Keys of Revelation

The Keys of Revelation

The Justification Key

     Before we can understand Revelation, we have to learn something very basic to Christianity, justification by faith alone without the deeds of the law.  Upon reading the Apocalypse, too many of us believe that when the time comes, if we simply refuse to accept the mark of the beast, then we will be found worthy to stand before God, acceptable, justified.  But the truth is: we don’t accept the seal of God and reject the mark to be acceptable.  On the contrary, we accept the seal of God and reject the mark of the beast because we have already been accepted by God through faith in the justifying work of Jesus on the cross, His life and His death. 

     Receiving the seal and refusing the mark is a daily process, even today, wherein we say “yes” to God and say “no” to sin daily.  Those who think they can wait around idly and simple refuse to accept a mark, stamp or even an implant when it is presented to them are making a big mistake.  This way of thinking is a form of justification by works, not of faith.  If we think God is going to accept us by an action of refusing a mark, a work, an action, then we believe God will accept us by works; subtle as it might seem. 

     The mark of the beast is the beast’s ploy to get people to think they will finally be accepted by a work.  Many of these people care nothing of God and His laws.  They only care about their own safety and salvation.  They fail to see Jesus as their Savior, but think they can make themselves just before God though a work, such as refusing a mark.  They don’t see God as a God of Love, and they don’t obey out of love, but selfishness; the hope of being accepted by God.

Why obey, then?

    Is God a God of love to you?  Do you love God?  If not, maybe you fail to see that all that you have and all the good that is in you and even your life is a gift from Him.  See Acts. 17:28. We are justified by faith in His doing and His dying.  We are changed as the Holy Spirit moves in us and changes all things as we are born again.  Justification is a gift.  Sanctification is a gift.  Finally, immortality is a gift when Jesus comes again.  I Cor. 15:53, 54.  God wants to return His people to Eden and restore the image of God in them.  This is all a gift.  What better reason is there to love God? 

     Obedience should be because we love God.  We want to obey Him for His sake, and because He loves us.  Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”  We should obey God out of love, not fear or selfishness, hoping to get something. 

     I was shopping with a friend one day and paid for my things separate for those of the company I work for.  My friend said, “I can’t believe you wouldn’t just add your things to the company bill.  Nobody would know.”  I gave him a replay he was shocked to hear and probably never had heard before.  I said, “God would be very disappointed if I did that.  It would break His heart. I don’t want to do that.”

     God is my father, and I am His son.  If I caught my own son cheating someone, I would be very sad.  I have never taught him to do such things and would be extremely sad if he should do anything wrong.  It would break my heart.  I hope he loves me enough not to sadden me.  Even more; I would hope that he would not want to sadden the loving heart of God.   Why obey?  The answer is easy, love, unselfish love. 

     Love gives, it doesn’t take; we should love to the extent that we would gladly give our lives for others.  Jesus has this love.  We are to have the mind of Christ, the heart of Christ.  Do you, dear reader, want to have this complete love.  The 144,000 will.  They “. . . sung as it were a new song . . . and no man could learn that song but the hundred [and] forty [and] four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.  . . . These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, [being] the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb.  And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.”  Rev. 14:3-5.  Wouldn’t you like to be among this group?  I would.

P.S.  If you believe the 144,000 come after the rapture, think on this: the 144,000 are the first fruits, so how can the raptured ones precede the 144,000 as the rapture teaching purports.  The 144,000 are the first fruits and are followed by the great multitude. Rev. 7:9.  Satan would love to have us believe that the mark of the beast, the sealing and the 144,000 come after the saints are taken to heaven.  They will be waiting for something to happen, the rapture, but it never comes.  Meanwhile, because they say the sealing doesn’t concern them, it will come and go without their knowledge.  God wants us to be among the 144,000, but Satan does not.

      About 1900 B.C. on a plain in the country of Babylon there was a ziggurat that the builders hoped would reach to heaven.  It’s known today as the Tower of Babel.  It was built soon enough after the flood of Noah, so the people were well aware of the waters that had destroyed the earth.

God had promised that after the flood, He would never destroy the earth by water again.  Unfortunately, most of earth’s inhabitants had separated from Him.  The rejection of God and His promise led them to build a tower to protect them from any future flood.  This Action represents their rejection of God’s way, replacing God’s laws and promises with their own attempts at saving themselves.

This theme of rejecting God’s way and replacing it with man’s is the foundation of every false religion, going back even to the time Cain disobeyed God, attempting to do it his way by sacrificing fruits and vegetables instead of a lamb.  This concept of “doing your own thing” continues today and will reach a climax when man sets up the mark of the beast for all to accept or reject.

This final test over the mark of the beast and God’s seal indicates which teaching a person will follow, God’s way or man’s way.  Will God save us through His efforts of dying on the cross or will man save himself in his own efforts through a religion that was fabricated by people, with Satan at the helm.

The entire Bible shows the conflict between Babylon and God’s true people.  The religion of Babylon is the basis for all false religions throughout the history of the world: that is, humankind working to save itself through a man-made religion.

