Revelation 13:10-13

Verse 10 “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”

If there is any question that verse 9 was speaking to Christians, now we have confirmation. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. We are the saints. Here is where we must practice unbelievable patience, as we endure all of this before we will see the Lord return. Here is where our faith will be put to the ultimate test. Here is the trying of our faith to purge and refine us.

As for the first part of the verse it says that those who are capturing and killing people will find themselves on the other side of the fence, and what they have done to others will be done to them. Part of the patience of the saints is not only waiting and enduring, but realizing that there will be justice meted out to those who hurt and kill us. They will suffer the same fate, only theirs will ultimately be eternal.

Verse 11 “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.”

We have already seen the first beast, the one we will know as the antichrist or anti-messiah. (The words Christ and Messiah mean the same thing - anointed one.) He will be a false savior - not necessarily a false Jesus Christ. Now we see a new beast which has two horns like a lamb. This person, as will be seen in later verses, is called the false prophet. What is interesting here is that to date, most prophecy teachers say that this will be the pope, as many feel that the Catholic church is the whore and that the pope will be the one to get people to worship the antichrist. The way the Catholic church seems to be unifying many religions of the world, it is easy to see why this is thought. Even the Catholic church teaches (in St. Malachy's prophecies) that their last pope will be called Pope Peter and will be the antichrist. I will not categorically say that the last pope being the false prophet is wrong, but having seen how the Muslim connection fits Scripture so much better, I think there may be another explanation here.

What seems puzzling in the verse is that this new beast, who is not the antichrist but the false prophet, is said to have two horns like a lamb. Earlier in Revelation we see that a description of a lamb with horns (albeit seven ones) is a description of Jesus Christ. This second beast is not supposed to be the one known as antichrist, and yet the description of a lamb with horns implies a false Christ, which is what we think of when we think of the term antichrist or anti-messiah. This is where an adjustment of thinking must take place. We have been programmed to think of someone posing as Jesus Christ when we think of the term antichrist, but what we should realize is that the term means "against the anointed one." It does not necessitate that the antichrist will pretend to be Jesus Christ. When looking at the Muslim prophecies, we saw that their Mahdi or messiah has a false prophet, namely a prophet named "Jesus." Muslims believe that Jesus Christ was a prophet of God, but not the Son of God or God incarnate, and they do believe He is coming again. They just believe that He will be a Muslim and will tell everyone to worship the Mahdi, which is exactly what this false prophet in Revelation does. This interpretation would seem to align with the Scriptures far better than the pope, considering the lamb with horns metaphor. The reason this second beast is a lamb with horns may not merely be because he is a religious figure, but because he is someone who is literally pretending to be Jesus. To finish off the verse, naturally he will speak as a dragon, because the dragon is his master and will give him the words to speak and the miracles to perform.

Verse 12-13 "And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men."

Now it can be seen that this possibility of the false prophet being the Muslim Jesus fits really well into the scenario. This false prophet exercises all the power of the first beast. He is the antichrist's right hand man, or the Mahdi's right hand man and has the same authority and power, because he is also under Satan's authority. People would expect a returning Jesus to have power and authority (over the elements) as he did before, and would not question it if "Jesus" told them to worship a new Messiah. The New Agers, who believe in a "Christ consciousness" that has come upon different people through the ages, would believe him. The Muslims would naturally believe him. The Jews have always expected two Messiah's, Mashiach ben Joseph (a suffering messiah) and Mashiach ben David (a kingly messiah). Some Jews might accept this Jesus as having been the Mashiach ben Joseph, but they are looking for a Mashiach ben David to come and reign, so they would not have a problem with two different Mashiachs and they (although I think it would be few) might possibly worship him. Others would be convinced by the miracles he is performing and would do as he says and worship the beast. For those who are still skeptical, coercion will be used to make them worship the first beast.

[As a side note, this Jewish belief in two Messiahs makes the question that John the Baptist, when he was in prison, asked of Christ more understandable. He was not doubting Christ's authenticity and having a crisis of faith as some teach. Matt. 11:3 "And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another." Remembering that John the Baptist knew from the womb (when he leapt in his mother) that Mary's child was the Messiah, and saw the dove descend upon Jesus at his baptism, he had to have known unquestionably that Jesus was the Messiah. His question was not necessarily about Christ's authenticity as to His claim, but as to whether Jesus was the one and only Messiah - both ben Joseph and ben David - or whether he was the first one (ben Joseph) and they were to expect another one (ben David) in the form of another person entirely.]

Here again, the use of miracles by not the antichrist, but the false prophet, would seem strange were the false prophet the pope and the antichrist a Christ imposter. However, (a false) Jesus would be expected to perform miracles, as had been done before when Jesus was here the first time. The Mahdi would not be the one expected to do the miracles. Jesus would. And indeed, this seems to be the way things will be happening, as it is the false prophet performing these miracles on the antichrist's behalf. In fact, one of the miracles is a sort of repeat of the supposed miracle at Fatima. This is a report of what happened then. "The sun, at one moment surrounded with scarlet flame, at another aureoled in yellow and deep purple, seemed to be in an exceeding fast and whirling movement, at times appearing to be loosened from the sky and to be approaching the earth, strongly radiating heat." (courtesy of Wikipedia "Our Lady of Fatima") Is it not interesting that this same "miracle" will occur again? Is it not also interesting that it happened at Fatima, Portugal, Fatima being the name of Muhammed's daughter? Fatima holds the same position in Islam that Mary has in Catholicism. It is also interesting that Muslims revere Mary and believe in her apparitions or appearances, such as that at Fatima. The connection is too great to be ignored, not to mention the three prophecies that were supposedly given to the young girl at Fatima. She then passed them on to the pope at the time, where (at the Vactican) the third message has been kept highly secret, as it is supposed to be about the end of the world. Oh, what a tangled web is being woven.

Getting back to the verse, there is one more thing that needs to be addressed, and that is that the second beast makes the world worship the first beast whose deadly wound is healed. In previous verses it was shown that the beast that lived, then died, then comes to life again was referring to the political/religious kingdom, not the man himself. Now we see that the man himself is also apparently wounded to death. In the next few verses we will learn that the antichrist himself is wounded to death by the sword and comes back to life. The mention of the sword confirms that it is the man that is being spoken of this time. This is apparently the reason why he will proclaim himself God. He will be imitating Christ's death and resurrection, thereby showing his supposed deity. It is, no doubt, because of this that worship will be demanded for him. One assumes that this is what sets into motion the abomination of desolation at the mid-point of the seven years.

Revelation 13:4-9

Verse 4 "And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?"

People will unwittingly (some knowingly) worship Satan, not realizing it is he who is the power behind the man. They will also worship the beast or the antichrist, both the man and the spirit controlling the man, thinking he is the world's savior. They may even be under the impression that he is the awaited Messiah or Christ. In fact there is reason to believe that is exactly what a great many will believe. He will be a powerful person who can subdue others (this we know from Daniel) in a most miraculous way. Nobody will be able to make war with him, as he will win all the battles if they try to oppose him, and they will try (again Daniel tells us this).

Verse 5 "And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months."

This takes us right back to Daniel. Chapter 7:8 "I considered the (ten) horns, and behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things." And verse 25 "And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saint of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of a time."

We see that he (the beast) is given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. We know that this is most likely a human possessed by a demonic spirit from the abyss, although we cannot positively rule out a spirit manifesting as a human. This is the mouth that is given to the person that will be speaking these great things and blasphemies. We know that antichrist will reign for forty-two months, which again is interchangeable with the other time frames (dividing of times, 3 1/2 years, 1260 days).

Verse 6 "And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven."

There is no limit to the blasphemous things that the beast will say against God, heaven, and the heavenly hosts. His lack of fear in doing this, and the miracles he will perform will convince many people that he is correct in mocking and slandering the Christian God, as he will do so with what would appear to be impunity. It will convince many that the Christian God is non-existent and passe and that Biblical teachings are to be thrown away and his teachings to be accepted. People will believe that he is the new god. Notice that Daniel tells us he will change the times and the laws. This self-professed "god" will institute new laws, traditions, holidays, celebrations, etc. More than likely, he will eliminate anything that has to do with Christianity and proclaim that everyone must observe Muslim laws, traditions, etc. This would in effect literally change the times and laws.

Verse 7 "And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."

