In which case, assuming we ascribe BTG to "false Christianity" in some sense, then the river would be what the WTBS calls "nominal Christians" drying up? Good questions -- I think we need to start at the ground level and determine: Why bowls and why trumpets? Where in the OT can we find the definition?
Actually Joshua, this could give us some fuel for the prophetic fire. Go back and figure out all those little attributes we tend to skip over
I believe this moment is deep in the time of the end. Now if we have a map of dates that continue to occur on the exact date we say they will, this event of knowing the exact day the beast goes down would be profound. Think about it, how much money could you make from the stock markets if you knew when, how much could you prepare ahead of time if you knew when, how would the world look at you if you predicted it years in advance? We know the temple in the end will be far richer then the current one, we know there will be a great gathering of people during this time as well. So yes, as the two witnesses prove they represent the true God (Just like Moses and Arron) they will start to gather the great crowd at that point. Then it's soon after Holy Spirit is poured out and the sons of God will shine, as the final nation state recognizes BTG lied to them the whole time and turn on her. The trumpets of course can be seen in the holidays, such as Rosh Hashanah "the feast of trumpets". The bowls remind me of the washing basin in the courtyard, one would cleans themselves of sins from it. Having it poured out on you would represent your lack of forgiveness, or the judgement on such ones. The first 4 trumpets look to me to represent Jehovah's true followers and their grief, and the first 4 bowls appear to be poured out on the unfaithful slaves.
Yes, the so called born agains promote the idea that the Anti-Christ will be a muslim. At my working place one of my coworkers is a pastor of one of those churches and he has been taught that also. And he refuses to think for himself. He says it is dangerous and could lead to false reasonings. But instead he relies on his teachers. Despite that he is nearly 50 years old. When I asked him if it is not more possible that Donald Trump will be the Anti Christ that defeats the muslims, he says he can rely on the scriptural explanation of his teachers, how impossible it could seem to be. Beacause for God there is no difficulty to make a prophecy fulfill. Ok, but those explanations he has got are not inspired expressions from God. Now let's see to the reality. That gives the clues to understand the prophecies about the disgusting thing that will be placed in the holy place. Now after the Islamic shooting in Orlando Donald Trump promises that when he will be president he will supervise all mosques and gather intelligence about those who hate the American way of life and get them neutralized in one way or other. How would they do that? Surely the cheapest way would to put surveilance cameras inside mosques to record all they are talking about. So that is what logically would happen. And to make the surveilance camera "the disgusting thing" you give it the form of an idol. Then you put a speaker to it so that it would be able to give some government propaganda, or even demand some kind of worship. Yesterday I listened to Rudy Guillani the former mayor of New York at youtube, and he told that as the mayor of NewYork his work consisted of sitting and listening at a mosque on Fridays, at a synagogue on Saturdays and in a Chatholic church on Sundays. So my conclusion is that when Donald Trump will be president, he will speak for the 7 headed beast in Revelation 13 and tell that every "holy place", that is every place of worship must have "the image of the beast" equiped with surveilance technology placed there to prevent terrorism. And Nebucadnessar as an anti type depicts Donald Trump that will require that the image of the beast must be worshiped to promote unity in the world. Just as Nebucadnessar also made the golden statue for the purpose of unifying his empire.
