Revelation 17 ~Exposition by L.B. Woolfolk (1890 AD)

     In the 17th chapter of Revelation, where the Seven Heads and Ten Horns appear upon the body of the Beast from the Pit, they are elaborately described by the angel to John .  The following is the text of the passage:—

“So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness :  and I saw a woman sit upon scarlet-coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns .
“And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abomination and filthiness of her fornication :  and upon her forehead was a name written, mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the Earth.
“And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus :  and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration .
“And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel ?  I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the 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 are 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 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 . **
* * * * “And the woman which thou sawest is that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth .”  Rev. xvii: 3-13, and 18.

     In each of the above instances, while they appear upon different bodies, the Seven Heads and Ten Horns are the same, and symbolize the same powers .  In the 17th Chapter, the angel explains to John that the Seven Heads and ten horns symbolize “seven kings,” prophetic phrase for seven kingdoms or empires .  The angel says “five are fallen ;  and one is ;  and the other is not yet come, and when he cometh he must continue for a short space”

From this explanation, we are able to understand the Appearance Of The Seven Heads And Ten Horns, as they appear on the body of the Dragon .  As the Dragon stands uplifted before the woman, five heads hang down dead, underneath its neck, symbolizing the five empires which had fallen at the time the Revelation was given .  The Sixth Head is on the end of the Serpent’s neck, and on it are ten horns .  The Seventh Head is the Serpent’s head, jutting out through the top of the Sixth head, and dominating all .  Such is the appearance of the Dragon, with its Seven heads and Ten horns .

 

What is the symbolic signification of the Seven Heads and Ten Horns ?  What power do they symbolize ? Before giving the true exposition, it will be best to notice 1. the erroneous interpretation formerly given of the seven heads.

     In former interpretations, the Headed Beast was interpreted as symbolizing the Roman empire, exclusively .  This interpretation could be made, only by an entire misapplication of the facts of history .  The Five Heads that had fallen at the time of the vision, have been interpreted as symbolizing the five forms of administration that existed under the Roman Republic,—Kings, Consuls, Decemvirs, Military Tribunes, and Dictators .

1st. I Object To This,

 

1 .  That there were only two forms of government in Rome that had fallen at the time the vision was given,—the Kings; and the Republic. The Republic was always a government of the Senate and the People, throughout its entire existence .  And, during its entire existence, the Executive of the Republic was in the hands of the Consuls, except during brief intervals .

 

2. Again, I Object To The Interpretation, That
 

It is a violation of all the facts of history to call the Decemvirate, the Military Tribunes, and the Dictators, such forms of the Roman government as would be symbolized by “heads.”

1) The Decemvirate was a brief rule of ten persons who had been sent to Greece, to obtain new institutions, and who ruled about a year, while they put the institutions in operation .  They were overthrown in a popular uprising against the crime of one of their number .

2) The Military Tribunes were a temporary arrangement, that lasted only a few years .  It was only another name for the Consuls ;  and it was adopted, in order that one of the officers might be a Plebeian .  It was merely a temporary expedient for a special purpose, and was soon set aside .

3) The Dictatorship only existed in times of great public danger when a Dictator was appointed, whose authority only lasted six months .  It is absurd to call the Dictatorship a “head” of the Beast .  What sort of head is that, which comes on and falls of constantly ?  Such a symbol is ridiculous .

4) These forms of administration can not be called “heads”.  The government of the Roman Republic was continuous all the while; and these changes of administration did not affect its identity in the least. France, since the Revolution of 1789-93, has had nine different dorms of executive administration,—the Monarchy, Convention, the Directory, the Consulate, the Empire, the Monarchy again, the Republic, the Empire, and the Republic .  All these were much more fundamental than those changes of the Roman executive .  And yet, France has been the same power all the while .—Who would think of saying that any prophecy would represent France, during the last hundred years, by a beast with nine heads ?  The idea is absurd .  The French nation has been the same, all the while .

3. I Object To This Application Of The Symbol That

If the Different Forms of the Roman Administration Are to be Continued as Heads, then the Triumvirate of Octavius, Antony and Lepidus must be counted also; and it will make six heads that had lived, instead of five ! !

4. I Object To This Interpretation That

A Head, in Prophecy is Never the Symbol of a Mere Form of Administration .  A head in prophecy, always symbolizes a kingdom, or an empire .  The four heads of the Macedonian Leopard, in the second vision of Daniel symbolize the four kingdoms into which the Macedonian Empire was divided .—And these seven heads, in like manner, represent seven empires that have risen in the earth.

 

2nd. But The Greatest Absurdity Of This Exposition remains to be stated .—By making the “Seven Heads” symbolize the seven forms of Roman administration, former expositors had to find fulfilment for the Seventh Head in some form of Roman power ;  and they found it in the Heathen Roman empire.

 

1. But The Dragon Is A Power Of The Latter Days.
 

This is certain.
 

1) It is contemporary with the Beast from the Pit; and all expositors agree that the Beast from the Pit is a power that has not yet risen .

2) In the Great Final War of the Earth, just before the Millennium, the Dragon is engaged in the war, in alliance with the Beast from the Pit and the False Prophet .

3) And all the facts respecting the Dragon, in the Apocalypse, prove that it is a power of the Latter Days.

 

     The idea of making the dragon symbolize the Heathen Roman empire is perfectly absurd .  It is this kind of interpretation,—such a straining of all the facts of history, such a jumble of symbolism and imagery,—that has made of this grand symbol, the Beast with Seven Heads and Ten Horns, an epithet of contempt and derision, hurled by the scoffer against all prophecy.

 

ii. the true interpretation of the seven heads and ten horns.
 

The Beast with Seven Heads and Ten Horns is a most remarkable symbol .  It is so peculiar, so complex, and yet so simple, that it will not fit any powers but those it was intended to set forth.

 

     As the four heads of the Macedonian Leopard, in the second vision of Daniel, symbolize the four kingdoms into which the Macedonian empire was divided, so here, the Seven Heads symbolize seven empires .  But, as we might suppose, from the analogy of the vision of Daniel, that the seven empires were contemporary like those of the Macedonian Beast, it is expressly stated that they are consecutive.

 

The Seven Heads Symbolize Seven Empires having relations with the people of God, and existing from the earliest times down to a time yet future .  Of these empires, five had fallen at the time of the vision .
 

1st. Exposition Of The First Five Heads.
 

The first Five Dead Heads hanging down under the neck of the Dragon symbolize five empires that had fallen at the time the revelation was given :  “five are fallen.”

 

1. The First Dead Head Hanging Down
 

under the neck of the Serpent .  Symbolizes the Egyptian empire; which under the Eighteenth Dynasty, as we learn from the records of the Egyptian monuments, recently deciphered, extended over Western Asia beyond the Euphrates and the Tigris .  It was the Nineteenth Dynasty which persecuted Israel .  The Pharaoh of the Persecution, under whom Moses was born, was the second king of the Nineteenth Dynasty .  The Pharaoh of the Exodus died at Memphis, some twenty years after that event, with his Asiatic empire all lost, and with Egypt divided between himself and two rival kings, who reigned in the Delta .  The great Egyptian empire fell before the judgments of God, visited upon Egypt for the deliverance of His people.

 

2. The Second Dead Head Hanging Down

 

beneath the neck of the Dragon is a Lion’s head, and symbolizes the Assyrian empire, which carried away the Ten Tribes into captivity in Media.
 

3. The Third Dead Head Hanging Down
 

is also a Lion’s head, and symbolizes the Babylonian empire, which carried Judah away captive to Babylon .
 

4. The Fourth Dead Head Hanging Down
 

is a Bear’s head, and symbolizes the Persian empire, which restored the Jews to their own land, and always treated them kindly .

 

5. The Fifth Dead Head Hanging Down
 

beneath the neck of the Dragon is a Leopard’s head, and symbolizes the Macedonian empire, which, under Alexander the Great, overthrew the Persian empire, and which, under Antiochus Epiphanes, afflicted the Jews with a grievous persecution .  These five empires had fallen, when the vision of Revelation was given .

 

2nd. exposition of the sixth head, with its ten horns.
 