As already mentioned above in Daniel 7:25, it says the saints will be given into his hand to wear them down. We also know from Revelation 12:17 that he makes war with the remnant and we know from Matthew 24 that unless God put a stop to the killing, there would be nobody saved from his murderous rampages. This goes beyond killing the Jews and the Christians. The entire world, all kindreds, tongues, and nations, are handed over to him. Daniel 7:23 "Thus he said, the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces." The entire world will suffer at his hand and will be forced to obey his new times and laws, although many will readily and willingly acquiesce thinking he is the world’s savior. Others will acquiesce in order to spare their lives. This reminds us of the verses in Matthew 16 that tell us, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels and then he shall reward every man according to his works." They will exchange their eternal lives for a short-lived reprieve here on earth.

Verse 8 “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

Whether by force or by willingness, everyone whose names are not in the book of life will worship him. They will do so, because the alternative is having their head chopped off. (Is it not an interesting coincidence [although I do not think it a coincidence] that the Muslim method of execution is beheading?) Having already discussed the book of life when covering the seven churches, that will not be repeated here. What is of interest is that not everyone whose name is written in the book of life is at this point in time a born again Christian. Many will live through the tribulation and Day of the Lord and not be raptured, but will go into the millennium. These people will not worship the beast nor take his mark (yet to be covered in our study), but do not yet know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Their names are still in the book of life, as they will accept the Lord down the road after He returns, but at this point in time, they have not yet done so. This will include both Jews and Gentiles and there will be a remnant saved from every nation to go into the kingdom. This would seem to verify that names are written in the book of life from the foundation of the world and then blotted out if necessary, not written in when one accepts the Lord as Savior.

Verse 9 “If any man have an ear, let him hear.”

We have seen this phrase before. Seven times so far in Revelation to be exact. This is the command given to the seven churches. God reiterates it again. He uses the same words to make us aware that he is still talking to the churches. For the most part, only Christians are reading and studying this book, not the Jews or the unsaved. Scripture is spiritually discerned, so only a true Christian can hope to understand what is being taught in Revelation, even if some non-believing scholars try to understand it. Again, this confirms that Christians will be here through this time and they are again being warned that they are not to worship the beast to save their physical lives.

The Islamic Messiah

Because I have brought Islamic eschatology into the mix, it is pertinent to discuss it at this point. My information comes from several sources. One is the internet, which has plenty on the Mahdi. Simply googling the word will bring up a lot of information. I do not think it necessary to credit every source at this point, as this is simply a Bible study, not a thesis or book. You can even hear sermons from Muslim religious leaders on this subject on Youtube. The other source is The Islamic Antichrist by Joel Richardson. While we cannot trust the Islamic prophecies to be accurate as we can the Bible's, it is interesting to take a look at them. We need to consider who has given these prophecies to them. God knew the enemy's plans way in advance and how He would deal with it, and therefore let us in on what the plan is that will happen. In going over their prophecies, it does not come as a surprise that in many cases they line up very nicely with Bible prophecies. God had John write down what was going to happen many years before Muhammed came on the scene and gave these prophecies to his followers, so Satan knew what was coming based on John's writings and could create his own prophecies accordingly. Occasionally I may make a comment or throw in a relevant scripture, but for the most part the following is simply stating what their teachers and writings have said.

There are a number of signs leading up to the appearance of the Mahdi. From what I have been able to ascertain (and I do not know the reliability of these interpretations, as I am sure there are as many interpretations of Islamic end times as there are of Christian end times), the following are some of the events. As this information was from an audio sermon given by a Muslim, and much of the time he was speaking in what I think was Arabic, it was a little hard to follow. I cannot be sure that the following events are the precise order in which they are supposed to take place.

There will be three major landslides, one in the east, one in the west, and one in Arabia. There will be smoke that will arise and cover the whole world, and will remain for a period of forty days and nights. (Interesting that forty is the time period.) On the 15th of Ramadan, on Friday night there will be a voice or blast that will awaken the asleep and alarm those awake. People will come out of their seclusion and there will be many earthquakes. There will be a comet with a luminous tail that will rise from the east. Just before Mahdi makes his public appearance, there will be a peace treaty between Muslims and Christians. There will be an Armageddon type war. The Muslims will join forces with the Christians to fight a common enemy, which will take place in Palestine. This will last four days. There will be eighty standards or flags under which these armies will march, and there will be 12,000 men under each standard, or 960,000 Christians. (It must be remembered that the term Christian is being used VERY loosely here.) After the four days, the Muslims will have the victory. Then the Christians will attack the Muslims for a period of nine months. Three children of the Caliph in Arabia will be fighting over the throne. (Not sure what this has to do with anything.) Mahdi will emerge. An army will come from Damascus to fight him, but it will be swallowed up by the earth. Mahdi will not have to do anything to fight them. (I find this prophecy interesting in light of Daniel 11:21-23 "And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant. And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people." We have already discussed this verse because of the "flood" and how it may refer to an army.)

The Mahdi will make a seven year treaty.

At first the Mahdi will not claim to be the Mahdi or messiah. That is actually one of the signs that will confirm that he is the Mahdi, his modesty and refusal to accept the title. He will be an Imam. (This goes along with what we know from scripture about what to expect. He does not claim to be God until the midpoint of the seven years, but is on the scene from the beginning of the seven years.) After he emerges, he will fight five wars. Prophecies say that Mahdi will bring Islam together and will battle the Muslims that refuse his authority. (We know that three of the ten horns are subdued before the beast, Dan. 7:8.) He will bring war to Babylon (This may refer to Iraq, or it may refer to America where the whore presently sits) to destroy those who challenge him, and He will reclaim Jerusalem and rule in Damascus, which is a safe haven from the Dajjal (the Muslim anti-messiah, more on him later).

The first war is the one from Damascus which is miraculously destroyed. The second is against Arabia. (Daniel 11:25-26 [this follows the event above in verses 21-23] "And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him. Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow; and many shall fall down slain." The king of the south would seem to be Saudi Arabia. So far both Muslim and Biblical prophecies seem to line up.)

The third war is against Iran. The fourth was a little more difficult to understand, but I believe this was how it was described. It is against the "Romans" or Christians. When the speaker was describing it, he described it as thus. America will be in the Mid East, specifically the area between Syria and Turkey. A group from the American army will leave and join the Muslim forces, which is why there will be a war. This war will last seven days and will be so intense that if a bird tries to pass overhead, it will not survive. In this war one third of the Muslims will run away - they will be considered infidels, one third will die, and the last third will be victorious over the "Romans." I am not sure that I have this next part entirely correct, but I believe it goes something like this. As they are experiencing their victory, a messenger will run to Mahdi and tell him that the Dajjal (Muslim anti-messiah) has come. Mahdi sends ten of his greatest warriors to face Dajjal. At that time Dajjal corners the Mahdi and then "Jesus" comes. Mahdi and "Jesus" will defeat the Dajjal outside of Jerusalem. The Muslims are expecting "the prophet" Jesus to return, but he will not be a Christian Jesus. This "Jesus" is a Muslim. He will promote Islam and the Mahdi. According to their prophecies "Jesus" will be a well-groomed man who will break the cross. He will lead a global jihad against those who refuse to submit to Allah. (Ever wonder why it says that in the last days death will come from antichrist in the method of beheading? It never made sense in this day and age that this method would be used by a civilized world. Well, here is the explanation.) Islam sees the Euro-American Christian world, as well as the Zionist movement as the antichrist system. They will never bow to the western powers of antichrist. Islam hates anyone who speaks against Muhammed or their "Jesus." It sees Israel as the little Satan, Europe as the middle Satan and America as the big Satan. First "Jesus" will go after the Jews, then the Christians.

[Matt.24:23-24 "Then is any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there believe it no. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." What is of interest in this verse, and I never really understood it in this way until I started writing this chapter, is that it says that there will be more than one false Christ and prophet arising during this seven year period, and that these plural Christs and false prophets will be able to do great signs and wonders. I always thought this was speaking in terms of many Christs over a period of history, but this seems to be indicating that there will be several false Christs and prophets at the time of the end who will all be doing miracles. Quite honestly, I do not know of any false Christ or prophet who has arisen so far in history that has done great miraculous feats, so this seems to confirm that if plural false Christs and prophets are doing great miracles, it is still future to us. What better way to deceive Christians than to present the expected antichrist and false prophet and then present another false Christ? Nobody is expecting that. They expect the real Christ to be the only other Christ. We know of the beast and will learn of the false prophet shortly. These two fit the description of the Mahdi and Muslim Jesus. But who is this Dajjal, and what is said about him in their prophecies?]

