal. (John 12:25)




Tereore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters o the earth and

o the sea! or the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he

hath but a short time.

e eavens rejoiced because God’s plan o evangelize e world ad begun. emember a a Penecosin 33 ere were abou 3,000 people saved in a single day (cs :4). ere we are also reminded o

Saan being cas ou ino e ear by e saemen “e devil is come down uno you.”“e inabiers o e ear” is a prase a poins o ose in e curces. e nd e prase,“inabians o e land,” commonly used in e ible in relaion o srael and Jerusalem:

Hear the word o the LORD, ye children o Israel: or the LORD hath a controversy with

the inhabitants o the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge o God in

the land. (Hosea 4:1)

Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants

o the land tremble: or the day o the LORD cometh, or it is nigh at hand (Joel 2:1)

Ten the LORD said unto me, Out o the north an evil shall break orth upon all theinhabitants o the land. For, lo, I will call all the amilies o the kingdoms o the north, saith

the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering o the

gates o Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereo round about, and against all the cities

o Judah. (Jeremiah 1:14-15)

e’ve seen a e words “srael” and “Jerusalem” spiriually ideniy wi God’s people. e “land”o God’s people in e ew esamen era is e curc organizaion. e saemen “woe o einibiers” is a reminder a Saan was sill allowed o deceive aer e cross, even i o a smaller degree.

en we read evelaion capers and 3 we see a Saan’s work even exised in e curces jus aew years aer e arly ain began.

3 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which

brought orth the man child.

gain, remember a e ible clearly sows a Saan being cas ou ino e ear occurred a eime o e cross. e language o is verse indicaes a is persecuion o e woman ook placeimmediaely ereaer. aional srael was no longer e represenaion o God’s people aer e cross;God ad sied a role o e curces. is serves o conrm a e woman is no longer naionalsrael ere. e dragon persecuing e woman poins o e persecuion a believers can expec oexperience in is world, wic is ruled by Saan:

Blessed are they which are persecuted or righteousness’ sake: or theirs is the kingdom

o heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all

manner o evil against you alsely, or my sake. (Matthew 5:10-11)

also idenies eavily wi e persecuion Saan broug on e curc organizaion rougou early ain.




4 And to the woman were given two wings o a great eagle, that she might y into the wilderness,

into her place, where she is nourished or a time, and times, and hal a time, rom the ace o the

serpent.

is saemen reminds us o xodus caper 9 were God saely broug is people ou o gyp andino e wilderness “on eagles’ wings”:

For they were departed rom Rephidim, and were come to the desert o Sinai, and had pitched

in the wilderness; and there Israel camped beore the mount. And Moses went up unto God,

and the LORD called unto him out o the mountain, saying, Tus shalt thou say to the

house o Jacob, and tell the children o Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians,

and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto mysel. (Exodus 19:2-4)

e “ime, imes, and al a ime” is anoer way o illusraing e number 3.5. n verse 6 welearned a e woman, e organized body o proessing risians, ad a place prepared or erby God or ,60 days ollowing e cross. e also know a imerame o be a guraive leng o ime a idenies wi e enire arly ain period. n a calendar o 30-day mons, ,60 days

is exacly ree and a al years. is e same “,60 days” in wic e wo winesses o evelaioncaper propesy. n oer words, is verse is reminding us a e curc was cared or by God ora predeermined duraion o ime a we ave learned o be e arly ain, wic was acually ,955years in leng (33 – 988).

5 And the serpent cast out o his mouth water as a ood ater the woman, that he might cause her

to be carried away o the ood.

aer in e ible oen signies e living waer o e Gospel (Jon 4:0-). Saan akes e rueGospel and wiss i jus enoug o pollue i so a i is no longer e rue Gospel a brings eernal

lie. becomes bier waer:

And the name o the star is called Wormwood: and the third part o the waters became

wormwood; and many men died o the waters, because they were made bitter. (Revelation

8:11)

e dea menioned ere is spiriual dea. e alse gospels in view are no ose wic exis ou ine secular world suc as slam and uddism. e gospels in view are ose wic look so muc likee rue Gospel a mos are deceived ino believing a ey really are. e ac a e bier waercomes rom Saan’s mou is anoer reminder a Saan is e aer o lies.

6 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the ood

which the dragon cast out o his mouth.

ere is e grea promise a during e ime wen e woman was ed in e wilderness, guraively ,60 days bu lierally ,955 years, se was largely (oug no compleely) proeced by God romSaan’s aemps o desroy er wi is bier waers. is is because e oly Spiri was presen in ecurces during e arly ain. ven oug e congregaions may ave been presened wi alse




docrines e ord o God was being read and i is roug e earing o e ord a e oly Spiri works o save people:

So then aith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word o God. (Romans 10:17)

e nd a isoric parable abou is in xodus caper 5. ere we read abou a ime wen God ook e bier waer and made i so a i could be saely consumed:

And when they came to Marah, they could not drink o the waters o Marah, or they were

bitter: thereore the name o it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses,

saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a

tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made or

them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them (Exodus 15:23-25)

owever, we’ve learned a once e Grea ribulaion began in 988 God removed e oly Spirirom e curces so a proecion is now gone.

7 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant o her seed, which keep the commandments o God, and have the testimony o Jesus Christ.

o all o ose a were a par o e curc organizaion rougou e arly ain were acually saved. e remnan o er seed represens ose wo were ruly saved:

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant o Israel, and such as are escaped o

the house o Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon

the LORD, the Holy One o Israel, in truth. (Isaiah 10:20)

For thus saith the LORD; Sing with gladness or Jacob, and shout among the chie o the

nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O LORD, save thy people, the remnant o Israel.

(Jeremiah 31:7)

I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all o thee; I will surely gather the remnant o Israel; I will

put them together as the sheep o Bozrah, as the ock in the midst o their old: they shall

make great noise by reason o the multitude o men. (Micah 2:12)

e ac a e remnan spoken o in evelaion :7 keeps God’s commandmens is urer evidencea ey are ruly saved:

And hereby we do know that we know him, i we keep his commandments. (1 John 2:3)

en we lay ou e evens o is caper we arrive a e imeline on e ollowing page:




ex, we are going o examine evelaion caper 7 were God speaks o e woman as “e grea wore.”




e spen some ime examining evelaion caper so a we could undersand a e curcorganizaion is ypied by a woman. e are now going o look a evelaion caper 7 were

we will see a e woman, according o God, as now become “e grea wore.” e opening verseo caper 7 saes, “ will sew uno ee e judgmen o e grea wore,” so we know is caperis dealing wi God’s judgmen on e curces. e nal judgmen on e world will ake place aere Grea ribulaion, bu God begins is judgmen process wi e curces:

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house o God: and i it rst begin at us,

what shall the end be o them that obey not the gospel o God? (1 Peter 4:17)

is process began in 988 wen God loosed Saan o rule wiin e curces. God is preparing ecurc organizaion or judgmen. e’s ake a verse-by-verse look a evelaion caper 7.

And there came one o the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying

unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment o the great whore that sitteth uponmany waters

Spiriual woredom can be dened as placing rus in gospels a are no biblical:

I will do these things unto thee, because thou hast gone a whoring ater the heathen, and

because thou art polluted with their idols. (Ezekiel 23:30)

And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring ater other gods,

and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out o the way which their athers

walked in, obeying the commandments o the LORD; but they did not so. (Judges 2:17)

Spiriual woredom as o do wi embracing e works o men:

Tus were they deled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.

(Psalm 106:39)

n a broader sense, spiriual woredom is disobedience o God’s law:

The Great Whore


P

3




Te beginning o the word o the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take

unto thee a wie o whoredoms and children o whoredoms: or the land hath committed

great whoredom, departing rom the LORD. (Hosea 1:2)

And it shall be unto you or a ringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the

commandments o the LORD, and do them ; and that ye seek not ater your own heart and

your own eyes, ater which ye use to go a whoring (Numbers 15:39)

e curces ave creaed eir own docrines and gospels a are no aiul o e ible. Forexample, God as commanded a ere is no o be divorce or any reason, bu e curces avedecided a a’s an unreasonable law and ave wrien eir own loopoles. God as commandeda women are no o old posiions o spiriual auoriy over men, bu e curces ave decided aa’s discriminaory so ey permi women o be pasors and deacons. God as declared a no acion

we ake can iniiae or complee our salvaion, bu e curces ave decided a a’s unair so ey ave creaed eir own do-i-yoursel salvaion programs, wic eac a a cerain prayer, bapism, oroer acion can conribue o our salvaion. e can go roug a number o issues and see a ecurc organizaion as modied God’s law o sui is desires and line up wi is own imperec logic.

e curces claim ey wan o do everying God’s way, bu in pracice ey walk conrary o God’s way:

Tus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask or the old paths, where is the

good way, and walk therein, and ye shall nd rest or your souls. But they said, We will not

walk therein. (Jeremiah 6:16)

e ru a is in e ord o God is a reproac o em:

o whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is

uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word o the LORD is unto them a

reproach; they have no delight in it. (Jeremiah 6:10)

ey don’ realize is is so, bu ey ave canged God’s judgmens and saues:

And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes

more than the countries that are round about her: or they have reused my judgments and

my statutes, they have not walked in them. (Ezekiel 5:6)

e curces are propesying rom eir own ears:

Son o man, prophesy against the prophets o Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto themthat prophesy out o their own hearts, Hear ye the word o the LORD; Tus saith the Lord

GOD; Woe unto the oolish prophets, that ollow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

(Ezekiel 3:2-3)

God speaks o em as propesying e decei o eir ears in is name:

Ten the LORD said unto me, Te prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither




have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a alse vision

and divination, and a thing o nought, and the deceit o their heart. (Jeremiah 14:14)

n oer words, e’s no alking abou e eacers o alse religions wo wan noing o do wi eGod o e ible. e’s alking abou ose wo claim o be eacers o e ible. ey speak lies inGod’s name. ey say, “ere is wa e ible eaces,” wen in ac i does no:

And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining

lies unto them, saying, Tus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken. (Ezekiel

22:28)

ey do no realize ey are eacing alseoods. e ible says a ey ave all deceived one anoero e poin were ey ave aug eir ongues o speak lies:

And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught

their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity. (Jeremiah 9:5)

n oer words, ey’ve allowed eir curc docrines and creeds o be so deeply rooed in eirundersanding o e ible a e alseoods are eecively all ey know. is in ese lies a ey place eir rus:

Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot prot. (Jeremiah 7:8)

Tis is thy lot, the portion o thy measures rom me, saith the LORD; because thou hast

orgotten me, and trusted in alsehood. (Jeremiah 13:25)

’s erribly sad. God speaks o is people as being oolis and aving no undersanding:

For my people is oolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they havenone understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

(Jeremiah 4:22)

en we compare is language wi e res o e ible we know a e people in view ere areose in e curces. e will see is again and again as we progress roug is book. is maero alse docrines is a very serious one in God’s eyes. God relaes e esablising o docrines based one minds o men o worsipping in vain:

But in vain they do worship me, teaching or doctrines the commandments o men. (Matthew

15:9)

e ew esamen curc’s alling away rom ru was prediced in e ew esamen:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but ater their own lusts

shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their

ears rom the truth, and shall be turned unto ables. (2 imothy 4:3-4)




is is wy e curc organizaion, wic was ypied by a woman in evelaion caper , asbecome “e grea wore.” as disobeyed God’s law and become pollued wi e ideas o men:

For the children o Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their

abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it. (Jeremiah 7:30)

e read in evelaion 7: a e grea wore sis upon many waers. e rue Gospel is reerred oas living waer (Jon 4:0-), bu wen a Gospel is pollued wi alseoods i becomes bier waera brings spiriual dea raer an eernal lie:



8:11)

e many waers a e woman sis upon are e alse docrines a se as creaed or ersel.

With whom the kings o the earth have committed ornication, and the inhabitants o the earth

have been made drunk with the wine o her ornication.

o beer undersand God’s use o e prase “kings o e ear,” we sould look a ow e uses aew oer words rs. e word “rees” can spiriually poin o e believers, suc as in saia 55:

were we read abou e rue believers (ypied by rees) rejoicing because o e peace ey’ve receivedroug salvaion:

For ye shall go out with joy, and be led orth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall

break orth beore you into singing, and all the trees o the eld shall clap their hands.

u God also uses e word “rees” o poin o ose in e curces wo look like rue believers buacually are no:

Te rst angel sounded, and there ollowed hail and re mingled with blood, and they were

cast upon the earth: and the third part o trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt

up. (Revelation 8:7)

God uses e word “sars” in reerence o e rue believers, suc as in aniel 8:0 were we readabou Saan’s persecuion o e rue believers:

And it waxed great, even to the host o heaven; and it cast down some o the host and o the

stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.

u God also uses e word “sars” in reerence o ose in e curces wo look saved bu are sillunder God’s wra because ey aren’ saved:

And the ourth angel sounded, and the third part o the sun was smitten, and the third part

o the moon, and the third part o the stars; so as the third part o them was darkened, and




the day shone not or a third part o it, and the night likewise. (Revelation 8:12)

e’ve seen a God uses e words “srael,” “Jerusalem,” and “Juda” in is way as well. e’ve alsoseen a God reers o bo e rue believers and e unsaved wo ideniy emselves as believers asis people, and e does is because bo groups are presening emselves o e secular world as erepresenaion o God’s Kingdom.

ikewise, God reers o e rue believers as kings:

And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion

or ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:6)

u e also uses e word “kings” in reerence o e unsaved in e curces wo presen emselveso e world as being a par o God’s Kingdom. e are seeing an example o is ere in evelaioncaper 7 and we will also nd i in e nex caper wen we examine evelaion caper 8.

e’ve seen a e prase, “inabians o e ear,” is a reerence o ose in e curces. God iselling us a e inabians, ose in e curces, ave commied spiriual ornicaion. nsead o saying aiul o God’s law, ey ave cased aer e docrines o men.

e ible uses e prase “srong drink” in relaion o e decepion and lies a come rom ose wo claim o be bringers o God’s ord bu in acualiy are eacing lies:

I a man walking in the spirit and alsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee o wine

and o strong drink; he shall even be the prophet o this people. (Micah 2:11)

But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out o the way; the

priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up o wine,

they are out o the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

(Isaiah 28:7)

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.(Proverbs 20:1)

So e ible calls alse docrines “srong drink.” ere in evelaion 7: we are reading a e inabianso e land, ose in e curces, ave been made drunk by ese adulerous, alse docrines.

3So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet

coloured beast, ull o names o blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

n verse we saw a e woman is siing upon many waers and ere we see a se sis upon a

scarle-colored beas. e beas is Saan and is kingdom. e color scarle idenies wi salvaion:

For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the

blood o calves and o goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both

the book, and all the people (Hebrews 9:19)

She is not araid o the snow or her household: or all her household are clothed with scarlet.

(Proverbs 31:21)




Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they

shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah

1:18)

is also a color a idenies wi royaly. For example, aniel was old a e would be cloed inscarle and become e ird ruler in e kingdom:

And I have heard o thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now i

thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereo, thou shalt be

clothed with scarlet, and have a chain o gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in

the kingdom. (Daniel 5:16)

lso, wen Jesus was mocked, ey cloed im in a scarle robe and placed a crown o orns on isead:

And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown

o thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee

beore him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King o the Jews! (Matthew 27:28-29)

e scarle-colored beas poins o e ac a Saan comes ino e curc counereiing ris. epresens imsel as a king and brings is own salvaion plans. course, e curces do no recognizea Saan is eir guide; ey ink i is ris.

4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious

stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand ull o abominations and lthiness o her

ornication:

e color combinaion o purple and scarle is used in connecion wi e abernacle:

Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains o ne twined linen, and blue,

and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims o cunning work shalt thou make them. (Exodus

26:1)

ere are 5 oer verses in xodus a menion purple and scarle in connecion wi e abernacle.e woman being arrayed in purple and scarle is anoer reminder a e woman represens eearly congregaion o ose wo ideniy emselves as God’s people; se represens e curces.

e woman is described as being decked wi gold, pearls, and precious sones. ese are words aideniy wi believers and e Gospel. n oer words, e curc organizaion presens isel as e

ome o e believers and bringer o e rue Gospel. is is addiional evidence a “e grea wore”is e curc organizaion because e curces were were e believers and Gospel could be oundrougou e arly ain.

5 And upon her orehead was a name written, MYSERY, BABYLON HE GREA, HE MOHER

OF HARLOS AND ABOMINAIONS OF HE EARH.




is verse ells us a e curc organizaion is also ypied by abylon. ies in wi saia :, wic speaks o a aiul ciy a became a arlo:

How is the aithul city become an harlot! it was ull o judgment; righteousness lodged in

it; but now murderers. (Isaiah 1:21)

e will examine e curc as spiriual abylon in e nex caper.

6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood o the saints, and with the blood o the martyrs o

Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

e woman being drunken wi e blood o sains is a reerence o e ac a e rue believersare being removed rom e curc organizaion. s believers become uncomorable wiin ecurc during e Grea ribulaion ey may express eir concerns o eir pasors or sare wioer members eir ndings in e ible abou Saan’s posiion wiin e curc. is aciviy willulimaely resul in e believers eier leaving e curc on eir own or being asked o leave. eible speaks o being removed rom e curc as being killed, spiriually speaking:

Tey shall put you out o the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you

will think that he doeth God service. (John 16:2)

e may wonder wy God uses is language. y does e equae being removed rom e curc wi being killed? ecall a e sraelies, e early represenaion o God’s kingdom in e ldesamen, were commanded o remove evil-doers rom amongs em by lierally killing em:

And that prophet, or that dreamer o dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken

to turn you away rom the LORD your God, which brought you out o the land o Egypt,

and redeemed you out o the house o bondage, to thrust thee out o the way which the

LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away rom the midst

o thee. (Deuteronomy 13:5)

ikewise, e curc organizaion (e early represenaion o God’s Kingdom aer e cross) wascommanded o remove evil-doers rom amongs i:

But them that are without God judgeth. Tereore put away rom among yourselves that

wicked person. (1 Corinthians 5:13)

And ye are pued up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might

be taken away rom among you. (1 Corinthians 5:2)

oug e believers during e Grea ribulaion are no acually e evil-doers, ey are perceived asbringers o eresy and are removed rom e curces. ead Jon 6: again and noice a ose woare removing e believers rom e curc onesly believe ey are doing e rig ing:


will think that he doeth God service.




ey believe ose wo speak ou agains e docrines o e curc are rying o ur em and soey wan ese individuals silenced:

Tereore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: or

thus he weakeneth the hands o the men o war that remain in this city, and the hands o all

the people, in speaking such words unto them: or this man seeketh not the welare o this

people, but the hurt. (Jeremiah 38:4)

God is currenly warning e curc organizaion roug is ord and roug believers as ey bring is message o ose in e curces. owever, e curces are no lisening:

Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound o the trumpet. But they said,

We will not hearken. (Jeremiah 6:17)

n a spiriual sense, e curces are killing e messengers a God is sending o warn em:

Whereore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some o them ye

shall kill and cruciy; and some o them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecutethem rom city to city: Tat upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth,

rom the blood o righteous Abel unto the blood o Zacharias son o Barachias, whom ye

slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come

upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest

them which are sent unto thee, how oten would I have gathered thy children together, even

as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (Matthew 23:34-35)

7 And the angel said unto me, Whereore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery o the

woman, and o the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

is no insignican a God reers o is inormaion as a mysery. e’ve learned a God wroee wole ible in e orm o parables. Some o ese parables are rue sories o evens a really didake place, bu ey are in e ible because ey conain spiriual meanings like e parables Jesus oldduring is minisry. God wroe e ible is way so a e could ide cerain inormaion romunbelievers, and in some cases i was o ide inormaion rom all o mankind unil e ime came

wen God waned i o be undersood:

All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake

he not unto them: Tat it might be ullled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I

will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret rom the

oundation o the world. (Matthew 13:34-35)

e are living in suc a day wen inormaion a as been kep secre is now being revealed o believersas ey approac God’s ord wi e rig aiude and careully sudy i.

e evens depiced in evelaion caper 7 are par o a parable God as wrien. Parables aremyseries a can only be undersood i God allows i:

And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries o the kingdom o God: but to others




in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. (Luke

8:10)

is is wy God uses e prase, “e mysery o e woman.” s ard as God-earing, diligeneologians may ave ried o undersand is caper, i was no unil very recenly a God revealedo believers a a ime would come wen e curces would be under is judgmen.

8Te beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out o the bottomless pit, and go into

perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the

book o lie rom the oundation o the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not,

and yet is.

Saan is e one wo was cas ino e boomless pi and, aerwards, loosed or a lile season:

And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound

him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal

upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be

ullled: and ater that he must be loosed a little season. (Revelation 20:2-3)

e beas “was” in a prior o e cross Saan was able o deceive e naions o a very ig degree.is was wrien during e arly ain. e “is no” in a rougou e arly ain e was bound ina way a is abiliies o deceive were grealy limied compared o prior o e cross. e “ye is” in ae was no compleely bound; a is, e was sill able o deceive e world and even plan is decepive

work wiin e curces o a degree.

9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. Te seven heads are seven mountains, on which the

woman sitteth.

e’ve seen a e woman sis on many waers and we’ve learned a is poins o e curcorganizaion relying on is curren oundaion o alse docrines. e’ve seen a e woman sis one beas and we’ve learned a e beas is Saan. ow we are reading a e woman sis on sevenmounains, wic are ypied by e seven eads o e beas and ideniy wi Saan’s kingdom:

And I stood upon the sand o the sea, and saw a beast rise up out o the sea, having seven heads

and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name o blasphemy.

(Revelation 13:1)

And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven

heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. (Revelation 12:3)

0 And there are seven kings: ve are allen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he

cometh, he must continue a short space.

e seven kings ideniy wi e rule o Saan’s kingdom in is world. en we see a e sevenking coninues or a sor space we sould immediaely ink o e Grea ribulaion. e ible




calls e Grea ribulaion e “lile season” (evelaion 6:, 0:3). e’ve learned a e Grearibulaion will be a oal o 3 years in leng. Since e world will exis or 3,03 years, e oer3,000 years prior o e “sor space” ideniy wi e rs six kings o Saan’s kingdom. we dividee 3,000 years ino six equal spans o ime, eac imerame would be abou ,67 years in leng. e

would arrive a e ollowing car:

s king: 03 – 8846 nd king: 8846 – 6679 3rd king: 6679 – 45 4 king: 45 – 345 5 king: 345 – 78 6 king: 78 – 988 7 king: 988 – 0

is verse ells us a i was wrien during e six king’s rule and a armonizes wi e abovecar because i was wrien in e rs cenury . a ime e king was in e pas and eseven was sill in e uure.

e don’ know i dam and ve sinned in e rs year is world exised and ereore we don’know exacly wa year Saan’s rule in is world began. ’s no necessary a we ave a inormaioninsoar as undersanding is verse is concerned. Saan’s rule began, or example, 00 years aer,03 , en a wouldn’ cange e conclusion we are arriving a. Siing e daes above 00years would sill place e wriing o evelaion during e six king’s reign.

is is spiriual language. is no reerring o seven dieren beings ruling rougou ime. eseven kings are all Saan ruling rougou e isory o is world. is is admiedly difcul and iis par o ow God concealed e ru abou e end imes. is only because we now undersand eimeline o isory a is verse can be properly undersood. we didn’ know e world was goingo end in 0 and i we didn’ know e “sor space” began in 988, en we would sill ave greadifculy wi is verse.

And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is o the seven, and goeth into

perdition.

is eig “king” does no cronologically ollow e seven, bu raer coincides wi e seven. e examined evelaion caper 3 in Te Book Has Been Opened and saw a God speaks o wobeass. ne rises ou o e sea and represens e rule o Saan in bo e world and e curcesa began in 988. e second beas rises ou o e ear and is a coninuaion o e rs beas’s rule

wiin e curces. owever, ou in e world e rs beas’s rule became limied, beginning in 994,because God’s plan o save a grea muliude ouside o e curces began.

uring e Grea ribulaion Saan coninues o rule ou in e world o some degree as e alwaysas, and a is spoken o in is caper as e seven king. owever, Saan now also as compleerule over e curces and a rulersip is spoken o as being e eig king. ’s sill Saan, jus as eoer seven kings were Saan, and a is wy we read a e eig king is o e seven.

And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but

receive power as kings one hour with the beast.




e one our is a spiriual ime label applied o e Grea ribulaion. e learned a e rs par o e wo-par Grea ribulaion is spoken o as being e al-our o silence:

And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space o hal

an hour. (Revelation 8:1)

3

Tese have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.4Tese shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: or he is Lord o lords,

and King o kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and aithul.

e grea war a as been aking place rougou is world’s exisence is a wic exiss beweene Kingdom o God and e kingdom o Saan. course, e ulimae vicor will be ris.

5 And he saith unto me, Te waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and

multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

e words “peoples,” “muliudes,” “naions,” and “ongues” are all synonyms. God as used is

language o bring e number our ino view. e know a e number our indicaes a ere isan all-encompassing or worldwide aspec ied o waever is in view. n is case, we can know ae spiriual woredom a exiss in e curc organizaion oday is a worldwide siuaion; i is no

jus ound in e Unied Saes or or merica. e alse docrines, ypied as many waers, agovern e curces are idenied wi e peoples o is world because ey are rooed in e logicand desires o mankind. ey do no come rom e ible.

Saan’s rule used o be limied o e secular world, bu now e rules bo in e secular world and ine curces. i e excepion o e iny remnan o rue believers scaered rougou e worldouside o e curces, Saan rules over all o mankind.

6

And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall makeher desolate and naked, and shall eat her esh, and burn her with re.

e don’ ave o look very ard in e ible o nd passages speaking abou desolaion among God’speople. very amiliar one is aew 4:5-6:

When ye thereore shall see the abomination o desolation, spoken o by Daniel the prophet,

stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Ten let them which be in

Judaea ee into the mountains

e examined is passage in Te Book Has Been Opened and saw a i’s speaking abou e Grea

ribulaion wen Saan rules wiin e curces. en we come o e realizaion a Saan asaken is sea in e curc organizaion, en we are o ee i. e nd is saemen reieraed inark 3:4:

But when ye shall see the abomination o desolation, spoken o by Daniel the prophet,

standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in

Judaea ee to the mountains




o o ese passages conain e saemen, “woso reade, le im undersand,” wic is areminder a ese verses ave o be read careully because no all o mankind will be able o properly undersand wa ey are eacing. Judaea is a region a idenies wi srael. srael was e early represenaion o God’s Kingdom rougou muc o e ld esamen era. en e curcesbecame e early represenaion o God’s Kingdom or mos o e ew esamen era. en Jesusreerences Judaea e is speaking o e early represenaion o God’s Kingdom, wic would be ecurces in our day.

e above saemen is also ound in uke caper , and ere we read abou e oly place o God’s people being surrounded by armies:

And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation

thereo is nigh. Ten let them which are in Judaea ee to the mountains; and let them which

are in the midst o it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.

(Luke 21:20-21)

epending on e conex, eier e early or eavenly curc can be ypied by srael, Jerusalem, or Juda. ere God says a Jerusalem, or e early curc, is surrounded by armies. e nd similar

language in evelaion caper 0 were we learned a once Saan ad been loosed (wic we’velearned ook place a e beginning o e Grea ribulaion in 988) e surrounded e gaering placeo God’s people:

And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out o his prison, And shall

go out to deceive the nations which are in the our quarters o the earth, Gog, and Magog, to

gather them together to battle: the number o whom is as the sand o the sea. And they went

up on the breadth o the earth, and compassed the camp o the saints about, and the beloved

city: and re came down rom God out o heaven, and devoured them. (Revelation 20:7-9)

e curc is e gaering place o ose wo claim o be God’s ollowers. God is using Saan o prepare

e curces or judgmen. n zekiel caper 9 God uses King ebucadnezzar as a represenaion o Saan and speaks o using e king o bring desrucion.

Geing back o evelaion 7:6, e woman being made naked poins o e ac a e curcesave been sripped o eir ope or salvaion. en we are saved we become cloed wi e garmenso salvaion:




(Isaiah 61:10)

e’ve learned a e oly Spiri was removed rom e curces in 988 so e is no ere o apply e ord o God o people’s ears. is means a salvaion is no occurring wiin e curces and,in a sense, ey ave been sripped o e garmens o salvaion.

is does no mean a e individuals wiin em do no ave any ope or salvaion, bu noope remains or em wiin e curces. God’s elec will nd eir salvaion ouside o e curces

were e oly Spiri is sill working, and, in ac, e is currenly working a a muc iger degreean ever beore.




7For God hath put in their hearts to ull his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the

beast, until the words o God shall be ullled.

e curces ave unknowingly given emselves over o e beas, Saan. Saan did no ake conrolo em roug is own abiliies. was God’s will a is ake place. e curces spen ,955years alling urer and urer away rom e ru, gradually placing addiional rus in eir own

creeds, docrines, and eologians. en someone ried o presen a eacing a conradiced eiresablised docrines, a eacing was immediaely rejeced because e curces’ docrines were noo be ampered wi and, in a sense, ey eecively were placed above e auoriy o e ible.God’s olerance or is ended in 988 wen e began o prepare e curc organizaion or judgmenby giving i up o is own aposasy:

And with all deceivableness o unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received

not the love o the truth, that they might be saved. And or this cause God shall send them

strong delusion, that they should believe a lie (2 Tessalonians 2:11)

s is verse eaces, e curces ave eecively agreed wi Saan and urned e enire organizaion

over o im. bviously, ey aven’ done is inenionally, bu by creaing docrines a saisy eirears ey’ve welcomed Saan in. ey condenly proclaim a e ible is eir ulimae auoriy,bu in pracice ey are governed by eir own docrines. ey pull a collecion o verses rom God’sook o suppor eir own ideas and nearly everyone is deceived.

e also read abou is in aniel caper were God speaks o Saan obaining e kingdompeaceably wi aeries:

And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour o the

kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by atteries. (Daniel

11:21)

n oer words, ose in e curc organizaion ave no inenionally given i over o Saan, bue as obained i noneeless. e did no ave o war wi em or i. e obained i peaceably by presening em wi docrines a appealed o em:




is was all par o God’s judgmen plan. God declared a e would desroy e ouse called by is name:

Tereore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto

the place which I gave to you and to your athers, as I have done to Shiloh. ( Jeremiah 7:14)

e saed a e would bring desrucion by giving is ouse over o e enemy:

And I will give thee into the hand o them that seek thy lie, and into the hand o them whose




ace thou earest, even into the hand o Nebuchadrezzar king o Babylon, and into the hand

o the Chaldeans. (Jeremiah 22:25)

God declared a e would proane is sancuary:

Speak unto the house o Israel, Tus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will proane my sanctuary,

the excellency o your strength, the desire o your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and

your sons and your daughters whom ye have let shall all by the sword. (Ezekiel 24:21)

God as removed e good ings (e oly Spiri and e Gospel) a e gave e curcorganizaion:

I will surely consume them, saith the LORD: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor gs

on the g tree, and the lea shall ade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away

rom them. (Jeremiah 7:40)

en God removed e oly Spiri rom e curces e began sending a srong delusion o cause

em o urer lock emselves ino eir own lies a will desroy em ( essalonians :0-). is in a sense a God is eeding em wormwood (bier waer):

And the LORD saith, Because they have orsaken my law which I set beore them, and

have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein; But have walked ater the imagination

o their own heart, and ater Baalim, which their athers taught them: Tereore thus saith

the LORD o hosts, the God o Israel; Behold, I will eed them, even this people, with

wormwood, and give them water o gall to drink (Jeremiah 9:13-15)

God as laid sumbling blocks o cause e curces o all even urer:

Tereore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks beore this people, and the athers and the sons together shall all upon them; the neighbour and his riend shall

perish. (Jeremiah 6:21)

God as removed peace rom e curces:

For thus saith the LORD, Enter not into the house o mourning, neither go to lament nor

bemoan them: or I have taken away my peace rom this people, saith the LORD, even

lovingkindness and mercies. (Jeremiah 16:5)

is, o course, ies back in wi e ac a e oly Spiri and Gospel ave been removed becauseris is e Prince o Peace (saia 9:6) and e Gospel is e Gospel o peace (omans 0:5). e ave o remember a e curc organizaion as broug is on isel. God warned e curces

back in e rs cenury o urn rom is alse docrines or e would remove eir candlesick:

Remember thereore rom whence thou art allen, and repent, and do the rst works; or else

I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out o his place, except thou

repent. (Revelation 2:5)




e candlesick represens e source o lig, wic is ris (Jon 8:). is warning as exisedin e ible or cenuries and, in a sense, God as been consanly warning e curces. owever,rougou e organizaion’s enire exisence i as ailed o really lisen:

I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. Tis hath been thy

manner rom thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice. (Jeremiah 22:21)

God gave e curc organizaion ime o repen and warned a i i did no en e would cas iino grea ribulaion:

And I gave her space to repent o her ornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast

her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they

repent o their deeds. (Revelation 2:21-22)

God declares a because e curces orsook im and ailed o correc eir ways e as orsakenem:

Tou hast orsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward: thereore will I stretchout my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting. And I will an them

with a an in the gates o the land; I will bereave them o children, I will destroy my people

since they return not rom their ways. (Jeremiah 15:6-7)

s a resul o being orsaken by God, e curc organizaion as become desolae and been given inoe ands o e enemy (Saan):

Because my people hath orgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have

caused them to stumble in their ways rom the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not

cast up; o make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby

shall be astonished, and wag his head. I will scatter them as with an east wind beore theenemy; I will shew them the back, and not the ace, in the day o their calamity. (Jeremiah

18:15-17)

n is book we are going o examine numerous passages a speak o ese maers. ere’s goingo be a lo o repeiion o e same acs and so we are going o repeaedly visi ese conclusions. Godas placed a remendous amoun o empasis on is maer in e ible. s we examine eac passage

we gain a clearer picure o e siuaion in wic we are living oday.

