Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Point 5. America and Biblical Prophecy and the Role of the Pivot in the Last Days.
Can it really be true? Is America found in Bible prophecy?
I do not mean will it still be around in the last days, I mean will it have a prominent place in the prophecies concerning the last days.
Last Days = there will be two beasts that are a part of prophecy found in Rev 13 called the First beast who comes out of the sea in REV 13:1, and the second beast in REV 13:11, that comes out of the earth.
Who the First Beast in REV 13:1-10 refers to. b. Who the Second Beast in REV 13:11-18 refers to.
1. Two world powers are symbolized in Revelation chapter 13. Why are these powers called beasts and who and what could they refer to?
2. In what year was the papacy (RCC and the place of the pope) predicted to lose its world influence and power that it once possessed?
3. Which nation was predicted to arise around the same time the papacy (RCC and its pope) was receiving what is called its “deadly wound”, which was followed by the emergence of a new world power in 1798?
4. What is the significance of the beast “coming up out of the earth?”
Rev 13;11 talks about the second beast having lamb-like horns.
5. What nation is symbolized by its two lamb-like horns and absence of crowns?
6. What does it mean when the prophecy in Revelation 13:11 says that the second beast will speak “as a dragon”?
7. What will this beast specifically do that will cause it to speak as a dragon?
8. Over what specific issues will “force and manipulation” be utilized and the death sentence passed?
9. Will there be a government that can really control the buying and selling of the people, if there is, who is it and how do they do it?
10. How strong and influential is the papacy and how does it reveal its strength?
11. How strong and influential is the United States today, and how does it reveal its strength?
12. What other factors could possibly help set the stage for a worldwide law to execute those who refuse to violate the enforced law?
13. As world conditions worsen, what will Satan do to deceive the masses and will he deceive ALL the nations in the earth?
14. While interest in the counterfeit revival heightens, what will be happening to the genuine worldwide revival sponsored by God’s end-time people or the pivot of the tribulation period?
15. Will the U.S.A. led coalition decide to impose the death sentence on its enemies, REV 13:15 and what does Revelation 13:13-14; say its leaders will do to convince people that God is with them?
16. How can we be safe from these powerful end-time deceptions?
17. Are you willing to worship and obey TLJC even if it means ridicule, persecution, trials and tribulations before the Rapture comes, and for those who get saved after the Rapture, will they be able to face the death sentence, why and how?
18. What is the conclusion that you have come to and what are you willing to do because of it?”
a. 2TI 2:15 Study to present himself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately or rightly dividing the word of truth.
b. 1TI 5:17 Pastor-teachers are to work hard to the point of exhaustion in the study of the word and the teaching of doctrine.
ACT 6:1-2, Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. And the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.
ACT 6:3 “But select from among you, brethren, seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.”
ACT 6:4 “But we will devote ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.”
a. 2TI 2:15, Study to show themselves approved to God b. 1TI 5:17, Study to the point of exhaustion ACT 6:4, study and teach, study and teach, study and teach.
Can it really be true? Is America in Bible prophecy?
In the last days, the most powerful and influential nation on earth will play a vital role in the final dramatic events of the world’s closing history.
I say the U.S.A. and America because in our extended search, information may fall under the category of the U.S.A., the USA, or America in prophecy.
There are many believers who DO believe that the United States is prophesied in Revelation as having a major part in end-time events.
They were known as being noble-minded, and that they received the word with great eagerness, and they examined the Scriptures daily, to see if what was being taught was truth.
(KJV) HEB 11:6 Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them who diligently seek Him.
The First Beast in the book of Revelation could symbolize Rome and basically the papacy (paper-see) which refers to the RCC and the position of the pope.
We are going to go point by point to try our best to build upon what the prophet Isaiah calls the “line upon line” and the “precept upon precept” principle: (ISA 28:10).
1. Two world powers are symbolized in Revelation chapter 13. Who or what is the first power?
Answer: The beast with seven heads is none other than the Roman Empire, especially the Roman papacy or the RCC and the place of the Pope.
You must go back to the book of Daniel which is the OT version of the book of Revelation.
Beasts in Bible prophecy symbolize nations or world powers not a person. (cf. DAN 7:17, 23).
The abbreviation cf. stands for the Latin word confer which means to “compare” certain information that is given in the context.
DAN 7:17 ‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth The beasts refer to four kings or four kingdoms that the kings represent.
DAN 7:23 “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it.
Most scholars believe that the prophet Daniel envisioned four beasts that came out of the sea in the first year of the reign of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, who was co-ruler with his father, Nabonidus.
The four beasts represent four empires: the Babylonian Empire, the Medio-Persian Empire, the Greek Empire and the Roman Empire.
Our subject is not Rome or the Roman Catholic Church or the papacy, our subject is what is about the place and where the pivot is located in these last days.
1. Two world powers are symbolized in Revelation chapter 13. What is the first power? Answer: The first power refers to the beast with seven heads and is none other than Rome and the Roman papacy.
Rev 12 is all about anti-Semitism that is promoted by Satan, the serpent also known as the dragon, and when we studied this passage from the original language just follow along as I give you my amplified version.
