No Truth Left Behind: Rapture and Tribulation Truth

CHAPTER ONE

Laying the Foundation

Introduction

A new millennium has settled in on mankind. Many in the world today understand that the dawning of a "New Age" is not on the horizon but here! The year 2000 has come and gone with rapid speed and a new millennium has not only begun, but is forcing its way into the lives of those on the planet. Only once since the death of Christ has man witnessed the milestone of the beginning of a new millennium. It was of course the year 1000 A.D. There is exceeding deception in the world today on both spiritual and political issues.

It is God's desire that none should perish but that all should come to repentance. Sadly, since man was created, many have not chosen repentance and many have perished. Such has continued throughout history and shall continue to the end! This is my desire; that these volumes will reach many, both in the secular world and the Church of God,

(1) to enlighten them to the lateness of the hour in which we live, (2) to warn them of the things to come, (3) hope, that many will come to repentance, and last but not least, (4) prepare them for the days coming soon!

To those who study these words, that do not know Yahshua/Jesus Christ as their savior, it is my solemn prayer that you would find true enlightenment in him. For you see, in my youth I was turned off to Christianity, even though as a child I attended church regularly. For nearly twelve years as a young adult, I adhered to Buddhism, dabbled in the occult, parapsychology, and eventually became a Scientologist. Only when an acquaintance of mine back in 1980 when I was asked if I would read a book that he had, and after much resistance, did I again search out Christianity for truth.

The book was titled "The Late Great Planet Earth", by author, Hal Lindsey. It became clear to me through reading this book about Biblical Prophecy, that the Bible was truly in a class of its own. Sure, I had read Nostrodamus, Edgar Cayce, Ruth Montgomery, Jess Stearn and many other prophetic works, but never before had one given such prophecies that could be so clearly seen, being fulfilled before my very eyes. Only through divine grace did Yahwah/God show me the deception I had been in for the past twelve years. I repented and started on a journey through his Word that is ongoing to this day and hopefully beyond, if Yahwah/God permits.

I pray that you will find comfort (by becoming a believer in Yahshua/Jesus Christ) and that this book will lead you into the true doctrine of the time of the end that it portrays. I pray Yah will build the truth for you.

My prayer is simple. It is my prayer that you would earnestly search the scriptures, let go of man's doctrines, and allow the Holy Spirit of God/Yah to lead you into all truth. I have no denominational doctrines to defend. I have no denominational statements and beliefs to further. Truth is my only aim. The hour is getting indeed late and it should be of grave concern to you. To Yahwah/God be all the glory! I hope that the scriptural evidence of that which I embark on here is what proves to be the truth. I realize that I don’t have all the truth, and may have some errors in my eschatology still, but hopefully they are minute and would not hinder the thread of the truth I hope to present here about the post tribulation rapture of the church. This volume is about "The Second Coming of Yahshua/Jesus Christ" and his saints. It is my deepest desire that this treatise will help to prepare you for what is about to come to this planet, shortly.

The First Step

This book is for the preparation for the days to come. The fact that you are reading this is the first step in understanding the days of the end times, and the preparation for it. The thirst for knowledge and truth about these events, is that first step. Make no mistake about it. God wants to reveal his truth to you!

Yahshua tells his disciples, "...when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth...and he will show you things to come," John 16:13.

At least one third of the Bible is directly related to the events of the last days. Yah tells Abraham in Genesis 18:17, "Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?"

John says in Revelation 1:1-3, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly (suddenly, swiftly)¹ come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John."

Who bore record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

Blessed is he that breadth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein, for the time is at hand."

Yahshua goes on to tell us, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Revelation 2:29; 3:22

"Surely, the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

The lion hath roared, who will not fear? The Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy." Amos 3:7, 8

But how does one prepare for these days? And how does one prepare to receive the revelations given in God's word? Why should we prepare? When will the revelation of God's Word be revealed? I with all humility, will try to answer those pertinent questions.

Yah's Word has already been written. He has already revealed everything in his written Word about the things to come. Now we must come to understand it. We are told that when we pray for wisdom, pray for understanding also. Wisdom without understanding is profitless. Proverbs. 24:3

Why Prepare For The Tribulation?

In "The Shepherd of Hermas", The First Book of Hermas, which is called his Vision, Hermas saw a vision about the tribulation period.

The vision was about a beast and his overcoming the beast. Let us look at this vision.

"I saw a vision, brethren, twenty days after the former vision; a representation of the tribulation that is at hand..." Vision 4:1

"And the sun shone a little; and behold I saw a great beast, as it were a whale; and fiery locusts came out of its mouth..." Vision 4:8

"Now the beast came on in such a manner, as if it could at once have devoured a city." Vision 4:11

"...but by the power of God, and through his singular mercy, I escaped it.

Thou didst escape it well said she, because thou didst cast thy whole care upon God, and opened thy heart unto him, believing that thou couldest be safe by no other than by his great and honourable name." Vision 4:16-17

"Go therefore, and relate to the elect of God the great things he (God) hath done for thee. And thou shalt say unto them, that this beast is the figure of the trial that is about to come."

"If therefore, ye shall have prepared yourselves, ye may escape it, if your heart be pure and without spot; and if ye shall serve God all the rest of your days without complaint.

Cast all your cares upon the Lord, and he will direct them. Believe in God, ye doubtful, because he can do all things; he can both turn away his wrath from you, and send you help and security.

Woe to the doubtful, to those who shall hear these words and shall despise them; it had been better for them that they had not been born." Vision 4:19-22

"Wherefore do not thou cease to speak these things in the ears of the saints. Here ye have the figure of the great tribulation that is about to come; which if you please shall be nothing to you." Vision 4:28

So here we have a vision of the great tribulation; and that if you prepare yourselves, you may escape it, and it will be nothing to you. You can be safe if you cast your care upon the Lord, and trust him and if your heart is pure and without spot. He will send you help and security.

One who is not prepared for what is to come upon the earth during these end of the last days, are punished. "A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished. " Proverbs. 22:3

"And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men and every bondsman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us , and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb." Revelation 6:15, 16

"Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness; it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger." Zephaniah 2:3

Forewarned is forearmed. Just as in all of the Old Testament prophecies given by the Old Testament prophets were the forewarning of future events that were to come. They were a call to repentance. Forewarned with the foreknowledge of what would be the result of Yah's people's disobedience to his voice, his laws, and his commandments. The choice of blessings or cursings are a result of our obedience or disobedience. This same message is for the church and mankind. Listen to the voice of the Lord and those who repeat it!

Robert Van Kampen, in his book, "The Sign", expanded edition, has some wonderful insights concerning these end times, and although I disagree with some of his conclusions, these insights of his should not be discarded.

Concerning the why's of preparing, I wish to quote from him. "How much more, then, will His holiness demand chastisement of unspiritual and disobedient Christians (part of the spiritual line of Abraham) who have so much more light through His completed Word and so much capacity for righteousness by the power of His indwelling Spirit? The Bible is fearfully clear that all impurities in the church will be purged (I Peter 4:12, 13, 17, 18), in order that every believer might be presented to the divine Bridegroom 'as a pure virgin' (2 Corinthians 11:2), 'blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ' (I Corinthians 1:8)."¹

Continuing with Mr. Van Kampen, "...God's promises have always been to the faithful remnant who truly believe in Him, and that only that remnant will be prepared, by His gracious power, to face and toovercome the end-time challenges and afflictions portrayed in the following pages (the pages of his book). Each reader must evaluate and decide for himself."²

"...Contrary to what many may believe or have been taught, what we believe about end-times is critical - if not for our own well being, then certainly for the well being of our children or their children!."³

"...Christians who experience any part of the events occurring during the (seventieth week) ⁴ from the relatively mild shudderings of the initial 'birth pangs' to the unmerciful atrocities of the Great Tribulation by the Antichrist - will need to know the full truth of those times if they are to remain faithful to their Lord and confident in His Word."⁵

"But there is no reason to be unprepared. "...the degree to which Christians will be persecuted by Antichrist and his ungodly forces in the last days (especially during the Great tribulation) will be directly dependent on the degree to which we are spiritually prepared."⁶

In the first three chapters of Revelation, Yahshua/Jesus makes some dire warnings to those in the church during the end of time before he returns.

The footnote in my Bible says it this way:

Chapters 2, 3 These chapters contain letters to the seven churches. These were local churches in Asia Minor, but they were each representatives of a particular age in church history. Therefore, in a very marvelous way, the Lord takes churches currently existing at that time and compares their behavior and their circumstances with certain epochs, which were yet to appear in church history. Throughout the Book of Revelation, the Lord wants to make clear that He is writing the history of the future.

Look now at what Yahshua says to the people of the church at Smyrna, "Fear none of those things which thou shall suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation ten days; be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." Revelation 2:10

To the angel of the church in Pergamos, He says, "Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth." Revelation 2:16

To the people at the church in Thyatira, He says, "And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; 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 of their deeds.

And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he, which searcheth the reins and hearts; and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as may as have not this doctrine (the doctrine of Jezebel that some were practicing mentioned in Revelation 2:20) and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak, I will put upon you none other burden.

But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.

And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations;

And he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers; even as I received my Father." Revelation 2:21-27

Yes the consequences of sin and those during the end of the last days committing such, result in their being cast into great tribulation, but those who walk in the Spirit, putting down the sins of the flesh, no other burden shall be put on them during great tribulation. They shall rule during that time over the nations.

And to the church at Sardis, He said He has not found their works perfect, to hold fast and repent, and, "If therefore thou shall not watch, I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy." Revelation 3:3, 4.

Now, to the church at Laodicea, Jesus speaks:

"So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.

I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, 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. Revelation 3:15b-19.

Yahshua wants us to make him our Lord as well as our Savior, They go hand in hand. As a show of His love, He will rebuke and chasten His own as prudent parents should rebuke and chasten their own children, if they really love them. For their own good!! Yahshua will have those He loves tried in fire until nothing but pure gold is the result, so they might be clothed with white raiment in the end. However, it is much better we do it ourselves with the power of the Holy Spirit, before the time comes that we will be tried!!

And now finally to the words that Yahshua spoke to the church of Philadelphia. "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Behold, I come quickly; hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." Revelation 3:10, 11.

To Escape Or Nor To Escape

During the time of the tribulation spoken of in The Book of Revelation, which is the last seven years of existence as we know it today with sin, evil, and righteousness existing together in the earth along with man’s evil governments, many men including the Antichrist, shall try to take your crown of everlasting life.

Yahshua says he will keep thee (those that have kept His word and hast not denied his name Revelation 3:8) from the hour of temptation. One does not have to be removed from the earth, or raptured for Yahshua to keep them from the hour of temptation. Those that have prepared themselves shall be kept from that hour. That hour that shall be like no other time in history. I also believe that you can conclude that one hour equals seven years during this time period.

Yahshua also gives some pertinent advice to us in Luke 21:36, "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."

Watch for what and escape what things?, you might ask.

Does escape mean to be raptured? First, let us look at what Yahshua/Jesus says about this question, then we shall look at the other questions.

"I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." John 17:14, 15

Yahshuwah/Jesus does not want Yahwah/God to take us out of the world during this time, but instead he wants to keep us from the evil while we are on the earth. He wants to keep us from the evil beasts spoken of in Revelation 13:4, 5, that has power for 3-1/2 years!

"And they worshipped the dragon which gave power to the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months." (3-1/2 years) Revelation 13:4, 5.

Yahshua has much to do for his saints during the last 3-1/2 years and much for his saints to do as well. Those that have an ear to hear the prophets and trust in his word.

"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Sanctify (consecrate) them through thy truth; thy word is truth.

As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word" John 17:16-20

Yah wants to protect them, keep them from the evil, so that others might believe on Yahshua through their words; and not to take them out of the world!

Now, what does Yahshua want us to watch for, and pray always that we may be accounted worthy to escape?

"And great earthquakes shall be in diverse places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven." Luke 12:11

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring" Luke 21:25

"Men's hearts failing them for fear; and looking after those things which are coming on the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." Luke 21:26

"For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be." Mark 13:19

"For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled." Luke 21:22

"So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the Kingdom of God is neigh at hand”. Luke 21:31

Verily, I say unto you, This generation (THE ONE THAT SEES THESE THINGS COME TO PASS) shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Luke 21:32

"For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" Revelation 6:17.

Yah reveals to us in his word those who will be able to stand and how!

Instead of trying to put in my words what the scripture teaches about this question, I'll just quote the scripture.

"...but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart." Ephesians. 6:6

Just having knowledge about the days of the end is not enough. It is only the beginning! You must be able to do the "will of Yah" from your heart in order to stand.

"If therefore, ye shall have prepared yourselves, ye may escape it; if your heart be pure and without spot, and if ye shall serve God all the rest of your days without complaint". Vision 4:20

"And that servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes (lashes)." Luke 12:47

"But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." Luke 12:48

In order to stand and serve Yah by doing his will during this horrible time, the preparation must be done in advance, which means prior to the beginning of this 3-1/2 year period known as the Great Tribulation. Those that have not prepared themselves will be beaten with many stripes. Those that knew their Lord's will, "that they should be without spot and their heart pure", (which is the preparation) and did not prepare themselves, will suffer and be beaten with many stripes, from their persecutors.

Those that did things worthy to be beaten, but did not know the Lord's will, shall also be beaten, but with few stripes, not many.

But those that have prepared themselves by their hearts being pure and without spot, they shall escape those things coming upon the earth, not by being removed from earth, but by being able to do Yah's will during this time of great tribulation.

Just as our Lord Yahshua, himself, warned those that are alive when the tribulation begins and that are exhibiting the characteristics of five of the seven churches in Asia depicted in Revelation Chapters 2 through 3, they would be cast into tribulation suffering the effects brought forth by it (Revelation 2:22). Some would have tribulation ten days for their sins, (Revelation 2:10), others would be removed (Revelation 2:5), fought against (Revelation 2:16), others Yahshua will come upon them as a thief.

These are monumental truths, that we had better pay heed to. And a warning not to be lightly dismissed!

CHAPTER TWO

Be Prepared

Introduction

Beginning in Ephesians 6:10, we see that we must put on the Whole Amour of Yahwah and that our feet must shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Without knowing what the truth (gospel) of peace is, you can't shod your feet. You will certainly fall!!

The brethren that put on the whole armor of Yah before the battle, not during it, shall stand, they shall be prepared.

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil days and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.

For which I am and ambassador in bonds; that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." Ephesians. 6:10-20.

Yahshua echoes the last two verses above in Mark 13:11, "But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand and what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate; but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye; for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost."

These last two verses answer the question as to why we should stand. We must stand so that we can boldly make known the mystery of the gospel unto others who do not know it.

We must stand having our loins girt about with truth. We must have and know the truth concerning the end of the last days. Without truth, we shall be lead away with every wind of doctrine; the doctrines of man and the doctrines of devils. I Timothy 4:1

Many false Christ’s will appear during the time that is coming soon. The gospel of the kingdom will be preached and disciples made in all nations. Yahshua promises this in Matthew. Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Then, after Yahshua rose from the dead, he came and spoke to his disciples.

"All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach (make disciples) all nations..." Matthew 28:18, 19.

"...true salvation is not in itself a protection against false doctrine. The believer who is not regularly in Yah's Word and who is continually seeking the guidance and strength of Yah's Spirit is easy prey for those who teach falsehood under the guise of Christianity."¹

Yahshua does not want our families to be broken up. We owe it to our children and our relatives to know the truth about Christ's second coming. Yahshua in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:36-44), gave some signs to look for. He likens the time to the time of Noah, and he then mentions the two in the field, one being taken and the other left. Then he says, "But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered (allowed²) his house to be broken up." Matthew 24:43.

Yah chooses to warn us of this impending doom so that our household will not be broken up and dispersed.

Yahshua tells us in Luke 12:35 "Let your loins be girded about and your lights burning." We learned in a few paragraphs earlier, what our loins should be girded with - Truth!

Gospel of the Kingdom

Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."

I would like to take this time to express my deeply held belief that there is more than just preaching the gospel that must happen before the end shall come. It is the gospel of the kingdom which he explains in the verses before this one as to what must be preached before the end.

Putting it boldly, the post tribulation rapture must be preached in all the world, and then the end will come!! This doesn’t mean that all will believe the message, but that it simply must be preached first.

And since almost no one is preaching that gospel, then the end cannot come yet.

In the verse preceding verse 14 above says, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Yahshua didn’t say that those who believed until the pre-tribulation rapture happened would be saved, but those who endured unto the end, which he goes on to explain in the following verses that the end includes the abomination of desolation (when Satan, not the Antichrist stands up in Jerusalem), and that no flesh would be saved unless he shortened the days for the elect’s sake, and then in verse 29, he says that immediately after the tribulation of those days, he will appear in the clouds of heaven and gather together his elect from the four winds!

Getting this message out is the reason for this book!!!

We as good stewards of the Word must preach that you must endure until the end, and not put your hope in some false pre-tribulation rapture that 99 percent of Christendom that believes in a rapture now believes.

We must not cower to the false teachers who teach the false doctrine concerning the rapture!

Truth about Prophecy Equals Preparedness

The truth about Bible prophecy concerning these times must be preached. Yahshua warned us in Matthew 24 about false christs and prophets, (see Matthew 24:4, 5; 24:11).

I can think of nothing that is more powerful than a truth when it's time has finally come (revealed).

Concerning this, I wish to use some quotes from "How To Recognize The Antichrist", by Arthur E. Bloomfield² (in bold)

..."A worldwide sweep of Christianity and an unveiling of the prophetic Scriptures. There is nothing in the world more powerful than a truth when its time has come. God told Daniel that his predictions would be sealed up (as far as their influence is concerned) until the time of the end; that is, until their time had come. Then many would run to and fro (preach and teach), and knowledge would be increased.

The Bible is full of truth that in the past, have had little influence on the world. They have been for the most part disregarded by the church, but they are there for a purpose, and when their time has come, they will make a tremendous impact on the world. God has put in His Word a powerful punch for what the Bible calls "the time of the end". Satan will react by producing a host of false christs and false teachers. In Jesus' answer to the disciples, He puts this first, which might indicate that it is one of the first signs to look for.

The deceivers will preach prophecy. There have always been deceivers preaching Christ and His coming again. There have
always been wars and rumors of wars; these would not be signs unless there was something unusual about them, something that is different from anything that has happened before.

The unusual thing is that there will be many of them. False teachers and false religions will suddenly begin to multiply. They will pull so many people away from the church that the situation will really become serious.

There is a reason for this. The reason may be found in the clue, the time draweth near. Satan reads the signs; he knows what to preach to get the people. The last days of this age will be tremendous. The world will be changing fast. Everybody will realize that Bible prophecy is being fulfilled. If under those circumstances the churches cannot supply the information so much in demand, others will."

"...The churches are not ready for what is coming on the world. They know a little area of truth which they repeat over and over again. There is a little circle of knowledge containing a few basic truths and a few Bible stories which are monotonously repeated year after year to the exclusion of all the rest of the Bible. It is the part of the Bible that has been left out of our thinking that is important today.

This is a large amount to leave out of our consideration, but when this part becomes vital because of world conditions, its omission creates a vacuum and false teachers rush in. The most troublesome and fastest-growing false religions make much of prophecy; in fact, that is their strength. Most of the prophetic subjects and terms have been appropriated by them so that their very mention connects with some false religions. (Jehovah-Witnesses ³)

Jesus continually used the term "kingdom of heaven". The gospel was first called the gospel of the kingdom. (Matthew 24:14) The disciples went everywhere preaching the kingdom. It is the only subject on which Jesus taught systematically. In the churches, it is now a forgotten subject not taught, not understood, seldom, if ever, mentioned.

The kingdom is the chief subject of the teaching of one of the biggest false religions. Any mention of the kingdom instantly connects with that movement. When the church ceased to preach so vital a truth as the kingdom, false teachers took it up."

"Perfect conditions for the rise of any number of false teachers will be with us when prophecy begins to be fulfilled on the grand scale that is indicated for the end of the age."

"If the churches had prepared for this by having a good working knowledge of the prophetic Scriptures - the part that has been left out through the years - they could reap a harvest of souls. There is no miracle in the Bible more sensational than prophecy when it is being fulfilled."

"Prophecy has always been more or less a racket. The theme of such false teachers is "The time draweth near."

When a religious movement claims to be the only true church, setting itself apart from all regular churches and claiming to be the sole custodian of truth, that church is false because it is not one of the seven churches. Its history will not fit the revealed history of the church. (Revelation 1 - 3)

Jesus said that where God sows good seed, Satan sows tares. Thus you can tell a true church by the tares. False religions have no "false teachers" within them. They have no trouble with apostasy, for everybody conforms and nobody has any other ideas than those taught by the church.

It is possible to recognize a true church by its shortcomings because in Revelation, we have a prophecy of those shortcomings. The Laodicean Church is not a church whose members are all apostate, but one whose leaders are apostate."

"The strength of false religions results from the failure of the church to teach the whole Bible. Church people are not ready for the events of the end of this age. Yet when these events come suddenly upon us, we will not have time to instruct our own people. False teachers will have a field day and will deceive many."

It is with this in mind that this treatise is written. I can remember when, after I read Hal Lindsey's "Late Great Planet Earth", how I became zealous for knowledge about prophecy and the end of the age. There wasn't much knowledge taught at the church I began to attend, so I went to a local Bible College in Denver, Colorado. Meanwhile, false teachers outside were ready to fill that vacuum and have even to this day, but praise God, we have the Holy Spirit to lead us into the truth. It may be a hard and long road, but he is there with us!

Mr. Bloomfield continues:

"When Jesus said, "Take heed that no man deceive you", he was speaking not to the world but to His own - to the church. We expect the world to be deceived but churches are also in danger. It is in the churches that deceivers get their victims. The way to combat this danger is to instruct the people. People who know are not deceived. God said, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" Hosea. 4:6.

"Satan is interested in religion; he wants to be worshipped. Satan intends to be, in fact, the god of this world. He has principalities and powers in heavenly places."

"The times that Jesus was talking about are not normal times. We are not dealing with business as usual. The powers of the heavens will be shaken. Perhaps we should look for a very literal fulfillment of this prophecy."

"The only defense against false teaching is truth, but truth is a preventative, not always a cure."

I would, at this point, disagree. The truth shall set your free. However, it is most difficult to get ones who have false doctrines to let go of them for many reasons, as Arthur further states. The many denominations and differences about doctrines of every type within the church for centuries would prove this true. However, one day, we will come into the unity of the faith, Ephesians. 4:11-16. This also will be discussed in detail in the 6th Seal.

"...Our experience with present-day false religions would lead us to the conclusion that false doctrine is like a disease germ; it sets up a mental block to truth. A person once infected is very difficult to reach..."

"Jesus warned, "Go ye not therefore after them." This warning would lead us to expect that many will go after them; following false religions, in fact, will be the trend."

I think we should pay heed to the wonderful insights into these truths by Arthur E. Bloomfield in his book written in 1975.

How And When To Prepare

Many people have written many books about the subject matter in these four volumes. Many are doctrines of men and many are doctrines of devils. Nonetheless, Christian libraries are full of books on the subject of the end of time with commentaries concerning doctrines that have sprung forth and hundreds of years of history attest to it.

Many are proud of their works and their teachings on the subject and many for greedy gain. Their search is not for truth but to uphold their false doctrines which they have been taught by other false teachers.

From the Amplified Bible. I Timothy 6:3-5, "But if any one teaches otherwise and does not assent to the sound and wholesome messages of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and the teaching which is in agreement with godliness - piety toward God -

He is puffed up with pride and stupefied with conceit, (although he is) woefully ignorant. He has a morbid fondness for controversy and disputes and strife about words, which result in (producing) envy and jealousy, quarrels and dissension, abuse and insults and slander, and base suspicions.

And protracted wrangling and wearing discussion and perpetual friction among men who are corrupted in mind and bereft of the truth, who imagine that godliness or righteousness is a source of profit - a money-making business, a means of livelihood. From such withdraw."

One must, through much prayer, ask the Holy Spirit to search one's heart and bring to mind any sin that so easily besets him. We must allow him to search our hearts to reveal any ungodly acts to us that we might be unaware of. Soul searching for motives, that any impure and ungodly motive would be revealed to oneself by the Holy Spirit, followed by repentance should always be done. Without repentance, there is no salvation. The spirit cannot be saved without repentance, neither can the soul (the seat of the mind).

"The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left undisciplined brings his mother to shame.

When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases, but the (uncompromisingly) righteous shall see the fall of the wicked.

Correct your son, and he will give you rest; yes he will give delight to your heart.

Where there is no vision (no redemptive revelations of God) the people perish; but he who keeps the law (of God), which includes that of man, blessed, happy, fortunate (and enviable) is he. Proverbs. 29:15-18 Amplified.

Without redemptive revelations from Yah, we, his people will perish.

Search the motives of the heart, repent and receive the truth of his Word, his prophecy and his revelations of the time of the end.

When will the understanding of Yah's Revelation in His Word be revealed?

Previously, we have discussed what has to take place within oneself to receive revelation from God. Now we will discuss the time to prepare.

The Time is Now!

" Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will show you things to come.

He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and show it unto you.

All things that the Father hath are mine; therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you. John 16:13-15

Well, the Holy Spirit did come as attested to in the Book of Acts, and Yahshua kept his word and gave it to John the revelator. (Revelations)

"And he saith to me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book; for the time is at hand." Revelation 22:10

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace Ephesians. 6:15

"And having shod your feet in preparation (to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness and the readiness produced by the good news) of the Gospel of peace." Ephesians. 6:15 Amplified

With the truth of the knowledge of the time of the end we can shod our feet by preparedness and can run with it. During the time of Habakkuk, there were no telephones, faxes, computers, newspapers or TV's. One had to run with a message. Daniel said, many will run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased. Running doesn't increase knowledge. Those who run must have a message. They must teach.

Hab. 2:2, 3, "And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readth it

For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie; though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry."

Habakkuk has written the vision and it is in Yah's Word, the Holy Bible, and during the appointed time (at the end) it shall speak and he that understands it will run with it.

Daniel saw this time when prophecy would be revealed and spoke of it.

The King James translation is as follows, "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." Daniel 12:4.

"But you, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end. (Then) many shall run to and fro and search anxiously (through the Book) and knowledge (of God's purpose as revealed by His prophets) shall be increased and become great. Daniel 12:4 Amplified.

As you can see, the Amplified Version is much clearer, but it still takes nothing away from the King James Version.

Many teach that this scripture tells of the increase of knowledge and the ability of people to travel (running to and fro). People have always ran to and fro and knowledge is always being increased. Nothing new at the time of the end. Yes, we have computers and jets where travel and knowledge has greatly increased. This is a true statement, but it has nothing to do with this verse in its fullest sense.

At the time of the end, knowledge about these prophetic scriptures will be increased as the book of Daniel is no longer sealed or kept from our understanding. Even though the words about the time of the end have been read and studied and stared at for centuries, the understanding of the wisdom contained in them have been hidden from us by Yah, until the time of the end and when they are pertinent to those that are alive at that time. The Holy Spirit of Yah shall, at that time in the future when the time of the end begins, open the seal and teach us and give us the understanding. The knowledge of this book of Daniel shall be increased and those that have sought the Holy Spirit and opened their hearts and minds to his teachings, shall be taught. And they WILL run to and fro telling and informing others of the increased knowledge of these scriptures. And as concerning this book of Daniel, I believe it is being opened now, as some already have had their knowledge increased concerning the events in this book.

The time is now, the hour is late.

Let's sensibly prepare for the things about to come upon the earth.

I believe many Biblical scriptures you have read and read, studied and studied, been taught and taught, will take on new meanings and truth as you begin in this volume and hopefully continue through the other three. To the truths of many things other books have opened my eyes, but much of these volumes you are reading came by the Spirit of Truth as I began to study and write. He is truly the teacher. Nothing contained in these volumes are new, for they have always been there, I just didn't see them. These volumes were written as much for me as anyone and to my Lord, I give much thanks. I hope that the refreshing that came to my spirit and soul while writing them, will likewise come to you. As we lift up the name of Yahshua/Jesus and his true words, it surely will.

False Interpretations Lead to Confusion

Remember, these volumes are written for the "preparation" of coming events. Listen to what Peter has to say in the Book of II Peter. Without getting into a whole dissertation of II Peter at this time, suffice it to say Peter is talking about the days leading up to and including the Day of the Lord.

"As also in all his epistles (Paul's) speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction.

Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. II Pet. 3:16, 17.

Christians who do not understand the truth about the Day of the Lord, and the days immediately preceding the Day of the Lord, (things hard to be understood) also have a problem understanding other scriptures unto their own destruction, and fall from their own steadfastness.

A clear understanding of these events, a forewarning will enable you to stand and not fall. You will be learned about these things and other scripture will fall into place as a result as well.

Now be praise unto God, "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy." Jude 24.

Notice, he did not say he will, but that he is able. He is able if we are willing.

"That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word.

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Ephesians. 5:26, 27.

The word blemish is without fault. We must make ourselves, individually, as part of the collective church, his bride, ready for the marriage of the Lamb. He demands and will settle for no less! There will be more on this throughout the entire book.

Does anyone have any doubt that in the current everyday life of one's existence in this world, that we have many occasions to fall?

Jesus says, "And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word and it becomes unfruitful." Mark 4:19.

The word will not produce fruit. The washing of the water of the word will not take place and Yahshua will not present us before him without fault. And it is not necessary that we become completely sinless, but continue to strive to be conformed unto his image. We are clothed in his righteousness, not our own. However our spirits are without sin that is the real us. Read Chapter Three of 1^st John.

"I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you young men, because ye are strong, and the Word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one." I John 3:14.

If we are the generation that is alive when that wicked one, the Devil, Satan, is revealed on the earth, all that is described during this period (horror beyond belief), then we must be prepared for the onslaught of destruction, persecution and tribulation of those days which will make the everyday life of today look like a Sunday afternoon picnic in the park.

There can also be wrong motives for not knowing truth about the days of the end. One might say, "Oh, since I am a Christian, I will not be here during that time, if I am alive, I will be raptured (I will have escaped) before this, to be with the Lord!"

If this is true, then you will have nothing to fear in that day. Also, If you die before that day, you will have nothing to fear. Let's look at both of these statements.

First of all, what if your theology concerning this is in error? If you are correct in your pre-tribulation rapture assumptions, then you will obviously have a pleasant surprise. If you are, however, wrong in your pre-tribulation rapture assertions, well then that is a different matter indeed. I will suggest, unfortunately, that you will not be prepared for what is then about to take place on earth and it could prove to be disastrous for you! Your rewards in Eternity or even where you may spend Eternity, will be at stake! Make no mistake! Fortunately, adhering to this admonition will not cause you to fall. Quite the contrary. One is much better off to be prepared for the worst! (post tribulation rapture/resurrection)

Now on to the second statement. "I'll not be alive by then, that's way in the future, possibly even generations to come". How selfish are those thoughts? That's all that needs to be said about that perverted feeling.

