The Rise of Europe – Pt. 1

Ron Weinland

February 4, 2012

I am excited about this series we’re getting ready to go into. I’ll explain it as we go along.  We’ve been going through a sermon series entitled ‘Daniel’s Commission’ and rather than continuing with a long sermon series with the same title, because you get up to parts 3-4-5-6-7-8 and it gets a little bit too long for people and you don’t remember where things were if you want to go back to something.  So rather than doing that we’re going to start with a new sermon title today that zero’s in on a different focus in the midst of the book of Daniel.  We’re going to continue on where we are in Daniel and we’re going to continue talking about it but we’ll probably have at least two other sermon titles or series as we go through this.

And although we may have different sermon titles as we go through all this the theme is still going to be on Daniel’s commission, which I hope we have deeply embedded in our minds was one of God establishing prophecy about kingdoms and nations that will lead all the way up to the end-time, and obviously prophecy that had to do with the first and second coming of Jesus Christ.  So, all that’s contained in the book of Daniel.

The sermon today is entitled The Rise of Europe – Part 1. Today we’re going to pick up where we left off last Sabbath; we’re going to go back and review a few things.  History can be a little challenging sometimes depending on your like for it or dislike of it.  I know it wasn’t really a subject I cared for until I came into the Church.  In school I hated it, and then I came into the Church and all of a sudden it took on a different perspective because it has to do with time and how God has worked with mankind for 6,000 years, what His plan is, and it takes on a different light totally, and becomes more interesting, more exciting, although sometimes it may be difficult to follow along in all these things.

We’re going to pick up in the section where it was being explained about the fulfillment of the fifth resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire, and we’re going to build a little more on what was covered; and there’s going to be more because God is revealing more.  This is, to me, is what’s exciting as we go into the five-month period and the 5th Trumpet.  But again here, today we’re going to pick up in the fifth resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire just to review some things.

So, as was covered last Sabbath, in the fifth resurrection of the (what we call) the Holy Roman Empire, that was under Napoleon, and I think it’s actually good to go back here a little bit farther again just to recoup and recapture all this again.  We need to go back and consider all this again about a process that was taking place.  I mentioned something last Sabbath that happened after the fall of the fifth resurrection, as it was stated that the Catholic church through the popes began to decline in their power and influence after that time.  And I didn’t really think about it as much at the moment, but this is important to understand, that the Roman Catholic church began to decline in its power and influence over leaders in Europe after this period of time.  And again, going back and understanding how it all began... even before services here we had a little bit of a discussion about, “Why is it called the Holy Roman Empire? ...or that there are seven resurrections?”

When you begin with the first one that begins with Justinian it isn’t really a resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire in the sense of because that’s the first one!  But it’s a resurrection of the Roman Empire and now it’s going to carry the name ‘Holy’ from this point forward, and there are different revivals or different periods of time.  Even the old Roman Empire under the Caesars, it’s an original empire but later on it’s replaced by something that God reveals by the beasts and so forth, and things in Daniel, and things in Revelation, and we’ll spend some time going through this.   Again, it gets a little complicated because there are a lot of different things that represent, in Daniel, these period of time, and in the book of Revelation as well.

The first period of time after the (if you remember the story here), the Heruli, the Ostrogoths, and the Vandals, it was a period of time from 476-554 AD, in that period of time there, and those kingdoms were ‘rooted up’ if you remember the example of the scripture.  They were ‘rooted up’ and what came on the scene next was Justinian and the Roman Catholic church in power.  This is when Justinian publicly recognized the supremacy of the pope, and this begins the first period of time of the Holy Roman Empire.

The next four revivals, or resurrections, of this Holy Roman Empire occurred after a pope crowned each leader of that time.  Again, the second resurrection – Charlemagne – was crowned by a pope in 800 AD, the third resurrection – a German head, Otto the Great – was crowned by a pope in  962 AD, a fourth resurrection – the Austrian head, Charles the Great – was crowned by a pope in 1520, and the fifth resurrection – a French head, Napoleon – was crowned in 1805.  Now, when the king, when that era fell in the fifth resurrection in 1814 it covered a period of time that’s a part of something that God gave as a prophecy, and we’re going to spend a little time and talk about some of this.

Once the Holy Roman Empire fell in 1814 the Roman Catholic churches influence over nations and leaders began a gradual decline, no leader after this was crowned by a pope.  Okay?  So during World War I, World War II, in that period of time when Italy and Germany came into power and it kind of all merges together of a time of power, of the sixth resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire – the reason we continue to call it the Holy Roman Empire is because of the influence still of the Catholic church.  It’s still a predominant religion throughout Europe and it will be to the end here, but it doesn’t have the same kind of influence and power that it did back from 1-2-3-4 and 5 resurrections, or times that it was given power.

This becomes important because there is a process toward the end here where God shows that Europe and the Catholic church are not going to get along.  There’s going to be a butting of heads, if you will. There’s going to be contention before this is all over with.  And by some of the things mentioned in Revelation, it fully appears as though God is using that in a very powerful way to help destroy it.  It’s a part of the destruction that takes place toward the end that happens very quickly.

Let’s go back here and pick it up in Daniel 7 where we left off last Sabbath, and talk about some of these things as a reminder.  And the reason we’re going to go through some of this again, because if you have some of these things in your mind as we go through the book of Revelation it’s awesome how it all fits together and what God is describing, especially as we zero in on the rise of Europe and what takes place, or what has taken place through time and what is yet to take place.

Daniel 7:7 - After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and exceedingly strong; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet: and it was different from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. This is talking about the Roman Empire, prophetically, and what’s discussed as the Roman Empire.  I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: so again, we’re not talking about the original Roman Empire, please understand.  The Roman Empire is a part of the prophecies here, it’s a part of the beast, if you will, the four...if you look at the first beast and the dream that Nebuchadnezzar had, there is a Roman Empire that was led by the Caesars and so forth, but this is talking about a specific unique era of time for the Roman Empire, after the great empire fell, and it’s spoken of in different terms as you go through these prophecies.

But the ten that it’s referring to here goes back to some of the things we discussed last Sabbath, about the Heruli, the Ostrogoths, and the Vandals.  And those are the three it says here, three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots.  Now, a lot of this happened because of the influence of the Catholic church.  This is what led to Justinian and a power that was growing in Europe.  The Roman Catholic church began to grow in great power, especially amongst themselves in a struggle in religion, if you will, in that which was using the name of Christ.  So by the time you come to 325 we have this church establishing Easter as opposed to the truth concerning Passover. They established and had a desire for Sunday worship and got away from the Sabbath.  All of these things that began to take place!  And as you go through time that became more powerful and more popular, and eventually they began to highly influence various leaders and various groups of people to overthrow, or come into power as Justinian did and recognize the supremacy of the Catholic church. So, incredible things that happened through time, through history.

And so it goes on to say, referring to this little horn, because you see...the Heruli, the Vandals, and the Ostrogoths – not Catholic, they weren’t influenced powerfully by the Catholic church and so it was a little horn that came long that helped to destroy them, that was a part of helping to destroy their influence.  And now Justinian comes along and raises up the prominence of the Catholic church, powerfully so!  Justinian was a tremendous power in giving the church a great boost throughout Europe, because if you opposed it you died.  That’s how they worked.  You begin to oppose the Catholic church you lost your life, that’s how life was.  You lived a different way of life, you opposed some of the power that was there, and people were killed for it.

And so it says, three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots: and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.  Awesome!  They spoke great things all right, and if you read the context throughout what it talks about here in Revelation and throughout the book of Daniel, it says, in this horn were eyes and a mouth speaking great things; so in this example here of a ‘mouth that speaks great things’ it has to do with other scriptures here as you go along and you recognize a church that is beginning to have a voice that speaks through leaders, speaking great things because now they were influencing a religion and one religious belief in Europe, and you didn’t oppose it.  They had tremendous power to destroy anyone that got in their way!

So again here, going on, picking it up in verse 8 - I considered the horns, speaking of the ten horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. And I beheld until the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, and this word has to do with ‘rule’, just as we came to understand scriptures in 2nd Thessalonians 2 talking about an individual who would ‘set’, who would ‘sit’; it had to do with the word for power, to be placed in a position of authority, speaking of the man of sin and what happened in the Church. Same type of expression here.

So, it shows a period of time here, the rise of Europe, things that would happen throughout Europe concerning the Holy Roman Empire, or the Roman Empire, until the Ancient of days came into power. It’s just another way of explaining this cube that came down and smashed the feet of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar saw, and here it’s talking about God Almighty and the time the Kingdom of God is established.  Again, reviewing what we went through last Sabbath.

...whose garment was white as snow, and hair of His head like pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame and His wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him: and thousands upon thousands ministered unto Him, so if you want to talk about the angelic realm, fine, but it’s more than this; it’s talking about mankind, it’s talking about those who come to a point in time who are part of God’s Kingdom and the things that take place, 144,000 who are resurrected from the very  beginning, and then God’s plan through time, through the Millennium for millions upon millions, that’s the next expression; and ten thousand times ten thousands, meaning tens of millions now.  So it comes out to a point in time where it begins, when God’s Kingdom is here, His throne is established, and it talks about rulership on the earth, in essence, and then it comes to a time of greater power when there are tens of millions serving God in God’s Family.  It’s a part of God’s purpose and God’s plan.

