THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY

“If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the Devil are at that moment attacking. I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides, is mere flight and disgrace…”
Martin Luther –

The culture has swallowed the 501 C3 tax exempt, non-profit corporation doing business as “the Christian Church”. We pray for revival, yet we are unwilling to put our comfort at risk; unwilling to venture outside the self-protective shell of our denominational fortresses that have us fortified within the walls of complacency. “Change the world, Lord, but don’t change us”, is under the breath of the prayers of those who do not want to see their world shaken. But shake it will, and soon. This time though, not only the earth as in the days of Noah, but the heavens will be shaken as well. All those who live in the false confidence of ignorance to what Jesus said, “must come to pass”, will have reality crashing in on them.

The Mystery of Iniquity exposes an ecclesiastically ingrained stronghold of Satan that has reached its apex in this modern church age. The Church as an institution of man’s endeavor will stand against this expose. The Mystery of Iniquity will be censored by the peace and safety prophets who have anointed themselves as the guardians of your conscience, and the only one authorized by God to teach you the truth. Too many ministers act as the mediator between you and your heavenly Father. But the true shepherd assured us that only the truth sets men free, and the Spirit of the LORD was sent to lead you into all truth. Ministries were given to the church for the maturing of each member. Open your eyes to the Lord’s provision for you.

The Mystery of Iniquity exposes and extinguishes the strong delusion that has become the false hope of the Christian church; the snare that has been set by Satan through many years of working behind the scenes. What began as gentle misleading has, through the years, taken a winding path to the valley of full deception. The Mystery of Iniquity is the warning of Jesus, Paul, and John concerning the absolute prerequisite to the return of the Messiah to gather the saints at the “rapture”. That warning is not long range prophetic, as it was in their day, but reiterated in the context of the accomplished deception of the Christian church in our modern times. The Mystery of Iniquity is a final warning given to America and the world as to what is impending and cannot be circumvented, regardless how one votes. This book documents the legal ramifications of Satan’s original rebellion, his authority as god of this age, his rebellious stand on earth, and his final revolt. This is how the long war against God will play out in our lifetime.

The Saints filled with and led by the Spirit of the living God – will hear the battle cry and fight on ground where facade bearers fear to tread. Strip down to fighting weight, gird up your loins, and enjoin the battle. You must now choose whether you will walk quietly into the snare of The Mystery of Iniquity or stand faithfully against it until the end.

Michael John Rood – author, lecturer, and rabbi (teacher) among the Messianic Jewish community, has a natural story telling flair, intellect, and exuberance that makes him a favorite with radio, television, and live audiences that have dubbed his seminars, “A Rood Awakening”. At home with the secular radio talk show circuit, he is a recurring favorite of religious television programming as well. Few speakers have the energy and stage presence to anchor an audience to their seat for a 5-hour weeknight lecture and then field questions till 1:00 am. Michael recently performed this exhausting ritual for over 400 hours, in 80 cities in 6 months. Readers will enjoy the same scholarship and verve in his writings as he sacrifices several of modern Christianity’s sacred cows on the altar of reality. This is the meat of the word to which others have only alluded.

The 7th Millennium edition of The Mystery of Iniquity bridges the time of the Gentiles and the Messianic age by taking the reader from a Greek mindset of western Gentile theological base, into a Hebrew mindset and doctrinal base. This will be a landmark book in the reader’s life. The truths expounded will change perceptions of the Hebrew Scriptures forever. This volume will allow the Gentile Christian reader to feel at home while taking a no-return trip back to the Hebrew roots of the faith.

Michael is a former Marine, Christian minister, father of four daughters, and author of The Mystery of Iniquity, “The Astronomically and Agriculturally corrected Biblical Hebrew calendar,” the forthcoming three volume set: “The Feasts of the LORD and their Prophetic Fulfillment,” and “The Great Secret of Solomon’s Temple.” His work is recognized among Jewish scholars in the land of Israel and Christian chronologists alike and is cited in periodicals and websites on an ongoing basis.