According to Muslim prophecies, when the Dajaal (remember this man will be considered the anti-messiah by the Muslims, which should put him on our side) makes his appearance, it will be a spectacular appearance to the entire world. (Matt. 24:27 "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.") They say that the day of the Dajjal is like no other. (Zech. 14:6-8 "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night, but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.") The Dajjal will ride a white donkey while flying in the sky. (Rev. 19:11 "And I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.") They say that he will do many miraculous things and convince many that he is Jesus the Christian Messiah. He will claim the ability to resurrect and do so to many. (Rev. 20:4 "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.") The Dajjal will be followed by an army of Jews and Christians with faces like metal (? I am not sure I got that right from the audio sermon. It does not seem to make much sense.) The Dajjal will be able to cast some Muslims into the Lake of Fire, but this will lead to Allah's paradise. Many Islamic women will believe the Dajjal when he shows them their loved ones with him, but those who appear to be loved ones will only be mirages.

Now at this point I am sure that all who reading this are thinking, this is the real Jesus that this is describing. And if I were to stop there, I would agree, but they have one more very significant prophecy about this Dajjal that is very important. It is important because it is also a prophecy that is found in Zechariah 11:15-17. In this passage, which comes after the prophecy about the betrayal of Jesus by Judas for thirty pieces of silver, it says that the Lord will give the Jews a foolish shepherd instead since they rejected Jesus. One that will not heal or feed them, but will "eat the flesh of the fat and tear their claws in pieces." This shepherd will have the sword upon his arm and his right eye. His arm will become withered or atrophied (or possibly amputated) and his right eye blinded. The significance in this is that both Christians and Muslims have a prophecy that says the false shepherd or antichrist/messiah will be blind in one eye. Most Christians are not even aware of this prophecy about an antichrist, but the Muslims are aware of their prophecy of the blind-eyed anti-messiah. For those who have studied the prophets, we are told to expect that an antichrist will have a blind eye (notice I say an, not the). It seems that their Mahdi is our antichrist, but they would never accept a blinded man as their Mahdi, which tells us that their Mahdi is not our blind false shepherd. Sorry if that seems convoluted. There is apparently a third person, besides antichrist and the false prophet, who is also a false Christ about whom Scripture is giving us information. He will be the Muslim antichrist so to speak, which should seem to put him on our side. And yet we are told that he is also our antichrist, but according to Muslim prophecies, Christians will follow this person because as seen above, if it were not for this one problem (blind eye and withered arm) this "Jesus" will have all the right signs showing that he is the real Christian Jesus. Therefore the only conclusion is that there is another false Christ in the mix. The next question might be, "But why would Christians believe that Jesus would be capable of being blinded." Answer: If Jesus can carry the marks of the crucifixion in his body to prove his death upon the cross to us (as he did to Thomas), if someone were to thrust a sword in his eye, might he not tell people he will also carry this mark as part of his sacrifice for them, to remind them of this battle, as do the marks on his hands and feet remind of the crucifixion? Some people might actually buy that line. From research that I have been doing, I have reason to believe that the Illuminati is planning a false rapture with a false Christ for the purpose of eliminating Christians (those that the Mahdi does not get). The technology of holography is developed far beyond what people have any idea. Disney World is kindergarten holography compared to what the government is doing. It would not be a challenge to pull off miracles. Also we have the nephilim, who I believe are in league with the Illuminati. Nephilim are half fallen angel/half human and have terrific technology at their disposal, and possibly powers also. They could present one of their own, who is a super-human, as Christ. As the person would be half human, he could be injured and killed, although probably not easily. The Illuminati could easily pull off miraculous events to convince people that their "Christ" is the real one. Matt. 24:24 "...if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." What does Christ say in the next verse? "Behold, I have told you before."

As a personal note in all of this, I was discussing this with my son who had a very keen insight into why it would be possible to deceive the elect with this plan of multiple Christs coming. His comment was, "They will be deceived because they do not know the real and entire signs of Jesus coming. If you know the signs, you will not be deceived no matter how many false Christs pop up." He was completely right. Why did the Jews miss the first coming? Because they did not know the signs. God was very specific about signs and the reason for the blessing on all who read Revelation might be that by reading and heeding what is in it, people will not be deceived.

All of what has been described above would appear to take place either during the first three years or the time of the tribulation. Why do I say this? Because of what is not prophesied in the Muslim scriptures. The enemy only wants them to know the part where they are winning (and the beast does win for a while). He does not want them to know the entire truth or they might believe in Christ, not Allah. What is missing are the trumpet judgments and beyond. They have no idea what will follow the events outlined in their prophecies. What appears to be happening in their scriptures is that the Dajjal will appear sometime around, (before, during, or just before the end of) the tribulation. Pre and Mid-trib rapturists should beware. It will not be the real thing. We have another chapter to go yet to get to the rapture, and when we get there, we will know what all of the signs preceding the Second Coming are and when to expect it. Knowing these, if we are fortunate enough to live that long, we will recognize when it is the real thing and will not be deceived.

As mentioned before, Muslim prophecies cannot be held to the 100% accuracy of the Bibles prophecies and may not go according to their plans at all, but seeing how they line up with our prophecies, (no big surprise given who dictated them) it would be foolish to ignore them, especially considering it looks like Islam is what qualifies as the beast. In fact, I believe that these prophecies have given us greater insight into understanding those of our own prophecies that might seem incongruous or puzzling.

There are more prophecies about the Mahdi as to who he will be and what we can know about him. The following are a list of what they are expecting.

1) He will be a descendant of Muhammad from the line of Fatimah.
2)His name will be as the name of Muhammed.
3) He will rule for seven years.
4) He will distribute wealth (this is said of antichrist in Daniel).
5) His coming will be accompanied by the raising of a Black Standard (The black flag is a well known symbol of anarchy).
6) His coming will be accompanied by the appearance of the one-eyed Dajjal and the Sufyaani (the Great Deceiver) who will lead his enemies. They will fight an apocalyptic battle which the Mahdi and his forces will win. The following is the story of the Sufyani. It is the first battle that Mahdi fights. This story was taken directly from Wiki-pedia under the word "Sufyani".

"Among the signs preceding Imam Mahdi, is the appearance of the Sufyaani. The Sufyaani will emerge before the Mahdi from the depths of Damascus. The term "Sufyaani" is a term referring to his descent from the progeny of Abu Sufyaan. He will be one of many "Muslim" Tyrants that the Mahdi will have to face in the Middle East. The Sufyaani is not the Dajjal. The Ahadith regarding the Sufyaani specify that he is a tyrant who will spread corruption and mischief on the earth before the Mahdi. He will be such a tyrant that he will kill the children and rip out the bellies of women. The Sufyaani will murder those from the household of the Prophet and will rule over Syria. When he hears about the Mahdi, he will send an army to seize and kill him. However the earth will swallow this army before it even reaches the Mahdi. Abu Hurayrah has narrated that the Prophet said: "A man will emerge from the depths of Damascus. He will be called Sufyaani. Most of those who follow him will be from the tribe of Kalb. He will kill by ripping the stomachs of women and even kill the children. A man from my family will appear in the Haram, the news of his advent will reach the Sufyaani and he will send to him one of his armies. He (referring to the Mahdi) will defeat them. They will then travel with whomever remains until they come to a desert and they will be swallowed. None will be saved except the one who had informed the others about them." (Mustadrak) The Sufyaani will be followed, for the most part, by the tribe of Kalb, and will have fought with anyone daring to oppose him. Injustice will rule the day and his disregard for life will reach the point where defenseless women will be ripped open and innocent children slain unmercifully. The tribe of Kays will rise up against him, however, they will not succeed, and he will slaughter all of them. The Sufyaani's army will go to Kufa; a city in Iraq, and from there he will launch an attack against the people of Khurasan. At the Gate of Istakhr, Shuayb, the son of Salih and the Hashimite under the Black Banners, will join forces and engage the army of the Sufyaani. The battle will be extremely fierce with a tremendous loss of life and the army of the Sufyaani will suffer a temporary defeat. It is at this time that a yearning for the Mahdi's appearance is on the lips of everyone. The army of the Sufyaani will march from the direction of Iraq to seize the Mahdi, however, when they reach the desert near Dhi Hulayfah the ground will swallow them up. However, two will escape to convey the news but even when he learns of the occurrence he will not be deterred. There will be some people from the Quraysh who manage to escape from him to Istanbul, which will be at that time under the control of the Romans. When the Sufyaani asks for their return they will be returned whereupon not only the escapees throats will be slit but those like them. Khalid son of Ma'dan said: "The Sufyaani will emerge with three staffs in his hand. Anyone whom he strikes with them will die." (Nu'aym son of Hammad) The Sufyaani is a man whose trial involves his person, his power, his speed and his fighting. One of his wonders consists of his staffs, which kill anyone he strikes with them. Perhaps they are guns or immensely powerful electrical batons or laser emitters or something similar, or perhaps they work by some magical process. The hadith about the Sufyaani confirms that he is a tyrant who will spread corruption and crime in the Earth immediately before the appearance of the Mahdi."

