What Do the 2300 Days of Daniel Mean?

One of the great mysteries of eschatology seems to be the passage in Daniel that speaks about the 2300 days. Nobody seems to be able to come to a consensus as to what it is referencing. Generally everyone tries to spiritualize the verses making them mean everything from 2300 years to 1150 days, but few if any people simply take the verses at as much face value as possible, to see if it simply makes sense as written. As I always try to interpret Scripture in the most literal way whenever possible, I would like to take a look at this passage to see what can be made of it. First let us just read through the passage.

Daniel 8:1-8 “In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first. And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai. Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great. And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had there seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.

Verses 9-14 “And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered. Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

Verses 15-26 “And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision. Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright. And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be. The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power. And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand. And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.”

I divided the chapter up into three sections. The first being prophetic history (meaning prophecy that has already come to pass), the second being somewhat prophetic history, but actually more future prophetic, and the third section being the explanation given to Daniel by the angel as to what the vision meant. In the first eight verses we are told of the history of Medo-Persia (the ram with two horns) and its falling to Greece under Alexander the Great. This is not in question, as the angel actually tells Daniel that this is Medo-Persia and Greece with its first “king” who was Alexander the Great. When Alexander died, his empire was divided up into four empires. (Actually five at first, but the other four quickly ganged up on the fifth and divided his lands.) These four empires were Macedonia or Greece under Cassander, Egypt under Ptolemy, Thrace (in Asia Minor) under Lysimachos, and the area of Mesopotamia and east (the area now known as Iran) under Seleucis. This part seems to be (from our perspective) merely historical.

In the second passage we are told that out of one of these empires comes a little horn (symbolically for a new powerful leader) which becomes exceedingly great, moving to conquer south, east, and to the pleasant land. From a historical standpoint and interpretation, this is speaking of Antiochus Epiphanes, who came out of the Seleucid Empire, and who waged war against Egypt, moved against the countries to the east of the empire (Persia for one), and then overran Judea desolating it. (the pleasant land). Continuing the passage as an historical event, metaphorically the host of heaven, stars, and prince of the host can refer to the priests and rulers of Israel, whom he destroyed. And indeed A.E. took away the daily sacrifice, slaughtered a pig on the altar and set up a statue of Zeus in the holy place desecrating the temple, killed many people and looted the temple of its treasures. This is the historical interpretation of this passage, as this is what actually happened. There is an even darker and future interpretation of this passage though, which we will cover below.

Before we go on to this darker and yet to happen interpretation, let us look at what Daniel is told in explanation of this vision. The first very important thing to note is what Gabriel tells Daniel. “Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.” Gabriel is telling Daniel (and us) that the main interpretation of this vision has to do with the time of the end. In other words, the end of the age, the time of Yeshua's Second Coming, even though when this vision was given, Christ has not come the first time yet. So now we know that we must consider that the information contained about this horn that grows to heaven and what he does, has to do with the events of Daniel's 70^th week. Next Gabriel tells him “Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.” Again we are told a second time that this has to do with the end of the indignation, or the time of the end when God's wrath will come. So this is reiterated twice, so that there will be no mistake that this information has to do with the end times. Then Daniel is given the explanation of the ram and goat, which to him was future, but to us is history. Because the countries are mentioned and the fulfillment is so specific, we can see that that section of the prophecy has been fulfilled. But then Gabriel makes it clear that the rest of the prophecy is in the very distant future, at the time of the end. We at told that “in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full,” some events will occur. This is speaking of the end times, when the world's transgressions have reached their fullness and God's patience will run out. From here we need to go back and look at this darker interpretation of which I spoke earlier.

If we take this passage not symbolically but literally, it tells us that this little horn reaches even to the host of heaven, or the angelic realm. Only Satan and other fallen angels can reach into that sphere. The antichrist will be empowered by Satan, so this can apply to him too. This horn actually casts down some of the host and stars of heaven. Now in Scripture, the host of heaven is the angelic host, and the word star is often used to reference an angel, so this is telling us that this horn is responsible for casting some of the angelic realm down to the ground and stamping on them. This is exactly what Satan did when he convinced fully a third of the angels in heaven to follow him. Revelation 12:4 “And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven.” So this passage is speaking of Satan, and by extension the antichrist, as he is empowered or possibly possessed by Satan. In fact that is what the angel says. “a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise.” Practicing dark sentences is basically saying that he is an occult practitioner or worships Satan. Gabriel tells us a second time that he is an occultist. “And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand,” “craft” being witchcraft. So this little horn or king of fierce countenance will be the antichrist, empowered by Satan.

As Antiochus Epiphanes was a foreshadow of the antichrist we should expect to see the AC's actions as a magnified mirror image of what AE did, and we do. We are told that this fierce king, or antichrist, takes away the daily sacrifice, and we know from history, although it is not mentioned directly in this passage in Daniel 8, that AE also set up a statue of Zeus causing an abomination of desolation. These sacrifices which this fierce king takes away would have to be the sacrifices that go on daily at the temple. For there to be sacrifices, there must be a temple or sacrificial altar set up. So as this is future and there presently is not temple, it is telling us that there must be a restored temple, or at least a restored area for sacrifices on the temple mount. These sacrifices must be ongoing before antichrist can stop them. And as AE set up a statue of Zeus in the holy place, so antichrist must commit an abomination that desolates the temple in the holy place. And indeed we are told in other verses that there will be sacrifices that are stopped, and a holy place which he abominates and desolates.

Daniel 9:27 “ And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: (this is the verse from where we get Daniel's 70^th week) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

Daniel 11:31 “And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.”

Daniel 12:11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.”

Matthew 24:15 “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand.)”

Mark 13:14 “But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains.”

AE set up a statue of Zeus, but what does antichrist set up? This king mentioned in Daniel 8 magnifies himself to be as high as the Prince of the host. “he magnified himself even to the prince of the host,” Gabriel again reiterates the information a second time (which he does with several pieces of information in this passage), “he shall magnify himself in his heart, he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes” This Prince would be Yeshua which virtually means God Himself. And this is exactly what Satan tries to do, make himself to be God. And we are told the antichrist, who is Satan's “son” or “incarnation” just as Yeshua was God's, does this also. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” Like father, like son. He sets himself up as God in the holy place.

Now we are also told, because of transgressions (against God) a host (not a host of heaven, but simply a host – a great multitude of people) is also given to him. We know that God will hand over His people to antichrist to purge and refine them, as there is great apostasy in the church.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.”

Daniel 7:21 “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them.”

Daniel 7:25 “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints 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 time.”

Revelation 12:17 “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.”

Revelation 13:7 “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them.”

Matthew 24:15-16, 21-22 “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains..... For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.”

Mark 13:14,19-20 “But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains.... For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.”

He casts truth to the ground. The truth of God and His Word will be cast aside as he spins lies and delusions to make people follow him. God allows this to happen.