8 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings o the earth.

arlier in is caper we saw a e woman is also spiriually spoken o as e ciy o abylon. is verse reminds us o a ac and serves as a ransiion ino e nex caper, evelaion 8. e are goingo look a a caper nex.




evelaion caper 8 is anoer use o parabolic language o describe e siuaion wiin ecurces o our day. e’ve already examined e curc organizaion being ypied by a “grea

wore” in evelaion caper 7 and we read a se is also called abylon e Grea:

And upon her orehead was a name written, MYSERY, BABYLON HE GREA, HE

MOHER OF HARLOS AND ABOMINAIONS OF HE EARH. (Revelation 17:5)

is caper expands on a oug and so we will examine i verse by verse.

And ater these things I saw another angel come down rom heaven, having great power; and the

earth was lightened with his glory.

e Greek word ranslaed as “angel” ere is aggelos, and is also ranslaed as “messenger” elsewere ine ible. e’ve already learned a e ible someimes speaks o God as an angel. e only messengera can be described as aving grea power and liging e enire ear wi is glory is ris.

And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is allen, is allen, and is

become the habitation o devils, and the hold o every oul spirit, and a cage o every unclean and

hateul bird.

e curc organizaion is called abylon during e Grea ribulaion because God uses e king o abylon o ypiy Saan, and i is during e Grea ribulaion a Saan rules wiin e curces.is is deeply saddening language God is using o describe e curces: “e abiaion o devils, ande old o every oul spiri, and a cage o every unclean and aeul bird.” e nd similar language

in Jeremia 5:7:

As a cage is ull o birds, so are their houses ull o deceit: thereore they are become great,

and waxen rich.

eir ouses (e curces) are ull o decei in a nearly everyone is ooled. e pasors ave been convinceda wa ey are eacing is e ru. e members are also convinced i is ru because ey are earing

Babylon the Great


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and reading Scripure under e assumpion a e eacing isel is accurae. is is wy we read everyonedeals alsely:

For rom the least o them even unto the greatest o them every one is given to covetousness;

and rom the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth alsely. (Jeremiah 6:13)

e angel crying migily a abylon is allen is a picure o ris declaring a e curcesave come under judgmen. ris is e ord o God in es and i is roug e ible a isdeclaraion is being made.

3For all nations have drunk o the wine o the wrath o her ornication, and the kings o the earth

have committed ornication with her, and the merchants o the earth are waxed rich through the

abundance o her delicacies.

e’ve learned a e “kings o e ear” is a reerence o ose in e curces in is conex.

4 And I heard another voice rom heaven, saying, Come out o her, my people, that ye be not

partakers o her sins, and that ye receive not o her plagues.

en we realize a Saan is ruling wiin e curces we are commanded o leave em. is isreieraed ere by e saemen, “ome ou o er, my people.”

5For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

e saemen, “God a remembered er iniquiies,” is a reminder o e ac a e curcorganizaion is under God’s wra. en we become saved i is as i God no longer remembers ouriniquiies:

For I will be merciul to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I

remember no more. (Hebrews 8:12)

And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 10:17)

e ac a God is remembering e iniquiies o e curc organizaion is language o indicae ae is no longer bringing salvaion wiin i.

6Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the

cup which she hath lled ll to her double.

is language idenies wi a o making paymen or respassing e law:

For all manner o trespass, whether it be or ox, or ass, or sheep, or raiment, or or any

manner o lost thing which another challengeth to be his, the cause o both parties shall

come beore the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his

neighbour. (Exodus 22:9)




’s used in e conex o desrucion:

Let them be conounded that persecute me, but let not me be conounded: let them be

dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day o evil, and destroy them

with double destruction. (Jeremiah 17:18)

’s used in e conex o e penaly or deling e land:

And rst I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have deled my

land, they have lled mine inheritance with the carcases o their detestable and abominable

things. (Jeremiah 16:18)

e double paymen in view idenies wi eernal desrucion. e penaly or sin is dea:

For the wages o sin is death; but the git o God is eternal lie through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(Romans 6:23)

any uman beings ave pysically died rougou ime. n Te Book Has Been Opened , weexamined e ac a on e day o e apure a migy earquake will break open e graves,exposing e remains o e dead. is will be done in preparaion or e las day wen e world willbe desroyed by re on cober , 0. a day is e lake o re, wic is e second dea:

And death and hell were cast into the lake o re. Tis is the second death. (Revelation

20:14)

But the earul, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers,

and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth

with re and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)

e remains o e unsaved will be compleely desroyed on a day and God calls a everlasingdesrucion e second dea. is is wa God is speaking o wen e speaks o a double paymen, asecond dea. n oer words, evelaion 8:6 is reminding us a ose wo remain in e curcesunil e apure are sill under God’s wra. oug ey may be moral people, i ey coninue oreuse o leave eir curces ey are unknowingly indicaing a ey are probably no saved. a’s aorrible ru o ave o declare, bu wen we piece ogeer everying e ible as o say abou isa is e conclusion we mus arrive a.

7How much she hath gloried hersel, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her:

or she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

e curc’s saemen, “ am no widow,” is indicaive o e ac a i believes i is e bride o ris.n aew caper 5 we read abou en virgins going or o mee e bridegroom (ris). Five o em were wise and properly prepared emselves o mee e bridegroom, bu ve o em were oolisand were no prepared wen e bridegroom came. e bridegroom su e door so a e oolis

virgins could no ener e marriage camber. ey ried o ge in:




Aterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and

said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. (Matthew 25:11-12)

is parallels wa we read in aew caper 7 abou e end wen many wo believed ey weresaved will no be broug ino eaven:

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in

thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderul works? And then willI proess unto them, I never knew you: depart rom me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew

7:22-23)

e above passage isn’ speaking o ose ou in e secular world. ’s speaking o ose wo ideniy emselves wi ris, ose wo read and eac rom e ible, ose wo believe ey ave livedeir lives in obedience o God. ’s speaking o e kinds o people we nd in e curces.

e curc’s saemen, “ sall see no sorrow,” is like wa we read in Jeremia 5 were e rebelliouspeople wo idenied emselves as God’s people believed a ey were sae rom evil and amine:

For the house o Israel and the house o Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saiththe LORD. Tey have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon

us; neither shall we see sword nor amine (Jeremiah 5:11-12)

e know a e book o Jeremia is acually ocused on e curces o our day. e nd e above warning resaed in mos caper 9:

All the sinners o my people shall die by the sword, which say, Te evil shall not overtake nor

prevent us. (Amos 9:10)

ose in e curces wo ideniy emselves as God’s people ave been seduced ino inking ey

are sae in e curces. ey ink ere is peace ere wen ere is no peace:

Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace;

and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter: (Ezekiel 13:10)

e nd a e above proclaiming o, “Peace,” wen ere is no peace idenies wi everyone in ecurces rom e leas o em o e priess and propes:

For rom the least o them even unto the greatest o them every one is given to covetousness;

and rom the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth alsely. Tey have healed also

the hurt o the daughter o my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

(Jeremiah 6:13-14)

ey are idenied as no being asamed o e abominaion a ey ave commied:

For they have healed the hurt o the daughter o my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace;

when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay,

they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: thereore shall they all among them




that all: in the time o their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah

8:11-12)

nd wen we read is in lig o everying else in e ible we know a e abominaion in view ise alse docrines. ose wo insis on ollowing em are urer blinded by God so a ey do norealize ey are believing a lie ( essalonians :0-).

Sadly, we read a mos will remain in eir curces inking a ere is peace and saey ereunil inescapable desrucion comes upon em:

For when they shall say, Peace and saety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as

travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (1 Tessalonians 5:3)

8Tereore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and amine; and she shall be

utterly burned with re: or strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

e “one day” is Judgmen ay, wic will begin on ay , 0, and will end on cober , 0.ven oug Judgmen ay is acually a 53-day period o ime, God speaks o i as one day jus like

e speaks o e reaion week as one day:

Tese are the generations o the heavens and o the earth when they were created, in the day

that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens (Genesis 2:4)

n verse 4 we saw a God warns e believers o “ome ou o er, my people, a ye be no parakerso er sins, and a ye receive no o er plagues.” e plagues in view are e wra o God beingpoured ou during e nal ve mons o is world’s exisence aer e apure. ose wo remainin e curces will be le beind and remain on ar o experience some aspec o God’s wra.Some will die a rs day and oers will survive rougou e enire 53 days, bu only o bedesroyed by re on cober , 0.

9 And the kings o the earth, who have committed ornication and lived deliciously with her, shall

bewail her, and lament or her, when they shall see the smoke o her burning,

s discussed earlier, “e kings o e ear” ere is a reerence o ose in e curces. en eapure does occur, e wole world is going o see i. e disciples saw ris wen e ascended (uke4:5). lisa saw lija ascend in a cario o re ( Kings :-). ikewise, wen millions o bodiesare rapured, ose wo are le beind will see i. a poin, ose in e curces will know emessage ey were mocking was acually e ru. ey will quickly realize a e curces are noin good sanding wi God and a e as abandoned em. Unorunaely, by a poin i will be

oo lae, and we will learn as we examine addiional passages a ey will en ge very angry wiGod.

0Standing aar o or the ear o her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that

mighty city! or in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants o the earth shall weep and mourn over her; or no man buyeth their

merchandise any more:




e word “mercans” is anoer word God uses in reerence o ose wo are responsible or bringinge Gospel. s wi e prase “kings o e ear,” we ave o examine e conex o know weerGod is reerencing rue believers or ose in e curces wo look like rue believers bu are acually no saved. Spiriual mercandising is wa is in view ere. e read abou sips going ou o gaer goldand silver:

For the king’s ships went to arshish with the servants o Huram: every three years once came

the ships o arshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. (2 Chronicles

9:21)

e gold and silver represen e believers:

Te silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord o hosts. (Haggai 2:8)

e ivory, apes and peacocks represen unsaved individuals. vory comes rom elepans wic were viewed as unclean animals. Peacocks were also viewed as unclean animals. Since we know e siprepresens e curc, ese animals in is conex specically represen ose in e curces wo

believe ey are saved, bu acually are no. is e role o e believers o go ino e world wi e Gospel. e nd is aciviy idenied

wi e mercandising o God’s law:

For the merchandise o it is better than the merchandise o silver, and the gain thereo than

ne gold. (Proverbs 3:14)

is is wy we someimes nd a ose wo are eacing rom e ible are reerred o as mercans.n e case o evelaion 8: i is reerring o e unsaved in e curces weeping and mourning wen ey realize ey ave been le beind.

en e world sees a e curcgoers ave been le beind i will en know a ose in e

curces were no saved. ccording o e 008 orld lmanac, abou . billion people in e worldideniy emselves as risians. e world is going o quickly realize a God as le beind over billion people wo all claimed o be is people. Some may recognize a e curces were underGod’s judgmen wile many oers will probably no undersand wy ose in e curces were lebeind. n eier case, e people in e secular world will no be running o e curces or elpbecause i will be eviden a, waever i is ey do and believe, i wasn’ sufcien o save em. isis illusraed by e saemen, “no man buye eir mercandise any more.”

n zekiel caper 7 we read abou e desrucion o e sips o arsis:

Te ships o arshish did sing o thee in thy market: and thou wast replenished, and made

very glorious in the midst o the seas. Ty rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst o the seas. Ty riches, and thy airs, thy merchandise,

thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers o thy merchandise, and all thy

men o war, that are in thee, and in all thy company which is in the midst o thee, shall all

into the midst o the seas in the day o thy ruin. (Ezekiel 27:25-27)

is is a isoric parable abou e desrucion o e curc organizaion. e read a ose in esips will cry bierly wen ey discover a eir sips ave been desroyed:




And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots o the sea, shall come down

rom their ships, they shall stand upon the land; And shall cause their voice to be heard

against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow

themselves in the ashes: And they shall make themselves utterly bald or thee, and gird them

with sackcloth, and they shall weep or thee with bitterness o heart and bitter wailing. And

in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation or thee, and lament over thee, saying,

What city is like yrus, like the destroyed in the midst o the sea? (Ezekiel 27:29-32)

is will be e siuaion aer e apure wen ose in e curces discover a e curcorganizaion as in ac been spiriually desroyed. ey will cry bierly.

Te merchandise o gold, and silver, and precious stones, and o pearls, and ne linen, and purple,

and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels o ivory, and all manner vessels

o most precious wood, and o brass, and iron, and marble,3 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and rankincense, and wine, and oil, and ne our,

and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls o men.4 And the ruits that thy soul lusted ater are departed rom thee, and all things which were dainty

and goodly are departed rom thee, and thou shalt nd them no more at all.

is parallels wa we read in zekiel caper 7 abou e desrucion o e sips o arsis. e reada eir mercandise will all wen ey are desroyed:

When thy wares went orth out o the seas, thou lledst many people; thou didst enrich

the kings o the earth with the multitude o thy riches and o thy merchandise. In the time

when thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths o the waters thy merchandise and all

thy company in the midst o thee shall all. (Ezekiel 27:33-34)

e Greek word ranslaed as “goodly” in evelaion 8:4 is lampros , wic is normally used inconnecion wi some aspec o God’s Kingdom. is ranslaed as “brig” in evelaion :6 inreerence o ris as e brig and morning sar. is ranslaed as “clear” in evelaion : inreerence o e clear waer o lie. is ranslaed as “gorgeous” in uke 3: in reerence o e robe

wic ris wore. is ranslaed as “wie” in evelaion 5:6 in reerence o God’s angels and inevelaion 9:8 in reerence o e rue believers. e picure being pained in is verse is o a ime wen ese ings can no longer be ound by e unsaved. e Gospel, rue believers, and salvaionave all depared rom is world. is a picure o e nal ve mons aer e apure.

5Te merchants o these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand aar o or the ear o

her torment, weeping and wailing,

e language o e nex ve verses is very similar o a o zekiel caper 7. God makes i cleara bo o ese passages are speaking o e same even. ere we are reading a e mercans o ese ings (ose in e curces) were made ric by er (e curc organizaion). n zekiel caper7 we read a e kings o ear (ose in e curces) were made ric by e sips (e curcorganizaion):




When thy wares went orth out o the seas, thou lledst many people; thou didst enrich the

kings o the earth with the multitude o thy riches and o thy merchandise. (Ezekiel 27:33)

6 And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in ne linen, and purple, and scarlet, and

decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

ere e mercans are deeply saddened by e desrucion o eir grea ciy (e curc organizaion).ikewise, in zekiel 7 ose in e sips are deeply saddened by e desrucion o eir grea ciy:

And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation or thee, and lament over thee, saying,

What city is like yrus, like the destroyed in the midst o the sea? (Ezekiel 27:32)

7For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in

ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood aar o,

n is verse everyone in e sips is sanding aar o because ey realize a eir sips ave beendesroyed. ikewise, in zekiel 7 ose in e sips sand on land (aar o), aware o e desrucion

o eir sips:

And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots o the sea, shall come down rom

their ships, they shall stand upon the land (Ezekiel 27:29)

8 And cried when they saw the smoke o her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great

city!

gain, eir weeping over e desrucion o eir grea ciy is similar o e language o zekiel 7:

And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation or thee, and lament over thee, saying, What city is like yrus, like the destroyed in the midst o the sea? (Ezekiel 27:32)

9 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great

city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason o her costliness! or in one

hour is she made desolate.

ere we read abou e mercans casing dus on eir eads and weeping, jus as in zekiel 7:

And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up

dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes (Ezekiel 27:30)

0Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; or God hath avenged you on

her.

is verse serves as addiional conrmaion a God is speaking abou e siuaion a will ollowe apure. n evelaion caper 6 we read abou e believers being “killed” (removed rom ecurces) or e belies a ey old. ey ask, “ow long dos ou no judge and avenge our




blood?” ey are old o res or a lile season (e Grea ribulaion) unil e res o e believers arealso removed rom e curces:

And when he had opened the th seal, I saw under the altar the souls o them that were slain

or the word o God, and or the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice,

saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them

that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one o them; and it was said

unto them, that they should rest yet or a little season, until their ellowservants also and

their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be ullled. (Revelation 6:9-11)

en Judgmen ay arrives e curces’ lies will be exposed. ose in e curces will learn aru wasn’ in e curc organizaion. n a sense, e blood o e sains will ave been avenged.

And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Tus

with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be ound no more at all.

is is addiional language a idenies ese evens wi Judgmen ay because e curc

organizaion is sill going srong oday. as become abylon, e abiaion o oul spiris, and egrea wore, bu i is sill going srong in e world’s eyes. as no ye been rown down. a willake place once e apure occurs. a is wen i will lose is inegriy and posiive repuaion.

And the voice o harpers, and musicians, and o pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more

at all in thee; and no cratsman, o whatsoever crat he be, shall be ound any more in thee; and

the sound o a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;3 And the light o a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice o the bridegroom and

o the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: or thy merchants were the great men o the earth;

or by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.4 And in her was ound the blood o prophets, and o saints, and o all that were slain upon the

earth.

e language o is verse reminds us o Jeremia caper 5. ere God indicaes a e would allowe king o e enemy naion o rule over is people or a period o ime in order o bring desolaionbecause o eir rebellion:

Behold, I will send and take all the amilies o the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar

the king o Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the

inhabitants thereo, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them,

and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. Moreover I will

take rom them the voice o mirth, and the voice o gladness, the voice o the bridegroom,and the voice o the bride, the sound o the millstones, and the light o the candle. And this

whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king

o Babylon seventy years. ( Jeremiah 25:9-11)

ex, we are going o look a aum caper 3. is a caper a is speaking o ese same evensand ere God reers o e curc organizaion as “e bloody ciy.”




e book o aum is one a many o us ave paid very lile aenion o in e pas. e are goingo examine caper 3 o aum. e will discover a i is dealing wi e evens o our day, as

well as providing addiional insig ino e siuaion a will prevail aer e apure. uc o is

maer is covered elsewere in e ible as well, so we will be examining acs in is caper we’vealready examined. e repeiion o ese maers in e ible serves o convey eir imporance.

Woe to the bloody city! it is all ull o lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;

e bloody ciy is e corporae curc. is called a ciy because i is ypied by abylon in evelaioncapers 7 and 8. is also spiriually called Sodom in evelaion caper :

And their dead bodies shall lie in the street o the great city, which spiritually is called

Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucied. (Revelation 11:8)

’s a bloody ciy because, as we saw in evelaion 7 and 8, i is lled wi e blood o sains.bviously, i is no lierally lled wi e blood o sains, bu spiriually i is as e believers ave been

“killed,” a is, removed rom i. God ells us a i is lled wi e blood o innocens:

Because they have orsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in

it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their athers have known, nor the kings o Judah,

and have lled this place with the blood o innocents (Jeremiah 19:4)

e also read a i is lled wi bloody crimes:

Make a chain: or the land is ull o bloody crimes, and the city is ull o violence. (Ezekiel7:23)

e bloody ciy is described ere in aum 3: as being ull o lies. e’ve seen a e ible warnedus a e curc organizaion would be ull o alse docrines in e end imes and a God calls ise alling away. Ulimaely, e reason ese alse docrines ave muliplied and ourised is becausee people in e curces like em:

The Bloody City

A Look at Nahum 3

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Te prophets prophesy alsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love

to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereo? (Jeremiah 5:31)

o only are e curces lled wi e lies o alse docrines, ey are also lled wi e lieso ose wo say ey are saved bu are no. God as commanded e believers o leave e curc.Unorunaely, e vas majoriy o ose wo claim o be believers ave mocked is commandmenand sayed in e curces. we coninually disobey God’s commandmens en we ave o seriously ask ourselves, “m really saved?”:

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not

in him. (1 John 2:4)

Pasors are elling e curc members a all is well in e curces wen, in ac, i is no:



Tey have healed also the hurt o the daughter o my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. (Jeremiah 6:4)

Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace…

(Ezekiel 13:10)

o wit, the prophets o Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions

o peace or her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 13:16)

e pasors, o course, do no realize ey are misleading eir congregaions. Uninenional as i may be, ey are lying o e curc members wen ey say all is well.

e are currenly living in e Grea ribulaion wen Saan is ruling wiin e curces. Givena Saan is e aer o lies, i is no surprise a e curces are lled wi lies.

e also read in aum 3: a e ciy is ull o robbery, wic is also a reerence o e curcesbeing lled wi lies. en God’s ouse is overrun wi alse docrines, e calls i a den o robbers:

Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot prot. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery,

and swear alsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk ater other gods whom ye know not;

And come and stand beore me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are

delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a

den o robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 7:8-11)

Unorunaely, e ible ells us a mos o ose in e curces will no leave as commanded anda’s wa aum 3: is reminding us: “e prey depare no.” e know a all o e rue believers

will leave e curces beore e apure. veryone wo remains in e curces will be desroyed:

Tus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the amine,

and by the pestilence: but he that goeth orth to the Chaldeans shall live; or he shall have

his lie or a prey, and shall live. (Jeremiah 38:2)




is indicaes a no rue believers will remain in e curces because none o em will be desroyed. e’ve learned and discussed in Te Book Has Been Opened a all o e individuals wo will becomesaved rougou ar’s exisence likely oal 00 million. a’s only abou 9% o e oal . billion

wo claim o be believers oday. bviously, no all o ose 00 million are alive oday, so in acualiy,less an 9% o ose wo claim o be believers are acually saved. is means a over 9% o osein e curces oday will no ee eir congregaions.

ose wo do no depar are called e prey ere in aum 3: because ey are snared by Saan.e ible speaks o Saan as a roaring lion wo goes abou seeking prey o devour:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about,

seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8)

And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast o the land devour

them; but they shall dwell saely, and none shall make them araid. (Ezekiel 34:28)

e lion devouring prey idenies wi souls being devoured:

Tere is a conspiracy o her prophets in the midst thereo, like a roaring lion ravening theprey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have

made her many widows in the midst thereo. (Ezekiel 22:25)

e ible eaces a once we become saved we are no longer e prey o e roaring lion (Saan):

Tereore will I save my ock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between

cattle and cattle. (Ezekiel 34:22) e rue believers will no remain in e curces. is Saan’s prey a will no depar:

Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: or I will bring evil rom the north, and a great destruction. Te lion is come up rom his thicket, and the destroyer o the Gentiles is

on his way; he is gone orth rom his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be

laid waste, without an inhabitant. (Jeremiah 4:6-7)

Te noise o a whip, and the noise o the rattling o the wheels, and o the pransing horses, and

o the jumping chariots.

is is e language o bale. ’s similar o wa we read in evelaion caper 9:

And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates o iron; and the sound o their wings wasas the sound o chariots o many horses running to battle. (Revelation 9:9)

e’ve learned a evelaion caper 9 is speaking abou e nal ve mons a ake place aere apure. e bale in view ere is e bale o rmageddon. is e spiriual bale a will akeplace on e day o e apure. e will learn more abou is spiriual bale as we progress in isbook.




3Te horseman liteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude

o slain, and a great number o carcases; and there is none end o their corpses; they stumble upon

their corpses:

e orseman is ris. e read abou im in evelaion caper 9 were i is speaking abou Judgmen ay. ere we read a e orseman comes wi a sword proruding ou o is mou o

smie e naions:

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called

Faithul and rue, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a

ame o re, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man

knew, but he himsel. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is

called Te Word o God. And the armies which were in heaven ollowed him upon white

horses, clothed in ne linen, white and clean. And out o his mouth goeth a sharp sword,

that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod o iron: and he

treadeth the winepress o the erceness and wrath o Almighty God. (Revelation 19:11-15)

e sword is e ord o God (pesians 6:7) and i is wi is ord a people are condemned.oa broug e ord o God o e world by warning em o e coming ood, bu e worldmocked im. en e ood waers came ey were proo a oa was bringing e rue ord o God. is is wy we read a oa condemned e world:

By aith Noah, being warned o God o things not seen as yet, moved with ear, prepared an

ark to the saving o his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir o the

righteousness which is by aith. (Hebrews 11:7)

ikewise, we read a e believers will condemn e world:

Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and i the world shall be judged by you,

are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? (1 Corinthians 6:1)

e Greek word ranslaed as “judge” is krino, wic is also someimes ranslaed as “condemn.” e world is mocking e ru a is being broug by e believers in our day, namely, a we are oleave e curces because Saan is ruling ere and e ope or salvaion will soon come o an end.owever, wen e believers are rapured, a even (jus as wen e ood waers came) will provea e believers were bringing ru and ose le beind will sand condemned. is in a sensea e believers will judge e world.

e know a God saved e 0,000 people o ineve (Jona 4:). God declares a ey will

rise and condemn e world:

Te men o Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it:

because they repented at the preaching o Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

(Matthew 12:41)

gain, is is poining o e ac a wen ey are rapured, a even will serve o prove e accuracy




o e ord o God and condemn e world. e also read in aum 3:3 abou e land being covered in corpses. e nd a similar saemen in

Jeremia caper 5 were we read a e dead bodies will lier e ear like dung:

And the slain o the LORD shall be at that day rom one end o the earth even unto the other

end o the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung

upon the ground. (Jeremiah 25:33)

e orrible siuaion is world will be insanly rown ino on e day o e apure will bringabou a lo o dea on is plane. ose wo survive e errible evens o a day will gradually dieover e nex 53 days, and ose wo remain on e las day will be compleely desroyed along wie res o e universe.

4Because o the multitude o the whoredoms o the wellavoured harlot, the mistress o witchcrats,

that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and amilies through her witchcrats.

e’ve learned a e well-avored arlo is e curc organizaion. e wiccras menioned

ere come rom a ebrew word a is also someimes ranslaed as “sorcery.” is a reerence o esupernaural experiences a are commonly soug in our day by ose in e curces: ongues,dreams, visions, “slain in e spiri,” ec. e ible also calls em “signs and wonders”:

And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit o his

mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness o his coming: Even him, whose coming is ater

the working o Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders (2 Tessalonians 2:8-9)

Saan uses ese ools o appeal o e emoions o ose in e curces wo will le eir “oly experiences” override wa is ound in e ible. e Greek word ranslaed as “signs” ere is semeion and is a word a idenies wi supernaural specacles. Jesus perormed miracles o prove a isGospel was e rue Gospel:

And many other signs [semeion] truly did Jesus in the presence o his disciples, which are not

written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the

Son o God; and that believing ye might have lie through his name. (John 20:30-31)

e gi o ongues was also classied by God as a supernaural miracle:

Whereore tongues are or a sign [semeion], not to them that believe, but to them that believe

not: but prophesying serveth not or them that believe not, but or them which believe. (1

Corinthians 14:22)

e word “or” in e prase “ongues are or a sign” is ranslaed rom e Greek word eis , wic canalso be ranslaed as “ino.” is prase sould be undersood as “ongues are a sign” or “ongues ino e role o a sign.”

God no longer perorms specacular miracles suc as ongues and ealings a visually dey elaws o medicine. es, e may eal people oday bu no in e way Jesus did. e kind o ealing




were someone’s muilaed and is miraculously resored is no longer perormed by God. e purposeo ose miracles was o prove e legiimacy o e Gospel. ow we ave e compleed ord o Godand are insruced o live by ai (ebrews 0:38).

owever, Saan imiaes God in order o lead people asray:

Who opposeth and exalteth himsel above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so

that he as God sitteth in the temple o God, shewing himsel that he is God. (2 Tessalonians

2:4)

Jus as Jesus proved e genuineness o is Gospel roug miracles, Saan is aemping o do e sameing oday by coming wi signs and wonders:

For there shall arise alse Christs, and alse prophets, and shall shew great signs [semeion]

and wonders; insomuch that, i it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (Matthew

24:24)

e are warned no o be rapped by is aracion o specacular miracles:

But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh ater a sign

[semeion]; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign o the prophet Jonas (Matthew

12:39)

5Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD o hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy ace,

and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.

e curces are sill eacing e world a i is no possible o know wen e apure will occur.ey are promising eir members a everying in e curces is ne. owever, we can now knowe iming o e apure and wen i does occur e wole world is going o see i. ose ou in esecular world will see a over billion curc aendees worldwide were le beind.

Spiriual nakedness as o do wi being under e wra o God. is idenied wi sill beingunsaved:

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a

stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was

in prison, and ye came unto me. (Matthew 25:35-36)

en e world sees a e curcgoers ave been le beind i will en see a ose in ecurces were no saved; ey are sill under e wra o God. is is ow God will sow e world e

spiriual nakedness o e bloody ciy. e world will know e curc organizaion as been judged:

Moreover I will make thee waste, and a reproach among the nations that are round about

thee, in the sight o all that pass by. So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and

an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments

in thee in anger and in ury and in urious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it. (Ezekiel

5:14-15)




e curces will be punised in e sig o e world:

And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thysel in the sight o the heathen, and thou shalt

know that I am the LORD. (Ezekiel 22:16)

6 And I will cast abominable lth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a

gazingstock.

e prase “abominable l” is ranslaed rom e ebrew word shiqquts , wic is e same word aGod uses wen alking abou e abominaion o desolaion:

And he shall conrm the covenant with many or one week: and in the midst o the week he

shall cause the sacrice and the oblation to cease, and or the overspreading o abominations

[shiqquts ] he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall

be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27)

And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary o strength, and shall

take away the daily sacrice, and they shall place the abomination [shiqquts ] that makethdesolate. (Daniel 11:31)

And rom the time that the daily sacrice shall be taken away, and the abomination [shiqquts ]that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. (Daniel

12:11)

en we sudy is careully we know a e abominaion o desolaion is a reerence o wenGod allows Saan o rule wiin e curces during e Grea ribulaion. nce again, we nd ecommandmen a during e Grea ribulaion we are o leave e curces:

When ye thereore shall see the abomination o desolation [Saan ruling wi alse docrines],spoken o by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place [e curces], (whoso readeth, let

him understand:) Ten let them which be in Judaea [curces] ee into the mountains [saey o ris] (Matthew 24:15-16)

e curc organizaion will be a gazingsock in a i will be exposed in is lies o e wole world.e ible speaks o i as a ime wen e curces will be mocked by e world:

Tou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed; and hast deled thysel in thine

idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even

unto thy years: thereore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking toall countries. Tose that be near, and those that be ar rom thee, shall mock thee, which art

inamous and much vexed. (Ezekiel 22:4-5)

7 And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall ee rom thee, and say, Nineveh

is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comorters or thee?




ose wo are le aer e apure will look around and discover a everyone ey knew a weno curc is sill presen; none o em were rapured. will be an even a insanly ruins erepuaion o e curc organizaion. is is illusraed by e saemen, “ineve is laid wase.” isgoing o become eviden a God as abandoned e curces because o eir insisence on misusingGod’s ord o eac lies:

And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour,

Whereore hath the LORD done thus unto this great city? Ten they shall answer, Because

they have orsaken the covenant o the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods, and

served them. (Jeremiah 22:8-9)

8 Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round

about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was rom the sea?

e rivers and waers are e Gospel:

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out o his belly shall ow rivers o living

water. (John 7:38)

e word ranslaed “rampar” can also be ranslaed as “wall,” so e idea o a wall is reerenced wicein is verse. alls spiriually poin o salvaion:

Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but

thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. (Isaiah 60:18)

e curc as been surrounded by e Gospel because i as ad e ible. e curc was e veicleby wic God spread e Gospel or nearly ,000 years, resuling in e salvaion o is elec. owever,now e curces all ave eir own salvaion plans a do no align wi e salvaion plan o eible. ey are rusing in eir own works o become saved; ey are rusing in eir prayers, bapisms,and communion services, bu ose ings do no bring salvaion.

e sea is also reerenced wice in is verse in relaion o salvaion, and e sea oen ypies e wra o God. n oer words, eir salvaion plans are idenied wi damnaion, no salvaion. venoday e curces are sill surrounded by e Gospel in a ey ave e ible, bu e salvaion plansey ave creaed do no rescue people rom e wra o God. nce e apure occurs and e reso e secular world sees a ose in e curces ave been le beind, ey will be saying, “ven

wi e ible and your claims o salvaion, you [ose in e curces] were never any beer o ane res o us.”

9Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was innite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.0 Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces

at the top o all the streets: and they cast lots or her honourable men, and all her great men were

bound in chains.

e word “ye” doesn’ really belong ere because i implies a ransiion suc as “nevereless.” owever,ere is no ransiion in is passage. e language is negaive beore is verse and i coninues o




be negaive in and aer is verse. beer ranslaion would ave been “moreover,” or “even,” or“urermore,” as i is ranslaed elsewere in e ible.

Tou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because o the

enemy.

en we examined evelaion capers 7 and 8 we learned a ose in e curces are drunk rom wrong docrines, ypied in e ible by srong drink. a idenies wi e language o is verse.

e’s ake a look a e saemen, “ou sal be id, ou also sal seek sreng because o eenemy.” e word ranslaed as “sreng” is also ranslaed in e ible as “old” or “orress.” eidea is a ey are seeking a sae aven because o e enemy. emember, as we saw earlier, is is abale, and ose le beind aer e apure are no a par o God’s Kingdom. ere are only wospiriual kingdoms: God’s and Saan’s. ereore, ose wo are le beind are all spiriual ciizens o Saan’s kingdom, wic means God is eir enemy. n oer words, is saemen is indicaing a eunsaved aer e apure will be rying o ide rom God because ey will know a a poin aey are under is wra. is parallels wa we read in evelaion caper 6 regarding e period aer

e apure wen people are rying o ide emselves rom God:

And the kings o the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chie captains, and

the mighty men, and every bondman, and every ree man, hid themselves in the dens and

in the rocks o the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide

us rom the ace o him that sitteth on the throne, and rom the wrath o the Lamb: For the

great day o his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Revelation 6:15-17)

All thy strong holds shall be like g trees with the rstripe gs: i they be shaken, they shall even

all into the mouth o the eater.3

Behold, thy people in the midst o thee are women: the gates o thy land shall be set wide openunto thine enemies: the re shall devour thy bars.

ere God is again bringing up e idea o e curc being ypied by a arlo wose gaes are wideopen o e enemy. e nd a similar saemen in zekiel caper 6 were God speaks o e curcorganizaion as a woman wo commis ornicaion wi anyone wo passes by:

Tou hast built thy high place at every head o the way, and hast made thy beauty to be

abhorred, and hast opened thy eet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.

(Ezekiel 16:25)

God goes on urer o indicae a e curces canno ge enoug o eir alse docrines. ey coninue o gladly commi spiriual adulery raer an ave a love or e ru:

Tou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou

hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satised. Tou hast moreover

multiplied thy ornication in the land o Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not

satised therewith. How weak is thine heart, saith the LORD GOD, seeing thou doest all




these things, the work o an imperious whorish woman; In that thou buildest thine eminent

place in the head o every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been

as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire; But as a wie that committeth adultery, which taketh

strangers instead o her husband! (Ezekiel 16:28-32)

course, e curces believe ey really are eacing ru. ey don’ realize ey are casing aeralse docrines and a is because God as blinded em:

And or this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie (2

Tessalonians 2:11)

4Draw thee waters or the siege, ortiy thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make

strong the brickkiln.5Tere shall the re devour thee; the sword shall cut thee o, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm:

make thysel many as the cankerworm, make thysel many as the locusts.

e re in view is e lake o re, wic is e ulimae desrucion o is world on e las day. e

sword is e ord o God wic condemns mankind. eing “cu o” is biblical language a indicaesa e unsaved ave los eir rig o live wi God eernally.

6Tou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars o heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and

eeth away.

e’ve learned a wen God speaks o mercans e is speaking abou ose wo are responsible orbringing e Gospel. is can be rue believers, bu i can also include ose in e curces wo souldbe bringing e rue Gospel even oug ey are no; ey are mercans o alse docrines. aum3:6 is speaking o e mercans o e bloody ciy (e curces). says ey are muliplied above e

sars o eaven, wic are e rue believers. e nd is, or example, in aniel were i is speakingabou e ime wen Saan is ruling in e curces and causing e rue believers o be removed romem:

And it waxed great, even to the host o heaven; and it cast down some o the host and o the

stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. (Daniel 8:10)

n oer words, e eacing ere is a e mercans o alse gospels ave been muliplied above erue believers.

7Ty crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the

hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they ee away, and their place is not known wherethey are.

e crowned ones and e capains are e leaders in e curces; ey are e pasors and deacons.ocuss and grassoppers in e ible ave o do wi e eacing o alse gospels a bring spiriualdesrucion. For example, in Joel caper we read abou e aer ain:




Be glad then, ye children o Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: or he hath given you

the ormer rain moderately, and he will cause to come down or you the rain, the ormer rain,

and the latter rain in the rst month. (Joel 2:23)

e cildren o Zion, e rue believers in is case, will ave e years wic e locuss ae avenged:

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the

caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. (Joel 2:25)

is is similar o wa we read in evelaion 8:0 were God saed a e believers will ave beenavenged wen spiriual abylon, e curc organizaion, is desroyed. e desrucive beavior o elocuss as o do wi e spiriual desrucion broug by alse docrines wiin e curces.

8Ty shepherds slumber, O king o Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is

scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them.

e seperds are ose wo oversee e ock. ey are e pasors, and God says ere ey are sleeping.

God denes “sleeping” as no aving spiriual eyes opened o undersand e ru:

What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh or; but the election hath obtained

it, and the rest were blinded. (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit o

slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

(Romans 11:7-8)

is inabiliy o undersand e idden rus in e ible is par o God’s judgmen on e curc:

For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit o deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes:

the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision o all is become unto

you as the words o a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying,Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; or it is sealed (Isaiah 29:10-11)

e saemen, “y nobles sall dwell in e dus,” is language o indicae a ey are sill under e wra o God. ey will no live eernally wi ris. nsead, ey will die.

9Tere is no healing o thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit o thee shall clap

the hands over thee: or upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?

e ebrew word ranslaed as “bruise” is sheber , wic is elsewere ranslaed as “desrucion”:

Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: or I will bring evil rom the north, and a

great destruction [sheber ]. (Jeremiah 4:6)

e desrucion menioned in Jeremia 4:6 is e same “bruise” menioned in aum 3:9; ere willbe no recovery rom is desrucion. oice a in Jeremia 4:6 we nd ye anoer command oleave e curces (ypied by Zion).




n is caper we are going o examine zekiel caper , wic serves as a reminder o e imporanceo sounding e alarm. ecognizing and obeying God’s command o leave e curces is no enoug;

we are also commanded o warn ose wo remain in e curces. s is e case wi Jeremia, e

book o zekiel is primarily ocused on our day, oug i is wrien in e conex o ancien srael. e’ve already seen examples o is as we’ve looked a passages in zekiel capers 6 and 7. God asrecorded ose evens in e ible o serve as a means o concealing spiriual ru a is now beingrevealed in ese las days. e will nd a ew direc proos o is as we examine zekiel caper .

And he said unto me, Son o man, stand upon thy eet, and I will speak unto thee. And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my eet, that I heard him

that spake unto me.

e read in evelaion caper abou e wo winesses wo began by propesying or ,60 days:

And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two

hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. (Revelation 11:3)

e wo winesses represen e rue believers as ey bring e Gospel o e world. ese ,60 daysrepresen e arly ain during wic God was using e curc organizaion o bring e Gospel.ey are e same guraive ,60 days a e woman, wic represens e curc organizaion, wasnourised in e wilderness:

And the woman ed into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared o God, that they

should eed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. (Revelation 12:6)

en e guraive ,60 days came o an end, e beas rose ou o e boomless pi and killede wo winesses:

And when they shall have nished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out o the

bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

(Revelation 11:7)

Stand Upon Thy Feet

A Look at Ezekiel 2

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e examined is in Te Book Has Been Opened and discovered a e beas rising ou o e piidenies wi e ime wen Saan was loosed a e beginning o e Grea ribulaion o rule wiine curces. e also discovered a e killing o e wo winesses as o do wi e ru beingsilenced as e curc organizaion became overrun wi alse docrines.

e en nd a e wo winesses remained dead or a guraive ree and a al days, aer wicey sood upon eir ee:

And ater three days and an hal the spirit o lie rom God entered into them, and they stood

upon their eet; and great ear ell upon them which saw them. (Revelation 11:11)

e ree and a al days is guraive language a poins o e rs par o e Grea ribulaion, eperiod o silence, wic began in 988 and ended in 994. e wo winesses sanding on eir eeidenies wi e second par o e Grea ribulaion, e aer ain. is during is period wenGod as unlocked a lo o previously idden ru in e ible. e is saving a grea muliude o peoplearound e world as e ru is once again broug o em ouside o e curc organizaion.

er e wo winesses ave compleed eir second period o propesying ey ascend o eaven:

And they heard a great voice rom heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. (Revelation 11:12)

is even poins o e apure a e end o e aer ain. summary o ese evens is illusraedin e ollowing diagram:

e wen roug is brie overview o evelaion caper o see e conex o verse wereGod says, “nd aer ree days and an al e spiri o lie rom God enered ino em, and ey sood upon eir ee.” is is e picure being illusraed in zekiel :- wen God says, “nd espiri enered ino me wen e spake uno me, and se me upon my ee.” is speaking o a ime wenGod as a message o bring roug e believers:

But rise, and stand upon thy eet: or I have appeared unto thee or this purpose, to make

thee a minister and a witness both o these things which thou hast seen, and o those things

in the which I will appear unto thee (Acts 26:16)

s we read roug zekiel caper we will discover a is message is being broug o erebellious individuals among is people. n oday’s conex, a would be ose in e curces. ey are e ones wo claim o be risians, bu en do no obey God as ey remain in e curces andconinue o cling o eir alse docrines.




3 And he said unto me, Son o man, I send thee to the children o Israel, to a rebellious nation that

hath rebelled against me: they and their athers have transgressed against me, even unto this very

day.

e “cildren o srael” and e “rebellious naion” are reerences o e curc organizaion. eransgressions in view are e alse docrines a e curces old.

4For they are impudent children and stihearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say

unto them, Tus saith the Lord GOD.

is is a reminder a God as commanded us o sound e alarm:

Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants

o the land tremble: or the day o the LORD cometh, or it is nigh at hand (Joel 2:1)

e are commanded o publis e warning in e land o is people, e curces:

Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land:

cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the deenced cities.

(Jeremiah 4:5)

e are called o sand a e gae o e ord’s ouse and proclaim is ord:

Stand in the gate o the LORD’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word

o the LORD, all ye o Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD. (Jeremiah

7:2)

zekiel :4 is saying a we ave been sen o warn ose in e curces. e ave been sen in a iis roug e believers declaring God’s ord a is warning will ge o em.

5 And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will orbear, (or they are a rebellious house,)

yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.

e can ideniy wo clear poins being made in is verse. Firs, as we consider bringing is warningo ose in e curces, eir anicipaed reacion sould no ave an impac on weer or no wecoose o go roug wi i. e ave o be careul a we don’ le ourselves sy away rom soundinge alarm jus because e message is primarily me wi ridicule. e ac is, e curces will, or emos par, compleely rejec is warning because ey don’ see a ey’ve rebelled:

And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people all these words, and they shall

say unto thee, Whereore hath the LORD pronounced all this great evil against us? or what

is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the LORD our God?

(Jeremiah 16:10)

nd wen i comes o e warning a e end o e world is jus around e corner, ey will rejec




a as well. ey may recognize a e end is no ousands o years away, bu ey sill ink eend is ar enoug away a ey don’ ave o worry abou i:

Son o man, behold, they o the house o Israel say, Te vision that he seeth is or many days

to come, and he prophesieth o the times that are ar o. (Ezekiel 12:27)

second poin is verse is eacing us is a ey will all evenually know a e ru as beenbroug o em. ey mig recognize e ru wen i is broug o em or ey may no recognizee message was ru unil aer e apure wen i is oo lae. ier way, ey will know a somepoin a ey were broug e ru. e nd is aug in oer passages o zekiel as well:

Tus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my ury to rest upon them, and I

will be comorted: and they shall know that I the LORD have spoken it in my zeal, when I

have accomplished my ury in them. (Ezekiel 5:13)

And they shall know that I am the LORD, and that I have not said in vain that I would do

this evil unto them. (Ezekiel 6:10)

As silver is melted in the midst o the urnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereo; and

ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out my ury upon you. (Ezekiel 22:22)

is is a par o e judgmen a God will bring upon ose in e curces wo are le beind. Godis preparing e curces or judgmen rig now by allowing em o coninue on in eir lies, bu a

will come o an end in ay o 0 wen ose lies will be exposed.

6 And thou, son o man, be not araid o them, neither be araid o their words, though briers and

thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not araid o their words, nor be

dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

e know a as we bring is message o ose in e curces e vas majoriy o em will accuseus o being par o a cul. God is elling us ere no o worry abou a. e can’ le a sop us romdelivering e message. s Paul broug e Gospel e was accused by e Jews as a bringer o eresy and one wo soug o bad-mou e emple:

For we have ound this man a pestilent ellow, and a mover o sedition among all the Jews

throughout the world, and a ringleader o the sect o the Nazarenes: Who also hath gone

about to proane the temple: whom we took, and would have judged according to our law.

(Acts 24:5-6)

Paul’s accusers weren’ ose ou in e secular world wo ad no ineres in God; ey were ose wo claimed o be God’s people. eir accusaions did no sop Paul rom coninuing o bring emessage.

7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will orbear:

or they are most rebellious.




is is reieraing e imporance o obeying God’s command o warn ose in e curces. very small percenage will lisen wi an inen o obey, bu mos will no. os will mock e message. ecan’ le is sop us rom sounding e alarm.

8But thou, son o man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house:

open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.

ere is a grea deal o previously idden inormaion being revealed o us in our day as we diligenly sudy God’s ord. e need o be eavily ocused on reading e ible in ese las days so a we canbe more qualied o bring is warning. is is illusraed in is verse by e saemen, “open ey mou, and ea a give ee.”

9 And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll o a book was therein;0 And he spread it beore me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein

lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

e roll o a book is e ord o God:

ake thee a roll o a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee

against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, rom the day I spake unto thee,

rom the days o Josiah, even unto this day. (Jeremiah 36:2)

e roll o a book being open in e and idenies wi e open book we read abou in evelaion:

And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right oot upon the sea, and his let

oot on the earth (Revelation 10:2)

e book opened in evelaion caper 0 is e same book a was sealed in caper 5, e book ano man could open:

And I saw in the right hand o him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the

backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice,

Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereo? And no man in heaven,

nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

(Revelation 5:1-3)

e examined is very careully in Te Book Has Been Opened and learned a is is speaking o eime in wic we are currenly living. God as opened is word in e sense a e propecies a

were once sealed ave been unlocked:

And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: or the words are closed up and sealed till the time o the

end. (Daniel 12:9)

e passage o zekiel caper really coninues on ino caper 3. e rs ree verses o caper3 speak o zekiel eaing e roll and i being like oney in is mou:




Moreover he said unto me, Son o man, eat that thou ndest; eat this roll, and go speak unto

the house o Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. And he said

unto me, Son o man, cause thy belly to eat, and ll thy bowels with this roll that I give thee.

Ten did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey or sweetness. (Ezekiel 3:1-3)

oice a e open roll conains a message a mus be declared in e ouse o srael, wic weknow is a gure o speec poining o e curces o our day. is language is very similar o wa weread in evelaion caper 0 abou e book being swee in e mou bu making e belly bier:

And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me,

ake it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet

as honey. And I took the little book out o the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my

mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. (Revelation 10:9-

10)

e open book in evelaion caper 0 is a picure o God’s ord in our day. ’s a represenaion o eac a God as removed e seals on is ord oday so a we are coming o undersand ings in a

way we never ave beore. is a grea joy o receive undersanding wen we sudy e ible and, in asense, i is swee as oney in our mous wen we ake i in. owever, muc o is new undersandinga we are being graned brings grea sorrow o us because we are coming o e realizaion a many o our loved ones are in serious rouble. n a sense, is open book is making our bellies bier.




e’ve learned a e book o Jeremia is a isoric parable abou our day. e words in i wereapplicable o Juda, bu e primary reason i is in e ible is because a message or us oday

as been idden in God’s words abou Juda. e saw numerous proos o is in Te Book Has Been

Opened . e are going o spend e nex ve capers examining some passages in Jeremia, beginning wi Jeremia caper .

Moreover the word o the LORD came to me, saying,Go and cry in the ears o Jerusalem, saying, Tus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness

o thy youth, the love o thine espousals, when thou wentest ater me in the wilderness, in a land

that was not sown.

God ere makes menion o a beauiul ime in Jerusalem’s isory. is verse indicaes a e sraelies were obedien wile in e wilderness, bu a doesn’ seem o armonize wi e res o Scripure. e ypically only read abou eir rebellion. God declares elsewere a even rom e beginning ey consanly rebelled:

For the children o Israel and the children o Judah have only done evil beore me rom

their youth: or the children o Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work o their

hands, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 32:30)

How ot did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! (Psalm

78:40)

ere are also numerous saemens in e ible abou e sraelies requenly murmuring agains

oses, aron, and God. e nd pleny o saemens abou e sraelies’ consan rebellion in e wilderness, bu noing abou eir love and kindness oward God. owever, we do nd ese kinds o beauiul saemens abou e ew esamen curc in is inancy:

I know thy works, and charity, and service, and aith, and thy patience, and thy works; and

the last to be more than the rst. (Revelation 2:19)

I know thy works: behold, I have set beore thee an open door, and no man can shut it: or

The Degenerate Plant

A Look at Jeremiah 2

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thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. (Revelation

3:8)

I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest ast

my name, and hast not denied my aith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my aithul

martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. (Revelation 2:13)

ese verses line up wi Jeremia :, wic saes a Jerusalem, a spiriual label or e ewesamen curc, was obedien wen i was in e wilderness. en we examined evelaion caper we saw a e woman in e wilderness represens e curc during e arly ain.

e prase “in a land a was no sown” is a reerence o a ime wen e Gospel ad no ye goneou ino e world. e read in e parable o e sower a e seed is e ord o God:

Now the parable is this: Te seed is the word o God. (Luke 8:11)

So e land no being sown is a reerence o a ime early on in e ew esamen curc’s lie wene Gospel ad no ye gone ou ino e world. is is exacly e ime wen God was speaking o e

seven curces in evelaion capers and 3 and ad ose beauiul ings o say abou e curcorganizaion.

Jeremia : is acually one o e many proos ound in e book o Jeremia a indicae i isprimarily addressed o e ew esamen curc.

3Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the rstruits o his increase: all that devour him shall

oend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD.

e rsruis ave o do wi e bringing in o e arves. o undersand is verse i’s elpul o rsundersand a ere were wo rsruis. e will call em e Passover rsruis and e Penecosalrsruis. eviicus 3:0-7 explains is or us. e sraelies were commanded o ake a sea rome rsruis o e barley arves and ave e pries make a wave oering beore e ord, and asame day a lamb wiou blemis was o be oered:

Speak unto the children o Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I

give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereo, then ye shall bring a shea o the rstruits

o your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the shea beore the LORD, to be accepted

or you: on the morrow ater the sabbath the priest shall wave it. And ye shall oer that day

when ye wave the shea an he lamb without blemish o the rst year or a burnt oering unto

the LORD. (Leviticus 23:10-12)

ese rsruis are e Passover rsruis. e sraelies were en o wave wo loaves rom e weaarves 50 days laer:

And ye shall count unto you rom the morrow ater the sabbath, rom the day that ye brought

the shea o the wave oering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow ater

the seventh sabbath shall ye number ty days; and ye shall oer a new meat oering unto

the LORD. Ye shall bring out o your habitations two wave loaves o two tenth deals; they




shall be o ne our; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the rstruits unto the LORD.

(Leviticus 23:15-17)

ese rsruis were e Penecos rsruis.e ceremonial laws were a oresadowing o ings o come:

Let no man thereore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect o an holyday, or o the

new moon, or o the sabbath days: Which are a shadow o things to come; but the body is o

Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17)

e Passover rsruis were a oresadowing o ris and e is ereore reerred o as e rsruis:

But every man in his own order: Christ the rstruits; aterward they that are Christ’s at his

coming. (1 Corinthians 15:23)

e Penecosal rsruis were a oresadowing o ose wo were saved during e arly ain and ey are ereore also reerred o as e rsruis:

Tese are they which were not deled with women; or they are virgins. Tese are they which

ollow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. Tese were redeemed rom among men, being the

rstruits unto God and to the Lamb. (Revelation 14:4)

O his own will begat he us with the word o truth, that we should be a kind o rstruits o

his creatures. (James 1:18)

e ebrew word used in Jeremia :3 or “rsruis” is e one a idenies wi e Passoverrsruis. ereore, we know is verse is ulimaely reerencing ris. oice e verse reers o sraelas “im.” is is because God someimes uses e word “srael” wen reerring o ris:

And said unto me, Tou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be gloried. (Isaiah 49:3)

is verse is ocusing our aenion on e imporance o ris and warning us o no urn away rom im. is may cause us o ink, “ell, is is no a warning need o be very concerned aboubecause would never urn away rom ris.” owever, we ave o remember a ris is also e

ord o God:

And the Word was made esh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as o

the only begotten o the Father,) ull o grace and truth. (John 1:14)

And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called Te Word o God.

(Revelation 19:13)

God is warning us ere o no urn away rom ris (spoken o in Jeremia :3 as srael); a is, we are no o urn away rom e ru o God’s ord. s we coninue on in is caper we are goingo see a God is addressing e issue o is ord being ampered wi in e curces.




4Hear ye the word o the LORD, O house o Jacob, and all the amilies o the house o Israel

e’ve seen a God someimes uses labels like “srael” wen reerring o e ew esamen curc.is verse is reminding us a is caper is no ocused on e secular world; i is ocused on emisbeavior o ose wo claim o be God’s people.

5Tus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your athers ound in me, that they are gone ar romme, and have walked ater vanity, and are become vain?

e may read is, sake our eads, and say, “, ose wicked sraelies. only ey ad lisened oGod.” u remember, is caper is addressing e siuaion oday in e curces. God is asking ecurces, “a sin ave you ound in e?” e curces ave canged e rules o divorce, emaleleadersip, omosexualiy, and salvaion (among oers) because e ru a is presened in e ibleon ese opics is unaccepable o em. ey ac as i God’s law is unrigeous. course, no curcis going o acknowledge a ey are doing is, bu i’s eir acions, no eir words, a reveal erealiy o e siuaion:

Ye shall know them by their ruits. Do men gather grapes o thorns, or gs o thistles?

(Matthew 7:16)

en God says, “a iniquiy ave you ound in e?” a is no jus an idle saemen. God iselling e curc, “ou ave accused e o unrigeousness and desered my law.”

e curces ave urned a dea ear o God’s law in e ope a God will look e oer way because, “ord, we ave worsipped ou in music every Sunday. e ave preaced our ord. eave aended Sunday Scool.” u we will see in laer verses a God’s response is, “o, you aveabandoned e.”

6Neither said they, Where is the LORD that brought us up out o the land o Egypt, that led usthrough the wilderness, through a land o deserts and o pits, through a land o drought, and o

the shadow o death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?

ll o e prases in is verse are a reerence o e siuaion a believer is in wile in is world. eprase, “broug us up ou o e land o gyp,” is a reerence o e libery a believer receives wene is reed rom e bondage o sin:

Stand ast thereore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us ree, and be not entangled

again with the yoke o bondage. (Galatians 5:1)

e sadow o dea is a reerence o is world:

Yea, though I walk through the valley o the shadow o death, I will ear no evil: or thou art

with me; thy rod and thy sta they comort me. (Psalm 23:4)

elievers are srangers in is world:




I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments rom me. (Psalm 119:19)

e curces are e early represenaion o ese srangers wo ave been reed rom e bondageo sin. u e saemen, “eier said ey, ere is e ord?” indicaes a ey aren’ looking oGod. ose o us wo grew up in e curces ear is and ink, “ome on, a’s ridiculous. course e curces look o God.” u were do ey really urn or ru? o God? o, ey urn oeir docrines and eir creeds. ey urn o eir pasors and seminaries. course, ese ings areall supposedly using e ible as eir oundaions, bu e curces and seminaries ypically do no say,

“e’s approac e ible wiou any preconceived belies and see i our docrines really are biblical.aybe ey aren’, and peraps we need o correc em.” urces don’ do a. ey cling o eirdocrines and coninue o read e ible in lig o wa ey already believe o be rue. ey conduceir ible sudies rom e perspecive o wa is already esablised by eir docrines. onsequenly,apiss remain apiss, Penecosals remain Penecosals, and so on. ey are all reading e sameook, bu ey use uman logic and preerences wen building docrines. is is wy God accusese curc o beaving as oug ey don’ need im. ’s like wa we read in zekiel abou peoplepreending o be God:

Son o man, say unto the prince o yrus, Tus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart islited up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat o God, in the midst o the seas;

yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart o God (Ezekiel

28:2)

is sounds orrible and i’s no a pleasan ing o discuss because mos o us ave a backgroundin e curc organizaion. e ave loved ones in e curces and we ave a lo o respec or a greamany people in e curces. Par o e problem is a many curces believe ey are e pillar andground o ru. ey ge is rom a misinerpreaion o Firs imoy 3:5:

But i I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thysel in the house

o God, which is the church o the living God, the pillar and ground o the truth.

en read correcly, is verse sould be undersood as saying, “beave ysel in e ouse o God, wic is e curc o e living God wo is e pillar and ground o e ru.” is no e curca is e pillar and ground o ru; i is God:

For other oundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 3:11)

Furermore, some curces read e ollowing passage and believe ey can perorm some acion a will guaranee someone’s salvaion:

And I say also unto thee, Tat thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church;

and the gates o hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys o the

kingdom o heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and

whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:18-19)

u, as we’ve learned, no one in e curc can do anying o guaranee, or even conribue o,someone’s salvaion.




is ese menaliies a ave caused e curces, by and large, o rus primarily in emselvesraer an ruly ocusing solely on God. gain, all curces would proes is accusaion, and a’sundersandable because ey ruly believe ey are compleely ocused on God, bu “ye sall knowem by eir ruis.” we look beyond e surace appearance o e curces, en unorunaely wesee e accuracy o God’s declaraion: “eier said ey, were is e ord?”

7

And I brought you into a plentiul country, to eat the ruit thereo and the goodness thereo; but when ye entered, ye deled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.

en God says, “ye deled my land,” e isn’ alking abou e people ou in e secular world wo wan noing o do wi God. e’s alking abou is people. emember, e ible oen uses e label“is people” in reerence o ose wo calls emselves God’s ollowers. God is speaking o e ewesamen curc in is caper and e says ey ave deled is land. en God says, “my land,”e is reerring o e curc organizaion. uring e ew esamen era a as been were ispeople could be ound.

e gave e curces a pleniul counry in a e se up e divine insiuion called e curcand placed e oly Spiri in i o proec i. e gave i rui and goodness in a e supplied e

curc wi e compleed ord o God, e greaes source o ru in e world. e, e curc asdeled e land by manipulaing God’s ord o suppor is alse docrines and by breaking e lawsconcerning salvaion, divorce, ec.

8Te priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors

also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked ater things that

do not prot.

ey a andle e law are e spiriual leaders wiin e curces, e pasors and elders. esaemen a ey “knew me no” is a errible one because i means a a leas some o em aren’

saved:

And hereby we do know that we know him, i we keep his commandments. He that saith, I

know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1 John

2:3-4)

Propesying by aal and walking aer ings a do no pro is a reerence o alse gospels.emember, God is speaking direcly o e ew esamen curc. God isn’ addressing e slamreligion or e uddiss ere. e oen ink, “ doesn’ really maer a muc i we’re o a lileere and ere in our docrines. a really maers is a we love e ord.” u a’s no e aiudeo e ible. God is indicaing ere jus ow serious a maer i is a curces ave counenanced

alse docrines wiou making any real eor o approac e ible wi a umble aiude and correcem.

e read a similar kind o warning in evelaion caper were God is addressing e early curces:

But I have a ew things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine

o Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock beore the children o Israel, to eat




things sacriced unto idols, and to commit ornication. So hast thou also them that hold the

doctrine o the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. (Revelation 2:14-15)

e’d like o ink ings go beer aer e rs cenury bu, unorunaely, God ad already indicaeda ey would no:




9 Whereore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your children’s children will I

plead.

e compleed ible as been in e ands o e curc organizaion or over ,900 years and iconains e warnings and pleadings God is reerencing ere. n example is ound in evelaion :5:


I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out o his place, except thourepent.

en we sudy evelaion capers and 3 we see a even abou 30 years aer e cross e curc was already seing up alse docrines, and God’s warning was given way back en. is recorded ine ible o serve as a warning or e cenuries a ollowed. God paienly waied or e curces oeed e warning, bu ey ave no lisened.

0For pass over the isles o Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see

i there be such a thing.

ormally wen God reerences e isles e is speaking o e ares reaces o e world. econinens emselves are simply large islands. Kedar is a gure o speec God uses in associaion wiose wo are unsaved (Psalm 0). God is saying o ake a look a e wole secular world and see i ere be suc a ing. Suc a ing as wa? e nd e answer in e nex verse.

Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory

or that which doth not prot.

ook a e alse religions o e world. uddiss are very diligen in ollowing e uddis rules, andeir religious radiions remain uncanged cenury aer cenury. uslims also aiully sick o eir

slamic radiions a remain uncanged. ey remain aiul o eir gods wic are no gods. owconsider risianiy. urces everywere ave canged e laws o God and rewrien e docrineso sui eir own logic and preerences. course, is wasn’ done wi inenional rebellion in mind,bu i was rebellion nevereless. is is wa God is alking abou ere. e secular world remainsaiul o eir alse gods, bu e curces ave canged e Gospel o e ible o adop docrinesa are largely manmade, jus like e manmade alse religions o e world.

oday e lieracy rae is iger and ibles are more widely available an ever beore. e number o




sudy ools available, suc as concordances, is ar greaer an as exised in e pas. e would expeca wi ese acs e curces would be ne-uning eir docrines and geing closer and closer oru, bu insead e opposie as appened.

Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly araid, be ye very desolate, saith the

LORD.3

For my people have committed two evils; they have orsaken me the ountain o living waters,and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

e may look a a curc and ink, “kay, yes, ey ave is docrine wrong and peraps eirpracices aren’ enirely aiul o God’s ord in is area, bu or e mos par ey are a lovely congregaion a dearly loves e ord.” u God says, “o, ey ave orsaken e.” e ave a ardime acceping is. i were no in e ible, we would never ink is o e curces.

ey ave ewed em ou broken ciserns a can old no waer. n oer words, ey’ve creaedor emselves docrines a do no old e pure waer o e rue Gospel.

4Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled?5Te young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant.

saia caper 5 also speaks abou is siuaion and ere we read a e curces (ypied by srael)ave rown away e law o God and despised is ord:

Tereore as the re devoureth the stubble, and the ame consumeth the cha, so their root

shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the

law o the LORD o hosts, and despised the word o the Holy One o Israel. Tereore is the

anger o the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched orth his hand against

them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in themidst o the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out

still. (Isaiah 5:24-25)

niially, we ink, “o, e curces cerainly do no despise e ord o God.” owever, inpracice ey do. ey aren’ pleased wi e predesinaion salvaion program so ey canged i. ey aren’ saised wi male-only pasors so ey canged a law, oo. ey aren’ conen wi propecy alone so ey case aer ongues and oer specacular miracles. ey aren’ comorable wi eeacing a we can’ divorce our spouses or any reason so ey wroe eir own loopoles.

saia caper 5 speaks o is as a ime wen evil is called good and good is called evil:

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness or light, and light ordarkness; that put bitter or sweet, and sweet or bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)

e rue docrines o e ible are rowned upon, bu e alse docrines like ree-will are applauded.oreover, e ible commands e believers o leave e curces in our day because God as begun oprepare em or judgmen, bu ose in e curces ink suc a warning is e work o Saan. saiacaper 5 also conains similar language regarding e roaring o a lion:




Teir roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and

lay hold o the prey, and shall carry it away sae, and none shall deliver it. And in that day

they shall roar against them like the roaring o the sea: and i one look unto the land, behold

darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereo. (Isaiah 5:29-30)

6 Also the children o Noph and ahapanes have broken the crown o thy head.

op and aapanes were ciies in gyp, so we can undersand is prase as, “e cildren o gyp.”e sraelies were in bondage in gyp beore God led em ou o capiviy. a was a dramaicillusraion o salvaion wen we are reed rom e bondage o sin. gyp is idenied wi e bondageo sin we are in beore salvaion, so is verse is indicaing a e curces ave been broken by sin.