Among the many mysteries of life, the most challenging and exciting mysteries are found in the pages of the Bible. It is there that we ponder the meaning of life, the nature of God, the nature of evil, and the realities of our existence. But few mysteries have furrowed the questioning brow as deeply as the mystery of iniquity. Mysteries of God are buried under many layers of truth. To dig down to the bedrock, many layers of preconceptions need to be challenged and exposed. Inaccurate presuppositions must be peeled away, in search of the deeper mysteries of God buried within His Word.

It is not comfortable to consider that the pictures held in one’s mind; the pictures, on which one bases their concepts of truth or theology, may be in error. I was an adult before I questioned the “flannel graph” Sunday school pictures in my mind of a young boy Daniel standing safely in the lion’s den. Once that picture was embedded I had no reason to question its validity. It was not until 40 years later that I saw a new picture developing from the biblical record. A picture of an older Daniel, 80ish, who had been a ruler of Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and now Darius. Deeper levels of understanding opened and the book of Daniel took on a texture to which I could not have previously related.

The mystery of iniquity is even more shrouded in the veil of flawed bias. We carry in our mind inaccurate pictures of what it is like in heaven at this hour, and the way it will be in the future. We have accepted pictures concerning the nature and timing of the return of Jesus Christ to gather the church, as they were spoken from the pulpit; not based on scripture, but upon traditions passed down in like manner from the previous generation. The phrase “mystery of iniquity” is used only once in the Bible, in II Thes 2:7, yet the context of this phrase is extremely important to the followers of the Messiah. Many have read those words dozens of times without ever considering their significance.

Since mysteries are not readily understood by the uninquisitive perusal of a novice, these words have been treated as insignificant and inconsequential to the Christian believers for hundreds of years. The manifestation of this mystery of iniquity, however, is soon to bring about one of the earth’s most spiritually and physically significant events. These incidents concern the last days preceding Messiah’s return for his saints and his subsequent return to live and reign on earth for a thousand years. The events that will transpire in the near future will result in a profound disruption of life on the planet, the details of which Jesus himself wants his servants to read and accurately understand.

Your life and mine are about to change dramatically because of the events that are about to take place in heaven and on the earth. At the time of Noah, God shook the earth in judgment. At the time of the end, he has declared that he will not only shake the earth, but will shake the heavens as well. The Messiah with the angels under his command, will subdue all authority in the heavens and on earth in preparation for the binding and ultimate destruction of Satan. Powers in the spirit realm must be broken and bound in preparation for the reign of Messiah on earth.

To understand the mystery of iniquity, or any other biblical mystery, we are personally responsible to challenge our own preconceptions and thought patterns in search of the truth. Through this investigation you will see the prophetic future of this world, from here to eternity, through new eyes. Your vision will be clearer than you have ever thought possible as we dig through the layers of tradition to expose the mystery of iniquity.

The word mystery in Greek is musterion. Webster’s 1925 Unabridged International Dictionary defines mystery, derived from musterion as:

“A substantive secret that which has been kept cautiously concealed. Something that has not been revealed or cannot be explained to novices or the uninitiated. Hence, a spiritual truth that is beyond natural understanding.”

The substantive secrets, or mysteries of God, can be described by two categories: (a) That which has not been revealed, and therefore cannot be known until it is explained, and (b) that which cannot be explained to novices. The second category is much more common, as we are all, in one field or another, inexperienced. In either case, a mystery is something that cannot be understood without spiritual understanding.

Spiritual understanding can come via direct revelation from God to the individual or by the revelation contained in his written Word, which originated via direct revelation from God to his prophets. But even the understanding of the revelation in his written word does not open in full bloom to a novice upon first perusal of the scriptures. The scriptures display the heart and understanding of God. He will not open these treasures to those who zealously guard inaccurate preconceptions or to those who live in disobedience to him, regardless of academic degrees or social standing. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, without which there are some things that cannot and will never be understood. A case in point concerns the book of Revelation.

Revelation 1:1
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things, which must shortly come to pass, and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant (greek, boulos meaning bond slave by choice), John.