2 Thessalonians 2:11 “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.”

Revelation 13:13-14 “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.”

And for a time (42 months) he does prosper in his goal, but as Gabriel tells Daniel, “he shall be broken without hand.” We know that antichrist will be destroyed by Christ at His coming. 2 Thessalonians 2:8 “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.”

Now we get to the part that has everyone in a conundrum. Daniel hears one saint ask another “How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” And then Gabriel in his explanation of the vision tells Daniel “And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.”

We already know that this is speaking of the last or latter days. So these 2300 days or as it is in Hebrew “dusk/dawns” or as some prefer “evening/mornings” has something to do with the last days. So what is the criteria of what falls into these 2300 days. We are told that this 2300 days have to do with the daily sacrifice, the transgression (or abomination) of desolation (which happens at the mid-point of Daniel's 70^th seven year week), the host and sanctuary being trodden underfoot, and the time period until the sanctuary is again cleansed. So all of these events start with the daily sacrifice, and end at the cleansing of the temple. So we have a starting event and an ending event.

Now for some of these things we actually have a time frame. We know that the host and courtyard of the sanctuary are trodden underfoot for 42 months, and that antichrist reigns for 42 months and the saints are given to him for 3 ½ years.

Daniel 7:25 “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints 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 time.”

Revelation 13:5 “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.”

Revelation 11:1-2 “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”

So these two time periods are equated as being the same. Forty-two months are three and a half years. We know that 42 months and 3 ½ year are also 1260 days, as there are two other events going on at the same time which are given to us in length of days. The first is the ministry of the two witnesses.

Revelation 11:3 “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.”

This event is given alongside the 42 months of the trampling of the temple courtyard, so that we see that they are the same length of time. The second is the one which ties the others together by telling us how long 3 ½ years are in terms of days. That is the woman in the wilderness who is given two different lengths of time.

Revelation 12:6 “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.”

Revelation 12:14 “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.” so between all of these verses, we see that 3 ½ years is 42 months or 1260 days.

Now we are told in Daniel 12:11-12 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.”

From the abomination of desolation at the mid-point of the seven years, when the sacrifices are stopped, we are told that there will be 1290 days until all is completed (at Armageddon) in Daniel's 70^th week. Then we are told that the one who makes it to the 1335^th day will be blessed. As Yom Kippur is the Feast which foreshadows the Second Coming and God's wrath beginning (the vial judgments), the way Passover foreshadowed the crucifixion, and as antichrist's reign ends at the Second Coming (day 1260), we know that there are still 75 days to go after Yom Kippur to reach the 1335^th day. The first 30 days take us to day 1290 when all is finished according to Daniel, and so we know the vial judgments fall in those 30 days after Yeshua returns at Yom Kippur. (He comes at the last trumpet, which starts the vial judgments). We now see there are 75 days from Yom Kippur until the 1335^th day. The first 30 are taken up with the vials, then there are 45 more to go. It so happens that 75 days after Yom Kippur is Hanukkah. The day the sanctuary was cleansed from Antiochus Epiphanes abomination of desolation. So we can assume, knowing that God reuses dates to commemorate events, that He will have Hanukkah have a dual fulfillment. A cleansing of two temples, not just the one. This would then give us the time when the 2300 days would end or as said to Daniel, the sanctuary would be cleansed.

So we have our ending date of the 2300 days, which is 1335 days after the abomination of desolation. Many people like to claim that because the Hebrew for days in this verse is actually “evening mornings” that this is speaking of evening and morning sacrifices and therefore we should cut the 2300 in half to figure out the meaning. But this will not work. Half of 2300 is 1150, which is already less than the 1335 days from the abomination to the cleansing of the temple. And we are told that the counting of these days does not start with the abomination, but earlier with the sacrifices ongoing. As the sacrifices will be stopped, the evening/mornings cannot refer to 2300 sacrifices, as they will not be ongoing during all of this. So this must be referring only to days. God in Genesis refers to a day as an evening and morning, while in the Law He talks about a morning and evening sacrifice in that order. It seems He is referring to a 24 hour day here, not the morning and evening sacrifices.

Now if the seven years of Daniel's 70^th week is 84 months (42 being the second half so the whole being 84) we have a period of 2520 days. That would mean that approximately 220 days into the 70^th week of Daniel, sacrifices would have to start being made in a temple for this vision of 2300 days to be true, as sacrifices are the first event listed as happening within this time frame of 2300 days. And Gabriel is emphatic about that point. “And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true.” So we should expect that once the covenant (no matter to what that covenant refers) is confirmed at the beginning of the seven year period, that roughly seven months into the first year of Daniel's 70^th week we will see sacrifices being made. Possibly it will be the beginning of them.

Oddly enough, or maybe not oddly, in doing some calculations backwards seven years from Hanukkah on various years in the future, it seemed that counting back 2300 days sometimes ended up on a holy day. In fact one time I found that counting backward ended up on Rosh haShanah. What better day to begin sacrifices than on the New Year, on the ten days of awe before Yom Kippur. This does not happen every year, in fact it only happened once in my calculations, and I will not mention on what year it will occur, as many factors may affect the calendars as they now stand that will change them. But it is interesting that it could possibly line up that way.

Is this then the meaning of the 2300 evening mornings? That we are told when the sacrifices begin, that seven months or so earlier the covenant will have been confirmed? We cannot be sure that this covenant is something that will be public, so all we have to go by for a sign that we are in Daniel's 70^th week is the temple sacrifices. By knowing how long it is from the time they start, we can estimate where we are in the 70^th week. It may really be that simple.

*As an added note, it was brought to my attention that some say that the 2300 days have nothing to do with the future as they were fulfilled by Antiochus Ephiphanes. From all of my research that would seem to be impossible, as none of the time lines give would us either the 2300 days or 1150 morning and evening sacrifices (for those who feel the number should be cut in half). Most sources say that the records say that the time span from the abomination until the temple was cleansed was exactly three years from Kislev 25 to Kislev 25 three years later. One sight said that it was three and a half years. Neither of those time frames would provide us with either 2300 days nor 1150 days, whether you use a Jewish length of year of 360 days, the Jewish year with the leap year thrown in on a second or third year, or the 365 day year. In all cases one must use the cut in half time, meaning counting each morning and evening sacrifice each as one (which I do not think was meant by God) and the amount of days that result are either too many or too few to qualify. God is very specific about this length of time, so as it does not seem that this time refers to Antiochus's abomination, it must therefore refer to the future.

Who is Mystery Babylon?

Who is Mystery Babylon? This is one of the great mysteries that has puzzled many theologians (some think they know exactly who she is). The four current main schools of thought (there may be some other suggestions, but they do not have the large following of these others, and quite honestly I do not know of them.) Probably the oldest line of thought is that Babylon is the Roman Catholic Church centered at the Vatican. The next choice is that America is Babylon, and the last two suggestions are that she is Jerusalem or a literal rebuilt city of Babylon in Iraq.