...and judgment was set, and the books were opened. Very similar language to what you read about when you go back and you read what it says there in the book of Revelation and when you come to a time after Satan has been put away and a thousand years of rule, and then it talks about the books that are opened, the people are judged out of those things that are written in the books.

Verse 11 - I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke: this little horn in the midst of it all the time; I beheld even until the beast was slain and his body destroyed, I love this verse.  We were talking before services here about what people are experiencing out here in the Church, and there is pressure, and there is stress; you can feel it, it’s strong.  And if you understand where it’s coming from there is a power that doesn’t want this to end; they are going to go out screaming, kicking, and hollering. But they’re coming to their end and they don’t have much time, and they broadcast, and they are merciless in what they’re striving to accomplish and striving to do.  And God’s allowing it for a purpose, because we’re experiencing something in a short period of time, in 3½ years, a crash course of a witness, of something that’s gone on for 6,000 years...and thank God it’s coming to an end; and this being is going to be brought down and eventually fully destroyed.

So it says; I beheld until the beast was slain and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. Awesome what it says!

Verse 12 - As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged, some ask about this later on, what does this mean, the rest of the beasts?  Well, what is it talking about?  It’s talking about the different periods of time, it’s talking about the things that happened at different points in time, different resurrections and people who were over a system that is going to be destroyed, and has been destroyed at different times already.  But those leaders, if you want to look at the leaders or all who participated in it, their opportunity isn’t over; but there is a being who is going to come to his end, but there are others who were a part of that system, that it’s not over with them by any long shot – that’s why it expresses it in these terms...as concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for/in a season, the Great White Throne, and a time, the final 100 years.  They have an opportunity to change; they have an opportunity to become a part of the God Family.  Awesome!

Verse 13 - I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought Him near before Him.  And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a Kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: this is how God accomplishes it.  So it’s always a focus on the Ancient of days, God Almighty, Yahweh Elohim, and Jesus Christ who is going to bring it all about as a part of God’s government.  It says ...and languages, should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away; there’s another being that it says his dominion is passing away and he’s going to be burned up in the flame, in the great flame, if you will, or however it states it here, the burning flame; and His kingdom, it says, that which shall not be destroyed. It’s going to endure forever...forever...forever.

I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions on my head troubled me.  And I came near unto one of them who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings/four kingdoms which shall rise out of the earth. But the saints of the most High shall take the Kingdom: So here it starts with God Almighty, the Ancient of days, brings in the Son of God, if you will, the Son of man, the one whom God is going to give great power and might to rule in the Kingdom, and then it brings in those who are going to be with Him, just like in the book of Revelation, those who are going to rule with Him.  That’s what it’s discussing here, the saints of the Most High.  The saints, in the Bible, refer to those who are a part of God’s Family, those who are begotten of God, those whom God has worked with over the past 6,000 years, those who become a part of the Body, the Church, who receive of God’s spirit.

But the saints of the Most High shall take the Kingdom, God’s going to give it to them with tremendous power when the 144,000 come.  It isn’t going to be like when Jesus Christ came the first time, as a Lamb.  He’s coming back, as it says, as a Lion, with great power, and those who are with Him have great power to conquer...to conquer and put down; to put down anything that resists God as far as government and peoples are concerned.  And God does that, as a whole, in one fell swoop in one day, but human nature is human nature and there will be a little residue for a little while even after that, but not long.  But the saints of the Most High shall take the Kingdom, and possess the Kingdom forever, even forever and ever. Beautiful verses here, beautiful expressions in how God expresses these things.

Verse 19 - Then I wanted to know the truth of the fourth beast, because it says it was different from all the others, and this is the one he’s zeroed in on; I wanted to know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; And of the ten horns that were in the head, and the other which came up, the little horn, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke very great things, things against God – the Trinity – against God – Sunday – against God – Easter – against God.  That’s what it’s referring to here.

...whose look/appearance was more stout/greater/lording; even the word ‘lording’ here is part of the Hebrew word, than his fellows. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, powerful what came up in Europe, what happened.  The stronger this other church became, when Justinian recognized it, and for a long period of time the Church, God’s Church, went through some hideous times and persecution that we have not seen.  It’s always good when you’re going through trials and hardships, which we do, to always go back and look at others who’ve gone before us.  There’s been a lot of suffering through time, there truly has, and we live in a very peaceful time in comparison to what some others have had to live through, and how many lost their lives in times past, for what they believed in.

So it says, and I beheld and the same horn, that little horn, made war with the saints  and prevailed against them; and so again, it was through their established religious teachings and even the influence and prejudices contained in things of traditional Christianity that come on down since that time.  That’s where a lot of the persecution comes from upon God’s people.  I think of those that hated Mr. Armstrong, that spoke out against him, that wrote literature, hate literature, about things that he wrote and some of the persecution, especially a couple of churches in the deep South that didn’t care for the Church at all, would go around and destroy ‘The Plain Truth’ newsstands.  A lot of them were behind those things.  They would take them and destroy the stands and destroy all the magazines and got a big bang out of it I guess thinking they were doing God a service.

Verse 22 - ...they prevailed against them, until... Until the Ancient of days came... Do you know how long this is going to continue on, the pressure you experience, some of the difficulties you experience?  It won’t be over until it’s over, until the stone cut out without hands, if you will, comes down and smashes the feet of the great statue and Babylon is destroyed, when Satan is put away and the demons are put away.  Until that time it continues on and we witness those things.

Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the Kingdom. That’s when the change comes. Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth which shall be diverse from all kingdoms and shall devour the whole earth and shall tread it down and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom, out of this kingdom, the one that’s a part of the statue, the Roman Empire under the Caesars; these ten horns are what come out of it. This is what’s being described.  It says, and the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings who shall arise: and another shall arise after them; speaking of the little horn, and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the Most High, so it makes it clear here it’s against God, these great swelling words, these words that it speaks.  It’s against God directly.

...and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, Do you ever feel like you’re a little worn out?  This is why.  Do you feel like you have a little bit of pressure and you just feel a little worn out at times?  ...and Friday comes along and you’re so thankful that Friday is here and you have a chance to experience this, like the Sabbath day here, to be with God’s people, to get a charge and a recharge?  And as soon as you get it you’re going to go right back out into it and you’re going to start feeling worn out again...and especially in this last 3½ years, that’s exactly what God has us witness, very powerfully so.  It hasn’t always been this way in the past 2 years of God’s Church, that there’s been this kind of pressure and stress and wearing away because of what we’re experiencing and the purpose behind it.  It’s come at different intervals and different locations and for different purpose that God has had.  We live at a unique time with a unique purpose.

And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and he shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: That’s what they’ve done, messed things up, stirred things up, confuse things so much so that when you write in a book that the seventh day is the Sabbath you have others that have grown up in Europe, others who’ve grown up in South America and they say, “But the seventh day has always been Sunday!”  It’s on their calendar!  That’s all they’ve ever known!  Amazing!  That’s all they’ve ever known, because someone came along, that great church, and had a great influence on even changing calendars.  Isn’t that amazing how they’ve done things?  Just like with Easter, because the subtlety behind that was to work toward Sunday because of a Sunday morning (they thought) resurrection – at least that’s what they taught – so that they would have a credibility and a purpose saying that because He was resurrected then we are to worship Him on that day.  And then changing the calendar; so it just kind of conveniently works out that people who grew up, that’s all they see, and when they hear about the Sabbath, “Yeah, it’s Sunday!  It’s the seventh day of the week!”

I hate it!  I loathe such deception, such lies, such torment, such deceit that this being has caused through time.

And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand, notice this, directly so, powerfully so – because they had greater influence.  The power is still there as far as Satan is concerned, but when you talk about the little horn they had their greatest amount of power during five periods of time of the Holy Roman Empire, and it was in those times that it started out with recognizing the supremacy of the pope, and the others who were crowned by the pope for a time, times and a dividing of time. In this case it’s 1260 years.  And that’s why there’s been the concept and the understanding here of how God has used things at different times here about ‘Time, Times and a Half a Time’ – there’s been confusion because they’re not all the same.  This one here is the same, because it goes on with another scripture that makes it clear in a very prophetic manner, speaking of the terms of forty-two months.  What we understand concerning the ‘Times’ we’re going through and the last period of time here is unique to God because of judgment and things that God has shown for His Church that have to do with a shorter period of time. This is a prophetic period of time that God was very specific about.

