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The Revelation

(It’s the End of the World as We Know It)

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As long as I can remember, music has played an ‘instrumental’ role in my spiritual progression. There is no doubt that the inspired ones in every art form are being used by God to speak to us. About the time I graduated from college, one of my favorite bands was R.E.M. who sang a rather upbeat song, which ironically harmonized with these lyrics:

“It’s the end of the world as we know it. And I—feel—fine—!”

(You should hear it playing a couple of times in the background.)

Some might call it bad taste to be so glib about something so serious, but I suppose they just don’t understand why some of us are so excited about “the end.” Apparently they don’t realize that every end means a new beginning! And apparently they do not trust that God is in control and has a perfect plan! Of this I am sure.

Even though this popular R.E.M. song was considered a “secular” song, it seemed to speak to me in a spiritual way. Its cheerful message seemed to help resonated a spiritual truth that had been ringing true in my spirit for a long time. The world, as we know it, is ending. Yet even though my heart knew this to be true, I, like R.E.M., was totally FINE with this! My feeling was- bring it on! But I find that most are not so enthusiastic. History has shown that in every generation there have been those who believed (fearfully I might add) that the END of the world was coming. Because of my relationship with God, I have always had a different perspective in this matter. (I believe a more illuminated one!) I also believe an end is in sight, and I have been looking forward to it with great anticipation! You see-- unlike those who are dreading what is to come, I have earnestly prayed for it! And unlike the souls that are weighed down with natural thoughts dread, I have a spiritual hope lifting my faith higher! Since I was young this is really what my heart has been longing for-- that God would put an end to the world, as we KNOW it.

Don’t misunderstand me concerning the phrase “the end of the world.” While it is true that the earth, sun and even the physical existence of mankind will pass away, what I am speaking about is the end of one spiritual world and the beginning of another. The world we have chosen, embraced and known for such a long time is one that is contaminated by greed, hate, violence and sin. And all of these ills stem from the same source, which is fear. Fear manifests itself into all the sins of the world, and only the perfect Love of God can drive it out. Most seem unaware or unconcerned that this is the world of darkness and home of the devil. Here in Hades is where the dead wait to be quickened. Here in hell is where the children of God are being held as slaves to sin. Jesus realized all of this, so he gave his life to set the captives free! If we truly are free then let us join Christ and bring down the kingdom of darkness! Only by destroying the world of the devil will we come to know a different world- a higher world abiding in truth and love with God! This is my hope, my faith and my inspiration for this article. This is what God has revealed to me.

My interest (and I would say even my awareness) of God became apparent to me at a very young age. Not only did I feel connected to God, but consequently this divine love also seemed to give birth to a strong sense of pity for the suffering world. As a child, I could see there was something wrong with the way mankind lived its life. While my life has been blessed in so many ways, I have never really been able to embrace the way of world. I could never really rest in my personal contentment while watching others drown in misery. As I looked around at the social and even ecumenical landscape created by man, I sensed it was deficient and illegitimate. Because I didn’t think like most others, I often felt like a foreigner here and still do. Why are so many controlled by fear? Why do so many lie, cheat and steal? Why didn’t everybody care about God and Truth like I did? It was clear to me that mankind was lost. While there is no doubt we have moved forward since the Dark Ages, we still have a long way to go to catch our elder brother, Jesus. I am not satisfied; yet many seem to be content to run in the rat race of the world system. How can so many love the pleasures of the material world while so many souls are suffering in the traps of the devil? How can so many worship the flesh they walk in while denying the spirit that gives them life? For as long as I can remember, I have hated all the suffering in the world. While I understand the purpose of suffering, we have been given the power to end it. Truly, this is the END that every child of God anticipates.

Even as a child, I recognized that this world was lost and needed to be saved. Of course, I also innately knew that the ONLY way of this coming to pass was through God. Because of this hunger in my soul for the Truth, I quickly got my hands on (and my eyes into) the Bible. It is loaded with more wisdom than even the most fervent readers realize. Even so, all Truth seekers know that neither religious books nor religion can save us; God does. The Bible should be used as an aid; it is like a walking stick on our spiritual quest for wisdom. We still have to walk the walk ourselves, but it can help us along the way.

In the beginning of my Bible experience, I wanted to know about that Anointed One, that Chosen Man, that Saving Spirit called Jesus! Of course, not long after this, I wanted to know WHEN He was COMING BACK! I believed that his return was mankind’s only hope. At that time, it seemed logical to me that we needed our Savior right here, right now and in the flesh. With some influence from self-proclaimed Christian prophets, I believed their theory that Jesus would be coming down with the clouds for every eye to see. I imagined (naturally so) that this could happen if Jesus flew around the globe many times. A few years passed, and my feeling that we were the “generation” that would witness Jesus’ return grew stronger and stronger. I was told that the country of Israel (symbolized by the “fig tree” in Jesus’ prophecy) regained its sovereignty in 1967, and a generation was 40 years. They had convinced me that Jesus’ return could happen any day and certainly by 2007. So if my eyes were not scanning the Bible for the clues about his return, they were looking into the sky for the appearance of our Savior. I believed that at any moment a rapture of believers could take place leaving the world in chaos. This is what I used to believe.

Some theological scholars say that one third of the Bible is prophetic. Some say that most of its prophecies have already been fulfilled. The Bible reads like an epic drama beginning with the creation of the universe and then man. Of course if one wants to know how the story ends, one goes right to the last chapter. So this is what I did. As I studied the Book of Revelation, like so many before me, I was nearly convinced that I was living in the “last days.” Because I desperately wanted the world of suffering and death to end, I was duped by the “doomsayers” of my day. That deep feeling God had given me as a child was being manipulated by my natural mind to see in natural ways. However, the Teacher of Truth has since set me right! I am thinking and seeing much more clearly now! If we are going to learn about God, we had better use our spiritual mind. And if we are going to witness God’s revelations, we had better use our spiritual eyes.

The Book of Revelation

You would think that every church-going Christian would be a devout Bible reader, but I have found that this is certainly not the case. While most of the parishners I know possess a Bible, they rarely read it. And if they do read it, they tend to pick out natural lessons while over looking the spiritual wisdom it contains. How many Christians have dove into the Bible with the intention of reading it from cover to cover, and then fail? Well, I can understand why that rather thick book deters some especially when one encounters a book like Numbers (yawn…a natural sleep aid). Yes, it seems that many avoid the Bible because they find it either too boring or simply irrelevant in their present day life. For these, I would recommend to start reading some small, more significant books in the New Testament like John and Colossians. Still there are others who withdraw from the Good Book because the reading is too difficult to understand. The latter is especially true with regards to the Book of Revelation, which is filled with all sorts of fantastic visions and symbolism.

History says that many of the founding fathers of western Christianity (i.e. politicized Roman Catholic men) were very reluctant to canonize Revelation. To them this book along with several other New Testament writings was doubted as being “inspired” by God. It was quite common in the day to argue about what was worthy of canonization. While most Christians hold the Bible above every other book ever written, they are mostly ignorant in matters concerning the history of their “Holy Gospel.” They are unaware that the Bible that many defend as “God’s word” was created by a small group of men who sifted through hundreds of documents to pick out what they deemed to be “inspired.”

It was these men, all with various motives, who decided what God thought. After all, it was “God’s word” they were creating. Do you see the absurdity in this? Yes, men, hired by Rome, decided long ago what was divine and “measured up” to their ideology. In fact, the word “canon” means to measure up in Latin. Unfortunately too few of even the most avid Bible readers ever bother to look into the formulation of their Bible. If they did they would discover that there was strong disagreement as to which writings were “inspired by God” to the point that even the canons themselves were not consistent! The canonized works that would eventually become the “best selling book in the world's history” varied in different regions and even from city to city. The New Testament writings are a very small sample of the “Christian” writings in circulation in the 2^nd and 3^rd centuries. In fact, there were many other Christ-following sects before Catholicism united with Rome to extinguish (sometimes brutally) any opposing teachings. It didn’t matter if these other Christians were closer to God’s Truth or not; they were put down. This is likely how the truth and teaching of universal salvation were squelched. Let’s just say that the “wolves” had their way during this period.

The real beginning of the unholy marriage between church and state began in 325 A.D. when Constantine called for the First Council of Nicea. Then through the process of canonization the religious leaders were able to eliminate all documents and teachings as they saw fit. Yet, the filtering of Christian truth didn’t stop there. Bible beating Protestants should be aware that in 1522 their pioneer, Martin Luther, in his German translated New Testaments labeled Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation as “apocryphal” or “non-canonical’ in his latter editions. In other words, what he was translating didn’t “measure up” to his particular his ideology. All of this should give pause to those who adamantly defend the Bible as perfect and holy. Apparently, even Martin Luther didn’t believe the “Holy Gospel” was completely inspired by God. This was likely because some of the messages in these documents seemed to contradict the basis of his movement- that we are saved by grace and not by works. So throughout the ages, men with political, social or religious biases and motives have been deciding what is holy and true. Even today some ignorantly defend every word in the Bible. I hope every Bible-reading Christian comes to realize that reading the “letter“ will never reveal the SPIRIT.