7Hast thou not procured this unto thysel, in that thou hast orsaken the LORD thy God, when

he led thee by the way?

e’d like o say any wrong docrines or misbeavior in e curces are e resul o Saan. e’d like opoin e nger and say, “’s no our aul.” is rue a Saan as ad a and in e curc’s rebellion,

bu Saan is no omnipresen. e can only be in one place a any one ime. is seds some lig on jusow muc o e rebellion in e curces is e curces’ own doing.

8 And now what hast thou to do in the way o Egypt, to drink the waters o Sihor? or what hast

thou to do in the way o Assyria, to drink the waters o the river?

e Gospel is called living waer in e ible, and we’ve learned a wen i is wised o eac alseoodsi becomes bier waer a does no bring salvaion (evelaion 8:). ssyria is a represenaion o ose wo are no saved. was e naion a desroyed e early represenaion o God’s Kingdom.o drink e waers o ssyria is a gure o speec a means o drink o e waers o a alse gospel.

9Tine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know thereore

and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast orsaken the LORD thy God, and that my

ear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD o hosts.

ere God idenies e underlying problem wi e curces: ey do no ear im. ey avepained a picure o God as being is grandaer in e sky a loves everyone. ey eac people aGod aes sin bu loves e sinner, even oug a isn’ wa e ible eaces:

Te oolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers o iniquity. (Psalm 5:5)

e curces ave essenially swep God’s wra under e rug by eier never alking abou i or by waering i down o e poin were sin is barely even despised by e curces. God is love, and ais basically e only aspec o God a ey alk abou. Sure, ey may menion ell rom ime o ime,bu in general God’s wra is an ugly opic a no one wans o ear abou and so e curces endo say away rom i.

urces ave minimized e imporance o diligenly searcing e Scripures or ru by srugging eir soulders a e ac a every denominaion olds dieren docrines. e ac a




ey are no seriously boered by e array o dieren docrines ou ere illusraes a ey do noink i is ulimaely a big o a deal i a curc as some wrong docrines.

os curces oday are sriving o arac new members roug exciing music and araciveprograms a include games or oer orms o enerainmen. os curc gaerings ave largely become a social even were God is, a bes, a secondary ocus. ere is e ear o God? os peoplein e curces no longer remble beore God as ey are called o do:

Serve the LORD with ear, and rejoice with trembling. (Psalm 2:11)

Whereore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much

more in my absence, work out your own salvation with ear and trembling. (Phil 2:12)

0For o old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress;

when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot.

e ave already discussed in previous verses a e sraelies being led ou o gyp was a picure o salvaion. e nd similar language in eviicus 6:3:

I am the LORD your God, which brought you orth out o the land o Egypt, that ye should

not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands o your yoke, and made you go upright.

e prase, “ou saids, will no ransgress,” is no a very accurae ranslaion. e lieral ranslaiono e ebrew is, “you are saying no, sall serve.” n oer words, is saemen sould ave beenranslaed as, “ou saids, will no serve.”

e saemen a ey ave played e arlo upon every ig ill is a reerence o e ig placesin e ld esamen. e sraelies would worsip alse gods a e op o ills, believing ey wereulimaely worsipping God. owever, in acualiy ey were engaging in spiriual arlory. God’speople are spoken o as is bride (aew 5), and o case aer oer gods is spiriual adulery.

e curces do no acively worsip eaen gods like e uddiss do, bu God speaks o eirbeavior wen ey se up alse docrines as spiriual arlory. is is because ey are no longer placingeir love and rus in is ord, bu raer in e docrines a ave come ou o e minds o men.

Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the

degenerate plant o a strange vine unto me?

e noble vine a was planed was ris:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. (John 15:1)

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth

orth much ruit: or without me ye can do nothing. (John 15:5)

ris is e ord o God in es (Jon :4). e is e essence o e Gospel (evelaion 9:3). erein verse God is indicaing a e vine isel as become srange. e enire plan is now degeneraein e sense a e curces ave wised God’s ord o suppor alse docrines.




For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked

beore me, saith the Lord GOD.3How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone ater Baalim? see thy way in the valley,

know what thou hast done: thou art a swit dromedary traversing her ways;

aal was a eaen god. aalim is e plural orm o aal so God is reerring o alse gospels ere. you

go ino a curc and warn em a ey ave pollued God’s ord and are going aer alse gospels,is is exacly e kind o response you are going o ge: “re you crazy? e are no pollued! e areno going aer alse gospels.”

4 A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snueth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who

can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall nd

her.

ere God is using an animal in ea as a picure o e curc. ’s a reerence o e ac a e curcis incredibly eager o engage in spiriual ornicaion. e almos can’ believe we nd ese kinds o saemens in e ible. n zekiel caper 6 God is again speaking o e curc’s rebellion. ere edescribes e curc as a arlo a commis woredom wi everyone wo passes by:

But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because o thy renown, and

pouredst out thy ornications on every one that passed by; his it was. And o thy garments

thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot

thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so. Tou hast also taken thy air

jewels o my gold and o my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thysel images o

men, and didst commit whoredom with them (Ezekiel 16:15-17)

aer in zekiel caper 6 God again speaks o e curc as a woman wo opens er ee o everyone

wo passes by and muliplies er woredoms:

Tou hast built thy high place at every head o the way, and hast made thy beauty to be

abhorred, and hast opened thy eet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.

(Ezekiel 16:25)

5 Withhold thy oot rom being unshod, and thy throat rom thirst: but thou saidst, Tere is no

hope: no; or I have loved strangers, and ater them will I go.

oo being unsod is e same as saying bareoo. Jesus old Peer a e only ad o was is eeand e would be clean all over:

Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his eet, but is clean every

whit: and ye are clean, but not all. (John 13:10)

n oer words, e ee ideniy wi e wole body. ur ee ave o do wi our will, so wen i saysere in verse 5, “iold y oo rom being unsod,” i’s a command o rerain rom beaving as i

we are spiriually naked. eing spiriually naked is language o indicae a one is no saved:




I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison,

and ye visited me not. (Matthew 25:43)

e saemen, “ere is no ope: no; or ave loved srangers, and aer em will go,” is a sadone. ’s a reminder a e curces will no repen o eir rebellion. ey are locked ino eir alsedocrines, and ey are going o coninue o engage in spiriual adulery.

6 As the thie is ashamed when he is ound, so is the house o Israel ashamed; they, their kings,

their princes, and their priests, and their prophets.

ie knows a i is wrong o seal, bu a doesn’ sop im because e wans o keep living inrebellion. venually, owever, e is caug. e same goes or e curces. venually e end willcome and ey will all see e errors o eir ways, bu, sadly, a e poin i will be oo lae.

7Saying to a stock, Tou art my ather; and to a stone, Tou hast brought me orth: or they have

turned their back unto me, and not their ace: but in the time o their trouble they will say, Arise,

and save us.

e socks are wood. en God speaks o socks and sones e is reerring o idols. urces do nolierally worsip idols made o wood and sone, bu anying we obey or place our rus in insead o e rue Gospel is an idol. False gospels come ou o e minds o men. en we cling o a alse gospel

we are worsipping e minds o men, and ulimaely we are worsipping Saan because i is rebellionagains God.

8But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, i they can save thee in the time

o thy trouble: or according to the number o thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.

n e previous verse God spoke o a ime wen e curces will say o God, “rise and save us.” ereGod is making a mockery o e alse gods e curces ave esablised roug eir alse docrines.e apure is jus around e corner and abou billion people in e curces worldwide are goingo be le beind. o will save em en? is as oug God is saying, “a abou e god youcreaed a died or every person’s sins and saves you roug your prayer and bapism? all upon imo save you. a abou e god a doesn’ care i you ge divorced or i you ave emale pasors? r

wa abou e god a ells you o worsip im on Saurday or e god a speaks o you in ongues? a abou e god a ells you a you need no worry yoursel wi e deails o e end becauseno one can know e day o e end? all upon one o ese gods a you ave creaed or yoursel andle im save you.”

9 Whereore will ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the LORD.

course, none o e gods menioned above are going o bring any salvaion o e curces, bu ecurces will coninue o rus in em rig up unil e apure. ey will ink all along ey wereollowing God. is jus like e siuaion wi e sraelies. ey se up eir alars o eir alse gods,bu all along ey oug ey were sill ollowing God:




Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee. (Hosea 8:2)

e sad ac is a wen e end comes ose in e curces will cry ou o God, bu a a poin i will be oo lae:


thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderul works? And then will

I proess unto them, I never knew you: depart rom me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew

7:22-23)

is sould scare all o us ino inking, “ wonder i really ave been obedien o God, or am inking all is well wen in ac i is no?” e curces are no asking emselves is quesion.

30In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured

your prophets, like a destroying lion.

God ess is people o deermine i eir ears are in e rig place. e casises em in order o

bring correcion. ey do no correc eir ways, en a casisemen as been in vain.

3O generation, see ye the word o the LORD. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land o

darkness? whereore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee?

e curces are no really lisening o e ible. ey ave creaed eir own versions o e Gospel asi e wole ible doesn’ exis. e ible is e living waer, bu e curc organizaion as beavedas oug i is in e wilderness were ere is no waer. ey ave beaved as oug e lig o eGospel isn’ around o guide em. ey ave been appy o coninue on in darkness. aer an urno e ible or guidance ey urn o eir own logic and eelings. Unorunaely, e curces ave

done a very poor job o obeying e ollowing command:

Feed the ock o God which is among you, taking the oversight thereo, not by constraint,

but willingly; not or lthy lucre, but o a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s

heritage, but being examples to the ock. (1 Peter 5:2-3)

3Can a maid orget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have orgotten me days

without number.

God goes ino more deail on is verse in zekiel caper 6. ere e begins e caper by describinge wonderul loving care e provided or e curc, bu e res o e caper deails ow rebellious

e curc as been as i engages in vile ornicaion.

33 Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? thereore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy

ways.

e word “rimmes” is a word a means “adjusing,” so e rs saemen reads, “y are youadjusing your ways o seek love?” e curces are seeking e love o e world. ey waer down




e Gospel and modiy i o make i more aracive in order o bring in more members. ow many members do you ink a curc is going o arac by preacing sermons on Jeremia caper ?

dmiedly, is is no a pleasan caper o go roug, bu we ave o bring e wole counsel o God(cs 0:7). e can’ coose jus e ceerul passages and ignore e unpleasan ones.

e curces are in a populariy cones in our day. bviously, no curc would ever admi ois, bu nevereless i is e case. large ocus, peraps e primary ocus, o e curc is, “owcan we increase our membersip?” ey bring in a large band and upgrade eir aciliies. ey creaeaddiional programs a oser a more social environmen. ey olerae immoraliy and dilue eirdocrines o appeal o a wider audience. ey consruc eir sermons so as no o oend anyone womig no wan o ear abou e unpleasan ings e ible as o say. ey’ve aug e wicked oneseir ways by role-modeling e wrong beavior.

34 Also in thy skirts is ound the blood o the souls o the poor innocents: I have not ound it by

secret search, but upon all these.

e believers are spoken o as being spiriually poor:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: or theirs is the kingdom o heaven. (Matthew 5:3)

For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD:

but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and o a contrite spirit, and trembleth

at my word. (Isaiah 66:2)

e believers are also spoken o as being blameless:

Who shall also conrm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day o our Lord

Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:8)

Tat ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons o God, without rebuke, in the midst o

a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world (Philippians

2:15)

So e “poor innocens” being killed are e believers. e’ve learned a e removing o e ruebelievers rom e curces is spoken o in e ible as a ime wen e believers are killed. e killingis no a lieral murdering, bu i is biblical language o illusrae a ey ave been silenced. e bloodbeing in eir skirs is like e saying we ave oday: “e blood is on your ands.” n oer words, ecurces are o blame or is.

e “” in “ ave no ound i by secre searc” really sould ave been “ou.” don’ know wy e

ranslaors used e word “” ere, bu i you ceck e ebrew i sould in ac ave been ranslaedas “ou.” e ebrew word ranslaed as “secre searc” can also be ranslaed as “breaking up,” as wasdone in xodus ::

I a thie be ound breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed or

him.




So e senence really goes like is: “ou ave no ound i by breaking up.” xodus : indicaesa i someone breaks ino our ome and dies by our and as we deend ourselves, en we are noguily o sin. is is ow e curces see e rue believers as ey ry o warn e members a Godis commanding em o leave e curces. e curces see is as eresy and do everying in eirpower o remove e rue believers. e ave already seen a is is like e rue believers are beingkilled. ’s like e curces see e rue believers as e ie wo is ound breaking up, and so ey believe ey are doing e rig ing by removing em:



35 Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn rom me. Behold, I will plead

with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.

e curces believe ey are innocen in eir acion o silencing e rue believers, bu God says ine previous verse, Jeremia :34, a e rue believers are no breaking up; a is, ey aren’ like eie wo can be killed wiou blame. ereore, e curces are no innocen o murder.

36 Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? thou also shalt be ashamed o Egypt, as

thou wast ashamed o Assyria.

ssyria represens alse gospels. gyp represens e secular world. believe is verse is indicaing ae curces’ rebellion began wi eir desire o creae alse gospels. owever, now i as gone beyonda as ey ave become almos indisinguisable rom e res o e world. eir gaerings are moresocial an spiriual. ey emulae e world’s enerainmen. Some curces ave coee ouses insidea sell beverages and snacks. i were no or e cross on e building and e ibles in people’sands i would be difcul o disinguis e curc rom any oer relaively moral gaering.

37 Yea, thou shalt go orth rom him, and thine hands upon thine head: or the LORD hath rejected

thy condences, and thou shalt not prosper in them.

Second Samuel caper 3 deails e accoun o bnom and is virgin al-siser amar. mnom lovedamar and waned o sleep wi er, bu se knew i was wrong o do so and reused. bnon decided opreend o be sick and asked or amar o ake care o im. ile se was aking care o im, mnonasked everyone in e camber o leave im alone wi amar. e en asked er o sleep wi im, buagain se reused. Se old im a i e really waned o be wi er, en ey sould do i rig andgo ge married. nsead, e orcibly raped er and aerwards old er a e aed er and demandeda se leave. Se explained a asking er o leave was even more evil an e rape because ey

could ge married and make e siuaion less sameul. owever, e ad a servan remove amar andbol e door. e end o is orrible ale we read a amar laid er and on er ead:

And amar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment o divers colours that was on her,

and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying. (2 Samuel 13:19)

So we see a God connecs is prase, “ine ands upon ine ead,” wi a ragic even.




ex, we are going o ake a verse-by-verse look a Jeremia caper 3.

Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep o my pasture! saith the LORD.

e pasors, o course, are ose a ave spiriual auoriy in e curc organizaion: e pasors,deacons, elders, ec. a does God mean wen e says ey ave scaered e seep? e will ge ouranswer as we examine e nex wo verses.

Tereore thus saith the LORD God o Israel against the pastors that eed my people; Ye have

scattered my ock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you

the evil o your doings, saith the LORD.

e pasors ave scaered e ock and driven em away in a ey ave removed em rom e

curces. Some o em are leaving on eir own because ey are uncomorable wi e curcorganizaion or one reason or anoer, and oers are being asked o leave as ey quesion docrinesand pracices wiin e curces.

3 And I will gather the remnant o my ock out o all countries whither I have driven them, and

will bring them again to their olds; and they shall be ruitul and increase.

ere we read a i is God wo as driven e believers away rom e curces, and a is a remindera ulimaely i was God’s plan a e believers be removed rom e curc organizaion. is verseserves as addiional conrmaion a e book o Jeremia is being direced a us oday. rougoue enire ew esamen era, oday is e only ime God as ever driven e believers ou o e early

represenaion o is people.e prase, “bring em again,” poins o e ac a ere are wo periods o spiriual rain in e

ew esamen era: e arly ain and e aer ain, and i is e aer ain a is specically in view ere.

4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall eed them: and they shall ear no more, nor be

dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.

Woe Be Unto The Pastors


P

8




e ebrew word ranslaed as “lacking” in is verse is e same ebrew word ranslaed as “visi” in verse . God is saying a e rue believers wo ave le e curc organizaion will no be visiedin judgmen as will be e case wi e curces.

5Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a

King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

en we urn o saia caper 4 we nd a passage discussing e siuaion o our day. e read ereabou seven women wo say ey will ea eir own bread and wear eir own apparel:

And in that day seven women shall take hold o one man, saying, We will eat our own bread,

and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach. In

that day shall the branch o the LORD be beautiul and glorious, and the ruit o the earth

shall be excellent and comely or them that are escaped o Israel. (Isaiah 4:1-2)

e seven women in e above passage represen e curc organizaion. emember a e read o ie is ris (Jon 6:5) and ris is e ord o God in es (Jon :4), so e bread represens e

Gospel. e seven women eaing eir own bread idenies wi e ac a e curces ave decidedey aren’ going o eac e ru o e ible. nsead, ey ave modied God’s law o sui eir owndesires and line up wi eir own logic, and, in a sense, ey are eaing eir own bread.

en we become saved we pu on e garmens o salvaion:




(Isaiah 61:10)

e seven women puing on eir own apparel is indicaive o e ac a e curces aren’ ineresedin e salvaion plan o e ible. ey’ve creaed eir own ree-will salvaion plans wi wic ey eel more comorable. ey pu on eir own apparel.

e en read a e seven women will be called by God’s name, even oug ey are eaing eirown bread and wearing eir own apparel. is, o course, is ocused on e ac a e curces sillideniy emselves wi God. n e surace, everying is beauiul in e curces. e membersare reading eir ibles. ey sing praises o God every week. e pasor is up ron speaking abou elove o God. u in acualiy, ey are going eir own way raer an God’s way.

e en read a e branc will be beauiul and glorious or ose a escape ou o srael. eranc is ris:

And speak unto him, saying, Tus speaketh the LORD o hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is Te BRANCH; and he shall grow up out o his place, and he shall build the

temple o the LORD (Zechariah 6:12)

is beauy and glory is only applicable o ose wo ave escaped rom srael, ose wo ave le ecurc organizaion.




6In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell saely: and this is his name whereby he

shall be called, HE LORD OUR RIGHEOUSNESS.

e ave o be careul wi is verse. emember a e words “srael” and “Juda” can apply o any one o ree groups. e rs is e ld esamen curc (naion o srael), e second is e ewesamen curc organizaion, and e ird is e srael o God made up o all e rue believers:

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new

creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and

upon the Israel o God. (Galatians 6:16)

nly one o ose ree can be spoken o as being enirely saved and dwelling saely: e srael o God.e ld esamen and ew esamen curces ave always been a mixure o saved and unsavedindividuals, so neier o em could be described as ully saved and dwelling saely.

is verse serves as a wonderul promise o ose wo ave le e curc organizaion. ’s admiedly scary wen we rs leave. e esiae because we wonder were we are going o ge our spiriualnourismen rom. God is elling us a we don’ need o worry abou a. e ave e rigeous

ranc, ris. e ave e ord o God o nouris us. oug we are now ou in e world we willdwell saely. a doesn’ necessarily mean we won’ receive persecuion rom e res o mankind, bua i we are ruly saved, en we will no lose our place in God’s Kingdom.

7Tereore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, Te LORD liveth,

which brought up the children o Israel out o the land o Egypt;8But, Te LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed o the house o Israel out o the

north country, and rom all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their

own land.

n is conex, e seed o srael is all o e rue believers:

In the LORD shall all the seed o Israel be justied, and shall glory. (Isaiah 45:25)

ey ave been driven ino e counries in a ey’ve been driven ou o e curc organizaion andino e world. ey will be led ino eir own land wen ey are broug o eaven a e apure.e language o ese verses can only ideniy wi e siuaion in wic we are living oday.

9Mine heart within me is broken because o the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken

man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because o the LORD, and because o the words

o his holiness.0For the land is ull o adulterers; or because o swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places

o the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their orce is not right.For both prophet and priest are proane; yea, in my house have I ound their wickedness, saith

the LORD.

e ebrew word ranslaed ere as “proane” can also be ranslaed as “deled” or “pollued.” nd, o course, wen God says e as ound eir wickedness in is ouse e’s speaking abou e curces.




ey ave deled e ouse a is called by is name:

But they set their abominations in the house, which is called by my name, to dele it.

(Jeremiah 32:34)

Whereore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven

on, and all therein: or I will bring evil upon them, even the year o their visitation, saith theLORD.

n is verse God says a e is going o bring evil upon e curces because e propes and priess(ose wo eac wiin e curces) are polluing e curces wi alseoods. e ible says e isdoing is because e curces ave reused o obey is law:

Tus saith the LORD o hosts, the God o Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this city and

upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened

their necks, that they might not hear my words. (Jeremiah 19:15)

e ebrew word ranslaed as “slippery” in Jeremia 3: is chalaqlaqqah and is also ound in anielcaper were God is alking abou leing Saan rule wiin e curces:

And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour o the

kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by atteries [chalaqlaqqah].

(Daniel 11:21)

e curc members aven’ consciously allowed Saan o come in and rule, bu Saan was able ocome in peaceably and rule by aeries. e brings docrines a are aracive o mankind. People likee idea a ey can divorce eir spouses under cerain circumsances. People would muc raerear a ey can conribue o eir salvaion by perorming some acion a will iniiae or compleei. People wan o be able o enjoy e experience o speaking in ongues or receiving inormaion in

visions. Saan akes advanage o ese desires by bringing docrines a accommodae em.

3 And I have seen olly in the prophets o Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people

Israel to err.

God oen uses aal worsip as a picure o wrong docrines:

But I have a ew things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine

o Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock beore the children o Israel, to eat

things sacriced unto idols, and to commit ornication. (Revelation 2:14)

e curces o risianiy do no worsip pagan gods o alse religions, bu God equaes eproabiliy o wrong docrines wi a o alse religions. eier are proable and bo are rebellionagains God. Sadly, e enire curc organizaion is compleely overrun wi wrong docrines. welook across e group o . billion people a call emselves risians oday, we will nd a only a iny remnan ave no been caused o err by ese docrines.




4I have seen also in the prophets o Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk

in lies: they strengthen also the hands o evildoers, that none doth return rom his wickedness;

they are all o them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereo as Gomorrah.

e’ve already learned a ollowing wrong docrines in e curces is e equivalen o spiriualadulery. e wrong eacinegs a ll e curc organizaion oday are no armless. lmos everyone

in e curces as locked emselves ino ese eacings. ey ave unnel vision and reuse o evenconsider a peraps e curc organizaion is in rebellion agains God. is is wy God says ey arelike Sodom and Gomorra in is eyes; a is, ey deserve o be desroyed or eir wickedness.

is is a difcul message o declare. n ac, i’s emping o jus leave e curces because weknow we are commanded o, bu en si quiely, waiing or e apure. os o us ave a grea dealo riends and amily in e curces. er all, nearly 1 o e world’s populaion are members o acurc somewere. e know a we will be oending our loved ones wen we come o em wiis message, and so i’s ard or us o muser up e courage o do so because e message is so ugly.u God as commanded a is message be declared. is a orrible message o ave o bring, bunevereless i is e ru.

5Tereore thus saith the LORD o hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will eed them

with wormwood, and make them drink the water o gall: or rom the prophets o Jerusalem is

proaneness gone orth into all the land.

elievers ge eir nourismen rom e living waer o e Gospel. e curces ave wised eru o God’s ord so a i is now pollued waer:



8:11)

e discussed in Te Book Has Been Opened a e “ird par” idenies wi ose wo callemselves risians, and ere we are reading a i is eir waer a becomes wormwood. n oer

words, God isn’ alking abou e gospels o oer religions; e’s specically alking abou e Gospela idenies wi risianiy. God is eeding em is waer in a e as sen a srong delusionin e curces o keep em locked ino eir lies ( essalonians :0-).

6Tus saith the LORD o hosts, Hearken not unto the words o the prophets that prophesy unto

you: they make you vain: they speak a vision o their own heart, and not out o the mouth o the

LORD.

ere again God is warning ose in e curces o no lisen o e wrong docrines ey are beingaug because ey do no come rom e ible; ey come rom e minds o men.

7Tey say still unto them that despise me, Te LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say

unto every one that walketh ater the imagination o his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.

e curces are speaking ou agains e message a e believers are o leave em. ey’re promising




eir members a God will never orsake is curc. ey’re saying a ere is peace were ereis no peace:

For they have healed the hurt o the daughter o my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace;

when there is no peace. (Jeremiah 8:11)

Unorunaely, ey are seing emselves up or sudden desrucion:



8For who hath stood in the counsel o the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who

hath marked his word, and heard it?9Behold, a whirlwind o the LORD is gone orth in ury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall all

grievously upon the head o the wicked.

God uses e image o a wirlwind in reerence o is judgmen being poured ou swily o desroy

e wicked:

For, behold, the LORD will come with re, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render

his anger with ury, and his rebuke with ames o re. (Isaiah 66:15)

As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting

oundation. (Proverbs 10:25)

Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are

switer than eagles. Woe unto us! or we are spoiled. (Jeremiah 4:13)

0Te anger o the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have perormed thethoughts o his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perectly.I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.But i they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they

should have turned them rom their evil way, and rom the evil o their doings.

n oer words, i ey ad sayed aiul o e ord o God, en ey would no ave coninued oeac alse docrines.

3 Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God aar o?

4Can any hide himsel in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I llheaven and earth? saith the LORD.5I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I

have dreamed.

e curces are no eacing eir alse docrines unbeknowns o God. ere in Jeremia caper 3e is reminding us a e ears all o eir lies.




6How long shall this be in the heart o the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets o

the deceit o their own heart;

e ible says a e ear o mankind is deceiul and desperaely wicked:

Te heart is deceitul above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jer 17:9)

e leaders in e curces are eacing rom eir own ears. ey’re basing eir docrines on wa ey believe oug o be ru. course, ey don’ go o e pulpi and consciously ink, “don’ care wa e ible says; ’m going o eac wa wan o believe.” u ey look a e wrongdocrines ey’ve been aug in seminary or elsewere, and ey ink, “ like is eacing. sn’ i

wonderul a all we ave o do is pray or God o save us and we can become saved? nd look, a’s wa e ible eaces. says a wosoever believe on im will be saved.”

e ear o man is deceiul and wicked, and so i’s no surprise a wen we eac wa we believeoug o be so, we are bound o wind up speaking lies.

7 Which think to cause my people to orget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to

his neighbour, as their athers have orgotten my name or Baal.

gain, is is no saying a e curces ave urned rom God in avor o worsipping, or example,udda. ey say ey are worsipping God, bu eir ocus is on a god a gives em docrines adisagree wi God’s eacings.

8Te prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my

word aithully. What is the cha to the wheat? saith the LORD.9Is not my word like as a re? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in

pieces?

30Tereore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every onerom his neighbour.

e curces oday are unknowingly using e ible o suppor lies. is is a uge abominaion in God’seyes. e ammers is poin ome in verse aer verse in e ible. e curces are aking God’s ordand using i o eac ings a are no rue, and, in a sense, ey are sealing is words.

3Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.3Behold, I am against them that prophesy alse dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and

cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded

them: thereore they shall not prot this people at all, saith the LORD.

God coninues o eac a ose wo coninue o use is ord o eac lies are under is wra.

33 And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden

o the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even orsake you, saith the

LORD.




e ebrew word ranslaed as “burden” ere is also ranslaed elsewere in e ible as “propecy.”God is saying a i someone in e curces asks us, “a is e propecy o God?” en we areo inorm im a God’s message is, “ will even orsake you.” ’s erribly sad, bu i’s ye anoerreminder a we are no o si quiely in is ime o grea ribulaion; we are o warn e world aGod as abandoned e curc organizaion and e end o e world is near.

34

And as or the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, Te burden o the LORD, I will even punish that man and his house.

e already know a e prope, pries, and people in view ere are ose in e curces. e alsoalready know a e messages being broug by em are no aiul o e ible. n e surace,ey appear o be aiul because ey quoe rom e ible, bu ey are in deep rouble wi God orsaying, “is is wa e ible eaces,” wen in ac i does no.

35Tus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD

answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken?36 And the burden o the LORD shall ye mention no more: or every man’s word shall be his burden;

or ye have perverted the words o the living God, o the LORD o hosts our God.

ere are unbelievers ou in e secular world wo don’ know anying abou e ible and ey avequesions, so were do ey go? ey go o e curces and ey ask e people ere, “a does eible say abou is or a?” God is commanding e curces in is passage o sop answering esequesions because ey ave pervered is ord. y answering ese quesions ey are roping morepeople ino e curces’ lies.

37Tus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the

LORD spoken?38

But since ye say, Te burden o the LORD; thereore thus saith the LORD; Because ye say this word, Te burden o the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, Te burden o

the LORD;39Tereore, behold, I, even I, will utterly orget you, and I will orsake you, and the city that I gave

you and your athers, and cast you out o my presence:

God is reieraing a e as abandoned e wole ciy, a is, e wole curc organizaion, andose wo remain in i will be cas ou o is presence.

40 And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be

orgotten.

is same is going o become very real o e curces aer e apure wen all e people wiinem nds emselves le beind or desrucion. is is suc a orrible oug and i is precisely wy

we are o be warning ose people wiin e curces.




Jeremia caper 4 is anoer passage a discusses e siuaion o our day. conains a parableabou wo baskes o gs, one good and one naugy. e will examine is caper verse by verse.

Te LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets o gs were set beore the temple o the LORD,ater that Nebuchadrezzar king o Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son o Jehoiakim

king o Judah, and the princes o Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, rom Jerusalem, and had

brought them to Babylon.

n aew caper 3 we nd e parable o e wea and ares. e read a an enemy planed ares in eeld o wea. e servans asked e ouseolder i ey sould go ou and remove e ares. e ouseolderinsruced em a, because e ares look jus like e wea, ey mus le e wo grow ogeer; i ey ried o remove e ares ey mig also pluck up some o e wea. en a e ime o e arves e

wea and ares would be separaed. e wea would be placed in e barn and e bundles o ares would beburned.

en we sudy a parable we learn a e wea represens e rue believers and e ares represenose wo call emselves risians bu aren’ acually saved. rougou e arly ain, e wo co-exisedin e curces. e curces could no possibly ell e dierence beween a rue believer and someone woappeared o be saved because e came o curc every Sunday, read e ible, and lived a moral lie. owever,now e arly ain as passed and we are living in e season o e aer ain. is e nal period o arves and i is now ime or e wea and ares o be separaed. God accomplises is by commandinge rue believers o come ou o e curces. nce is as been compleed, e ares will be le in bundles(congregaions) o be desroyed.

ere in Jeremia caper 4 we read abou wo baskes o gs. e will learn a ogeer ey represen allo ose wo claim o be saved. ne baske, like e wea, represens e rue believers, and e second baske,

like e ares, represens ose in e curces wo believe ey are saved bu acually are no.

One basket had very good gs, even like the gs that are rst ripe: and the other basket had very

naughty gs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.3Ten said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good gs, very

good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.

The Basket of Naughty Figs


P

9




e good gs are e rue believers a come ou o e curces in our day. e naugy or evil gsare e people wo remain in e curces. en we read is in lig o e res o Scripure, we knowa ere are ar more evil gs an good gs. n ac, we’ve learned a abou . billion people onis plane call emselves risians, bu less an 00 million are acually saved. ereore, over 9%o ose wo call emselves risians are no acually saved, and ey are e ones wo will remainin e curces unil e day o e apure.

oice e clear disincion God makes beween e wo baskes. en we ink o a rue believerand compare im or er o a decen, moral individual wo is unsaved, we don’ normally see a widedierence beween ose wo individuals. ey bo live moral lives, are kind o oers, are a pleasureo be around, and are e kinds o people we would like o ave as riends. owever, a’s no owGod sees ings. n e above verses we nd a God sees wo exremes wen e looks a one o eseindividuals versus e oer.

4 Again the word o the LORD came unto me, saying,5Tus saith the LORD, the God o Israel; Like these good gs, so will I acknowledge them that are

carried away captive o Judah, whom I have sent out o this place into the land o the Chaldeans

or their good.

God commanded e people o Juda o abandon Juda and allow emselves o be aken capive. Godsen em is ord roug propes, bu e vas majoriy o em reused o obey is command.God warned em a i ey remained in e ciy ey would be desroyed:




os o e people o Juda did no eed ese warnings. er all, God ad always aken care o emso ey were cerain a e would coninue o do so. owever, God evenually allowed e enemy king o abylon o inlrae and desroy Juda, e early represenaion o is Kingdom. e only people o Juda wo ad any ope or a promising uure were e ones a obeyed God’s commandand le.

ese evens are placed in e ible because ey are isoric parables a conain inormaion orus oday. God is commanding e believers oday o leave e early represenaion o is Kingdom,e curces. e as allowed e enemy o inlrae e curc organizaion and desroy i. ose woconinue o ink all is well in e curces and reuse o leave will be desroyed along wi i. s saedere in Jeremia 4:5, ose wo leave are e good gs. ey are e wea. e will see in a laer versea God specically saes a ose wo remain are e evil gs.