In the course of writing on Revelation, I had to come to some conclusions based on the knowledge that God had allowed me to have at that time.  However I have never been quite satisfied with that and it has troubled me that something was missing from the information.  Actually it wasn't that something was missing.  It was that I wasn't able to put all the information together.  I have spent time praying and asking God to give me wisdom to understand the knowledge I have had.  I have been convinced that when the time got close for things to begin, God would reveal these last things that I have not understood.  Well, today I was pondering all this information I have stored in my brain and suddenly it all came together.  At least I believe it has.  That makes me wonder how close we are.

When I began this article, I had written the first paragraph then intended to do an article laying out the description of Babylon and pointing out her characteristics, leaving it to the reader to ascertain whom  of the candidates they thought might be the one who filled the bill. During the course of writing it though, I had been in prayer asking for wisdom to finally know for certain, as I have never truly been sure myself of the choice I had made. I had questions that I could not solve, as to why she rode the beast when it seemed that she was a political entity herself, apart from the beast. I also did not understand why in the end he hates her so, when she has been his companion all these years, riding him with apparently his consent. It also seemed that she should be a religious entity, but then she was political too. This fact seemed to point in one direction, but then the description in Revelation 17-18 pointed in another. It was a conundrum I could not reconcile. Not until now. I had all the information at my disposal all this time, but I could not piece the puzzle together correctly.

I want to share what I have discovered. It starts with looking at her in Revelation. She rides a beast. A beast with seven heads and ten horns. We must first look at the beast and understand who he is to then understand her. We are told the following about the beast. Revelation 17:3, 8-13 “So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.......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. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.”

We are told that the beast comes out of the bottomless pit. I believe he is a spiritual being, a demon who will inhabit the antichrist, that being whoever is in a position for him to use. (I believe the person involved may be killed and the beast will then enter and occupy the body, making it appear the person has been resurrected.)  He has seven heads. We are told that these heads are seven mountains (which symbolically in Scriptures stands for a kingdom) and seven kings (the rulers of those kingdoms). Further we are told that five of those kings (kingdoms) have fallen before John's time, one exists at John's time, and one is future to John's time, and will only last a very short time compared to these other kingdoms. We are told that the beast himself will become an eighth kingdom/king and that he is “of” the seven and will go back to hell. Then we are told that the ten horns stand for ten kings (leaders) who have no kingdom at John's time, but will receive power in one hour along with the beast. They will submit their kingdom's power to the beast. We know from the book of Daniel that the statue Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about gave a history of world empires. Each of these empires was controlled at one time by the beast and was one of the heads he has. We know that Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome are four of those heads. Rome is the one that existed at John's time, which tells us that we need two more before Babylon. What do all of these have in common? They were the world super-powers and they persecuted Israel. So what other two kingdoms before Babylon did the same. The question is easy to answer. Egypt and Assyria. We know that one kingdom will come into being after Rome has ceased to be a power. What “kingdom” was a world power and persecuted the Jews, and we are told that this particular kingdom will be short-lived. This is also an easy answer. The Third Reich under Hitler. Hitler was a well-known occultist, and his empire lasted only a matter of a few years in comparison to these other kingdoms.  So this also fits well.

Now we need to go back and consider the whore Babylon. We are told that she sits upon and rides the beast. A woman symbolically in Scripture generally represents a spiritual not political element. If the beast were the ruler of a kingdom, then what part did she play in each kingdom (for she has always ridden him)? It has always been assumed that she represented the religious system of Satan, the Babylonian Mysteries. And she did. It was the religion, the Babylonian Mysteries, that controlled the people in each of these ancient kingdoms up through Rome. While the beast reigned, she controlled the people for him. While she is seen riding the beast, because she did through all of these six kingdoms, we shall see that she and the beast have parted company for the seventh and eighth kingdoms, and she has become more than just a religion. First we need to consider her and the beast's shared history.

The Babylonian Mysteries started at the original Babylon or Babel with Semiramis. She created a religion around her husband Nimrod (Marduk) and her son Tammuz. This was the creation of the mother/son worship which we still see even in some Christian churches today. The Scriptures indicate that something happened to Nimrod to change him. Genesis 10:8-9 “And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.” Nimrod became a mighty one. References to “mighty ones” often refers to the Nephilim that existed before the Flood. They were half-breeds of the angelic/human matings. Now Nimrod was not born a mighty one, he became one. What this indicates is uncertain, but something changed him. Was he possessed by the spirit of a demon? It is thought that demons are the bodiless spirits of the nephilim who died in the Flood and still are free to roam the earth. They may not be confined to hell, due to their dual nature. They seem to seek and need bodies, whereas angels (including fallen ones) have their own bodies. If Nimrod and Semiramis were possessed by two spirits, (whether nephilim or fallen angel)  these same spirits would go on to inhabit other bodies as the humans they possessed died. I believe it is possible the beast (whatever his actual spiritual name is) possessed Nimrod, which is what made him change to be a mighty one, and this beast was striving to build a one world kingdom, (sound familiar?) the Tower of Babel. Semiramis, possessed by the spiritual being, Babylon the whore, created the religion to control its people. This seems to have been the goal of each of the kings on the head of the beast and she was always his cohort or consort providing the religion for his kingdom. As God dispersed Babel before it could be created as a world power or government, this kingdom did not qualify to be one of the heads of the beast, hence the first head on the beast is Egypt.

When Babel was dispersed because of the Tower incident, the Mysteries traveled around the world, but Babylon herself along with the beast had to go to one place as they are not omnipresent. The place they seemed to choose was Egypt. We can see their influence with the pyramids, the Osiris/Isis/Horus religion, and eventually their persecution of Israel. Because the language was changed, we hear different names than is seen in Sumerian texts, (ancient Babel) but when one examines the religion, one sees that whether it is China, India, Egypt, Phoenicia, Greece, or Rome, the gods and the stories are basically the same or very similar. That is because all of the information about the Babylonian Mysteries was carried with each group dispersed from Babel. With the eruption of all these new languages, the names were changed, and the stories changed, as any story does when carried in different directions and passed down from generation to generation.