For me truth does not need to be canonized by men from the darker ages before I accept it. I say that if you hear or read the truth from anywhere or from anyone then praise God! After this simply use this blessing to strengthen your relationship with God. Too many Christians hold up the Bible and call it the one and only inspired “Word of God.” What! There are many reasons why such a statement is ridiculous. First, do some actually believe that God has only inspired those men who penned those words! Do they also believe then that God has not spoken to anyone else in 6,000 years! What ignorance and foolishness! I know that God is inspiring me to write what I am writing just as He did Paul and others. I know that God is in everyone trying to inspire them as well to do His will. This is a divine truth that Bible-beaters can’t seem to fathom! Secondly, they also lack the knowledge of the Bible’s checkered past. Finally, they hold it up and call it the WORD OF GOD, but they blindly fail to see that the Bible is the LETTER penned by men! The true Word of God is not letter, but SPIRIT!

Have they not read about the true Word of God? The true Word of God is the Son of God that was with God in the Beginning. The true Word of God has created the universe and holds it together. Yes, John and Paul told us about the true Word of God, and He is not the book collecting dust on your shelf! The true Word of God is the eternal Christ in whom we all have our being. The Bible is a random collection of writings of inspired men from the past 4,000 years. I am also inspired! Who can know God and NOT BE INSPIRED! Have I vociferated enough on this matter? Good. Open your eyes and realize that the Bible is NOT the Word of God, and therefore, it is also not inerrant. It contains honest mistakes as well as deliberate fabrications from men who had religious, social or political agendas. I could give examples, but that is not my intent in this article. So, I will leave that for you. Now, in spite of all of this, the Bible is still a great collection of works that can be a richly spiritual tool especially for those who know how to use it. I would recommend having several different translations including the Greek. Even if you are unable to purchase them, you can find a multitude of FREE electronic Bibles and great software at this site: e-Sword Bibles.

So I certainly do encourage all to read the Bible. For many years, the Book of Revelation was the most intriguing writing I had ever read. Like many others, I believed it was revealing the future of the world, which looked pretty darn bleak. I read of wars, famines, earthquakes, disease and pestilence. I fully believed that they must come to pass. I accepted them as the necessary evils before the wonderful climax- the return of Jesus Christ, our Savior. I expected Jesus to come back to earth in the flesh so that every eye could see him and every hand could touch him. I expected that at any moment a physical rapture of the “true believers” could take place. In that “twinkling of an eye,” millions of believers would be caught up and taken into heaven. Yes, I used to believe that those horrific visions of suffering and death foretold the end of the world, but then God opened my spiritual eyes to see a higher truth.

Ironically, it turns out, I was given some revelation concerning Revelation. While I still believe there is natural prophetic meaning in this ancient writing, I am now aware that the events changing our spiritual landscape are what truly matter. Mankind is too fixated on political, religious or financial solutions to our social problems. Some of the most intelligent Christians I meet seem to be unaware that the Spirit of Christ is the only Force that can bring God’s Kingdom to earth. Yes, leaders rise and fall; nations rise up against nations; war and disease have taken millions of lives and will continue to do so. These natural tragedies will persist because these are only the symptoms of an ailing corporate soul of humanity. Wars with guns and bombs will not change us, but defeating our spiritual enemy will!

It is heartening to know that more are discovering the way to do this. Some have recognized that our social problems can only be corrected by restoring our relationship with God. We must change from the inside out. Christ is our inner and true life from God that will put an END to the world we have known for far too long. Yes, it turns out that those words from R.E.M. were indeed prophetic, but the key is understanding what “world” is ending. Again, as I studied Bible prophecy there was a time when I believed those preaching about the natural disasters, plagues and wars that would take place soon. Even today, this is why many are fearful of the future. They don’t want this party to end. They are living for the flesh, so they fear the one who can only destroy the body in hell. Truly Satan is our enemy, but he is not to be feared. Rather the devil is to be overcome by the power of Christ who is in YOU and in ALL! Truly, the natural souls will perish as they always do- in fear and ignorance, but the children of God will never die because they are born of the Spirit of God. The whole world will see their redemption! This is the true revelation!

So what or whom shall we fear? Some continue to preach that an apocalypse is coming! And I agree. What they may not know is the word “revelation” is a translation of the Greek word “apokalupsis,” which is where we get our word apocalypse. Originally the meaning of this word was simply to uncover, unveil or reveal. Of course, the word “apocalypse” has come to means some cataclysmic disaster, which is probably due to the terrifying scenes described in John’s last writing. The natural mind has a way of seeing what it wants to see it seems, but the truth remains the same. Apocalypse means the unveiling of something, or in our case, SOMEONE!

Today, the doomsday prophets say Jesus is returning after unprecedented natural and man-made calamities. Some even believe they have deciphered the date for the return of Jesus or when the world will go into a nuclear war. This is foolishness because they are thinking naturally. God is SPIRIT. Carnal minds use their fear of the end scare tactics to either make money or converts. They may believe that their horror stories are bringing more souls to salvation, but since when does God use lies and fear to bring us to salvation? Unfortunately, Christendom started using these types of tactics not long after its conception and then peaked during the darker ages. There is little doubt that most religious leaders and souls are led by their natural minds and desires. Most church leaders want money so they can “run” their business, I mean church! Most Christian writers are very prolific and anxious to share their revelations with you- for a hefty fee! In fact, millions of dollars have been made by dramatizing the natural notions of Revelation including the rapture of Believers in the Left Behind series. I see this as despicable. I am not here to scare anyone or to profit from my words. I am here to freely share the Truth and declare that God’s Kingdom comes!

So understand that this writing is not going to be your typical eschatological or apocalyptic Christian fairytale about the end of the world. I am not going to tell you which countries are going to war in the valley of Armageddon. I am not going to single out a man and call him the antichrist. And I am certainly not going to declare a date when Jesus will fly into Jerusalem on a white horse! There is no doubt that we will experience more wars, famines and plagues, but this is all irrelevant to me because I am seeking REAL change in our world. While the natural prophecies of Revelation may happen as some say they will, I am here to show that spiritually each of us goes to battle in the Valley of Armageddon. I am here to explain that what is happening in Revelation is about YOU and your relationship with God.

The Revealing of Christ Jesus in You

Does your life have purpose? Sometimes it is easy to get bogged down and confused in our day-to-day lives, but believe me when I say that every life has purpose. Life is pretty easy to understand once you have grasped the truth that God is all in all. As I recently wrote about in God Is- Everything Else Isn’t, all life is from God, about God and for God. It is really that simple. So you may be asking, “Where do I fit in?” That is a question that only you can answer by asking the One who knows. In my life, God has led me to preach universal salvation while breaking down the false doctrines of men. This is why I am writing now.

So here is the principle purpose of this article and also the real reason why we exist. God is building a Kingdom, and this Kingdom is in us. You will know when the work is done because God will be not only your true Savior, but also your absolute LORD. And this will not just be lip service at Sunday morning services either! As God comes to surface through your being this will, in turn, bring His Kingdom to earth touching all that come in contact with you. All of this takes place when the Spirit of Christ has matured and is revealed in you. As this moment, you will become God’s domain. Through Christ, you have been united with God. God is now your only life, so the world that you once knew has ended. The world of worry, the world of imperfection and the world of sin will all come to an end when Christ comes to be your only life. You are then a new creation living in a higher level of life that you didn’t realize before.

I have written some about the return of Christ before in The Meaning of Life and Thy Kingdom Come, but here my focus will be on the Book of Revelation. Most Christians are taught that Jesus is going to physically return to save the world. I can understand this deception because I used to believe this as well, but we must understand that it is the SPIRIT of Jesus that it going to save the world. Jesus is no longer a creature of the flesh and the material world. He gave that up to become much more! Jesus is now alive in the Spirit. And the Spirit of Christ that fueled and filled Jesus will also fill and empower us. So then each of us will become the place, or the “earth,” that Christ is returning to! That is the second coming of Christ to this earth! Similar symbolism is used to show that each mature child of God becomes a CLOUD that Christ rides from heaven to earth.

Revelation 1:7

Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. 8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

It is likely that some Bible readers, perhaps many, take this passage literally. They see Jesus flying in on the clouds perhaps circling the globe for all to see. What they fail to grasp is the allegorical, spiritual meaning intended here. As I have written about many other times, the life-giving substance we call water is one of God’s symbols of Himself in this world. Like God, water has three states, or “forms.” When we read, “he (Christ) is coming with the clouds,” it is interesting to note what clouds really are and how they come to be.

Clouds form because water from the earth is evaporated (resurrected) into the air. After this transformation to a higher state, this invisible water vapor (spirit) is lifted above the earth and waits for the right conditions for condensation (reincarnation). Do you see the correlation to the saints of God? Children of God are born in the same way! The children of God are the clouds floating in heaven not being pulled down by the powers of the world! They are taken into a higher state- that of the spirit. Then when the conditions are right, they manifest from unseen spirit back into physical form again. This is exactly what the saints will do to bring Christ to our world! This also correlates perfectly with what Paul wrote in his Second Letter to the Thessalonians.

2 Thessalonians 1:5

All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10 on the day HE COMES to be glorified IN his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

Most certainly Christ Jesus is going to be revealed from heaven; however, don’t think that heaven is the actual sky above you. And don’t believe that God lives in mansion on the clouds! God lives in YOU and all! And heaven is a higher level of life with God and not in the stratosphere! Yes, this higher life and consciousness has been above us, but Christ is changing all of that! He is coming IN his holy people and lifting them up like clouds off of the earth! He will be revealed through those who have been counted WORTHY of the Kingdom of God. You heard Paul right and me; we said worthy. I will talk more about being qualified for the Kingdom later, but let’s continue to explore how the SPIRIT of Jesus will return in God’s saints.