The Sixth Head was the Roman Empire, which was then in existence, and of which the angel said “One now is”.  The Sixth Head, the Roman empire, was slain by the “sword” of the Northern Barbarians, in the year 476, a. d., at which time historians date the fall of the Western Roman empire .

 

The Northern Barbarians Planted Their Kingdoms in the territories of the Roman empire.  In the year 476, a.d.,—the very year of the fall of the Western Roman empire,—we find, for the first time, Ten Kingdoms within its boundaries .

 

In the eye of prophecy, the Babylonian, the Persian, and Macedonian empires continued to exist geographically, after their fall as political powers ;  just as Ireland and Poland are still recognized as having a geographical existence, after they have ceased to be political powers .  According to prophecy, the Roman territory was that part of the Roman empire which was not covered by the Babylonian, Persian and Macedonian empires,—the territory extending from the head of the Adriatic to the Danube, and thence westward, within the Rhine and the Danube, to the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and including England and a part of Scotland .

 

Within This Territory, We Find Ten Barbarian Kingdoms in the year 476, a.d. And there have been Ten Kingdoms in the territories of the Roman empire ever since that time. Not always the same kingdoms :  sometimes, some would fall, and others would rise in their place: sometimes, in eras of transition, there have been one or two more or less than ten kingdoms .  But when these eras of transition were over, and Europe returned to its normal condition, there would be Ten Kingdoms again .  There have been Ten Kingdoms in Southern and Western Europe, for thirteen hundred years :  there are Ten Kingdoms in Europe now, within the limits of the Roman empire .

 

These Ten Kingdoms are fully set forth in my work, “Key to Prophecy,” and it is not necessary to present them further here .
 

These Ten Kingdoms within the territories of the Roman empire are symbolized by the Ten Horns, which grew out of the dead Sixth Head .  This Sixth Head corresponds with the fourth beast of the second vision of Daniel .  That beast symbolized the Roman empire :  so here, the Sixth Head .  That beast had ten horns ;  so, on the Sixth head here, are the same ten horns .

 

3rd. The Seventh Head.
 

The Seventh Head is the Serpent head,—the empire of the Dragon .  It is the subject of this work to prove that the Seventh or Dragon Head symbolizes the London Money Power—the Imperialism of Capital centred in London .  We will proceed in the next chapter to give the proof .  At present we will proceed to the identification of 4th. The Beast From The Pit.

After explaining to John the Seven Heads and Ten Horns, the angel goes on to give an explanation of the Scarlet Beast,—the Beast from the Pit .  The angel says of him :  “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not ;  and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition .”  And he says again :  “The beast that was and is not, even he is the eighth, and is one of the seven .”

 

1. This shows that the Beast from the Pit rises after all the other seven empires have risen,—after the rise of the Dragon Empire, the Seventh Head .  “He is the Eighth .”

 

After the rise of the Dragon empire, another empire rises, which is the Eighth in order of time, but which is actually not a new empire but is one of the first Seven Empires :  that is, it is a new imperial power, in whose dominion one of the dead six empires comes to life again, and is re-established .

 

All expositors agree that the Roman empire,—the dead Sixth Head,—is to be re-established in the dominion of the Beast from the Pit .  There are many other prophecies which foreshow this re-establishment of the Roman empire .  The re-establishment of the Roman empire under the dominion of the Beast from the Pit is set forth with great clearness in the 13th chapter of Revelation, and also is the First and Second Visions of Daniel .

In the 13th chapter of Revelation, this re-establishment of the Roman empire is set forth .  The context reads as follows :—

“And I stood upon the sand of the sea,
“and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the names of blasphemy .
“And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion .
“And I saw one of his heads as it had been wounded to death [or slain;] and his deadly wound was healed .
“ And the Dragon gave him his power and his seat and great authority .”
“And all the world wondered after the beast .  And they worshipped the Dragon which gave power to the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him .”  Rev. XIII: 1-4.

I have, in one place, slightly transposed this passage, so as to give the proper order of sequence .
 

The Seven Heads here, as has been already explained, are

I)  Egypt ; 
2) Assyria ; 
3) Babylon ; 
4) Persia ; 
5) Macedon ; 
6) Rome ; 
7) The Dragon head; which I expound as the symbol of the Money Power .  This is the point now being established .
 

2. It Is Important To Fix The Time when the vision begins .
 

The Beast, in its first rise from the Sea, represents Medieval Europe, after the fall of the Roman empire, under the Ten Kingdoms .  This is evident both from history, and from the symbolism of the Beast:—

1) The Ten horns represent the Kingdoms of the Northern Barbarians who overran the Roman empire .  It is Europe under the Ten Kingdoms that is here represented .  That the time is during the reign of the Ten Kingdoms is evident from the fact that the ten horns in the symbol are crowned ;  which shows that they are reigning in the era set forth in the vision .

2) The Beast rises up out of “the Sea.”  The “Sea” is a prophetic image frequently employed, to represent a chaotic condition of society, in which all the elements of social life are unsettled .  Such was the condition of the territory of the Roman empire after the fall of the Western empire .  All the institutions of Roman civilization were broken down :  society was dissolved by the Barbarians who overswept the Roman empire, ravaging, destroying, burning ;  until the remnants of the Roman population were reduced to the condition of serfs, hoveled in the forests which grew up in the cultivated provinces that were reduced to desolation .  Out of this chaos modern Europe emerged .

 

3) When the Beast rose it had the Sixth or Roman head “as it had been wounded unto death,” that is, freshly slain .  This was true of the Roman empire, which was just recently slain by the “sword” of the Northern Barbarians . All the symbolism shows that the Beast represents Europe during the era of the reign of the Ten Kingdoms, after the fall of the Roman empire .

4) The description of the Beast also agrees perfectly with Europe under the Ten Kingdoms .

 

1] “The Beast was like a leopard.”—In the Macedonian Leopard (Daniel vii), the spots indicate the great number of Grecian states that entered into the Macedonian empire .  The Amphyctionic Council of the Grecian states made Phillip, King of Macedon, and afterwards Alexander, the head of Greece for the war with Persia, while each state continued to maintain its independence .

 

    So here, the spots of the Leopard indicate the Ten Kingdoms of Europe, which have maintained a sort of loose combination through their community of religion and interest, but have always maintained their independence as separate states .—They were combined during the Crusades by a common religious enthusiasm ; and all through the Middle Ages, they were united in their allegiance to the Papacy .—In Modern Times, community of interest has caused them to combine against any preponderant nation, to maintain the Balance of Power .  The ten crowned horns have thus been united on the head of the Beast from the Sea . 

 

2] “The feet were as the feet of a bear.”—The Persian bear was slow in its conquests; and these bear feet show that the states of Europe were, like Persia, slow in their military operations .  And indeed, the Ten Kingdoms of Europe have always been slow and sluggish in any military conquests, and generally close their slow wars with but little or no conquests on either side .

 

3] “His mouth was as the mouth of a lion .”—This lion mouth tears and ravages, and shows the ferocity of the European states in their furious and bloody wars .  There can the no doubt that the Beast from the Sea represents Roman Europe after the fall of the Roman empire, under the dominion of the Ten Kingdoms .

 

3. The Healing Of The Deadly Wound.

The Seer defers the mention of the deadly wound, until he speaks of the healing of the wound .  The first act which John saw was the healing of the deadly wound .  This symbolizes the Restoration of the slain Roman head to life,—the re-establishment of the Roman empire .

 

After the healing of the dead Sixth Head, that head, when restored to life, is the Beast from the Pit .  This fully explains the symbolism of the Beast from the Pit :—

 

1) It shows the Beast from the Pit was the Eighth empire in the order of time, but was not a new head, but one of the seven heads, being the Sixth Head restored to life .

 

2) We also perceive how the Beast from the Pit might be called “The Beast that was, and is not, and yet is .”  It is the Roman empire ;  it is not, in its new form, actually the Roman empire but the German empire ;  and yet, it is the Roman empire, re-established under a new form .

 

3) The Beast from the Pit is the Roman empire reestablished, under the imperial supremacy of Prussia over the kingdoms of Southern and Western Europe .  The symbolism plainly shows that the power under which the Roman empire is to be re-established is Prussia:—

 

1]      From the nature of the symbolism, none of the ten horns can be the Beast from the Pit .  For a horn can not be a head, much less can a horn be a Beast .  The horns are all on the Sixth Head of the Beast: they are all accounted for ;  and none of them can be the Beast from the Pit .

