THE STRONG DELUSION—PART 8
The Continuing
Synopsis of the Revelation as a Historical Prophecy
7-11-2019
A Continued Unmasking of the
Revelation Misunderstanding – The Third Layer of Delusion as Proposed in: https://freedomfromdelusion.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-strong-delusion-part-1.html
The misunderstanding that the Revelation written by John is actually a
blueprint of the events that will occur during the tribulation period. Fomented by the Scofield Study Bible the
understanding by the Church Fathers was changed to a literal interpretation of
real events that will occur during a future seven year tribulation period.
The Revelation was originally understood as a prophetic history of the
Church age, from the beginning of the teachings of Jesus to the Millennial
Kingdom of God.
The Protestant Reformation, beginning with Luther, did not regain the
early Church fathers knowledge of the purpose of the Revelation because it had
long ago vanished.
At what point the Revelation was viewed as a literal chronology of
tribulation period events is unknown to a certain point. It occurred after Darby’s dispensational
theory was employed within Scofield’s note filled study Bible, but the exact
timeline of a literal Revelation, the misinterpretation of the 70 weeks, and
the misunderstanding of the state of Israel as a fulfillment of all Bible
prophecy is not certain.
The following
snippets of Revelation commentary were extracted from the series of
commentaries written by Dr. Stephen Jones.
THE BEAST FROM THE SEA
We
have shown how the last few verses of Revelation 12 introduce chapter 13. The
water coming from the serpent’s mouth in Rev. 12: 15 is directly connected to
the “sea” that gives birth to the first beast. The earth helping the woman in
Rev. 12: 16 gives birth to the second beast that rises from the earth in Rev.
13: 11.
The War
Revelation
13 records John’s vision of Daniel’s little horn, the extension of the iron
beast. John, of course, knew everything that Daniel had written on this topic,
but he also received further revelation which Daniel apparently did not see.
Rev. 13: 1 says,
1 … And I saw a beast coming
up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten
diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. 2 And the beast which I saw
was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like
the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great
authority.
Whereas
Daniel saw four distinct beasts (Daniel 7: 3), John saw just one hybrid beast
composed of characteristics of all four that Daniel saw. Daniel’s beasts were
portrayed as a lion, bear, leopard, and a nameless iron-toothed beast. John, on
the other hand, sees a single beast with the mouth of a lion, the feet of a
bear, and resembling a leopard.
It
is apparent that Daniel saw a succession of empires, each in turn opposing
God’s Kingdom. But John sees all of these beast empires as a single,
continuous, dragon-inspired empire. Both are correct, of course, but from
different viewpoints.
In
Daniel’s breakdown of the four beasts, he sees also a fifth that is like an
extension of the fourth beast in the progression of history. These four or five
beasts are:
Babylon
(607-537 B.C.)
Medo-Persia
(537-330 B.C.)
Greece
(332-63 B.C.)
Rome
(63 B.C.-476 A.D.)
Rome
extended (Papacy)
Daniel
speaks of this fifth beast, calling it a “little horn.” (A “horn” is power or
authority in its symbolism. The horn of an animal was seen as its primary
weapon by which it dominated others by force.) Dan. 7: 8 describes this “little
horn” in this way:
8 ... this horn possessed
eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth uttering great boasts.
In
the angelic explanation that Daniel was given of this little horn, we read in
Dan. 7: 21, 22,
21 I kept looking, and that
horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them 22 until the Ancient
of Days came, and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest
One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.
John
sees the beast coming from the sea primarily as the manifestation of Daniel’s
“little horn,” the fifth manifestation of power in the earth. Dan. 7: 7, 8
makes it clear that this “horn” comes from the fourth beast with iron teeth
(Rome). That is our first major clue as to its interpretation. This “horn”
assumes power as a successor to the Roman Empire. It is, in fact, Papal Rome.
The
next major clue is the fact that this little horn persecutes the saints of the
Most High God until the time that the saints receive the kingdom. That is the
time of the manifestation of the sons of God— an event that we have yet to see.