REV 12:1 And a great sign appeared in heaven a woman [a reference to Israel] clothed with the sun [a reference to Jacob], and the moon under her feet [wives of Jacob],
and on her head a crown of twelve stars [the twelve patriarchs or the twelve tribes of Israel];
REV 12:2 and she [Israel] was with child [a reference to the virgin pregnancy]; and she cried out [this is a reference to the many different Jewish Holocausts throughout human history],
being in labor and in pain to give birth [this means that she wanted to be delivered from the anti‑Semitism that was prevalent and happening].
REV 12:3 And another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon [Satan] having seven heads and ten horns, [the revived Roman empire of the Tribulation plus ecumenical religion], and on his heads were seven diadems or crowns.
REV 12:4 And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven [a reference to the prehistoric revolution in Heaven when one third of the angels in Heaven followed Satan and his rebellion in the prehistoric angelic conflict],
and [He, God] threw them to the earth [this will literally happen in the middle of the Tribulation period]. And the dragon [Satan] stood or who had stood before the woman [the virgin Mary]
1PE 5:8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
REV 12:4 who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he [Satan] might devour or destroy her child destroy the humanity of Christ.
REV 12:5 And she [Mary] gave birth to a son [the humanity of Christ], a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron [that is the harness that TLJC will use to rule during the Millennium];
and her child was caught up to God and to His throne [ascension and session]. REV 12:6 And the woman, [true Israel], fled into the high desert country in order that there [Edom, Moab and Ammon –all in Jordan] she might be nourished [or sustained] for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
REV 12:7 And there was a battle in heaven, Michael and his army of elect angels fought against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought,
REV 12:8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven, which is just a nice way of saying they were kicked out, period.
REV 12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
REV 12:10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now deliverance [Second advent], and the power, [Jesus Christ in hypostatic union, undiminished deity, true humanity in one person forever]
and the kingdom of our God [Millennial reign] and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night.
REV 12:11 Furthermore they overcame him, that is Satan, because of the blood of the lamb, the saving work of Christ on the cross, and because of the doctrine applied by means of their testimony. In fact they did not love their life to the point of death.
REV 12:12 For this reason, be celebrating you heavens, and you, who live temporarily in them, [Old Testament saints and Tribulational martyrs, who reside in heaven in the interim body]
Woe to both land and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having and holding on to great wrath, or foaming with fury because he knows that his time is short.
2. Therefore, our second point: In what year was the papacy predicted to lose its world influence and power?
When we talk about the influence and power of the papacy, we are talking about periods of time when the RCC and its pope had world influence and world power.
Answer: Historical records reveal the papacy began its reign in 538 AD upon Emperor Justinian’s decree, and under the military protection of Belisarius.
The beast will rule for EXACTLY 1260 years before receiving a mortal wound, REV 13:5.
In biblical prophecy, 42 months = 3.5 years or 1,260 days which also in biblical prophecy = 1,260 years.
A period of only 1260 literal days, only 3 12 years, falls absurdly short of fulfilling the requirements of the 1260-day prophecies in regard to the Rome and the Roman Catholic Church and the papacy.
The number 1,260 days refers to years, the year-day principle of biblical prophecy is extended to 1260 years, and then the prophecy meets a unique fulfillment.
In 538 A.D. the Ostragoths abandoned their siege of Rome — and this left the Bishop of Rome to exercise the prerogatives of Justinian’s decree of 533 A.D. and then the power and the authority of the Papacy grew, and grew, and grew.
PRO 8:15 “By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice.” Given absolute authority to the RCC and the papacy.
“The heart of the King is in the hand of God, and it will incline to whatever side God wishes”; that is to say, that He may confirm your empire, and maintain your kingdoms for the peace of the Church and the unity of religion;
Exactly 1260 years later the Papacy suffered its “deathblow,” it lost its world-wide power and authority that it is also claimed in the political realm.
The spectacular victories of the armies of Napoleon in Italy placed the Pope at the mercy of the French Revolutionary Government, which now advised that the Roman Religion would always be a persistent enemy of the Republic.
The government urged Napoleon to destroy the center of unity of the Roman church, and Napoleon did just that.
In 1798 the French general Berthier, with a French army, marched into Rome and proclaimed the political rule of the Papacy at an end and took the Pope prisoner.
The 1260 year rule of the Papacy was finished or we could say the reference to the first beast being the Roman Catholic church with the pope ruling the world seized.
If the prophecy is correct, 1260 years after 538 AD the beast must receive a mortal wound, REV 13:3.
If you add 1260 years to the beginning year that the Roman Catholic church took over which was 538 AD, you will arrive in the year 1798 AD.
1,260 + 538 = 1,798
According to the prophecy, we learn that, “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword…” REV 13:10.
The prophecy is telling us that the beast would be destroyed with the sword (sword = a reference to the military) at the end of its reign of exactly 1260 years.
Again on February 10th Napoleon Bonaparte in that EXACT year 1798 A.D. sent his General Louis Alexandre Berthier, with his army into Rome, Italy.
It is recorded… “In 1798 General Berthier made his entrance into Rome, abolished the papal government, and established a secular one.” – says the Encyclopedia Britannica 1941 edition
That’s Exactly 42 prophetic months, or 1260 years, sometimes also called a time, and times, and dividing a time after the Papacy began its powerful reign that the Pope “shall go into captivity” by the military.
2. In what year was the papacy predicted to lose its world influence and power?
Answer: The Bible predicted that the papacy would lose its world influence and power at the end of the 42 months. This prophecy was fulfilled in 1798, when Napoleon’s General Berthier took the pope captive and the papal power received its deadly wound.