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dreadfulday.com From Creation to Re-Creation

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Jesus in Revelation (48)

jesussimplified.com/blog post published 04-17-2021. Send Questions » [email protected] The beasts out of the sea. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound. However, the seventh head’s fatal wound appeared healed. John did not receive an explanation of how the seventh head’s fatal wound got healed. The entire world followed the beast with great wonder about it. (Revelation 13:3). As stated in the preceding blog, the beast here represents the entire system of humankind’s agencies that assisted Satan in his plans. The angel told John that seven heads are the seven kingdoms. Revelation 17:9 – 11. In John’s time, the angel stated that five kings have fallen; one is, the seventh did not come yet. John, however, observed in the vision the fully-functioning seventh kingdom. He did not see how and when the seventh head got wounded and how did it heal. John observed the wounded head as fully functional. However, to determine the probable seventh kingdom, we must discover the initiating idea, a concept, in its birth stage. The five fallen kings in John’s time are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon. Mede-Persia, Grace. The king that “is,” in John’s time, is Rome. The seventh kingdom, in John’s time, is still in the future. However, John observed it as functioning. The angel told him that the healed head, kingdom, is in the future. John did not see the concept that served as the starting point of the seventh kingdom. The seventh kingdom is alluded to in Daniel 2:41 – 44. Daniel’s description of the seventh kingdom is limited in scope because its nature appeared as a strange concept compared to the then-standard concept of a powerful kingdom. Even John, in the first century CE, did not understand the meaning of the symbol representing the seventh kingdom. Revelation 17:6 – 8. Angel reminds John that the beast with seven heads is Satan, revealing his plans and actions through human agencies. The “woman,” in chapter 17, is the initial part of the seventh kingdom, the “One World”: system. The woman represents the envisioned “one-world government,” which will fail, and the ten horns will take over as the rulers of the world. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. (Revelation 13:2). Satan was the prince of this world during the first five kingdoms. During the rule by the sixth kingdom, Rome, Jesus defeated or overthrew Satan as the prince. John 12:31. Now Jesus is the legitimate ruler of this world; Satan does not have power over it. Therefore, he gave his throne and power to the seventh kingdom in specific because he has no authority. He authorized the human agency, the global system, to function fully on his behalf and implement his goals. Satan’s primary goal today is to turn the people’s eyes to self and away from Jesus. The ongoing efforts in forming the seventh kingdom aim to make the people self-reliant and be lovers of self. 2 Timothy 3:1 – 2. The lovers of self cannot have Jesus in them through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they cannot inherit the kingdom. The lovers of themselves love the world they live in. 1 John 2:15. Most critical to understanding the seventh kingdom is that the seventh kingdom will not be religious or religious power. The previous six heads of the beast were not religious power. Satan does not operate through a religious organization because they do not possess the necessary tools and are not reliable. All previous kingdoms have tolerated various forms of religion within their dominion. In like manner, the seventh kingdom will tolerate all religions globally; however, no religion will be allowed to exercise power concerning the policy and operation of the global system. To understand the seventh kingdom and its pitfalls, we must understand the global socio-political-economic system and its goals. The formation of the new global system is in progress. To be continued.

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Jesus in Revelation (47)

jesussimplified.com/blog post published 04-10-2021. Send Questions » [email protected] The beasts in Revelation 13 – The dragon became enraged. The beasts of Revelation Chapter 13 continued. “And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each had a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear, and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his throne and great authority.” Revelation 13:1 – 2. The beast here refers to a human agency that Satan employed to disrupt God’s plan for the world. The beast out of the sea, from the peoples, nations, resembles more the four successive kingdoms from Daniel’s book. The four kingdoms were Satan’s concerted effort to prevent the birth of the Messiah. In Revelation, the Greek noun “therion,” refers to both the human agencies, kingdoms, and Satan himself, as in Revelation 17:8. When it applies to Satan himself, John defines the “therion” as the beast which was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss. Revelation 17:8. Satan was the prince of this world; now he is not; and he will come out of the Abyss, imprisonment, and will become the prince of this world again. He will come out of Abyss after the millennium. Revelation 20:7 – 8. For modern-day students of the Bible, a significant part of the beast is the “head that was wounded and healed.” Revelation 13:3 – 4. The seven heads of the “therion,” the beast, are the seven kingdoms that assisted in the past and assist Satan today in his plan against God. Revelation 17:9 – 10. The head that was wounded represents the seventh kingdom on earth. The seventh “kingdom” will play a significant role before the return of Jesus. As stated earlier, Jesus will return to the earth during the early phase of rule by the seventh kingdom. The seventh kingdom is not an empire. No matter how powerful it may be, one country and one nation will not rule the world. It is the “One World” fully inclusive of all countries, nations, languages, and peoples. It is the unique kingdom from among the seven kingdoms in the book of Revelation. It is purely a human invention and will be run by humans. However, humans will run in the same spirit as previous kingdoms and on behalf of Satan himself. It will be the first fully global human institution working on behalf of the dragon, Satan. The ten horns are ten kings, or powers, a part of the seventh kingdom but will rule the world by a consensus or one accord. The global base for ten kings is the G – 7 countries today. Whether each of them continues or not, remains to be seen. All the present members of the exclusive club, the G – 7, do not have to continue; it is not critical for the seventh kingdom’s function, the “One World.” The ten kings, the ten influential nations, will of one accord give the planet earth to Satan as his principality. The beast from the sea, and the beast out of the ground, have Satan’s throne and his power, which they will return to him after the millennium. Revelation 17:12 – 13. The ten kings will assume power when the global coordinating authority fails. The “global coordinating authority” is how the author of these blogs sees it. Many prefer to call it a “one world government.” However, this will not be a classical form of government, but something that humankind has never attempted in its history. Because of its nature, this author refers to it as the coordinating authority. This author will address the above concept as it becomes necessary in the ensuing blogs. To be continued