And so we know that this little horn was given a rather lengthy time of
boasting. Dan. 7: 25 gives it “a time and times and half a time.” John says
essentially the same thing, but tells us specifically what this means in Rev.
13: 5,
5 And there was given to him
a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies; and authority to act for
forty-two months was given to him.
Here
John interprets Daniel’s rather vague statement of timing. Even John’s
statement must be understood from a prophetic standpoint. A “time” is twelve
months in John’s revelation, and 3 ½ times is then 42 months. We must then take
this to the next level, seeing the common Scriptural principle where a day
prophesies of a year (as in Num. 14: 34 and in Ezekiel 4: 5, 6). It is 1,260
“days,” that is, 1,260 YEARS.
But
before continuing, we must go back to Rev. 13: 3, 4, which we skipped earlier.
3 And I saw one of his heads
as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth
was amazed and followed after the beast; 4 and they worshiped the dragon,
because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast,
saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?”
Here
John gives us a quick look ahead to the end of the 42 months (1,260 years),
when the beast from sea received its deadly wound in 1798 that was healed in
1804. After this quick look to the future, John then continues in verses 6 and
7 to tell us of the blasphemous words of the beast during his entire tenure,
along with its war against the saints.
Arrogant Blasphemy
Paul
makes it clear that persecution itself is defined as blasphemy, because it
attributes to God a nature and character that does not truly reflect His heart.
Church leaders tortured and killed “heretics” as if such behavior was approved
by God. They did not understand the mind of God at all.
The
problem comes when men claim to be vicars, but then think that God has
empowered them to overstep their bounds. The Pope thus staged a revolt against
Jesus Christ by assuming the divine right to rule as he pleased on the grounds
that God had given him the throne of the church and, indeed, of the world. This
is what John meant when he said that this little horn had a mouth speaking
arrogant blasphemies.
The
claim to “apostolic succession from Peter” lost its validity the moment one of
those successors began to issue decrees that did not reflect the mind of
Christ. Daniel foresaw these things in Dan. 7: 8, quoted earlier, saying “this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a
man, and a mouth uttering great boasts.” Those boasts, as John said later,
were blasphemous in the eyes of God.
War Against the Saints
The
beast from the sea in Rev. 13: 1-10 is the same beast that the earlier prophet
saw in Dan. 7: 21, 22. In fact, this is the clearest link between Daniel and
Revelation, showing that the book of Revelation is a continuation and
clarification of Daniel's prophecy. Daniel says that the little horn would wage
war against the saints until the time came for the saints to possess the
kingdom.
Rev.
13: 7, 8 speaks of the same little horn, saying,
7 And it was given to him to
make war with the saints and to overcome them; and authority over every tribe
and people and tongue and nation was given to him. 8 And all who dwell on the
earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the
foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.
The French Revolution
Rev.
13: 5 gives the little horn authority for 42 months, which is the equivalent of
1,260 “days” (actually years). This time cycle, according to Dan. 7: 25, began
with Justinian, who changed time and law from 529-534 A.D., when he changed
Roman law to reflect church law. He did not realize the consequences of his
actions until later when the Roman pope challenged him on a point of law. Only
then did it become clear that the emperor had taken upon himself the role of a
servant— the enforcer of church doctrines and papal decrees.
The
time of the little horn began with the emperor in Constantinople, but it
quickly shifted to the Roman pontiff.
In
1796 France sent Napoleon against Austria and Italy, easily defeating them.
When Pope Pius VI refused to renounce political power, he took the aged pope
captive and expelled the entire Roman curia. The pope later died in a French
prison in Valence at the age of 82. As his health failed, Napoleon issued an
order that no successor should be named. Even so, Napoleon allowed Pope Pius
VII to be elected in Venice on March 14, 1800.