7) There will be a lunar and solar eclipse within the same month of Ramadan.
8) A star with a luminous tail will rise from the East before Mahdi emerges.
9) He will restore faith to its original form and eradicate moral corruption.
10) He will fight for the cause of Islam and make it prevail throughout the world.
11) He will have a broad forehead, a prominent nose, and his eyes will naturally look as if he wears mascara. (this certainly qualifies for “fierce looking” Dan. 8:23)
12) He will fill the world with justice and fairness at a time when the world will be filled with oppression.
13) He will be a young man of medium stature with a handsome face (I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder considering the previous description) and black hair and beard. 14) He will not come in an odd year. [Here is an interesting hypothesis. Dec. 21, 2012 is (obviously) not the date of the end of the world as many have interpreted the Mayan calendar to mean. (Remember Satan is the author of this date, and he knows how old the world is.) Maybe the Mayans meant it would be the end of the present age and beginning of a new age (the age of Aquarius that they are all looking for and the beginning of what we know as Daniel's 70th week). Since the seven year period should come to a close at Hanukkah based on the Jewish festivals and how they relate to the Lord's Second Coming, and Hanukkah usually falls in December, seven years earlier would also put this peace treaty and appearance of the beast in December. Maybe that is when the 70th week begins, on Dec. 21, 2012. When it does begin, it will be the end of the world as we know it, or the end of the age and present condition of the earth. Perhaps Satan gave this date anticipating it would be the beginning of the end. Just a thought.]
15) He will announce himself in Mecca between the corner of the Ka’ba (Mecca) and the station of Abraham and will call on the people to pay allegiance to him. He will then go to Kufa.
16) He will return with a company of his chosen ones. (He rises with a small group in Dan. 11)
17) He will rule for seven years after which he will die. (Antichrist is thrown in the Lake of Fire at the end of his seven years.)
18) He will come at the end of time.
19) Rain, crops, and livestock will be plentiful. Everyone will have plenty.
20) He will win every war he fights.
21) Rome will be conquered when Christians are huge in number.

These are the main signs that they are expecting concerning Mahdi. There are more, but they seemed minor in importance.

What is interesting is that the author of their prophecies (guess who) did not think to include anything about the two witnesses. I find it strange that their very important appearance was left out of the equation for the Muslims. At least as far as I have been able to discover, there is nothing written of them in their prophecies.

As a last piece of interesting information about Islam, there might be a reason for the moon turning to blood at the sixth seal. The sun is said to be darkened, which should in turn darken the moon and it is essentially darkened, but it is said to be turned to blood (one presumes this is metaphorical for the color, not literal). Before Muhammed created the religion of Islam, the Arabs worshiped multiple gods. The chief of these was Allah, the moon god. Muhammed decided to be monotheistic, and rid himself of all the other gods, making Allah the one and only. Just as the Jewish laws have prohibitions about certain animals for eating, and cleanliness rituals that they had to perform to carry out their worship of God, so do the Muslims. For orthodox Islam, they cannot eat pork, and they have to perform certain ablutions or their acts of worship are not valid. If a Muslim breaks his ritual of purity he has to repeat his ablutions. One of the impure substances that they are not to come in contact with is blood. Just as the ten plagues of Egypt were aimed directly at ten of the Egyptian gods, so too it seems interesting that the moon, of whom Allah is god, turns to blood or is defiled at the end when God signs that Christ is about to return and punishment is coming.

Rev. 13:1-3 / Rev. 17: 8-12 pt. 4

Now we move on to the ten horns. From this point on, it gets complicated. We are told in chapter 17 that they are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but receive power as kings for one hour with the beast. There are several possibilities for the ten horns.

At present there is an Illuminati plan of the New World Order to divide the world into ten regions. (For details on this plan I recommend Gary Kah's book En Route to Global Occupation.) This plan is already in motion. The E.U. is one region. The North America Union (Canada, America, and Mexico) is another region. For those of you who are not aware of this, (as it is not advertised as such) this (the NAU) is already in existence. We are no longer a sovereign country. We are part of a union. These ten regions are being designed to be a stepping stone to the one world government. Each region is to be ruled by a leader. This is currently in the process of being implemented. I believe that this particular ten region plan is the one that corresponds to the image of Nebuchadnezzar's dream which has the ten toes. However, I believe that the ten horns mentioned here in Revelation, (and the ten horns in Daniel 7 who are the same ten horns) are a different entity from the ten toes. I believe there are two plans going on simultaneously, and due to the fact that they have some similarities, (the number ten being one) it has been assumed that they both refer to the same thing. I have come to believe that they do not. I believe each plays a part in the end time scenario, and they will come together to do so, but I think Satan has several game plans running which keeps people confused as to what is going on.

When writing on Daniel chapter 7, it became clear to me that there was far more to that prophecy than the standard interpretation. That is why I searched out a more modern application. Of late, God has been providing much more information on the state of affairs in the Middle East, which has led me to believe that viewing that prophecy in terms of a modern application might be much more helpful to understanding what is written here in Revelation. In Daniel we heard about four great beasts. One was like a lion with eagle's wings. (I surmised that this may stand for Britain and America.) The second was like a bear (Russia), and the third like a leopard with four wings and four heads (this stands for countries where the Tatars are found -Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, and the Ukraine, four heads and four wings adds up to eight. There are eight countries that are considered Tatar countries. Russia also has some Tatars, but Russia is the bear). The fourth beast was the most terrifying. It had teeth of iron and devoured, broke, and stamped those in its path. It was different in some capacity from the previous three and had ten horns. At the time I wrote about Daniel, I did not know who that might be. I now believe God has shown me who that is. It is different from the rest, because while these governmental entities are not controlled by religion, the beast is a religion that is rising as a controlling governmental entity. I believe the fourth beast is Islam and that ancient Babylon (the empire) is about to reborn by a league made with ten Islamic countries or entities - the ten horns (which would be a religious league as they are all connected by Islam). When thinking of the way Islam controls its people and kills those who oppose it, it is easy to see why this beast has iron teeth and tramples. I believe this may be the league or covenant spoken of in Daniel chapter 9 which will enable Israel to rebuild their temple. Who better to get that accomplished without all-out war than a Muslim leader? Given Islam's "worship Allah or die" rule, it certainly would fit the above description. The dragon, Satan, will give the beast his full unchecked authority and power to reign as Satan himself would. He allows his progeny, as it were, to be worshiped as the savior of the world on his seat or throne. This empire is going to be the last headquarters of the whore Babylon so it is right and fitting that she end up where she began, in Shinar or ancient Babylon (modern day Iraq).

The ten horns have ten crowns. We are told in chapter 17 that these ten horns are kings. Thus the crowns. They do not yet have a kingdom. This indicates that they are not the present rulers, but they will get that power in one hour with the beast. Whether this literally refers to an actual hour or a short period of time is uncertain. It might be that an actual hour is what is meant. In Daniel 11 we are told that the "vile person" shall come to power with a small number of people. He has his own entourage. They no doubt come from various countries, as when they come together, they represent ten different kingdoms, or in today's terms ten nations. Given that we are going to be looking at Islam as the factor that pulls this league together, it may be that these are the religious Imams of the various countries who seize political control as did the Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran. This would make even more sense if the beast's representative (antichrist) is seen as the Islamic Mahdi (messiah). If someone were to appear and create this peace treaty, (and part of the Muslim prophecies is that Mahdi will sign a peace treaty) the Imams would start promoting this man as the Mahdi, due to his actions fulfilling their prophecies. They would then begin to have greater power, as many would believe them and be behind them. Religion and politics are not separated in Islamic countries as they are here, even though the Imams are presently not always in the highest power. Interestingly, according to Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi (when he first appears and creates the treaty) will not at first accept the title of Mahdi. (The antichrist does not declare his godhood until midway through the seven years). It will be the religious leaders who will be declaring that he is the Mahdi. When he reaches the point (half-way through the seven years) that he officially accepts the title, they would certainly have no qualms about seizing control and turning their power over to their messiah. This would explain why they receive their power for one hour as kings with the beast. In other words, they do not presently have this ultimate power. It will come with the proclamation of the Mahdi, but they will not consider hanging onto it, as the Mahdi reigns supreme. Thus they will immediately hand it over to him. This would explain the verse in Daniel that says that he rises after the ten, not before them. They would rise first, promoting him, then seize power and hand it over to him.

