Friday, January 23, 2015

A Discussion Of Biblical Proportions

Revelation 13:1  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
For I am the LORD, I change not. (Malachi 3:6)
There are many of us who hold the opinion that the future of humanity as we know it is at risk because our system of values has become corrupt and the world as we know it is suffering from moral bankruptcy.  Even America, that nation that was founded upon the concept of, “God shed his grace on thee”, seems to have lost its way and become adrift in a sea of deliberate confusion and blasphemy. America, that proud nation that once chooses to challenge the status quo and had the audacity to proclaim itself, “one nation under God”, has ripped apart the moral fibers of its collective consciousness and now proclaims itself a nation of many gods, cultures and beliefs.   The only consensus is the indoctrination of "In God we trust" has failed.
Nations once derived their value system from their culture and their culture derives their values from religion or the lack of religion.  The ancient values of a Christian society are now being cast aside and our culture is becoming self defining entity.  The battle between Christianity and atheism is now being fought and Christianity is loosing.  This does not set well with the professional pundits of Christian lore for they proclaim to be a part of a group that the gates of Hell will not be able to stand against.   Jesus made this population to Peter, but in the Book of Revelation Jesus condemn the church.
In a battle a bullet will kill, yet if the bullet is defective, it may fail to do what was intended or expected it.  Paul used an analogy of putting on the whole armor of God, that you might be able to withstand the Devil.  Failure to do so will allow will allow for premature destruction of the soldier.  Proper use of armor requires we understand the instruction that comes with  the package.   Proper use of the armor of God requires that we understand the instructions that is contained within the scripture.  The uses of hermeneutics is the science of interpretation of the Scriptures. Isolating verses of Scripture to prove a point of doctrine is common practice, but it is not a valid approach to understanding God's word. 
The Bible tells us that, “every way of a man is right in his own eyes”. (Proverbs 21:2)  This is human nature, but God also tells us that only He can reveal the true motives of the heart, the nature of the human mind.  But, in today’s politically correct society are we really concerned about what God has to say?  Humanity has always been determined to live its life, its own way, the way that feels good, and as humanity follows its own path, it considers itself to be right in its decisions.  But this is a lie, because the very core and inner working of human nature is based on pride and selfishness, the self being first.  Whether we admit it or not, this basic nature is the cause of conflicts, arguments, dissension, envy, competition, hatred, wars, stress, and all of this makes for an unhappy lifestyle.   The battle between Christianity and that way that seems right to man is in its final stage, and the Bible is being used to justify the sin nature of humanity. 
 
The concept of sin has become entangled in a legalistic argument of what is right and what is wrong.  The true concept of God can no longer be injected into an argument because the burden of proof cannot be met from a legalistic point of view.  Christianity is struggling in the hands of the devious in a fatal attempt to prove its relevancy.  In order to remain a relevant force, Christianity and society must come to an agreement on what is right and what is wrong based upon subjective (man) morality rather than objective (God) morality.  In a political correct society it is necessary to remove God from the equation and redefine sin as it applies to all of mankind.   
 
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)  The objective morals that once were promoted by the Western societies are being replaced by a subjective morality.  Christian values have become toxic and are being replaced with politically correct values.  The churches are adopting a message of peaceful coexistence rather than confrontation.  It is conceivable that if Jesus or Paul were to preach a message in today's modern church they would be harshly chastised.  Imagine John the Baptist standing in the pulpit of a marvelous and richly endowed church screaming, "Oh ye generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath of God."   The use of the words, “The use of the words wrath of God disturbs many.
Revelation 13:1  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
The events of Revelation are upon us, despite the fact that our great vast knowledge has allowed us to explain away many of the events, yet we cannot deny the facts, the world is suffering.  There is confusion abounding, and there are those whose mission is to create confusion.  Daniel and John foresaw a new nation rising up out of a sea of confusion, a nation filled with blasphemy.  
It is my belief and hope that the events portrayed in Revelation 13:1 take place after the Holy Spirit and the church has been removed from the earth.  These events are proposed to take place during the tribulation.   The reason for my belief is that in Revelation 4:1 John is invited to “… Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.”  What follows in chapter four and the rest of the Book of Revelation is John’s view from Heaven.  When John was invited to “come up hither”, the church is no longer mentioned as being here on earth.
Revelation 13:1 contains a wealth of information presented in symbolic form.  To understand this verse we need to refer to the symbology of Revelation.  John is standing in a place where he can view the event taking place  without being affected by them.  This is John’s view from Heaven.  He is standing among the chosen of God, the “sand” of the sea.  The sea is multitudes of people existing in a state of confusion.  A teeming mass of confused souls.   Religious confusion, racial confusion, land disputes all together forms a sea of confusion from which a new ruler emerges.    
 
Now if you were to reread read Revelation 13:1 and replace the word “sea” with  “multitude of people”  a sense of deeper understanding should begin to emerge.  In the symbology of the scripture a beast refers to a ruler nation.  John saw a “beast”, or a nation rising up out of the confusion that had prevailed over the world, and he goes on to define the power structure of this new form of government.  One world government is a reality and men of power are leading us toward that destination.
This is nothing new, it is a concept that has been promoted by the devil from the beginning.  Out of desperation he tried to set Jesus Christ up as his ruler of the world.  Matthew 4:8-9  Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
What the Devil offered Jesus the organize church accepted.  The voice of the true church is being silenced as more and more churches accept government funding and agree to bound by the rule and regulations set forth by the government.   Remember Jesus last word to the church, Revelation 3:18-19  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.