And so every once in a while we get emails out there and people get all upset (I like to use the term twitter-pated), frustrated, and don’t understand why we don’t understand 1260.  We understand it well.  554 AD to 1814 = 1260 years.  See.  Awesome!  God showed that they had a primary time of influence in Europe, to fight against God’s people. The time of Thyatira that went through so much of this period of time was a highly persecuted period of time – it truly was!  You go through history and see some of the things that took place leading into the periods of Sardis that followed; by that time there wasn’t much left.  There really wasn’t a whole lot left.  Thyatira that lasted over a thousand years, that lived through the primary period of time here, and then you come to a time of Sardis that began later on, or within that period as well, but began after Thyatira, and by the time it was there there wasn’t much left and it began to dwindle and lose what it had.  Awesome times that God’s Church has lived through – almost destroyed the Church,  but God didn’t allow it because God had a purpose and said that the Church would never die out, it would always exist until the coming of Jesus Christ.  And the very reason why, as time went along here it became weaker and weaker and God had to raise up Mr. Armstrong, to raise up the Philadelphian Era of God’s Church and to restore truth in the Church.  Awesome what we’ve lived through!

Verse 26 - But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, so again, always that extra in there to give the encouragement, to show the focus that we need to have, to recognize that through time what God’s Church has lived through, and then of all times we live at the very end of it all.  We live in a most astounding period of time, we truly do.

...As for me Daniel, my thoughts troubled me much, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart. So it was very troubling to him, what he saw and what he heard and the things that were going to come to pass through time.  Didn’t comprehend it all but it was very troubling to him - and everyone who’s lived through that time; it’s been very troubling to them as well.

Let’s go over to Revelation 13 because there’s a magnification of this beast in Daniel right here, because it adds to what was given back there.  Revelation 13:1 - And I stood upon the sand of the sea and I saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads, so now it’s starting out with that little horn popped up and the seven periods of time that followed.  The first three were rooted up, it talks about, so it doesn’t even address those here in this part of Revelation, it just starts out with the seven and focuses upon them, the one starting with Justinian; having seven heads, and ten horns, so the very last here has to do with the ten horns, but there are seven heads. But the last one here, again, we understand what that’s talking about – just like the ten toes on the statue.

...and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. Speaking great things against the Ancient of Days, as it talks about back in Daniel; that’s what it’s referring to here, speaking blasphemy, things against the Most High – again, the trinity, Sunday, Easter, and on and on and on it goes, the original sin, all the garbage and swill that is so twisted and tormented peoples minds, from the most basic things in life having to do with relationships and husbands and wives and sex, that that church has so smeared up and caused problems with – truly!  ...and messed up people’s lives!  ...of things God never intended should ever be that way!  They’re the primary ones who have muddled the whole thing up, at least for the western world.

Verse 2 - And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: so now you have this beast all kind of in one and it’s like everything that’s taken out of all that was taken out of... because it’s all Babylon.  It’s all Babylon now, it’s fully Babylon, but it’s in the guise of the Holy Roman Empire;

...and the mouth of a lion; and the dragon, very picturesque here what it’s talking about, and the dragon gave him his power, it’s that little horn. God shows in the very beginning here where the power comes from, it comes from this one being.  And there is no other system on earth that epitomizes, that magnifies, that reveals, that shows that power through time more than that Church and what they’ve done.  That’s why we talk about Christmas; there is no single day in the western world, if you look at it and what’s called traditional Christianity, or Christianity, or whatever you want to...however people talk about it in the world – that one single day pictures that one being more than any other day of the year, what he’s done, the power he’s had to deceive and misguide mankind about the most basic things about God and His Son.

And so this dragon, it says, gave him his power and his seat and great authority. And I saw one of the heads as it were wounded to death; interesting here.  Again, this is awesome how God gives these things and how God has revealed these things beginning through Mr. Armstrong and what was given to the Church during the Philadelphian period.  And so it says here, and I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; in the very beginning.  So it starts out with Justinian, it’s giving an example here of this head  and how it was wounded to death because that’s what had happened, that what had taken place as far as the empire was concerned, and now all of a sudden it was given a surge through a church, and that head came alive, was healed.  That’s how it’s describing it here.  It says, and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon, this is the beginning of it!  This is when great worship under the auspices of government began to worship, very powerfully so with great might, the popes, the Roman Catholic church being the only religion that was allowed as a part of that kingdom.

...and they worshipped the dragon who gave power to the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; again, it’s just a magnification of what God set in the book of Daniel; and now it adds a little bit more to it as far as the stories concerned and zero’s in on a period of time that has to do with the very things that lead up to the very end of time; and power was given unto him to continue forty-two months...with this kind of power, with this kind of influence.  And that’s why it’s a very specific thing, that it started with Justinian in 554 and went through the period of Napoleon up to 1814, 1260 years exactly, forty-two months prophetically.  They go together with what’s said in the book of Daniel.  And again, a time that they had power, a time when you cannot rule, in the sense of this kind of power in these resurrections, unless you were crowned by a pope.  Incredible!

I am dumbfounded in thinking about this to this day, how that they are recognized as a nation to this day!  They don’t crown anyone anymore but they’re recognized as a nation, they have ambassadors!  They have ambassadors that go there from other countries and they send out ambassadors to other countries, just like a nation!  That’s why they can be one of the ten at the end!  The world may speak of nine, but if that’s what happens there will be ten, because that definitely can be counted as a nation, the way it’s set up, the way it’s established.

And I think it’s interesting how not too long ago in a news article I read to you, it talked about nine...and it didn’t include the Vatican in there.  And of course these things win friends and influence people when you speak about them.  Amazing.  It’s good that we only have a short time. It’s good that everything that happens doesn’t happen but for a short time, because if people want you, the head, they will come after you and seek to take the head.

Verse 6 - And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His Tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. So again here, an expression here speaking of even in the angelic realm, the mockery that Satan has.  You visit this one location (the Vatican), which we did once (that’s all it takes), and it’s a drudgery to go through it, and to see the paintings that... if you’ve ever seen some of the things that come out of Dante’s Inferno and some of the weird concepts that people have and gruesome scenes and how angels are portrayed...it’s just repulsive!  Repugnant! Sick! Perverted! Twisted!   And they seek to degrade everything that is of God, truly!  Some of the weird, weird, sick, perverted things... it just gives you the creeps to be in such an environment.  It truly does!  It reeks!  It reeks of false spirits, evil spirits!  Truly!

And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His Tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: through a period of 1260 years.  It was a horrible time to go through; a lot of people lost their lives because of what they believed in.  You’ve never had to face such a thing for what you believed in like some of them had to live and die for.  Truly!  ...in some of the torturous things that took place?  You go back through just a few castles and just a few museums in Europe and it’s some pretty gruelling stuff, and a lot of it had to do with religion. How someone could call themselves religious and do such things to other human beings shows you in itself this was not of God.  Sick!  I mean really, really sick, twisted, demented, demonic minds...and that’s the problem.

...and power was given him over all kindred’s, and tongues, and nations/languages and nations. And all who dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of the life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear. So the only ones who had any ability to deal with various things of all, to understand, again here, are those whom God has called and otherwise the rest of the world, as far as Europe is concerned, this is what you have, this is what you get until you get to a period of time where someone came and hammered some things on a door, and that was another era that was to cause even greater confusion in the world; talking about Luther.

Verse 10 - He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity: he who kills with the sword shall be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and faith of the saints. Why does it say that all of a sudden in the midst of all of this?  Well, because it’s talking about a period of time, especially then, and everyone who’s lived since that time, it’s not easy, this way of life is not easy, what you stand up for is not easy, things on the job and things in family when you’re called.  They’re not excited oftentimes when you believe what you believe, obviously.  You go through those things.  But this period of time, especially in the beginning of all this, was far, far, far worse, it truly was, upon people, and so there is this that gives encouragement – judgment’s coming.  They may not experience... it’s like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, how you live your life; “God is able to save us, but if He doesn’t we’re not bowing down to you nor anything else nor...”  In other words, the attitude of mind is we’re going to do what God says.  And that’s really an attitude of mind that all people have to have that serve God, that live God’s way of life, regardless of what happens, regardless of what anyone does, says, or whatever; you’re going to honour God and put God first in your life.  You’re going to stand up for that way of life, and indeed God has the power to intervene and do whatever He wants at any time.  When we are baptized we give our lives to Him, our lives belong to Him, and He will mould and fashion us accordingly.

Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. Again, it’s that lesson of judgment, that’s going to come and a new world is coming.

Going on in verse 11 it says - And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. Different ways of expressing some of these things.  ...another beast coming up out of the earth and he had two horns like a lamb, why does it give this example?  Who’s it referring to?  About this same being again, speaks like a dragon, he is who he is...walks like a duck, talks like a duck... same thing.  Like a lamb, wants to give an image of something different here to many in the world – the Lamb – but he has little horns, he’s not good and he speaks like a dragon for a reason, to deceive. Beautiful language here of how it describes such perversion, such sickness of mind.

And he exercises the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and those who dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. The Roman Empire that is now the Holy Roman Empire – worship is involved, false religion is involved.  Incredible!