CHAPTER FIVE

The Woman In The Wilderness

Introduction

Chapter Twelve of the Book of Revelation can be quite confusing. I don't purport to have all the answers to all the questions asked of this Chapter, however, I hope I can shed some light upon some of the questions you might have and possibly clear up some of the misunderstandings concerning it.

Who is this woman spoken of here? Does she represent the nation of Israel, the Jews, or the church? Volumes have been written hoping to answer these questions, and differences of opinion abound. Of these differences of opinions, only one can be right. I believe the truth to the answer of the question, "Who Does the Woman Represent?", can be found contained in the chapter itself, upon thorough investigation. I also believe the answer to this question is far more important than simply finding the truth of it. For the knowledge of the truth shall set you free, indeed. As with all the rest of the unanswered questions one might have concerning Scripture, when they are uncovered, the whole picture becomes much clearer. I'm not the only one that perhaps that arrives at a similar conclusion, concerning the woman mentioned in Revelation 12:1 ¹.

The entire understanding of Chapter 12 of Revelation cannot possibly be achieved without first of all, realizing to whom this woman represents. Clear this matter up, and the rest will fall into place without any contradictions.

Just as a child is not formed when it is born, neither is the man-child spoken of in Revelation Chapter 12. The child is formed in the womb first, then born into the world.

There will come a day when from within the prayers of the church in heaven and in the earth there shall be a birth. A birth of the man-child. Yah promises us, in his word, that this day will come. Just as this child grows and forms in the womb, of travail, it will one day be birthed in the earth.

The Woman in Heaven

"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered." Revelation 12: 1, 2

I believe the problem of understanding to whom this woman represents, and to whom the child she gives birth to, arises when we don't pay close attention to the text at hand, but allow our knowledge of other's doctrines concerning it, to enter in and choke the clear truth.

Misunderstanding first enters in here when "we think this woman represents someone or a group of persons on Earth, that gives birth to someone else or another group of people on earth."

The first verse above sets the stage for the rest of this chapter, "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven..." This wonder is in heaven, not on Earth! Then the verse continues "...in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet and upon her head a crown of twelve stars."

This woman (in heaven) is clothed with the sun. All Christians should know that they are clothed in the righteousness of Yahshua/Jesus Christ, and not clothed in their own righteousness. Malachi describes Yahshua as the Sun of righteousness.

"But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the staff." Malachi 4:2

Who is this woman in heaven? It is the church in heaven. Those Christians that believed in the Lord Yahshua who have died and gone on to be with their Lord in heaven. They are clothed with the Sun, and the moon is under their feet. Is it under yours? No! The earth is under our feet. And a crown of twelve stars are upon their heads. I believe this represents the "twelve apostles".

Any bible student knows that the word "star" can and does in many cases represent "angels" or messengers. I believe that the "twelve apostles" were certainly messengers of the gospel of Yahshua. Don't you? Are there only twelve stars in heaven? No! There are billions. The twelve apostles are in heaven.

Also, we know that believers (the true Church) are called the "bride of Christ" and that Yahshua is the husband of that bride. The wedding has not yet taken place, but that does not take away the fact that we are called his bride. Then that being the case, are those that have died and left this earth to be with Yahshua in heaven, his bride? Of course they are! Are we that yet live on the earth that believe in him, his bride? Of course we are! Is a bride a woman? Of course it is. "So what is your point, you might ask."

The point is that the woman which represents the "bride of Christ" consists of two groups; those that are in heaven, and those that Yahshua will return for, -"a glorious bride, a glorious church without spot nor wrinkle, nor blemish, one holy or set apart for his use- that are on the Earth". The Woman (The Bride of Christ) is in heaven and on the Earth.

"Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

That in the dispensation of the fullness of times ¹ he might gather
together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; in him." Ephesians. 1:9, 10

Yahshua will gather together his bride. The woman (his bride) in heaven, and the woman (his bride) on earth, at the dispensation of the fullness of times (Ephesians. 1:10) when there shall be time no longer (Revelation 10:6), the mystery of God's will [both Revelation 10:6 and Ephesians. 1:9 above] should be finished as he declared to his servants the prophets (there being John in Revelation 10:7 and Paul in Ephesians. 1:9, 10).

Yes, my friend, there are two women. One woman is his bride in heaven, and the other woman he will return for, gathering together both in one all things in Him. Then the "marriage of the Lamb will be complete". His bride shall be gathered together as one, and he shall be joined together with it at the "marriage of the Lamb".

But for now, only the woman in heaven exists! Part of his bride is in heaven at the moment, and this woman is travailing to give birth, to the woman in the earth and Revelation 12 speaks of this birth. When and who is revealed?

"And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered." Revelation 12:2

"And she (the woman in heaven ²) brought forth a man-child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne." Revelation 12:5

The prophet and apostle Paul knows of this travail and what it consists of. "My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you." Galatians 4:19

Paul is not saying that he is physically pregnant. Neither is the woman in heaven physically pregnant, to give birth to Christians and send them to earth.

The woman (the saints in heaven, to which Paul is now one) are praying and "spiritually travailing in birth" that Christ be formed in those Christians in the earth.

When you became a child of Yah by accepting Yahshua as your Lord and Savior, Christ is not formed in you. It is a process by which you put off the old man and his sinful desires, and walk in the newness of life, as you allow the Holy Spirit to form Christ in you (your mind will and emotions), until you walk in his fullness. Many do not achieve this, but nevertheless, upon death, heaven awaits them. You are his, Yahshua’s bride with him in heaven, awaiting the marriage at the appointed time.

But as we shall see, Yahshua will return in the heavens with his saints (heavenly bride) to catch up his earthly saints (earthly bride), that must be without sin (any spot, wrinkle, or blemish). Is this possible to be without sin? Many would teach that it is impossible and have made the apostle Paul a liar!¹

Enter the Dragon in Heaven

In verse 1 and 2 of Revelation 12, we saw the woman in heaven who was travailing in pain to be delivered of this child.

Now in verse 3, we see another wonder and it is also in heaven.

"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.

And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born." Revelation 12: 1-3

There are several things to note here in these two scripture verses. First of all, as we have noted this wonder is in heaven. The dragon is also seen in heaven, not in the earth.

Secondly, the tail of the dragon, who is Satan, and we know this because verse 9 divulges him as such, draws the third part of the stars of heaven and casts them to the earth. Again, these are not physical stars, but Satan's angelic host, his messengers, the demons, or more correctly, fallen angels that follow him. Satan sends all angels which one third belong to him to the earth and they are messengers of a "false or another gospel".

Please note that these fallen angels (stars or messengers of Satan) are drawn to the earth and not into the earth. There is a difference. Let's say a house has a door to it. Someone can go to the door of the house. They have not gone in the house. But if someone goes into the door, they have entered the house. These stars or messengers of Satan have been drawn by Satan to the earth, not into it. That comes later. They are at this point still in the heavens, or outside earth.

Thirdly, these fallen angels along with the dragon or Satan, are standing before the woman who is in heaven, to devour her child as soon as it was born. What I want you to see here, is the word before and understand its meaning here. It is critical to a clear understanding of the woman. I, for many years, believed that the dragon was standing over (before) the woman ready to devour her child when she delivered it. In the natural, one would assume this, and could picture this in their mind.

But the truth of the matter is that the word before⁽¹⁷⁹⁹⁾ in the original Greek means - in the face of; before, in the presence (sight) of..

Satan is not looking or standing over the woman to devour her child, but he is in the sight, in the face of the woman. The woman, remember, is in heaven where God is. She is looking down at Satan and his demons who are at the earth. They are before her face. She can see them from her vantage point. They are between her and the earth, to where the other woman (child) will be born.

But what other woman, may be your response? The other woman disclosed in verse 6. We'll get to her in a moment. Just bear with me.

The child is to be born in the earth, not in heaven. All of those in heaven, including Paul, as well as saints in the earth, are praying and travailing that Christ be formed in those believers in the earth. Satan and his demons have come to the earth to devour the child, and they are before or in the sight of the woman (the bride) in heaven. I hope you can now visualize this. Now, let's move to the next verse.

The Woman in the Earth

"And she (the bride of Christ in heaven ¹) brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days (1,260 days or 42 months or 3-1/2 years²)." Revelation 12:5, 6

The man-child is born. Many translations render this the male child. Also many believe this verse is speaking about Yahshua, because he was a male child and he was caught up into heaven. This is true of Yahshua, but these verses are not speaking of him in that regard. We'll refute all that in the next chapter, but what I want you to clearly see right now, is the woman that fled into the wilderness.

The woman that fled into the wilderness is the man or male child. It is not the woman in heaven that through travailing gave birth. This fundamental truth must be realized in order to understand the rest of the chapter as well as all of the Book of Revelation. A bold and gargantuan statement, but nonetheless true.

Why would the woman in heaven, flee into the wilderness, where Yah would feed her for 3 ½ years. She is already in heaven, and I don't believe there is a wilderness there. Neither do I believe she hath need of a particular place that Yah can feed her, and why for only 3 ½ years? Furthermore, in verse 14, this same woman is hid from the face of the serpent, Satan. The woman in heaven, Yah's bride, need not be hid from the face of the serpent, she already is. Satan can't harm those with Yah that are in heaven.

The truth of who this woman is that fled into the wilderness, should be obvious now. As stated, she is not the woman in heaven. She is the woman that was birthed, that "bride of Christ" in the earth that he will return for that is without spot, or blemish or any such thing; perfect, mature and set apart (sanctified) holy for his use for 3 ½ years. The "bride of Christ on earth" is the woman born as the man-child. Wherever the woman is mentioned beginning in verse 6 through the rest of chapter twelve, is referring to the man-child that was born from the woman in the Earth, not the woman in heaven.

As I mentioned earlier, we now have a woman in heaven (part of his bride) and the woman in the earth (the other part of his bride), this man-child that will be caught up into heaven, and together they are His one and only Bride.

Now to summarize all that has been said so far is needed, I believe.

Just as the apostle Paul travailed, so that Christ would be formed in the Church, and as the Church in heaven (the woman, verse 2, 5) travailed in pain, so too are there many in the Church in the earth travailing in birth that Christ be formed in them. They want to please Yah and do only his will.

Nothing is more important to them, and their actions (works) prove it. They walk in the Spirit and do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. They have allowed Yah to tame their tongues. They will eventually lay down their lives and die for Yahshua in the end.

The birth is within. It is Christ being formed in those that are already his. Through their own travailing, and that of others, Christ is now formed in them, just as Paul prayed and travailed during his day. This forming of Christ in them (the portion of the church on earth that is travailing) constitutes their being this man-child that is birthed. The woman in the earth is synonymous with the man-child.

"And she (the part of the spiritual seed of Abraham; the church ¹) brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron; and her child (the church's seed) was caught up unto God, and to his throne." Revelation 12:5

The part of the church, on earth (is the woman) through its own travail and the travail of others has had the Lord formed in them and this birth is called the birth of the man-child. Not all of the church, unfortunately, will have travailed or experienced the pain it takes to produce the life of Yahshua in them. The world and the lusts thereof are more important to them than doing the will of their Father. Just as Yahshua said who his real mother was, these men and women of faith strove and endeared to be a mother of Christ. A woman that gave birth to the life of Christ. Christ formed in them, that Christ through his body would perform the will of His Father.

"But (Jesus) he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?

And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister and mother." Matthew 12:48-50

Can you see that the Lord teaches that a mother is one that does the will of His Father? Is there any doubt that a mother is a woman? Could this be the mother (woman) that gives birth in Revelation 12:5, that are the ones doing the will of their Father in heaven? Could they be this mother?

I believe the answer is overwhelming, yes.. I believe without a doubt that the woman is the mother who does the Father's will, which is the same as allowing Christ to be formed in you, and when he is formed in you, you will have birthed within yourself, this man-child spoken of in Revelation 12:5, having the life and will of Yahshua the Christ.

Enter The Dragon in The Earth

So what we have so far, is the man-child being born from within the church. This man-child is also the woman or the mother that has allowed Christ to be formed in them. She (the woman) now flees into the wilderness where Yah has prepared a place for her for 3 ½ years (Revelation 12:5, 6).

Also, at this time, there is a war in the heavenlies and the Devil (Satan) is cast into the earth.

"And there was a war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels,

And prevailed not; neither was their place found anymore in heaven.

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out unto the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." Revelation 12:7-9

The Book of Daniel also speaks of this exact time frame, of 3-1/2 years, that the woman (man-child) is safe for 3-1/2 years.

"And at that time shall Michael (the same Michael spoken of in Revelation 12:7) stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time (Jacob's trouble) thy people shall be delivered¹, every one that shall be found written in the book (book of life)". Daniel 12:12

Both Daniel 12:12 and Revelation 12:7-9 speaks of this event in which Michael, the archangel and the Devil and his fallen angels fight in the heavens (outer space) and the Devil and his cohorts are now cast "into the earth". They can now no longer operate in the heavenlies (outer space) but are now confined to the earth only. The next several verses in Daniel 12 go on to tell us how long the duration of time after Satan is thrown into the earth, which shall be 3 ½ years (Daniel 12:7), and Revelation 12:6, 14 identifies 3 ½ years to be the time the woman is kept safe.

Also, Revelation 11:3 similarly identifies the duration of the ministry of the two witnesses as 3 ½ years (1,260 days), as well as the beast given power over the world for 3 ½ years in Revelation 13:5. Is all of this a coincidence? No. The same 3 ½ years spoken in each of these verses depict the one and the same time frame in the affairs of men. Not several 3 ½ year periods, but one, of which all these events depicted are included in that one 3 ½ year period spoken of.

Verses 7-9 of Revelation 12, spoke of the war in heaven and Satan's subsequent casting out of heaven with his angels into the earth. Let's continue with those verses.

"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

And they (the brethren) overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony ¹; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down to you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted (pursued ²) the woman which brought forth the man child." Revelation 12:10-13

We know that before the Devil was cast into the Earth permanently for 3 ½ years, that he operated both in the earth and in the heavens (outer space).

"Now there was a day when the sons of God (referred to as angels in the Old Testament³) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.

And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it." Job 1:6, 7

But now, for the last 3-1/2 years, he and his following angels are cast into the earth and cannot operate in outer space (the heavens) and he has great wrath and begins to pursue the woman (the man-child) which brought forth from within herself the man-child (Revelation 12:13).

Woman Not Israel

Many teach that the woman in Revelation 12 is the nation of Israel or the Jews. I believe their assessment is incorrect for reasons I will state.

First of all, the woman in Revelation 12:1 being with child is described as a "wonder in heaven". The nation of Israel is on earth, not in heaven, nor are Jews unless they believed in our Lord Yahshua, and have died and gone to heaven to be with him. As mentioned early on in this chapter, this woman is the church in heaven.

Secondly in Revelation 12:17, the dragon is wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her (the woman's ¹) seed, which keep the commandments of Yah, and have the testimony of Yahshua.

The remnant of her seed have the testimony of Yahshua. The remnant of her seed are Christians, not the earthly nation of Israel or physical Jews only.

The Bible tells us that any kind produces like kind. Fish produce fish, birds produce birds, man produces man. If the remnant of the woman's seed are Christians then the woman who has seed must be a Christian. Judaism did not produce Christians. Christ did!

Also, Yah is no respecter of persons. If the woman represents Jews that are not Christians, then why would Yah keep them safe from the Devil and not everyone else? The answer is he will not. Yah is only partial to his own. His sons. Christians. Not natural Jews or anyone else. Their lot in the end is the same.

The woman that flees into the wilderness is the "bride of Christ" i.e. the manchild that he will return for immediately preceding Armageddon earlier in the day and then return with them later in the day as he removes the wicked (unbelievers in him as Savior and Lord) from the earth and sets up his kingdom without end, as HE will be the government in the earth.

CHAPTER SIX

The Man-Child

Introduction

In the previous chapter, we discussed the woman in heaven and the woman on the earth, as together making up the "Bride of Christ", the Church.

We also discussed the woman giving birth to the man-child, and that this was the "Bride of Christ" on earth, that Yahshua will return to catch them up "rapture/resurrect them", thus joining them with his "bride in heaven", to which he will marry, "the gathering of them both", his "one" and only bride. Furthermore, we noted that the woman in heaven need not be fed or hid from the dragon, for she is safe in heaven with Yah. What would Satan do with the saints in heaven, "the woman", even if he could get near them? Kill them? No. They have already died and gone to heaven. Would he take them to hell? No! They have eternal life in Yahshua, not eternal death or separation from him! The answer is obvious as already stated. This woman in Revelation 12:6, 14 that has a place prepared for her where she'll be fed for 3 ½ years, and hid from the face of the serpent, the devil, is not the woman in heaven, but the woman on the earth.

In the latter verses of Chapter 12 of Revelation, the dragon goes after and pursues the woman, but cannot harm her so he goes to make war with the "remnant" of her seed who are the worldly Christians.

It stands to reason that the other portion of her seed, not the remnant that Satan attacks, is the man-child. Both are of the spiritual seed of Abraham. One group, the remnant, is attacked by Satan. What about the other group or seed? Where are they? It is interesting to note that after the mentioning of the birth of the man-child in verse 5, the man-child is never again mentioned in the chapter. Why? Because, as already stated, the man-child is the woman on the earth that has allowed Yahshua to be formed in them, and from verse 5, the woman spoken of is the man-child!

Mary Gives Birth to Yahshua/Jesus?

"And she brought forth a man-child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne." Revelation 12:5

Many teach that this verse speaks of Mary, the mother of Yahshua/Jesus, and that she gives birth to him, and he will rule all nations, and he was caught up unto Yah and to his throne. They teach that this verse speaks of a past occurrence, that also it is a fulfillment of Psalms 2:9 and Isaiah 66:7, that it is past history.

The first problem with this theory is "who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron"? Yahshua has not as yet ruled all nations with a rod of iron. It is in the future, when he will return to set up his kingdom to rule for one thousand years. So the theory that this verse speaks of Jesus, leaves us contained within this verse, a statement of past history (Mary gives birth to Yahshua), a future prophetic event (Yahshua rules all nations), and again a past historical fact (Yahshua caught up to God). Why the mixture of past and future when every other verse and statement make within Chapter 12 is about future events? To me, the answer is obvious. This verse does not speak of the birth of Yahshua by Mary, and she is not the woman spoken of here.

Verse 1 begins with future events and the whole of the chapter continues with these future events being foretold. Many would have us to believe that this chapter jumps back and forth from past events to future ones.

One might be well advised to recall Point #1 under my "Key Points to Remember When Studying the Book of Revelation" - (#1) Things that the angel was about to show the apostle John were about the future. FUTURE EVENTS after A.D. 95! (Revelation 4:1) That point alone will clear up many errors of doctrine concerning events mentioned in the Book of Revelation.

As I have noted earlier, Sir Robert Anderson attributes everything in the Book of Revelation as in the future, from the time it was written, as well we should also. However, when the subject matter of Chapter 12 of the Book of Revelation, Sir Robert Anderson becomes confused as he states himself.

"I purposely pass over Chapter 12, because of the exceptional difficulties which attend the interpretation of it. Anything within reasonable regard for the analogies and symbolism of the text seems better than the now too commonly received historical interpretation, with its wild fancies and arbitrary assignments of words and figures" (alford, Greek Test., Revelation 12:15, 16). "The only reasonable interpretation I have seen is that which regards the "man-child", who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, and who "was caught up to God and His throne", as being the Lord Jesus Christ, and the woman is representing that people "of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came" (Romans 9:5)" ¹

But before you jump to conclusions that would warrant complete acceptance of this interpretation with its many difficulties surrounding it, let us continue with Sir Robert Anderson's comments:

"But the objections to this are considerable. ² First, past historical facts are thus introduced into a vision relating to the future. (I have been saying this all along ³) I am not aware of any other instance of this in Scripture. Secondly, the main features of the vision after verse 5 are not accounted for by the facts." ⁴

Furthermore, if Mary is thought to be the woman described here as giving birth in verse 4, is she then the same woman described in the next verse that flees into the wilderness to be fed in a place prepared by Yah for 3 ½ years? I think not. Biblical nor any other records reveal this to be true. Mary is not the woman described as giving birth to the man-child, and the man-child is not Yahshua, but his body in the earth (believers in Him).

Psalms 2:7-12

Yes, in Psalms 2:7-12, Yah says, "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.

Ask of me and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

Be wise now therefore, O ye kings; be instructed ye judges of the earth.

Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him” (How many godless judges are in America?)

Yes, He is speaking about Yahshua. But we are also joint heirs (those with an inheritance). Is this an inheritance for us? Let Yahshua answer this question.

Rev. 2:26, 27, "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers; even as I received of my Father."

Yahshua just said, ...even as I received of my Father". He has received it from Yah as promised in Psalms 2:9. Now He is giving it to us. Joint-heirs.

Also, we are called Zion. Look what the prophet Isaiah says in Isaiah 66:5-9, 15, 18

Isaiah Speaks

"Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified; but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed."

A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendered recompense to his enemies.

Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man-child.

Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the Lord; shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God." Isaiah 66:5-9.

"For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire." Isaiah 66:15.

"For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh; and the slain of the Lord shall be many." Isaiah 66:18.

Isaiah is speaking about the end of the last days when a man-child will be birthed. The Lord will come with fire in a day to render anger with fury and many shall be slain. This did not happen upon Yahshua's birth in this world, nearly two-thousand years ago, but it will happen at the day of the Lord after the church gives birth to maturity, the fullness of Christ. We shall reign with a rod of iron and so will Yahshua.

Let us look to the last part of Isaiah 66:5, "...and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne."

Just because this verse speaks of her child being caught up unto God, it doesn't mean that Yahshua, the child of Mary, is spoken of here. Yes, Yahshua was caught up into heaven. Remember, we (those alive at the coming of Yahshua again) will also be caught up unto Yah with the dead in Christ, together.

"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord." I Thessalonians 4:17.

Yes indeed, we shall be caught up in the air to meet Him, as his bride for the marriage and we, the man-child, are to rule the nations with a rod of iron.

"And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days." Revelation 12:6.

"And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a Bride adorned for her husband." Revelation 21:2.

"...Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

"And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God." Revelation 21:9-10

We see in these scriptures that the holy city, new Jerusalem, the bride, the Lamb's wife, are one in the same thing. I think it would be quite silly to suggest that our Lord Yahshua would marry a physical city. We have already learned that the church is his bride. Yah, shall feed the woman (church) that within themselves gave birth to the man-child (Yahshua formed in them)..

"...that they should feed her for a thousand two hundred and threescore days (3-1/2 years)." Revelation 12:6

Let us go back to Isaiah 66:10-14 "Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her; rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her.

That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.

For thus saith the Lord, Behold I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream; then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.

As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like a herb; and the hand of the Lord shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies." Isaiah 66:10-14.

Yes indeed, there is a travailing within the church of Yah that will give birth to the man (male) child. (Revelation 12:2) And he will be born at least 3 ½ years before the rapture of the church. We know this because the woman who gives birth to the man-child is then carried away to a place in the wilderness for the final 3 ½ years, (Revelation 12:6).

A Perfect, Mature, Male-Child

This man-child is the perfect^{(5046 1)} man described in Ephesians. 4:13. The word perfect in the Greek is defined as complete in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, of full age, man, perfect ².

"And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ." Ephesians 4:11-15 NAS

This man-child is made up of and consists of Christians who are not babes in Christ, (whom need milk), but those who are eating the strong meat of the word.

"For everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness; for he is a babe.

But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age⁵⁰⁴⁶, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." Hebrews. 5:13, 14.

The words of full age⁵⁰⁴⁶ means the same thing as perfect, as we defined above.

The next verse that follows Hebrews 6:1 says "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection⁵⁰⁴⁷..."

So far we have seen many biblical descriptions of this man-child. He is perfect or complete in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, and of full age as the word perfect ⁵⁰⁴⁶ is defined. This man-child is skillful in the word of righteousness, and by reason of experience his senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

This man-child is mature ⁵⁰⁴⁶, of full age who has attained to the unity of the faith. He measures up to the stature of Christ, in Christ's fullness. Grown up in all aspects into Christ, a body who takes his orders from the head who is Christ.

This man-child has indeed Christ formed in him. He is mature and perfect as the adjectives describes this man ⁷³⁰.Mature man and perfect man. It is also interesting to note that the word man ⁷³⁰ is taken from the word numbered 142 which means to take up-or away! ¹

Also, I must again reiterate that the word man is often translated as male. Strong's Concordance defines man ⁷³⁰ as male (as stronger for lifting). My comment here, is that "stronger for lifting" means of a stronger quality of material to be lifted as the word it is taken from (142) denotes as that which means to take up or away. It doesn't mean that a male can lift more than a female. This male can hold on longer than its counterpart during the time of trouble and tribulation so as to be lifted up (raptured after the conclusion of such). An analogy can be drawn to a male person clinging to a rock on the side of the mountain for longer than an average female could. At the end of this long duration, a hand reaches down from above the rock to which he clings and lifts him up. Women for the most part are more fragile than men.

I believe it is so wonderful and marvelous how Yah chooses his words so carefully to illustrate his meaning so perfectly.

Now that we have defined the Biblical adjective used to describe the word man and also defined the word man itself, let's go even further, to its completion and look at the word child thus having a total definition of the word man-child as described in Revelation 12:5.

The word child ⁵²⁰⁷ is huios ². Huios gives evidence of the dignity of one's relationship and likeness to Yah's character. It refers to those who show maturity acting as sons as brought out in Romans 8:14, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons ⁵²⁰⁷ of God."³.

In the Greek, several words are translated into the English as child. Each of these several words in the Greek have separate and distinct meanings, for which the English language has no appropriate word to translate into, so the word child is always the translation into English. The word teknon in the Greek means simply to be born whereas huios means a mature son; however teknon and huios are translated as child or children. Those who are born-again of Yah are teknon, and as they reach maturity (which in its simplest definition, means to be led by the Spirit of Yah doing God's will and putting off the desires of the flesh - Galatians 5:19-21), which are sins, they are called huios. A great difference indeed.

This man (male)-child therefore is not just a Christian, but a mature Christian, walking in the Spirit of Yah doing his will and showing with his actions, his likeness to Yah's character, not the worlds. This man-child does not represent the entire church, because the entire church does not exhibit these and the other qualities already mentioned. This man-child portion of the church will be protected for 3 ½ years in the wilderness fed by Yah, and kept from the face of the serpent or Satan himself. At the end of the 3 ½ years, they will have been returned for by Christ and taken up to meet him.

People who have gotten to a point in their life through prayer and the word, that their life is void of sin, because they are led by the Spirit of God, not their flesh, they shut the door to the "roaring lion",¹ Satan, and he cannot devour them.

Remember in the beginning in the book of Genesis, when Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying Yah? When they lost their covering or clothing which was the glory of Yah, they saw that they were naked (without Yah’s covering and were ashamed of the fact). And they sewed themselves fig leaves for an apron to cover their nakedness.

This perfect bride of Christ in the earth will be without sin and therefore will have the robe of righteousness, white (signifying purity) raiment, whereby her nakedness doth not appear, and Satan cannot come against her or harm her, or devour her like a roaring lion, because the perfect manchild will have closed the door to him, by ceasing from sin. Therefore Satan goes after the remnant of her seed, which will not have this quality, and Satan, the lion will devour them (Rev.12:17).² I Peter 5.8

The argument that always arises, is "Can man stop sinning?" Unregenerate man -fallen man- cannot stop sinning, but a Christian can as both the Apostle Paul and Peter taught. Paul said we could put down the flesh (Romans 6:12) and could be led by the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:18). Peter said we could also cease from sin.

"Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh (denied the fleshly desires in Galatians 5:19-21)¹, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh(denied the flesh)³ hath CEASED FROM SIN.

That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God".I Peter 4:1,2

Is this possible for a man in his own strength ? And the answer is, NO !!!

"....With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

And there will come a time when this will occur, and it is precisely at the birth of the man-child which is the same time of the beginning of the 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation.

The perfect mature man-child is birthed.

"Charity never faileth; but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail (cease)⁴; whether there be tongues, they shall cease⁵ there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

But when that which is perfect¹ is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." I Corn. 13:8-10

Those verses are notorious for being used to substantiate that the gifts of the Spirit mentioned in I Corn. 14:1-4 and I Corn. 12:1-11 "have ceased ² since that that was perfect, the Bible³, is come".

The Bible is perfect and without contradiction, but that is not the context here. Let's continue with the verses above.

"But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I BECAME A MAN ⁴ , I put away CHILDISH ⁵ things." ICorn. 13:10,11

Word of Prophecies, Tongues, and Word of Knowledge will cease because they are part of the Truth. Yahshua said he is The Truth. When the man-child is born, Christ's perfect mature body in the earth, that which has grown up into the fullness of the stature of Christ, they will know the whole truth of the Word, not part of it. Yahshua is living in them, they have become one with Him. Also at the same time of the birth of the manchild, the four-fold ministry gifts will cease.

"And he gave some (1) apostles, and some(2) prophets; and some(3) evangelists; and some (4) pastors and teachers (the same gift)⁶;

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ Till ⁷ (which means that at some time it would come)⁸ we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a PERFECT MAN ⁹, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:

That we henceforth be no more CHILDREN ¹⁰ tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive." Eph. 4:11-14.

Not only will the gifts of the Spirit of the Word of Knowledge, Prophesy, and Tongues cease, but so will the Fivefold Ministry gifts of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, and Pastor and Teacher. When? When we as children, put away childish things and become a man, a PERFECT MAN, a MAN-CHILD.

"And she (the woman) brought forth an man-child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up (raptured)¹¹ to God, and to his throne." Rev. 12:5

Everyone who is part of the man-child company, will have all of these qualities, and gifts operating in their life, thus not needing the separate manifestations of each in the body. These members of one body have become one body, Christ the Head, giving orders from the Father, and the body in the earth carrying them out. The FULLNESS OF CHRIST, in which all these are manifested in them. Hallelujah, what a glorious day.

PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME !!!!!"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." I Corn. 13:12

We see each other through a dark glass now, which prevents us from seeing the whole, because it is not whole. When we become whole (the fullness of Christ in us), then we will not see through a glass darkly any longer. We will see for the first time face to face as we are also seen. When we look at another Christian who is part of the Man-child, we will see ourselves. We will see Christ in them, and they will see Christ in us. We will know them as also we are known.

This company of Christians (Known as the man-child) will be Christ's true body or his Wife in the Earth. When the world sees them they will see Christ. And many will not like what they see, and will want to kill them, just like they did Christ. But this attitude will be to their own detriment. The question that generally follows, is what happens to the rest of the church, the remnant of her (the woman's) seed? Satan overcomes them during his 3 ½ year reign on the earth. This is discussed in detail in the next chapter, "The Remnant of Her Seed". Yah has many things for his mature church to do during the last 3 ½ years.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father." John 14:12

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues.

They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover." Mark 16:15-18

"And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.

But Philip was found at Azatus..." Acts 8:39, 40

Yah should not be limited, for he is Yah/God. He will protect those that are willing to do his will and believe on him, and do not limit him. Translation from one place to another was not and is not beyond Yah's ability.