Just to review a little, going back to Daniel 2, we know that the ten toes came out of Rome (the bronze legs). I believe this is a correct interpretation of that particular prophecy, as the two legs show a split empire, and Rome was split into eastern and western empires, or we can take it further to the eastern hemisphere and western hemisphere encompassing the entire globe. Also the ten toes are said to be a mix of someone who mixes with the seed of man. I had missed that particular phrase until recently when it jumped out at me. This phrase is interesting in that it implies something other than man is interacting with man and is a part of this federation of ten regions. This may indicate some sort of political interaction or agreement between man and fallen angels or nephilim, (which still do exist today and present themselves as "aliens"). As far-fetched as this may seem, my research has led me to believe that there is such an interaction going on and scripture bears this out. We are told in the gospels that before Christ returns, it will be as in the days of Noah. In Noah's day fallen angels lived with and married humans and bore nephilim children. Nephilim existed after the flood also. Goliath was one. So also too do they exist today, as Israel failed to carry out the mandate of killing every man woman and child when they entered the land. This is why that mandate was given, to eliminate nephilim blood. This would also explain the many stories people tell of the "aliens" kidnapping them and creating hybrid babies from their sperm and ovum today. They do it differently than they did during Noah's time. They don't marry human women anymore, they kidnap them and forcibly extract what they need. All of this would seem to indicate that this ten league system is more of an Illuminati system, which did come out of Rome and the Knights Templar. It is the NWO or New World Order about which we constantly hear. It would then seem that they are two systems at work here rather than the one system which all prophecy teachers have assumed, based on the fact that both have the number ten as their division. Note the difference in the prophecy of the two different "tens." The ten toes cannot hold together. They do not mix well. The ten horns do, as they come up with the beast and turn their power over to him. This indicates two separate results, therefore two separate entities. It would make sense that Satan would have multiple scenarios going on. He pits the two against each other. One of his mottos is Ordo ab chao which means order out of chaos. It is the Illuminati's motto. Chaos is created to frighten people, as when they are frightened they will hand over all of their freedoms and rights to get order and safety back. Just look at what 9-11 accomplished. By pitting these two world dominating powers against each other at the end, Satan will create such chaos that people will clamor for a one world leader who will give them world peace. It will also be used as a devise to delude people, including Christians.

As further reason for believing the ten horns are a Muslim league and the rebirth of Babylon, most certainly if Babylon were suddenly reborn, first as a peace agreement creating an empire, and then a rapidly rebuilt city on the ruins, it would, as said before, astound the world and leave them gasping from astonishment. This is exactly how people's reactions to the kingdom of the beast is described. As being so astonished they are bewitched or out of their wits. This would blow everyone's mind, to put it in modern terminology. Especially considering the unrest in that part of the world. A rebirth of such a kingdom would be astonishing. Not to mention that anyone who could bring peace enough to settle that area down would most certainly be considered the Messiah. They said only Nixon could go to China. Well, only a Muslim Mahdi could really get them to accept a peace treaty that allowed a Jewish temple.

One last thing about the ten horns. In Daniel 7:8, 24 tell us that three of these ten will be put down, for lack of a better way to phrase it, by the beast. "I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things." and "And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings." Three of the ten will apparently not go along with the plan, and it will force him to take them down. He will conquer those particular nations and bring them into submission.

Rev. 13:1-3 / Rev. 17: 8-12 pt. 3

Now we are told that the beast that was, but is not at the time of John, is an eighth kingdom/king, is one of the seven, and goes into perdition. Here is where it gets confusing. Because these heads are both kingdoms and kings, it refers to both at the same time, but in a different way. The beast (a kingdom) that was, but is not at the time of John is the eighth kingdom to come. Each of these kingdoms in their turn were the entire beast. Now each past kingdom lives on as a head of the beast. So, a former beast or head, which does not exist now in John's time, becomes the eighth beast. In other words, it becomes the beast itself again for a second time. It is one of the seven heads. In other words, one of the seven heads or kingdoms, resurfaces to be the final kingdom or the entire beast again. The beast will go to perdition. This has a double meaning. Perdition can mean damnation as well as destruction or being laid waste. In the case of the beast as a kingdom, as will be seen, the prophecies concerning the beast is that it will never exist as a kingdom or the land even be inhabited again. It will suffer entire destruction for all of eternity. As for king part of the head of the beast, each of these kingdoms was ruled by the demonic spirit which is currently in the abyss. We are later told in Revelation that he will spend eternity in the lake of fire, so he also is sent to perdition as would be his human host, if he does have a human host. This is therefore the double meaning in the beast being sent to perdition.

In Rev. 13:3, it references the lion, bear, and leopard (notice the lack of eagle's wings) as being a part of this beast. This imagery is used to send us back to Daniel 7. From the traditional interpretation, it would show the spiritual descendency (Babylonian mysteries) from Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece as the beast is an amalgamation of the lion, bear, and leopard, which represented those countries. These kingdoms represent the short-term fulfillment that the prophecy had in Daniel 7.(Remember most prophecies have two fulfillments). They represent the foundational body that has been laid down through the millennia for the New World Order of antichrist to be established as the ultimate one world government. While that works from the short-term prophecy standpoint, since those countries are already represented in the heads of the beast, it would seem that something else is in mind here. Going back to the modern interpretation that I gave for Daniel 7, which would seem to make more sense here, it would appear that this beast has the support of Britain, Russia, and the Central Asian Tatar countries in being created through this league. They are behind this peace agreement that will create this beast. Notice the lack of eagles wings. This may be due to the fact that America no longer exists, or that she has a different part to play at this time.

In this verse, we are told that one of the heads receives a wound and that the deadly wound is healed and that the world wonders about it. Notice it is not the eighth beast itself that is being referred to here, but one of the heads. So this verse is not speaking of the eighth beast itself or its king (antichrist) being wounded, but a head. (There will be later verses which imply antichrist has a deadly wound which is also healed, but in this verse it is not the case.) Since it seems unlikely that any of the actual human kings or leaders of these seven previous kingdoms will be resurrected at this late date (especially to die again), and since it has already been determined that one of the seven heads will become the eighth kingdom thereby being resurrected as it were, I believe it is safe to assume that this particular reference of death in this particular verse is speaking of one of the previous kingdoms, not the kings. So one of these nations will rise again from the ashes. A popular symbol of the Illuminati is that of the phoenix, a bird which rises again from the ashes of its own demise. There is a reason for their use of this symbol, as they look forward to the Babylonian mysteries rising again to world domination. Most prophecy teachers teach that it is the Roman Empire that is resurrected in the form of the E.U. This seems unlikely given that Rome existed at the time of John and it was said that the beast "is not" during John's time. That would seem to eliminate the E.U. as the possible candidate. Also it says that people "wonder" at the resurrection of this particular kingdom. The Greek word defines "wonder" as being put out of your wits. Another definition says to be insane or bewitched. The E.U. does not instill this reaction in people. To date, I have not heard people speaking about the E.U. as some miraculous wonder. Some have speculated that Hitler will somehow rise again. First of all this does not seem to be speaking of a man, it is speaking of a kingdom. While there are neo-Nazis around, I do not think that there will be a new Nazi regime, not to mention the fact that Germany did not die, it still exists. Therefore the Third Reich is out as a candidate. The nations of Greece and Egypt still exist in the same lands they always occupied, although not as expansive as they once were, and this kingdom is supposed to be dead. So that is two more countries out of the running. That leaves Persia, Assyria, and Babylon as possible candidates. Now while Iran claims descent from Persia, Syria from Assyria, and Iraq from Babylon, all three of these former kingdoms encompassed virtually the same area, which included all three areas. This would pose a problem to having only one of the ancient kingdoms still exist. Plus they no longer exist under their former names. As kingdoms, they are all dead in that sense. None of these kingdoms exists today as they did then, nor does their name exist. The most important of these in a Biblical sense is obviously Babylon, as that is from whom the whore originated (in Sumeria or early Babylon) and for whom the whore is named. Many of the Old Testament prophecies about Babylon have yet to be fulfilled. God says that the whore Babylon sits on this beast, therefore it seems that Babylon is the candidate of choice. It is more than likely that Babylon will be "rebuilt". This could refer to Babylon the city (which is in the process of being rebuilt, more on that later), as well as a joining of the Muslim countries to establish a new empire. The countries that appear to have been encompassed in Babylon (as well as Assyria and Persia) at its most extensive are all of the present day lands of Israel (This would include the Palestinian Authority), Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and parts of Egypt, Turkey, and Iran. So two possibilities exist as far as the resurrection of a literal Babylon, the ancient city of Babylon, where the original headquarters of the Babylonian mysteries resided, and/or the reunified empire of Babylon by a league made by ten (horns) Arab countries (or nine and the Palestinian Authority). I believe both the city and the kingdom will be resurrected. Now that we know that one of the seven kingdoms that died is resurrected and it appears that it may be Babylon, it looks as though the ten horns, which come out of the beast, may be some of those Muslim countries that surround Israel and were an original part of Babylon. Scripture would seem to bear out that the city of Babylon will be rebuilt for the purpose of moving the Babylonian mysteries back to that location. In Zechariah 5:5-11 it tells how wickedness will again be brought back to the land of Shinar (ancient Babylon or Iraq) where a house has been built for it to be established on its base. What is interesting is that the mysteries are then obviously not residing in Babylon at the moment. So where are they? Personally, I believe that the whore is presently sitting on America (which explains why there are no eagles wings on the beast, America is the whore herself at the moment). If one reads the descriptions of Babylon throughout scripture, America is the only present day nation that fits the description. The whore has always been the world dominating kingdom or nation. America happens to be that nation (at the moment, although that does not look as if it will last for a whole lot longer). Many of the Illuminati live in America and meet in her to carry out their plans. The U.N. is their present means of world control and it has been established in NYC. So for the present, I think it is safe to say that the whore resides in America, but will at the very last be moved to the resurrected Babylon.