6For I will set mine eyes upon them or good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I willbuild them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.

en God says e will bring e good gs, e rue believers wo le e curces, again o is land,e is no indicaing a e curc organizaion will reurn o being aiul again a some poinin e uure. ere is noing in e ible a armonizes wi a idea. nsead, e is speakingo a ime wen ey will be broug ino e eernal kingdom o God. e curces represened




God’s Kingdom on ear rougou e arly ain. o oer organizaion became a God-ordainedinsiuion represening is Kingdom aer e arly ain. en e believers leave eir curcesey ave o wai or e apure so a ey can once again live in a land a can be called God’sKingdom, only is ime i will be eernal in naure.

7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and

I will be their God: or they shall return unto me with their whole heart.

is verse serves as a wonderul conrmaion a all o our salvaion is a gi rom God. e ave noconribued o i in any way. e only reason we ully urn o God is because e as given us a ear oknow im. e did no muser is up on our own and en coose o be is cildren. e are livingin a day wen God is saving a grea muliude. e acion described in is verse is occurring oday aa rae like never beore.

8 And as the evil gs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will

I give Zedekiah the king o Judah, and his princes, and the residue o Jerusalem, that remain in

this land, and them that dwell in the land o Egypt:

ere God ells us a e evil gs represen ose wo coose o remain in e land a is called by is name. ey represen ose wo reuse o leave eir curces.

e reerence o “e land o gyp” in is verse is an addiional conrmaion a is is primarily addressing e siuaion o our day. n evelaion caper we read abou e killing o e wo

winesses. en sudied careully, we know a e wo winesses represen e rue believers, aseir work o spreading e Gospel brings salvaion. e read a ey propesied or ,60 days, and

we’ve learned a e ,60-day period is a guraive span o ime a represens e enire arly ain period, rom 33 o 988. n 988, e period o silence began and coninued or ,300 days.uring is ime very ew people around e world became saved. is period o silence is ypied in

evelaion caper by e ree and a al days a e wo winesses are dead, and eir bodies liein e grea ciy a is spiriually called gyp:

And their dead bodies shall lie in the street o the great city, which spiritually is called

Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucied. (Revelation 11:8)

e grea ciy in view is once again e curc organizaion.

9 And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms o the earth or their hurt, to be a

reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.

is no small maer wen God indicaes a ose wo remain in e curces will become cursed.eueronomy caper 8 gives us an idea o ow orrible i is o disobey God and be cursed as aresul:

But it shall come to pass, i thou wilt not hearken unto the voice o the LORD thy God, to

observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that

all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: Cursed shalt thou be in the city,




and cursed shalt thou be in the eld. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. Cursed shall

be the ruit o thy body, and the ruit o thy land, the increase o thy kine, and the ocks o

thy sheep. Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou

goest out. (Deuteronomy 28:15-19)

ese curses in eueronomy caper 8 go on or anoer 49 verses.

0 And I will send the sword, the amine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed

rom o the land that I gave unto them and to their athers.

s we read roug e ible we nd a grea many passages a speak o e Grea ribulaion as aime wen a sore amine is broug upon e land, a land being e curc organizaion, and we arecommanded o leave a land so a we don’ become a par o is desrucion:

He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the amine, and by the pestilence:

but he that goeth out, and alleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his

lie shall be unto him or a prey. (Jeremiah 21:9)




e las ull caper o Jeremia a we are going o look a in is book is caper 5. is anoercaper a addresses e siuaion a currenly exiss wiin e curces, bu i also speaks o

Judgmen ay wen God’s wra is poured ou upon e wole world. s wi oer capers, we are

going o see many o e same poins being revisied. aer an quickly pass over maers we avealready examined, we are going o look a em again because ese are difcul rus o absorb and ielps o look a em muliple imes.

Te word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people o Judah in the ourth year o Jehoiakim

the son o Josiah king o Judah, that was the rst year o Nebuchadrezzar king o Babylon;

abylon was e wicked naion a God used o rule over and desroy Juda because o is rebellion.abylon represens Saan’s kingdom and Juda represens ose a claim o be God’s people. Kingebucadnezzar, as e ruler o abylon, represens Saan. e Grea ribulaion o our day is e ime wen God is allowing Saan o rule over e curces and bring spiriual desrucion upon em.

Te which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people o Judah, and to all the inhabitants o

Jerusalem, saying

e’ve seen a God oen uses erms like “Juda,” “Jerusalem,” and “srael” wen reerring o ecurces. is caper begins by addressing ose wiin e curces oday because a’s were God’s

judgmen begins ( Peer 4:7), bu en laer in e caper God’s ocus sis o e wole world.

3From the thirteenth year o Josiah the son o Amon king o Judah, even unto this day, that is the

three and twentieth year, the word o the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you,

rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.

n Te Book Has Been Opened , we saw a God brings e numbers 3 and 3 ino view in is versebecause is passage idenies wi e Grea ribulaion wic began in e 3,000 year o is

world’s exisence (988) and is exacly 3 years in leng.ake noe o e saemen, “ ave spoken uno you, rising early and speaking; bu ye ave no

earkened.” e are going o discuss is saemen as we examine e nex verse.

Rising Early and Speaking


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4 And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them;

but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.

Similar o verse 5, we nd e saemen, “rising early and sending em; bu ye ave no earkened.”n ac, we nd is saemen imes in e ible and o e occurrences are in e Jeremia(7:3, 7:5, :7, 5:3, 5:4, 6:5, 9:9, 3:33, 35:4, 35:5, 44:4). ddiionally, in every occurrence

e ebrew verbs or “rising early” and “speaking/sending” are always in e inniive orm, wicindicaes a is acion is coninually aking place. means e warning doesn’ jus come o emrom ime o ime as God warns em roug oer individuals; i’s ere consanly. is is a veiledreerence o e ac a ey are being warned in e ible. e ible is presen in e curces, buey aren’ lisening o i. God warned a i ey didn’ repen, e would remove eir candlesick:


I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out o his place, except thou

repent. (Revelation 2:5)

ey say ey are lisening o God’s ord, bu in acualiy ey are jus lisening o eir previously

esablised docrines and reading e ible in lig o em. God says a ey beave as oug is ord is a reproac o em; ey ave no delig in i and will no earken:




n eviicus caper 6 God esablised some ground rules. ere e indicaed a i ey reverencedis sancuary and walked in is saues, en e would bring em spiriual rain:

Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. I ye walk inmy statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Ten I will give you rain in due

season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees o the eld shall yield their ruit.

(Leviticus 26:2-4)

u ey ave deled is sancuary by using i as a place o go eir own way:

Whereore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD; Surely, because thou hast deled my sanctuary

with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, thereore will I also diminish

thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity. (Ezekiel 5:11)

nd ey ave no walked in is saues. nsead, ey ave despised em:

Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my

sabbaths: or their heart went ater their idols. (Ezekiel 20:16)

Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted

my sabbaths, and their eyes were ater their athers’ idols. (Ezekiel 20:24)




ereore, God is wiolding spiriual rain rom em:

Lit up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the

ways hast thou sat or them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land

with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. Tereore the showers have been withholden,

and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore’s orehead, thou reusedst to be

ashamed. (Jeremiah 3:2-3)

we coninue on in eviicus caper 6 we nd God as saed a i ose wo claim o be ispeople despise is saues en e will urn is back on em, e enemy will rule over em, andey will sow eir seed in vain:

And i ye shall despise my statutes, or i your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not

do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will

even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the

eyes, and cause sorrow o heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, or your enemies shall

eat it. And I will set my ace against you, and ye shall be slain beore your enemies: they that

hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall ee when none pursueth you. (Leviticus 26:15-17)

is is exacly wa as appened o e curc organizaion. e oly Spiri as been removed rome curces so a ey no longer ave God’s proecion rom Saan. Furermore, God as appoinedSaan o rule over em. ey sow eir seed in vain in a ey can preac e ord o God all ey

wan, bu i will no resul in bringing salvaion; e oly Spiri is no ere o apply God’s ord o eears o ose wo are ere lisening o e preacing.

5Tey said, urn ye again now every one rom his evil way, and rom the evil o your doings, and

dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your athers or ever and ever:6 And go not ater other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger

with the works o your hands; and I will do you no hurt.

ven a curc a acknowledges ris as e Savior and appears o be a legiimae curc o God isa curc a goes aer oer gods i i olds docrines a are no biblical:

I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest ast

my name, and hast not denied my aith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my aithul

martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. But I have a ew things against

thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine o Balaam, who taught Balac to

cast a stumblingblock beore the children o Israel, to eat things sacriced unto idols, and to commit ornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine o the Nicolaitanes,

which thing I hate. (Revelation 2:13-15)

n e conex o ese alse docrines, God warns in Jeremia 5:6, “provoke me no o anger wi e works o your ands and will do you no ur.” False docrines are no e work o God. oug ey appear o be able o be suppored by e ible wen i is misinerpreed or misused, ey are acually e




creaion o man based on wa man wans o believe. False docrines are buil on a oundaion o man’slogic. s is verse indicaes, i we ollow em, en God will no jus si idle and say, “ell, ey say ey love e and ey sing praises o e and really a’s wa’s imporan.” o, e warning is a i

we go aer alse docrines ere will be armul consequences.

7 Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the

works o your hands to your own hurt.

is verse is eacing us a e curc as a wole as coninued o go aer alse docrines rougouis exisence. For example, wen we believe a God is sill speaking o man roug ongues and

visions en we ave adoped a alse gospel. e are looking or divine ru were ere is none, andi we ink we’ve ound some ru in a ongue a conradics e ible, en we lisen o e newerru we go rom e ongue. venually, oug we would never say is, e ible becomes lessimporan o us. e allow our “spiriual experiences” o siderack us rom sudying God’s ord. ebelieve a ese experiences are all par o our walk wi God, wen, in acualiy, ey ave noingo do wi God. is is ow e works o our own ands can be o our own ur.

ikewise, wen we believe in e ree-will salvaion idea we ave adoped a alse docrine. we believe

a we iniiae our salvaion, en we ave waered down e grace o God because i is ulimaely ouracions a go us saved, no God’s. e would never say a o course, bu really a’s wa edocrine saes: weer or no you become saved ress on a decision a you make. en we oldis docrine we en ave o creae oer alse docrines in order o ully make sense o e ree-willdocrine, and so we creae e idea o an age o accounabiliy and e possibiliy o losing salvaion(bo o wic are no biblical). en we read passages a speak o predesinaion and elecion, and we ave o inerpre ose passages as eacing a God simply pre-cose ose wom e knew inadvance would coose im. e alseoods breed more alseoods unil we ave a salvaion programa in no way resembles e salvaion program o e ible.

is roug ese manmade alse docrines a God is bringing desrucion on e curces in ourday, by giving e curces up o eir own lies ( essalonians :0-).

8Tereore thus saith the LORD o hosts; Because ye have not heard my words,

God does no jus embrace e curc’s overall ineres in im and overlook all e errors in iseacings. For over ,900 years God as been warning e curces o correc is eacings, bu, as weave seen in previous verses, ey ave no eeded ese warnings. e curces are no boered by eac a almos every curc olds dieren docrines. is sould scare em ino inking, “aybe

we need o go back and re-examine our own eacings o make sure ey are accurae.” u a asn’been e reacion. nsead, every curc coninues o cling o eir dearly-loved docrines, and ey coninue o read e ible in lig o wa ey already believe o be rue. er puing up wi i or

over ,900 years, God’s oleraion o is rebellion as come o an end.

9Behold, I will send and take all the amilies o the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar

the king o Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants

thereo, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them

an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.




e discussed in verse a king ebucadnezzar represens Saan. is is urer conrmed wen weread saia caper 4 were, as i speaks o e king o abylon, i uses language a can only ideniy

wi Saan:

How art thou allen rom heaven, O Lucier, son o the morning! how art thou cut down to

the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend

into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars o God: I will sit also upon the mount o

the congregation, in the sides o the north: I will ascend above the heights o the clouds; I

will be like the most High (Isaiah 14:12-14)

’s ineresing a ere in Jeremia 5:9 ebucadnezzar is reerred o as God’s servan. isparallels zekiel caper 9 were ebucadnezzar (again ypiying Saan) is spoken o as a paidemployee o God:

Tereore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will give the land o Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar

king o Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and

it shall be the wages or his army. (Ezekiel 29:12)

s a punismen or e curc’s rebellion, God is spiriually desroying i. Jus as e used e wickednaions o srael’s day o carry ou is judgmen, e is using Saan oday o carry ou is judgmen.God loosed Saan a e beginning o e Grea ribulaion or e purpose o leing im rule wiine curc organizaion in order o desroy i. n is sense, Saan as been employed by God as isservan.

0Moreover I will take rom them the voice o mirth, and the voice o gladness, the voice o the

bridegroom, and the voice o the bride, the sound o the millstones, and the light o the candle.

e bridegroom is ris and is voice is e ord o God. e voice o e bridegroom being akenaway is language o indicae a e Gospel as been removed. is doesn’ mean a e ible isnowere o be ound in e curces, bu raer a e oly Spiri is no ere o apply e ord o God o ears as is necessary or salvaion o ake place:


is is because once e Grea ribulaion began God removed e oly Spiri rom e curces. isis e amine a God spoke abou in e book o mos:

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a amine in the land, not a

amine o bread, nor a thirst or water, but o hearing the words o the LORD (Amos 8:11)

e voice o e bride being aken away is a reminder a during e Grea ribulaion e ruebelievers are being removed rom e curces, eier by eir own decision or by being asked o leave.e curces believe a is eacing o Saan ruling in e curces is eresy, and so ey ink ey are doing e rig ing by removing e people wo are making suc a claim:






e ave learned a e killing in view ere is no a lieral killing, bu raer i is language o indicaea rue believers are being silenced in e curces.

e sound o e millsones being aken away indicaes a e grinding o wea, wic is done omake bread, is no longer aking place. e read o ie is ris (Jon 6:48), and ris is e ordo God in es (Jon :4), so e sound o e millsones being aken away is really a reieraion aris and e Gospel ave been removed.

e lig o e candle being removed reminds us o wen God warned e curces a e would remove eir candlesick i ey coninued o be rebellious (evelaion :5). e removal o ecandlesick is a gure o speec o indicae a e source o lig as been removed. ris is asource o lig:

As long as I am in the world, I am the light o the world. (John 9:5)

ll o e prases ound ere in Jeremia 5:0 are poining o e ac a e Gospel as been

removed rom e curc organizaion.

And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the

king o Babylon seventy years.

e learned in Te Book Has Been Opened a is 70-year ribulaion in Juda was really a oresadowingo e Grea ribulaion. e are reading ere a during is ribulaion ey sall serve e king o abylon. is poins o e ac a during e Grea ribulaion Saan as aken is sea wiin ecurces and rules em, bu ose wiin em ink i is sill God ruling in e curces:

Let no man deceive you by any means: or that day shall not come, except there come a

alling away rst, and that man o sin be revealed, the son o perdition; Who opposeth and

exalteth himsel above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth

in the temple o God, shewing himsel that he is God. (2 Tessalonians 2:3-4)

God as declared a because o e spreading o abominaions in is oly place (e curc) e willmake i desolae:

And he shall conrm the covenant with many or one week: and in the midst o the week he

shall cause the sacrice and the oblation to cease, and or the overspreading o abominations

he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured

upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27)

e are commanded o leave e curces wen we see is ime o desolaion as come:

When ye thereore shall see the abomination o desolation, spoken o by Daniel the prophet,

stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Ten let them which be in

Judaea ee into the mountains (Matthew 24:15-16)




And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king o

Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, or their iniquity, and the land o the Chaldeans, and

will make it perpetual desolations.

is is a reminder a, oug Saan will appear o be very successul during e Grea ribulaion,ypied ere by 70 years, in e end e will be desroyed.

3 And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is

written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations.

God’s warnings are no empy reas. e enire book o Jeremia, and indeed e wole ible, is loaded wi ugly language reerencing e orrible judgmen a will evenually come upon e curces inour day. e can’ read all o is and ink, “ell, maybe i’s no really a bad. Surely God won’ doall o ese orrible ings e as declared. er all, e curces are lled wi people wo innocenly believe ey are ollowing accurae docrines and ey all sing praises o God every Sunday. Surely e

won’ bring suc a orrible desrucion upon em and allow Saan o se up rule over em.” Godreminds us a e will do all a wic e as said e would do:

Tereore thus saith the LORD God o hosts, the God o Israel; Behold, I will bring upon

Judah and upon all the inhabitants o Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against

them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto

them, but they have not answered. (Jeremiah 35:17)

Unorunaely, a is were we are oday. ’s erribly sad. ur uman minds ave a ard imeacceping is. e read is and ink, “o, a can’ be,” bu God is afrming i or us ere in verse5.

4For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves o them also: and I will recompensethem according to their deeds, and according to the works o their own hands.

e works o eir own ands is again a reerence o e alse docrines ey ave made or emselves.

5For thus saith the LORD God o Israel unto me; ake the wine cup o this ury at my hand, and

cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.

e wine cup o ury reminds us o e cup o God’s wra a ris ad o drink rom wendemonsraing is paymen or sin:

And he went a little arther, and ell on his ace, and prayed, saying, O my Father, i it be

possible, let this cup pass rom me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he

cometh unto the disciples, and ndeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye

not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit

indeed is willing, but the esh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed,

saying, O my Father, i this cup may not pass away rom me, except I drink it, thy will be

done. (Matthew 26:39-42)




y using e prase “all e naions” God is indicaing a e ime as come or is nal judgmenprocess o si ino encompassing e wole world. s we sudy e ible we learn a is nal

judgmen process began a e beginning o e Grea ribulaion wen God began preparing ecurces or judgmen. e end o e Grea ribulaion on e day o e apure, e ocus o God’s judgmen will begin o include e wole world. n oer words, up o is verse in Jeremia 5,God’s judgmen as been upon e curces. God began e caper by speaking o e alse docrinese curces ave creaed rougou e arly ain, and e warnings God gave em o repen.en God sied ino speaking abou e consequences o e curces’ reusal o correc eir ways;namely, e spiriual desrucion e is bringing upon em roug e use o Saan. is is e ocuso judgmen o e Grea ribulaion. ow God as sied ino speaking abou e judgmen acomes upon e wole world during e nal ve mons.

6 And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because o the sword that I will send among

them.

e sword is e ord o God:

And take the helmet o salvation, and the sword o the Spirit, which is the word o God (Ephesians 6:17)

nd i is e ord o God a judges mankind:

For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have

sinned in the law shall be judged by the law (Romans 2:12)

So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law o liberty. (James 2:12)

7

Ten took I the cup at the LORD’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom theLORD had sent me:

ver e nex nine verses God is going o lis naions and we will see a e purpose o is passageis o indicae a e enire world will ave o drink rom e cup o is wra.

8o wit, Jerusalem, and the cities o Judah, and the kings thereo, and the princes thereo, to make

them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day;

God ere begins o lis e naions o e world as e brings is judgmen agains em. oice ae rs naion on e lis is Juda, wic is used in e ible o signiy ose wo claim o be God’s

people. is is no by acciden. emember, God’s judgmen begins wi e ouse o God:

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house o God: and i it rst begin at us,

what shall the end be o them that obey not the gospel o God? (1 Peter 4:17)




9Pharaoh king o Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;0 And all the mingled people, and all the kings o the land o Uz, and all the kings o the land o

the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant o Ashdod,Edom, and Moab, and the children o Ammon, And all the kings o yrus, and all the kings o Zidon, and the kings o the isles which are

beyond the sea,

e prase “e kings o e isles wic are beyond e sea” is language o indicae a all naions, eveno e ares reaces, are included.

3Dedan, and ema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners,

nce again we nd language ere o ensure we ge e poin a is is speaking o a ime wen eenire world is drinking rom e cup o God’s wra. veryone wo is le beind o drink o e cup

will be desroyed and i will be as oug ey ad never exised:

For the day o the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done

unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.For as ye have drunk upon my holy

mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall

swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been. (Obadiah 1:15-16)

4 And all the kings o Arabia, and all the kings o the mingled people that dwell in the desert,5 And all the kings o Zimri, and all the kings o Elam, and all the kings o the Medes,6 And all the kings o the north, ar and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms o the world,

which are upon the ace o the earth: and the king o Sheshach shall drink ater them.

we adn’ quie goen e poin ye a is is speaking o a ime wen e enire world is experiencing

God’s wra, God makes i as clear as possible ere by using e prase “all e kingdoms o e world, wic are upon e ace o e ear.”

7Tereore thou shalt say unto them, Tus saith the LORD o hosts, the God o Israel; Drink

ye, and be drunken, and spue, and all, and rise no more, because o the sword which I will send

among you.

is is speaking o a ime wen all e naions o e world all, never o rise again. an ere be any doub is is speaking o e end o e world? ese verses make i absoluely clear a is caper isprimarily direced a us oday.

8 And it shall be, i they reuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto

them, Tus saith the LORD o hosts; Ye shall certainly drink.9For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly

unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: or I will call or a sword upon all the inhabitants o the

earth, saith the LORD o hosts.




30Tereore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, Te LORD shall

roar rom on high, and utter his voice rom his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his

habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants o the

earth.3 A noise shall come even to the ends o the earth; or the LORD hath a controversy with the

nations, he will plead with all esh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the

LORD.3

Tus saith the LORD o hosts, Behold, evil shall go orth rom nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up rom the coasts o the earth.33 And the slain o the LORD shall be at that day rom one end o the earth even unto the other

end o the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon

the ground.

n Te Book Has Been Opened we saw a during e nal ve mons e remains o e dead will beexposed rom eir graves so a ey can be samed. e ound a passage in Jeremia 8 a relaes:

At that time, saith the LORD, they shall bring out the bones o the kings o Judah, and the

bones o his princes, and the bones o the priests, and the bones o the prophets, and the

bones o the inhabitants o Jerusalem, out o their graves: And they shall spread them beorethe sun, and the moon, and all the host o heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they

have served, and ater whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they

have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be or dung upon the

ace o the earth. (Jeremiah 8:1-2)

e language in is passage is similar o a o Jeremia 5:33. is provides urer proo a isis speaking o e end-imes judgmen a will come upon e wole world.

34Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal o the ock: or the

days o your slaughter and o your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall all like a pleasant vessel.

e principal o e ocks and e seperds are reerences o e leaders o e ock. God is addressinge pasors ere, and e places a cerain amoun o e blame on em:

Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under oot, they

have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. (Jeremiah 12:10)

e ebrew word ranslaed “pleasan” ere is chemdah, wic can also be ranslaed as “desirable”:

For thus saith the LORD o hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens,and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire

[chemdah] o all nations shall come: and I will ll this house with glory, saith the LORD o

hosts. (Haggai 2:6-7)

is verse is speaking o ris; e is e desirable one. Jeremia 5:34 speaks o e unsaved allinglike a desirable vessel. ris is e desirable vessel. y placing e evens surrounding e cross in e




ible God as given us an idea o wa is wra is like. we wan o know someing abou wae penaly or sin is, all we ave o do is look a wa ris endured. e unsaved will all like ris;a is, ey will ave o ace e wra o God.

is verse is speaking o e ime a will ollow e apure. e crying and wallowing in ases issimilar o e language we ound in zekiel caper 7 wen ose in e sips (curces) realize ae sips ave been desroyed:

And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up

dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes (Ezekiel 27:30)

ey won’ come o is realizaion unil ey’ve all been le beind aer e apure, bu a a poini will be oo lae or salvaion.

35 And the shepherds shall have no way to ee, nor the principal o the ock to escape.

God’s jusice is perec. ere will be no escape. i were even possible or God o waive e penaly orsin we cerainly would ave expeced o see i wi ris, bu even ris could no ge ou o i. e

pasors are going o be punised along wi everyone else.

36 A voice o the cry o the shepherds, and an howling o the principal o the ock, shall be heard:

or the LORD hath spoiled their pasture.37 And the peaceable habitations are cut down because o the erce anger o the LORD.

e peaceable abiaions are e curces. e Gospel is a Gospel o peace:

And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiul are the eet o

them that preach the gospel o peace, and bring glad tidings o good things! (Rom 10:15)

is a Gospel o peace because ris imsel is e very essence o peace (saia 9:6) and e Gospelas everying o do wi ris. rougou e arly ain e curces were e ome o e Gospel.ey were e peaceable abiaions. nce e Grea ribulaion began, God abandoned em and gaveem over o Saan. n a sense, e peaceable abiaions ave been cu down.

38He hath orsaken his covert, as the lion: or their land is desolate because o the erceness o the

oppressor, and because o his erce anger.

e word ranslaed as “cover” ere is sok , wic can also be ranslaed “abernacle” as in Psalm 76::

In Salem also is his tabernacle [sok ], and his dwelling place in Zion.

e saemen, “e a orsaken is cover,” is anoer reieraion o e ac a God as abandonede oly place o is name, e curces.




eore we move on rom Jeremia we are going o look a one more passage: Jeremia 4:9-5:. is very muc a saddening passage, bu i elps us o undersand jus ow imporan i is a we

sound e alarm oday wile ere is sill ope. e are going o quickly see a is passage is one a

is ocused on e evens a ollow e apure.

9Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there

is no healing or us? we looked or peace, and there is no good; and or the time o healing, and

behold trouble!

e apure will be an eye-opening even or e wole world, especially or ose in e curces.Prioriies will be immediaely sied. large percenage o e world will recognize a e end o e world is near. ose in e curces will come o undersand a ey are no on good erms wi God.o use e language o is verse, ey will see a God as uerly rejeced e curc organizaion.

e nd similar language in amenaions 5::

But thou hast utterly rejected us; thou art very wroth against us.

e saemen, “we looked or peace, and ere is no good,” ies in wi e ac a rougou eGrea ribulaion ey ave been declaring a ere was peace in e curces wen ere wasn’:

o wit, the prophets o Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions

o peace or her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 13:16)

Peace is idenied wi ris; e is e Prince o Peace:

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his

shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderul, Counsellor, Te mighty God, Te

everlasting Father, Te Prince o Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

e is e Good Seperd:

I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known o mine. ( John 10:14)

Cast Them Out

A Look at Jeremiah 14:19-15:2

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e is our goodness:

My goodness, and my ortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom

I trust; who subdueth my people under me. (Psalm 144:2)

Since ris is e ord o God in es, i is no surprise a God’s ord is called e Gospel o peaceand good ings:

And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiul are the eet

o them that preach the gospel o peace, and bring glad tidings o good things! (Romans

10:15)

ealing is also a word a idenies wi e Gospel in a i brings ealing o our spiriual sickness wen we become saved:

O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. (Psalm 30:2)

en we read abou people looking or peace, good, and ealing ere in Jeremia 4:9 i’s a reerenceo people looking or ris; ey’re looking or e Gospel o save em. Unorunaely, in ose lasdays aer e apure, all ey will nd is rouble:

Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none. Mischie shall

come upon mischie, and rumour shall be upon rumour; then shall they seek a vision o the

prophet; but the law shall perish rom the priest, and counsel rom the ancients. Te king

shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands o the people o

the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them ater their way, and according to their deserts

will I judge them; and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Ezekiel 7:25-27)

0 We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity o our athers: or we have sinned against thee.

will become eviden a God as abandoned e curces and a a ime people will realize ey ave been living in rebellion agains God.

Do not abhor us, or thy name’s sake, do not disgrace the throne o thy glory: remember, break

not thy covenant with us.

ecall a we saw in Jeremia :5 a e curc organizaion as unknowingly accused God o

unrigeousness by making up eir own laws because ey eel e rue docrines aug in e ibleare unair:

Tus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your athers ound in me, that they are gone ar

rom me, and have walked ater vanity, and are become vain?

e nd is menaliy coninued ere in Jeremia 4:. e saemen, “o no disgrace e rone




o y glory,” is anoer accusaion. en ey realize God as abandoned em ey will be arguinga by urning is back on e curc organizaion God as disgraced is own rone. e curcesare e early represenaion o God’s Kingdom, and eir oug process insrucs em a, evenoug ey aven’ been aiul o is ord, i would be wrong or God o abandon em.

en we read e saemen, “reak no y covenan wi us.” o broke e covenan? as i God?o, o course no. e curces are e ones wo ave se e ru aside and esablised docrinesderived rom e minds o men. ey believe a since God esablised e curc organizaion ey sould be sae wiin i. ey know ey aren’ perec, bu ey beave as oug God sould overlook eir errors:

And come and stand beore me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are

delivered to do all these abominations? (Jeremiah 7:10)

is as i e curces will be saying, “ord, you esablised us. es, we may ave made a ew misakesalong e way, bu we are our people. o no sever e bond a exiss beween ou and us.” owever,i wasn’ God wo broke a bond; i was e curc organizaion a rs orsook God:

Tou hast orsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward: thereore will I stretchout my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting. And I will an them

with a an in the gates o the land; I will bereave them o children, I will destroy my people

since they return not rom their ways. (Jeremiah 15:6-7)

Are there any among the vanities o the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give

showers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? thereore we will wait upon thee: or thou hast made

all these things.

is verse gives us anoer picure o ose le beind looking or e Gospel. Periods o spiriual rain,suc as e arly ain and aer ain, are periods in wic God’s ord is being applied o e earso individuals by e oly Spiri, as par o God’s salvaion program:

My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon

the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass (Deuteronomy 32:2)

e aer ain is e las period o spiriual rain on is ear and i will come o an end on e day o e apure. e people le beind will be looking or salvaion in ose las days, bu e ime o salvaion will ave come o an end.

Ten said the LORD unto me, Tough Moses and Samuel stood beore me, yet my mind could

not be toward this people: cast them out o my sight, and let them go orth.

n is conex, o be cas ou as o do wi sill being under e wra o God:

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise

cast out. (John 6:37)




e people being cas ou in is conex is language o indicae a ey’ve been le beind aer eapure:

Tere shall be weeping and gnashing o teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and

Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom o God, and you yourselves thrust out. (Luke

13:28)

e people wo oug ey were saved will plead wi God wiou success:




7:22-23)

And it shall come to pass, i they say unto thee, Whither shall we go orth? then thou shalt tell

them, Tus saith the LORD; Such as are or death, to death; and such as are or the sword, to

the sword; and such as are or the amine, to the amine; and such as are or the captivity, to the

captivity.

oa spen 0 years building e ark, and, since e was a preacer o rigeousness ( Peer :5), would ave been warning e world a desrucion was coming. owever, e people o e worldmocked im and coninued on in eir lives as i ere was noing o worry abou. e can assume aonce e rain began o all on e very day a oa ad warned em abou, eir ocus immediaely canged. ey recognized e rouble ey were in and were probably pounding on e door o e ark,begging o be le in.

is is e siuaion a will prevail aer e apure. e apure will serve o sow e curcese error o eir ways. is roug e apure a e believers will condemn e world. People willsuddenly ake God more seriously. n essence, ey will be saying, “e are sorry we were oo subborno lisen beore, bu we are lisening now. ou ell us wa you wan us o do and we will lisen.” ua a poin God’s response will be a all e as in sore or em is capiviy, amine, and dea. noer words, e ime or salvaion will be over. ll a will be le is desrucion.




e book o Jona is very complex. e are going o look a caper 3 o Jona ere because iconains a message a relaes very well o e maers we ave been looking a in is book.

And the word o the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,

e know a Jona was very esian abou bringing is message o e people o ineve. nsead o going o ineve as God commanded, e boarded a sip eaded or arsis:

Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; or their wickedness is come up

beore me. But Jonah rose up to ee unto arshish rom the presence o the LORD, and went

down to Joppa; and he ound a ship going to arshish: so he paid the are thereo, and went

down into it, to go with them unto arshish rom the presence o the LORD. (Jonah 1:2-3)

Jona ignored God’s command o warn e people o ineve. From a isorical perspecive, i’s easy o undersand wy e did is. ineve was e capial o ssyria and ssyria was e enemy o srael.

Jona knew God mig rerain rom desroying ineve i ey repened and is did no give immoivaion o warn em:

And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying,

when I was yet in my country? Tereore I ed beore unto arshish: or I knew that thou

art a gracious God, and merciul, slow to anger, and o great kindness, and repentest thee o

the evil. (Jonah 4:2)

So Jona, a saved individual as near as we can ell, ignored God’s command. God casised Jona

or is beavior by aving im rown ino e sea and being swallowed by a big s. is is ow Godsomeimes deals wi believers wen we disobey. e casises us in order o correc our beavior:

My son, despise not the chastening o the LORD; neither be weary o his correction (Proverbs

3:11)

rue believer will welcome e casisemen o God because e wans o be correced:

Arise and Go

A Look at Jonah 3

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Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: thereore despise not thou the chastening

o the Almighty (Job 5:17)

is is because a believer recognizes a God is doing is ou o love or is cild:

I ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; or what son is he whom the

ather chasteneth not? (Hebrews 12:7)

is ineresing a ere we read e ord came o Jona a second ime. n e isorical conex,is was because Jona disobeyed e rs ime and so ere e is aced wi e command a second ime.owever, spiriually, is may be poining o e aer ain period in wic we are currenly living.

e read abou God gaering is people a second ime:

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time

to recover the remnant o his people, which shall be let, rom Assyria, and rom Egypt, and

rom Pathros, and rom Cush, and rom Elam, and rom Shinar, and rom Hamath, and

rom the islands o the sea. (Isaiah 11:11)

is can be sown o be a reerence o e aer ain. is e second period o spiriual rain duringe ew esamen era. e are living in a day wen we are commanded o warn e world, and a ispicured ere as Jona brings is warning o e people o ineve.

Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

e word “arise” reminds us o zekiel : wen zekiel was commanded o sand upon is ee andevelaion : wen e wo winesses sood upon eir ee. e saw a in bo insances alanguage poined o a ime wen God ad a message o bring o people roug e believers. e arending a same ing ere.

Jus as Jona was esian o bring God’s message o warning o e people, many o us are esiano bring God’s message o judgmen oday. e are worried ow our riends and amily will respond

wen we ell em a ey belong o an organizaion a is ruled by Saan and a ey are inrebellion agains God by remaining ere. ill ey ever alk o us again? ow will ey reac wen

we ell em a e end o e world is jus around e corner? ill ey mock us and cas us ou o eir social circles? God reminds us a we are commanded o bring is message regardless o wakind o reacion we expec o receive:

For they are impudent children and stihearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt

say unto them, Tus saith the Lord GOD. And they, whether they will hear, or whether they

will orbear, (or they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. And thou, son o man, be not araid o them, neither be araid o their words,

though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not araid

o their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. And thou

shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will orbear: or

they are most rebellious. (Ezekiel 2:4-7)




e wonderul ac is a we know God is saving a grea muliude during is period o aer ain,and some o ose people are sill in e curces. e ave learned a all o e elec will come ou o e curces beore e apure occurs, bu we ave no ye reaced a day. is means a ope sillremains or ose in e curces, and a is wy we are commanded o bring is unpleasan messageo em. e can expec e vas majoriy o respond by ridiculing us and labeling e message as eresy,bu sprinkled amongs e scoers will be one o God’s elec ere and anoer one ere wo will aveeir spiriual eyes opened by God so a ey earken o e warning.

3So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word o the LORD. Now Nineveh was

an exceeding great city o three days’ journey.

e saemen, “ineve was an exceeding grea ciy,” is ineresing wen we look a e originalebrew rom wic i was ranslaed. more lieral ranslaion would be, “ineve was a grea ciy o God.” e word “exceeding” is no ound in e ebrew o is verse, bu e prase, “o God” is.e ranslaors probably read is verse and oug, “ e ciy is grea o God, en i mus be anexceedingly grea ciy.” e can undersand wy e ranslaors cose e verbiage ey did, bu wen

we look a e lieral ranslaion we can see e spiriual meaning sine roug more readily.

a ciy can be described as a grea ciy o God? o early ciy can is descripion. Jerusalemis e early ciy a we would probably mos quickly associae wi being grea o God, bu even aisn’ accurae because God broug desrucion on Jerusalem. e grea ciy in view is e spiriual ciy o God, new Jerusalem:

Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple o my God, and he shall go no more

out: and I will write upon him the name o my God, and the name o the city o my God,

which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out o heaven rom my God: and I will write

upon him my new name. (Revelation 3:12)

And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down rom God out o heaven, prepared

as a bride adorned or her husband. (Revelation 21:2)

God also calls i “Jerusalem wic is above”:

But Jerusalem which is above is ree, which is the mother o us all. (Galatians 4:26)

God calls spiriual Jerusalem a “grea ciy”:

And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great

city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out o heaven rom God (Revelation 21:10)

God uses language o make i perecly clear a is is a spiriual ciy, no a ciy o is world:

And I saw no temple therein: or the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple o it.

And the city had no need o the sun, neither o the moon, to shine in it: or the glory o God

did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereo. (Revelation 21:22-23)




en we compare is wi e res o e ible we know a is is speaking o e spiriual ciy wic is made up o all o e rue believers. en we compare a wi e conex o Jona caper3 i makes perec sense because we discover in Jona caper 4 a every single person in inevelisened o Jona’s warning, repened, and was saved. o early ciy or organizaion can be dened asbeing made up o only ruly saved individuals. nly e body o God’s elec can be dened a way.

4

And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet orty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

e read in e previous verse a ineve was a ciy wic ook ree days o cross on oo. ere welearn a Jona enered ino e ciy a day’s journey. y did God make a poin o menion a? nso doing e as broug e racion 1 ino view. en we examine God’s use o e racion 1 welearn a i idenies wi ose wo are a represenaion o is people. Someimes is is a reerenceo all o ose wo claim o be saved bu acually are no:

And the our angels were loosed, which were prepared or an hour, and a day, and a month,

and a year, or to slay the third part o men. (Revelation 9:15)

er imes i is a reerence o jus e rue believers:

And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut

o and die; but the third shall be let therein. And I will bring the third part through the

re, and will rene them as silver is rened, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call

on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, Te LORD

is my God. (Zechariah 13:8-9)

e conex o Jona caper 3 indicaes a jus e rue believers are in view, wic is sown by euse o e prase “grea ciy o God” and e ac a every single person in ineve is spared romdesrucion.

e also nd anoer number in is verse: e number 40. en we examine God’s use o enumber 40 we nd a i idenies wi esing. For example, God indicaed a e sraelies wereorced o wander in e wilderness or 40 years in order o be esed:

And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these orty years in

the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether

thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. (Deuteronomy 8:2)

Jesus was also esed or 40 days:

And he was there in the wilderness orty days, tempted o Satan; and was with the wild

beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. (Mark 1:13)

God was esing e people o ineve o see i ey would earken o e warning a was brougo em roug one o is messengers. Given a Jona was no pleased wi e possibiliy o Godsparing ineve e probably did no deliver is warning wi muc enusiasm, bu e people o ineve did lisen. ey passed e es. is is an illusraion o e es we are presened wi oday.




ill we lisen o e warning God is bringing or will we sco a i? ill we ake i seriously or will wesrug our soulders and ink, “aybe ere’s ru in i, maybe ere’s no.” ll o God’s elec willevenually pass is es as is illusraed by e people o ineve.

5So the people o Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a ast, and put on sackcloth, rom the

greatest o them even to the least o them.

oice i doesn’ say a e people o ineve believed Jona. nsead, i says ey believed God. Jona was e messenger, bu e message isel came rom God. magine i e people o ineve would ave scoed a Jona and said, “God is no going o desroy us.” e language o is verse, wic is accuraely ranslaed, is eacing us a a would ave been jus like saying, “e don’believe God.” ecively, ey would ave been calling God a liar. oug ey do no realize i, ais exacly wa many people are doing oday. en ey are warned a God is bringing desrucionupon ose in e curces ey do no believe a warning. ey are no lisening wen God says

we are o come ou o e curces. a message comes direcly ou o e ible. en i is brougby believers and scoed a, i is as oug people are saying, “e don’ believe God.” is difcul orus o see i a way because no proessing risian would ever uer suc a saemen, bu a is e

kind o language God uses in relaion o is reacion. God as sen is messengers bu ey are largely being ignored:

And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending

them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear. (Jeremiah 25:4)

o hearken to the words o my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up

early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened (Jeremiah 26:5)

Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by

my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the

LORD. (Jeremiah 29:19)

6For word came unto the king o Nineveh, and he arose rom his throne, and he laid his robe rom

him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

e king represens ris. n order o bring salvaion o is people, ris ad o come down romis rone. e ad o remove is robe o rigeousness in order o ake on e sins o is people.e king puing on sackclo poins o umiliy and idenies wi e ac a ris umbledimsel by aking on a uman naure. e king siing in ases poins o e sacrice ris becameor is people. en e ible menions ases i is oen in relaion o e ases le beind rom burn

sacrices.

7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree o the king and

his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor ock, taste any thing: let them not eed,

nor drink water:8But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn

every one rom his evil way, and rom the violence that is in their hands.




ow many o ineve’s inabians do you ink would ave sopped eaing and drinking o eir ownree will and le emselves go ungry? ow many o em would ake o eir normal aire and puon uncomorable sackclo ous? e only reason ey did a was because ey ad no coice. eking commanded em o do ese ings. ikewise, e obedience o e rue believers is no a resulo eir own uman naure, bu i is a resul o God causing em o obey im by saving em:

And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep

my judgments, and do them. (Ezekiel 36:27)

e people o ineve were ulimaely spared as a resul o e king’s obedience o God. ikewise, ebelievers are saved by e rigeousness o ris.

9 Who can tell i God will turn and repent, and turn away rom his erce anger, that we perish

not?0 And God saw their works, that they turned rom their evil way; and God repented o the evil,

that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

e people o ineve mig ave said, “ yes, look a ow good we are as we ave umbled ourselves.” u wo really deserves e credi? e ciy was no saved because o wa e people did. Ulimaely, i was becauseo wa e king did a e ciy was saved.

e believers will obey e command o come ou o e curces because God as opened eirspiriual eyes in order o gran em undersanding:

Ten opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures (Luke

24:45)

Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. (2 imothy 2:7)

But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration o the Almighty giveth them understanding.

(Job 32:8)

Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning

Israel, that thou mayest keep the law o the LORD thy God. (1 Chronicles 22:12)

Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?

(Job 38:36)

is God wo deserves all e credi.




n evelaion caper 8 we saw a God as commanded e believers o come ou o spiriualabylon (e curces) because God is going o bring plagues upon i:

And I heard another voice rom heaven, saying, Come out o her, my people, that ye be not partakers o her sins, and that ye receive not o her plagues. (Revelation 18:4)

e plagues in view ere are ose wic are deailed or us a couple o capers earlier in evelaioncaper 6. God speaks o em as being lled wi e wra o God:

And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last

plagues; or in them is lled up the wrath o God. (Revelation 15:1)

e know is is speaking o Judgmen ay aer e apure because wen e plagues are poured oue believers are spoken o as being on a sea o glass:

And I saw as it were a sea o glass mingled with re: and them that had gotten the victory

over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number o his name,

stand on the sea o glass, having the harps o God. (Revelation 15:2)

nd e sea o glass is language a idenies wi eaven:

And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on

the throne...And beore the throne there was a sea o glass like unto crystal: and in the midst

o the throne, and round about the throne, were our beasts ull o eyes beore and behind.

(Revelation 4:2-6)

ereore, e plagues are poured ou wen e believers are in eaven aer e apure. e are no going o examine eac o e plagues in is book, bu wen we read abou em in

evelaion caper 6 we nd a lo o language a idenies wi dea and desrucion. is imporano noe a e orrible realiy a will exis during Judgmen ay will no cause people o urn oGod. is rue a e world will realize a i is in deep rouble wi God. e curces will realizeey are no rig wi God; we’ve examined many passages a indicae is. e spiriual realiy o

Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth

A Look at the Battle of Armageddon

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3




ings will become very eviden aer e apure, bu people will sill no urn o God:

And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name o God, which hath power

over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. And the th angel poured out

his vial upon the seat o the beast; and his kingdom was ull o darkness; and they gnawed

their tongues or pain, And blasphemed the God o heaven because o their pains and their

sores, and repented not o their deeds. (Revelation 16:9-11)

e ave seen a immediaely aer e apure many proessing risians will iniially cry ou oGod in conusion, wondering wy ey were le beind:

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom o heaven; but he

that doeth the will o my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord,

Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy

name done many wonderul works? And then will I proess unto them, I never knew you:

depart rom me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23)

e nd is resaed in uke 3:5-8 and ere we learn ey will be weeping and gnasing eir ee wen ey realize God as abandoned em:

When once the master o the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to

stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall

answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Ten shall ye begin to say, We have

eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell

you, I know you not whence ye are; depart rom me, all ye workers o iniquity. Tere shall

be weeping and gnashing o teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all

the prophets, in the kingdom o God, and you yourselves thrust out.

So i is rue a e billion proessing risians wo are no acually saved will come o ruregarding eir sanding wi God. niially, ey will be conused and be inking, “y am sillere? y wasn’ aken?” en ey will look around and begin o realize wo was aken and wo

was le. Some may noice a e people wo warned em o ge ou o e curces are gone, bumore common will be e realizaion a everyone in e curces as been le beind. is is wa

will cause grea anger o build wiin ose wo ad believed ey lived eir lives or God. aer anrepen, ey will be gnasing eir ee a God.

en we go back o evelaion caper 6 we nd a is anger oward God aer e apure isspoken o as e bale o rmageddon:

Behold, I come as a thie. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk

naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the

Hebrew tongue Armageddon. (Revelation 16:15-16)

e nd a dramaic illusraion o is bale wen we read Second ronicles caper 0. a caperells e sory o a “grea muliude” o soliders coming rom enemy naions o desroy Jeosapa’speople. Jeosapa’s people were on one side o a valley wile e enemy naions were approacingrom e oer side. God inormed Jeosapa’s people a e bale was no eirs o ave o g:




And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants o Jerusalem, and thou king

Jehoshaphat, Tus saith the LORD unto you, Be not araid nor dismayed by reason o this

great multitude; or the battle is not yours, but God’s. (2 Chronicles 20:15)

nsead, ey sang praises o God wile God caused e enemy naions o urn on eac oer anddesroy one anoer in e valley below:

And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that

should praise the beauty o holiness, as they went out beore the army, and to say, Praise

the LORD; or his mercy endureth or ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the

LORD set ambushments against the children o Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which

were come against Judah; and they were smitten. For the children o Ammon and Moab

stood up against the inhabitants o mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when

they had made an end o the inhabitants o Seir, every one helped to destroy another. (2

Chronicles 20:21-23)

God ells us a no one single person o e enemy naions survived; ey were all killed:

And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the

multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies allen to the earth, and none escaped. (2

Chronicles 20:24)

is is a picure o Judgmen ay. e believers will be up on e sea o glass (in eaven) singingpraises wile ose wo are le beind desire o g agains God down below. is will no be a lieralbale. is language a poins o e anger people will ave oward God, and e ac a every singleone o em will be desroyed by e ime i’s over.

e also nd is illusraion in e Flood o oa’s day. e eig people in e ark were sae inside,oaing on op o e waer or ve mons wile e res o mankind was desroyed in e sea below

em. e eig people represen e rue believers wo are sae in ris on e sea o glass, wile eres o mankind is desroyed below by God’s wra during e ve-mon period o judgmen.




n e nex caper we are going o go roug aew caper 4, and in a caper ere is a very imporan deail a needs o be explained. n order o do a, we need o rs ave an accurae

undersanding o wen ris paid or e sins o e elec. radiionally, we ave always believed a

is ook place a e cross in 33 . owever, as God as unlocked previously idden rus in is ord, we now know i acually ook place beore ime began; e cross was jus a demonsraion o waris ad already done beore e oundaion o e world. is is admiedly suc a oreign idea oany o us wo ave grown up in a curc a i’s difcul o believe is eacing olds any waer, bu

we need o le e ible be our guide, no our previously esablised docrines.God calls ris is only begoen Son:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in

him should not perish, but have everlasting lie. (John 3:16)

e prase “only begoen” comes rom e Greek word monogenes , wic is lierally ranslaed “only

generaed.” e know ris is rom eerniy pas, so e idea a God creaed or “generaed” risdoesn’ square wi e res o e ible. is is probably wy e ranslaors cose o use e word

“begoen” insead o “generaed.” owever, e ac sill remains: in order o be begoen, ris wouldave ad o ave a beginning. e know is exisence didn’ begin in 7 ; a’s jus wen e ook on a uman naure. s we examine is closer we will discover a 7 as noing o do wi wy e is called e begoen Son.

e used o believe e unsaved would be punised or sin by aving o spend an eerniy in a placecalled ell, being ormened orever. e ereore deduced a, in order o pay or e sins o ebelievers, ris ad o endure e equivalen o spending an eerniy in ell. owever, now we knowa e unsaved will no spend an eerniy in ell. e punismen or sin is eernal dea, bo body

and soul. nce is world as been desroyed, e unsaved will cease o exis. e ible says ey willbe as oug ey ad no been:

For the day o the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done

unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head. For as ye have drunk upon my holy

mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall

swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been. (Obadiah 1:15-16)

The Only Begotten Son

A Study of When Christ Paid for Sin

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o ully pay or e sins o e believers, ris would ave ad o be pu roug e equivalen o eernal spiriual dea. e can’ ully compreend is, bu is ressurecion would ave o ave been aresurrecion rom e equivalen o anniilaion. is is wy ris is spoken o as being begoen. eis rom eerniy pas, bu e ad a beginning in a e came back rom e equivalen o anniilaion.a is ow e was begoen and a is wy e Faer can accuraely reer o im as is begoenSon. is is urer suppored in omans were God declares a ris could only be a Son by beingresurreced rom e dead:

Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made o the seed o David according

to the esh; And declared to be the Son o God with power, according to the spirit o holiness,

by the resurrection rom the dead (Romans 1:3-4)

Summarizing wa we’ve esablised so ar, in order o be begoen, ris ad o ave a beginning. norder o ave a beginning e ad o, in a spiriual sense a we can’ undersand, be spiriually deadbeore being resurreced. is is wa appened wen e paid or e sins o e believers. e paid epenaly all unsaved individuals mus evenually pay: eernal dea, bo body and soul.

ow we ave a problem, oug. God reers o ris as is begoen Son even beore ris ever

wen o e cross:

No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom o the

Father, he hath declared him. (John 1:18)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in

him should not perish, but have everlasting lie. (John 3:16)

ris was already God’s begoen Son beore e was sen ino e world:

In this was maniested the love o God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten

Son into the world, that we might live through him. (1 John 4:9)

e know a ris ad o die, bo in body and soul, in order o become begoen wen resurreced. y en does God call im e begoen Son even beore e cross?

ris was already e begoen Son beore 7 because e cross was no e rs ime e suered.ris ad already been slain o pay or sins beore ime began:

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the

book o lie o the Lamb slain rom the oundation o the world. (Revelation 13:8)

ris nised e work o paying or sins beore is world was creaed:

For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, i

they shall enter into my rest: although the works were nished rom the oundation o the

world. (Hebrews 4:3)

e believers’ ineriance was already prepared beore is world began:




Ten shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed o my Father, inherit

the kingdom prepared or you rom the oundation o the world (Matthew 25:34)

Furermore, ris did no die bo in body and soul a e cross as e would ave ad o do in ordero pay e ull penaly or sin. ris old e ie on e cross nex o im a e would be wiim in eaven a day:

And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus

said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, oday shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:42-

43)

is proves a beween ris’s pysical dea and is pysical resurrecion e was no dead in isSpiri; is Spiri was in eaven. e did no die spiriually, en e evens o e cross could no avebeen an acual paymen or sin.

ris ad already made e paymen or sin prior o reaion, so rom a judicial sandpoin ere was no need or ris o go o e cross. is is wy God recorded a no sin was ound in ris:

Ten said Pilate to the chie priests and to the people, I nd no ault in this man. (Luke23:4)

n e pas we’ve always undersood is o be saing e obvious: Jesus imsel never sinned. e would say e was carrying our sins, bu e imsel was wiou sin. owever, now we can beerundersand wy God pu is in e ible. rue, Jesus imsel was wiou sin, bu a a poin e

wasn’ carrying e elec’s sins eier because ey ad already been paid or beore reaion.ris wen o e cross so e could demonsrae is love:

In this was maniested the love o God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten

Son into the world, that we might live through him. (1 John 4:9)

Judicially, i wasn’ necessary or ris o go o e cross, bu e suered a second ime ou o love odemonsrae o e elec wa e ad already done or em beore ime began. e nd is reieraedin Firs Peer were we are old ris was already e amb slain beore ime began, bu e did iagain “in ese las imes or you”:

But with the precious blood o Christ, as o a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who

verily was oreordained beore the oundation o the world, but was maniest in these last

times or you (1 Peter 1:19-20)

e Greek word ranslaed as “oreordained” ( proginosko) sould ave been ranslaed “oreknown”as i is everywere else i is ound in e ible, bu e ranslaors couldn’ make sense o wy ris would be known as e amb slain way back beore reaion. ereore, ey cose o use e word“oreordained,” canging e meaning o is verse o indicae a i was merely preplanned or riso be slain. owever, is verse is really eacing a e ad already been slain.

e nd anoer passage in ebrews wic eaces a ris already suered beore reaion, bue suered once again a e cross:




For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the gures o the

true; but into heaven itsel, now to appear in the presence o God or us: Nor yet that he

should oer himsel oten, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with

blood o others; For then must he oten have suered since the oundation o the world: but

now once in the end o the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrice o himsel.

(Hebrews 9:24-26)

e ible calls ris “e rsborn rom e dead”:

And he is the head o the body, the church: who is the beginning, the rstborn rom the

dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:18)

n principle, e elec were ere making paymen or eir sins roug ris:

I am crucied with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the lie

which I now live in the esh I live by the aith o the Son o God, who loved me, and gave

himsel or me.”(Galatians 2:20)

e ave o be careul ow we undersand is ac. ris did all e work required o save e believers;ey did no conribue in any way. is work is applied o em and so, in a sense, e resul is esame as i e believers ad made e paymen emselves. is is wy ey, oo, are reerred o as ersborn:

For whom he did oreknow, he also did predestinate to be conormed to the image o his Son,

that he might be the rstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:29)

e rsborn receive a double ineriance:

Ten it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not makethe son o the beloved rstborn beore the son o the hated, which is indeed the rstborn:

But he shall acknowledge the son o the hated or the rstborn, by giving him a double

portion o all that he hath: or he is the beginning o his strength; the right o the rstborn

is his. (Deuteronomy 21:16-17)

e double ineriance e believers ave received is illusraed by ris suering wice: once o pay or eir sins and e second ime o demonsrae is love.

God speaks o wo dieren Jerusalems. ne is e early one we iniially ink o, bu e oer is“Jerusalem above,” wic is made up o all e rue believers:

But Jerusalem which is above is ree, which is the mother o us all. (Galatians 4:26)

n saia 40:- God speaks o “Jerusalem above.” e know i is e “Jerusalem above” because Godsays er iniquiy is pardoned, and only e rue believers ave eir iniquiies pardoned. ere God sayse believers ave received double or eir sins:

Comort ye, comort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comortably to Jerusalem, and




cry unto her, that her warare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: or she hath

received o the LORD’s hand double or all her sins. (Isaiah 40:1-2)

is is again language a idenies wi e ac a ris suered wice or e elec. e read abou oses sriking e rock and waer owing ou o i so e people could drink:

Behold, I will stand beore thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock,

and there shall come water out o it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the

sight o the elders o Israel. (Exodus 17:6)

e rock represens ris:

And did all drink the same spiritual drink: or they drank o that spiritual Rock that ollowed

them: and that Rock was Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4)

e waer is e Gospel and i is roug e Gospel a people become saved:

But whosoever drinketh o the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the waterthat I shall give him shall be in him a well o water springing up into everlasting lie. (John

4:14)


is because o ris being sruck in place o e believers or eir sins a salvaion is possible. eread abou oses sriking e rock wice:

And Moses lited up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came

out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. (Numbers 20:11)

is poins o e ac a ris suered wice or e believers: once o acually make e requiredpaymen and e second ime o demonsrae is love. Some may argue a e ible says ris only suered once or sins. a is rue; e ible does eac a:

For Christ also hath once suered or sins, the just or the unjust, that he might bring us to

God, being put to death in the esh, but quickened by the Spirit (1 Peter 3:18)

Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to oer up sacrice, rst or his own sins, and

then or the people’s: or this he did once, when he oered up himsel. (Hebrews 7:27)

rs, ese verses may seem o conradic e res o wa we are learning, bu wen we undersandall o is correcly we can readily see ow perecly ese verses ie in. ris’s suering on e cross

was a demonsraion o wa e ad already done wen e made e paymen beore e world began. is enirely rue a ris suered once or sins. e suered a second ime o demonsrae is love.

e are living in a day wen God is revealing new rus in e ible. God as a purpose or avingkep some rus idden ill now, so we mig ask, “y did God ide e ac a ris sueredwice?” believe i is because i goes and-in-and wi aving a proper undersanding o e penaly




or sin. e can’ begin o undersand e rus se or in is sudy unil we rs undersand ae penaly or sin is eernal dea, no eernal ormen in a place called ell. n order o be begoen,ris ad o be raised rom spiriual dea. a doesn’ make any sense i we believe a e souls o e unsaved live on orever being ormened. a would no be spiriual dea. a mig be pysicaldea, bu e soul would sill be living on i e unsaved were being consciously ormened. Godrs ad o reveal e rue penaly or sin: dea, bo body and soul. nly en could we begin oundersand e ru abou ris suering wice. en we examine aew 4 in e nex caper

we will see anoer possible reason is was kep idden. onsider e ollowing verse:

But o that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven,

neither the Son, but the Father. (Mark 13:32)

e ave radiionally always undersood is verse o be eacing a no one can know e iming o e apure. owever, wi all o is inormaion God as given us, we can now see a is verse isspeaking abou someing else enirely. e will examine a in e nex caper.




aew caper 4 is one o e more well-known end-imes passages. as been misinerpreedin many dieren ways over e years. is is no e aul o e eologians o e pas. God

ad concealed a grea deal o end-imes inormaion. eologians ave done eir bes o piece ings

ogeer, bu because ey didn’ ave all e acs, ey ave made many errors in eir inerpreaions.owever, now a God as removed e seal on e end-imes propecies we can properly undersandis passage. e inormaion presened in aew 4 is also presened in e parallel capers ark 3 and uke . e will reerence ose capers a couple o imes as we go roug is one.

And Jesus went out, and departed rom the temple: and his disciples came to him or to shew him

the buildings o the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, Tere shall not be let

here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.3 And as he sat upon the mount o Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, ell us,

when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign o thy coming, and o the end o the

world?

any people relae is caper o 70 wen e lieral emple was desroyed in Jerusalem. esaemen, “ere sall no be le ere one sone upon anoer,” is no a reerence o a even. ougi was primarily desroyed, par o a emple is acually sill sanding. Jesus indicaed a no onesone would be le upon anoer. e emple in view is e curc organizaion. Jesus’ saemen poinso e ime in wic we are currenly living wen e curc organizaion as come under desrucion.o curc is exemp; every single one as is par in is desrucion.

Proo a is is no speaking abou 70 is seen in e ac a e disciples asked Jesus ere oell em ow ey could know wen e end o e world was near. is caper is a record o Jesus’

response o a quesion.

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, ake heed that no man deceive you.5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

i e excepion o peraps an irrelevanly small number, no proessing risian oday would bedeceived by someone wo said, “ am Jesus ris.” n ac, very ew in e secular world would be

What Shall Be the Sign?

A Look at Matthew 24

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deceived by a eier. ow many people would even make suc a saemen and believe i o be rue? Very, very ew. u ere we are reading a many people will make a claim and many people will bedeceived by em. learly, is verse is no speaking o people lierally claiming o be Jesus ris.

ris is e ord o God in es:



And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called Te Word o God.

(Revelation 19:13)

e ord o God is inallible and so ris is e very essence o ru:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the lie: no man cometh unto the Father,

but by me. (John 14:6)

e is named Faiul and rue:

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called

Faithul and rue, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (Revelation 19:11)

en God says many will be deceived by people saying, “ am ris,” e is reerring o e bringingo alse docrines. e world is liered wi claims wic sae, “ere is ru,” and many are deceived.Since ris is e ord o God in es, e ible reers o wrong docrines as alse riss:

For there shall arise alse Christs, and alse prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders;

insomuch that, i it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (Matthew 24:24)

e are warned o no be deceived wen someone preaces anoer Jesus (Gospel):

For i he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or i ye receive

another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye

might well bear with him. (2 Corinthians 11:4)

God is no saying ere, “e careul a you don’ ge sucked ino one o e alse religions o e world.”e is warning us o be careul o alse eacings wiin e risian communiy, eacings a may look biblical a rs glance, bu really are alseoods.

6

And ye shall hear o wars and rumours o wars: see that ye be not troubled: or all these thingsmust come to pass, but the end is not yet.

any people rougou e ew esamen era ave looked a poliical wars as a sign a e end isnear, bu is verse is insrucing us no o do a. ’s elling us a e wars a ake place beweene naions o is world do no provide any clue as o wen e end o e world will come. is makessense because ow could ey? we look a a world isory book we nd a ere as almos alwaysbeen a war going on some place in e world rougou e las ,000 years.




7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be amines,

and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

Jus as e wars o is world canno provide us wi any clue as o wen e world will end, neiercan we look a amines and pesilences or elp. quick inerne searc will reveal a ere avebeen numerous amines, pesilences, and earquakes rougou e las ,000 years. ina as

experienced ,88 amines beween 08 and 9, nearly one per year.

n earquake in 556killed 830,000 people in ina. e bubonic plague in e 330s killed 5 million people, a irdo urope’s populaion, in jus ve years.3 ese ings are noing new. e ac a ey are oundin e world oday does no mean anying insoar as e end o e world is concerned. anying,e impac o ese disasers as decreased as we ave developed vaccines, unger relie programs, andsronger srucures roug beer engineering.

8 All these are the beginning o sorrows.

is verse is elling us a e “beginning o sorrows” is a reerence o e wars, pesilences, amines,and earquakes a we read abou in e previous verses. n oer words, i’s a reerence o e kindso ings a would occur rougou e ew esamen era.

9Ten shall they deliver you up to be aficted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated o all

nations or my name’s sake.

o are e “ey” a will kill e believers? e ge some elp wen we look a e parallel verse inark caper 3:

But take heed to yourselves: or they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues

ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought beore rulers and kings or my sake, or a testimony

against them. (Mark 13:9)

ereore, ose wo are doing e killing are ose in e synagogues, wic we know during e ewesamen era is a reerence o ose in e curces. e ave learned a e killing in view ere isno a reerence o lieral murder, bu i is language a poins o e ru being silenced as e ruebelievers are removed rom e curces.

is verse is no indicaing a e rue believers will be aed by e dieren poliical governmenso e world. Given a a ird o e world’s populaion now idenies isel as risian, i anying,e world is more oleran o risianiy oday an ever beore. e ared in view ere is a wicexiss wiin e risian communiy.

ain killed is broer, bel, wen e saw a God acceped bel’s oering bu no is own:

And Abel, he also brought o the rstlings o his ock and o the at thereo. And the LORD

had respect unto Abel and to his oering: But unto Cain and to his oering he had not

respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance ell. And the LORD said unto Cain,

1 http://www.jstor.org/pss/3014847

2 p://www.livescience.com/environmen/deadlies_earquakes.ml

3 p://www.emiddleages.ne/plague.ml




Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance allen? I thou doest well, shalt thou not

be accepted? and i thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his

desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to

pass, when they were in the eld, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

(Genesis 4:4-8)

sau desired o kill is broer, Jacob, wen e saw a Jacob ad received is aer’s blessing and ead no:

And Esau hated Jacob because o the blessing wherewith his ather blessed him: and Esau

said in his heart, Te days o mourning or my ather are at hand; then will I slay my brother

Jacob. (Genesis 4:27:41)

Josep’s broers aed im and ploed o kill im wen ey learned a eir aer loved im morean em:

And when his brethren saw that their ather loved him more than all his brethren, they hated

him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. (Genesis 37:4)

Come now thereore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some

evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become o his dreams. (Genesis

37:20)

Spiriually, is is e kind o siuaion in view ere in aew caper 4. is a ared among ebreren. ey ave desired o “kill” e rue believers by removing em rom eir congregaions.

0 And then shall many be oended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

any curces oday permi or encourage eir members o speak in ongues, bu wen someoneries o warn em a ongues oday is e work o Saan ey are immediaely oended. is isundersandable because ey perceive i as an accusaion; ey eel as oug ey are being accused o

worsipping Saan.early all curces eac a ree-will salvaion program, bu wen someone ries o correc a

eacing by saing a only some people were cosen by God o become saved ey are immediaely oended. ey don’ like e possibiliy a some people will never become saved no maer wa ey do. a is cerainly a very sad ru, bu i is wa e ible eaces and we ave o remain aiul oe ible’s eacings regardless o ow muc ey may sadden us.

oday, all o e curces are ruled over by Saan and a is deniely a message a quickly

oends anyone in e curces. From a uman perspecive, we can undersand is reacion becauseese dear people don’ consciously ave any ineres in being associaed wi Saan. ey don’ see erealiy o e maer because God as no opened eir spiriual eyes, and a is anoer saemen acan easily oend people wiin e curces.

e ible is loaded wi ru a ose in e curces nd oensive in our day. ey are noinenionally rejecing e ible, bu ey are in ac oended by God’s ord. e disciples murmureda a eacing Jesus was giving em and Jesus called em ou on i, saing a eir beavior reeceda ey were oended by e ord o God:




Many thereore o his disciples, when they had heard this, said, Tis is an hard saying; who

can hear it? When Jesus knew in himsel that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them,

Doth this oend you? (John 6:60-61)

iin e risian communiy ere is grea berayal and ared or e declaraion o ese rus.e word “beray” is anoer proo a is is speaking o evens a ake place wiin e risiancommuniy. en e people in e secular world ridicule us or our belies we don’ eel berayed. eexpec persecuion rom em. erayal comes wen someone urns on anoer individual wiin eirown amily or social circle. a is wa as aken place as ose wiin e corporae group o God’speople ave urned on some o eir breren and cas em ou o e curces.

e curces can’ lierally kill e bringers o ese rus because murder is illegal in e law o God as well as in e law o e land, nor is i eir desire o do so. nsead, ey simply remove eoenders rom eir mids by casing em ou o e curces. is is a serious maer in eir eyes.e curces largely believe a salvaion is only ound wiin em, no ou in e world. eney cas someone ou o e curc i is like ey are condemning a person o spiriual dea. ecurces do no acually ave e auoriy o do a, bu many o em believe ey do.