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14: 26, 27

Yah is raising up a people, holy, sanctified and set apart to do his will as Yahshua did. They are willing and they shall rule in the midst of their enemies for 3 ½ years in the Great Tribulation of 3 ½ years.

I dare to think of the many opportunities his faithful will have during this time to reach the lost and dying world. In this time of trouble, such as there never was since there was a nation, Yah's Spirit will be poured out upon those worthy of it, and they shall do mighty things.

Unhindered by the beast and his worldwide army, this army of the Lord shall have many in awe, as they move about doing the will of Yah in heaven, on earth. I pray thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Wings of An Eagle

"And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent." Revelation 12:14

Will this woman (man-child) be given wings to strap on like a great eagle and fly away into some deserted wilderness to hide for 3 ½ years?

My answer is NO to all three of the questions posed in the above sentence. To where and what this wilderness is will be answered in another chapter, but what I do want to look at is these wings of a great eagle. These wings are undoubtedly symbolic, just as the woman is symbolic of a portion of the church. I believe Isaiah speaks of this group of Christians or this portion of the church.

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

Now to explain this, I'll quote you the Amplified Bible for they do a far better job than I ever could do, and then also Hebrews 12:1-3 as well.

"But those who wait for the Lord - who expect, look for and hope in Him - shall change and renew their strength and power, they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint or become tired." Isaiah 40:31 Amplified Version

"Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony of the truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance - unnecessary weight - and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us ¹, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us.

Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher, [bringing it to maturity and perfection ¹]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2 Amplified Version.

"The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool". Psalms 110:1

"The Lord will send forth from Zion the scepter of Your strength; rule, then, in the midst of Your foes.

Your people will offer themselves willingly in the day of Your power in the beauty of holiness and in holy array out of the womb ² of the morning; to You will spring forth Your young men who are as the dew." Psalms 110:2, 3 Amplified Version

Yes, Yah is raising up a people, holy, sanctified and set apart to do his will in the power and strength of their Lord Yahshua the Christ. They will be willing to set aside the sin in their lives, so they may rule in the midst of their enemies and foes for 3 ½ years. They'll not hide in the wilderness, but with faith and boldness preach the gospel during the time of judgment of our Savior and Lord Yahshua the Christ wrought at their hands, which are of the body of Christ in the earth.

Satan, the Beast, and the One World Government will rule over the world and the Christians who will not come out of the world (for they are married to it!), but he will not rule over the woman (the man child). She will rule in the midst of her enemies! They will mount up close to Yah and they shall run and not be weary, nor be tired, for their strength is the Lords!! Their prayer will have been that they might be worthy to escape all those things that Yahshua said would come upon the world such as earthquakes, famines, pestilence and fearful sights. And because of their obedience to His will in putting down sin in their lives and allowing Him to be found in them, He will answer their prayers. Not by rapturing them out before these things come, but keeping them safe under His wings, His protection. I believe Psalms 91 illustrates His protection of the woman in the last 3 ½ years.

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I (confidently) trust!

For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings ; His rule and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler. [Then]

You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow [the evil plots and slanders of the wicked] that flies by day,

Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday. [Then]

A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you.

Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked.

Because you have made the Lord your refuge; and the Most High your dwelling place,

There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent.

*For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you, to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].

They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.

You shall tread upon the lion and adder, the young lion and the serpent ¹shall you trample under foot.

Because he has set his love ² upon Me, therefore I will deliver him³; I will set him upon high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love and kindness, trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never].

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble ⁴, I will deliver him and honor him." Psalms 91:1-15 Amplified Version

Wherever the Lord Yah carries the woman under his wings, they'll be safe, protected by Him from the serpent, the Devil. Yah is their place of refuge, their place of safety, and He will be with them in trouble, and He shall deliver them who are His, as well as His angels protecting them. These are the promises of Yah as found in Psalms 91. Now, see if this isn't also echoed in Daniel 12:1, "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince, which standeth for the children of thy people (protected by angels)⁵, and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time, thy people shall be delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the book."

"And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood." Revelation 12:15

Satan is angry with this "bride of Christ" this mature man child and wants revenge. He wants to destroy her, but he cannot as yet as he is powerless to.

"And the earth helped the woman; and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth." Revelation 12:16

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, and the world also and those in it. All things must obey Him when his command goes forth to do His bidding.

"The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?

He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah." Psalms 29:1-6

So Satan tries to kill the woman, but he cannot. So where does he turn? To the weaker ones, who have not the power and strength of the Lord. He turns to those who cannot, because of their own devices, defend themselves against him. They have not paid the price through travail to have the Lord formed in them. They are the remnant of the woman's seed.

"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Revelation 12:17

The woman (earthly church) is not the entire church, or made up of all believers. The woman is that part of the church that is mature, without spot nor blemish that the Lord will return for. They shall be safe for 3 ½ years. They are numbered at the beginning of the Great tribulation, the last 3 ½ years of Daniel's seventeenth week, ( The seven years of Tribulation.)

Marriage and Marriage Supper

"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready." Revelation 19:7

Notice this happens in Chapter 19 of Revelation, verse 7, then in verses eleven through twenty-one, Yahshua returns with armies which were in heaven, clothed in fine, white and clean linen, Revelation 18:14. These armies are his saints, his bride, that received their linen at the marriage of the Lamb in verse 7 above.

"And to her (his wife ¹) was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." Revelation 19:8

Also in verse eleven through twenty-one, not only do we see his total bride return with him after the rapture/resurrection and marriage, we see all the kings of the earth and their armies gathered at Armageddon to make war against Yahshua and his army.

"And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse (Revelation 19:11-13, 16 - Jesus ¹), and against his army." Revelation 19:19

Additionally, the beast and the false prophet are thrown into the "lake of fire" (Revelation 19:20) and the remnant of the world who had taken the mark of the beast, are slain and the fowls in the air are filled with their flesh (Revelation 19:21). This is the "marriage supper".

"And I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the great supper of the great God;

That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all free and bond, both small and great." Revelation 19:17-18

"And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb..." Revelation 19:9

All of this in Chapter 19 of Revelation takes place at the end of or more precisely, immediately after the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31) - the rapture and marriage of the Lamb, the return of the Lamb and his bride, Armageddon, and the "marriage supper of the Lamb - and in that order. Then (Revelation 20) the setting up of our Lord's government - his reign - for one thousand years on earth.

Conclusion

Marvin Byers, in his book "The Final Victory: The Year 2000", discusses in detail this woman that gives birth to the man-child, and I would highly recommend his work to everyone.

The time that we live in today, is remarkable in that I firmly believe this generation will see the return of Yahshua the Messiah. However, today is equally as sorrowful in that many within the church of Yah cannot see, and do not want to see the signs of the end times. They have too much fleshly, carnal desires to be fulfilled, rather than become disciples of Christ. They are too busy birthing their own desires, rather than give birth to the fullness of Christ within themselves and his desire. To become this man-child spoken of in Revelation 12 is far from their mind and desire. When Satan himself is cast into the earth to reek havoc for 3 ½ years upon the world, they will then wish they had taken the time to grow up into the stature of the fullness of Christ to avert the onslaught of the adversary, and rule in the midst of their enemies. Instead, they will find themselves powerless to do anything but run scared and hide, unworthy to escape all the things that are coming upon the earth.

In conclusion, may we pay heed to the words of Marvin Byers:

"Have we spent enough time alone with Jesus to be profoundly convinced in our hearts that others would be deeply grateful for the opportunity to see what we have seen in that secret place? Have we seen the depths of despair and anguish that grip the hearts of millions in the earth today? Have we been so moved with the needs of the sick and the dying, on the one hand, and with the glory of his presence on the other, that a spiritual travail has begun to grip our hearts? Does a cry ascent from our hearts that will cause his life to be birthed in us so that others will see him?

There is one thing of which we can be very sure. There will be no Rapture until this concern grips the heart and soul of His Bride. The world needs to see the beauty that the Church itself should be seeing every day in the intimacy of the King's chambers of love. He will be birthed in the Church and His gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world for a witness, and then the end shall come. As we gain understanding of these things, we will begin to discern the difference between the truth and the myths that have bombarded the Church concerning the last days." ¹

CHAPTER SEVEN

The Remnant of Her Seed

"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed¹, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Revelation 12:17

Introduction

In the last chapter, we saw that the woman and the man-child are synonymous, and that they would be safe from the devil for three and one-half years. Additionally, we saw that the church (the body of Christ) on the earth is composed of two groups. One group is the woman or man-child which are the mature Christians who through the pain of travail have allowed Christ to be formed in them. The true Church is the seed of Abraham. I'll say it again, the entire Church is the woman (seed of Abraham. And a portion of that seed (the woman) within themselves gave birth to the fullness of Christ in them.

The woman (the seed of Abraham), the Church that became the man-child fled into the wilderness to be safe from the serpent, the Devil.

The other part of the woman (the Church), the seed of Abraham, that did not become the man-child is the remnant of her (the woman's) seed.

"For the promise that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith". Romans 4:13

"Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all." Romans 4:16

Those that through faith that believe in Yahshua the Messiah surely are the seed of Abraham who shall be heir of the world in the end.

"...but the children of the promise are counted for the seed." Romans 9:8

"And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Galatians 3:29

Both groups are the seed of the woman which is the Church in the earth. However, one group’s life during the seven year finale (The Tribulation) is far different than that of the other group. This remnant of her, the Church's (woman's) seed shall have a life much less glorious, and it will not be part of the glorious church that Christ will return for - his bride on the earth. The remnant of her seed will be removed before the end of the 3 ½ years,(The Great Tribulation) becoming "the bride that is in heaven" with Yahshua when He returns for "the bride in the earth".

I firmly believe that the destiny of all Christians is the same, as we will see in later chapters, but how those Christians live and when they die, is a result of which group they belong to. Do they belong to the man-child group which is safe for 3 ½ years doing Yah's will, or are they the remnant of the woman's seed who are killed and martyred during and throughout the entire 7 years, not being safe nor allowed to rule in the midst of their enemies as the man-child group of the church most assuredly will.

As I said before, both groups within the Church on the earth (Christians) are the "bride of Christ" because they believe in Christ, but one group does not remain at the end of the tribulation to be his "bride on the earth" that is caught up alive.

Well, what difference does it make where you are, whether you are "His Bride" in heaven returning with him or "His Bride" on the earth, for which He returns for? As far as your salvation and eternal life is concerned, it makes no difference at all. But whether or not His remarks to you, when you finally stand before him are, "Well Done, thy good and Faithful Servant", is or should be a concern!

When Satan is cast into the earth 3 ½ years before the end (Revelation 12:10), a profound statement is made by a loud voice in heaven.

"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ..."

In light of the man-child just now being birthed, who is, as "Ephesians" states, a mature perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, we can begin to understand the statement this loud voice utters. Do you really understand the awesome power, as well as responsibility that this man-child has, having "the measure of the fullness of Christ" within him? If you can, then you can appreciate the truthfulness of the voice's statement, "...and the power of his Christ has come"! And strength! Both of which will reveal and manifest His Kingdom and Salvation to others. Glory be to Yah! Many who cross the paths of these that make up the man-child group will find Salvation through Yahshua during the first 3 ½ years. To be a part of that group (the man-child group) should make any Christian proud. Not with pride in oneself, but in thankfulness that Christ is working through you, because you have yielded to him and His strength. That my friend, is up to you!

However, the rest of the verse reads like this, "...for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, (Satan¹) which accused them before our God day and night.

And they (our brethren¹) overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they (our brethren²) loved not their lives unto the death.". Revelation 12:10_b-11

This man-child that was birthed is part of (our brethren) Christians, to whom Satan accused before Yah, as well as all brethren (Christians). And I see no indication here that "the ones who loved not their lives unto the death" does not also include all these Brethren. Nor do I find anywhere else in the entire Bible, anything that would refute this, as you will see throughout the forthcoming chapters of this book.

So what remains to be the question or the importance of which group you may belong, is not whether or not death is inevitable, but how and when you die. Shall death come upon you before the 3 ½ years are up because of the wrath of the Devil was unable to be thwarted by you? Or shall you be victorious in life during this period of time, fully accomplishing Yah's will for you, and laying down your life at the end, glorious and without spot nor blemish, awaiting for the Lord to raise you up, and catch you away in the clouds to meet him in the air. If you desire to be "raptured" alive, then the latter must be your desire. A man-child not the remnant of her seed.

The Remnant Die Sooner

Satan will make war with the remnant of her seed and overcome them.

"And it was given unto him (the Beast³) to make war with the saints, and to overcome them..." Revelation 13:7

"And he (the False Prophet⁴) had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed." Revelation 13:15

If Christians are on the earth during the tribulation period, a fact that will undisputedly be proved by Scripture, will they worship the beast or his image? Some will, but many will not. For the many that will not, what is their destiny?

"...that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed."

So we see that scripture says that many that will not worship the beast and they should be killed. I don't believe the verse quoted leaves any exceptions to this rule. If Christians are on the earth during this time and they do not worship the beast or his image, they will be killed!

But some of you might well ask, "What about the woman who is kept safe for 3 ½ ears?" A good question, indeed. I don't see anywhere in the verses that speak of the woman, or the man-child, that would indicate they would be safe for any longer than 3 ½ years. Do you? What would be their destiny after the 3-1/2 years? I believe they would fall into the category of those that are "as many as would not worship the beast should be killed". I don't see any promise made to this group, that they would be an exception to this rule. The difference between them and the remnant of their seed is the extended length of their lives beyond that of the remnant.

We have already seen, in previous chapters, that the woman gives birth and flees into the wilderness to be safe for 3 ½ years and that after the man-child is birthed, Satan is then cast into the earth and gives power to the beast for 3 ½ years (Revelation 13:5). If the woman flees into the wilderness before the 3 ½ years that power is given to the beast to overcome the saints begins, then it stands to reason that her period of safety runs out before the term of power of the beast to continue and overcome them, runs out. Can you not see that?

But you might also say that the Bible says the saints will overcome the Devil as promised them. Let's look at that verse.

And they (our Brethren¹) overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives unto the death." Revelation 12:11

We see here in this promise to the brethren, that they will indeed overcome the Devil, but as further shown, they will die as well.

So what does it mean "that they will overcome him"?

"He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." Revelation 21:7

Those that believe in Yahshua the Messiah through their faith in Him, are born-again as sons of Yah.

"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God:" I John 5:1

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3

As a born-again son of Yah, you are an overcomer and receive eternal life with Yah as His son, and will inherit all things as stated above, which includes being heirs to the world.²

Many people, as well as Christians will be killed during the opening of the first Five Seals of Revelation. These Christians are the remnant of her seed (the woman's seed that did not have Christ formed in them when the last period of 3 ½ years began).

"And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for 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?"

These Christians are definitely killed before the end of the tribulation. They are the remnant of the woman's seed. They also wanted to know when the Lord would avenge their deaths and judge those on the earth that had killed them. We know when this occurs and it is shown in Revelation 19. It is when the Lord returns with his saints at Armageddon after the tribulation period is over, to execute judgment.

"For true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand." Revelation 19:2

However, the Lord did answer their question immediately in the next verse, "And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season¹, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." Revelation 6:11

So we know many more shall be killed as they were, which are their fellow servants and brethren. But why, is the question we must ask ourselves? Why has this remnant of the woman's seed doomed to early death, not fulfilling the days Yah has prepared for them, that they might be safe a while longer?

Come Out of Her My People

Yah will send a sword upon the land. War and death shall come to many. Frantically, many, including Christians, will run aimlessly, searching for a place of safety, but they will not find it. They also will try to save their possessions and ability to continue their livelihood and life. Many Christians, as well as most of the unbelievers, will take the mark of the beast, thus having no eternal salvation.

See Isaiah 26:17-21 for Isaiah's rendition of this little season the dead should wait.

"Again the word of the Lamb came unto me saying,

Son of man, speak to the children of they people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:

If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet and warn the people;

When whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning: if the sword come, and take him away his blood shall be upon his own head¹.

He who heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul." Ezekiel 33:1-5

"So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me." Ezekiel 33:7

Even though I believe these scripture verses quoted refer primarily to the physical blood line of Abraham (the house of Israel, the twelve tribes of Israel), it does have its warning to the spiritual house of Israel also as we will see in a moment. That house, who is made up of those who by faith in Yahshua the Messiah, have been grafted in (Christians).

Yahshua warns those in Judea (in the land of Israel) to flee into the mountains out of Israel because destruction is coming (the Great Tribulation of 3 ½ years), when the abomination of desolation occurs in the holy place, in Jerusalem (Matthew 24:15-21).

In the Gospel of Luke - Luke21:21), Luke reaffirms this command by Yahshua that those who are in Judea, should flee into the mountains, because wrath is coming upon this people in the land, and that Jerusalem, the holy city, shall be trodden down of the Gentiles (non-Jewish) until he returns at the end of the times of the Gentiles. This period shall be for 42 months as told in Revelation 11:2.

But in the verse preceding Luke 21:21, Luke describes the beginning of this time when they should flee Judea, as, "And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies¹, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

Then let them which are in Judea flee..."

Matthew in the Gospel of Matthew as we showed above, given the warning quoted by Yahshua, to flee when they saw the abomination of desolation committed in Jerusalem.

"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet stand² in the holy place, (whoso breadth, let him understand ³),

Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains:" Matthew 24:15, 16

What we should note here, is that Luke is describing Jerusalem being compassed with armies (the sword coming upon the land) is part of the abomination of desolation. I believe this is what Matthew refers to as seeing the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place. It is the armies compassing Jerusalem and standing in the holy place that is the "abomination". This is not however when the daily sacrifice is taken away, as there is no mention anywhere in the corresponding Gospels either of such an event !!!!!. For the Israelis to allow Gentiles (non-Jews) to occupy and have control of, to stand in the holy place, is an "abomination" to the Lord, but it is not the "abomination of desolation" that Yahshua referred to. See My third Book The Three Beast’s of Revelation -Two's Company, Three's A Crowd. One for further detail concerning this subject. The abomination of desolation that Yahshua referred to is but one of two abominations and desolation’s upon the city of Jerusalem.

The other piece to this is found in Daniel. However it is not the reference Yahshua made above in Matthew 24:15,16 where the word STAND is mentioned, but this is in Daniel 9:26,27 " threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood , and unto the end of the war desolation’s are determined.

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. There are desolation’s and abominations, plural, that happen.

"And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away and the abomination that maketh desolate set up¹, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days." Daniel 12:11. This is not the length of the Tribulation, but a period of time (1290 days) between when the daily is taken away (the first abomination) and the second abomination that maketh desolate.

Here we see another part of the "abomination of desolation". First, we had the warning of the Gentile armies surrounding Jerusalem, then they came in (stood in the holy place).Then, since they now occupied the holy place (place of the now destroyed temple, the temple mount, that has the Islamic Temple Mosque on it), they take away the daily sacrifice of the Jews ².

Now we see the second abomination which ushers in the last 3 ½ years, and when they see it, to come out of Babylon

The point of all of this is that first the watchmen warns the people of the sword (the armies bringing war) coming upon the land of Israel. But the people do not come out of her and many are killed.

"Flee out of the midst of Babylon³, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the Lord's vengeance, he will render unto her a recompense." John 51:6

"My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the Lord." John 51:45

"As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth." Jeremiah 51:49

Then 1290 days later the second abomination ⁴ occurs(Matthew 24:15) and they are told again to come out of her, but many don't and pay the price as told in Zech 13:8'9 "And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

"And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, 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 , The Lord is my God⁵ ."

I believe that as the Gentile armies, whomever they be, whether Islamic or U.N. troops, etc., take possession⁶ of Jerusalem or more precisely, East Jerusalem, the Old City of Jerusalem, those Gentile (non-Jewish) armies will in fact take away the "daily sacrifice of prayer", thus signifying the beginning of The Tribulation or last seven years.

As Jerusalem falls to the control of the Gentiles for 2300 Days as declared in scripture (Dan:8:13,14), I believe it is now a part of the worldly Babylon to which because of the Jews allowing its takeover by non-Jewish armies, Yah sends desolation upon it, and the admonition to come out of Babylon in Jeremiah, is referring to Jerusalem in Judea in the land of Israel, for it is now a part of the worldly Babylon¹.

Just as the twelve tribes of Israel make up physical Israel and they are warned to come out of Babylon, so are we Christians (also of twelve tribes) of the spiritual Israel, warned to come out of Babylon.

I don’t have the time in this volume to teach on it, but I believe that there are four Babylon’s mentioned in the Bible. Babylon the world, Babylon Iraq, Babylon Jerusalem, and Babylon America, and the context determines which Babylon is being referred to.

Though the warning to the physical Israel is one to physically come out of a piece of territory, the warning to spiritual Israel (Christians) is to come out of the spiritual Babylon and physical Babylon^.

As almost all Old Testament scripture, including the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, the last days and the period of seven years, concern primarily the Jews (House of Judah) and Israel (House of Israel), the rest of the New Testament, especially the Book of Revelation, deals with the Church (Christians) who are made up of believers in Yahshua of both Houses of Israel, which include Jews (House of Judah) and the other lost ten tribes of Israel (House of Israel).

So with keeping that in mind, Revelation 12 and the place of safety for the woman spoke of therein, is for the House of Israel Church, and more precisely, for the man-child portion.

The watchmen for the Church are declaring the sword is coming upon the land, and we must spiritually prepare ourselves now, so that we can "Come out of Babylon". We must also pay heed to the watchmen.

Yah is preparing a place of safety for his church (the woman) where she will be hid from the face of the serpent, the devil, and his beast system for the last 3 ½ years.

"Therefore rejoice ye heavens and ye that dwell in them, Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted (pursued¹) the woman which brought forth the man-child." Revelation 12:12, 13

But a remnant of his church will not listen and heed his warning nor that of the watchman.

"And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

And the earth helped the woman; and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

And the dragon was wrath with the woman , and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ]." Revelation 12:12-17

The dragon gives power unto the beast. The beast is the one who makes war with the remnant of the Church that does not heed the warning of the watchman concerning the sword (the armies) that are about to come upon the land both in the land of Israel/Palestine, and where most of the lost tens tribes of Israel (House of Jacob/Israel) are located which is in the United States!!!!!

"And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months." Revelation 13:4, 5

"And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds and tongues, and nations." Revelation 13:7

Who is the beast you might ask? There are three beasts spoken of in Revelation 13. They are discussed at length in Volumes 3 and 4..

Yah wants us to come out from the beast system of Babylon which is the world’s system and operate in the kingdom of Yah system.

"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." Revelation 18:4

Yah does not want us to be partakers of her sins. He does not want us to take the mark of the beast. Those that do not take the mark of the beast cannot buy nor sell. In essence, they cannot live in that system. So how will they live and exist and do Yah's will during this 3 ½ year period without taking the mark of the beast, which in taking it they seal their doom and destruction forever?

"And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed¹.

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads;

And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Revelation 12:15-17

"And the third angel followed them saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation, and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the lamb.

And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." Revelation 14:9-11

So the line is drawn in the sand. Take the mark of the beast so you can buy and sell and be damned forever, and don't take this mark and be killed or die prematurely, or pay heed to God's word and the watchman.

Come out of her, (Babylon and the beast system) and go to the place where Yah is preparing for the safety of his saints. A place where they can live and be nourished for 3 ½ years from the face of the Devil.

Covetousness

I ask again why would a saint of Yah, a believer of Yahshua, The Word, not take heed?

The answer is found in Ezekiel 33:30-33, "Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, everyone to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord.

And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.

And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.

And when this cometh to pass, (lo it will come), then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them."

They hear the words of the warning, but their heart goes after COVETOUSNESS. What things do you covet? What things are you not willing to give up and leave behind? Will you covet your "comfort zone", not willing to leave behind the things you trust in for your happiness? Will you not be willing to leave your job behind that you cherish, and pays your bills? Will you not be willing to leave your unbelieving parents, children and friends behind? Will you not be willing to suffer the ridicule that will surely come from others concerning your decision to leave behind all that you have achieved, for a promise? Will you willing to pay the price or shall your "heart goeth after covetousness"?

These will be hard, tough and most difficult decisions for many to make. But make them you will! Will you be that remnant that chooses not to come out of the place of danger, the "one world system" and therefore be partakers of her sins and receive the plagues sent upon her?

But you might say, "There is no place that will be safe from the beast!" My answer to you is that if Yah says He will protect you and is preparing a place of safety for 3 ½ years for you, then He is well able to do so, and will keep his promise! It may not be a place that suits you or meets your standards, but it will meet Yah's standard for you!

How long will you wait until you believe such a place is being prepared, as you read this manual? Will you wait until the last moment, when it may be too late to "escape the things that are about to come upon this planet"? Will you pray that you may be accounted worthy to escape these things? It is impossible to please Yah without faith!!

"But 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 that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

Shall you be that remnant spoken of in Revelation 12? Shall you believe in his word and that he is able, or shall your heart goeth after covetousness?

"And Jesus looking upon them said, With men it is impossible, but not God; for with God all things are possible.

Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.

And Jesus answered and said, Verily, I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's.

But he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life." Mark 10:27-30

Following after Yahshua and leaving for selfish reasons are not enough. It must be for His sake, and the Gospel's! "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." Luke 21:36¹

Before I leave this subject, I want you to see what the prophet Jeremiah prophesied to the remnant of Israel. Those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

"Thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall thoroughly glean the remnant² of Israel as a vine, turn back thine hand as a grapegather into the baskets.

To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken; Behold the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.³

Therefore, I am full of the fury of the Lord; I am weary with holding in; I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together; for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days.

And their houses shall be turned into others, with their fields and wives together; for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord.

For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness⁴; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely." Jeremiah 6:9-13

The New International Version says the above verse this way:

"From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain, prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit."⁵

They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace.

Were they ashamed when they had committed abominations? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush; therefore; they shall fall among them that fall, at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the Lord.

Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, we will not walk therein.

Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Harken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not harken.¹

Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them.

Hear, O earth; behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not harkened unto my words, not to my law, but rejected it." Jeremiah 6:13-19

As well as the House of Israel, if you are not where Yah wants you to be, dreadful things shall come upon you. When you could be safe from danger and fulfilling the will of Yah during this tribulation, not obeying his Word, will result in these things coming upon you.

"If therefore, ye shall have prepared yourselves, ye may escape it (great tribulation; Vision 4:1; a representation of the tribulation that is at hand²), if your heart be pure and without spot; and if ye shall serve God all the rest of your days without complaint." Vision 4:20

Complaining about living during the time of the great tribulation will serve no good purpose, but only that to which you will receive the afflictions with which it brings upon the earth and mankind.

"And that servant, which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes." Luke 12:47

Conclusion

In this chapter, we have seen that part of the spiritual seed of Abraham, (the Church of Yah) was not willing to become that man-child who was part of the woman (the Church) that fled into the wilderness to be safe from the beast and fed by Yah for 3 ½ years.

This other part of the spiritual seed of Abraham became identified as the remnant of the woman's seed, to which the beast, the Devil, made war against them and began to kill them, as certainly the 5th seal of Revelation clearly shows us.

We saw that this remnant dies much sooner than the other seed, and was unable to fulfill Yah's will in their lives for the remaining of the 3 ½ years of the Devil's rule.

This remnant would not come out of Babylon - the evil world system ruled by Satan and his followers - therefore the remnant of the woman's seed partook of the plagues that come upon the world with the world.

We found out that the reason this remnant would not come out of Babylon, was because of covetousness. The desires of the world - the lust of the eyes - the lust of the flesh - were more important than allowing Yahshua’s will to be their will. The pride of their life was more important than the life of Yahshua which should have been birthed in them.

So too did we see the plight of the Jews (House of Judah) and the house of Israel as identical to that of these wayward believing Israel (Christians). They would not pay heed to the watchman. They would not come out of Babylon (Jerusalem when the Gentile armies surrounded it twice), and many of them partook of the plagues sent upon that land as well.

My prayer is that we all would pay heed to the watchman. That we would sincerely take the time to understand the times in which we live and read the signs. The time is so near to the coming of the Lord, but first a period of seven years of tribulation will come before that coming.

But we must prepare ourselves now if we haven't already done so because once we enter into that last 3 ½ year portion without having beforehand been prepared by allowing Christ to be formed in us and becoming that mature child of Yah, we will be delegated to being a remnant of her seed and partaking of the plagues that come upon the world.

The first step to doing so, if you haven't already done so, is to repent of your sin and trying to reach Yah/God and heaven your way. You must choose Yah's way that was the Cross. Believe that Yahshua died on the cross for your sins; believe that Yah’s Spirit rose him from the dead, and that he will return for you. Then you shall be born-again into the kingdom of Yah. Continue to believe and study his Word which is contained in the Bible. Put Him and His Word first and continue to grow in the knowledge of His Will. Continue in the things of Yah and discontinue the things of the world. WE must lay down the sins that so easily besets us. Let’s allow Yahshua to be formed in us. Amen.

In the Apocrypha, Esdras writes concerning those that do and don't participate in the last days, and here he asks the Lord to show him the interpretation.

"Now show me the interpretation of this dream also.

For As I consider it in my mind, alas for those who will be left in those days! And still more, alas for those who are not left!

For those who are not left will be sad

Because they understand the things that are reserved for the last days, but cannot attain them.

But alas for those also who are left, and for that very reason! For they shall see great dangers and much distress, as these dreams show.

Yet it is better to come into these things, through incurring peril, than to pass from the world like a cloud, and not to see what will happen in the last days."

He answered me and said, "I will tell you the interpretation of the vision, and I will also explain to you the things that you have mentioned. As for what you said about those who survive, and concerning those who do not survive, this is the interpretation:

The one who brings the peril at that time will protect those who fall into peril, who have works and faith¹toward the Almighty.

Understand therefore that those who are left are more blessed than those who have died." 2 Esdras 13:15-24

For those of you “Left Behind” believers and teachers who are reading this, that would rather escape in a cowardly and unscriptural pre-tribulation "rapture" before this time of peril, you may want to read those verses again.

He didn't say that those who are left are better than those that were not left during this time, but that it was a blessing to be in this time of peril. Those are more blessed than the others who are not left.

And he will protect those that fall into peril that he brings upon the world.

There is a teaching within the Church call "Pre-Wrath Rapture". It basically teaches that the Church will go through the six seals of the Book of Revelation, which is the wrath of Satan. But when the wrath of Yah is poured out (Revelation 6:17) at the beginning of the seventh seal which bring the seven trumpets, the Church will be raptured and not left for it.

Yes, this is the time of the beginning of Yah's wrath, but "he will protect those that fall into peril that he ² brings", as indicated by Esdras 13:23, who have works and faith-³ toward the Almighty.

Now, let's move on to "that place of safety" where Yah wants us to go. If you didn't catch the brief glimpse of it in the previous chapter , the next chapter is for you.

