Marilyn,
First of all...... Happy Birthday!!!!....13
December 1928...... and bless you for all the decades you
have dedicated to the study of God's Word and the
cheerleader you are at sharing that Word with others.
I feel like I am writing this response to my mom, she was
born about two weeks before you on 25 November 1928 but the
Lord saw fit to take her home in 1994. Yours and hers has
been called "the greatest generation" of our time and I
totally agree. It was a time when people had a true moral
compass that pointed toward the Lord. A time of black and
white concerning right and wrong. Then we went through a
period you could call "a sea of gray" where those limits of
right and wrong were severely stretched. Now we are in that
end time period where the bible says...."they will call
wrong right and right wrong" or "evil good and good evil".
It has been so sad to witness this transition. I reminisce
as I am sure you do about the simpler and more righteous
times of the 50's and 60's. Life was good and evil wasn't
rampant and escalating as it is today. Again bless you and
Happy Birthday.......
Thanks for filling in some of the blanks concerning
leopard, bear and lion connections. I should have known that
because (as I now remember it) when the Roman Catholic
Church first came into existence it had just split from the
eastern part of the church (Constantinople) and along with
the split had taken with it all manors of "pagan worship
rituals" from times past. As you mentioned, these pagan
rituals came from Greece, Media-Persia but most prominently
from Babylon hence we find all the cross connected
terminology between Babylon and the Catholic church in
Revelation 17 and 18.
When one overlays my article with yours there are a lot
of similarities and also a lot of differences. In your
interpretation or your discernment of the related text you
have taken a world history and multiple rapture approach
whereas I have narrowed the meaning of the text specifically
to the RCC and one rapture. I believe John the revelator's
vision in 90AD concerning parts of Rev.13 and all of Rev.17
and 18 was specifically focused on the RCC and it's evil
worldwide dealings since its inception.
Being that I am an x-Catholic and was steeped in the
history and the workings of that religion for over forty
years, reading Rev.17 and 18 is like a "walk down memory
lane" for me. Whereas a non Catholic would or may struggle
with the meanings in the text. God through John chose to use
Rev.17 to decode Rev.13 so we would know exactly who the
first beast...the antichrist would be.
When one simply pre-loads their
mind with the thought that now I am going to read Rev.17
and 18 believing that God was exclusively referring to the
RCC.......then all the verses become clear. So many
people believe that these chapters are referring to New York
city or wherever but when you examine and distill the text
you get an exclusive picture of the RCC and most importantly
the identity of the first beast or the antichrist.
I know from reading this and prior articles you have
written that you believe in two raptures. I hope you are
right because that would probably cause more people to be
saved but I personally don't concur with that theory. I see
the one and only rapture happening at the opening of the
sixth seal (Rev.6:12) accompanied by a great worldwide
earthquake, multiple volcanoes erupting causing the sun to
disappear (blacken) and the moon to appear red.
Rev.6:14...The sky will recede like a scroll..... maybe
opening to some other dimension. While this dimension is
open the devil and his bad angels (stars) will be cast down
to earth (Rev.6:13) as we the raptured are going up in the
heavens to meet the Lord. We are then told in this same
section that......."the great day of His wrath has
come"........He provided his faithful with an escape as
promised.
Marilyn, I have spent 20+ years studying bible prophecy
and you have undoubtedly spent 40+ years in the same
endeavor. We along with all the others have a rainbow of
theories as to how many and when the rapture or raptures
will happen. I remember trying to submit an article to a
prominent "rapture website"who would not accept it unless I
was of the belief that the rapture happened in Rev.4
.......and I don't...... so they would not accept the
article.
That being said let me propose a scenario for you and
anyone else that may be reading this for everyone's
consideration. My belief is that the rapture scenario is as
I described above at the opening of the sixth seal followed
by the "start" of His wrath or the start of the seven year
tribulation period. Just for the sake of whatever.......
lets see if this scenario makes sense.
The rapture happens as I described above at the opening
of the sixth seal. A much better name for this event is the
great resurrection because that's exactly what happens. The
dead and we who are alive in Christ are resurrected to meet
Jesus in the clouds. Those dead also include millions of
Jews who formed the early and mid-term church. So what
happens in the next verses? We see 144,000 Jews being hand
picked by God as His first fruits
from this great resurrection. Then what is the very next
thing that we see happen after this in the following verses?
Millions of ecstatic people from all over the planet show up
in heaven waving palm branches and crying out their
adoration and praises to the Lord.
The residents of heaven (the angels, the four living
creatures and the elders) are beside themselves in joy as to
what the Lord has just accomplished in this enormous
resurrection involving untold millions of people being
snatched from all areas of the planet then receiving new
bodies. This is beyond mind-blowing.....Hollywood couldn't
even put a dent in a production like this. The elders,
living creatures and angels fall on their faces in complete
and utter awe at what they have just witnessed and proclaim.........."Amen!!!!! Blessing and glory
and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be
to our God forever and ever. Amen"
Other that creation and the birth, life, death and
resurrection of Jesus this great (rapture) resurrection
event is the greatest most fantastic event to ever cross the
pages of Holy Scripture. And it gets some bible "front page
headlines and coverage" in Rev.7. .....as well it should.
Now contrast that with what so many try to make you
believe that the rapture or great resurrection happens in
Rev.4. Do you see untold millions showing up there? No Do
you see great fanfare going on there? No Do you see anything
there that would make you believe that one of the most
important events in biblical history happened there? No
I believe that false teachers abound just as God told us
they would to sew error and confusion in parts of scripture
that should be simple and flow together...... as does the
rapture story in Rev. 6 and 7.
These false teachers have sowed other major falsehoods
into the end time scenario as well such as.......
1) The identity of the first and second beasts.
Speculation runs rampant for those who refuse to read God's
description of these beasts.
2) The reign of the antichrist being 42 months. Scripture
in Daniel and Rev. says or implies that the true reign is
nearly seven years. This adds a huge confusion factor for
one who is trying to timeline or track the 7 year
tribulation period. Satan loves to inject lies and
confusion.
Excuse me Marilyn for rambling on beyond my response to
you but I am sure you know how it is........one thought
leads to the next and the next and the next.
It is a pleasure exchanging words with you.......I pray
you're in good health and your ministry of the Lord's work
continues until that great trumpet blows to take us home.
John B