And he does great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven...we’re still coming to that point in time.  And candidly through various periods of time whenever there has been a... you want to go back to Napoleon?  He caused fire to come down from heaven; when you talk about some of the things of technology and science that have come along through time and the power to do some of the kinds of things they’ve done with the kinds of cannons.  How do you describe some of those things hurling through the air and fire that races through the air like that and explodes as it does.  And as we get closer and closer to a period of time, literally, when you talk about devices that come out of the atmosphere, that they’re on fire and they create fire, and that’s what it’s talking about – power – because of influence and what he’s going to influence at the end-time, what he’s going to influence mankind to do.

And he does great wonders, things that are of astonishment, so that he makes fire to come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceives those who dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast/the Empire, if you will; saying to those who dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. Makes it very clear over and over again where it starts.  It started with Justinian and it goes all the way to the end.  And what is that great beast?  Europa and a woman who rides it, the bull.  It’s about a beast, it’s about a power that has been in Europe, and again, having to do with an empire, with a system of Babylon, on and on it goes to things that are described.

Verse 15 - And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, at different times; not all the time, just at different times when God allowed it, at different times when there were to be resurrections – Napoleon, the fifth; talking about Italy and Germany in the sixth, and then finally what’s about to emerge right now on the scene.  And he had power to give life to the image of the beast so that the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the beast should be killed – so again, especially during that period of the 1260 years.  And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, and on their foreheads: In traditional Christianity people go off on all kinds of tangents, weird things, and these numbers are going to be on your hand it’s always going to have the first three numbers, they’re always going to be 666.  You think, “Why waste all the ink?  Why waste all the time?  Why have such long numbers behind it?  Let’s just get rid of the 666 and just put the numbers on there so you can keep track of it better?”  Shows the foolish...people don’t understand what it’s all about.

And so it says, that they might receive a mark on their right hand and in their foreheads.  Again, Biblically, prophetically, the hand always having to do with work, especially with when you work and when you don’t work when it comes to religion.  For us it’s the Sabbath; we do not work on the Sabbath, Friday sunset to Sabbath sunset.  We do not work on God’s annual Sabbaths.  And it’s in our foreheads; the reason we do or don’t do what we do is because of what God places in our mind, the ability to see and to know what we know.  They, on the other hand, do what they do because of a different mark that identifies who they are and whether they are in allegiance to, in essence, the Catholic church.  That’s why I have written, why God has those things be written in the way that they are, to be very pointed, that all who are a part of it owe their allegiance to the popes and to the Catholic church because of their belief in the trinity, because of their belief in Sunday worship, because of their belief in Easter and Christmas.  It came out of the Catholic church!  None of the others came up with it on their own!  And their beginning is at some point...they don’t go back to the apostles, they don’t go back to 31 AD.  You know, you get into a conversation with some on, well, when did your Church start?  Oh, Martin Luther he started in blah, blah, blah... Adventists, they started in...and they came out of the seven... well, when was that?  God’s Church goes back to 31 AD.  And when does the Catholic church start?  Oh, they think it goes back to 31 AD but they don’t understand.  But that’s where their authority is.

Verse 17 - And that no man might buy or sell, power, except those that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.  And so, even in this country we’ve lived through areas and times of things that are called ‘blue laws’ and the influence of a church so that you can’t buy or sell...you can’t buy certain things.  I remember going through grocery stores in Texas and they had certain areas roped off because you can’t buy certain things on Sunday, and that influence has been in this country alone, let alone a power that they have wielded through time.

Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six. And I’ve seen different things that people have written and there are some things having to do with Latin, roman numerals, if you will, even letters and so forth that have to do with numbers that do come out to that, but again here, fully believe that’s what it’s all about.

As we’re covering those things about what God first established in the book of Daniel concerning the rise of Europe, because that’s what we’re discussing in today’s thrust of the sermon here, because of what’s written in Daniel 7 that leads up to the very end and the coming of the Messiah to rule in the Kingdom of God that’s about to be established on this earth, it’s good to consider some other scriptures here in Revelation that have to do with where we are right now.  And again, I don’t know how far we’re going to get into this, maybe we’ll get through all of it here today on this part of it.  I didn’t think we’d get quite this far.  But we may, just have to get started into it, that I find deeply inspiring and exciting, especially considering some things written in the book which we’ll read as well.

So, as we do this the time has come to now address the five-month period of time that people have had questions about.  You know, its kind of amazing to me, it’s like I told my wife and different ones here as we were going through some of this, I remember the time so well going through a period in 2005 at the Feast of Tabernacles.  I knew that the last sermon to be given had to do with Melchizedek, but I didn’t have the answers, but I knew that during the Feast God would give it because this was the time for it, everything else was being given so it was very clear it was going to be there, and toward the end it all came together.  And this is a similar sort of thing, that this is the time and it’s in the mind, this is the time to address it, and sure enough all of a sudden it’s there.  Awesome.  Awesome what God gives when it’s time to give it, and that’s why I find it very moving and very exciting, keeping me focused as well as having large groups like this on the Sabbath, especially things like what we’re getting ready to go through here, and I hope you find it as exciting as I do.

Let’s go back to Revelation 9 here.  To begin with there are three areas of scripture that need to be focused upon first concerning the 5th Trumpet and the five-month period of time spoken of here.  And there are three areas of scripture that we need to focus upon first as they help to more fully reveal what God is leading His Church to see and understand about the five month period of time in the first place here.  So, the first has been mentioned in part; in times past I’ve mentioned this in part concerning that which is spoken of in the 6th Trumpet, but let’s look at the 5th one first here.

Revelation 9:1 - And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. Now as explained in ‘2008 – God’s Final Witness’ this is about what happened to Satan.  And so we understand by reading this that at the blowing of the 5th Trumpet is not when this occurred.  It’s going back in time – way back in time – and its saying, “I saw a being fall from heaven to the earth long, long ago.”  So it’s not about the timing of the blowing of the 5th Trumpet.

Verse 2 - And he/Satan opened the bottomless pit; and there arose smoke out of the pit as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke... So the question is, again here, is this when the Trumpet is blown?  No.  It’s not what it’s talking about here.  It’s so easy to read into scripture things that are not there!  That’s why God has had us go through an exercise in the book of Daniel, to read things in the very beginning about a period of seventy years, that has caused theologians, historians, and others who have tried to tie things into the Bible concerning what’s written in the book of Daniel (to understand the seventy years), because it gives people headaches then they talk about and read various sections out of context with all the rest, but they zero in on a certain area of how long the land, the Sabbaths of rest, as an example in Judah.  The earliest that could have happened, if I have my dates right again, is 586 BC, forty-eight years before they’re going to be at the end here.  That’s not seventy years!  It’s only forty-eight years!  And so we go back in these different things, and the first time anyone was taken captive was 605, and so these cause problems because that’s like only sixty-seven years, sixty-eight if you play the game that the Jews play in counting of time, like the going down of the sun starts at noon rather than, no, it’s when it sets, it’s gone down...  when you talk about Passover and some of the other things in the Bible.

And so again here, it’s so easy to read things into scripture, and there are lessons to be learned from this in a very great way, and a big lesson is that God will give what things mean in His time.  You can try to figure things out on your own but...  I have crunched numbers!  Those of you who like numbers?  I know that you have crunched numbers over time, and until it’s time to crunch the right ones it doesn’t mean anything.  And even those things have to be led by God, and He does, that’s how He works.  When it comes time to give it He just gives it, it’s just right there, you don’t have to try to finagle or work it out and say, “What was this... and How did that work...”  ...and subtract this and add that and multiply and after a while your head is just spinning, this is insanity.  But when God gives it?  Wham-wham-wham, it’s all right there.  It’s amazing!  It’s like in sermons, God gives it and it’s all there, wham-wham-wham!  And we hit our head like that [smack palm on forehead]...man, that’s so clear, why couldn’t I see that before?

It’s like the seventy years, it’s about the period of time of Babylon’s power, when they rose to power and when they lost power, seventy years exactly spoken of by Jeremiah very clear, but people don’t read it that way and many people in the Church haven’t read it that way either.

Number two, another area here to look at.  So again, the reason I’m mentioning that is to be careful not to read something into it that it doesn’t say.  Let God reveal it in His time; it’s very clear when He reveals it.  Understand we have a giant clue from the very beginning here, it’s talking about a period of time when this being was cast down long, long ago, and that isn’t when the 5th Trumpet blew.

Let’s skip over to the 6th Trumpet, because this is the one I’ve referred to in times past as well.

Revelation 9:13 - And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, Loose the four angels who are bound in the great river Euphrates. It’s easy to read into that and think that everything is... nothing is being spoken, nothing is being said until the 6th Trumpet.  Not so.  The Trumpets are very specific about what they herald, what they do, what they proclaim, the blast that is there.  But there are descriptions given here that are very clear and very pointed and very direct from God.