The
“fatal wound” inflicted upon the first beast after 1,260 years occurred
generally with the two popes being taken captive. Perhaps more important,
however, was the captivity of the first pope, as there was no pope at all for a
short time. But yet the Church came back to life, and the second beast gave its
authority to the first, as Rev. 13: 12 indicates.
The Equal Justice of God
The
section about the beast of the sea closes with Rev. 13: 10, saying,
10 If anyone is destined for
captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword
he must be killed. Here is the perseverance [or endurance] and the faith of the
saints.
And
so the verdict is given in Rev. 13: 10. Those destined for captivity must go
into captivity. Those who live by the sword must die by the sword. These were
common sayings in that time showing that divine justice will prevail in the
end. No race, nation, or earthly church can claim immunity when it is in
rebellion against God. Divine justice is dispensed impartially.
The Beast from the Earth
Revelation
13: 11, 12 says,
11 And I saw another beast
coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a
dragon. 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his
presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first
beast, whose fatal wound was healed.
John
pictures this second beast as a covert dragon that looked like a lamb. Does this
not describe a secret organization that is made to look harmless, but in fact
is deadly?
Secondly,
the second beast does not come to power until the first has received a deadly
wound and then is healed. History shows that this second beast was, in fact,
the one fighting the sea beast and using Napoleon to inflict the deadly wound.
However, in a strange twist, the earth beast ends up supporting the first beast
through some sort of alliance or accommodation.
Having
established that the French Revolution (1789-1794) brought the dominance of the
sea beast to a close after 1,260 years, we must ask: Who or what organization
was actually behind the French Revolution of 1789-1794? It is necessary to
answer this question in order to explain the statement in Rev. 13: 12, where
the second beast causes men to worship its predecessor, the first beast (i.e.,
the Roman Church). A related question is this: WHY did the second beast defer
to the first beast?
The Guardians of Papal
Treasure
For
four decades, as I studied the power structure of the modern beast, I noted
that historians differed in their opinion as to who actually was in control of
the present Babylonian system. Most of these historians agreed that the world
is controlled by money and banking, but they did not agree on who controlled
the big banks.
This
question is vital to understanding the beast from the earth and his
relationship with the beast from the sea. Rev. 13: 12 says of the second beast,
The
Guardians of Papal Treasure For four decades, as I studied the power structure
of the modern beast, I noted that historians differed in their opinion as to
who actually was in control of the present Babylonian system. Most of these
historians agreed that the world is controlled by money and banking, but they
did not agree on who controlled the big banks.
This
question is vital to understanding the beast from the earth and his
relationship with the beast from the sea. Rev. 13: 12 says of the second beast,
12 And he exercises [or
executes] all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes
the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal
wound was healed.
This
is an unusual situation. The second beast “exercises all the authority of the
first beast,” and yet “he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship
the first beast.” In all previous cases where a beast has arisen, he has
overthrown the previous beast, making him subservient. Whenever we see
something unusual, we must examine it more closely to find out why it is so.
The
first thing we see is that the authority itself was indeed transferred from the
first to the second beast. Yet in spite of this, we see a cooperation of some
kind being set up, wherein the conquered beast, having been brought back to
life, is allowed to be worshipped as in previous times. In other words, the
second beast does not want to be worshipped, for that would necessitate being
out in the open. This second beast prefers to remain hidden and to keep the
previous beast in place as the visible object of worship.
The Mystery
Such
an arrangement comes out clearly in later chapters, where “the great harlot”
carries the name “Mystery Babylon.” The term mystery comes from musterion,
which means secret or hidden. Hence, the transition of power from the first
beast to the second is the point where the beast empires (going back to
Babylon) went underground so that they might rule in secret. Its secretive
nature is even suggested by the fact that it was kept secret from Daniel himself.
Only John exposes it for us to see.
Not
understanding this has caused many researchers to believe that the Vatican
continues to rule the earth by its control of Western law and all corporations
based upon that law. It is also argued often that the Vatican controls the
Federal Reserve. But Rev. 13: 12 does not support such a belief. John tells us
that a new beast arose after 1,260 years, which secretly took all the authority
of the first beast, while leaving that first beast as a visible object of worship
in the world. In other words, the financial beast from the earth rules over the
religious beast from the sea (Holy See).