And many alse prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

e ave looked a many verses a speak o ose wo claim o be God’s people as being deceived by alse eacings. e’ve learned a one o ese eacings says a e curces are sae rom arm. grea many people are convinced a ere is peace and saey in e curces wen ere is no. is

wole business is summarized or us in Jeremia caper 4:

Ten said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword,

neither shall ye have amine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. Ten the

LORD said unto me, Te prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have

I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a alse vision and

divination, and a thing o nought, and the deceit o their heart. Tereore thus saith the

LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say,

Sword and amine shall not be in this land; By sword and amine shall those prophets be

consumed. ( Jeremiah 14:13-15)

And because iniquity shall abound, the love o many shall wax cold.3But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.4 And this gospel o the kingdom shall be preached in all the world or a witness unto all nations;

and then shall the end come.5 When ye thereore shall see the abomination o desolation, spoken o by Daniel the prophet,

stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

e Greek word ranslaed as “see” in is verse is a word a idenies wi knowing. n ac, i isranslaed as “know” 8 imes in e ew esamen. ere God is reerring o a ime wen we willknow e abominaion o desolaion is sanding in e oly place. doesn’ mean we are going olierally see pysical idols in e curces. aer, i means a as God opens our spiriual eyes o erus conained in e end-imes propecies, we will begin o undersand wa is going on wiin e




curces. venually, we will come o e realizaion a e abominaion o desolaion is sanding ine oly place. ecause is ru is no plainly saed in e ible, no everyone will come o realize

wa is going on. a is evidenced by God’s saemen, “woso reade, le im undersand.”

6Ten let them which be in Judaea ee into the mountains:

e ave learned a Judaea is a reerence o e early represenaion o God’s Kingdom, wic ise curc organizaion in our day. e mounains poin o God in is conex. God is elling us a wen we realize e curc as become ruled over by Saan we are commanded o ee o im. olonger are we o look or any kind o spiriual guidance rom e curces. nsead we are o urn solely o God or ru, and we do a by sudying is ord. e can’ rely on e curces o bring ruanymore.

any people wan God o say ings very plainly in is ord so a ey don’ ave o work very ard o undersand ru, bu a’s no ow God wroe e ible. God ells us exacly wy e wroei is way. e disciples asked Jesus wy e id ru in parables and e old em a i was so ae could bring idden messages o e believers:

And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? Heanswered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries o the

kingdom o heaven, but to them it is not given. (Matthew 13:10-11)

7Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out o his house:

o be on e ouseop is a gure o speec a idenies wi bringing e Gospel o oers:

What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach

ye upon the housetops. (Matthew 10:27)

Tereore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which

ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. (Luke 12:3)

uring e Grea ribulaion God as commanded e believers o come ou o e ouse a iscalled by is name, e curc organizaion. u we are no o sop bringing e Gospel. e arecommanded o coninue saring e messages o e ible. n oer words, we are o remain on eouseop. owever, we are no go back ino e ouse o ake anying. e curces are were many o us grew up. a is were we received a lo o our insrucion, muc o wic was no aiul o eible. s we coninue o bring e Gospel during is ime o grea ribulaion we are no o reurn oe curces or guidance, insrucion, or any kind o spiriual nourismen.

8Neither let him which is in the eld return back to take his clothes.

is verse is similar o e saemen in e previous verse. e eld is e world:

Te eld is the world; the good seed are the children o the kingdom; but the tares are the

children o the wicked one (Matthew 13:38)




n our day e believers ave le eir curces and are ou in e world. ey are no o reurn o ecurces.

9 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

e read more abou is in amenaions caper were God speaks abou e cildren asking,

“ere is corn and wine?”:

Mine eyes do ail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, or

the destruction o the daughter o my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon

in the streets o the city. Tey say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? when they

swooned as the wounded in the streets o the city, when their soul was poured out into their

mothers’ bosom. (Lamentations 2:10-11)

orn and wine can be sown o be language a poins o e Gospel. n oer words, e Gospel isn’ere o nouris e cildren. is is e siuaion wiin e curces. ere are a grea many cildrenoday wo are aending curc and being aug alseoods because eir parens are puing em in

a siuaion. ’s an incredibly sad oug and a’s wa aew 4:9 is speaking abou.

0But pray ye that your ight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning o the world to this time,

no, nor ever shall be.

en we read ese wo verses ogeer we see a God is reerring o e Grea ribulaion as winerand e Sabba day. e obvious quesion en is, wy does e use a language? e ible speakso e end imes as e ime o arves:

Te enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end o the world; and the reapersare the angels. (Matthew 13:39)

is is because e apure is preceded by a 7-year period o spiriual rain we ave come o undersandas e aer ain, as illusraed on e ollowing layou o end-imes evens a we developed in Te Book Has Been Opened :

uring is period o spiriual rain God is saving a grea muliude and so i is a wonderul period o spiriual arves. e arves is idenied wi summer:




Te harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. (Jeremiah 8:20)

Spiriual winer is a ime wen ere is no spiriual arves. is relaes o e end imes in a, ougere is a grea arves aking place ouside o e curces during e aer ain, e curcesremain in spiriual darkness because e oly Spiri as le em and ey are ruled over by Saan.Furermore, e enire world was in spiriual winer or e rs ,300 days o e Grea ribulaion.e siuaion in e curces was oresadowed in Jeremia caper 36 wen e king read e ord o God bu despised i and burn i. n a passage, God saes a e king was in e winerouse:

So the king sent Jehudi to etch the roll: and he took it out o Elishama the scribe’s chamber.

And Jehudi read it in the ears o the king, and in the ears o all the princes which stood

beside the king. Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a re

on the hearth burning beore him. And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or

our leaves, he cut it with the penknie, and cast it into the re that was on the hearth, until

all the roll was consumed in the re that was on the hearth. (Jeremiah 36:21-23)

is idenies wi e many saemens we ave already examined wic indicae a, oug ey

do no realize is, e curces’ commimen o eir alse docrines indicaes a e ord o Godis a reproac o em:




is spiriual winer wiin e curces; ey ave become e winerouse.ikewise, e Sabba idenies wi e Grea ribulaion. e Greek prase ranslaed “neier on

e sabba day” is more lierally ranslaed “nor in sabba.” n Te Book Has Been Opened we learneda God uses e 70-year ribulaion o Juda as a oresadowing o e Grea ribulaion. God speaks

o i as a ime wen ere is desolaion, bu also a ime wen e land enjoys is Sabbas:

o ull the word o the LORD by the mouth o Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her

sabbaths: or as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to ull threescore and ten years.

(2 Chronicles 36:21)

is is addiional language a poins o e dicoomy a exiss in our day. n e one and, ecurces ave become desolae and ere is no ope or salvaion wiin em, bu on e oer and,ouside o e curces ere is a grea arves aking place.

And except those days should be shortened, there should no esh be saved: but or the elect’s sakethose days shall be shortened.

e period o silence, wic was e rs par o e Grea ribulaion, was a period in wic very ew people were being saved around e world. was a period o spiriual amine, or spiriual winer,across e enire world. a siuaion ad prevailed unil e end o ime, en ere would ave been

virually no ope or salvaion or e res o is world’s exisence beyond 988. owever, in 994 e




aer ain began, a 600-day period during wic God is saving a grea muliude o people ousideo e curces. e curces remain in spiriual darkness, bu God is bringing spiriual rain againouside o em. n a sense, ose days, e days o spiriual amine, ave been sorened ouside o e curces or e elec’s sake so a God could coninue is salvaion program.

3Ten i any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

e conex o is passage clearly indicaes i is speaking o e Grea ribulaion. ere we read aduring a period people will say, “ere is ris,” and, “ere is ris,” bu i won’ be rue. is isspeaking o e ac a e oly Spiri as been removed rom e curces and ey are overrun by alse docrines. eore we undersood a God was commanding us o come ou o e curces, many o us were opping rom curc o curc rying o nd a aiul one. Someone mig ell us, “iscurc is aiul,” so we’d go ceck i ou and discover a i eld many wrong docrines. en we’dear, “a curc over ere is aiul,” so we would visi i and discover a i, oo, was no enirely aiul o e ru. n is verse God is elling us a during e Grea ribulaion i someone says,

“is curc eaces e ru,” or “a curc eaces e ru,” we are o “believe i no.”

4For there shall arise alse Christs, and alse prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders;insomuch that, i it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

e ave already learned a e alse riss and alse propes are e wrong docrines wiin ecurces and e eacers a presen em. is verse is reminding us a we can’ be oo careul.e wrong docrines a ood e curces look very muc like ey are biblical. Saan does no comeino e curc wi orns and a picork elling e curces o build idols made o wood and sarbowing down beore em. a kind o approac would no deceive anyone wo ad even e smallesamoun o amiliariy wi e ible. nsead, Saan comes looking like an angel o lig:

For such are alse apostles, deceitul workers, transorming themselves into the apostles o Christ. And no marvel; or Satan himsel is transormed into an angel o light. Tereore it is

no great thing i his ministers also be transormed as the ministers o righteousness; whose

end shall be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)

Saan uses God’s ord o orward is own agenda, wising i ever so sligly so a i is no longerbeing used o eac ru.

5Behold, I have told you beore.6 Whereore i they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not orth: behold, he is in the

secret chambers; believe it not.

is verse is similar o verse 3 in a i reminds us o proceed wi cauion during is ime o Grearibulaion. xernally, i appears as oug e curces are alive and well wi e energy o ris,bu in acualiy ey ave become a spiriual desolaion.

7For as the lightning cometh out o the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the

coming o the Son o man be.8For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.




9Immediately ater the tribulation o those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall

not give her light, and the stars shall all rom heaven, and the powers o the heavens shall be

shaken:

en we look a e parallel verse o is in ark 3 we ge a lile more inormaion:

But in those days, ater that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light (Mark 13:24)

e dierence beween aew 4:9 and ark 3:4 is suble. aew 4:9 says, “mmediaely aer e ribulaion,” wereas ark 3:9 says, “u in ose days, aer e ribulaion.” ark 3:9 is eacing us a e world sill coninues or some period o ime aer e sun and moon aredarkened.

e sun idenies wi ris; e is e lig o e world:

As long as I am in the world, I am the light o the world. (John 9:5)

e sun being darkened is language o indicae a e ope or salvaion will ave come o an end. e’ve discovered a e moon idenies wi e law o God and a i will be urned o blood ore ve-mon period o judgmen a will ollow e apure:

And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and

the sun became black as sackcloth o hair, and the moon became as blood (Revelation 6:12)

is is language o indicae a e law o God is only serving e purpose o judgmen; i is no longerin e role o bringing salvaion.

e sun and moon will no lierally be darkened during e period o judgmen. God as indicaed

a as long as is world exiss ere will always be day and nig:

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter,

and day and night shall not cease. (Genesis 8:22)

e sun and moon are in place as par o e celesial clock a keeps ime:

And God said, Let there be lights in the rmament o the heaven to divide the day rom the

night; and let them be or signs, and or seasons, and or days, and years (Genesis 1:14)

ere will sill be ime during e period o judgmen, so e sun and moon canno lierally go black

unil God brings an end o ime.

30 And then shall appear the sign o the Son o man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes o the

earth mourn, and they shall see the Son o man coming in the clouds o heaven with power and

great glory.3 And he shall send his angels with a great sound o a trumpet, and they shall gather together his

elect rom the our winds, rom one end o heaven to the other.




is is speaking o e apure.

3Now learn a parable o the g tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth orth leaves, ye

know that summer is nigh:

e g ree represens e naion o srael:

I ound Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your athers as the rstripe in the g tree

at her rst time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and

their abominations were according as they loved. (Hosea 9:10)

e ave learned a summer idenies wi e arves and e nal arves in view is e aer ainperiod near e end o e world. is verse is giving us a ime clue. en e naion o srael is once againin lea, wen i is once again a naion, we can know a e end o e world is near. srael became a naionagain in 948. oice i doesn’ say a e g ree will bear rui. ris is required in order o bear rui:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not

ruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth ruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring orth more ruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide

in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear ruit o itsel, except it abide in the vine; no

more can ye, except ye abide in me. ( John 15:1-4)

s a wole, e people o srael ave no ineres in Jesus ris as eir Savior. is as always been ecase and coninues o is very day. oug ris propesied a srael would again become a naion,e prediced a ey would never urn o im as a naion.

33So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.34

Verily I say unto you, Tis generation shall not pass, till all these things be ullled.

en we ink o a generaion we normally associae a wi e lie span o an individual or a leaspar o a lie span suc as 40 years. owever, a is no e deniion God as in mind ere. eknow e can’ be reerring o jus e people o a day because ey died over ,900 years ago, longbeore all e ings menioned in is caper were ullled. e generaion God is speaking o ere ise evil generaion we read abou in uke caper :

And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, Tis is an evil generation:

they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign o Jonas the prophet. (Luke

11:29)

aer in e caper God denes a generaion by elling us a i includes bel and Zacarias:

Tat the blood o all the prophets, which was shed rom the oundation o the world, may

be required o this generation; From the blood o Abel unto the blood o Zacharias which

perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required o this

generation. (Luke 11:49-50)




bel lived ousands o years beore Zacarias and ye bo o em are included in “is generaion.”n ac, bel lived rig near e beginning o ime and ye e is included in e generaion a will nopass away unil all ese ings be ullled, wic won’ appen unil e end o ime. ereore, egeneraion in view, e evil generaion, is a reerence o all o e unsaved o e world. Sin began abou3,000 years ago and i will coninue o exis in e world unil e very end.

35

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.36But o that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels o heaven, but my Father only.

is is one o ose saemens a God placed in e ible in order o aid in concealing e iming o e end. e ave all been aug a no one can know wen e end will occur. is verse appearso plainly sae a. owever, now God as revealed a grea deal o previously idden inormaion ine ible o le us know a e iming o is judgmen is being revealed. ven so, is verse is sillin e ible, so we ave o ace i. cually, conrary o our immediae impression, is verse does noconradic ese new ings we are learning. e ave o look a i in a way a God ad no openedour undersanding o in e pas.

God as saed a ere is none rigeous and a none undersand:

As it is written, Tere is none righteous, no, not one: Tere is none that understandeth, there

is none that seeketh ater God. (Romans 3:10-11)

oes is mean a no one will ever be viewed as rigeous? o, because God does speak o ebelievers as being rigeous:

For the eyes o the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but

the ace o the Lord is against them that do evil. (1 Peter 3:12)

ikewise, is omans 3: eacing a no one will undersand? o, because e ible ells us a Godgives e believers undersanding:

And we know that the Son o God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may

know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. Tis is

the true God, and eternal lie. (1 John 5:20)

ereore, omans 3:0- isn’ saying a no one will ever be rigeous and a no one will ever aveundersanding, bu a is e case iniially. very uman being sars ou as unrigeous and wiouundersanding. en God saves someone, a person as ris’s rigeousness applied o im andis given undersanding. believe is is ow we can look a e saemen in aew 4 a no man

knows e day or our o ris’s reurn. a saemen was rue or a very long ime, bu i doesn’mean a no one ever will know. was God’s plan a we oug we could no know e imingo e end and so e craed e wording in e ible so a we would easily ge a impression, bue also craed e wording in a way a we can undersand i a dieren way wen e ime came orGod o reveal addiional inormaion o us.

e gain more insig ino is wen we look a e parallel verse in ark caper 3:




But o that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven,

neither the Son, but the Father. (Mark 13:32)

e word “know” in e ible can be a reerence o knowledge, bu i can also be a reerence oexperiencing. For example, dam “knew” is wie and se conceived:

And Adam knew Eve his wie; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a

man rom the LORD. (Genesis 4:1)

So e quesion is, wa deniion o “know” does God ave in mind ere? is verse says a rise Son doesn’ know e day or our. oes ris ave knowledge o wen e end will come? course e does; e’s lmigy God and iming is no idden rom im:

Why, seeing times are not hidden rom the Almighty, do they that know him not see his

days? (Job 24:1)

So we mus undersand ark 3:3 as reerencing experience. e day and our in view are no

reerences o a specic poin on e imeline, bu insead ey are a reerence o judgmen. God reers oe period o judgmen as e “day o judgmen” ( Peer :9) and e “our o judgmen” (evelaion4:7). ereore, in ark 3:3 Jesus was saying a a a poin in ime mankind, e angels, ande Son ad no ye experienced Judgmen ay, only e Faer ad. is idea is impossible o properly undersand unil we rs undersand a ris paid or e sins o e elec beore ime began. ais wy we examined a ac in e previous caper.

ris is eernal God and is ereore rom everlasing pas. owever, wen e paid or e sinso e elec beore ime began e ad o compleely die, bo in body and soul, in order o make apaymen. e was en resurreced rom complee dea. was like e came back rom anniliaionand, in a sense, e ad a beginning. a is wen e became e begoen Son. en e sueredagain in 33 o demonsrae is love or e elec, bu a ime e only died pysically wile is

Spiri wen o eaven.ow le’s ie ese acs in wi ark 3:3. e can easily undersand wy e allen angels and

e unsaved o mankind are spoken o as aving no experienced Judgmen ay. a is sill o comeor em. e ime Jesus made is saemen e ad no ye gone o e cross, wic means ead no ye experienced Judgmen ay as e Son. emember, e didn’ become e Son unil aere endured e wra o God e rs ime wen e was sill rom everlasing pas. a is ow Jesuscould say a, as o e ime is saemen was made, only e Faer ad experienced e wra.

is is all, o course, a divine mysery a our limied minds canno ully compreend. e ave osruggle o piece is ogeer and, even en, we can only barely grasp i. e poin ere is no o ry oully undersand ow God did all o is, bu raer o undersand a e saemen, “bu o a day

and our knowe no man,” is no saying e believers can never know e dae o e apure.

37But as the days o Noah were, so shall also the coming o the Son o man be.

God is indicaing ere a a parallelism exiss beween e desrucion o e world in oa’s day ande desrucion a will ake place in e day o judgmen. e ave learned a God uses e Floodas a oresadowing o Judgmen ay.




38For as in the days that were beore the ood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving

in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,39 And knew not until the ood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming o the Son

o man be.

God old oa 0 years in advance a e was going o desroy e world (Genesis 6:3), so oa

knew e exac year in wic e desrucion would ake place. s e ime go closer God revealed oim e exac day (Genesis 7:4). oa was a preacer o rigeousness:

And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher o righteousness,

bringing in the ood upon the world o the ungodly (2 Peter 2:5)

Surely, as e consruced e massive ark people were requenly quesioning im on a projec. s apreacer o rigeousness, e would ave been inorming e world or ose 0 years o e desruciona was o come. course, no one believed im and ey coninued o live eir lives as ey alwaysad. ings remained business as usual or e res o e world.

God is elling us a is is ow ings will be in e end imes. os people will coninue on in

eir daily lives as usual. ey may ave eard some people alking abou 0 as e end, bu ey won’ ake any o a alk seriously. will be as i ey were compleely unaware and will be caugo-guard wen e apure occurs. is similar o wa we read in Firs essalonians 5:3, a osein e curces will be cerain ey are sae, bu en sudden desrucion will come upon em:


travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

ere is a percenage o curcgoers a ave eard abou e eacing a ey are o leave eircurces. e ac a ey will be caug o-guard by e apure means ey ignored e warning;

i doesn’ mean ey were never made aware o i. Jus as in e days o oa, ey are mocking e warning and i is business as usual in e curces.

40Ten shall two be in the eld; the one shall be taken, and the other let.4wo women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other let.

is is language we ave come o clearly undersand as ideniying wi e apure.

4 Watch thereore: or ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.43But know this, that i the goodman o the house had known in what watch the thie would come,

he would have watched, and would not have suered his house to be broken up.44Tereore be ye also ready: or in such an hour as ye think not the Son o man cometh.

e read in a number o places a ris’s coming will be like a ie in e nig. is saemen isone a as caused a grea many people o ge unnel vision; ey lac on o i and reuse o considerany ime clues e ible as o oer.

e need o recognize a ris’s coming as a ie is used in connecion wi Judgmen ay, noe apure. is rue a ese wo evens are closely relaed in a e apure will occur on e




rs day o e 53-day Judgmen ay, bu e coming as a ie as o do wi e judgmen side o e coin:

But the day o the Lord will come as a thie in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass

away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with ervent heat, the earth also and the

works that are therein shall be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10)

God warned e curces a i ey do no repen, is coming will be like a ie:

Remember thereore how thou hast received and heard, and hold ast, and repent. I thereore

thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thie, and thou shalt not know what hour I will

come upon thee. (Revelation 3:3)

n oer words, e is warning em a i ey don’ repen, en ey will be on e judgmen side o e coin wen e comes. e implied saemen ere is a i ey do repen, e will no come as aie. oes is mean ris would no longer come a all? o, o course no. simply means a iscoming will no be as a ie or em.

e coming o a ie is idenied wi sealing, killing, and desroying:

Te thie cometh not, but or to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might

have lie, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

e can easily undersand ow ris’s coming in judgmen is relaed o killing and desroying, bu eidea o ris coming o seal may conuse us. n zekiel caper 9 we read abou God giving e lando gyp, wic can be sown o ypiy e curces in is conex, o King ebucadnezzar, wocan be sown o ypiy Saan:

Son o man, Nebuchadrezzar king o Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against

yrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, norhis army, or yrus, or the service that he had served against it: Tereore thus saith the

Lord GOD; Behold, I will give the land o Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king o Babylon; and

he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages

or his army. (Ezekiel 29:18-19)

e secular world was already a par o Saan’s kingdom and en in 988 God gave auoriy over ecurces o Saan as well. ey came under is rule. owever, ere is an end o Saan’s kingdom anda will ake place on Judgmen ay. God will remove e unsaved people rom Saan’s auoriy soa e can bring judgmen upon em. n a sense, ris is coming o seal. bviously, ris is

no acually a ie. e is coming as a ie, bu a doesn’ mean e is a ie. e read in Firs essalonians 5: once again a Judgmen ay will come as a ie in e nig:

For yourselves know perectly that the day o the Lord so cometh as a thie in the night.

u en we read a i will no come as a ie or ose wo are in e lig:

But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thie. Ye are all




the children o light, and the children o the day: we are not o the night, nor o darkness. (1

Tessalonians 5:4-5)

en God removed e oly Spiri rom e curces e removed eir lig source. e curcorganizaion became a land o darkness:

All the bright lights o heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land,

saith the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 32:8)

e res o e unsaved ou in e secular world are also living in darkness. arkness as o do wi sillbeing under e wra o God:

He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. (1 John

2:9)

e curces are in e darkness; ey are in e nig. ris’s coming will be as a ie or embecause is coming is o judge em. will come as a surprise o em because, oug ey may ave

eard a ris is coming in 0, ey compleely disregarded a warning.

45 Who then is a aithul and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to

give them meat in due season?

eing given mea as o do wi being given a deeper undersanding o God’s ord. ilk spiriually signies e nourismen we ge rom e ord o God:

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk o the word, that ye may grow thereby (1 Peter

2:2)

Specically, e milk idenies wi e rs principles o ible sudy:

For when or the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which

be the rst principles o the oracles o God; and are become such as have need o milk, and

not o strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilul in the word o righteousness:

or he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are o ull age, even those who by

reason o use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:12-14)

n oer words, wen we rs begin our pilgrimage in ible sudy we learn e basics. s we sudy e ible more careully we begin o learn more deails o ru and more properly undersand e

idden myseries o God’s ord. e basics we learn early in our pilgrimage is e milk and e deeperundersanding a comes laer is e srong mea. is is wy in e above verses and in e ollowing verse milk is idenied wi being babes in ris:

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto

babes in Christ. I have ed you with milk, and not with meat: or hitherto ye were not able

to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. (1 Corinthians 3:1-2)




Jus as babies canno properly ake in srong mea unil ey ave grown, ible sudens canno properly undersand e srong mea o e ible unil ey ave a proper undersanding o e milk.

46Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall nd so doing.47 Verily I say unto you, Tat he shall make him ruler over all his goods.48But and i that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

e’ve looked a e ac a e ible ells us a ris’s coming will be like a ie in e nig, anda or cenuries risians ave undersood a o mean a no one will ever know wen ris’sreurn will occur. owever, we now know a we can know wen e end will occur. ris’s coming

will no be a surprise o e cildren o e lig, e believers, wo are wacing, bu i will remain asurprise o e unsaved:

For yourselves know perectly that the day o the Lord so cometh as a thie in the night. For

when they shall say, Peace and saety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail

upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness,

that that day should overtake you as a thie. Ye are all the children o light, and the children

o the day: we are not o the night, nor o darkness. Tereore let us not sleep, as do others;but let us watch and be sober. (First Tessalonians 5:2-6)

e nd anoer saemen in ark reminding us o wac and no sleep:

Watch ye thereore: or ye know not when the master o the house cometh, at even, or at

midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he nd you

sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. (Mark 13:35-37)

ose wo are spoken o as “sleeping” in is passage are no ose ou in e world wo wannoing o do wi God, bu ey are ose in e risian communiy wo coninue o old ebelie a we can’ know wen e end will occur. God denes “sleeping” as no aving spiriual eyesopened o undersand e ru (omans :7-8).

en we examined Second essalonians caper in Te Book Has Been Opened we saw a, as aresul o e curces’ desire o cling o eir docrines wiou coninually re-examining em, God issending em srong delusion o keep em in eir lies and lock em in eir own decepion:

And with all deceivableness o unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received

not the love o the truth, that they might be saved. And or this cause God shall send them

strong delusion, that they should believe a lie (2 Tessalonians 2:10-11)

And i the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him rom the midst o

my people Israel. (Ezekiel 14:9)

e nd anoer passage in saia a reminds us a someimes spiriual blindness (“sleeping”) is aresul o God’s judgmen:




For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit o deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes:

the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision o all is become unto

you as the words o a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying,

Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; or it is sealed (Isaiah 29:10-11)

e are being aug ere a we can know enoug abou e iming o e end a i will no comeunexpecedly i we are wacing. ow do we wac? o we go sand on a illop and look a e sky?o, o course no. e aren’ going o nd any inormaion in e sky abou wen o expec ris’sreurn so a i does no come as a ie in e nig. e wac by sudying God’s ord very careully.a is e only way we can obain any inormaion abou wa o expec and wen.

e ible eaces a i we don’ wac, en yes i is rue a e apure will come unexpecedly or us (evelaion 3:3). is is ow we know a wacing means o sudy e ible and learn eiming o e end:

Whoso keepeth the commandment shall eel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth

both time and judgment. (Ecclesiastes 8:5)

e curces are lled wi proessing risians wo say, “e can’ know wen ris is coming,so ere’s no poin in alking abou i or looking or clues.” is kind o saemen is e opposie o

wacing. is like e servan wo says, “y lord delaye is coming.” nd i is rue a or ose wo ave is aiude ris will come a an our wen ey are no expecing.

e servan in uke :45 a says, “y lord delaye is coming,” represens e proessingrisians wo make no aemp o look or is coming. ey coninue o believe a ris’s coming

will be a surprise and, ereore, or em i will be.

49 And shall begin to smite his ellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

e saemen a ey will be eaing and drinking is reminiscen o aew 4:37-39 were Godells us a people will be going abou eir business as usual rig up unil e day o e apure.

50Te lord o that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not or him, and in an hour that he

is not aware o,

is verse reads, “e lord o a servan.” a servan? is speaking o e one wo says, “y lorddelaye is coming,” e one wo is no looking or is coming, e one wo is no expecing a eiming o is coming can be known. emember, is is speaking specically abou ose wo claim obe God’s people, as is evidenced by e prase, “a servan.” is is no speaking abou ose ou ine world wo wan noing o do wi e ible. ey, oo, will be caug o-guard by is coming,

bu ey are no e people wo are in view in is passage. ey do no ideniy emselves as servanso God.

5 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be

weeping and gnashing o teeth.

ere is a very ominous saemen in is verse: “and will appoin im is porion wi e ypocries.”




en God uses e word “ypocries,” ere e is speaking o all e unbelievers o e world. e seeis wen we look a e parallel verse in uke caper :

Te lord o that servant will come in a day when he looketh not or him, and at an hour

when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the

unbelievers. (Luke 12:46)

is again reminds us a e “servans” in view are only ose wo ideniy emselves wi risianiy.e ones ou in e world ignoring God are e unbelievers spoken o ere. is is a very serious warning.n is verse God is grouping e proessing risians wo do no wac in wi e unbelievers ouin e world. n oer words, ere is going o be a large percenage o people wo ink ey wererig wi God and belong wi ose wo are saved because ey wen o curc and read eir ibles.owever, aer e apure ere will be a lo o people wondering wy ey ave been le beind:




7:22-23)

en we coninue on in uke caper , we learn a e servans (proessing risians) woknew e aser’s will bu didn’ prepare emselves will be beaen wi many sripes, wile ew sripes

will be adminisered o ose wo did no know e aser’s will:

And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himsel, neither did according

to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things

worthy o stripes, shall be beaten with ew stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, o

him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, o him they will ask

the more. (Luke 12:47-48)

God is revealing ese new rus o ible sudens around e world and e curces are earingabou em. is inormaion is no ucked away in a corner were only a small number o people arediscussing i. ’s ou in e open and being publised roug various websies on e inerne. iseven being broadcas worldwide on e radio by e Family adio minisry and over e inerne by eeible Fellowsip minisry. People are earing abou i. For e mos par, e message is being mockedbu, nevereless, i is ou ere. Furermore, ose wo aren’ earing i rom oers ave access o emessage in e ible i ey approac God’s ord wi e rig aiude and God opens eir spiriualeyes o see i. owever, people aren’ doing a. ey’re sicking wi wa ey’ve always el isaccurae and ave locked emselves ou o ru. n a sense, e world oday knows e aser’s will

bu is no preparing isel. orrible period o judgmen is jus around e corner and mos people aliveoday are going o experience i. ll o is inormaion as been idden rom previous generaions. na sense, people wo ave lived and died rougou e isory o e world ave no known easer’s will. ey will also no be alive o experience e 53-day period o judgmen. ey are beaen wi ew sripes in a, oug ey sill pay e penaly o eernal desrucion, ey will no be aliveo experience Judgmen ay. ose alive oday are privy o inormaion previous generaions ave noad, bu because ey mock God’s ord and remain unsaved ey will be beaen wi many sripes ina ey will experience Judgmen ay.




is is no small maer. e’re kidding ourselves i we are inking, “ can’ be a bad. a’se wors a could appen i say in e curc?” emember wen God broug e ribulaion on

Juda and commanded is people o leave e ciy? e warned a ose wo remained in e ciy would be desroyed along wi i:




nd remember, e book o Jeremia is primarily addressing e siuaion in our day by using eseing o Juda.

n aew caper 5 we read abou e unproable servan wo represens ose wo believe ey are serving ris bu acually are no saved. e read a ey will be cas ino ouer darkness:

And cast ye the unprotable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing

o teeth. (Matthew 25:30)

e “weeping and gnasing o ee” is language a we ave already seen idenies wi e nalve mons a ollow e apure. a is e ime wen ose wo believe ey were saved come orealize ey’ve been cas ou. ey will cry o God, and wen i becomes eviden a all ope is goneey will be very angry wi God.




n is caper we are going o examine six addiional ime clues a were no looked a in Te Book Has Been Opened . ese six clues work ogeer wi e 9 examined in Te Book Has Been Opened

o provide addiional suppor rom e ible or e ollowing diagram:

e aer ain is nearing is end and ereore e coming o e ord is drawing near:

Be patient thereore, brethren, unto the coming o the Lord. Behold, the husbandman

waiteth or the precious ruit o the earth, and hath long patience or it, until he receive

the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: or the coming o the Lord

draweth nigh. (James 5:7-8)

Time Clue 20: Jehoiada Dies at 130

n Second ronicles caper 4 we read abou King Joas, wo ad Jeoiada e pries as is guide. Joas did a wic was rig in e eyes o God rougou Jeoiada’s lie:

And Joash did that which was right in the sight o the LORD all the days o Jehoiada the

priest. (2 Chronicles 24:2)

u, as soon as Jeoiada died, Joas ell away rom ollowing God:

Now ater the death o Jehoiada came the princes o Judah, and made obeisance to the king.