It says that the world "wonders" at the resurrection of this beast. Considering the state of war that has existed over there for so long, to have such a rebirth would certainly take the world aback. Who would not be surprised to see ancient Babylon, both the city and the kingdom, come back into existence. Especially if it happens almost overnight. It is not as far-fetched an idea as may be thought. It is of relevant interest that Saddam Hussein began to surreptitiously rebuild Nebuchadnezzar’s ancient city of Babylon decades ago. He was engraving his name on the stones alongside Nebuchadnezzar’s. The Gulf War disrupted the building process, but it did not stop it. Currently our troops have done a great deal of damage to the city by ransacking artifacts, paving over the ruins, and writing graffiti on the walls. They are using it as a military base. This has greatly upset the people of that country, as well as archaeologists around the world. The plan was and still is to develop Babylon into an international world center and theme park based upon her ancient wonders (the hanging gardens for one). The war is holding that up. The U.N. is behind the Iraqi leaders on this project, and Obama recently pledged, on the U.S.’s behalf, $700,000 for “The Future of Babylon Project” through the State Department‘s budget. They are also expecting help from the World Monuments Fund. Now that the insurgency is dying down (per se according to articles), the Shia-led government of Iraq is actually moving forward with this historic and prophetic project. They say Babylon will be "reborn." These Muslim countries are also said to be within five to twenty years of having a significant stock of nuclear weapons. This threat will allow them to control the world’s oil resources and use it as a political weapon. The oil will bring great wealth to that region.

Rev. 13:1-3 / Rev. 17: 8-12 pt. 2

Next we are told that the beast has seven heads. We are also told that the seven heads stand for seven mountains upon which the woman (the whore of Babylon) sits. While we have not gotten into the whore of Babylon yet, she represents Satan's ruling world - political, financial, and religious- order. The three - politics, finances, and religion- actually walk hand in hand. They always have. The religion is the mystery religion of Babylon which has been handed down through the ages since Nimrod from Sumeria (the original Babylon) to Egypt, back to the empires of Babylon, Persian, Greece, Rome, and on in the form of the Templar Knights, Rosicrusions, Illuminati, Freemasonry, and all the offshoot front organizations (including some non-Christian religions, as well as some "Christian" denominations) that are a part of this system. The system is a pyramidal system with more organizations the lower you go in the ranks. Also, the lower the rank, the less information about the real workings of the system is known by the members. For instance, lower ranking Masons do not know what Masonry is truly all about. They believe it is a benevolent fraternal organization. The true knowledge is reserved for the ranks of 30-33 degree masons. Getting back to the mysteries, the reason the Babylonian mysteries walk hand in hand with politics and finances is that over the centuries, followers of the mysteries have gotten themselves into the powerful positions of being the big political (whether elected or royalty), and financial, as well as religious leaders of the world. Because the mysteries' power base is often hereditary, and the leaders tend to have access to money (their own or others), the money keeps them in power over generations. The loyalty to the mysteries and its brotherhood outweighs any other loyalty to any other person, country, religion, etc. Thus the system pulls from the loyalty and financial resources of all of its ranks to put people it wants in power to be in power. This maintains control of the system. As said before, it is a system based on a pyramidal structure.

The seven heads are the mountains upon which this woman sits. They also stand for seven kings. If we were to take the mountains as literal mountains, there would have to be a single place where seven mountains have been the throne of seven kings. Many have interpreted this to be the Seven Hills of Rome and make the Catholic church the whore. I do not believe that scripture bears that out quite in this way. First, the Vatican does not sit on the seven hills of Rome (and notice that they are called hills, not mountains. There is a difference). Vatican Hill is northwest of the seven hills and is not a part of the group. That seems to rule out the Seven Hills of Rome as being the mountains. As for the Catholic church, yes the Babylonian mysteries have infiltrated them, just as they have Protestantism and every other denomination of Christendom. People may not be aware of this, but apostasy is rampant throughout all of the Christian denominations, not just the Catholic church. The Catholic church still does teach that Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sins, regardless of what other man-made traditions or pagan rites and associations they have incorporated. The Protestant denominations are no less guilty of that sin. Even more to be concerned with are those religious groups who claim to be Christian, but deny that Christ is the Son of God (and part of the Trinity) who died for our sins. I believe the mysteries themselves are headquartered with the Illuminati and their ranks. I will admit that this does include members, organizations, and leaders of these churches, and the churches have been corrupted by them, but the churches themselves are not the ultimate headquarters of the Babylonian mysteries. If they were, they most certainly would not teach that Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sins.

Second, these mountains also stand for seven kings. Seven kings who obviously stand for the seven kingdoms over which they were kings. These kings are the clue to what the mountains stand for in this imagery. If we look back to Daniel 2, it will be remembered that the large statue of gold, silver, brass, iron and the clay/iron mixture was destroyed by a stone that became a mountain that filled the whole earth. That mountain stood for the kingdom of God. So a mountain symbolically stood for a kingdom. We see that the heads stand for mountains and kings. Bearing all of this in mind, it would appear that these mountains are the seven kingdoms of the seven kings. In fact we see that this symbolism is found in other places in the Bible. In Jer. 51:25 God speaks to Babylon saying "Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the Lord. In Jer. 17:3, God refers to Judah as His "mountain in the field". It makes much more sense that mountains stand for kingdoms rather than trying to make them stand for a place that has seven mountains. So the seven heads are seven kingdoms and their seven kings. Now we are told that five of these kings have fallen, that is, they are historical to John's time. One exists at the time of John, and one is future to John's time. This king only lasts a very short time. This gives us a timeline for identifying these kingdoms. Looking back at Daniel 2 and Nebuchadnezzar's statue, it was shown that these Babylonian mysteries were a part of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. They are four of the mountains on which the whore sat. As John is told that the sixth one is existent at the time he is writing Revelation, we know that Rome is the sixth kingdom. That means there are five before it. Going backwards we have Greece, Persia, and Babylon. That leaves two for which we have to account. The commonality between these kingdoms are that 1) they are the headquarters of the mysteries, and 2) they persecute Israel. Are there two more such kingdoms before Babylon that fit these requirements? Yes, there are. Egypt and Assyria had both of these requirements, therefore we can assume that they are the two other kingdoms on that side of John. For the seventh, we have to look into John's future. Is there another kingdom that fit this bill? Yes. In our own lifetime we saw this again. Hitler was a known occultist (follower of the mysteries) and from what I have read, I believe he was controlled by the Illuminati. He also persecuted Israel in a way that surpassed all of the other pogroms that had been going on in countries around the world. It was because of his persecution that Israel was again brought back as a nation. He also reigned for only a very short time, which was a third requirement for the seventh candidate. I think because of this, Hitler and the Third Reich is the seventh mountain or kingdom/king that is a part of the beast. These heads also each have a name of blasphemy on them. Since each of these was the throne of Satan in their turn, it is not a surprise that this is so.