 

     This shows that none of the Ten Kingdoms of Western and Southern Europe can be the Beast from the Pit .  This excludes all the kingdoms in the territories of the Roman empire, within the Rhine and the Danube, from the head of the Adriatic westward to the Atlantic, including England and part of Scotland .  Neither France, nor Austria, nor Italy, nor Spain, nor Britain, can be the Beast from the Pit ;  for they are horns on the head of the Beast .  A common sense analysis of the symbol would have prevented all the blunders that have been made in expounding the Beast from the Pit as the symbol of the French empire .

 

2] The Beast from the Pit must, from the nature of the symbol, be some power in Europe outside of the Rhine and the Danube .  It must be either Prussia or Russia . But it is not Russia, because in prophecy, Russia is called by name as at the head of Europe, at an era after the Beast from the Pit has fallen . Hence, as the Beast from the Pit can not be any of the ten kingdoms of Europe within the Rhine and the Danube, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, can not be Russia, it must be Prussia . The very nature of the symbolism demonstrates the fact that Prussia is the Beast from the Pit . We will find that identifying Prussia as the Beast from the Pit is a strong point of the evidence in proving the Dragon to be the symbol of the London Money Power .

 

The phrase "Peace and Security"...tips off His Second return!

By Joannes Simin

What did the Holy Ghost mean when He inspired St. Paul in writing the phrase "peace and safety" in 1 Thes. 5: 3 ? 

_____________________________________

"3 While people are saying, 'peace and safety,'  destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape" ( 1 Thes. 5: 3)...

WHILE PEOPLE ARE SAYING "PEACE AND SAFETY"... 

    When God is saying something, then we know that the Spirit of God would truly fulfill what He had said.  When people are collectively 'saying' (fulfilling worldwide agenda) something, then we know it is concerning a particular 'mission' of men on earth through a world governing body.  St. Paul, the Prophet for the gentiles, tipped off one of the clues in discerning the proximity of the Day of the Lord. He wrote to the Thessalonians the prophetic phrase "Peace and Safety" [1] which disclosed the future agreed principle in maintaining peace on earth. In other words, St. Paul was saying that while people thriving for peace on earth through the principle of "Peace and Safety" then suddenly Christ would return like a thief in the night. "Peace and Safety" articulates the primary purpose of The United Nations, and it is stipulated in Article 1, Chapter 1 of The United Nations Charter. [2] 

"Article 1, The Purposes of The United Nations are: 1. To maintain international 'peace and security,‘ and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace; " [3]

    So, Article 1 of the United Nations stipulates that the purpose of the establishment of the World governing body is to maintain international "peace and security."   The message in 1Thessalonians 5: 1-3 was written by St. Paul more than 1,800 years prior to the establishment of The United Nations in 1945 CE.  He wrote this in response to the widespread misleading-belief among the Thessalonians upon the apocalyptic return of Christ in those earlier days of the persecuted Church. St. Paul prognostically revealed the phrase "Peace and Safety" which imparted the distinguishable sign, identifying the Principle of the future world governing body (The United Nations) in which Jesus‘ Second Advent would take place. 

    Surely, St. Paul had unknowingly revealed  the foremost principle of the future world governing body i.e. The United Nations.  St. Paul's letter conveyed―"Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, 'Peace and Safety,' destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. [4] Thus, the Second Coming of Christ would take place during the ruler-ship of The United Nations i .e. while people on earth maintaining for "peace and security (safety)," as according to St. Paul's presaging phrase "Peace and safety." St. Paul gave us one of the ''readable Signs" on earth which pointed to the Second Coming of Christ!

    We are already in the 70th year under the governance of The United Nations since its establishment in 1945 CE (as on 04th October 2015).   Sister Elena Aiello prophesied on 16 April 1954 CE, "Behold my child, see to what ends the sins of man have reduced me. The world has lowered itself in overflowing corruption. The governments of the people have risen like demons incarnated, and, while they speak of 'peace' they prepare for war with the most devastating implements to destroy peoples and nations. Men have become ungrateful to My Sacred Heart, and abusing My Mercy, have transformed the earth into a scene of crime." [5]

______________

[1] Thessalonians 5: 1-3. The Holy Bible, New International Version. BibleGateway. Biblica Inc., 05 May 2014. <http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1thes.5&version=NIV>.

[2] Article 1. Chapter 1: The Purpose and Principles of the United Nations. 10 April 2014 <http://www.un.org/en/documents/charter/chapter1.shtml>.

[3] Ibid.
[4] 1Thessalonians 5: 1-3. The Holy Bible, New International Version. BibleGateway. Biblica Inc., 05 May 2014. <http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1thes.5&version=NIV>.

[5] The Prophecies of Sister Elena Aiello.  Mystic of the Church. 08 April 2014. <http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2011/09/blessed-elena-aiello-mystic-stigmatic.html>

The seemingly unceasing "day and night"...

The Spirit of Judgment

The Spirit of Yahweh was the Sovereign Divine King who executed Judgments on earth throughout the Old Covenant days; the Holy Spirit adjudged the inhabitants of the earth, under the ‘handiwork’ of YHVH. Whereas the Holy Spirit becomes the Spirit of Judgment throughout the Church's age as under the ‘name’ Prince of Peace or lyrically known as "day and night will never cease." 

As long as "the Sun is not darkened, and the Moon does not cease giving off her light, and the stars are harmoniously shining above in heavens," then the Holy Spirit would continue to be the Spirit of Judgment on earth. The sinning believers would be softly touched by the rod and staff of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8: 28-29), and yet the Spirit pronounces daily judgment upon those who reject the Word. David revealed through his song in Psalm 76: 8 that "from heaven You pronounced Judgment..." It means that the pronouncement of Judgment is from the heart of the Father for God Himself is the Judge (Psalm 50:6).

Knowing the secret of the pronouncement of Judgment means knowing the Heart of the Father. In truth, God displays His wrath every day on Earth. However, His wrath during the mediator-ship of the Lamb of God would be executed by the Holy Spirit: the Sevenfold fire of Judgment.  Christ mediatory role in heaven as according to the Order of Melchizedec is somehow restraining the "consuming holiness of God" from consuming "the thistles and briers" on earth. The main difference between divine Judgment during Church's age, and the post Second Coming Judgment of Christ period is that Divine Judgment during Church age is executed by the Holy Spirit on earth, whereas Judgment during post second coming of Christ is executed by the returned Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the angels as reapers; and the 'elect' would join the company.

The purposes of Judgment

The purposes of Divine Judgment are part of the Divine agenda for the ‘wounded’ men on earth. It would be his primordial divine nature because He is the Source of all life, and the power of life is holy. Any 'wounded’ man who lives on this earth would be subjected to that Holy Power of Life. Neither God has intention in wiping out nor consuming the sinning men on earth. He has no intention in choreographing the sufferings of mankind on earth whom he had created according to His image. He is the ultimate Holy Source of life. He is not the author of death because He is the Creator of Life, and yet he holds the key of death and the keys of the kingdom of death.

This Creation is sustained by His Holy Power, and therefore men need the Way, the Door and the Key granted by His unfailing love, so that they would be able to understand the key of eternity in His Holy Creation. And yet, men reject the fullness of life in the Spirit. Wounded men are inclined to the consciousness of the flesh. Unless we are granted with gift of the Spirit "the fear of the Lord," then we could be staggering in the mediocre zone of Christianity: "to be offended by the Lord" is one of the paintings of spiritual mediocrity. Wrong precepts could lead us into ungratefulness. Wrong precepts could cause us to abandon the journey of our faith. Or at best, we could be merely conforming the religion without joy in the Spirit. Divine Judgment dispenses Justice for all believers who have been ruled by the kingdoms of the ‘beasts,’ and granting them the ‘saving justice;’ He is the God of Justice, and all righteous men would receive justice from Him."

Moses acquainted us with the attributes of YHVH as in Exodus 34: 6-7, which says "the Lord, the Lord, the Compassionate, and Gracious God , slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousand, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished;" All punishments descend down from His Holiness because sins are enemies against the Holiness of God.