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Jesus in Revelation (46)

jesussimplified.com/blog post published 04-03-2021. Send Questions » [email protected] The beasts in Revelation 13 – The dragon became enraged. “Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against rest of her offspring – those who keep God’s commandments and hold fast their testimony about Jesus. The dragon stood on the shore of the sea.” Revelation 12:17; 13:1. Some translations have it, “And I stood on the shore”; however, it seems more appropriate to translate as above because the dragon is the subject of the last verse of chapter 12. The first verse of chapter 13 belongs to chapter 12. The New English Translation has the first line of chapter 13 as part of chapter 12. The translator’s notes in the NET Bible state that better manuscripts have it as “the dragon stood…” The punctuation in the Greek New Testament can pose difficulty in determining whether the “stood” is in the first or third person. The third person, “he stood,” is more probable and logical. Nevertheless, in the spirit of the freedom of choice, the reader can choose one or the other. However, this author prefers that the entire first verse of chapter 13 belongs to the end of chapter 12. The subject of the last part of chapter 12 would remain intact. There is a legitimate reason why the dragon stood on the “sand of the seashore’. The readers of the book of revelation should keep in mind that John observed the vision; he did not participate in it. John did not have to stand on a seashore. He observed an event in progress on the seashore. The readers must also notice that the dragon is not going into the sea but is standing on the shore waiting for something to appear from the sea. He is not immersed in but influencing from the periphery. An implied question here is, why is the dragon standing on the seashore but not going into the sea? What does the sea represent? “Then the angel said to me, ‘The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.” Revelation 17:15. Therefore, that the dragon stood on the periphery of the peoples and nations but is not going among them indicates that his power now is limited. He is no longer the prince of this world. That is why he is limited. Jesus overthrew Satan, so he is no longer the ruler of this world. Jesus said concerning His crucifixion, “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.” John 12:31. In John 16:33, Jesus assures the believers that He ‘has overcome the world.’ In the garden in Eden, Satan did not have the right nor power to take possession of this world by force. The inhabitants of the planet earth had to give it to him. Satan lost his home in heaven, and he needed to gain another home. He did not approach the first man – Adam directly; why not, we do not know? However, Adam had to make a willful and deliberate decision to give the planet earth to Satan as his principality. Adam, and the whole future humankind, was not the owner of this planet; only its administrator. However, the planet earth is the only home humankind has. Satan proceeded to entice the administrator of the property indirectly; through Adam’s helper for procreation. He approached the woman. Genesis 3:1 – 2. Here also, in a way, we can see that Satan is not going to humankind but influencing it from the periphery. He did not even attempt to convince Adam himself. Satan now does not have a home because Jesus took it away from him. Therefore, he is on a periphery waiting for humanity to make a willful and deliberate decision in his favor. Will he succeed? Read the ensuing blogs.

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Jesus in Revelation (45)