Rev. 13:1-3 / Rev. 17: 8-12

Chapter 13

The last chapter left off at the point of the beginning of the great tribulation when antichrist or the beast will declare himself God. This chapter is going to tell all about him and from where he comes. It is impossible to really cover this without referring to parts of chapter 17, so it will be necessary to include that part of the chapter alongside this one. The first few verses contain much information, so covering them will take more than just one post.

Verse 1-3 "And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast."


Chapter 17 gives the interpretation for much of this symbolism.

Rev. 17:8-12 "The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast."

Beginning with the part about the beast rising from the sea, we can also see that in chapter 17 it says that he comes out of the bottomless pit and goes to his damnation. This qualifier determines that the beast is an individual, specifically it would seem an evil spirit, not just a system or kingdom, although the beast is also a kingdom. If taken symbolically, the sea usually refers to a sea of people. Since we are given further specifications that he comes from the bottomless pit, it can be seen that maybe this is to be taken literally. We know that the abyss was opened to let out a horde of fallen angels and the smoke rose out of the bottomless pit, because it is in the center of the earth. Apparently the door was opened previous to that event (antichrist starts reigning at the midpoint before the hordes are let out of hell) to allow this one demon or fallen angel out of it to inhabit the antichrist's body (assuming antichrist is a possessed human and not just a demonic or fallen angel spirit manifesting in human form.) That corridor may very well come up in the middle of the sea or ocean, given how much of the earth is covered by water. This may explain the Bermuda and Devil's Triangles. They may be corridors to hell. I personally heard the testimony of a man, a doctor who had been a non-believer, who had a near death experience. He was dying of a terminal illness and when the time of his death came, he saw demons come out of hell to drag him there. At the last moment as they were grabbing him, he cried out to Jesus to save him, and the demons retreated. The doctor was miraculously healed of his terminal illness and went on to be a Christian who told his story to everyone. I know of Christians, who were able to speak coherently at the time of their death, who said that they saw angels coming to escort them to heaven, just before they went to be with the Lord. It would make sense. It also makes sense that demons would gladly haul people, who do not love the Lord, off to hell. Since hell is a very real physical place in the center of the earth, it makes sense that there is a corridor or two in which these demons or fallen angels come and go, ferrying the souls of the dead to hell.

Revelation 12:17

Verse 17 "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."

Satan has been stymied, as far as being able to take out the rest of Israel, so he turns to the remnant of her seed that has the testimony of Christ. When it speaks of the remnant of the woman, it is not merely speaking of Messianic Jews. All Christians are of the seed of Abraham - the spiritual seed. We are all spiritual Jews in that respect. So the remnant spoken of are Christians. He could not go after Christians, if there were no Christians here, so it is clear that Christians will still be around. And Satan will be going after their heads, literally. It will be the Christians who will experience the greatest wrath of Satan during this time. Judgment begins with the house of the Lord and then comes on the rest of the world. 1 Peter 4:12-19. "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, (Second Coming) ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evil doer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator." I believe God has clearly told us that we will suffer. Christendom is in great apostasy. People will scarcely be saved. I have heard some pastors say that some will show up in heaven with nothing but the smell of smoke on them, having gone through the refining fires. In other words, they have nothing to show for their Christian sojourn on earth, and escape by the skin of their teeth. If we are here when it all begins, (provided we do not die untimely or natural deaths before it does begin) we will suffer a fiery trial (tribulation) that will be at the end of times when His glory will be revealed (Second Coming), because judgment begins at the house of God. He is clearly telling us that when judgment begins (during the 70th week) it will begin with us, and that our suffering is part of His will. Why? "To try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end." Dan.11:35.

Years ago I heard a TV eschatology teacher say that Christ does not want a battered and bruised bride, therefore it has to be a pre-tribulation rapture, on that count alone. Since that time I have heard countless pastors say basically the same thing. Someone wrote the following to me in disagreement of my writing that Scripture teaches that we will be here during the tribulation. "Why do you even imagine that it would be the will of the Lord that most of His church lose their head?" This person appears to believe that there will not be Christians here, except maybe for those who miss a pre-trib rapture, either because they were not yet saved or were not looking for it to happen before the tribulation. (This latter idea is not scriptural at all. The doctrine of the timing of the rapture is not the criteria for salvation and being taken to be with the Lord, regardless of what its timing is. You cannot miss it when it happens, if you are saved, just because you disagree with the timing.) My response to that comment is...does not God say that we suffer "according to the will of God?" Why would any Christian think that they are immune from persecution and martyrdom that God has allowed on countless Christians, from Stephen on down to those in the Muslim and other countries today that kill people whose only "crime" is being a Christian? There are many people around the world every day being martyred for the sake of Christ. What makes a person (and there are hundreds and thousands of them in America) think that they do not "deserve" to lose their heads? That God does not want this? Especially when it is happening in other parts of the world? What makes them think that God would never make the Church (or more specifically them) suffer this? It says that it is His will that we suffer. The Church has and is suffering this on a daily basis. Just not here in America....... yet. Is this not exactly what a Laodicean says? I am rich, I have need of nothing, I am just fine. Americans sound very much like Laodiceans. In other words they say, "Why would God need to try, purge, or refine me to make me white? I have no need of that." Is that not exactly why they need refining? Their attitude? Just like the Laodiceans? This is not aimed exclusively at pre-tribulationists. I do not exclude from this need people who believe in a mid, post, pre-wrath or other timed rapture. Many (most specifically American Christians) have bad attitudes about their walk with God. I know I am not the Christian that I need to be. I have not achieved the ability to live a sin-free life. I shamefully and honestly admit it. It is not something of which to be proud, but it is something I honestly admit, which is the first step to being on the right path to repentance and holiness. I know I need purging and refining, and I am sure my friends would whole-heartedly concur. :-) (Love you gals). It is when you do not realize you are worthy of suffering, much less admit it, that you stand in the path of destruction. I am also sure that there are people in each of these "camps" who do have a life that is worthy of God's protection, and who will be protected because of their holy lives, even if they lack knowledge. Attitude and holiness are everything, but knowing God's truth and heeding it does come with an added blessing. Rev. 1:3.

We know from the fifth seal that people will be beheaded. This used to puzzle me as we had long ago given up that barbaric method of execution. However years ago I had no idea how the Muslim population was increasing around the world. There is a youtube video that is a must watch for you to see why people will be beheaded. It is a piece on the Muslim world demographics, which I believe is very pertinent to what is going to be studied in the next chapter, so I am strongly urging everyone to take the time to watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU

Revelation 12:15-16

Verse 15-16 "And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth."

As the woman is fleeing, Satan makes the attempt to kill her. First taking a literal approach, it would mean that a flood of water is sent to destroy her. From the standpoint that it is an onslaught of water, the dry desert conditions of the Mid East would not point to a flood due to an over-abundance of rain (in recent years Israel has had a water crisis due to lack of rainfall). The most likely possibility is that a tidal wave would rush over the land. (Possibly from some volcano erupting or earthquake). Israel is not that wide (85 miles at its widest point). It would be possible that while people are running to escape (before the eagle carries them off), there is some sort of deluge from somewhere. The only other possibility is that the dams along the Jordan River all let loose (although it does not have that much water to start with) suddenly flooding the area. Either way, the earth opens up (possibly an earthquake opens a crack in the ground, or a sink hole) and swallows the water saving the people. As the people are supposed to be running to the mountains in Jordan, it is safe to assume that this does not happen after they reach their destination, therefore it must occur as they begin to run. Interestingly, when fleeing from Egypt, the water swallowed up Pharaoh’s armies thereby protecting Israel. Now the opposite would happen. The water is sent to swallow up them, but the earth opens up and swallows the water.

Taking this from a symbolic standpoint, we need to see if there is a precedence for assuming a flood is speaking of something other than water. In Jeremiah 46:8, it says, "Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up, and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof." Again in Jer. 47:2 it is speaking of the same event. "Thus saith the Lord; Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl." This is speaking of when the Egyptian armies came against Babylon. We are told in Luke 21 that Jerusalem will be surrounded by armies when the woman is told to flee. This may be speaking of a flood of armies. In Daniel 7:22, where the prophecy of this time is found, we have a verse that also speaks of a flood. "And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant." Also in verse 26 of that chapter, while the word "flood" is not used, the word "overflow" is. "Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain." In these cases, it would seem that a flood of waters is symbolic for armies, so it is quite possible that this verse in Revelation is speaking of a flood of armies. The earth opens up and swallows the armies. This is not the first time that the Lord opens up the earth to swallow the wicked. When Korah led a rebellion against Moses, the Lord opened up the earth and swallowed up all of those in rebellion, as a warning to the rest of the Israelites. Numbers 16:31-32.