According to John, this book could be more accurately titled “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” rather than “The Revelation of Saint John the Divine”, as it is titled in most of our English Bibles today. Furthermore, he states that this revelation is addressed to, and can only open to those who serve the Messiah. The book is cryptic enough to discourage the casual Christian. There are also many things that could not be understood in past generations. The technology, as well as the geopolitical composition of the planet, had not advanced to the state that John the apostle described. Fanciful, specially created monsters were conjured in the minds of the readers of the Revelation account, because the war machinery described by John did not exist one hundred years ago. These “monsters” are common, and easily recognized military hardware today.

The interpretations of respected theologians of a past century, who would never live to see the times in which the book of Revelation would be fulfilled, should be carefully reconsidered. It was never needful for the LORD to clarify it for them, as it was not the time of its fulfillment. They could only interpret these prophecies in the light of the geopolitical world and reality in which they lived, just as we do today. The horse and buggy technology of a past generation could not have provided the experiential framework to interpret these scriptures, as we are now able to do. It is clear to us living today that past generations of theologians would never see the book of Revelation tied daily to front page news reports of the generation that is being primed to welcome in the world government, and the much heralded New World Order.

It is the Messiah who opened the Revelation to John, to show his servants. And he alone can open it to our understanding, if he finds a meek and obedient heart that will listen to him over the din of a thousand scholarly interpretations. Many of us have become so well versed in the inherited misinterpretations of the past that we cannot see the clarity and beauty of the chronology that unfolds in its pages. Understanding must be sought on one’s knees, and in the discipline of one’s mind to the truth, rather than by adhering to comfortable traditions of thought and activity. Jesus the Messiah, the revealer himself, is to be sought, allowing the interpretive works of men to pale before him.

Mysteries are opened to the mind through the work of the Spirit of God. It is the work of the Spirit to personally lead us into the truth. The provisions of the LORD are abundant along the path of righteousness. The Spirit of the LORD will shine into your heart, exposing sin and error, so the eyes of your spiritual understanding can be enlightened. Spiritual understanding comes with asking, seeking, knocking, and aggressively obeying. The LORD desires to open this mystery of iniquity to your understanding, but the truth must be tried on your own inclinations analyzed and reconsidered. Not everything we think about the Scriptures is truth. Only the Word of God is truth.

No one can force you to reconsider the pictures you hold in your mind. That is your burden alone. However, the LORD is willing to lead you through the pain of doubt and discomfort of transformation. Trust him rather than your own understanding. The Word of God will not “fall apart” if you dig deeply and reconsider your interpretation of certain scriptures, but your eschatological viewpoint may. Are you willing to risk your present interpretation of a particular scripture by putting your trust in the one who has promised to lead you into all truth?

I am asking you to “watch the movie” within these pages. I know there are many ways to look at prophetic scriptures, and the more serious students are certain to have their own interpretive pictures planted firmly in their minds. For now, I am asking you to just watch the movie without attempting to defend your own or someone else’s interpretation as you read. If you can suspend your position long enough to take a fresh look, you will understand the mystery of iniquity with unimagined clarity.

The gathering together, or rapture of the Saints, in its timely relationship to the mystery of iniquity and the revealing of the son of destruction, is the focus of Paul the apostle’s second letter to the believers in Thessalonica. It is in this letter that we are given a glimpse of the mystery of iniquity for the first time. We will consider that letter in detail. It was written to encourage the believers experiencing great tribulation, but remaining faithful to their death. Paul, Silas, and Timothy praised their brothers and sisters for their endurance in the face of such persecution.

Their sacrificial living was held up as an example to the entire body of believers. Then, and through the centuries, their endurance in the face of persecution and death has remained a beacon. Their example teaches us that the reality of the resurrection is a far more certain reward than anything that we may gain in this life.