jesussimplified.com/blog post published 03-27-2021. Send Questions » [email protected] The beasts in Revelation chapter 13; an overview. In his message to the churches, Jesus reminded the believers of his mission while in the body here on the earth. He came to liberate humankind from slavery to Satan. He came to save humanity from guilt and punishment for sin. Jesus explains the need for a Savior of the world. He came to save the lost. Luke 19:10. Satan rebelled against God without cause and became the Enemy of God. He also enticed the first human pair to join him in rebellion against God. The sin committed by humankind in the first man, Adam, separated humankind from God. Therefore, a Savior of the world had to share the human body to rescue humanity and restore it to God as his children. Because of sin, humankind lost the image of God. Satan took the opportunity to impress his image on humanity. Humankind became utterly helpless; therefore, they needed a Savior. “One who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s works.” 1 John 3:8. God’s plan did not fail, and it cannot fail ever! Jesus, in previous chapters, summarized the evil deeds the Enemy employed in an attempt to frustrate God’s plan for humankind. He clarified to the believers that he is the mystery of God, accomplished during the seventh trumpet’s sounding. Jesus reassured the believers that he has accomplished everything needed for salvation and restoration of the believers to their Father God. There is no doubt that God has accomplished his mystery as announced in the ‘little scroll.’ Jesus reassured the believers that he is who he said he is. He is now in heaven and will come to take his faithful ones to his father’s house for a wedding banquet. While in the body here on the earth, Jesus has accomplished everything the yielded believers need to enter heaven for the wedding banquet. Beginning with Revelation chapter 13, Jesus clarifies to the believers what must transpire before He returns as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus reassures the believers that He is coming soon; however, it will not be during the rule by the sixth kingdom, Rome, but during the seventh kingdom on the earth. Accordingly, Jesus provides clear information concerning the formation of the seventh human kingdom on the earth. He also described the events that will precede His return to the earth as King of kings. Jesus informs the yielded believers concerning the final destruction of evil and all associated with it. The two beasts depicted in chapter 13 of Revelation function as one system, as one beast, the seventh kingdom that serves as Satan’s final effort to recover from his losses. As one system, what the beasts, described in Revelation 13, will accomplish on the earth is Satan’s only hope for regaining a home for him and his followers. However, the righteous in Jesus do not have to worry because God is the Only Sovereign owner and the ruler of all creation. Satan is doing his best to lead the believers away from Jesus Christ. However, the yielded believers know they are secure and protected if they obey Jesus’ command to remain in him. John 15:4.

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Jesus in Revelation (44)

jesussimplified.com/blog post published 03-20-2021. Send Questions » [email protected] The mystery of God in the seventh trumpet continued – The benefits we reap. The benefits we reap because of the power of the Cross of Christ are more than we could imagine. Here are a few: – God has restored His image in us. Our sin in the garden of Eden separated us from God, so we lost His image, in which He created us. God is righteous and Holy. We have become sinners by nature, and the two could not dwell together. “But your iniquities have separated you from your God: and your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.” Isaiah 59 2. Through what Jesus accomplished in his body, on the cross at Golgotha, God forever removed our sin from us, which had separated us from Him. He has forever destroyed our sinful spirit, life, and our sin. “I even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25. Now, by the power of the Cross of Christ, we stand in the eyes of God as if though we have not sinned. Isaiah 44:22. By the power of the Cross of Christ, we stand justified and free to approach the throne of God in prayer without fear of death. Romans 5:9; Hebrews 4:16. – God has freed us from sin. The power of the Cross of Christ, the true mystery of God, has freed us from slavery in the kingdom of sin and darkness. God accomplished it by having us die to sin in the body of Jesus Christ on the cross at Golgotha. “Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.” Romans 6:6. The whole of humankind has died in the body of Jesus Christ, on the cross at Golgotha. “For the love of Christ compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.” 2 Corinthians 5:14. What is then the everlasting result? – We now have a new and eternal life. God made our sinful life die in the body of Jesus Christ and, in exchange, gave us the perfect and eternal life of His Son. Therefore, here and now, we have eternal life in Jesus Christ. “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him… Likewise you also, recon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:8 – 9, 11. What God has accomplished for us, in Jesus Christ, will be an active subject for eternity to come. The main subject of preaching and teaching in the first-century Christian Churches was what we are now in Jesus Christ. This subject should also be the central subject of preaching and teaching in Christianity today. Our transformation by the Cross of Christ’s power has infuriated Satan because he could not frustrate God’s plan for humankind. Chapters 13 through 22 of the Revelation describe Satan’s plans after the Cross of Christ and God’s response to them. The beasts of Revelation 13 – read the next blog.

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Jesus in Revelation (43)