Okay, so here's some interesting points to consider; Rev 18:11 "Also, the merchants of the earth are weeping and mourning over her, because there is no one to buy their full cargo anymore," Rev 13:17 "and that nobody can buy or sell except a person having the mark, the name of the wild beast or the number of its name." What we have here between these two scriptures is a direct connection, the merchants are selling, and the people buying. Now notice when it is the merchants complain, saying there is no one to buy their cargo, it is after the fall of Babylon. Therefore in order to buy or sell one would have to had been in Babylon. Therefore the mark of the beast, it's name, and the number of it's name can only be obtained within Babylon, and once Babylon goes down so does the mark, you can no longer buy and sell, you can no longer receive the mark. What this also means is, having the mark or not having the mark is not extended to all mankind. This also means that the buying and selling is a metaphor and has nothing to do with physical goods. We have had the preconceived notion that the buying and selling were literal, and that people would need the mark in order to buy the things they needed, and you know me, I am a literalist all the way up to the point that it can be proven a certain statement is a metaphor, and here we have found one. Now, since Rev 13:4 tells us these people worship the wild beast; "and they worshipped the wild beast with the words: “Who is like the wild beast." This means that the mark of the beast, and the number of it's name and the buying and selling is some kind of worship. We have a clear connection to the OT as to this understanding as well. In Dan 3 all of Babylon was called before the image set up by Nebuchadnezzar measuring 60x6 and told to fall down and "worship" the image, and if they would not, they would be thrown into the fire to be killed. This is the same wording used in Rev 13:15 as well; "and cause to be killed all those who refuse to worship the image of the wild beast." Now what is the method of killing these ones? Fire... Rev 13:13 "And it performs great signs, even making fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the sight of mankind." But, what is the outcome for those faithful to God when thrown into the fire? We know the three brothers were saved from the furnace for refusing to fall down and worship before the image of gold measuring 60x6 set up in the valley of Babylon. In fact we want to be thrown into the fire, look at Zech 13:9 "And I will bring the third part through the fire; And I will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people,’ And they will say, ‘Jehovah is our God.’” This fire will refine us like fine gold when in captivity to Babylon in the time of the end. May Jehovah's spirit be with all of us, as the end draws near...
I think you forgot to read this scripture Joshua... It puts under compulsion all people—the small and the great, the rich and the poor, the free and the slaves—that these should be marked on their right hand or on their forehead,+ 17 and that nobody can buy or sell except a person having the mark, the name+ of the wild beast or the number of its name.+ 18 Revelation 13 If you don't have the mark, you don't buy or sell, period. Don't think buying and selling is a metaphor here.
Check this out; There actually may be a way for the Bible to explain itself as to the identity of the 666 marking. Are you ready for this? It represents king Solomon! lol... Ah, didn't expect that did ya? Let's start here; 1 Kinds 10:14 "And the weight of the gold that came to Solʹo·mon in one year amounted to 666 talents of gold," Now let's read here; De 17:16-18 "However, he should not acquire many horses for himself or make the people go back to Egypt in order to obtain more horses, since Jehovah told you, ‘You must never go back again by this way.’ Neither should he take many wives for himself, so that his heart may not go astray; nor should he acquire vast amounts of silver and gold for himself. When he takes his seat on the throne of his kingdom, he must write for himself in a book a copy of this Law, taken from the one kept by the Levitical priests." That's right, the 666 mark represents the falling away from doing Jehovah's will, it represents the anti-Christ in opposition to the will of God. De 17 prohibits the king from multiplying horses and chariots, wives, and wealth. This is exactly what Solomon is doing in 1 Kings 10-11. Chapter ten begins by commending his great wisdom, but then steps through his decline - that is, he begins violating the rules for kings by multiplying gold (666 talents a year), multiplying horses and chariots, and finally multiplying wives who turn his heart away from following Jehovah. He sets up centers of false worship for all the foreign gods of his wives. So, the number 666 is associated with Solomon in his fall, his abuse of power, and his turning away from true worship. Jesus tells us himself that this buying and selling is a symbol of worship in Rev 3:18 "I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may become dressed and that the shame of your nakedness may not be exposed," So then we are admonished to purchase or buy from Christ Jesus the refined gold from him and not the beast, and this is the understanding of the buying and selling of Rev 13. This goes right back to Dan 3 and Nebuchadnezzar. He set's up an image of pure gold 60x6 to be worshiped, in defiance to Jehovah himself. All of this comes together in the name and number of the man - 666. This sums up man in his fallen state. The number carries with it the fallen glory of Solomon, his degraded wisdom, his failure to follow the word of God, his abuse of power, and his allowing himself to be turned aside to the worship of false gods. In captivity to Babylon the Great in the time of the end during those 1260 days 2/3 of our current brothers and sisters will fall to the mark of the beast, while the 1/3 will be refined like fine gold from their lord Christ Jesus. (Zech 13:9)