With the decline of Egypt's power, (maybe God's punishment for what she did to Israel?) they moved their base to Assyria. Always the couple, in fact one wonders if they were lovers or husband and wife as Semiramis and Nimrod were, they used the same system in each kingdom they took over. I do not know which of the leaders of each of the kingdoms was actually possessed by the beast, or if really all of them were, but the fact is, the pattern of world domination, the Babylonian Mysteries as the religion, and persecution of Israel is found in all of the kingdoms on the beast's head. We know that Assyria took Israel captive, and in fact they never came back from captivity becoming known as the ten lost tribes. Following Assyria we had Babylon. Babylon took Judah captive and it was Nebuchadnezzar to whom God gave the visions for the future that we find in the book of Daniel. When Babylon was conquered by Medo-Persia, we had the incident with Esther, another persecution. It was during the inherited captivity in this kingdom that the people of Israel were sent back to rebuild the city and temple. In each case the kingdom that persecuted Israel was in turn overthrown. Punishment by God? I think so. Medo-Persia was overrun by Greece. It was one of the Seleucid rulers (one of the four divisions of Greece after Alexander died), Antiochus Epiphanes, who set up a statue of Zeus in the temple and slaughtered a pig on the altar, as well as killing many Jews. Greece was overthrown by Rome. I think we all know how Rome persecuted Israel, crucified Christ (with Israel's help), destroyed the temple (dispersing Israel for 2000 years), followed by persecution of Christians. And each of these kingdoms had a form of the Babylonian Mysteries as their religion, controlling the people.

What happened when the Roman Empire declined? The empire was split in two and both went into decline, the western empire dying quite some time before the eastern. There was no world power that raised its head any time soon, the same way these other kingdoms had followed each other in succession, for the beast to take over. The implication from Scripture is that he had been put in the abyss until the seventh king came on the scene, as he seems to have been inactive until that seventh kingdom came about, which was a very long time in happening.  Even the Ottoman Empire did not seem to bring him out, as long-lived as it was, because it was a Muslim empire. Islam in spite of it being anti-Christian does not lend itself to Babylon's Mystery religion. And during all this time, Babylon was still on the scene. She was left with a dying empire and no new empire immediately on the horizon.  Plus she was without her man. So what happened to her? 

Well, the first thing that happened was that Christianity came along and lived side by side with her in the Roman Empire. That was a thorn in her side. She tried to deal with Christians the same way she and the beast had tried to deal with Israel, by destroying them. The martyrdom of the early church is well known. But this was different. Israel was one thing, Christ was another. Christ defeated death and the gates of hell cannot prevail against Him. Then Christianity quit living alongside of her and came in and corrupted her religion. What? I hear you say. We are used to thinking of Constantine corrupting Christianity by incorporating paganism or Babylonianism into it when he made Christianity the state religion. From our point of view that is true, and maybe initially she thought it would work to allow this pairing, as she had done with Judaism when she incorporated Kaballah into it, but again, Christ is a much greater opponent. From Babylon's point of view Christianity came in and corrupted her religion, for as bad as the combination was for Christianity, the fact was that the truth that Jesus or Yeshua came and died for our sins was a teaching in the combined church that could actually save people from Satan's control and her ways, and was something she could not and would not endure. It was abominable to her to have worship of the true God saving people, alongside herself. She was not going to share her godhead with anyone, much less with the true Son of God. Her joint venture with the church was not long-lived. Although the leftovers of her corruption of Christianity and many of her followers remain in the church to this day, she does not headquarter herself there. It is not the source of her religion. She soon went underground and became a secret religion, as Christianity was too great a power for her to reign out in the open anymore. This is how she lived for quite a while until someone resurrected her on a much bigger scale. And what was that, you might ask.

In the 11th century, the Knights Templar were a special order under the Vatican. They were believed to be an order above reproach, but they were not. While on the Crusades it is said that they came across the Babylonian Mysteries, and it almost sounds from the reports that they came across her headquarters itself, wherever that was. They saw the power that she and these mysteries offered them, and they immersed themselves in her teachings, giving themselves over to her control which really was the control of Satan. For a while they were able to conceal their activities, as this was a secret religion, and they were supposed to be known as a charitable organization, well respected by the people. Many nobles and princes even willed their estates to them. Within 200 years they became the bankers of Europe because of this wealth. Babylon now had followers and wealth, and with wealth comes power, but she had no beast anymore to provide a kingdom in which she could rule by religion, and she could not reign out in the open as herself.  But, she had money, so she would find a way back to power through the Templars.

In 1307 King Phillip IV had a run-in with the Templars. He discovered that in actuality they were a Satanic cult using the gnostic teachings and ancient Babylonian Mystery rites. To get into the order, one had to commit sodomy, spit on the cross of Christ, denounce Christ and swear allegiance to Lucifier. They used the name Lucifer, as this is what Satan had them call him - his supposedly original name which means light-bearer. He presented himself as the way of enlightenment to them via Babylon's teachings. The people of Europe were outraged. Germany and France demanded that investigations be done. A trial was held and the Knights Templar confessed. At that time the leader of the KT was Jacques DeMolay. He was the most well-known Satanist of all time. In the Masonic “bible” Morals and Dogma by Albert Pike, he says that the KTs had been masters of deception and experts in duplicity appearing to serve Christ on the surface while worshiping Lucifer in their inner rites. The Templars, like all secret organizations had two doctrines, one concealed and revealed only to the masters, and one for the public whom they deceived. On May 12, 1310, fifty-four French Templars were burned alive in Paris. Prior to his execution, Jacques DeMolay formed four secret underground lodges. One at Naples for the east, one at Edinburgh for the west, one at Stockholm for the north and one at Paris for the south. That he founded these four is testified to by the fact that although they differ in some respects, his initials are found used in the same order in the first three degrees of ascension. These secret societies kept underground and were governed by unknown people revealing themselves only to those who passed through a series of degrees and proved themselves worthy to be trusted with the secrets. At this time there was a massive flow of gold and silver from France to Scotland. Scotland became the power base of these secret societies.

A couple hundred years passed while these orders kept themselves secret. In the late 1500’s and early 1600’s they decided to try to go public. They created a document called the “Teachings of Christian Rosencroix” which allegorically told the history of the Knights Templar through the life of a person searching for spiritual enlightenment who went to the Middle East and came in contact with superior occult teachings and brought them back to Europe. They floated these documents to university leaders and scholars with a return address to gauge interest. They were overwhelmed by the responses. This was due in part to the Renaissance and enlightenment philosophies that were developing at the time. They became known then as the Rosacrucians. Shortly after that they went public. They needed a public front and organization already respected and established for their cover. At that time building guilds were threatened with extinction and wanted to keep their building traditions alive, so they agreed to a take-over by the Rosacrusians. So the Rosacrusians became the Stone Masons Guild, or as we know them today, the Masons. The KTs became known as “speculative” masons and they adopted all the symbols of the Masonic guild such as the square and compass. Remember though that Babylon was and is in control of this, and what people think of as a fraternal organization is actually a cover for the Mystery Babylonian religion.

Through the rich bankers, Babylon had amassed a fortune.  She had followers with business power, a legitimate front to come out of hiding, and now needed a kingdom through which she could wield political power. She had found that she could not do this openly in Europe as the European royalty had not treated her well in the past. She needed something that she could mold from the start to suit her own purposes -  a country without competition from the royalty, who did not want to share that power with her followers who were the tradesmen of the day.  It was about this time that Europeans had really started to settle the new continent of America. As time went by it appeared that this country would provide the perfect cover for Babylon's activities.