And so it says here, saying to the sixth angel who had the Trumpet; he had the Trumpet, it’s not about the blowing or the time of the Trumpet; Loose the four angels who are bound in the great river Euphrates, And the four angels were released who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of mankind.  And so that Trumpet isn’t blown a year and a month and a day ahead of time.  That’s not what it’s talking about.  It’s talking about what it’s going to lead to, basically, when the Trumpet is blown, what happens.  Because every time...when you look at these events here, especially beginning with number 2 thru 7, they’re very specific, it’s about a time of the actual event of destruction – that’s what the Trumpets are about, they’re about the moments and the times of actual destruction.  This here is leading up to a period of time of destruction that’s going to take place when this Trumpet blast does take place, when it talks about here a time that leads up to a destroying of a third of all mankind.

A third one here to look at:  Revelation 8:6 – let’s go back here to the very beginning.

Revelation 8:6 - And the seven angels which had the seven Trumpets prepared themselves to sound. And the first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and so here’s the first example where it says ‘this followed’.  And so our expectation was, and mine was, candidly, that when these things happen – because this is what we’ve always believed – it’s going to begin exactly at this moment in time whenever this event takes place, the beginning of 3½ years, which later we learned wasn’t even the right timing of some of that.  It is for a job that was to begin, and going back to the 1335 days of Trumpets of 2008, a specific period of time began that leads up to May 27th.

But again, it says, The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.  Awesome what’s being described here.  There’s that which is literal that has not yet happened, and there is that which is a ‘type’ of what it’s about that we’ve already discussed in times past.

And the second angel sounded, so it goes right through this and goes right to the second angel and it says; and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; An event, and describes exactly – these are very succinct – number 2, 3 and 4 are very succinct, nothing about what ‘follows’, it’s about what happens, and it’s destruction from the get go when it happens.  That’s why it’s written that when the 2nd Trumpet blows you’re not going to have to guess. “Could this possibly fit?  Could this possibly be it?”  Same way with the 3rd and same way with the 4th...which may be overlapping because of their effect and what they do.

Notice...And the third part of the living things which were in the sea died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. So again here: Where?  Doesn’t even have to be in a big region; it can be in a single area, it can be in several similar areas, or whatever.  Time will give all that.

Verse 10 - And the third angel sounded and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many people died of the waters because they were made bitter.  So again, an event that taints things on the earth so much so that people die from it; and it’s not too hard to grasp what it is, what it’s talking about.

And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so that the third part of them was darkened, and the day did not shine for a third part of it, and the night likewise. Again, can easily be just a part of what happened because of....  It’s like the Seals; when the 1st Seal happened it was something that automatically led to the 2nd and the 3rd and the 4th that were just a part of a whole and a continuation of the 1st that couldn’t have taken place without the 1st Seal.  And so is what happens here as time goes along in some of the things being described, but they’re unique by themselves as well.  And so this 4th one here that can be defiantly just a part of what happens when this 3rd event takes place, of an aftermath of it all, because of what happens in the atmosphere.

And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitors of the earth by reason of the other voices of the Trumpet of the three angels, who are yet to sound! And so again here, very clear, number 2, number 3, number 4, it shows an event coupled with a blowing of a Trumpet that has to do with disaster, and that’s what we’re to learn from this.

So again, the 1st Trumpet is one that has events follow through to the end of the next three Trumpet blasts, they continue.  Things continue on in order to fulfill a complete pronouncement, yet they are distinct events that will be related to this Trumpet and death that is connected with it.  And those next three, number 2, 3, and 4, are about destruction that happens when the Trumpets are blown.  And we also know that the 7th Trumpet is blown at the time of Christ’s return.  We see that!  We understand that very powerfully so, the 7th one happens all in one day when it finally takes place.  Not so quick... and we found on the 6th and not so quick as we found on the 5th and what God shows.

I want to take you through some things that are written in ‘2008 – God’s Final Witness’; and to me this is always amazing, what God gives to us.  I think of, in going back in time... I’ll come back to that, because I was going to tell you something about Mr. Armstrong and things that are written there and people who found fault with some of the things that were written through time, but I’ll come back to that in a little bit here.

Page 116, I want to start at the bottom.  It’s called here...

The First Trumpet

The First Trumpet blast will occur quickly after the Seventh Seal of Revelation is opened by Jesus Christ. Even as I am writing, the events prophesied to take place during these trumpet blasts are already showing signs of emerging on the world scene. Much of what will occur....

You know, what we could see back then is, I hope, what you can see now.  I hope you’re keeping up with things that are happening in the news because Friday was a great day for this country; the stock market, the NASDAQ, the hype... and I truly feel sorry for them.  It’s about pride.  It’s about a false-confidence, it’s about being totally asleep and not even understanding one iota of what’s happening in Iran, in China and Russia, and Europe, no fear of any of that whatsoever!  I find it fearful, what’s happening in that part of the world, because of what’s coming, because what we’re going to see and what’s going to transpire, and thank God it’s going to be of a short length of time, and the world is totally asleep to it.

I’m going to read some news articles at this point; I’ll come back to this.  Because it isn’t going to take much to push things and a domino effect begins that’s going to make 2008 look like a picnic, truly.

Angela Merkel casts doubt on saving Greece from financial meltdown[1]

Ian Traynor, Europe editor

guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 25 January 2012

I don’t know if you’ve been keeping up with some of these things, but it says, just reading part of the article here from the guardian.co.uk:

Angela Merkel has cast doubt for the first time on Europe's chances of saving Greece from financial meltdown and sovereign default, conceding that Europe's first ever multibillion euro bailout coupled with savage austerity was not working after a two-year crisis that has brought the single currency to the brink of unravelling.

In an interview with the Guardian and five other leading European newspapers, the German chancellor also insisted – against widespread resistance elsewhere in the eurozone and in the UK – that the European court of justice (ECJ) be empowered to police public spending and budget policies of the 17 countries in the euro.

At some point...they’re just being forced into a corner, and they know the direction some of this is leading.

She also called for the eventual creation of a European political union, with many more national powers ceded to a central government....

Mr. Armstrong has known this since the 1950’s.  It’s just a matter of time; it’s a matter of God’s time.  That’s where they’re headed and now they understand that the system doesn’t work; they have to have more power, and nations have to give up their sovereignty, something that Great Britain is not going to do, obviously, and several other nations we know are not going to do it, but ten will.

Another article here:

Merkel: Transfer more powers to EU, not more money to bail-out fund[2]

26.01.12 euobserver.com

by: Valentina Pop

It’s amazing the stance she’s taken.  Let’s jump ahead on part of this.  I wanted to go to the end part of the article here...

....

No more Merkozy?

You know, Sarkozy and Merkel, so they call it ‘No more Merkozy’.

Meanwhile, her ranking as the de facto supremo of Europe has been highlighted by the plethora of top European politicians and financiers she received in Berlin ahead of an EU summit taking place in Brussels on 30 January.

The leaders of Portugal, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Italy and IMF chief Christine Lagarde all visited Merkel in the past few days, with Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy set to do the same on Thursday.

Where are they going?  They’re going to Germany and Sarkozy’s not even in the picture like he was before, it’s Merkel!  ...a lot of power, a lot of influence.  And so it goes on to say...

"It's not even Merkozy anymore, it's just Merkel now," one senior EU diplomat noted, in reference to the Franco-German tandem named after Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel.

The French president is struggling to regain voters' confidence ahead of the April presidential elections amid high unemployment rates and a downgrade of France's top credit rating by Standard & Poor's.

Here’s one that gives statistics of a full economic depression in Europe[3] ...

#6 The Greek economy shrank by 6 percent during 2011.

#7 It is being projected that the Greek economy will shrink by another 5 percent during 2012.

This weighs heavy on people over there.  They know where things are, they know where things are going, they have this sense that they have to do something about it, they know they can’t continue to do what they allowed to take place in leading up to Greece and Ireland in some of these other things.

#8 The overall unemployment rate in Greece is now 18.5 percent.

#9 In Greece, 20 percent of all retail stores have been permanently shut down.

#10 The number of suicides in Greece rose by 40 percent in just one recent 12 month time period.

.....

#14 The overall unemployment rate in Spain is now a whopping 22.8 percent.

It’s actually higher; I’ll read that in a moment.

.....

#18 The UK economy actually contracted during the 4th quarter of 2011.

#19 The German economy actually contracted during the 4th quarter of 2011.

#20 The Baltic Dry Index, often used as a gauge for the health of the world economy, has fallen a staggering 61 percent since October.

Economic gloom is slowly spreading throughout Europe like a dark cloud.

Interesting some of the terminology they use in some of these things.

Some of the strongest economies in Europe are only just starting to slow down.  Others are already gripped by tremendous economic pain.  Trends forecaster Gerald Celente recently explained to ABC Australia that much of the EU is already experiencing an economic depression....

And this is his quote: "If you live in Greece, you’re in a depression; if you live in Spain, you’re in a depression; if you live in Portugal or Ireland, you’re in a depression,” Celente said. “If you live in Lithuania, you’re running to the bank to get your money out of the bank as the bank runs go on. It’s a depression. Hungary, there’s a depression, and much of Eastern Europe, Romania, Bulgaria. And there are a lot of depressions going on [already]."