I understand that many have trouble differentiating Jesus from Christ, which is the son of man from the Son of God. Dark Age doctrines are mostly to blame for the confusion in this matter. Also some are not spiritually mature enough to see the difference. They see themselves as flesh, and this is how they want to see and know their Savior. Christ is the spirit of Jesus and the Savior of the World. This means that Jesus was Christ manifested in human form. Or we could say that Jesus was the Word made flesh. Jesus was the man (flesh) chosen by God to REVEAL Christ (spirit) to the world- to bring light into the darkness. Through surrender and suffering, Jesus made himself nothing, so that Christ was his all in all. Jesus gave up his life long before the cross. He surrendered his life and will for God’s. Because of this, Jesus lives in Christ and is Christ. Jesus is in the Kingdom of God, which is growing in you and all. Christianity teaches this, but few accept this divine mystery.

Colossians 1:27

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

This is the mystery that Jesus taught us when he said he (Christ) was with us always. This explains how it can be that when we did anything to the least we did it to him (Christ). He said that the day would come when we realized that He (Christ) is in us, and we are in Him. Why do so few understand that Christ is the Spirit of life in us all? Christians should heed Paul’s teaching that Jesus is NOT to be known as a natural man, but now as a life-giving spirit. We too are spirit! Until we realize this, we cannot see the distinction between Jesus and Christ. Yes, Christ will again be SEEN in this world, but not as many have been led to believe. Christianity continues to confuse its followers by teaching that “Jesus” never left us, but also that Jesus will return. Is Jesus here or not? The truth is that the Spirit of Jesus does not need to RETURN, but instead Christ must be REVEALED in us just as he was in Jesus! This is the revealing of Jesus Christ!

Revelation 1:1

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show his servants what must soon take place.

The first passage says it all. The Book of Revelation begins with the REVEALING or unveiling of Jesus Christ. This is a central theme in Paul’s teachings, yet most Christians seem oblivious to this higher reality and essential truth of salvation. Our salvation is Christ, who is our true life. Mankind has been living a lie. Believing the devil and our own carnal minds, we see ourselves as flesh. Because of this mankind was also deceived into believing we are each a separate from each other. This is not true in Christ where our true life is hidden. The devil separates us, which gives birth to selfishness, fear, sin and ultimately death. The Spirit of Christ is the only one that can redeem and restore us back to oneness. Yes, salvation ONLY comes by Christ becoming our life. And this my friends is why Christ must be revealed in YOU!

1 Corinthians 1:7

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Paul makes it clear. We must surrender our self. We must sacrifice our self. We must crucify our self. We must die, so that Christ will live through us. Do not believe that this is the death of you; it is your true life coming to the surface of your being! This is what you and all have been created to do!

When we read the Book of Revelation, we shouldn’t see strange creatures, powerful angels and hideous beasts as much as we should see the REVEALING of Jesus Christ. This is the purpose of every man including the first to be raised from the dead (a state of spiritual sleep). Jesus woke up to God like no other before him. In doing so, Jesus became alive to God and revealed Christ (God’s Image) to the world. He calls us to follow him to where he is right now, which is in heaven (Christ-consciousness). So yes it is true; Christ is coming with the clouds, but YOU and I will be the clouds! The mature sons of God are the water that has been transformed from being earthbound to now being free flying clouds of grace. This concept is not a unique to the last book of the Bible because Paul many times makes Christ being REVEALED in us his central theme. Why do so many not understand that this is our salvation!

Galatians 4:19

My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, 20 how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!

Paul understood like no other apostle who Christ is. Although he never met the man, Jesus, he knew Christ intimately. Paul grasped and tried to teach that Christ is all and in all. He understood that our challenge was to let Christ be our life- let Christ take form in us. We need to reveal Christ, who is our inner, perfect life from God. Why do so many Christians claim to be “born again” or yet they remain the same carnal creation? They say they are “born of the Spirit,” but believe themselves to be a creature of flesh. If one is truly born of God, then that person must have the realization in his life that he is SPIRIT from and of God. This is the beginning of the higher life above the world. Pouring water over us does not change us. Receiving a piece of bread from a priest does not change us. No religious ceremony of man can ever change us. Only Christ coming to live through us will change who we are in this world. Before we can be that “new creation,” we must put the old self to death. This is accomplished through our faith and obedience toward God. If you do God’s will in your life, your higher self will be revealed.

1 Peter 4:13

But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

What is this “glory” that is being revealed? It is the very nature of God revealed in YOU! This is our sole purpose in life! If we suffer for Christ (our higher life) as Jesus did, we will also have the same glory as him. We will be the Image of God. Jesus and all that follow Christ have suffered for the sake of Love. As Revelation symbolically and graphically describes, the coming of Christ is painful for those clinging the world and their false life. John writes that “all the peoples of the earth will mourn because him,” but why? They will mourn because the coming of His life means the death of theirs! Surely you understand that all sin and sinners must be destroyed?

2 Peter 3:5

But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

It is quite natural that everyone has difficulty crucifying the old self, but it must happen. The “day” will come when Christ claims what is rightfully his, which is your very life. Call it stealing if you life, but the reality is that Christ owns you and all. The coming of Christ into our lives can be painful- just ask Jesus. He is called the “man of sorrows” for good reason. In the Letter to the Hebrews, we are told that he was made perfect by enduring the sufferings throughout his life. Surrendering our will for God’s is hard work and can be painful at times. Bringing a “new creation” into being is painful for the one giving birth. Jesus gave birth to Christ, so his pains can be called the pains of childbirth. If any follow Jesus the Christ, they to will give birth to God’s Son. Consider the signs that Jesus used when describing the coming of Christ.

Matthew 24:6

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

What does Jesus mean? Who is being born? Life is about birth. The earth gives birth to man, then man gives birth to Christ. As we read above, Jesus was not that concerned about the wars, famines and earthquakes. Jesus was interested in the full unveiling of Christ. Jesus knew that prophecies have both natural and spiritual meanings and fulfillments. Like the birth of a child, blood will be spilled, but there will also be new life. Yes after terrible pain and suffering, mankind will finally come to realize their source for life- the Spirit of Christ! Jesus brought this higher life before the Jews, but they couldn’t see the true Messiah. They expected and wanted a natural king, a more powerful King David type, but they got a carpenter’s son of no reputation. They rejected Jesus because they didn’t see the spiritual reality of whom he revealed. Are Christians today rejecting the Spirit of Christ returning in us? Can we now see that the Spirit of Jesus Christ is the King of the universe, and, in time, WILL rule the nations? Many Jews then and Christians now seek a quick fix for the world- in the twinkling of an eye. Religious minds haven’t changed that much in two millennia. Like Nicodemus, they still have trouble understanding spiritual truths.

Too many Bible readers read Scripture with natural eyes, and neglect that Jesus said his words are “spirit and life.” From Genesis to Revelation, it is clear to me that humanity’s purpose is to give birth to Christ. Paul explained the spiritual significance and symbolism of Abraham’s covenant with God. It was about all the Christ.

Galatians 3:16

The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture doesn’t not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed” meaning one person, who is Christ.

Christ was the Seed then and certainly is now! Christ is God’s Seed who is in all and will bring forth God’s life in due time. Like Jesus, Abraham was a spiritual leader. While Abraham carried the promise of the Seed, Jesus was the first to give birth to God’s Seed. It is not a coincidence that both Abraham and Jesus have so much in common. I believe this is because Jesus was Abraham in an earlier life. This may be hard for many to accept, and I am not asking you to. Many are willing to accept that Abraham and even Moses were “types” of Jesus, but not Jesus himself. Much has been written about the parallels that exist. Of course many want to interpret what they read in a natural way, but we should know better. Look for the spiritual significance in the covenant made with Abraham. What Abraham did in the natural, Christ does in the spiritual. Abraham circumcised the skin, but Christ removes our carnal natures. Abraham gave birth to a nation; Christ is producing a Kingdom! Whether we accept reincarnation or not is not that important. What is important is that we realize Christ is the Seed we must all give birth to through our being.

Resurrecting Christ is humanity’s sole and holy purpose. God only has one Son, and He is Christ, the Anointed ONE. This is ONE Spirit that unites us all back to God. I believe that early in our spiritual growth we feel like we have been “born again” because we feel the freedom and life of the spirit within. We feel SAVED. Yet as our spirit matures Christ becomes our LORD. Coming to this point in our spiritual maturity can be painful for the soul. Yet in the beginning, God told us this would happen.

Genesis 3:16

To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."

While this “curse” is certainly true in the natural, it is also true in the spiritual. Let us always keep in mind that our Father is SPIRIT. So it behooves us all to try to be and think spiritually. If we read Genesis with spiritual eyes, we see that Eve (the woman) represents the soul of man and Adam the spirit. Adam (spirit) slept and Eve (soul) was taken out of him. Outside of the spirit, Eve (soul, or mind of man) sinned and Adam (spirit of man) followed her into death because they were ONE being. When they realized they were covered with animal SKINS, they were self-aware carnal creatures. And Satan’s reign had begun. God placed a “condition” on Satan and on the woman (soul). Satan had to stay here in this world and eat dust, and the soul of man would find the coming of Christ into our lives a little uncomfortable.

1 Thessalonians 5:1

Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

If you haven’t given God His life back, then Christ will come like a thief to break into your home, which is your soul. There Christ will destroy all that is unworthy of the Kingdom. The time will come when Christ within breaks through your worldly façade. Your carnal mind, ego and sinful desires that have shackled you for so long will be eliminated. By doing so, Christ will purify your soul. Your soul will no longer be filled with carnal thoughts, but will be focused on the love of her life, Christ.