Sins are enemies of the Consuming Fire of the Divine, and thus all sinners and sinning believers are actually opposing the the Holy source of Life. And yet, we crucified the Spirit, and we choose the flesh. Without 'the Way' who faithfully endows us "the garment of righteousness” (“pure in heart") then everybody would be consumed by that Consuming fire of God. Through the blessing of the Cross of Christ, He endows us the Way, the Door and the Key to be reconciled to His Holy Source of Life. Unbelief means we become the enemies of the Holy Source of Life on earth which means we choose separation from the Giver of Life.

God would only pronounce his judgment when evil things are in full measure on earth as in the Deluge. The ‘ripeness’ of sins on earth would mean invoking the wrath of the Consuming Holy Fire. The Source of all Life who destroys life itself such as in the Deluge presents the enigma in understanding His divine attributes. Both Judgment and unfailing love become the stupefying polarity of God especially for those immature Christians. King David who joyfully sang "His unfailing love" was surely knew the key in unlocking the seemingly contradicting attributes of the Divine. Inability to see the mystery of Creation would deprive us the ascending praises in our hearts; unresolved understanding concerning Judgment and Unfailing love of God would hinder the fullness of our faith.

The Scriptural presentation of God as the Creator of the Universe is not acceptable according to the secular paradigms. Such belief does not make any sense for those who are not called by the Father through Christ. Judgment and unfailing love of God could be easily understood when we believe in the Divine power who sustains life in this Universe.  Seeing the ‘holiness’ of the Source of Life, and the underlying power which constantly sustains this Universe would resolve that confusion. Due to that Holy Source of Life, then it would be normal for the Creator in exhorting mankind to "be holy for I am Holy" since His holiness is the consuming fire!

Knowing the underlying Spiritual Secret of the Universe i.e. the ‘holy’ Divine Power means we are endowed with the wisdom of knowing Christ's Word "apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15: 5). God says in Isaiah 45: 12 "It is I who made the earth, and created mankind upon it." He is not exerting His rights upon men, but it means we are living in His Creation sustained by the Holy power of God, and therefore we know that "apart from Christ, we are indeed nothing."

The phrase "slow to anger" means His endurance in bearing our burden or iniquities day and night. His endurance also expressed as "as long as the earth endures" or "day and night will never cease." The ripeness of sins on earth and the bloodshed upon the earth would lead His endurance to ‘anger,’ and thus ‘day and night’ would turn into "without daytime or nighttime" as in Zechariah 14: 6-7; Matthew 24: 29 and Revelation 6: 12-15.

So, the Deluge was not meant to display His divine rights, but it truly means that every sin committed on earth is against the Most Holy Source of all Life: Holy Power of God. Spiritually, there is no place for every sinning man on earth because the owner of this earth is God, and he is the One that endowing the Source of Life for every living thing on earth. We temporarily survive in the flesh due to His divine patience, or Moses wrote it ‘slow to anger.’ The ripeness of sins on earth invoked His divine wraths as in the days of Deluge. God spared Noah and his family in order to repopulate the earth, and, so that through the chosen lineage, someday "at an appointed time," He could then deliver the ‘Word’ became ‘Flesh’: the awaited Messiah.

In the Deluge, God saved mankind flesh together with the chosen species of the animal kingdom by embarking the ‘Ark.’ When YHVH closed the door of the Ark, every living creature outside the ark was literally wiped out except the fishes. So, the ‘Ark’ of Noah was meant to save the human ‘flesh’ out of Divine Wrath. But, the ‘Spiritual Ark’(the Church) of the New Covenant is meant to bring forth reconciliation for our spirits when it was born again by the Sevenfold Spirit, and that same Sevenfold Spirit would continously operating on those spirits of whose names written in the Book of life.

Therefore, Divine exhortation "Go, my people enter your own chamber" means to be the core message of the ‘two silver trumpets’ who calls every follower of the Way to embark the ‘Reconciliation’ by faithfully putting the ‘righteous garment;’ the garment that was cleansed seven times by the blood of the Lamb. The heart is the garment of the spirit. And we are unable to cleanse that garment, unless by believing the power of Christ Blood that cleanses our hearts seven times. Apart from the Cross, we are "not approved to enter His Presence" via our human-precepts-coverings. “Apart from Christ we can do nothing" concerning the business of holiness. Apart from the God's-made-garments for Adam and Eve, then their invented ‘sewn fig-leaves’ weren't approved to be the covering in entering His Most Holy Presence.  We must accept His cleansing power for our ‘arks’ (hearts) i.e. Lamb's Blood that purifies seven times which was foreshadowed by the ‘seven times sprinkling ritual’ on the day of atonement (see Leviticus 16). To accept means believing it 100 % and to believe it means continually confessing it.

Judgment is pronounced in the Court of Heaven.

David likened the pronouncement of Judgment, as if it is in the Court of Heaven because he used to prosiding the royal court of Israel. Divine Judgment is in the Father's Heart. The heavenly Court was in His heart. And we could hear His resonating ‘lyrics’ in His heart proclaiming His handiwork: Judgment. Those Lyrics are ‘Sun turned to darkness,’ "Moon does not gives its light," and "the stars are falling down," (Matthew 24: 29. Or "no heat, no cold or no frost." "without daytime and without nighttime." Those ‘skies’ or heavenly depictions in His ‘Lyrics’ proclaim His Judgment.

The pronouncement of ‘desert’ or the rhymed phrases "a time, times and half a time" means the beginning of the skies' proclamation of Divine Judgment mission "sun turned to darkness, moon does not gives its lights and the stars above are falling down." After that pronouncement, the Mediator, the Lamb of God, would leave his mediatory seat on the right hand of the Father, and he would descend on earth delegated with new mission as the Lion of Judah who has "seven eyes, seven horns and seven spirits." Seven eyes means divine perfection as the Judge who judges in equity. Seven horns means His perfect power in executing Judgment. And seven spirits means seven fold divine woes as in seven Seals, seven Trumpets and seven bowls executed as to fulfill the ‘fire’ that comes out from the ‘mouths’ of God. That Sevenfold spirit of Judgment also would carry out the "a time, times and half a time" into completion. It is translated " 7 years, 49 years and 3.5 years" according to the inspired interpretation seen through the lenses of the Spirit of the Laws and as according to the spiritual Hebraic lunar calendar.

Prophet Daniel wrote “some of the wise (believers) will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will come at the appointed time." Some of the be believers as they are ushered into " a time, times and half a time" would be 'adjudged’ or given ‘saving justice.’ They are purified seven times by the descended Word: the Sevenfold Spirits. The messages of the seven angels of the seven churches in Asia minor would be resonating throughout the church's age, and they continue to resonate even during the rhymed "a time, times, half a time" or ‘ desert.’ The Judge during the judgment period would be no longer subjected to the Peace Covenant, but His Heart remains immutable.

His unfailing love would be remaining the same in His heart. There in the ‘desert,’ every professing follower of the Way would be tested as if "standing on the Holy Ground" either consumed by the Consuming Presence of God or "aflame and yet not consumed." Those who triumph over those ‘trials’ would emerge as purified seven times by the seven spirits of Christ. Those who become ‘elect’ are warring against the beasts on earth, but the 'minor' believers would be protected by the harvesters (angels). However, they are unable to join the spiritual armies of Christ. The tongues of the 'elect' would be ‘fire,’ and the ‘tares’ would become the wood of it. Since ‘sin’ is ‘fuel’ that catches Fire from the holy harvesters, thus we would see blood, fire, and billowing of smoke on earth throughout the appointed time "a time, times, and half time" or simply called a ‘desert.’

Di mana ada bangkai, di situ burung nazar berkerumun...