It goes on to say in the article here:

As things fall apart in Europe, the political wrangling is going to become even more intense.

For example, over the past few days a shocking new German proposal has come to light.  Germany apparently would like Greece to give a "EU budget commissioner" the power to veto all Greek decisions on taxes and spending.

And how do you think that went over with the Greeks?  “Not going to happen,” that’s what they said.

Another one here:

Commerzbank CEO Says Greece Should Exit Eurozone[4]

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 01/30/2012 15:42 -0500

All these things that happened on the 30th that are important.

As if Merkel did not make it all too clear over the weekend that Germany no longer wishes Greece to be part of the Eurozone...

They’re not stupid, they know exactly what’s being said.

....and that the ball is now in Athens' court to accept what is a glaringly unfeasible demand, i.e., to hand over fiscal sovereignty over to "Europe" with Merkel having the cover of saying it did everything in its power to keep Greece in the union, here comes Commerzbank's CEO Mueller to pick up where Merkel left off:

And so basically he’s just saying: “COMMERZBANK'S MUELLER SAYS GREECE SHOULD EXIT EURO ZONE”

Powerful, banks getting involved and things that are happening in Europe, and there is seemingly no end.

Another one here on the 29th.

Spain's Finance Minister Cristobal Montoro admits unemployment rate has jumped to 24pc[5]

The Telegraph

Huge problems!  And in the midst of all this I thought it would be good.... I hope you’re keeping up with some things in Iran and what’s being said over there.  I hope you’re reading what the Ayatollah is saying.  I hope you’re reading about what they think about the 12th Imam and the Mahdi, because they believe deeply, and we have no concept in this country of people who have such ideas on a religious scale like they do, of what’s going to happen at the end and their belief that this is the end-time, and they’re waiting for a Mahdi to arise, they’re awaiting for power, they’re waiting for certain conflicts in Europe to take place.  And so again here, tremendously awesome things that are happening in the world, that the world is totally asleep to concerning those things, except for Israel, of course, they understand some of those things and the threat that’s there.

But anyway, I wanted to read another area here because it is incredible just looking at what’s happening as far as our economy is concerned and we’re... again, this thing of being asleep.  I can’t help but think of the Church!  I can’t help but think about what happened in the Church and the sleep that took place, fully asleep, and that’s the way this country is – totally asleep – and just totally ignoring some of the things that should be screaming out.  Here’s one: this is from Zero Hedge, articles that they send out on occasion here.

India Joins Asian Dollar Exclusion Zone, will transact with Iran in Rupees[6]

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 01/21/2012

Two weeks ago we wrote a post that should have made it all too clear that while the US and Europe continue to pretend that all is well, and they are, somehow, solvent, Asia has been smelling the coffee. To wit: “For anyone wondering how the abandonment of the dollar reserve status would look like we have a Hollow Men reference: not with a bang, but a whimper… Or in this case a whole series of bilateral agreements that quietly seeks to remove the US currency as an intermediate. Such as these:

So this is what they’ve talked about in times past:

“World’s Second (China) And Third Largest (Japan) Economies To Bypass Dollar, Engage In Direct Currency Trade“, “China, Russia Drop Dollar In Bilateral Trade“, “China And Iran To Bypass Dollar, Plan Oil Barter System“, “India and Japan sign new $15bn currency swap agreement“, and now this: “Iran, Russia Replace Dollar With Rial, Ruble in Trade, Fars Says.”” Today we add the latest country to join the Asian dollar exclusion zone: “India and Iran have agreed to settle some of their $12 billion annual oil trade in rupees, a government source said on Friday, resorting to the restricted currency after more than a year of payment problems in the face of fresh, tougher U.S. sanctions.” To summarize: Japan, China, Russia, India and Iran: the countries which together account for the bulk of the world’s productivity and combined are among the biggest explorers and producers of energy. And now they all have partial bilateral arrangements, and all of which will very likely expand their bilateral arrangements to multilateral, courtesy of Obama’s foreign relations stance which by pushing the countries into a corner has forced them to find alternative, USD-exclusive, arrangements. But yes, aside from all of the above, the dollar still is the reserve currency… if only in which to make calculations of how many imaginary money one pays in exchange for imaginary ‘developed world’ collateral.

Well put, it really is, ‘imaginary’, not real.

I’m going to read the next article here because it’s for your education, so you can see what’s taking place in the world and what’s happening while a giant sleeps.  The article is entitled:

The Demise of the Petrodollar! Tehran Pushes to Ditch the US Dollar! [7]

by Marin Katusa, http://www.caseyresearch.com/

....

The official line from the United States and the European Union is that Tehran must be punished for continuing its efforts to develop a nuclear weapon. The punishment: sanctions on Iran’s oil exports, which are meant to isolate Iran and depress the value of its currency to such a point that the country crumbles.

But that line doesn’t make sense, and the sanctions will not achieve their goals. Iran is far from isolated and its friends – like India – will stand by the oil-producing nation until the US either backs down or acknowledges the real matter at hand. That matter is the American dollar and its role as the global reserve currency.

If you don’t understand what we’re going through, go back and listen to this part that I’m getting ready to read again.

The short version of the story is that a 1970s deal cemented the US dollar as the only currency to buy and sell crude oil, and from that monopoly on the all-important oil trade the US dollar slowly but surely became the reserve currency for global trades in most commodities and goods. Massive demand for US dollars ensued, pushing the dollar’s value up, up, and away. In addition, countries stored their excess US dollars savings in US Treasuries, giving the US government a vast pool of credit from which to draw.

Very much like a person that’s given several credit cards and they want to buy a lot of things and they kind of get used to buying a lot of things on a lot of credit cards, and after a while, thankfully, the banks just keep sending more credit cards, a few more... more – more - more; but someday there comes an accounting, and that’s where this nation is.

We know where that situation led – to a US government suffocating in debt while its citizens face stubbornly high unemployment (due in part to the high value of the dollar); a failed real estate market; record personal-debt burdens; a bloated banking system; and a teetering economy. That is not the picture of a world superpower worthy of the privileges gained from having its currency back global trade. Other countries are starting to see that and are slowly but surely moving away from US dollars in their transactions, starting with oil.

There’s a lot that happens in this world because of oil.  War!  There’s a lot because of oil and because of power and because of the things that it carries with it that sometimes are denied, very highly so, but it boils down to something just that basic.

If the US dollar loses its position as the global reserve currency, the consequences for America are dire. A major portion of the dollar’s valuation stems from its lock on the oil industry – if that monopoly fades, so too will the value of the dollar. Such a major transition in global fiat currency relationships will bode well for some currencies and not so well for others, and the outcomes will be challenging to predict. But there is one outcome that we foresee with certainty: Gold will rise. Uncertainty around paper money always bodes well for gold, and these are uncertain days indeed.

It says more about the petrodollar and so forth.  To me that’s an awesome thing how they’re tied together and to understand what these other countries are doing – China, India, Iran - right now just concerning other currencies that are being used.  This is not a small thing.  This is what leads to wars. This is why Russia and China are taking the kind of stance in a very powerful way that they are taking.

I want to read this one before we go on, another one from Zero Hedge, which is good reporting.

China Brings US Treasury Holdings To One Year Low, Russia Cuts Treasury Exposure By 50% In One Year[8]

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 01/18/2012

Today's TIC data confirmed what Zero Hedge readers have now known for quite some time: namely that foreigners are selling US paper. And while we have used contemporaneous Custody Account data from the Fed to present that in the past 7 weeks foreigners have sold a record amount of bonds, we now get confirmation via TIC that in November the selling continued, especially at the biggest non-Fed holder of US paper, China, which saw its holdings down to $1,132.6 billion, the lowest in the past year. Yet where the selling is just relentless is in Russia, which has quite demonstratively slashed its US Treasury holdings in half in the past year from $176 billion to under $80 billion.

These are not small things.

Putin is not happy, and is not afraid to show it.

What do you suppose they’re thinking?  What do you suppose China is thinking?  Where do you suppose all this is headed?  Well, we know.

Going back to what it says in the book here, page 116, I’ll just start again:

The First Trumpet

The First Trumpet blast will occur quickly after the Seventh Seal of Revelation is opened by Jesus Christ. Even as I am writing, the events prophesied to take place during these trumpet blasts are already showing signs of emerging on the world scene. Much of what will occur is simply being held back by God until it is His time to allow it. God is going to allow mankind to bring about one more world war. If God were not in control of the timing, some of these events would have already begun; but God is in control of the exact timing of everything that is to take place. God will cut the end-time short by allowing these end-time events to occur over the limited space of three and one-half years...

And now we know a limited space within that time, candidly; thank God.

...otherwise, mankind would end up destroying all life on the earth—so says God Almighty! ...

Bottom of page 117, picking it up....

This first powerful event of the Seventh Seal will result in wide-spread destruction over the United States and beyond her border into Canada. The destruction in Canada will be less, but she will experience repercussions from what will happen in the U.S.; because she is a neighbor, as well as a prophetic brother. When we are told that a third of all plant life will be destroyed, that is exactly what it means.

