5. INTERPRETING END-TIME PROPHECY IN VIEW OF ISLAM

Though souls are not able to fully comprehend the mysteries of God while they are on earth, they may learn through the fulfillment of His prophecies that He is. It is a fact that many who have committed their lives to Him first came to believe and trust in Him because they learned that His prophecies had been fulfilled. And it is a fact that many of the already faithful have been helped to continue in their faith because of things so revealed. In short, we are to "despise not prophesyings" (1 Thessalonians 5:20). For what reasons? "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19:10) and "he that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true" (John 3:33).

Many situations developing on this earth portend a quick end to this generation --- that is, this age. I am writing of them now not that the end might be averted but that others might be influenced toward good, God, and to accept and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, and that children of God might keep their peace as the raging storm surrounding them seeks to engulf them. Things in this world are going to get much worse. It is my hope that people turn more to the Lord God before they do. It is my hope that they not become embittered by them as they do and that they give the Lord the honor and glory that is His due.

Lest we despair when finding ourselves in the midst of darkness and, as a result, come to believe that we have been forsaken by God, it is important for us to understand that the unkindness, disobedience, lawlessness, wickedness, immorality, and selfishness we witness, and will witness to an every greater degree, is merely the "falling away" (2 Thessalonians 2:3) that so many of the prophets of God and the apostles of His Christ prophesied was to come to pass in the time just prior to the end of this world.

Concerning such incontinence and its relationship to this earth and its heaven passing away, it is important to understand that the world will come to complete depravity before God removes it (the world, that is). It is His Will that sproutlings of righteousness not be uprooted with tares of wickedness. It is His Will that the weak be given time to grow strong in Him. Hence, as physical time hastens to its end, we should expect to see a widening gap, --- a deepening division, --- an increasing distinction, between the people who belong to God and the people who have no part in Him. There will be no shades of grey when the Shekinah-glory of God appears. Only spiritual light and darkness will be evident.

Besides an increasingly sick and sinful mass consciousness, there will be widespread famine and pestilence and great quakes and wars during the latter times, as Christ Jesus prophesied (Matthew 24:6-7; Mark 13:7-8; Luke 21:9-11). The Master told of such events that his followers might be better prepared when those signs of the end came to pass. How so, "better prepared?" While nonbelievers will be surprised and offended and made afraid when such horrible things take place, believers will be strengthened. True believers --- even if they themselves are suffering --- will be able to view the events as prophecy fulfilled, --- as continued proof that there is a God. And in that proof they will rejoice for they will know their also-promised rest will surely follow.

Few people realize how inextricably linked the fulfillment of prophecy has been, and is, to proof that God is. Consider the Bible. Every book and epistle has some prophetic elements in it, from prophecies concerning the children of Israel to prophecies concerning the advent of Christ to prophecies concerning His return.

Prophecies which have to do with end-time events are called "apocalypses," the word apocalypse coming from the Greek word apokalypsis --- meaning, "disclosure," "unveiling," or "revelation." Apocalyptic writings, then, are reports of divine disclosures or spiritual unveilings concerning those things which will take place before the Day of Judgment.

Apocalyptic writings may be found in many places throughout Scripture. However, the Revelation of Christ Jesus to St. John is the culmination of all apocalypses. Why? It is the master-piece of testimony to souls in dust that God was and is and ever shall be. It unveils the final horrors that will beset this world, an understanding of which is necessary for end-time saints to keep their faith in God during the tribulations and sorrows that are to come.

Yes, the die has been cast. For those who may be asking themselves "How can that be?" and "Doesn't that smack of predestination?" I can only say that failure is built into the outcome from the start of whatever is attempted outside of God's Will. No matter whether the attempt is to build a religious or political group, a nation, a career, a life, or a world --- if the intent is not in keeping with the laws of God, the action is doomed. (Failure may not be evidenced for seventy years or for seven thousand years but, make no mistake, it will come.) Further, just because this world and its heaven are destined to pass away does not mean that God has determined which souls are to live and which souls are to die. Each soul determines that for itself. Though the end, or outcome, of one's intent may be clearly seen in Spirit, every soul chooses for itself the direction in which it travels.

For those who may be inclined --- upon learning of the fate of this world --- to foolishly conclude that the Creator is cruel, I wish to remind them that it is man who sins, not God. Had God not withheld His Judgment we all would have been wiped out long ago. God has been most merciful to transgressors in that He has given us time to repent.