   

    Ketika Yesus duduk di atas Bukit Zaitun, datanglah murid-murid-Nya kepada-Nya untuk bercakap-cakap sendirian dengan Dia. Kata mereka: "Katakanlah kepada kami, bilamanakah itu akan terjadi dan apakah tanda kedatangan-Mu dan tanda kesudahan 'zaman' ?"(Matius 24:3 )

Jawapan Yesus dari ayat 27 hingga 30 berbunyi:

27 Sebab sama seperti kilat memancar dari sebelah timur dan melontarkan cahayanya sampai ke barat, demikian pulalah kelak kedatangan Anak Manusia.28 Di mana ada bangkai, di situ burung nazar berkerumun."29 "Segera sesudah siksaan pada masa itu, matahari akan menjadi gelap dan bulan tidak bercahaya dan bintang-bintang akan berjatuhan dari langit dan kuasa-kuasa langit akan goncang.30 Pada waktu itu akan tampak tanda Anak Manusia di langit dan semua bangsa di bumi akan meratap dan mereka akan melihat Anak Manusia itu datang di atas awan-awan di langit dengan segala kekuasaan dan kemuliaan-Nya.(Mat 24:27-30)

     Maka datanglah murid-murid-Nya dan bertanya kepada-Nya: "Mengapa Engkau berkata-kata kepada mereka dalam perumpamaan?"Jawab Yesus: "Kepadamu diberi karunia untuk mengetahui rahasia Kerajaan Sorga, tetapi kepada mereka tidak.Karena siapa yang mempunyai, kepadanya akan diberi, sehingga ia berkelimpahan; tetapi siapa yang tidak mempunyai, apa pun juga yang ada padanya akan diambil dari padanya.(Mat 13:10-12)

_________________________________________

Apakah "karunia" yang dimaksudkan oleh Yesus itu?
_________________________________________

16 Aku akan minta kepada Bapa, dan Ia akan memberikan kepadamu seorang Penolong yang lain, supaya Ia menyertai kamu selama-lamanya,17 yaitu Roh Kebenaran. (Yoh 14:16-17a)

Tetapi apabila Ia datang, yaitu Roh Kebenaran, Ia akan memimpin kamu ke dalam seluruh kebenaran; sebab Ia tidak akan berkata-kata dari diri-Nya sendiri, tetapi segala sesuatu yang didengar-Nya itulah yang akan dikatakan-Nya dan Ia akan memberitakan kepadamu hal-hal yang akan datang.(Yoh 16:14)

   Roh Kudus adalah satu dengan Roh yang ada pada Yesus, dan Roh Allah Bapa iaitu Roh tujuh lapis; Roh Trinitas itu satu Roh, dan  Roh itu adalah Sevenfold Spirit.  Ada tujuh lapis karunia-karunia asas operasi Roh Kudus.  Meskipun karunia itu tidaklah terkira kekayaannya dan kemurahan Tuhan, namun ketujuh karunia-karunia operasi Roh Kudus itu adalah asas kepada mengenali operasi Roh Tuhan. Raja Daud bernyanyi "Your Word is flawless and boundless." Dalam operasi-operasi karya Roh Kudus ada satu karunia yang dapat menyingkapkan keperincian perihal "Tuhan yang bergaul karib" kepada orang-orang percaya! Pastinya, kita tertanya-tanya, apakah agaknya sebab-musabab Roh Tuhan "bergaul karib" dengan seseorang percaya seperti Raja Daud.
_________________________________________
Akan tetapi, siapakah pula yang akan digauli karib oleh Roh Kudus?

_________________________________________

     Raja Daud yang dikatakan amat dekat di hati Tuhan bersaksi: "Tuhan bergaul karib dengan orang yang takut akan Dia, dan perjanjian-Nya diberitahukan-Nya kepada mereka." (Mazmur 25:14)

     Maka, kita tahu bahawa mereka yang dianugerahkan karunia "takut akan Tuhan" adalah orang percaya yang akan diberikan Tuhan "rahasia-rahasia" Perjanjian. Karunia-karunia adalah melekat pada peribadi Roh Kudus, justeru itu, ia hendaklah dipinta setiap kali kita memsauki hadiratNya, sehinggalah ia hinggap bernyala pada "sumbu" roh kita. "Sumbu" itu merujuk kepada Jantung roh manusia iaitu tempat Lidah api hinggap. Karunia "takut akan Tuhan" dinubuatkan oleh Nabi Yesaya sebagai "harta" Sion. "Masa keamanan (Church's age) akan tiba bagimu; kekayaan yang menyelamatkan ialah hikmat dan pengetahuan; takut akan Tuhan, itulah harta benda Sion" (Yesaya 33:6). Ia adalah "harta" atau "karunia" yang diberikan oleh Bapa Syorgawi di dalam "nama" Kristus yang duduk disebelah kanan Bapa, dan dilaksanakan oleh Roh Kudus di tengah-tengah umat Tuhan.

     Yesus bersabda bahawa "Kepadamu diberi karunia untuk mengetahui rahasia Kerajaan Sorga," tetapi kepada mereka tidak.  Karena siapa yang mempunyai, kepadanya akan diberi, sehingga ia berkelimpahan."  Maka, kita tahu bahawa mereka yang mengetahui "rahasia-rahasia" termasuklah rahasia perihal 'bila' Kristus akan kembali, adalah mereka yang diberikan "karunia:"roh takut akan Tuhan, karunia roh hikmat dan karunia roh pengertian.  

_________________________________________

Kenapa pula Yesus memilih perumpamaan burung nazar untuk menyingkapkan perihal kembalinya Kristus ke bumi? 
_________________________________________

                                   

 Di mana ada bangkai, di situ burung nazar berkerumun...
Pemberitaan mereka iaitu "berkerumun" bukanlah dusta,
...benarlah memang ada bangkai !!

                                   

Di mana ada bangkai, di situ burung nazar berkerumun...
Siapakah mereka itu? Kenapa agaknya Yesus memilih mereka sebagai
perumpamaan yang menyingkapkan pemberitaan kedatanganNya yang kedua?

   

     Kristus berkata "di mana ada bangkai, di situ burung nazar berkerumun." Jawapannya ringkas: kerana "instinct" burung nazar "berkerumun" itu sudah pasti tidak berdusta ! Berkerumunnya burung nazar bukanlah berpura-pura tetapi suatu kebenaran bahawa, memang ada bangkai!

_________________________________________

Namun kita akan terus bertanya, "siapakah diantara orang-orang percaya yang akan benar -benar membawa pemberitaannya seperti burung nazar? 

_________________________________________

     Maka, jawapannya ialah mereka yang pemakan bangkai secara tulenlah yang arif atau mengenali dengan dalam tentang bangkai.  Kerbau atau sapi tidaklah mengenali bangkai kerana mereka pemakan rumput.  Burung nazarlah yang secara kudratinya arif dan mengenali bangkai  segala bangkai.  Ia bukanlah semata-mata perihal pengkhususan pengajian Alkitab seperti 'bidang-bidang" sekular di dunia ini, tetapi suatu ketulenan, iaitu kudrati "ranting-ranting sebenar dan Pokok Sebenar."  "Perkataan-perkataan (Firman) yang kukatakan adalah roh" kata Yesus Kristus. 

    Kudrati roh manusia (Adam) sebelum ia "luka," disingkapkan dari tulisan Nabi Musa dalam Kitab Kejadian menyatakan bahawa kehidupan manusia harus bergantung pada buah-buah Pohon Kehidupan! Pusat kehidupan Adam dan Hawa yang belum "luka" harus menuruti Firman yang menjelaskan bahawa mereka harus makan buah Pohon Kehidupan.  Pemakan Firmanlah yang tahu, bila "Firman" itu akan kembali. Dalam pengertian bahasa profetik, ranting-ranting yang benar takkan hidup tanpa melekat pada Pokok Kehidupan itu. Roh manusia tidak akan bertumbuh-percaya jika ia tidak "makan." Pertumbuhan rohani hanya datang dari "makan." Sebab itulah Kristus bersabda dalam Mat. 4: 4 (juga Ulangan 8: 3) bahawa manusia harus hidup menuruti setiap Firman.