There are things that are going to take place yet as a result of what was blown.  That’s still to happen, that part.

The actual event will not be disclosed until it is time for it to happen. As with all the Seals of Revelation, many of the specifics of each of the Seven Trumpets will not be revealed until it is time for the actual events to take place. It should also be noted, that in the first trumpet there is fire mingled with blood. Blood means there will be much death when this event occurs. Most of it will be the death of animals and birds, but also a large number of people will die—into the tens of thousands.

So again, those things are still coming, which has nothing to do with the dollar, which has nothing to do with wealth...well, it does when it’s all said and done, but, again all part of the 1st Trumpet.

Then going down, I’m going to jump all the way to page 121 and we’re going to come back and read some other parts toward the end of the sermon because it’s going to take on a totally different light when you read through some of these things, when you understand what the 5th Trumpet is about.

The Fifth Trumpet

The blast from the Fifth Trumpet will announce the emergence of a great political power and a great religious power on earth. The Biblical symbolisms contained in the description of the message from this trumpet blast are prophetically unique. Rather than having readers become bogged down with an overwhelming amount of Biblical study that serves no purpose here, I will simply give an overview of the meaning and outcome.

This trumpet will announce the first great “woe” on the earth. The prophetic description covers many overlapping, unfolding and interacting highlighted events in the final three and one-half years of man’s self-rule.

Doesn’t mean it’s going to last for 3½ years, but within that period; much like the seventy, God showing it’s going to be toward the very end.

The highlights of this Fifth Trumpet include:

1. the emergence of Satan and his large army of demons

to great power

1. the emergence of great power wielded by the Roman

Catholic Church and the Pope

1. the emergence of a fully-united European union of ten

nations

1. the emergence of a colossal military might from this

united European union and the destruction of several

hundred million people by it

1. the protection of God’s elect and the torment and

trying (testing) of those who have refused to repent in the

environs of God’s scattered Church

Now, we’re going to zero in on number five and come back to the other numbers later.  Number 5 is why I read this and have gone through this.  Again, we’ll go back to the others later as stated in the book, once we’ve addressed what is spoken of concerning the five month period of time and the context of the 5th Trumpet.  But before we go into some of that I want to read just a little bit more here. Before we cover that about the 5th Trumpet in Revelation 9 we need to cover one last point of what we just read in the book – again, focusing on this point number five.

The fifth point was:

1. the protection of God’s elect and the torment and

trying (testing) of those who have refused to repent in the

environs of God’s scattered Church

I’m going to jump ahead here to page 125 before we start there, and continue to read here, because it says more of an explanation beginning on page 125 about this fifth point and I want to read this first before we go into the verses in Revelation.

God’s Church

At the same time all these events come together at the sounding of the Fifth Trumpet...

When they come together

...there will be an initial period of time (five months) when much human suffering will continue as a result of the first four trumpets.

Hasn’t happened yet – it will be in this period of time and what God gives.  Be careful what you read sometimes.  It’s awesome, when we read all this and you go back and read it, to me it’s inspiring, it’s awesome.  Going on in the book:

This marks a time of great suffering on a worldwide scale, but even now, God’s Church is still part of these prophetic events. God’s Church still exists on earth, and will continue, all the way up to the very return of Jesus Christ; but many who were scattered in the Church, after the great falling away, will not live into the new millennial period that follows.

And I’m going to add to this, because we know what job God has given to us at the end-time, this becomes far broader than whatever [we] began to imagine, what is being spoken of here.  But our understanding starts with...kind of like... let me go back here, the 6th Trumpet, when it talks about a year and a month and a day, that helped to give understanding that...and then Satan is cast down...helps to give understanding that this is not the time of the blowing of the Trumpet, but it’s discussing some other things that lead up to a moment of destruction, and similar here in what’s being spoken of, because we covered a little bit about the Church...it’s much more than that; and what it’s telling us is awesome indeed, it truly is, of what this five month period is all about, what’s being accomplished by God during that period of time that we have already entered.

So, reading this again:

This marks a time of great suffering on a worldwide scale, but even now, God’s Church is still part of these prophetic events. God’s Church still exists on earth, and will continue, all the way up to the very return of Jesus Christ; but many who were scattered in the Church, after the great falling away, will not live into the new millennial period that follows. Although Satan and his demons will be released from great restraint, they will still be restrained in their ability to cause hurt to any of God’s people who obey Him.

Now, that doesn’t mean they don’t harass you, it doesn’t mean their broadcasting isn’t great; but we are different, we are unique, and we have God’s protection and we have understanding...and this become important when you read later on here in Revelation 9. God gives us understanding.  We have hope, we know what’s coming!

Although Satan and his demons will be released from great restraint, they will still be restrained in their ability to cause hurt to any of God’s people who obey Him, especially those who are sealed as part of the 144,000. It will be during this time that Satan and his followers will be allowed to wreak havoc and torment upon those who have not yet repented and humbly turned to God’s end-time prophets for understanding.

The truth, in other words, of the Church.

Those of the scattered Church of God, who are tormented during [within] this five-month period, will suffer greatly for their stubborn pride and continued defiance against God. Once this time has ended as a final time of trying, all of those who have resisted God through selfish pride will die and will not be allowed to enter the millennial period that will soon follow.

It’s important to understand what’s being said here, because it has to do with the death that’s spoken of in Revelation 9 – those who can die and those who cannot die, those who can be touched and those who cannot be touched.  Why?  What is it all about?

Instead, they will be awakened (from death) at the end of this time in the great resurrection. There will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth. ....

I can’t imagine.  God’s been very merciful to people who have been awakened, who were a part of something in the past, but to go through this period of time, to go all the way up to the end, to see things come down to what they’re going to come down to shortly, to live through some of those things and die within that period of time and to be resurrected later – you’re going to want to kick yourself royally, to realize what you passed up, what you did when finally you come to, face to face, with seeing what you truly did.  Because people can’t see it yet, not until they’re resurrected.

This five-month period will also be paralleled...

I go back and read these things and I’m dumbfounded!  You go back, when God gives you understanding of something, and you go back and you read something, I didn’t know what I was writing.  I had no comprehension of what this was all about and how these things fit in. Awesome!

This five-month period will also be paralleled by millions of people who will begin to repent and seek God.

Because that’s what this Trumpet is all about, it truly is, more than anything else, it’s about destruction, but what leads up to it and what’s covered and what’s discussed as a five-month period is about this, because of what God’s doing, what God’s going to do and why God’s allowing these things.

This five-month period will also be paralleled by millions of people who will begin to repent and seek God. They will begin to turn to the truth they have heard from God’s end-time prophets, as well as those who serve with them in God’s Church.

In other words, the truth of the Church.

Yet, during this same time, those who still refuse to repent (in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and some western European countries) will experience great trial and torment to help them see their stubborn pride and bring them to repentance.

The bottom of page 126, it goes on to say....

Much Revelation Yet Reserved

Nothing more specific on the Fifth Trumpet can be given at this time. A little more is mentioned in my first book, but not much. It is God’s purpose that many of the details of these events, and the revelation of their complete meaning, be reserved for another time.

This is that time.

This time will be just prior to their actual occurrence or at the moment they begin to take place on earth. This will be reserved for greater revelation from God’s two end-time witnesses at this very time.

The same is true about much of what is being covered in this chapter about the Seven Trumpets. It is not yet God’s purpose that all these things be revealed.

It’s so easy to read your own thoughts into something.  Let God give it in His time.

During the time covered in the Fifth Trumpet...

In other words, once it sounds, not the full five month period;

During the time covered in the Fifth Trumpet several hundred million people will die—more than the total number who died during the period of the first four trumpets.

In other words, once these Trumpets sound which have not sounded yet.

Finally, this time will also come to an end, as John wrote, “One woe is past, and behold, there are two more woes coming after this” (Rev. 9:12).

Let’s go over to Revelation 9 now.  Revelation 9:1 - And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; not talking about the timing of the 5th Trumpet yet; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

All prophecy and truth that is written can only be seen and understood if God reveals it.  It’s like all the numbers, it’s like the various things we’ve gone through in recent time, you can’t know it until God give it... that’s why I say all prophecy and truth.  It’s like the Sabbath, it’s like the Holy Days – you can’t know it and understand its purpose and meaning and the truth of it until God gives it to you, until God puts it into your mind.  Prophecy is the same way.  You can read these things until you’re blue in the face, and I’ll guarantee you many times we almost turn blue when we read some of these things, trying to figure it out.  What does this mean? What does that mean?  That’s why when you read Daniel and you think about it, Daniel wanted to know more – all the prophets have wanted to know more! The disciples of Christ, the apostles wanted to know more, but they could only know what God was giving them at that time.  And so it is with us, we always want to know more!  We read the book and, “I want to know more!”  ...and if you’re not careful you’ll start reading things into it, and if you’re not careful you can begin to doubt...doubt... and through time and the farther we get into this the more deeply convicted I become of where we are and what God is doing in our lives and what’s happening in the world, and I hope and pray you’re on the same page.