In either case, whether armies or an actual flood, the earth opens up and swallows the predator that is seeking to destroy the woman which allows her to escape to the mountains.

Revelation 12:13-14

Verse 13-14 "And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

This takes us back to earth where we left off at verse 6, so we know that we are still at that same exact time of the abomination of desolation when Israel flees. God deliberately goes back and reiterates this information to make sure we realize that all of this is happening simultaneously on earth and in heaven and takes place in a very brief period of time. He had left us at the woman fleeing into the wilderness on earth, showed us what was happening at the same time in heaven, then brought us back down to where he left off on earth.

The first thing Satan does upon arrival on the planet is to try to kill all of the Jews he can (through antichrist declaring himself God). He will be able to kill a lot of them. In Zechariah 13 we find a prophecy about Israel for the last days. In verses 8-9 it tells how many will die. "And it shall come to pass that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God." So two thirds of the Jewish population will die. The world's Jewish population is over 13 million, and Israel's Jewish population is roughly 5 1/2 million. Considering just the Jewish population of Israel, as they are the ones who are told to flee to the wilderness, one third of this population number would be roughly 1,850,000. It seems unlikely that this many people would be able to flee out of Israel (technically it only says Judea) for safety. I am not even sure how many peope live in that particular area of Israel. It is more probable that the bulk of the third that are saved are found in the rest of the world, and that more die in Israel than elsewhere, although there is no way to say that for certain. The actual place spoken of (Judea) in Luke is what is today the West Bank, where all the Palestinians live alongside the Israelis, and it is that particular section that is told to flee. Naturally any place where an Israeli's literal neighbor is his enemy is the most dangerous, although the entire country of Israel is literally in the midst of their enemies. Anyone in Jerusalem should obviously flee, as well as anyone in the West Bank. As for the rest of the country, they might stay put and take their chances, fighting.

Among those that do remain alive, at least some are the remnant that flee to the mountains. As said before, God brings them into the wilderness to bring them back to Himself, Ez. 20:33-38, “As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: and I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God. And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.” and Jer. 30:11 “For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.” That this speaks of that future time cannot be in doubt, as it will be the second sojourn in the wilderness similar to the Egyptian exodus, God brings them into the covenant, and he will make a full end of all of the nations where they have been scattered. Clearly this speaks of the Day of the Lord.

Help is given to the remnant of Israel to make their escape. Two wings of a great eagle carry them by flight to that place that has been prepared by God. Here we see the time frame has been changed from 1260 days to time, times, and half a time. If there was any doubt that "time" refers to a year, it is clearly laid out in this chapter. It also clearly identifies with the same time frame as Daniel. God uses these numbers (1260 days; time, times, half a time; 3 1/2 years; and forty-two months) interchangeably so that we will know that He is always referring to the same time frame, that last half of the 70th week, no matter which number He uses or to what he is referring. They will be protected from Satan and antichrist for this entire time until Christ returns. All of their needs will be miraculously supplied, just as they were in the wilderness when they left Egypt. This will make Satan very frustrated and angry to not be able to touch them. So close, yet so far. It will be at Christ's Second Coming that they will realize exactly who He is. This group will definitely be going into the millennium.

As to what the great eagle is? Well, if we take this literally, it would seem absurd. There is no eagle big enough to fly a huge group of people to a place of safety. It would seem that common sense clearly indicates that this is not to be taken literally. Unless of course there is a plane named the eagle. We have had a spaceship by that name, and it seems that most planes get a name from the men who fly them. John had never seen a plane, so this may be his only reference by which to call it. It could be that the Israelis themselves just commandeer aircraft and make a hasty retreat. Another possibility is that the eagle stands for America’s planes. We are presently about the only friend Israel has, although it would be hard to prove that given the past few government administrations' attempts to make Israel give away their land and make peace with the people who would see them annihilated. In fact I believe this current president is already showing he is not going to side with Israel, and we may find our country siding against Israel in the future. Possibly this could mean miraculous and angelic interference in the affairs of man. There is a scriptural reference that may give some credence to that idea. It has to do with the exodus from Egypt. Ex. 19:4 “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.“ The many miracles, and I am sure angelic protection and help, is referred to symbolically here in Exodus as eagles’ wings. As symbolism does hold through scripture, there is an argument for this being the case again in Revelation. It will be a shortened repeat of the Egyptian exodus and wilderness experience, (God does have a penchant for repeating things in the same manner) and their survival will depend upon God's miraculous provision, so the possibility of this verse being the source of how this should be interpreted is strong, although any one of these is a possibility. Only time will tell. As stated before, Satan will not be allowed to touch her there. Israel's running to the mountains would explain why Moab, Edom, and Ammon (all part of Jordan) escape out of antichrist's hands. All of the children of Israel will be hiding out there.

Revelation 12:10-12

Verse 10 "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before out God day and night."

It is unclear who is the owner of this loud voice, but given that Michael is the archangel, and it is he who cast Satan out, it is possible that it is he speaking. The speaker announces that the plan of salvation is coming to a close and that the kingdom of God is at hand, as Satan, the accuser of the brethren, has been cast out of heaven. The reference to us as brethren does not have to indicate that the speaker is a human. All of those who worship God, no matter angel or human are brethren in that we all worship God. Notice that Satan does not take a day off, nor does he take off the night.


Verse 11 "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death."

Now we can see that the speaker, while calling us brethren does not include himself in the saints. The saints are referred to as "they", which means that the speaker is probably either an angel or an elder. This is a continuation of the announcement of the previous verse and says that the saints overcame the accuser, Satan, by the blood of the Lamb, (Christ's blood covered both those who came before him and died in faith, as well as those who came after) and the word of their testimony. They did not deny God even upon the certainty of death. Multitudes have been martyred for God and Christ since Abel. Multitudes more will be martyred for Christ during the tribulation

Verse 12 "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time."

Heaven can rejoice, because Satan can no longer come around. There is nothing quite so relieving as getting rid of the presence of someone who vehemently hates God and His children. They have had to endure Satan's presence for millennia. Now they do not have to anymore. Unfortunately it is "woe" for those on the earth. This woe is not one of the first, second, or third woes of the trumpet judgments. Christ used the term "woe" many times when speaking to the Pharisees. As this woe is not designated by an ordinal number, it is not one of the woes of chapter nine, nor is it the third woe. It simply means that it is bad news for those on the earth. This also includes the sea. Considering the plagues of the trumpets, it is not only man and the land animals that will perish, but we know one third of the seas and fresh waters are affected, so the creatures living there will suffer also.

Satan is coming down having not just wrath, but great wrath. Not only is he livid about being cast out of heaven, he knows his time is really short now. He will take all the revenge he can in the time allotted to him. And he knows exactly how long that is. He has read Revelation too.

Revelation 12:7-9

Verse 7-9 "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him"

Now (in this "string on the guitar" or history of the conflict between Israel/Christ and Satan) we have reached the midpoint of the 70th week where the woman flees, as the armies encompass Jerusalem. Simultaneously while this and the abomination of desolation are happening on earth, we see that war breaks out in heaven. Michael and his angels war with Satan and his fallen angels, and Satan and his group get thrown out of heaven. Most people do not realize that they still have access to heaven. One only needs to read the book of Job to see that Satan spends a great deal of time there accusing us before God. As he is not the only one doing the accusing (he is not omnipresent to know what everyone is doing), others of his followers must be doing the same. Now they are cast out of heaven once and for all. They will never be allowed access to heaven again. In Daniel 12 we read that Michael stood up and there was a time of trouble such as the world had never seen before. At that time it was seen from the definition, that he stands back and does nothing during the tribulation. However, before he stands back and just has to watch Satan take out his wrath on mankind, Michael (who is Satan's adversary in the angelic realm) gets very active and fights Satan. Once this rabble is thrown out of heaven, Michael has to stand back and just watch what happens next. Satan is thrown out of heaven and down to the earth. This is bad news for the earth. He is mad and he is going to get even. This is why this time of great tribulation is going to be unparalleled in all of history. It will be Satan with the restrainer removed from hindering him. It will be his last hurrah. He will do his best to eliminate all of mankind, and eliminate the planet entirely if it were possible. It is his last ditch attempt to render God incapable of fulfilling his promise of a kingdom on earth with Israel as the reigning nation, which would make Satan the winner, if he could do it. Of course he cannot, but the damage will be beyond comprehension.