The Day Draweth Nigh

Additional Time Clues

P

6




Ten the king hearkened unto them. And they let the house o the LORD God o their

athers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem or this

their trespass. (2 Chronicles 24:17-18)

s a resul, God orsook em:

And the Spirit o God came upon Zechariah the son o Jehoiada the priest, which stood above

the people, and said unto them, Tus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments

o the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have orsaken the LORD, he hath also

orsaken you. (2 Chronicles 24:20)

n is isoric parable, e dea o Jeoiada ypies e end o e arly ain wen God abandonede curc organizaion because o is insisence on casing aer wrong docrines. Jeoiada was 30years old wen e died:

But Jehoiada waxed old, and was ull o days when he died; an hundred and thirty years old

was he when he died. (2 Chronicles 24:15)

e’ve learned a God abandoned e curces in 988, e year a was oresadowed in isisoric parable. e year 988 was e 3,000 year o is world’s exisence and was ypied in isparable by Jeoiada’s dea a e age o 30 (3 x 0). o evens are conneced by e number 3.

Time Clue 21: Asa Becomes Diseased in His Feet

n Second ronicles caper 4 we read a sa was a good king wo did a wic was rig in eeyes o God:

And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes o the LORD his God: For he took

away the altars o the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves: And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God o their athers, and to

do the law and the commandment. Also he took away out o all the cities o Judah the high

places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet beore him. (2 Chronicles 14:2-5)

u in sa’s 39th year o reign e became diseased in is ee and urned rom God. e looked o manraer an God or elp or e las wo years o is lie:

And Asa in the thirty and ninth year o his reign was diseased in his eet, until his disease

was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians. And

Asa slept with his athers, and died in the one and ortieth year o his reign. (2 Chronicles

16:12-13)

is isoric parable is anoer oresadowing o e end o e arly ain wen e curcorganizaion became diseased in is ee or e remainder o is exisence. e language o beauiulee idenies wi e going or o e rue Gospel:

And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiul are the eet




o them that preach the gospel o peace, and bring glad tidings o good things! (Romans

10:15)

e ee being diseased idenies wi e ac a e curc organizaion is no longer bringing erue Gospel, bu insead i is bringing a pollued and muilaed version o e rue Gospel.

God makes a poin o ell us a sa was in is 39th year o reign wen is appened. e number39 breaks down ino 3 x 3, once again direcling us o e 3,000 year o is world’s exisence, 988.a was e year wen e curc organizaion became diseased in is ee.

Time Clue 22: Alexander the Great and Thirds

n Te Book Has Been Opened we saw a Saan is ypied in aniel caper 8 by lexander e Grea. e learned a lexander’s rule began in e year 336 , and a e number 3 (wic signies judgmen) can be ound in e ollowing ime pas:

e also learned a God uses e racions 1 and 2 on e imeline. e examined e ollowingexamples:

lexander’s rule came o an end in 33 . is was no by cance. God is e ne wo raises up andpus down leaders:

By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. (Proverbs 8:15)

And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he

giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding (Daniel

2:21)

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but o God: the

powers that be are ordained o God. (Romans 13:1)




e ac a lexander reigned or 3 years (336-33 ) is probably no insignican because enumber 3 poins us o e end o e world. direcs our aenion o e ac a judgmen began3,000 years aer is world’s creaion. a judgmen began in e curces were God allowedSaan o rule in order o bring desolaion. e rule o Saan is ypied in aniel caper 8 by e ruleo lexander e Grea. Saan, o course, will no win. e will be desroyed along wi e res o is

world in cober o 0. e’ve learned a e day e Flood began in 4990 was a oresadowing o e day o e

apure. ecall a e Flood began on e 7 day o e second mon:

In the six hundredth year o Noah’s lie, in the second month, the seventeenth day o the

month, the same day were all the ountains o the great deep broken up, and the windows o

heaven were opened. (Genesis 7:11)

e day o e apure (ay ) will be e 7 day o e second mon in 0 on e biblicalcalendar, so i is as i ere are exacly 7,000 years beween wen e Flood began and wen eapure will occur.

e Flood ended exacly ve mons aer i began:

And the waters returned rom o the earth continually: and ater the end o the hundred

and ty days the waters were abated. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the

seventeenth day o the month, upon the mountains o Ararat. (Genesis 8:3-4)

is would’ve been around cober o 4990 . e’ve learned a ose ve mons oresadowede ve mons a will ollow e apure, wic will end in cober o 0. ere is, o course,also 7,000 years beween ose wo poins (cober 4990 - cober 0).

ow le’s look a lexander’s reign since God as ied a in wi all o is in aniel caper 8. nTe Book Has Been Opened we looked a ow e beginning o is reign ies in wi e imeline, so le’slook a e end o is reign is ime. lexander’s reign ended wen e died in June o 33 . is

can be veried by looking in any ncyclopedia or oer reerence maerial. ere are exacly 4666.67years rom cober o 4990 o June o 33 , and ere are en exacly 333.33 years rom Juneo 33 o cober o 0.

oice e precision o is relaionsip o irds. e rs span o ime is exacly 2 o e ull 7,000

years. is, o course, ereore also exacly double e second span o ime. Keeping in mind a lexander’s reign was a represenaion o Saan’s rule in is world, we see a all ree daes in isime pa ave o do wi e end o wickedness.

Time Clue 23: Destruction and Thirds

e desrucion o Sodom is used in e ible as a represenaion o Judgmen ay:




Likewise also as it was in the days o Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold,

they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out o Sodom it rained re and

brimstone rom heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the

Son o man is revealed. (Luke 17:28-30)

braam was 99 years old wen Sodom was desroyed (Genesis 7-9). e know rom sudying eimeline inormaion provided o us in e ible a braam was born in 67 , wic means aSodom was desroyed 99 years laer in 068 .

noer desrucion e ible uses o oresadow e end-imes desrucion is a o srael by e ssyrians in 709 . e imerame o 068 o 709 is ,360 years inclusive, meaning ere are,360 years i we coun bo 068 and 709 . God gives us biblical raionale or doing is inaew caper , were we are old a 4 generaions passed rom braam o avid:

So all the generations rom Abraham to David are ourteen generations… (Matthew 1:17)

owever, i we coun em as lised earlier in e caper en we can only arrive a 4 i we coun bo braam and avid. is is no normally ow we would do is. onsider e ollowing:

Suppose your grandparens were born in 950, your parens were born in 970, and you wereborn in 990. you were asked ow many generaions ad passed you would answer, “wo”: yourgrandparens’ and your parens’. our generaion asn’ passed ye. ou would only be able o say aree generaions ad passed i you included e beginning and ending generaion o e imelinein view. noer way o ink o i is o consider ow you would answer e quesion, “ow many generaions ago was your grandparens’ generaion?” ou would answer, “wo.” ’s e same as i youare 35 years old now and you wan o reerence an even a occurred wen you were 33 years old you

would say a i appened wo years ago.ereore, God uses odd language wen e reers o e imeline o braam o avid as a passing

o 4 generaions. a can only be rue i we include bo braam and avid, e beginning andending o e imeline in view. y placing is in e ible, God as given us biblical raionale o

examine e imeline in erms o inclusive years and look or signicance.Geing back o e ime clue we are currenly examining, ere are ,360 inclusive years rom 068

(desrucion o Sodom) o 709 (desrucion o srael). we coun inclusive years rom 709 o 0, we arrive a ,70 years, wic is exacly x ,360. n oer words, we ave anoer one-ird/wo-irds relaionsip, as illusraed in e ollowing diagram:

nce again, on is own is may seem coincidenal, bu i is jus one more proo a God as craede imeline wi grea precision, and a e year 0 is a signican dae on a imeline. asedon e conex o e previous wo daes, 068 and 709 , we would expec 0 o be a year o desrucion. course, a lines up perecly wi e conclusions we ave arrived a wile examiningoer ime clues.




Time Clue 24: Josiah and 84

Josia was eig years old wen e began o reign:

Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in

Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter o Adaiah o Boscath. (2 Kings

22:1)

en we careully sudy e imeline inormaion God as given us, we can know a Josia’s reignbegan in 640 . God ells us a in e 8th year o Josia’s reign e ord o God was ound aeraving gone missing or so long a ey were no longer aware o is conens. God’s ord was enread o Josia and e was immediaely sruck wi ear. is jus unimagineable a ey acually lose ible, bu a is in ac wa appened:

And it came to pass in the eighteenth year o king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the

son o Azaliah, the son o Meshullam, the scribe, to the house o the LORD, saying, Go up

to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house o

the LORD, which the keepers o the door have gathered o the people: And let them deliverit into the hand o the doers o the work, that have the oversight o the house o the LORD:

and let them give it to the doers o the work which is in the house o the LORD, to repair

the breaches o the house, Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber

and hewn stone to repair the house. Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them o the

money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt aithully. And Hilkiah the

high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have ound the book o the law in the house o

the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. And Shaphan the scribe

came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Ty servants have gathered the

money that was ound in the house, and have delivered it into the hand o them that do the

work, that have the oversight o the house o the LORD. And Shaphan the scribe shewed the

king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it beore theking. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words o the book o the law, that

he rent his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son o

Shaphan, and Achbor the son o Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant o

the king’s, saying, Go ye, enquire o the LORD or me, and or the people, and or all Judah,

concerning the words o this book that is ound: or great is the wrath o the LORD that is

kindled against us, because our athers have not hearkened unto the words o this book, to

do according unto all that which is written concerning us. (2 Kings 22:3-13)

Josia quickly cleaned up Juda by removing is ig places, bu e damage ad already been done.God warned a e was going o desroy Juda:

Tus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants

thereo, even all the words o the book which the king o Judah hath read: Because they have

orsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger

with all the works o their hands; thereore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and

shall not be quenched. (2 Kings 22:16-17)




e 8th year o Josia’s reign, wen e ord o God was again ound, began in 63 . is even was so signican a God, in one sense, even kep ime based on i. God begins e book o zekiel wi e ollowing saemen:

Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the ourth month, in the th day o the month,

as I was among the captives by the river o Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw

visions o God. In the th day o the month, which was the th year o king Jehoiachin’s

captivity (Ezekiel 1:1-2)

can be sown rom e ible a Jeoiacin’s capiviy began in 598 , wic means a e year o is capiviy was 593 . is year, 593 , is also reerred o ere in zekiel caper as “eirie year.” we coun back 30 years rom 593 we arrive a 63 , e very signican yearin wic God’s ord was ound. is ime clue in zekiel direcs us o sar couning years rom 63. e quesion is, o wen? seems a we arrive a our answer wen we come o 539 , e yearin wic Juda’s ribulaion came o an end.

e learned in Te Book Has Been Opened a e ribulaion o Juda was a oresadowing or arepresenaion o e Grea ribulaion o our day. e imerame rom 63 (e year God’s ord

was ound) o 539 (e year e ribulaion ended) is 84 years. e number 84 is one a idenies wi ribulaion. For example, e ribulaion in anaan was seven years in leng, wic is 84 mons.e ribulaion in Juda was 70 years in leng, wic is 840 mons. e Grea ribulaion o our day is 3 years in leng, wic is exacly 8,400 days. e period a e wo winesses o evelaion aredead (ypiying e rs par o e Grea ribulaion) is ree and a al days, wic is 84 ours.

ompleely independen o is clue, we ad previously concluded a e Grea ribulaion beganon ay , 988, and will end on ay , 0. is ime clue provides addiional suppor or eseconclusions by urer proving a we sould expec o nd e number 84 idenied wi e Grearibulaion, wic we do because i will be excaly 8,400 days.

Time Clue 25: Journey into Canaan

we examine e isorical accoun o e sraelies’ journey rom gyp o anaan, we discover ai is a oresadowing o e enire ew esamen era. e will go roug is piece by piece.

ven aer nine plagues were inroduced in e land o gyp, Parao did no le e sraelies gobecause God ad ardened is ear. e en and nal plague was e dea o every rsborn in eland. e sraelies were insruced o observe e rs Passover by sacricing a lamb wiou blemisand spreading is blood on e door poss. is kep em sae rom e dea a swep roug eland a nig. Parao nally le em go and e sraelies depared a nig ino e wilderness.(xodus ).

e Passover oresadowed e dea o ris. e is e amb o God wiou blemis:

Te next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb o God, which

taketh away the sin o the world. (John 1:29)

was because o is sacrice a is people could be saved rom e eernal dea a sweepsroug is world.

er leaving gyp in 447 , e sraelies journeyed roug e wilderness or 40 years:




For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works o thy hand: he knoweth thy

walking through this great wilderness: these orty years the LORD thy God hath been with

thee; thou hast lacked nothing. (Deuteronomy 2:7)

God kep e sraelies ed by raining down manna:

And when the children o Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: or they wist

not what it was. And Moses said unto them, Tis is the bread which the LORD hath given

you to eat. (Exodus 16:15)

e wilderness represened e arly ain wen e curc was ed wi e read o ie, wic isris (Jon 6:48). en we examined evelaion caper , we learned e woman in e wildernessrepresens e curc organizaion during e arly ain:

And the woman ed into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared o God, that they

should eed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. (Revelation 12:6)

e would ink a aer wacing over em and providing or em as e did, e sraelies would ave aiully served God. owever, a’s no wa appened. e nd passage aer passagespeaking o e sraelies’ consan rebellion in e wilderness, even rig rom e beginning o e

journey. major problem was eir ocus on oer gods:

Tey provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to

anger. (Deuteronomy 32:16)

owever, e sraelies did no see emselves as a rebellious lo:

And Moses came and told the people all the words o the LORD, and all the judgments: and

all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. (Exodus 24:3)

is is because ey oug eir alse gods really were a represenaion o e rue God:

Yea, when they had made them a molten cal, and said, Tis is thy God that brought thee up

out o Egypt, and had wrought great provocations (Nehemiah 9:18)

ikewise, we nd a e curc organizaion was rebellious rougou e arly ain. was sille represenaion o God’s people and God was ere proecing i, bu e ad o olerae eir lack o

ocus on im. e curc didn’ see isel as rebellious, bu wen we examine e docrines i as eldor cenuries we see a i was. Jus like e sraelies in e wilderness, e curc began is rebellionalmos immediaely, and we see a ere, oo, God’s ocus was on e ac a e curces aveenerained alse docrines. Jus as e sraelies oug eir alse gods were a represenaion o erue God, e curc organizaion inks is alse docrines are a represenaion o e rue Gospel.

oses died in 407 a e end o e sraelies’ journey roug e wilderness. oses was eindividual bringing e ord o God o em. en e died, e sraelies’ journey came o a pause asey mourned is dea or 30 days:




And the children o Israel wept or Moses in the plains o Moab thirty days: so the days o

weeping and mourning or Moses were ended. (Exodus 34:8)

n e imeline o e ew esamen era, is idenied wi e dea o e wo winesses. e’velearned a eir guraive ,60 days o propesying represened e arly ain, aer wic ey died. eir dea was ollowed by a guraive ree-and-a-al-day period were eir dead bodies wereseen. is period was e same period a is spoken o as a al-our o silence (evelaion 8:). esilence indicaes a ere was no celebraion in eaven, wic means very ew people were becomingsaved (uke 5:0). n oer words, e building up o e Kingdom o God ad come o a pause, jusas e sraelies’ journey came o a pause or 30 days aer e dea o oses.

i e dea o oses, aer 30 days o mourning, Josua became e one roug wom Godbroug is aw. is pu an end o e pause in e sraelies’ journey. a ime, God reieraede imporance o ensuring a ey suck very close o is ord and remained srong:

Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all

the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not rom it to the right hand or to

the let, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest. Tis book o the law shall not

depart out o thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: or then thou shalt make thy way

prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (Joshua 1:7-8)

n e ew esamen imeline, e orc being passed o Josua idenies wi e wo winessesregaining lie aer eir ree-and-a-al-day dea:



Jus as e sraelies were commanded a a ime o say close o e ord o God, so oo are e

believers keeping close o e ord o God in our day. ey aren’ relying on curces or preconceivednoions o guide em o ru. ey are lisening only o e ord o God.

e sraelies en crossed e Jordan iver, wic represens e wra o God. e Grea ribulaionis e beginning o e nal judgmen a God brings upon e world. uring e Grea ribulaionis judgmen is ocused specically on e curc ( Peer 4:7). owever, e believers are passingsaely roug is period o aer ain. s judgmen as begun in e curces all around em, ey are kep sae ouside o e curces. is parallels e sraelies’ rip roug e Jordan iver. e

waers, wic represen God’s judgmen, were raging around em as ey passed saely roug em.e ible ells us a during is ime e sraelies eared Josua:

On that day the LORD magnied Joshua in the sight o all Israel; and they eared him, asthey eared Moses, all the days o his lie. (Joshua 4:14)

e are also old a during e aer ain ose wo see e wo winesses ear em:






ose a see e wo winesses are only e believers. ey are e ones a recognize e ru abou wa is going on in e curces. Grea ear alls upon em in a ey ear e ord and are liseninginenly o is ord wi a desire o be obedien.

en e sraelies ad reaced e end o e rek roug e Jordan iver e ible says a eir“ee were lied up” and e waers reurned o ll e wole riverbed:

And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark o the covenant o the LORD were

come up out o the midst o Jordan, and the soles o the priests’ eet were lited up unto the

dry land, that the waters o Jordan returned unto their place, and owed over all his banks,

as they did beore. (Joshua 4:18)

is even idenies wi e apure, as is ocused on by e saemen a eir “ee were lied up.”mmediaely ollowing e apure, God’s wra will be poured ou on e res o e ear. is isillusraed ere in a e waers reurned o eir overowing sae aer e sraelies’ ee were liedup. is language idenies wi ooding and reminds us o e Flood a desroyed e world.

is serves o provide urer suppor a e apure occurs a e end o e Grea ribulaion,no beore i. e all agree a e enrance ino anaan is a picure o e believers’ enrance ino

eaven. e also all agree e believers’ enrance ino eaven is immediaely preceded by e apure. we were o say a e apure occurs a e beginning o e Grea ribulaion, en we would aveo say a eir enrance ino anaan spiriually oresadowed e beginning o e Grea ribulaion. we lined up our imeline a way, en e dea o oses, raising o Josua, and e pause in-beween would no longer line up wi e evens o e wo winesses. e would lose a lo o armony i we ried o sick o e previous undersanding many o us ad.

er e sraelies saely passed roug e Jordan iver, ey enered anaan, wic was anearly represenaion o e Kingdom o God. oresadows e believers’ enrance ino eavenimmediaely aer e apure.

e parallelism beween e sraelies’ journey and e ew esamen era is illusraed below.




e ave discussed in is book as well as in Te Book Has Been Opened e ac a we canno allowpopular opinion o play a role in our seeking o ru. ecall in Firs Kings caper 8 e sory

o lija on oun armel wi 450 propes wo all agreed wi eac oer bu disagreed wi lija.

e read in a caper a srael placed eir rus in ose 450 propes bu no in lija. owever,i was en sown a lija ad e ru and e 450 propes were in error. e also read in FirsKings caper abou e 400 propes wo were in agreemen and were liked by e king becauseey broug a pleasan message. owever, icaia’s message was no pleasan and disagreed wi e400 oer propes, bu we learn a e ad e ru wile e 400 propes were in error. oncensusis never a basis or ru.

ikewise, we canno allow our imperec uman logic o play a role in our seeking o ru. is ourpride a makes us ink we can raionalize God’s law. owever, wen i comes o is ord, we aveo remain umble i we wan o acquire wisdom rom i:

A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. (Proverbs

29:23)

When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. (Proverbs 11:2)

onsider e ollowing examples o wen obedience o God required acions a were no logical.

Abraham Obeys

braam was old a e age o 99 a is 90-year-old wie, Sara, would bare a son. is was soseemingly impossible a braam lauged a e idea:

And I will bless her, and give thee a son also o her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a

mother o nations; kings o people shall be o her. Ten Abraham ell upon his ace, and

laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old?

and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? (Genesis 17:16-17)

ecause se was well beyond e cild-bearing age, Sara also lauged wen se eard e news:

Pride Shall Bring Him Low

Obedience versus Human Logic

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Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah

ater the manner o women. Tereore Sarah laughed within hersel, saying, Ater I am

waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the LORD said unto Abraham,

Whereore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I o a surety bear a child, which am old? (Genesis

18:11-13)

owever, God did in ac cause Sara o conceive. e proeced er rougou er pregnancy and sebore a son, saac:

And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.

For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time o which God

had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name o his son that was born unto him, whom

Sarah bare to him, Isaac. (Genesis 21:1-3)

God saed a e would esablis is covenan wi saac:

But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time

in the next year. (Genesis 17:21)

aer, God old braam o bring is son, saac, o a mounain and sacrice im as a burn oering:

And he said, ake now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the

land o Moriah; and oer him there or a burnt oering upon one o the mountains which I

will tell thee o. (Genesis 22:2)

e would expec braam o respond by saying, “ord, ou made special provision so a saaccould be born o me. Furermore, ou indicaed a ou would esablis our covenan wi im.

nd now ou’re asking me o kill im? a makes absoluely no sense. oreover, a’s murder, wic

is agains our law.” owever, a is no ow braam responded. e did no run God’s commandroug is own personal logic ler. nsead, e simply obeyed:

And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two o his young

men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood or the burnt oering, and rose up, and

went unto the place o which God had told him. (Genesis 22:3)

God sopped braam jus as e was abou o plunge e knie ino saac. e are old a is woleeven was a es or braam (Genesis :).

God is commanding us oday o come ou o e curces. we run a command roug our

personal logic lers we mig nd ourselves saying, “ord, ou esablised e curc organizaion andave proeced i or nearly ,000 years. ow you wan us o depar rom i? a makes absoluely nosense.” aer an obey, is is e kind o reacion mos curcgoers are aving o is command.

Nineveh Obeys

Jona raveled rom Joppa, a por ciy in srael, o ineve, e capial o ssyria, wic was locaedabou 550 miles rom Joppa. e know a Jona made is journey primarily by waer. en looking




a a map we can see a ere are cerainly no direc pas o ineve rom Joppa via waer so Jonaacually ravelled ar more an 550 miles o ge o ineve. n ose days, wiou modern modeso ransporaion, is was a grea disance o ravel. Jona walked ino ineve, e capial ciy o anenemy naion, and old e ssyrians, “e ory days, and ineve sall be overrown” (Jona 3:4).

magine i someone rom e Unied Saes were o ravel o eijing, sand in e ciy srees, andsou, “n ory days is ciy will be desroyed.” ow do you ink e people o ina would reac? bes, ey would ignore e saemen and coninue on in eir daily lives, bu more likely ere wouldbe some unpleasan consequences a e merican would suer. e inese governmen wouldprobably view e maer as a possible rea and reac accordingly. e las ing we would expec

would be or every single person in e ciy, including e governmen ofcials, o pu an immediaesop o eir normal rouines and ask, “a sall we do o preven is desrucion?”

ikewise, e reacion o e people o ineve is e exac opposie o wa we would expec. en we run is scenario roug our logic ler we would expec em o reac violenly oward Jona or, ae very leas, compleely ignore im. e las ing we would expec would be or em o ake eedo is warning broug by a complee sranger o an enemy naion. owever, a is in ac wa ey did because ey believed God:

So the people o Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a ast, and put on sackcloth, romthe greatest o them even to the least o them. (Jonah 3:5)

e naion o ssyria ad absoluely no ineres in God; ey were a eaen naion. a makes ieven more illogical a ey ook is warning seriously and repened. course, we know i is only because God worked in e ears o every single person in ineve so a eac one became a ruly saved individual.

n conras, e curces oday are reacing in a way a does our logic because e oly Spiriis no longer working o bring salvaion in e curces. ose wo bring messages a e curcesdeem o be unbiblical are labeled as ereics and are ereore seen as e enemy. en ese “ereics”bring a message warning em a e curc organizaion is being desroyed ey mock e message

or compleely ignore i. ey do no eed e warning. n some cases, ey seek o desroy e bringerso ru by excommunicaing em and speaking negaively o em:

When the princes o Judah heard these things, then they came up rom the king’s house

unto the house o the LORD, and sat down in the entry o the new gate o the LORD’s house.

Ten spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, Tis

man is worthy to die; or he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your

ears. Ten spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, Te LORD

sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard.

Tereore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice o the LORD your

God; and the LORD will repent him o the evil that he hath pronounced against you. As orme, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you. But know ye

or certain, that i ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves,

and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereo: or o a truth the LORD hath sent me

unto you to speak all these words in your ears. (Jeremiah 26:10-15)

ere are excepions o is as God opens e spiriual eyes o a very iny remnan sill le wiin ecurces, bu e vas majoriy o ose in e curces will remain in darkness.




Naaman Obeys

n Second Kings caper 5 we read abou aaman wo was a successul miliary leader o Syria. ealso read a e was a leper:

Now Naaman, captain o the host o the king o Syria, was a great man with his master,

and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a

mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. (2 Kings 5:1)

eprosy is a orrible disease wi damaging eecs and was incurable back en. aaman was olda lisa, a known man o God, could eal im o is leprosy. Given a leprosy was known o beincurable, we would expec aaman o laug o is idea, bu insead e wen o lisa’s ouse.

aaman arrived a lisa’s ouse in syle, accompanied by orses and is cario:

So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door o the house o

Elisha. (2 Kings 5:9)

lisa sen a messenger o speak wi aaman and give im insrucions:

And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy

esh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. (2 Kings 5:10)

s a respeced and successul leader, aaman would’ve been used o being onored. e probably didno appreciae e ac a lisa sen a messenger o speak wi im. Furermore, e insrucionsa e received would’ve been caegorized as silly by mos people: “Go and was in Jordan seven imes,and y es sall come again o ee.” Very ew people would ave aken a saemen seriously.

o elp pu is in perspecive, suppose a member o e Unied Saes Senae was diagnosed wicancer and someone old im a a paricular person in anoer counry could cure im. Knowing

a cancer is incurable, e Senaor would likely ignore is inormaion and a would be e end o e sory. owever, suppose e decided o enerain e possibiliy a is individual could eal im.e cerainly would be accompanied by a crew o rused individuals wen ravelling o is individual’souse. ow, raer an being invied in o mee wi is rumored ealer, imagine e is old by abuler a e door o simply go walk around a ree seven imes and is cancer would be gone. eSenaor mig simply leave in anger and reurn ome, or e mig pound on e door and demand ospeak o e rumored ealer. e las ing we would expec e Senaor o do is say, “kay, i you say so,” and walk around a ree seven imes. os people in is posiion, wile in e accompanimen o people below im in e cain o command, would no risk e poenial embarrassmen o ollowingroug wi is seemingly silly aciviy wen e desired resul is one a is already oug o be

impossible. ogically, ow is walking around a ree going o rid anyone o cancer?owever, aaman did obey e insrucions o was in e river seven imes. n order o do is, ead o se aside is pride and make a decision a goes agains uman logic. Ulimaely, i was God

wo gave aaman is message because God is e one wo ealed im. e message was broug oaaman by an unnamed messenger, someone wi no signican saus or ranking in e world’s eyes.ikewise, believers oday are bringing e message a God is commanding is people o ge ou o e curces. is a message a conradics uman logic and is being broug by people wo do noold e respeced iles o pasor or eologian. bedience requires us o se aside our pride.




e are living in difcul imes. elievers in our day are aced wi aving o leave eir curcesand deal wi e unpleasan social consequences a go along wi a as many o our riends

and amily members speak unavorably abou us. e are aced wi sadness as we ink abou our

loved ones wo remain in e curces. e ave seen a e ible is lled wi inense warningsand ominous passages, bu i is also lled wi beauiul saemens and wonderul promises or ebelievers. very encouraging example o is is Psalm caper 3. e will examine is psalm praseby prase because i can bring us grea comor.

“The LORD is my shepherd”

ris is e Good Seperd:

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his lie or the sheep. (John 10:11)

Keep in mind a e ord is a Seperd only over is seep and only e rue believers are isseep:

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they ollow me (John 10:27)

ereore, e promises o is Psalm are addressed only o e believers.

“I shall not want”

ris is an eir o all ings:

Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir o all things,

by whom also he made the worlds (Hebrews 1:2)

ll believers are join eirs wi ris:

And i children, then heirs; heirs o God, and joint-heirs with Christ; i so be that we suer

with him, that we may be also gloried together. (Romans 8:17)

For Thou Art With Me

A Look at Psalm 23

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is is wy we read a believers are also eirs o all ings:

He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up or us all, how shall he not with him

also reely give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

o wonder verse says, “ sall no wan.” Psalm 34:9 reminds us a ose wo ear e ord (ebelievers) are no in wan o anying:

O ear the LORD, ye his saints: or there is no want to them that ear him.

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.”

rigened seep will no lie down bu raer will be running around in ear. owever, e believersdon’ ave anying o ear. seep a is sae and as access o pleny o ood will calmly res in epasure. s we read e ible we are eeding on ris:

I am that bread o lie. (John 6:48)

ris is e ord o God in es:



So a believer receives is or er spiriual nourismen rom spending ime in e ord o God.

“he leadeth me beside the still waters.”

e ebrew word ranslaed as “sill” ere is menuchah wic is ound imes in e ible and is

ypically ranslaed as “res”. So e prase “sill waers” can also be undersood as “waers o res”. e waer in view is a wic brings salvaion:

But whosoever drinketh o the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water

that I shall give him shall be in him a well o water springing up into everlasting lie. (John

4:14)

nd i is roug e earing o is ord a God saves people:


e ord o God is e pure waer wic brings salvaion, and wen we become saved we are spokeno as aving enered ino ris’s res:

For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, i

they shall enter into my rest: although the works were nished rom the oundation o the

world. (Heberews 4:3)




“He restoreth my soul.”

eore we are saved we are spiriually dead:

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1)

e rs ing a appens wen we become saved is God quickens (brings o lie) our soul:

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision o your esh, hath he quickened

together with him, having orgiven you all trespasses (Colossians 2:13)

ur spiri as been renewed:

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)

“he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness”

is poins o e ac a ris is e only pa o salvaion:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the lie: no man cometh unto the Father,

but by me. (John 14:6)

nd wen we are saved God leads us ino rigeousness:

I lead in the way o righteousness, in the midst o the paths o judgment: Tat I may cause

those that love me to inherit substance; and I will ll their treasures. (Proverbs 8:20-21)

e leads us down a pa we could no navigae on our own beore we became saved:

And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they

have not known: I will make darkness light beore them, and crooked things straight. Tese

things will I do unto them, and not orsake them. (Isaiah 42:16)

en we are saved e oly Spiri winesses wi our spiri:

Te Spirit itsel beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children o God (Romans

8:16)

is is par o wy a believer as an ongoing desire o be obedien:

And hereby we do know that we know him, i we keep his commandments. He that saith, I

know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1 John

2:3-4)




“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”

is world is lled wi spiriual darkness. God reers o e unsaved as ose wo walk in darkness:

But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not

whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. (1 John 2:11)

nd, o course, anyone wo is no saved is spiriually dead. e world is a valley o spiriual darknesslled wi spiriual corpses. is like e valley o dry bones we read abou in zekiel caper 37:

Te hand o the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit o the LORD, and set

me down in the midst o the valley which was ull o bones, And caused me to pass by them

round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very

dry. (Ezekiel 37:1-2)

e believers walk roug is world as a lig in e darkness:

We have also a more sure word o prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as untoa light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts

(2 Peter 1:19)

“I will fear no evil”

e believers ear no evil because God will deliver em rom evil:

And orgive us our sins; or we also orgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not

into temptation; but deliver us rom evil. (Luke 11:4)

“for thou art with me”

is is a reminder o a wonderul promise or all believers:

Tere shall not any man be able to stand beore thee all the days o thy lie: as I was with

Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not ail thee, nor orsake thee. (Joshua 1:5)

“thy rod and thy staff they comfort me”

e seperd’s rod is able o keep dangerous animals away. e ible presens is rod as a gure o is wra wic is poured ou on e enemies in proecion o is seep:

I am the man that hath seen afiction by the rod o his wrath. (Lamentation 3:1)

Ten will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. (Psalm

89:32)





God gives us more an we deserve:

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together,

and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete

withal it shall be measured to you again. (Luke 6:28)

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell

in the house of the Lord for ever.”

is serves as a wonderul reminder a once we become saved we canno lose our salvaion. God’sgoodness and mercy will never leave us. s soon as we become saved e ord becomes our dwellingplace and we no longer sand condemned:

Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. (Psalm 90:1)

Tere is thereore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not

ater the esh, but ater the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)

loug we are living in callenging imes, we can keep going back o God’s ord or comor andencouragemen. is is wa God means wen e says, “en ye ereore sall see e abominaiono desolaion, spoken o by aniel e prope, sand in e oly place, (woso reade, le imundersand:) en le em wic be in Judaea ee ino e mounains” (aew 4:5-6). e runo God, and we do a by sudying e ible because i is roug is ord a God speaks direcly o us.

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Woe to the Bloody City