Concerning end-time prophecies, it is important for the spiritually-minded to understand that two major developments are to take shape during the end-time. Both are already in the making. One is the formation of a ten-nationed United States of Europe. And the other is the formation of a ten-nationed Islamic Republic. The development of each confederacy (or, "beast") is described in the last book of the Bible, Revelation.

The formation of a ten-nationed European Community --- what many have come to call "the revived Holy Roman Empire" --- is prophesied in Chapter 17. The formation of the ten-nationed Islamic Republic --- what most have failed to identify at all --- is prophesied in Chapter 13. In those two chapters, two entirely different political/economic/religious entities are each depicted as a beast having seven heads and ten horns. Although their similar depictions have prompted many Bible expositors to conclude that the beasts are one and the same, such a conclusion is incorrect. Though both have seven heads and ten horns, the "scarlet coloured beast" in Revelation 17 is not the same as the beast "like unto a leopard" in Revelation 13. That they both have seven heads and ten horns simply means they are both manifestations of evil --- the Devil himself depicted in Revelation 12 as "a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns."

Here, now, are Revelation 17 and 13 unlocked by Spirit to spiritual sense:

Revelation 17

Verses 1 through 6

"And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, 'Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.' So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a mysterious name written, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

"The great whore that sitteth upon many waters" is the Roman Catholic Church. That "the kings of the earth have committed fornication" with her refers to the joint rule she has enjoyed with many governments throughout the world. That "the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication" means that through her teachings many peoples have been lead to apostacy, --- to worship for Christ that which is not Christ. The scarlet and purple colors in which the woman is arrayed symbolize the whorish nature of her royal sovereignty. That she is "decked with gold and precious stones and pearls" indicates the pomp of her material wealth. The "cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication" points to the golden chalice with which she serves idolatry and false doctrine. The name on her headband signifies her vice and the extent to which that vice has spread. That she is "drunken with the blood of saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" refers both to her delusion that, because many of her members have been of God, she also is of God as well as to her reeling in the names of those elect to lend credibility to her institution.

Verses 7 through 8

"And the angel said unto me, 'Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go to destruction: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the casting down of the world, when they behold the beast that was and is not, and yet is.'"

"The beast that thou sawest was, and is not" refers to the fallen Roman Empire. That the empire "shall ascend" means that it will rise again --- "yet is" also indicating its presence looming on the horizon. "The bottomless pit" is the depths of corruption, hell. That "those whose names were not written in the book of life" shall wonder means that spiritually-gross, enblackened souls will not understand the true significance of the empire's resurgence.

Verses 9 through 11

"'And here is the mind that hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth to destruction.'"

"Seven heads" here carries a double meaning. First, it refers to the seven hills of Rome (Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline, Palatine, Quirinal, and Viminal), in which the enclave of blasphemy is found ("on which the woman sitteth"), and, second, it refers to the seven political systems ("seven kings") by which Rome has governed and been governed. That "five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come" and the beast is "the eighth" and "of the seven" all point to the political systems being successive rather than contemporary to one another, for example:

  1. The Republic of Rome
    510 BC - 476 AD

    (the last Roman emperor was deposed in 476 AD)

  2. The barbarian (foreign) rule of Rome
    476 AD - 774 AD

  3. The Carolingian Empire and its legacy to Rome: the growth of Rome into a city-state and the development of joint rule by nobility and papacy
    774 AD -1420 AD

  4. Rome under absolute papal rule
    1420 AD -1870 AD

  5. Rome included within Italian constitutional monarchy
    1870 AD -1922 AD

    (such inclusion was heralded by the withdrawal of the French garrison supporting Pope Pius IX, the surrender of Rome to Italian troops, and the subsequent election of Rome as seat of the government)

  6. Rome under Italian Fascism
    1922 AD -1946 AD

  7. Rome as the seat of an Italian "democratic Republic"
    1946 AD - present

    (1948 was the actual year that the new constitution came into full force)

Verses 12 through 18

"'And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power unto the beast. 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 faithful.' And he saith unto me, 'The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill His Will, and to agree, and give their kingdoms unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.'"

Here, it is clarified that ten nations ("ten kings") will arise as a confederacy. That "these have one mind, and shall give their power and strength to the beast" indicates their great commitment to the union. That these kings will reign from their establishment until the dawning of the New Age is revealed by the angel telling John they "shall make war with the Lamb." That they "shall hate the whore" means there will be no room for the doctrines of Roman Catholicism within the political ideology that unites these nations. Thus, it is because of their incompatibility with the whore that the nations "shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire" --- meaning, they will remove her power and wealth by plundering and destroying her. Thenceforth, Vatican City --- "that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth" --- shall be no more.