CHAPTER EIGHT

A Place In The Wilderness

Introduction
Now we come to the place in the wilderness. Yah is preparing a place in the wilderness for his mature church that is willing to go there, so they might be fed and kept safe during the last 3 ½ year period of the last days. Is this place a specific geographical area on the earth, a desert or wilderness, that she will flee to?

"And the woman (herself) fled into the desert (wilderness) where she has a retreat [refuge¹] prepared (for her) by God, in which she is to be fed and kept safe for one thousand two hundred and sixty days (forty two months; three and one-half years)." Revelation 12:6 Amplified Version

"But the woman was supplied with the two wings of a giant eagle, so that she might fly from the presence of the serpent into the desert (wilderness, to the retreat) where she is to be kept safe and fed for a time, and times, and half a time [three and one-half years, or twelve hundred and sixty days]. Revelation 12:14 Amplified Version

As always, we must let scripture interpret scripture. Since nothing in the Book of Revelation interprets the words wilderness, desert, wings, eagle, refuge, retreat; we must look elsewhere in the Bible to find the use and scriptural definitions of these words.

If you do not have a Concordance, I strongly suggest that as any ardent student of the Bible does, you get one.

Yah is preparing a place in the wilderness for his church that is willing to go there, so they might be fed and kept safe during the 3 ½ year period of the last days, so they might go into the world, into the New World Order, the system of the beast, and within it do the works that Yahshua did and greater works also, as he said they would, so that they (the world) might believe in him! The seal of Yah shall be on their foreheads and no harm shall come to them as they do the will of their Father in heaven.

Many Mansions

Jesus said in John 14:2 "In my father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."

Yahshua says he will prepare a place for us. But also there are many mansions. There are many places he is preparing. Yahshua is saying he is preparing a place for us, but not just one place, because he said there are many mansions there.

So is it possible that in Revelation 12, when Yah says he has prepared a place for the church for 3 ½ years, that he could mean many places?

Hippalytus interprets Revelation 12 of "the tribulation of the persecution which is to fall upon the Church from the adversary. There the saints are identified as the Christian Church. The time and times and half a time refer 'to the one thousand two hundred and three score days' (the half of the week) during which the tyrant is to reign and persecute the Church, which flees from city to city, and seeks concealment in the wilderness among the mountains." (6.1 ¹)

Hippolytus was a Bishop of Rome during the third century A.D.

This verse infers that the Church (believers) will be persecuted during the last 3 ½ years, fleeing the cities and going from one city to the next, but between their journey from city to city, they will seek concealment in the wilderness among the mountains.

What are the Christians doing going from city to city, when they can find concealment among the mountains? I believe it is because Yah is calling them to go forth from their places of refuge in the mountains to preach the gospel to the unbelievers that are congregated in the cities, although no one will be saved, but will know about the judgments coming from Yah. They go where Yah tells them and do what Yah tells them, then return to the refuges in the mountains, when the Lord tells them to.

Just as when Yahshua fed the multitudes (five thousand) in Matthew 14:21, after he sent the multitudes away, he went up into the mountains to pray, and in the fourth watch of the night he returned to his disciples (Matthew 14:23-25). Yahshua took Peter, James and John up into a high mountain, where he (Yahshua) was transfigured and Moses and Elijah appeared with him (Matthew 17:1).

And in Matthew 28:16-20, the great commission was given to the disciples up on a mountain where Yahshua had called them.

"Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

And when they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted.

And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. ²

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, ever unto the end of the world. Amen."

I don't think it strange that we too may be called into the mountains away from the destruction within the cities to hear and pray to Yah as Yahshua did, to hear his voice in the calming place of refuge, and to receive our marching orders and go back into the cities in judgment. More on this can be found in the chapter of the Two Witnesses.

Read also Mark 3:13-15; Luke 6:12-19; John 6:15

"How beautiful upon the mountains ¹ are the feet of him that bringeth good things, that publish peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publish salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion." Isaiah 52:7-8 ²

Personally, I find it difficult to believe that all the saints will be gathered together in one place, but however, not dogmatically! I do, although, believe that Yah can send us help and security wherever we are and can keep us safe and that he will lead us to whatever or wherever the place or places of safety might be. He tells us that if we cast off our cares upon him, he will direct us.

Yah's expanse is unlimitless. Just as there are many mansions that Yahshua has gone to prepare for us, which I think relates to during and after the millennium (after which is timeless), I believe the unlimitless of the entire universe, will be the domain to which his children with their immortal bodies, not restricted by gravity or any other such thing, will be able to explore and live in their mansions prepared by Yahshua for them.

I don't believe Yah is powerless to protect his children on earth wherever they might be called to go, and that the need or purpose for one place to gather to feed and protect them is evident.

I believe the wilderness or the desert represents the world in which the beast will rule. In the beast’s world and the time given to him (Satan) for 42 months, it is devoid of Yah. He claims himself to be God and Godly principles are out in his world, where evil exists. But in the midst of this evil, ungodly wilderness, this desert and destitute place in which the Evil One rules his subjects, the woman will be hid from his face. Not that she is hiding, but that Satan can't touch her. She is beyond the reach of his arm. She will rule in the midst of her enemies.

Hippolytus says the church will flee from city to city seeking concealment in the wilderness among the mountains.

A mountain is also symbolic of an obstacle in our path, and the serpent (the beast), will place many obstacles in the path of Yah's people during this time. If you cannot buy or sell without taking the mark of the beast, I would say that is an obstacle to living and getting food to eat.

But just as Yahshua told us that if we believe, and say to the mountain before us "Be thou cast into the sea", it shall be done. He wasn't telling us that we could literally, if we wanted to, cast a real mountain into the sea. What I believe he meant was that any obstacle in our path, that tried to prevent us from doing the will of our Father in heaven, could be removed by us if we had enough faith in him and if we believed we could, in his strength and power, "cast it out of our way".

As we are in this wilderness of Satan's world for 3 ½ years, all the mountains and obstacles in our way from preaching Yah's Word and testifying of him, whether they be his armies or whatever, we can remove them. Yah's will, will be done on earth as it is in heaven!. And in the midst of these mountains in the wilderness, we will find concealment, protected, hid, from the arm of the Devil. As we wait for the voice of the Lord to tell us when and where to go, and then act, we can have the confidence that He will protect us in order to accomplish His will.

I believe there will be a period (the first 3 ½ years of the last 7 of the "great tribulation") whereas just as Joseph was warned by Yah of the impending famine coming to Egypt (a type of the world today) we also are called to prepare for the famine coming upon the land. As you will see in the forthcoming pages, Yah will supernaturally provide for them during the last 3 ½ years of the tribulation, just as he supernaturally did for the Israelites during the escape from Egypt and their time in the wilderness, if they have faith in Him and in His Word concerning such. But the first 3 ½ years, we must prepare for the destruction coming.

Just as they were being led to the "Promised Land", so are we being led to the "Promised Land" of Israel as well possibly before he returns, when and where he will return and set up his Millennial Reign.

Refuge Under His Wings

Yes, we should mount up close to Yah as eagles mount up to the sun. As we do that, we can walk and run with his Word and not become faint or tired.

As we saw in the previous Chapter in Psalms 91, some of the verses which shall be repeated here, we must make God our refuge, our habitation and under His wings we should trust and he'll cover us with his feathers.

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow (of the wings²) of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God,; in him will I trust." Psalms 91:1, 2

As the woman is given two wings of a great eagle (Yah's wings under which we should trust in him), we can fly into the wilderness (the world that knows not Yah) and be nourished and fed.

"He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings thou shalt trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." Psalms 91:4

Yahshua says, "Thy Word is Truth" - John 17:15-20 -

"I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth¹.

As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Neither pray I for these alone (his twelve disciples²), but for them also which shall believe on me through their word."

Yah's word (his truth) shall be our shield and buckler, and by the truth we shall be set apart (sanctified) to do his will.

Not only is Yah's word truth, but it is bread (nourishment) for living!

"...It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4

"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of live: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." John 6:35

As we mount up close to Yah under his wings, we are indeed coming to Yahshua and we'll never hunger or thirst, for Yahshua and Yah are one.

It is interesting to note the continued verses in John 17:15-20 that were quoted just a few paragraphs ago, picking up in verse 21 through 23.

"That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee that they also may be one in us - that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one.

I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfect⁵⁰⁴⁸ in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me."

Just as we learned that the man-child (woman) is perfect and mature, grown up into the stature of the fullness of Christ, the word perfect ⁵⁰⁴⁸means to complete, accomplish, consummate in character, finish and fulfill.³.

As the woman, through the word of Yah which is life and truth, mounts up close to Yah and becomes perfect, she becomes one with Yah spiritually and is perfect and mature. She can, in the midst of the wilderness, proclaim the gospel of the kingdom and as this woman is mature and perfect, the world may know that Yahshua was sent to them, and he loved them (the world) so much that he died for them on the cross that they might be saved. (John 3:16)

Remember, we just read Yahshua praying that his disciples would be sanctified by Yah's truth, which is their shield, and that he also sanctified Himself, that they would also be sanctified by the truth, and that He prayed not for them alone, but for them that believe also through their word.

Well, as Yahshua explains, this prayer is not just for the disciples but for all that believe in Him through their word. We have their word as recorded in the scripture of the New Testament of the Bible. We are these that believe in Yahshua through their word (John 17:20). He does not pray to the Father, that we shall be taken out of the world, but that we stay in the world, sent into it as he was sent into it. And while in the world at this time (last 3 ½ years), we will be in security.

"And over all the righteous and holy, He will appoint guardians from amongst the holy angels to guard them as the apple of an eye¹, until he makes an end of all wickedness and all sin, and though the righteous sleep a long sleep, they have naught to fear.

And (then) the children of the earth shall see the wise in security, and shall understand all the words of this book, and recognize that their riches shall not be able to save them in the overthrow of their sins." The Book of Enoch XCIX C:56, p. 143 and 144

"Be hopeful, ye righteous; for suddenly shall the sinner perish before you, and ye shall have lordship over them according to your desires.

And in the day of the tribulation of the sinners, YOUR CHILDREN SHALL MOUNT AND RISE AS EAGLES², and higher than the vultures will be your nest, and ye shall ascend and enter the crevices of the earth, and the clefts of the rock for ever as coneys before the unrighteous, and the sirens shall sigh because of you and weep³.

Wherefore fear not, ye that have suffered; for healing shall be your portion, and a bright light shall enlighten you, and the voice of rest ye shall hear from heaven." The Book of Enoch XCVI:1-3, p. 137

We (Christians) are not of this world, as Yahshua has told us many times, but the children of the earth shall see the wise Christians in security. Not taken out of the world, but safe in it. Safe from the wrath of Yah and Satan!

"Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast." Psalms 57:1

"Cast all your cares upon the Lord, and he will direct them. Believe in God, ye doubtful, because he can do all things; he can both turn away his wrath from you, and send you HELP AND SECURITY¹." Vision 4:21

Before we leave this section "Refuge Under His Wings", and in it showing that the wings of an eagle that the woman were given, is the protection under Yah's wings, I want to show you some more interesting writings concerning this.

"The Gospels could not possibly be either more or less in number than they are. Since there are four zones of the world in which we live, and four principle winds, while the Church is spread over all the earth, and the pillar and foundation of the Church is the gospel, and the Spirit of life, it fittingly has four pillars, everywhere breathing out incorruption and revivifying men. From this it is clear that the Word, the artificer of all things, he who sits upon the cherubim and sustains all things, being manifested to men gave us the gospel, fourfold in form but held together by one Spirit. As David said, when asking for his coming, "O sitter upon the cherubim, show yourself"⁷⁷. For the cherubim have four faces, and their faces are images of the activity of the Son of God. For the first living creature, it says, was like a lion, signifying his active and princely and royal character; the second was like an ox, showing his sacrificial and priestly order; the third had the face of a man, indicating very clearly his coming in human guise, and fourth was like a flying eagle, making plain the giving of the Spirit who broods over the Church².

Now the Gospels, in which Christ is enthroned, are like these⁷⁸. For that According to John expounds his princely and mighty and glorious birth from the Father, saying, "In the beginning was the Word", and "All things were made by him, and without him was Nothing made".

Therefore this Gospel is deserving of all confidence, for such indeed is his person. That According of Luke, as having a priestly character, began with the priest Zachareas offering incense to Yah. For the fatted calf was already being prepared which was to be sacrificed for the finding of the younger son⁷⁹. Matthew proclaims his human birth, saying, "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham", and, "The birth of Jesus Christ was in this manner", for this Gospel is manlike, and so through the whole Gospel [Christ] appears as a man of a humble mine, and gentle. But Mark takes his beginning from the prophetic Spirit who comes on men from high, saying, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet", showing a winged image of the gospel ³

Therefore, he made his message compendious and summary, for such is the prophetic character. Again, the Word of God himself used to speak to the patriarchies before Moses, in a divine and glorious manner, but for those under the Law he established a priestly and liturgical order; after this, becoming man, he sent out the gift of the Holy Spirit into the whole earth, guarding us by his own wings^1&2.

What I wanted to show you in all of this is that Irenaues, Bishop of Lyons, so eloquently described Revelation 4:7, "And the first beast (around the throne of God, i.e. Revelation 4:6³) was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf (or ox⁴) and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle⁵."

These cherubim have four faces, he goes on the explain as we read, and these four faces are images of the activity of the Son of Yah as portrayed by the Four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

And the fourth gospel represents the fourth face which was like a flying eagle which shows the giving of the Spirit of God who broods over the Church⁶.

Just as we saw earlier in Psalms 91:4 that Yah shall cover us with his feathers under his wings, we now see here the faces of the cherubim of which the fourth face, represented by the fourth Gospel - the face of the eagle - all of which including the face of the eagle represents the activity of the Son of Yah.

In essence, what we have are scriptures showing Yah, the Son of Yah and the Spirit of Yah - the Trinity - all three referring to an eagle. Under the wings of Yah we have the protection of our Father in heaven and the Spirit of Yah like an eagle broods⁷ over the church, and as an eagle the activity of the Son of Yah through the church is seen.

Prepare Yourselves

We are also admonished in 2 Esdras 16:35-78, that God's people must prepare for the End.

"Listen now to these things, and understand them, you who are servants of the Lord. This is the word of the Lord; receive it and do not disbelieve what the Lord says. The calamities draw near, and are not delayed." 2 Esdras 16:35-37.

These verses are prequalified as being the word of the Lord. I believe that certain verses in this scripture (Esdras, considered by some as scripture, but not included in the sixty-six books of the Protestant Bible) that are prequalified as from the Lord, by the Lord, the word of the Lord, etc., must be given our utmost attention and prayer.

Esdras goes on to say the calamities will come upon the world and then tells us how to prepare.

"Hear my words, O my people; prepare for battle¹, and in the midst of the calamities be like strangers on the earth." 2 Esdras 16:40.

The prophet Esdras is telling us that we will be in the midst of the calamities, not raptured away and taken out. He tells us to be like strangers (wanderers on the earth).

"Let the one who sells be like the one who will flee; let the one who buys be like the one who will lose; let the one who does business be like one who will not make a profit; and let the one who builds a house be like one who will not live in it; let the one who sows be like the one who will reap; so also the one who prunes the vines, like one who will not gather the grapes..." 2 Esdras 16:41-44.

He is telling us to be prepared to leave our jobs, possessions, etc., that it will all be in vain during this time, that others will take them from us. (Sounds like the current Obama administration’s redistribution of wealth through taxation!)

"Because of this, those who labor, labor in vain; for strangers shall gather their fruits, and plunder their goods, overthrow their houses, and take their children captive; for in captivity and famine they will produce their children. Those who conduct business do so only to have it plundered; the more they adorn their cities, their houses and possessions; and their persons, the more angry I will be with them for their sins, says the Lord." 2 Esdras 16:45-48.

The Lord will test his church, the glorious one to be without spot or blemish. He will bring all believers into the fire. However, all will not make it through the fire, but only the glorious ones, without spot or blemish. All his church will be saved for eternal life with him, but not all will be that glorious church to whom he is coming back for to rapture their living bodies and change their corruptible bodies into incorruptible ones, which are those that remain alive unto his coming. Many will die in the fire and destruction that will come upon the earth because they have not prepared themselves, they have not given up all that Yahshua said that his true disciples must give up to follow him. That includes the sin that does so easily beset us all.

"Cease from your sins, and forget your iniquities, never to commit them again; so God will lead you forth and deliver you from all tribulation." 2 Esdras 16:67.

Esdras goes on in the next verse to describe the persecution of Yah's people, their testing by fire.

"The burning wrath of a great multitude is kindled over you; they shall drag some of you away and force you to eat what was sacrificed to idols. And those who consent to eat shall be held in division and contempt, and shall be trampled under foot." 2 Esdras 16:68-69.

Yahshua our Lord, says the same thing in Revelation 2:20-22, about some of the church just as Esdras quotes the Lord above.

"Notwithstanding, I have a few thing against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols¹.

And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.

Behold, I will cast her into a bed and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation², except they repent of their deeds." Revelation 2:20-22.

Now to the conclusion of Esdras, we will pick up with the verse that follows what was concluded above.

"For in many places and in neighboring cities there shall be a great uprising against those who fear the Lord³. They shall be like maniacs, sparing no one, but plundering and destroying those who
continue to fear the Lord. For they shall destroy and plunder their goods, and drive them out of house and home. Then the total quality of my elect shall be manifest like gold that is tested by fire⁴.

Listen, my elect one, says the Lord; the days of tribulation are at hand, but I will deliver you from them. Do not fear or doubt, for God is your guide⁵. You who keep my commandments and precepts, says the Lord God, must not let your sins weigh you down, or your iniquities prevail over you. Woe to those who are choked by their sins and overwhelmed by their iniquities! They are like a field choked with underbrush and its path overwhelmed with thorns, so that no one can pass through. It is shut off and given up to be consumed by fire." 2 Esdras 16:70-78.

Dear reader, it is clear by the writings of Esdras as he says what the Lord also says, that one must prepare for the tribulation that is at hand by getting rid of the sin in our lives and stop sinning by the grace (power) of Yah, so that he can decide our path and guide us through this difficult part of time in history. And that we not be consumed by the fire, but that we would come through the fire as pure gold, refined, being that glorious church without spot or blemish (sin) that we might be alive unto the coming of the Lord so that we might be caught up together to meet him in the air, for the great marriage of the Lamb, and then continue down with him to rule and reign forever with him as his bride forever!

So we can see that there is evidence of safety in many places. Hippolytus says the church will flee from city to city, seeking concealment in the wilderness among the mountains. The prophet Esdras says they'll be like strangers on the earth driven out of house and home, but Yah will direct their paths, if they are obedient. The Apostle John says the woman (the church) fled into the wilderness where a place of retreat has been prepared by Yah, so that she would be fed, and all this for 3 ½ years. The shepherded of Hermas says Yah will send them help and security. Enoch says the men of earth will see the wise (Christians) in security and holy angels will guard the righteous and holy till Yah makes an end of wickedness and sin. In the wilderness of the world there will be a place of safety, and it is next to Yah under his wings, for those who have prepared themselves.

Fed in the Wilderness

"And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there..." Revelation 12:6

"And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished..." Revelation 12:14

So as we saw earlier, Yah has a place prepared in the wilderness (the world) where those that have drawn close to him will be fed and nourished by him under the wings of his protection.

Also, we saw that a part of nourishment, or food for life was not only bread but every word that came from Yah. Yah will speak to his people and their testimony and their obeying will be life to them.

But during this time of trouble, the length of 3 ½ years, there shall also be famine in the land.

"...And power was given unto them: over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and WITH HUNGER AND WITH DEATH ¹" Revelation 6:8

"For nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be FAMINES², and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places." Matthew 24:7

There will be death because of hunger. There will be famines in the land thereby hundreds of thousands or millions will die thereby.

Not only in the third and fourth seal above will this begin to happen, but it will continue all the down to the end of the world (age of sinful man’s rule).

The seven trumpets in Revelation show the devastation that will follow them in the destroying of the earth and in it, the trees, grass and
every green thing. Crops will be burned and destroyed, water will be polluted, etc. All these things are not conducive to growing food. There will be FAMINE!

However, the woman will be fed in the midst of it all. Will God send manna down from heaven to feed his people as he did in the days of Moses when they wandered in the wilderness? I don't know. But what I do know is that if He wants to, He will. He may use others in the world to feed and help His people. Regardless of how He chooses for His people to be fed, the fact and promise remains, that HE WILL FEED THEM!

"How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings³.

They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house ⁴; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures³.

For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.

Let not the fact of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me ¹.

There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.

Fret not thyself because of evildoers; neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed ²." Psalms 36:7-37:3

Yes, Yah will feed those who trust in him under His wings and they'll find refuge (Psalms 91:4). Also notice in the Psalm, "...let not the hand of the wicked remove me".

All these verses above are promises to his children and these promises are given SPECIFICALLY to the woman (man-child) during the time (3 ½ years) immediately preceding Yahshua's return to the earth to destroy the wicked, as you can see in the following verses in Psalms 37.
"For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord³, they shall inherit the earth.

For yet a little while⁴, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

The Lord shall laugh at him; for he seeth that his day is coming.

The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright⁸⁵⁴⁹ conversation (lifestyle; mode of action⁵).

Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken: but the Lord upholdeth the righteous.

The Lord knoweth the days of the upright^{8549
6}: and their inheritance shall be forever.

³"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles;..." Isaiah 40:31

⁴ "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast" Isaiah 26:20

They shall not be ashamed⁹⁵⁴ (confounded, disappointed¹) in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied².

But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of the lambs: they shall consume; into smoke they shall consume away." Psalms 37:9-20

Notice that the word upright in the Hebrew is defined exactly as the mature, perfect (huios) in the Greek, which we have shown in the man-child (woman) in the wilderness.

This woman shall be fed during the time of famine spoken of in the last 3 ½ years, and during this 3 ½ years, the hand of the wicked shall not remove her, as opposed to the remnant of her seed!.

Water From the Serpent's Mouth

"And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

And the earth helped the woman; and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth." Revelation 12:15, 16

Similarly, as the terms woman, eagle, wilderness, serpent, etc. were symbolic of something else (church, God, the world, the devil, etc.), I believe the earth and the flood are symbolic in keeping with the precedent of symbolism set forth in this entire chapter.

So, what is this flood that the serpent (devil) casts out of his mouth to cause the woman (man-child) to be carried away?

I'm not exactly sure what specific things the flood represents, but I believe the flood could be analogous to mountains that we saw that are obstacles put in Christians way to prevent them from doing Yah's will, or having what Yah promised them. The mountains that can be removed by our faith are analogous to the flood, and can represent many different obstacles.

The word carried here means to be overwhelmed by the stream (water) that the devil cast out as a flood, meaning that the water continued and continued and became a flood.

As the obstacles and trials, etc. that Satan, through his one world army, government, religious and economic system come against Yah's people, it will seem to be overwhelming. Satan wants us to lose faith in Yah's ability to protect us through whatever means He deems necessary as we are in this wilderness of the unbelieving world, that of Satan, who Yah says is the god of the world!

But because this woman holds fast to her faith in Yah and continues to trust in him, Yah does stop the flood from overwhelming her. What means does Yah use?

"Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.

I will cry unto God most high, unto God that performeth all things for me¹.

He shall SEND FROM HEAVEN² and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up³. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy⁴ and his truth⁵." Psalms 57:1-3

Yah sends something from heaven. He also sends His mercy and truth. We saw in Psalms 91:4, "His truth shall be thy shield and buckler."

In the "Shepherd of Hermas⁶", Vision IV:16:16, we see in this vision - Vision IV:1, "I saw a vision, brethren, twenty days after the former vision, a representation of the tribulation that is at hand." Hermas speaks about the beast.

"..., Lady, there met me such a beast, as seemed able to devour a whole people: but by the power of God, and through his singular mercy⁷, I escaped it."

And why did Yah send his mercy thereby enabling Hermas in this vision to escape the beast?

"Thou didst escape it well said she, because thou didst cast thy whole care upon God, and opened thy heart unto him, believing that thou couldest be safe by no other than by his great and honourable name." Vision IV:17

And what is it from heaven that Yah will send as shown in Psalms 57:3 above, that would save us from him that would swallow us up?

"For this cause the Lord sent his angel, who is over the beast, whose name is Hegrin, and stopped his mouth⁸, that he should not devour thee⁹. Thou hast escaped a great trial through thy faith, and because thou didst not doubt for such a terrible beast.

Go therefore, and relate to the elect of God the great things that he hath done for thee. And thou shalt say unto them, that this beast is the figure of the trial that is about to come.

If therefore, ye shall have prepared yourselves¹⁰, ye may escape it, if your heart be pure and without spot; and if ye shall serve God all the rest of your days without complaint.” VisionIV:18-20

So we see that God will send his truth, his mercy and his angel ¹¹ to protect us and stop the mouth of the beast.

Revelation 12:16 says the earth¹⁰⁹³ also helped the woman, by opening up her mouth and swallowing up the flood. The word earth¹⁰⁹³ is defined as a region, or solid part or the whole of the terrain globe (including the occupants in each application): - country, earth (-ly) ground, land, world.

I take this to mean that others in the world will also help this woman. It may be those that the woman preaches to before the beginning of the last 3 ½ years and thereby brings them into the kingdom and salvation by their newly found belief and faith in Yahshua the Messiah. The earth here probably does consist of those persons, but also could consist of unbelievers that have not taken the "mark of the beast", but this is just speculation on my part. Nevertheless, the woman is helped by others by probably their giving this food, to the woman, which definitely presents an obstacle as to the getting of it, because this woman cannot buy nor sell, because she has come out of the "economic system" of Babylon, the cashless society, and hasn't taken the mark of the beast - the mark in the right hand or forehead - which would enable her to buy and sell, which means to be able to live and conduct business in the world of Satan and his son the antichrist beast.

The ability to get food by buying and selling, which right is taken by the beast, is just one of many obstacles - mountains and floods that the serpent will cast out of his mouth for believers in Yahshua as their savior and Lord. Others might be not be able to pay rents or mortgages which will leave one without ownership of a home. The inability to pay for light, gas and water, which would light, heat and produce water to drink in the home, etc.

All of these are obstacles that would come as a flood to carry away the faith of the woman, but Yah sends his help to stop these floods. It can be via others and their provision of the needs to the woman, or Yah could simply hide the woman from the beast’s probing eyes and thus allow the woman to be unobstructed in her domain from acquiring all these needs. Time will tell, but Yah will prevail and furnish the woman with her needs, equipping her to fulfill His will during the remainder of her life of 3 ½ years.

The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness

"And many of the children of Israel shall he (John the Baptist¹) turn to the Lord their God.

And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah², to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.". Luke 1:16, 17

This was a prophetic word given to Zechariah by an angel (Luke 1:13) that his wife would bear him a son and he would call him John. And John (the Baptist) would come in the spirit and power of Elijah (not the person of Elijah) to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

In the Gospel of John, we see John the Baptist answer the question posed to him by the Jews "as to whom was he?"

"And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he said, I am not. Art thou the Prophet? And he answered No.

Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah." John 1:21-23

"The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord make straight in the desert a highway for our God.³" Isaiah 40:3

"Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, who ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple." Malachi 3:1

"As it is written in the prophets, Behold I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." Mark 1:2-4

"John answered them saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not.

He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose." John 1:26, 27

John the Baptist fulfilled the prophecy of Elijah the prophet coming before our Lord Jesus Christ.

"And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come?

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things.

But I say unto you, That Elijah is come already¹, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed². Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.

Then the disciples understood that he spoke unto them of John the Baptist." Matthew 17:10-13

What I want you to see is all of this is:

(1) The prophecy of Elijah coming before the Lord was fulfilled by John the Baptist. He came in the powers and spirit of Elijah.

(2) Just as John the Baptist came before the 1st Coming of the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, so shall one come in the spirit and power of Elijah before the Lord's next return - His Second Coming!

(3) John the Baptist cried as the voice in the wilderness then and

(4) The woman in the wilderness represents (John the Baptist) and she too will cry in the wilderness with the same voice.

(5) The voice is a call to repentance. A repentance from dead works, to the work on the cross that Yahshua performed. He gave up his life both physically on the cross and during his life his own will that we might be saved, and we must do the same!!!!!!!

"For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that is shall leave them neither root nor branch.

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.

Remember ye the law of Moses, my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with statutes and judgments.

Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord¹." Malachi 4:1-5

The great and dreadful day of the Lord is, as you will see in a later chapter, the day when Yahshua returns with his bride at Armageddon to destroy the wicked and set up his kingdom for one thousand years on the earth. But before that, he will send the spirit of Elijah to those who have prepared for his return to prepare the rest of the people for his return, and they will TREAD DOWN THE WICKED and they WILL BE ASHES UNDER THE SOLES OF THEIR FEET!

And so as in the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning his first coming when John the Baptist represented Elijah as Yahshua himself said he did, so will the ones coming in his spirit representing him before the Lord's glorious return fulfill that prophecy.

Just as John the Baptist "in the wilderness" preached repentance, so will the one (the woman) in the wilderness who will be safe for 3 ½ years preach repentance and salvation in Yahshua whom is about to return.

Just as John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah, so will the woman in the wilderness.

And in what way was the power of Elijah exhibited?

"Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months²." James 5:17

As concerning the two witnesses in Revelation Chapter 11, it is said, "These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy..." and "I will give power unto my two witnesses and they shall prophecy a thousand two hundred and threescore days (3-1/2 years³)..." A coincidence? I think not, as you will see later, the woman is synonymous with the two witnesses.

Just as "John the Revelator" said that the woman in the wilderness would have two wings of a great eagle to fly {mount up close to Yah} into the wilderness, so also did Enoch say¹ that in the day of tribulation of the sinners, Yah's children (his mature ones²) would mount and rise as eagles³, and enter the crevices of the earth and the clefts of the rock (the wilderness of the earth⁴) before the unrighteous - (in the midst of unbelievers⁵) and they would weep.

Enoch then goes on to say, healing shall be your portion⁶ and a "bright light shall enlighten you..."

Yahshua says that He is the Light, The Truth, and The Way. And as believers that light should shine forth from us, who are now his body in the earth, The Body of Christ, in the world today. The light of Jesus will enlighten the woman in the wilderness to the Truth. And the voice of the woman will speak that truth.

Also concerning the "voice" or the truth that the woman, aka "Elijah" and "John the Baptist", will speak, the Book of Daniel Chapter 12 speaks of it also, just as Enoch said "a bright light shall enlighten you".

"And at that time (the time of the end; last 3 ½ years⁷) shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:⁸ and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time (time of the end⁹)" Daniel 12:1_a

"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt and abhorrence.

And the teachers of those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness - to uprightness and right standing with God (via their accepting Christ as their savior as was preached to them¹⁰) [shall give forth light] like the stars for ever and ever." Daniel 12:2, 3 Amplified Version

Many have used these scriptures for the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead and the rapture. This, however, is not the case.

Yes, there is a resurrection of the dead.

Yes, there is a rapture.