By early 1717, the first grand lodge was formed. By the late 1700’s Masonry was accepted in Europe as a charitable organization. In 1776 (interesting date isn't it?) the Illuminati was created. Albert G. Marley who is a Masonic historian describes the Illuminati as a secret society founded on May 1, 1776 by Adam Weishopt who was a professor of Canon law at the University of Inglestadt. He is celebrated in the history of masonry as the founder of the order of Illuminati in Bavaria. It was very popular and had 2000 names of distinguished men in France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, Italy, and Germany. Its purpose was similar to our Council on Foreign Relations today. They wanted their men in key political advisory positions around the world to favor world government. (And this has now been accomplished. The leaders of the countries of the world are mostly, if not all, Masons.) They were exposed in about ten years by someone who seized some of their documents and sent them to leaders of Europe. By this time the leaders had thought the threat had been abolished not understanding it had gone undercover and had grown in ranks.  Ranks who did not look upon the patronizing attitude of the royalty with favor. These leaders thought the documents so outrageous and unbelievable, they paid no attention. This is the common response of people today to the idea of an Illuminati that controls world affairs. George Washington, John Adams, and James Madison made a show of warning the U.S. about the Illuminati. This seems a little bogus as these men were Masons or favorable toward Masons themselves.

When our government was founded in 1776, we had Illuminists and Masons as our founding leaders, as have the majority of our leaders been since then. That is why you will find so many occultic symbols at our nation’s capital and on our nation’s currency. - The Washington Monument (obelisk); the pyramid with the missing capstone, all-seeing eye, and words Novus Ordo Seclorum on the currency. Our country's capitol is actually a temple to the goddess. The streets are even set up in an occult way outlining occult symbols. The vast use of all of this in our country is another study in and of itself. One more thing, Washington DC is the headquarters for “The Supreme Council of the Inspectors General Knights Commander of the House of the Temple of Solomon of the Thirty-third Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States of America.” (its official name) It is also known as the House of the Temple Home of the Supreme Council, 33°, Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction. Most importantly it is also commonly known as the Mother Supreme Council of the World (notice the word “mother” and “world”) and was the first Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Freemasonry. To join the Supreme Council, one must attain the 32° of the Scottish Rite, and then be conferred the honorary 33°. It is at these ranks that it is revealed to its members that the God that they are worshiping in secret is actually Satan.  A great many of our political, business, and even I am sure some religious leaders as well as sundry other people from teachers to artists, spend two weeks a year in worship of Babylon at the Bohemian Grove in California, where a mock human sacrifice (I believe it may be a real human sacrifice) is offered to a thirty foot statue of the owl god Molech. (Just one of Babylon's persona). This is just one of what I am sure are many debauched activities goes on. 

In 1801 in Charleston, SC, the first U.S. grand lodge was founded. Babylon had found a home. She had her religious worship (the Masonic rites) and now she had a political power base. The rites of Masonry demand that the brotherhood come before any other loyalty. This is why a Mason will give preference to or help another brother Mason in all kinds of situations from giving him a promotion on a job (even undeserved) to letting a criminal get away with a crime (as a judge). The loyalty of brotherhood even supercedes country loyalties. The leaders of the world are Masons. Their loyalty is not to their country, but to their Masonic brothers and religion. Even well-known so-called Christian minsters and leaders are secret Masons. They give themselves away when they are photographed using the secret signals that Masons love to use. The goal of the beast and Babylon has always been a one world government, and that is the goal of the leaders of the world. All of the posturing that they hate each other is bogus. Just as Babylon covers her real religion under the guise of a fraternal order, the leaders of the world cover their real agenda by acting in public as they think they should if they were loyal to their countries. What they do behind closed doors is another matter entirely.

So it would appear that America is Babylon's kingdom.  And indeed if one reads the description in Revelation 17-18, not to mention what is said of her in Jeremiah, it does seem to describe the U.S. If you are now wondering what that city is that rules the kings of the world, mentioned in Revelation 17:18, I believe it is not NYC as most people, or even as I had believed until just the other day. I had long ago come to believe that Babylon was America based upon the description in Revelation 17 and 18, as nobody fits that description as the USA. And I now think that is absolutely correct. And the logical city in her boundaries to be the city Babylon seemed to be NYC based upon the fact that the UN is there, and most of the world thinks of the UN as being the ruler over the leaders of the world. Not to mention the statue of Babylon standing in the harbor. But I now believe that the UN is as much a phony front and cover to throw suspicion away from the real city, as is the Masonic Lodge being a good works fraternal organization. The Mother Supreme Council of the World, the headquarters for the Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Freemasonry is at Washington, DC. This is the true power base of Babylon. This is what controls and reigns over the leaders of the world. Their Masonic religion. Their fraternal order to which their loyalty comes before any other loyalty. Their goal of a one world government is on the behalf of their goddess and god (Satan). The temple to their goddess Babylon is the capitol building at Washington, DC. The entire city is a shrine to her. I have come to believe that Washington is that city spoken of in Revelation and America is the political power she wields to enforce her control over the world. We are the super-power of the world. She is back on top but this time by her own power alone, not with the help of the beast.  She has carved out this world power by the work of her own hands and she sits as a queen saying she is not a widow, as she has accomplished all this without the help of the beast, and having the belief that nobody can touch her, but she is a widow (having lost her man). 

Now to explain something mentioned earlier. After Rome, the beast must have been sequestered away from Babylon in the abyss, as otherwise he would have reared his ugly head before he did. When did he next surface? I believe the seventh head of the beast was when he surfaced and possessed Hitler. Hitler was bent on world domination and attempted to conquer Europe, Russia, and countries to the south into Africa. He did create a fairly vast empire, but just as the Scriptues say, he didn't last long. He was also an occultist and murdered Christians and Jews by the millions. What was interesting about Hitler was that he hated the Masonic order. Why, if he worshiped Satan too? It makes no sense. It makes no sense until you understand what the Masonic Lodge is. Babylon's power control. When the beast came back, he found that Babylon had established a power base without him. She was now a world power to be reckoned with. She was not about to hand over to him what she had spent a great deal of time creating by herself, and he was not pleased.  If she wasn't going to give her power to him, he wanted to rid himself of her from his own power base. So Hitler went about dissolving all the Masonic Lodges in his domain. The ten Grand Lodges of Germany were the first to go, with its prominent members being sent to concentration camps. The Gestapo grabbed the membership lists and looted the lodges. This activity carried over to each country as it was conquered by the Nazis, with the Masters of the lodges ending up in concentration camps. The beast now hated Babylon, for she was not his consort, and the means of him controlling the people, she was his enemy and rival for world power. He could not control the people by religion, as he had no religion in place, so he controlled them by fear and brainwashing, getting rid of anyone who posed a threat. When Babylon saw the threat he posed to her, and how he was going after her followers and eliminating them from the positions of power all over Europe, she needed to stop him, so America entered the war. And she defeated him, sending him back to the abyss from whence he had come.