Through faith, grace and obedience, the soul (mind) of man will eventually rise to a sufficiently high level of consciousness to realize the Spirit of Christ within. This spiritual metamorphosis is carried out, as our spirit is qualified through our lives experiences. Eventually our soul is subdued, sanctified and saved through union with our matured Spirit of Christ. This process takes many lessons and therefore many lives to complete.

So, the coming of Christ into our lives and awareness can be seen in stages. Corporately, mankind has been evolving spiritually for ages and ages. If one considers that God has been working on us for perhaps four million years, then we are indeed approaching the final countdown to the end. There is an interesting vision from John that describes our spiritual evolution. Let’s now consider those strange looking “living creatures” that worshiped our Lord God.

Revelation 4:6

Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a LION, the second was like an OX, the third had a face like a MAN, the fourth was like a flying EAGLE. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."

The four living creatures each with six wings are referring to mankind. Six is man’s number, and four is the earth’s number. Four symbolizes the natural world with four seasons, four elements (air, earth, fire and water), four directions and so on. These particular “creatures” are praising God night and day, so they represent the segment of mankind that has found God at some level. We read that these four creatures are all worshipping God- one like a LION, one like an OX, one like a MAN and one like an EAGLE. These four creatures symbolize four basic levels we must pass through on our way back to God. There are called “living” because they represent those who seek God. They were covered with eyes means they have the highest awareness of God of their kind. For example, Lot and Noah were some of humanity’s holiest men in their day, yet Lot had sex with his daughters and Noah got naked and drunk after his long voyage. Yes, there is no doubt that we have been evolving naturally and, more importantly, spiritually. What was acceptable behavior for men long ago is not today. Do Christians still stone sinners to death? Why not? Wasn’t this God’s commandment? Jesus was a Jew, but he refused to continue at that level of worship. In a very real sense, Jesus broke the Law of Moses because he refused to do what God had commanded of the Jews. The Law was a lower level of worship, and Jesus was trying to take us into a higher level of worship. He wanted us to worship God in SPIRIT and truth! It is clear that although Jesus was a Jew he knew that God was higher than religion.

Now going back to the four living creatures, we see that when our relationship with God began, we had the nature like that of a LION. We were carnal beasts and the king of all the beasts on the earth. This was our beginning in the Garden when we became self-aware and separated ourselves from the apes. We were powerful creatures, but very much untamed.

After many ages had passed, we gradually became “tamed” by God. Instead of stalking the world to devour, we were made into the servants of God and became like an OX. We had the yoke of the Law placed around our necks and some pulled hard to do God’s will. We worked the soil (the world) in order to plant God’s Seed. Even though we became more docile than a lion, we still had the mind of a beast. This would soon change.

After working in the fields for hundreds of generations, a MAN was born with the exact nature of God. For the first time in the history of mankind, Jesus showed us what being human really means. He showed us that we are called to be God’s image on earth. Through Christ, every man can be like Jesus and show the world God’s love. In this way, God’s Kingdom comes to the earth.

Finally, after we have been perfected (as our Father is perfect), we take flight into a higher life. We are no longer earthbound, but are then like an EAGLE flying in heaven. We are new creations in a new world because we are now angels of heaven. We are free flying spirits with the freedom to go wherever we desire.

As man measures time, salvation from sin is a long and tedious process. To God this is not a problem, but jus the way of life. Consider the fact that it took early man millions of years to realize that he was sinning in the first place! Obviously before we could overcome sin, we had to realize that we were sinners. Neanderthal man didn’t know he was sinning. He lived in fear and any “religion” was rudimentary at best. But knowledge has been steadily increasing, not just worldly knowledge, but knowledge of God. We are always moving forward whether we feel that way or not. God is moving us all toward our salvation, which awaits us in the Body of Christ. So all must come into that life, that essence, that reality and that SPIRIT of Christ to be saved. There is no other way than this.

What those embracing the truth of universal salvation must come to terms with is HOW will God save ALL? And when they say “all”, do they mean God will save every man, woman or child that has ever walked with two legs on the face of the earth? If they believe this, then they also believe that millions of primitive humanoids will also enter the Kingdom of God. Also, what method or process does God use to bring the unrepentant, unholy and unsaved sinners back to God? Most Universalists say that God will use “hell” to bring them to salvation, and I totally agree. In fact, that is why we are HERE! We are the ones who need saved. When we read that Jesus preached in hell, didn’t go underground to do this; he came right here to this world of darkness.

1 Peter 3:18

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.

Many will misunderstand this passage when they read it. They believe that after the Romans crucified Jesus he rose from the dead, and THEN he preached to the spirits in prison. However, Jesus was crucified long before the cross because he chose God’s will over his own. He was “alive by the Spirit” long before he manifested his image in the house with locked doors! Jesus showed us that obedience to God brings us to perfection. In fact, according to Jesus only those who do God’s will can enter heaven. So accept it or not, we are the disobedient spirits that Jesus preached to in Hades, which is the world of the dead. Yes, we have been walking the earth for millions of years. We walk in darkness and death because of sin. Every man, woman and child here on earth is spirit being judged. Everyone must pass through the trials of life and be qualified by the “fire and brimstone.” But don’t think that there is something wrong; everything is going according to God’s plan, otherwise God is not God.

We come into this world to learn about life and God, and ultimately that God is all life! God sends us to this world to prepare us for our higher life in Christ. As Jesus realized, we must be perfect like our Father is perfect. Reincarnation is the simply the means God uses to accomplish this. After each life we are a little wiser, so we can make better decisions next time. After each life, we must reap what we have previously sown. This is so God is not mocked, and so our life is not lived in vain. God is Cause and Effect and so is life. The evidence is overwhelming for those brave enough to accept reincarnation as God’s way to raise his spirit children.

Jesus explained it using John the Baptist as an example, but many could not accept it. Early Christians taught it, but other “Christians” silenced them using violent measures. Science supports it with numerous studies, but fearful souls avoid any truth that contradicts their beliefs. Do we suppose it is just a coincidence that children of today are absorbing hundreds of times more information than those of long ago? How do child prodigies come into existence? Where does their talent come from? Where did this enormous mental capacity come from? Did Neanderthal man have such capacity? Do we think it chance that mankind went millions of years banging rocks together, then in what is like the blink of an eye, makes computers and spaceships?

My brothers and sisters, this is all meant to be. This is God’s plan, which is centered on Christ being revealed. We are growing more and more adept in our environment because our spirit is maturing. Our spirit is the center of our life and being. From the spirit all things are sustained including the soul. It should be obvious that the soul (mind) of man is advancing toward God in accord with the spirit. While this evolution of the mind brings about increased worldly knowledge, this is simply a bi-product of the spirit growing stronger. It is our spirit from our Father that will mature and overcome. Yes, as Jesus taught, it is the spirit that gives us life. However it is through the SOUL that we experience the deceptions of death and pain of this world.

The Sevens of the Soul

Mark 14:34

"My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," Jesus said to them. "Stay here and keep watch."

As we travel through life, the soul is the companion of the spirit. Our spirit is our divine lifeline back to the Source of our existence. As even Jesus expressed, the soul is where we sense the hurt of separation from the peace of God. Even though our spirit is continuously and eternally connected to God, our soul is what you could call a “wanderer.” When making a difficult decision, we might be told to “follow our heart,” and this is the best advice we could receive. Our heart is our inner self, our spirit. Following our spirit doesn’t mean we will walk a pain-free path, but it does mean we will move closer to God. Of course, most of our problems come when our soul is distracted away from the spirit by something else. This world offers the soul many distractions, of which, being incased by a body of flesh may be the most difficult to overcome. The soul is always being tempted by the desires of the body. Food, sex and shelter are the concerns of the flesh, but not of the spirit. Sure the spirit needs fed, but only doing the will of God can provide sustenance to our spirit.

Whether the spirit knows it or not, there exists an innate desire to return to God the Father. Our spirit needs the soul as a companion, or helper to figure this out. We SENSE God working on us and brining us back into oneness with Him through the soul. If the soul follows the spirit, the gap will certainly close between God and us. Changing, moving and growing are not always easy. Many believe that “God” is supposed to feel good, but it should be obvious that the presence of God can be a very painful experience. Consider the prophets like Job, Joseph and even Jesus. They all suffered as they came closer to God, but they also got their reward. And so shall we. It seems the saying, “No pain, No gain” is true at every level of life.

In spite of what you might be taught in Sunday morning sermons, we do, in fact, work our way back to God. If you are truly following Christ in your day-to-day life, then you are most definitely working! You are fighting against the current of the world and against your own carnal temptations. Many say that they only need to believe, and they will be saved. I say that faith is active. True faith acted on empowers the spirit, which causes the soul to produce the fruit of good works. As discussed in Salvation is Not a Gift, God gives us all that we need, but ultimately the choice to use those gifts or not is ours. If we have a “working” faith, then our labors will produce food for the Kingdom. Even if we choose to be disobedient to God’s will in our life, a lesson will be learned. God chastises his children for the purpose of teaching them. So everything we feel, be it pleasure or pain, is working toward accomplishing God’s will. This is exactly what we read in the Book of Revelation. God’s will is being accomplished through the power of the coming of Christ, and those who resist will have to learn the hard (and broad) way.