Man has been allowed this age to repent and turn to God for forgiveness and mercy, but the age is soon to end. The sword of God’s righteous and holy indignation is about to fall. The day of his wrath is fast approaching. When the last trumpet sounds, the saints of God, living and dead will be gathered, and the wrath of God will be poured upon those who have afflicted and killed his people. But this will not happen until the sin of man has been brought to its climax. The disparity between the righteous followers of GOD and the evil of this world will be separated by the sword of God’s judgment. Man will have absolutely no excuse. Rejection of the one true GOD and the persecution of his people will be repaid in full measure.

The mystery of iniquity will play a big part in your life in the next few years. Unfortunately, the mystery of iniquity has been ignored, or redefined and neutered of its significance. It is uncomfortable to consider its impact on the way we should live in these last days. The redefinition of this section of scripture pertaining to the mystery of iniquity was offered as part of the well-received “peace, safety, and prosperity gospel” that caught on at the onset of the Industrial Revolution. The outgrowth of this redefinition, and resultant doctrinal error, has become part of the strong delusion to which both Jesus and Paul prophesied. The warnings we see in God’s Word are clear. If God’s people continue to ignore these warnings, he will allow those who love comfort more than truth to walk straight into the snare that has been set for them. This is one of the workings of the mystery of iniquity. They will believe a lie, and be hung by their own apathetic unconcern.

II Thess 2:7 – For the mystery of iniquity doth already work…..
“The mystery of iniquity doth already work,” and has been at work since Satan took his rebellious stand against God, and subsequently man. One construct of the mystery of iniquity is hidden, behind the scenes workings of Satan, the god of this age as Paul refers to him.

II Cor 4:4 – The god of this world (age) hath blinded the minds of those that do not believe, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, (who is the image of God), should shine unto them.

The mystery of iniquity entails Satan’s legal authority as god of this age. If a person’s mind is blinded by Satan, he is unable to see even the obvious truths of life; much less so the conflicts of power in the spiritual realm and the deep mysteries of God. This spiritual blindness can account for much of the disparity in the mental perception of intelligent persons such as the late Carl Sagan, an eminent New Age science philosopher, who state, “The cosmos is all that is, all that was, and all that ever will be.” This is a fine example of a blinded mind producing a profoundly distorted view of reality, from an otherwise respectable intellect. This is one man who may be at a real loss for words when he stands before the judgment of Almighty God. His “cosmos” philosophy will come back to bite him, in the end. This blindness is very subtle when one considers one’s own prejudices and presuppositions, which filter out the truth in favor of evidence that confirm one’s comfortable belief system. We must never stop questioning and questing for truth.

To understand the mystery of iniquity, we must dig deep and search the scriptures diligently. We must realize that the god of this age desires to blind our eyes to what he desires to accomplish, so we can become ensnared in his world view and remain ineffective. For our search in uncovering the mystery of iniquity, it would be helpful to have command of the following definitions. They will be essential to our understanding. Please take a moment to study and comprehend these important legal terms, as they are defined in the 1925 edition of Webster’s International Dictionary. They mystery) the hidden secrets that cannot be revealed to novices) that we are exploring, is that of iniquity.

Iniquity is defined as: The deviation from that which is just or upright. A deed of injustice, or maleficent act.

The Greek word for iniquity is anomia, also translated as lawlessness in the KJV.

Lawlessness is defined as: The state of being without or in opposition to the law. Hence, lawlessness entails the stand of one, who is in opposition to the originator, Or author of the law. An act of open rebellion, and renunciation of the one to Whom one owes allegiance.

Rebellion is: An open, organized and armed resistance to authority. An organized uprising of subjects to overthrow their lawful ruler.

Sedition, on the other hand, is: Conduct or speech, which is in opposition To lawful authority, but lacks an overt act that would constitute treason or Rebellion.

Satan acted in open rebellion against the one to whom he owed his allegiance. Satan led an organized uprising of angels who sough to overthrow their lawful ruler, God. We see that Satan was able to draw away one third of the heavenly hosts in his original rebellion against God, as is depicted in Revelation.

Revelation 12:4 ….his (the dragon, Satan’s) tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth.