The next time he comes out, he will possess (either taking possession of the person inside the body, or that person will die as indicated by Scripture, and the beast will merely usurp the corpse for his own use) the person known as the antichrist, (whomever that may be) and he will be determined to get his revenge against Babylon. This time he will win, for it says that he destroys her in one hour. But this is only because he is carrying out God's will for Him. Babylon, oddly enough when she first had a hand in creating this country, stood by while Christianity flourished, sending out missionaries and doing great things on behalf of God. She did not mind this, as her religion was quite separate (and secret) this time, so it couldn't corrupt her followers. And her followers were the political leaders and financiers in charge. Christianity is a source of great good for a country. The countries in which Christianity flourished were the most prosperous, civilized, and educated in the world, and she knew it. She needed Christianity for the good it did for her, creating a people who would serve her well when she turned them. Meanwhile God was using her country for His good, and she had no problems with that at the beginning. After all, she could corrupt Christianity in time and turn the people away from God within the churches. She had corrupted it before, she could do it again. But this time from a position of power politically, as well as her secret religion which controlled quietly behind the scenes. She put her followers in positions of leadership and power within the church to corrupt it from within. America started out as a golden cup in God's hand, Jeremiah 51:7, but now she was a whore making the whole earth drunk off the wine of her abominations. She now holds the golden cup. She is also drunk with the blood of the saints. Now we come to the really scary part for American Christians. Everyone is worried about the beast, but Americans have much to fear from Babylon. Her cup is full of the blood of the saints. Not just those she killed in Rome years ago, but those she will kill during the Tribulation. Americans are the Laodicean Christians who are rich and blind and think they have need of nothing. They will have to overcome if they want to get into heaven.

So now we see that America truly appears to be Babylon. And who is the next puppet of the beast that hates her so? From where will the man he possesses come? Ask yourself - who hates America more than anyone else? The beast needs a religion to control his people. He didn't have one the last time, and he lost, but while he was here possessing Hitler, he had time to look around. Where could he find a fanatical religion that hates America, (Babylon) Christianity, and the Jews? Think about it. If it helps, remember, he is going to cut people's heads off.  And Satan has given this religion some prophecies that have them looking for a Messiah or Mahdi to come on the scene who will turn the world to their religion. They also believe in a second return of Jesus Christ - their Jesus Christ being a false prophet who will say to the world that the Mahdi is the world's Messiah.  It would certainly fit the description in Daniel 7:7 "After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns."  This beast is not just a political nation.  It says it is different from all the other beasts before it.  And it is a great bully, killing all who get in its way as it takes over.

I don't know how the reader feels, but I believe this fits the Scriptures quite well.

*After writing this, the idea came to me that Babylon is not necessarily the beast's consort or wife, but his mother.  I thought back over the myths and in each case the father (Nimrod/Marduk, Osiris, etc.) is "killed" leaving the mother and son to carry on. This would explain why the mother/son relationship is so important in all religions and especially in Masonry with Horus (the son) being so important.  Quite possibly the beast is the literal offspring of some type of relationship between Satan and Babylon which we don't quite understand.  It does say in Genesis that Satan will have a seed, and that might mean more than people following him by rejecting God.  It might mean a literal seed just as God has a literal seed in Jesus.  As Satan appears to be reptilian in nature (called the Serpent, Dragon, etc.) his offspring would no doubt also be a rather literal gruesome beast, hence his moniker. 

Mike Hoggard - Are His Teachings Scriptural?

For those who have read this blog from early on, or read the side bars, you know that I run a second blog on topical issues that are controversial or are questions that people have about the Bible. Sometimes I will put those articles on this blog (as not everybody crosses over and reads the other blog), as the articles are pertinent to both sites.  To that end, I felt that I should post a link to my articles on Mike Hoggard on this blog.  The reason for doing this is because I have had so many hits on those articles that even though they have only been up a couple of months, they have surpassed every other article I have put there, even though some have been up a few years.  Obviously people want to know whether Mike Hoggard is to be trusted or not, as he does have some very strange theories on things.

I have three separate articles on Mike.  The first (whose link is posted below) is just a general overview.  The second is about his King James Code, and the third is about how he utilizes brainwashing methods in his preaching, (whether he knows it or not).  In the articles there are also links to other blog posts I have written about things he references, such as the King James only controversy, were the Sons of God in Genesis really angels, and a few others.  If you question my stand on the issues mentioned, then I would suggest going to those links and seeing why I take the stand I do.  Someone quit reading my article on Hoggard halfway through merely because they disagreed with one of my stands on an issue, although he did not disagree with the other things I said about Hoggard.  Before dismissing something, it is a good thing to really check out why the person believes it, as believe it or not, you may be wrong.  I have been forced to change my views on many things over the years as I really studied the Bible.  I learned that I should not have just trusted what someone said (the beliefs I was taught as a child) without a really good Scriptural defense, and that I should consider what someone else has said, but as a Berean checking all the scriptures on the issue.

If you have not done the research yourself on the views you hold (instead of just trusting you were taught the truth or accepting that the scriptures they use are all that the Bible has to say on the subject), you should really take the time to do so.  You may be forced to change your views, if you want truth rather than clinging to the theology with which you were raised.  Satan has gone to great lengths to make sure that every theology has some truth and some lies, so that we would never have all the truth.  It is our job to ferret out the lies and abandon them, even when it is difficult and painful.  It is also our job to take everything that someone says and be a Berean, going to the Scriptures and checking everything they say to make sure they aren't just picking and choosing the verses they like and ignoring the rest.  So, for your consideration, I give you my research on Mike Hoggard. It is not exhaustive, as I can't listen to everything he has ever preached, so there may be much more than I have there, but it should be enough to give you an idea of whether you want to listen to everything he says without question.  Oh, and just for the record, yes, I do want you to check everything I write against the Scriptures too.  I am not afraid of the examination. 

Embedded at the bottom of the article below are links to the other two Hoggard articles - the one on the KJV code, and the other on brainwashing techniques.  Each article has a link back to the other two articles at the bottom, should you want to go back and forth between them.

http://bibleconundrumsandcontroversy.blogspot.com/2012/03/mike-hoggard-anti-apostasy-teacher-or.html

Did Paul know about the 7th Trumpet in Revelation?

One of the arguments that is ongoing among differing rapture proponents is whether or not the last trump mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” is the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11:15-18 “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. ” Added to those verses are 1 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.”

