Pray for Our President

I must deviate from our end-time study in order to share with you a burden that God has put into my heart.

Like so many others I too have been guilty of bashing our president. True, there are good reasons to be upset with our president for the many bad decisions that have been made that have nearly crippled our nation. He seems to be anti-Christian with his lack of support for our National Day of Prayer, his support of gay issues, his stance on abortion, etc., etc. Yet, we are not admonished to bash,disagree with, argue with or ridicule our leaders but to pray for them. After all it is God who "removes kings and raises up kings."(Dan.2:21)

As I was viewing some pictures of President Obama in his teen and young adult years, I was drawn to those who were in the pictures with him. At a very early point in his life it would appear that he came under the influence of some very radical anti-America people and groups. These helped to mold and shape Barack Obama's domestic and world views. It would appear that he was brainwashed into this radically liberal mindset. He was groomed to became the puppet of these groups. He then was brought under the influence of a radical religious leader for twenty some years. A religious leader who spews hatred to stir up racial bigotry. This formed his ideas of Christianity. Now he sees and hears those professing Jesus as their Lord gossiping about their president as well as not exampling the love of Jesus. He may have never really seen the real Jesus Christ in the lives of those professing His name. He is bewildered about Christianity and what he sees the church exampling isn't very appealing. He needs to see the real life-changing Jesus at work in the lives of those professing Jesus.

As I viewed one particular picture of our president's college years my heart began to ache for him. God showed me the victim of years of radical influence. I saw Barack as a mentally abused boy. He had no idea how he had been so deceived by these purveyors of hatred. Those bent on the destruction of this nation. And now they have deceived a nation into making their puppet our president.

I believe God is showing me that if the saints will pray for our president to be saved, he will be saved. The scales of radical liberalism will be removed from his eyes and he will see the truth, which will set him free from the puppet strings of the radical haters of America. God would then use Barack Obama to expose the agenda of these radical groups, and he would become a great asset to the cause of Christ in these last days.

So, what do we do? Instead of looking for every opportunity to bash our president why don't we carry a burden for his soul and that of his family? LET'S PRAY FOR OUR PRESIDENT.

End Time Study--Pt.12

Before we can fully understand the Revelation that John records, we must go back and see what Daniel and others wrote about the end-time events that are summed up in the Book of Revelation. We shall begin with the Book of Daniel . When one understands the Book of Daniel all other scriptures pertaining to the end times, including Revelation, are made clear.

A brief introduction to the Book of Daniel opens with the beginning of the Babylonian captivity where Daniel remains there for all of the seventy years of captivity. Nebuchadnezzar, the king, ordered all the young Jewish males of royal families and nobility to be trained to serve the king as counselors. Daniel along with three of his companians Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (Shadrach, Mishach and Abednego), were between the ages of twelve and sixteen when they were taken into captivity. They were taught the Chaldean language as well as Aramaic as well as the customs of their captors. Their training took place in the first three years of their captivity. They were given their Babylonian names and at the ages of fifteen through nineteen they became advisors to the king. When these four gave the king advice he found it to be ten times better than all the magicians, wise men, counselors, sorcerers and astrologers combined. (Dan.1:20)

It is in chapter two of the Book of Daniel that we get our first view of the end. Nebuchadnezzar has a dream and no one could interpret it. Although the king threatens the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and wise men of the kingdom with a brutal death (cut to pieces) if they were unable to discern the dream and give it an interpretation. The king ordered all the wise men (advisors) to be put to death including Daniel and his three companions. The king felt an urgency because the Babylonian gods were limited to a short time or season for the interpretation of the dreams. Daniel and his three companions sought God's mercy to reveal the dream, along with its interpretation, to them. In a night vision God reveals the dream and its meaning to Daniel.

Daniel goes before the king and when asked if he can tell the dream and its interpretation, he responded by saying, "The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days." (Dan.2:27,28). As Daniel makes known the king's dream he describes a large statue which begins with a head of gold, followed by a chest and arms of silver, then a belly and thighs of bronze, with the final parts of the statue being legs of iron and feet made of partially iron and clay. From the head down the metals get progressively harder. From soft gold down to very hard iron.