Revelation 13

Verses 1 through 2

"And I saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority."

This beast --- the same beast that Daniel saw as the last of "four great beasts" (Daniel 7:3) --- represents the most terrible empire the world will ever know. That the beast is "like unto a leopard" speaks of the cunning practices by which it will disrupt the entire earth; that its feet are "as the feet of a bear" means it will unmercifully trample and crush all who oppose it; that its mouth is "the mouth of a lion" identifies its devouring and scornful nature. Like the beast of Revelation 17, the backbone of this beast will be a league of ten nations ("ten horns"). However, unlike the beast of Revelation 17, full authority will be given it during "the last time." In short, the dragon's final movements will be made through this beast: the so-called nation of Islam, --- a confederacy of Islamic states.

Verses 3 through 8

"And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: And all the world wondered after the beast, and they worshipped the dragon because he 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. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His Name, and His Tabernacle, the ones dwelling in heaven. 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. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the slain Lamb's book of life from the casting down of the world."

That one of the beast's heads was "wounded" and was "healed" refers perhaps to the miraculous deathbed recovery that one of the new empire's rulers will make. (That "by a sword" is used to qualify "wound" in verse 14 suggests the leader will be pierced in an assassination attempt.) That "all the world wondered after the beast" signifies that the entire earth will hold the nation of Islam in awe. That "they worshipped the beast" simple means that all nations will eventually bow before the power it wields and, thus, prostrate themselves before the dragon, the Devil himself. (In other words, by worshipping the earthly manifestation of evil, mortals will be worshipping the source of evil.) Hence, though all people whose names are "not written in the book of life" will wonder at both the "scarlet coloured beast" and the "beast like unto a leopard," worldwide amazement will turn to admiration and adoration during the latter times only in the case of the leopard-like beast (compare Revelation 13:8 with Revelation 17:8).

That the beast will "make war with the saints" refers to the great wave of persecution that will follow those on this earth who are of the one true God. That he will "wear out" (Daniel 7:25) and "overcome" the saints means that many who profess Christ will be assaulted, turned out, starved, imprisoned, and slain by those who have the mark of the beast or his name. That power was given unto the beast "to continue forty and two months" refers to the time remaining for the last earthly empire from the moment that it establishes "the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel" (Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14) --- "the abomination of desolation" translated from the Hebrew as "the transgression of desolation" and "the abomination that maketh desolate" in the King James' Version of that prophet's book (see Daniel 8:13; 11:31; and 12:11), such abomination, I believe, the blood sacrifice of sheep on Rock Moriah.

Verses 9 through 10

"If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints."

Here, John makes a direct reference to the spiritual law regarding Judgment that was expressed by the Holy Spirit to Jeremiah: "Such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity" (Jeremiah 15:2) --- such law also having been referred to by the Christ: "All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword" (Matthew 26:52). Those who have spiritual understanding are told they will find the strength necessary to endure any sufferings if they remind themselves of that law. Though the righteous on this earth may be tempted to pay back men and women of violence with violence, they stand forewarned: Such violence is against God and will be judged accordingly. Mortals are not to determine punishment. Vengeance is God's. Hence, though the sword may precede the word of Islam, children of God are to keep their peace during the forthcoming global jihad and know that, at the appointed time, justice shall proceed from the mouth of God by the sword of Truth alone.

Verses 11 through 15

"And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, but he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwelleth therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and to cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed."

That the second beast of Revelation 13 "had two horns like a lamb, but he spake as a dragon" and that "he maketh fire come down from heaven" (as Elijah did) identifies him as the great impostor, --- the master of deception, --- the grand imitator, --- the man of whom "all men shall speak well" (Luke 6:26), --- the false prophet, --- Islam's long-awaited Mahdi. That he will exercise "all the power of the first beast" and cause "the earth and them which dwelleth therein to worship the first beast" further identifies him as the leading proponent of Islam during the latter days. Through this Gaddafi-type character (charismatic and scornful), the inhabitants of this world will be deceived to pay homage to the Devil instead of to the Lord God Almighty.

Verses 16 through 18

"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. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six."

Here, it is indicated that during the latter times only those who wear the Crescent and the five-pointed star --- the emblem of Moslem power ("the mark of the beast") --- or who have Mohammed (the name of the beast) as one of their own names will be able to carry out the simplest transactions necessary for daily living.

Today, Bahais are systematically murdered by Moslems. Next the Jews. Then Christians. Watch.

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