THE NUMBER SEVEN-

You cannot read Revelation without noticing the myriad of numbers used to describe everything in vivid detail. Numbers are really the universal language used by God to communicate with man. We can clearly see how numerology has played a significant role in God’s relations with man all throughout the Bible and in other religions too. In particular, “7” is one of the most frequently used numbers when referring to spiritual matters in the Bible- 338 times! In the Book of Revelation we read about the seven plagues, seven seals and seven bowls that unleash God’s wrath upon all that chose to resist Him. Of course, the use of seven began in the Book of Genesis when it tells us it took seven days, six days of work and one day of rest, to create the universe. We should not get bogged down by trying to attach literal timetables in spiritual matters; instead we should seek the spiritual significance being represented.

Seven has come to be known as a number of perfection and completeness because this is has been ordained by God as His number. God has revealed to us that seven is a number of great significance in describing the nature of God. We also know God has a triadic nature seen in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And this triadic essence is certainly observed in our natural world as I wrote about in Shadows of a Higher Reality. In our quest to know God, there are two “things” in this world that are used to reveal God’s essence to us. They are water and light. Water is a shadow of God being because it sustains life while existing in three forms simultaneously. Ironically, light is also a “shadow” of God’s essence as it brings luminance to the world with SEVEN colors!

Yes, light effectively reveals God’s “heptadic” nature, which again demonstrates that God’s essence permeates everything He has created. All of creation carries the divine genetics of its Maker. Light is one of the most remarkable displays of this. When pure (white) light passes through a prism (TRIangular), it is separated into SEVEN colors as seen in a rainbow. It is also observed in nature, that crystals (those inanimate creations that actually GROW) exist in seven different forms. Some believe that crystals have mystical powers. But if they have any, let it be known that all power comes from God.

Genesis tells us that the first command of God was “let there be LIGHT!” This is the moment when God’s WORD went into the void. Of course we know that the Word is Christ, and Christ is LIGHT in our dark world. It all harmonizes beautifully! Let us also see that Christ is the “light” of every person that comes into the world. Yet when the “light” passes through the soul, it rarely seems to come out pure white. This is because we color the pure light through the process of refraction. This would be like knowing God’s will, but changing (bending) it just a bit to suit our self. There are times when may completely shun that light through reflection. This is happens when we deliberately disobey God. Still many just tend to block the light from the view of the world. We keep our light under a basket because we may be afraid or embarrassed. In any case, we must let the light of Christ shine from our being. Our choices in life affect the amount and kind of light shining from our being. Jesus was illuminated by God’s glory because he chose God’s will. He made himself nothing, like a piece of clear glass. Jesus told us that we too are the light of the world because Christ is our life and light. When this truth is fully realized, we will look in that spiritual mirror and see our true self, as God does.

Can you look at Jesus with spiritual eyes and see God? When Jesus looked into mirror of Truth, he witnessed God and witnessed for God. God (Father) and Image (Son) are ONE. This is Cause and Effect giving life to each other in an eternal cycle of Spirit and Consciousness. Like a light and a mirror eternally showing each other their glory, the Father and Son exist in an infinite union. Even though God is infinite, we have come to understand that God in a trinity, which is confusing for some. To complicate matters even more, the Almighty is also described as having SEVEN spirits.

Revelation 4:5

From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing.

These are the seven spirits of God.

Of course it was Isaiah (Isaiah 11:2) who wrote about God’s seven spirits: lordship, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and respect. God isn’t seven spirits, but is the Father of ALL spirit! So, we should think of God’s septet of spirits as the characteristics God. God’s holiness is expressed through these so-called “spirits” because God can only give us ONE gift, which is His Self. God will fill all things by filling us with His divine characteristics. Man, who is finite, is always trying to describe God who is infinite. As the prophets including Jesus knew, nature and numerology are the most effective way to understand who God is. Again, this is because God’s life is imprinted on all life, which is certainly apparent in the triads and septets we observe in nature and the Bible.

While the number 7 is God’s number, it can still carry different meanings. For example, anyone who brought harm upon Cain would be cursed 7 fold. And did you know that Noah was asked by God to gather 7 of every “clean animal” and only two of every “unclean animal?” The dove looked for land for 7 days before finding it. There are many accounts where God’s blessing was 7 years of plenty or a judgment of 7 years of famine. Jews were called to forgive a sinner 7 times, yet Jesus said 7 times 70 meaning unlimited times. There were also 7 loaves of bread that fed everyone, which because 7 baskets of leftovers. These are just a few examples of the number 7 being used by God, so there is no doubt that the number 7 carries a mark of divinity. Perhaps more than anything else 7 symbolizes a completed process of God, which ultimately ends in our salvation. This was the message that John was trying to get through to the 7 churches of his day.

THE SEVEN CHURCHES

Revelation 1:19

"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

John’s begins Revelation with the critiques of seven churches of his day. When John describes these seven churches, there is little doubt that he was speaking of actual churches that had been established by Paul and others. Again, there is a natural message and a spiritual message in inspired prophecy. John even says that some of what he is writing is NOW and some “will take place later.” Whether John realized it or not, I see hidden wisdom in the descriptions of the seven churches.

First, let us recognize that, in a very real way, each of us is a “church.” Surely you know that you are a TEMPLE of God? Many may believe their BODY is the temple of the spirit, but this is not really accurate. Man’s being is a trinity of body, soul and spirit, but the spirit is the center and essence of his life. The most outer “layer” of our being in the world is the body. However, this is not the home of the spirit because the body houses the soul. It is the soul that houses the spirit. So it is the SOUL that is truly the temple (church) of the spirit. And she is also the one that must be purified and vivified by the spirit.

Psalms 23:3

He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

The soul is being prepared like a bride for the Bridegroom. When she is read, the Spirit of Christ will unite with her in a holy union. In that moment, we realize the Kingdom of God. So in our soul, we can feel the spirit move, speak and teach us. We move through life experiencing different states of the soul, which can be seen as the seven churches. Let’s begin with what can be called the “Ephesian soul,” and see what wisdom we can glean from the words penned by John long ago.

Revelation 2:1

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

Revelation 2:4

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

Have you ever reached what you thought was a pinnacle in your relationship with God- a moment when you felt so in love? Then before you know it you have taken that divine relationship for granted. There is an ancient proverb that says, “Our first love is our last love, which is Self love.” God wants us to love. We are to love God and love others as our self. These two tenets of faith are one in the same. This is what Christ teaches us. The “Ephesian” soul is that soul that is strong, wise, fruitful and USED to have a very close relationship with God. This soul is like the branch that has gone too far from the Vine. She was once energized by Christ, but is now taking root far away from the Source of Love. This soul was flying high, but then she forgot about the Wind under her wings. The soul cannot fly without the Spirit of Christ.

Revelation 2:8

"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

The “Smyrnian soul” is that soul leading a life of suffering. We need not be tortured by the Romans to suffer for Christ’s sake. When Love leads us into the arms of those who hate, we have done God’s will. Certainly we know that this is not suffering done in vain, but for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom. Some will fall into the devil’s traps, but consider it a blessing when you break free by the power of Christ! Finally, notice that this soul is told to “be faithful,” and He will give her the “crown of life.” This soul is on the brink of overcoming the world and the devil. If your soul is going through this stage, stay faithful.

Revelation 2:18

"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.

Revelation 2:20

Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): 25 Only hold on to what you have until I come.

What are Satan’s deep secrets? I believe Satan’s greatest weapon is actually religion placed in the hands of carnally minded men. So, the “Thyatiran soul” describes any that have been growing spiritually, but who is deceived by religious practices. Jezebel is the symbol of man-led religion, and the food that is sacrificed to idols represents false doctrines and sinful behaviors. Sexual immorality, at a spiritual level, happens when a soul has intercourse (connects) with any other spirit. She should remain a virgin until she is ready for Christ. The Spirit of Christ is the matured spirit of sonship. When we have reached spiritual maturity, then the union takes place. Anything relations before this is a kind of spiritually adultery. Like every pure virgin, we must wait for our husband. Christ is the Bridegroom to whom we must remain faithful. Christ says to hold on because He is coming.

On a more natural note, let’s consider the curse place on the woman called Jezebel. And it is likely that when John wrote this there was an actual woman of that name leading some astray. Yet on a higher but still natural level it is hard to ignore that there is a “woman” of today fulfilling this prophecy. In the above passage, John writes that God will “strike her children dead” because of sexual immorality and idol worship. I see that Africa is like Jezebel has been “cursed” because of dangerous religious and social ways. AIDS is killing her children by the millions due to sexual promiscuity and lack of knowledge. What I have always believed and taught is the natural world shadows our higher spiritual reality. If we are not living right in the spiritual then we shall see the ill effects fall upon us in this shadow world.

Revelation 3:1

"To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

The “Sardisian soul” is that soul that sleepwalks through life. This soul is going through the motions as if Christ was leading her, but it is a façade. How many Christians fall into this category? This soul began walking with God, but she stopped to rest along the way. Then she fell ASLEEP! The sleeping soul is the spiritually unconscious soul. This is a common occurrence in life because she is “weaker” than the spirit. She must rest from time to time. Do you recall the parable of the ten virgins? They all fell asleep, but when they awoke only half of them had oil for their lamps. In other words, they kept they faith and could see where they were when they awoke. God allows us to take some time to rest, but we must remember the direction we were going before we fell asleep. If we wake up and it is dark, which way will we go without the light of faith?

Revelation 2:12

"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live--where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city--where Satan lives.

Revelation 2:14

Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.