These four metals of the statue represent four kingdoms with each kingdom becoming stronger than the previous one. A fifth kingdom of iron and clay toes will be a revision of the fourth kingdom or a group of ten leaders. As each kingdom rises to power it will possesses a stronger military force than the preceeding kingdom until the final kingdom, which will possess weapons of mass destruction. Mankind has gone from the weak weapons of swords and spears to smart bombs, guided missiles, thermonuclear devices and others capable of rendering all living creatures extinct. It will be during this time of the threat of annihilation that the last kingdom will rise which will spawn the anti-christ.

The first kingdom (head of gold) was the Babylonian Empire which was in power during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. The second kingdom (chest and arms of silver) was the Medo-Persian Empire. The third kingdom (belly and thighs of bronze) was the Grecian Empire. The fourth kingdom (legs of iron) was the Roman Empire. With the fifth and final kingdom of man (feet of iron and clay) being the strongest. It will supersede all other kingdoms of man. From this kingdom shall come the ten toes or to say ten kings or rulers. By being part iron and part clay they will not mix, thus the kingdom shall be divided. This will be the last kingdom of man before the Stone, not cut out by hands, will come and crush the kingdoms of man. "Jesus said to them,'Have you never read in the scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone?'"(Matt.21:42). These ten toes or rulers will attempt to adhere one to another through mingling "with the seed of man," but will fail. This "seed of man" is human effort attempting to rule the world through diplomacy and treaties that are designed to bring world peace. These are the very tactics that the anti-christ will use in deceiving Israel to enter a seven-year peace treaty. I believe that we are very close to witnessing this historical event.

We must understand the symbolisms of this statue in order to fully understand the Book of Revelation and the end times. In fact, without a thorough knowledge of Daniel, one would be hard pressed to fully comprehend the symbolisms found in the Book of Revelation. For this reason we must understand these ten toes. It will be from these that the anti-christ will rise to power.

Through Nebuchadnezzar's statue we see the history of mankind from 600 B.C. down through the present day and to the end of the history of mankind. We are extremely close to seeing these end-time events unfold before our very eyes. So, look up for your redemption draws nigh. Jesus,our Redeemer,is about to come back to earth and crush all the kingdoms of man (the statue) and establish His kingdom on earth for a thousand years. Without the Book of Daniel we cannot discern the world events that lead us to know the season of Jesus' return. For this reason we must look at Daniel's dreams and visions.

End Time Study--Pt.11

Having seen the twenty-four elders around the throne of God, John now notices that there are seven Spirits also around the throne as well. The number seven, meaning complete or finished, shows us that the fulness of the Holy Spirit is present with God. John sees the vastness of heaven as a sea of glass. He then gazes upon four living creatures who appear to be “full of eyes.” These represent the universal watchfulness from God’s throne, that these eyes see towards God and towards His creation. They are ever seeing. Nothing can be hidden from them. Thus, God sees all and knows all. These seven creatures symbolize the four divisions of the tribes of Israel around the earthly tabernacle. The “lion” represents Judah which occuppied the land along the east side of the tabernacle along with Issachar and Zebulun. The lion represents government administration. It is God who sets kings and governmental leaders. The lion also is the king of the beast. This signifies God’s dominion and authority. The lion shows that He who sits on the throne is the ruler of all and that His dominion is absolute and complete. The “calf”, i.e. ox, bullock or heifer, was the emblem of Ephraim who occupied the land west of the tabernacle along with Manasseh and Benjamin. It represents firmness, endurance and strength, meaning He who sits upon the throne is firm, strong, and has stability. The third creature was like the face of a man. This was the standard of Reuben who shared the land to the south of the tabernacle with the tribes of Simeon and Gad. “Face of man” denotes intelligence which is what distinguishes man from all other creations. He who sits upon the throne conducts His government with intelligence and wisdom. The “flying eagle” is the emblem of Dan to the north of the tabernacle along with Asher and Naphtali. The eagle is known for its speed, power and ability to soar to great elevations. This shows that He who sits on the throne carries out His government and judgements quickly. His will is executed swiftly. He rules with power and is high and lifted up. The eagle also shows God’s protection of His own. “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bare you on eagle’s wings and brought you to Myself.” (Ex.19:4). “Hide me under the shadow of Your wings.”(Ps.17:8). “As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, so the Lord alone led him.”(Deut.32:11,12). Each of these creatures have six wings. Isaiah in his writings (Is.6:2) saw the seraphim which had six wings. Two wings covered their face denoting profound reverence for God. Two wings covered their feet, their lower parts, which denoted great modesty. And two wings with which to fly showing their quickness in executing the command of God. These creatures cry out continually, “Holy, holy, holy—,” meaning separate from all others, completely pure. The first thing John encounters in heaven is the holiness of God which is expected of all who call themselves by His name. “You shall be holy; for I am holy.”(Lev.11:44).Even the twenty-four elders recognize God’s supremeness as they cast their crowns at His feet as though saying, “Our crowns are meaningless, for you alone reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” He is worthy of all our praise and worship. The highest praise that we can offer Him is living lives that represent His holiness, righteousness and purity to a world in rebellion, sin and darkness. John gets his first glimpse of heaven and beholds the total holiness of God and His throne. This sets the stage for John to receive the complete Revelation. He had to fully understand God’s omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience before he could comprehend what he was about to receive, the conclusion of the history of man.