jesussimplified.com/blog post published 03-13-2021. Send Questions » [email protected] The Cross of Christ. The Cross of Christ is what He suffered on the cross at Golgotha. He separated from his body his perfect life, spirit, which is the sacrifice for the world’s sin. God then put into the body of Jesus the sinful life of humankind. By abandoning, or forsaking, Jesus on the cross at Golgotha, God destroyed humankind’s sinful life forever. Therefore, the sinful life in the body of Jesus died the second death, with no resurrection. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21. Now, we are righteous in God’s eyes. We are not righteous like Jesus; we are righteous IN Jesus, and in Him only. The spirit, life, of humankind sinned in the garden in Eden, and it had to die forever, as the wages for sin. Such is the righteous requirement by the Moral Law, the foundation of our universe. Sinners could not be helped in becoming righteous. Sinners had to be re-created righteous. God the Creator only could accomplish such a task. Humankind became a sinner by nature, unable to do right. Jeremiah 13:23. If the sinners would speak good words and do good deeds only, their entire life, they would still be a sinner by nature. God and only He can replace the nature of humankind because He is its Creator. Jesus lived a perfect life three- and one-half years while on earth. His perfect new human life is eternal; therefore, it could not die on the cross at Golgotha. The human life that sinned in the garden had to die the second death. A righteous person could not die for the sinners; the sinners had to die. The law does not allow a substitution. “The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.” Ezekiel 18:20. Therefore, the sinful life of humanity died on the cross at Golgotha, as the Law requires. The life that died on the cross at Golgotha did not rise on Sunday morning. Jesus’ perfect new human life, that He set aside, or separated from His body, reentered the body of Jesus on Sunday morning. Now, if we accept Christ as our Savior and trust Him, we have His perfect and eternal life here and now., That is why Jesus can call us His brothers. John 20:17. Because He so selflessly loved the world, The Creator of all willingly became sin on our behalf so He could remove our sin from us and, in exchange, give us the righteous life of Jesus Christ, the representative of new humankind. God so loved the rebellious human race that He came into the world in the likeness of sinful humanity to save it from the guilt and punishment for sin. “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His Son in the likeness of flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh.” Romans 8:3. Therefore, the ‘Mystery of God’, announced by the sixth trumpet, was successfully and fully accomplished in the days of the seventh trumpet’s sounding, as depicted in the book of Revelation. The Mystery of Mysteries is now our reality. Our salvation has been accomplished; it is perfect and is forever. The death of the body still exists; however, that also will be resolved by the blessed hope, the return of Jesus Christ. The benefit we have from the power of the Cross of Christ – read the next blog.

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Jesus in Revelation (42)

jesussimplified.com/blog post published 03-06-2021. Send Questions » [email protected] The temptation of Jesus. “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Mathew 4:1. After Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit led him into the wilderness to be tempted. The encounter with Satan, the devil, was not by chance; Lucifer planned it. However, God planned that Jesus, the Second Adam, be tempted in the same manner as the first Adam. Just as the old humankind’s representative had to make a deliberate, intelligent decision, the new humankind’s representative, Jesus, had to make a deliberate, intelligent decision and choice. Both decisions applied to the whole of humankind. The first decision made the whole of humankind a sinner by nature; the second decision by Jesus justified the whole of a new humankind. Jesus, by his decision in the wilderness, secured the eternity for the New Humankind. He secured the perfect life for all who accept Him. “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” Hebrews 5:8-9. The temptation of Jesus was Satan’s first interaction with Jesus face-to-face. Jesus was tempted in all of the three general categories of sin. 1 John 2:16. The first category of temptation – the lust of the flesh. “The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’” Matthew 4:3. Satan knew that Jesus is the Son of God. However, he also knew that Jesus did not eat for forty days and that He was hungry. In an attempt to sow doubt in Jesus’ mind, Satan said, if you are the Son of God. Satan thought that Jesus would be inclined to satisfy His personal needs. He had the same approach with the Woman in the garden. Satan led the Woman to satisfy her desires; get good food pleasing to her eye, and desire to gain knowledge. Genesis 3:6. The second category of temptation – the pride of life. Satan led Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point. The highest point is a part of the wall the Romans built around the temple area. That part of the wall is still there. Satan said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, he said, throw yourself down.” Satan quoted the verse in the Bible that says, “God will command his angels concerning you…” Satan again attempted to sow a doubt into the mind of Jesus. He also wanted Jesus to engage in a discussion concerning the verse in Psalms 91:11, 12. Satan’s approach worked with the Woman in the garden. Satan quoted God’s command in different order of words but said the same thing. However, the Woman wanted to correct Satan and show him that she knows better what God commanded. She then added a phrase to God’s command. Genesis 3:2, 3. Jesus, however, responded, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Deuteronomy 6:16. The third temptation – the lust of eyes. Satan knew that Jesus came to rescue the world from Satan’s hold, so he led Him to a very high mountain and showed him all the great kingdoms of the world. Here they are. You want these kingdoms to belong to you, “All this I will give you, he said, if you will bow down and worship me.” Mathew 4:9. Satan knew that Jesus came to the world to suffer the cross so that the fallen humankind and this universe are restored to God forever. Satan became the prince of this world, and he tried his best to keep it. To that end, he offered Jesus an option to have the world without suffering the cross. However, Jesus came to this world to save it, not to save himself. Jesus could not have saved himself and save the helpless humanity also. However, because he loved humankind, he chose to experience second death so that humanity lives forever in Him. The Cross of Christ. Read the next blog.