But these verses are speaking about a specific time when Michael stands up for his people 3 ½ ears before the battle of Armageddon, and this time is not the time of the rapture or the resurrection of the dead which comes at Armageddon.

Daniel is not talking about the day of judgment in Revelation 11:18 or Revelation 20:12 where John says the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the book that Yah opened. Daniel is speaking of a time (Daniel 12:1) that there will be trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time. The same time is the first portion of Verse 1 of Revelation 12.

"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince standeth for the children of thy people."

Daniel is saying that when Michael (The Archangel) stands up for the church, there will never be a time of trouble on earth since the first nation was founded, and during this time, many shall wake up. Some will wake up to the knowledge of Yahshua (thence, everlasting life) and others will wake up to delusion and false christs (to shame and everlasting contempt for him, the true Christ).

Daniel 12:3, "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever."

Those that are wise (ones who wake up to the knowledge of Yahshua and accept him as their savior, wherein dwelleth righteousness) and those that preach this, they shall shine as stars forever.

This is that portion of The Tribulation, known as The Great Tribulation. I hope that it is not too confusing.

The Tribulation itself consists of the birth pangs that Yahshua spoke if in Matthew 24 which are synonymous with the first six seals in the Book of Revelation and they begin with what is described in the verses of Daniel 11:31

The Great Tribulation is the last 3 ½ years of The Tribulation and it begins with Daniel 12:1 describe below.

"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time (at the time Michael shall stand up¹) and at that time, thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book."

Those that are written in the "book of life" shall be delivered. What will they be delivered from? They shall be delivered from the deception of the Antichrist and from taking his mark and by thus doing so, they will in fact be delivered from the penalty of sin - Hell and the lake of fire.

Now look closely to what he says in Verse 2 and 3 of Daniel (above), "...and many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake..." We know without a doubt that this verse does not speak about the rapture/first resurrection of the dead for one main and simple reason.

At the rapture/first resurrection, only Christians are risen. And since only Christians are raptured and the Christian dead resurrected, then ALL those that partake in this scene are awakened to everlasting life. Some are NOT awakened to everlasting contempt and shame, as this verse states. The unbelieving dead are not resurrected at this time as all scripture clearly states. They are resurrected at the "second resurrection" after the "millennial reign" of Christ. All men are resurrected. The dead in Christ at his coming and then after the millennial reign, all the rest of the dead are raised. At that time (end of the millennial reign), all the dead shall be raised (resurrected). Unbelievers shall be resurrected to eternal death (separation from Yah) and cast into the lake of fire along with death and hell. Believers that died during the millennial reign shall be resurrected to eternal life in the presence of Yah¹.

"...and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished..." Revelation 20:4_b and 5_a²

In the next verse, we see that (1) Teachers, (2) those that are wise, and (3) those who turn many to righteousness shall shine as stars.

Additionally, the word sleep here means "sleep, one awakened from sleep". It does not mean (literally; to die) and dust does not mean in the ground, six feet under.

What Daniel is saying in the verses is that after the abomination of desolation by the little horn, Michael, the Archangel, shall stand up and there will be trouble on the earth for another 3 ½ years after this like never has been before or ever shall be, also known as Jacob’s (House of Israel/Ten Lost Tribes of Israel).

"And from the time that the daily shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days (3 ½ years³)" Daniel 12:11

At the beginning of this period of time, many that are walking around in the earth asleep in its dust not seeing properly, oblivious to what is going on (the unfolding of prophetic scripture before their very eyes), will finally awaken to the fact some will be teachers who will teach the truth about the end of time - (the voice in the wilderness) - those who turn others to righteousness (belief in Yahshua) and they, the wise, shall awaken to everlasting life and be delivered from the deception of the Antichrist and the mark of the beast. However, many others will awaken to the deception and strong delusion and believe the lie, thus everlasting shame and contempt!

"Be hopeful, ye righteous; for suddenly shall the sinners perish before you. And ye shall have lordship over them according to our desires¹.

And in the day of the tribulation of the sinners², your children (the righteous³) shall mount and rise as eagles⁴." The Book of Enoch XCVI:1, 2

"Wherefore fear not, ye that have suffered;

For healing shall be your portion,

And a bright light shall enlighten you,

And the voice of rest ye shall hear from heaven - Verse 3

In those days many and good days shall come to the righteous - in the day of your judgment." Verse 8

"Believe, ye righteous, that the sinners will become a shame⁵, and perish in the day of unrighteousness." The Book of Enoch XCVII:1

"And in those days the prayer of the righteous shall reach unto the Lord. And for you the days of your judgment shall come,

And all the words of your unrighteousness shall be read out before the Great Holy One; and your faces shall be covered with shame..." Verse 5, 6

Habakkuk also was writing about the Antichrist (Habakkuk 2:4-19). In verse 4 of Chapter 2 of Habakkuk, he states:

"Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?"

Yes! And Habakkuk says in verse 1 and 2. Yes, the vision (of the Antichrist) is yet for an appointed time in the future but when it's time has come, because I have made it plain upon tables (recorded it) he that breadth it may run. His feet shodden with preparedness with the gospel of peace, he will run to and fro as Daniel claims. He will teach the truth of these times.

Habakkuk 2:14 says: "For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the water cover the sea."

Daniel 12:10, "Many shall be purified and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand."

The people who are witnessing during these times will be people who know what Yah intends to do, and are those who understand the specific prophetic scriptures that are now being fulfilled that very day.

"Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously; for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe though (unless¹) it be told you." Habakkuk 1:5

Let us be prepared for the days to come. The hour is late!

Let ours be a voice in the wilderness, as was John the Baptist. As John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah before the first coming, so shall the woman in the wilderness come in the spirit and power of Elijah, preaching repentance from dead works. And those that voice this gospel shall shine as the stars forever.

Conclusion

The time spoken of in Revelation 12 which begins the last 3 ½ years before the Lord returns, is marked at its beginning by the birth of the man-child, also known as the woman who is that portion of the Church in which the fullness of Christ is birthed in them.

This woman is kept safe for three and one-half years in the wilderness which represents the ungodly world and the reign of Satan during this time, which at the beginning of this period of 3 ½ years, he is cast out of the heavens into the earth.

The woman in the wilderness represents, just as John the Baptist did, the coming of Elijah preparing the way of the Lord's coming, now which is his return. She is the voice crying in the wilderness "repent" and accept Yahshua as Messiah, not the false one that has already been ruling for 3 ½ years, who is now joined by this father Satan this very day of awakening.

In the Book of Daniel, Chapter 12 echoes this same time period which Revelation 12 tells us begins also with Michael the Archangel fighting with Satan and casting him into the earth. Daniel says that many will awaken in the earth to the knowledge of the understanding of the Book of Daniel which has been sealed until this time. Those that understand (Christians) are wise and they shall teach many, these truths and they shall shine that turn many to righteous in Christ (the voice in the wilderness), as they run to and fro in this wilderness, with their increased knowledge of the deceiving times they live in.

Isaiah, Enoch and David also identify and prophesy about this time spoken in Revelation and Daniel, drawing the correlation of the wings of an eagle as protection under Yah's wings, where the woman is kept safe, as she draws close to Yah. And under his protection, the Church will triumphant during this time in preaching the gospel of Christ, all the while being fed both his Word and given nourishment for their bodies.

And all the obstacles that the Devil puts in their way as a flood to overcome them shall be stopped by the power and mercy of Yah because of their faith in his Word and their faith in his ability to keep his Word concerning his promises to them during this time.

Furthermore, these promises of his protection of them is related to their preparation and preparedness. They have, through yielding to the Spirit of Yah that resides in them, begun to walk in the Spirit, as they have grown up into maturity, and put down the sin in their lives, and have the stature of the fullness of Christ, they have become that glorious bride to whom Christ will return for. Greater is He that is in them, than he that is in the world.

They will wander the entire earth, in the world, in the wilderness, and they shall be kept safe for 3 ½ years, protected and hid from the devices of the devil.

However, their protection extends for 3 ½ years only, as Scripture declares.

CHAPTER TEN

Who Are The Two Witnesses

Introduction

Chapter Eleven of the Book of Revelation speaks almost entirely of the "two witnesses". At least beginning in verse one and continuing through verse thirteen. This eleventh chapter of Revelation is included in what the angel is showing John the revelator first, before John's prophesying again. However, John is interrupted by the angel after giving part of the revelation of the 6th Trumpet and the angel decides to now describe the "two witnesses". Beginning in verse one through verse six, we see the description of who they are and how long their ministry is, which is disclosed as three and one-half years. However, it is important to note here that this does not mean that the length of the 6th Trumpet is three and one-half years. This truth must be recognized in order not to confuse oneself. Only the length of the two witnesses' ministry is stated as 3 ½ years not the 6th Trumpet as such.

Verse seven of Chapter 10 of Revelation begins the actual picking up of the timeline of events being discussed before the interruption. In other words, up until Revelation 11:1 the angel was showing John the events in sequence up to and including the 6th Trumpet until the "seven thunders", which he was told not to write them (Revelation 10:4), are mentioned. Then the angel briefly states a fact contained in the 7th Trumpet (not the beginning of it (Revelation 10:7), then mentions again the "little book" (Revelation 10:2), which contains the seven thunders that he was told not to write. He was told to eat the book. He did. Then the angel declares that John must prophesy again. Which I believe, as you well know, that John would prophesy in his own prophesy all that the angel had showed him before. But the angel wasn't finished. He had only gotten partially through the 6th Trumpet.

Now the angel proceeds to tell John about the two witnesses, beginning in verse one of Chapter Eleven through verse six. Now in verse seven, the sequence is picked up again from verse four and continues in sequence.

"And when they (two witnesses¹) have finished their testimony,..." We were told four verses earlier that they would continue for 3 ½ years. So verse seven begins at the end of their 3 ½ years. Verse five and six describes their 3 ½ years and explains what they do during it. Now arriving at verse seven, we have the end of their 3 ½ years and the beginning of the end of the 6th Trumpet or the rest of the events contained in the 6th Trumpet. Verse seven through fourteen describe these events. Verse fifteen begins the 7th Trumpet that was briefly mentioned in Chapter 10, verse seven only.

Bearing all this in mind, let's continue.

The Apostle John tells many things in the Book of Revelation about the "two witnesses", especially what they do and how long they do it. However, the disputed fact of precisely who they are remains a mystery to most. However, I don't believe it needs to be, or should be.

Many declarations as to who they might be have filled biblical commentaries and many other books for centuries. Some claim that they are Moses and Elijah. Others claim that they are Elijah and Enoch. A few, not many, claim they are the church, or at least part of the church. Is the number "two" symbolic, and not to be taken literally? One thing is for sure. When these "two witnesses" and whatever number they represent and whomever they represent, begin their ministry they certainly will not go unnoticed! Those that are living upon the earth will know exactly who they are and will be glad (they think) when they are gone. They will cause havoc and destruction, not for just merely a couple of days or weeks, but their power will extend for 3 ½ years, matching that of the Antichrist’s final reign along with his father Satan till the end when Yahshua returns.(Revelation 13:4, 5).

I believe the "two witnesses" represents a portion of the church in the last 3 ½ years before Armageddon. I believe this to be the case, and I wish to make it clear, that I am dogmatic on this point and why I am so is discussed at the end of this chapter, in the Summary. This view has tremendous scriptural evidence to support it, and none to contradict it. Others who believe in a "pre-tribulation" rapture, and those of them along with all others that believe there will be a generation of believers that will not taste of death, but remain without ever dying for the Lord to return, have no scriptural basis on which to stake that claim. Out of context scripture and supposition is all that supports their theories. Many God/Yah fearing men believe this, but believe it in error nonetheless.

As with the other views to which I express in this manual, and your adhering to them or this one will not cause anyone to fall from their faith, or have their faith injured in any way. Quite the contrary. It could, however, hopefully do at least these things listed below:

(1) Help in supporting their belief of faith in Yah's ability to perform his will in his saints if they yield to His Spirit,

(2) Help them not to fear the evil one nor the evil days ahead,

(3) Prepare them for what is inevitable for them, as was for the saints before them - To Die,

(4) Motivate them to do Yah's will in the last days, which is to preach the gospel fervently, to do the work of an evangelist, to which we are ALL called (II Timothy 4:5), and leave the erroneous notion that they will escape the world, at any time, alive, in a secret rapture,

(5) Cling to the one hope (Ephesians 4:4) as one body, that hope being the blessed hope (Titus 2:13, "Looking for the blessed hope¹, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.") which is the resurrection of the dead/rapture. This is explained in great detail in Volume Two of the series “Preparation For The Tribulation”, Tribulation Truth.

So without delay, let's look at every scripture verse in Revelation 11:1-12 that pertains to them.

Measure Them

There are many more similarities between the saints of Yah and the Two Witnesses, and we will look at them all. In so doing, you be the judge if it is a coincidence or not.

So then, let's begin at the beginning of Chapter 11 of the Book of Revelation which deals exclusively with the Two Witnesses in the first twelve verses.

"And there was given unto me a reed like unto a rod; and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the alter, and them that worship therein.

But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months." Revelation 11:1, 2

Why does this chapter in the first two verses talk about the temple of God¹, the alter, and the holy city? And why measure them and them that worship therein?

To answer this, I wish to quote Marvin Byers in his book "The Final Victory: The Year 2000".

"The Apostle John is commanded, "Measure the temple of God and the alter, and them that worship therein" (Revelation 11.1). If this refers to a physical temple, and physical measurements, we must ask ourselves a question, "Is John going to measure the physical height of those worshipers in Revelation 11? Or is he going to measure their width? Many of us certainly hope not, because in some cases our width is rapidly approaching our height! Obviously there would be no purpose in those measurements. However, our spiritual stature will be measured, to see how we measure up to "the stature of Christ" (Ephesians. 4:13). Since the measuring and the measurements are seen to be spiritual matters, we can be certain that the "temple" and "alter" found in Revelation 11 are also spiritual. The temple is a spiritual temple, the Church, and the alter is a spiritual, heavenly alter (Hebrews. 13:10). As living stones, we must be conformed to the required measurements to be a part of His eternal temple."²

Mr. Byers makes some astute observations here, and I would tend to agree with all of them. He states our spiritual stature will be measured to see how we measure up to "the stature of Christ".

I believe John was counting the "two witnesses". The word "measure" in Greek is "metreo" - to measure (i.e.; ascertain in size by a fixed standard); by implication to add measure (i.e.; allot by rule); figuratively to estimate.³

Yes, indeed! John is figuratively, estimating the part of the church who are the "two witnesses". The fixed standard is the "stature of the fullness of Christ", and Yah already knows that number and He who rules all heaven and earth has allotted it.

Remember we discussed the man-child in Chapter Two, and Ephesians. 4:13, "...until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature⁴ man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."

Those in the church who have reached maturity, the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, a man-child, the mature saints, the manifest sons of Yah, have been counted and numbered from the rest of the holy city (the remnant of the church). Do not number them is the (Amplified Version) of measure; for they shall be tread under foot for 3 ½ years.

Remember what Yahshua said about Christians being the salt of the earth? "Ye (Christians¹) are the salt of the earth: but if the salt (Christians²) have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is henceforth good for nothing³, but to be cast out⁴, and to be trodden under foot of men." Matthew 5:13

An alarming and eye opening statement from Yahshua himself. He said that Christians are the salt of the earth, but if they have lost the qualities of salt, savour - then how can it do any good. Wherewith shall it be salted? It is of no use. Good for nothing, but to be trodden under foot of man.

Let me put it another way. Dear tribulation brethren, (the ones that shall be alive during the tribulation); If you have lost your savour, and if you are only worried about escaping the tribulation, you will. However, it may not Be the way in which you had falsely hoped in a secret rapture. Instead of being alive and raptured as in the case of the two witnesses, your departure shall be as described in the 4th through 6th seal of the Book of Revelation. If you have become foolish, a trait that is not found in mature saints, then you are good for nothing , just as Yahshua said, and you shall be trodden under foot of men. You will not be numbered with the rest of the temple (church) - the two witness portion. But you will be the remnant that is headed to be trampled under foot for 3 ½ years because you are of no use to Yah during this last of the days.

"And the dragon (Satan⁵) was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed..." Revelation 12:17

I do not believe it is a coincidence that in Chapter 12 of Revelation, that the man-child is birthed at the beginning of the last 3 ½ years of tribulation as so too are the "two witnesses". Both are kept safe for 3 ½ years. Nor that the devil goes after the remnant of the church to destroy it, and the court outside of the temple (the remnant) is given to the Gentiles (non Jewish) to be tread under foot for 3 ½ years is a coincidence, as we just observed!

"But the hour cometh, and now is when true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him." John 4:23

Yah is seeking those that will truly worship him, not in the flesh, but in the spirit. Those that do and who are mature and who have put down the flesh and the desires of the world to follow Yahshua in truth shall be numbered, from those that do not and are not. The man-child portion of the church shall be safe and doing exploits for God for 3 ½ years, while the other portion of the church (the remnant) shall not be safe but exploited by the beast and the Antichrist!

Even though physical death awaits both, which group would you rather be in? If you are the remnant, unsafe, experiencing all that the devil has to throw at you, will you contend for the faith, till the end? Will you endure the persecution without falling away? Wouldn't it be better to be useful to Yah during this time, instead of spending all your resources to escape the beast? I pray that I, as well as you, would be worthy, that we would measure up to the standard to escape all the things coming upon the earth. It is not to late, but the time is short. I pray that Yah's mercy will be upon us, and we will be measured and counted with those worthy to be called the "two witnesses", which is the inner court under his safety of his protection.

They Shall Prophesy

"And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth." Revelation 11:3¹

The two witnesses shall prophesy and so will "the church".

"And it shall come in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh; and your² sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy³.

And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke.

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come." Acts 2:17-20

In the time of their prophesy (the two witnesses), there is blood and fire and signs in the earth. The same things are spoken of above and a few verses later in Chapter Eleven, as we will see.

Many teach that the passage of scripture in Acts, that I just quoted, was a fulfillment of Joel 2:29 because Acts 2:16, 17 says, "But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; and it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God...". And that we entered into the last days after Jesus was resurrected. Yes, we did and yes, this is a partial fulfillment of Joel.

Remember, under "Key Points To Remember When Studying"..."of this book; Key Point #4 - Many of the verses, and events in scripture have twofold meanings, applications and manifestations, and that in this, many passages of Scripture in both Testaments, have both near and far implications and applications. Well, this is one of those instances.

This did begin on the day of Pentecost as said in Acts 2:16 but it would also occur later before the day of the Lord. Both in Joel and in Acts, these passages go on and identify the day of the Lord in verses 30-31 and verses 19, 20 respectively. The early rain of His Spirit in Acts and the latter rain in the time of end, during the prophesy of the two witnesses.

"Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he hath given you the former rain moderately (prophesy of the event of Acts¹)and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month." Joel 2:23

I wish again to remind you of the Greek word here for prophesy "prophetewo" and its definition; to foretell events, divine, speak under inspiration. So under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, these "two witnesses" will speak divine words of future events. They will, as we have seen in the definition of the mature saints, come into the knowledge of
the Son of Yah (Yahshua). The Book of Revelation and the events contained therein are the knowledge of the "revealing" or revelation of "the Second Coming" of Yahshua the Messiah. These witnesses will understand all and begin to prophesy them, in advance of their happening. All flesh will not believe, but by their prophecies, many will. Glory be to Yah.

Two Olive Trees

"These are the two² olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth." Revelation 11:4³

John is giving us some more information about who these witnesses are. We already know that through parables and symbols and the such that many things were not to be understood by all but his disciples. Those that continue to follow after him.

And secondly, many things would not be understood until their time, "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge (concerning such⁴) shall be increased." Daniel 12:4

I believe the same is true about the "two witnesses", and that now, those that wish to take the time to study scripture with an open mind will have revealed to them the truth of these matters.

Two olive trees and two candlesticks are given to represent the "two witnesses". When I add two and two, I come up with four. Do you? If "two" were not symbolic of the real number to which they represent, and two actually represented two, why are we being confused with two olive trees and two candlesticks, which equals four. To avoid confusion and misunderstanding, this passage could have been rendered, "one olive tree and one candlestick which equals two as in "two witnesses". But it wasn't.

I will show proof in the Word of Yah that the two olive trees and the two candlesticks represent a portion of the true church. Two olive trees, because the church is made of two olive trees. The natural olive tree and the wild olive tree, equals two olive trees, (The Church of Yah). The candlestick represent types of the church, but only two types of the church shall be safe for 3-1/2 years (time of the "two witnesses' ministry".)

Let's look at the olive trees first. In the Book of Romans, Paul speaks of a good, natural olive tree, that has some of its branches broken off, and some branches of a wild olive tree were grafted into the natural good olive tree, and that the branches of the natural olive tree can be grafted back into itself. The natural olive tree are Israelites (all twelve tribes of Israel including Jews that are of the tribe of Judah, and the wild olive tree are Gentiles (non Jewish) By the way, anyone who is not Jewish is a called a Gentile, even the lost ten tribes of the North of early Israel, who had the name of the House of Israel. The Bible is clear that two houses (sticks), the House of Judah and the House of Israel (ten tribes to the north) make up his chosen people Israel.

"For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in." Romans. 11:25

Those that believe that their faith in Yahshua the Messiah is made unto them salvation are the seed of Abraham (who was the first to do so), shall be called Israel (Twelve tribes combined).

"For the promise, that he should be heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith¹." Romans. 4:13

"He (Abraham²) staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith³, giving glory to God.

And being fully persuaded, that what he (God⁴) had promised, he (God⁵) was able also to perform.

And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him.

But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification." Romans. 4:20-25

Abraham had a son (the other promise), called Isaac. And Isaac had a son called Jacob, and his name was changed by Yah to Israel. Later, the twelve tribes of Israel were split into ten tribes to the North and two Southern tribes. All were taken into Assyrian captivity because of their national sins (worshipping idols) and only the two tribes of Judah came back (Jews) after their prophesied captivity. The first Christians were made up of these Jews who had returned to their land of Israel. The other ten tribes are “lost in history” as they did not return to the land of Israel/Palestine.

Yah promised that all Israel shall be saved in the end. Meaning a remnant from all twelve tribes. The ten tribes (Northern House of Israel) whose identity has been lost in history and a remnant of the two that remained in the Land of Israel - Jews (Tribe of Benjamin and Judah) which is the House of Judah, both of which combined together are called by Yah, Israel.

"And so all Israel¹ shall be saved; as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." Romans. 8:26

So until the fullness of the Gentiles (those that are not Jews by blood; i.e. House of Israel) become believers (true Israelites) in Yahshua, there is no saving of all Israel. When it happens, then so all Israel shall be saved, will be fulfilled.

"For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. Romans. 9:6-8

"For he is not a Jew (real one that is²), which is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh.

But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God." Romans. 2:28, 29

To sum all of this up, that "blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in" is this.

Some of the house of Israel's natural blood line, are saved through their faith in Yahshua the Messiah; even in the "old testament" those that believed (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc.). The first believers (after the death of Jesus), were from the tribe of Benjamin and Judah (the two tribes of Judah; known as Jews). Then the gospel was allowed to be preached to non-Jews (Gentiles; ten tribes of the House of Israel). Both Gentile believers (wild olive trees) and Jewish believers (natural, good olive trees, of which Jews are two of the tribes) in the end of the last day (3-1/2 years time period, before Jesus returns), the other part of Israel (Lost ten tribes) shall believe and be grafted back into the good olive tree (

Church) whose branches are now of both wild and natural, good olive trees.

"For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.

And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree³, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.

Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.

Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith⁴. Be not high-minded, but fear:

For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

Behold therefore, the goodness and severity of God: on them which fill severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.¹

And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.

For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature² and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree³; how much more shall these, which be the natural branches⁴, be grafted into their own olive tree?" Romans. 11:16-24

Both the wild olive tree and the good natural olive tree now make up one good olive tree (the church/Israel). These are the two olive trees (the "two witnesses") and together in the church (the body of Christ), they shall prophesy and do great exploits, greater than Yahshua, and the other part (Lost Ten Tribes) shall be grafted back in! Praise and honor and glory be to Yah for his kind mercy to graft us (House of Israel: i.e. Gentiles) into the church! Not Judaism, but the Jewish Christian Church.

Remember, the twelve apostles were Jews as well as all the members of the first church. Judaism should lead to Yahshua, who was a Jew as well. The true church built by Yahshua is in reality a Jewish church who believes in the Jew (Yahshua) as their Messiah and the lost ten tribes are grafted into it, and later unbelieving Jews in Yahshua the Messiah, will believe in him and be grafted back into the true Jewish Church that the Jew Yahshua/Jesus is building.

Now that we can see that the church is made up of these two witnesses, or that the "two witnesses" come from within the church, consisting of Jewish and Gentile believers alike, let's look at the two candlesticks.

Two Candlesticks

"The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven churches: and the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches⁵. Revelation 1:20

Yahshua is speaking above, and he tells John in the Book of Revelation that the seven candlesticks represent the seven churches. I believe Yahshua's word should be good enough for us. We must let scripture interpret scripture.

But now we must determine which two out of the seven churches which Yahshua speaks of in Revelation, are the ones he is talking about of the seven, which are made up of Jews and Gentiles within the church of Israel.

(1) Ephesus - thou has left thy first love (Jesus) and thou art fallen. Must repent or I will remove thy candlestick.

(2) Smyrna - they are committing blasphemy and shall have tribulation ten days.

(3) Pergamos - they are eating things sacrificial to idols, committing fornication and hold to the doctrine of Nicolaitians, which Jesus hates. Must repent or he (Jesus) will fight them with the sword of his mouth.

(4) Sardis - Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die; for I have not found thy works perfect before God. If they don't watch, Jesus will come on them as a Thief. But if they come overcome, he will give them eternal life.

(5) Laodicea They say they are rich, but Jesus says they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked and he will spew them out of his mouth, and they will be tried in the fire, but if they repent, he will save them from eternal death.

We have looked at five of the seven churches which represent the "entire church's" attitudes and spiritual condition. Some, unless they repent, will not even be saved. Others will be tried during the tribulation, cast into it, and some for ten days.

It is not hard to recognize that none of these churches which represent "believers", are mature saints walking in the fullness of the stature of Christ. They are "babes" walking in the flesh, not the Spirit! They cannot represent the two candlestick "churches" that are the "two witnesses" in Revelation 11. So let's look at the last two.

(6) Thyatira - But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not the doctrine of Jezebel, "I will put upon you none other burden" Revelation 2:24¹

(7) Philadelphia - "Because thou has kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." Revelation 3:10²

These two churches or the attitudes and spiritual conditions of maturity of the believers to which the two churches represent, will have no other burden put upon them, and they will be kept from the hour of temptation, (the seven years of tribulation, which includes the last 3 ½ called the Great Tribulation).

Another thing that must be noted about these two churches (two candlesticks), is something Yahshua tells them both, that he told none of the other five churches.

Thyatira - "But that which ye have already hold fast till I come" Revelation 2:25³

Philadelphia - "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast⁴, that no man take thy crown.

Yahshua is saying he is coming for them. Hold fast till I come he says. Is he lying? No! Yahshua is coming for the Jewish and Gentile believers, who at the beginning of the end of the lasts days (3 ½ years) are exhibiting the character of the two churches above, to which they represent. They will be safe for the final 3 ½ years of great tribulation.

Further observations about the similarities between these two churches and the two witnesses should be noted.

Two Witnesses 1) Power is given to the "two witnesses"

2) John the revelator was told to measure the "temple" (two witnesses)

Two Churches Philadelphia "Him that overcometh (of the church of Philadelphia⁵) will I make a pillar in the temple⁶ of my God.

Thyatira "He that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end (those of Thyatira⁷) to him will I give power ⁸ over the nations:"

One can easily see the "power" in Revelation 11:5, 6 that these two witnesses do in fact have over the nations of the earth, as stated below.

These things listed about these two churches (the people that make up them), are unique to them, and them alone.

These are the two witnesses. "They are the two olive trees, (natural olive tree and the wild olive tree¹) and the two candlesticks (church at Thyatira and Philadelphia²) standing before the God of the earth." Revelation 11:4

Now that we know who these two witnesses are, let's continue with the verses in Revelation Chapter 11.

Fire Proceedeth Out of Their Mouth

"And if any man will hurt³ them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies; and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed." Revelation 11:5

The Greek word "hurt" is "adikeo" and it means to be unjust, to do wrong (morally, socially, or physically) hurt, injure, wrong. So this word means not to just physically hurt them, but anything that is done to them that is socially or morally wrong, will illicit their wrath. For instance, if a soldier of the UN army (the beast army) accosted them and threatened to kill or imprison them for their belief in Yahshua, or they threatened to kill their family unless they denied Christ and took the mark of the beast, I should think this could be classified as harming them. Or perhaps restricting them from pursuing their marching orders from Yah, would classify as such as well.

The consequences of the wrath of the "two witnesses" upon those exerting such harm would be death by fire that proceeds out of their mouth.

I'm not sure whose mouth the fire would proceed out of, but the results are nonetheless the same. They shall in this manner be killed!

"Then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name." Malachi 3:16

"But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall.

And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ASHES UNDER THE SOLES OF YOUR FEET⁴ in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts." Malachi 4:2, 3

Could the fire that proceeds out of the mouth of either the two witnesses or themselves (the wicked) turn to ashes the bodies of those wicked that seek to harm the two witnesses? I believe so. And the two witnesses will continue on and the wicked whom were destroyed shall be ashes under their feet.

In the book of Jeremiah, the Lord gives an instance that relates to the house of Judah in the last days, which speaks of the situation above. However, it should be noted that this assumption need not be accurate concerning the who and where nor when, but an example of such an instance that will happen. Because of the house of Israel and the house of Judah dealing treacherously against the Lord and believing him by saying, "It is not he, neither shall evil come upon us, neither shall we see sword or famine", does the Lord speak concerning them.

"Wherefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them." Jeremiah 5:14

This verse seems to suggest that the person speaking such will prompt the Lord's word to be fire in their mouths thereby which they themselves will be devoured.

So to the verse concerning the "two witnesses" and their confrontation with their enemies, "And if any man will hurt them fire proceedeth out of their mouth..." could be saying that the ones who are doing the hurting (even verbally as the definition suggests), fire proceedeth out of their own mouths, not the "two witnesses", and they themselves are devoured by it as Jeremiah seems to suggest. An interesting supposition nonetheless, but to whomsoever the mouths of which the fire proceeds, the results are the same. See also Isaiah 33:11.

More Power

"These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will." Revelation 11:6

They have the power to bring drought for 3 ½ years. It is interesting to note in James 5:15, 16, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months."

They also turn waters to blood and smite the earth with all plagues, as did Moses in the time of Pharaoh. Along with the awesome powers comes an awesome responsibility that I'm sure they do not take lightly. Just as a "babe" is not given much responsibility, a mature person is given much and much is required of him.

Yah will not give anyone the power to do such things unless they are walking with him totally in spirit and truth. They must be able to clearly hear the voice of the Lord, and be able to control their emotions, meaning to be lead by the Spirit not the their flesh.