     Dan "makan" itu adalah keutamaan melebihi makanan roti sementara di dunia sepertimana yang dijelaskan dalam Matius 6: 33; kedua petikan tersebut berkait rapat dengan "makan Firman."  Kita tahu bahawa dalam Wahyu 19: 13, nama merujuk kepada "karya" atau dalam bahasa Inggerisnya "mission or handiwork." Kristus adalah Firman: Firman yang menjadi manusia.  Kristus adalah karya Allah Bapa dari alpha dan Omega.   "...dan nama-Nya ialah: "Firman Allah."(Wahyu 19:13).  Bagaimana mungkin seseorang percaya dapat mengenali 'Firman' iaitu 'Kristus' kalau bukan kerana senantiasa makan sebagaimana yang terkandung dalam doa " Bapa Kami.". Kerana segala karya (handiworks) Yesus kristus adalah Firman iaitu pertama-tama yang tertulis dan juga yang tidak tertulis. "Makan" Firman artinya mengenali karya Allah Bapa iaitu "Kristus." Dan mengenali yang Mahakudus dan karyaNya adalah kehidupan yang kekal.

    Mereka yang rohnya pandai lapar akan Firman adalah mereka yang dianugerahkan operasi Roh Kudus, "karunia takut akan Tuhan." Mereka inilah yang akan seterusnya dianugerahkan dengan roh pengertian dan permulaan roh hikmat. Dan, "roh manusia yang pandai lapar kepada Firman," tidaklah datang memasuki hadirat Bapa, jika sekiranya, ia tidak didahului oleh operasi anugerah karunia Roh Kudus yang disebut "roh takut akan Tuhan." (lihat "roh takut akan Tuhan" dalam Yesaya 11: 1-6). Karunia inilah yang akan beroperasi ke atas roh orang percaya supaya ia seterusnya dianugerahkan dengan "permulaan hikmat" dan "roh pengertian." Kata-kata Kristus kepada 12 rasul juga masih benar untuk semua orang percaya, dan "kepada kamu diberikan karunia untuk mengetahui rahasia! " 

     Dalam catatan Kitab Suci, kita akan dapat melihat bahawa semua nabi-nabi memakan gulungan Kitab (Firman)!  Bukanlah secara 'literal' (harafiah) mereka betul-betul memakan kertas, papyrus atau kulit binatang, tetapi mereka tahu Jalan, Pintu, dan Kunci untuk memasuki hadirat Roh Kudus.  Di dalam hadirat Roh kuduslah, roh mereka menanggapi "the Spirit of prayer," ataupun "roh doa." 

The spiritual journey of Catholicism and Protestantism....

     The marriage between YHVH and his Covenant-people, the Israelites, began with the Lord‘s paschal in Egypt. They conquered and possessed the Promised Land, establishing the kingdom of priest and the holy nation (Exodus 19: 5-6). The Laws were made into effect through the angels of YHVH in the holy land, and the matters of interpretations of the Laws prescribed by the Levite high priests. “20 See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared (Promised Land). 21 Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion. Since my Name (means divine mission) is in him” (Exodus 23: 20-21). “53 you who received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it (Acts 7: 53).”

The kingdom of priest and the holy nation in Canaan was the manifestation of theocratic establishment of the twelve tribes of Israelites on earth prescribed by the Covenant. Later, God raised the Judges, so that they may save the Israelites from the raiders. The raiders were from the five-rulers of Philistines of the following remnant Canaanites: the Hittites; Amorites; Perizzites; Hivites, and the Jebusites (Judges 2: 16; 3: 2-5). The Israelites kept on the intermarriages with them and also prostituting themselves to the Canaanites’ gods. The “Kingdom of priest and holy nation”was frequently subjected to the raiders (Exodus 19: 5-6): nonetheless, the theocratic era was considered to have begun right from the Lord‘s paschal in Egypt in the year of Exodus, and by counting in their 40-years wandering in the desert that theocratic era had spanned for approximately 391 years. The Theocratic nation died out when all the elders of Israel rejected the “kingdom of priests”by asking Prophet Samuel to give them a king instead of his corrupt sons (1 Samuel 8:6-7; 1 Samuel 12:12, 19; 1 Samuel 10: 25).

YHVH explained unto Samuel that it was God whom the Israelites had rejected as their sovereign King. So the Theocratic era ended, and the monarchy’s era began with the anointment of Saul as the first monarch of Israel. “Samuel explained to the people the regulations of the kingship. He wrote them down on the scroll and deposited them before the Lord”(1 Samuel 10: 25). The monarchy had survived for approximately 511 years. It began in the first year of King Saul in 1098 BCE till to the last reigning year of king Zedekiah in 587 BCE. [1]  “Monarchy had become the things of the past”when the last kingdom of Judah was carried off into 70-years exile in Babylon.[2]

It seemed that God continued to grant them miraculous protections and blessings throughout the monarchy era, as long as the reigning king recognized God as his ultimate king above his earthly kingship. The establishment of the Monarchy era was, in fact, the manifestation of their rebellion against God, and yet YHVH continuously did many wondrous things due to His oath to King David in upholding the promised Messiah under his lineage. Those who walked in the ways of David would be upheld, and the evil kings were uprooted. As long as the ruling king was responsive and humble before the Lord then they would be upheld, by the miraculous divine interventions; delivering them from their enemies as according to the prophecies of the Prophets of God.

YHVH sent his servants in proclaiming the foundation of the future divine mission of the promised Messiah. The prophecies are the holy foundation upon which He fulfils his mission in redeeming mankind. The prophecies were one of the holy foundations of divine mission on earth, fulfilling the perfect Way of reconciliation. Later, the perfect atonement of mankind guaranteed true deliverance for all nations on earth from the slavery of sins. Jesus Christ, the redeemer of mankind fulfilled YHVH’s promise unto Abraham; that through his seed all people on earth shall be blessed. The promised blessings are the redemption in Christ and also the outpouring of the promised helper, the Holy Spirit. The Mosaic Laws prescribed that the glory of God among his people could not be manifested, unless there were sacrifices of sin offerings; atonement for the priest and the people. Jesus came to fulfill the Laws, so that the people of God may receive the fullness of life (John 10: 10). And through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, the people of the Way would show forth praises unto God.

The Church was born with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit; the seal of the New Covenant. The beginning of fulfilment came on the day of the Pentecost. The earliest persecuted Church was called the original Apostolic Church. The original apostolic church died out when all the apostles who had seen Jesus Christ alive left their earthen vessels. Later, the people of the Way were able to institutionalize themselves according to their political regions and affiliations, as more rulers embraced the Way, giving births to 23-Catholic rites including the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Latin Rites (Roman) and the Coptic Church. Protestantism splintered from Catholicism approximately more than 1,000 years later.

According to the New Advent Encylopedia, the reformation in England was choreographed by king Henry VIII, plunging the former Catholic-”defender of faith”-nation into new brand reformed Church of England, and later “the Act of Supreme Head was enacted in 1534 CE,” [3] prescribing the Monarch as “the Supreme Head of the Church”; this enactment defied the Papal supremacy, [4] and thus, legally cutting off any Roman influence on Henry’s accession on the throne. In the same year, Pollen wrote that “the Society of Jesus” pioneered by St. Ignatius Loyola took the vow together with his chosen colleagues in counter-reforming the protesting-movements or the reformation. [5] The Scripture clearly reveals that division of the body of Christ is caused by sins, but some reason out that to take apart is sense, as to sanction the break-ups history of the Church. Thus, the tangible institution of the Church was predestined to be divided. Some Christian scholars argue that since the soul of the Church i.e. The Holy Spirit is only one, and therefore spiritually speaking, the soul of the Church remains as one; they argue that uniformity does not necessarily equivalent to the unity in the Spirit.

In the conviction of  Christ,  Pilate found no proof in passing the verdict; he was stupefied by Jesus’ uncanny remarks concerning his preordained-mission, and the resumption of prosecution led Pilate‘s further unnecessary investigation, enquiring “what is truth?” This enquiry ceaselessly resonates in one’s vacuum of spiritual awakening. In our personal dialogue, the nature of our curiosity seeks the satisfying answer to that question “what is truth?”Truth is the holy foundation of God’s Creation i.e. the Word of God. Jesus had once disclosed unto his disciples that he came to fulfil all Laws, the Prophecies of the Prophets and the Psalms. Though each spiritual “a priori” [6] of holy foundation of divine mission is the Word of God, and yet all those three are distinguishable of their purposes.