Pre-tribulationists say that it is not possible for Paul's last trumpet to be John's seventh trumpet, because Paul wrote his epistle long before John wrote Revelation, and therefore knew nothing of these trumpets. On the face of it with no additional information, that would seem to make sense if we delved no further. However even without any further information, is that still true? Who exactly did write the Scriptures, men or God? If we acknowledge, as most pre-tribulationists do, that the Word of God is inspired by God and every word has been placed there by God, then did God not know when Paul wrote his epistle what He would tell John to write in Revelation? When one looks at the Old Testament prophets, who wrote at different times and different locations, can one not see word for word in some cases the same exact prophecies? Why should it be any different between Paul and John? Yet this fact is not acknowledged by pre-tribulationists simply because it would be one more proof against their arguments and for their opponents viewpoint.

Before examining the verses, let us consider the problem. What on earth would the term last trump mean to Paul? Why would he use it? If it had no meaning to him, then to write it down would again mean that he was inspired by God to do so, and therefore it was not necessary for him to understand, as God had reasons for using the term. But if God is the one who told Paul to put it in, there must have been a reason, so that we would make a connection somewhere else down the road, as God always leaves us clues. So again we are back to the argument that it did not matter whether Paul understood it or not, as God knew what He was doing.

Now let us consider the other side of the coin. Did Paul know what implications the term had? In fact he did. When God gave the commandments at Mt. Sinai directly to the people, a trumpet was blown to call them to assembly. Exodus 19:16 “There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.” In Judaism it is taught that God blew one shofar or ram's horn at the giving of the commandments. The blowing of trumpets was a common occurrence in Judaism as they were blown to assemble the people, to call to battle, on holy days, on the first of the months, over offerings, etc. Numbers 10:3, 9-10 “And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation..... And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies. Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.” These trumpets were to be blown as an ordinance throughout all time. Numbers 10:8 “And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations.” So many horns have been blown and have yet to be blown over the course of time. However, it is taught in Judaism that the other shofar or ram's horn from the set that was first blown at Mt. Sinai will be the last trumpet blown, and it will be blown on the Day of Resurrection when the Day of Judgment or the wrath of God (Day of the Lord) on the world will commence. This has been taught from the beginning and would have been the teachings that Jesus would have known, as well as Paul and John. They all associated the last trumpet with the resurrection and the beginning of God's wrath. As the resurrection immediately precedes the rapture, the trumpet mentioned by Paul in connection with the rapture would also by his understanding be the trumpet that announces the resurrection and God's wrath, as well as a couple other things that will be mentioned later.

Before looking at the trumpets of Revelation, let us consider the feasts of God. The feast days were given by God to be a shadow of Yeshua's comings. The spring feasts were all about His first coming and the fall feasts are about His second coming. Yeshua has fulfilled the spring feast of Passover, so the ultimate Passover has occurred. Along with the spring and fall feasts there were some ordinances attached to the months. There was a blowing of the trumpets that announced the new moons or the beginning of the months. Each month was announced with the blowing of trumpets, but on the seventh month, it was more than just the announcing of the beginning of a new month. God designated a feast to begin this month. It was intended to be a memorial. The reason for this was due to the fact that this month, the seventh, contains the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement when the High Priest would go into the Holiest Place and put the blood on the ark of the covenant for the sins of the people for that year.

While this part of Yom Kippur cannot be carried out anymore, Yom Kippur is still observed by even secular Jews. From the first day of the month, when the trumpets are blown until the tenth of the month when Yom Kippur is observed, the people are to examine themselves and search for sins to make themselves right with God. This Day of Atonement represents Judgment Day, for they believe that during these ten days the books are opened and fates are decided. The belief is that the righteous have their names inscribed for another year in the Book of Life, the wicked have their names blotted out of the book of Life forever, and those in between have ten days to repent to make themselves righteous before the books are closed and their fates sealed on Yom Kippur, the Day of Judgment. The fall feasts are all about the Messiah being crowned King, the resurrection of the dead, the world being judged by God on the final Day of Judgment, a memorial of being in the wilderness, and a celebration of a wedding.

This feast at the beginning of the seventh month of Tishri is called the Feast of Trumpets. While it is called a memorial, it really does not come into its own as a memorial until after Daniel's 70^th week is accomplished, for this feast will be a memorial to the trumpets of Revelation. Just as these trumpets of the Feast of Trumpets herald the approach of Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement for Israel, so the trumpets of Revelation will herald the Day of Judgment for the world.

Within the calendar of feasts of the Lord during the year, we find that from the time of the Passover until Yom Kippur there are six new moons or trumpets sounded. As Passover occurs in the first month of Nissan, the trumpets that follow the Passover would be the trumpets sounded in Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av, Elul, and Tishri, the last being the Feast of Trumpets. This means that six different set of trumpets are sounded from Passover to Yom Kippur, the Day of Judgment. On the seventh month it is a more important event. Leviticus 23:24 “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.” If this is a pattern for us to observe, just as the springs feasts and fall feasts have and will have a far greater fulfillment, then we should see a larger fulfillment of there being six trumpets between the ultimate Passover and the ultimate Yom Kippur or Day of the Lord, the Day of Judgment, God's wrath. Keep this in mind for a moment.

Now we find a most important ordinance. On most years (49 to be exact) there will no more trumpets sounded until the eighth month in the calendar after Yom Kippur has occurred when they resume the normal monthly trumpet blowing to announce the new month, but on the year of Jubilee, every fiftieth year, there is a special trumpet sounded on the day of Yom Kippur. Leviticus 25:9-10a “Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you.”

When Yeshua began his ministry he stood up in the synagogue and read from Isaiah. Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” The acceptable year of the Lord is considered the Jubilee year. Yeshua was telling them that the ultimate freeing of the captives and healing the brokenhearted, the ultimate Jubilee was at hand, if they would accept Him as their Messiah. And while it may or may not have been a formal Jubilee year in the Jewish calendar, the ultimate Jubilee year did occur for the world in that Yeshua did set the captives free and healed the blind, bruised, and brokenhearted. We have been given the opportunity to be freed from our captivity to sin by accepting Him as our Savior. What Yeshua did not do that day was to finish reading the passage. He did not finish the passage, because the second part of the passage has to do with His Second Coming, not His first. The entire passage in Isaiah 61:1-2 says “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.”

As can be seen, the entire passage ends with God's wrath. So the acceptable year of the Lord, a Jubilee year is also the time for God's vengeance or wrath. When Yeshua returns the second time it will again be a Jubilee year, when God's wrath will be poured out. Now that does not mean that if we count how many years from the time of Yeshua's ministry we can figure out when the Jubilee year will occur, for when Israel was cast out of the land, Jubilees ceased to occur. They have not been observed since the destruction of the temple and will not begin again until Yeshua returns. Even though the modern state of Israel may have celebrated a Jubilee year, that is not the same as God's Jubilee year. The people all have to be in the land, in faith, and observing God's ordinances for God's Jubilee to be celebrated, and these requirements have not been met. Just as the people did not observe the ordinances and one of the consequences was the Babylonian captivity, so the ordinances are not being observed now, including God's Jubilee year. It is not an automatic fifty years whether or not Israel is in the land or in the land but not in faith. When they are in the land, in faith, the counting of years will begin again.