The Boast
Obviously,
proof in the form of signed documents are in short supply, for such papers
would defeat the whole purpose of this secret arrangement. And so we find such a boast, written tersely
with no explanation, in The Jewish Encyclopedia itself. The key is found in an
article on the Rothschilds (See Vol. X), where it is written,
“It is a somewhat curious
sequel to the attempt to set up a Catholic competitor to the Rothschilds that
at the present time the latter are the guardians of the papal treasure.”
A
guardian is appointed to exercise authority over the financial affairs of a
minor, or someone who is mentally impaired, or one who suffers from a lack of
self-control. Control of the owner’s finances is entrusted to the guardian who
has understanding.
There
is no doubt that The Jewish Encyclopedia used the term guardian as a precise
legal term. It suggests that the Roman church had been allowed to survive its
deadly wound only on condition that it turned over its property and finances to
the Rothschilds as their legal guardians.
Doubtless,
it was the powers of The Holy Alliance that discussed this issue, bringing up
earlier fears of Jesuit power. It seems that they agreed to allow the Jesuit
Order to be reinstated, along with the church itself, on condition that their
money be spent with certain limitations at the approval of the Rothschilds,
acting as agents of the world powers.
The Bankers of the Holy
Alliance
The
Rothschilds were the “bankers to the Holy Alliance”. The Rothschilds emerged as the main banker
who gave loans to the big three nations of the day, showing the stature of this
banking house by this time. It adds credence to the Rothschild’s appointment as
“guardians of the papal treasure” earlier in 1815.
The
Rothschilds themselves were the guardians, but this did not mean that they held
actual power over the Vatican— at least not at first. Their power increased
over time, of course, and gradually they were able to use the power of money to
assert their will upon monarchs and nations.
One
beast empire after another rose and fell in its time, in accordance with
Daniel’s visions. As we have already shown, the “little horn” extension of the
fourth (iron) beast was given more than half of the “seven times.” John’s
revelation then shows that after 1,260 years the little horn, in the form of
the beast from the sea, was to receive a fatal wound, after which time a beast
from the earth would raise him back to life and restore his position as the
object of men’s worship. Nonetheless, this would come at a price, for this
second beast would retain hidden authority over the first in exchange for his
services.
The Rothschilds Seek Power
The
beast from the earth coincides with the rise of the Rothschilds, who were given
authority as “guardians of the papal treasure.” During the past two centuries,
the Rothschilds sought to gain power, so that they could obtain authority as
the beast of the earth— the final beast that was to arise before the stone
crushed the image.
Jesus’
warning (Matthew 21:43-44), then, was directed against the Rothschilds
themselves, along with their wealthy Jewish partners in the banking world.
Revelation 13 describes this beast ever so briefly, but the Holy Spirit chose
to reveal the beast by two main characteristics or achievements. The first we
see in Rev. 13: 13,
13 And he performs great
signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the
presence of men.
This
is a simple description of an atomic bomb being dropped out of a plane flying
high in the heavens. To a lesser extent this also refers to missiles in
general, which fly to their targets. We do not know if John had an actual
vision of this, or if he was informed by a word alone, but this was fulfilled
in 1945 when the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The
second characteristic showing the main activity of the earth beast is given in
financial terms, which shows the rise of modern banking in which some aspects
were invented by Mayer Amschel Rothschild himself. The Rothschilds actually created the
international bond market in its modern form.
Under
Rothschild a new form of “materialist religion” had begun to develop. It was
centered on banking and reached a climax a century later with the advent of
fiat money creation. The Federal Reserve Act was passed on Dec. 23, 1913, 2,520
years after Babylon was organized into an empire in 607 B.C. By this new power
to create money out of nothing and loan it to nations at interest, the beast
from the earth gained power over the nations through debt slavery.
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