Hi Josh, 666 is first and foremost the number of a name, which means that that's a name that we must find in order to understand the meaning of that number. Additional information below Revelation 13:18 (...) The mark [charagma] and name are the same. The first two radicals of Christ, Ch and R, are the first two of charagma, the imperial monogram of Christian Rome. Antichrist, personating Christ, adopts a symbol like, but not agreeing with, Christ's monogram, Ch, X, St: whereas the radicals in 'Christ' are Ch, R, Papal Rome has substituted the Keys for the Cross. So on the papal coinage (the image of power, Matt 22:20). In 'Christ,' Ch R represent seven hundred, the perfect number. The Ch, X, St represent an imperfect number, a triple falling away (apostasy) from septenary perfection (Wordsworth). A friend, E. L. Garbett, has calculated the numerical value of 3,000 nouns in the Greek Testament, and found just two represent 666 [paradosis, 'tradition,' the great engine of doctrinal corruption; and euporia, 'wealth,' that of practice]. Euporia occurs only once (Acts 19:25): in Ephesus, one of the seven towns addressed in Revelation. The only uncontradicted entry of 666 is (1 Kings 10:14; 2 Chron 9:13) the 666 talents of gold that came in yearly to Solomon, and which were among the corrupting influences that misled him. The two horns of the earth beast represent the two phases of idolatry which ever corrupt the Church, literal and spiritual, image-worship and covetousness (Ps 17:14; 49:12,20; Col 3:5). The seven heads of the first, the sea-beast, are the totality of capital sins (Rev 21:8; 22:15), the "mountains" which lift themselves up against God (Rev 17:9). Idolatry is the wounded and revived head. Gold, silver, brass, the materials of the first three empires in Nebuchadnezzar's image, and the medium of wealth, have in the fourth kingdom iron added, as the prominent metal of civilization. The children of Adonikam (Ezra 2:13) are 666, but in Neh. 7:18; 667: Neh. 10:15 . Adonijah rose against the Lord's anointed, and so is a type of Antichrist: his name is changed into a curse, Adonikam. The forehead is the seat of avowed intention. The act and the intention are the two ways of worshipping the beast (Rev 13:16). The heart-worship of money bearing "the image" of the world-power (Luke 20:24) fulfils Rev 13:15-17. E. L. Garbett takes Rev 13:5 'Power was given to IT (the mouth) to work forty-two months:' the mouth is not yet given. He quotes Pelletan ('Profession of Faith in the Nineteenth Century'), wherein wealth is addressed, 'Divine Son-Messiah-Redeemer-dumb confidant of God-begotten by mysterious conception, who hast saved man from misery, redeemed the world,' etc. E. L. Garbett denies the identity of the scarlet-coloured beast (Rev 17:3) and the leopard-like beast here (Rev 13:2). (from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006. All rights reserved.)
Actually to me I think you've reinforced what I presented. It appears to me that 666 is a representation of falling away from doing the will of God. Let's recap; Solomon, Adonikam, Rehoboam, all denoted with the 666 monogram. This seems to be a theme, an understanding of men falling away from doing the will of God. So in this way, in Rev 13, if the buying and selling are metaphors, If the "slaves" are metaphors then why not the words "a mans number"? It was man who sinned against God before the flood, it was man who sinned against God at the tower of Babel. Mans will is what is in defiance to Gods will. So if 666 is a metaphor it represents the fall of man, mans inclination to do their own will, rather then Gods. So when Gods people go into captivity to Babylon in the time of the end, just like in Daniel they will be presented with two options. Fall away from the worship of God and receive the mark, or continue to serve him faithfully. This to me seems to be the theme.
It's true that this mark represents also by extension the rejection of God and his Kingdom by those who will bear it. Please note as well that that's the name of a beast (and the number of its name), not necessarily the name of a man, although one man might typify the beast in question.
I would also present that the number of a beast can be a metaphor as well. It has been the purpose of governments from the Tower of Babel on to be in defiance to God, and his purpose. The beasts in scripture are described as coming against the holy people and Gods kingdom. It's as if that number 666 represents all efforts of the world and Satan to come against Gods kingdom, whether that be religious, militarily, monetary. Whether principalities, churches, or conglomerations of nations, the description of the number appears to engulf all of these. If the number represents all of these entities, it could only be one thing, a metaphor. Here we've been going on for two thousand years calculating names of people, countries, nation on and on, when in reality the number very well could represent them all...