Obviously, the exhortation in the Book of James comes to mind.

"If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain." James 1:26

"Even so the TONGUE¹ is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

And the tongue is a fire, a world of inequity: so is the tongue among our members that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell." James 3:5, 6

Many truths and applications can be drawn from these verses, but the fact that should stand out, is one should control the tongue.

"But the tongue can no man tame, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poisons." James 3:8

What one should do is allow Yah to tame it, for all things are possible with him. By renewing our mind by the washing of the water of the Word, and continually walking with the Lord, by hearing his voice and allowing him to direct our footsteps, he can accomplish this feat. Only the ones who by practice and by a daily commitment to him to allow this to happen to them can be instructed by him. Maturity is without question, a pre-requisite that is met within the sphere of the "two witnesses".

But even with the power Yah has given them, when they have done Yah's will, they too shall lay down their lives and die. No one leaves this world without dying. Many preachers and Christians believe that only Enoch and Elijah have been permitted to do so. That's why they believe that they will return as the "two witnesses" spoken of here. They may indeed return to fulfill the end of their days on earth and die as all the rest of the believers, but I do not believe they are the only two., if in fact they do return, which I believe is not the case. They are definitely included in the definition of a saint (a believer), however!!

Finished With Testimony

At least three things should not escape our attention concerning this verse and the similarities between the church and the "two witnesses" found herein and within other scripture verses shown below.

Saints (The Church) Two Witnesses

1) Rev. 13:7-"And it was given unto him to make war with the saints (Satan makes war against them) and to overcome them." Satan shall overcome them.

2) Daniel 8:34-"...and shall destroy the mighty and holy people." Satan shall kill them.

3) Daniel 12:7-"...he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished." When they have finished their testimony

We will now take a look at each of the three categories in detail that are shown above.

War and Overcome:

It seems to me to be rather an overkill for the beast to make war with only "two" men. Rather a strong term used, concerning a conflict with two men. But with many in the church as "representative of the two witnesses", to make war against them is more plausible and befitting such language. And as seen in this verse (Revelation 13:7), the beast does indeed make war with the saints!

Though the argument is made with all "pre-tribbers" that this refers to the "tribulation saints", being those that become believers (saints) after the church was raptured at the beginning of the tribulation, and that would be true, if the latter is true.

However, that doctrine of the "Pre-tribulation" rapture has hopefully been thoroughly dispelled in this book by now. With that premise being already laid, let's continue with the matter at hand, which is showing what group of the church the "two witnesses" represent, and showing the scripture that describes the church's experiences containing those experienced by the "two witnesses", as evidenced by Revelation 11:7, and in doing so you'll realize that the "whole church" does definitely not fit into the group of the ones that make up the "two witnesses". What happens to the group of the church that does not make up the two witnesses was discussed in detail in the chapter on The Remnant of Her Seed. and is not the subject now at hand.

So in Revelation 11:7, we see that the beast shall make war with the "two witnesses" and in Revelation 13:7, the beast makes war with the "saints". Also in both verses, they are overcome.

And Kill Them:

In Revelation 11:7, the "two witnesses" are killed by the beast. In Daniel 8:34, the mighty and holy people are destroyed.

"And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.

And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and holy people¹." Daniel 8:23, 24

Who are the holy people?

"Blessed and holy² is he that hath part in the first resurrection: and such the second death (Revelation 20:14; 21:8³) hath no power, but they (the holy⁴) shall be priests⁵ of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." Revelation 20:6

"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy⁶ priesthood..." I Peter 2:5

"I charge you by the Lord, that this epistle be read unto all the holy⁷ brethren." I Thessalonians 5:27

The holy people are those that make up the true church.

Who are the holy and mighty (powerful in the Hebrew)? The part of the church that is holy and powerful. I submit to you that many in the church, if not most, have no power at all. They have the power of Yah within them and available to them, but never used by them.

All power and authority was given to Yahshua and he gave it to us (Luke 9:1; Mark 13:34). But he shall destroy the mighty and holy, the powerful people - the church. Satan will kill part of the church, and the "two witnesses" as well, but when is the question for the “two witnesses”..

When Shall They Be Destroyed and Killed?

"And when they (the two witnesses¹) shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them and kill them." Revelation 11:7

"And I will give power ² to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy 1,260 days..." Revelation 11:3

At the end of their ministry which is 3 ½ years after it began, they will die only after they have finished their testimony. All of their works and power will testify of our Lord Yahshua.

"And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? (Those spoken of from Chapter 11 verse 1 until this verse, Chapter 12:6³)

And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and swore by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, a times and a half (3-1/2 years, 1,260 days⁴) and when he shall have accomplished to scatter⁵³¹⁰ the power of the holy people⁵, ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE FINISHED⁶." Daniel 12:6, 7

We've already discussed who the holy people are, but here we want to look at what "scatter the power" of them, means.

The Amplified Bible renders this "made an end of shattering and crushing the power of the holy people".

The New International Version renders this, "when the power of the holy people has finally⁷ been broken..."

The New American Standard renders this, "as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people..."

The Hebrew word for scatter⁵³¹⁰ is "naphats" and means to dash to pieces, be beaten in sunder, broken, caused to be discharged, etc.

The force of the word scatter means significantly more than just to spread around or scatter in many directions. It denotes being crushed, broken, and shattered as the other three translations show. Discharged, or no longer operating.

When the power of the two witnesses has been broken, when they have finished their testimony in which their power that was given to them testifies of Yah, they shall be killed. All these things written in Daniel 11 and 12 that continue for 3 ½ years, just as the testimony and power of the two witnesses lasts for 3 ½ ears, shall be finished.

The power of the holy people ends at the death of the "two witnesses" after their 3 ½ years of exerting their power as shown in Chapter 11 of Rev.

The significance of this is given in the end of this Chapter.

Remember the remnant of the church, the outer court portion of the church (Revelation 11:2; Revelation 12:17) is left to Gentiles (non-believers) to be trodden under foot for the entire 3 ½ years, but the two witness portion of the church cannot be harmed at anytime within the 3 ½ year period.

"And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them¹, and shall overcome them² and kill them³." Revelation 11:7

Dead Bodies Lying in the Street

The next verse, verse eight, seems to throw many scholars, as well as teachers of the Word, off. But I believe that with careful study and with out a preconceived notion, it can become clear. Hidden in the symbolism and the correct definition of some of the words used in this verse, the truth can be found.

A little common sense wouldn't hurt either. As with all of the Book of Revelation, this chapter must be carefully and prayerfully sought out. Scripture must interpret scripture. Symbolism used in the Book of Revelation, once unearthed so to speak, and defined, must carry that definition throughout the entire book, unless it is clearly changed in a specific context and duly noted therein. It is of much importance to bear this in mind while trying to understand and come to the true interpretation of this upcoming verse.

"And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city⁴, which spiritually⁵ is called Sodom and Egypt⁶, where also our Lord was crucified⁷." Revelation 11:8

Carefully looking at and studying the words in bold print and underlined, is the key to this passage, as well as the following few verses.

So where is the great city where their dead bodies shall lie? Traditionally, it is taught that this great city is Jerusalem, mainly because of the last portion of this verse which says "where also our Lord was crucified⁸", because he was crucified there.

First of all, Yahshua was not crucified in Jerusalem!

"This title then read many of the Jews; for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh (near⁹) to the city" John 19:20

"When they tired of their crude sport, the soldiers bid Jesus outside the city to a hill called Golgotha, the customary spot for public executions. There they crucified him between two thieves."

So if we are to take the statement made in this verse, "where also our Lord was crucified" literally, then it is not Jerusalem. This scripture could have simply stated that Jerusalem was the place where the dead bodies of the "two witnesses", would lay, however it does not. Then the matter would not be left to interpretation. Is there a reason for the wording used here, not unlike the parables in which Yahshua oftentimes spoke?

So, have we uncovered a flaw, a misstatement, or erroneous one here, a lie? The answer again is, No! So let's look deeper into this verse, or the word crucified which must be cleared up first, to uncover whether or not they literally meant "crucified", the physical such incident in history. The Greek word here is "stauroo"¹ and means to "impale" on the cross; figuratively to extinguish passion or selfishness. The definition of "impale", as with all words have many meanings depending on the context in which word is rendered. Here, we know it is "spiritually"! "...the great city which is spiritually⁴¹⁵³ ² called Sodom and Egypt..." The Greek word used here for "spiritually" is "pneumatikos" defined as - non physically, i.e.; divinely, figuratively - spiritually.

So we see that this great city is not a physical city named Sodom and Egypt (Egypt is not a city anyway), but what they represent figuratively. And staying within the context of this line of thought, so is "the place where our Lord was crucified" also figurative. And in reference to "impale" or crucify, it is defined as a deflating or being deflated by telling logic or biting wit or a placing or a being placed in an inescapable and awkward position (as of defeat or helplessness). This must be the definition used because of context (not physical but figuratively).

I can tell you a place (a figurative one) where Yahshua is deflated by the telling of logic and places his gospel in an inescapable and awkward position, and that is in the "great city" of Babylon. Not the physical one, but the figurative one. The place, the "great city" spoken of in the Book of Revelation eight times.

Jerusalem is spoken of as the "holy city" never the "great city". Jerusalem is never called Sodom nor Egypt which is not even a city. Why would Egypt be included here as the "figurative" great city? Sodom and Egypt are often symbolized as places of sin, immorality and bondage, as well as "Babylon", the great city. Jerusalem does not fit any of the criteria or statements made in this verse to date, however, "Babylon" fits them all.

The "two witnesses" to which we have already identified as the "mature saints" combined of both Jews and Gentiles "shall have their dead bodies lie dead in the streets", all over the word "Babylon".

"And the woman (Mystery Babylon, the Great Whore¹) which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the Kings of the earth." Revelation 17:18

I believe in all humility that this (Babylon) can only be the "true" and right interpretation of the great city, where the two witnesses shall lie dead, but I am not dogmatic about this as you will see, as it could refer to Jerusalem, or just outside the city of Jerusalem. But at any rate, I find it quite difficult to believe that all the saints that are represented as the "two witnesses" will go to Jerusalem only, and be killed there in the street. You wouldn't be able to walk over the dead bodies nor see over them.

Also do not let the singular of the word "street" bother you. In this instance also, it is figurative of the street of Babylon. There is more than one street in Babylon. The Greek word for street here is "plateia" and means a wide "plat" or "place", i.e.. open square.

Also in Revelation 21:21; 22:2, the singular of the word "street" is used in defining the street of the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, which is approximately 56 square miles (Revelation 21:16²). Do you think there is only one street in it?

It is possible that the group called the two witnesses do in fact die in or outside Jerusalem.

There is strong evidence, that I cover in the other volumes that suggests that both sticks of believing Israel (House of Judah and House of Israel which together make up true Israel) may in fact begin their journey to Jerusalem beginning at the beginning of the last 3 ½ years of the Tribulation, and while on their journey the New World Order tries to stop them, but is unsuccessful till the last day. Those who try to stop them will be ashes under their feet!

You see, the New World Order with the Antichrist at the helm will make Jerusalem the capital of the world protected by the New World Order army (the abomination that causes desolation) along with the Pope, which together is the revived Holy Roman Empire of the last days.

It is their way of shaking their fist in the eyes of Yah, because Jerusalem is where Yahshua will return and set up his eternal Kingdom, with himself at the helm.

I believe the attempt by the Illuminati (New World Order Architects) to make Jerusalem the capital of the world (Babylon) is being orchestrated by the shadow governments of the United States, Great Britain and Israel along with the Antichrist and that the supposed “peace treaty” that is to come to Palestine has contained within it the inclusion clause that the United Nations troops (Gentile) will protect the capital of the one world government that at that time would be Jerusalem itself.

Incidentally, something must happen to the United Nations Building in New York City (another Babylon) in my estimation, all of which is covered extensively in the third Volume, “The Three Beasts of Revelation” soon to be released.

But now back to the “two witnesses” who may in fact trek to Jerusalem in the last part of the tribulation period.

Their Dead Bodies

"And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer (allow³) their dead bodies to be put in graves."

I believe that all over the world - Babylon - the instant that Yah allows them (two witnesses) all to be killed, that they shall remain lying there in the open or possibly carried to open squares for all to view. They shall remain unburied for three and a half days, as we are told.

What I want to examine in this verse are the dead bodies, especially the word "dead". The word "dead" is used 185 times in the New Testament with basically five words in the Greek used to describe the word in its various applications. Of all of the 185 times the word "dead" is used, the word here dead⁴⁴³⁰ is only used three times throughout the New Testament. Guess where they are found? Only in Revelation 11:7, 8, describing the dead bodies of the "two witnesses". I find that remarkable!

The reason we shall find for this is that there is only one group of people this refers to, in the entire New Testament - The two witnesses- -and it carries a special meaning to which no other dead bodies have.

We will discuss this in Volume 2, Chapter 1, Those That Remain Alive and “Who Are The Dead" in detail but I wish to say now that "those who are alive and remain" are synonymous with the "dead" bodies here.

Remember this "the body can be lifeless (no life in it, not working) but still have its spirit in it (dead!!". Therefore a Christian's body could be dead, but not without its spirit being absent from it, thereby not being "dead in Christ" (his spirit being absent from the body and present with the Lord). Those Christians that are simply "dead" have lifeless bodies, but contained and remaining in their lifeless body is their spirit and soul..

Well, the word for the "dead bodies" here in Revelation 11:9 of the "two witnesses" in the original Greek is Ptoma and it means lifeless. And as I mentioned, this word is only used here. It does not have a wide application as the other words (dead) as dead in Christ. Ptoma specifically means lifeless. Not as "dead in Christ" with the spirit being absent and present with the Lord, but LIFELESS only.

Therefore, this word Ptoma and its meaning carries with it something entirely different than the others, which are both lifeless and without the spirit. So in connection with this word - Ptoma - for it only to be used here, something must be deleted from the meanings of the other words. The only deletion can be that of the spirit being absent, as in the other definitions of the other words for dead. This word Ptoma used here is differentiated from the others by still having the spirit contained in it, but lifeless as pertaining the body itself, not the soul or spirit.

And in this regard, is Paul's meaning when he said, "All shall not sleep" (be dead in Christ). They (the ones that shall not sleep) are dead, but their bodies are lifeless, not without its spirit, but no life with which the body cannot operate without.

The Spirit of life was breathed into these bodies enabling them to stand up. It is in this regard that they were lifeless, not devoid of their personal spirit and soul, but which when they are united with the breath of life, they become a living soul.

"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living ¹ soul." Genesis 2:7. The soul was in the body but lifeless. God breath gave it life - the opposite of lifeless - then made it a living soul.

Rejoicing In Their Death

And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another, because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt upon the earth²." Revelation 11:9, 10

The ministry of these two witnesses extend to all the earth, not just one city. They bring plagues, drought, and turn water to blood and slay men that try to hurt them by fire that proceeds from their mouths. They torment them that dwelt upon the earth, not those in just one city. I suppose they as only two individuals could travel the entire earth and do these things, but I think that is unlikely. I believe, as already stated, there will be thousands, not just "two" witnesses.

No wonder those dwelling upon the earth rejoice. If you were the enemy, and the ones you wanted to kill could not be killed, but in turn killed you, wouldn't that be devastating? I would rejoice too when they were finally killed. But the jubilation will not last for long. Peace and safety from their tormentors shall have ended, they think, but judgment and the torment of Yah's ultimate wrath is soon to follow.

"For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." I Thessalonians 5:2, 3

The world in the end will have wished that they would have correctly discerned who these people really were; who they claimed to be, " the witnesses of the true and only Yah/God of CREATION!!!!

Also note that in I Thessalonians 5:2, 3 the thief in the night, which all pre-tribulation rapture use as the time of the rapture, occurs on the day of the Lord, which is at Armageddon, the last day when Yahshua returns.

In Revelation 16:15-17 we see the words again, “behold I come as a thief…..” “And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” “……It is done.”

This alone dispels any erroneous notion that the rapture takes place seven years earlier. The Day of the Lord (Christ) is synonymous with Armageddon and the return of the Lord for his saints at the 7^th Vial in Revelation which is the last.

Paul the Apostle says in verse one of II Thess: 2:1, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him.” It is obviously clear here that Paul is referring to the rapture(our gathering together unto him, takes place at the coming of our Lord, and now the next verse, “ That you not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.” Here we have Paul mention again the day of Christ/Lord and he says don’t be disturbed if someone says the day is here even if they tell you they have a letter from me saying so, because it is not so because some things must happen first. In the next verses he says what must happen first before the Lord returns for us at the day of the Lord/Christ.

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first (not revival) and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition (the Antichrist, the son of Satan).

Then in the next several scriptures he goes on to say the Wicked One (Satan) will be revealed, then the strong delusion that Yah would send to unbelievers (after the revealing of Satan in the earth which is the last 3 ½ years) all of which comes before the day of the Lord/Christ.

It really is simple to those who wish to know the truth about the timing of the rapture. It comes at the last day (the day of the Lord/Christ and Armageddon) not seven years before at the beginning of the 7 year tribulation.

Those That Are Alive and Remain

"And after three days and a half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them." Revelation 11:11

"Then we which are alive¹ and remain² shall be caught up together with them in the clouds³ to meet the Lord in the air:..." I Thessalonians. 4:17

"And they heard a great voice⁴ from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither⁵. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud⁶ and their enemies beheld them⁷." Revelation 11:12

Yah returns their souls to them and breathes life into their dead bodies. They certainly are alive and they do remain, until the coming of the Lord, for he hasn't returned for them yet, until the next verse. They do certainly fulfill what Paul speaks of in I Thessalonians. 4:17 above.

But the two witnesses will, after 3 ½ years of their testimony, eventually lay down their lives only to have them resurrected (raptured) three and a half days later (Revelation 11:11). But then only to return with Yahshua as his army to defeat the whole world at Armageddon (Revelation 19:14), just as prophesied by Malachi.

"And they shall be mine saith the Lord of hosts; in that day when I make up my jewels (two witnesses⁸); and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him." Malachi 3:17

How did Yah spare his own Son that serveth him? He raised him from the dead after the death on the cross. And he shall return.

As so too, is the fate of the two witnesses.

After being raised and the Spirit of life breathed into them, they shall ascend into heaven, only to return with all the saints and Yahshua.

"Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth not." Malachi 3:18

Habakkuk also spoke of this time.

"Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bit thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them." Habakkuk 2:7

Wouldn't you agree that there is a striking resemblance in "those that fear his name" spoken in Malachi and those things spoken of the "two witnesses" in Revelation? I would.

The Dry Bones

"...and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first." I Thessalonians 4:16

Great fear fall upon those that see the two witnesses rise to life and stand up on their feet, but there is more. At this time, all that have died and believe in the true Messiah, Yahshua, they shall have their dead bodies resurrected and reformed into new ones.

This spectacle will not go unnoticed. These bodies are not invisible but of flesh and bone. I can't imagine the fear that will consume those that have taken the "mark of the beast" - unbelievers - when this transpires. Can you image bones coming out of the graves and new flesh covering their bodies, all the while being witnessed by the unbelieving world? Ezekiel could. He saw this future fulfilling of the prophesy.

"The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of 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.

And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.

Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

And I will lay sinews (tendons¹) upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; ye shall know that I am the Lord.

So I prophesied as I was commanded: and I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh come up upon them, and the skin covered them above, but there was no breath in them.

Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind; Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds², O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army¹.

Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel²: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.

Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land³ of Israel.

And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves.

And shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live⁴, and I shall place you in your own land; then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord." Ezekiel 37:1-14

So we see here, Ezekiel describing the "resurrection of the dead", (the dead in Christ). Their dead bodies (the bones) rise up from the grave first. Then those that Paul described as those that shall not sleep (I Corinthians 15:51) (then dead bodies not to be put in graves) - the two witnesses - shall rise and stand as the Spirit of life is breathed into them. Then both shall be changed together in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye - I Corinthians 15:51, 52, then caught up (raptured) together - I Thessalonians 4:17.

The Church is the true Israel of Yah. The Bible describes the Church as "the olive tree" (Romans 11:17, 24); "fellow citizens" of "the commonwealth of Israel" (Ephesians 2:12, 19); "one new man" (Ephesians 2:15); "one body" (Ephesians 2:16); "the bride, the Lamb's wife" (Revelation 21:9); "heirs of Yah, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17); "the children of the living Yah" (Romans 9:26); "an holy nation" (I Peter 2:9); the "elect" (I Peter 1:2); "Abraham's seed" (Galatians 3:29); the "Jerusalem which is above" (Galatians 4:26); "the children of promise" (Galatians 4:28); "the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel" (Isaiah 60:14); and "the Israel of Yah" (Galatians 6:15, 16). These terms show that the Bible does not speak of two Israels being saved (Israel, the nation, and Israel, the Church), but of one Israel, the true Church, which Paul refers to as "all Israel".

Moreover, a true Israelite is one whose heart has been changed by Yah. The term "Israel" means "prince with Yah". The angel said to Jacob, "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince has thou power with God and with men, and has prevailed" Genesis 32:28. Similarly, all who come to Yahshua (the Holy One of Israel) in repentance and faith are given "power to become the sons of God" John 1:12, are washed from their "sins in his own blood", and are made "kings and priests" unto Yah (Revelation 1:5, 6).⁵

"That at that time, ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;..." Ephesians 2:12-14

"For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;..." Ephesians 2:18, 19

"Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed." Romans 9:6-8

"And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army." Revelation 19:19

Yes, these dry bones are an exceeding great army (Ephesians 37:10) and they will return with Yahshua as part of his army. They are not just dead Jews (by the flesh) but those of the true Israel. Those of the promise who by faith believe in the Messiah, Yahshua, True Israel.

Raptured

"Then we which are alive¹ and remain² shall be caught up together with them in the clouds³ to meet the Lord in the air:..." I Thessalonians. 4:17

"And they heard a great voice⁴ from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither⁵. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud⁶ and their enemies beheld them⁷." Revelation 11:12

They also are caught up to heaven in a cloud as Paul states, and as he also states in I Thessalonians. 4:16, "For the Lord himself descends from heaven with a shout...". A voice from heaven says "Come up hither"!

"And their enemies beheld them" is also spoken of by Yahshua, and he says when. Yahshua is speaking about the church, the resurrection or rapture at the end.

"Immediately after the tribulation⁸ of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.

And then¹ shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all² the tribes of the earth mourn³, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other⁴". Matthew 24:29-31

"That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:..." Ephesians 1:10

Yahshua says "immediately after the tribulation" he is coming for them. The tribulation is seven years, as we shall discuss in detail in my book, "Tribulation Truth", which is Volume 2. "Those That Remain Alive" Is it any coincidence that the ministry of the "two witnesses" is for 3 ½ years, and at the end of the 3 ½ years, they die but, Yah gives them life again, so they remain? Then, to be caught up into heaven.

Revelation says, "their enemies beheld them" and Yahshua also says, "they shall see the Son of man coming" Revelation 11:12.

I think that without a doubt, 3 ½ days is immediately after the tribulation. After 3 ½ days, their dead bodies have the "breath of life" from Yah breathed into them, and they stand alive on their feet. They are the elect of Yah on the earth, Yahshua's bride, and now just as he said in Matthew 24:29-31; Mark 13:37, his angels shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven, his complete bride [immediately after the tribulation]. Paul also describes this in Ephesians 1:10, "...that in the dispensation of the fullness of times (end of the church age⁵) he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven⁶, and which are on earth⁷, in him."

The death of the two witnesses is the end of the church age, the dispensation of the fullness of times, and the gathering together of the two witnesses on the earth with the other part of his bride in heaven is the rapture and the resurrection of the dead.

These "two witnesses" are also indicative of the "man-child" spoken of in Revelation 12. They are the one and the same group. Both are caught up to Yah as the scriptures reveal.

Man-Child - Revelation 12:5, "And she brought forth a man-child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron; and he child¹ was caught up (raptured²) unto God and to his throne."

Two Witnesses - Revelation 11:12, "And they heard a voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven (caught up - raptured³) in a cloud..."

When these thousands of "two witnesses" are raised upon their feet, fear falls upon those that witness this. But when they ascend upon into heaven, out of view, I believe the fear on them that witness this, fades.

In the Apocrypha or the Deuterocanonical Book by Cambridge University Press, I found something interesting in the book, The Wisdom of Solomon, which I believe gives the reaction of the world to this death and ascension of the "two witnesses".

"But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them (their souls, not their bodies)⁴

In the eyes of the foolish (the unbelieving world⁵), they seemed to have died, and their departure⁶ was thought to be a disaster, and their going from us (the unbelievers⁷) to be their destruction; but they are at peace.

For though in the sight of others, they were punished, their hope is full of immortality⁸.

Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself; like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them." The Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-6

To the unbelieving world, when all those who make up the "two witnesses" lay down their lives, and after three and one-half days, their dead bodies are raised and stood up on their feet, it seems to the unbelievers that they seemed to have died.

And the departure of these people taken up in the sky to the unbelievers, means that it was to their (the two witnesses) destruction, and all this that the two witnesses spoke to the world during the tribulation ended nothing but disaster to them that preached this so-called Gospel of Yahshua, and they were taken out of the way to their destruction and were to be punished.

"By whom or what were they taken?" may be your question as to what the onlookers perceived. A possible explanation as to what these onlookers thought and to whom took these people is discussed in Volume 2, Chapter 6.

But disaster, destruction and punishment was not the true description of the lot these people as the verse declare, but Peace and Immortality. And as remainder of the verses show, they return to the earth, which I believe is a description of them returning with Yahshua for the "millennial reign"!

"In the time of their visitation (when they return and visit the earth¹) they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble.

They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them forever.

Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his holy ones, and he watches over his elect." Wisdom of Solomon 3:7-9

You see in Revelation 11:13, immediately after the ascension of the "two witnesses", a great earthquake came and thousands were slain. However, the remnant were affrighted and gave glory to the Yah of heaven.

As you will see in Book 2, Chapter 6 " Those That Are Left Behind", not all the people on the earth take the mark of the beast. However they are not believers or true Christians either, but they escape the terror of the beast without somehow taking his mark. These people realize that the departure of these people up into the sky was indeed the rapture that they had heard the people of Yah preach, and they now become believers. So when the Lord returns with his saints and removes the wicked from the earth, these "peoples from all nations of the earth" that had just recently become believers, are left on the earth in their bodies for the "millennialism". And the saints of Yah who returned with the Lord rule and reign over these peoples who have fleshly bodies.

This verse (Revelation 11:12) and the one following (Revelation 11:13-18), are the same ones that Yahshua depicts and speaks of in Matthew 24:29-31, or they have numerous and uncanny and striking resemblance’s in many ways. I think it is clearly shown that they are speaking of the same events.

Furthermore, these events spoken of both by Yahshua and Paul are the same ones depicted in Mark 8:38 and Mark 9:1. However, these scriptures are used by scholars and teachers alike to align with Paul's "rapture" scriptures (I Thessalonians 4:14, 17; I Corinthians 15:51-54) as well they should but they use them to prove incorrectly although that some believers do not physically die but that are taken up alive without tasting death.

Those That Shall Not Taste Of Death, Till...

"And he (Yahshua²) said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here³ (when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels; Mark 8:38⁴) which shall not taste of death till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power." Mark 9:1

The scripture above, has been taken "out of context" and inserted as a description of "those that remain alive": by countless scholars and teachers of the "Word of Yah" that erroneously supports "those that remain alive" without dying.

The key of the misunderstanding that here lies within the oversight of the word "TILL". "They shall not taste of death, TILL..." In other words they WILL taste of death, but not till something - an event - happens first.

Now that we understand correctly that Yahshua said they would die. Let's look what must happen before they do. Yahshua sets up his remarks in Matthew 9:1 in the verse that precedes it, Mark 8:38, "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him (those that are ashamed of Yahshua¹) also shall the Son of man be ashamed WHEN² he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

"And he said unto them, verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand Here³, which shall not taste of death, TILL⁴ they have seen the kingdom of God⁵ come with power⁶." Mark 9:1

When does Yahshua come in the glory of his Father with the holy angels? Yahshua says in Matthew 24:29, "Immediately after the tribulation...", then Matthew 24:30, 31, "And then⁷ shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then⁸ shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory⁹.

And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

This is the when! The Rapture! It is when Yahshua comes with his angels to gather his elect (the church) from the earth and heaven, immediately after the tribulation. And those in that adulterous and sinful generation that he was addressing who were ashamed of him and the words that he spoke, he will be ashamed of them when he comes at the rapture/resurrection of the dead. They will certainly be dead when he comes two thousand years later, and He will not "resurrect them" from the dead at that time because they are not "believers in him". They are not "dead in Christ" therefore not to be resurrected at this time. He will certainly be ashamed of them as he said.

Now that that is cleared up, let's define who those that will "standing here" are. Those standing here are those that are standing when he comes as described above, at the rapture. Not those standing to whom he was addressing at that time which were his disciples. For they have certainly died by now (two thousand years later when he will come soon). Common sense disqualified them from being that group or Yahshua lied to them saying they would not die until they would see the kingdom come with power and glory when he comes with his angels. And Yahshua is no liar! Satan is a liar and the father of it in Genesis, and those who teach his lies.

Some of those that stand here on earth at the time of the rapture will not taste of death until they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. When is that?

"Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments let 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 (See also Zechariah 14:1-9 and Revelation 19:11-16)

Some of those standing when the rapture/resurrection of the dead takes place, and they don't participate in it because they were not one of his, they will die after the Lord returns with his saints at Armageddon.

Let's not use these verse again to "unscripturally" support our "doctrines of men".

Well, Yahshua in Matthew 24:29-31, just said after the tribulation his angels came for the saints, who were dead but who are now alive. I believe this is a display of power, raising them all from the dead. And then if that is not power, he comes with some more.

In The Same Hour

"And in the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand; and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory¹ to the God of heaven.

"The second woe is past; and behold the third woe cometh quickly².

And the seventh angel sounded: and there were voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of the world are become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ³; and he shall reign for ever and ever." Revelation 11:13-15. The kingdom of Yah has come with power!

There are men (some of them that stand here at the rapture) that are now seeing His display of power and him coming in his kingdom. They were not killed as of yet, but now they shall be. Some of them are being killed now, and are tasting of death! They shall not taste of death, Till! The fulfillment of Mark 9:1.

"And the twenty four elders, which sat before God on their seats, fill upon their faces, and worshipped God.

Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and last reigned (begin to reign⁴).

And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints⁵, and them that fear thy name small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth⁶." Revelation 11:16-18

The rapture, "resurrection" is over. His wrath has come and all the saints (thy servants, the prophets and them that fear his name), are given their rewards. The marriage of the Lamb took place and Yahshua the Messiah of the children of Israel, the angels, and the saints come to the battle of Armageddon, to destroy them that destroy the earth.