The Word is the holy foundation of Creation and always be the sovereign efficacious-spiritual-“a priori”of every divine plan. Thus, St. John wrote “in the beginning was the Word.” Jesus testified concerning the tree of life, but the “wounded”descendants of Adam rejected his testimony due to the ingrained tree of knowledge in their souls. An atheist who does not believe in the hand of God the Creator would have to rely on one’s capacity in perceiving his surroundings as according to the tree of knowledge: in modern times, the digest could be mostly derived from scientific reasoning. One of the positive facets of seeing Catholicism vs. Protestantism is discerning it,  as the clear sign of the nearness of his new name. Transcending our souls into the presence of God’s Spirit would shed off the outer tangible perceptions of truth, and thus we see those differences as merely separating the uniformity, and yet mysteriously leading all whose names written in a book of life to be One in the Spirit.

After all, our understanding of the infinite divine Spirit is always insufficient and unrefined. Our consciousness and faith are mentally shaped up by the doctrinal adherences of one‘s religion. Not all people like changes; some choose to be faithfully honouring the traditions. As in the footstep of Moses, the regular practice of striking the sonorous lime stones in order to detect the presence of reservoired-water is much safer than “speaking unto the stone.” Those who preferred the traditional method were protested by those who claim to have heard the voice that commanding them “to speak unto the stone.” These conflicting paradigms and precepts have painted the governance of the Church, and thus they eventually divided the masses into their own respective flocks. The influential authorities split up the establishment of the Church institutions into strife and divisions; the former mainstreams of the divisions were called Catholicism which taught 23 rites, and later Protestantism was born. Since then the divisions keep on splintering the protestant mainstreams into mushrooming brand new churches. History is frequently exploited and misinterpreted. The authorship of history neither discontinues nor becomes absolute. Therefore, Scriptural “truth” is never to be validated by historical records.

Truth is always the Spirit of Truth i.e. Jesus Christ. The holy foundation of the Triune God‘s missions is always the Word.  For Noah, the Word was definable as simply the instructions of building the Ark. The Word of God also included those ceremonial regulations in performing the ancient rites of expiation. The Lyrics from God‘s heart were definable as the Word of God as well; such as the Lyrics in Genesis 8: 21-22. Jesus disclosed all those categories of Word in Luke 24: 44 as “everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalm (Lyrics).” Jesus’ disclosure of his identity could be simply rephrased as “everything about me must be fulfilled according to the spoken Word of the Divine” St. John saw the salvific missions by the Hand of God along with the chosen lineage, and thus he simply wrote “the Word became flesh.”The word manifested in the midst of mankind both as the Son of the Most High and also the Son of Man.

If we fly above into the sky, as if having bird’s-eye-view on those things below; we would see the journeys of his chosen; connected and elucidated with the prophesied destiny of God’s people. It is unwise to reunite all churches under one tangible umbrella because this endeavour would be likened as an upstream-rowing of a boat; such attempt discards the prophecies (Word) revealed by the Lord Jesus Christ, and also by the saints of the Church.

Unnecessary merges of Churches would be against the revelations of God. We must learn from the resonating message of Diaspora; thus, the dispersion must take place before His Second Coming. Jesus foretold that the birth pangs: “10 many will turn away from the faith and many will betray, and hate each another, 11 many false prophets will appear and deceived many people (Matthew 24: 10-11).”So it was clear that the mainstreams churches would go through further divisions, dispersions and apostasy. Dispersion fulfilled the prophesied-birth pangs: the paintings are apostasy, divisions, strife, sectarianism and deceptions. Therefore, any attempt to unify these dispersed churches would only manifest our pointless attempt to reverse the predicted deterioration of the tangible churches; It is simply against Jesus’ prophecies.

It is against the prophecies revealed by God who once dispersed the unified one-language inhabitants of the earth with “72 major languages in the ancient incident of the forbidden tower of Babel.” [7] Wikipedia the Free Encylopedia explained the origin of many languages on earth; “because a count of all the descendants of Noah listed by name in chapter 10 of Genesis provides 15 names for Japheth's descendants, 30 for Ham's, and 27 for Shem's, these figures became established as the 72 languages resulting from the confusion at Babel.” [8] Most of us are able to relate the dispersion of the one-language ancient Babylon to divine Judgment; paradoxically, such dispersion was necessary as to weaken the possibilities of easy diabolic conquest of humanity. Seeing through the same lenses; we should be able to see the break-ups history of the Church as filtered through the fingers of God, so that the subtlest diabolic conquest of the bride could be transcendently and creatively deferred and delayed by the most mysterious creativity of the Divine Spirit.

Complete unity and uniformity was only practical for the once theocratic governance of the ancient Hebrews in the Promised Land. It may not be necessary for the Church to remain in one tangible unity in order to express the spiritual marriage between the Jesus Christ and his followers. Though the witnessing strength of the “Truth” is undeniably marred by the divisions of many affiliations, it would be better to see the splintering as the clear “Sign” of the nearness of the new name of Jesus Christ. God has allowed these paintings for her bride, as manifestations of the shaken pillars on earth, so that God’s Word would be fulfilled. God is not agitated with the divisions of the tangible Church.

He is able to solve any problem with his transcendent creativity. Our God is perfect. Seeing the replay of history like in the days of the Judges’ era which had shifted into the Monarchy Kingdom through the collective force of the elders would be inspiring. History keeps on repeating though it does not appear to be exactly the same…like from the theocratic Kingdom of Priests replaced by the Monarchy Kingdom of Israel, then they were exiled into foreign nations: the Diaspora. It was somehow repeated by the break ups history of the Church; Protestantism splintered from Catholic rites. And then, Protestantism keeps on splintering into numerous unknown traditions and roots. Unless splintered phenomenon was fulfilled, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ on earth wouldn’t be near.

The birth of the Lamb of God had long been preceded by the Diaspora which eventually ushered the unified “one” Old Covenant people into fragmented sectarian flocks: the Zealots, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Samaritan Jews, and the Essenes, and several Rabbinical Talmud Lineages. Somehow, the divided Old Covenant people were just the right time for Jesus to manifest himself as the “Word” became “flesh,” bringing forth the establishment of the New Covenant. The dispersed phenomenon has to be continuously painting the tangible body of the Church before the 2nd Return of Christ. The Second Advent would be preceded by the phenomenon of break-ups of the Spiritual Israelites (Churches) ...into numerous tangible Churches...which would be adjudged by the rhyming verses of the fire of Chastisement: a time, times and half a time.

When the Church was born...the former Old Covenant people continued to observe the old way of expiation. In the near future, the present numerous tangible churches might continue their Churchianity even the then returned Christ might have sealed the elect as prophesied in Revelation 7. They may similarly emulate the same mistake done by the widow of Yahweh. The calloused hearts of those Old Covenant believers insisted in observing the ‘way’ as according to Mosaic Laws though Prophet Isaiah had clearly disclosed that God was no longer pleased with animal sacrifices (Isaiah 66: 3-4). Lamb of God had already perfected the foreshadowing Laws on the day of Lord‘s paschal on the Cross: the sacrifices which blasphemed the atoning Cross of Jesus led to “the destruction of the temple which according to Betchel had taken place in 70 AD.” [9] Thus, Jesus’ return on the unique day of the Lord would surely fulfil the prophecies spoken by Prophet Daniel “when the power of the holy people is broken.” “Broken”here points to the absence of divine favour which spans for a time, times, and half a time. It is Judgment’s era—“desert.”

The Revelation concerning Catholicism and Protestantism is...

But the Lord says through Prophet Isaiah, “ 8 Remember this and consider, (a) recall it to mind, you transgressors (increasing apostasy), 9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, “My purpose shall stand, and I will fulfill my intention”(Isaiah 46: 8-10). Divine intentions (Judgment i.e. without daytime and night time) or wills for Catholicism and Protestantism would stand. Human tendency manifests our judgmental attitude towards our brethren in different affiliations. God's purpose would stand ...He would winnow both of them according to the revealed rebukes in the book of revelation (Chapter 2 and 3) during the chastisement period of “a time.”Catholic calls that winnowing, as Chastisement which is actually referring to the first phase of a time, times, and half a time. Then He would return… (Revelation 6: 12-17; Matthew 24: 29-31).