The “Pergamum soul” lives surrounded by sin (“where Satan lives”). Perhaps it is an abusive home, an immoral community or some other kind of social crisis that surrounds her. She can remain faithful though if she refuses to eat that sinful food the worldly offer her. Immoral thoughts and behavior are the bad food she must refuse to eat. Because this soul is placed in this poor spiritual environment, this soul will sometimes fall into acts of sin. And yet, this soul has still kept the faith of God and knows she is God’s. This is a soul that wants to do what is right, but is tempted in a tempting place. This soul earnestly seeks God, but Satan is very nearby. She may have to leave them or fall into sin herself.

Revelation 3:7

"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars--I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

The “Philadelphian soul” is the soul ready for Christ! This is the highest level the soul can be. Christ has the door is OPEN for her! All she must do is go in and be with Christ. This soul has endured and overcome just as Jesus did. This soul has nobly carried the cross to the top of Calgary. And although weak from her journey, this soul has overcome Death, Hades and Satan by following Christ. As her reward, this soul will not be in the world during the “last hour.” The “last hour” is the time period when man will face some of the most difficult trials and tribulations. This soul rests in heaven as the other souls of the world are purified by more aggressive means.

Revelation 3:14

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, `I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

The “Laodicean soul” is the soul that is half-hearted and lazy with regards to Christ. This soul is content and flourishing in the world, but has become stagnant in Christ. I see this condition affecting many right here in America. They have knowledge, but do not teach. They have food, but do not feed. They have the light of Christ, but do not let Him shine. They are neither evil nor good, but somewhere in the middle. People are often times referred to as trees, and, of course, we trees can bear either good fruit or bad fruit. However, the apathetic soul is that soul that bears no fruit at all- good or bad! We should recall that Jesus destroyed the tree that bore no fruit for him. In the same way, Christ is about to spit out the Laodican soul because she has become unworthy.

If any Christian still believes that their salvation is simply a gift that requires no work on their part, they are gravely mistaken. Salvation does not come by simply believing and being good just as breathing air and eating food do not constitute living- alone; this is death! True living is when we are empowered by the spirit to live for God. Good trees produce good fruit, and bad trees produce bad fruit. But what about the tree that produces no fruit? Certainly, God plants “bad trees” as part of His plan too because we can learn that eating of this fruit makes us sick. The good fruit is the result of the Spirit of Christ pumping through our souls. We become the bread of life to the hungry souls and the living water to the thirsty ones. Clearly, we can see why Christ wants nothing to do with such a soul because there is no blessing given or lesson learned. Therefore nothing is given to advance the Kingdom of God.

So have you asked yourself, “What is the state of my soul?” We have all likely experienced all of these different scenarios, but this is the only way we can learn. Life is simply a spiritual kind of the trial and error method, so that we can truly KNOW life and God through experience. Eventually, we come to discover that we want more than this world has to offer. You could say that we will outgrow our earthly clothes to a point that we become uncomfortable here. We no longer belong in this kind of world.

Romans 12:2

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

We are here in the world to learn and to teach about Love. This is God’s perfect will in our lives. Love does not always feel good though. Every soul must endure sufferings to be perfected. Although we need not feel the natural agony of nails going through our hands to suffer for Christ. Rather, the pain the soul experiences is through emotions. Jesus withstood incredible emotional anguish. Paul did as well as he tried to teach the higher truths about Christ. The pain of the soul is far worse than that of the body. It is the emotional pain and anguish for Christ’s sake that purifies the soul.

Salvation is coming to us all, but we must all go through a process of maturation and purification. Too many Christians believe there is an EASY way into heaven. They say Jesus died for their sins, so they are forgiven. And because they believe this, they are saved. This is NOT what Jesus taught. As I discussed in Salvation is Not a Gift, Jesus said that the way to salvation was very narrow and few found it. He also said that we must pick up our cross and FOLLOW Him. Concerning salvation, Jesus gave critical contingencies that many have conveniently forgotten like, “IF you remain in me, “IF you stand firm to the end” and “IF you do the will of my Father.” Yes, this is a hard road to walk; it is very straight and very narrow! Trust the words of those who have tried to walk in the spirit and steps of Christ; this IS indeed work! Salvation is not a gift, but God will give you all that you need to overcome. And more than this God is your eternal partner, so your salvation is a certainty because of God’s sovereignty.

God will save all because Christ is in all. The radical religious souls of every religion arrogantly believe they are special and chosen by God to be saved. Because of so much unsound religious doctrine being spread, there is little wonder why there are so many atheists in the world today. Most atheists are usually more intellectual than the religious, so they are not easily fooled by the flawed arguments of the modern day Pharisees. I have found that the typical atheist has contemplated God and the meaning of life than the typical Christian. Too many Christians are just sheep following whoever calls their self a shepherd. As Jesus said of the religious souls of his day, they were “the blind leading the blind” into a pit, which will make them twice as much a son of hell than before. Most Christians seem to misunderstand what faith is and what the role of faith is in our salvation. Faith isn’t a quick fix or free ticket into heaven. Faith has to be USED to RELEASE the POWER of Christ from within us so that we can OVERCOME the world as Jesus did.

Revelation 3:19

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.

When you dine with Christ, you will not leave hungry! I want to address the topic of “overcoming” more closely later in this article. But suffice it to say, it does take work and great effort on our part. Let me just say this. To overcome our effort is not aimed at being GOOD, but rather our “work” is to become nothing. Only through our complete surrender to God will our salvation be realized. God does all the work if we will let Him. His Spirit is our spirit, and this is the source of all our life and power. God knows the way to bring us to our spiritual senses; sometimes the way is tough love. Because of God’s great love for us, hell will become harder and harder for the unsaved to bear. We read all about this holy intervention in the seven bowls of Revelation.

THE SEVEN BOWLS-

Revelation 16:1

Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth."

Revelation makes a lot more sense if we realize one simple truth. This world is Hades, the place of the dead. This is why God’s wrath (Father’s chastisement) is being administered to those on the earth because this is exactly what happens to disobedient children. You name it: Satan, sinners, demons and the dead are all gathered together here in Hades. Everything we have been taught that is in hell is right here with us now, but will not accept this spiritual truth because this is not they have been taught. It is true that there is none so blind as those who will not see. Wake up and look around you! Who are you; where are you; and why are YOU here? Here are the answers. You are God’s child. You are in Hades. You are learning to love as God loves. Everyday we move closer and closer to the end. Is your world falling apart from earthquakes, plagues and wars of the spiritual kind? God is going to do whatever it takes to save you and all, which is really the message of Revelation. We can see God’s will being fulfilled in each of us individually and also collectively on all mankind. So when we read about the seven bowls of God’s wrath, we should see this as God doing only what is necessary to bring about the repentance of all.

Revelation 16:2

The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.

This prophecy seems straight forward enough to understand. Yet again, there is a natural and a spiritual fulfillment to consider that exists because our natural world is a shadow of a higher reality. In the natural world, those inflicted with diseases like Herpes have these symptoms described above. Most often Herpes is contracted through promiscuous sex. And there will likely be more diseases in the future that will cause such sores on humans. However, this isn’t the real problem humanity is facing. Speaking spiritually, our ugly and painful sores are found on our souls, not our bodies. God is not concerned with our flesh. Otherwise, He wouldn’t have flooded the inhabitants during Noah’s time. The flesh means nothing, but the spirit gives us our life. Yet, the soul is the medium between the spiritual and the natural. If the soul chooses to serve the body and not the spirit, she has the mark of the beast. In the same way, Jesus said that many were following their father, the devil. Let me tell you straight up that worshipping the beast is not that small sect that calls themselves “devil worshippers.“ Those who worship the beast are those who love and are led by their carnal natures instead of the Spirit of Life. This allegiance to their lower nature will bring ugly and painful soars on the soul.

These marks cannot be seen when we look into a mirror. But look into your eyes, the window into the soul, and there you will see them. When we look inward at our soul, we can see the pain and misery brought on by poor choices. Many will disguise their pain and then treat it with something like: drugs, alcohol, sex and even religion. Most every soul in hell is dealing with that false image covered with blemishes. Paul said that he hated many of the things he still did. Yet like the lepers, we can come to Christ without shame, and He will heal us. Our sores will fade from our self-image because we will realize that we are not sinning, but it is our old nature that clings to us like a scab. Still, the healing has begun for those that repent, but not for the unrepented.

Revelation 16:3

The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died.

Some have taught that this is a prediction of our polluted seas, which some say are already causing extinctions of many species. On a natural level, I suppose there is some merit to this, but what is this saying on a higher, spiritual level? The third bowl is similar to the second.

Revelation 16:4

The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 5 Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:

"You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged; 6 for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets,

and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve."

Water represents life and grace from God. While blood can also represent life when INSIDE the body, when blood is spilled it represents our sacrifice and a judgment from God. Here, God is getting tough with mankind by causing a (living) water shortage. God has already flooded the world with grace, but now He brings judgment upon it. For ages and ages, our Father has let “kids be kids” and looked the other way. God was not holding us accountable, so to speak, but no longer. We must grow up spiritually and take responsibility. When we were spiritual babes, we had no law and were even sanctioned by God in some cases to sac and loot our rivals. This USED to be God’s will for us because we wouldn’t have heard His higher truths. Yes, that was then, but we are living in the NOW. We have been growing and evolving spiritually to this point in time when God is saying, “No more!” We must now shed of our sinful natures that have been covering our true self for so long.

Revelation 16:8

The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. 9 They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.