End Time Study--Pt.10

Having finished with our look at the seven churches of Revelation, let's now turn to chapter four of the Book of Revelation. Please read chapter four before continuing on with this study.

John indeed was a highly favored man in that he not only receives the Revelation of Jesus, but that he also gets to see Him in His glory. He receives the revelation of the things that Daniel saw centuries before,i.e., the conclusion of the history of mankind. The Book of Revelation is the continuation and fulfillment of the visions of Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the great statue is now down to the base of the statue, that being the feet of clay and iron. John now sees the rest of the king's dream and its fulfillment.

Having received the letters for the seven churches where Jesus is speaking to the believers, John is now ready to literally be transferred into the future to see the end times in which we now live. Before showing John what is to befall the world at the end, Jesus addresses the churches. Before judgement can begin in the world, it first must begin in the church (I Peter 4:17) so that the bride may be not just ready for the tribulation to come but made ready for the appearing of the Bridegroom. The church must be equipped for the Great Tribulation in order to persevere to the end (Matt.24:13). For this purpose Jesus gives John the Revelation of the conclusion of mankind.

After addressing the issues confronting the end-time church. Jesus now gives John his first glimpse of heaven beginning in chapter four of the Revelation. This glimpse of heaven begins with the words, "After these things." After seeing the condition of the churches, John was then permitted to see the future of the churches. He sees a door in heaven (not to heaven) which is the door to the heavenly tabernacle where God sets on His throne. John is addressed by a mighty voice that beckons him to come up to heaven and enter the door. He is then caught up in the Spirit to the very throne of God where "One" sits. Only "One"? where's the triune Godhead?

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! "(Duet.6:4). "I and My Father are one"(John 1o:30). "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost and these three are one" (I John 5:7). The Holy Spirit and the Son are in God, who is but one God. The Holy Spirit and the Son are sent out from God.

I will not elaborate on the trinity or the description of heaven that John saw for to write a thorough exposition of these verses, as well as all the others to be covered in this study, would take volumes. I want to stick to the thesis of this Bible study which is proving that the church will go through the majority of the Great Tribulation and thus equipping the saints to persevere to the end. Though I must elaborate on verse four of chapter four in order for us to understand who is being referred to throughout the Book of Revelation when the twenty-four elders are mentioned.

The twenty-four elders are the representatives of the twelve tribes of Israel (the old covenant) and the twelve apostles (the new covenant). These represent the Old and New Testament saints, those before Christ and those after Him. This concept is represented in the construction of the New Jerusalem. "Also she had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and twelve angels (i.e. "messengers" Rev.1:20) at the gates, and names written of them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel" (Rev.21:12, parenthesis added). "Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Rev.21:14). Paul had a revelation of this concept when he wrote that the household of God is, "...Built on the foundation of the apostles (new covenant) and prophets (old covenant), Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Cornerstone,( this Cornerstone, Jesus, became the Bridge between the Old and New Covenants), in whom the whole building being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you are also being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit"(Eph.2:20-22, parenthesis added). As Paul was referring to the temple of God on earth, he was patterning it after the New Jerusalem, "...Prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Rev.21:2). As we build our temples (our bodies) upon the teachings of the apostles and prophets with Jesus as the Cornerstone, or to say the chief part or center of our lives, we become the holy temple and dwelling place of God, in the Spirit, on the earth. Because of the significance of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles they are represented in heaven sitting on thrones, a sign of royalty, and crowns upon their heads, signifying positions of authority.