As the Scriptures show that the time of God's wrath is the Jubilee year, and the Second Coming of Yeshua is also at that time, we now know that the Yom Kippur of that last year of Daniel's 70^th week will be a Jubilee year, and that the last trumpet, the one that Judaism says will be sounded at the time of the final Yom Kippur or Judgment, will be sounded. It will be the seventh and last trumpet of that year and of the age. So the last trump, the trump that will sound for the resurrection of the dead, the coming of the Lord, and the beginning of God's wrath will be sounded at that time.

Now that the pattern that foreshadows those last seven trumpets of Revelation have been shown in the new moon trumpets between Passover and the Day of Judgment, we can see why there are six trumpets (in Revelation) between the ultimate Passover of Yeshua's death and the ultimate Yom Kippur, the Day of God's wrath, the seventh and last trumpet being sounded when the Day of the Lord commences.

When we look at the trumpet judgments in Revelation, we see that six of them are described, but then there is a break in the narrative separating the first six as being different from the seventh trumpet. At that time we see something else happen. We see the angel (Yeshua) plant His feet on the sea and land and make some declarations. Revelation 10:1-7 “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.”

What is the mystery of God? It is when the seventh angel sounds that this mystery is finished. The Scriptures give us an idea of what this mystery is.

Romans 11:25 “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”

Romans 16:25 “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began.”

1 Corinthians 2:7 “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory.”

1 Corinthians 15:51 “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.”

Ephesians 1:9 “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself.”

Ephesians 3:3-4 “How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words. Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ).”

Ephesians 3:9 “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.”

Ephesians 5:32 “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

Ephesians 6:19 “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.”

Colossians 1:26-27 “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints. To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Colossians 2:2 “That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ.”

Colossians 4:3 “Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds.”

The mystery of which is spoken is that mystery about the Trinity, about Yeshua - His death , resurrection and Second Coming, the gospel message, and the Gentile world becoming His Bride. Further that mystery includes the rapture of that Bride and then the saving of all Israel. When the seventh angel sounds his trumpet, that is when the mystery of God, all the above things, will be finished. Some of those things are already past tense, we know about the Trinity, Yeshua did die and was resurrected, and the Gentile world has become Yeshua's Bride and the ones who have spread the gospel. The other things are yet to happen though. The Lord must return, rapture His Bride, and Israel will be saved at that time.

In Revelation 11 we get more information about the sounding of this seventh trumpet. Verses 15-19 “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. (The crowning of the King of Kings and Yeshua claiming the earth back as His) And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. (The millennium of Yeshua's reign is commencing) And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, (The Day of the Lord and God's wrath is commencing) and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; (the resurrection and rapture and Bema Seat Judgment of rewards) and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. (God's wrath) And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.”

So this passage in Revelation 11 tells us that when the seventh angel sounds, the things which are associated with the fall feasts – the crowning of the Messiah, the resurrection of the dead (which immediately precedes the rapture), the sealing of men's fates (those with the mark will perish and those who are sheep – both believing Israel and Gentiles who did not take the mark, but were not believers in Yeshua -will go into the millennium), the final Judgment or Day of the Lord, and a wedding – will occur. And notice that they occur at the last trumpet sounded in the Book of Revelation. They occur on the ultimate Yom Kippur.

Now, did Paul understand all of these things associated with the Jubilee trump or last trump of the final Judgment? Of course he did. God put all of these feasts and ordinances there for a reason. They foreshadowed the events to come. Paul was a Tanakh (Old Testament) scholar and would certainly have understood these things better than ever before, having now accepted Yeshua as the Messiah. Did he know the content of each of the trumpets and how they would play out? That is not known, but we do know that Paul said he was caught up into the third heaven (God's abode) whether in a dream, vision, or in body he did not know, but he was caught up. What did God reveal to him there? We do not know. Could God have revealed all that he told John to write? Possibly, but as it was not his job to write this down, we cannot know. We do know that he understood the feasts and ordinances and their meanings though, and that he understood what would be happening at that last trump. The one sounded at that last Yom Kippur, the final Day of Judgment.

So the answer is, yes, Paul was referring to that seventh and last trumpet mentioned in Revelation, even though it was written by John after Paul's death.

Now let us look at those verses that Paul wrote again which appeared at the beginning of this article. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” We can see that in Revelation 11 it said that when the last angel sounds his trumpet (the seventh and last) that the time for the dead to be judged and for the saints to receive their rewards would come. We also know that when that angel sounds, the mystery (the church) would be finished. So it makes sense that Paul is speaking of the seventh trumpet of Revelation, for that is what happens at the sounding of that trumpet according to Scripture. 1 Thessalonians tells us that at the trump (the last one) the dead in Christ will rise, (as will the living be changed) and that this occurs at the time when the Lord returns. We know from Revelation 11 again that it is at this last trumpet that Christ or Yeshua is crowned King of Kings and the nations of the world revert back to His ownership and that Satan is finally put under His foot as his and antichrist's reign end at the end of the 42 months. But that leads us to another verse. Acts 2:34-35 “For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool.” Yeshua does not make a secret comeback to rapture His people. He is to remain at the right hand of God until His foes (Satan and antichrist) are made His footstool. This only occurs at the end of Daniel's 70^th week when Satan is bound and antichrist and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire. Is this idea that Yeshua must remain in heaven until the very end verified anywhere else in Scripture? Yes, it is. Acts 3:20-21 “And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” When does God send Yeshua back? Heaven must receive Jesus Christ until the restitution of all things. What is the restitution of all things? When they revert back to Yeshua's possession. When does this occur? When the seventh trumpet sounds and the kingdoms of the world become the kingdoms of our Lord.

In delving into this subject, I think it has settled for me an uncertainty that I had as to when the 1260 days or 42 months of the second half of Daniel's week ends. I knew that it had to end around Rosh haShanah (or the Feast of Trumpets) or Yom Kippur, but I could not figure out which one it was exactly, as the trumpets sounding on the Feast of Trumpets had me confused. I now think that I lean toward the 1260 days ending at Yom Kippur, which always seemed to be more right as there is a 75 day period after that which brings people to a day of blessing according to Daniel 12. Hanukkah or the memorial for the restoration of the temple occurs 75 days after Yom Kippur. Would it not make sense, given that God reuses holy days that He would institute the commencement of the millennial temple on the day when the celebration for the restitution of the temple occurs? It makes sense to me.