I just meant that number was described in some way along with their name. Like the gold Solomon had coming in each year was 666 talents, and each time in defiance to Gods instruction.
It's quite possible Jehovah meant the one who would have insight or wisdom would "calculate", meaning simply understand or deduce, not conduct mathematics... It reminds me of the reason Jesus spoke in parables...
Beast # 4 in Daniel 7 will be the one to enforce a "mark" which I don't think is a clear metaphor for anything, I think it will be a way to identify who is with the beast and who is against them so they can enforce their iron will. It says "It puts under compulsion all people—the small and the great, the rich and the poor, the free and the slaves—that these should be marked on their right hand or on their forehead,+ 17 and that nobody can buy or sell except a person having the mark, the name+ of the wild beast or the number of its name.+" Revelation 13 Of course they are not going to emboss 666 on people's hand's or foreheads, so it may be a metaphor in that respect but it sounds like a literal form of concise identification. Satan will be on the earth when this happen and he will not have the ability to pick everyone out knowing if they are "of the Christ" which will come from all peoples on the earth and not just the Watchtower. There will be some form of the U.N. that will bring this plan forward after the "death blow" during their reformation of political, economic and religious power. Many have speculated as to what this mark will be, but there will be no doubt when it actually happens. Satan will use this as a gathering device and so will Jehovah. Satan will use it to distinguish between worldly humans and Godly humans. Those with faith or love and those without either. The final hour is the test on "all" mankind. Those with faith will be tested and those without faith will as well. The last chance for people to move from the left of Jesus to the right of him will be how they will treat "Jesus brothers" which are not just the members of his Bride that are still here but are anyone who is in a salvation covenant with God. That is the definition of "brother" in Hebrew terms which ran through cousins and uncles and aunts as well, they were all "brothers" as Israelites. We are all "brothers" in Christ no matter what our salvation covenant is. People who take the mark who lack faith in God because of this iron world (the love of the greater number cools off, why not faith as well) will have an opportunity to show love by extending kindness and food and drink and shelter to "Christ's brother's" who will not take the mark and Jesus will tell them (because he is the one separating those to his left or his right) "“Then the King will say to those on his right: ‘Come, you who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world. 35 For I became hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you received me hospitably;+ 36 naked* and you clothed me.+ I fell sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you visited me.’+ 37 Then the righteous ones will answer him with the words: ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?+ 38 When did we see you a stranger and receive you hospitably, or naked and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 In reply the King will say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’+ Matthew 25 Those that have faith and love are not going to be shocked that they are on Jesus right hand. They have been expectiing to be there their entire lives perhaps. It is the ones who have lost faith, or never had faith but had an abundance of love that will be surprised to be on Jesus right hand and will express that surprise. But it is their love for their fellow man that won out over their desire to keep themselves secure and may have very well cost them their lives. Faith is a very important quality for anyone to have, but in the absence of faith love goes a long way with our Lord. "Now, however, these three remain: faith, hope, love; but the greatest of these is love."+1 Cor. 13:13
The test on man in the final hour is a love test, not a faith test. Those with faith will already have separated themselves out by not taking the mark. They will already have separated themselves by being "sealed" into their respective salvation covenant. Not only the Bride of Christ are sealed but everyone who has entered into a salvation covenant and been tested by that covenant and passed will be "sealed" into that covenant. So their test is over. Some will just be entering their covenant test when the great tribulation starts up so yes they will also be tested, but their test will be of faith and love but mostly love. When Christ is present and all these things are happening it's not much of a test to have faith during such times, but love, that is another thing. When you actually saw Jesus perform miracles when he was alive it was not much of a stretch to show faith if you had even a spark at the time. But it will take magnificent love to show love to Christ's brothers when your life and the life of your family members are at stake. Yes, some with faith will finalize their faith test during the tribulation but for the most part the tribulation will be a love test on those who either lacked faith prior to it or who's faith was just in it's infancy when it starts.