“Mystery Babylon the Great” is revealed as a woman in Revelation.  The false apostate church is drunk with the blood of God’s people along with false doctrines and abominations.  (Revelation 17:5)  The book of Revelation contains the history and prophetic future of this false system of beliefs that has led man into so much theological error.  This false power has long been destroying those who would try to oppose its authority and teachings.

The biggest difference between the two systems, Babylonian and God’s, is the method of man’s salvation, his acceptance with God.  In God’s religion, man cannot save himself through his own works, but needs the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Jesus.  In true Christianity, God sent His Son to die as a sacrifice for the sins of humankind.  Because of sin, we must die.  (Romans 6:23)  Nevertheless, Jesus as the sacrificial lamb has died in the place of all sinners.  Christ’s death on the believer’s behalf can be received when we ask for forgiveness and repent of our sins.  We cannot save ourselves by attempting to do righteous deeds.  Only God’s way is acceptable.  Babylon teaches that through ceremonies, good deeds, and complete obedience to a religious organization, seekers of salvation can make themselves acceptable to God.

Nimrod of ancient Babylon was a hunter who stood up and opposed God.  It was believed that after he died, he went to the sun, the beginning of sun worship.  From the sun, he’s said to have miraculously impregnated Ishtar the Goddess of Fertility with a son named Tammuz, born on December 25.

From the name Ishtar, we get the word for Easter, celebrated with objects known to represent fertility, such as rabbits (Easter bunnies) and eggs.  Many of these practices were brought into Christianity to bring in more converts from Paganism.  Many other so-called Christian practices came from the teachings of Babylon and have nothing to do with Christianity, except as they have been interwoven within the Christian churches and practiced down through the ages. 

The Numbers Game in Babylon

The chart below was on an amulet worn by the priest of ancient Babylon.  Add the horizontal lines and place the sums on the right side in the blank spaces.  Do the same with the vertical lines.  Add the horizontal sums and then the vertical sums.

 

Notice the numbers that actually correspond to the positions in the chart where they would fall if they were all numbered in order from 1 to 36.  These numbers are darkened in the chart and form a cross.  Before the cross was adopted by “Christianity,” it was a symbol of ancient Babylon.  Babylon’s number is 6.  God’s number is 7. 

To learn more about Babylon and last day events, read:  Restoring the Holy of Holies, Revelation – A Seven Act Play.  (7" x10 ", 300 pages)

Learn more on the prophesies of Revelation    

The Keys of Revelati

The Woman of Revelation 12     

A Woman Clothed with the Sun, Revelation 12:15-17

      “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.

This woman is a pure woman, the church of God.  Jeremiah tells us, “I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate [woman].” Jeremiah 6:2.  The twelve stars in her crown are the twelve tribes of Israel that were represented in Jesus’ day by the twelve disciples.  The woman gave birth to the child Jesus who had his life threatened soon after His birth. 

“And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, [Satan] having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.”  Revelation 12:3. The dragon is identified as Satan where it says, “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan.”  Revelation 12:9.

“And his tail drew the third part of the stars [angels] 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.  And she brought forth a man child [Jesus Christ], who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.”  Revelation 12:4, 5.

This woman is symbolic of the church of Christ, the true followers of God. She is contrasted with the false, illegitimate church, the harlot of Revelation 17.

The Harlot – Revelation 17:1-18

      “So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.”  Revelation 17:3.  The woman in this scene is a whore, a false religion or church.

“The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.  And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.  I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.  And when I saw her, I marveled with great admiration.”  Revelation 17:4-6.

The Beast of the Bottomless Pit

“But the angel said to me, ‘Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.  . . .  And here is the mind which hath wisdom.  The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.”   Revelation 17:7-9.

Rome sits on seven mountains.  The Seven Hills of Rome are well known.  Any encyclopedia, when referring to Rome, is likely to mention these seven hills.  In the next verse, the woman is said to be “that great city.”  It’s a city with a religion contrary to God’s, Mystery Babylon.

“And the woman which you saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”  Revelation 17:18. In John’s time the city was Pagan Rome.  But are we talking about the past or the future?  Historicists, such as the reformers, tell us this was in the past, not the future.  The futurists, many of which teach the rapture, tell us it is yet in the future.  But the key here has to do with the woman key.  What does a woman represent?  If the pure woman is the faithful church and the whore is the false church, then how can John represent the church in Revelation 4:1, as the rapture believers teach, where is says, “After this I looked, and, behold, a door [was] opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show you things which must be hereafter.” 

Yes, this is where the rapture advocates claim the rapture takes place.  They say John represents the church, and that when he ascends up into heaven, it is actually the church that is ascending into heaven at the rapture.  But does John represent the church?  There is no Biblical evidence for that.

To learn more about these women and last day events, read:  Restoring the Holy of Holies, Revelation – A Seven Act Play.  (7"x10", 300 pages)

Read more on the prophetic Apocalyse