Why did God not squash Satan like a bug when he rebelled against him? Why, if God is loving and just, did he allow Satan to enter into the affairs of man and corrupt creation? Why? Because God is love, God is holy, and God is absolutely just. God will not act in a maleficent, unjust, or lawless manner to subdue Satan. Satan was given great power and authority in the beginning, and that authority can only be stripped from him in a legal manner by one who has the right to do so. Through his obedience to God, Jesus has prevailed, receiving the authority to strip Satan of his delegated dominion (Rev 5), defeat him in heaven (Rev 12), subdue him in his rule over the kingdoms of this world (Rev 19, 20), and finally destroy the disobedient, lawless one in the lake of fire (Rev 20).

Satan is now holding fast to his authority in the heavens, which allows him access before the throne of God where he now positions himself as the “accuser of the brethren”. Satan’s purposes and methodology are exposed in Revelation 12 (verse 10), and the book of Job (1:6 – 2:7) where he is depicted in both scenarios as the accuser before the throne, and the one who steals, kills, and destroys (John 10:10). Besides Satan’s position as the accuser before the throne of God, by his deceptive wiles he also received the dominion of this world from the hand of Adam.

Adam originally received from God complete dominion and authority over the entire creation on earth (Gen 1:26). He also had dominion over Satan, but was “bribed” into a deal with Satan after Eve was seduced to sin. Now Satan legally holds the title deed to this world, a title and authority that was delivered to him by the original recipient, Adam. This same authority was offered to Jesus by Satan, for the small price of worship.

Luke 4:5-7, And the devil, took Jesus up into an high mountain, and showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will, I give it. If you worship me, all this shall be yours.

Jesus did not dispute Satan’s claim that this world was delivered to his authority. Jesus did not even challenge this jurisdiction, but flatly refused Satan’s offer, choosing obedience to God and the plan for his blood to be poured out as the atonement for sin. God had ordained the sacrificial death of Jesus before Adam relinquished the dominion of this world to the authority of Satan.

Ephesians 1:4, God has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world… (KJV)

After Adam relinquished his dominion over the world to Satan, there was no way for man to get it back. It was lost forever. However, Jesus prevailed over temptation, sin, and death, to strip Satan of his delegated authority, securing the kingdoms of this world God’s way. Revelation 5 shows us that only Jesus has the authority to take the scroll of the title deed of this world from the hand of God. That scroll was bound by the seals of Satan’s power and authority. Only Jesus has the God given authority to actively dispossess Satan of his legal claim, by stripping the seals of power from the scroll of the title deed to this world.

Revelation 5:1, I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a scroll written within, and on the backside sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaim with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose the seals?” And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book.

John was utterly shattered over the realization that there was no hope. There was not a man living or dead who was worthy to loose the seals of the authority of Satan from the title deed. He was in irreconcilable emotional chaos, to weep so profoundly before the throne of Almighty God. There was no hope for redemption. The fate of the creation was sealed, and there was no way out from under the authority that was delivered to Satan. Satan kept the deed bound with the power of his authority, and no one had the power to divest his authority from the deed to the dominion of this world. John’s only response to this desperate dilemma was to anguish in tears. Put yourself in his place. He was devastated. There was no hope.

Revelation 5:5,.. And one of the elders said unto me, Weep not, behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll, and to loose the seven seals. And the Lamb of God came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb…

The Lion of Judah alone has prevailed, and only he is worthy to divest Satan of the domino laid under his authority by the first Adam. By the first Adam came the offense; by the second Adam, Jesus the Messiah, came the reconciliation.

And they sung a new song, “Thou art worthy to take the scroll, and to open the seals for thou was slain, and has redeemed to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people and nation; “and has made unto our God kings and priests: and they shall reign on the earth.”