In our natural world, we know that without an adequate layer of ozone in the higher atmosphere, we can suffer terrible burning of our skin. Ozone depletion may reach dangerous levels in our near future, which is like the natural fulfillment of this prophecy. Spiritually, the “SUN” is Christ, and His glory is the light shining upon the earth. Like the Sun, this holy Light gives us all life; however, this same Light can cause severe pain for our devilish outer self! One way or another, God is going to bring us to repentance and make us face the truth of who we really are. This is not torture; this is divine love to save us from a perpetual state of suffering and death. Mankind is like an animal caught in a trap fighting the One who is trying to free it.

Revelation 16:10

The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.

Many might say this is speaking of a domineering world ruler or superpower, which may be true. Then again, there may even be an actual darkened sky someday due to some natural event like volcanic eruptions or an asteroid impact. Spiritually, the throne of the beast is the ego that rules the children of the devil. So this is saying that the carnal mind’s kingdom is going deeper into ignorance and deception. This is spiritual darkness. This will cause the immoral to become more immoral. What little faith some might have had for God will be taken away and given to those with plenty. This concept is supported by the teachings of Jesus. For those who have little and do nothing, it will be taken away and given to those with much so they can do more. This is survival of the holiest!

Revelation 16:12

The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 13 Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.

Yes, there is an actual river called Euphrates. And yes, it certainly could dry up since man-made dams mostly control its flow. And yes, this could make it easier for an army “from the East” to march on toward that famous valley. Yet, what is God (who is Spirit by the way) really trying to tell us here? I see that the “kings from the East” represent the religious truths and wisdom from the east. The “Magi from the East“ also came to witness the birth of Jesus, so Christ brings East and West together. In fact, Jesus’ teachings had a very Eastern element to them. The “river” represents a barrier for the wisdom from the East. And when it dries up, we are more likely to cross over and discover God’s truths in the Eastern religions. I see today that many truth-seeking Christians are a little thirsty for truth and are accepting that wisdom from the East.

Now the three evil spirits coming from the mouth of the dragon, beast and false prophet are lies and delusions used by Satan on man for one last battle with God. We all must be taken into our spiritual valley called Armageddon, which means “mountain of sorrow” (dating back to Jeremiah’s time). Fittingly, mankind must gather in a valley (hell) below a mountain (heaven) because we are seeking God. It has been said that many must hit “rock bottom” before they can go higher, and I believe this has been proven to be true in many facets of life. God will lead all sinners into their personal valley of sorrows for the purpose of saving them. Next, the BIG moment comes!

Revelation 16:17

The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!" 18 Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. 19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. 21 From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.

What does it mean, “It is done!” What does it mean that this LOUD voice comes out of the temple? Let me remind you that YOU are the temple and Christ is the VOICE saying, “It is done!” When Christ comes out and REVEALS himself there will be some incredible spiritual movement to be sure! There will be some major shaking going on that will be far more important that anything California has ever felt. Yes, our old way of life (Babylon) will be split apart. Instead of God raining down drops of grace, there will be large sums of judgment come crashing down upon mankind. Certainly, the unrepented will curse God. This is exactly what we should expect. Like that devil-possessed child in The Exorcist, they will curse God. Like a drug addict in a treatment ward, they will curse God. Like a spoiled, irrational child yelling hateful words at his parent, they will curse God. But like a perfect, omnipotent Father, God will do exactly what it takes to save His children from themselves. Of this I am sure.

The Witnesses, the Beast and the Woman

Many have heard about the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker, but have you heard about the witnesses, the beat and the woman? It may not rhyme, but these are some of the more interesting and important characters in the spiritual sago called Revelation. Let’s begin with the two witnesses.

Revelation 11:3

And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. 6 These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

TWO WITNESSES-

Now that is power! If one takes this passage literally then one must believe that God will give two men incredible, divine control over the earth, its weather, its water and even its inhabitants. Obviously this passage cannot be taken literally unless we are to believe these witnesses are actually going to “devour” their enemies with fire from their mouths! So we must seek the meaning of these symbols, which can be both natural and spiritual. I see that the fire from their mouths represents the TRUTH. Yes, the truth certainly does have the power to devour all that is false including all the dead wood and stubble in our lives. This explains the fire coming from their mouths, but who are these two witnesses?

Now, some say that these two witnesses are Elijah and Moses. This seems plausible as a natural fulfillment. However, this would give more credence to something many have trouble accepting, which is reincarnation. As we read in the Gospels, many in the time of Jesus expected Elijah to return and some thought Jesus was the reincarnation of Elijah. Of course, Jesus plainly told us that if we can accept it John was the reincarnated spirit of Elijah. So yes, the spirit of John the Baptist could return again to fulfill this in a more natural way, but there is another way of deciphering this prophecy.

First, see that the key to understanding is the phrase “TWO WITNESSES.” This phrase should ring a Biblical bell. Recall what Jesus told his disciples about TWO or more gathered in his name.

Matthew 18:19

"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

Now, let me say this again. Gathering in Jesus’ NAME isn’t necessarily gathering in a Christian church or in a prayer group. We need not be in any particular place, but must be brought together in the ESSENCE, LIFE and SPIRIT of Jesus. Many Christians gather together and pray for all kinds of things, but nothing happens because there is no real connection made. So, this is not coming together in Jesus‘ essence. It should then also be clear that “In my name” has NOTHING to do with letters: J-E-S-U-S, but everything to do with the S-P-I-R-I-T! The deceived believe their Christian label and practices equate to being “in Christ” or in His name, but this is not true. Being “IN” means have the life of Christ and the true faith that releases God’s power in our lives.

As I hope you know or at least believe, Christ is in everyone. Now when two or more witnesses to this reality thereby come together in his “name” something completely divine happens! A spiritual fusion takes place when two followers come together in the Spirit of Christ thereby releasing enormous, supernatural power! In fact, in the first chapter of Revelation, we read that Jesus Christ is the “faithful witness,” so that all he needs is another to have faith and the equation is complete. Consider the power released when Jesus walked through Judea and triggered miracles. TWO believers, or witnesses- Jesus and another triggered the miracles through faith. For those lacking faith, no miracles happened even if Jesus was willing and in their midst. The miracle equation takes TWO to be successful. As discussed in Bringing God to Life, our faith is vital in bring God’s life into our life. Without faith, God is as good as dead in our world. He can do nothing without faith just as we can do nothing without Christ, who is our life. When two become one there is a fusion of wills. This was shown in the life of Jesus when his will conformed to that of His Father. Even when a man and wife are joined, there is a spiritual energy created. And the power from a holy union reaches its apex when the Son and the Father come to be all in all.

So do you know the witnesses are? They are any two “men” in Christ that agree. Now I am not speaking of anyone’s natural sexual identity. They are called “men” because they are SPIRIT and they are MATURE. Yet do we know what it means to be “mature” in Christ? Jesus was a mature spirit in Christ, our older brother. Relative to him, we are younger, less mature. Paul knew he was dealing with “babes” in Christ. For this reason most of Paul’s writings were “milk” and not meat. Most are focused on Paul’s natural teachings like how to run a church or how to treat the poor and widows. That is the milk. Very few can chew and swallow the meat. They have a difficult time realizing that Christ is before all things, and all things were created by, through and for Christ. Very few seem to contemplate the deeper, esoteric teachings Jesus and Paul offered us. Christ is all in all. What does this mean to you? As Jesus told us, this means that Christ is in the LEAST of us. Yes, many read the words, but never fathom the reality. The Spirit of Christ (the Light) is the Light of every man that ENTERS this world says the Gospel of John. We enter this world because we are spirit. Paul taught that everyone’s true, higher life was hidden in Christ. Finding and living this reality is how we mature in Christ. The more we mature, the more God’s Kingdom grows on earth.

While God is using faith and love to bring us together, the devil tries to divide us with fear and hate. Is there any doubt that the devil has used man’s religions to keep us from God? Strong egos and carnal minds have dominated many religious endeavors throughout our history. More hate and bloodshed have come as the result of religious zealots than for any other single cause. This was true then, and this is still true today as many still have the murderous mindset of a beast.

THE BEAST-

Revelation 11:7

Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. 8 Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. 10 The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

Wow, here is a “beast” that apparently overcomes the witnesses! So who or what is the beast? John likely had the dominating Roman Empire in mind. It is possible that the two witnesses may have been actual Christian disciples that were captured and killed by the brutal Romans. Whether this event was in John’s past, present of future, we should not be constrained by literal timetables when dealing with prophecy. God’s time is not kept by the Atomic Clock in Fort Collins, Colorado. Although many have tried, we can never apply these timeframes of the Bible, which is especially true concerning spiritual matters. For instance, we read that the two witnesses will prophesy for 1260 days, and then the beast from the pit will kill them. After three and a half days of being trampled on, the two come back to life. Instead of trying to take this literally and naturally, let’s consider what spiritual meaning God is trying to convey here.

From what I used to hear, the “experts” of Bible prophecy have almost unanimously taught that the “beast” spoken of here is the rejuvenated Roman Empire- the European Union. I suppose similar students in Europe may say the United States is the beast! Let them all argue about that because I am not so concerned with the naturalization of Bible revelations. The beast that rages in mankind is the carnal mind and spirit of the world. This is the combination that seeks worldly pleasures, wealth, control, and above all else, power. The carnal mind is a beast that works in accord with the ego, which is also called the false prophet. The ego lies to the spirit to keep itself alive. As I will look at later, both the carnal mind and ego will be destroyed in the lake of fire. We also read of another beast that emerges from the first beast.

Revelation 13:11

Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. 12 He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men.