Putting It In Perspective

If immediately after verse 12, when the two witnesses are taken up to heaven, you see that the saints are given their rewards, and if this is not the rapture, then when is it pray tell? Is there to be another rewarding of the saints? The answer is No! If you look at the chart, this same occurrence is depicted at the Seventh Vial (Revelation 16:17-21), the Seventh Angel in Revelation 14 (Revelation 14:19, 20) and the Seventh Trumpet (The Last Trumpet) (Revelation10:5-7).

"And (the angel¹) swore by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer² (7th Trumpet) But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel (7th Trumpet), when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be FINISHED³, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets." Revelation 10:6, 7

Remember in I Corinthians 15:51, Paul states, "Behold I show you a mystery⁴, We shall not all sleep, but we all shall be changed, (Raptured⁵).

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last (7th) trump⁶"

(7th Angel in Revelation 14), "And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God⁷.

And the winepress was trodden without (outside⁸) the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of 1,600 farlongs. "Revelation 14:19

(7th Vial) "And the seventh angel poured out his vial⁹ into the air, and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.¹⁰

And there were voices, and thunders, and lightning’s; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty, an earthquake and so great.

And the great city¹¹ was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fall and great Babylon came in remembrance before God ¹², to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath." Revelation 16:17-19

The cities of the nations that make up "the great city", great Babylon; they fell before the wrath of Yah.

At the seventh and last Trumpet, the mystery of Yah is undoubtedly finished, the rapture has taken place, and there is no question that the two witnesses are caught up at the seventh trumpet, to be exact, three verses before it.

At the seventh vial, "It is done!", and great Babylon (those in it received the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his (Yah's) wrath).

At the time of the seventh angel, the vine of the earth (those in the world) were cast into the great winepress of the wrath of Yah.

All of the above do indeed speak of the same exact time in the earth.

Further Proof - 7th Trumpet and 7th Vial Same Event

Just as we have seen that the judging (rewarding) of the saints and them that fear thy name and the avenging of the saints, and the destroying of them which destroy the earth happened in Revelation 1:18, during the sounding of the 7th Trumpet which followed the rapture/resurrection of the two witnesses, SO TOO does the 7th vial describe these same events.

First of all in Revelation 16:14, the armies of the world are gathered to the battle of that great day of God (Armageddon) in verse 16. In verse 15, Yahshua says, "Behold, I come as a thief." Zechariah 14:1-4 tells us that the Lord has gathered all nations against Jerusalem to battle, and that this is the day of the Lord, and in verse 5, the Lord will come AND ALL THE SAINTS WITH THEE! If all the saints are with him, the rapture/resurrection of the dead must have taken place. When did it take place? THE NEXT VERSE tells us when.

"And the seventh angel poured out her vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of heaven, from the throne, saying it is done¹". Revelation 16:17

Paul told us in I Corinthians 15:52, the rapture/resurrection would take place at the last trump. "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound (at the last trump²) the mystery of God ³(I Corinthians 15:51 - "Behold I show you a mystery...") should be finished. ⁴. It sounds like the same thing to me. It is DONE; it should be finished! If it is finished, it surely is DONE, the mystery that is of the rapture/resurrection of the dead!

Having established all that, let's continue with the seventh vial. After the statement "It is done", (the rapture), verse 18 speaks of the greatest earthquake of all time, and verse 19 says the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of all nations fell and "and great Babylon came in remembrance before God ⁵, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath ⁶." Then came the great hail out of heaven which weighed ten pounds.

I would say this is great devastation and indeed his wrath has come. Remember Revelation 11:18, when the 7th trumpet sounded, "THE NATIONS WERE ANGRY, AND THY WRATH IS COME."

After the great hailstones fall, which is the end of Chapter 16, then Chapter 17 begins. But remember, there were no chapter divisions in the original Greek text. They were added by man later. Chapter 17 through Chapter 19 are a continuation of the description of the wrath of God, but more in detail. In Chapter 17, the angel tells John he will show him the judgment of the great whore (Revelation 17:1) and this great whore is called "Mystery, Babylon the Great, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH", Revelation 17:5.

Three descriptions tell us it is the same Great Babylon that came in remembrance before Yah for his wrath in Revelation 17:19.

What I want to show you now is in Revelation 18:5. Remember, no chapter divisions in the original Greek, and the description of the wrath on Babylon is still being told to John.

"For her sins (Babylon ¹) have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities ²(same statement as Revelation 16:19- "and great Babylon came in remembrance before God" proving we're still talking about the same event ³).

Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in cup ⁴ which she hath filled, fill to her double."

And it is no coincidence that the time allotted to the "two witnesses" of 3 ½ years is also the exact length of time the woman (i.e.. man-child) is kept safe from the face of the devil.

Furthermore, the one and the same group - the two witnesses or the woman in the wilderness (man-child) fulfills the prophesy given in Psalm 110:2, "The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies."

You know, my friend, it doesn't matter at the beginning of the 3 ½ years of tribulation, that it will be against the law to preach or teach about this Bible prophecy, because there will be "two witnesses" doing just that. You can bring them before judges and the kings and their executioners, but they cannot harm them. But lo unto the ones that try. The "two witnesses" have had power to continue for 42 months, three and one-half years, doing the will of their Father in heaven. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. The FBI, the BATF, the U.N. armies can knock on their doors or accost them in the streets only to their own downfall and destruction. War can be made against them, but all shall be in vain. When they are finished, just as Paul the Apostle, they will have finished the race that was set before them, they will have attained eternal life, as they lay down their lives to be slain. But the Word is true, those that live by the sword shall be slain by the sword. Woe be unto those that shall try to slay them before their time – which is at the end of 3 ½ years!

"These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful⁵." Revelation 17:14

Conclusion

There should be no doubt that the two witnesses are the triumph and faithful church and synonymous with he man-child. There is not a destiny of doom and gloom but victory in the midst of chaos and destruction. Their death in the end does not mean defeat but victory. Would you call Yahshua's death on the cross a defeat? Of course not, he laid down his life and was resurrected thereby being the victory. Death had no power to keep him, as death has no power to keep Christians. We all shall be resurrected into eternal life. Victory not defeat.

"So when the is corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?¹" I Corinthians 15:54, 55

So why not just die in the famines, the earthquakes, the volcanoes, eruptions, floods, etc. and just go on to be with the Lord? Isn't just being a Christian enough, isn't that all that counts? Many Christians echo this attitude, but I believe it is the wrong attitude.

We should not just want to die and go on to be with the Lord, for I feel that is selfish. The Apostle Paul felt the same way once, but chose compassion instead.

"For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you." Philippians 1:23, 24

Paul is simply saying he'd rather be with the Lord which is better than the pain and suffering here, but it is better for the church that he stay in his body here on the earth.

Yes, it would perhaps be more pleasurable to be in heaven with Yahshua and not have to physically witness the death and destruction rampant throughout the earth at this awful time, but the great opportunity to witness to others about Yahshua during this time, and hoping they should choose Him and eternal life should be the prevailing attitude that all of us true Christians should have.

There is no reason to just hide out in the mountains from the "beast" just to survive, for you may as well go on to be with the Lord. If you can't be of some help to others (casting out demons, healing the sick, raising the dead, preaching the gospel), in the midst of turmoil and earthly destruction, then you may as well go on to be with the Lord early on, which will be the case, in fact for many Christians who do not have the faith in Yah nor in his Word concerning them and their plight or their triumphant mission as "The Two Witnesses" of Yahshua in the earth during the tribulation.

If you don't have the faith for it, then you won't receive it, and "faith cometh by hearing, by hearing the Word of God"!!

And don't just think, you'll wake up one day and be numbered among the "Two Witnesses"! It takes preparation. Christ must be "formed in you" as you have read, and that takes time and travail.

One final note! If you can't believe that Yah will perform His Word now, before, excuse the expression "All Hell Breaks Loose", then you certainly won't believe him in the midst of "Great Tribulation". Trials and tribulation, persecutions and afflictions come to Christians to test their faith. If they fail the test now, there is no reason to take the test in the final years. Through all of those, Yah wants out faith to build in Him, so we can be of value and able to have faith in Him during "The Tribulation" when you must assuredly need it to overcome the enemy while you do Yah’s work.

For those who wish to escape the final seven years before the Lord returns, He will give many avenues for you to escape, but the "rapture" isn't one of them. Read Revelation 14:14-16; Revelation 6:9-11, Revelation 7:9-12 for the avenues of escape.

I'm not trying to be harsh, but truthful. You must decide NOW, to prepare for the "time of the end", if you will succeed in the endeavors Yah has for you then.

You must want to hear the precious words from our Savior when you meet him, "Job well done, thy good and faithful servant"!

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The 144,000 Sealed Ones

A 144,000 of the Twelve Tribes Of Israel

Who are the 144,000 people spoken of in Revelation 7:3-8 and Revelation 14:1-5? When are they sealed in their foreheads for protection?

The answers to these questions have been the most perplexing and difficult ones for me to answer concerning all of the many questions I have had about the Book of Revelation. Only at the end of the writing of this book did the answers finally come that were satisfactorily supported by scripture in my judgment.

Even though glimpses of the revelation of who they are, were seen during the course of my study and writing, the complete satisfaction of knowing who they represented, evaded me. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, certain scriptures seemed to dispel that realization. But I do believe that the truth of who they are has been revealed by the Spirit of Yah, which truth is revealed in the scriptures for all to see.

"And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

And I heard the number of them which were sealed : and there were sealed a hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel." Revelation 7:2-4 ¹

Then in the verses to follow, the twelve tribes of Israel are listed declaring 12 thousand from each, thus the 144,000.

It is clearly shown here that these 144,000 are from the 12 tribes of Israel. These scriptures cannot be denied nor be spiritualized by saying that Christians are spiritual Israel. We are, but that is not the inference here. So, what we have described in Revelation 7 are 144,000 of the 12 tribes of Israel, of which the Jews are from only one. But as we shall see, these Jews are also Christians (Messianic Jews). They are not unbelievers, as many of us have been taught by religion.

From that erroneous teaching we got the prevalent and prevailing doctrine "of the 144,000 Jews who are left after the rapture of the church at the beginning of the 7 years of tribulation, who will evangelize the world in the church's absence without the aid of the Holy Spirit which was taken out of the way with the church."

That teaching is nonsense to say the least!!

I hope to lay to rest these "erroneous doctrines" and give numerous scriptures showing that the number 144,000 is representative of the "two witnesses", and of the man-child and of the woman in the wilderness all of whom endure triumphantly throughout the final 3 ½ years leading up to the Battle of Armageddon and the Lord's return.

This group of 144,000 mentioned in Rev 7:2-4 is one of the two groups mentioned in Revelation 11 of the "two witnesses". One of the two olive trees (Revelation 11:4). The good olive tree. (Romans 11:24). And there is no mistake about the number or the measuring of this group of the temple (Revelation 11:1). It is 144,000, the perfect number representing the portion of the glorious church, of which Yahshua will return for. .

Many teach that the Jews or the 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel are not Christians, but that they are simply non-believing Jews in the real Messiah, Yahshua, that are left behind after the rapture, which they say occurs seven years before the end of the tribulation, to evangelize the world in the church’s absence.

Nothing could in my estimation be further from the truth, than to believe that unbelievers will reach unbelievers with the gospel. How can someone who doesn't believe or know the truth, ask others to do so. Nonsense as I already said!

Others teach that this group of 144,000 Jews become Christians after the rapture and then go on to convert others around the world into Christianity, all without the power of the Holy Spirit who is also gone. This may sound good to them and to those that believe this nonsense, however I strongly disagree, and believe scripture will not in any shape, form or fashion lend credence to this preposterous “carving up of the word of Yah!

For those that don't believe that these Jews and Gentile Christians make up a temple,¹ we will continue to study in that vein.

The Temple

"Wherefore remember that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision (Jews) ² in the flesh made by hands.

That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.

But now, in Christ Jesus, ye who sometime were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us." Ephesians 2:11-14.

We see in the scriptures above that the Gentiles (non Jews which I believe are the ten northern tribes that called themselves Israel because of Jacob’s name being changed to Israel and split from the southern two tribes because of taxation issues! More on this later in this chapter under Gentiles) were once excluded from Christ and outlawed from the rights of Israel as a nation and had no rights in the promise of Israel, but Yahshua tore down that wall that separated us from those things.³

Let's continue with these verses.

And that he might reconcile both (Jews and Gentiles who are non-Jews)¹ unto God in one body (the body of Christ i.e. the church)² by the cross, hang slain the enmity thereby.

Now therefore ye (Gentiles)³ are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.

And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone;

In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a HOLY TEMPLE IN THE LORD." Ephesians 2:16-21

Yes indeed, both the Jew and Gentile grow up unto a Holy Temple in the Lord Yahshua the Messiah, and the temple is to be measured (numbered or counted) Revelation 11:1

"......measure the temple ⁴ of God."

"And I will give power unto my two witnesses..."

"These are the two olive trees..." Revelation 11:1,3,4

THE TEMPLE OF GOD THAT IS NUMBERED

The "144,000, the two witnesses, the man-child, the woman in the wilderness and the elect" are all synonymous and represent the glorious church for whom the Lord will return for, at the last day - The Resurrection of the Dead/Rapture.

The number 144,000 is Yah's perfect number in that it represents completion. Twelve square is 144,000. And I believe this is the perfect church that Yahshua will return for just as Paul has told us many times in Scripture, and that perfect church has 144,000 Jews: i.e. Tribe of Judah and Tribe of Benjamin (and non Jews (Gentiles) in it, making it his perfect bride.

...it is interesting to note how often the number twelve is used with reference to the holy Jerusalem : twelve gates, twelve angels, the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, twelve foundations, the names of twelve apostles, twelve manner of precious stones, twelve pearls, and twelve manner of fruits (Revelation 21:12-21; 22:2).

Finally, since the holy Jerusalem where the Bride of Christ (the Church) dwells is measured in terms of 12 and 144, I think it is reasonable to believe that the 144,000 redeemed is a figure that represents the portion of the completed Church or the elect of Yah, which consists of both the Jewish and the Gentile (House of Israel) believers in the church.

Virgins

In the introduction to this chapter, we listed the scriptures in Revelation Chapter 7, which first mentioned a 144,000. A 144,000 is again mentioned in Chapter 14 of Revelation, but much more descriptive, than the twelve tribes of the children of Israel were.

"...but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins ¹...redeemed from among men². Revelation 14:3-4

If the truth of the matter, as we have been led to believe by many "end-time prophecy" teachers and preachers who hold to the "pre-tribulation rapture theory" as I stated, is that the 144,000 are only Jews with its natural bloodline, who become Christians after the Church is raptured, to evangelize the world, then according to the literal rendering of Revelation 14:4, then only men from Jewish blood get saved and sealed. They are virgins, redeemed from men, not defiled with women. In other words, Jewish women are not among the 144,000 and will not be protected. Wonder why this is? A wonder indeed! I wonder if something is wrong with this whole scenario? There is! It is false and preposterous. Let us let scripture define these women.

"For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband (Christ ³), that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." II Corinthians 11:2

Paul is describing the church as a chaste virgin. But the church is made up of men and women, you might proclaim. Indeed it is. Then why does John the Revelator say the virgin in Revelation 14:4 are men?

Because the church is a man-child! Remember Ephesians 4:13 which describes the man-child:5

"...unto a perfect man⁴, unto the measure⁵ of the stature of Christ."

This symbolic language in Revelation 14:4 concerning a man that is a virgin redeemed from men, further connects the man-child and the "two witnesses" to the 144,000. All synonymous for each other.

Sealed In Their Foreheads

"...till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads ⁶. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand...[144,000]⁷" Revelation 7:3-4

"And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion and with him a hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. ¹". Revelation 14:1

We see both scriptures speaking about the seal of Yah (Yahwah’s' Father's name (Yahwah) written in their foreheads. What we read next is interesting.

"And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but ² the hundred and forty and four thousand...[144,000³]" Revelation 14:3

We learned in the previous chapter that "the two candlesticks" represented the spiritual condition of those in the "church" that represented the "two witnesses", and that one of those churches was Philadelphia.

"Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God⁴ and the name of the city of my God which is new ⁵ Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I write upon him my new name." Revelation 3:12

The number 144,000 represents, (1) 12,000 of the physical Jews from the tribe of Judah and 12,000 of the tribe of Benjamin, i.e. (Both of the Southern House of Judah) who are Messianic Jews or Christians (believers in the death burial and resurrection of Yahshua), who are the natural olive tree, i.e. - one of the two witnesses, and, (2) And it represents the Gentile (non-Jewish other ten tribes of Israel i.e.,(The House of Israel) Christians represented by the Philadelphia church, the second of the two witnesses, the wild olive tree. Both of which have the name of Yah written in their foreheads for a total of 144,000 saints of Israel.

Gentiles?

We discussed a few pages earlier that the Gentiles were according to me, non Jews which I believe are the ten northern tribes of Israel that called themselves Israel because of Jacob’s name being changed to Israel, and his name being carried down to his son Joseph and from Joseph to his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh who later split from the southern two tribes of the House of Judah because of taxation issues and they had a right to the name Israel, as the House of Judah did not!

So just what is a Gentile? Simply put the term Gentile applies to anyone who is not of Jewish bloodline, including the 10 Northern Tribes of the House of Israel.

I will touch on it lightly here and this is not what is traditionally taught in the churches of today. First let me discuss what most of the organized church teaches about Gentiles.

The teaching goes something like this. Jews (not the Hebrew nation of Israel which consists of 12 tribes) are God’s chosen people (a lie perpetrated by false Jews or the Edomites), and we as Christians are adopted into the household of God (Jewish Israel) by our faith.

First of all, all Christians including Messianic Jews are adopted sons of God by our faith in Yahshua, as Yahshua is the only begotten Son, being born of a woman and the Spirit of God/Yah. Adoption has nothing to do with being or not being a Jew!

All believers by their faith in Yahshua become adopted sons, whether they be Jew or Gentile and when they become an adopted son they now are of the true and spiritual Household of Israel again, which they were once alienated from it.

Now to the explanation of it all.

(Finish at a latter time)

A New Song

Remember in verse 3 of Revelation 14, only the 144,000 which had the name of God written in their foreheads (verse 1) sang a new song before the throne. Well, what about Revelation 5:8-10?

"And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps ⁶, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints ⁷.

And they (the saints ⁸) sung a new song ⁹, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain and hast redeemed ¹⁰ us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation ¹¹;

And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we¹² shall reign on the earth." Revelation 5:8-10

So we see that not only Jewish Christians are the 144,000 but saints (Christians) from every other tribe of Israel, nation sung a new song, that Revelation 14:3, said only the 144,000 could sing as it were a new song.

Both groups, that being Jewish and non-Jewish (Gentile) believers, the olive tree and the wild olive tree, as the two witnesses upon the earth, shall sing the new song that only the 144,000 redeemed ones can. And they shall reign as kings on the earth, bringing judgment to non-believers.

"Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my Spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles." Isaiah 42:1

"He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth..." Isaiah 42:4

"I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;" Isaiah 42:6

"Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. ¹

Sing unto the Lord a new song ², and his praise ³ from the end of the earth..." Isaiah 42:9-10

And what did Yahshua/Jesus say to the other church in Revelation, "Thyatira", the second church, which made up the two candlesticks, i.e. one of the "two witnesses"?

"And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father." Revelation 2:26-27

As we have mentioned before, "the church" is the "holy city" redeemed from the earth, and they will sing a "new song". They will not take the mark of the beast and selling out to the "beast", but are the watchmen on the earth.

"Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city⁴:...

Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money ⁵.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

^{1-5
Boldness Mine}

Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing¹: (for they shall see eye to eye²), when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

For ye shall not go out with haste, no go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your reward." Isaiah 52:1-3, 7-8, 12

A New Thing

Isaiah speaks of someone who will bring judgment to non-believers and they sing a new song just like the 144,000 who are the only ones to learn the song, as Yahwah declares new things and they are his witnesses on the earth.

He also speaks of the armies of the world gathering together at Armageddon, to destroy Israel as told in Zechariah.

Also in Isaiah, he speaks of this in its "far implications ³".

"Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth." Isaiah 43:9

Yah is saying he tells the end from the beginning. He knows the future. Both the near prophetic fulfillment of this verse and he knows the far fulfillment of this verse at Armageddon. He told thousands of years ago. Who else has? No One!! And we know that after the 3-1/2 year ministry of the "two witnesses, i.e. 144,000", right before the day of all the armies being gathered at Armageddon, the "two witnesses are killed" ⁴ And in the preceding verse just quoted, Isaiah 43:4, Yah speaks of the gathering at Armageddon and in the next verse says this:

"Ye are my witnesses⁵, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

I even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no savior.

I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange (alien ⁶) god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses ⁷, saith the Lord, that I am God." Isaiah 43:10-12

And as the two witnesses declare who the alien god is, and things to happen before he appears (3-1/2 years before the end), Revelation 12, "sealed by God from the World" and safe as the "woman in the wilderness", Isaiah 43:18 says, "Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness¹, and rivers in the desert. ²

The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owns: because I give waters in the wilderness.

The man-child has allowed Yahshua to be formed in them by Yah.

"This people have I formed³ for myself; they shall shew forth my praise." Isaiah

43:21

I know many of you are wondering if the number 144,000, which represents each of the two groups, should really be taken literally?

With all cautiousness, I believe the answer is probably, YES, but am not definitely sure.

A dear friend of mine reminds me often of his favorite phrase, "If many of the people that called themselves Christians actually read the Bible, they would no longer call themselves such." There is actually a lot of truth to that statement.

I believe there are hundreds of thousands or even millions of true Christians alive today, but unfortunately most of them are not "mature Christians", nor are they interested in doing the will of their Father in Heaven. They have not and will not allow Christ to be formed in them. They will not be numbered with the 144,000, the man-child company, the two witnesses, nor the woman in the wilderness, as they fit none of the qualifications of any of those groups mentioned in scripture.

To be honest, I believe 144,000 seems to be a high count of those who are sold out to Yahshua, but I do believe Yahwah can count.

Many are called, but few are chosen.

And one might ask of me at this point, do I believe I am numbered among the 144,000?

If that number were completed at this hour I would regrettably have to say I am not among them that are numbered, but thank Yah there is still time before the number is complete. There is still time for Yah to do his work in me.

But all is not lost for those who are not numbered with this group. If you are a Christian you are going to heaven to watch perhaps from a great distance what will take place upon the earth during the Great Tribulation and the triumph of the overcomers in Christ over the beast and his system.

The descendants of Ephraim (Jacob/Israel) will overcome the descendants of his brother Esau (the Edomites/Reds) in the end in Jerusalem, allowing Yahshua to descend down on the Mount of Olives and the whole world will fear them (the two witnesses; House of Israel and House of Judah).

Praise, glory and honour be to Yahshua!!

CHAPTER TWELVE

Prepare To Die?

Death - A Pattern Foretold By Many

"Seeing then all things have an end, there are these two indifferently set before us, death and life; and every one shall depart unto his proper place."

"The unbelievers are of this world; but the faithful, through charity, have the character of God the Father by Jesus Christ; by whom if we are not readily disposed to die after the likeness of his passion, his life is not in us ¹." Epistle of Ignatues to the Magnesians 11.1, 3

"Let us set before our eyes the holy Apostles; Peter by unjust envy underwent not one or two, but many sufferings; till at last being martyred, he went to the place of glory that was due unto him.

For the same cause did Paul in like manner receive the reward of his patience." I Clement 3:12, 13

We have an example of two of the great apostles in the Bible, to which both were martyred, as well as many others.

"And so having taught the whole world righteousness, and for that end traveled even to the utmost bounds of the West, he (Paul²) last suffered martyrdom by the command of the governors.

And departed out of the world and went unto his holy place; being become a most eminent pattern of patience unto all ages³.

To these Holy Apostles were joined a very great number of others, who having through envy undergone in like manner many pains and torments, have left a glorious example to us." I Clement 3:14-16

Clement was a disciple of Peter, and afterwards Bishop of Rome, Eusebuis calls this the wonderful Epistle of St. Clement, and says that it was publicly read in the assemblies of the primitive church. It is included in one of the ancient collections of the Canon Scripture.

So what did Clement say about the resurrection? Did he speak of a secret rapture of saints that were not to physically die?

"The Holy Scripture itself bearing witness, That He shall quickly come and not tarry and that the Lord shall suddenly come to his temple, even the holy ones whom ye look for.

Let us consider, beloved how the Lord does continually show us, that there shall be a future resurrection; of which he has made our Lord Jesus Christ the first fruits, raising him from the dead ¹? I Clement 11:15, 16

He spoke of no rapture of living saints who had not tasted of death, but a future resurrection of those that had died.

"Let us contemplate beloved, the resurrection that is continually made before our eyes.

Day and night manifest a resurrection to us. The night lies down, and the day arises; again the day departs, and the night comes on.

Let us behold the fruits of the earth? Everyone sees how the seed is sown. The sower goes forth, and casts it upon the earth; and the seed which when it was sown fell upon the earth dry and naked, in time dissolves.

And from the dissolution the great power of the providence of the Lord raises it again; and of one seed many arise, and bring forth fruit." I Clement 11:17-20

Even the night and day in themselves show the resurrection.

St. Clement, says the Lord, will deliver us from many things, but we will come to the grave in the time God has appointed. Clement speaks of a time that seems to speak of the seven seals in the Book of Revelation and for a group of believers, no evil will touch them through seven troubles. Two witnesses?

"He shall deliver thee in six troubles; yea in seven there shall no evil touch. In famine he shall redeem thee from death; and in war from the power of the sword.

Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue; neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh

Thou shalt laugh at the wicked and sinners; neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. The wild beasts shall be at peace with thee.

Then shalt thou know that thy house shall be in peace; and the habitation of thy tabernacle shalt not err. Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great and thy offspring as the grass of the earth.

Thou shalt come to thy grave as the ripe corn, that is taken in due time ²; like as a shock of corn cometh in, in its season." I Clement 23:9-13

Yes, even though Yah will protect us during seven troubles, in the end we will come to the grave in due time. As we have seen earlier, the woman (the church) is protected in safety for the last 3-1/2 years. But what then? Is its fate like those spoken of by St. Clement? Is he speaking about this?

Clement also tells us to not fear to depart from this world by death!

"Wherefore, brethren, leaving willingly for conscience sake out of sojourning in this world, let us do the will of him who has called us, and not fear to depart out of this world.

For the Lord saith, Ye shall be as sheep in the midst of wolves. Peter answered and said, What if the wolves shall tear in pieces the sheep? Jesus said unto Peter, Let not the sheep fear the wolves after death ¹! And ye also fear not those that kill you ², and after that have no more that they can do unto you; but fear him who after you are dead, has power to cast both soul and body into hell-fire ³." II Clement 3:1-2 (Matthew 10:28)

As we will see in Chapter II, Part I the beginning of the last 3-1/2 years, when Satan is cast to earth with his demons, the kingdom of Yah comes with strength, and the brethren overcome Satan, and they loved not their lives unto death.

"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony and loved not their lives unto death ⁴." Revelation 12:10, 11

John says here, that they overcame him, yet they loved not their lives unto death. Is John saying that because they loved not their lives and feared not death, that they did overcome Satan and did not die physically, or that they overcame eternal death, after being killed, because of their testimony of Yahshua/Jesus Christ?

Let's read these verses again in the Amplified Version.

"And they have overcome (conquered) him by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony, for they did not love and cling to life even when faced with death - holding their lives cheap till they had to die ⁵ (for their witnessing)."

The Amplified Version makes no mistake in its rendering of this text, in that they had to die. Whether or not you accept this translation or not is up to you, but I would however add that the New American Standard Version, which is highly accepted by the church as a whole, renders the same message; "and they did not love their life even to death".

John makes no distinction here between brethren. Meaning he does not say some brethren, but simply brethren are referred to as having this befall them.

I believe that all believers must be prepared to physically die and must not cling to life when faced with death!

"As every man's nature in this life is dark, so are also his conception, birth, and departure from this life.". Secrets of Enoch 68:4

Overcomers

In The Book of Revelation in Chapter 13, the future beast system is mentioned and that power will be given it to continue for 3-1/2 years (Revelation 13:5) and his dealings with the saints.

"And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them⁶; and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." Revelation 13:7

The Greek word used here is "nikao" and it is defined as (to subdue: conquer, overcome, prevail, get the victory)

Since we know that those who believe in Yahshua the Messiah are overcomers, meaning overcoming eternal death and hell for our spirit, body and soul, to which Satan has no dominion unless we give it to him, then overcoming here must and does mean something other than not dying in reference to the death of the body initially.

"He that overcometh ¹ shall not be hurt of the "second death". Revelation 2:11 We discussed and defined with scripture what the "second death" was.

"He that overcometh², the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels." Revelation 3:5

"Him that overcometh³ will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out." Revelation 3:12

"To him that overcometh⁴ will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame⁵ and am set down with my Father in his throne." Revelation 3:21

"And he that overcometh⁶, and keepeth my works unto the end⁷, to him will I give power over the nations." Revelation 2:26

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh⁸ the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" I John 5:4

"Who is he that overcometh⁹ the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" I John 5:6

Both Yahshua speaking in the verses above in Revelation and John the Apostle in 1st John, tell us precisely what it means to be overcomers. Belief in Yahshua as the Son of God, and keeping his works unto the end will make one an overcomer, and ultimately overcoming the "second death" (lake of fire)!

But nowhere in all the sayings of Yahshua concerning being overcomers, does he mention we will not escape physical death, nor does the Apostle John either.

Yahshua does say that he that overcomes and keeps his works until the end, when he will give power over the nations. But in Revelation 13:7, we are told the beast will conquer, defeat and have the victory over the saints.

If the beast got victory over our souls, and eternal resting place in the 'lake of fire' (the second death) then we would not be saints.

So to what is the beast getting victory over? Our physical body in death! He may kill our body, but our soul he has no power over. That belongs to Yah. As I have stated before; believers souls go to be with Christ and ultimately their resurrected bodies also, and non-believers souls go to hell and ultimately with their bodies and are thrown into the 'lake of fire', which is the second death.

Yahshua said in Revelation 3:21 that even as he overcame, so shall he that believe in him unto the end. Unto the end of the world? Not everyone has or will live unto the end of the world! How about to the end of our life? Yahshua overcame the devil. Did he experience physical death?

Also in Revelation 2:26, Jesus says "and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations". Will we receive this power during the millennial reign or in the last 3-1/2 years?

If this power is given to us over the nations in the last 3-1/2 years, then what is meant in Revelation 13:7 when John says the beast will overcome us?

Well, as one should deduct by now, he (the beast) will overcome us by killing us. If the beast, which is over the nations for 3-1/2 years, kills us during the time of this 3-1/2 years, the evidence of us having power is not there, in my estimation..

However, if we have power over the nations during the full time (the 3-1/2 years of the end) and then are killed, then I would say we had power, we overcame in life and we will also in death by our resurrection. It should also be noted that we who participate in the "first resurrection" will undoubtedly reign and be given power over (rule over) the nations (people who still have fleshly, mortal, natural bodies) that occupy the Earth with us in our incorruptible resurrected bodies for 1000 years.