Revelation 6:1, And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts shout, Go! (KJV-GINT)

The power and authority by which Satan securely holds fast his claim, his legal authority to stand before the throne as the accuser, and his authority over the kingdoms of this world is being stripped away in heaven at this very hour. Each time a seal of Satan’s authority is torn from the scroll, the unbridled power and fury of Satan is unleashed on the earth. With each victory in heaven, mankind is brought one giant step closer to the global government of the destroyer. Jesus is not causing the death and destruction on earth as the seals are removed. The destruction is just the unavoidable consequence of stripping Satan’s legal command in the spiritual realm. Satan is holding fast to his authority over the world, which we also see in Ephesians:

Ephesians 6:10-12, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities against powers, against the world rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in the Heavenlies. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (KJV-GINT).

…against the world rulers kosmo = the world, the domain of the exercised power of Satan. Krateros = to lay hold of, seize, retain by force. Satan and his minions have seized and maintain their exercised dominion by force in the heavenlies. That spiritual wickedness has a powerful presence in the heavenlies at this time. But the power is being stripped away by the authority delegated to Jesus when he was raised from the dead. There is a battle raging in the heavenlies against the power of the accuser. He is now holding fast to his position in the heavens as the accuser before of the throne before the throne of God. But there is also a battle raging on earth for the souls of men. It is a life and death struggle with the heavenly hosts fully engaged. Jesus and his angels are not willing that any of his chosen perish. Jesus is not lounging around heaven in his pajamas watching Oprah reruns. There is strife and warfare up above and battle here on earth. We are told to put on the whole armor of God and enjoin the battle. This spiritual warfare is reality; it is not a figure of speech.

Satan was delegated power and authority before iniquity was found in him. That authority has to be removed from his domino legally, by one who has overcome the same temptations to which he succumbed. The Messiah has prevailed to loose the seven seals. Soon, an all out war in the heavens will result in Michael and his angels’ consummate victory over Satan in the heavenlies. War in Heaven

We now look into the throne room in heaven where the hidden, behind the scenes working of Satan as the accuser is revealed. The mystery of iniquity begins to unfold as Jesus reveals the details to John.

Revelation 12:7, And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And they prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”

Verses 6 and 14 in this chapter, pinpoint the war in heaven occurring 3 ½ years before Armegeddon. The ware described is not Satan’s original rebellion, but a future even in which the heavens will be shaken and the powers of evil will be defeated in heaven. When Jesus spoke of the heavens being shaken and the stars of heaven being cast to the earth, he was referring to this future cataclysm. The victory of the Lion of Judah will be completed first in heaven, then on the earth 3 ½ years later as Jesus the Messiah sets up his kingdom. He will incarcerate Satan by casting him into the bottomless pit for 1,000 years.

Concerning his war in heaven, Michael and his angels will prevail over Satan and his angels. Their victory will end his rebellious stand in heaven and despoil Satan of his authority to stand in the midst of the throne room of God, where he now accuses the brethren day and night. He will not relinquish his position willingly, but will hold fast to his position until he is conquered and cast out into the earth. This victory in heaven will occur precisely 3 ½ years before Messiah returns from heaven with the resurrected saints, to conquer and rule at the battle of Armegeddon. At this “midst of the last 7 years” event, Satan, who has taken his rebellious stand against God in the heavens, will then take his stand on earth, opposing God and his people.

The book of Daniel gives a vivid description of the ruler and the world government under his control (referred herein as the New World Order). That government will bear totalitarian control over the entire planet before the Messiah comes to rule the Earth. According to the Prophets Daniel and Paul, the casting out of Satan occurs at the exact time that the abomination of desolation takes place.