All prophecy and truth that is written can only be seen and understood if God reveals it.  That’s obviously true concerning the Seals... Who understands the Seals?  Who understands the 1st Seal? What an incredible thing to come to understand what happened when Mr. Tkach did what he did.  What an awesome thing to see all the things that fit together through time that God has given us, and so much of that to encourage us.  It’s like the wool!  You may squeeze it one time and water comes out, another time it doesn’t, but it reveals the power of God that He gives to you to see and to understand and everything fits together!  And we have to have that encouragement.  It’s like Joshua was told, ‘Be very courageous!’  How?  God has to give that to you!  How does He do that for us?  Through truth, through revelation of things, to keep us motivated, to keep us focused, to keep us going, otherwise we couldn’t do this; I couldn’t do this.  I couldn’t do these things if God wouldn’t give, didn’t give things along the way...wouldn’t be able to do it!  No way on earth!  Thankfully God has a plan of doing it, to give us what we need when we need it.

So, this is again true about the Seals, the Trumpets, the Thunders, and the 7 Last Plagues.  Sometimes we think we might know what something’s going to be.  I remember times of hearing sermons about the great falling away – didn’t mean a thing – just knew the words.  It’s the Greek word ‘apostasy’, that’s all we really knew when it really comes right down to it.  To know what was going to happen?  We had no comprehension!  The great tribulation?  No comprehension until you’re in it, and then the only way you learn is by what happens and you see what God is doing, and then you learn from that.  That’s how we learn.  The reason we came to understand the 1st Seal, and the 2nd, and the 3rd, and the 4th, the 5th, and the 6th, is by seeing what God was doing.  He gives us an outline, He may magnify the outline - ‘2008 – God’s Final Witness’ - but we’re not there yet.

Going on here in discussing Revelation.  There is a star that falls from heaven to the earth, Satan; he’s given the key to the bottomless pit out of which locusts come upon the earth to destroy.  These locusts are symbolic of war, they always have been.  You go through the book of Joel, you go through the book of Nahum, various prophecies that talk about locust.  Mr. Armstrong understood well, things were written about prophecies concerning locust, it has to do with warfare and these being who follow Satan, demonic beings who stir these things up on the earth, who lead the way in war.  Because that’s what they do.

Revelation 9:11 – This reveals more, if you will, of what these first few verses are all about - And they had a king over them, the locust, those that come up out of there, there’s a king in the midst of all this; again, speaking about the locust – and something else.  They have appeared six times before this.  They have come up out of the pit six times before this.  They have had the key to come out six times before this.  This isn’t the only time; they’ve come out six times before this.  I hope we understand, because that’s what God is showing to us in a very powerful way!  These creatures have come out of a smoky pit six times on the earth already and caused great destruction every time they have come upon the world scene, to conquer, to destroy; and this one is speaking of the seventh resurrection, that’s what it’s leading up to.

It says, so they have a king over them who is the angel of the bottomless pit, he is the ruler, he is the king, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, and in the Greek tongue, Apollyon, meaning destroyer.  It makes it very clear who it is.  And so smoke comes up out of the pit whenever it’s opened, whenever the key is there, and he’s been given that power six times before this, and this will be the seventh time. Should be so obvious, should have always been so obvious, but it hasn’t been until God gives it, until it’s time.

Let’s turn over to Revelation 17.  We’ll read it again here, Revelation 9:1-3 - And the fifth angel sounded, and a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key to the bottomless pit. Not the 5th Trumpet yet. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. As you go through each time it gets greater and greater and greater.  The time of Napoleon was a horrifying time for people in Europe, and the power of war at that time.  What happened later on in World War I that was a part of the system that went on into World War II, it got worse, greater technology and greater power to destroy on the earth; and then World War II and almost to a point where they had nuclear weapons, where they had energy that could be used.  Germany was so, so close to it, but it wasn’t time...but that was the sixth time when smoke came up out of the pit.

Verse 3 - ...and locust came out of the pit; and it says here and there came up out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power, to strike quickly.  That’s why there’s the word that’s used concerning World War II – ‘blitzkrieg’, lighting war, blitz – that’s what it’s about, blitzkrieg – amazing some of the things and how things are described.

Let’s go on to Revelation 17 and notice here, because this explains so much of this, puts it in context.  So again here, the first three verses that we just read are about the history of Satan that leads up to the end-time events, that which constitutes some of his greatest influence upon mankind that just grows and grows, and primarily because of technology even as that power in Europe loses its influence.

But it says here in Revelation 17:5 - And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.  I hope you find this awesome and inspiring when you go through and you read a story in Daniel and you see where everything began, where God began to give time to man is with the kingdom of Babylon and a system that was going to go all the way through to the end, to describe the ways of this world, the ways of mankind and the ways of confusion in government and how man leads and governs himself.  And then finally it comes to a point in a time where it becomes a religious matter now, of Babylon, even worse.  Even worse now because it takes the name of God, it takes the name of His Son, it takes scripture and it twists and distorts and gives a different image totally – Babylon – religious confusion.

So it says, on her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Let’s back up to Revelation 13 and notice something that’s said over here...plug this in.  It’s good to be reminded of what we read earlier because all this fits together when you read it all together like this, everything just so beautifully fits into place.  Let’s read it again here:

Revelation 13:11 - And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; who had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and those who dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.  Again, speaking of the Roman Empire and its power to conquer and to rule. And he does great wonders so that he makes fire to come down from heaven in the sight of men, And deceives those who dwell on the earth by means of those miracles which he did in the sight of the beast/the empire; saying to those who dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. The beast, the woman, the bull, Europa.

Revelation 17:5 - ... MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Verse 6 - And I saw a woman drunk with the blood of the saints, especially during that 1260 years, Justinian through Napoleon, 554 to 1814.  And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great amazement. And the angel said to me, Why are you so astonished at what you see? I’ll tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.

Verse 8 - The beast which you saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, how many times?  Seven times.  Seven times shall ascend out of the bottomless pit... And the beast that you saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and those who dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. It is when it comes out of the pit, it is when there’s is a revival, of whatever time period it is that’s when it is, and then at other times it is not, but it still is.  Satan’s still there but he’s given different power at different times, and so are the demons, to exercise greater power on the earth. They haven’t been given that yet.  They have power to harass, they have power to deceive as they’ve always had, and they have certain power right now that is intense and is intensifying and will grow more intense as we go through the period of time that we’re now in of five-months, the last period of time.

Verse 9 - And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. In other words, seven different kingdoms, seven different crowns in time; and there are seven kings: beautiful how this is written!  There are seven kings, five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; again, we’ve referred to this in times past; when Mr. Armstrong read this and came to understand what it meant he understood what was happening in World War II and how that that was the sixth, that the one is.  The only time you could ever read that was during that period of time when this scripture was fulfilled; five have fallen, five went before. Napoleon, that was the last, that was the fifth, and then the sixth now is, and one is, and one has not yet come, the one which is yet to come now, it’s almost here; and when he comes, he must continue, thank God... a short space; Now we understand it’s a very short space, but they have awesome power, that this power that comes out of the pit at this time has never known this kind of power – almost had it by the end of World War II but it wasn’t time.  More time had to pass.  And this last resurrection, and the last time the pit, the key, if you will, to the bottomless pit is opened, one last time and they come out again.

And there are seven kings: five are fallen, one is, and one is yet to come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, he is the real king, in other words.  Each one is described as a king, or a kingdom if you will, but here is the real king over them all.  That’s what we just read in the 5th Trumpet, isn’t it?  And they have a king over them.  Every time there’s been a resurrection, Abaddon, Apollyon, the destroyer.  It’s awesome!  And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, because he’s over the seven, and goes into perdition.

It’s an awesome thing when things begin to come together like that, when God begins to show to me, what we cover next Sabbath becomes even more fulfilling and exciting when you begin to understand what God is saying about the 5th Trumpet and about the five-month period of time – what candidly started after January 7th – that’s covered in that period of time.

The seven days, as we have an example of marching around...some have wondered about what I mean when I say we’re now in the second day.  Basically if you divide up the 140 days it’s 20 days each.  Okay?  So that’s why I said we’re in the second day of marching around Jericho, and there’s a process we’re going to go through and that example is going to become more and more meaningful to us as time goes on; and now things about the 5th Trumpet that are going to become more meaningful and more exciting as we go forward.

~~~end

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2. Merkel: Transfer more power to EU, not more money to bail-out fund

3. 20 Signs That Europe Is Plunging Into A Full-Blown Economic Depression

4. Commerzbank CEO Says Greece Should Exit Eurozone

5. Spain's Finance Minister Cristobal Montoro admits unemployment rate has jumped to 24pc

6. India Joins Asian Dollar Exclusion Zone, Will Transact With Iran In Rupees

7. The Demise of the Petrodollar! Tehran Pushes to Ditch the US Dollar!

8. China Brings US Treasury Holdings To One Year Low, Russia Cuts Treasury Exposure By 50% In One Year

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