The Apostles Creed “Jesus ascended into Heaven, seated at the right Hand of the Father,” signifying His Melchizedec Mediator ship in Heaven. ...but when He returns on earth there would be no One sitting on that “Mediatory seat” because Jesus' name had been pronounced “seven eyes, seven horns and seven spirits.”However, his heart remains the same forever. Though his mission is changing, He is forever immutable. His return means another Mission of the Triune God on earth...the Judgment. Either Catholics or Protestants; both of them are human spirits (the Divine vineyards) that would enter the prophesied desert for a time, times, and half a time. They would be judged by the dreadful Judge. Sins are like thorns and briers. They are like fuel that caught up the fire of God, and there would be billowing of smoke. There would be blood, fire and billowing smoke as the Signs on earth.

Defining true Christianity by merely referring to one’s membership of any established church institution would only lead us into endless debates because eventually one would be tempted to expose the history of wrongdoings, or the flesh of each another. Exposing the history of the flesh of each another means endless argument, as long as we are confined within this mortal flesh. Who would be blameless when we are adjudged via our flesh? Blessed be those who are redeemed; those who truly embrace the teaching of true Vine and true branches. However, Catholicism remained the Mother Church because Protestantism was born from Catholicism and not vice versa. Protestantism splintered from Catholicism. If Catholicism is the theology instituted by Christ, as according to Catholic apologetics then why God keeps on manifesting miracles and wondrous divine manifestations among the splintered Protestantism?

The answer lies in the Divine Creativity and ultimate Goodness of our Lord in reaching the world. The fact was that Protestantism did not reject the Way, but merely defying the papal supremacy. And neither did Catholicism side track from the Way, but merely upholding the traditions. Paradoxically, both remain the followers of the Way: and yet they subtly oppose each another. Yahweh was somehow still continuing his mission with the covenant people during the kings’ era though the kingdom was bureaucratically ruled by an earthly king. Monarchy system was, in fact, the Israelites’ square rejection of YHVH‘s Sovereignty: the Lord’s intention for the old covenant people was “6 you (a) will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation," Exodus 19: 5-6; see Israelites rejection of YHVH in 1Samuel 8: 1-22). The truth is Jesus Christ (John 14:6). In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” The Truth is the Reality of God’s Spirit. The Word became flesh is the reality of God in the midst of mankind. The reality of the presence of God is only accessible when one is in the presence of the Spirit of Truth.

Questioning true Christianity based on “comparative paradigms”would be rather a manifestation of one’s failure in seeing the ultimate reason of being a believer i.e. to be continuously reconciled to the Spirit of God. My soul is free from subtle historical prejudices dished out by the mortal historians, thus I see that Catholicism, and Protestantism are not guilty of anything. The lay Christians might be deceived by the fine sounding arguments opined by the historian-authors. Spiritual watchfulness would be helpful in differentiating between historical subjects and the Truth. History always presents the “facts,” but the “truth” is always communicated by the Spirit of Truth. Besides, the Serpent is very wise; he has endless deceptions in conquering the bride.

The bride must be choreographed and divided, so that the beasts, as the “mouths” of the Old Serpent, could easily conquer her imprints and missions on earth. The Adversary’s emissaries, the beasts of the earth,  are always seeking to splash acid on the wounds, so that the saints are conquered. The beasts as Satan‘s emissaries on earth had succeeded in conquering the holy people through wars, antichrist-ideologies, and through economic conquests (the slavery of fiat money). These three known classic manoeuvres of Conquest had enmeshed the Church, and even the Church’s break ups became the subtle loop holes for the church; making her to be easily infiltrated by “waters like river spewed out by the Serpent.”Now, the power of church has broken...it is the prophesied “desert”: ...a time, times, and half a time.

To be extremely tireless zealot with the supremacy of one‘s doctrinal belief would rather set the boundary of the infinite Spirit of God, thus manifesting our immature predisposition in discerning the truth. Our judgmental inclination only manifests our earthly precepts and unrefined understanding concerning the infinite and unfathomable mystery of the Spirit of God: the boundless Word.   Edifying apologetics belongs to those who are acquainted with the spirit of understanding and the spirit of wisdom; those who know how to handle the Word that sharper than any double-edged-sword, separating soul and spirit. Edifying apologetics is essentially the Spirit of Prophecy. There is no time to entertain lawyering because it merely displays our desperate desire in winning an argument. Time is running out for an argument. Considering the nearness of his name, his message is not subduing every argument into the power of Christ or “Go, my people win an argument.” But He said, “Go, my covenant people enter your own chamber.”It is within your own chamber that you would be strengthened by the presence of His Spirit; it is the fire of His presence that lights up the wicks of our spirits. 

Blessed those pure heart for they shall see the Face of God (Matthew 5:8). Jesus said that if your eyes are full of light then indeed your body are full of light, and if your eyes are dark and indeed your body be totally darkened.  Jesus in his dying breaths said, “Forgive them Father, for they do not know what they are doing.”  The descendants of the wounded men ought to face the truth that our intellectual capacities impede our understanding of the Most holy One. Unless we are continously renewing our minds with our daily Manna, our human precepts would not be transformed  into seeing the divine precepts. We continue our journey of faith as according to the precepts shaped up by the teachings of our Churches. And yet our dominant consciousness is undeniably remaining centred on our mortal grey matters within our cranial skulls. Unless we are truly endowed with the gift of the Spirit “the fear of the Lord,” then we may remain within the untransformed-cocooned-faith, dominated by our own mental-precepts. 

Thus, such cocoon is imprisoning us from having the right spirit of understanding and the right spirit of wisdom.  May the Lord who is merciful and enduring lovingkindness endow us the operations of the gifts of the Sevenfold Spirit; and may the spirit of the fear of the Lord descends at our wicks of our spirits,  so that even our flesh is weak, and yet our spirits may be transformed into what He transcendingly intends us to be, as according to the richness of His omniwisdom and omniknowledge. Blessed be those who hold the treasure of Sion; the fear of the Lord (Isaiah 33: 6).  The followers of Christ who are inclined to cultivate judgmental predisposition would be ending up uninterested in practicing the heart of Jesus, when it comes to forgiving their fellow brethren, they would find out as if pebbles along their throats of prayers.  There must have been subtle hatred that had seeped down the souls of the mortal men who claimed to be the followers of Christ.  Every mouth that confesses  to be the followers of Christ would be facing the Judgment Seat of Christ. Therefore, let Christ alone be the Judge who judges in equity.    Jesus said that if your eyes are full of light then indeed your body are full of light, and if your eyes are dark and indeed your body be totally darkened.  Following Christ is  more than the knowledge of apologetics.  It is likened by Christ as the true branches and the true Vine: dependency.  Does anyone  would be  just enough to  tell you that you are full of light or vice versa?  Solomon said “human spirit is the lamp of God, it searches the innermost being

By Joannes Simin 

End Notes

[1] Simin, Joannes. The Interpolated Chronologies in the Old Covenant Based on Prophecies. ms. 2014

[2] Bechtel, Florentine. "Judaizers." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 24 Apr. 2014 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08537a.htm>.

[3]Thurston, Herbert. "Henry VIII." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 23 Apr. 2014 http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07222a.htm.

[4] ”Supreme Head of the Church of England.”Wikipedia, the Free Encylopedia. 23 Apr. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/upreme_Head_of_the_Church_of_England>.

[5] Pollen, John Hungerford. "St. Ignatius Loyola." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 24 Apr. 2014 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07639c.htm>.

 [6] "a priori." Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. 24 Apr. 2014. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/a priori>.

[7] “Tower of Babel: Enumeration of scattered languages.”Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 23 April 2014. <Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_Babel>.

[8]  Ibid.

[9]  Bechtel, Florentine. "Judaizers." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 24 Apr. 2014 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08537a.htm>.

References (The Holy Bible)  

The Holy Bible, New Jerusalem Bible. 14 Apr.2014. <Catholic.org

http://www.catholic.org/bible .

The Holy Bible, New International Version. The NIV Study Bible. The Zondervan

Bible Publishers. Grand Rapids, Michigan. 1985.

The Holy Bible Knox Translation. Baronius Press Ltd. ed. 2012.

<newadvent.org http://www.newadvent.org/bible >.