The Destroyer is revealed as he takes his stand in the temple mount. This is referred to as Satan’s time, and he will control the world government and the man who sits at the top of it; the man of sin (II Thes 2:3), the son of destruction (II Thes 2:3), the Wicked one (II Thes 2:8), the prince that shall come (Dan 9:27), the king (Dan 11:36), the mouth speaking great things and blasphemies (Rev 13:5), he who shall magnify himself above all (Dan 11:37, II Thes 2:4), he to whom authority is given to make war with the saints and overcome them (Rev 13:7), he who has authority to continue 42 months (Rev 13:5), he who blasphemes God, his namesake, his tabernacle and the angels (Rev 13:6, Dan 11:36, II Thes 2:3), he whose army shall pollute the sanctuary and shall place the abomination of desolation (Dan 11:31), he who will plant the tents of his command post between the seas in the glorious holy mountain (Dan 11:45), the voice of the beast (Dan 7:11), he who wears out the saints of God for 3 ½ years (Dan 7:25), antichrist (I John 2:18), he whose coming is after the working of Satan (II Thes 2:9), the Destroyer (Rev 9:11), he who rises to power out of the smoke of the sixth seal nuclear war and its bloody aftermath (Rev 9:11), the commander and CEO of the New World Order military machine (Rev 9:11), the spokesman or representative for the beast system (Rev 19:19), he whose coming is with all lying signs and wonders II Thes 2:9), he who has full ability to deceive utilizing the unrighteousness that is in them that perish (II Thes 2:10), he who will come in his own name and the people will receive (John 5:43), and he who shall be destroyed by the brightness of Messiah’s coming at the battle of Armageddon (II Thes 2:8).

It is important to note that the individual spoken of is not the beast, as the beast is indicative of the government system. The son of destruction sits as the undisputed ruler of the beast government. As the head, he is referred to as “the beast” only once in Rev 19:19-20, just as Nebuchadnezzar was referred to as “the head of gold” in Dan 2:38, because he was the personal ruler of Babylon. All other references to the beast, such as Rev 13:1, are direct references to the government. People do not have seven heads and ten horns, but governments are described as having such features.

Revelation 12:11,…. And [the brethren] overcame [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Living to the end and saving or own skin is not the ultimate goal of life and never has been; enduring faithful to the end is. This verity never changes. It was true in the first Covenant period. In the gospels, Jesus told the leaders of the Renewed Covenant assemblies that it would be so for us, and Paul confirmed this truth throughout his letters. In the opening of his “revelation to his servants concerning the things which must come to pass,” Jesus hammered the same message to his followers, to prepare them for the rough times ahead. He that endures faithful to the end, shall be save (Matt 24:13; Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21; Matt 10:32, 33; Luke 9:25, 26). Hang in there, I have read the end of the Revelation and Jesus guarantees that it will be worth any amount of pain and suffering the world may heap on us.

Concerning the war in heaven and the victory won there:
Revelation 12:12, Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time…

At the outcome of this war in heaven, Satan is cast down from heaven, against his will. His rebellious stand before the throne of God is abruptly terminated. He is taken out of the midst of the throne room and cast down to the earth where he then takes his rebellious stand on earth. That stand is manifested in the revealing of the son of destruction, a man who is fully complemented with all the power of Satan, replete with lying signs, wonders, and false prophet. This is truly Woe to the earth and coincides with the first woe which occurs at the fifth trumpet, Abaddon, Apollyon, the Destroyer is revealed as the king or commander of the new World Order military forces. He establishes order after the war that brings the world government into full power over the inhabitants of the earth. It is not a peculiar coincidence that Satan is cast out of heaven 3½ years before the return of Messiah to reign on earth, and the Destroyer is revealed at exactly the same time. It is the identical incident. Satan’s expulsion is the direct cause of the Wicked one being revealed. His coming is after the working of Satan.

The mystery of iniquity is already at work behind the scenes and before the throne of God. However, that mystery will be in its full rage and devastation when Satan, the lawless one himself, is cast down to the earth, and works his will through the son of destruction, antichrist personified.

Rev 12:13,… And when the dragon (Satan) saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman (Israel) which brought forth the man child (Jesus). And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time (3 ½ years), away from the face of the serpent. And the serpent case out his mouth water as a flood [common reference to an army] after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth [or forces of the earth] helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The Destroyer is thwarted in his attempt to destroy the people of Israel. They flee from Judea into the mountains as his army is engulfed in a war with a 200 million-man army from out of the east, at the sixth trumpet. After a successful defense against the eastern communist bloc, he then moves to exterminate Israel, and wipe from the planet all followers of the Messiah, who keep the commandments of GOD. After this comes the events of the seven thunders, the contents of which John was forbidden to disclose to the servants of Messiah.

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