"So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory¹.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brethren be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." I Corinthians 15:54-58

It is interesting to note that these scriptures are immediately preceded by the "rapture" or resurrection of whom Paul speaks!

Whether we (true Christians) die before, during or at the end of the tribulation period, even though experiencing physical death, we shall have been overcomers, and death is swallowed up in VICTORY at the resurrection of our dead physical bodies, when mortality puts on immortality. Praise and glory and honor be unto God, for he is worthy to be praised. And thanks be unto God, which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ!

"But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even for ever and ever." Daniel 7:18

"And the ten horns out of this kingdom (beast kingdom) are ten kings that shall arise; and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints¹ of the Most High and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given unto his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." (3-1/2 years) Daniel 7:24, 25

Verse 26 Amplified, "But the judgment shall be set (by the court of the Most High) and they shall take away his dominion , to consume it (gradually) and to destroy it (suddenly) in the end²."

So how do we overcome the seemingly contradiction of the saints that are overcome by the beast, they are worn out by him, and they are killed by him, yet they gradually consume his kingdom and suddenly destroy it in the end?

The answer could be very simple. Not all saints experience the same experiences during this time, however, all have the victory to which we have mentioned in the end, over the "second death".

Just as during the 4th, 5th and 6th Seals, there are many Christians killed and martyred, receiving ultimate victory over the "second death", other Christians are kept safe for 3-/12 years (Revelation 12) and those Christians (the two witnesses) consume the beast's kingdom for 3-1/2 years (Revelation 11) to be resurrected at the end, and ALL THE SAINTS throughout the past who take part in the first resurrection, along with the holy angels and our Messiah Yahshua shall destroy the beast and his earthly kingdom at the Second Coming of Christ, which is shortly after the rapture/resurrection of saints and the marriage of the Lamb.

"And his (Antichrists) power shall be mightily, but not by his own power; and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and holy people ³.

And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many; he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes, but he shall be broken without hand ⁴." Daniel 8:24, 25

"And if any man will hurt them (two witnesses ⁵), fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies; and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy; and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them ¹." Revelation 11:5-7

"But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his (the Antichrist) ² dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

And the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given, to the people of the saints of the Most High ³, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

Hitherto is the end of the matter..." Daniel 7:26-28

But not so quick. Let's see what Yahshua says to the angel of the church in Smyrna in Revelation 2:10, 11. This is written for the church!

"Fear none of those things which thou shall suffer; behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days; be thou faithful unto death ⁴, and I will give thee a crown of life.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches ⁵; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death ⁶." Revelation 2:10, 11

Yahshua in no uncertain terms tells the churches, be thou faithful unto death, and then as an overcomer you shall not experience the second death. Did Yahshua promise a "rapture" without dying physically? No! Does he promise a "resurrection"? Yes! "Those that take part in the first resurrection, on such the second death hath no power." Revelation 20:6

If this book should accomplish but only one thing, it is my solemn prayer that the Spirit of Yah would reveal to your heart, the truth of this matter. That is "that all must experience death in their physical bodies. That the Word of Yah does not promise to any group of individuals at any time, "a secret rapture of those who will not experience death of the material fleshly body". We will discuss Enoch and Elijah later, for I know they have come to mind!

The resurrection is the "rapture"!

You would think that more than just two scriptures would be found in the entire "Word of Yah" to support this doctrine (the Rapture), and even those two (I Thessalonians 4:17; I Corinthians 15:51) are highly questionable as we have already discussed and will continue to do so. However, there are numerous scriptures that teach the contrary. That being that ALL will die, and that the blessed hope is the "resurrection", not a secret rapture without dying.

The "rapture" is a cunningly devised fable to which Peter refers (II Peter 1:16) and there is danger of following such fables. Ken and Agnes MacDonald have this to say about that: "Peter didn't mention a secret rapture, but he did speak of our Lord's revelation at the end of the world (I Peter 1:13). Also, he implied that contrary teachings are cunningly devised fables. Similarly, when speaking of our Lord's appearing (II Timothy 4:1, 8), Paul warned that "the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." II Timothy 4:3, 4¹

Peter and Paul's Fate

Neither Paul nor Peter believed they would be "raptured".

Paul says in the Book of Acts that he is going to depart and wolves will enter the flock of Yah speaking perverse things (distorted, corrupt and misinterpretations).

"For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." Acts 20:29, 30

Paul further states in Acts 21:13, "Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."

Notice Paul didn't add, if the Lord returns for him at the "rapture" beforehand". He did entertain such, because he neither believed or taught such!

Also Paul, in II Timothy, Paul states that when the Lord shall appear, He will judge the alive and the dead and the time will come before that, that many would not endure sound doctrine, but turn from the truth to fables, and that he would soon die and at the resurrection he (Paul) would receive his crown of righteousness. No rapture for Paul, but a resurrection at Christ's appearing. I believe Paul was addressing in part here, un-doctrinal teaching concerning resurrection, and was making it clear to them, that his "hope" was in the Lord's appearing and in that day, the day of resurrection, he would receive his crown of righteousness as well as others that love his appearing at the resurrection.

"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

For the time will come when they will endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand¹.

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day ² (the day he first mentioned in the opening of verse one; the day of the Lord's appearing ³): and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing ⁴" II Timothy 4:1-8

I would like to note here, because we will again discuss it at length, that to love his appearing "at the resurrection", first you must believe in it! For it is impossible to love something, in which you do not believe beforehand.

Paul, in no uncertain terms, declares that his departure from this world is at hand through his death. He wasn't hoping for some "rapture" while he was alive, or taught that the imminent return of the Lord could come at any moment to catch away those that would not physically die!

What did Peter teach concerning his departure from the earth? Was Peter waiting for the imminent return of Yahshua, so that he (Peter) might be caught up in the air alive without tasting physical death?

"Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle ⁵ (body ⁶), to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;

Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle ⁷, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.

Moreover I will endeavor that ye may be able AFTER MY DECEASE ⁸ to have these things always in remembrance." II Peter 1:13-15

So as you can see for yourself, Peter did not put his trust or hope in a "rapture" of his body without its death, or any imminent return of Christ to accomplish such. His hope as well as Paul's and the rest of the apostle's were in the "resurrection of the dead".

I believe the church of Yahshua/Jesus Christ must come out of the deception and false teaching dominant today which is that our hope is "to be raptured without dying, before the tribulation", or at any time for that matter. This false doctrine produces a bondage that will prevent many from accomplishing Yah's will for them during the "Great Tribulation". Many will unfortunately not prepare themselves for this time and consequently will suffer as the world (those without Christ) suffers. This "escapism" mentality through the belief that they will escape the "time" of the tribulation by being raptured without tasting physical death must be dealt with.

I believe this teaching and mindset which is of relative recent origin (couple hundred years old) is reminiscent of the fear of death that the writer of Hebrews spoke.

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

And deliver them who through fear of death ¹ were all their lifetime subject to bondage ²." Hebrews 2:14, 15

Those that fear death are subject to bondage. What bondage? Bondage of false doctrine for starters!

Some of the early Christian writers in the second century spoke of their non fear of death and knew that death and the "resurrection of dead" was their hope, not a "rapture" without dying.

"Yet we do not hate them, but as is evident, pity them and try to persuade them to reform. For we are not afraid of death, admitting that we are certainly going to die³" Justin the Martyr ⁴

Now we will look at more scripture about ALL shall die, as I had promised.

For As In Adam All Die

"For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

For as in Adam all die⁵, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." I Corinthians 15:21, 22

As in Adam all die, for since by man came death to all. Not to all except for those alive at Christ's return, but ALL! God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34)

"But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

Thou fool, that which thou sowest⁶ is not quickened, except it die ⁷:" I Corinthians 15:35, 36

"It is sown a natural body⁸; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." I Corinthians 15:44

The scripture above clearly states that which is sown must die before it is made alive (resurrected). And that which is sown is a natural body, raised a spiritual one.

If you want to receive a spiritual body, the natural body must die!

In the Book of Luke, there were some Sadducees, which denied that there is any resurrection. That is why they were Sad u see! Comical but sad nonetheless. Anyway, they were trying to trick Yahshua, saying that there was this woman who had seven husbands in this life, and they wanted to know whose wife of them is she in the resurrection? Listen to Yahshua's reply:

"And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:

But they which shall be accounted worthy¹ to obtain that world ², and the resurrection from the dead³, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:

Neither can they die any more⁴: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection." Luke 20:34-36

Those that are accounted worthy to obtain the world to come and the resurrection from the dead are not given in marriage.

One of the reasons for marriage is for the bearing of children. People with resurrected bodies (spiritual bodies) will not bear children, thus any need for marriage. Those that rule and reign in the millennial reign of Christ on earth in their spiritual, resurrected bodies, are the children of Yah. They cannot die anymore. To not die anymore, you must have died once!! They are the children of the resurrection. You must die to be resurrected.

Yahshua doesn't say that those of the resurrection and the rapture are equal to the angels and do not marry, but those of the resurrection from the dead.

Even if there is a "rapture", a snatching up or catching away of those that remain alive (without dying while your feet are on the ground), you will still experience the shedding or death of the natural body when it changes to a spiritual one(!) (I Corinthians 15:51-53; I Thessalonians 4:16, 17), while you are rising in the air to meet the Lord. Whether you die on the earth or in the air, dying is dying! Or does somehow being in the air change the matter? How high must you be before dying is different? Two feet off the ground while lying in bed, or ten thousand feet in the air in an airplane? Is the experience somehow different? I think not. Does being awake or asleep somehow lessen the experience of death? Death is the shedding of the physical flesh and blood body.

"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot⁵ inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Behold⁶, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immorality. I Corinthians 15:50-53

"And in those he appointed the hours, measured them out exactly, that man might reflect on time and count years, months, and hours, their alteration, beginning, and end, and that he might count his own life, from the beginning until death..." Secrets of Enoch 55:4

"As every man's nature in this life is dark, so also his conception, birth, and departure from this life." Secrets of Enoch 58:4

Let This Mind Be In You

"Let this mind (sentiment, opinion ¹) be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant², and was made in the likeness of men:

And being found in fashion ( external condition ³) as a man, he humbled himself⁴, and became obedient unto death⁵, even the death of the cross." Philippians 2:5-8

Of most of the teachings I am familiar with, the emphasis was placed on being equal with Yah (verse 6), which is not the real thrust of the matter.

The emphasis should be placed on these statements:

(1) taking the form of a servant

(2) humbled himself

(3) became obedient unto death

These are the real attitudes that we should have as He did. The mind should be in us which was also in Yahshua our Messiah.

We should, as servants, humble ourselves, and be obedient unto death, as the writer of scripture in Philippians (Paul and Timothy⁶) tell us.

This so-called being raptured without dying⁷ is not the mind set to which we should hold, but being obedient unto death, awaiting the resurrection of the dead, which is our blessed hope.

The sad fact of the matter is that today, most of the Christian church is more interested in being "raptured" or taken out before the great tribulation occurs, rather than to reach the lost "world" during this time of great tribulation.

Yah has promised us we can escape the tribulation and we are not reserved unto his wrath. However, Yah does not have to take us out of the earth and rapture us to fulfill his promise. Those who believe that he must first remove us from the earth in order to protect us and save us from his wrath, do not believe or trust in Yah's ability to do anything he wants to do. For He is Yah, the Almighty One, the great I AM!

My question to those that hold to this "escapists" theory is that if Yah isn't able to protect his own during the tribulation, and that they must be removed in order not to suffer from his wrath, then what about the 144,000, the two witnesses, and the woman in the wilderness?

If Yah can protect these groups, then why can he not protect his true church (the body of Yahshua in the earth . The answer to this question should be obvious. HE CAN and WILL!!

Then if he can, the question then must be raised, will he remove us, and why?

If Yah is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34) and he is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), then what concerning his church in the last days is going to make him respect or do something for it (rapture them without their dying) that he has not done for any members of his previous church, that are now with him to whom have experienced death?

There again, the answer to the question should be obvious. He Won't.

All will die, and ALL will be resurrected from the dead. Some in the first resurrection and others in the second resurrection.

This mind must be in us also. "Become obedient unto death."

Also contained in the three things of emphasis in the verses we noted is that taking the form of a servant was also included. We are told to be servants as he was. Let this mind also be in us!

Follow the Lamb

We all know that Yahshua is called the Lamb of Yah and that we need not sacrifice the blood of a slain animal for the remission of sin. Yahshua, as "the Lamb" shed his blood on the cross in payment for our sins, and all we have to do is repent, believe it, and believe he rose from the dead.

In Revelation 14:4, John describes the 144,000 (which hopefully we now know, represents the church), as "...These are they which follow the Lamb withersoever he goeth..."

Yahshua died on the cross as the "Lamb of God" slaughtered for our salvation. Should we follow him?

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation¹,or distress, or persecution², or famine³, or nakedness, or peril, or sword⁴?

As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Romans 8:35, 36

Many would and have said that Yah loves his church and the church that is alive at the beginning of the tribulation, will be raptured, taken out from the midst of all the things described in verse one above, because he loves us. He wouldn't allow those things to happen to us, because if he did, it would prove he doesn't love us.

Here is the apostle Paul's response in the verses that follow the preceding ones.

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

For I am persuaded, that neither death¹, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come²,

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature³, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord⁴." Romans 8:37-39

Allowing Christians to go through those things, and the Tribulation, including dying, does not show the absence of Yah's love for us. It is in Yahshua our Messiah. It is what he did for us on the cross. He laid down his life for us, and the Spirit of Yah raised him from the dead.

As we follow Yahshua into death (as the Two-Witnesses, and the 144,000 who follow Yahshua), Yah too will raise us up from the dead.

"Ye (ye rich men⁵) have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter⁶.

Ye have condemned and killed⁷ the just; and he doth not resist you.

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh⁸." James 5:5-8

Yes, there is a day of slaughter, and many Christians will be killed by the rich men of the earth (The Edomites and their evil Federal Reserve System), who have heaped together treasure for the last days

They will kill the just (those justified by Christ's death on the cross, who believe it) shall be killed.

But have patience, for the COMING OF THE LORD DRAWETH NIGH and the rich men shall be judged.

"Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you." James 5:1

Servant Not Greater Than His Lord

To continue the truths that we must prepare to die, that all will die physically, and that Yahshua taught this as well, we must look at his thoughts and words concerning a servant. We just saw that Paul and Timothy told us to have the mindset of a servant, just as Yahshua did, and Yahshua died for us.

Here's what Yahshua says about being a servant:

"Remember the word that I said unto you, THE SERVANT IS NOT GREATER THAN HIS LORD⁹. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also." John 15:20

"These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.

They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you¹ will think that he doeth God serve.

And these things will they do unto you², because they have not known the Father, nor me.

But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come³, ye may remember that I told you of them⁴..." John 16:1-4

Yahshua says that the servant is not greater than his Lord meaning, that the servant will do the will of his Lord (thus a servant) and because the Lord has him do those things, it is the Lord of that servant that the opposition is really directed at. They are really persecuting the Lord of that servant. If they kill the Lord for what he does or represents, they will kill the servants of that Lord if they continue to serve him or his interests even though he may be dead. If the Lord of that servant be killed, then the servant is not greater than his Lord, therefore death will not escape them either.

Yahshua makes it also clear that the time WILL COME that they WILL KILL YOU if you are a servant of his. Many will say that Yahshua was only talking to his disciples, or his servants at that time. This is true and it did happen. Nonetheless, we who are the servants of the Lord will also be killed in the last days. The truths Yahshua declared concerning this servants hold true regardless of time.

I believe the truth concerning the killing of his servants to which spoke of here have both near and far implications. Meaning that during the time before and after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem (70 A.D.) his servants were killed. This was the near prophetic implications in that it happened in near proximity (within 70 years) from the time it was spoken (approximately 34 A.D.).

The far implication is, in the last days before the Lord returns, when his servants (the New Jerusalem) shall be destroyed.

"...There shall not be left here (amidst New Jerusalem⁵) one stone (believer⁶) upon another (making up the church⁷) that shall not be thrown down (fallen and scattered upon the earth⁸). Matthew 24:2⁹

This is the sign of Yahshua's coming and the end of the world (Matthew 24:3).

Nonetheless, what is befitting the Lord, is befitting his servants; Death, even the death of the cross.

What About Enoch?

No dissertation can be given concerning the truth of the statement "All must die physically" without looking closely at the scriptures concerning Enoch, of which many teach that he did not physically die.

As a result of such a teaching, many further speculate and teach that Enoch could be one of the "two witnesses" described in the Book of Revelation, Chapter eleven.

They teach that because Enoch never died, he must return to the earth from the presence of Yah in heaven to die physically. Using that statement for the basis of their false doctrine, then I have a question for them.

If for the reason stated, "He must return to die physically because he did not yet die", then what must be the eventual fate of Christians who are "raptured without dying"? Are they also to return to earth and physically die? I think not! Or is Yah a respecter of person's. Is not what is good or true for one, not true for another concerning spiritual laws?

Enoch, we are told by many, is the precedent for the "rapture without dying" principle, "Enoch was caught up alive without experiencing or tasting death, so too is the fate of Christians at the rapture".

Let's see if this "theory" has any biblical basis from which to draw this conclusion. The answer may prove to be simpler than one would imagine, but that, however, is dependent upon one reading all the scriptural evidence concerning the matter.

So we go to the "Hall of Faith" so coined by many, to look at the verse to which all who claim this erroneous doctrine refer.

"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death¹; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

But without faith² it is impossible to please him..." Hebrews 11:5, 6

Before we dissect and divulge ourselves in the scrutiny of this verse, which therein we suppose is the truth of the matter which it is not, let's continue with examining the verse that follow this one where the truth lies. Then we will come back to this verse and examine it for the clarification and description of the truth contained in Hebrews 11:13.

"These all died³ in faith, not having received the promises..." Hebrews 11:13

If we suppose that "he should not see death" means "he did not physically die", then after continuing to read the following verses, we come along to the statement, "These ALL died", and we seemingly have a great problem. Concerning such, some would say the Bible contains errors, therefore the Bible is not the "inerrant" Word of Yah. I'm here to declare there is no inerrancy within the "Word of Yah", (the Bible). The error is found in man's false interpretation and his "false doctrines", which seemingly produces errors in the Bible.

One must always remember that when something is clearly spoken in the Bible concerning anything, if something that is unclear, then the unclear must yield to the clear meaning.

What I'm speaking of here is the clear statement that "These all died in faith". Other translations are as follows:

Amplified: "These people all died¹ controlled and sustained by their faith.

NAS: "All these died² in faith."

NIV: "All these people were still living by faith when they died³.

One can draw no other conclusion than, that all these people died. Plain, clear and simple. Now who are "all these people that died"?

By faith Abel - Hebrews 11:4

By faith Enoch -Hebrews 11:5

By faith Noah -Hebrews 11:7

By faith Abraham -Hebrews 11:8

Through faith Sarah - Hebrews 11:11

These all died in faith, not having received the promises... - Hebrews 11:122

It is clear by context who all these were and Enoch was among them. All these died, is the clear meaning. So let's go back to verse 5.

"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death⁴;..."

The simple truth of the matter is Enoch did not see death. That is all this verse and word claims. He did not see death. It did not say "He did not experience death, nor that he did not die." The scriptures declare he did die (Hebrews 11:13), but he did not see the death of his body (Hebrews 11:5). Anything more ascertained from these verses is assumption or merely man's deductive reasoning or his making up his own definition of the word see.

Let's see what the word see¹⁴⁹² means here in the original Greek. "to see, to know, be aware, behold x can (+not tell), consider, look on, perceive, be sure, tell, understand, etc."

We can now determine further clarification of the truth. He did die, is the truth. But he did not see his own death (further clarification). Even further clarification can be found in the definition or the descriptive words defining the word itself.

I'll say it like this: Enoch did not know he was dead, nor aware of that fact. He (could not tell) or behold that his body had died. He could not be sure, tell or understand the fact of this death. He could not look on the death of his body. All these statements are true and found in the definition of the word used here. Thus, we remain with the fact that he did not see death, but he did die. What the scriptures do not reveal is why could he not see his death? But the answer to this question is not pertinent to the fact that he did not see death.

However, some insight into this very question of why he did not see his death can be found in the Secrets of Enoch from the Lost Books of the Bible. Though one does not have to consider the writing canonical, it nevertheless reveals "the unquestionable influence which it has exerted on the writers of the New Testament. Some of the dark passages of the latter being all but inexplicable without its aid."¹

"When Enoch had talked to the people, the Lord sent out darkness on to the earth², and there was darkness, and it covered those men standing with Enoch, and they took Enoch up on to the highest heaven, where the Lord is; and he received him before his face, and the darkness went off from the earth, and light came again."³

So why did Enoch not see death? Because Yah sent darkness upon him and the earth, when he translated Enoch up into heaven. Enoch nor the others saw the death of his physical body because of the darkness Yah sent upon the earth. Once translated into heaven, Yah lifted the darkness and light came again.

Once again, a simple matter, I believe is cleared up concerning Enoch's translation. Enoch died but because of the darkness that Yah specifically sent on this occasion, Enoch did not see death. As to the reason Yah did not want Enoch to see (understand, be aware of, or perceive) his death, I have no answer. Such a matter is left to Yah. What we must come to understand is what Yah has revealed to us in his word, and let Yah be Yah/God, to reveal the answers to questions we might have not revealed in his Word, when and if he chooses.

One other subject must be noted before we leave Enoch's death. The matter of translation³³⁴⁶. It means transport, to transfer, exchange, change sides, remove, etc.

The fact of being translated has nothing to do with death. You could be removed, transported, change sides, etc. without dying.

"And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away⁷²⁶ Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea." Acts 8:39, 40

Philip was supernaturally carried from one place to another. Just as Enoch was carried from one place (Earth) to another (heaven). This is all that translation means.

It is also interesting to note that the same word in the original Greek, harpazo⁷²⁶ is used here, but translated into English as caught up. The same word is used in I Thessalonians 4:17, "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up⁷²⁶ together with them in the clouds..." to which is referred to as "raptured". Philip was raptured, in other words. Was he taken up to heaven? No! He was just carried to another place on Earth. So then, how many raptures are there?

The point being that "to be raptured" is not strictly reserved to the saints at the end of the age. What it is reserved to is being carried from one place to another, whether it's up, across, away, etc.

Final Note

Pre-tribulation rapture, Mid-tribulation rapture, and Post-tribulation rapture are theological views concerning the timing of the rapture (catching away) of the saints of Yah. Also, don't let us forget the Pan-tribbers. Those that believe it will all "pan out" in the end, which to many who believe as such, it could prove to be very dangerous at best, but "eternal life threatening" at worst.

Coming to a truthful understanding, deeply rooted in scriptural evidence concerning the "two witnesses" in Revelation will not only decide the question of the "timing of the rapture" but also the "dogmatic" belief in such a "rapture" without tasting death.

Many scholars and "bible prophecy" teachers that write and teach on the "rapture" are quick to inform and remind us that this word or expression is not to be found in scripture. That much I will grant them! However, "They say", it is a scriptural doctrine. They tell us the word "rapture" means "to be caught up", to be "snatched away", as concerning the church. The expression "the rapture" is the language of theology.

The writers of the Bible, the Word of God, knew of no such word. The apostles and prophets of the Bible knew of no such word or teaching!

However, Daniel Webster knows the word "rapture" and defines it as such:, "(1) the state of being carried away with joy, love, etc.; ecstasy. (2) an expression of great joy, pleasure, etc., (3) [Rare] a carrying away or being carried away in body or spirit.

NOTES

Introduction

¹"The Making of the New Testament" by Arthur G. Patzea

Chapter One

¹ "The Sign", Expanded Edition, Robert Van Kampen, Preface XXI

² IBID, p. 25

³ IBID, p. 33

⁴ (Parentheses Mine) I do not believe the Book of Revelation is all of Daniel Seventieth Week

⁵ "The Sign", Expanded Edition, Robert Van Kampen, p. 36

⁶ IBID, p. 39

Chapter Two

¹ "The Sign", Expanded Edition, Robert Van Kampen, p. 45

²Insertion mine

³ "How To Recognize The Antichrist", Arthur E. Bloomfield, 1975. p.86-93

Chapter Three

¹"The Coming Prince", by Sir Robert Anderson, p. 171

² "The Coming Prince", by Sir Robert Anderson, p. 171

^3-4 "The Sign", Expanded Edition, Robert Van Kampen, p.. 29

⁵ The Book of Daniel, by Rev. Clarence Larkin, P6, 1929

⁶ The Coming Prince", Sir Robert Anderson

Chapter Four

¹ "The Coming Prince", Sir Robert Anderson, p. 172

² "The Coming Prince", Sir Robert Anderson, p. 179

³ The Perfected Ones, Protected Ones, and Destroyed Believing Ones At The End - Royal Conquist, p. 12

⁴ Boldness Mine

⁵ Boldness Mine

⁶ Apocalypse - The Coming Judgment of the Nations, by Grant R. Jeffrey, p. 157

Chapter Five

¹See "The Final Victory": The Year 2000, by Marvin Byers, Ch. 17

¹ Revelation 10:6, 7 - And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth \, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants, the prophets.

² Insertion Mine

¹ Galatians 5:16 - This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh

¹Insertion Mine

² IBID

¹ A full study on this seed is found in the chapter "The Remnant of Her Seed".

¹ See Psalms 91:14, 15

¹ See Revelation 11:7 - Is this verse depicting the same group? See also Chapter 12, "Prepare to Die"

^2-3 Insertion Mine

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Chapter Six

¹ The Coming Prince, p. 179

² Bold capitalization are Mine

³ Parentheses and text Mine

⁴ The Coming Prince, p. 179

1 The word perfect is used here in the King James Version.

² Strong's Concordance

¹ ^-2 Strong's Concordance

³ Lexicon to the New Testament

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² Boldness Mine and See Isaiah 66:8, 9

³ Daniel 12:4 - "...many shall run to and fro..."; Habakkuk 2:2 - "...that he may run that breadth it."

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¹ "The Final Victory: The Year 2000", by Marvin Byers, p. 42

Chapter Seven

¹Boldness Mine

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²Romans 4:13; 4:16; Romans 9:8; Galatians 3:29 As shown on page

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¹ See Amory’s book three the Three Beasts of Revelation in the Preparation For the Tribulation Series

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² See Book Three, "The Three Beasts of Revelation" for detailed information on the "Abomination of Desolation", and the daily sacrifice. The word sacrifice is not in original manuscript.

⁴ The second admonition is referred to by Jesus in Matt 24:15 as in Dan: 8:23 ".shall stand up".

⁵ This is the fulfillment of Matt 23:39 SEE book Two "Tribulation Truth -The Truth About The Rapture" in the Preparation For the Tribulation Series.

6 This possession by these armies are to enforce the treaty which takes away the daily and takes control of Jerusalem out of the hands of the Jews. Period of time is 2300 days See Book Three.

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Chapter Eight

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¹The Blessed Hope by George Eldon Ladd

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² See also Chapter 11, The "144,000"

¹ See also page ___ (The Book of Enoch, XCVI:V-3)

²Insertion Mine

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¹ See Psalms 17:8-"Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me under the shadow of thy wings."

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³ Compare Isaiah 40:31 Amplified Version

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² Early Christian Fathers edited by Cyril C. Richardson, p. 382-383, "Irenaeu's Against Heresies -The Refutation and Overthrow of the Knowledge Falsely So-Called Book III The Faith In Scripture and Tradition.

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⁵Strong's Concordance

⁶ Upright⁸⁵⁴⁹ - Without blemish, complete, perfect

¹ Insertion Mine - definition by Strong's Concordance

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³See Revelation 12:4

¹¹ Irenaeus quotes it under the very name of Scripture, etc.

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² They killed him.

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¹ The Book of Enoch XCVI:1-3

² The definition of children (huious)

³ Isaiah says "mount up close to God as eagles mount up to the sun"

⁴ My interpretation of crevices and clefts of rock

⁵ My interpretation of before the unrighteous\

⁶ Reference Malachi 4:2

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⁸ Note: Revelation 12:4-8 - The devil stood over the woman to devour her child and there was war in heaven between Michael and the Devil. This is the same time spoken of in Daniel 12:1

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¹See book two, Tribulation Truth: Whose Really Left Behind , Part I, especially - John 5:28, 29

² "There will appear the signs of the truth: first the sign of an opening in heaven, then the sign of the sound of a trumpet, and third, the resurrection of the dead - but not all..." Diache 16:6, 7

³Insertion Mine

¹ Your desires will be in line with God's will, because you as the man-child (woman) will have become mature and perfect and have the mind of Christ.

² The Tribulation is for sinners even though the righteous will be tried as gold in the fire.

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⁴ Isaiah 40:21 Amplified says, "mount up close to God as eagles".

⁵ Boldness Mine

Chapter Nine

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Chapter Ten

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¹ Boldness Mine

¹ See Chapter Seventeen

² The Final Victory: The Year 2000, Marvin Byers, p. 116

³ Strong Exhaustive Concordance-James Strong

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¹ Also see Romans

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^{1
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⁴¹⁵³ IBID

² Boldness and Underline Mine

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² See Mark 24:31

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⁵ The Second Coming, Tough Questions Answered, by Ken and Agnes MacDonald, p. 106-107

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⁴ Boldness Mine, In Mark 13:27, the parallel gospel, it is rendered "...from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven!

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⁸ Boldness Mine: In I Corinthians 15:53, we have the "rapture verse" which at this time immortality is given to all the saints by reason of their new "resurrected bodies".

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Chapter Eleven

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3_{You must read the Amplified Version of the Bible to get the full impact of
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^{4,
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⁶ Read Revelation 14:2-3

⁷ Underline Mine

¹⁰ Same word used for the 144,000 in Revelation 14:4

¹¹ Same as Revelation 7:9

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² Parenthesis Mine - Ephesians 4:13, "...till we all come into the unity of the faith" - a perfect man.

³ First it was about King Cyrus, then an Armageddon. Remember "near and far" dual prophecy implications in the Points to Remember

⁴ Revelation 11

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² See Isaiah 66:7-16

Chapter Twelve

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¹ "The Second Coming", Ken and Agnes Macdonald, p. 8

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⁶ Philippians 1:1

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⁹ See Chapter 7, "But Before This Thing; Destruction of the Temple

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going to heaven) and Elijah was raptured.

¹ Preface to The Book of the Secrets of Enoch, Forgotten Books of Eden.

² Boldness Mine

³ The Books of the Secrets of Enoch, 66:1, p. 104

Conclusion

¹ I Thessalonians 5:9 and I Thessalonians 1:10

^{2,
4} Boldness Mine - For a detailedstudy concerning these sayings, see Amory’s Book III, The Three Beasts of Revelation Chapter s 5-6 in the Preparation For the Tribulation Series

³ Boldness and Capitalization Mine

¹ Matthew 24:43

² Boldness and Underline Mine - See Matthew 13:29, 30, 40, 41; Matthew 25:31-34

³ Boldness Mine - Genesis 6:9; 7:1

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Notes 211

Are You Sure About What You have Been Told?