I know that some (of the Protestant persuasion) have made the claim that this passage refers to the Roman Catholic Church, but they should look in the mirror because this particular beast has corrupted all religion. Yes, this beast that comes out of the earth is certainly “religious” and has the look of godliness, but the spiritually mature know better. We are warned by such religious souls that look holy.

2 Timothy 3:1

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

Unfortunately, the majority of man’s organized religions are contaminated of these types of souls. Just go down Paul’s checklist here--

1) Lovers of themselves- there are definitely some big egos in fancy suits up at the pulpit!

2) Lovers of money- are you kidding! Some Christian denominations have more money than third world countries!

3) Boastful- I hear it all the time, “I am saved; you are going to hell.”

4) Proud- most certainly they are.

5) Abusive- certainly history has shown proven this trait to be true.

I think the point is made, so I won‘t continue here. Many of the religious souls of the world including Christians fit this description. They are the embodiment of the beast, speaking with the voice of the dragon and having the appearance of the lamb. These souls look the part, but do not have the power or peace of God. These souls are not led by the Spirit of Christ, but the spirit of the world. These souls are full of good intentions, but are heavily influenced by the carnal mind of man. Notice too that the carnal mind is the mind that did, in fact, come “out of the earth.” These souls tap into Satan’s power to perform miracles, which adds to their deceptiveness. Many were deceived in Jesus’ day and many still are by these religious zealots who may profess peace, but give rise to bloodshed. Religion will not save anyone. Christ is not a religion, but a higher reality in God’s Kingdom. Of course, God’s Kingdom comes to earth through the birth of His Son!

Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The child is Christ given to us. Christ counsels us in our times of distress. Christ is the highest power in the universe! Christ is the Father of all consciousness (life). Christ is the only one who can bring us the peace of God. Christ is God‘s only begotten Son. If Christ is the child, and God is the Father. Then who is mother that brings the Son into this world? Do you believe her name is Mary? Well, her name is not Mary, but she is indeed the Holy mother of Christ.

THE WOMAN-

Revelation 12:1

A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. 4 His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

Many teach that the “woman” written of here is the “Church” having twelve stars (apostles) on her crown. This is certainly true in a sense, but she is even more than this. The “Church” is the ecclesia (Gr.), which means those who have been called out from the world. She stands ON the moon, which means these are not “of the world.“ These have not only been called out from the world, but some have reached all the way to the sun and are clothed with glory of Christ! So the woman also represents that relatively small segment of the Church who is spiritually mature enough to give birth to Christ. They are also the chosen ones of the chosen! They have made their way into the “Philadelphian Church” because they have overcome of the world and death! Jesus was such a soul mature enough to do this. Jesus brought Christ into this world. In the same way, every “woman” mature enough in the Ecclesia will also give birth to the Son of God. In doing so the perfect government will be formed on earth represented by the twelve stars. Christ is the “Son” that will rule the nations with an iron scepter.

The one that became Christ was taken back into heaven and is with the Father. Jesus went away to prepare a place for us just as God has prepared a place for us in a spiritual desert. The true Church has been in a desert hiding from the devil. The world hasn’t seen Christ fully revealed since Jesus walked the earth, but the wait is nearly over! Each of us is waiting for Christ to appear in us. This is the “child” whom the Dragon seeks to devour. Just as Cain sought to destroy Abel, so does the lower nature of man seek to destroy the higher nature of man. The devil lives in the lower nature of our flesh while Christ is calling us to live with in the higher life of the spirit.

Revelation 12:13

When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach. 15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring--those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. 1 And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.

Wow, the symbolism runs very deep in this passage! First let us acknowledge that the dragon is the devil and is king of the “pit” where humanity has fallen. The pit is Hades, our spiritual prison where the serpent of old that has been holding mankind for ages upon ages. We read that the devil pursues the “woman,” which are those souls holy and mature enough to bring Christ into the world. We read that these blessed souls have been given “two wings,” which is ability to fly above the earth. In this way, these souls remain in the world, but not of the world. Their ability to fly keeps them from the clutches of the dragon. Next we read that the devil tries to use “water” to overtake the woman. Water is a symbol for teachings. The devil is using false teachings to attempt to wash away the Truth. The earth comes to the aid of the woman by “swallowing up” these dark doctrines and false teachings of men.

We see happening in our present day as worldly (natural) knowledge is shining some light on the darkness of deception and ignorance created by the devil. For example, knowledge from the sciences has revealed that the world is not flat, not the center of the solar system and man has been evolving for millions of years. These natural truths, although mere shadows, help to support God’s spiritual truths. This is how the “earth” can help to swallow the false teachings of religion. As time moves closer the end, the devil is getting more and more desperate. Hell will get hotter and hotter for those still lost. Those whose names cannot be found in the Book of Life are still, in fact, dead. They are spiritual dead and remain in the painful state of Hades. Yet, we should not blame the devil for their condition, but each is responsible for their self and their suffering. Trust that God is the cause of every effect and has everything under His sovereign control. We are here because this is the only way back to God. We all must go through hell so that we can know, appreciate and love God as our self.

As the Book of Revelation points out, there are many obstacles in mankind’s way. In Hell Revisited, Satan Revealed, God has purposed all of this. Everything has to be of divine design, or God is not God. Do not think that God’s plan is flawed in anyway. There is nothing wrong; we simply have to do our part. Because we are part of life, we are “part” of God. Slowly we are coming to realize our purpose, which is to be God’s Image and thereby bring God’s Kingdom to earth. Yet, before this glorious Kingdom can come another must fall.

The Fall of Babylon

Revelation 14:8

A second angel followed and said,

"Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries."

So who are what is Babylon? In the purest sense, Babylon means “the gate of God.” Long ago, Babylon was the center and apex of MAN’S civilization. The Bible tells us that Nimrod, son of Cush and descendent of Ham (Noah’s son), founded the city of Babel. Later this became known as Babylonia, which is geographically located in what is today southern Iraq. Of course at the Tower of Babble, God is said to have confounded the people so they could not communicate. The man’s carnal mind was becoming a little too successful and needed to be grounded, so to speak.

Genesis 11:5

But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."

A spirit of unity was growing among these natural men, but is was the spirit of the world inspiring them, not God. This was dangerous because this unity was making them more powerful, so God caused division among them. I doubt that their language changed, but rather, their ability to see “eye to eye” caused them to go their separate ways. So again, Babylon means the gate of God, but in another Biblical sense Babylon means tyranny, confusion and rebellion. So it would seem that God shut the GATE to His Kingdom on the carnal man.

Most Bible readers may know that Babylon was a great city of ancient times, the capital of Chaldea. King Nebuchadnezzear sacked and burned the city of Jerusalem taking many back into slavery. Yet, John was seeing a whole different Babylon around 95 AD when his revelation was believed to have been written. There is quite a bit of evidence supporting the theory that when John used the name “Babylon” he was referring to the Roman Empire of his day. In 70 AD, Rome, which sat on SEVEN hills, sacked Jerusalem. As Jesus predicted, not one stone of the Temple was “left standing upon another.” John may have believed that his revelation was showing that there was going to be a payback and that Rome, Babylon the Great, would fall. He also seemed to believe that, Jesus would physically return to Jerusalem to rule over the nations. Then a reign of Christ would begin. This is not unlike what all the apostles thought. It is clear in the writing of Paul, John and Peter that they believed Jesus was going to return, if not in their lifetime, then very soon. They like many others that have followed are still seeing a spiritual world through natural eyes.

Today, many students of Bible prophecy (eschatologists) say that Babylon is referring to a rejuvenated Roman Empire- a powerful group of nations that will have a future collapse. Some say it is the United States, but really either would fit the natural description here. Spiritually speaking, Babylon is not a particular nation or part of the world. Babylon is any place enthralled by worldly pleasures, sinful behavior and slavery. Yes, Babylon used to be a place of slavery and still is. The spirits of Hades are in bondage held as slaves to sin and their carnal natures. Everybody serves something; what or whom do you serve? The mind can serve the body or the spirit. If we serve our lower, carnal desires, we will find pleasure through the flesh and five senses. If we serve Christ, who is our higher nature, we receive the peace from God. It is really that simple.

Life is about choices. What we choose to feed the soul will determine her health. Where we lead the soul, where determine where she lives- again another choice. While Babylon may have been the actual capital of an ancient sin city, we should now see that it is the center of hell. It is here where evil spirits fight to keep their life in the flesh and their place in the world they love so much.

Revelation 18:1

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!

She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.

Revelation 18:3

For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,

and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."

Again, all prophecy can have natural and spiritual fulfillments. Reading this passage in a natural way, one could easily see the United States as the nation as Babylon because she has helped other nations grow “rich from her excessive luxuries.” We, Americans, are the most “excessive” consumers in the history of the world! Shame on us for that! On the other hand, this could be speaking again of the same region where Babylon existed- the Middle East. Saudi Arabia may have more millionaires than America. As oil demands rise, so will prices and so will the excessive wealth of that region. It is certainly possible to see that the Middle East will rise up to become a super power in the years to come and then succumb to the external forces of the rest of the world.

Certainly overall, our world today is more materialistic than ever it seems. This is true from top to bottom. Even the poorest in United States have far more possessions and luxuries than an upper class Galilean of Jesus’ day. Jesus said if someone had two shirts that he should give one to he who had none. What poor person doesn’t have a whole closet of shirts? Yes, there is no doubt that mankind as a whole is more prosperous in terms of his material wealth. While being rich is not sinful, being controlled by your money is. S